Lu Jinglin sat casually on the living room sofa reading a book. Hearing the sound of the door opening, he raised his head, his gaze sweeping directly toward Xia Yuning. “You’re back.”
Xia Yuning responded with a soft noise and came over to sit down on the sofa as well.
Lu Jinglin instructed a servant, “Bring over a cup of warm water.”
“Right away, sir.”
“Did something happen at school today?” Lu Jinglin asked.
Xia Yuning looked surprised. “How did you know?”
“The ones who accompanied you to school were my bodyguards,” Lu Jinglin explained. “Naturally, they reported it to me.”
“Ah, I see.” Xia Yuning rubbed the bridge of his nose, wondering how he could ask such a foolish question and completely forget about those two bodyguards.
The servant handed the water to Lu Jinglin, who then tilted his chin toward Xia Yuning. “Give it to him.”
“Thank you,” Xia Yuning accepted the cup.
Taking a small sip of water, Xia Yuning answered the question Lu Jinglin had just asked. “It was just that a classmate of mine had a fever, so I took him to the hospital.”
“Male or female?” Lu Jinglin asked abruptly.
“Male, he’s my roommate.” The outer corners of Xia Yuning’s peach-blossom eyes curved slightly. “Though technically, he’s my former roommate now.”
Lu Jinglin rubbed his thumb against the page of his book. “You spent nearly the entire day at the hospital?”
“Yeah, his fever reached forty degrees Celsius, so I had to stay and look after him.”
“Are you very close with him?”
“Not really. Why?”
“Nothing.”
“You haven’t had dinner yet, have you?” Lu Jinglin said. “Don’t cook tonight. Get some proper rest.”
“It’s fine, I’m not tired.” Xia Yuning stroked the rim of his water glass.
Lu Jinglin said in a low voice, “Just let Uncle Luo handle it. You don’t need to worry about it.”
With Lu Jinglin maintaining such a firm stance, Xia Yuning didn’t insist further. “Alright.”
At the dining table, Xia Yuning took a bite of the meal and his eyes lit up.
The flavor was fantastic, truly delicious.
Chewing his food, he remarked, “Tonight’s dishes taste really good.”
Lu Jinglin replied, “They were made by the new chef.”
“Does it suit your palate?” Xia Yuning asked.
Lu Jinglin lifted his gaze. “Do you want me to tell you the truth?”
“Mm.” Xia Yuning nodded casually, focusing on enjoying the food, thinking to himself that surely the dishes didn’t suit the other man’s taste?
With a pair of dark, heavy eyes staring straight at him, Lu Jinglin spoke in a deep, magnetic voice, enunciating each word clearly: “I like the food you make.”
Xia Yuning paused slightly, not expecting Lu Jinglin to be so direct. He blinked flurriedly, hurriedly swallowed the food in his mouth, lowered his eyelashes, and avoided meeting Lu Jinglin’s gaze. “Oh, oh.”
After a silent moment, he blushed at the tips of his ears and muttered softly, “I can make it for you tomorrow, then.”
Lu Jinglin curved his lips, his thumb tracing the cool, smooth surface of his bowl. Staring at Xia Yuning’s slightly trembling eyelashes, he let out a pleased hum.
Little Yuanbao hadn’t seen his uncle’s spouse for several days. Ever since his visit that one time, his uncle hadn’t brought the spouse back over.
After dinner today, he made a fuss, demanding that his grandmother make a video call to his uncle, claiming on the surface that he missed his uncle, though he actually just missed his uncle’s spouse.
The little fellow was too persistent to shake off, leaving Rong Feng with no choice but to initiate a video call to Lu Jinglin.
Before long, Lu Jinglin answered.
The background behind Lu Jinglin was a study room, leading Rong Feng to assume he was busy with work. She smiled gently and said, “Am I interrupting you?”
“Not at all,” Lu Jinglin said. “What is it, Mom?”
“Yuanbao has been making a fuss to call you. He says he misses you.”
“Is that so?” Lu Jinglin raised an eyebrow.
Rong Feng shifted the phone downward to bring little Yuanbao into the frame. “Your uncle is asking you.”
Little Yuanbao forced out words he didn’t mean, saying, “That’s right, Uncle, I missed you so much.”
Yet in the very next breath, he asked, “Where is my uncle’s spouse?”
Looking at little Yuanbao on the screen, Lu Jinglin thought to himself that this little peanut indeed had motives that went beyond mere conversation.
He teased purposely, “Why are you looking for your uncle’s spouse? Didn’t you say you missed me? Just talk to me.”
Little Yuanbao was stunned, not expecting his uncle to play outside the usual script. With a serious little face, he replied, “I miss you, but I also miss my uncle’s spouse, so I can’t just talk to you.”
“Well, you haven’t even talked to me for long.” Lu Jinglin said in a low voice, “Only two minutes.”
Completely thrown off by Lu Jinglin, little Yuanbao stammered and couldn’t find the words, his little face flushing red.
Seeing that little Yuanbao was growing more and more dejected, Lu Jinglin stopped teasing him and said, “Alright, I’ll let you see your uncle’s spouse.”
Little Yuanbao’s eyes lit up instantly, and he almost burst out laughing.
Rong Feng chuckled beside them, reaching out to gently tousle little Yuanbao’s head.