MTY chapter 45

The cafeteria at L County No. 1 High School was a standalone white building with three floors.

At this hour, it was packed with students, buzzing with energy.

Li Yan led them up to the third floor. “The first two floors are for students, and the third floor is for teachers—you can order individual dishes here.”

They found a quiet table in the back and scanned the QR code to order.

Li Yan rubbed his hands together. “Don’t hold back, order whatever you like.”

Lin Yu waved a hand. “We ate before we came, so we’re not too hungry. Just a few dishes will do.”

Li Yan scrolled through the menu. “I remember… you like sweet and sour pork ribs, right?”

Lin Yu looked surprised. “How did you know?”

Li Yan: “I guessed. We used to eat lunch together all the time in first year. You never said it outright, but I noticed that every time the cafeteria had sweet and sour pork ribs, you always got them.”

Lin Yu chuckled. “You’re really observant.”

“It’s not really observant,” Li Yan said, his face turning a little red. He swallowed the rest of his words and changed the topic. “I’ll get that for you. Anything else? Spicy beef stir-fry? Candied sweet potatoes?”

Lin Yu: “Anything’s fine…”

Lu Ziqing sat there in silence, watching them chat happily.

He had always thought Lin Yu wasn’t picky about food—he’d eat whatever was available.

Whenever he cooked at home and asked for his preferences, Lin Yu’s response was always: “Anything’s fine.” or “Make what you like.”

Even when they ate out, Lin Yu never expressed any strong preferences, as if he didn’t really care.

But today, Lu Ziqing realized—he had never truly understood him.

As the food arrived, Li Yan and Lin Yu got more and more animated, their laughter never stopping.

They talked about playing cards in class, poetry challenges,

How Li Yan’s scent was so strong when he first differentiated that it made everyone avoid him,

How Lin Yu, as class president, had defended and taken care of him,

How, inspired by Lin Yu’s encouragement, Li Yan had worked hard, pursued a master’s degree, and finally returned to teach at their old school.

…

“By the way,” Li Yan poured Lin Yu some tea, then asked casually, “are you still single? Is your family pressuring you to settle down?”

Lu Ziqing’s eyes instantly lit up.

He had been sulking all this time, practically suffocating.

But now, finally—his chance had arrived.

‘Just when I needed a pillow, someone handed it to me.’

‘Kid, since you dared to ask, brace yourself for a storm.’

Lu Ziqing cracked his knuckles, ready to spout nonsense just like he had with Lin Yu’s family last night. “Director Lin, he—”

Lin Yu cut him off abruptly. “Yes, I live alone. My family does pressure me, but I don’t have a partner at the moment.”

At the same time, he shot Lu Ziqing a warning glance.

His eyes carried a silent message: don’t you dare.

Lu Ziqing pretended not to notice. “But—”

“But I’m not really thinking about dating right now,” Lin Yu quickly added. “This is the time to focus on my career. Work comes first.”

Lu Ziqing persisted. “However—”

“However, of course, my parents are still urging me,” Lin Yu smiled. “You know how it is—parents always worry about their children’s future. They just want me to be happy, so they’ve set up several blind dates for me.”

Lu Ziqing interjected, “Even in the company—”

“There are also many young people in the company who are already married,” Lin Yu smoothly took over, “but I think everyone has their own pace in life. We shouldn’t be influenced by others. That’s what makes each of our lives unique—don’t you think so, Xiao Lu?”

Lu Ziqing finally shut his mouth, looking sulky. “… Director Lin is right.”

The waiter arrived, placing a steaming plate of sweet and sour ribs on the table.

“Let’s dig in.” Li Yan seemed in a great mood and said generously, “Make yourselves at home. Don’t hold back—if it’s not enough, we’ll order more.”

….

After getting completely shut down by Lin Yu, Lu Ziqing was unusually quiet for the rest of the meal.

Too quiet.

No matter what Lin Yu and Li Yan talked about, he just focused on eating, only occasionally standing up to refill their tea.

Even when Li Yan offered to exchange WeChat contacts, Lu Ziqing merely lifted his eyes for a second before looking away again.

Lin Yu wasn’t used to it at all.

He kept glancing at Lu Ziqing, wondering what kind of scheme was brewing in his head now.

Just as they were finishing their meal, a commotion could be heard from downstairs.

Li Yan, acting on instinct as a teacher, immediately ran out.

Lin Yu also stood up. “What’s going on?”

Li Yan hurriedly grabbed his coat. “Some students got into a fight, and someone seems to be using their pheromones aggressively to attack others. I need to handle it.”

He turned to Lin Yu apologetically. “Sorry, I was planning to take you out for dinner later…”

“No worries, go take care of it,” Lin Yu waved a hand. “The students come first. Hurry.”

The situation downstairs was clearly chaotic.

By the time Lin Yu and Lu Ziqing came down about ten minutes later, the fight had already been broken up, and the students involved had been taken to the disciplinary office. But the air was still thick with lingering alpha pheromones.

