After that, a few days passed just like that, and Lin Yu went back to freeloading at Luo Shaotian’s place as usual.
During this time, Luo Shaotian also noticed the disappearance of the metal collar on her neck.
“Where’s that collar?”
One morning, he casually asked the question.
“Ah… that thing? It seemed like it broke, so I threw it away.”
Lin Yu had been secretly adding “ingredients” into the milk, and the sudden question scared her so much that her hand twitched—she almost emptied the whole bottle of her “special formula” into it.
Such a sloppy excuse… she had no idea if he bought it.
Fortunately, Luo Shaotian didn’t question her further.
That was just the kind of person he was—if something wasn’t important, he wouldn’t dig into it.
For Lin Yu, this personality trait was nothing short of a blessing.
At least she didn’t have to walk on a tightrope every day, worrying where she’d slip up next.
Thus, Lin Yu’s daily routine became shockingly simple and regular.
Cooking, dosing, eating and drinking, scrolling through videos…
Sunlight streamed in through the clean windows. The air smelled of food and freshly washed laundry.
For a moment, Lin Yu felt that she was starting to live the kind of tranquil, homey life you’d see in a lifestyle magazine.
Damn… isn’t this exactly the shut-in lifestyle I’ve always dreamed of?
She thought that more than once.
Plus, Luo Shaotian seemed to have quite a bit of savings.
These days of freeloading—every time she bought groceries, he reimbursed her via mobile transfer, quick and clean. He didn’t even blink at a few hundred yuan.
Tsk tsk tsk…
No wonder my mom kept telling me to take the civil service exam back then.
People who eat from that iron rice bowl really don’t worry about drought or flood…
Lin Yu chopped up shredded potatoes while thinking.
But what she found most amusing was her “renewed understanding” of who Luo Shaotian really was.
She originally thought he was some aloof, wooden, emotionally dense straight guy…
Back in university, she’d heard many stories about him.
Rumor had it that girls from several departments—actual campus belles—had confessed to him, but he rejected them all with those “I’m not sure about my future yet,” or “I don’t want to drag you down,” old-cadre excuses.
Back then, Lin Yu had mocked him in the dorm, saying he was so stubborn and inflexible.
Meat delivered to your mouth and you still don’t eat it—are you stupid?
Life is short—have fun now!
What’s this nonsense about being responsible…
Tch. What a typical old-fashioned macho guy.
But viewing him now through the identity of “Lulu,” she realized—
This guy was unexpectedly… pure.
Maybe because he’d rarely interacted with girls before, his defense in certain areas was unbelievably low.
Lin Yu discovered that as long as she leaned in slightly, or acted the least bit delicate, his face would flush visibly, and his eyes would dart away.
Ha—
Every time she thought of his flustered look, she couldn’t help but laugh.
She didn’t know whether she was laughing at her good brother’s cluelessness or laughing at herself—
because her magical-girl disguise worked way too well.
Time passed again—two weeks this time.
Under Lin Yu’s “care,” Luo Shaotian’s eyes gradually regained their former clarity.
Seeing this, Lin Yu felt a sudden surge of accomplishment.
Like she’d finally completed some difficult achievement.
Then one day, she received a message from her little sister.
The latest suppressant adjustments were done, and she could start decreasing the dosing frequency—just once a week would be enough to maintain stability.
That gave Lin Yu more flexibility.
Good news. This way, if her company suddenly assigned her a mission, she wouldn’t need to worry so much about her “base camp.”
And perhaps—as the saying goes—speak of the devil, and he shall appear—
She received a familiar phone call that very day.
“senior, long time no see!”
A lively, energetic voice came from the other end of the line.
“Gome~ The company sent me and Bing-jiejie on a field assignment recently, so I didn’t get a chance to contact you!”
Lin Yu paused in the middle of wiping down the kitchen counter.
“Ah… it’s Li Qing…”
“Eh? senior, why do you sound so weak? Are you sick? Or wait—don’t tell me… you finally understand the misery of us frontline corporate slaves? Did they drain you dry?”
“N-no! I just… woke up. A bit groggy.”
“Oh, that’s perfect! This call is here to wake you up!”
Li Qing’s voice bounced back to its usual cheerfulness.
“Bing-jiejie and I just got back today! senior, are you free tonight? Let’s go out for dinner! To celebrate the whole Group 1 returning! And most importantly…”
Her tone rose dramatically, full of excitement.
“To celebrate the end of your evaluation period! I heard it~ They finally took off your Section Zero collar, right?”
“Ah… something like that…”
Dinner?
Ah… ah…
To be honest, she really did miss those senior colleagues.
But in her current situation…
“What do you mean ‘something like that’! Being able to go out is a good thing! Come on, come on, senior!”
