Chapter 155: Causing His Allergy

It was one thing for the other clothes to be sized accurately, but the intimate undergarments—how did Qin Yu even... Lin Xi blushed just thinking about it.

Fortunately, none of the styles were particularly revealing. Otherwise, she truly wouldn't be able to face Qin Yu tomorrow.

Qin Yu was likely washing up, as it took a moment before he replied, "I guessed."

Lin Xi: "..."

She realized that her other clothing sizes were easy enough to discern at a glance, so he hadn't needed to put much effort into those. Qin Yu knew exactly what she was asking about, and his answer addressed her underlying question.

The truth was exactly that: he had guessed.

When the housekeeper asked for her approximate sizes, he had paused for a moment before providing them. He had even added, "I'm not sure what size you wear, so prepare a few; there should be one that fits."

Lin Xi had a beautiful, curvaceous figure, so his estimate had been quite accurate. It was only out of consideration for her pride that he had asked the housekeeper to prepare two extra sizes.

On the other side of the conversation, Lin Xi had checked the closet and found this to be true. She finally let out a sigh of relief.

After showering, Lin Xi lay on Qin Yu’s bed, feeling wide awake. Just as Qin Yu had said, his mattress was very comfortable—much like the one in her own apartment. No wonder he had been so sure she would get a good night's sleep.

However, the realization that this was his bed made it impossible to drift off. Even though he hadn't been back in days, the bedroom still held a faint trace of his scent. Lin Xi tossed and turned, soon discovering the source: the housekeeper had lit an aromatherapy diffuser. She considered getting out of bed to extinguish it, but hesitated, stopped by some passing thought, and remained still.

***

The next morning, Lin Xi woke up feeling a bit dazed. It took her a long time to remember what time she had actually fallen asleep. After becoming accustomed to his scent, it hadn't been as difficult to fall asleep as she had imagined.

When she came downstairs, Qin Yu was already in the living room. Hearing her footsteps, he looked toward the elevator. "Morning."

Lin Xi paused while tying up her hair, then walked toward him. "Morning. Aren't you suffering from jet lag?"

"No need." Qin Yu’s gaze traveled over her. Seeing that she looked well-rested, he asked, "Did you sleep well?"

"Mm." Lin Xi nodded. It was the most peaceful sleep she had had in the past week.

"Let's eat. I'll take you to the office in a bit."

Lin Xi hesitated, remaining where she was. Seeing this, Qin Yu stopped and looked down at her. She knew he was waiting for her to speak, and he gave her the time to find the words.

They shared a silent, tacit understanding for a moment before Lin Xi said, "I want to go home and take a look."

Home.

Qin Yu paused upon hearing the word. If she had meant the family estate or the apartment she currently lived in alone, she wouldn't have hesitated for so long. Therefore, she couldn't be referring to either of those. It had to be the house next door.

"Now?"

"Mm." She stared at him for a few seconds before nodding slightly, seeking his approval. "Is that okay?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Qin Yu smiled. "You don't need anyone's permission to return to your own home."

Qin Yu knew exactly what she was thinking, but he didn't give her a chance to elaborate, gesturing for her to follow. "Let's go. Eat first. I'll go with you after you're done."

Relieved by his response, Lin Xi’s expression softened. While eating, she checked her group chat to tell Dou Yangyang that she would be arriving at the office a bit late.

"Third Brother, I'm done." She clearly wanted to head out as soon as possible.

"Finish your porridge." Qin Yu personally ladled more for her.

Although Lin Xi was a picky eater, she disliked porridge with added ingredients, preferring plain white rice porridge. Her eldest brother had often remarked that her eating habits were strange and unpredictable, with no discernable pattern. Sometimes she would love an ingredient in one dish, only to find it repulsive or even nauseating in another. Her brother once said that there were very few people who could accept her habits and share a table with her; those who did must have a bond forged in fire.

He used to insist that she break these bad habits and stop being so picky, but eventually, he gave up, simply advising her to find a boyfriend who wasn't picky so he could accommodate her.

Lin Xi looked at the porridge in her bowl with a headache. "There's too much. I can't finish it."

"Then drink half. You've barely eaten anything."

Lin Xi had no choice but to pick up her spoon. She really did drink only half before gently pushing the bowl away. It wasn't that she didn't want to, she simply couldn't. She rarely ate much in the morning; her appetite only peaked in the evenings.

"You served too much." Seeing what was left, she didn't want to waste food, so she hesitated and picked up the spoon again.

Qin Yu tapped the table. "Don't finish it. Give it to me."

"..."

Lin Xi’s hand froze. Once she understood what he meant, she didn't move. "Let's not." She felt embarrassed.

Qin Yu didn't react much; he simply lifted his eyes to look at her, his tone calm. "I’ve cleaned up your leftovers plenty of times before."

"..." Lin Xi felt a lump in her throat. That was true.

The rule at the estate was that one could not waste food; it had to be finished. When she couldn't finish a snack or dinner and feared being scolded by her older brothers, Qin Yu would always eat it for her.

At first, no one noticed. But one time, she had left behind a piece of cake and given it to him. Qin Yu had an allergic reaction, and only then did she learn it had a mango filling. Her eldest brother had lectured her for a long time afterward, forcing her to write a letter of apology.

"I won't write it. I didn't do anything wrong... I didn't know there was mango in the cake; my uncle brought it for me."

Unfortunately, her brother wouldn't listen. "Finish it, then go apologize to Qin Yu."

"...No."

"Lin Xi!"

"...Fine."

She didn't know how long she had spent on that apology, but she had fallen asleep in the courtyard halfway through. When she woke up, her second brother was sitting across from her at the stone table, and the letter was finished. She had assumed she finished it in her sleep, but she wasn't foolish—she remembered stopping at the end of the first page. Yet, the handwriting on the following pages looked just like hers. She looked at her second brother, assuming he had secretly written it for her.

Later, she went to see Qin Yu. He had mostly recovered, though the traces of the reaction remained. Feeling guilty and afraid he was angry, she hid behind her second brother and whispered an apology. It wasn't until much later that she realized the letter of apology had been finished by Qin Yu himself when he came to find her.

Ever since then, she had never dared to let Qin Yu eat any of her food.

***

After the meal, Lin Xi walked with Qin Yu to the house next door. Though it was "next door," it still took them four or five minutes to arrive.