Lin Yu ultimately did not go back.
He went to the hot spring, soaked for a while, and then slept in the lounge for the night.
As for the price…
“Little Yu, where did you go last night!”
When he returned in the morning, he saw his elder sister sitting on the bed like a duck, hugging a pillow, looking at him with a resentful expression, like a neglected wife left alone in an empty chamber.
He didn’t understand why that description came to mind, but his sister really did look like that right now.
She had clearly been awake for a while. Her long hair was slightly disheveled over her shoulders, a few strands sticking to her slightly flushed cheeks.
Her eyes, usually bright and sharp, were now misty. Her lips were pressed into a thin, aggrieved line as she stared unblinkingly at Lin Yu.
“Uh… Sis, I went to the hot springs. I accidentally fell asleep in the lounge area later… But why are you here?”
“Hot springs?” Lin Mowei selectively ignored what seemed like an important question. “Little Yu went to the hot springs and didn’t even call his sister to come along…”
As she spoke, she hugged the pillow in her arms even tighter, her gaze growing more resentful. “I waited for you for so long. I thought something had happened to you. I was so worried I couldn’t sleep…”
Lin Yu swallowed hard, feeling a tingling sensation on his scalp.
He knew his sister had an extraordinary dependence on and focus on him, but this “neglected wife” mode was the first time he had witnessed it so concretely.
He tried to lighten the mood with a casual tone.
“What could possibly happen to me, Sis? I was right here in the resort. See, I’m perfectly fine, aren’t I?”
Lin Mowei’s eyes swept over him as if genuinely checking if he was missing any flesh.
“Were the chairs in the lounge hard? Did you sleep comfortably? Did you catch a chill?”
As she asked, she got off the bed barefoot and walked up to Lin Yu, naturally reaching out to feel his forehead and then pinching his arm.
His sister’s worried attitude and concerned actions softened Lin Yu’s heart.
“It’s fine, Sis, really. Look.” He cooperatively lifted his arm, flexing non-existent muscles.
Lin Mowei scrutinized him carefully. Only after confirming there was nothing amiss did she relax slightly.
“Don’t do this again next time. You must tell your sister where you’re going, understand? Even if you’re not coming back at night, you have to send a message.”
Her voice lowered towards the end of the sentence, the tips of her ears turning slightly red.
Because she suddenly realized this sounded exactly like a wife admonishing her husband.
“Got it, got it.” Lin Yu nodded, just wanting to end this topic quickly. “Sis, you go wash up first. I’m a bit hungry. Let’s go down for breakfast in a bit.”
“Mhm.” Lin Mowei responded and walked out.
—
The resort’s buffet restaurant.
The elegant environment had few people.
Lin Mowei wore a casual dress, her hair neatly combed, having regained her usual elegant and capable demeanor.
Only, the occasional glances she cast at Lin Yu were a bit too sticky, clearly a lingering side effect of the “abandonment.”
She kept piling things onto Lin Yu’s plate, quickly building a small mountain.
“Sis, enough, enough. I can’t finish all this.” Lin Yu’s eye twitched.
“Eat more. You definitely didn’t rest well last night.” Lin Mowei righteously poured him another glass of milk.
Just then, a lively voice chimed in. “Sister Lin, Brother Lin, good morning!”
Xia Yanran, light as a graceful fawn, walked over with crescent-moon eyes and a beaming smile.
She was dressed in her usual sporty style: a short-sleeved T-shirt and hot pants, revealing her shapely, long legs. Her ponytail was tied high, and she radiated vitality.
Carrying her plate, she sat down opposite Lin Yu.
“I couldn’t find you guys earlier. I didn’t expect you’d come down first.”
“Hmm,” Lin Mowei hummed noncommittally. “Where’s Teacher? Why are you alone?”
“My mom said she’s still a bit sleepy and told me to come down first. She’ll come later.” As she spoke, Xia Yanran used her fork to snatch a small piece of cake from Lin Yu’s plate. “This looks good. I’ll try it.” Then she picked up a fried dumpling from her own plate and put it on Lin Yu’s. “This is for you. It’s tasty.”
The whole set of actions flowed smoothly, as if practiced countless times.
Lin Yu looked at the extra fried dumpling on his plate, then at the small cake Xia Yanran had eaten, and silently picked up his chopsticks.
He could feel his sister’s gaze from across the table. Though she was smiling, the temperature seemed to have dropped slightly.
“Lin Yu, did you sleep well last night?” Xia Yanran asked casually as she nibbled on the cake, her eyes secretly glancing at him.
“Alright…” Lin Yu answered vaguely.
“Oh…” She wore a thoughtful expression, then gave Lin Yu a piece of fruit. “Eat more. Get some vitamins.”
“Mhm, right. Little Yu, try this too.” Lin Mowei smiled and added a piece of sausage to Lin Yu’s plate.
“…Haha, you guys eat too, eat too…”
Breakfast, amidst Lin Mowei’s gentle food-giving and Xia Yanran’s friendly sharing, was eaten by Lin Yu with trepidation. He couldn’t taste the food, exactly like last night.
