Chapter 30: Sigh! Taking a bath & Capitalism

In life, the end of a conversation always has a signal. Sometimes it’s “You go ahead and get busy.” Sometimes it’s “Okay, we’ll talk later.” Sometimes it’s just a sigh. As for whether it was Le Mans or Lin Zhiyan who sighed, neither of them was sure.

In film and television, promises are always solemn affairs. They point at the sky, point at the mountains, point at the whole world. But in reality, promises are like jokes. One person pretends to be profound, the other genuinely cares, and the bubble masquerades as a vow as it drifts lightly into the air.

Lin Zhiyan and Le Mans talked about all sorts of nonsense, as if nothing had happened at all. Le Mans lay on her lap, his fingers twined through her hair. Like a baby staring at a wind chime, he watched her neck, jawline, and the tip of her nose.

After that sigh, a brief silence appeared between them, followed by a meeting of eyes.

In the end, Lin Zhiyan leaned down, and Le Mans sat up, hooking an arm around her neck and bringing his lips close.

Le Mans’s kiss was inexperienced and cautious, but his breathing was rapid and nervous. His probing was like a puppy lapping water. His eyes squeezed shut, then secretly opened again. Heat spread from his neck upward, and a few tears clung to his lashes.

Lin Zhiyan ran a hand through his red hair and rubbed his head.

Immediately encouraged, Le Mans pulled her down onto the carpet with him. His expression was earnest, as though kissing were some tremendously important task.

Seeing him like that, Lin Zhiyan suddenly laughed.

At once, he became slightly annoyed and lightly bit her lip.

Lin Zhiyan steadied herself with a hand on his shoulder.

“You’re trembling so much.”

The haze in Le Mans’s eyes broke apart. A few more tears gathered at the corners of his eyes. His damp red hair stuck to his forehead, and the heat of his breath made his handsome face look flushed and moist.

“Mm.”

Staring at her lips, his Adam’s apple bobbed.

“I’m still scared,” he said softly. “Scared of what comes later.”

Le Mans pulled her tightly into his arms and said nothing more. It was as if he had fallen into a fog. Unease overflowed from him, showing plainly on his face. He kept brushing kisses against her cheeks, confirming that she was really there.

Lin Zhiyan raised both hands and squeezed his face hard.

“Go take a shower.”

Then she added,

“Maybe that’ll help you feel a little more at ease.”

Fragments of light appeared in Le Mans’s eyes.

He turned his head, his face nearly redder than his hair.

“It won’t.”

Lin Zhiyan pinched his cheek.

“Then forget it. I’ll think of some other—”

“You—”

Le Mans whipped his head back around. His eyes were damp, and he looked at her with a hint of anger.

Finally, he said,

“I’m going to take a shower.”

He stood up hurriedly, then tried to hide his embarrassment by pretending to be calm.

“You’re not allowed to leave.”

With that, he strode toward the bathroom.

Lin Zhiyan let out a long breath. She checked the time on her terminal. There was still an hour and a half left—more than enough.

Given how inexperienced Le Mans was, she figured that even if things progressed further, it probably wouldn’t take very long. There would still be time left over for a shower and some rest.

Just as she was carefully calculating the schedule, her terminal vibrated.

—A call from Zefi?

Puzzled, she answered.

As soon as the connection went through, she heard Zefi say,

“Aiwen has already arrived. Do you need to confirm it?”

“No.”

She wasn’t in the mood to think about that.

“What excuse did you use?”

“I simply had her visit him as a classmate.”

Zefi’s voice was gentle.

“Besides that…”

He paused, seemingly waiting for her reaction.

Lin Zhiyan raised an eyebrow.

“What do you want me to do this time? I doubt you’d call me over something that trivial.”

“I hope you can resolve Le Mans’s matter within an hour.”

His voice remained warm and refined, but his tone left no room for refusal.

“Li Siheng isn’t in a very good state. I believe you’ll be able to help him.”

“Within an hour…”

Lin Zhiyan looked troubled.

A moment later, she heard a deep sigh from the other end of the call, as though he were growing impatient.

Soon, Zefi spoke again.

“If you agree, I can pay you.”

“Twelve thousand.”

The moment she said it, she was practically grinning.

“Four thousand.”

Zefi was decisive.

“If you agree, I can transfer one thousand in advance as a deposit.”