Cedarwood, fresh grass, caramel, musk, vetiver…

A messy mix of scents blended together, enough to make anyone dizzy.

Lin Yu quickly covered his nose and hurried out of the cafeteria.

Even though he had only smelled it for a brief moment, his body reacted immediately—the back of his neck felt swollen, and his palms grew warm.

Once they were out of the school and away from the scent, Lin Yu finally let out a breath of relief.

He suddenly realized the space beside him was empty.

Turning around, he saw Lu Ziqing trailing behind, head down, looking like a puppy that had just been kicked away by its owner.

Lin Yu: “…”

Fine, he admitted it. He had done it on purpose.

Worried that Lu Ziqing might say something reckless again, he had preemptively announced that he was single and deliberately distanced himself, making it clear that Lu Ziqing was just his subordinate.

Lu Ziqing’s eyes had dimmed immediately, full of resentment.

Lin Yu had pretended not to notice.

He had even taken the opportunity to ask Li Yan if he knew any good alpha candidates to introduce to him.

In truth, he wasn’t even thinking about dating.

He had only hoped that this would make Lu Ziqing give up.

And he had succeeded.

Lu Ziqing had spent the entire meal with his head down, silent and miserable, like a wilted eggplant.

But now that his plan had worked, Lin Yu felt awful.

Maybe he had gone too far.

After all, Lu Ziqing hadn’t really done anything wrong.

He was just a spoiled young master with a strong sense of possessiveness and a tendency to speak carelessly.

But once scolded, he had stopped causing trouble.

Besides, Lin Yu didn’t particularly care what Li Yan thought of him. They were just old classmates who hadn’t seen each other in years—there was no real reason to worry about his opinion.

So why had he bothered arguing with Lu Ziqing over something so trivial?

Their contract was still in effect, after all. Annoying Lu Ziqing wasn’t going to do himself any favors.

With that in mind, Lin Yu spoke first.

“What do you want to do this afternoon?”

Lu Ziqing barely lifted his head, his voice small. “Anything’s fine. If you don’t want to see me… I can just go back to the hotel.”

Lin Yu frowned. “I never said I didn’t want to see you.”

“It’s fine, you don’t have to explain.” Lu Ziqing forced a smile. “Didn’t Teacher Li say he wanted to treat you to dinner tonight? You should go. I’m feeling a little tired anyway—I’ll just head back and rest.”

Guilt immediately flooded Lin Yu’s chest.

If he was being honest, Lu Ziqing had always treated him well.

Yet now he had made him look so… dejected.

Seeing Lu Ziqing force a smile like that only made Lin Yu feel worse.

“Lu Ziqing,” Lin Yu said softly. “I don’t want to have dinner with Li Yan.”

Lu Ziqing glanced at him, then quickly looked away and muttered, “It’s fine. You don’t have to coax me. I know you two have a good relationship, reuniting after a long time and missing each other.”

“It’s not about coaxing you,” Lin Yu felt a headache coming on. “What kind of relationship would I have with Li Yan? We haven’t seen each other in years—we just happened to run into each other and caught up a bit…”

“But it’s obvious,” Lu Ziqing’s voice suddenly became clear. “He likes you. Can’t you see it?”

Lin Yu was momentarily speechless. “…”

Lu Ziqing continued, “If he were just an ordinary classmate, would he remember what dishes you like or what color pens you prefer?”

Lin Yu had no words.

He had never considered this possibility before.

But now that he looked at it from a different perspective… Li Yan really did seem a little too enthusiastic.

Lin Yu hesitated. “I only see him as an old classmate…”

“But you two had such a great conversation today, completely ignoring my existence. You even added each other on WeChat,” Lu Ziqing grumbled. “I don’t care, I’m jealous.”

Lin Yu was at a loss. “Then…”

“Kiss me,” Lu Ziqing crouched down, looking up at him. “If you kiss me, I won’t be mad anymore.”

Lin Yu’s face instantly turned red. “This…”

He did feel guilty about how he treated Lu Ziqing today.

But this request was a bit too…

Seeing Lin Yu freeze up, Lu Ziqing sighed.

He stood up and made a show of backing down. “Forget it, I was just joking… But at least hug me, okay? Even ordinary friends can hug. I’m feeling a little sad—just give me a hug, and I’ll be fine.”

A long silence followed.

Neither Lin Yu nor Lu Ziqing spoke.

It felt like a contest of who could endure longer.

Finally, Lin Yu gave in.

He stepped forward, hesitantly opening his arms and giving Lu Ziqing a light hug. “Why do you get upset so easily? Seriously, such a kid.”

Their heads rested against each other’s shoulders.

Lin Yu’s chin landed on Lu Ziqing’s shoulder.

Soft strands of hair brushed against his neck—light and ticklish.

It made his heart feel strangely soft.

Lu Ziqing’s lips curled into a smile, but his tone remained pitiful. “…Got it, Uncle Lin.”