Just at that moment, a buzzing sound caught Xia Yuning’s attention. He lifted his gaze, revealing those amber pupils with flickers of light dancing within them. At this moment, he finally felt truly real.
Bzz.
Bzz.
After a few more consecutive rings, Xia Yuning rummaged through the pile of clothes he had brought and fished out his phone. The vibration had come from the device.
He placed his thumb on the fingerprint scanner to unlock the phone, opened WeChat, and saw that the top-pinned contact named Brother Gu had sent him three messages.
Brother Gu?
Who on earth was this? The nickname was so intimate, and he was even pinned to the top.
Xia Yuning tapped on the chat box to open it.
Brother Gu: Xiaoyu, how are you doing right now? What is the situation?
Brother Gu: Are you already at the Lu family place?
Brother Gu: Have you considered what I said? Are you willing to help me?
Considered?
Xia Yuning scrolled up the page. At 8:20, Brother Gu had sent a flurry of messages.
Brother Gu: Xiaoyu, are you really going to marry Lu Jinglin?
Brother Gu: Don’t be sad. I know you don’t like him. I need a favor from you. As long as you are willing to help me, I will be with you and help you escape the Lu family.
Brother Gu: I want you to help me fight against the Lu family. Work hand-in-glove with me from inside the Lu family to deal with Lu Jinglin together. I know you like me; actually, I like you too. As long as you agree to help me, we can be together. Only by working together against Lu Jinglin can I have any hope of helping you escape the Lu family. So Xiaoyu, say yes, okay?
Fuck.
Turns out it was that asshole male protagonist, Gu Situ.
Ha, talking about liking the original owner, it was all fucking lies.
Was this really how the original owner had been tricked onto a pirate ship? He was way too fucking easy to gull!
Always remember that a man’s words are a deceitful demon’s game!
Xia Yuning closed the phone and tossed it aside, deciding it was better out of sight, out of mind.
This phone was old anyway; it was about time for an upgrade. Tomorrow he would throw this phone away and completely destroy its contents. He couldn’t let Lu Jinglin see any of this, or he would start getting suspicious, and he certainly didn’t feel like courting death.
Yawning, Xia Yuning climbed onto the bed and lay down on the side against the wall. Having kept his nerves on edge all day, his eyelids were drooping with exhaustion, and he didn’t even have the energy to fuss over the bright red bedsheets anymore. Barely after lying down, he fell fast asleep.
Not long after, Lu Jinglin came out of the bathroom wearing a pure black silk pajama set, the fine fabric wrapping snugly around his robust and powerful physique.
He strode over to the bedside, a pair of dark, heavy eyes gazing down at Xia Yuning. The youth on the bed looked very obedient, curled up against the far side with his chest rising and falling in an even rhythm.
After watching for a moment, he turned off the light and lay down on the opposite side.
Early the next morning, Xia Yuning woke up naturally according to his biological clock. Having not slept on such a comfortable bed in ages, he lingered in bed, dozing slightly.
Just as he wanted to stretch lazily, he suddenly realized that he could not move.
Whatever lingering sleepiness he had vanished instantly, leaving him wide awake. Opening his eyes in shock, he discovered to his horror that he was currently tucked cozily inside Lu Jinglin’s embrace, with all four of his limbs completely pinned down.
“You’re awake?” A voice came from right above his head.
Perhaps because he had just woken up, Lu Jinglin’s voice carried a magnetic huskiness. “Is this what you call sleeping peacefully? Hm?”
Xia Yuning’s mouth parted slightly in surprise. He bolted upright, breaking free from the hold. “I sleep very peacefully, right?” Meeting Lu Jinglin’s amused, half-smiling gaze, he closed his eyes and conceded, “Fine, actually I wouldn’t know, since I’ve never slept with anyone else before.”
A blush spread across his cheeks as he stammered in embarrassment, “Sorry, I really thought I slept quietly.”
Presumably, he must have been tossing and turning all night, which was why Lu Jinglin had ended up wrapping his limbs around him to keep him still.
Ah, how mortifying.
“It’s fine.” Seeing how terribly embarrassed the youth was, Lu Jinglin dropped the subject. Instead, he said, “I have an important meeting this morning and need to head to the company soon. I’ll take you back to the Lu family old residence around noon. If you want to go anywhere this morning, let Uncle Luo know and he’ll arrange a driver for you.”
Xia Yuning nodded to show he understood.
He lay back down for a while to let the heat on his face subside before getting up to head downstairs.
By then, Lu Jinglin had already left. Uncle Luo greeted him upon sight, “Good morning, Yuning Young Master. Did you rest well last night?”
“Ah, yes.” Mentioning that immediately brought back the memory of this morning’s predicament, so Xia Yuning mumbled vaguely, “It was pretty good.”
After finishing breakfast, Xia Yuning planned to get a haircut and buy a new phone. “Uncle Luo, please have a car prepared for me. I’m planning to head out.”
Uncle Luo replied, “Yes, I’ll arrange it right away.”
Uncle Luo’s efficiency was remarkably high. Barely a minute after Xia Yuning made the request, he arrived with a driver in tow.
“Mr. Xia, where would you like to go?” the driver asked.
Xia Yuning answered, “To a hair salon.”
Xia Yuning’s hair was currently a bit long, almost covering his eyes. The original owner had been socially anxious and always kept his hair long to hide his eyes, but he himself was not socially anxious, and overly long hair tended to obstruct his vision.
The driver respectfully replied, “Understood, I’ll take you right there.”
While getting his hair cut and buying a phone today, he swiped the card Lu Jinglin had left him before heading out. He wasn’t going to stand on ceremony; since he was already married to Lu Jinglin, and more realistically, because he was flat broke—he only had whatever meager earnings the original owner had saved up from past part-time jobs left on him—he had no choice but to bow down to reality.