MTY chapter 51

Lu Ziqing stayed on the call for a long time.

Standing on the narrow ridge between fields, his back to the courtyard, Lin Yu couldn’t see his expression.

But he could see the way his fist clenched, the veins on his wrist, and the way his shoulders tensed like a drawn bow.

When he returned after hanging up, Lu Ziqing sat down without a word and picked up his bowl of now-cold congee to continue eating.

Lin Yu didn’t ask what he had argued about with his father. Instead, he took the bowl from his hands. “I’ll warm it up for you.”

Lu Ziqing paused for a moment, then said, “Okay.”

…….

That evening, they returned to L County.

With the New Year holiday ending, it was time to head back to work.

By the time they arrived at the Lin family home, Lu Ziqing had returned to his usual laid-back, carefree demeanor.

Lin Yu’s parents had to tend to their store, so after dinner, they left.

Lin Yu was at the sink washing dishes, his hands covered in grease.

He had eaten too much salty braised duck for dinner and was feeling thirsty. Without thinking, he called out, “Rui Rui, pour me a glass of water, my hands are dirty.”

There was no response.

Lin Yu turned his head, only to realize that Lin Rui wasn’t in the kitchen anymore.

At some point, she had left, even though she had just been helping him clean up.

Hearing his voice, Lu Ziqing came out of the bathroom. “I got it.”

He poured warm water into a glass and held it up to Lin Yu’s lips.

After spending the past few days together in the countryside, Lin Yu had gotten used to Lu Ziqing’s care.

Without thinking, he drank straight from his hand.

Just as he swallowed a few sips, the bedroom door suddenly swung open.

Lin Rui walked out, holding a stack of clothes.

She froze at the sight of Lu Ziqing feeding Lin Yu water.

“…Ge, did you just call me?”

“Well, it’s nothing serious now.” Lin Yu swallowed the water and looked at the laundry in her arms. “Are you helping me collect my clothes?”

“Yeah, you’re leaving tomorrow. There were a few pieces of clothing you brought back, and Mom washed them a few days ago. They’re dry now, so I folded them for you.”

After speaking, Lin Rui’s eyes remained fixed on Lu Ziqing.

Lin Yu turned his head and saw Lu Ziqing leisurely drinking from the same glass of water he had just used.

He quickly nudged him with his elbow. “You should head back to the hotel early tonight. We have to catch the train in the morning.”

Lu Ziqing reluctantly put down the glass. “Oh.”

“Ge,” Lin Rui suddenly said, “come to the bedroom for a moment. I have something to ask you.”

Lin Rui’s expression was firm and serious. On a teenage girl, such an expression looked out of place, but her gaze was sharp, leaving no room for doubt.

For a moment, Lin Yu saw a reflection of his strict high school homeroom teacher in her.

He was puzzled but quickly washed his hands, wiped them dry with a napkin, and followed his sister into the bedroom.

“You should hurry back to the hotel,” he whispered to Lu Ziqing.

“Oh,” Lu Ziqing obediently agreed, but his eyes followed Lin Yu as he walked into the bedroom and closed the door.

Lu Ziqing did not leave. Instead, he stood in the kitchen, leisurely pouring himself another glass of water and sipping it slowly.

……

Lin Yu closed the door and looked at his sister. “What’s wrong?”

Lin Rui turned around and stared at him in silence for a moment before saying, “I went back to the countryside today.”

Lin Yu was startled. “You did? When? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Mom was worried about you, but she couldn’t leave the shop, so she sent me to check on you.” Lin Rui’s tone was oddly cold and hard, her words like stones rolling down a mountainside, hitting one after another. “I saw everything. You and that Lu guy feeding each other. You even kissed.”

Lin Yu’s mind buzzed.

“You misunderstood,” he quickly rationalized. “I wasn’t feeling well, so he just fed me a few bites. As for the kiss, you must have seen it wrong. It was just a trick of perspective. My eye was itching, and he was checking if something got in…”

Remembering that their lips hadn’t actually touched, Lin Yu felt a bit more confident in his explanation.

