Chương 118: The Right Way to Embrace

Lin Che deactivated his "Silent Shadow" transformation in a secluded corner. The bruises on his face from teaching the thugs a lesson and the redness and swelling at the corner of his mouth were still clearly visible.

He took out his phone, and several unread messages from Su Yuqing were displayed on the screen. Without exception, they were all asking where he was and when he would be home. He quickly typed on the screen and replied that he was on his way back and where he was.

Almost instantly after the message was sent, Su Yuqing's reply popped up: "I'm nearby too, wait for me, I'll be right there!"

Lin Che looked at the message, which was filled with obvious excitement, smiled helplessly, put away his phone, and walked to the agreed intersection.

He stood by the lamppost, gazing in the direction where Su Yuqing might appear. A few minutes later, a familiar and slender figure appeared at the street corner, jogging towards him.

"Ah Che!" Su Yuqing ran up to him, still slightly out of breath. Her bright eyes were instantly filled with worry and heartache when she saw the scars on Lin Che's face.

"Your face—what happened to it?!" She instinctively reached out, wanting to touch the glaring bruises, but stopped just before touching him, afraid of hurting him.

Lin Che said casually, "Oh, it's nothing serious. I just happened to run into a few thugs who were trying to cause trouble on my way back, so I taught them a lesson."

He pointed to the wound on the corner of his mouth and added, "I just found a small roadside clinic to get it bandaged up, and it's fine now, don't worry."

As he spoke, he deliberately flashed what he thought was a bright enough smile, but this smile inevitably pulled at the muscles in his cheeks, bringing a subtle yet distinct stinging pain.

Lin Che's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly, but he quickly concealed it perfectly, so that Su Yuqing would not notice anything amiss.

Su Yuqing didn't entirely believe this seemingly casual explanation. She frowned, her voice filled with deep worry: "Didn't you say you were going to a friend's house tonight? How did you run into some thugs? And get hurt like this?"

Lin Che felt somewhat helpless upon hearing this: "You're making it sound like I'm seriously injured. It's just some superficial wounds. I'll be almost completely healed by tomorrow morning."

"And what's more, the ones who really suffered were those few clueless guys; their injuries were much more serious than mine."

Su Yuqing gently shook her head: "It has nothing to do with that kind of thing. The most important thing is that you're injured—" Her fingertips carefully traced the slightly bruised bruise on Lin Che's cheek, her voice trembling with a heartbreaking intensity: "It must hurt a lot here, right?"

Looking at the worry and heartache that was almost overflowing in her eyes, Lin Che felt a corner of his heart soften instantly. He took her slightly cool fingers and gently held them in his palm, his voice becoming gentle as well.

"It hurts a little, but—if you kiss me, it will definitely stop hurting right away."

If it were any other time, Su Yuqing would probably have already blushed and happily jumped into his arms upon hearing Lin Che's "proactive" invitation.

However, at this moment, she did not show any of her usual excitement and shyness. She just looked at Lin Che quietly, a complex emotion flashing in her bright eyes.

Then, she puffed out her cheeks slightly, her tone tinged with a hint of complaint and dissatisfaction, and gently punched his chest: "At a time like this, you're still joking! I'm clearly worried about you."

Although Lin Che's facial injuries didn't seem particularly serious upon closer inspection, Su Yuqing was filled with indescribable worry and lingering fear.

Before this, nothing like this had ever happened to Lin Che. He had always had a good temper and never initiated conflicts with others. Being injured in a fight like this was definitely a first for him.

It was this sudden "first time" that made Su Yuqing's "worry" string tighten to its limit, so much so that she briefly forgot about everything that happened tonight.

The only thing she could think of right now, the only thing she cared about, was this silly Ah Che, who was injured but was still pretending to be relaxed and comforting her.

Seeing Su Yuqing's serious expression, Lin Che finally gave up his joking thoughts. He sighed softly, his voice filled with utmost solemnity and apology: "I'm sorry, Yuqing, I made you worry."

I promise you, this will never happen again. Today was truly an accident. I just happened to see those guys doing something really outrageous, and I couldn't help myself—" Hearing his solemn promise and his explanation filled with regret and helplessness, Su Yuqing finally relaxed a little. She sniffed and softly hummed in agreement, accepting his apology and promise.

The two walked side by side on their way home.

