CH 46.1

Su Chengyang has played the role of a girl in a passionate love affair.

She tried hard to speculate on the character’s inner thoughts, immersing herself in it, and never failed once. Both the director, the audience, and herself were very satisfied with her performance.

But at this moment, Su Chengyang realized that even if she understood the character’s inner thoughts, she couldn’t feel this excitement.

Her left hand was held in someone else’s palm, and the warmth seemed to connect to her heart. All the noises in the noisy private room drifted away from her. The intertwined fingers became her sole focus at this moment.

For a moment, she felt like she had the whole world, and it made Su Chengyang dizzy.

This indescribable affection, this small closeness in this environment, made her heart feel like it was about to burst with joy.

If all the past hardships were to lead her to this moment of sweetness, even if she could choose again, Su Chengyang would still choose to be the Su Chengyang without parents.

The atmosphere in the private room became hotter and hotter. Lin Yu was cheered on by them, drink after drink, and he never let go of Su Chengyang’s hand.

When an English song started playing, the originally noisy private room became even more restless.

“Wow!”

“<Love Story>! Who requested this song?”

“The atmosphere seems a bit inappropriate, haha.”

Su Chengyang looked at the restless crowd, with a puzzled expression on her face.

Lin Yu squeezed her hand gently and rubbed his fingertips lightly on the back of her hand. Su Chengyang slowly turned to look at him.

Lin Yu had drunk a lot of alcohol and leaned against the back of the sofa, his gaze somewhat blurred, staring straight at Su Chengyang.

Su Chengyang noticed that his lips seemed to move, but the boisterous crowd around them made it difficult for her to hear.

Others seemed excited when they heard this song and sang along loudly.

Only the corner where she and Lin Yu were located remained quiet.

Su Chengyang couldn’t help but lean closer to him. Lin Yu’s breath was close, mixed with a faint scent of alcohol. Su Chengyang usually didn’t like this smell, but when it came from Lin Yu, even though she hadn’t been drinking, she felt as if she were drunk.

“<Love Story>” Lin Yu said softly.

“What?” Su Chengyang looked at his face, which was so close, and regretted not taking the time to learn English.

“The name of this song, when translated, is <Love Story>, and it’s about Romeo and Juliet.”

Su Chengyang stared at him, mesmerized.

“Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone.“

Lin Yu’s deep voice recited a string of English words, which Su Chengyang didn’t understand but found it very pleasing.

“Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone.”

“l’ll be waiting all there’s left to do is run.“

“l’ll be waiting all there’s left to do is run.”

Lin Yu translated each lyric she didn’t understand into her ear. He gazed at Su Chengyang with a bewildering yet earnest look, his deep pupils almost captivating her, making it hard for her to break free.

How can there be such an enchanting person in this world?

“Do you know that many people like to propose under the background of this song?” He said this while still looking at Su Chengyang, unwilling to let her leave his sight.

“Marry me,” he suddenly said. Su Chengyang couldn’t understand; she thought Lin Yu would tell her what it meant like before. But after Lin Yu finished speaking, he just looked at Su Chengyang without any reaction.

Su Chengyang was a little confused but saw Lin Yu’s thin lips move slightly.

Thinking that he said something she didn’t hear, she leaned closer.

Watching Su Chengyang approach him without any guard, her body leaning against his shoulder, her warmth transmitted through their clothes, Lin Yu regretted it. He felt that he shouldn’t have drunk, shouldn’t have appeared in the KTV, shouldn’t have listened to this song, and shouldn’t have pulled Su Chengyang to sit in a secluded corner while everyone else was joyfully celebrating.

He always said that Su Chengyang was pushing her luck, but in fact, he himself was the one truly pushing his luck.

At this moment, his patience had reached its limit.

Even though he knew that this was something only the most intimate of people could do, in the instant Su Chengyang leaned in without any defenses, he took advantage of the fading effects of the alcohol, lowered his head, and kissed Su Chengyang’s slightly parted lips.

The soft lips felt like sweet jelly, and he wanted to devour them, but he didn’t dare.