“Have you been reading too many romance novels?” Lin Yu chuckled. “You’re overthinking it. Lu Ziqing is just my subordinate, and besides, he’s also an omega…”

“Stop pretending,” Lin Rui cut him off coldly. “I heard everything you two said on the first day you got back, in the neighborhood garden.”

“You signed some contract with him, a fake marriage, even got a marriage certificate. You told him to act like he was just a regular coworker at home, nothing more,” Lin Rui gritted her teeth. “He’s actually an alpha, isn’t he? How long are you planning to keep lying to us?”

Lin Yu was stunned.

He had thought Lin Rui only saw them being a little too close today, but he never imagined that she had known everything since the first day they got back.

No wonder she had been acting so strangely these past few days.

Lin Yu asked, “You… you’ve been pretending not to know all this time?”

Lin Rui snorted. “I wanted to see how long you’d keep up the act.”

Lin Yu grew anxious. “…Did you tell Mom and Dad?”

“So you do care if they find out,” Lin Rui folded her arms. “I was planning to tell them—if you kept hiding it.”

“No, don’t tell them,” Lin Yu surrendered. “Fine, I admit it. I did fake a marriage with him, but it’s just a deal, and it’s almost over. Once it ends, I’ll receive a large sum of money, and I—”

Lin Rui’s eyes nearly popped out. “You married someone you don’t even love just for money? Is our family so poor that you have to sell yourself?”

“It’s not like that,” Lin Yu panicked. “Yes, it’s for money, but we’re not doing anything else—just getting married, that’s all…”

Lin Rui accused, “Then why did you let him go with you to the countryside to take care of you? At first, I thought I might be mistaken, but you were in heat, and you let an alpha stay with you alone for days. How do you expect me to believe nothing happened?”

Lin Yu stammered, “He… he insisted on taking care of me, but we never did anything. The contract states clearly that even if something did happen, our marriage would still end on schedule…”

The more he explained, the more tangled it got.

In his panic, he blurted out even the contract’s additional terms.

Lin Rui’s face turned red with fury. “Even if something did happen, he’d still leave? Does he think he’s some kind of untouchable prince?”

She was so angry that she flung the door open and stormed out, grabbing Lu Ziqing by the collar. “You’re coming with me! We’re reporting this to the police!”

Lin Yu was both exasperated and amused, quickly stopping her. “Rui Rui, let go! It’s not what you think!”

Lu Ziqing stood there, his collar in Lin Rui’s grip, looking innocent. “Is this some kind of brother-in-law initiation ritual?”

Adding fuel to the fire.

Lin Rui glared at him fiercely.

Lin Yu sighed. “…You heard everything?”

“Obviously,” Lu Ziqing rubbed his ear. “You two were loud enough to blow the roof off. If I hadn’t heard, I’d probably need my ears checked.”

“You rich scumbag! And you still think you can be part of our family? Dream on!” Lin Rui snapped.

“Please, elaborate,” Lu Ziqing said gentlemanly. “I admit to being rich, but how am I a scumbag?”

“A decent person wouldn’t throw money at someone just to fake a marriage!” Lin Rui was fuming. “And—what kind of person thinks it’s fine to sleep with someone and still leave as if nothing happened? Do you think money makes you untouchable?”

Lu Ziqing nodded. “You’re absolutely right.”

Lin Rui: “…”

She hadn’t expected him to agree and was momentarily at a loss for words. “Then why did you make my brother fake-marry you?”

Lu Ziqing: “Since you came to ask me questions Miss Lin, could you calm down, let go of me, and give me a chance to explain?”

“At the very least, your brother is perfectly fine right now, and his gland hasn’t been marked, has it?”

Lin Yu also tried to persuade Lin Rui in a low voice. “See? I’m totally fine. I even put on a little weight these past few days in the countryside.”

After a brief standoff, Lin Rui reluctantly let go.

Lu Ziqing looked at Lin Yu. “She asked the question herself, so should I just tell her everything?”

Lin Yu pressed his temples and sighed helplessly. “Forget it, I’ll explain.”

He kept it as simple as possible while explaining everything to Lin Rui—of course, omitting any inappropriate details.

