MTY chapter 59

Lin Yu: “…”

Lu Zhaolin also turned to look at Lin Yu. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Lin Yu: “…Nothing. The soup was just a little hot.”

The mischief under the table resumed, moving further up.

Lin Yu abruptly stood up, using the excuse of serving dishes to Lu Zhaolin to shake off Lu Ziqing’s wandering foot.

“Be careful, this is hot,” Lu Zhaolin casually reminded him before turning back to scold his son. “Don’t think that stalling here will solve anything. You’re wasting your life away and dragging our family’s reputation through the mud.”

Lu Ziqing, satisfied with his little prank, lazily retorted, “So that’s why you brought Wu Yu into this mess?”

Lu Zhaolin huffed. “Your mother and I have spoiled you too much, letting you do whatever you please. If you’re just going to waste time here, you might as well marry into the Wu family and bring some actual value to the household.”

Lu Ziqing: “So, in your eyes, I’m just a breeding tool, like some pedigreed pet?”

Lu Zhaolin scoffed. “Even an animal knows to be grateful for the food and shelter it’s given. But you? You’ve grown up completely selfish, without a shred of responsibility to this family.”

Lu Ziqing grew impatient. “It’s stifling in here. I’m going out for a smoke.”  

He fished out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and was about to step outside.  

But before he could take a few steps, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. A second later, he immediately stepped back.  

Lin Yu swore he had never seen Lu Ziqing move so frantically before.  

But it was too late.  

A delicate male voice called out from outside the door, “Ziqing-gege! Are you having dinner here tonight too? Is it a business dinner?”  

A few seconds later, a flamboyant pink figure burst into the room.  

Seeing a room full of familiar faces, Wu Yu was overjoyed. “Uncle Lu! Assistant Lin! You’re here too!”  

Wu Yu’s outfit was once again blindingly extravagant.  

A pink mink fur crop top, a sparkly pink camisole underneath, silver tight-fitting pants that clung to him like tinfoil, and glossy pink lip gloss—he looked like a deranged flamingo.  

Lin Yu remained composed. “Good evening, Young Master Wu.”  

Lu Zhaolin, however, was not so composed.  

The old man had been through a lot in his life and was quite familiar with the Wu family, but every time this second young master of the Wu family appeared, he still gave him quite the mental shock.  

At this moment, Lu Zhaolin was staring at Wu Yu’s flamboyant attire, utterly dumbfounded.  

Lin Yu glanced at Lu Zhaolin’s strange expression, sighed silently, and thought—this probably counted as elder abuse.  

It took Lu Zhaolin a long moment to snap back to reality. “Ah, Xiao Wu…”  

Upon learning that this wasn’t a business dinner but a private gathering, Wu Yu cheerfully asked the waiter to bring him an extra chair and naturally sat down.  

“What a coincidence! I was having dinner with friends tonight and didn’t expect to run into you guys,” Wu Yu said with a bright smile. “Since we’ve met, let’s eat together! I just told my friends to go ahead without me.”  

Lu Zhaolin remained silent.  

Lin Yu maintained a polite smile.  

Lu Ziqing spoke up. “Actually, we’re just about finished.”  

“Huh? But these dishes haven’t even been touched,” Wu Yu glanced at the table. “And there’s barely any food. Is this really enough?”  

Of course not, Lin Yu thought. Just now, the father and son had been too busy arguing to eat.  

Lu Ziqing’s expression remained blank. “The food isn’t great, and we were just about to leave. You should go back to your frien—”  

“Xiao Wu has a point,” Lu Zhaolin suddenly interrupted, smiling kindly at Wu Yu. “There’s really too little food on the table. Let’s order a few more dishes. Go ahead, Xiao Wu, order whatever you like.”  

Wu Yu hesitated. “Ah… maybe you should order instead…”  

“There’s no need to be so formal, we’re all family,” Lu Zhaolin personally poured Wu Yu a cup of tea. “By the way, how’s work been treating you lately? Are you settling in well?”  

Wu Yu said shyly, “It’s okay… Some parts are quite challenging…”  

“If you don’t understand something, just ask my son. You two work in the same company now,” Lu Zhaolin said with a warm smile. “Isn’t he your beloved ‘Ziqing-gege’? If you run into any trouble, don’t hesitate to ask for his help. That’s what an older brother should do.”  

Lu Ziqing: “…”  

Lin Yu could clearly see that Lu Ziqing’s smile was completely forced.  

…  

He’s really going all out, Lin Yu thought.  

Even though he himself was barely holding it together, Lu Zhaolin still gritted his teeth and put on an act just to disgust his son.  

Lu Zhaolin, with patience like this, no wonder you’re so successful.  

In just a few words, Lu Zhaolin had Wu Yu utterly smitten. 

Twisting his fingers shyly, Wu Yu said, “Uncle Lu, do you remember? My birthday is next week…”  

Lu Zhaolin responded kindly, “Of course I remember. You’ll be turning nineteen, right?”  

