Chapter 10 Childhood Sweethearts

Lu Er stood in the walk-in closet, feeling a little troubled as he faced the dazzling array of clothes in the wardrobe.

Song Jingmo usually wore business suits, but most of Lu Er’s suits had been prepared for attending events. Whether in color or style, they were far too flashy and definitely not to Song Jingmo’s taste.

Besides, Song Jingmo was slightly taller than him. If the shirt or suit didn’t fit properly, it would be uncomfortable to wear.

His gaze swept across the row of clothing before finally stopping on a dark gray casual outfit.

This brand was known for its comfortable texture, with a simple and elegant design. It looked steady and understated, so it probably wouldn’t be disliked.

After carefully choosing the outerwear, he opened a drawer and took out an unopened pair of underwear, along with a brand-new towel and socks.

Only after confirming several times that he hadn’t forgotten anything did Lu Er carry the clothes to the bathroom door of the master bedroom.

The soft, continuous sound of running water came from inside, and the blurry silhouette behind the frosted glass made his heart skip a beat.

The tips of his ears turned red with a whoosh, and all his blood seemed to rush straight to his head.

He quickly put the clothes in the dressing room, knocked on the door, and said, his voice a little tight, “I left the clothes by the door.”

The sound of water paused, and Song Jingmo’s slightly hoarse voice came from inside. “Mm. Thank you.”

Lu Er hurried back into the bedroom, not knowing where to put his hands and feet.

The ongoing sound of water seemed to carry some kind of magic, stirring his thoughts until even the air in the room began to feel warmer.

While Song Jingmo was showering, Lu Er quickly messaged Bai Zhi, asking her to bring breakfast over, specifically reminding her to get something light like porridge and soy milk.

About twenty minutes later, the sound of water stopped.

A moment later, the bathroom door opened, and warm steam mixed with the fresh scent of body wash drifted out.

Song Jingmo walked out wearing that dark gray casual outfit.

The tailoring fit him perfectly, flawlessly accentuating his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs. The excellent physique that was usually hidden beneath a white coat was now on full display.

His wet black hair hung softly over his forehead, droplets of water still sliding down. The whole person seemed to have lost a bit of his usual cold sharpness and gained a kind of relaxed, casual languor instead.

Lu Er only glanced at him once, and the roots of his ears immediately began to burn.

Damn it.

Did this man have some kind of magic? Even a casual outfit looked abstinently sexy on him.

If Song Jingmo entered the entertainment industry too, then Lu Er really wouldn’t stand a chance.

Song Jingmo took in all of Lu Er’s little reactions, and the corner of his lips curled slightly.

With a teasing, offhand tone, he asked, “Why are you so nervous?”

Lu Er put on a tough front. “I’m not nervous at all. We’re both grown men. You have what I have. What’s there to be nervous about?”

At that, Song Jingmo said nothing more and simply focused on drying his hair. His long, well-defined fingers moved through his black hair in a way that was inexplicably alluring.

“Do the clothes fit?” Lu Er took the initiative to break the silence, though his voice sounded a little dry.

“Mm, they fit. Thanks.”

Song Jingmo’s voice was warm and low after the shower, and he casually brushed back his damp hair.

In truth, the underwear didn’t fit. It was a little too tight.

Downstairs, Bai Zhi skillfully set out the tableware. Seeing that no one had come down yet, she went upstairs out of habit to call them.

“Brother Lu, breakfast is re—”

As she spoke, she pushed open the half-closed door to the master bedroom.

“Why did you suddenly want Chinese breakfa—”

Her voice cut off abruptly.

She stared in surprise at Lu Er standing in the bedroom, and at the unfamiliar man beside him, who was clearly wearing Lu Er’s clothes and yet carried an extraordinary presence.

Her face was full of shock and questions. “Brother Lu, who is this?”

