CH 69

Returning to the exhibition hall, the comfortable air conditioning brought relief to Lin Yuxing, and he relaxed his furrowed brows.

The hall was much emptier now, and Lin Yuxing checked the time, realizing it was already twelve o’clock. Many booths had put up signs saying “On Break.”

The logistics staff began distributing boxed lunches to the exhibitors according to the number of people, with three different options randomly allocated.

The aroma of the food wafted to Lin Yuxing, making him ravenously hungry. After a busy morning, he couldn’t wait to eat.

A few people sat around a small table in a corner of the storage room, and that day’s lunch was rice with various toppings, accompanied by a cup of egg drop soup with seaweed.

Su Li was exhausted, and he gave Lin Yuxing and Lin Yuheng a disdainful look, his throat hoarse, “Did you two deliver goods while sitting on a tortoise’s shell?”

Lin Yuheng replied, “It’s illegal to mistreat animals.”

Su Li retorted, “I’ll mistreat you.”

Lin Yuheng knew he was in the wrong and stopped arguing with Su Li, “Don’t be angry. How about I treat you to ice cream later?”

Su Li didn’t plan to hold a grudge after hearing the word ice cream so he grunted, “you better.” He then picked up his boxed lunch and opened it, exclaiming with delight, “Wow, Liao Yan, your father’s company provides really good meals for their workers!”

Each of the three boxed lunches was different. Su Li had braised chicken legs over rice, Lin Yuheng had stir-fried bean sprouts with shrimp over rice, and Lin Yuxing opened his to find sweet and sour pork over rice.

Lin Yuxing looked helplessly at Su Li.

Su Li didn’t like pineapple either, but he remembered Lin Yuxing’s allergic reaction, so he reluctantly exchanged his braised chicken legs with Lin Yuxing’s dish, saying, “Remember my kindness forever.”

Before Lin Yuxing could say anything, Lin Yuheng took the boxed lunch and switched it with his, “I don’t like bean sprouts; let’s exchange.”

Without waiting for Lin Yuxing’s response, Lin Yuheng went to the nearby staff to get mineral water. In the meantime, Lin Yuxing stared at the bean sprouts in the boxed lunch and hesitated. He suddenly mumbled to himself, “He doesn’t like bean sprouts either…”

Sitting across from him, Su Li chewed on his food and asked vaguely, “Who doesn’t like them? You? Don’t you eat everything except pineapple?”

Lin Yuxing’s mind seemed preoccupied with something, and he absentmindedly ate a bite of bean sprouts, saying, “It’s nothing.”

Soon, Lin Yuheng returned with three bottles of water.

Su Li was thoroughly enjoying his meal, saying, “I could eat three boxes of this.”

Lin Yuxing’s focus was off, and he only realized Su Li had called him after he was called twice. He looked up and responded, “I can eat five in one go.”

Su Li laughed but didn’t dare to compete, as he had witnessed Lin Yuxing’s appetite before.

Of course, even if Lin Yuxing had something on his mind, it didn’t affect his appetite. After all, he hadn’t eaten enough all morning.

In the end, Lin Yuheng helped out, using his father’s work card to get another portion of braised chicken leg rice from the staff. Lin Yuxing gratefully accepted it and finished it in just a few bites. Considering his appetite, eating two boxed lunches wasn’t a big deal.

With about ten minutes left until work resumed, Lin Yuheng went to the corner of the exhibition hall, where the refrigerated display case was located, and generously bought three of the most expensive ice creams.

The vendor told him that it was a popular internet celebrity ice cream. “Here, try it.”

Lin Yuxing took a bite and found it wasn’t much different from the milk-flavored ice cream he had at school. Noticing the time, he quickly finished the ice cream. He then went to the restroom alone to rinse his mouth and wash his face.

Instantly, he felt refreshed and much less tired.

He took a deep breath, walked out of the restroom, and headed to the Exhibition Hall.

However, before he could take more than a few steps, he sensed a familiar pheromone nearby. Lin Yuxing turned back abruptly, scanning the sparse crowd to find the source.

His heart raced as he tightly clenched his hand.

As he turned around again, Gu Zhongyi stood in front of him.

“Yuxing.”

