Chapter 333: Hey, bring your face closer

Ah?? At this moment, Lin Yuan's heart leapt! Lin Yuan also froze?!

His heart was excited, inexplicably dazed, unable to believe it?!

Goddess Qin Bore, how could she suddenly ask such a question!

Lin Yuan was nervous and excited, completely dazed!

Lin Yuan instinctively nodded vigorously!

Willing! He certainly was willing!

But Qin Bore suddenly burst out laughing with a "pfft", "Silly, I'm just joking with you, you actually believed it."

"Uh..." Lin Yuan scratched his head embarrassedly, "Well, indeed it was a joke."

Qin Bore took another bite of cake, the strawberry sweetness spreading, she looked at the shimmering lake and the drenched man beside her, suddenly feeling this birthday was more unforgettable than any before.

At this moment, the carp in Lin Yuan's hand was still flopping, this carp was huge, weighing a full two catties.

Lin Yuan found a plastic bag, put the carp inside, "Miss Qin, here, I'm giving you this carp, it's so fat, braised it will definitely be delicious."

Qin Bore said coyly, "You're so cruel, this fish is so cute, I couldn't bear to eat it, I want to take it home and raise it."

Lin Yuan blinked, then nodded, "Sure, I'll help you put it in a plastic bag, you can take it back and put it in the fish tank."

As they spoke, hurried footsteps came from nearby, a security guard in dark blue uniform clutching a rubber baton rushed over, shouting from a few meters away: "What are you doing! Didn't you see the warning sign by the lake?"

"Fishing is strictly prohibited in Xi Hu! This is a national 5A scenic area, damaging the ecological environment entails responsibility! Quickly put the fish down and come with me to the office to pay the fine!"

The security guard ran up to the two, his gaze sweeping over Lin Yuan's soaked clothes and the plastic bag in his hand, his tone grew fiercer: "Not only did you catch fish, you also went swimming in the water? You completely ignored the park's regulations!"

Lin Yuan hurriedly hid the plastic bag behind him, just about to explain, "I didn't notice the rules, I'll put the fish back now," but his wrist was suddenly grabbed by Qin Bore.

Qin Bore didn't let him finish, she grabbed his wrist and ran toward the roadside Meituan bike, urging: "No need to explain, let's run first and talk later!"

Lin Yuan was pulled forward by her, wind rushing past his ears, he could still hear the security guard behind shouting, "Stop! Don't run!" while the plastic bag in his hand swayed, the carp inside occasionally flipping its tail.

As Qin Bore ran, she didn't forget to glance back at Lin Yuan once, the streetlight's glow fell on her face, the smile in her eyes wrapped in tiny tenderness, not at all diminished by the panic of fleeing.

She murmured softly in her heart: He's still the same as before, silly and earnest, honest and kind.

It's a pity, he probably doesn't remember me anymore by now.

The two grabbed another Meituan bike by the street, Qin Bore sat on the rear seat, her hands lightly gripping the corner of Lin Yuan's shirt, the evening breeze brushing through her hair.

Her soft voice floated to Lin Yuan's ear: "Actually I don't know how to raise fish, could you come home with me and help me settle the fish properly?"

Lin Yuan tightened his grip on the handlebars, immediately nodded: "No problem, I'll help you, I'll make sure it lives well."

The bike rode slowly along the Qiantang Jiang embankment, finally stopping in front of a building glowing with warm yellow light, Qin Bore hopped off and pointed to the top: "I live in the top-floor duplex."

Lin Yuan looked up at the tens-of-floors office building ahead, his mouth slightly open, the plastic bag in his hand almost slipping—he only knew people lived in apartments or villas, and this was the first time he'd heard of someone making a home in an entire office building.

"Is this building also your property?" Lin Yuan asked curiously.

"Mm-hmm, all the office buildings around here are mine." Qin Bore nodded.

Lin Yuan was shocked again.

This woman, she's truly extravagant beyond measure.