Lu Er’s face heated up at once, and he hurriedly explained, “Don’t misunderstand. Doctor Song drank too much last night and it wasn’t convenient for him to go back, so he stayed here for one night.”

Bai Zhi blinked and muttered softly, “If he was just staying over, wasn’t the guest room empty?”

Since when did “staying over” mean staying in the host’s bed?

Lu Er looked a little embarrassed and answered vaguely, “The guest room hasn’t been cleaned in ages. He has a serious cleanliness obsession.”

Bai Zhi reminded him, “Company rules say if there’s a relationship, it has to be reported in advance so we can prepare a response plan.”

As she spoke, she quietly sized up Song Jingmo.

Then she leaned closer to Lu Er and lowered her voice. “He looks really good. As expected of Brother Lu—your taste is top-notch.”

“There’s no relationship!” Lu Er denied in a hurry. “Don’t talk nonsense.”

At those words, Song Jingmo’s eyes dimmed ever so slightly.

In the dining room.

Lu Er pushed a bowl of warm vegetable and lean pork porridge toward Song Jingmo, then handed him a cup of unsweetened soy milk.

Song Jingmo thanked him softly, picked up a plain boiled egg, and lightly cracked it against the edge of the table. His fingers skillfully peeled the shell, and then, as naturally as breathing, he placed the egg into Lu Er’s bowl.

The entire motion was smooth and familiar, like a long-standing habit.

Almost at the same moment, Bai Zhi had also peeled an egg and was just about to place it into Lu Er’s bowl when she noticed the egg that had beaten her to it.

Her movement paused, and her probing gaze fell on Song Jingmo.

The atmosphere instantly turned subtle.

Just then, Leng Keyan came out of the guest room rubbing his eyes. When he saw the two eggs in Lu Er’s bowl, he reached out with his chopsticks. “Give me one.”

As he spoke, his chopsticks went straight for the egg Song Jingmo had peeled.

Almost instinctively, Lu Er pushed the egg Bai Zhi had peeled—along with the bowl itself—over in front of Leng Keyan.

Leng Keyan looked at the egg in front of him, then at Lu Er and Song Jingmo.

Completely baffled, he put down his chopsticks. “Uncle, is there some difference between these two eggs?”

Lu Er: “…”

Song Jingmo: “…”

Bai Zhi complained inwardly: Heh heh, of course there’s a difference. A difference in status.

One is someone who can share a bed with him. The other is just someone working for him. How could they be the same?

From everyone’s various expressions, Leng Keyan caught a whiff of something suspicious.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that there was some wordless understanding between his uncle and Teacher Song, like a married couple who had lived together for a long time.

No, that thought was way too terrifying.

Leng Keyan shuddered. Teacher Song had been abroad for six years and had only just returned.

The two of them shouldn’t be this familiar at all.

Leng Keyan had grown up in the south and only came to northern A City five years ago for university, so he didn’t really know much about Lu Er’s earlier life.

“Uncle, do you and Teacher Song really not have any other kind of relationship?”

That question made the air go quiet for a moment.

Lu Er instinctively looked at Song Jingmo, only to see that the other man was calmly drinking his porridge. His profile looked gentle, and he even seemed to be in a fairly good mood.

A little reassured, Lu Er chose his words carefully before speaking. “We went to the same school from middle school all the way through university. You could say we basically grew up together.”

Leng Keyan suddenly understood. “So you’re childhood sweethearts!”

Bai Zhi gave a soft “oh” from the side, her gaze moving back and forth between the two of them. “No wonder you’re close enough to sleep in the same bed.”

Lu Er’s cheeks instantly burned bright red, and he was so embarrassed he didn’t know how to respond.

Actually, he had slept on the sofa last night.

But if he explained that now, wouldn’t it seem too deliberate?

Song Jingmo continued to keep silent, quietly eating his breakfast.

Only when he lifted his soy milk cup did his eyes flicker slightly. And when he looked at Lu Er again, his gaze had become noticeably gentler.