MTY chapter 48

In the quiet moonlight, the young man methodically unfastened his towel, shook it out, and neatly folded it to the side.

Lin Yu clearly heard the sound of himself swallowing.

This was the first time in his life he had ever seen an alpha’s body up close, without any barrier, without any mental preparation.

From a purely aesthetic standpoint, Lu Ziqing’s physique was undoubtedly worth admiring.

Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, well-proportioned muscles, long legs, damp curls of hair, a sharp jawline—like a masterpiece straight out of a Western oil painting.

From a less-than-pure perspective…

Lin Yu was completely overwhelmed, his thoughts in utter disarray.

Already in his heat cycle, every sensation was heightened. Now, suddenly bombarded by such a strong visual stimulus…

His body grew weaker.

His skin burned hotter.

His glands throbbed as if tiny ants were biting into them.

And that one… unspeakable place…

Lin Yu gritted his teeth, struggling to hold on. But in the end, he couldn’t resist his instincts any longer.

Silently, he slipped his hand under the covers.

….

Lu Ziqing finished wiping the water off his legs and was about to dry his back when he suddenly heard a faint rustling sound.

The noise was light, irregular—sometimes soft, sometimes loud—but it didn’t stop.

…Cockroach? Mouse?

He had cleaned the entire house inside and out over the past few days and hadn’t found any pests…

Pausing, he listened carefully for a while and realized the sound was coming from the bedroom.

Lu Ziqing immediately turned to look.

In the dark room, he could vaguely see Lin Yu lying on his side in bed, eyes tightly shut, seemingly fast asleep.

But the sound… seemed to be coming from the bed.

…A cockroach on the bed?

Lu Ziqing hesitated for a moment before decisively putting on his underwear and pajama set. He quietly slid open the screen door and stepped into the bedroom.

Lin Yu remained motionless, still in deep sleep.

Getting closer, Lu Ziqing noticed something strange.

Although Lin Yu’s eyes were closed, his brows were furrowed tightly. A thin layer of cold sweat covered his forehead, and his left hand was gripping the blanket tightly.

Lu Ziqing: “…”

Why did he look so tense in his sleep?

Was he having a nightmare?

Lu Ziqing called softly, “Lin Yu? Lin Yu?”

Lin Yu’s body trembled slightly but remained asleep, his eyes still shut tight.

Lu Ziqing raised his voice a little. “Lin Yu, are you okay?”

Still no response. It was as if he had been frozen in place.

However, sweat began to pour from his forehead at an alarming rate, the beads growing larger and dripping faster. His brows furrowed even deeper.

Lu Ziqing: “…”

Initially, he had only wanted to wake Lin Yu to check for any pests on the bed.

But seeing him like this, it seemed like his condition had suddenly worsened.

…Which meant he definitely had to wake him up.

Lu Ziqing grabbed Lin Yu’s shoulder and shook him. “Lin Yu, wake up.”

The moment he touched him, he realized something was wrong.

Lin Yu’s skin was burning hot—so hot that even through his pajama fabric, the heat was obvious.

Yet Lin Yu still didn’t wake up.

Instead, he curled further into the blanket.

Lu Ziqing’s expression darkened.

He had used the same strength he did when lifting dumbbells—he had nearly shaken him apart—yet he still wasn’t waking up?!

This was no longer a matter of feeling unwell.

If not for the sound of Lin Yu’s heavy breathing, Lu Ziqing might have thought he had already passed away.

Panicked but forcing himself to stay calm, Lu Ziqing took out his phone. “Lin Yu, don’t worry, I’m calling 120…”

The next second, Lin Yu’s eyes suddenly opened.

“N-No need…” he said weakly. “I’m fine, just had a nightmare…”

Lu Ziqing: “…”

Lu Ziqing: “You could hear me talking just now?”

“Huh? Uh… I vaguely heard someone talking, but for some reason, I couldn’t wake up.” Lin Yu’s gaze drifted unfocused into the air. “I panicked a little, and then I woke up.”

Lu Ziqing was silent for a moment. “I thought your condition had suddenly worsened. I was just about to call an ambulance.”

“It’s not that bad,” Lin Yu coughed weakly. “It’s just… the same symptoms as before. Fever, headache, weakness. I just need to rest.”

Lu Ziqing turned on the bedside lamp.

The warm yellow light illuminated the small bedroom.