His voice, as usual, reached Lin Yuxing’s ears and stirred up his longing over the past half month.

Lin Yuxing was pleasantly surprised but also somewhat bewildered. He even forgot that there were people around and that he was wearing a cat outfit.

He hesitantly held Gu Zhongyi’s hand, pinched it to confirm he wasn’t hallucinating from eating too much.

After all, Gu Zhongyi’s appearance was quite unexpected. Lin Yuxing hadn’t anticipated his sudden arrival.

In the faint scent of bitter oranges that only he could sense, Lin Yuxing’s eyes reddened slightly, and he murmured, “How did you…how did you come here?”

At that moment, Gu Zhongyi didn’t say much. His eyes were fixed on Lin Yuxing’s outfit, and it made Lin Yuxing belatedly smooth his pants.

Lin Yuxing’s focus was off, and he explained in a low voice, “These are pants, not a skirt.” He sniffed, trying to justify himself, “It’s a work requirement. I didn’t have a choice but to wear it.”

He lowered his head slightly, and the cat bell on his head made a faint sound.

There was a faint glimmer in Gu Zhongyi’s eyes, resembling the mottled reflection in a lake. He held Lin Yuxing’s hand back and led him to a wall at the corner of the stairs.

Their eyes met, and Lin Yuxing asked, “Didn’t you say you were taking an evening flight back?”

Gu Zhongyi replied, “I changed it.”

He really wanted to see Lin Yuxing and finished his work early, so he switched to a morning flight. When Lin Yuheng sent him the location at noon, he had just landed not long ago.

Lin Yuxing mistakenly thought he had mentioned the location to Gu Zhongyi, so he didn’t think too much about it.

Concerned, Lin Yuxing gently touched the corner of Gu Zhongyi’s eye and noticed a slight redness in his eyes, “Have you been busy and not sleeping well?”

“It’s alright, just having trouble sleeping.”

“Why did you come here then? Why don’t you go home and rest .”

“I missed you.”

With those words from Gu Zhongyi, a kiss followed, shining like the sun on Lin Yuxing’s heart, dispelling the bitterness of longing in an instant.

Their kiss was lingering and sweet, like early summer fruits—tangy yet so delightful.

Lin Yuxing couldn’t help but tilt his chin up, intensifying the contact of their lips and teeth. The pheromones became uncontrollable and filled the secluded corner of the hallway.

Breathing heavily, while his mind was still clear, Lin Yuxing managed to push Gu Zhongyi away a bit, saying, “Wait… wait a minute! There might be surveillance here.”

Gu Zhongyi replied in a hoarse voice, “This is a blind spot.”

Saying that, he embraced Lin Yuxing again, but once more, Lin Yuxing pushed him away slightly while panting. “How do you know?”

“I checked.”

Upon hearing that answer, Lin Yuxing’s brain stalled for a few seconds. He couldn’t believe that the first thing Gu Zhongyi did when he came to the exhibition hall wasn’t to find him but to find a surveillance blind spot?

Just to kiss him?

Lin Yuxing had no words to say but couldn’t help but find it amusing.

On the other hand, Gu Zhongyi, after easing his longing, paid excessive attention to the cat ears on Lin Yuxing’s head, the cat tail tied around his waist, and this outfit that sparked his imagination.

“You look so cute in this.?”

“Where… where is it cute?”

“I think it’s adorable.”

In the quiet hallway, Gu Zhongyi rubbed Lin Yuxing’s cat ears, and his finger deliberately touched the bell, making it tingle with a clear sound, scaring Lin Yuxing, who quickly grabbed his hand.

Perhaps afraid of being noticed, Lin Yuxing nervously put Gu Zhongyi’s hand to his lips. “Stop playing around.”

Gu Zhongyi’s eyes carried a smile, gazing affectionately at him.

Being stared at like that made Lin Yuxing’s heart flutter, and he lightly pecked Gu Zhongyi’s fingertip, holding back his rationality, and said, “Don’t be playful. I have to go back to work.”

“Alright.” Gu Zhongyi’s voice was husky, reflecting fatigue and reluctance. Since they started dating, they had never been apart for such a long time.

Gu Zhongyi sighed, “I’m sorry; I just missed you too much.”

