Lin Chu took the pajamas and her palms went hot. No matter what, that was a pair of pajamas that stuck close to his body while he slept at night.
Yan Beicheng watched as her ears went red, and it spread to her neck. His heart skipped a beat and he lowered his head to kiss her on the corner of her lips.
Lin Chu felt a burn at the corner of her lips and heard Yan Beicheng"s pleasant low, hoa.r.s.e voice came from the top of her head, "It"s getting late, have a good rest."
Lin Chu did not hear what exactly Yan Beicheng said, but she immediately took a step back and banged the door shut. His seducing kiss had almost made her heart jump out of her body. She did not think twice but closed the door. Her heart was still beating wildly.
Yan Beicheng was stunned. He rubbed his nose. That was just a kiss. Why would she give such a big reaction?
In the end, he could only turn back sheepishly. Suddenly, he b.u.mped into a round head poking out from the bedroom that belonged to Yan Ningbai.
Yan Ningbai spoke in a low voice as if he was a thief afraid of getting caught, "Big nephew, I didn"t say anything to niece-in-law just now. You must remember to buy that grilled chicken tomorrow!"
After that, his little head quickly disappeared into the bedroom.
Yan Beicheng, "…"
After Lin Chu had calmed down only then she realized what she had done. She opened the door in trepidation and realized Yan Beicheng was gone. She felt relieved.
She took the pajamas into the bathroom and took a quick bath. She shook open the neatly folded pajamas and the thought that Yan Beicheng wore this is now going on her body made her feel hot all over.
She put on the pajamas but it was too big. She had to fold up several layers of the sleeve and pant legs to wear them properly. Luckily the pants could be tied up at the waist, otherwise, she would have to think about how to not make it fall o her.
After tidying up a bit, she quickly went under the covers. The bedsheets and blanket had been cleaned and dried under the sun. There was a clean fragrance to them, which was also on the pajamas, but she had an uneasy feeling. She was not sure if she was able to fall asleep tonight.
Yan Beicheng was tossing in his own bed, unable to go to sleep. Lin Chu was on the same floor nearby. She was staying so close, just two steps away. This was torture to him.
Yan Beicheng"s body was burning with a heat that was impossible to extinguish no matter how much water was used. He was not sure if it was because of his fever but he could feel the heat being worse than usual. Unfortunately, it was not the time to take a risk and get a bath.
He tossed and fidgeted in bed and reached out for his phone on the bedside table. He turned on WeChat and clicked the group chat with the t.i.tle "8x8 is 64". It was quiet in there. No one would say anything without someone mentioning a topic. This was the chat group for his few best friends within the Eight Dominant Families. It was set up by Qi Chenglin, who forced him to create a WeChat account.
He ended up setting up an account, but only knew how to send a message in the chat group and to friends. As for the other functions, he has yet to familiarize himself using them.
He hesitated for a while before typing into the chatbox, "The woman I like…"
That was not right.
Yan Beicheng quickly deleted it and edited the words, "My future wife is in the guestroom of my house. I can"t go to sleep and I"m thinking about going there. What do I do?"
He did not send it out immediately after he was finished with it. Yan Beicheng could imagine how these people would ridicule him if he had sent out this message.
With that, he deleted the message irritably and closed the group chat to find Zuo Qiu"s name "A fallen leave tells of the coming autumn" [TN: The word "Qiu" means Autumn in mandarin].
Yan Beicheng"s mouth twitched. Someone as simple as him choosing such an artistic name, who was he trying to kid?
Yan Beicheng opened a chatbox and typed in, "Where do you usually ask for help on the web?"
Zuo Qiu got a shock at receiving Yan Beicheng"s message and wondered if this was about work.
That did not sound right. Master Yan never had problems when it came to working matters. If he were to ask for help online, it would not be about work. It must be a personal matter. Would this have something to do with Lin Chu?
What Zuo Qiu did not know at that moment was that he had guessed the truth.
Not long after, Yan Beicheng received a forum URL from Zuo Qiu, who replied, "Master Yan, this forum is pretty popular."
