BTMDY Chapter 125

Waiting at the cake shop for her family to pick her up was something she and Lin Wangye had agreed on.

 

The shop had cameras at the entrance, and the sign was big enough to spot easily. Every time Lin Wangye came, he would grab a slice of cake on the way out. His grandparents knew he liked it too—so whenever they picked up Xu Suihe from school and happened to run into him at home, they’d buy him a little cake as well.

 

After coming back to the country, Shi Yuan naturally kept up this small tradition.

 

So when Lu Chengxuan said that, Xu Suihe immediately nodded in understanding. Since Lin Wangye was always fond of sweets, she just assumed the cake was meant for him.

 

Truth was, she really wanted to try those pretty desserts herself. But she had to watch her diet because of her health, and Shi Yuan had told her not to eat food from outside if she could avoid it.

 

The little girl always listened to her brother. If he said no, then no it was.

 

But knowing she craved it deep down, Lin Wangye would make cute little cookies at home for her whenever he had the time.

 

Even though she had grown up without many friends because of her illness, her personality was never gloomy. Now that her condition was finally better and she no longer had to stay cooped up in a tiny room to recover, she was full of curiosity about the outside world and loved chatting with people.

 

From the moment they got in the car, Lu Chengxuan hadn’t said a word. But she didn’t feel he was cold at all. She treated him just the same way she treated Lin Wangye, and even started talking to him on her own:

 

“Why haven’t my brothers come to pick me up these past few days?”

 

Shi Yuan had always been the type to share good news but hide the bad. To keep the kids and elders at home from worrying, he hadn’t told them what happened to Lin Wangye.

 

Of course, that struck Xu Suihe as a little strange. After all, ever since Shi Yuan came back to the country, he and Lin Wangye had almost always picked her up together.

 

Lu Chengxuan wasn’t good at lying, and now he definitely couldn’t shatter Shi Yuan’s well-meaning excuse. After thinking for a moment, he told her:

 

“They’ve been caught up with other stuff lately, no free time.”

 

“Oh.”

 

She had a vague idea that ‘grown-ups are often busy,’ so that was enough of an explanation for her.

 

Xu Suihe was sharp. She didn’t press him about exactly what those two were busy with—because even if Lu Chengxuan explained, she probably wouldn’t understand anyway.

 

After nodding to show she got it, she blinked her bright eyes and looked at the driver in the front seat. “Who’s this uncle? I’ve never seen him before.”

 

The man driving was Lu Chengxuan ’s personal chauffeur.

 

After working for him for so long, the first thing the driver had learned was to treat himself like air—just do his job well, and never ask, never listen, never know.

 

For someone like Lu Chengxuan , who was always standing at the center of the storm, that was the most practical rule a professional could live by.

 

Even when facing just a ten-year-old, the driver stuck to his rules. He stayed serious, didn’t say a word, and left all the talking to Lu Chengxuan .

 

“He’s the driver.”

 

Only after the words left his mouth did Lu Chengxuan realize how pointless they sounded. Someone like him—who never wasted words—found it awkward, but there wasn’t much else he could add. That was all he could say.

 

Luckily, Xu Suihe didn’t care about that at all. She simply followed up, chatting along: “Grandpa, Grandma, and Brother Xiao Lin always walk me home. Why are we riding in a car today? Are we going to the hospital?”

 

Hearing the misunderstanding, Lu Chengxuan quickly explained: “No, we’re going to my place.”

 

“Oh?” She widened her curious eyes and looked at him. “Why? Is Brother Xiao Lin at your house?”

 

“No. Xiao Lin and your grandparents are busy today, so they asked me to look after you.”

 

“I see.” Having lived through years of moving around and being separated from familiar faces, she didn’t throw a tantrum just because her loved ones weren’t there. Instead, she curved her eyes in a smile. “Thank you, brother.”

 

Lu Chengxuan had absolutely no experience taking care of kids. Thinking of how chaotic things already were on Lin Shen’s side, he met the girl’s pure, clear gaze and suddenly started to worry.

 

“Do I… need to prepare something?” he asked.

 

Xu Suihe blinked, confused.

 

“Prepare what?”

 

It took him a while to piece his words into something a child could understand. Finally, he said, “You’ll need to stay over at my place tonight. I don’t have a room or anything set up for kids. Do you have anything you need for daily life? I can have someone go buy it now.”

 

It took her about three or four seconds to get what he meant. Then she suddenly understood and waved her hands quickly: “It’s fine, brother. I can sleep on the couch. If there’s no couch, I can sleep on the floor. As long as there’s a mat and blanket, it’s okay.”

 

For someone like Lu Chengxuan , born and raised the way he was, it was almost impossible to imagine what kind of life Xu Suihe—who had once struggled at the very bottom of society—had lived through.

 

Of course, his home had more than enough guest rooms and beds.

