MTY chapter 21

Lu Ziqing’s bedroom remained peaceful throughout the night.

The next morning, Lin Yu got up as usual, prepared breakfast, and knocked on Lu Ziqing’s bedroom door. “Are you okay?”

There was no response from inside.

Thinking Lu Ziqing was probably still asleep, he decided to have breakfast first.

After finishing breakfast and seeing that it was almost time, Lin Yu knocked on Lu Ziqing’s bedroom door again: “Are you awake?”

After a moment, a muffled voice came from inside: “You go to the company first, don’t worry about me.”

Lin Yu had a basic understanding of an alpha’s susceptibility period, knowing that alphas were usually quite vulnerable during this time, with a strong territorial instinct, likely not wanting to see him.

Lin Yu said, “Alright, I’m heading out. Breakfast is on the table—make sure you eat it. When you get to the company, come to my office. There are a few changes needed on last week’s PPT.”

He grabbed his work bag and keys and headed out.

Five minutes later, Lu Ziqing’s bedroom door opened.

He stood at the door, looking gloomy, with faint dark circles under his eyes.

He looked at the dining table.

On the table were neatly arranged black rice porridge, boiled eggs, meat buns, and a handful of nuts.

…

Last night, he didn’t fall asleep until one in the morning.

Partly due to the physical fatigue and soreness caused by the susceptible period, and partly because he couldn’t believe he had actually been sniffing the scent Lin Yu had left on the bed sheets. Lu Ziqing felt like his world was crumbling.

He sat there with a dark expression, wondering what on earth he was doing and why he was acting like this.

Was it the emotional fluctuations of the susceptible period?

An alpha’s primal impulse toward an omega?

Had he been kicked in the head by a donkey?

…

Of the three possible explanations, Lu Ziqing chose the third without hesitation.

Clearly, someone as devoid of omega charm as Lin Yu could never attract him.

Just thinking about it felt ridiculous.

Lin Yu gave him the same feeling as a homeroom teacher or a student counselor. Even if he sometimes thought Lin Yu was a bit cute, it was only during the rare moments when they were alone.

But no matter how many excuses Lu Ziqing came up with, there was one thing he couldn’t deny.

What he did with the bed sheets last night was, indeed, extremely perverse and inappropriate.

He couldn’t accept that he had done such a thing while thinking of Lin Yu. He tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep, which was why he had such heavy dark circles in the morning.

Lin Yu probably hadn’t noticed anything; his voice waking him up in the morning was as gentle as it had been last night.

Lu Ziqing would rather Lin Yu be colder to him, or even ignore him completely.

Anything but… this.

……

Lu Ziqing arrived at the company just in time.

When he entered, he saw the director’s office door open but there was no one inside.

Mi Lan was munching noisily on a rice ball, the smell of oil in the air.

Liang Zhi was diligently watering the spider plant on the balcony.

Lu Ziqing put down his backpack, intending to ask where Lin Yu had gone, but then remembered the rumors circulating in the office recently.

He hesitated, pulled a stack of papers from his folder, and casually asked Liang Zhi, “I need the boss to sign a contract. Where is he?”

Liang Zhi replied, “Director Lin got a call this morning and left in a hurry. Maybe something came up.”

Lu Ziqing said, “I see.”

“If it’s urgent, give him a call,” Mi Lan suggested, peeking out from behind her rice ball. “Or send him a WeChat message. Director Lin usually replies pretty quickly.”

Her expression was a bit suggestive, but Lu Ziqing didn’t notice.

He was wondering why Lin Yu, who had told him to meet at the office to fix the PPT, ended up standing him up.

This was actually a very small matter, but perhaps due to the susceptibility period, his emotions were unusually sensitive.

Lu Ziqing sketched for a while but found himself unable to focus. He simply sent Lin Yu a message: [Where are you?]

Lin Yu replied after more than ten minutes: [At the Hongye Art Museum. Liu Yuwen said there are many details to discuss, and it’s more convenient to do it in person.]

Lu Ziqing: [You said you wanted to discuss the PPT with me.]

Lin Yu: [Ah, I forgot… How about tomorrow? I might not return to the office this afternoon; there’s a lot to handle here.]

Lu Ziqing stared at the words “I forgot” for a long while, then decisively packed his things and stood up.

Mi Lan immediately looked up: “Where are you going?”

Lu Ziqing: “…Going out to meet a client.”

Mi Lan: “Tsk, that’s all…”

Lu Ziqing: “You sound kind of disappointed?”

Mi Lan looked innocent: “I thought you were going to find Director Lin… After all, contract matters can’t be delayed, right?”

Lu Ziqing stuffed his phone into his pocket: “If Zhou Youyu asks, just say I went to the bathroom and text me.”

“Got it.” Mi Lan seemed more eager than him. “Go on, don’t worry.”

…..

“The overall design is fine. Stick to the original design. However, the details need more refinement. The layout of specific components still has some issues when implemented on the display boards. Please put in more effort.”

“We aim for perfection. If needed, redo the components—budget is not an issue.”