Lin Yuxing didn’t want to see Gu Zhongyi sad, so he carefully looked around again, then reached out to hold Gu Zhongyi’s neck. Standing on tiptoe, he affectionately whispered into Gu Zhongyi’s ear.

Just like how Gu Zhongyi used to tell him to “listen,” Lin Yuxing said to Gu Zhongyi, “Be good.”

Gu Zhongyi contemplated for a moment and asked, “How should I be good?”

Playing coy, Gu Zhongyi said, “I don’t understand; you have to teach me.”

Lin Yuxing felt his feet sinking into soft soil as he was grabbed by Gu Zhongyi’s gentle tone. It was even more persuasive than if he were listening to the soothing sound of a leaping passion.

He said, “I’ll go ask if I can buy this outfit and bring it home.” With a blush on his cheeks and shyness in his eyes, Lin Yuxing lowered his head then slowly raised it again. “I’ll reward you tonight.”

Gu Zhongyi was somewhat dazed. Hearing such words from Lin Yuxing’s mouth was even more difficult than ascending to the heavens.

Seeing him in a daze, Lin Yuxing flicked Gu Zhongyi’s ear, “If it’s expensive, I’ll just buy a new set online.”

“Even if it’s expensive, I’ll pay.”

“…”

Lin Yuxing felt speechless. After a while, he said, “I sweated a lot today, so even if I buy this outfit, I’ll have to wash it before wearing it. But I’ll keep my promise and reward you.”

There was a “川” between Gu Zhongyi’s eyebrows.

“Senior Gu, do you want to be a good boy?” Lin Yuxing’s voice was as soft and gentle as a piece of cotton, “I’m not stopping you from being here, but it’s crowded in the exhibition hall, and you look tired. You won’t feel comfortable here. Can you listen to me this time? Go home and rest.”

He added, “I’ll worry about you; and I won’t be able to focus on my work.”

“…”

“And then I won’t get paid,” Lin Yuxing said seriously, ” which means I won’t have money to buy the cat outfit.”

Gu Zhongyi’s head lowered, and he truly listened.

Around 2 PM, the sun was blazing outside.

To prevent Lin Yuxing from getting heatstroke, Lin Yuheng volunteered to handle the cargo alone. He took a few steps outside but came back to drag Su Li away.

Su Li complained, “Why am I the one suffering!”

Lin Yuxing and a few other staff members remained in the exhibition hall and didn’t slack off.

At that time, a family of three entered the hall.

The parents looked mature, but their child seemed to be only eight or nine years old. Under the guidance of a staff member, they looked at a product for a while.

The little boy turned his head and shouted, “Mother, I don’t want this; I want that cat-themed water cup.”

Lin Yuxing couldn’t help but glance over. He rarely heard someone address their mother so formally as “mother.” It seemed like strict upbringing was the reason.

After the boy finished speaking, the woman referred to as “mother” on her face changed from indifference to extreme gentleness, smiling affectionately as she rubbed the boy’s head.

“Okay, if Xiao Xing likes it, we’ll buy them all.”

She took out a card and handed it to the staff member.

The child turned his head and saw a machine next to him that automatically feeds water to cats. He pulled the woman’s hand and went to see it. The man patiently waited, occasionally looking worriedly at his wife and child.

The staff member skillfully swiped the card and explained the features of the product to the woman. Then, he turned to Lin Yuxing and called out, “Help us pack the cat cup No. 2!”

“Sure!” Lin Yuxing put down what he was doing and walked a few steps into a small warehouse. He took a brand new cat cup box from the shelf, sealed it, put it into a paper bag with the company logo, and then added a business card with the company’s online store QR code.

The whole process was very proficient.

Lin Yuxing respectfully walked up to the man, smiling, and handed him the bag. “Sir, here you go.”

However, the man looked at his face as if he had seen a ghost.

Lin Yuxing looked at him in confusion. “Sir?”

“…”

The man finally woke up, and panic filled his face. But quickly, he swiftly adjusted his emotions in front of Lin Yuxing’s puzzled eyes.

He reached out and took the paper bag, his backhand and palm both had a large scar, very conspicuous.

The man turned around in a hurry and left the exhibition hall without looking back, taking his wife and child away.