MTY chapter 69

That winter was colder than previous years. Heavy snow blanketed much of the country even before the New Year. Two weeks before the Lunar New Year’s Eve, Lu Zhaolin and his wife took the grandparents to New Zealand, where it was summer—perfect for elderly people to stay.

With year-end tasks being wrapped up quickly, the company closed early for the holidays, finally giving Lin Yu a chance to relax.

One lazy morning, Lin Rui called him on video. He answered absentmindedly, only to hear an angry shout:

“Why is he in your bed?!”

Lin Yu snapped awake instantly.

Lu Ziqing was leaning against the headboard, holding a tablet, looking completely innocent.

His little sister was furious, demanding an explanation. He had promised before that their relationship was just contractual, so why were they now in the same bed?

Lin Yu had to spend the entire morning explaining—detailing the beginning, the process, and the outcome—emphasizing that everything was voluntary and there was absolutely no coercion.

Perhaps because she had already been mentally prepared from their last conversation, Lin Rui was frowning deeply but otherwise remained calm.

“I knew something was off between you two last time, and you still insisted you were innocent,” she huffed.

Lin Yu: “At that time, we really hadn’t started dating yet…”

Lu Ziqing interjected, “I was the one pursuing him.”

Lin Yu nudged him.

Lin Rui changed the subject, “When are you coming home? New Year’s Eve is early this year, and we haven’t even bought the holiday groceries. Mom wants you back soon to help with the shopping.”

University students went on winter break early, so Lin Rui had already returned home half a month ago.

“We’ll head back tomorrow… He’s coming with me.”

Lin Rui frowned again. “He’s not going back to his hometown for New Year’s? Why is he coming with you? You were the one who said that you’d only tell Mom and Dad that you’re dating. Nothing about the contract or the fact that you’re already registered. You’re bringing him home before getting officially married?”

According to their hometown’s customs, marriage required an engagement first. The parents from both sides would meet, set a date, register the marriage, and hold a banquet—only then was it considered official. Lin Yu worried that his parents wouldn’t be able to accept it all at once, so he planned to only tell them about the relationship for now and bring up the marriage later.

“His parents aren’t in the country for the New Year. And it’s not like I haven’t brought classmates home for the holidays before. It’ll be fine.” Back in university, he had a classmate whose parents were divorced and had nowhere to go for the New Year, so he brought him home for dinner.

“…As long as you’ve thought it through, it’s your call,” Lin Rui said before hanging up.

Lu Ziqing draped himself over Lin Yu’s shoulder, pretending to sob. “Your sister is so fierce. You have to protect me when we get home, gege.”

Lin Yu pushed him away. “Act normal.”

“Fine.” Lu Ziqing sat up properly. “What time are we leaving tomorrow?”

“I booked the 10 a.m. train. We should arrive around 5 p.m.,” Lin Yu said. “Once we’re home, remember…”

“Don’t slip up, don’t get cocky, don’t provoke your sister.” Lu Ziqing rattled it off in one breath. “Anything else?”

“Let me think…”

Lu Ziqing suddenly leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “How about this?”

Lin Yu: “…Tone it down when there are people around.”

Lu Ziqing took Lin Yu’s earlobe between his teeth and bit down lightly. “What about this?”

Lin Yu shivered involuntarily, his back relaxing, his voice shifting tone. “Mmm…”

Lu Ziqing flipped him over and pinned him to the bed. “And this?”

“Baby, let’s do it one more time before we leave—make a memory,” Lu Ziqing said with a soft laugh, pulling down Lin Yu’s white shirt. “The next time we do it on this bed will be next year.”

Lin Yu didn’t respond. His body went limp, his long, slender legs resting on the blanket. His face was buried in the pillow, leaving only his flushed red ears exposed—like a little rabbit that had been boiled.

……

The next day, they took the high-speed train back to L county.

By then, Lin Yu’s parents had already heard from Lin Rui that the two were dating. They didn’t openly object, but when Lu Ziqing went to the restroom, Lin Yu’s mother pulled her son aside, looking concerned.

