BTMDY Chapter 124

When Lin Shen woke up, it was already dusk.

He wasn’t sure how long he had slept. Blinking groggily, he opened his eyes to almost complete darkness.

His mind hadn’t fully returned yet; he didn’t even realize where he was. Habitually, he reached for his phone on the pillow to check the time. Instead of the phone, his hand landed on a warm body beside him.

The memory of the night before came rushing back. Lin Shen closed his eyes again, lifted his leg, nudged the other person gently, and opened his throat to a hoarse voice, slow and lazy.

“I’m hungry… get me something to eat.”

Lu Chengxuan had never been a heavy sleeper. By the time Lin Shen spoke, he was already awake. As soon as Lin Shen finished, Lu Chengxuan threw off his blanket, sat up, and turned on the wall lamp to the lowest brightness. He glanced at the bedside clock.

“What do you want to eat?” Lu Chengxuan asked quietly.

“Anything…” Lin Shen didn’t even bother to open his eyes. Wrapped in the blanket, he turned over lazily. “Whatever.”

As always, his answer was vague—almost abstract.

Lu Chengxuan knew pressing the matter would get him nowhere and probably earn a few scoldings. He also knew that no matter what he prepared for dinner, Lin Shen would likely pick and choose anyway.

Still, he got out of bed, dressed, and left the bedroom.

Lin Shen squinted at him from the bed. Once he confirmed Lu Chengxuan had left, he stretched, moving his limbs, and realized the bedding was completely dry.

He inspected the sheets carefully. It was the same gray-and-white checkered set he remembered before sleeping.

He couldn’t remember falling asleep that afternoon. He had been so tired he hadn’t even wanted to move a finger, and the moment he closed his eyes, he was out until just now.

But he remembered clearly everything that had happened before he fell asleep.

Since the sheets and blanket were spotless, someone must have changed them while he was unconscious.

Did Lu Chengxuan even buy the same bedding set he usually uses just to change it?

Lin Shen couldn’t understand how someone so unimaginably boring, so devoid of any sense of fun, could have made it to adulthood.

While he lay there with his eyes closed, quietly resting, he heard footsteps and opened his eyes to see Lu Chengxuan returning.

He placed a freshly poured cup of hot water on the bedside table and handed Lin Shen his phone.

“I checked the fridge. Not much in there. Can I just fry a steak and make a fruit salad?” Lu Chengxuan asked.

Lin Shen loved stirring things up in Lu Chengxuan’s calm, orderly life—anger, frustration, anything. He would go all out, exhausting every trick to provoke a reaction.

He took the phone, as nonchalant as ever.

“Anything’s fine.”

“You have a missed call from Lin Wangye.”

Lu Chengxuan knew Lin Shen was probably saving his usual post-meal troublemaking for later, so he didn’t ask more. After a quick reminder, he calmly left.

Lin Shen unlocked his phone, glanced at it, and leaned over to the bedside, turning the wall lamp to its brightest. He adjusted to a comfortable position against the headboard, taking in the bedroom details he hadn’t had time to notice before, and called back.

The phone quickly connected, and Lin Wangye’s energetic voice came through.

“Why are you just answering now? I’ve been calling for two hours!”

Lu Chengxuan’s bedroom was just as cold and minimalist as the rest of the house—everywhere exuded a sense of extreme minimalism, leaving no warmth at all.

Even with the floor heating on, Lin Shen couldn’t help curling slightly into the blankets. He took a sip from the cup on the bedside table and said lazily, “I was napping.”

“You didn’t pick up after three calls? You never sleep that hard normally,” Lin Wangye said, clearly confused. Then, suddenly, he shifted his tone and asked, “Was it a proper nap?”

“Nope.”

Lin Shen replied casually, his tone light and airy.

“I hired ten male models to warm my bed.”

“Hmph.” Lin Wangye scoffed but didn’t press it. He went straight to business: “Good timing, you’re awake. Are you busy today? Any work?”

“Not busy. I gave myself two days off. Nothing going on.”

“Grandma has a headache from her usual problems. Grandpa took her to the hospital. Their energy is limited, so I thought better not to let them worry about the kid too. If you’re free, can you pick up Suihe after school and help look after her for a day?”

“Sure.” Lin Shen agreed promptly, then asked, “Doesn’t her brother have free time too? Where’s he hiding?”

Lin Wangye chuckled on the other end.

“He can’t leave me.”

That clingy, sticky tone made Lin Shen wince with disbelief, frowning in irritation, muttering like he couldn’t believe them: “You two are hopeless. I swear.”

“Grandpa and Grandma need to rest at home. Even if we both looked after Suihe, she’d still have to come to the hospital. She’s too young, and every hospital visit is rough on her. I figured better to avoid bringing her here if we can.”

“Okay, okay, got it.”

Lin Shen understood the reasoning. He set down his cup without overthinking and casually said, “School should be almost over. I’ll have Lu Chengxuan go pick her up now.”

“Haha, you really are with Brother Lu, huh?”

“Yeah, yeah. The ten male models I mentioned? That’s Lu Chengxuan and his nine other personalities. Happy now? Get well, enjoy your honeymoon with your boyfriend, don’t worry unnecessarily. Bye.”