After a moment of silence, Lin Che spoke again: "Um—Yuqing, could we—not tell them about my injury today?"

"I know it's not good to keep this from them, but I'm afraid they'll worry if they find out, especially my dad. He might nag me for ages, and I might even get scolded."

Upon hearing this, Su Yuqing paused slightly, turned her head and gave Lin Che a wary look, her beautiful eyes filled with obvious dissatisfaction.

She said, somewhat annoyed, "Oh? And what about me? You think it's okay just because I found out about this and worried about you?"

Lin Che immediately raised his hands in surrender, smiling apologetically as he said, "I definitely didn't mean that. I'm sorry to have worried you."

"But—let's try to keep it from Dad and the others as long as possible, okay? Otherwise, I'll have to explain for ages, and I might get scolded. You can't bear to see me so pitiful, right?"

Seeing his possessive expression, Su Yuqing couldn't help but let a slight smile creep onto her tense lips. She turned her head away, feigning composure, and gave a soft "humph": "Well—that depends on your performance from now on!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Che's eyes lit up, and he immediately straightened his back and bowed to Su Yuqing: "I, Lin Che, from this moment on, will resolutely obey all orders of Lady Yuqing!"

Su Yuqing was amused by Lin Che's feigned seriousness. She squinted and said, "Then—I order you to go home, take a shower, and then come to my room with your blanket. You're going to sleep with me tonight."

"Yes, Your Excellency Yuqing!" Lin Che replied without hesitation.

"Pfft—" Su Yuqing couldn't hold back any longer. She held her stomach and laughed so hard that she was doubled over, and tears welled up in her eyes.

She laughed intermittently, panting, and said, "Ah Che, where did you learn this trick from?"

This is hilarious! Hahahaha! I can't take it anymore!

Looking at the smiling girl in front of him, Lin Che smiled gently from the bottom of his heart, feeling a sense of relief.

He knew that his somewhat clumsy "method" had at least played a small role, at least—it could allow the girl, who had just learned so much heavy news and whose heart must be filled with anxiety and pressure, to relax for a while and smile happily.

He stepped forward and asked softly, "Are you feeling any better now?"

Su Yuqing finally managed to stop laughing. She looked up and saw the undisguised tenderness and doting in Lin Che's eyes, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

But soon, as if she had remembered something, she immediately straightened her face again and gave a serious "humph": "No! Not at all! I'm in a very bad mood right now!"

"Maybe if I'm unhappy, I'll tell Dad about your fight with those thugs today."

Lin Che looked at Su Yuqing's feigned seriousness, yet unable to hide the smile in her eyes, and found her incredibly adorable. He knew the girl in front of him was acting, and he was happy to play along.

He immediately put on an exaggerated, "terrified" expression: "No, no, no, Lady Yuqing, please calm down! I will do my best to satisfy you."

Seeing Lin Che resorting to his old tricks again, Su Yuqing couldn't help but laugh once more. She quickly reached out and gently patted Lin Che's arm, scolding, "Alright, alright! Stop doing that, my stomach is about to hurt from laughing!"

Lin Che finally breathed a sigh of relief, a wry smile appearing on his face: "I was really scared. If you actually told Dad and the others about this, I'd be in big trouble."

Upon hearing this, Su Yuqing rolled her eyes at him, annoyed: "How could I possibly do such a thing? Didn't we already make a promise that night? We can't let our families worry."

Lin Che was slightly taken aback, then smiled and nodded gently: "Yes, that's right, we made a promise."

"However..." Su Yuqing's bright eyes darted around, and a sly smile suddenly appeared on her face.

She changed the subject, continuing, "Although I won't tell them, but—it wouldn't be too much to ask you to do a few small things by using this to blackmail me, would it?"

Lin Che helplessly reached out and gently pressed the tip of her small, pert nose: "You, how can you say you're threatening someone so confidently? If you're going to threaten someone, how can you not go too far?"

Su Yuqing proudly raised her chin, put her hands on her hips, and said confidently, "That's exactly how I am! Tell me, do you agree or not?"

"Okay, okay, I'll do whatever you say." What else could Lin Che say? He could only raise his hands in surrender.

Su Yuqing nodded in satisfaction. She gently tapped Lin Che's chest with her finger and said in a commanding tone, "Then I'm asking you now to hug me for a while!"

