Lin Yutang was looking at him too.
The man had broad, well-defined shoulders and a back, with firm, fluid arm muscles. As he braced himself against the edge of the pool, veins faintly surfaced beneath his forearms, radiating an explosive sense of power.
Her gaze traveled downward to a waistline that tapered in sharply—the most textbook V-taper, narrow and tight, with clearly defined abdominal lines, every part of him lean, muscular, and perfectly proportioned.
Lin Yutang’s cheeks flushed slightly.
Who could blame her? A bare-chested man climbing out of the pool first thing in the morning.
She swiftly pulled the balcony curtains shut again, sealing them tight.
After going downstairs and finishing breakfast, Lin Yutang walked toward the courtyard lounge chair with a book and a tub of ice cream.
Rum raisin flavored ice cream—a faint hint of liquor mingled with creamy milk, the texture exceptionally rich and smooth.
She scooped spoonful after spoonful into her mouth.
Reading for too long made her neck ache, so she lifted her head and gently rolled it to loosen up. As her gaze rose, she happened to catch sight of Lu Chaosheng lying on a lounge chair not far away.
Lin Yutang: “…”
Haunting her like a ghost! How did she end up seeing him again?
And after more than half an hour, this man was still bare-chested, with only a towel wrapped around his lower half.
Just as she was silently complaining to herself, Lu Chaosheng strode over.
The towel hung loosely around his waist, as if it might slip off at any second.
Lin Yutang only blinked—and sure enough, as he walked, the towel slid to the ground.
Startled, she immediately squeezed her eyes shut, terrified of seeing something she shouldn’t.
Lu Chaosheng ignored the towel and walked straight up to stand before her.
“Closing your eyes—afraid of seeing something?”
“Too bad. I was planning to swim a bit more, so I put on swim trunks.”
Only then did Lin Yutang open her eyes.
Unlike the brief glimpse from upstairs earlier, now before her was the man’s broad, solid chest, eight neatly aligned abdominal muscles, and…
Pure black swim trunks, looking very form-fitting.
Faintly, she could even make out the contours and shape.
Lin Yutang’s fair, delicate cheeks visibly flushed with a light crimson hue.
“What are you looking at?” Lu Chaosheng asked, knowing full well.
Lin Yutang’s watery eyes shimmered with shy embarrassment: “Looking, looking at the pool! What else would I be looking at!”
“Oh~” Lu Chaosheng let out a low, husky laugh. “Is it big?”
Lin Yutang was caught off guard by the question, dazed for a moment before realizing he was probably asking if the pool was big.
But she also felt his words were highly ambiguous.
Without overthinking it, she nodded. “Big.”
“Satisfied?” Lu Chaosheng raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth curling into a mischievous, unrestrained grin.
Lin Yutang took a deep breath: “…Satisfied.”
Lu Chaosheng’s Adam’s apple rolled slightly, his long, narrow eyes brimming with obvious teasing: “It’s all yours from now on.”
It finally clicked for Lin Yutang what he had actually been asking.
Her fair, exquisite little face was now completely flushed red. She bit her rosy lips and shot him a fierce glare.
“Lu Chaosheng, shut up!”
So angry she could only call him by his full name.
But no matter how she thought about it, it wasn’t enough to vent her frustration.
Lin Yutang could only take it out on the ice cream in front of her. She gripped the small spoon and dug out a huge scoop, shoving it into her mouth.
A bit of the sweet, creamy ice cream accidentally smeared onto the corner of her lips.
White.
Sticky.
Lu Chaosheng’s gaze held a hint of something unreadable as he watched her for a moment, then extended a slender finger to tap the corner of his own lips.
A silent reminder that she had ice cream on hers.
Lin Yutang’s eyes flickered. She set down the spoon and looked around for a tissue.
Before she could find one, Lu Chaosheng leaned in first.
One elbow rested lightly on the edge of the lounge chair, his posture lazy yet carrying a casual, unhurried pressure as he slowly bent down to close the distance.
His tongue moved deftly, licking away the trace of ice cream left at the corner of her lips.
Then he offered a light, airy comment or two.
“Sweet.”
“But not as sweet as you.”
Lin Yutang: “!!”
Her ears burned hot.
Heat instantly climbed up her cheeks, spreading a thin flush across her face, and even her breathing faltered for half a beat.
Clutching her book, Lin Yutang abandoned the rest of her ice cream and fled.
Only Lu Chaosheng remained in the courtyard.
He lay down on the lounge chair Lin Yutang had just occupied, leisurely eating the ice cream she’d left behind.
The corners of his lips curled upward.
He looked to be in an excellent mood.
In the evening, Lu Qiting finally returned from his business trip.
Uncle Han had long since arranged for the servants to prepare the ingredients, and a dinner was made that rivaled a full imperial feast.
During the meal.
Lu Qiting sat upright at the head of the table in a meticulously tailored black suit, a steady, warm smile on his lips, exuding the composed bearing of a man who had spent years in a position of authority.
Yet his gaze would subtly drift toward Lin Yutang at his side, his expression unconsciously softening, his eyes filled with gentle warmth.
On the other side, Lu Chaosheng idly held his chopsticks, his expression cold and indifferent throughout.
Occasionally, when he looked up to pick up food, the corner of his eye caught his father’s undisguised gentleness and affection toward Lin Yutang.
His long, thick lashes drooped slightly, veiling the faint mockery churning beneath his eyes.
Halfway through the meal, Lu Qiting paused his chopsticks and spoke in a warm, mellow tone, turning to ask Lin Yutang a question.
“Yutang, how are you finding it here? If there’s anything you’re not satisfied with, don’t be shy—just tell Uncle.”
Lin Yutang smiled and shook her head. “Thank you for your concern, Uncle. I’m doing very well here.”
Lu Qiting asked a few more questions before casually steering the conversation toward Lin Yutang’s parents, inquiring about how they were doing.
As he listened to Lin Yutang talk about her family, Lu Qiting’s expression grew increasingly gentle.
Lu Chaosheng kept his eyes lowered, eating quietly, barely participating in their conversation.
Hearing his father’s tone grow warmer and warmer, tinged with barely concealed delight, he finally lifted his gaze and swept a cold, indifferent look across the room.
In all his years, he had never seen such barely suppressed joy on his father’s face.
At that thought, Lu Chaosheng’s expression turned even colder.
Lin Yutang caught this.
She found it a bit baffling and glanced at Lu Chaosheng a few more times, completely puzzled.
Lu Qiting naturally noticed his son’s expression from those extra glances Lin Yutang had cast his way. He tightened his grip on his chopsticks, forcing down the elation in his heart, and in almost a second, switched back to his previous warm smile, turning to his son with concern.
“Chaosheng, since you’ve chosen to return to Jing University to study, keep a proper attitude and settle down to your books. Don’t be as undisciplined and reckless as you were in London, doing whatever you pleased.”
Lu Chaosheng gave a lazy nod, as if he were some lord of the manor, indicating that he’d heard.
Lu Qiting seemed accustomed to this behavior of his, let out a cold snort, and continued to remind him.
“Whether at home or at school, take good care of Yutang. Treat her like your own sister, understand?”
Lu Chaosheng raised an eyebrow slightly, deliberately drawing out his final syllable in a languid, singsong tone: “Un-der-stood.”
Treat her like his own sister?
Well, that was exciting.
Take good care of her?
That was a given.
As for how he’d take care of her—that was his call.