Chapter 148 Just Walk Right In

Chapter 148: Walk Right In

Shen Qingci had only meant to touch Lu Lin, to give him a kiss.

But instead, Lu Lin turned the tables.

Lu Lin's tongue immediately probed in, intertwining with Shen Qingci's somewhat inexperienced response.

Their lips and tongues intertwined, the air heated up, and in the silent space, the intimate sounds of the two were especially clear.

By the time Shen Qingci snapped back to reality, he had already been pinned on the sofa and kissed for a while.

He lay on his back, looking up at the man hovering over him.

That handsome face was just inches away, his eyes blazing with barely restrained desire and excitement, a faint smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

Shen Qingci frowned.

His usually aloof eyes were now misted over, making his gaze less distant, softer, and dazed.

He spoke, his voice slightly hoarse from kissing, but still cold:

"Get off."

Lu Lin looked down at his reddened lips, at his cheeks flushed from the kiss, and at those glistening, tear-bright eyes.

His Adam's apple bobbed. He felt that those two words, coming from Shen Qingci's mouth right now, had no deterrent effect whatsoever.

But he still obediently got up and stood to the side.

Shen Qingci sat up.

He raised his hand, straightened his disheveled suit, then stood up using his cane, and walked back behind the desk.

He pressed the intercom button, his voice indifferent:

"Bring in the prepared documents."

After hanging up, he picked up a pen, ready to process documents, as if in silent protest against Lu Lin's actions.

Lu Lin walked to his own office chair and sat down.

He wheeled his chair, inching over to Shen Qingci, then reached out and wrapped his arms around Shen Qingci's arm, leaning his entire weight against him.

He looked like a clingy, oversized dog.

Shen Qingci turned his head, glanced at him, and was about to tell Lu Lin to back off.

But then his gaze swept across the computer screen.

A news notification popped up on the screen.

"Lu Group's Lu Lin held a grand banquet at LQ Yudi Hotel yesterday..."

Yesterday.

Shen Qingci's eyes lingered on the headline for a beat.

He clicked on the news.

Lu Lin looked over as well, and upon seeing his own name, the smile on his face faltered.

But soon, he regained his composure.

Big brother probably wouldn't ask him why he wasn't invited to the banquet.

After all, big brother hated such occasions.

But watching Shen Qingci's expression grow colder and colder, he had a sinking feeling.

Lu Lin blinked rapidly.

He carefully took hold of Shen Qingci's fingers and began to explain what happened yesterday.

"Big brother, let me explain..."

Shen Qingci's gaze shifted from the screen to Lu Lin's face.

His face was expressionless, devoid of any emotion, as if to say: 'Go ahead, explain.'

Lu Lin recounted the whole banquet the day before—from how he locked the door, trapping those people inside for nearly two hours, to how he made Lu Changgeng foot a fifty million tab.

"I did that yesterday just to get Lu Changgeng out of the way," he said, his voice softening, "and to make him think I was searching for something, so I locked the door."

He paused, then added:

"I didn't invite big brother because I didn't go to the banquet myself. If I had gone, I would have definitely wanted you to come with me."

Shen Qingci gave an "mm-hmm" in acknowledgment.

His face remained cold, making it impossible to tell if he accepted the explanation.

There was a knock on the door.

An assistant entered with a folder, set the files gently on the desk, and silently left.

Shen Qingci opened the files and picked up his pen.

He spoke, his tone flat:

"What time are we going to the secret room tonight?"

Lu Lin's eyes lit up.

"What time does big brother want to go?"

Shen Qingci signed his name on the document, set it aside, and looked up at Lu Lin:

"Eight."

Lu Lin's eyes crinkled in a smile, a smile curving his lips joyfully:

"Big brother is as amazing as ever."

"Lu Changgeng goes to the meditation room at eight for two hours. During that time, no one will enter the study."

Shen Qingci nodded.

He closed the file and said flatly:

"So how do you plan on getting in, big brother?"

Shen Qingci looked up at him.

Those cold, clear eyes showed no emotion at all. He spoke, his tone icy:

"Just walk in."

-

By 'just walk in,' he meant just that—walk in.

The security at the Lu family estate wouldn’t stop Lu Lin’s car.

And by the same token, they couldn’t stop Shen Qingci’s either.

The night was pitch black. A few silhouettes flitted past the outer wall of the Lu family’s old mansion, silent and swift.

Shen Qingci’s men moved like phantoms, precisely and rapidly taking out every guard that came into sight.

A black Maybach pulled to a smooth stop at the entrance of the main building, its wheels rolling over the ground with barely a sound.

Lu Lin sat in the back seat, watching through the window as the bodyguards were taken down one by one, his eyes were alarmingly bright.

He had always known that Shen Qingci commanded an elite squad comparable to assassins.

But he never thought that, ten years later, they were still there.

His big brother’s men—still there.

The car came to a steady stop at the entrance of the main building.

The door opened, and Lu Lin practically jumped out.

He circled around to the other side, opened the door, and shielded the door frame with his hand.

Shen Qingci leaned on his cane and slowly stepped out.

The night wind carried the chill of early winter, tousling the ink-black hair that fell over his shoulders. He frowned slightly.

The next second, a long cashmere coat, reaching down to his ankles, was draped over him.

Shen Qingci looked up at Lu Lin.

Lu Lin was watching him, a smile in his eyes, as if to say, "Aren’t I thoughtful?"

Shen Qingci said nothing.

He looked away, leaned on his cane, and strode toward the main building.

The cane tapped against the ground, producing crisp, rhythmic sounds.

Anyone who came running at the sound, they swiftly knocked out and dragged away by the hidden shadows, before they could even see the faces of the newcomers.

The two walked right in as if no one else existed, crossed the hallway, and arrived at the study door.

The door swung open.

Following the image in his memory, Lu Lin approached the bookshelf, pulled out the seventh book from the left on the third shelf, and turned the wall lamp half a circle clockwise.

Then, on the wall, sixth row from the floor, he pressed the fourth brick from the left.

"Click."

The bookcase began to swing open slowly.

Shen Qingci stood to the side, lightly tapping his fingers on the top of his cane.

His gaze settled on the gradually opening entrance, his expression was blank.

The opening was fully exposed. Just as he was about to step inside, a hand blocked his path.

"I'll go in first, big brother," Lu Lin’s voice was deep and magnetic. "You follow behind."

Shen Qingci watched the back of the figure who stepped first into the secret chamber, and was silent for a brief moment.

Then, leaning on his cane, he followed.