Lin Yu woke up with a splitting headache the next day. His whole body was aching as if it had fallen apart.
His head was groggy, and the back of his skull throbbed with the dull pain of a hangover.
Opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was something black and fluffy.
Not fully awake, he blinked slowly and reached out to tug at the soft fur.
“Hiss—”
The round fluff ball twitched a few times, then suddenly spoke.
“…Early in the morning, trying to destroy the evidence?”
Lin Yu: “…?”
He watched as the round fluff moved again, revealing a strikingly handsome face from within the tangled black hair.
Their eyes met.
Lin Yu’s gaze gradually cleared, and his expression slowly stiffened.
…
Why…
Why was he sleeping in the same bed as Lu Ziqing, less than ten centimeters apart?
Lu Ziqing was shirtless, his pale, well-defined chest exposed. He lazily rubbed his eyes, lying on his side, his shoulders and collarbone covered in bite marks—dozens of them.
The bite marks were fresh, with some already scabbing over, the deep red scabs stark against his fair skin, looking rather alarming.
Most strikingly, there was a wound at the corner of Lu Ziqing’s lips.
A deep red scab sat right at the edge of his upper lip.
Lin Yu’s eyes locked onto the wounds. “You… your body…”
Lu Ziqing glanced down at himself. “Hm? What about it?”
Lin Yu stammered, “The injuries on your body…”
“Good question,” Lu Ziqing said. “Maybe you should ask your teeth what they’ve been eating every day to get so sharp. I almost died from the pain last night.”
As he spoke, the movement tugged at the wound on his lip.
He hissed in pain and rubbed the corner of his mouth.
Lin Yu: “…I bit you?”
Lu Ziqing: “Let’s analyze this. Last night, it was just the two of us at home, right? If it wasn’t you, are you saying I bit myself?”
Lin Yu’s brain short-circuited. “B-But…”
The fragmented memories of last night came crashing down like a tidal wave.
Lying on the table, drinking while crying, downing bottle after bottle, mixing red and white wine, vomiting into the toilet while still sobbing.
Getting no response to his messages, feeling angry and aggrieved, wanting to smash things but reluctant to destroy anything valuable—so he ended up pathetically throwing empty bottles instead.
Then, clinging tightly to Lu Ziqing, pouring all his resentment and grievances into his teeth, wishing he could bite through this infuriating man’s neck.
And later… crying so hard he was a mess, tears and snot everywhere, while—
Lin Yu’s mind went blank with a buzz.
Lu Ziqing looked at him. “Remember now?”
Lin Yu couldn’t believe what he’d done last night. Trembling, he carefully tried to move his legs.
“Don’t move,” Lu Ziqing said. “You probably won’t be able to move much today. Just take the day off.”
In fact, Lin Yu didn’t even need the reminder. He immediately noticed something was wrong.
His legs and lower body felt heavy, sore, and aching.
And judging by the sensation… his legs seemed to be trapped between Lu Ziqing’s.
Skin against skin. No gap at all.
Lin Yu panicked and scrambled back. “You—why aren’t you wearing clothes?!”
He could clearly feel the… stickiness on his legs.
Lu Ziqing chuckled.
Without warning, he flipped over and pressed down on Lin Yu, whispering in his ear, “Asking me why I’m not dressed… maybe you should check where your underwear went?”
Lin Yu felt like a nuclear bomb had just exploded in his head.
Pinned down, unable to move, no escape.
“And these bite marks on me—here, here, and here,” Lu Ziqing licked the corner of his mouth. “All your handiwork.”
Lin Yu stammered, not daring to speak.
Lu Ziqing’s fingers traced down slowly, brushing against his slender waist and lower back. He laughed softly. “you’re so cute.”
Lin Yu: “…”
“Thanks for being so honest last night,” Lu Ziqing murmured, licking his earlobe. “Otherwise, I never would’ve known how much you care about me.”
“And I never would’ve known… how seductive you look, throwing yourself into my arms, crying while guiding my hand under your clothes…”
…..
Early in the morning, Mi Lan discovered something interesting.
“Ziqing!” she gasped. “What happened to your lip? Did you get into a fight?”
Lu Ziqing was wearing a black turtleneck, his skin pale, making the deep red scab on his lip stand out.
“I fell on my way home last night,” he said calmly. “Hit a rock.”
Wu Yu had taken leave that day—something about attending a family birthday—so the office was unusually quiet.
“That can’t be right,” Mi Lan frowned. “I noticed Director Lin looked off too. He looked pale, his lips were white, and he was even limping a little… How come you both got injured at the same time?”
She shot Lu Ziqing a meaningful look, then glanced at the director’s office.
Liang Zhi adjusted his glasses. “Maybe they tripped over the same rock?”
Mi Lan wanted to stuff a rag in his mouth.
Lu Ziqing smoothly went along with it. “Yeah, I think Liang Zhi has a good point. No wonder he’s our department’s future supervisor—a real 985 elite.”
