Chapter 20

Lin Jinshen felt like a branding iron, searing hot as he drew her in. Lu Yi could tell her face was flushed without even touching it, his fevered heat leaving its mark on her.
Other than when they were on “missions,” they’d never held each other like this.
Skin on skin, warmth bleeding between them.
“Don’t move.”
“Let me just hold you for a minute,” Lin Jinshen’s voice rasped, fragile, breakable. Half draped over her, he buried his head in the crook of her neck, close enough that their cheeks brushed. After losing his sense of smell to illness, it suddenly came back; he breathed in her subtle sweetness, something soft and clear that seemed to radiate from her skin itself.
From somewhere deep beneath the surface.
She was so small in his arms, a living plush pillow. She looked slim but never felt bony, delicate, maybe, but not fragile.
It felt... odd. Unsettling, almost.
His mind was a haze. Something in him tottered on the edge.
Lu Yi was stiff as a board, arms at her sides.
Clutching a fold of his shirt, she whispered, “Eat something before you sleep. Aunt Fang spent all morning making congee. Don’t let her kindness go to waste.”
Lin Jinshen didn’t move. If anything, his arms tightened, locking her in place.
Her neck was sensitive, she could feel his fevered breath, hot and ticklish, making her squirm.
After a moment, Lin Jinshen finally murmured, “Okay.”
Lu Yi patted his arm, a hint to let her go first.
Lin Jinshen rolled back, releasing her, though not entirely pulling away. Now they lay side by side, facing each other, caught in the space where intimacy and distance blur.
His eyes were black and shining, bottomless as a deep lake. Impossible to read.
She felt a jolt, pinned by that gaze.
He dropped his eyelids, his focus drifting from her neat little nose to the fullness of her lips, their color bright, like ripe summer berries.
He’d tasted them before. They were sweet.
But it had been a month, an entire month, since the last time. They hadn’t done anything in that long.
Like he was hypnotized, Lin Jinshen suddenly wanted to taste her again. He leaned in, almost on instinct, lashes fluttering shut, opening again, nose so close it nearly brushed hers.
Inside Lu Yi, it felt like a caged butterfly was battering its wings against her ribs, wild, nervous, completely out of sync.
At the very last second, Lin Jinshen snapped back, retreating to where he was before. He covered her mouth with a broad palm.
His hand was big enough to shield half her face. Dark brows drawn tight, his eyes swirled with a confusion she honestly couldn’t decipher. Truly couldn’t, no matter how she tried.
Lin Jinshen had almost forgotten, he was still sick.
He said, “I still have a fever. Swapping saliva might not be safe.”
“?”
Swapping saliva.
Did he really just call kissing “swapping saliva”?!
“Let’s go eat,” Lin Jinshen removed his hand, not looking at her, sitting up to straighten out his clothes.
Lu Yi coughed lightly to cover her awkwardness. She hadn’t really been thinking about kissing him, maybe if the moment had swung that way, fine. But it wasn’t a big deal either way. She slipped on her slippers and followed him downstairs.
Aunt Fang poked her head out from the kitchen island, still holding a ladle, and teased, “Boss Lin always listens to the missus.”
Lu Yi pretended she didn’t hear that. “Aunt Fang, is there anything I can help with?”
“No need, everything’s set. I’ll bring the food over now.” As Aunt Fang turned to go, she paused, eyeing Lu Yi and asking, “Why’s your face so red? Are you coming down with a fever too?”
Reflexively, Lu Yi touched her own face. Burning hot. She knew exactly why, but shook her head. “I’m fine.”
When she turned back, Lin Jinshen was drinking from a glass of water.
Their eyes met, a beat too long, and both quickly looked away, not quite hiding their awkwardness.
Aunt Fang had made congee and a few savory side dishes.
Perfect for someone sick, or for anyone too hot for a heavy meal in the summer.
After they ate, Lin Jinshen still needed to head to Changxin Private Hospital for an IV. Remembering how boring yesterday had been, she half-heartedly offered to go with him.
Lin Jinshen declined, heading upstairs and returning in a suit. If not for his pale face, he’d look ready to march straight into a boardroom.
In fact, that was exactly his plan.
Why waste time lying in bed at home? Better to be in the office, at least there, no one beneath him would dare slack off.
Suit jacket on, Lin Jinshen said, “I’m staying at Huayu tonight. It’s closer to the hospital.”
Sleeping in the same bed could spread germs.
And who knew what else might happen?
Lu Yi paused, then said, “Take care of yourself, okay? Try not to overwork, you’re still sick, after all.”
“Alright.”
As soon as Lin Jinshen left, Aunt Fang sighed, “Boss Lin really doesn’t have it easy. Sick as a dog and still working.”
“I know.”
Maybe that’s how he’s always been, all these years.
Lu Yi barely had a minute to ponder before her attention was caught by a flurry of messages in a group chat, it was their old university crew, all of them international students back in the day, huddled together for comfort in a foreign land. They’d kept in touch ever since, their bond somehow deeper than with anyone from any other stage of her life.
She sprawled on the sofa, typing out replies.
The chat was buzzing again because Wu Sidong, nicknamed Guess, was finally coming home. He’d always been a rich, aimless playboy, drifting from one country to the next. Three months ago, he mentioned coming back to help with the family business, and now, finally, here he was.
Now, with his return, there were seven of them in Jing City.
They were trying to decide where to get together.
They ran through all the city’s hottest clubs, shot down every one. Nothing felt new; they’d already played out every scene worth playing.
Yu Yin suggested: [How about my place?]
Instantly rebutted: [Even *Guess* has been to yours. For the rest of us, it’s basically our second home. No way, too boring.]
A round of pointless debates later,
Someone remembered: none of them had been to Lu Yi’s new place yet.