He licked the corner of his mouth and felt Su Chengyang’s body freeze in the instant their lips touched. However, alcohol had numbed his nerves and rationality, and he couldn’t control himself.

Savoring the taste, he slid his tongue into the gap between her teeth.

Su Chengyang’s right hand held the phone and it rolled onto her lap. She looked at Lin Yu, who was close by, in astonishment. His eyes were slightly closed, and his long eyelashes were like a fan. The warmth of his lips and teeth made her head feel hot, and a strange breath invaded Su Chengyang’s mouth.

Under the cover of the music, Lin Yu devoured all her sounds.

The festive crowd did not notice the hidden ambiguity between them.

Su Chengyang came back to her senses, her mind blank. But her rationality told her that this was not the right place for such things, and Lin Yu was drunk.

She used her right hand to push against Lin Yu’s chest, but she was immediately grabbed by his left hand.

Lin Yu gradually pressed his body against hers. He didn’t have much experience; he relied solely on instinct to absorb Su Chengyang’s breath.

Su Chengyang realized that the music was nearing its end. It would be bad if they were discovered. Lin Yu was drunk now, and his actions were not to be taken seriously. If they weren’t discovered, they could go back to being ordinary friends when Lin Yu sobered up tomorrow, and she could pretend that nothing had happened.

Su Chengyang wanted to give Lin Yu a chance to regret.

But Lin Yu’s strength was too great, and Su Chengyang couldn’t break free. She had no choice but to bite down hard on Lin Yu’s tongue.

A sharp pain stimulated Lin Yu’s nerves, and a bloody scent permeated between their entangled lips and teeth.

Lin Yu was stunned for a moment, and all the sounds around him and his rationality were returned by the pain. He opened his eyes and only then realized that Su Chengyang was struggling in his arms.

“Bang!”

The once-quiet private room suddenly made a loud noise, and everyone cheered and turned their heads in unison.

Startled, Lin Yu quickly stood up and took a few steps back, bumping into the nearby table and spilling drinks all over the floor. Fortunately, the lighting in the private room was not very bright, and no one noticed the fresh blood at the corner of his mouth.

What was he doing… What had he done…

Did he kiss her against Su Chengyang’s will? And in such a rough manner?

Lin Yu was completely stunned.

Su Chengyang didn’t expect him to react so strongly and thought she had hurt him. “Brother Lin…”

“I’m sorry…” Lin Yu interrupted her, turned around, and stumbled out of the private room, his departing figure showing signs of disarray.

“Mr. Lin!” Su Chengyang wanted to catch up with him, worried that he had drunk too much and might encounter some mishap.

“Mr…”

The bartender looked at the man passing by with confusion. He appeared flustered and couldn’t make out where he was, but all he wanted was to leave that place.

Is he crazy…?

How can he force Chengyang like this…

Finally, when he felt a hint of affection from Chengyang, he managed to ruin it himself.

By the time Su Chengyang chased after Lin Yu to the lobby, there was no trace of him. Han Songxue and the others didn’t know what had happened and ran out behind Su Chengyang, seeing her anxious expression and a hint of blood at the corner of her mouth, they immediately worriedly asked, “What happened?”

Su Chengyang didn’t have time to answer. What if something happened to Lin Yu after he hastily left after drinking so much?

“Did Manager Lin hit you? That’s impossible,” Han Songxue frowned.

Su Chengyang waved her hand, looking worried. “No, please help me find him first.”

“Ding—”

Just when Su Chengyang was extremely anxious, a message came in.

He had a rough idea that leaving like this would make Su Chengyang worry, so Lin Yu sent a text message. His emotions were in turmoil, and he had been drinking, so the sentence structure was disordered: “I took a taxi back, I’m sorry, really, I’m sorry. Can we pretend nothing happened? Have a good time, don’t worry.”

Su Chengyang looked at the text message on her phone, and her expression gradually calmed down. Pretend nothing happened? That’s good. Thankfully, no one else found out just now, otherwise, Lin Yu wouldn’t have a chance to regret it when he sobers up.

“You all go back first, I’ll go in right away,” Su Chengyang said to the others.

