Chapter 144 Come Find Me Soon

Chapter 144: Come Find Me Early

The next morning.

Shen Qingci came downstairs on his crutches, pausing briefly at the entrance to the dining room.

At the table, two small figures sat obediently eating.

Xiao Ya held a spoon, eating diligently one bite at a time.

Beside her, an even younger girl with drool still smeared across her face clumsily grabbed a spoon to feed herself, rice grains stuck all over her face.

Shen Qingci glanced at them silently. He sat down across from Xiao Ya, his movements elegant and composed.

Xiao Ya looked up, and the moment she saw Shen Qingci, her eyes instantly lit up.

She put down her spoon, shifting slightly as if to run over.

A gaze swept over him.

Lu Lin stood not far away, holding a freshly prepared breakfast in his hands. His eyes were indifferent, carrying a faint warning.

Xiao Ya pouted, picked up her spoon again, and continued eating dutifully.

Lu Lin withdrew his gaze, walked over to Shen Qingci with the breakfast, and gently set it down.

Then he sat down beside Shen Qingci, rested his chin on his hand, and stared at him without blinking.

Shen Qingci picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.

Xiao Ya finished, put down her spoon, looked at the man across from her who had been staring at Shen Qingci, and couldn’t help asking:

"Brother Lu Lin isn’t eating?"

Shen Qingci’s movements paused.

He turned his head and glanced at Lu Lin.

Then he picked up a shrimp dumpling and brought it to Lu Lin’s lips.

Lu Lin froze. He looked at those cold eyes and the food being offered to him. A slow smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

He opened his mouth and took the shrimp dumpling from Shen Qingci’s chopsticks.

Then he spoke, his voice laced with laughter:

"You eat, brother. I’ve already eaten."

Shen Qingci’s hand, about to continue feeding him, stopped in midair.

He looked up at Lu Lin.

His gaze was very gentle, yet held a hint of inquiry, as if saying: If you’ve eaten, why are you still eating my food?

The gleam of amusement in Lu Lin’s eyes deepened.

He leaned over and gently pressed a kiss to the corner of Shen Qingci’s lips.

His voice was low and husky, affectionate:

"Brother rarely serves me; of course I have to treasure it."

The word "serve" hit Shen Qingci’s ears, and last night’s images instantly flashed through his mind.

The burning touch, the stifled gasps, the hand slick with liquid…

He pursed his lips and glanced down at the hand holding the chopsticks.

Then he lifted his foot and gently kicked Lu Lin’s shin.

The force wasn’t heavy, with a hint of warning.

He withdrew his gaze and continued eating, his movements still elegant, though the tips of his ears seemed slightly redder.

Lu Lin looked at him like this, the smile in his eyes deepening.

Beside them, Xiao Ya covered her younger sister’s eyes and said in a surprisingly mature little voice:

"Not suitable for children."

---

After the meal.

Lu Lin had originally wanted to go to the company with Shen Qingci.

But he looked at Xiao Ya, who stood obediently with her backpack on not far away, and then at the little girl beside her.

He helped Shen Qingci into the car, bent down, and kissed the corner of his mouth:

"Come find me later, brother."

Shen Qingci looked at him, his gaze indifferent, with a hint of scrutiny.

Lu Lin wasn’t so kind-hearted as to stay behind just to look after two kids.

He opened his thin lips, his voice cool:

"Does Lin Wei going abroad have anything to do with you?"

Lu Lin subconsciously shook his head.

Shen Qingci looked at him and said flatly: "Give me your phone."

Lu Lin paused. Then he nodded quickly, his voice turning obedient and ingratiating:

"It has to do with me, brother. My brain short-circuited just now; it wasn’t working."

He leaned in and kissed Shen Qingci’s lips again, his voice low and hoarse:

"I was wrong, brother."

After that, he handed over his phone.

"Brother, look through it as you wish. Back then, Shen Suili interfered with brother’s overseas company, and I sent her a message, telling her to keep an eye on you, to keep you from going abroad."

He paused:

"In the end, she went abroad herself."

Shen Qingci took the phone and unlocked it.

He didn't bother checking Lu Lin's chat history; instead, he opened his photo album.

Lu Lin's body instantly tensed—crap, he'd forgotten to change the wallpaper.

Would his brother be angry if he found the photos he'd secretly taken of him?

Would he think he was a pervert? Would he find him disgusting? Would he grow to hate him?

He wanted to reach for the phone and take it back, but he didn't dare. He could only stand by the car and stammer:

"Hey, bro, I gotta take Xiao Ya and the others to school... we're gonna be late..."

Shen Qingci ignored him. He found a password-protected album and entered the passcode.

Just as he was about to open it, a call popped in.

Lu Lin let out a sigh of relief and was about to reach for the phone.

Shen Qingci's slender fingers tapped the screen once, and the call was rejected.

Lu Lin's outstretched hand froze in midair.

He watched helplessly as Shen Qingci opened that encrypted album.

Inside were over two thousand photos—all of them Shen Qingci.

Him sleeping, drunk, working, in meetings, walking, at the amusement park...

One by one, they were neatly arranged.

Though secretly taken, every single one captured him perfectly.

The angles of light and shadow, how his expressions were captured, even the curve of his eyelashes when lowered—all were perfect.

As if the photographer had already etched every moment of him into his heart.

Shen Qingci flipped through them, his expression calm.

Until he stopped at a photo from Qingye's opening ceremony.

In the photo, he stood on stage, the spotlight falling on him, bathing him in a soft glow.

His fingers stopped.

He lifted his eyes to look at Lu Lin, who stood nervously beside him:

"You were there that day."

Lu Lin nodded. The nervousness in his eyes faded a little, replaced by a hint of earnestness:

"Your company's opening was so important—how could I not come?"

Shen Qingci glanced at him lightly, yet it made Lu Lin's heart skip a beat.

Then, he closed the album and handed the phone back to Lu Lin.

"I said before we'd take a couple's photo," he paused, his voice cool when he asked, "When are we doing it?"

Lu Lin took the phone, carefully watching his expression.

His brother wasn't angry about his secretly taken photos—in fact, he had even brought up the couple photo himself. The corners of his mouth lifted uncontrollably.

"The clothes are still being tailored," he said, his voice barely containing his excitement. "Once they're ready, we'll go take the photo."

Shen Qingci nodded.

He reached out, gently pushed Lu Lin away, and closed the car door.

Rolling down the window, he gave Lu Lin a quick glance:

"After you drop the kids, come find me early."

"Okay!"

Lu Lin nodded vigorously, his face lit up with excitement.

If he had a tail, it would probably be wagging like a propeller.

Shen Qingci watched him, the corners of his mouth lifting almost imperceptibly.

The window slowly rose.

The black Maybach drove away from the villa, disappearing at the end of the road.

Lu Lin stood there, watching the direction the car had disappeared in, unable to suppress the smile on his face.

Behind him, Xiao Ya came over, holding her little sister's hand, looking up at him:

"Lu Lin, are we gonna be late?"

Lu Lin snapped out of it, looking down at her.

He bent down and scooped up both kids, one in each arm.

"Come on, I'll take you to school."

-

Inside the car.

Shen Qingci leaned back in his seat and took out his phone.

Sunlight streamed through the car window, falling across his cool profile in shifting patterns.

He pulled up Feng Yuetian's chat and typed with his slender fingers:

"Send the thing over soon."

Sent.