Emerging from the hospital, it was nearly midnight.
Lu Yanbei was helped into the car by Su He.
This time, Su Chen did not follow them. "I've already called a car, it will be here shortly."
He couldn't bear to have Su He go through the trouble.
Su He's thoughts were all on Lu Yanbei at the moment, and she couldn't pay attention to anything else. She could only urge Su Chen to be careful on his way and to send a message to let her know he was safe after he got back.
Su Chen smiled at her and waved goodbye.
Lu Yanbei cast a provocative glance at him, his eyes filled with the joy of a victor.
Su Chen met his gaze with an inscrutable smile, his expression unchanged, and turned to leave with a flourish.
The car slowly drove into the night. The streets were still bustling with traffic late at night.
Su He opened the thermos and poured a cup of hot water for Lu Yanbei.
Lu Yanbei sipped it slowly, and his heart, as well as his stomach, felt warm.
"You, you were a little strange today," Su He, now calm, suddenly blurted out.
Lu Yanbei feigned ignorance and hummed in response.
"Did you know my brother before?" Su He asked.
"No," Lu Yanbei replied.
"But why do I feel like you've known each other for a long time?" Su He voiced her doubts. There was something else she kept hidden in her heart.
Lu Yanbei was usually reserved and cold, and it was difficult to get a word out of him. But tonight, he had been clashing with Su Chen.
Yes, clashing.
She could smell the gunpowder in their conversation.
"Perhaps, it was love at first sight," Lu Yanbei said, his expression unreadable.
Su He remained skeptical.
However, Lu Yanbei didn't give her a chance to question further.
Because he was not feeling well and had expended considerable energy dealing with Su Chen, Lu Yanbei was truly exhausted. Not long after the car started, he drifted off to sleep.
When Su He turned to look at him, he was already fast asleep.
Lu Yanbei's head was tilted slightly to the side, and his golden-rimmed glasses had slipped down, revealing his eyes. His eyelashes were long and distinct, to the point that any girl would be envious.
Su He discovered that he looked quite charming when he slept. Less aloof, less indifferent, like a lone wolf with its claws retracted, he was as endearing as a puppy.
Su He stared with a hint of infatuation and couldn't help but reach out to touch his beautiful brows.
Lu Yanbei's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. He mumbled, "Stop messing around."
Su He was startled at first. When she realized he hadn't woken up, she breathed a sigh of relief. She tried to pull her hand away, only to find it held tightly. Fearing she might wake him, she had no choice but to let his dry fingers hold hers, giving up the struggle.
Half an hour later, the car slowly drove into the underground garage.
Su He gently nudged Lu Yanbei. "We're home."
Lu Yanbei slowly opened his eyes, and it took him a while to recognize his surroundings.
"It's cold, go back to sleep when we get inside," Su He said, putting her hat back on and opening the car door to get out.
Lu Yanbei exerted some force on her hand and pulled her back.
Su He stumbled into his embrace, her cheek pressing against his warm lips.
"A-Miao, thank you for not leaving me," Lu Yanbei murmured, his voice muffled against her shoulder as he took a deep breath.
Su He blushed shyly.
The driver was still there; he wasn't paying attention to his image.
The driver, a kind uncle, tactfully got out of the car and turned up the heater inside.
Su He: ...
After being held by Lu Yanbei for a while, Su He finally spoke in a muffled voice, "Is your stomach feeling any better?"
"Yes, much better," Lu Yanbei said, tightening his embrace without letting go.
"Then, can we go upstairs now?" Su He yawned, feeling very sleepy.
"Hold me a bit longer," Lu Yanbei said in a hoarse voice, hugging her even tighter.
Su He felt like she couldn't breathe and had to push him away forcefully. "Lu Yanbei, act normally!"
"How am I not acting normally?" Lu Yanbei curved his lips and smiled.
When someone who usually maintained a stern face suddenly smiled, it was incredibly impactful.
Su He stared at the upward curve of his lips in astonishment, her mouth slightly agape.
She really wanted to pinch his chin to see if it was a doppelganger.
Alas, before she could act on it, Lu Yanbei leaned in and kissed her.
Su He didn't remember how she finally got back upstairs. When she came to her senses, she was already on the sofa in the living room. Behind her, she could hear the sound of water rushing from the bathroom.
Su He covered her face and let out a soft moan, then quickly ran into her room and locked the door.
She went to the bathroom and looked at her flushed face in the mirror, feeling as if she were about to be cooked.
On the first day of their trial relationship, they had already kissed; the pace was too fast.
What she found most incomprehensible was that she hadn't pushed him away.
She had clearly had the opportunity.
But she hadn't.
Su He touched her slightly swollen lips, her heart beating faster and faster, as if it were about to leap out of her chest. Su He bent down, scooped up a handful of cold water, and washed her face, finally managing to bring down the heat on her face.
"You're too pathetic... it's just a kiss, look at how flustered you are..." Su He patted her face forcefully, forcing herself to calm down.
"He might just be temporarily interested in you, don't get too deeply involved!"
"Lu Yanbei, that old fox, is best at catching prey. If you truly give your heart away, you'll be picked clean to the bone."
"It's just dating, it's no big deal!"
Su He repeated her self-talk, trying to rationalize her feelings.
When she walked out of the bathroom, Su He's mood had become more serene. Although there were occasional small emotional fluctuations, they were not enough to make her panic.
After taking a shower, Su He felt much more invigorated. Remembering the unfinished manuscript from yesterday, she put on a face mask and hurried to her studio.
The story of the manga had progressed to the point where the male and female leads were unintentionally forced to become husband and wife, beginning their cohabitation.
What Su He needed to draw next was the first night of their cohabitation. The heroine would walk into the vast, maze-like house and accidentally stumble upon the male lead, who had just emerged from his bath, leading to a nosebleed and fainting.
Well, this scene was entirely based on her own real experience, with no embellishment.
Su He had excellent drawing skills and quickly rendered the male lead in his bathrobe, showcasing his pectoral and abdominal muscles, which even she found appealing. After drawing it, Su He secretly took a photo, planning to set it as her phone wallpaper.
The new installment of the story indeed caused quite a stir.
Many readers who followed the series were clamoring in the comment section, urging her to release the next chapter quickly.
"What kind of divine author is this? The drawing is too beautiful!"
"Is anyone else screenshotting and saving it like me?"
"More of this pure yet seductive style, please!"
"I can't believe I'm craving a fictional character's body!"
"The sister above, you're not alone!"
Su He had gone to sleep after finishing her drawing and hadn't had a chance to read the comments. Little did she know that the male lead character had become an overnight sensation, reaching legendary status.