Although the conversation between the two women was polite, thorough, and flawless, he always felt like invisible little sparks were crackling in the air.
Not long after, a lazy, charming voice came from the side. “Oh, everyone’s already eating? Looks like I overslept.”
Qin Wuyue walked over gracefully.
Today she wore a silk dress with a knitted cardigan over it. Her long hair was casually tied up, revealing her elegant neck. Her face bore the natural flush of someone who had just woken up, and her eyes held a mature charm as they swept around.
She only held a cup of coffee and a small salad, sitting down in the empty seat next to Xia Yanran.
“Aunt Qin, good morning.”
“Teacher, good morning.”
“Mom! Why are you only coming now?”
“Beauty sleep is very important, Little Yanran.” Qin Wuyue smiled and tapped her daughter’s forehead with a finger, then her gaze swept over the three at the table.
It lingered for a moment on Lin Yu’s mountain-like plate, and the curve of her lips deepened slightly. “Looks like Little Yu has a good appetite. Young people are the best.”
“Hah… hah…” Lin Yu could only force a laugh.
Qin Wuyue took a slow sip of coffee. “Mowei, the combat meeting over there is this afternoon, right? Will you attend?”
As the topic shifted to official business, the subtle atmosphere at the table eased slightly.
Lin Mowei shook her head. “I’m currently suspended from duty. It’s not convenient for me to attend formal meetings. However, I’ll communicate with Qingqing in a private advisory capacity.”
“Mhm, that’s fine too.” Qin Wuyue nodded. “Yanran, after breakfast, do you want to go to the training field again, or come with me to the medical department? There might be some equipment you’d find interesting.”
“I’ll go to the medical department!” Xia Yanran looked at Lin Yu, her eyes sparkling. “Brother Lin, do you want to come along and take a look? It’s really interesting!”
“He was tired yesterday. He needs to rest.” Lin Mowei immediately intercepted, placing a hand on the back of Lin Yu’s chair. “Besides, Little Yu might not be that interested in medical equipment, right, Little Yu?”
Lin Yu: “…Mhm, Sis is right.”
Xia Yanran pouted but didn’t insist further.
Qin Wuyue took everything in, sipped her coffee, and a glint of amusement flashed in her eyes.
Breakfast ended in this superficially harmonious, yet undercurrent-filled atmosphere.
Lin Mowei successfully took Lin Yu away, using the reason that “my brother needs rest.”
Xia Yanran, arm in arm with her mother, headed to the medical department. Before leaving, she didn’t forget to turn back and make a “call me” gesture to Lin Yu.
Back on the room floor, Lin Mowei didn’t return to her own room but followed Lin Yu into his guest room.
“Sis, is there something else?”
Lin Mowei closed the door. The smile on her face faded somewhat, replaced by a serious expression.
“Little Yu, Sis knows Yanran is a good girl, and Teacher is a good person too.”
Lin Yu remained silent, waiting for her to continue.
“But,” Lin Mowei walked up to him, reached out, and straightened his already neat collar. Her movements were gentle, her gaze focused. “You’re still young. There’s no need to rush into many things. You don’t have to deal with so many people at once. It’s tiring.”
Lin Mowei’s fingertips brushed his chin. Her voice lowered even more, carrying a tone that seemed almost coaxing.
“Sis hopes you can take things easier, be happier. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, and don’t let other people’s expectations become your burden. You can tell Sis anything. Sis will always be on your side, understand?”
These words sounded full of care and understanding, but Lin Yu inexplicably heard a different meaning in them—a kind of gentle boundary, a subtle… domestication.
He looked at his sister’s face so close to his, filled with concern, and for a moment, his feelings were complex. But he still nodded. “Mhm, I know, Sis.”
Only then did Lin Mowei show a truly relieved smile. She gave him a light hug and quickly let go.
“Then you rest well. Sis won’t bother you. What do you want for lunch? I’ll have the restaurant send it up.”
“Anything is fine.”
“Okay.”
Lin Mowei left, and the room returned to quiet.
Lin Yu walked to the window, looked down at the garden below, and let out a long sigh.
This seemingly peaceful daily life wasn’t much easier to handle than facing a Rift King Beast head-on.
His sister’s overprotectiveness, Xia Yanran’s straightforward intentions, Qin Wuyue’s seemingly all-seeing gaze, and the new muddled account from last night’s rooftop, which, crucially, Mu Liuli had witnessed…
He raised a hand and rubbed his temples. He wanted to avoid that “woodcutter’s blade” ending, but looking at the current situation, it didn’t seem right no matter how he looked at it. He could only take it one step at a time.
“Ah… Speaking of which, the door lock seems to be broken. Should I get someone to fix it… Does room service handle that?”
—
After the door lock was fixed, unlike the extremely busy day before, Lin Yu was surprisingly quite idle today. No one came looking for him.
Even phone messages were few and far between.
Until the next day, he understood why.
A well-equipped team poured out from Huanxing Town, heading straight for the distant black tower.