Li Qing clearly sensed her hesitation and immediately launched her signature spoiled-brat attack.
“Bing-jiejie will be there too!”
“Huh? She’ll be there?”
Hearing that Nightingale-senior would come, Lin Yu wavered.
She hesitated.
“What now? Why are you still thinking? Huh?”
“Mostly because… I’m kinda… not very convenient right now…”
“Oh come on! Nothing is that inconvenient! Come~ I haven’t squeezed your soft cheeks in forever—I miss you so much!”
“Aah… fine.”
In the end, Lin Yu couldn’t resist.
“Yes!! senior, you’re even harder to schedule than our supervisor!”
Li Qing practically cheered.
“So it’s settled! Tonight at seven! In front of ‘Chosun Loyal Charcoal BBQ’ in District F! I’ll book the table now! Don’t be late, senior!”
“Mm. See you there.”
After hanging up, Lin Yu leaned on the kitchen counter and exhaled a long breath.
A warm mixture of anticipation and nostalgia softened her chest.
But very soon, a more practical problem froze her smile in place.
How do I explain this to Luo Shaotian?
She turned to glance at the living room.
Luo Shaotian was sitting on the sofa, reading a book. His focused profile, under the sunlight, looked extra handsome.
“A friends’ gathering… That’ll have to be the excuse.”
She took a deep breath, rehearsed her lines, then carried a freshly prepared cup of tea toward him.
“Uncle… here’s your tea.”
She set the cup gently on the coffee table.
“Mm.”
He responded without looking up.
“That…”
Lin Yu’s fingers gripped the corner of her apron nervously.
“I… I want to go out tonight.”
Luo Shaotian’s page-turning stopped.
He lifted his head, those clear eyes quietly fixed on her.
“Where?”
“J-just… eating with old friends. We agreed to meet.”
Lin Yu didn’t dare look him in the eye.
“Friends?”
He sounded slightly surprised.
“Mm… classmates from school. Haven’t met them in a long time…”
“How many people?”
“Three… maybe.”
“Guys or girls?”
“Uh… girls. Of course.”
Even she didn’t know why he was asking that.
“Is that okay?”
Luo Shaotian didn’t answer immediately.
He just looked at her—long enough to make her squirm.
Crap…
He doesn’t believe me, does he?
There were flaws. If she had real friends, why didn’t this “Runaway Lulu” sleep at one of their places back then?
If it really didn’t work, she’d cancel.
But what a pity… she hadn’t seen Nightingale-senior in so long.
She really wanted her approval…
Just as Lin Yu thought her flimsy lie was about to get dismantled, Luo Shaotian finally nodded.
“You can go.”
“…Huh?”
“I said you can go.”
He repeated, calmly.
“What time? Where?”
“S-seven… at a BBQ place in District F. ‘Chosun Loyal Charcoal BBQ.’”
“That’s far…”
He frowned slightly.
“It gets dark early now. Not safe for a girl.”
He paused, closed his book, stood up, and grabbed the car keys draped on the sofa.
“I’ll drive you.”
“—!”
Lin Yu froze.
“N-no need! District F isn’t far! I—I’ll take the subway! Really! No trouble!”
Are you kidding me?!
Let you drive me there?
If Li Qing or Nightingale saw him—how would she even explain?!
“I said it’s not safe.”
He spoke seriously.
“Either I take you, or you stay home.”
“I…”
Lin Yu was speechless.
What the hell?!
Are you my dad?!
Do you think you’re raising a daughter?!
Tch—
But…
She looked at his face—the “no-negotiation” type.
Then thought of Li Qing’s expectant voice…
“…Fine.”
At 6:30 p.m., Luo Shaotian’s car stopped at the street opposite the BBQ restaurant.
The atmosphere inside the car had been so awkward it could’ve been sliced into sparks.
Lin Yu shrank into the passenger seat, gripping the seatbelt, staring out the window the whole time, not daring to speak.
Luo Shaotian drove with military precision, his cold profile looking even sharper under the neon lights.
“…We’re here.”
He finally broke the suffocating silence.
“Ah… oh!”
Lin Yu scrambled to unbuckle her seatbelt.
“Don’t move.”
He suddenly reached out and pressed her hand.
His warm touch seeped through the fabric, making her body jolt upright.
The next moment, his handsome face abruptly filled her vision.
He leaned in—reaching past her, his arm brushing right across her chest.
Click.
The seatbelt released.
But Lin Yu’s heart tightened even more.
Because she could feel his warm breath brushing her ear.
And through her clothes—she could feel the firm outline of his muscles.
Hey!
This is way too close, you idiot…!
“All done.”
He sat upright again.
