Lin Yu hadn’t really figured out exactly what to do. He was merely relying on his afternoon memory, mimicking a similar interaction.
Lu Ziqing’s eyes lowered slightly as he looked at Lin Yu, silently mouthing, “What are you doing?”
Lin Yu tugged at his collar, pulling his body down even further.
Down to the point where his lips could touch his earlobe, Lin Yu whispered softly, “He installed a camera in my office. If I act differently than I did this afternoon, he’ll find it very strange.”
Lu Ziqing: “But just now, we weren’t like this either.”
Lin Yu: “I was working just now. Being a bit serious… could still make sense, right?”
He wasn’t entirely confident, but he could only try his best to salvage the situation.
They had acted so vividly in the woods that afternoon. If they returned to the office and acted distant, the person spying on them would immediately sense something was off.
Sometimes, Lu Ziqing couldn’t help but admire Lin Yu’s dedication and professionalism.
Even though his eyes were so drowsy they could barely stay open, he still struggled to tug at his collar, speaking in a soft, sweet voice, putting on the facade of a loving couple—all just to prevent Zhou Youyu on the other end of the camera from becoming suspicious.
Professionalism, such dedication.
But he was truly exhausted.
So tired that he couldn’t even hold onto the collar properly.
Lin Yu’s hand slipped from his collar for the third time. Lu Ziqing finally sighed, grabbed his wrist, and said in a low voice, “Stop moving. Let me do it.”
Before Lin Yu could ask what he intended to do, Lu Ziqing wrapped one arm around his waist, the other under his knees. With a slight exertion, their positions flipped in an instant.
Lu Ziqing sat on the leather swivel chair, holding Lin Yu in his arms, his arms supporting his back.
Lin Yu was a bit at a loss. He instinctively grabbed Lu Ziqing’s T-shirt. “Uh…”
He looked up at Lu Ziqing and found, to his surprise, that he was smiling.
“Hey, does this count as working overtime?” Lu Ziqing chuckled softly. “Director Lin, remember to calculate my overtime pay tomorrow.”
Lin Yu’s face grew a little warm. He sat there in a daze for a moment and responded, “Oh…”
That afternoon in the grove, everything had been carefully planned. He knew exactly what to say and how to act.
But now, in this unexpected situation, Lin Yu felt completely at a loss.
“Don’t be nervous. Just leave it to me,” Lu Ziqing’s palm gently patted his back. “Relax. We’re a couple, not an interrogator and a prisoner.”
Lin Yu took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly.
He tried his best to relax his body, leaning slightly forward to appear as if he were being intimate with the man in front of him.
Lu Ziqing patted his back until he was fully relaxed. His palm moved upward from Lin Yu’s tailbone, caressing him like stroking a piece of warm jade, and finally settled on the back of his neck.
The moment the back of his neck was touched, Lin Yu’s body shivered slightly.
The gland was the most sensitive part of an omega’s body—fragile and delicate.
Although Lu Ziqing hadn’t touched the gland, Lin Yu still felt a bit uneasy.
He had been living a monastic, single life for so long, waking up every day to work. His life had never involved such intimacy with any man. Perhaps he had once harbored a vague affection for Dr. Xie, but it never went beyond the boundaries of propriety, limited to the minimal contact during oral surgeries.
But now, he was sitting face-to-face on Lu Ziqing’s lap, with his vulnerable nape held by a young man several years his junior.
Thigh against thigh, fingertips against the back of his neck.
Lu Ziqing’s hand was large and warm.
Resting on his nape, it felt like a small heater—both safe and dangerous.
Feeling a bit uneasy, Lin Yu looked up at him.
Lu Ziqing was looking at him too.
His eyes didn’t blink, the dark pupils staring intently, as if swallowing the last remnants of moonlight in the night.
For some reason, Lin Yu felt that Lu Ziqing’s expression was a bit strange.
“Lin Yu,” Lu Ziqing said softly, “why are you still so tense?”
Lu Ziqing’s tone was somewhat casual, but given the current situation, Lin Yu couldn’t afford to be particular about it.
“Is it enough?” he asked. “How much longer?”
“We’re just getting started,” Lu Ziqing’s left hand gently rubbed the back of his head. “Have you ever seen a couple get intimate and stop at just sitting on each other’s lap?”
…It was only the beginning.
Lin Yu truly had no experience with intimacy between couples and could only let Lu Ziqing take the lead.
Lu Ziqing seemed quite skilled.
Which made sense.
After all, Lin Yu had heard things—Lu Ziqing was charming, came from a well-off family, and since joining the company, plenty of omegas had shown interest in him. It was reasonable for him to have a rich romantic history.
Lu Ziqing’s palm moved from the back of Lin Yu’s head to his face, his fingertips tracing the contours of his eyes, down the bridge of his nose, and finally along the curve of his lips.
The moment the warm pad of his finger touched the bead of his lip, Lin Yu instinctively leaned back.
However, his movement was quickly stopped by Lu Ziqing.
Lu Ziqing’s other arm wrapped around his waist, preventing him from retreating further.
Lin Yu’s expression stiffened slightly.
Due to his backward movement, his thigh had rubbed against Lu Ziqing’s pants several times, producing a faint rustling sound of fabric against fabric.
A bit ambiguous.
A bit suggestive.
