BTMDY Chapter 8

Once Lin Wangye had processed everything in his mind, his gaze toward Lu Chengxuan had undergone a kind of cleansing, becoming filled with awe.

 

Not long after, at a fork in the road, the outline of a house appeared before Lin Wangye’s eyes.

 

The Lu family didn’t do anything particularly extravagant with the design of their house. It was a fairly standard two-story garden villa template, with a red-brown roof and cream-colored walls. It wasn’t the lavish European palace or castle he’d imagined.

 

The simple, elegant Chinese-style design was surprisingly pleasant to look at.

 

It was nearly 11 o’clock, and most of the lights in the villa had been turned off, but the living room still glowed brightly.

 

Standing on the porch and waiting with Lu Chengxuan for the door to open, Lin Wangye felt a bit nervous. His heart raced uncontrollably, and he tried to calm himself with deep breaths.

 

The head of the Lu family, Lu Chengxuan’s father, was a legendary figure—a giant of some sort. There was no information about him, and Lin Wangye knew absolutely nothing about him.

 

When the door opened, Lin Wangye didn’t dare to breathe too loudly. He held his breath, following Lu Chengxuan inside.

 

“Oh, my goodness!”

 

A clear, soft voice immediately rang out.

 

Lin Wangye timidly peeked from behind Lu Chengxuan and saw a blonde woman with blue eyes rushing toward him, draping a woolen blanket over his shoulders, rubbing his face affectionately, then taking his hand.

 

“What happened to you, my darling? Isn’t it cold outside? Look at how cold your hands are.”

 

After saying that, the woman pulled Lu Chengxuan inside, giving orders to the maid without even turning around. “Quick, bring some hot water!”

 

Oh, right, Lu Chengxuan’s mother was foreign.

 

Lin Wangye remembered that now.

 

While the head of the Lu family was a mysterious figure, the lady of the house had a traceable background. According to her profile, she was the youngest daughter of a Scandinavian tycoon family, originally named Vivian Jones. After marrying, she became a Chinese citizen and took her husband’s surname, changing her name to Lu Wei.

 

It had to be said, the power of genetics was simply unreasonable.

 

Lin Wangye had seen photos of Vivian before, but seeing her in person was a whole different experience.

 

Her stunning beauty was truly overwhelming—exotic, with the kind of grace that only a princess raised with all the care in the world could have. She was the very image of every dream lover.

 

Lu Chengxuan seemed a bit embarrassed, having an outsider witness his mother affectionately rubbing his face. His ears turned slightly red, and when she pulled him toward the sofa, he stopped in his tracks and cleared his throat

 

“Mom, I’m fine, I’m not cold.” After saying this, he turned his head toward Lin Wangye, signaling in his direction. “This is my…”

 

Random passerby? Rival? Pitiful orphan?

 

In that moment, Lu Chengxuan’s mind raced through a thousand words, but in the end, he reluctantly settled on the most reasonable one. “Friend.”

 

Vivian, overly concerned, finally noticed that her son had brought someone home. Following his gaze, she immediately got up from the sofa to greet Lin Wangye, exclaiming in delight:

 

“Oh my, did Xuan Xuan bring a friend home? Am I seeing things right?”

 

Vivian enthusiastically took Lin Wangye’s hand, leading him into the warm indoors. When she noticed that the clothes Lin Wangye was wearing belonged to her son, her surprise grew even more, and she exclaimed:

 

“My goodness, you must be his best friend!”

 

Lin Wangye didn’t quite know how to respond to that.

 

There was no one else in the living room besides Vivian and the maid, and Lin Wangye slowly relaxed in the warmth of her friendly presence. He politely greeted her:

 

“Hello, Auntie. My name is Lin Wangye. I’m really sorry for the sudden visit. You… you’re so beautiful, I’ve never seen such dazzling blonde hair before.”

 

Lin Wangye, already quite good-looking, had a pair of bright, clear eyes that made him naturally likable. When he spoke sweetly, it was practically a weapon of mass charm.

 

Vivian pressed her hand to her chest, closed her eyes, and dramatically reacted, as if she’d been struck.

 

“You must be Xuan Xuan’s angelic friend! I really like you!”

 

Unlike the quiet, reserved way many middle-aged parents express affection, Vivian’s enthusiasm was so heartfelt that it made her endearing. Despite her being the mother of a child, her reaction didn’t feel exaggerated or forced; instead, it was endearingly youthful.

 

Lin Wangye didn’t expect Lu Chengxuan’s mother to be so kind and warm. Blushing, he replied, “I… I like you too, Auntie.”

 

Lu Chengxuan was cringing at the overly sweet exchange between the two, his skin crawling with goosebumps, standing there like he was being sentenced to some kind of torture.

 

“Get him some clothes to wear.”

 

When the maid came over, he looked up and gave the order, then turned to Lin Wangye, saying, “You can go wash up first if you want. The house has heating, so if you wear too much, you’ll get too hot.”

 

Lin Wangye quickly stood up. “Okay.”

 

Before waking up in this world, he wasn’t sure how long he had been sitting by that pile of trash. Plus, having inherited Lin Shen’s little obsession with cleanliness, he had been wanting to take a shower for a while now.

