Pastoral Daily Life

Yan Yue looked in the direction of the bathroom, took the phone and stood on the balcony, saying, “Xiao Xi is not here right now.”

Wang Shuxiu let out a sigh of relief and told about Lu Lingxi’s origin in a few words. She had nothing to hide from Yan Yue; although she didn’t want to admit it in her heart, Yan Yue could almost be regarded as a half of Xiao Xi’s family. “The Lu family is not a good thing, and I’m not sure what they are planning behind the scenes, but they will definitely come after Xiao Xi. I’ll keep Fengcheng’s side in check, so take Xiao Xi and play in Kunnan for a few more days and don’t rush back yet. If the Lu family finds their way to Kunnan, watch out for them and don’t let them find Xiao Xi.”

Halfway across China, Wang Shuxiu seriously urged Yan Yue. She and Xiao Feng had discussed the matter, and she was sure that she had to tell Lu Lingxi about it, but not at this time. Lu Lingxi had never been out of Fengcheng before, and it was rare for him to go out, so Wang Shuxiu really didn’t want to bother Lu Lingxi with this mess. She thought she would let Lu Lingxi have a good time for a few days and wait until he returned to Fengcheng to talk about these matters. But she was worried that the Lu family would shamelessly chase Lu Lingxi to Kunnan, so she spoke to Yan Yue first. Didn’t Xiao Feng say that Yan Yue was capable? So she entrusted Yan Yue with the matter of stopping the Lu family.

When Wang Shuxiu finished speaking, Yan Yue’s eyes darkened. His gaze was gentle and focused, like a quiet pool without ripples, calm but full of cold. “I see.” His voice was steady, and all his emotions were suppressed in his heart.

Wang Shuxiu gave a few more instructions, telling Yan Yue to take care of Lu Lingxi. When Wang Shuxiu hung up, Yan Yue quietly looked at the courtyard, his eyes as sharp as the edge of a knife. He had not expected Xiao Xi to be involved with the Lu family in Zhongjing again. While Wang Shuxiu was worried about the Lu family pestering Xiao Xi, he was worried about how Xiao Xi would feel about this matter. From the time Xiao Xi was drunk last time until now, Yan Yue saw clearly that Xiao Xi didn’t want to have any dealings with the Lu family. The reason he never mentioned the Lu family in front of Xiao Xi was because he didn’t want to upset Xiao Xi. But this matter…

Wang Shuxiu didn’t know the reason why the Lu family suddenly wanted Xiao Xi to acknowledge his ancestors, but Yan Yue guessed that it was Zhugang that had caused the trouble. He thought that the production of Zhugang would bring the existence of Xiao Xi to the attention of the Lu family, but he had never imagined that the subsequent development would be like this. If only he had known… Yan Yue sighed; there was no such thing as “if only” in this world.

He was deep in thought when the bathroom door behind him opened and Lu Lingxi ran out wearing a loose t-shirt and with his hair damp.

“Big Brother Yan?” Lu Lingxi glanced out towards the balcony, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I’ve come out for some fresh air.” Yan Yue turned around and looked at Lu Lingxi with a smile, his expression doting and gentle. There was no shadow of the gloomy look he had just had.

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Lu Lingxi blinked and immediately believed Yan Yue’s words. He had noticed as soon as he got off the plane today that compared to Fengcheng, Kunnan was a bit muggy. Zhao Jian said it was because it was cloudy and probably going to rain, and that it would be fine when the sky cleared. Thinking of this, Lu Lingxi also wanted to go outside for some air. He was just about to go out when Yan Yue stopped him.

“Don’t go out until your hair is dry.” Yan Yue said and went to look for the hairdryer provided by the hotel. Lu Lingxi obediently followed behind Yan Yue and sat cross-legged on the hotel’s big bed, waiting for Yan Yue to blow his hair.