"Here?" Lin Che subconsciously glanced around. Although it was already late and the streetlights were dim, this was still a main road, and there were still a few pedestrians crossing the street occasionally.

But when he turned around and saw Su Yuqing's expectant eyes, all his hesitation vanished instantly.

Since Yuqing had already said so, how could he possibly refuse? Without further hesitation, he stretched out his arms and gently and tenderly pulled the girl in front of him into his embrace.

Su Yuqing immediately wrapped her arms around Lin Che's waist, burying her entire body in his embrace, her cheek pressed tightly against his chest, feeling his steady and powerful heartbeat. Just as she had told Liuli in the small park, tonight, after learning so many shocking things, she felt like her head was about to explode.

The conspiracy of Jingjue, the mole within the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs, the safety of Senior Xingshuang—all sorts of complex and heavy information filled her mind like a tangled mess, making it difficult for her to sort out her thoughts.

However, as long as she stays quietly in Lin Che's arms like this, feeling his familiar and warm aura, those chaotic thoughts and heavy pressure seem to become less important.

All she needs to do is close her eyes, quietly feel the warmth and tenderness of this embrace, and feel the peace and reliance that belongs only to her—that's enough.

A gentle night breeze blew by, stirring up a few fallen leaves and lightly ruffling the hem of the clothes of the two people embracing each other.

Occasionally, passersby would glance at the young couple embracing tightly under the streetlights, their faces either showing a knowing smile or a nostalgic expression reminiscing about the past.

Then they would tacitly and quietly avoid them, unwilling to disturb this peaceful beauty.

At this moment, the whole world seemed to consist only of the two of them, and the unique warmth and sweetness that quietly permeated the cool night breeze.

However, after a while, Su Yuqing suddenly felt that something was not right.

This embrace—it seemed quite different from any she had felt before.

She slightly raised her head in Lin Che's arms, her bright eyes filled with obvious doubt. She carefully examined Lin Che's arms that were wrapped around her and felt the strength emanating from his body.

Judging from the touch, Lin Che's arms didn't seem to be using any force at all. Rather than hugging me tightly, it was more like he was gently draped over me.

"Ah Che—" she asked疑惑地, "Why didn't you use more force? Is your hand injured and you're afraid to exert force?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Che replied somewhat guiltily, "Really? I felt like I used a lot of effort—"

"You're kidding me!" Su Yuqing immediately retorted, dissatisfied.

"This hug feels completely different from before. When you hugged me before, it was like you wanted to meld me into your body. Now—humph, there's no sincerity at all!"

Looking at Su Yuqing's adorable expression, which carried a hint of dissatisfaction and accusation, Lin Che tentatively asked, "When I hugged you before, did you feel uncomfortable? Or were you scared or anything?"

"Scared?" Su Yuqing's expression became even more puzzled upon hearing this.

"How could I be scared! The tighter you hold me, the safer I feel! How could I possibly be scared?"

Lin Che scratched his head, a somewhat conflicted expression on his face. He knew, of course, that Yuqing liked the feeling of being held tightly in his arms, but...

"That's not necessarily true—" he muttered to himself, "Maybe—he feels oppressed and wants to suffocate or something—" Ever since Yin Xue held the petite and delicate "Silent Shadow" in his arms and endured a series of almost torture-like intimate "rubbing" sessions...

He now genuinely feels that being tightly hugged by someone much larger than himself is a very, very terrifying thing.

Therefore, he subconsciously hesitated to hug the girl in front of him tightly, fearing that she might also experience that terrifying feeling of "wanting to suffocate".

Su Yuqing looked at Lin Che, who was speaking words she couldn't understand at all and wearing a strange expression, and her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly.

"Oh? Looks like someone wants to get a scolding from their dad."

"No, no, no! Absolutely not!" Upon hearing this, Lin Che's body jolted, and his survival instinct surged instantly.

He immediately recalled how he had "correctly" hugged Yuqing before, and quickly adjusted the posture and strength of his arms, pulling the girl in his arms tightly, tightly into his embrace again, so that she could clearly feel his unquestionable sincerity.

Su Yuqing felt the change in the strength of the embrace and nodded in satisfaction.

She buried her face in Lin Che's warm chest again, closed her eyes, and a sweet and satisfied smile curved her lips as she began to enjoy the warm embrace that she cherished so much.