“We’re not against it, really. Young people can fall in love freely, we won’t interfere. But in a normal household, the alpha is usually stronger than the omega. Xiao Lu used to be your subordinate—doesn’t that make things awkward between you two? And what about that jewelry studio he runs now? Where is it located? Does he have enough customers? Is it expensive to maintain?”

Lin Yu spent a good while reassuring her, praising Lu Ziqing to the skies—highly educated, incredibly capable, well-connected, orders flooding in every day. He made him sound like a rising star in the jewelry design world.

His parents beamed with pride. Lin Rui, on the other hand, looked unimpressed.

That night, Lu Ziqing stayed in Lin Yu’s room. Lin Yu’s mother laid out two thick blankets, side by side on the bed.

After dinner, Lu Ziqing crouched on the floor, flipping through Lin Yu’s old school notebooks and assignments with great interest.

“Do all top students have such nice handwriting? Even when copying problems, every stroke is so neat.”

Lin Yu dusted off a notebook, covering his nose. “My handwriting is average. There were a lot of girls in my class with beautiful handwriting. Every time we got our test papers back, they’d get passed around—looked like they were printed.”

“What’s this… You even kept a diary?”

A light blue notebook lay among the books. The cover had an illustration of a seaside with a little boy collecting seashells. At the top, elegant characters were written: My Diary.

Before Lin Yu could snatch it away, Lu Ziqing had already pulled it out and read the subtitle aloud:

“Time Capsule Post Office—A Letter to Myself in Ten Years.”

Lin Yu grabbed it, his face heating up. “Don’t read it, don’t read it! I wrote this in middle school. I don’t even remember what’s in it.”

Lu Ziqing leaned over, peering curiously.

Lin Yu barely remembered this diary existed. Most kids were made to write journals in elementary school, but few continued the habit. He had written diaries up until high school, but as coursework got heavier, the habit faded.

“Aren’t you curious? Don’t you want to see what you used to think about every day?” Lu Ziqing nudged him.

Lin Yu hesitated. “You… go sit over there first. Let me check it myself before I decide if you can read it.”

“Stingy,” Lu Ziqing muttered but obediently moved aside.

Lin Yu turned his back to him and carefully flipped through the pages.

After a few moments, his muscles relaxed, and his breathing returned to normal.

He handed it over. “Go ahead. It’s just about what classes I had, how late I did my homework, and what test scores I got. Pretty boring.”

Lu Ziqing took it and flipped to the last page.

“What’s this?”

A few scraps of paper fell out, covered in notes like Practice one section after class, Pages 78-80, Tomorrow’s dictation: Unit 4 vocabulary.

Lin Yu examined them. “Probably homework reminders. Sometimes we had so much homework that I’d write it down on slips of paper so I wouldn’t forget.”

Lu Ziqing frowned. “The handwriting isn’t all the same.”

“Well, sometimes my classmates wrote them for me. When I had student council duties or Olympiad training, I’d ask a friend to jot it down for me.”

Lu Ziqing pinched one of the slips. “Why is this so thick… It’s folded? Is there something inside?”

He unfolded it, revealing a much larger sheet of paper hidden within.

The hidden writing became clear.

“I like you.”

…..

Lu Ziqing spent the entire night interrogating Lin Yu about who wrote that note and whether they were still in contact.

Lin Yu said he didn’t know. And he really didn’t remember. It had been over ten years. With so many classmates, how could he possibly recall who had written a single piece of paper?

The next day, Lu Ziqing no longer dwelled on the matter. Li Yan sent Lin Yu a text message after seeing his WeChat Moments post about returning home and invited him to have barbecue for lunch.

During their last visit to L County, Lu Ziqing had accompanied Lin Yu on a tour of their alma mater, and Li Yan had treated them to a meal at the school cafeteria.

“This guy is definitely the one who wrote it,” Lu Ziqing bared his teeth angrily. “He just confessed without even being asked.”

“Fortune and prosperity,” Lin Yu said.

“A sharp blade never dulls.”

“Old-fashioned and out of touch.”

