Chapter 26 – Returning
The next day, Lu Heng stood in front of the locked door, lost in thought. The door could lock a kitten inside, but it certainly couldn’t stop him.
Lin Yan was really adorable.
Not long after Lin Yan went out, he turned back into a human.
It was always like this — the moment Lin Yan left, he would change back.
He got up, put on his clothes, and prepared to take back the things he had hidden here.
He hadn’t really been to this new home of his — strictly speaking, he had only seen photos of it.
Knowing roughly what it looked like was enough.
However, Secretary He had once casually mentioned that someone had broken into this apartment before.
The owner was a woman, and it had nearly resulted in something bad.
Because of that, the keypad lock had been removed and replaced with a normal key lock.
Thinking about it, he decided he should remind Lin Yan not to use a password lock in the future, and especially not to set his birthday as the door code.
That way, anyone who knew his personal information could get inside.
As the thought turned over in his mind, another realization suddenly struck him: Wasn’t he the intruder?
His eyelashes lowered.
The corner of his lips pressed together slightly.
His eyes closed awkwardly, then opened again as he looked around the bedroom.
He reached out and touched the bed.
Lin Yan’s warmth was still there. They had been sleeping in the same bed these past few days.
Every night, Lin Yan would hold him — sometimes even kiss him.
To his surprise, he didn’t resist it at all. Instead, he actually enjoyed it.
Every bit of that contact made him happy.
The way animals recognize their owner was really terrifying. It made him mistake all of this for affection.
But he was only an intruder. Up until now, Lin Yan still didn’t know that he was Meiqiu.
Then another thought came to him — at least Lin Yan was a man, and he was just a cat.
That idea overwhelmed the previous one. He forcefully pushed the earlier thought aside; it made him feel a little better.
Just as he was about to pack up his things, his phone rang.
This secondary phone had always been kept in a box here.
Every night, after waking up, he would jump down from the bed to charge it.
Luckily, there was an outlet near the bedpost — whether it was part of the original design or not, he didn’t know, but it certainly made things convenient.
Calls from his main phone would automatically be forwarded to this one. When he checked the screen, it was an unfamiliar number.
He answered cautiously.
“Hello?”
“Lu Heng.”
A familiar voice came from the other end.
It was his mother.
“Mom.”
“Are you at the company or at home?” Ding Yue’s tone was light and cheerful.
“I happen to be nearby. Want me to come see you?”
“Mom, I—”
“Don’t tell me not to come,” Ding Yue interrupted. She knew her son well.
If she didn’t insist, she might already be gone by the time he finally came home to see her.
“Then I’ll just go to your office.”
From Lu Heng’s reaction, it sounded like he wasn’t at the office — probably at the new place he had just bought.
Ding Yue felt she needed to find time to go take a look and see if there was any ‘hidden beauty in a golden house’ situation going on.
“Alright.”
When he arrived at the company, Lu Heng stepped out of the elevator. Dressed in a crisp, well-tailored suit, he looked sharp and capable.
Secretary He had already been waiting at the elevator lobby.
“President Lu, you have a meeting this morning. It may last quite a while. I’ve informed Madam — she said she’ll come by in the afternoon.”
Lu Heng gave a slight nod and walked toward his office.
On the way, he passed by the Fourth Technical Department and casually glanced inside.
At that exact moment, Lin Yan was scrolling through his phone, staring at the post Lu Heng had sent yesterday.
Their eyes met.
To everyone else, President Lu’s calm, imposing expression looked incredibly handsome.
But to Lin Yan, who was clearly slacking off, it was terrifying.
He immediately looked away, returned his gaze to the computer, and pretended to be busy.
Oh my god — the big boss’s stare was way too scary. He had only glanced at his phone once and still got caught.
What terrible luck.
Lin Yan was feeling miserable when, the next second, a text message popped up: Bonus credited.
He hunched slightly and glanced around.
President Lu was already gone.
Now completely at ease, he picked up his phone and checked the amount.
The moment he saw the number, the gloomy mood Lu Heng had caused earlier vanished instantly.
Money really does cure everything.
Lin Yan opened the work group chat.
Lin Yan Yan Yan Yan～: [Bonus is in. Let’s go out and eat tonight.]
cx Little Angel: [Mine too! I’m not even the project lead and I still got a share. Thank you, President Lu.]
yy Genius Representative: [Same here. Thanks, President Lu.]
Wang Hao Is a Handsome Guy: [Huh? Am I the only one who didn’t get it?]
Lin Yan Yan Yan Yan～: [Maybe you should reflect on whether you were slacking off.]
Wang Hao Is a Handsome Guy: [I wasn’t! I’ve been working my butt off these past few days — more overtime than you used to do.]
One second later—
Wang Hao Is a Handsome Guy: [It’s here, it’s here. Probably just delayed.]
Wang Hao Is a Handsome Guy: [President Lu, I will follow you forever.]
Lin Yan couldn’t help laughing at them.
He exited the group chat and started choosing a place for dinner.
Then a notification popped up at the top of his screen — a new comment on his post.
After posting it last night, he had turned on comment alerts.
He tapped it open.
Someone had replied, claiming the story was about themselves.
Curious, Lin Yan clicked on the profile.
The account had no personal photos, only scattered posts. The most recent one was a flight ticket back to the country. The owner of the account seemed wealthy.
He didn’t know why he felt that way — just that the account gave him the same impression as his boss.
Refined. Reserved. Elegant.
The account’s username even contained the same character “Heng” as his boss’s name.
Lin Yan didn’t think much of it — after all, his boss had just been staring straight at him. There was no way he could suddenly teleport back from abroad.
The account didn’t have many posts. Most of them were casual snapshots of life overseas.
Lin Yan replied.
Lin Xiaoyan: Hello, I left the bracelet at home. I’ll look for it once I get back.
It was best to return something like this to its owner as soon as possible. Keeping it himself always felt a bit uneasy.
Wang Xingheng: Okay. I happen to be nearby at noon.
Lin Yan stared at the message and realized he had included his address tag when he replied.
He lowered his head and typed back:
Lin Xiaoyan: Okay.
After Lu Heng’s meeting ended, he returned to his office.
Secretary He had already reheated his lunch and placed it on the desk.
As usual, he scrolled through posts while eating to pass the time.
The moment he opened the app, the algorithm pushed Lin Yan’s account to him.
Lu Heng had been paying special attention to this account ever since Lin Yan posted his very first entry — he just hadn’t followed it.
Every time, he deliberately searched for it instead.
There were new comments under the post.
He scrolled down and saw the most recent reply.
The avatar looked strangely familiar.
When he tapped into the profile, he suddenly remembered — it was his alternate account, the one his mother had been using.
Then he saw the reply.
Lin Xiaoyan: I’ll go back to get it after work.
After work…
Did that mean after twelve?
Lu Heng checked the time.
It was already twelve.
He didn’t waste a second and immediately went to the Fourth Technical Department.
The anxious hope in his chest finally died.
Lin Yan’s desk was already empty.
This is such an interesting novel, I’m hooked! Please continue tling it :,) thank you for your hard work