MTY chapter 22

Lin Yu originally thought that since Lu Ziqing had suddenly come to find him, there must have been some emergency.

Perhaps the company had an urgent issue, or maybe his body felt uncomfortable during the susceptibility period, and he wanted to seek help.

But upon meeting him, Lu Ziqing didn’t seem to have any major issues, except his lips looked a bit pale.

That was normal; alphas during their susceptibility period were generally somewhat fragile.

Lin Yu felt relieved and continued chatting casually with Liu Yuwen.

As they chatted, he also noticed something strange.

Liu Yuwen’s gaze kept drifting between him and Lu Ziqing, looking at him, then at Lu Ziqing, with a bit of an indescribable, playful look in his eyes.

Lin Yu then turned to look at Lu Ziqing.

There was nothing unusual about Lu Ziqing.

At least every time Lin Yu turned his head to look at him, Lu Ziqing was staring at his water cup, quietly listening to their conversation.

Lin Yu felt a bit puzzled.

He vaguely sensed something was not quite right, but he couldn’t put his finger on it, not understanding where the strange atmosphere at the table was coming from.

Suddenly, Liu Yuwen smiled: “Junior, this is a specialty dish here, Qingyuan chicken. It’s very tender—give it a try.”

He picked up a piece of chicken thigh with his chopsticks and moved it toward Lin Yu’s bowl.

Just then, the table shook slightly, not too hard, making a soft “bang” sound.

Liu Yuwen’s chopsticks tilted, and the chicken leg meat fell onto the table.

Lu Ziqing stood up with his chopsticks in hand and apologized to Liu Yuwen, “Sorry, Mr. Liu. I just wanted to stand up and get some food, but my knee accidentally hit the table leg.”

Liu Yuwen stared at him for a few seconds, “I see… It’s fine.”

When Lu Ziqing sat back down, Lin Yu whispered to him, “Did you hurt yourself?”

Lu Ziqing: “I’m fine.”

Lin Yu whispered, “How could you be so careless? Getting food and still bumping into the table leg.”

Lu Ziqing grinned, his eyes still fixed on Liu Yuwen.

Liu Yuwen withdrew his gaze, took a couple of sips of juice, and resumed chatting with Lin Yu about their alma mater.

Liu Yuwen: “Speaking of which, when our class graduated, it happened to be during the unemployment wave. The economic situation wasn’t great, and many classmates had to change careers. But we still have a good relationship—we hold a class reunion every year.”

Lin Yu nodded, “I hardly keep in touch with my classmates. At most, we like each other’s posts on social media. Everyone is scattered all over the country, so we rarely meet.”

Liu Yuwen casually said, “You’re not married yet, right?”

Lin Yu paused, “Yes, I haven’t met anyone suitable in my circle.”

Liu Yuwen: “Last year, during the New Year, my mom already started urging me to get married.”

Lin Yu: “That’s normal. My parents started pushing me years ago, saying it’s best to marry early. The older you get, the fewer choices you have.”

Lu Ziqing sat beside them, expressionless, carefully picking out bones from a piece of Qingjiang fish.

Liu Yuwen sipped his drink, a faint smile on his lips, “When I was in university, I was part of the street dance club and knew quite a few outstanding Alphas. Do you want me to introduce you to some?”

Lin Yu: “I would, but I’m afraid they’d think I’m too old.”

Liu Yuwen waved his hand: “I know a lot of seniors. If you’re interested, I can organize an event this weekend, and we can all hang out.”

Lin Yu’s earlier words were just casual responses in the conversation. He didn’t truly have the intention of urgently finding a partner.

But since the conversation led here, he smiled and said, “Sure.”

Liu Yuwen’s smile deepened. He leaned over to show Lin Yu his social media feed, “See anyone you think is handsome? I can invite them all out for you…”

“Director Lin,” Lu Ziqing suddenly spoke, “Shall I get you some fish soup?”

Lin Yu looked up, seeing Lu Ziqing staring at him with wide, round eyes, even twitching at the corners.

Lin Yu felt puzzled: “Is something wrong with your eyes?”

Lu Ziqing: “…”

Lin Yu was genuinely worried now.

Lu Ziqing’s lips were pale, and his eyes were twitching—could it be a complication of the susceptibility period?

No wonder he had been so quiet at the dining table today.

The mystery was solved—it must be that he was feeling unwell but was too embarrassed to trouble him.

Lin Yu stood up, his voice filled with concern, “I’ll take you to the hospital.”