Xiaohei slithered over from the pillow and wrapped himself around Lu Lingxi’s fingers. Lu Lingxi picked up Xiaohei in a good mood and asked with a smile, “Awake from your nap?”

Xiaohei nodded dumbly and waved his tail again in response to Lu Lingxi’s question.

This time to Kunnan, Lu Lingxi didn’t prepare to bring either Dahei or Xiaohei, but who knew that Xiaohei would actually secretly hide in the luggage, following them all the way to the plane. It was only when Lu Lingxi arrived at the hotel and started sorting out his luggage that he discovered Xiaohei’s presence. It was a wonder that Xiaohei wasn’t discovered by the security check and actually made it to Kunnan without incident. “Little villain.” Lu Lingxi poked Xiaohei’s tail and habitually tied it in a knot.

Xiaohei hissed twice and struggled to untie the knot. Lu Lingxi looked at Xiaohei and couldn’t help but think of Dahei. “If only Dahei was this small, I could just tuck Dahei in wherever I want to take him.”

Yan Yue walked back just in time to hear this and smiled, “Next time we drive out on our own, we can take Dahei with us.”

Lu Lingxi nodded, tilting his face to look at Yan Yue trustingly. He had just taken a bath, and his eyes were clear and bright, like moistened gems, with not a trace of gloom visible in them. Yan Yue’s heart trembled as he ran his hand through Lu Lingxi’s soft, damp hair and held Lu Lingxi’s entire body in his arms.

His light-coloured shirt was soon stained with water as Lu Lingxi pressed himself against Yan Yue’s chest, listening to the strong heartbeat inside.

“Big Brother Yan.” He called out vaguely.

Yan Yue hummed in a low voice and quietly hugged Lu Lingxi without speaking again.

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Because he had an appointment with Elder Zhang to go to the botanical garden early the next day, and because he was tired from running all day, Lu Lingxi fell asleep before ten o’clock at night. Yan Yue kept holding him and kissed him on the lips as he slept, then carefully got up and took his mobile phone to the balcony.

Ye Kang, who received Yan Yue’s call, was a bit surprised and joked, “You’re actually calling me instead of holding Xiao Xi at this hour!”

Yan Yue didn’t pay any attention to Ye Kang’s jibe and said straight away, “The Zhongjing Lu family has approached Xiao Xi.”

“What? The Lu family is looking for trouble with Xiao Xi?” Ye Kang immediately got serious. Although he wasn’t very interested in doing business, it didn’t mean that he didn’t understand the twists and turns of it. The prospects of Zhugang were enormous, as evidenced by the fact that his old man at home didn’t hesitate to invest in it. It was only natural that the Lu family wanted to have a hand in it. In comparison to the three investors of Zhugang, the Ye family was too powerful for the Lu family to move; Zheng Xinhe’s fame and mastery of Zhugang’s technology was the main reason for the Lu family to pull the strings; the only soft persimmon to squeeze was Tiny Garden that had little background to back it up.

His extrapolation was not wrong according to common sense; even Yan Yue thought so at first. It was just… Yan Yue said solemnly: “Xiao Xi’s father, Lu Yishui, is Lu Hengchuan’s illegitimate son. The Lu family came to ask Xiao Xi to acknowledge his ancestors and return to the family. ”

“What? “Ye Kang suddenly raised his voice, completely shocked. “Ah Yue, are you telling the truth?” He reacted immediately. The Lu family forced Lu Lingxi to acknowledge his ancestors and return to the family, after all, it was still for Zhugang. It made sense for the Lu family to join in at that time.

“What did Xiao Xi say?” What Ye Kang is most concerned about now is Lu Lingxi’s attitude.

Yan Yue’s eyes were gloomy, and he said calmly: “Xiao Xi doesn’t know yet, it was Xiao Xi’s family who told me. They also don’t want Xiao Xi to acknowledge his ancestors and return to the family.”

“That’s good.” Ye Kang let out a sigh of relief, “As long as Xiao Xi is unwilling, the Lu family cannot force Xiao Xi to acknowledge them.”

