Stop Being a Black Lotus, Okay? - Chapter 13

A late spring cold snap swept through the city.

Ying Yulian was jolted awake by the chill. The heavy down duvet had been kicked aside at some point, allowing the cold air to snake through the gaps, coiling around his ankles and creeping up his calves.

He curled up, reaching for the blanket in a daze, but his fingertips met only icy air. The warmth of sleep evaporated instantly, and he shifted uneasily as his consciousness sharpened. He sat up and hugged his knees, looking toward the gap beneath the bedroom door. There was no light; Lu Min must have already gone to sleep.

However, it was so cold. It was not just a physical chill, but a yearning rising from the depths of his heart—a craving for the shelter of warmth.

The image of that audacious kiss from a few days ago flashed back unbidden. Ever since that kiss, he did not know why, but his brother had become much more distant. His every move was marked by extreme restraint. Even a simple, accidental touch would be avoided by Lu Min.

Was his brother angry because of his behavior? Or had his brother finally grown tired of his worthlessness and prepared to abandon him?

Moreover, he had been desperate to find his place in the house these past few days, wanting to do something to help. But his cooking was not as good as the housekeeper’s, and he had even broken an expensive bowl because he was distracted.

Even though his brother said it was fine, the energy and time Lu Min invested in him far outweighed his actual value. This thought flickered like a weak ember amidst the cold and insecurity; it stubbornly refused to die out, instead fueling a stronger impulse.

He pulled back the covers and stepped onto the cool floor with bare feet. After a few seconds of hesitation, he picked up his pillow. The hallway was lined with soft carpeting, muffling his footsteps. Like a timid small animal, he moved silently to the door of Lu Min’s bedroom.

As he placed his hand on the doorknob, the icy sensation made him flinch. He wanted to retreat, but just as he was about to turn back to his own cold bed, a voice spoke.

“Isn’t it cold standing at the door?”

From inside the room came Lu Min’s deep voice. There was no hint of sleepiness in it, as if he had known Yulian was out there all along. Yulian flinched in fright, nearly dropping his pillow.

The door was pulled open from the inside. Lu Min stood there wearing dark silk pajamas. The only light in the room came from a dim bedside lamp, casting a warm yellow glow over his tall frame. The man’s lips quirked slightly when he saw the pillow in Yulian’s arms, but his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly when his gaze dropped to Yulian’s bare feet.

“Brother, I am so cold,” Yulian said.

“Isn’t the heater on in your room?” Lu Min asked.

“Then, I will go back,” Yulian whispered.

Yulian bit his lip. The counter-question made his face flush crimson instantly, though it was hidden by the cover of night. As a police officer, Lu Min had long since developed keen senses; he had heard Yulian’s movements outside the door from the start. Being woken up in the middle of the night made him a bit irritable, but then he saw Yulian’s bare feet again.

Lu Min sighed helplessly. He grabbed an overcoat from the rack, wrapped Yulian in it, and pulled the boy onto his lap. His large, calloused hands immediately cupped the youth’s feet, using his burning body heat to warm them.

“Why didn’t you think to put on socks?” Lu Min asked.

Yulian felt a slight itch from the calluses on the man’s palms. He shrank back a little, trying to escape the ticklish sensation that seemed to reach his very bones, but Lu Min’s large hand firmly gripped his ankle. The man misunderstood the boy’s attempt to pull away as a sign of being cold. He blew a breath of warm air into his palms and continued to cup Yulian’s feet. He looked at Yulian with concern and asked softly, “Still cold?”

The light was too dim for even someone as sharp-eyed as Lu Min to notice that Yulian’s ears were completely red.

“Get in,” Lu Min said.

Feeling the icy temperature under his palms that refused to warm up, Lu Min helplessly pulled back the covers. Yulian immediately placed his pillow next to Lu Min’s and rolled into the bed. The lingering warmth and scent of Lu Min’s body remained under the covers, making his chilled fingertips begin to thaw.

Lu Min glanced at him and said nothing, but he took another duvet from the closet and spread it over the bed. He turned off the light, and the room plunged into darkness.

The darkness amplified the senses. Yulian could clearly hear the wind and rain outside the window, as well as Lu Min’s steady breathing right beside him. He was cocooned in warm bedding that smelled of Lu Min, yet he could not fall asleep.

Yulian was still racking his brain, trying to figure out how to become someone valuable to his brother. What was he good at? What did his brother need? He could not come up with an answer, so he could only toss and turn.

Lu Min stared at the ceiling with his eyes open. His body was stiff. He had slept alone his entire life, and no one else had ever lain beside him in this bed, making it impossible for him to sleep. Furthermore, there was the constant, subtle sound of fabric rubbing together from the side.

Lu Min said helplessly, “Can’t sleep?”

“I am thinking about things,” Yulian replied.

Yulian knew it was very late and was surprised that the man was not asleep yet. But he soon realized that it was his own tossing and turning that was keeping Lu Min awake.

“Brother, am I disturbing you? I should probably go back to sleep in my room,” Yulian said.

“Stay here. Just stop thinking about those things. If you keep running back and forth, you will not get any sleep tonight,” Lu Min replied.

The man’s chin rested gently on the crown of the boy’s head, and his other hand rested on his back, patting him extremely softly with a rhythmic motion, like soothing an anxious child.

“Stop thinking. Go to sleep,” Lu Min’s voice rang out in the dark. “If you are cold, lean closer.”