Wu Yu beamed. “You might not know this, but Ziqing-gege and I actually have the same birthday.”  

Everyone was momentarily stunned.  

Lu Zhaolin: “What a coincidence!”  

“That’s why I’ve always felt such a strong connection with Ziqing-gege,” Wu Yu said bashfully. “I was thinking… maybe we could have a joint birthday party next week…”  

Lu Zhaolin nodded approvingly. “Oh, that’s a great idea! I’ll approve the budget for it. You can invite your colleagues and have a nice celebration together.”  

Wu Yu clapped his hands excitedly. “Thank you, Uncle Lu!”  

Out of nowhere, Lu Ziqing interjected coldly, “I refuse.”  

Wu Yu froze. “Why, Ziqing-gege? You don’t want to celebrate with me?”  

Lu Ziqing completely ignored his pitiful, pleading expression.  

He locked eyes with his father. “I’m about to turn twenty-four. I believe I have the right to choose my own future, and I’m willing to give up everything to pursue the freedom to break away from it all.”  

Lu Zhaolin looked at him impassively. “Naïve.”  

“I’ve said this many times, but you always dismiss me like I’m just a child throwing a tantrum,” Lu Ziqing stood up. “Thanks for the meal. It was fucking awful.”  

With that, he stormed out.  

Lu Zhaolin’s expression turned incredibly dark.  

Lin Yu bowed slightly to him before hurriedly chasing after Lu Ziqing.  

“Lu… Lu Ziqing…”  

Lu Ziqing didn’t stop. He walked straight to the car, almost charging inside.  

Once in the driver’s seat, he took a few deep breaths, as if trying to exhale all of his pent-up anger.  

Lin Yu closed the door, hesitated for a moment, then lightly patted his shoulder.  

Before he could figure out what to say next, Lu Ziqing suddenly turned and tightly embraced him.  

Lin Yu froze.  

“…Just wait for me, a few more days,” Lu Ziqing murmured, his head buried in Lin Yu’s neck. “I believe I can do this. Please believe in me too, okay?”  

The words were vague and cryptic, leaving Lin Yu completely puzzled.  

But he didn’t press for answers.  

He simply stroked Lu Ziqing’s back in silence, waiting until his breathing gradually steadied.  

“Okay,” Lin Yu said softly. “I’ll always be here.”

…..

Lu Ziqing could walk out and leave, but Lin Yu couldn’t.  

Lu Zhaolin directly assigned him the task of organizing the birthday banquet, insisting that he do a good job.  

It wasn’t entirely just to spite Lu Ziqing.  

For once, Lu Zhaolin spoke to Lin Yu with sincerity, explaining that the family had originally planned a grand celebration for Lu Ziqing’s 24th birthday. But with things so tense between them now, Lu Ziqing was adamant about not coming home.  

Lu Ziqing’s mother also had complaints about her husband, believing he was too domineering and had pushed their son to the point where he didn’t even want to come back.  

Left with no other choice, Lu Zhaolin entrusted Lin Yu with the matter, saying money wasn’t an issue—the birthday banquet should be grand and impressive. He also asked Lin Yu to take plenty of photos so he could show them to Lu Ziqing’s mother.  

Lin Yu took on the task and started preparations a week in advance. He made phone calls to coordinate with the hotel, the banquet planning company, and the photographer, personally handling every detail to ensure everything was flawless.  

Three days before December 21, everything was set.  

Wu Yu enthusiastically sent out invitations, inviting all the company employees to the birthday party.  

Mi Lan looked at the invitation in disbelief. “No way, Ziqing, you and that flamboyant guy share the same birthday?”  

Wu Yu happened to be out of the office at that moment, busy telling everyone about the “fated” coincidence of him and Lu Ziqing being born on the same day.  

Lu Ziqing, sketching with his head down, replied indifferently, “Is that important?”  

“Not really,” Mi Lan said. “But you know how people are. In a superstitious sense, many believe sharing a birthday is a sign of destiny. Out of 365 days in a year, it’s a pretty rare coincidence.”  

Liang Zhi added, “And you two are even celebrating together… A lot of people in the company are gossiping, saying you might already be together. Otherwise, why would you throw such a high-profile joint birthday party?”  

Lu Ziqing paused his sketching and suddenly chuckled. “Actually, I plan to confess at the party.”  

Liang Zhi: “?”  

Mi Lan: “??”  

“Liang Zhi, call the cops. Our buddy has lost it,” Mi Lan muttered. “…Is it because of work stress? He hasn’t even been napping at noon lately. Any spare time he gets, he’s been obsessively drawing.”  

Liang Zhi looked at Lu Ziqing nervously. “Ziqing, don’t scare me. I won’t give you so much work anymore… Honestly, I always thought you had good taste and normal aesthetics…”  

“Relax. I’ve never been more clear-headed in my life.” Lu Ziqing tossed his pen aside. “Be there on Saturday. I’ll put on a good show for you.”