 

He followed the maid down a long corridor to a bathroom. Before the bathtub was even filled, someone had already delivered a new set of loungewear and underwear.

 

With a heart full of gratitude, Lin Wangye enjoyed a relaxing hot bath. When he stepped out of the bathroom, he felt completely refreshed, as if he had been reborn.

 

He had no idea how many maids the Lu family had.

 

When he came out, there was someone waiting outside, leading him back to the living room.

 

Lu Chengxuan had also changed into loungewear, likely having just finished his shower as well.

 

After hearing about Lin Wangye’s past from his son, Vivian’s gaze toward him was clearly filled with more affection. However, out of kindness and a desire not to reopen old wounds, she didn’t bring anything up. Instead, she waved gently and spoke in a soft voice:

 

“Come here, I’ve been waiting to say goodnight to you. Are you still getting used to things, dear?”

 

“I’m used to it.” Lin Wangye had a few wet strands of hair still dripping, which swayed back and forth as he nodded. “Thank you, Auntie.”

 

Lu Chengxuan glanced up at the clock and then spoke up to remind his mother.

 

“Mom, you should go to bed. It’s getting late.”

 

“Okay, okay, goodnight, my darling.”

 

Vivian stood up, bending down to gently rub Lu Chengxuan’s face before turning to Lin Wangye with a warm smile. She affectionately pinched his cheek.

 

“Sweet dreams, Lovely Angel.”

 

The soft, gentle warmth of her fingertips made Lin Wangye feel a comforting warmth spreading in his chest, like a soothing spring of affection. The tenderness, so close to maternal love, deeply touched him. He gazed at Vivian with his bright, sparkling eyes.

 

“Goodnight, Auntie. I hope you have sweet dreams too.”

 

Vivian, who made it a point to wait for her son every night until he finished his late study session, yawned and wrapped herself in a woolen blanket before heading upstairs to rest.

 

Left in the living room, Lin Wangye and Lu Chengxuan exchanged glances.

 

In the end, it was Lin Wangye who broke the silence.

 

“Thank you for letting me stay.”

 

“You only need to thank me once.”

 

Lu Chengxuan, still expressionless, shoved a piece of fruit, cut by Vivian herself, into his mouth.

 

Lin Wangye sighed, tilted his head in confusion, and looked at him. “Your mom is so kind and warm, how come you’re always so cold?”

 

Lu Chengxuan remained indifferent. “I take after my dad.”

 

Lin Wangye instinctively shrank his neck and shivered, losing any desire to continue the conversation. He stood up from the sofa, glanced around, and then asked, “Where am I sleeping?”

 

Lu Chengxuan looked up and called out, “Chen Jie, take him to the guest room.”

 

The maid, who had been wiping the shoe cabinet in the hallway, glanced up when she heard her name. She put down the cloth she was using, wiped her hands with a clean towel, and gestured toward the stairs that led to the second floor.

 

Lin Wangye turned around and waved. “Goodnight!”

 

“Goodnight.” Lu Chengxuan responded politely.

 

After exchanging pleasantries, Lin Wangye followed Chen Jie upstairs, consciously lightening his steps so as not to disturb anyone.

 

The layout on the second floor was quite similar to the first, with long corridors paved with marble tiles. On both sides, paintings were hung on the walls every few steps, each one looking quite valuable.

 

As he passed one of the paintings, Lin Wangye was certain these pieces were extremely expensive.

 

Even if he wasn’t an art expert, he could easily recognize the iconic ‘Fields’ series by the famous 20th-century artist Scott. He didn’t think the Lu family, with their background and status, would settle for replicas.

 

While the ‘Fields’ series was rare worldwide, a few of these paintings had made their way into private collections, aside from art galleries.

 

Just the fact that it was hanging here meant, without a doubt, it was an original.

 

With every step he took, Lin Wangye felt nervous, afraid that he might accidentally bump into one of the paintings and knock it down, causing it to crash onto his head. He figured that if that happened, he’d end up working for the Lu family for the rest of his life.

 

When they reached the guest room door, Chen Jie didn’t give Lin Wangye a long list of instructions like he had expected, telling him what not to touch or where not to go.

 

Instead, she softly informed him that if he needed anything, he could use the room’s landline to contact the butler’s office, where the call would be automatically answered.

 

Lin Wangye was taken aback but thanked her sincerely, then entered the guest room.

 

The decor inside was a modern, minimalist Chinese style, spacious and dominated by a light brown color scheme. While visually simple, it wasn’t stiff or dull. Instead, it exuded a quiet, understated elegance.

 

Soon, Lin Wangye’s eyes lit up as he spotted a desktop computer on the desk.

 

He quickly rushed over, powered it on, pulled out the chair, and sat down. It didn’t take long before the desktop appeared, and in the lower-right corner, a message popped up: ‘Your startup speed has beaten 98% of computers nationwide,’ indicating that the configuration was pretty good.

 

At that moment, Lin Wangye’s joy wasn’t from the fact that he could play games again.

 

No, it was because, in this era, he was in a passive state—without money and without a phone. This computer was a perfect solution to his immediate needs, allowing him to access valuable information.

 

Without hesitation, Lin Wangye opened the browser and immediately typed in the name ‘Shi Yuan.’

 

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