Blazing fire is hard to extinguish chapter 28
Moving In
When Lin Chi woke up, he was groggy. He distinctly remembered falling asleep in the RV, yet when he woke up, it felt like he was in a five-star hotel.
His mind was still a bit foggy.
He lay in bed staring at the embroidered bed canopy for a long while before calling out hoarsely, “Li Tingyan?”
He called several times, but no one answered.
“Huh?”
Lin Chi found it strange. If he had come to the hotel, it must have been Li Tingyan who brought him here, but given Li Tingyan’s personality, he wouldn’t leave him alone like this.
Lin Chi lay there for a while longer, studying the embroidered bed canopy, feeling that something was off.
This room, though luxurious, felt a bit cold and lacked signs of habitation. It looked more like someone’s bedroom than a hotel room.
He slowly propped himself up, running his hand over the soft bedspread. He pulled back a blanket covering him and, under the dim light, saw a rose embroidered in the corner with an “L” in the center.
Lin Chi raised an eyebrow.
Could it be?
He muttered to himself, got out of bed, put on fluffy slippers, and walked to the window, pulling the curtain aside.
Outside, it was clearly nighttime.
Directly facing his room was a garden, clearly part of a villa. The garden lights were on, hidden among the flowers and trees, casting a soft warm yellow light on the white pebble paths.
Looking out from this second-floor room, there were no tall buildings around. In the distance, he could vaguely see more villas, and only far off could he see the lights of tall buildings.
“Damn…”
Lin Chi muttered.
The surroundings didn’t look like a hotel at all.
He vaguely remembered that Li Tingyan’s house was in Maohua Waterfront, a famous rich neighborhood that concentrated half of C City’s wealthy. Known for being quiet amidst the bustle, there were no high-rises nearby to ensure the area’s privacy.
Thinking of this, he shuffled to the door, sneakily opened it, and poked his head out.
But before he could figure out where the long corridor outside led, a gentle female voice suddenly spoke up beside him, “Mr. Lin, you’re awake.”
“Ah!”
Lin Chi was startled by the sudden voice, falling back and hitting his waist against the door, almost bringing tears to his eyes.
The woman, dressed in a black business suit, was also startled and rushed forward, “Mr. Lin, where did you get hurt? I’ll call a doctor right away…”
“No, no, no need.”
Lin Chi raised his hand, quickly stopping her from making a fuss.
A doctor? He had just come out of the hospital and didn’t want to go back.
He hissed in pain, rubbed his waist, and looked at the young woman in front of him.
She had a high ponytail, no makeup, and wore a neat black suit, looking at him earnestly.
He noticed her name tag read “Yan Li.”
He had a vague idea of where he was but still asked, “Can you tell me where this is?”
Sure enough, the woman seemed puzzled by his question but respectfully answered, “This is Residence No. 1 in Maohua Waterfront, Mr. Li Tingyan’s home.”
Rubbing his sore waist, Lin Chi thought to himself, as expected, that bastard Li Tingyan had brought him home without saying a word. How outrageous, disregarding personal rights.
Though he mentally cursed Li Tingyan, he knew there must be a reason for his actions.
After being friends with benefits for half a year, there was some trust between them. He knew Li Tingyan wouldn’t trick him into anything bad.
Lin Chi only grumbled a bit in his mind and quickly calmed down.
When Yan Li gently mentioned that she had prepared a late-night snack for him, he touched his empty stomach and didn’t refuse.
The snack was quickly brought up, served in the living room next to the room Lin Chi was in.
He took a spoonful of porridge and asked Yan Li, “Where’s Li Tingyan? Where did he go?”
“Mr. Li had some business at the company, so he went out for a bit. But he instructed us to inform him as soon as you woke up. He should be back shortly.”
Yan Li’s respectful attitude towards Lin Chi, especially regarding anything about Li Tingyan, made him feel a bit uncomfortable.
But since she was a staff member in Li Tingyan’s home, he didn’t say much.
After finishing a bowl of porridge and a few side dishes, he lost his appetite.
Still unwell, he felt his forehead, which was still warm. Lacking energy, he decided not to wander around the vast house and settled on the sofa with a book.
He chose a book from the room’s bookshelf, coincidentally related to his profession, an introduction to fashion design and fabrics.
When Li Tingyan returned, he saw this scene.
Lin Chi was wrapped in a soft white robe, his slightly long hair casually pinned to one side with a colorful gemstone clip.
He was reading a thick book on his lap, draped haphazardly with a patterned crochet blanket, its bright colors complementing him well.
But the blanket wasn’t covering him properly.
As he turned a page, the blanket slid off, revealing his fair wrist and falling to the floor.
“Hmm?”
Lin Chi noticed the movement, his eyes still on the book, as he leaned over to pick up the blanket.
But a slender hand reached out before him, picking up the blanket and placing it aside.
Only then did Lin Chi realize someone was blocking the light.
He looked up and met Li Tingyan’s gaze.
Li Tingyan had taken off his coat, left in a black turtleneck sweater. His face, almost pale, looked cold under the backlight, his expression nearly indifferent.
Lin Chi couldn’t help but be stunned.
But he quickly realized it was just an illusion, as Li Tingyan smiled slightly, and his deep-featured face soon softened.
