Carrying a small white puppy in her arms, Lu Mingshu walked to the bedroom doorway.
Terrified of being discovered, Shen Shuhe quickly ducked her head beneath the blanket, burying her face against Lu Yanzhou’s chest.
Looking down at the little head hidden beneath the covers, Lu Yanzhou curled his lips into a faint smile.
He was in an unusually good mood, and even his tone toward Lu Mingshu became gentler.
“Mm?”
“You said you were busy, but you’re just sleeping?” Lu Mingshu asked, utterly baffled. “Don’t you never take naps during the day?”
Wasn’t he always one of those high-energy people who barely slept?
He had never been one to oversleep. Even after only two or three hours of rest, he was always full of energy and capable of handling intense workloads.
Thinking of that, she stepped into the bedroom with concern.
“Are you sick? Do you have a fever? Are you feeling unwell? Do you want me to take you to the hospital?”
Hearing Lu Mingshu’s footsteps drawing closer, Shen Shuhe grew even more nervous.
She instinctively burrowed deeper into Lu Yanzhou’s embrace, pressing not only her head against his chest but her entire body tightly against his, making sure she was completely concealed behind him.
Lu Yanzhou’s body stiffened.
Their bodies were pressed together without the slightest gap between them, allowing him to clearly feel the softness of her body and the graceful curves of her figure.
The lingering memories from before flooded back once more.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as his breathing grew heavier.
Resting against his chest, Shen Shuhe could clearly hear his heartbeat.
Strong.
Rapid.
As loud as thunder in her ears.
Is he nervous?
Yet when Lu Yanzhou spoke, his voice remained perfectly steady.
“I’m not sick. If you have something to say, say it quickly.”
Hearing the impatience in his tone, and seeing that he continued facing away from her without even attempting to get up or turn around, Lu Mingshu stopped where she was.
“Wanqing just rescued this puppy,” she explained. “Her parents are afraid of dogs, and she’ll be staying with them for the next couple of days, so she wants you to take care of it. She’ll come pick it up herself in two days.”
Lu Yanzhou showed absolutely no interest in helping.
“Why don’t you keep it yourself?”
“Oh, come on! I’m allergic to dog fur. Did you forget?” Lu Mingshu rolled her eyes at his back before sneezing several times in succession.
Hearing that, Shen Shuhe almost laughed.
Maybe she couldn’t say the same for anyone else, but this was Jiang Wanqing’s dog.
She was definitely doing it on purpose.
Jiang Wanqing had so many close friends.
Couldn’t one of them watch the dog for two days?
Yet she had deliberately entrusted it to Lu Mingshu—
No.
To Lu Mingshu’s brother, Lu Yanzhou.
The puppy was just an excuse.
Her real goal was obviously to find an opportunity to get close to Lu Yanzhou.
Did Jiang Wanqing save Lu Mingshu’s life or something?
Why was she helping her this much?
After finally stopping her sneezing, Lu Mingshu continued persuading him.
“Besides, your place isn’t even fully renovated yet. Even if the puppy tears things up, there’s nothing to worry about. And—”
“Lu Mingshu.”
Lu Yanzhou cut her off, refusing flatly.
“Take yourself and the dog with you.”
Had she lost her mind?
Why would she ever think he’d agree to take care of Jiang Wanqing’s dog?
What a ridiculous idea.
“Why are you so mean? It’s just a small favor!” Lu Mingshu complained as she stepped forward. “I came back to Beijing a few days before you did. I was the one who bought your bed and assembled it for you. I even had your door installed. I’m only asking you to watch the puppy for two days. Your front door was installed because of me too. You—Achoo!”
She sneezed several more times, her nose itching unbearably.
Having no choice, she temporarily set the puppy down on the floor.
Hearing Lu Mingshu’s voice getting even closer, Shen Shuhe instinctively pressed herself even tighter against Lu Yanzhou.
He distinctly felt another soft pressure against his chest.
His dark eyes deepened.
His breathing grew even heavier.
The room was almost completely empty, with no one else inside.
Every tiny sound echoed clearly.
Lu Mingshu suddenly heard an unmistakably intimate sound of heavy breathing.
She looked at Lu Yanzhou’s rigid back…
Then at the laptop sitting at the foot of the bed.
Who left a laptop on the bed while sleeping?
He…
He…
He was watching porn?!
Lu Mingshu wasn’t some old-fashioned conservative.
After years of studying overseas, she’d seen every kind of relationship imaginable and knew perfectly well about people’s physical needs.
But the man in front of her…
Was her own brother!
Catching her own brother watching adult videos and… taking matters into his own hands…
The shock left her mind completely blank for several seconds.
She was mortified.
Taking several hurried steps backward, she retreated to the bedroom doorway once again.
After a fierce internal debate between quietly leaving and confronting the situation head-on, she chose the latter.
The situation was already painfully obvious.
Pretending nothing had happened would only make things even more awkward.
It was better to address it openly and treat it as something perfectly normal.
Clearing her throat, she spoke earnestly.
“Brother… you’re not getting any younger. Instead of watching videos and handling things yourself, why don’t you just find yourself a girlfriend?”
Lu Yanzhou’s face darkened.
Given the current situation—with a warm, soft woman in his arms—this was hardly the time to explain or argue.
After taking a deep breath, he repeated in a tone that was almost a warning,
“Take the dog. Leave.”
Faced with such an awkward scene, Lu Mingshu didn’t want to stay any longer either.
She stopped arguing and obediently nodded.
“Fine. I’m leaving now. I won’t disturb you.”
As she bent down to pick up the puppy, she casually muttered,
“Honestly… next time you’re doing something like this, could you at least close the door? Or give people some kind of warning?”
Lu Yanzhou: …
Never in a million years had Shen Shuhe expected that the reason Lu Mingshu willingly left…
Would be because of such a misunderstanding.
She almost laughed.
Unfortunately…
Laughing at someone else’s expense often invited karma.
Sure enough, the very next moment, her smile vanished.
Lu Mingshu hadn’t discovered her.
But the puppy had.
Wagging its tail excitedly, it stared at Shen Shuhe on the bed and began barking enthusiastically.
“Woof! Woof! Woof!”
Shen Shuhe: …?
This dog really has no sense of the situation at all!