Lin Duole’s eyes widened unmistakably as he heard Lu Chengyu say in a nearly calm, matter-of-fact tone, “They’re having sex. You get it now, right?”
Lin Duole blinked. His already wide eyes grew even rounder as he stared up at Lu Chengyu, who was pressing down over him. He had never expected to hear such words come out of his mouth.
Curling the corner of his lips, Lu Chengyu touched his cheek, adopting a cynically playful tone: “What? Scared silly by what I said?”
Lin Duole truly hadn’t thought in that direction. He knew from biology class how babies were made, but he had never given any thought to the concrete, real-life scenario.
Seeing Lin Duole fall into deep thought without answering, Lu Chengyu subtlely knit his brows and pinched his chin. Lin Duole’s cheeks flushed slightly. He had a slim, delicate build with almost no extra flesh on his shoulders. Through the thin layer of fabric, a faint scent of mint drifted off him—elusive and light, like a natural body fragrance. Lu Chengyu felt a sudden urge to lean closer to his neck to take a breath, but Lin Duole pressed a hand against his chest. “What are you doing?”
“So timid. How are you going to manage when you fall in love in the future?” A wicked smile curved up at the corner of Lu Chengyu’s mouth. Taking a subtle breath of his warm scent, his voice came from above: “Blushing just from eavesdropping outside a wall. In the future, if your partner kisses you, touches you, or does those things with you, wouldn’t you die of embarrassment?”
Lin Duole kept his face tense. He hadn’t expected him to say such a thing, nor had he ever considered the future, so he could only push him away and say in a cold voice, “Get off me, you’re overthinking…”
Outside the room, the sound of a door opening echoed. Just as Lu Chengyu was pushed back by Lin Duole, he swiftly covered Lin Duole’s mouth. Before he could even finish his sentence, Lu Chengyu’s palm pressed up against his lips, sealing against his teeth.
Once again in the pitch-black night, the two held their breath, both coordinating impeccably to refrain from making a single sound.
Outside the bedroom, Lu Tingyu’s footsteps resounded. Highly vigilant, he had felt something was off moments ago, and hearing another faint sound, he immediately stepped out to investigate. Yet there appeared to be nothing. Song Qian hadn’t yet recovered from the afterglow of her orgasm; her eyes were like fine silk, and her body was so soft she could barely stand, forcing her to lean limply in her husband’s arms as she murmured weakly, “You definitely misheard. The kids went to sleep long ago. Let me have you one more time.”
“…”
The words were far too explicit; hearing them made Lin Duole completely terrified to make a sound. Lu Chengyu was used to such minor scenes, but he also remained silent, fixing his gaze on Lin Duole to observe him intently.
Such an ambiguous, sultry night never failed to stir up inexplicable emotions, especially for teenage boys going through the enlightenment of puberty in their early teens. Those intertwined breaths, the unrestrained moans, the scalding words whispered in the ear—it was as if they had no boundaries, wildly racing through Lin Duole’s mind…
Meanwhile, Lu Chengyu’s mind held an entirely different scene: the late-night scent of mint, the slender waist of the boy, the gentle rise and fall of a slight Adam’s apple, soft lips pressed right against his palm…
Lu Chengyu felt as though the body of the person in his dream was impossibly familiar—so familiar he could see it every day, so familiar he had touched it just last night. Something deep within his heart was set ablaze, demanding his utmost restraint. Yet no matter how he tried to suppress it while looking at that figure from behind, the wild thumping of his heart wouldn’t stop. He spent the entire night caught in an impulsive dream, finally waking up drenched in cold sweat.
Lin Duole forgot what had happened in his dream last night. When he woke up, he felt a damp sensation inside his pants, and reaching in revealed a sticky mess. Instantly realizing what it was, a hot blush crept across his face, making even his ears itch—an itch that traveled straight to his core, setting his heart pounding furiously.
Fortunately, he had woken up early. Lin Duole wanted to sneak into the bathroom to change his pants and wash them in secret before his uncle, aunt, and Lu Chengyu woke up. Getting up without daring to glance at Lu Chengyu’s bedding, he dashed barefoot toward the bathroom, only to run head-on into Lu Chengyu stepping out.
