Chapter 75: I Can Afford to Support You
Wen Yuhuai’s sleep was somewhat restless. In his daze, he seemed to hear the sound of a door opening. He was too lazy to open his eyes, so he pulled the blanket further over his head until only the crown of his hair was visible.
He hadn’t slept for very long. He hadn’t eaten much in the morning, and by lunchtime, he was woken up by hunger.
Before he was even fully conscious, he squinted his eyes and clumsily crawled toward the edge of the bed. He didn’t see the obstacle at his feet, tripped, and fell straight back onto the bed.
No, it wasn’t the bed. Mattresses don’t generate heat on their own, nor do they make sounds.
It wasn’t until a muffled groan reached his ears and a pair of large hands lightly supported his waist that Wen Yuhuai finally forced his eyes open. He saw Lin Shiyu beneath him.
Stunned for two seconds, he immediately rolled off Lin Shiyu, his expression filled with disbelief. “Why are you here?”
Lin Shiyu also seemed to have just woken up. His thick eyelashes were half-raised as he gave Wen Yuhuai a lazy glance, a nonchalant smile playing on his lips. “This is my room. Why wouldn’t I be here?”
Wen Yuhuai jumped off the bed to put some distance between them. He wasn’t even wearing shoes, standing barefoot on the carpet. “Your room? You don’t sleep in the master bedroom?”
Lin Shiyu propped himself up with his arms and leaned against the headboard, sitting up as well. He maintained that same lazy tone. “Who said I have to sleep in the master bedroom? Is it against the rules to sleep in the guest room?”
Wen Yuhuai looked at him with a speechless expression. You couldn’t blame him for guessing wrong; who would have thought someone would choose the guest room over the master bedroom in their own home?
Or rather, who was the master bedroom being saved for?
Wen Yuhuai asked bluntly, “Are you living with someone? Was the master bedroom specifically left for them?”
Lin Shiyu’s movement to check his watch froze. After a long moment, he looked up, his gaze deep. His lips twitched upward into a strangely cold smile. “Who do you think I’m living with?”
Wen Yuhuai felt that he was acting a bit strange, but he still met his gaze without flinching, speaking with total sincerity. “That has nothing to do with me. It’s just that if that were the case, it wouldn’t be very convenient for me to stay here.”
At his age, it was perfectly normal to have a girlfriend. But why didn’t they sleep in the same room? Had they not reached that step yet?
Lin Shiyu also got out of bed. The shirt he was wearing was wrinkled, as were his trousers, but he didn’t seem to care in the least.
“What on earth goes on in that head of yours? I’ve been a lone wolf for so many years; who would I be living with? You’ve barely arrived and you’re already pinning a ‘scandalous’ label on me.”
Wen Yuhuai realized he had misunderstood. “Well, it’s your fault for leaving a perfectly good master bedroom empty to sleep in a guest room.”
Lin Shiyu clicked his tongue. He took two steps closer and slung an arm around Wen Yuhuai’s shoulders, pulling him into his embrace. Once Wen Yuhuai put on his slippers, Lin Shiyu led him out. “The master bedroom is too big and empty. I didn’t feel like sleeping there, alright? Come on, it’s lunchtime. Let’s go eat.”
Wen Yuhuai was indeed hungry, but he quickly broke free from the restraint and walked out on his own. “What are we eating?”
Lin Shiyu looked down at his empty arms. His footsteps faltered for a fraction of a second before he quickly caught up. “What do you want to eat?”
Wen Yuhuai wasn’t picky about food now. He said indifferently, “Isn’t this your territory? You should be the one arranging it. Why do I have to think about what to eat?”
Lin Shiyu nodded. “Then let’s go. You’ll listen to my arrangements today.”
Wen Yuhuai followed Lin Shiyu out the door in a bit of a daze. He really wasn’t familiar with Haishi, so he let the other man lead him through various twists and turns. Finally, the car stopped in front of a restaurant that looked quite stylish.
It was peak lunchtime, and the place seemed crowded. Wen Yuhuai instinctively frowned; he didn’t like eating in places that were too crowded.
Lin Shiyu parked the car and walked to his side, his hand naturally resting on Wen Yuhuai’s shoulder. He gently pulled him back into his embrace without the other man noticing. “Why aren’t you going in?”
Wen Yuhuai looked at the packed restaurant and turned to ask, “Are there still tables?”
One of Lin Shiyu’s eyebrows arched slightly, and he seemed to be smiling. “I booked a private room in advance.”
Wen Yuhuai walked in side by side with him.
Surprisingly, while it looked crowded from the outside, it wasn’t very noisy inside. Everyone was eating quietly, and the sound of conversation wasn’t grating.
He followed Lin Shiyu all the way inside until they reached an elegantly decorated private room.
A waiter soon arrived with the menu. Since Wen Yuhuai had said he would follow Lin Shiyu’s lead, Lin Shiyu didn’t ask him further and ordered the dishes himself.
The food was served quickly, filling the square table with a dazzling array of dishes. However, each portion was small, so it shouldn’t be a problem for two adult men to finish.
In both of his lives, Wen Yuhuai was a Northerner with a preference for strong flavors. However, he found the slightly sweet local specialties of Haishi to be quite good. In the end, the two of them didn’t waste any food.
Wen Yuhuai took a napkin and dabbed the corners of his mouth. “Are you going back to the office this afternoon?”
Lin Shiyu also took a napkin. “I’m not going. I’ll stay with you this afternoon.”
Wen Yuhuai: “What’s there to ‘stay’ with me for? You should go do your work and not worry about me.”
Lin Shiyu seemed to sigh. He crossed his hands and propped them against his chest, looking at Wen Yuhuai with interest. “A-Yu, it’s almost the New Year. I’m not some slave-driver like Zhou Ba Pi; even the company has to take a holiday.”
The truth was that the company had been on holiday for a week already. It was only because of an emergency that he had gone to the office this morning.
Wen Yuhuai hadn’t held a proper job for so many years that he had forgotten about this point. His ears flushed slightly, and he coughed twice. “Then what are your plans for the afternoon?”
Lin Shiyu didn’t hesitate for a moment. “I’ll take you for a walk and buy you some clothes while we’re at it.”
The weather today wasn’t too cold. Wen Yuhuai was wearing a grey-black overcoat, but other than that, he had no other clothes here.
The two of them settled on the plan. Instead of going home after lunch, they went straight to the mall.
Wen Yuhuai’s intention was just to buy a couple of outfits to get by, but Lin Shiyu clearly had other ideas. After one lap around the mall, he had bought an unknown number of suits, as well as tie clips, cufflinks, watches, and various other accessories.
Wen Yuhuai: “…”
He massaged his temples, feeling a bit of a headache. “Brother, I’m still hiding from people. Why are you being so high-profile? Are you afraid they won’t find me?”
“Besides, you should use your money for proper business. Without the Lin family backing you, you probably don’t have much capital on hand, right?”
Lin Shiyu only let out an almost imperceptible twitch of his lips. Ever since that illegitimate son of the Lin family had been repackaged as the eldest young master, the old man had been secretly handing over power to him. It was just that a failure is a failure; the company had been on a downward spiral in his hands. It was a mess, and the old man was already trying to soften his stance toward Lin Shiyu, but Lin Shiyu himself had no interest in going back.
“Don’t worry. I still have the money to buy you clothes. Stay here with peace of mind. I can afford to support you.”
I can afford to support you for a lifetime.
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