Preparing Lv Rou's Gift It's a Sincere Gift (Bonus Chapter 2/5 for the Gift King)

Lin Yu said straightforwardly:

"Don't worry, I already spoke to the hotel front desk when I went to order food earlier."

"I told them I accidentally had a nosebleed and got it on the sheets."

"Then I paid them twenty yuan for the cleaning fee."

"Washing sheets doesn’t cost much anyway."

These words were, of course, a well-intentioned lie to comfort Chi Qingshui.

The truth was, he had actually paid two hundred yuan.

A hotel of this caliber wasn’t some cheap roadside inn.

Expecting to settle things with just a few dozen yuan? Impossible.

Before leaving earlier,

Chi Qingshui had insisted on giving Lin Yu some of her living expenses—

more than half the room fee, with the rest meant to cover the meal.

Though Lin Yu wasn’t some staunch traditionalist,

the idea of splitting the cost of a hotel room with his girlfriend

was beyond his emotional intelligence.

Naturally, Lin Yu refused, no matter how much Chi Qingshui insisted.

……

The hotel food was mediocre at best,

just enough to fill their stomachs.

By the time they finished eating,

it was already 5:30 in the afternoon.

The rain had lightened but showed no sign of stopping.

Noticing how Chi Qingshui kept glancing at the weather outside,

Lin Yu spoke up with practiced ease:

"Qingshui, let’s wait until after six to leave."

"I think it’ll turn into a drizzle by then, so it’ll be easier to get a cab."

"And before we go, we’ll grab some KFC for Little Chi."

He hadn’t forgotten the ravenous little foodie waiting at home.

If he’d overlooked this, Chi Qingshui would have had a hard time explaining things later.

"Oh my gosh, thank you for reminding me! I almost forgot about Little Chi…"

"Lin Yu, you should get something too."

"Earlier, I practically…"

Chi Qingshui trailed off, embarrassed as she looked at the empty plates.

Lin Yu’s relentless, tender feeding had made her lose track of herself.

After all that physical exertion,

she’d been starving.

Only after devouring most of the food did she snap out of it and realize Lin Yu had barely eaten.

She’d been too exhausted to even notice the portions.

Speaking of exhaustion—

Lin Yu should’ve been even more worn out…

Yet he’d only had a few bites.

Chi Qingshui couldn’t help feeling a little guilty toward her considerate boyfriend.

"Hey, I told you, I wasn’t that hungry."

"Once you’ve recovered a bit, we’ll go get something together."

"Qingshui…"

As he spoke,

Lin Yu pulled her into his arms.

Chi Qingshui immediately shot him a pleading look.

If they picked up where they left off now,

they’d never make it back to the apartment tonight!

Amused by his girlfriend’s nervousness, Lin Yu chuckled:

"From now on, we can go on normal dates, right?"

Chi Qingshui sighed inwardly in relief.

So that’s what he meant.

Thank goodness.

"Y-yes, of course… but Lin Yu, I…"

She wanted to agree without hesitation,

but then it hit her—

their circumstances didn’t exactly allow for carefree dating.

"I get it. I understand completely."

"I’ll find moments when it’s just the two of us, and we’ll avoid places where we might run into people we know."

Lin Yu’s words came straight from the heart.

Having a cautious, overthinking girlfriend wasn’t a bad thing at all.

"Thank you… hubby."

Touched by Lin Yu’s sincerity,

Chi Qingshui knew there wasn’t much she could do in return.

So she took the initiative,

softly calling him "hubby" to make him feel better.

"What did you call me? I couldn’t hear you—you said it too quietly."

"If you call me that, we might have to push back our departure time again!"

Teasing her,

Lin Yu began playfully groping around.

The icy, untouchable top student who’d coldly brushed him off that morning

now giggled and squirmed in his arms like a blushing newlywed.

Then, out of the corner of her eye,

Chi Qingshui spotted Lin Yu’s backpack and suddenly remembered something.

She straightened up, crossing her arms in front of her chest,

and asked with utmost seriousness:

"Lin Yu, I have a question for you. Promise you won’t lie—answer me honestly."

Wow.

Her mood shifts were faster than flipping a page.

Lin Yu sat back, nodding solemnly as he waited for her to continue.

"If I hadn’t chased after you today… what would you have done?"

"Would you have gone to find Lv Rou? She seems… pretty interested in you."

Though she’d discovered Lin Yu had been following her the whole time,

thinking back, if she’d just gone home…

what would he have done?

Especially since his backpack contained…

a "gift for Lv Rou" that he’d prepared in advance!

It wasn’t until she saw the bag just now that Chi Qingshui remembered.

Noticing how her eyes kept darting toward his backpack,

Lin Yu immediately understood what was troubling her.

"Find Lv Rou? Why would I do that?"

"I probably would’ve gone somewhere to drown my sorrows, getting drunk all over again."

"Meeting like this… I never gave it more than a 10% chance of working out."

"It was just my own wishful thinking. You walking away would’ve been the expected outcome."

Though she’d intended to interrogate him sternly,

Lin Yu’s response left her at a loss.

Even so, she had to voice the doubt gnawing at her.

"But you… you didn’t have to prepare a gift specifically for Lv Rou just to trick me."

"In real life, you’ve never even given me a present…"

Hugging her knees,

Chi Qingshui mumbled under her breath.

Once her momentum faltered, it was hard to regain her footing.

Lin Yu smiled, pulling his backpack over and taking out the gift box.

"You mean this?"

"Since I knew it was going to rain today, I brought an umbrella."

"And also…"

He opened the box.

Curious, Chi Qingshui leaned in—

only to find…

a box of medicated patches?!

"Why… are these patches?"

Even as she asked, the answer dawned on her,

sending a thrill through her chest.

But she needed to hear Lin Yu say it himself.

"I know your wrist acts up whenever it’s damp or rainy."

"These patches are specially for you. I researched them—they’re very effective."

"After you put one on, I can massage it for you too."

Lin Yu’s gaze was earnest as he spoke from the heart.

In that moment,

Chi Qingshui felt something profound stir inside her.

For the first time,

she truly understood what it meant to be loved.

……

(Bonus chapter! Will write another one later. Early sleepers can check back tomorrow—likely no one will be around to fish in the dead of night.)