Chapter 19 A Pleasant Man

As soon as they got home, they heard Lan Yusui coughing non-stop. Seeing Lan Yuchu and Lin Qiyue return, she quickly said, “You’re back. You two take over—I can’t do this anymore.” She kept coughing and tearing up as she spoke.

All she did was cook, but the smoke from the coal briquettes was just too choking. She really couldn’t handle this task. She barely did any housework at home to begin with and had never used a coal stove before.

Lan Yuchu parked the bicycle and walked straight into the kitchen, rolling up his sleeves. “Go do your homework,” he told Lan Yusui.

Lan Yusui left the kitchen not long after. Lin Qiyue put her things down and also stepped into the kitchen, planning to help out.

“What are we having for dinner? I’ll help you prep,” she offered.

Lan Yuchu was already washing the vegetables. He turned and said, “It’s okay, I’ve got this. It’ll be done quickly—go rest in the living room.”

“But isn’t it bad if I just sit around and wait to eat without helping?” Lin Qiyue felt a little embarrassed. After all, Lan Yuchu was already doing so much for her.

“You’ve worked all day already. Aren’t you tired?” he asked.

Lin Qiyue thought about it—she had worked all day—but she was still feeling energetic. After all, everyone she met today had been pretty nice, and now that Shen Qingmiao was gone, there weren’t any more difficult people at home. She was honestly happy. Her in-laws weren’t home, and when Lan Yuchu returned to the army, it would just be her and Lan Yusui. They got along well.

“Then I’ll just watch you cook. Maybe I can learn something too?” Lin Qiyue said, curious to see what a man looked like while cooking.

In novels, men cooking were always portrayed as incredibly attractive. Especially if they were handsome.

If only Lan Yuchu would take off his shirt and wear just a tank top while cooking… then she could admire those amazing abs. Just imagining it made her secretly excited, and she couldn’t help but smile.

Lan Yuchu looked up and saw her staring at him in a daze, grinning like a fool. Her expression was contagious—he chuckled and asked, “What are you smiling about?”

Snapped out of her thoughts by his voice, Lin Qiyue nearly drooled. She scolded herself silently: “Lin Qiyue! Pull yourself together! Don’t let good looks distract you!”

Lan Yuchu could see that she was genuinely happy, which reassured him. It was much better than her being sad and bottling everything up. After what had happened, he had decided—he needed to bring her along when he was stationed. Shen Qingmiao might be gone, but who knew when another troublemaker would appear? And besides, he shouldn’t leave Lin Qiyue to live alone anymore. A husband and wife should be together to build their relationship.

Lin Qiyue forced herself to stop thinking about Lan Yuchu’s perfect abs and instead fell into thought.

“I’ve been here for days… why hasn’t the female lead appeared yet?” It was really odd—Duan Yueman should’ve shown up by now, right?

Three dishes were quickly stir-fried and served. After dinner, Lan Yuchu did the dishes himself and wouldn’t let Lin Qiyue lift a finger.

With nothing to do after dinner, Lin Qiyue wandered out into the courtyard and looked up at the sky. It was the hottest time of the year, and the stars above were clearly visible—something rare in the future world, where only some rural areas still had such starry skies.

She leaned back with her hands behind her and turned in place slowly, still gazing up.

Lan Yuchu saw her staring at the stars and slowly walked over. Just as she turned, she lost her balance and fell right into his arms.

He instinctively caught her, wrapping his arms around her. Their faces were less than a finger’s width apart—if they moved any closer, they’d be kissing.

The man’s warm breath fanned across her face, his scent filled with masculine hormones. Lin Qiyue looked up at him, one hand on his chest, clearly feeling his rapid heartbeat.

“Oh my god! I can’t resist this anymore—this man is way too dangerous!” she thought. Am I falling for him already? She didn’t want to let go—he was so handsome, she was absolutely smitten.

Lan Yuchu’s throat bobbed nervously, his whole body stiff with tension. His eyes, framed by soft peach blossom brows, were full of unspoken longing. He was completely under her spell. They were so close now, and he couldn’t help but remember how she had held him in her sleep the other night.

He’d been holding back for days, struggling hard.

Just then, there was a noise at the door.

Qian Xiuying returned with a colleague. As she stepped into the house, she saw the young couple in a tender embrace.

Startled, Lan Yuchu and Lin Qiyue immediately pulled apart.

Lan Yuchu awkwardly looked at his mother and said, “Mom, you’re back?”

“Yes, I’m back,” Qian Xiuying replied, thinking she had just interrupted something important.

Lin Qiyue bit her lip, too flustered to meet her mother-in-law’s gaze. But out of politeness, she glanced up—only to find Qian Xiuying scrutinizing her with obvious curiosity. The moment their eyes met, Lin Qiyue completely lost her composure.

“Uh… I’ll just go shower now!” she blurted out, clutching her head and fleeing to the bedroom—a total social death moment.

Once Lin Qiyue disappeared inside, Lan Yusui, who had been peeking through the crack of the door the entire time, burst out laughing.

“Mom, if you’d come home a little later, you might’ve seen something even spicier!” she teased. She’d been watching for a while, secretly hoping they’d just kiss already.

Qian Xiuying frowned slightly and gave Lan Yusui a glance. Lan Yusui immediately pulled her head back in.

Seeing how close and affectionate her son and daughter-in-law were, Qian Xiuying was genuinely happy for them. However, she still felt the need to say something.

“Um… son, things are being monitored pretty strictly these days. Even though you’re at home, the compound’s gates are open. If someone nosy happens to see and reports it, that could be bad. So… you should keep it down a bit. Best to keep it to the bedroom, okay?”

She said it in a tactful way, and Lan Yuchu understood exactly what she meant. He wasn’t stupid—he nodded, a bit embarrassed and not daring to meet his mother’s gaze.

“Got it… I’ll go back now.”

Originally, Lan Yuchu had planned to go for a run. But after being teased like that by his wife, he no longer felt like running at all. Going back to the room to do a bit of training sounded good enough.

When he entered the room, Lin Qiyue had already gone to shower. Lan Yuchu found a small open space and started doing push-ups. To avoid stretching or ruining his shirt, he took it off and trained shirtless.

Half an hour later, Lin Qiyue came out of the bathroom and saw him doing push-ups. His arm strength was truly impressive. She could almost see his muscles twitching with each movement. Her mouth formed a silent “Wow!”—but no sound came out.

Hearing the sound of her exiting the bathroom, Lan Yuchu stood up right away. He was still sweating and turned to look at her.

“All done showering?” he asked.

Pulled back to reality by his voice, Lin Qiyue quickly lowered her head in embarrassment and nodded while biting her lip. “Mm… yeah, I’m done.”

Seeing her shy demeanor, Lan Yuchu could tell she was definitely impressed with his physique.

“You should wait a bit before showering,” Lin Qiyue reminded him. “You’ve just worked out—you should rest a little so your body cools down first.”

She sat down at the edge of the bed and began straightening the covers. Whenever she felt flustered or anxious, she’d start doing these little nervous tasks.

Lan Yuchu noticed her wearing a lacy nightgown, and a thought crossed his mind: She’s not refusing to share the bed with me, and she’s dressed this seductively… maybe she wouldn’t be against becoming a real couple either?

But he knew better than to rush things.

Before even thirty minutes had passed, Lan Yuchu headed into the bathroom to shower. He came out quickly, freshly cleaned.

He stared at Lin Qiyue, hesitating to speak.

Sensing his intense, bare gaze, Lin Qiyue glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Seeing him standing there, shirtless and staring at her in a daze, she jumped in shock.