CH 8.1

The moment the words left Zhen Ling’s mouth, a long silence seemed to have fallen in their surroundings.

Lin Yuhe was not sure of how long he remained stunned before finally finding his voice again. “Eh…… Is it?” 

He explained dryly, “I might have stayed in the exam venue for too long, as the place was not ventilated properly. So by the time I left the venue, I felt somewhat cooped up and had some difficulty in breathing, so my face reddened.”

Even though there was not any logic or persuasiveness in his words, Zhen Ling responded with, “Oh, then you should get some fresh air.”

Zhen Ling considerately did not press Lin Yuhe about how he was fine earlier when he left the exam venue, and only after so much time had passed since they had finished their exams that he suddenly felt cooped up.

Zhu Bo, who was standing at one side, stated, “We have just picked a few places, so let’s look through and see where you want to go?”

Lin Yuhe answered, “Sure.”

Now that this topic had moved on, Lin Yuhe secretly heaved a sigh of relief.

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After giving serious thought to it, Lin Yuhe was finally able to give himself a clear explanation. 

But soon after, he yet again realized another matter——

Just a mere hug from Lu Nan had elicited such a bizarre reaction, then what would happen after they married?

With this question popping up so suddenly in his mind, Lin Yuhe felt a chill tingling his nape.

……You have got to be kidding me.

Out of a sudden, a sense of unease overcame him, and all he could do was try his best to comfort himself.

If it were just a marriage agreement, it would be unlikely for him……to go to such lengths?

He would not go so far as to install a camera in the bedroom, in order for them to continue acting, right?

The moment he managed to calm his mind after struggling to convince himself, he received a call.

He took a look at his phone screen and discovered that it was his stepmother, Wu Xin.

When it came to her stepson, who bore a striking resemblance to his biological mother, Wu Xin had always been lukewarm. Throughout his four years in university, the number of times Wu Xin contacted him could be counted on the fingers of one hand.

But during this period, she kept calling Lin Yuhe frequently, and there were times where she would send over dozens of messages, let alone relaying information. Eventually, she would habitually request Lin Yuhe to send an acknowledgement message that he had received them.

As a matter of fact, Lin Yuhe was not overly fond of answering her phone calls. However, his phone kept vibrating continuously as if it would not rest until the call was answered. That being the case, Lin Yuhe could only answer his phone.

“Have you finished your exams?”

A somewhat shrill voice greeted his ears to the accompaniment of the noise from the subway, causing his eardrums to feel slightly numb. It was only after Lin Yuhe moved his phone away from his ears and pressed his auricle that he relaxed a little.

Yet, Wu Xin was still grilling Lin Yuhe on the phone.

“Have you contacted Chairman Lu?”

Previously, she kept pushing Lin Yuhe to contact Lu Nan, but he simply said that he had no time since he needed to sit for his exams. So now that he had finished his exams, Wu Xin immediately gave him a call.

Lin Yuhe answered, “I have just finished my exams.”

Wu Xin lectured, “Then you should contact Chairman Lu and ask him if he is available tonight to have dinner together.”

Since she was a professional manager, she was used to giving orders most of the time. That was why she would always speak with a tone of imperious command in her voice.

“Both of you will be getting engaged soon, so the more interactions, the better.”

Lin Yuhe informed, “Mr. Lu is busy tonight.”

“You have yet to contact him, but you already know he will be busy tonight?” Wu Xin laughed, “So what now? You even know Chairman Lu’s schedule?”

Lin Yuhe pursed his lips and remained silent.

He did know that, and what’s more, Lu Nan came to look for him and told him in person.

However, Lin Yuhe was certain that if he told her Mr. Lu came to look for him in person, his stepmother would definitely take advantage of this and make further demands. So, he had no intention of mentioning it.

Wu Xin just assumed it was due to his guilt that Lin Yuhe remained silent, but she could not be bothered to debate with him. Hence, she went straight ahead to urge, “Hurry up and give him a call. Once you are done, call me back.”

Seeing his stepmother so persistent, Lin Yuhe’s mouth was set in a hard line. He continued to insist, “Mr. Lu really does not have time tonight. Previously, he has given me a card and asked me to have dinner with my roommates.”

The person at the other end paused for a moment. “……He gave you a card? What card? His bank card?”

Wu Xin bombarded him with a series of questions in a seemingly unbelievable manner.

In contrast, Lin Yuhe still remained indifferent and calm, as he responded briefly with a sound of agreement.

When Lu Nan took out the card, Lin Yuhe had only managed to catch a glimpse of it, but he was certain that it was a bank card. He reckoned that it was a supplementary card of some sort. Since Lu Nan did not explain, he did not ask as well.

But the person at the other end asked impatiently, “What color is that card?”

Lin Yuhe answered, “Black.”

“Is it the American Express Centurion Black Card?”

Wu Xin was so worked up that her emotions seemed to be able to transmit through the phone.

But Lin Yuhe was not influenced by her emotions, as his tone remained calm. “I don’t recognize it.”

Overlooking his attitude, Wu Xin continued to question, “Does the card have a picture of a man wearing a helmet?”

Lin Yuhe was never interested in this sort of thing, but with his stepmother’s persistent questioning, he could only take the card out from his pocket to have a look.

“Yes.”

All of a sudden, Wu Xin laughed. With a much emollient tone, she stated, “Okay, it’s alright now. Go have your dinner, and have a great time with your classmates.”

Lin Yuhe was not sure why her attitude had changed so suddenly, but he could not be bothered to look into it. Not long after the call ended, they arrived at the station.

Lin Yuhe and his roommates headed towards Hai Di Kan together and were welcomed by a strong waft of the hot pot.

At an instant, it suppressed his messy train of thoughts for the time being.

Young adults in their early 20s were at the point in their lives when they could eat as frivolously as they wished. Hence, the four big boys had ordered a table full of meat. It simply improved one’s mood just by watching the meat be served. Once the staff learned that they had just finished their exams, he still passionately used red chili oil to write words in their sauces——Pass your exams with flying colors!

They polished off the entire table’s worth of meat, so even Lin Yuhe was influenced by the others to have more food, finally warming up his entire body.

Having grown up in Chengdu, Lin Yuhe had a very high tolerance for spicy food. Zhen Ling’s tolerance, on the other hand, was certainly more inferior. Seated opposite Lin Yuhe, Zhen Ling could be seen going through boxes of tissues as he ate, so much so that the tip of his nose had turned red.

Lin Yuhe looked at him distractedly several times and sensed that something was not right. “What’s wrong with you? You have been wiping your nose constantly.”

“What?” Zhen Ling spoke in a low, muffled voice, “I am alright. The sauce is pretty spicy.”

Lin Yuhe looked at him again and knitted his brows. “Have you caught a cold?”

Zhen Ling became stupefied, even his reactions seemed somewhat slow. “I don’t think so? I don’t feel anything.”

Upon hearing that, Zhu Bo, who was seated next to Zhen Ling, immediately reached out and placed his hand on his forehead and neck. To his surprise, he had indeed felt a strange heat from Zhen Ling.

Zhu Bo observed, “No, you are really burning up.”

“What? But I was fine earlier……”

Zhen Ling was still gawking at them. It was only then his unresponsiveness became obvious to the other three.

Shen Huixi immediately picked up his phone. “Other than a fever, are there any other symptoms? I will call for Huang Tuan2 to send some medicine over.”