Lin Zhiyan frowned.

“For someone like you, twelve thousand is probably the cost of a meal. Do you really have to be this stingy?”

“Of course not.”

Zefi chuckled softly.

“But why should I let you take advantage of me?”

Lin Zhiyan: “…”

Perhaps because Zefi had already become deeply involved in his family’s business ventures, he was completely different from the other extravagant Celestial Dragons.

He was probably the most calculating, self-interested, and cost-conscious among them.

Back when he’d offered her an internship, he’d tested her first.

Now even paying money required bargaining.

“Six thousand. Two thousand deposit.”

“Deal.”

The call ended.

A few seconds later, the transfer arrived.

Lin Zhiyan: “…”

Seriously.

He was already thirty. Why make life difficult for a poor person like her?

[yzy: In the future, when you send money to your girlfriend on Valentine’s Day, you’ll probably transfer 523 and 1315, then demand it back after breaking up, right?]

[Zefi: .]

[Zefi: Also,]

Lin Zhiyan replied with a simple “1” and rolled her eyes.

She sometimes suspected that Zefi was so elegant and beautiful, and had been praised his entire life, that whenever he dealt with her he carried a faint air of “No thanks, I’ll pass.”

Yet she had to admit that the more composed he acted, the more she wanted to provoke him until he lost his composure.

After briefly reflecting on her own bad habits, she looked up and saw Le Mans emerge from the bathroom.

His red hair was still damp.

Water droplets slid from his jaw to his collarbone, then further down over his lean frame.

He held his chin high, looking proud and determined.

—Even though his face was completely red.

He walked over and wrapped her in a damp embrace.

Lin Zhiyan touched his cheek.

“You’re so hot.”

“Mm.”

His voice was muffled.

Then he took her hand and kissed her fingers before pressing kisses against her face.

Le Mans was just as clumsy with his hands as he was with everything else. Fresh from the shower, he seemed even more awkward than before.

Watching him struggle, Lin Zhiyan couldn’t help laughing.

Eventually, after more teasing and awkward attempts on his part, Le Mans became increasingly flustered.

At one point he looked at her in frustration.

“Why aren’t you reacting?”

He pressed his lips together.

“Could it be that you…”

He didn’t finish the sentence, but he looked genuinely upset.

It’s not like turning on a faucet, Lin Zhiyan thought.

Kneeling on his lap, she wrapped her arms around his head and laughed.

“Then why don’t you try harder?”

Instantly, Le Mans’s eyes widened.

His face turned tomato red.

“You—you—you—”

Now he looked even more like a bright red fox.

After struggling for several seconds, he finally managed to say,

“You actually say things like that!”

It sounded like an accusation, an expression of shock, and embarrassment all at once.

“You’re really… really…”

The young nobleman had been rendered nearly speechless.

Yet despite that, his gaze drifted downward.

That only made Lin Zhiyan laugh more.

She lightly nudged him away.

Immediately, he recoiled, kneeling on the carpet, bracing himself with both hands.

His entire head seemed ready to release steam.

“Or should we just forget it?” Lin Zhiyan asked.

She moved to the sofa and picked up a glass of water.

Her clothes were disheveled, and she felt somewhat warm.

“It seems like neither of us has really gotten into the—”

She stopped abruptly.

A hand had grabbed her ankle.

Looking down, she saw Le Mans still kneeling on the carpet.

Head lowered, ears red enough to blend into his hair, he slowly edged closer on his knees.

“Don’t.”

His voice trembled.

Lin Zhiyan took another sip of water.

Le Mans finally slumped beside her feet.

“Why are you so mean?”

He looked up at her, sounding almost aggrieved.

“Before, you…”

He couldn’t finish.

Lin Zhiyan leaned down and kissed his forehead.

“Now that you know me better, do you think I’m not so wonderful anymore?”

His eyes flickered.

Holding her face, he lifted his head and kissed her.

His voice remained soft and shaky.

“No.”

“Even if you’re not wonderful, I still like you.”

They were so close that their breaths mingled.

A faint light shone in Le Mans’s eyes.

Looking at her, he asked quietly,

“You’ll miss me, won’t you? You’ll come find me?”

“You know,” Lin Zhiyan said, touching her nose lightly against his, “when I was in the orphanage, I met a very skinny little puppy.”

“But pets weren’t allowed there.”