Lu Ziqing: “…”

Lu Ziqing: “No need. I’m fine.”

Lin Yu said seriously, “You say you’re fine, but your eyes twitched several times already.”

Lu Ziqing: “…”

Liu Yuwen was holding back his laughter so much that his stomach was almost cramping.

He also put on a concerned expression, saying to Lu Ziqing, “Yes, Xiao Lu, don’t push yourself too hard. Your boss cares about you so much. You should go to the hospital and not delay treatment.”

Lin Yu hurriedly helped Lu Ziqing out, apologizing to Liu Yuwen, “Sorry, Senior Liu. We didn’t even get to eat properly. I’ll treat you next time—”

Liu Yuwen smiled, “It’s fine. Go take care of your employee.”

Watching the two leave, Liu Yuwen sat back down and sipped the fish soup slowly.

So fresh.

So appetizing.

Seeing an office romance unfold in front of him—especially a story where a little Alpha secretly liked his superior—was much more thrilling than watching a TV drama.

….

Lu Ziqing wanted to go to his own car, but Lin Yu kept pulling him towards his.

“Don’t act like a child.”

“If you’re sick, you need treatment. The longer you delay, the worse it’ll get. Don’t you understand that?”

“Lie down in the back seat, and I’ll take you to the hospital right away.”

Lu Ziqing couldn’t take it anymore. “I’m not sick!”

“People who are sick always say they’re not,” Lin Yu insisted. “Even if you’re not sick, going to the hospital for a check-up won’t hurt. Just think of it as a physical exam.”

Lu Ziqing felt a deep sense of helplessness, as if he were facing his nagging parents.

Lu Ziqing: “You really couldn’t tell I was rolling my eyes at you just now, could you?”

Lin Yu finally stopped pulling him. “Why were you rolling your eyes at me?”

Lu Ziqing: “Can’t you see that Liu Yuwen is no good? You’ve only talked to him a few times, and now he’s offering you food and trying to introduce Alphas to you. Aren’t you worried he might be involved in human trafficking?”

There was an unmistakable hint of dissatisfaction in his voice.

Lin Yu was amused by him. “It’s not as exaggerated as you say. We’re just old schoolmates. He just wants to introduce me to some friends.”

Lu Ziqing looked at him speechlessly.

Lin Yu had a sudden realization. “So at the dining table earlier, you didn’t accidentally bump the table leg, and your eye wasn’t twitching—you were trying to warn me?”

Lu Ziqing: “Looks like you’re not entirely stupid.”

Lin Yu said seriously, “But your concern is really a bit unfounded. I’m almost thirty—how could I be so easily deceived?”

Lu Ziqing said coldly, “I think you only show a bit of cleverness at work. When it comes to dealing with people, you’re no better than a kindergarten kid.”

Lin Yu glanced at him secretly, bit by bit, looking like he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Lu Ziqing: “Just spit it out.”

“Okay, but don’t get mad,” Lin Yu said. “I think you might be overly sensitive and overthinking things because of your susceptibility period.”

“I understand it’s not something you can control. You’re still working during this time, which shows your self-discipline. But you were a bit unreasonable today. After all, Mr. Liu is from the client’s side. You made a racket at the table—thank goodness he’s good-tempered. If he were more petty, he’d probably think you were giving him attitude.”

Lin Yu thought it over and finally pieced everything together. “So, your mood swings and discomfort during your susceptibility period made you want to vent a bit, right? I get it. Letting it out will make you feel better.”

Lu Ziqing couldn’t understand how his train of thought managed to twist and turn so unpredictably.

But Lin Yu seemed convinced he had figured everything out.

He returned to the gentle and approachable demeanor he had when taking care of Lu Ziqing the previous night. He patted Lu Ziqing’s head, using a tone one would use with a small child. “Why don’t you rest in the back seat for a bit? When you wake up, I’ll take you back to the office or home—whichever you prefer.”

Lu Ziqing felt like his punch had landed on cotton.

But he was genuinely exhausted and had no energy left to argue with Lin Yu.

He sneered. “So, according to you, if I’m feeling unwell because of my susceptibility period, you’ll be able to help me out?”

Lin Yu nodded. “I’ll do my best to help with whatever I can.”

Lu Ziqing fixed his gaze on Lin Yu’s lips, then suddenly reached out and gently pinched the back of his neck.

“What if… I want to bite you here?”

 

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Author’s Note:

Xiao Lu is such a little troublemaker

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