 

But in his mind, the only reference he had for little girls came from his mother, Vivian.

 

And from the way Vivian had described her childhood, the clearest image he had was a colorful room, fluffy teddy bears, and a wardrobe full of princess dresses.

 

So when he heard what Xu Suihe said, doubt stirred in his heart. He confirmed: “You like sleeping on the couch?”

 

She nodded obediently. “I can sleep on the couch.”

 

And just like that, the two of them talked past each other and somehow reached the strangest agreement—

 

One thought she liked sleeping on couches.

 

The other thought his house didn’t even have a bed for her.

 

Lowering his head, Lu Chengxuan began texting someone to arrange things. Xu Suihe noticed him typing and stayed quiet, not bothering him. Her eyes wandered idly around the car until, without meaning to, she spotted a dark red mark at the base of his neck, right where it met his collarbone.

 

It was bigger than a mosquito bite, the color much deeper.

 

Since Xu Suihe had spent most of her life in hospitals, the first thing she thought when she saw a mark like that was that he’d bumped into something and gotten hurt. She waited patiently until Lu Chengxuan finished typing, set his phone down, and then asked softly:

 

“Brother, what happened to your neck?”

 

As she spoke, worried he might not find the spot, she tilted her chin up and pointed to the same place on her own neck.

 

Of course, Lu Chengxuan knew exactly what it was.

 

He’d already noticed it in the mirror that afternoon after waking up from a nap.

 

The spot was in a tricky place—normally hidden under clothes in this weather. But sitting in the car, leaning forward just a little, his collar slipped low enough that the edge of it peeked out, making the mark visible.

 

He instinctively straightened up and tugged his collar higher, hiding the deeper bite marks underneath. But no matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn’t figure out what to say.

 

All his life, even though he spoke little, it was always others who had to think about how to reach him.

 

The only person who’d ever left him at a loss like this was Lin Shen.

 

And now, he’d found himself stuck a second time—facing the impossible task of explaining something to a child in a way that wouldn’t mess with her young heart or mind.

 

Even if he made something up on the spot, he couldn’t think of a single believable lie about where the red mark came from.

 

Xu Suihe, being at that age when curiosity and the hunger to know were at their peak, started turning her little head when she saw he wasn’t answering. She thought hard, then suddenly lit up as if she’d cracked a puzzle. She smacked her right fist into her left palm.

 

“It’s an allergy, right? I saw the same thing on Brother before—almost in the same place!”

 

Expressionless, Lu Chengxuan stayed silent for a moment. Then he nodded.

 

“That’s right.”

 

She took it completely at face value, nodding back with pure innocence. But then another thought popped into her head. “But I’m real siblings with Brother. Why would he get allergies and I don’t?”

 

This, at least, was easy for him.

 

“Because genes are complicated. Even real siblings don’t always have the exact same allergens.”

 

“I get it,” she said quickly, drawing the connection at once. “So just because Brother is allergic doesn’t mean I’ll be. Like, I got sick, but Brother didn’t.”

 

Her expression carried a trace of Shi Yuan’s spirit, the sibling resemblance obvious even though she hadn’t grown into her looks yet. Her eyes were big and bright, making her look especially cute.

 

Because of her past—poor living conditions and long illness—even at ten years old, she was much smaller and thinner than most kids her age.

 

But to Lu Chengxuan , the fact that she was here at all already felt like a small miracle.

 

Last time around, she hadn’t even made it to see her brother graduate from high school.

 

Lowering his gaze, he answered with a quiet, flat, “Mm.”

 

The car drove straight from the main road into the underground garage of the neighborhood and stopped right at the unit entrance. Xu Suihe had no idea where they’d ended up, but she followed Lu Chengxuan out of the car without a shred of doubt. She trusted him blindly.

 

Lu Chengxuan bent down, scooped her up in his arms—taking the backpack he’d been about to sling over his shoulder—and, holding her hand, led her into the elevator straight up to the top floor.

 

The moment they stepped inside, Xu Suihe blinked, momentarily stunned. She clearly hadn’t expected Brother Lu’s place to be so big. She hadn’t seen much of the world; school and Lin Wangye’s stories were how she’d begun to notice that life could be different from before. The idea of rich and poor outside hadn’t really formed in her head yet. Living in a house this big had to mean whoever lived here was really, really impressive.

 

While she was gawking, Lin Shen blew out of the study like a gust of wind and raced for the door. “Big Brother Lin! You’re here too—”

 

“Don’t move!”

 

He pressed a finger to the little girl’s forehead, put his hands on his hips, and in an over-the-top, serious voice scolded her: “Suihe, you failed the test. How could you just walk off with someone without your parents arranging it first? What if they were bad people—so dangerous! Little Judge Lin has ordered me to execute you!”