Liang Zhi chuckled sheepishly. “Not at all, I just analyzed it casually…”
Mi Lan rolled her eyes and refused to give up. “Ziqing, this really doesn’t look like a rock injury. It looks more like someone—”
“Mi Lan,” Lu Ziqing suddenly said, “could you grab some pencils from the supply office?”
Mi Lan: “Didn’t I just get some last week? I gave them all to you.”
“I don’t know where they went, maybe I accidentally took them home,” Lu Ziqing said, completely unfazed. “Help me out, I’m revising a draft and need them urgently.”
Mi Lan: “…”
She silently flipped him off.
Mouthing the words: Let’s see how long you can keep up this act.
Lu Ziqing smiled. “Much appreciated.”
……
Lu Ziqing glanced toward the director’s office.
The door was tightly shut.
Lin Yu had barely come out all morning.
Before leaving home, they had an argument.
He never expected that even with how unsteady Lin Yu was, looking as pale as a sheet, he would still insist on going to work.
In disbelief, he asked, “Are you programmed to go to work or something? Will you get electrocuted if you don’t?”
Even ordinary employees had the right to take sick leave.
Lin Yu lowered his head, organizing the documents in his bag. “This afternoon… there’s an online meeting with headquarters.”
Lu Ziqing: “Can’t you attend from home?”
Lin Yu: “It’s a video meeting. If they see me at home, it wouldn’t look good.”
No matter how much Lu Ziqing tried to persuade him, Lin Yu refused to back down.
By the time things escalated, he just grabbed his bag and ran, not giving Lu Ziqing any chance to stop him.
Watching Lin Yu’s flustered retreat, Lu Ziqing had felt something was off.
Lin Yu had always been dedicated to work, but never this obsessed.
When he insisted on going to work, his gaze kept flickering, avoiding eye contact.
And when Lu Ziqing grabbed his wrist, Lin Yu flinched and immediately pulled away, running off like he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t have.
Something wasn’t right.
Could it be that…
Saying he had to work was just an excuse, and avoiding him was the real reason?
Lu Ziqing’s suspicion was confirmed throughout the day.
Lin Yu stayed in his office the entire time, keeping the door shut.
Whenever he came out to use the restroom, he would rush in and out like a panicked little elephant.
Lu Ziqing sent him a message: [The new Da Hong Pao tea just arrived. Want me to bring you some?]
Lin Yu replied almost instantly: [No need, I don’t really like tea.]
Lu Ziqing tried again: [Let’s go to that congee place for lunch. Their pickled olive and crab roe dishes are really good.]
Lin Yu: [No need, I already ordered takeout.]
Lu Ziqing thought for a moment and then sent: [So, does your butt still hurt?]
A loud thud suddenly came from the director’s office, startling a passing employee.
A few minutes later, Lu Ziqing received Lin Yu’s response.
[I’m busy right now. We’ll talk tonight.]
Looking at the curt and urgent reply, Lu Ziqing’s lips curled into a smile.
What to do when your shy, easily embarrassed boyfriend tries to play ostrich?
Simple.
Never let him off the hook.
…..
Lin Yu finished reviewing the proposal and stretched.
It was already past seven in the evening, and the sky had long turned dark.
Work hadn’t actually been that busy lately.
Since the branch office had stabilized, each department handled its own responsibilities, making things much easier for him.
Staying late… was entirely intentional.
When the workday ended, he had even messaged Lu Ziqing, saying he needed to work overtime and that he should go home first.
Lu Ziqing simply replied with a short: [Okay.]
Truthfully, he didn’t know how to face Lu Ziqing. He couldn’t handle his teasing or mischief.
Just thinking about what had happened the night before made his head feel like it was going to explode.
Lin Yu glanced at his phone. He decided to wait until after ten to go home.
By then, Lu Ziqing would likely be asleep.
That way, he could sneak back in without having to face him…
Suddenly, the sound of light footsteps came from outside the office.
A few seconds later, someone knocked on the door.
“Director Lin, you haven’t eaten yet, right? I brought you some food from the restaurant.”
Lin Yu’s scalp tingled. “You… aren’t you off work!”
“I was,” the man said with a straight face. “But then I thought about it—leaving on time while my boss is working overtime? That just wouldn’t be right.”
Lin Yu: “…Thanks, but no need.”
Lu Ziqing: “I already bought it. Wouldn’t want it to go to waste.”
Lin Yu: “…Just leave it outside. I’ll get it later.”
Lu Ziqing: “I went out of my way to bring you food, and you won’t even let me in? That doesn’t seem very fair.”
Lin Yu grabbed a random stack of papers from his desk. “I—I’m still busy. I have another meeting soon…”
“Then let me put it another way,” the man said cheerfully. “Lin Yu, do you really think hiding in your office means you can pretend last night never happened? Pretend you didn’t pin me to the couch and kiss me?”
“My lips and chest still hurt, you know.”
