Chapter 38 – Moved
Lu Heng’s car was parked outside while he waited for Lin Yan to come back from buying water. He watched as Lin Yan went inside.
Resting one hand on the steering wheel, he lightly tapped the wheel cover with his index finger, patiently waiting.
A while passed.
Still no sign of him.
Does buying water really take that long?
He glanced at his watch — fifteen minutes had already gone by, and Lin Yan still hadn’t come out.
Could something have happened?
Lu Heng turned his gaze toward the shop entrance.
He saw a person carrying something, crouching low and inching forward step by step, almost crawling. Only after getting some distance from the door did the person finally straighten up.
The person then lifted a cup of alcohol, pried it open, and drained it in one gulp.
Lu Heng frowned.
Why does that person look so strange?
Inside the shop, Lin Yan was being held back by the owner.
“I didn’t take anything,” Lin Yan said. “Just two bottles of water.”
The owner refused to let it go. He raised his voice and swept his eyes over Lin Yan from head to toe.
“So young, yet already like this. You must have done this kind of thing plenty of times.”
That look made Lin Yan deeply uncomfortable.
He frowned, shook off the owner’s hand, and didn’t want to argue further. He also didn’t want President Lu waiting outside for too long.
Just as he was about to leave, the owner blocked his path again, grabbing him and pulling him backward. Lin Yan looked at him.
The owner seemed to use him as a support point and climbed out from behind the glass counter.
His legs got stuck, and he flailed awkwardly back and forth on top of the counter.
The scene looked ridiculous.
If he weren’t the one caught in the middle of it, Lin Yan might have laughed out loud.
In fact, he really couldn’t hold it in — he chuckled briefly.
“You’re not leaving,” the owner said. “Either return what you took, or pay for it.”
That struggle seemed to drain all the owner’s strength for the day. He was drenched in sweat, cursing Lin Yan nonstop. His unreasonable attitude was written all over his face.
But Lin Yan truly hadn’t taken anything.
Such a small shop — what could possibly be worth a fortune?
Not wanting to waste time, Lin Yan replied calmly, “Just tell me what it is. I’ll compensate you.”
From everything that had happened, it was obvious this owner was not someone easy to deal with. In such a remote place, the shop probably didn’t have much business. He had clearly decided to pin the blame on someone, and arguing with him would get nowhere.
Lin Yan knew the people here — everyone was terrified of poverty. This owner was surely the same, squeezing money from anyone he could.
“The alcohol over there is gone,” the owner said.
His gaze landed on the shelf behind Lin Yan — the very place Lin Yan had been standing at earlier, looking for quite a while.
But just a moment ago, there had been someone there.
Lin Yan looked up.
That person was gone.
So that person hadn’t been shopping at all — he had been waiting for someone to block the owner’s view before slipping away.
By the time Lin Yan realized it, the man had already disappeared.
“I didn’t take it,” Lin Yan said.
“I saw you standing there for ages. Now the alcohol is missing. What do you say we do about that?”
Lin Yan took a deep breath.
“Alright. How much? I’ll pay you.”
“Five yuan.”
Feeling he had no way to argue — the man from earlier was nowhere to be found, and there were no security cameras in this place — Lin Yan was just about to pay the owner.
“Wait.”
Two people walked in from outside. Both Lin Yan and the owner looked over.
“President Lu.”
Lu Heng was holding a man by the collar with one hand, lifting him as easily as if he were carrying a chicken. The man’s body was limp and boneless.
The next second, Lu Heng released his grip. With no support, the man collapsed onto the floor.
The man was still clutching a bottle. As he fell, the glass liquor bottle rolled out of his hand and slid all the way to Lin Yan’s feet.
“Boss, don’t accuse the wrong person,” Lu Heng said coldly as he shot the owner a sharp look.
Crushed by Lu Heng’s overwhelming presence, the owner instantly lost his earlier arrogance. He lowered his head to look.
Someone was lying behind the counter, sprawled on the floor, eyes unfocused, looking as though he had been soaked in alcohol.
“Heh, it’s you again, Huang Laoxian,” the owner scolded the man on the ground. “I even deliberately left a bottle out, and you still came to steal it.”
Lu Heng stepped forward and pulled Lin Yan to his side, his tone gentle.
“Come here.”
Lin Yan obediently stood behind him.
“Boss, I want you to apologize to him.”
The owner looked up, smiling ingratiatingly.