Seeing her not looking well, the others worriedly asked, “Are you alright? Is Manager Lin also okay?”

Su Chengyang shook her head, “He’s fine. He took a taxi back first.”

The others were puzzled. Why would he suddenly go back when everything was fine? And his back view gave them a feeling of fleeing.

“You all go in first,” Su Chengyang said.

The others could only go back to the private room. Han Songxue was a bit worried, feeling that something must have happened between Su Chengyang and Lin Yu to cause such a sudden change.

Jiang Shanqi pulled her and pushed her into the private room.

After the others left, Su Chengyang put on her mask again, found a ventilating spot, and messaged Lin Yu asking where he was.

Lin Yu didn’t reply, so Su Chengyang said again, “Let me know when you get home.”

After a few minutes, Lin Yu replied, “I’m at the office tonight.”

This time, his tone was much more normal, and Su Chengyang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She thought she might really like Lin Yu too much. Perhaps his thinking had suddenly deviated, giving her a few hours of illusion, but Su Chengyang didn’t blame him. She felt lucky, at least she had once been so close to Lin Yu.

If Lin Yu intends to act as if nothing happened, it means they can still be friends in the future, which is quite good.

Su Chengyang told herself that it should be fine like this.

However, humans are greedy.

When she feels she can’t have something, she won’t yearn for it. But after briefly having it, she finds it hard to let go.

She even had a despicable thought: if she hadn’t pushed Lin Yu away and someone else found out, would Lin Yu still say the same?

Someone as good as him would definitely feel responsible for Su Chengyang.

Thinking like this, Su Chengyang couldn’t help but smile.

Never mind, being with someone she doesn’t like is painful, even more so than liking someone who doesn’t like her back.

Once Su Chengyang confirmed Lin Yu’s safety, she returned to the private room.

After going back, Su Chengyang played with Han Songxue and the others, drank two cups of alcohol in a dazed state, and played until half past ten. Xiao Lu rushed over and took Su Chengyang away.

Su Chengyang had a few drinks and felt a bit dizzy. She sat in the passenger seat and opened the car window to get some fresh air.

Xiao Lu took a blanket from the backseat and covered her, saying, “What happened to my cousin brother? He didn’t reply to my messages, only asked me to come and pick you up earlier.”

Su Chengyang shook her head, indicating that she didn’t know either.

Xiao Lu glanced at her while driving and noticed that both of them seemed a bit off. She asked, “Did you have a fight with my cousin brother?”

Su Chengyang slowly shifted her gaze towards Xiao Lu and shook her head, saying, “No.”

Xiao Lu pouted and said, “Yeah, I mean, my cousin brother finally got this opportunity, how could he bear to argue with you?”

Su Chengyang quietly looked at her. Even though she told herself that she should be satisfied with returning to her original position, there was always something weighing on her heart, making it hard for her to breathe.

It turned out that this moment of happiness was truly fleeting.

“Why did Lin Yu accompany me to the theater instead of you?” Su Chengyang asked in a deep voice.

Xiao Lu looked at her in surprise. It was the first time Su Chengyang had called Lin Yu by his name, and she found it somewhat unbelievable. “Did my cousin brother do anything else today? Wasn’t he simply accompanying you to watch a play?”

Su Chengyang looked at her but didn’t answer that question.

Perhaps realizing that Su Chengyang had been drinking and her emotions were a bit off, Xiao Lu didn’t ask further and said, “It seems like something happened between you and my cousin brother, right?”

Su Chengyang remained silent, as if silently confirming it.

“Did he make you angry?”

Su Chengyang shaking her head, he remained silent.

“What boundary-crossing thing did he do?”

Su Chengyang hesitated, neither confirming nor denying it.

Xiao Lu thought to herself, ‘Just as I suspected, my cousin brother must have done something out of bounds, and Su Chengyang doesn’t like it.’

With a forced smile, Xiao Lu said, “Well, you should know that my cousin brother likes you. If you don’t feel the same way, you can relax and treat him as an ordinary colleague. He has always been professional and won’t bother you.”