“Autumn high and clear— wait, what the hell, I’m not playing idiom chain with you!” Lu Ziqing grumbled. “I’m serious. This guy obviously has ulterior motives.”

At the end of Li Yan’s message, he had added that he had good news to share and earnestly requested Lin Yu’s presence.

“He invited me, so I can’t just pretend I didn’t see it,” Lin Yu sighed. “I have to consider our friendship and my reputation in town. Otherwise, if word gets out that I’ve been away for a few years and now act like I’m too good for my old classmates, that’d be a bad look.”

Lu Ziqing sulked with a sour expression.

“It’s just a meal, no big deal,” Lin Yu said. “If you’re that worried, why don’t you come too?”

Lu Ziqing’s face instantly brightened. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah,” Lin Yu shrugged. “I’ll treat you both.”

Two Hours Later – A Barbecue Restaurant in Northern L County

The three of them sat around a table, white steam rising above the grill.

Li Yan looked at Lu Ziqing across the table, his expression slightly stiff.

“Lin Yu, you brought your colleague home for the New Year too?”

Lu Ziqing casually sliced the half-cooked beef and spread it on the grill. He nodded boldly. “Ge, long time no see.”

“Two people having barbecue is a little dull, so I brought him along,” Lin Yu explained. “So, what’s the good news you wanted to share?”

Li Yan didn’t respond immediately.

He watched the scene in front of him—Lu Ziqing attentively grilling beef tongue, carefully placing the largest and most tender pieces into Lin Yu’s bowl. Lin Yu’s bowl was already piled high; apart from the first cut of beef that he had taken himself, everything else had been placed there by Lu Ziqing.

Back in the school cafeteria, Li Yan had his suspicions. But at that time, Lin Yu had told him he was single, had no significant other, and wasn’t planning to date.

That statement had ignited a small hope in Li Yan’s heart, making him fantasize about possibilities.

Just this morning, he had drafted a message he hadn’t yet sent: “I passed the civil service exam in your city. Let’s hang out on weekends from now on.”

During the grueling three years of high school, he had gotten used to looking up to Lin Yu. He had prepared everything before daring to extend an invitation, fearing that the slightest obstacle would cause Lin Yu to reject his approach.

But it always seemed like he was a step too late. In his first year of high school, he had booked a restaurant and bought a cake to celebrate Lin Yu’s birthday, only to be told apologetically that Lin Yu had already planned to travel with his family.

And now, they sat together across from him.

His suspicions spread like an unstoppable virus, taking over his mind. A year’s worth of built-up courage, countless nights spent dreaming of different possibilities, suddenly felt like a punctured water bag, its contents spilling out uncontrollably.

His heart pounded wildly, desperately seeking reassurance, hoping for someone to tell him, “It’s not what you think,” “You’re mistaken.”

Lu Ziqing picked up a piece of short rib and was about to place it in Lin Yu’s bowl.

Lin Yu nudged him lightly with his elbow. “Stop stuffing my bowl. He’s barely eaten anything.”

“Oh,” Lu Ziqing still placed the rib in Lin Yu’s bowl. “We’ll just order more.”

…

Li Yan picked up his chopsticks. When he finally spoke, his voice remained as calm and even as before. “It’s nothing major. I passed the civil service exam and will be moving away soon.”

“Really? That’s great! Teaching is a good job, but salaries usually don’t compare to civil service positions… Which city will you be working in? When do you report in?”

“It’s quite far from here, so I probably won’t be coming back often. I just wanted to catch up before I leave.”

They raised their glasses and clinked them together.

A clear ringing sound echoed, tiny golden bubbles rising in the glasses.

“You never mentioned it before—have you been secretly preparing for this all year?” Lin Yu teased.

Li Yan chuckled. “Yeah, you know what they say: keep things low-key before making a big move, or you might jinx it. I didn’t even tell my parents.”

Lu Ziqing raised his glass and clinked it against Li Yan’s. “Congrats, man.”

Maybe it was the alcohol, but Li Yan’s voice turned slightly hoarse, carrying a faint trace of bitterness. “…Thanks.”