 

“That’s not just walking off! I went with someone I know!”

 

Of course she protested. She immediately made a finger-gun, stood on tiptoe, pushed up against Lin Shen’s chin, and in her soft, cottony voice shouted, “Little Judge Lin hasn’t played with me in days! I’m going to execute you all too!”

 

“Denied!” Lin Shen lightly knocked away her small hand, poked her on the forehead with his index finger and said, “You’re lucky this time. Next time—even if it’s someone you know—you have to call your parents first. Don’t just go with someone. Little Judge Lin will call you and give you a scolding, so get ready.”

 

Thinking it over, Xu Suihe realized she might have been a bit wrong and obediently put her hand down. She didn’t see Lu Chengxuan much, but because Lin Shen and Lin Wangye were often together, she knew Lin Shen well and was comfortable with him.

 

Lu Chengxuan sent another quick message to have a pair of small slippers bought and delivered, then handed her a pair of disposable slippers. Xu Suihe put them on; they were a lot too big, but as long as she didn’t run around she wouldn’t fall.

 

She shuffled slowly through the entryway into the living room, eyes wide, and couldn’t help blurting, “Wow, such a big TV.”

 

“Of course.” Lin Shen, clearly used to being around kids now, pulled her into the living room, flopped back on the sofa, picked up the remote and said lazily, “Come on, let’s watch The Powerpuff Girls.”

 

“But I haven’t finished my homework,” she said, glancing at the backpack Lu Chengxuan had hung by the door.

 

Lin Shen waved a big hand. “Ah, no need.”

 

“Lin Shen.” From a short distance away, Lu Chengxuan —tying on an apron—warned him, “If you teach her that, Lin Wangye will come after you.”

 

“Let him.” Lin Shen snorted and shrugged like he didn’t care. Then he cleared his throat twice and, changing his tone for the skeptical little Xu Suihe beside him, softened what he said next.

 

“It’s only Friday, what’s the rush? Do your homework later—watch the big TV first.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Cartoons were already hard for kids to resist, let alone on the biggest TV you could buy. Xu Suihe forgot about her homework right away, nodded at him, and plopped down on the sofa with shining eyes.

 

“Lin Shen,” Lu Chengxuan called.

 

“What now!” Lin Shen turned his head toward the kitchen. “What do you want this time!”

 

“The beef I left on the counter to thaw—where is it?”

 

“I put it back in the fridge,” Lin Shen answered.

 

Even someone as calm and collected as Lu Chengxuan froze for a second, then frowned. “Why?”

 

Handing the remote to Xu Suihe, Lin Shen spread his hands.

 

“Because I felt like messing with you.”

 

He said it like it was the most natural thing in the world. The two locked eyes for a few seconds from across the kitchen doorway, and in the end, Lu Chengxuan just sighed, turned back, and started searching the fridge drawers. But he didn’t find anything.

 

Just as he straightened up, puzzled, Lin Shen strolled over, leaned against the doorframe, and lifted the beef like a waiter presenting a dish, tilting his head with a teasing grin.

 

“Really think I’m that dumb? I just hid it. Here.”

 

This kind of pointless chaos was Lin Shen’s specialty, and he loved pulling it over the smallest, dumbest things. To Lu, the meaning of it was beyond him. He never lost his temper—just let him play.

 

He walked over, took the beef, unwrapped it, and started prepping dinner.

 

Lin Shen wandered around the kitchen for no reason, then folded his arms and leaned against the wall, watching Lu Chengxuan move around. He couldn’t help grumbling: “Can’t you at least give me some reaction when I mess with you? Don’t be so boring. Even Suihe knows how to ‘execute’ me.”

 

Still bent over the beef, Lu Chengxuan finally replied.

 

“What kind of reaction do you want?”

 

“Anything! Do I really have to teach you?” Lin Shen shot back, winding up into a rapid-fire rant. “Are you a robot? No brain? No thoughts of your own? You’ve lived two whole lives and I still have to teach you everything? What, do you think I’m some computer science major programming you?”

 

Suddenly, Lu Chengxuan stopped what he was doing. He pulled off his gloves.

 

“This beef… what’s wrong with it, why does it—”

 

He didn’t finish. Lin Shen, baffled, stepped closer.

 

“Don’t you dare pin this on me. I didn’t touch it, just moved it somewhere—hm—”

 

Before he could finish, a hand clamped around his neck and yanked him forward. He barely had time to steady himself before a sudden kiss crushed down on his mouth.

 

Hot, damp lips slid and pressed, then broke apart just as quickly.

 

From the living room, the bright voices of cartoon characters filled the air. Lin Shen stood frozen in place, face flushed red, lips tingling from where Lu Chengxuan had deliberately bitten down before pulling away.

 

“What the hell was that?!”

 

“Reaction,” Lu Chengxuan said flatly.

 

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