Yan Beicheng logged in and registered according to the instructions. There were so many different modules that they blurred his eyes.
In the end, he clicked on "relations.h.i.+ps" and found forums on making friends in the same city, looking for one-night stands and some about relations.h.i.+p problems. There were even some Bosom Friend Groups [TN: These groups are formed by people giving an alternate t.i.tle to well-known novels, film or television t.i.tles that are descriptive and sarcastic. Example - Man pretends to be someone else and tricks a woman into marrying him - Aladdin. This name was derived from a Chinese celebrity magazine named Bosom Friend as a parody].
Yan Beicheng had doubts about this forum and thought about what Zuo Qiu was always busy working on. Was he this lonely?
However, he decided to try posting something, "The woman I like is staying in the guestroom of my house. I really want to go over and the thought is giving me insomnia. What should I do?"
Zuo Qiu was still pretty much dependable. This forum had a lot of users.
Not long after, he received many replies.
1L, "No one would be able to take it when they are living under one roof with their G.o.ddess. Go after her, brother. Don"t be a coward. Do it with her!"
Yan Beicheng continued reading and did not find any constructive suggestions. They were all just shooting their mouths off, encouraging him to go for it.
Even though he did very much like to.
Finally, 25L, "Original poster, how does the other person feel about you? Since she"s staying with you, she should like you, right? Then you should be able to succeed by going over!"
Yan Beicheng considered this to be a matter of a man"s dignity, he should not back away and replied, "Of course he likes me, we"ve kissed a few times. Only someone abnormal would not like someone as handsome, das.h.i.+ng and suave as me. I even gave a kiss before going to bed."
Yan Beicheng felt that he was someone who respected the truth, so he added a piece of minor information, "It could be that she was too shy, she shut me outside the room."
Someone gave a reply, 26L, "I can tell from your post that it"s coming from a place of fantasy that you long for. If she really liked you, she would have let you in. Why would she shut you out instead? Wake up, young man. She"s going to draw a line between both of you tomorrow."
27L, "Did not one noticed that he used the word "he" just now? Original poster, are you the "attacker" or the "receiver"?"
Yan Beicheng"s expression turned dark and replied, "My hands were too fast. It"s she! She!"
30L, "Fast hands. I think I"m starting to understand something."
Yan Beicheng exited the forum as his expression turned darker and angrily sent a WeChat message to Zuo Qiu, "What kind of forum did you introduce me to?! It was no use at all! I"m deducting half of your bonus this month!"
He threw the phone towards his bedside table and covered his head with the blanket. This fiasco had at least diverted his attention.
Yan Beicheng"s fever had subsided very quickly. It could be because he had covered his head in the blanket while sleeping and sweated. When he took his temperature, it was back to normal, but he was starting to show signs of flu.
He got up to make his bed and went downstairs. There was a sizzling sound coming from the kitchen. Yan Ningbai was already sitting at the table with his legs stretched out.
After a while, Lin Chu brought in a clay pot and filled up three bowls of congee. She had prepared two sunny-side-up for Yan Ningbai but Yan Beicheng"s was a poached egg. To prevent Yan Beicheng from feeling psychologically imbalanced, she smartly made a poached egg for herself as well and even made a huge plate of fried noodles.
Yan Beicheng had no love for poached eggs but when he saw Lin Chu was having poached egg as well, he felt that they had couple"s eggs. His mood increased tremendously and smiled the whole time. His smiles got on Lin Chu"s nerves. Did this person especially love having poached eggs?
As Yan Beicheng has recovered from his fever, Lin Chu raised the subject of returning home. Yan Beicheng had no reason to keep her, so he personally sent her home.
Not long after Yan Beicheng left, his house door opened. A middle-aged woman carefully peeked in from outside.
"Aunt Zhuang, my niece-in-law has left. You can come in now," Yan Ningbai looked towards the door from the living room and waved at the middle-aged woman.
Aunt Zhuang then gave a big smile and walked in. To allow the future wife of Master Yan a place to stay the night, she was sent home yesterday.