He reached out to touch Lin Yu’s forehead. “…You’re burning up.”

The moment his hand made contact, Lin Yu shuddered violently.

Lu Ziqing: “…What’s wrong?”

“Your hand is too cold, and my forehead is too hot. It felt like an ice cube suddenly slammed into my head,” Lin Yu muttered. “I’m fine. Just need to rest. You… you should go back to sleep. Don’t worry about me.”

Lu Ziqing: “You’re in this state, and you’re telling me not to worry?”

“What can happen to me?” Lin Yu insisted. “It’s not like there’s anything you can do. I’ll just lie here on my own…”

Lu Ziqing frowned.

He suddenly noticed something unusual.

Normally, when people feel hot, they instinctively loosen their clothes or kick off the blanket to let in cool air.

But Lin Yu had been tightly wrapped in the blanket the whole time. Even his right hand was buried inside, refusing to come out.

Lu Ziqing stared at him, curled up like a turtle, and said, “I’ll go get a basin of water to wipe you down.”

“What?!” Lin Yu’s limbs stiffened instantly. “No—no need!”

Lu Ziqing looked at him. “It’s just wiping you down. Why not? You were sweating earlier today, and you couldn’t move, so I helped you then too.”

Lin Yu stammered, “Th-The doctor said I shouldn’t catch a chill. I might get sick.”

“There’s no draft in here,” Lu Ziqing said, seemingly unimpressed. “The windows and door are shut. Where would the wind come from?”

Lin Yu: “…”

Lin Yu: “I just don’t want to. You should leave.”

Outside of work, he rarely ever acted this stubborn or unreasonable.

Lu Ziqing noticed immediately.

A brief silence filled the room.

“…Alright,” Lu Ziqing finally said. “I’ll leave.”

He turned and walked out of the bedroom.

Lin Yu watched his retreating back and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

He was covered in sweat, his hands were drenched—both front and back—and his back was sticky with sweat. Not to mention…

Squeak.

The screen door suddenly slid open again.

Lu Ziqing walked back in, holding a white towel. “At least let me wipe the sweat off your forehead.”

Lin Yu instantly recognized it as the towel from earlier and blurted out in horror, “You’re using the towel you covered your junk with after showering to wipe my face?!”

The moment the words left his mouth, he froze.

Lu Ziqing held the bath towel and looked at him quietly. “I always shower after you’ve fallen asleep… So how do you know I used this to wrap around my waist?”

Lin Yu: “…”

At that moment, he desperately wished aliens would invade Earth and abduct him for experiments.

That way, he wouldn’t have to face the current situation.

“Unless…” Lu Ziqing chuckled. “You were secretly watching me just now, weren’t you?”

Another suffocating silence.

Lin Yu’s face went from red to deep red, then from deep red to deathly pale—a spectacular display of colors.

He blinked repeatedly, his brain working at full speed, practically sparking from overload, but he couldn’t think of a way out.

So, he decided—to play dead.

Avoidance was shameful but useful.

Pretending to sleep was embarrassing but effective.

The moment Lin Yu weakly closed his eyes, Lu Ziqing spoke. “Keep pretending, and I’ll lift your blanket.”

Lin Yu’s eyes flew open in terror, meeting Lu Ziqing’s gaze.

“Of course,” Lu Ziqing said coolly, “I never said that if you stop pretending, I won’t still lift it.”

With that, he tightened his grip on the blanket’s edge and swiftly pulled it away.

To be honest, he hadn’t been trying to trick Lin Yu—he was just really curious why Lin Yu insisted on staying wrapped up.

Was it because he had secretly watched him and now felt too embarrassed to face him?

If that was the case, there was no need to be shy. He had a great physique—it wasn’t a crime to want to look.

Besides, with the warming pad tucked under the blanket, it was practically a sauna in there. Lin Yu’s forehead was already sweating like a waterfall. If he didn’t uncover him soon, he might break out in a rash.

Lin Yu’s mind was foggy and sluggish from his fever-induced heat period. Since he wasn’t in the right state to take care of himself, it was Lu Ziqing’s responsibility to do it. Otherwise, why had he even followed him to the countryside? He was here to take care of him when he couldn’t care for himself.

Lu Ziqing pulled back the blanket and looked down at the bed—

The next second, his grip loosened, and the blanket dropped heavily to the floor.