“Yes, it’s better than last time.”

“Director Lin, thank you for coming all this way. Let’s have a meal together later. There’s a place nearby with simple home-style dishes.”

After a morning of discussions, Liu Yuwen’s expression had softened significantly from the beginning.

He was a true perfectionist, especially in exhibition design. The abrupt call this morning was due to several sleepless nights, during which he discovered many detail issues and urgently contacted Lin Yu.

For someone at Lin Yu’s level, he usually wouldn’t entertain such sudden questions and requests.

But Lin Yu took the call calmly, immediately set aside his work, and rushed to the art museum.

This also eased much of Liu Yuwen’s anxiety.

Lin Yu originally planned to stay in the exhibition hall a bit longer in the afternoon, so he readily agreed to the meal invitation.

The restaurant was just over 300 meters from the art museum. They chatted while walking and unexpectedly discovered they were university alumni.

Lin Yu was from the foreign languages department, and Liu Yuwen was from the fine arts department.

With this connection, Liu Yuwen, who had been somewhat reserved, instantly became more enthusiastic: “You studied foreign languages—how did you end up in exhibition work?”

Lin Yu smiled: “I initially joined the company as an English translator. Sometimes we handled exhibitions for foreign artists. Later, the boss thought I was reliable and promoted me to executive assistant, and I’ve been in this role ever since.”

Liu Yuwen sighed: “Capable people can shine in any position.”

Lin Yu felt a bit embarrassed by the compliment: “You’re amazing too, already a curator at such a young age.”

Liu Yuwen waved his hand: “Just trying to make a living.”

He booked a private room on the third floor of the restaurant.

As they were heading upstairs, Lin Yu’s phone suddenly rang—Lu Ziqing was calling.

When he answered, Lu Ziqing sounded slightly out of breath: “I’m at the entrance of the art museum. Where are you?”

Lin Yu was a bit puzzled: “Why are you here?”

Lu Ziqing: “The publishing contract needs your signature. It’s urgent.”

Lin Yu: “But it’s not that urgent. I remember the contract deadline is next month…”

Lu Ziqing hesitated: “I’ve been following the Hongye project. If you need information, I can help.”

Lin Yu: “Uh…”

He didn’t quite understand why Lu Ziqing suddenly came to the art museum. It seemed like he had something important to discuss, but the contract and project felt like mere excuses.

Could it be that he was having trouble with his susceptibility period?

This was the only reason Lin Yu could think of. After all, under normal circumstances, there wasn’t much that Lu Ziqing couldn’t handle.

Liu Yuwen asked proactively: “Is someone looking for you?”

Lin Yu smiled: “Yes, my subordinate has an urgent matter. You met him last time—Lu Ziqing.”

Liu Yuwen said warmly: “Invite him to join us. Anyway, I ordered too much food—two people can’t finish it all.”

Lin Yu: “Thank you, I appreciate it.”

…..

When Lu Ziqing stepped into the private room, Lin Yu was chatting enthusiastically with Liu Yuwen.

Liu Yuwen was all smiles: “…Yes, I loved the school cafeteria back then. The fried skewers there were delicious and cheap. Beef and lamb were only three yuan per skewer, and if you bought a lot, they’d even throw in some gluten.”

Lin Yu: “I used to want them but couldn’t afford them. I had to save up each week to buy some. The sweet water shop next door was cheaper, but the milk was made from powder. I once saw the auntie pouring a bag into the bucket—haha…”

Hearing the door open, both of them turned their heads simultaneously.

When Lin Yu saw Lu Ziqing, he instinctively wanted to stand up to greet him.

Then he remembered Liu Yuwen was sitting beside him.

In front of others, he was Lu Ziqing’s superior—he needed to maintain his demeanor.

With this thought, he remained seated, raised his head with a calm and indifferent expression, and said to Lu Ziqing: “You’re here.”

Lu Ziqing: “…”

Lin Yu gave Lu Ziqing a look: “You remember Mr. Liu. He’s our host today.”

After a moment of silence, Lu Ziqing said softly: “Thank you, Mr. Liu.”

Liu Yuwen gestured: “Don’t just stand there. Sit down.”

Lu Ziqing sat down next to Lin Yu. His expression didn’t look good, and his lips were pale.

Liu Yuwen continued chatting with Lin Yu, showing no sign of noticing anything unusual. However, as the conversation went on, he sensed something was off.

This employee named Lu Ziqing—why was he staring at Lin Yu the whole time?

Staring at the eyes, staring at the nose, staring at the mouth.

When Lin Yu reached for the cup, he stared at his hand. When Lin Yu spoke, he stared at his mouth. When Lin Yu stopped speaking, he fixed his gaze on his eyes.

His body unconsciously leaned towards Lin Yu’s side.

He seemed to try to hide it, but even when he pulled back a bit, he would unconsciously lean closer again.

Liu Yuwen watched Lu Ziqing’s actions with great interest.

Though it was only natural for subordinates to pay attention to their superiors,

But this looked…

It seemed like he had discovered something interesting.