Chapter 9
Seeing that his little deer behaved and didn’t ask him to help with the paper anymore, Xue Wensong suppressed the fire in his heart and released Lin Lu. After turning off the light, he lay flat on the bed, calming the heat in his lower abdomen. But he heard Lin Lu suddenly speak up, “Um, I want to ask you something.”
Xue Wensong responded without much thought, “Try it and you’ll see how satisfying it is.”
“I’m not asking about that!” Lin Lu turned his back, burying his face in the pillow. Xue Wensong looked at the small mountain rising beside him and scooped Lin Lu into his arms. “What do you want to ask?”
Lin Lu struggled a bit and asked, “Why do you have so many boyfriends?”
Xue Wensong was taken aback, then quickly realized it was another piece of gossip Lin Lu had absorbed. He said lightly, “Where did I get so many boyfriends?”
“Just… what’s written in the news…”
Xue Wensong pinched Lin Lu’s waist, “Do you believe everything you read in the news?”
Lin Lu exclaimed in surprise, shrinking into the blanket without saying anything.
Worried he might have hurt the little deer, Xue Wensong rubbed the spot he pinched and patiently said, “I don’t have a messy romantic history. Don’t make wild guesses.”
“Um.” Lin Lu responded, indicating he understood. “Then you…”
“Hmm?”
Lin Lu was silent for a moment, gathering courage to ask, “Why do you want to do that kind of thing so badly? Isn’t it the same if you use your hand?”
Xue Wensong raised an eyebrow. It seemed this innocent little deer considered him a pervert? He inwardly questioned himself. If he were truly a pervert, Lin Lu would have been devoured long ago.
With his face buried in the pillow and the dim lighting, Xue Wensong couldn’t see Lin Lu’s expression. But he didn’t need to think to know that Lin Lu was probably blushing furiously right now.
“I can tell you for sure, it’s not the same,” Xue Wensong said hoarsely in Lin Lu’s ear, “Want me to show you?”
“I don’t want to.” Lin Lu shrank to the edge of the bed, covering his head with the blanket.
Xue Wensong sighed helplessly, realizing that his little buddy with a high and mighty attitude probably wouldn’t calm down anytime soon. He had no choice but to go to the bathroom to take care of himself.
Over the next few days, Xue Wensong became busy. After the company was registered successfully, he had to personally go to the bank and tax bureau. Besides that, he also had to inspect the office renovation.
On Thursday, he was busy until after nine in the evening before returning home. Lin Lu’s interview was scheduled for Friday morning, and Xue Wensong had planned to come up with an excuse to leave in the morning. However, early Friday morning, Xue Wensong left, and Lin Lu took the opportunity to sneak out.
It took an hour and a half to get from the city to the film and television city. By the time Lin Lu arrived, it was already past ten.
The drama crew Lin Lu was auditioning for was a campus drama, requiring a whole class of students to be organized. With Lin Lu’s appearance, getting a small role was no problem, but he still wanted a role with lines.
There were indeed many people coming for auditions. Lin Lu received a sheet of A4 paper with several unimportant character lines on it. After memorizing these lines, he sat aside to observe. The results of these auditions were usually announced on the spot, and Lin Lu realized that it was all about appearances.
Lin Lu arrived late, and it wasn’t until after one in the afternoon that it was his turn. He had three years of experience in the drama club, so he still had some foundation. He performed the lines for several unimportant roles, and the director seemed satisfied, asking him to leave his contact information for further communication after everyone finished auditioning.
There weren’t many people left waiting for the results. Lin Lu decided to wait here for the outcome. Glancing around, he saw only three or four others lingering around the audition venue along with him.
By three in the afternoon, the last person finished their audition. The director directly asked if he wanted to be an extra with lines, and that person agreed.
Among the last few people waiting for the results, including Lin Lu, there were a total of six. The director called them back to the audition venue and pointed to the script in front of them, saying, “You all did well, but we still need to discuss the casting for these roles.”
Lin Lu felt a surge of joy in his heart. He knew that the director’s words meant they had all been selected, but the specific roles hadn’t been decided yet.
“Let’s see, Du Yi?” The director glanced at the information in his hand and then looked at the six people lined up in front of him.
“Here.” A beautiful girl stepped forward.
“The best friend of the female lead is still missing, and we think you are suitable. What do you think?” the director asked.
“I’m okay with it, Director.”
“Okay then.”
The director went on to assign roles one by one. When it came to Lin Lu, the director asked, “There are two roles left, one is the sidekick of the male lead, and the other is the class monitor. Which one do you choose?”
Both of these roles were relatively important among the unimportant characters. Lin Lu glanced at the other male student, knowing that the director was leaving the choice up to him. After thinking for a moment, he said, “I might be more suitable for the sidekick.”
“Fair enough, you seem easier to bully,” the director chuckled. “That’s settled then. Go sign the contract, and we’ll notify you of the start date separately.”
For the first time, Lin Lu received a script with real significance, and he couldn’t bear to let go of it, flipping through it repeatedly.