“Little brother, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It was a misunderstanding. I really didn’t see this guy earlier — I don’t even know when he slipped in.”
“Mm.”
Lin Yan nodded.
Then his hand was taken by another strong, steady hand, and he followed along.
All the grievance he’d felt just moments ago vanished.
The only thought in his head was: President Lu is holding my hand.
When they reached the passenger side of the car, Lu Heng opened the door and, still holding Lin Yan’s hand, gently placed him inside.
After starting the car, Lu Heng glanced over and saw Lin Yan sitting there in a daze. He reached out and lightly touched Lin Yan’s head.
Suddenly, he was startled by his own instinctive action.
Since when did he behave like this?
Why had it felt so natural?
Embarrassed, he withdrew his hand.
Could it be because Lin Yan always touched his head first?
“What’s wrong? Still upset?”
Lin Yan shook his head. He had simply not processed everything yet — the warmth of Lu Heng’s hand was still lingering in his palm.
“No… I was just thinking how lucky it was that you were there, President Lu.”
The atmosphere in the car instantly grew several degrees more intimate.
Lu Heng always found himself stirred by just one sentence from Lin Yan.
“Protecting one’s own interests is a basic requirement for a future employee,” he said.
There it was — another one of his lines.
Lu Heng, Lu Heng — you’re obviously just afraid he’ll be bullied.
Fine. Let me add one more line: “Don’t suffer in silence.”
…On second thought, it would’ve been better if he hadn’t said anything at all.
“Yes, President Lu is right,” Lin Yan replied.
Lu Heng chose to stay quiet for the moment.
The car drove steadily down the road. He glanced at the time — it was still early. Maybe he should accompany Lin Yan a bit longer to help him clear his mind. Today his emotions had been all over the place.
“Is there anywhere else you’d like to go?” he asked.
“Um…” Lin Yan thought for a moment. “Probably not—”
“It’s fine. You don’t come back very often,” Lu Heng interrupted.
“President Lu, would you like to come see my place?” Lin Yan asked. He hadn’t stayed at home for a long time.
He wasn’t sure what condition the house was in now. He usually asked his aunt to check on it — see if there were leaks or if anything was missing. But he didn’t like troubling others, so he always transferred her some money first. Only after receiving it would she go take a look.
“Sure. Let’s go.”
Lin Yan fiddled with the navigation system in Lu Heng’s car but couldn’t quite figure it out.
“Send me the location on my phone. I’ll navigate,” Lu Heng said.
He still didn’t have Lin Yan’s contact information, and he needed an excuse to add him. In truth, anyone who knew cars would know you could just use voice navigation — but Lin Yan clearly didn’t.
“Oh… okay.” Lin Yan felt a little awkward. He didn’t have Lu Heng’s contact either. Then he spoke softly, “President Lu, I’ll add you.”
“Mm.”
Lu Heng opened his contact app.
After the request was accepted, Lin Yan sent the location. The two of them headed toward their destination.
As they were about to arrive, Lin Yan glanced toward the auto repair shop and saw the same car still parked there.
“That car is still here.”
Lu Heng had been paying attention to everything Lin Yan said. When Lin Yan spoke, he responded,
“Is that the model car you were talking about?”
The moment the words left his mouth, Lu Heng regretted it.
Why did he say that?
Now how was he supposed to explain it? Forget it. Explaining would only make things messier. He decided to see how Lin Yan reacted — if Lin Yan didn’t pursue it, he’d pretend he never said it.
“How do you know?” Lin Yan asked.
He had never mentioned owning a car model to anyone around him. How did President Lu know?
“People who like cars usually buy that model to display at home,” Lu Heng said. He knew the excuse was flimsy, but he forced himself to stay calm.
“I just saw it — it’s a vintage classic, right?” he added. “That model has been discontinued for years.”
“Yes.”
Phew.
Lu Heng let out a quiet breath. Looks like he’d managed to bluff his way through.
“Now that there are so many new-energy vehicles,” Lin Yan said to himself, “do you think they’ll ever make one that looks like a vintage car on the outside, but with high-tech features inside? If that existed, I’d definitely buy it.”
“There will be,” Lu Heng said.
“If I ever get the chance to write that program, that would be amazing. It would feel like designing the car myself,” Lin Yan said.
“Mm.”
“Then you’d better do it properly — not like your car, which can’t even use voice navigation,” Lin Yan added.