His face showed no reaction, as if the earlier ambiguous moment was nothing.
“Go ahead.”
His tone returned to cold neutrality.
“Call me when you’re done. I’ll pick you up.”
“N-no! I—I’m staying at a friend’s tonight!”
Lin Yu blurted the hastily made-up lie.
His expression shifted slightly—unhappy—but he didn’t insist.
“…Suit yourself.”
Lin Yu practically leapt out of the car and bolted.
Only when the black car merged into the flow of traffic and vanished did she lean on the railing and exhale deeply.
The evening breeze cooled her burning cheeks.
Damn… scared me to death…
She clutched her wildly beating chest.
This guy… definitely did that on purpose!
Even though the suppressant had stabilized him somewhat these two weeks…
Lin Yu still felt that the beast named “desire” inside him was merely caged, not tamed.
Forget it.
She shook the thought away and crossed the street toward the brightly lit restaurant.
Before she reached the entrance, she saw a familiar figure.
Under the warm lights, a girl in a beige wool coat and a red scarf stood at the door, stomping her feet and breathing white vapor into her hands.
It was Li Qing.
A warm wave of affection and nostalgia swelled in Lin Yu’s chest.
She quickened her steps.
“Hey, Li Qing!”
She purposely mimicked Li Qing’s energetic tone and lowered her voice playfully.
Li Qing jolted in surprise, nearly dropping her phone.
“Wah! Who—?!”
She turned around with irritation—only for her expression to freeze.
She saw a slightly unfamiliar girl.
Long smooth black hair, clear black eyes, wearing a winter uniform. No makeup—but her skin was flawless, like tofu.
A very pretty face. The kind that would turn heads on the street.
But… Li Qing definitely didn’t know her.
Although… she looked a little familiar…
“Um… may I ask who you are?”
Confusion filled Li Qing’s eyes.
No way…?
“Seriously, Li Qing-senior?”
Lin Yu’s mouth twitched.
“It’s me…”
“Eh?”
“My—my physiognomy core changed a little…”
“Oh—”
Li Qing’s eyes widened to their limit.
She pointed at Lin Yu with utter disbelief.
“…Lin Yu?”
“Finally. Yes.”
Lin Yu sighed.
“Ahhh! It is you!”
Li Qing squealed and pounced.
She hugged Lin Yu tightly, rubbing her cheek against Lin Yu’s impossibly soft face.
“Wah! senior! I missed you sooo much!”
Feeling the soft warmth against her and Li Qing’s clean scent, Lin Yu’s whole body stiffened.
“Okay okay—people are watching…”
She awkwardly patted Li Qing’s back.
“Hmm~?”
Li Qing suddenly released her, then suspiciously eyed Lin Yu’s chest—scanning up and down.
“senior, you…”
She leaned in, whispering.
“Did you… get some secret enhancement done? Why does the, uh… feel… feel completely different? Way bigger!”
Lin Yu’s face exploded red. She nearly died then and there.
“W-what the hell are you talking about?!”
She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Hurry up and go inside! Stop embarrassing me!”
“Hehe~”
Instead of obeying, Li Qing studied her from head to toe again.
Finally, her gaze landed on Lin Yu’s long black hair.
“Wait—senior, did you… switch types?”
She asked curiously.
“I remember your hair was silver and your eyes were green. Why are you suddenly so… um… normal today?”
“Is this because of ‘TransformationâTime’s Up’?”
“Uh…”
Lin Yu’s eyes flickered.
“Kinda… Just thought the old look was too flashy. Wanted something low-key.”
“Ohhh—got it.”
Li Qing nodded, accepting it.
“Let’s go in then! Bing-jiejie and Ying-senior must be waiting!”
“Yes, yes! Let’s—”
Li Qing suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
Lin Yu’s heart dropped.
“…What is it?”
“senior,”
Li Qing hesitated, then carefully asked:
“How… did you get here?”
Cold sweat trickled down Lin Yu’s back.
“T-the subway, of course. How else?”
“Really?”
Li Qing’s gaze drifted past Lin Yu’s shoulder toward the street corner.
Where traffic flowed and neon flashed.
But Li Qing’s dynamic eyesight far surpassed ordinary humans.
Just minutes ago, she had seen a black sedan stop there briefly.
And this “senior” had stepped out of the passenger seat.
She even caught a glimpse of the man in the driver’s seat.
Tall. Handsome. Cold. Intimidating.
Not a company-assigned driver.
More like…
A man with a close personal relationship.
Li Qing looked at Lin Yu’s slightly guilty expression.
Then at her carefully “disguised” appearance today.
And an outrageous—but entirely logical—conclusion came to her.
Don’t tell me…
Senior…
Got herself a boyfriend?!