♡ Chapter 19 ♡

When Lu Yanzhou got up in the morning, Yu Xia groggily woke up for a moment. The room was dim, and without her glasses, she couldn’t clearly make out the outline of the man. She grabbed his hand and mumbled, “Where are you going?”

“To the company. There’s a meeting this morning.” Lu Yanzhou rubbed her head and kissed her lips. As soon as he kissed her, she covered her mouth.

She hadn’t brushed her teeth yet.

Lu Yanzhou chuckled and kissed the back of her hand, speaking softly, “Go back to sleep. I’ll be back around noon to have lunch with you.”

“Okay…” She then remembered it wasn’t the weekend, so he had to go to work.

“Then you go ahead.”

Yu Xia let go of his hand, half of her face hidden in the quilt, half asleep and half awake, looking adorably confused. Lu Yanzhou sat on the edge of the bed and watched her for a few seconds. Then he scooped her up, blanket and all, into his arms, burying his face in her shoulder and sighing, “I don’t want to go.”

“It’s ticklish…” Yu Xia laughed and shrank her shoulder, gradually waking up. She softly said, “You go to work. Don’t delay your schedule.”

Lu Yanzhou kissed her neck lightly, causing Yu Xia to shudder. Only then did he feel satisfied and get up.

After the bedroom door closed behind him, Lu Yanzhou left for work, and Yu Xia fell back into a deep sleep. When she woke up again, it was already noon. She looked at the unfamiliar room for a moment, and the memories of last night rushed back to her, accompanied by the physical discomfort that reminded her of everything that happened.

Yu Xia took a deep breath and habitually reached under the pillow to feel for her phone. She didn’t find it there. Turning her head and looking around, she noticed that her phone had been placed on the nightstand by Lu Yanzhou.

She grabbed the phone and checked the time.

It was already twelve o’clock.

She didn’t know when Lu Yanzhou would be back.

Yu Xia struggled to get up and sent him a message.

Lu Yanzhou replied quickly.

L: [Did you wake up?]

L: [I’m heading back now. What do you want to eat? I’ll bring it with me.]

Yu Xia quickly replied: [Just woke up. No need to rush.]

As for what to eat, Yu Xia thought for a moment and replied, [Do you have time? If you do, I’d like to go to that Thai restaurant.]

L: [Sure, I’ll pick you up.]

Living in Spring: [I want to take the car! I don’t want to walk!]

They had agreed to take the car last time, but in the end, they walked. At that time, they weren’t very familiar with each other, and she felt too shy to speak up. But now! She was his girlfriend! Of course, she had to speak up about taking the car!

Lu Yanzhou, holding the car keys, walked out of the office. When he saw her message, he was amused. He pressed the voice message button and replied: [Okay, we’ll take the car.]

Yu Xia smiled after hearing the message. She circled around his room like she was inspecting it, then went home to freshen up and get ready.

As she was changing clothes, there was suddenly a sound of the door opening outside.

She was startled and quickly ran to the door, locking it. She leaned against the door, breathing nervously for a couple of seconds, and then suddenly remembered that she had given the password to Lu Yanzhou last night.

She had already allowed him free access to her home.

She calmed herself and called out, “Lu Yanzhou?”

“Mm.” Lu Yanzhou stood outside. Hearing something off in her voice, he paused for a moment. “Did I scare you?”

“I just forgot that I gave you the password… I thought someone was breaking into the house…” Yu Xia zipped up her skirt, tidied her hair and dress, and then opened the door.

“I got home and didn’t see you. I sent you a message, but you didn’t reply, so I guessed you were already home and came in.” Lu Yanzhou explained, looking down at her. “Besides me, no one else knows the password, right?”

Yu Xia felt a little embarrassed to look him in the eye. She lowered her lashes and calmly replied, “My mom knows, but she rarely comes over, usually only during the New Year or Mid-Autumn Festival.”

Lu Yanzhou could tell that she wasn’t very close to her mother. He placed his hand on the back of her head and gently rubbed it, his voice soft as he asked, “Are you alone during the New Year too?”

“I don’t think I’ve told you, but my parents divorced when I was young. Later, they both remarried and had younger children. I lived with my grandparents. My grandfather passed away when I was in high school, and I was living on campus. My dad saw that my grandmother was alone, so he brought her over to live with us. During that time, I would take turns staying at my parents’ house during the holidays, but… I didn’t feel comfortable no matter where I lived, and I seldom went home after I went to college.” Yu Xia spoke calmly, and before she finished, she was hugged by the man.