Li Tingyan sat down next to Lin Chi. “The butler just called me and said you were awake. I thought you’d sleep a bit longer, so I went to the company for a while.”
He raised his hand to touch Lin Chi’s face, which was slightly sweaty and cool to the touch.
“Do you still have a fever? I’ll ask the doctor to come and check on you again.”
Li Tingyan’s actions were so natural that Lin Chi had no time to react. He stood up and made a phone call using the landline nearby.
Soon, a middle-aged woman in her forties or fifties, wearing a mask, walked in and gently examined him.
“Your temperature isn’t high, only 37.8 degrees, but you can’t be careless. It might fluctuate again tomorrow,” the doctor carefully instructed Li Tingyan. “You need to take good care of him for the next few days. Ensure he gets plenty of rest and follows the medication schedule.”
Lin Chi sat silently nearby, thinking, “Why are you telling him this? He’s not my guardian.”
Then he thought, perhaps the doctor worked for Li Tingyan’s family, so it was natural for her to report to the head of the household.
After the doctor left, Li Tingyan wanted to sit back down, but Lin Chi covered his mouth and moved away.
“Stay away from me. Don’t you know this virus is contagious? Look, even the doctor knows to wear a mask. Why don’t you?”
Li Tingyan laughed.
He had no choice but to move to the edge of the sofa, sitting much farther from him, and asked, “Is this okay?”
Lin Chi hesitated for a moment before reluctantly lowering his hand.
He grabbed a pillow and used it to shield himself.
Now, he finally had the mind to interrogate Li Tingyan.
“Why did you bring me to your home?” he looked up at Li Tingyan, still puzzled. “You know where I live. Even if I was asleep, you could have woken me up and sent me home.”
Li Tingyan glanced at him helplessly.
“There’s no one at your place to take care of you when you’re sick. If I left you alone at home, it would be no different than leaving you in Changyu County.”
“At my place, even if I go out, there are medical staff to look after you. You can find the butler or other staff if you need anything. Isn’t that better?”
Li Tingyan spoke slowly and logically.
Lin Chi was stunned.
He glanced at the medicine the doctor had left behind, colorful and some in English that he couldn’t understand, but they were just fever reducers.
It’s not like he’d never been sick before.
When he was little, he once had a fever of almost 40 degrees and nearly passed out, but he pulled through on his own.
Why was Li Tingyan making such a fuss?
Lin Chi was amused.
He said, “It’s just a fever, not a broken arm or leg. I’ll be fine on my own.”
Li Tingyan frowned, not liking Lin Chi’s careless words about breaking limbs.
Before he could speak, Lin Chi continued, “Your place is really luxurious. It’s easy to get lost here. I’ll stay today, but I’ll go back home tomorrow.”
Li Tingyan’s frown deepened.
“Is my place not good?”
He looked seriously at Lin Chi, his dark eyes reflecting a bit of warmth from the nearby lamp, both focused and gentle.
“There’s no shortage of rooms here. I know you can take care of yourself, but clearly, this is a better place for you to recover. There’s 24-hour care available. I don’t understand why you insist on going back.”
Li Tingyan paused, as if he thought of something, and a shadow crossed his face.
He asked Lin Chi, “Or is it that you just don’t like staying with me?”
“I…”
Lin Chi was speechless.
That was definitely not it. He and Li Tingyan had spent many nights together, sometimes staying at hotels. To say he couldn’t accept living together would be self-deception.
But that’s not the main issue.
He looked at the painting behind Li Tingyan, the luxurious four-poster bed, and the carved ceiling, subconsciously pursing his lips.
Staying over occasionally was one thing, but coming to someone’s house to recuperate was another.
He coughed and evaded the topic, “It’s not that. I just feel it’s inconvenient for you. You seem very busy…”
“It’s no trouble,” Li Tingyan interrupted. “I have dozens of house staff. Taking care of you is no big deal.”
Lin Chi was taken aback.
Indeed.
A mansion this big required a lot of staff for daily upkeep. Him staying in one room was like a drop in the ocean.
He scratched his face, feeling like he had no reason to refuse.
Still, he asked, “What about your family? If they come and see a stranger, it’ll be inconvenient, right?”
Li Tingyan laughed.
“They won’t come.”
“Why not?”
Lin Chi looked puzzled. He hadn’t heard much about Li Tingyan’s family, but it was normal for parents to visit a mansion this big occasionally.
“My family is distant. We don’t interfere with each other. Even if they come, they’ll inform me in advance, but it’s rare, maybe once a year. So, there’s only me here. You don’t need to worry.”
As he spoke, Li Tingyan’s eyes lowered, his eyelashes casting shadows like fluttering butterflies.
“I see…”
Lin Chi hadn’t expected Li Tingyan to be so estranged from his family. He was at a loss for words to refuse.
Li Tingyan soon returned to his usual self, smiling as he looked at him, “Since there’s no issue, stay here. Keep me company.”
Lin Chi was speechless. He couldn’t even bring himself to meet Li Tingyan’s eyes.
He touched his nose and muttered, “Alright, I’ll stay until I’m better, then I’ll go home.”
Author’s Note:
Ah, Chi Chi, some places are easy to enter but hard to leave~