Chengxi Garden, prime real estate, sprawling five-hundred-square-meter duplex, an unbeatable night view.
Yu Yin: [Now that you mention it, I haven’t even been! We HAVE to go this time!]
[So, what’s the vibe? I’m dying to see!]
[Blind guess: he's got that cold-and-minimalist vibe.]
[You know those types, the world is black, white, and grey. No way he's into color.]
[…]
Wu Sidong drops a shy emoji: [Not sure if I’m lucky enough for the stunning Lu Yi to invite me over to her place.]
A whole bunch of people copy and paste that underneath.
Lu Yi let out a quiet laugh. Actually, they'd already talked about this before, she was free to bring friends over, especially if he wasn’t home.
She tapped open her pinned husband chat and shot off a careful question: [Are you really not coming home tonight?]
Almost half an hour later, Lin Jinshen replied: [Not coming back.]
With his answer secured, Lu Yi texted the group: [Alright, it’s at my place tonight. I’ll drop the address in here.]
The group chat erupted in cheers.
She set aside her phone, pondering what to prepare.
When Lin Jinshen saw the message, he was already back at the office after his IV, in a remote meeting with the overseas team. Once the call ended, he checked his phone.
[Are you really not coming home tonight?]
[Not coming back.] he replied.
After hitting send, he set his phone down, then hesitated, unlocking it again to stare at her message.
Did she want him to come home, or not?
Lin Jinshen remembered telling her before he left that he planned to stay at the hotel, and she’d agreed.
So why ask again now?
Was a blunt “not coming back” too harsh?
Lu Yi didn’t reply again.
Lin Jinshen felt a tightness in his chest, not sure if it was his cold acting up. The more he dwelled on it, the deeper the frown, this was way more complicated than any work problem.
After a moment, he decided going home wouldn’t be out of the question after all.
But the message was already sent, past the recall window, so he didn’t send a second one. It felt like letting her know, he was still thinking it over.
…
Per Wu Sidong’s demand for a “homesick returnee hotpot,” Lu Yi ordered enough for a feast from a restaurant, it’d be delivered straight to the door, no need to bother Aunt Fang.
Aunt Fang still prepared fresh fruit platters and some hangover soup, just in case the kids woke up rough in the morning.
Yu Yin and the others arrived one after another, Lu Yi went downstairs to greet them.
Slippers were strictly disposable.
As soon as a friend stepped in and scanned the foyer, he whistled, “Luxurious.”
It wasn’t about gaudy, in-your-face decor, but the sheer space screamed extravagance, almost wasteful, and the style was undeniably elevated: grand, sleek, with a host’s taste all over it.
“Come in already, don’t block the door. Later I’ll need a five-hundred-word essay from you praising every room, send it to Yi-bao so she can show her husband, tell him it’s all about his taste.”
Yu Yin’s bag was still tucked under her arm; with him in the way, she couldn’t get in at all.
“Didn’t Xiao Yi design this herself?”
“Some friend you are. They met and married in under a month, think she had time to design the whole place from scratch?” Yu Yin smacked his arm, loud and clear.
He rubbed his “injured” arm and grinned, “Looks like we’ve all misjudged Lin Jinshen.”
“A fancy apartment doesn’t clear up a thing. Just means he’s loaded, top-tier designers on speed-dial.”
“Lin Jinshen’s definitely not home tonight, right?”
“Confirmed, I checked.”
“Great, that’s great.”
“…”
These two bickered their way from the porch to the living room; the rest, Lu Yi included, barely blinked, they were used to it.
Wu Sidong was last to arrive, stuck in traffic post-flight, suitcase still in one hand. He dropped his bag and trolley with a flourish and threw his arms open: “Guys, I ditched my own parents just to hang out with you, touched yet?”
“Guess-who! Long time no see!”
Yu Yin burst out laughing at the sight of him: “You look like you just trekked all the way from England on foot.”
Lu Yi pulled him into a hug. “Welcome back home.”
Wu Sidong patted Lu Yi’s back, all dramatics: “Finally, the gang’s together again. But you know, you guys ran off fast, graduated and flew home, left me stranded, all alone.”
“More like partying your heart out, right?”
The seven of them squeezed around the hotpot, steam clouding the air, the chat and laughter rolling over each other. It felt like they were back in college again: when they were sick of bland Western food, they’d crowd into a dorm for hotpot nights just like this.
Wu Sidong regaled them with his past few years abroad,
A string of girlfriends: dumping some, getting dumped by others. None of the relationships lasted long.
His friends wore mock-disgusted looks, suggested he get a full medical check before anyone dated him again.
“Should I print out health reports for everyone? I’m healthy as a horse!”
Lu Yi leaned into Yu Yin, both snickering over the absurd conversation.
After dinner, the games started; losers drank. Lu Yi was hopeless at games, she barely grasped the rules and still managed to pay double in shots, and once she’d figured it out, someone set her up with another trick. By the end, she’d lost the most by far.
Chin propped on her hand, cheeks rosy, she was visibly tipsy.
“One more round!”
“Think you can handle it?” Wu Sidong teased.
Lu Yi nodded. “No problem.” Yu Yin, knowing her limits, said with a laugh, “That’s it for her, any more and she’s done.”
Then, “click”, the door unlocked, swinging open a second later.
A tall man in black appeared at the threshold. He didn’t know what scene to expect inside, one hand tugging his tie loose, business suit sharp, face icy cold.
Every person inside turned in unison, the mood snapping to a halt.
He saw the chaos, his gaze steady as water, unreadable.
“Who just came in?” someone blurted.
Lu Yi rigidly pushed herself up from the table, face flushed. She squinted, trying to focus. A few seconds later, recognition dawned and she smiled. “Oh, it’s my husband.”
Lin Jinshen: “…”