She looked up at him, noticing his slightly tense expression. He smiled and said, “Why do you have that expression? Although they didn’t give me much love and companionship, they didn’t lack me in terms of material things. Learning to paint is quite expensive, and they also gave me a down payment for this house. I am considered to be a relatively happy child among divorced children.”

“It might be a bit early to talk about this,” Lu Yanzhou said seriously, looking at her. “How about coming home with me for the New Year? My parents will really like you.”

“…Huh?”

Yu Xia was stunned. How did they suddenly go from talking about her family to meeting his parents?

Lu Yanzhou smiled and said, “It’s still a few months until the New Year. You can think about it. There’s no pressure. If you don’t want to go, I’ll just have dinner with them and come back to spend the New Year with you.”

Yu Xia snapped back to reality and smiled, “Alright, I’ll think about it.”

Lu Yanzhou raised an eyebrow. “Then let’s go eat first.”

Yu Xia hesitated for a moment at the shoe rack but finally chose a pair of high heels. When she put them on, she felt her height was more fitting with his and happily linked her arm through his. “Let’s go, I’m starving!”

—

By the time they arrived at the restaurant and ordered, it was already one o’clock.

Lu Yanzhou had the waiter bring out a dessert for Yu Xia first. After Yu Xia ate a few bites to relieve her hunger, she remembered to ask, “Are your parents… also in Jiangcheng?”

“C City.”

It was a neighboring city, just over an hour’s drive away.

Yu Xia blinked and asked, “Do they come here often?”

“Rarely. Usually, if I have time, I’ll go back and stay for a night,” Lu Yanzhou answered. He could tell what she was concerned about and looked at her honestly. “I won’t have you meet them before you’re ready.”

“Then… will you be upset?” She asked softly.

Lu Yanzhou: “Of course not.”

Yu Xia felt relieved but still explained, “I just want to be in a relationship for a bit longer. I really enjoy how things are right now.”

Lu Yanzhou leaned back against the couch, a mix of amusement and helplessness in his expression. “The way you’re saying it, it sounds like I’m pressuring you to get married.”

Yu Xia hummed and deliberately said, “Who knows, the wedding house is already prepared.”

“…”

Lu Yanzhou gave her a meaningful look for a few seconds before picking up his phone, standing up, and sitting next to her. Yu Xia was momentarily stunned, turning to look at him. “What’s going on?”

Lu Yanzhou opened his photo album, smiling as he said, “I’m showing you the design plans for the wedding house. If you don’t like this design, we can have Gao Xiyuan make some changes. If we really turn it into a wedding house, once the renovations are finished, the property will be transferred to your name.”

“…”

Wedding house.

How could she escape the trap she set for herself?

The problem was that she didn’t even want to escape.

Yu Xia curiously leaned over. The first picture was of the living room design—an Italian minimalist style that looked elegant and spacious. “This house is really big, isn’t it?”

“Over 260 square meters.” He mentioned the name of the neighborhood before looking down at her. “Do you like this style? If not, we can change it. It’s not too late.”

“Why… are you renting?” Yu Xia realized she had underestimated her boyfriend’s financial situation. She had thought he was talking about decorating an ordinary three-bedroom apartment, but to afford a 260-square-meter apartment in one of the most expensive areas of Jiangcheng—how could he be renting across from her?

She felt like she had gotten on the train first and bought the ticket later. They had already done all the most intimate things in a relationship, and now they were slowly getting to know each other.

Lu Yanzhou briefly explained why he was renting and mentioned Lin Nana, adding only one sentence: “I’ve been receiving some unwanted attention.”

At this point, the food arrived, and he served her a bowl of Tom Yum soup. “Eat first, I’ll send you the design plans later. You can take your time looking at them, and when you’re done, we’ll discuss any ideas with Gao Xiyuan.”

“…”

Yu Xia had only casually mentioned the idea, but now it felt like they were actually planning their wedding house together. She drank a couple of sips of soup in a daze.

In the end, she came to a conclusion.

It wasn’t just her who had a love-struck brain.

Her boyfriend is also a top love-brained person.