Following Qin Bore into the elevator, pressing the "top floor" button, the moment the elevator doors opened, Lin Yuan was utterly stunned: the high-ceiling living room held a light gray leather sofa, floor-to-ceiling windows outside showed the shimmering Qiantang Jiang, a spiral staircase wound up to the second floor, the whole space was huge enough to run in, he muttered softly: "Turns out a rich person's home can really be as big as a football field."

Qin Bore heard his muttering and couldn't help laughing: "Nowhere near that exaggerated, just a few thousand square meters, come with me to the balcony, there's a big bathtub, perfect for temporarily keeping this fish."

"Uh, you don't have a fish tank at home?" Lin Yuan asked.

"No, I'll buy a fish tank tomorrow, tonight I'll keep it in the bathtub." Qin Bore said, walking toward the balcony.

Lin Yuan carried the plastic bag behind her, his gaze inevitably curious as he surveyed the surroundings: walls hung with incomprehensible oil paintings, a corner held a black piano, even the hallway carpet felt soft as stepping on clouds, every detail revealed a refinement he'd never encountered.

Reaching the balcony, Qin Bore pointed to an oval white bathtub: "This is it, help me fill it with water, I'll go to the storeroom to get some fish food." Having said that, she turned and hurried back inside.

Lin Yuan set down the plastic bag, just about to reach for the faucet, but out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of a few pieces of clothing, not neatly folded, in the laundry basket beside the bathtub—

A black stocking draped over the basket's rim, plus two light-colored close-fitting undergarments, the fabric soft as clouds, a faint gardenia scent lingered at his nostrils, her body's fragrance—evidently just taken off not long ago.

His hand froze midair instantly, his ears "whoosh" turned completely red, he hastily jerked his gaze away, pretending not to have seen, but his heart pounded like a trapped rabbit, "thump-thump" racing as if about to burst from his chest.

Qin Bore, holding the fish food bag, had just reached the balcony doorway when she saw Lin Yuan's stiff back; following his gaze, she instantly spotted the clothing in the laundry basket, her pretty face "popped" red up to her ears, the fish food bag in her hand "plopped" onto the floor.

She panicked, rushed over quickly, clutching the laundry basket tightly with both hands, pressing those intimate garments firmly to her chest, her voice trembling: "Yes, sorry, I took them off yesterday and forgot to put them away, I haven't had the maid come wash them yet…"

Lin Yuan hearing her voice felt even more embarrassed, not daring to turn his head, just kept scratching his head, stammering: "No, no, I didn't see, I, I'll hurry and fill the fish's water."

Saying that, he hurriedly turned on the tap, water "splash-splash" poured into the tub, but the faint gardenia scent at his nostrils seemed to have taken root, impossible to dispel.

Qin Bore stood beside him holding the laundry basket, her cheeks still burning, watching Lin Yuan awkwardly stare at the tub, not daring to look at her, inside she felt both shy and a bit amused; that earlier embarrassment instead added a different warmth to the air, slowly spreading.

Lin Yuan crouched by the tub's edge, fingertip lightly touching the water surface, watching the carp swim slowly, he looked up at Qin Bore and said: "Remember to regularly change a third of the tap water, let it sit for a day before use, tomorrow set up an aeration system, that way it can live a long time."

Qin Bore leaned over the tub's edge, staring at the fish's silver scales and smiling, she suddenly said: "Let me give it a name, how about 'Xiao Lin', after all you caught it from Xi Hu."

Lin Yuan had just finished drinking the warm water Qin Bore handed him, hearing the name he almost choked, his ear tips slightly red: "This name… wouldn't it be too casual?"

Qin Bore shook her head, reached out and lightly touched the tub wall: "I think it's fine, every time I see it I'll remember tonight's events."

As they were speaking, Lin Yuan's gaze suddenly fell on the cat tree in the corner of the living room, an orange-and-white cat curled there, tail wrapped around its paws, only half its face visible.

"Do you still have a cat?" Lin Yuan asked curiously.

"Yes, it's called Sweet Cone, a British Shorthair golden gradient." Qin Bore laughed, "But Sweet Cone is very shy around strangers, it hides whenever newcomers appear."

Sweet Cone seemed to have heard its name, it slightly lifted its head, amber eyes timidly fixed on Lin Yuan, its body further curled into the corner, ears also drooping.