Lu Ziqing’s fingertip lightly tapped the center of Lin Yu’s lips, like a butterfly pausing briefly on a flower’s stamen.
Lin Yu’s breath hitched, not daring to make a sound.
Although they had been close in the grove that afternoon, Lu Ziqing’s hands had never touched him this intimately.
The moment there was skin-to-skin contact, the atmosphere seemed to shift.
“Hey,” Lu Ziqing chuckled, “you can breathe. Don’t suffocate yourself.”
Lin Yu snapped back to reality, taking deep breaths.
…Too close.
For someone as work-focused as Lin Yu, this level of intimacy felt a bit much.
“It should be enough,” Lin Yu broke free from his hold and said, “We already let him record so much this afternoon. There’s no need to keep up the act for too long now…”
His usually stern and serious face showed a hint of awkwardness and uncertainty.
Lu Ziqing’s hand fell empty.
He looked at his own hand, chuckled, and withdrew it. “True.”
…..
That night, Lin Yu went home and had a rare good night’s sleep.
He had been assigned by President Lu to this company, on the surface to improve the workplace culture, but in reality, it was because the previous case hadn’t been fully resolved, and he was here to gather evidence.
During this time, he had meticulously sorted through the company’s accounts, even digging up old cases and closing them thoroughly.
He wasn’t the only one capable of this; President Lu had no shortage of talented people under his command.
This was a chance from President Lu—a perfect opportunity to prove himself.
Lin Yu was young and had shallow roots in the company, with little authority. Even if President Lu trusted him, others might still have doubts.
But if he seized this opportunity, he could finally silence those old-timers on the board.
He didn’t lack ability or education—what he lacked was a chance to earn respect.
Before going to bed, he went to Lu Ziqing’s bedroom, sincerely expressing his gratitude: “Thank you. If it weren’t for your help, Zhou Youyu wouldn’t have fallen into the trap so quickly.”
Lu Ziqing had just finished his shower. He lowered his head slightly, drying his hair while smiling at him. “Is that all?”
Water droplets slid down his biceps, and his muscles looked smooth and defined under the warm light.
Lin Yu thought for a moment. Was Lu Ziqing implying he hadn’t praised him enough?
So, Lin Yu raised his head again and tried his best to compliment him: “Thanks to you! Luckily, you have a rich romantic history and plenty of relationship experience, which allowed you to act so naturally. Otherwise, it might not have been easy to fool Zhou Youyu.”
Lu Ziqing: “…”
Do you even hear what you’re saying?
And what do you mean by a “rich romantic history and plenty of relationship experience”?
Where the hell did that come from?
Completely unaware, Lin Yu continued to praise him enthusiastically: “You acted so well back then! Just like those carefree and flirtatious rich kids—truly, art comes from life.”
Lu Ziqing: “…”
Lu Ziqing: “Are you done?”
Lin Yu: “Yes.”
Lu Ziqing’s expression darkened slightly. “Get out. I’m going to sleep.”
Lin Yu, ever thoughtful, immediately opened the door to leave: “Good night. Rest well.”
…..
The next morning at breakfast, Lin Yu hesitated for a long time before asking Lu Ziqing, “Um, can I ask you to help me with a few more things?”
Lu Ziqing took a sip of his iced Americano. “You sure don’t hold back. You ask for help without even saying what it is, and it’s not just one thing either. What, do I look like I’m easy to talk to?”
Lin Yu: “I’m only doing it for the good of your company…”
“Hold up,” Lu Ziqing interrupted. “That’s my dad’s company, not mine.”
Lin Yu: “When President Lu steps down, it’ll be yours anyway.”
The Lu family only had Lu Ziqing as a son. If not him, then who else?
“Who said I’m planning to inherit the company?” Lu Ziqing wore his typical carefree second-generation-rich-kid expression. “I’m not interested in going to work and attending meetings every day. I’m still young. I haven’t had enough fun yet.”
Lin Yu didn’t understand why he suddenly said this: “But, you’ve helped me a lot before. Like yesterday…”
Yesterday, he had clearly helped him act and deceive Zhou Youyu.
Why had his attitude suddenly changed today?
“Oh, so you do know I was helping you yesterday?” Lu Ziqing spoke slowly. “But when I’m not willing, I also have the right to refuse, don’t I?”
It was true—he wasn’t wrong.
Lin Yu had no choice but to lower his voice. “Then, let me explain first. If you agree, we can proceed.”
Lu Ziqing seemed barely satisfied. “Go ahead.”
“It’s about the next steps against Zhou Youyu…”
…
After listening, Lu Ziqing’s expression remained indifferent, showing neither approval nor disapproval.
“If you think there’s room for improvement, feel free to tell me,” Lin Yu added. “This is the plan I’ve come up with so far. If you have better ideas, we can…”
“No,” Lu Ziqing cut him off.
“Then, does that mean you agree?”
“If you want my help, there should be some exchange, right?”
Lin Yu was a bit confused. “Is there anything you need?”
With Lu Ziqing’s background, what could he possibly lack?
Besides, whenever Lin Yu had asked for his help before, Lu Ziqing had always agreed without hesitation. Why was he suddenly being so particular today?
Lin Yu couldn’t figure it out.
Lu Ziqing said lightly, “I haven’t thought of it yet. Let’s just say you owe me one.”