Lin Duole saw Lu Chengyu holding a clothing hanger with a pair of freshly washed boxer briefs hanging off it. When he saw someone come out, Lu Chengyu’s first reaction was also to hide the washed underwear behind his back.
The moment he hid it, Lin Duole instantly understood what had happened. He stole a glance at his own soiled pants, then looked up to find Lu Chengyu staring right at his crotch, causing that awkward feeling to surge back up again.
They were both guys, so morning occurrences were unavoidable. Lowering his voice, Lu Chengyu offered a rare piece of advice: “I just finished using it. Go wash quickly before Mom and Dad get up.”
Lin Duole nodded and slipped into the bathroom alone. This bathroom sat adjacent to the two secondary bedrooms, using the living room as a central axis; the toilet along with these two secondary bedrooms were separated from the master bedroom occupied by Lu Chengyu’s parents. Since his parents’ room had an en-suite bathroom, this particular bathroom practically became a space shared exclusively by Lin Duole and Lu Chengyu.
Early in the morning, Song Qian woke up full of energy and radiant, preparing breakfast for her husband and the kids. She had turned in late last night, but thankfully she had a week of leave after returning to the country, allowing her to relax peacefully at home for a while.
“How rare, the kids both woke up early today.” Song Qian spoke in an exceptionally gentle tone. Seeing that Lu Tingyu had finished washing up and came out of the bedroom to sit at the dining table, she hurriedly handed her husband a sandwich and milk.
Lin Duole raised his head, staring at his uncle and aunt somewhat absentmindedly. Uncle Lu had no expression on his face, but his eyes were bright, and his spirits seemed high.
Aunt Song went without saying; her delicate, fair skin beamed as she looked at her husband with a smile. The forty-year-old woman looked subtly like a young teenage girl. When handing her husband breakfast, she even secretly threw him a flirtatious wink.
Song Qian was the kind of woman with high emotional needs but low expectations. As long as Lu Tingyu expressed physical affection late at night, she could feel satisfied and happy for quite some time.
Uncovering a pot, Lu Tingyu glanced at the preserved egg and lean pork porridge inside, asking with a polite smile, “Oh? So the kids slept well last night?”
Lin Duole’s heart skipped a beat, terrified that a wrong answer would give him away, and even more fearful that Uncle Lu would discover clues from last night. After a moment’s thought, he offered a cover-up: “I went to bed early last night, so I woke up a bit early.”
Lu Chengyu acted completely nonchalant, echoing with an emotionless face: “Me too, slept like a log till dawn.”
After finishing the meal, the two kids rushed off to school for early self-study. Lu Chengyu had to walk to school with Lin Duole every day per his father’s request. Under the watchful eyes of their uncle and aunt, the two would walk out the door side-by-side for 500 meters. But once they crossed the traffic light, they went their separate ways in private, never squeezing onto the same bus or entering the classroom together.
Before even reaching the traffic light, Lin Duole suddenly remembered that the English assignment due for early self-study was still sitting on his bedroom desk. Stopping in his tracks, he said to Lu Chengyu, “You go ahead first. I forgot my English homework, I need to head back up to get it.”
Lu Chengyu looked at him and said, “Then hurry up. If you miss the second bus, you’ll have to wait another ten minutes.”
After the kids left, Song Qian wrapped her arms around her husband’s neck at the dining table and said bluntly, “Hubby, Assistant Li mentioned that you wrapped up your business trip two days early. There’s nothing pressing at the company right now, so stay home and spend time with me.”
Unmoved, Lu Tingyu’s expression remained completely blank as he said, “Spend time with you doing what?”
“The kids aren’t around, so obviously whatever you want to do.” Song Qian raised her eyebrows, giggling as she licked the tip of her tongue against Lu Tingyu’s earlobe, saying, “You were so fierce last night. What should I do? I still want more right now. How about we have a round in the living room?”
“Stop messing around, I still have business to attend to.” Lu Tingyu’s expression turned serious, clearly having no desire to be intimate with her.
“Lu Tingyu, are you Tang Sanzang, swearing off all worldly love and desires?”
Lu Tingyu didn’t answer, clearly left with nothing more to say.