Lu Heng pressed his lips together and gave the steering wheel a firm turn, as if telling the car: Don’t get angry. Don’t get angry.
A performance-oriented car didn’t care whether it was smart or not. After all, you couldn’t have both.
“President Lu, I think we’re almost there.”
“Mm.” Lu Heng straightened the wheel. “We’re here.”
He had thought there was still some distance left. He didn’t expect to arrive so quickly.
Lin Yan got out of the car, pulled his keys from his bag, and opened the front gate.
His home was a two-story self-built house beside a small river. Although the houses here were privately built, they were required to keep the same exterior style, giving the neighborhood a distinctive charm.
A large tree hung over the entrance, its trunk thick and old, clearly standing there for many years.
Lu Heng followed Lin Yan inside. The house looked small but elegant — living here would be very comfortable.
He looked around for a moment. The home felt warm and cozy. Two floors were more than enough for a small household. Fine cracks ran along the walls — the house was clearly old.
As they walked forward, they suddenly heard a cat.
“Meow.”
“President Lu, did you hear that?” Lin Yan turned to him. “It sounds like a cat.”
“Yes.” Lu Heng followed him, tracking the sound.
Lin Yan walked to the corner of the house. There, he saw a large orange cat lying weakly on the ground, looking as though it hadn’t eaten for a long time.
The cat was curled up in the corner and seemed injured. When they approached, it didn’t even try to run.
When they looked closer, they saw dried blood on its leg, the wounds already scabbed over.
Anyone who loves cats can’t bear to see animals suffer. Lin Yan stepped forward and gently examined the injury, carefully rubbing the cat’s paw.
“Meow!”
Sensing Lin Yan’s approach, the cat hissed at him.
Lin Yan’s heart ached. He looked at Lu Heng.
“There’s a kitten here. It’s hurt.”
Lu Heng saw it too and crouched beside him, but the cat didn’t hiss at Lu Heng.
“President Lu… it doesn’t seem to reject you.”
Of course — because I’m a cat too.
But Lu Heng had no intention of saying that. Seeing the cat’s pitiful state, he couldn’t help feeling a pang of sympathy.
Lin Yan tried to pick the cat up but was hissed at again.
Suddenly, he remembered Meiqiu.
Meiqiu had taught him that when you meet someone you don’t like, you should hiss at them.
So Lin Yan stopped. He didn’t dare move closer.
Lu Heng stepped forward and picked the cat up instead.
“Is there a pet hospital nearby?”
“Yes, there is.”
The two of them hadn’t even stayed in the house for a few minutes before they were already carrying the injured kitten around, searching everywhere for a pet hospital.
After wandering through several streets, they finally found one at the end of the road.
“Doctor, please take a look.”
After a long examination, the results came out: the little one was severely malnourished, and that leg would need surgery to heal.
The kitten also clearly looked like it had been wandering outside for a long time.
It would have to be hospitalized for treatment and observation.
As Lu Heng watched the kitten receiving an IV drip, his heart felt heavy.
If Lin Yan hadn’t rescued him back then, would he also have been injured like this… unable to go home?
“Alright, doctor. Please take good care of it,” Lin Yan said.
After settling the kitten, worry crept onto his face.
If the kitten recovered, then what?
What should happen afterward?
Lu Heng noticed Lin Yan’s furrowed brow. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m just thinking about what to do with the kitten later,” Lin Yan said worriedly. “I already have one cat at home.”
Lu Heng raised his brows. “Then just raise another one. A lot of people keep several cats now — they can keep each other company.”
Lin Yan shook his head. “No. Having just my one cat is enough. I can’t let another cat take away my love.”
Lu Heng’s eyes brightened slightly. His lips parted, his heart skipped a beat.
The person in front of him was no longer simply an employee, nor a master.
He was moved — deeply.
The feelings in his heart could no longer be restrained. He had to admit: it wasn’t loyalty, not dependence, and not instinct.
It was that with every day, every moment, every second of being cared for by Lin Yan, he had fallen in love.
On the way back, they booked a hotel and planned to return the next day.
This time, he didn’t reserve a suite — he booked two rooms.
Directly across from each other.
As they were about to enter their rooms, Lu Heng called out, “Lin Yan.”
Lin Yan turned back.
The look in Lu Heng’s eyes held something deeper, more tender.
“Do you think… the type of person you like could be someone like me?”