Aunt Zhuang cut some fruits for Yan Ningbai and went to clean up the guestroom. She found a note on the bedside table which wrote, "Change these sheets with the one in my room. Don"t wash them, just change them immediately. Also, there"s no need to wash my pajamas, just put them on my bed."
It was signed off by Yan Beicheng.
Aunt Zhuang, "…"
Master Yan, when did you become such a fool for love? Aunt Zhuang is very scared of you this way!
At 4 pm, Lin Chu left for Sheng Yue. In addition to the traffic jam, she stayed quite far from Sheng Yue. It took her more than an hour to arrive.
The appointment with Lin Zhenghe was 6 pm, but she knew that if she arrived later than the Lin family, she would be scolded by them even if she arrived on time.
No matter what, with an elderly senior like Old Lady Lin was present, Lin Chu did not want to create any uncomfortable situation for herself.
She reached Sheng Yue at 5.30pm. Lin Chu took a deep breath and prepared to announce her name when a capable-looking woman in black uniform, who looked about 30 years-old walked toward her. Lin Chu looked at her nametag and saw that she was the lobby manager.
It was strange for her as she was not usually greeted personally by the lobby manager.
"Miss Lin," the manager smiled with a slight warmth as she greeted her politely.
The manager did not explain much at Lin Chu"s expression of incredulous. Previously, Lin Chu was saved by Yan Beicheng in front of the private room. He had carried her throughout the situation and did not let her go even when they were at the front door. This was now common knowledge for Sheng Yue employees.
After the situation, the general manager had confirmed that this was Master Yan"s girlfriend, told to him by Master Yan himself. So, naturally, employees at Sheng Yue would recognize Lin Chu.
However, the general manager did convey Master Yan"s instructions and said that Lin Chu was shy and preferred a low profile. Her decision would be final. As for the truth of the matter, it was good enough that everyone understood the situation.
"Miss Lin, are you here for Master Yan? Please come this way," the manager said warmly.
"Nope, I"m here for an appointment with Lin Zhenghe."
The manager immediately checked with a waiter, who confirmed the appointment. The manager personally brought Lin Chu towards the private room.
Lin Chu asked curiously, "Master Yan is here too?"
The manager remembered the general manager"s instructions and cleverly turned back to ask, "Did Master Yan not inform Miss Lin if he was here?"
Lin Chu went silent, what kind of question was that?
"Nope," Lin Chu replied.
"Then Master Yan is not here," the manager immediately shook her head.
Lin Chu, "…"
Lin Chu was brought into the private room. The Lin family had not arrived yet.
Around 5.50pm, the Lin family arrived. Lin Zhenghe was helping Old Lady Lin through the door.
Lin Chu stood up, and with some difficulty, called out towards Old Lady Lin, "Grandma."
Old Lady Lin had a kind and benevolent face. She had short hair, which was dyed black, and had on a pair of reading gla.s.ses. She wore a cheongsam with by a fur shawl on her shoulders. Old Lady Lin lightly pushed away Lin Zhenghe"s hands upon hearing Lin Chu and walked over to hold Lin Chu"s hands.
"Lin Chu, why haven"t you visited grandma for so long?" Old Lady Lin pulled Lin Chu down to sit. Lin Zhenghe had to sit on the other side of Lin Chu.
Lin Chu was about to reply when Lin Yuwen and Cheng Ziming arrived. Lin Chu was slightly surprised, but as this was a Lin family gathering, it would be impossible not to invite them both. Lin Yuwen would not let go of this opportunity to show off to her. To Lin Chu, that would seem a very normal thing for her to do.
This was why she did not express surprise or any unnatural reaction. This was not Lin Yuwen"s expectation, which was why she immediately pulled her face.
Su Changxin gave Lin Chu a look and smiled at Lin Yuwen as she said, "What are the both of you dilly-dallying about?"
Lin Yuwen rubbed her tummy, "It"s Ziming"s fault. He"s always afraid of me hurting myself and insists on walking slowly along with me. He"d get so nervous when a waiter pa.s.sed by so he made me walk slowly."
Lin Chu looked at her coldly but smiled as she said, "Yuwen, how many months is the baby?"