“Old Lin, if you can’t handle the game, don’t play it. I…”

Before Lin Wangye could finish, Lin Shen cut him off with a snap, ‘click,’ and shouted up:

“Lu Chengxuan!”

In less than five seconds, Lu Chengxuan appeared in the doorway, an apron around his neck, hands in wet rubber kitchen gloves—clearly called away in the middle of washing vegetables.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Don’t worry about what you’re doing. Can you go pick up Suihe? Her grandma is sick, and it’s hard for her family to take her. Xu Suinian can’t bring her to the hospital either, so Xiao Lin asked me to help take care of her.”

Lin Shen paused for a moment, then looked up and asked, “Is it okay bringing her to your place? If not, I can take her back to the company after dinner.”

“No problem. I’ll go now.”

Lu Chengxuan answered calmly. Seeing that the school dismissal time was approaching, he didn’t delay and turned to leave.

Lin Shen watched him remove his gloves and untie the apron around his waist as he walked away, and suddenly felt a deep stir of emotion.

This man, born to stand at the very top of the social pyramid, could one day so effortlessly step down from his pedestal and touch the mundane world.

After lying there for a while, Lin Shen got up, changed clothes, and went to wash up. Then he wandered around Lu Chengxuan’s house, checking out what each room was used for.

After his little ‘tour,’ he noticed beef thawing in the kitchen and some vegetables soaking in the sink.

Not knowing how to cook, Lin Shen didn’t add to the chaos.

With nothing else to do, he ended up in the study, opened the computer, and bought two sets of bedding online through the Shengtian website.

The prints were Hello Kitty and the Powerpuff Girls.

Meanwhile, Lu Chengxuan drove to school to pick up Xu Suihe.

Because of Xu Suihe’s illness, her family wanted her to get the best care. Once her health improved enough to attend school regularly, Lin Wangye arranged for her to enter a private elite school.

Compared to public schools, there were fewer students, a better environment, and teachers could give more attention to each child. Special students like Xu Suihe would receive focused care, ensuring her safety as much as possible.

Of course, such conditions came with a high tuition.

Xu Suihe, due to her health, had been taught at home by her brother and never had the chance to study or play with kids her age. She had always instinctively longed for school.

So after a few rounds of chemotherapy, when her body allowed, Lin Wangye discussed with Shi Yuan and finally sent her to the school she had been dreaming of.

Even though she would occasionally have to take breaks for treatment, Xu Suihe was already happy.

Unlike public education, which is free, private elite schools charge high tuition, so classes had fewer students.

Traffic was a bit heavy on the way. Lu Chengxuan arrived at the school gate just as the dismissal bell rang.

But the roads were already crowded with cars picking up kids. Unable to find a spot nearby, he parked a bit further away and walked toward the designated cake shop, following Lin Wangye’s instructions from the phone.

Soon, he spotted Xu Suihe outside a shop called ‘Sweet Sweet.’ She wore a medical mask and carried a pink-and-blue little backpack.

She didn’t look around anxiously for her parent, clearly unconcerned about being picked up. She stood at the agreed spot, quietly waiting, tilting her head to observe a bird’s nest in the tree. She didn’t even notice Lu Chengxuan walking up.

“Suihe,” Lu Chengxuan called.

The voice was strange yet somehow familiar. The little girl turned her head, looked over, and when she recognized Lu Chengxuan, her eyes lit up with delight. Even though the mask covered most of her face, her expression clearly carried a smile.

Xu Suihe rarely saw Lu Chengxuan, but the impression he left in her mind was unforgettable.

For a little girl her age, after hearing adults’ stories, it was hard not to picture the golden-haired little prince from fairy tales the moment she saw him.

Because she hadn’t interacted with many people, Xu Suihe didn’t have a clear sense that everyone has different personalities. She liked everyone who treated her well, so she didn’t notice Lu Chengxuan’s usual aloofness.

Seeing someone familiar, she instinctively reached up and took his hand, just like she did with Lin Wangye.

“Big brother, you came to pick me up?”

Lu Chengxuan had never held hands with anyone like this before. The feeling was strange and unfamiliar, but not unpleasant.

Children’s skin is soft, their fingers tender. Her hand was slightly cold from standing outside in the chilly air.

He instinctively held her hand in his, warming it in his palm, and his voice softened without him realizing it. “Mm.”

Xu Suihe didn’t ask anything further and obediently nodded.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Just as they were about to leave, Lu Chengxuan noticed the sweet smell coming from the cake shop beside them. Pointing to the delicate cakes in the glass display, he asked, “Do you want some?”

Xu Suihe shook her head.

Even so, Lu Chengxuan bought several different cakes, packed them up, and carried them in his hands, then led her back to the car and helped her into the back seat.

The cake shop, right at the elementary school gate, displayed the most exquisite slices in the window to attract kids. Since previously Wang Xiaoshuai, who picked up the child for Lin Wangye, had bought her cake without asking, Xu Suihe blinked and explained to Lu Chengxuan.

“Big brother, I can’t eat cake.”

“Mm.” Lu Chengxuan nodded, carefully fastening her seatbelt. “I bought it for someone else.”

Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters.  (๑>ᴗ<๑)