Chapter 35 – Shoulder to Shoulder
Squeezed into the same car with President Lu, Lin Yan felt a little uncomfortable — after all, he had just had that kind of dream last night.
He carefully glanced at President Lu.
Who knew, as if sensing his gaze, President Lu turned his head.
Lin Yan immediately snapped his own head away.
Cute.
Lu Heng turned back. One hand rested on the steering wheel, the other against the car door as he covered his mouth. His brows lifted slightly, his eyes unable to hide the smile within them.
With nothing to do and nowhere to place his hands, Lin Yan could only bounce his leg.
Earlier, he had gone home and looked up the model of car President Lu was driving — a Maybach. The moment he saw the price…
No wonder he didn’t recognize it. That price was a height he would never reach in his lifetime. At most, he might recognize a Mercedes.
The cars he liked were very niche. They were basically no longer in production — extremely old, very vintage, and not even guaranteed to be street-legal.
He knew quite a lot about those kinds of cars, but for other models, his interest was about the same as everyone else’s.
The vintage car model sitting in his house was the only one he truly loved — a car he would probably never get to drive in this lifetime.
Back in his hometown, though, there was a neighbor who owned a repair shop. That neighbor had one of those cars, and no one knew where he’d gotten it from. It just sat there, and when Lin Yan was little, he would always climb inside and play for a long time.
He didn’t know if that person was still there now.
Lu Heng lowered his hand, a hint of anticipation rising in his heart.
This was the first time he would be spending such a long stretch of time with Lin Yan.
“There’s water next to you. There’s a power bank in front of you. If your phone runs out of battery, you can charge it.”
Words of concern, spoken without the slightest warmth.
Lin Yan smiled politely. “Okay. Thank you, President Lu.”
The excitement he’d been feeling instantly cooled by half. Lin Yan was still somewhat distant toward him.
Lin Yan took out his phone, planning to check what the little one at home was doing.
Last night, while packing, he had been worried about what would happen to the kitten while he was gone for the next few days.
He searched online for advice and prepared several paper bowls, filling each of them to the brim.
Everyone online said that the kitten would eat a little from each bowl every day, leaving a bit behind in each one.
As for the litter box…
He dug out the unused bathtub sitting in the corner collecting dust and poured it full of cat litter.
That should be enough for Meiqiu for the next few days.
For water, he bought one of those 5-liter containers used for raising chickens. Only when he went to fill it did he realize the water at home had already run out, so he hurried downstairs and bought three liters of bottled water and poured all of it in.
Only after everything was properly arranged did Lin Yan finally feel at ease about going on this trip.
And while Lin Yan was preparing all of this, Meiqiu was planning a very big mission: to cut the power to the surveillance camera.
As for whether he succeeded…
The answer was obvious — the screen Lin Yan was looking at was completely black, displaying: Device Disconnected.
Heh.
Looks like the camera really should have been mounted higher on the wall, somewhere that little guy couldn’t reach.
Now Lin Yan felt uneasy. He was worried that the little one wouldn’t eat well or drink enough over the next few days.
Out of the corner of his eye, Lu Heng noticed the dark screen on Lin Yan’s phone. He had already guessed that Lin Yan would check the surveillance, so he had cut the power in advance.
He also clearly saw the person beside him widen his eyes slightly when he realized the camera had gone offline.
The more Lu Heng thought about it, the warmer his heart felt. Everything Lin Yan did seemed incredibly cute to him.
Lin Yan put his phone away. Since the camera was broken, maybe he should ask a colleague to go over and check on the kitten for him.
He was just about to contact someone when the car began to slow, rolling forward steadily before coming to a stop.
“We’re here.”
The car stopped in front of the hotel entrance. Lin Yan looked up. The building was lavishly decorated — clearly not cheap.
Did his hometown even have a place like this?
He’d only been gone for a year.
Had this little run-down place really changed this much?
He was still puzzled, finding it strange that his hometown could have such a high-end hotel.
“We won’t make it there today. We’ll rest here for the night.”
So that was it. No wonder something had felt off. His hometown was still pretty far — there was no way they could’ve arrived already.
He had even wondered if a million-yuan car was just that fast.
Which, honestly, wasn’t much different.
Just a bit faster than his electric scooter.
Lu Heng got out to retrieve the luggage from the trunk. The hotel staff came out to greet them and helped carry the bags.
Lin Yan had very little with him — just a single backpack. He didn’t need much for a short trip, and he never liked carrying too many things. Basic necessities were enough.