Upon hearing her words, Su Chengyang froze.

She asked in confusion, “Lin Yu likes me?”

Xiao Lu’s expression stiffened, “Didn’t my cousin brother tell you?”

Su Chengyang shook her head, “No, he didn’t.”

Xiao Lu: “…”

“What the hell! Are you messing with me here? If my cousin brother finds out, I’m screwed! Just forget it, forget it quickly!”

However, Su Chengyang didn’t have time to listen to her. Did Lin Yu like her? Did everything he did today stem from his feelings for her?

Is the person he likes her?

It seems like it should be that way, otherwise why would Lin Yu do those ambiguous things to her and say so many vague and incomprehensible things?

He should like her, and Su Chengyang also noticed it.

But she’s afraid of overthinking, afraid that Lin Yu is just acting on a whim, afraid that what she hopes for will only lead to disappointment. So she’s unwilling to believe and affirm, but when it’s spoken by others, especially Lin Yu’s cousin sister, Su Chengyang seems to easily believe it.

Lin Yu likes her.

He gives her flowers, chocolates, holds her hand, kisses her, all because he likes her.

But why did he say sorry? Why did he say it’s like nothing happened?

Because he’s unsure of the other person’s thoughts, he did something impulsive like that and got pushed away by her. That’s why he left in such a panic, right?

Maybe it’s because of alcohol, Su Chengyang’s thoughts became bolder. Even though she feels dizzy and her mind is spinning, her thinking is still very clear.

She slowly closes her eyes, with a hint of intoxication, murmurs softly, “I like him too.”

Xiao Lu’s hand slipped and the car almost veered into the green belt. She exclaimed in shock, “What did you say?”

Su Chengyang, like a sleep-talk before bed, said, “I like Lin Yu, I really like him.”

There was silence in the car for a few seconds, and Xiao Lu couldn’t help but hit the steering wheel, “Damn! What kind of luck does my cousin brother have!”

“To meet someone they both like on the first try? Why can’t I encounter that? I’m so mad! Su Chengyang, you can’t agree too quickly. He has to please me, the middleman, first, you know?”

Su Chengyang’s thoughts became vague. She could hear every word Xiao Lu said, but couldn’t piece them together into a complete sentence or understand their meaning.

Luckily, there’s still work tomorrow. She have to go to the company tomorrow afternoon and she can see Lin Yu. She must explain things clearly to him then. She doesn’t mind it herself, and pushing him away isn’t because she doesn’t like him.

But before that, she wants to get a good night’s sleep and hopes Lin Yu will wake up and think things through.

After Su Chengyang returned home, she quickly washed up and went to sleep.

The next morning at 9:30, Xiao Lu was making breakfast downstairs when she heard some noise and said, “Yesterday, when you went to see Song Mingan’s play, someone took a picture of you and it went viral.”

They have been trending recently, so Su Chengyang was not surprised and had no reaction to it.

After a moment of hesitation, Xiao Lu asked, “You and my cousin brother…”

Su Chengyang glanced at her, yawned, and said, “I can’t say for sure. It depends on what he wants.”

Su Chengyang was telling the truth. Even now, she found it a bit unbelievable to think about what happened last night, as if she had a surreal dream. It was only when she took out the chocolate from her hoodie pocket that she realized everything that happened last night wasn’t a dream.

When Su Chengyang heard Xiao Lu say that Lin Yu likes her, she felt happy. She wanted to see Lin Yu now and explain things to him. Since she found out that Lin Yu liked her, Su Chengyang hadn’t considered one thing: being with Lin Yu is a complicated matter. She has to constantly catch up with him to always be by his side, and Su Chengyang realized that she didn’t mind it at all.

Just like she had thought before, if she really had the chance to stand by Lin Yu’s side, Su Chengyang would work hard to catch up with him.

“Are you going to the company in the afternoon?” Su Chengyang asked.

“Of course, I have to go.” She also wanted to know what exactly happened between her cousin brother and Su Chengyang.

Su Chengyang nodded and decided that after going to the company in the afternoon, she would find an opportunity to clarify things with Lin Yu.