Song Qian felt a deep sense of powerlessness and frustration over this. Poking her finger against her husband’s chest, right over his heart, she cried out, “Twenty years! Twenty whole years! From the moment we got married until now, you have never taken the initiative even once! Not even a single time! Why does your wife have to act like a slut every single time, begging you, seducing you, before you’re willing to bestow a microscopic sliver of cold affection on me?!”
Lu Tingyu knit his brows, saying nothing.
Song Qian had endured for twenty years and hoped for twenty years. She thought she understood the man in front of her well enough—he always wore the same impassive, businesslike face toward his parents, his wife and child, and outsiders alike, appearing utterly devoid of emotional warmth. She assumed that was simply his personality, with no one to blame; she was the one who insisted on marrying him back then after a night of drunk passion, and she had no regrets about it.
That was until Lin Duole’s arrival shattered her long-standing perception of her husband. Granted, Lin Duole was indeed sensible, smart, endearing, and hardworking. Living in this house, he hadn’t caused her a single moment of embarrassment or dissatisfaction; instead, he brought a lot of positive energy. But her husband’s attitude toward this child was far too abnormal—abnormal to the point of exceeding her ultimate understanding of his character.
At the dining table, every single dish had to cater to Lin Duole’s taste. academically, he provided private tutors alongside personal guidance. In daily life, he worried whether Lin Duole was hungry, cold, or hot, paying extra attention to every single detail. What was even more exaggerated was his tone and gaze: such a rigid, rational man like her husband was always gentle-voiced and infinitely accommodating whenever he faced Lin Duole.
The way he looked at Lu Chengyu—or anyone else, for that matter—was rational and distant. Yet when he looked at Lin Duole, his eyes were filled exclusively with hope and love.
“You were too tired last night. Take a good rest today.” Lu Tingyu adjusted his suit tie and said in a measured tone, “The company plans to negotiate a project with government departments recently. I need to head back to prepare.”
He walked to the entrance to change his shoes. Song Qian hesitated for two seconds before calling out, “Why? Lu Tingyu, you still haven’t told me why!”
“Why are you the same toward everyone else, yet uniquely favor Lin Duole?!”
Lin Duole sprinted back home. Just as he was about to enter the door code, he overheard Aunt Song’s series of interrogations from inside the room—or rather, a desperate roar.
Freezing in place, he had accidentally stumbled upon the argument inside, yet he couldn’t push that piece of conversation out of his mind.
Lin Duole quietly lowered his raised hand. Afraid that Uncle Lu would run into him after changing his shoes, he turned around and ran back without stopping.
He ran all the way to the traffic light intersection before Lu Chengyu reached out a hand to stop him. Seeing his strange expression and demeanor, he asked in a deep voice, “What’s wrong with you? Did you get your homework? Why’d you run back so fast?”
With a flushed face, Lin Duole panted heavily, unable to say a word. Instead, he asked back, “Why are you still here?”
“Waiting for the green light.” Without even raising his eyelids, Lu Chengyu uttered the casual line while continuing to observe Lin Duole, not missing a single flicker of emotion on his face.
The longest wait time for this traffic light was no more than a hundred and twenty seconds, yet Lin Duole had taken a full five minutes to make the round trip. Seeing through it without calling him out, Lu Chengyu walked alongside him along the sidewalk toward the bus stop.
When the bus arrived at the stop, Lin Duole assumed he would wait for the next one, but Lu Chengyu hooked his school uniform, pulling him onto the bus together.
It was too early, so apart from a few students rushing to early self-study, the bus was practically empty. As the two sat side by side, the morning sunlight slanted in through the window, shining upon the brows and corners of the young boy’s eyes. Lu Chengyu, backlit against the glow, glanced at Lin Duole from time to time. He saw that while his breathing had smoothed out, his face remained bright red, looking completely off.
Having lived together day and night for two or three months, Lu Chengyu often observed Lin Duole, taking in every single one of his expressions and reactions and keeping them in mind.
This behavior right now meant he must have accidentally witnessed something when going back for his homework.
Lu Chengyu tsked softly, tilting his head to lean on Lin Duole’s shoulder as if examining him, a mischievous smile clinging to the corner of his lips: “You didn’t see my parents making out again when you went back, did you?”