What he said was true, but the Lu family’s actions had angered Yan Yue. Just as Wang Shuxiu had scolded, with the kind of life their family had been living before, the Lu family didn’t even mention their existence. Now that they saw that there was something to gain, they immediately came up and started talking about acknowledging the ancestors. Lu Hengchuan had been so high and mighty for so long that he thought the whole world was revolving around him.

Yan Yue gently tapped on the balcony rail, his voice cold, “Ah Kang, go to An Jie tomorrow and tell him to follow the plan to reveal that the formula for the donglingcao in Yin Ya’s hands is half-finished. Then report that Sun Li of the Food and Drug Administration has taken bribes, and make a big deal out of it.”

Just before Yan Yue and Lu Lingxi came to Kunnan, Yin Ya finally applied for approval for the marketing of the new donglingcao drug with the help of the Lu family, and the contractor was none other than Sun Li of the Food and Drug Administration Bureau, who had been a friend of the Lu family for many years. Yan Yue had planned to postpone this matter for some time, waiting for Hopewell to invest more in the new drug before everything exploded, but now Yan Yue decided to move the plan ahead. The main target of the attack had also changed from Hopewell to the Lu family.

The Lu family had cooperated with Sun Li for many years, and basically all the new drugs they developed were handled by Sun Li. Once Sun Li’s illegal passing of semi-finished new drugs was revealed, coupled with suitable public opinion guidance, even if the drugs launched by the Lu family over the years were not problematic, they would become problematic in the eyes of the public. When the Lu family was in chaos, let’s see if Lu Hengchuan was still in the mood to run to Fengcheng to acknowledge his relatives.

When Yan Yue finished speaking, Ye Kang faintly froze. He vaguely felt that Yan Yue’s anger seemed to be a bit beyond expectation. Let him be honest, it was true that the Lu family had done a disgusting job in acknowledging their relatives, but when it came to the fact that the Lu family was digging the corner of the Ye family, the one who was most angry should be the Ye family. But compared to his reaction, Yan Yue’s hostility towards the Lu family was simply undisguised.

Ye Kang immediately said: ”Ah Yue, calm down. Now is not the best time to expose the fact that there is something wrong with the Hopewell donglingcao formula. Although the Lu family can be hit through this incident, I’m afraid the impact on Hopewell will not be as great as expected.” Of course he was willing to harm the Lu family, but looking from Yan Yue’s point of view, Ye Kang felt that there was no need to go so far.

Yan Yue lowered his eyes slightly, hiding the coldness in his gaze, and said in a calm tone, “It’s fine, I know what I’m doing.”

He was so insistent that Ye Kang didn’t say anything else and simply agreed.

Hanging up the phone, Yan Yue quietly returned to the room. Lu Lingxi was sleeping, his face serene and peaceful under the warm yellow light of the bedside lamp. When Yan Yue carefully lay down on the bed, Lu Lingxi noticed the movement and spontaneously leaned over, burrowing into Yan Yue’s arms. Yan Yue looked at him and smiled faintly, lowering his head and kissing him on the forehead. Lu Lingxi’s eyelashes trembled slightly, like the wings of a butterfly. Yan Yue thought he would wake up, but Lu Lingxi only leaned into his arms and went back to sleep.

The smile in Yan Yue’s eyes deepened. He was just watching and doing nothing, and his heart was filled with unspeakable sweetness and satisfaction. He thought he would do anything, just for Lu Lingxi to be safe and have a smooth life. Whether it was Lu Hengchuan or Lu Yishui, whoever it was, he wouldn’t let them affect Lu Lingxi’s life.

“I love you, Xiao Xi.” Yan Yue hugged Lu Lingxi tightly, lowered his head and said softly.

Lu Lingxi heard his words in a daze and instinctively responded, “Big Brother Yan, I love you too.”

Yan Yue’s eyes lit up and he laughed silently.