Chapter 263 Song Jingmo, You’ve Ruined Me!

The next morning, Lu Er woke up in a familiar, bone-deep soreness.

How to describe it? It felt like he had secretly gone to a construction site in the middle of the night and carried five hundred bags of cement.

In short—moving even a little was a struggle.

He sucked in a sharp breath. His eyelids hadn’t even fully opened yet when he started cursing groggily, “Song Jingmo, you beast…”

His voice was hoarse, thick with sleep and full of accusation.

A slight rustling sound came from beside the bed. Then a warm palm covered his sore lower back, kneading it with just the right amount of pressure.

Song Jingmo’s voice carried a satisfied rasp, along with a faint trace of amusement. “Awake? Does it hurt a lot?”

“Obviously!”

Lu Er forced his eyes open and glared at the neatly dressed man sitting by the bed. “You tell me if it hurts! I told you to be gentle last night—did your ears stop working?”

Song Jingmo didn’t stop massaging, his expression innocent. “I was very gentle.”

After a pause, he added with a hint of grievance, “The sheets and blanket are completely clean. Didn’t dirty them at all—no need to change anything.”

Last night, Lu Er had issued a harsh warning: if Song Jingmo made a mess, he wouldn’t be allowed near him for three months.

Washing bedding on the first day of the New Year? Song Jingmo absolutely couldn’t bear that embarrassment.

Thinking of this, Lu Er’s face heated up.

His momentum weakened a bit, but he still snapped, “That’s because my warning worked. Otherwise—”

“Otherwise I’d be doomed.”

Song Jingmo smoothly picked up the thread, leaning down to kiss Lu Er’s cheek, still marked with sleep lines.

His voice was so gentle it could melt water. “So thank you, President Lu, for showing mercy and sparing my life.”

Lu Er, disarmed by such straightforward submission, snorted lightly and let him continue the massage.

Song Jingmo’s technique really was professional. After a while, the stiffness and soreness eased quite a bit.

Half an hour later, Song Jingmo brought over a set of clean clothes he had already prepared—everything from underwear to socks—and patiently dressed Lu Er piece by piece.

“What time is it?”

As the last sweater was pulled over him, Lu Er asked lazily.

Song Jingmo glanced at his watch. “Ten thirty.”

“What?!”

Lu Er’s eyes flew open. He almost sprang out of bed, only for his aching waist to betray him, making him collapse back with a grimace. “Why didn’t you wake me up?!”

“You were sleeping so soundly, I didn’t have the heart to.”

Song Jingmo adjusted his collar, tone calm. “I got up at eight and went downstairs to have breakfast with Mom and my brother.”

Lu Er felt like the sky was collapsing.

“Eight… ten thirty…”

Muttering to himself, he grabbed Song Jingmo’s arm, despair written all over his face. “It’s over, it’s over… Song Jingmo, you’ve ruined me!”

“You went downstairs at eight—my mom and brother must know what we did last night…”

He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence, his face flushing bright red.

Wasn’t that basically the same as holding up a sign announcing how intense their night had been?

“Don’t panic.”

Seeing how flustered he was, Song Jingmo found him both adorable and pitiful.

He quickly reassured him, “Only Mom, my brother, and I were at breakfast. Sister-in-law didn’t come down either.”

Lu Er’s wail cut off abruptly. He blinked. “She didn’t get up either?”

“Mm.”

Song Jingmo nodded, smiling. “My brother said she was a bit tired and needed more rest. So I said you were a bit tired too. Mom didn’t say anything.”

Only then did the heart that had been lodged in Lu Er’s throat slowly settle halfway back down.

If his sister-in-law also overslept… then it didn’t seem quite as embarrassing?

At least he wasn’t the only one.

“I need to get up quickly—have to beat her downstairs.”

Muttering, Lu Er threw off the blanket. The moment his feet touched the floor, his legs gave out. Song Jingmo reacted quickly and caught him.

“Want me to carry you to wash up?”

“No!”

Lu Er refused decisively, inching his way toward the bathroom step by step, his back stubborn yet pitiful. “Stay away from me. I don’t want to see you right now.”

Song Jingmo rubbed his nose, knowing his partner was in a prickly mood, and wisely stayed put.

But his gaze never left him, afraid he might fall.

By the time Lu Er finally finished washing up and made himself somewhat presentable before going downstairs, the grandfather clock in the living room was already pointing steadily at eleven.

Leng Qinghua was sitting on the sofa reading a magazine. Hearing footsteps, she looked up.

Her gaze lingered briefly on Lu Er’s still slightly tired face, then swept over the energetic Song Jingmo. She said nothing, only set down the magazine.

“You’re up?”

Her tone was calm. “Lunch is being prepared in the kitchen. Eat before you leave—don’t drive on an empty stomach.”

“Oh… okay.”

Lu Er responded quietly, not daring to meet her eyes. He pulled Song Jingmo along and sat down on the nearby sofa.

Just then, footsteps and a lazy yawn came from the stairs.

Luo Bingbing came down arm in arm with Lu Chen, dressed in comfortable homewear. Her hair fell loosely over her shoulders, her face carrying the soft flush of just waking up.

“Oh, Lu Er and Jingmo are up too?”

She greeted them with a smile.

As she got closer, her gaze swept over Lu Er—lingering for half a second on the faint red marks at the side of his neck that even the high collar couldn’t fully hide.

Then she glanced at the refreshed and spirited Song Jingmo.

The next second, she burst out laughing, quickly covering her mouth and burying her face in Lu Chen’s shoulder, her body shaking with suppressed giggles.

Lu Chen couldn’t help but smile as well, his eyes darting between the two with clear amusement.

Lu Er felt uneasy under their laughter.

Subconsciously, he touched his neck and tugged at his collar. The heat that had just faded from his face flared up again instantly.

He shot a glare at Song Jingmo, whose eyes were full of laughter, his gaze full of accusation.

After laughing enough, Luo Bingbing leaned toward Lu Chen and whispered, “Lu Er used to be so fierce growing up—always either breaking someone else’s arm or ending up in a cast himself. Known as a little wolf everywhere… Who would’ve thought…”

Lu Chen suppressed a laugh. “Exactly. The way he orders Jingmo around all the time—you’d never guess…”

“Lu Chen, Luo Bingbing, that’s enough…”

Lu Er finally couldn’t take it anymore. His face was so red it looked ready to drip blood. If not for his aching waist, he might’ve jumped up to spar with his brother. “It’s New Year’s Day—can you two be serious?!”

Song Jingmo reached out and gently wrapped an arm around Lu Er’s shoulders, pulling him slightly closer in a protective gesture.

Looking at his amused brother and sister-in-law, he said gently, “Brother, sister-in-law, stop teasing him. Lu Er is thin-skinned—if you keep going, he’ll give me the cold shoulder for days.”

Luo Bingbing laughed even more at his protective stance, waving her hand. “Alright, alright, we’ll stop.”

Linking arms with Lu Chen, she headed toward the dining room. “Let’s eat, let’s eat—I’m starving. Won’t tease you two anymore.”