When the trunk was opened, Lin Yan bent down to grab his bag, searching for a while but not seeing it.
Had he left it on the back seat?
He turned and went to the rear of the car.
Passing by President Lu, he quickly explained, “President Lu, I’m just getting my bag.”
Before reaching the back seat, Lin Yan suddenly stopped.
The bag slung over President Lu’s shoulder… Why did it look exactly like his?
He laughed and said, “President Lu, my bag looks just like yours.”
Lu Heng’s face remained stern, the corner of his mouth pressing downward.
“This is your bag.”
The moment he said that, Lin Yan straightened up completely.
How could he be so stupid?
He hurried forward and took his bag.
Lu Heng turned away, lowering his head with a soft smile. His tone was still cool, but now it seemed to carry a trace of warmth.
“Let’s go.”
The person behind him had to jog a few steps to catch up.
How could he dare?
How could Lin Yan let President Lu carry his bag?
But now he didn’t know what to do — how was he supposed to get the bag onto his own back?
At that moment, he suddenly thought of Meiqiu.
What on earth should he do?
How was he supposed to handle this superior–subordinate relationship?
Forget it.
Lin Yan followed silently.
If President Lu wanted to carry the bag, then let him.
Let him carry it.
Carry it as much as he liked.
Lu Heng slowed and noticed Lin Yan behind him. He reached out, grabbed Lin Yan, and with a firm pull dragged him over to his side.
Shoulder to shoulder.
Great — and here I was already walking too slow.
Lin Yan felt miserable inside. How could he dare walk in front of President Lu? And how could he possibly keep up with him? Their leg lengths weren’t even comparable.
Sigh.
Lin Yan was tugged and pulled straight into the elevator.
After they exited the elevator, President Lu didn’t hand him a room key. Lin Yan found that strange.
Then the two of them entered a suite.
…Were they staying together?
Although the suite had two bedrooms, it still felt like living under the same roof.
It made him a little uncomfortable.
“Let’s stay here for now.” Lu Heng set Lin Yan’s things down. “We’ll make do for one night.”
Since the boss had spoken — and didn’t seem uncomfortable at all — Lin Yan certainly couldn’t be.
Lu Heng then went to the door to receive the luggage the hotel staff had delivered.
The room on the left was a bit smaller. Lin Yan planned to stay there.
“President Lu, you must be tired from driving. You should rest first.”
This was the most uncomfortable business trip Lin Yan had ever been on.
All the way here, President Lu’s brows had been tightly knit. Lin Yan hadn’t dared say a single word. If it weren’t for the fact that they were heading to his hometown, he wouldn’t even want to be on a business trip with President Lu.
Actually, there was an even bigger reason.
He’d dreamed about kissing this man last night — and now the next day they were on a business trip together, staying under the same roof.
Who would feel at ease in that situation?
Supporting himself with both hands, Lin Yan flopped backward onto the bed.
So comfortable.
Once he closed his eyes, that dream kept resurfacing. It felt too real — as if he truly had been tangled up with President Lu for quite some time.
The softness of those lips felt as though it had actually happened.
Thinking about it again, something was definitely wrong — because Lin Yan reacted physically once more, so uncomfortable he could barely stand it.
He turned over.
And fell asleep.
After setting down the luggage, Lu Heng opened his laptop and went through the documents Secretary He had sent. One look was enough to tell that the project could be wrapped up quickly.
The local contact had already been arranged.
All that was left was for them to go over.
Time passed bit by bit. The sky was almost completely dark.
Lu Heng felt it was about time for dinner.
He was about to call Lin Yan to go eat together.
A light knock on the door.
Lin Yan woke up. He hadn’t covered himself with a blanket, and the temperature at night here was a bit lower.
He sniffed, walked over, and opened the door.
“President Lu.”
Lu Heng frowned slightly as he looked at Lin Yan.
Had this guy just taken a nap? There were sleep marks on his face.
He raised his hand, wanting to pinch his cheek — but restrained himself.
Instead, he shoved his hand into his pants pocket and refused to take it out.
“Want to eat?”
It was already mealtime. Lin Yan thought about it. Eating with the big boss made him feel a bit uncomfortable — just like last time, when he sat beside him and didn’t dare say a word.
That time, Madam Lu had been there.
This time, it was just the two of them.
So Lin Yan’s first instinct was to refuse. “Uh… I—”
Before he could finish, Lu Heng tossed a jacket at him.
“Let’s go.”
Lin Yan had no choice but to follow.
When they reached downstairs and stepped out of the hotel, Lin Yan finally realized — he knew this place.