…

After listening, Lin Rui remained skeptical. “If there’s really nothing between you two, why didn’t you just tell us from the start? Why go through the trouble of lying?”

Lin Yu replied, “Mom and Dad are getting older. They might not be able to accept it, and I didn’t want to make them worry.”

Lin Rui frowned. “Then what was that clause about? Something about ending the marriage even if you two… had a got intimate?”

“That was a lawyer’s suggestion,” Lu Ziqing said indifferently. “Your brother and I both thought it was unnecessary. We’re adults—we can take responsibility for our actions. If something really happened under coercion, your brother could just call the police and have me arrested. What use would a contract be then?”

Hearing the words “coercion,” Lin Yu suddenly recalled something and his face turned a little red.

Lin Rui, however, still gave Lu Ziqing a cold look. “You rich people always abuse your power. Do you really think calling the police would do anything to someone like you?”

Lu Ziqing replied calmly, “This is a law-abiding society. No one has that much power. If you’re really worried, you can take your brother to a hospital right now to check if I did anything to him.”

Seeing that Lin Yu truly seemed unharmed, Lin Rui finally began to calm down.

Lin Yu waved his hand, urging Lu Ziqing to head back to the hotel before another argument broke out.

Once Lu Ziqing left, the siblings sat in the living room, drinking tea in silence.

Lin Yu noticed Lin Rui still frowning and reassured her. “The contract is almost up. Nothing will happen.”

“I just don’t understand why you signed that contract. You earn a decent salary,” Lin Rui muttered, gripping her cup. “…Was it because my art school exams were too expensive?”

Lin Yu quickly denied it. “Of course not! Your exam fees weren’t that much. If our family couldn’t even afford that, why would we have had you in the first place? I did it for my own future. Buying a house in a big city is insanely expensive. If I don’t work hard now, how will I ever afford it?”

Lin Rui bit her lip. “If I had known, I wouldn’t have taken the art exams. I could’ve just gone to a regular university with everyone else. That way, I wouldn’t have added to the family’s expenses.”

“It’s not like our family is struggling to afford your exam fees,” Lin Yu comforted her. “You have real talent in dance. Not pursuing it would be a waste. Don’t blame yourself for things that have nothing to do with you.”

Lin Rui hesitated before finally admitting, “I… I just don’t want you to suffer.”

After being stubborn all night, she finally spoke her true feelings.

Lin Yu laughed. “You’re still worried that I ‘sold myself’? Do you really think I have the looks to land a sugar daddy?”

Lin Rui pouted. “You’re already good-looking. The guys studying dance and music at my school aren’t even half as handsome as you. Back in high school, plenty of my classmates asked me for your contact info.”

Lin Yu sighed. “Alright, how about this—I promise you, I will never sacrifice myself for money, and I’ll never do anything to disgrace our family name.”

After he swore multiple times, Lin Rui’s expression finally softened. “Fine.”

Lin Yu seized the chance. “So… you won’t tell Mom and Dad, right?”

Lin Rui replied seriously, “They’ll find out eventually. Your next marriage will be a second one, after all.”

Lin Yu: “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, let’s just keep it quiet as long as we can.”

After a brief hesitation, Lin Rui softly asked, “Do you think it was worth it? Marrying someone just for money?”

It might make future relationships complicated—some people would care about a past marriage.

And since there was a contract, he couldn’t just casually talk about it.

Lin Yu thought about it seriously.

Back when President Lu first approached him with this deal, he hadn’t hesitated much before agreeing.

Maybe it was because he had grown up watching his parents work tirelessly to run their store, so he always understood the value of money. To him, career and financial stability had always come first, while marriage was a much lower priority.

If a fake marriage could earn him the equivalent of ten years’ salary, it was absolutely worth it.

Lin Yu replied, “More than worth it.”

Lin Rui looked exasperated.

She reached out her pinky. “Then pinky swear—you’ll take care of yourself.”

Lin Yu extended his pinky as well, linking it with hers just like when they were kids. “Pinky swear, cross my heart, no changes for a hundred years.”