Yang Li handed Lin Lu a chicken leg and said with a smile, “With your looks, you could definitely challenge more important roles.”
“But I don’t have time,” Lin Lu said, munching on the chicken leg. “I still have classes on Tuesday and Wednesday.”
“Age is important in this industry, and you can’t afford to waste a year,” Yang Li advised earnestly. “Have you ever thought about discussing it with your teacher?”
“No, no,” Lin Lu shook his head hastily. “He would definitely scold me for not studying properly.”
Not only that, but the big tiger at home would also find out about this.
“Who says studying is the only way out?” Yang Li raised her eyebrows. “If your teacher scolds you, I’ll scold him.”
Lin Lu smiled and didn’t say more, burying his head in eating.
At that moment, Lin Lu’s phone on the table suddenly rang, and he glanced at the screen, almost dropping his chopsticks in shock.
Yang Li raised an eyebrow. “Big tiger? Who’s that?”
Lin Lu quickly picked up the phone. “Sis, don’t say anything.”
As soon as the call connected, Xue Wensong’s lazy voice came through. “Little guy, where are you?”
Lin Lu pretended to be calm. “Um, it’s, it’s a classmate’s birthday, so we went out for dinner.”
Xue Wensong: “When will it be over? I’ll come pick you up.”
Lin Lu was startled. “No, no need, it’s just near the school. I’ll go back by myself.”
Xue Wensong: “Don’t stay out too late.”
Lin Lu: “Okay, got it.”
Lin Lu was about to hang up the phone when several customers suddenly appeared at the door of the restaurant, shouting, “Boss, give us a plate of stir-fried snails.”
Xue Wensong furrowed his brow slightly. “Stir-fried snails?”
If he remembered correctly, there wasn’t a restaurant nearby that sold stir-fried snails.
Lin Lu quickly hung up the phone.
Seeing Lin Lu’s frightened look, Yang Li asked curiously, “Family?”
Lin Lu subconsciously thought, since they were married, could they be considered family?
Xue Wensong… was his family?
He was immediately shocked by his own thoughts.
“Sis, I have to go back now. Take your time eating,” Lin Lu went to the counter to settle the bill, then headed towards the bus stop without looking back.
When Lin Lu arrived home, it was already past seven o’clock. The lights in the living room were off, with only a faint glow coming from the desk area. He threw his backpack onto the sofa and cautiously walked towards the desk, the sound of fingers tapping on the mechanical keyboard growing louder.
Lin Lu stood behind Xue Wensong, and the sound of the keyboard stopped.
“Turn on the light,” Xue Wensong said.
Lin Lu obediently pressed the switch on the wall, and the loft space was instantly bathed in a warm yellow light.
Sitting on the swivel chair, Xue Wensong turned around, crossing his fingers casually on his abdomen, his right leg resting on his left leg. “Had fun?”
Lin Lu swallowed, not saying anything.
“Whose birthday?” Xue Wensong asked again.
Lin Lu kept his head down, still not answering.
Someone once said that after telling one lie, you need to continue telling countless lies to cover it up. Lin Lu was already overwhelmed by telling one lie, and he was well aware of his own incompetence in lying. So he chose to play dumb.
Xue Wensong sighed and waved to Lin Lu. “Come here.”
Lin Lu stared at his own toes, slowly moving forward step by step. When Xue Wensong’s slender legs appeared in his sight, the next second, he fell into a warm embrace.
Lin Lu dumbly stared at Xue Wensong’s perfect jawline, his mind seeming to freeze, completely ceasing to function.
Raising an eyebrow, Xue Wensong looked at the deer baby in his arms, his tone carrying a hint of warning. “Where did you go?”
“Celebrating… a… birthday,” Lin Lu’s brain was completely stalled.
“Whose birthday?”
“I…”
“Your birthday?”
Lin Lu shook his head. “A classmate’s… birthday.”
“Baby,” Xue Wensong called out patiently, though the affectionate term sounded somewhat ominous to Lin Lu.
“Do you think… you can lie to me and I won’t see through it?”
Lin Lu bit his lip, upon hearing the words “lying”, his ability to think returned—
He lied to Xue Wensong, and Xue Wensong found out.
It felt like being held down by the claws of a big tiger, and one wrong word would lead to being torn apart and devoured.
Lin Lu lowered his head, looking at his twisted fingers, and said dejectedly, “Can’t I have a little privacy?”
“Hmm?” Xue Wensong was somewhat surprised, not expecting this little deer to resist him.
“We may be married, but we weren’t very close to begin with,” Lin Lu continued. “We don’t have to tell each other everything, right?”
Xue Wensong narrowed his eyes slightly. He believed he hadn’t hidden anything from Lin Lu and intended to treat this kid well, but it seemed he was being presumptuous.
“Did you go out on a date with someone you like?” Xue Wensong asked expressionlessly.
“Huh?” Lin Lu raised his head. “That’s impossible.”
Xue Wensong lazily tilted his head, waiting for Lin Lu to continue.
Lin Lu felt his hair standing on end under the scrutiny and couldn’t bear it any longer. He whispered, “I actually… have a little secret.”
