Chapter 125: She Can Just Stay With Me

In the pitch-black night, the dazzling city lights outside were completely blocked by heavy curtains.

Lu Qingyue curled up under his soft quilt, her breath carrying the faint scent of laundry detergent mixed with his unique crisp aura.

She was actually very tired tonight, utterly drained from the overwhelming fright, and was almost dozing off the moment her head touched the pillow.

Just as she was about to drift into sleep, the disturbing, lecherous face of that man suddenly flashed before her eyes again.

Startled, Lu Qingyue snapped her eyes open, her heart pounding wildly.

The room was dark and dim, indistinguishable from the thicket outside. The only difference was the warmth and dryness beneath the quilt—a steady embrace that offered a sense of security.

Her heartbeat gradually calmed, and she began to feel sleepy once more.

Suddenly, a faint noise came from outside the door.

Cheng Xingye was sleeping in the next room. It was already one in the morning, and he should have been fast asleep.

Normally, Lu Qingyue might have dismissed the sound as the door creaking in the wind, but tonight she was unusually alert. Suspicious, she quietly got out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and cautiously went to check the door.

In the darkness, a sliver of light from the hallway lamp slipped through the crack as the door opened.

Then a white figure suddenly darted in, brushing against her foot.

Lu Qingyue almost screamed, but upon closer look, she realized it was the dog.

“Hoshino?”

Still shaken, she quickly followed it back to the bedside.

Hoshino rubbed against her feet, then obediently found its usual spot beside the bed and curled up comfortably.

Only then did Lu Qingyue realize that this place was also its bedroom.

After this little incident, her drowsiness vanished completely. Even lying back down, she found it difficult to fall asleep.

She struggled to stay awake until dawn, when exhaustion finally overcame her, and she dozed off briefly.

In her half-conscious state, she seemed to hear footsteps outside. Soon after, Hoshino awakened, sniffing near her hand.

But Lu Qingyue was too sleepy to open her eyes and let Hoshino frolic by her bedside, chasing its tail.

Autumn dawned later than usual.

When Cheng Xingye woke up, it was still dark; the entire apartment was silent.

The master bedroom door was firmly shut; the young lady inside was probably still asleep. Hoshino was nowhere to be found and didn’t come as usual to nudge his arm to wake him.

After washing up, Cheng Xingye dealt with some matters in his study. Noticing it was nearly ten o’clock, he went to wake her.

The master bedroom was diagonally opposite the study. He knocked on the door.

“Dian Dian?”

There was no response; she was still sound asleep.

Hoshino, thinking its owner was calling, excitedly jumped up, scratching at the door, eager to go out and play.

But after struggling in vain, the door remained firmly shut. Reluctantly, it slinked back to Lu Qingyue’s bedside to nuzzle her hand.

Unaware that Hoshino was inside, Cheng Xingye waited a while longer. Seeing no one opened the door, he knocked harder.

“Lu Dian Dian!”

Hoshino let out a howl.

This time Cheng Xingye heard clearly—so that silly dog was inside.

He stood by the door for a moment, feeling that it was unusual for her to sleep this late. Tentatively, he pressed down on the door handle.

“May I come in?”

No reply.

Cheng Xingye pushed the door open.

Light poured into the dark room, revealing a small mound on the bed.

Lu Qingyue’s half-hidden face was buried in the quilt, only a pale arm exposed, being absentmindedly nudged by Hoshino.

For a fleeting moment, Cheng Xingye felt an uncharacteristic pang of envy toward the dog.

He hadn’t dared to be so intimate with the young lady himself.

He snorted coldly and stepped inside, brushing Hoshino aside as it continued to paw at her hand.

The dog jumped away in displeasure.

Its tail accidentally brushed against Lu Qingyue’s face, causing her to frown slightly and murmur drowsily,

“Who’s there?”

Cheng Xingye found it amusing and pinched the soft flesh of her cheek.

“Lu Dian Dian, the sun’s shining on your backside!”

Feeling the pinch, Lu Qingyue finally opened her eyes.

She blinked in confusion, then sat up, looking dazed.

“Why are you here?”

Cheng Xingye glanced at her, “This is my bedroom. Why else would I be here?”

Lu Qingyue was stumped, suddenly thinking he made perfect sense.

As she remained lost in thought, her cheek was pinched again.

Noticing the faint bruising under her eyes, Cheng Xingye asked softly,

“Did you have a nightmare last night?”

She looked at him and gave a quiet “Mm.”

But not wanting to cause him worry, seeing his expression turn serious, she quickly added,

“But then Hoshino came over to keep me company, so I wasn’t so scared.”

Cheng Xingye patted her head but said nothing more. He bent down to gently kiss her eyelids.

“Go freshen up first.”

With that, he reached out and pulled her from under the quilt, carrying her toward the bathroom.

Instinctively, Lu Qingyue wrapped her arms around his neck, her legs resting against his side, swaying with his steps.

She was effortlessly lifted into the bathroom, placed on the washbasin like a toy.

Cheng Xingye attended to his precious charge’s morning routine just as the doorbell rang.

Lu Yi had called earlier and was delivering clothes to Lu Qingyue early in the morning.

When the door opened, he saw Cheng Xingye standing calmly by the door, dressed in gray loungewear.

Lu Yi sized him up and sneered,

“Gray? Calculating man.”

Cheng Xingye: “...?”

He had no idea why wearing gray was so provocative.

The two men exchanged silent glances for a few seconds. Before Cheng Xingye could speak, a head suddenly popped out from behind.

Lu Qingyue seemed surprised to see Lu Yi so early.

“Brother? What are you doing here?”

Seeing her still wearing Cheng Xingye’s shirt, Lu Yi snorted dismissively.

“If I didn’t come, were you planning to live naked in his house?”

Lu Qingyue: “......”

Knowing arguing was pointless, she sulkily took the bag from him and retreated to her room to change.

When she came out in her own clothes, Lu Yi was still there, comfortably sitting on the sofa, apparently discussing last night’s events with Cheng Xingye.

After understanding the whole situation, Lu Yi’s restless mind finally settled.

Someone had already warned on the forum about a stalker lurking near the women’s dormitory. Although nothing serious had happened, the areas tracked lacked surveillance or had broken streetlights. Police found no concrete evidence, so the case was dropped.

Lu Yi pondered solemnly and felt the matter needed serious attention. Waiting for a real incident would be too late to regret.

He raised his chin toward Lu Qingyue.

“Why don’t you come home to stay for now? Your first-year classes aren’t many; commuting daily should be fine.”

Before Lu Qingyue could respond, another voice from the sofa interrupted,

“She can stay at my place. It’s convenient for me to take her to and from school.”

Lu Qingyue and Lu Yi both turned, surprised.

The suggestion made sense, though one couldn’t help but question his motives.

Lu Yi arched an eyebrow and asked pointedly,

“Just for convenience?”

Cheng Xingye maintained a composed demeanor, leaning against the sofa with an air of righteousness.

“Otherwise?”

His girlfriend living with him was only natural—what was the problem?

Lu Yi couldn’t stand his pretentious act. Smirking, he exposed him,

“I think you’re tired of manual driving and want to switch to automatic.”

This went over Lu Qingyue’s head, so she curiously asked,

“What’s automatic driving?”

Lu Yi was about to say that his ‘automatic’ was her, but before he could, Cheng Xingye kicked him and cut him off, exasperated,

“Brother, there’s a young lady here! Can you keep it clean?”

Lu Yi chuckled,

“She’s about to see the dark side of men anyway. What’s a little dirty joke to her?”

Cheng Xingye: “...”

Lu Qingyue: “???”