Lin Yuwen was taken aback with Lin Chu"s gentle, smiling face and could not fathom her thoughts. She can"t do anything too extreme in front of Old Lady Lin, so she replied, "Five weeks."
"Oh, I heard that your tummy will show in four months. It"d be better if you have the wedding early, otherwise, it would not look nice for your tummy to show under the wedding dress. Even if your tummy doesn"t show, you"ll get fatter day by day. I have a friend working at a bridal shop, she"s met many pregnant brides who"ve had to go back frequently to change their measurements. You"ll have to make sure that the measurements would be wider for the wedding day. Otherwise, it would be torture for you. It"d be very troublesome," Lin Chu said.
Lin Yuwen"s face turned dark. She suddenly changed her expression and looked at Old Lady Lin with chagrin, "Grandma, remember what I"d told you? Lin Chu is still blaming me. She refuses to forgive me."
Old Lady Lin sighed and looked at Lin Chu. She tried to advise her, "Lin Chu, this is not entirely Yuwen"s fault. When it comes to matters of the heart, it"s not for outsiders to judge, and it can"t be easily controlled, am I right? You"ve grown up as sisters together. Even if you weren"t real sisters, both of you are like real sisters. Don"t make matters worse between you because of this. You"re a good girl, you"ll definitely find someone that belongs to you."
Lin Chu could guess the reason why she was asked here tonight. Lin Yuwen could act, but so could she.
She lowered her head with her hair covering her eyes. Her eyes widened and she stopped blinking until it turned red. The moment Old Lady Lin finished her words, she held up her head and said with reddened eyes, "Grandma, why doesn"t anyone believe me? Yes, I was angry with rage in the beginning. After all, I was with Cheng Ziming for four years and he cheated on me for one year. I was the last to know about it. Don"t I deserve to be angry for being lied to? If he had wanted to break up with me, he could have done it openly. Just break up with me and be together with Yuwen. If he had done that, I would not say a word and still respect him as a man."
"But he was still with me while dating Yuwen. It wasn"t fair to me and it wasn"t fair to Yuwen. Don"t you think that this was also him lying to Yuwen? At the very least, if my boyfriend still did not draw a line between him and his ex-girlfriend while he was together with me, I"d find it hard to trust him. It isn"t a matter of him being outstanding, it"s a matter of responsibility and moral character. I"m feeling unfair for Yuwen, I"m afraid of her being cheated on!" Lin Chu rubbed her eyes and took the opportunity to dig into them and make them watery, a token of sincerity.
Cheng Ziming cheated on her. If he was honest did not scamper around, she would have treated their four-year relations.h.i.+p as a trade-in for a lesson in recognizing what a two-timing jerk looked like. She could have forgotten about him in an instant, but he and Lin Yuwen did not know how to hold back. They wanted to see her miserable. In that case, they should not blame her for giving trouble to Cheng Ziming.
Even if Lin Yuwen still loved him, her words would make the Lin family dissatisfied with him and be more wary of who he was. It would make his wish for a better future much harder to obtain.
Hmph! She was not easily bullied. It did not mean that she could be flattened just because she did not react to them.
As expected, she saw Cheng Ziming"s face change from the corner of her eye. It was not a good look on him. Even Lin Zhenghe and his wife were pulling their faces.
No matter whom this pair of husband and wife were mad at, and it could be both her and Cheng Ziming, but as long as they were unhappy, she felt better. At the very least, she was not the only unhappy person here.
Lin Chu pretended to wipe her tears away, and sincerely said to Old Lady Lin, "Grandma, I am always worried about Yuwen. I"ve had a four-year relations.h.i.+p with Cheng Ziming, we were each other"s first loves. I"ve even been brought to his home to meet his parents and have a good relations.h.i.+p with them. Even then, he had cheated on me without a second thought and didn"t even let me know about it. He chose to wait and let me discover it by myself. How could you guarantee that he won"t run to another woman who might have a richer background than the Lin family and cast Yuwen aside? He"s done it once before, how would you know he won"t do it a second time?"