Lin Yuan didn't approach rashly, just stayed seated, gently waving at Sweet Cone with a soft voice: "Sweet Cone, hello."

Surprisingly, Sweet Cone froze for a few seconds, then slowly rose, tiptoed step by step toward Lin Yuan, and when it reached his feet, it gently rubbed its head against his pant leg.

Qin Bore stared wide-eyed, instinctively covering her mouth, tone full of astonishment: "How… how is this possible? Sweet Cone used to hide in the closet when seeing delivery people, yet today it actually approached you on its own?"

Lin Yuan smiled, reached out and gently patted Sweet Cone's head, when his fingers touched its fur he noticed something was off, so he squatted down for a closer look.

He looked at Sweet Cone, its gaze somewhat dazed, he touched its nose and found it much drier than a normal cat's, then saw its curled paws, his brow slightly furrowed: "Has it not been eating properly lately?"

Qin Bore nodded, a little worried: "Just a few days ago we switched to a new brand of cat food, after that it ate less, sometimes even vomited a couple mouthfuls, I thought it just didn't like the flavor."

Lin Yuan pressed gently on Sweet Cone's chin with his fingertip, tone definite: "It's not dislike, this cat food makes it uncomfortable, a mild allergy plus food buildup, that's why it's lethargic and fearful of people."

He looked up at Qin Bore and added, "Next time try switching it to a low-allergen cat food, preferably with chicken or fish, start with a little to let it adjust, and it will gradually get better."

Qin Bore quickly took out her phone and opened a memo to note it down.

Qin Bore still felt uneasy, she stroked Sweet Cone's back and said, "Tomorrow I'll take it to the pet hospital for a full check-up."

Lin Yuan shook his head, took out a small silver box from his cloth bag, opened it to reveal several hair-thin silver needles inside, and said softly, "No need to trouble yourself; I'll give it a few pricks, and it'll be fine soon."

He had Qin Bore gently hold Sweet Cone, pinched a silver needle between his fingertips, and quickly tapped the acupoints on its neck and abdomen with a gentle motion, his technique so practiced it didn't look like his first time needling a cat.

In less than half a minute, Lin Yuan withdrew the needle, just as he set Sweet Cone on the ground it immediately perked up, flicked its tail, ran to the cat bowl, lowered its head to lick two bites of food, and then looked up at Lin Yuan and meowed.

Qin Bore stared, eyes wide, quickly walked over to Sweet Cone, touched its nose, found it moist, and its previously dull gaze brightened; she turned to Lin Yuan, voice full of shock: "You... you actually know pet medicine? That's amazing!"

Lin Yuan put the needles back in the small box, smiling: "Actually pets and people are similar; many medical principles are interconnected. Before, when I helped neighbors look after stray cats, I used this method to treat their minor ailments, and over time I became skilled."

Qin Bore sat on the sofa, watching Sweet Cone hop around the living room, suddenly remembered something, looked up and asked Lin Yuan: "By the way, Lin Yuan, when's your birthday? I'll celebrate it with you then."

Upon hearing that, Lin Yuan's heart jumped as if struck by something; he somewhat nervously avoided Qin Bore's gaze and said softly: "I... my birthday is September 10."

Qin Bore's eyes lit up, she pulled out her phone to check the date, laughing: "That's only four days away! What a coincidence? My birthday is just four days apart from yours; I'll prepare your birthday then, I promise to make you happy."

Lin Yuan sat on the sofa, drank another cup of hot water, glanced at the wall clock, saw it was nearly eleven, stood up and said: "It's getting late, I should head back; you should rest early too."

Qin Bore saw him to the door, her eyes full of gratitude, she said softly: "Lin Yuan, thank you really today for accompanying me through such an unforgettable birthday; I haven't been this happy in a long time."

She suddenly leaned forward, her voice soft: "You... come close with your face."

Lin Yuan's heart instantly raced, he was so nervous...

What?? Should I move closer?? Is she going to kiss me?

Lin Yuan's mind went completely blank, the sudden surge of happiness left him utterly dazed.

Even his breath was held.

Lin Yuan slowly brought his face closer...