This was where he had spent three years of high school.
Then why were they passing through here on the way to Liaocheng?
This wasn’t even on the route.
Could there be a project here?
“You studied here for three years in high school, right?” Lu Heng slowed his pace so they could walk side by side.
“Yes.”
As Lin Yan was still puzzling over it, Lu Heng continued, “When I go on business trips, I’m used to bringing a local along. It makes things easier.”
“That’s true.”
Lin Yan was wrapped in President Lu’s jacket. The knitted cardigan was a bit big on him. When a gust of wind blew by, he hugged himself and pulled the jacket tighter.
“What do you want to eat?” Lu Heng asked.
He himself hadn’t been here in many years. He had only stayed for a short time before leaving.
But there was a noodle shop he had been craving for a long time. He just didn’t know if he could bring President Lu there.
Lu Heng glanced at Lin Yan, seeing that he wasn’t saying anything.
Hadn’t this guy always said there was a noodle place here that was really good?
So why was he suddenly so quiet now that they were here?
“I heard there’s a noodle shop here that’s really good. Want to go?” Lu Heng spoke up, not waiting for Lin Yan to respond.
Lin Yan was surprised that President Lu even knew about that place. Since he wanted to go, then they’d go.
“President Lu, you actually know about it?” Lin Yan said. “It’s just… the place is a bit small, and the environment isn’t that great.”
Wasn’t that because you told me?
Lu Heng nodded. “That’s fine. Let’s go.”
This small county town was tiny. After only a few steps, they arrived.
“Go ahead, President Lu.”
When they reached the entrance, Lin Yan looked around. The old hole-in-the-wall had been renovated, and the owner had expanded the shop.
It really looked different now.
Better than before — and cleaner, too.
So many years had passed. Lin Yan felt a bit nostalgic.
It turned out that many things would move in a better direction — only the original version of them could no longer be found.
But then again… who stays in the past forever?
“Come in, please.”
Lin Yan found a seat and sat down. Lu Heng followed and sat beside him.
“Any recommendations?” Lu Heng asked.
Before the waiter could speak, Lin Yan answered, “They only have one kind of noodle — pork liver noodles.”
“Alright.”
“Two bowls of pork liver noodles,” Lin Yan told the waiter.
“Got it. Please wait a moment.”
Lu Heng normally didn’t like organ meats, but since Lin Yan wanted to eat here, he came along.
A few minutes later, Lu Heng completely abandoned his dislike for organ meats.
He finally understood why Lin Yan had been craving this.
It was way too delicious.
Seeing that President Lu had been quietly eating the whole time, Lin Yan knew — another person had been conquered by these noodles.
He stood up, poured a glass of water, and handed it to Lu Heng.
“Thank you.” Lu Heng tried to maintain his elegance, making sure his eating manners didn’t become too exaggerated.
“President Lu, it tastes pretty good, right?” Lin Yan asked cautiously. He had been craving this for so long. Back in high school, he came here all the time. Back then, hardly anyone liked it — he was the only one who kept talking about it.
Lu Heng nodded and continued eating.
Lin Yan didn’t know why, but seeing President Lu also surrender to good food made him oddly happy. He pulled out a tissue and handed it to Lu Heng.
Lu Heng took it and wiped the corner of his mouth.
“Thanks.”
“No need to thank me, President Lu,” Lin Yan said. “It’s what I should do.”
The waiter then brought over two bowls of soup. After setting them down, the waiter looked closely at Lin Yan.
“Hey… you’re from the Class of ’16, right?”
After taking the bowl, Lin Yan slid one over toward President Lu and added a spoonful of chopped scallions.
The soup steamed gently, the aroma rising straight into the air.
“Yes,” Lin Yan replied.
The moment he had walked in, he felt the waiter looked familiar — it really was the same person as before.
“You haven’t been here in a long time,” the waiter said with a smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “Didn’t come back after graduation, right?”
“Yeah. I just thought you looked familiar.”
“Haha, I’ve just gotten a bit older — you couldn’t recognize me anymore.”
Ten years of time could wear down many sharp edges. Even if a shop stayed in the same place, the people inside often changed.
“You two are still that close, huh?”
The waiter looked at the two of them.
Lin Yan quickly explained, “No, he’s our boss.”
“Oh, I see.” The waiter laughed awkwardly. “Enjoy your meal.”
After the waiter left, Lin Yan considered explaining further, but decided there was no need and stayed quiet.
Then Lu Heng spoke.
“The person he mentioned — was it Gu Han?”