“I once thought about hiding it in my backpack and secretly raising it.”

“In the end, I gave up.”

Then she said softly,

“If only I could put you in my backpack too.”

Le Mans froze.

Then he seemed to sink into some fantasy.

His body trembled slightly.

“Mm.”

Much later, he finally relaxed, as though all the emotions he had been holding back had poured out at once.

His voice even cracked slightly.

“Not happy?” Lin Zhiyan asked.

“No!”

Le Mans protested immediately, looking annoyed.

“How can you treat me like this?”

“You don’t like it?”

“I don’t.”

He stubbornly lifted his chin.

“That’s exactly why I ended up like this.”

Lin Zhiyan found his attempt at acting tough hilarious, so she kissed him.

The moment she did, all his annoyance vanished.

He happily kissed her back.

After a while, the kiss ended.

Le Mans started to say something, stammered, gave up, and buried his face against her again.

“You really are like a puppy,” Lin Zhiyan murmured.

Le Mans looked up.

His lips were red, his eyes damp.

His face and body were completely flushed, yet he still looked proud.

“Is the puppy the reason your face is this red?”

Lin Zhiyan’s mind went blank.

“Mm.”

Seeing her reaction, he seemed excited, as though he’d finally gained the upper hand.

Just then, a vibration interrupted them.

Groggily, Lin Zhiyan picked up her terminal.

It was Zefi calling.

She instantly sobered.

Le Mans frowned deeply.

“What are you doing?”

“Li Siheng wants to transfer schools with you.”

Lin Zhiyan steadied herself.

“Zefi wants me, Aiwen, and some of his friends to persuade him.”

“I don’t want him coming with me.”

Le Mans immediately objected.

“I hate him.”

“He was awful to both of us before.”

“And I think he’s weird around you.”

Lin Zhiyan threaded her fingers through his hair and looked at him seriously.

“I can’t bear to.”

She paused.

“But I also can’t bear the thought of you being alone.”

His eyes trembled.

She stroked his head.

“Let me answer it, okay?”

Reluctantly, Le Mans turned his head away.

Lin Zhiyan accepted the call.

Zefi spoke immediately.

“Get here in thirty minutes. I’ll double the payment.”

“W-what happened?”

She stumbled over her words.

Meanwhile, Le Mans stubbornly remained close by, staring at her.

“Li Siheng has certain… issues. They’re acting up.”

Zefi’s explanation was vague.

“I need you here as soon as possible.”

Lin Zhiyan looked up at the towering religious mural painted across the ceiling.

“I’m not a doctor.”

“But regarding his condition—”

Zefi stopped abruptly.

His voice turned cold and dangerous, sharp as a scalpel.

“Lin. Zhi. Yan.”

“What exactly are you doing?”

At that very moment, Lin Zhiyan stiffened.

Across from her, Le Mans sat on the carpet, looking strangely pleased with himself.

Her mind went blank.

“I’m not doing anything.”

“I don’t care what improper business you’re involved in right now.”

Zefi’s voice dropped lower, though he was clearly restraining himself.

“I want a proper answer.”

“In thirty minutes, I expect you to be in the car and on your way here.”

Lin Zhiyan stared at Le Mans.

He tilted his head innocently.

“Lin Zhiyan!”

Zefi snapped.

She immediately came back to her senses.

“Okay. Okay. Fine.”

Zefi hung up.

Lin Zhiyan straightened and caught her breath.

“Le Mans, I—”

Before she could continue, Le Mans grabbed her arm and pulled her into his embrace.

Holding her tightly, he kissed her repeatedly.

“Now nobody’s interrupting us.”

His voice was cheerful and clingy.

“I’m okay now. You’re okay too. We—we…”

Despite everything that had happened, he was still too embarrassed to finish the sentence.

His kisses landed everywhere in a flustered mess.

Lin Zhiyan pushed at his face.

He simply held her tighter.

After another round of wrestling and struggling, both of them were flushed and sweaty.

Feeling overheated and somewhat dazed, Lin Zhiyan finally said,

“Le Mans, I think… I think…”

He immediately became alert.

“What do you think?”

Lin Zhiyan looked at him.

“I wanted to ask.”

“I found a property transfer certificate.”

“Were you planning to give it to me?”

Le Mans: “…”

Grinding his teeth, he exclaimed,

“Why are you bringing that up now?!”

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