Seven years after my death, the male protagonist of the substitute novel was criticized

Chapter 26 Don't Lie to Me
The winter nights are oppressive, with a drizzle when the street lights come on. It is so cold that even your breath feels like it is forced, carrying wet cold air into your limbs.

Lin Lu tried to get home as quickly as possible, carrying a bag of medicine for Pei Yizhou. She stopped at the door of her house, took deep breaths and tried to calm down.

Then he pretended to come back from a walk, opened the door as if nothing had happened, went in, changed his shoes, and called out, "Brother, I'm back."

"I went to buy you some medicine for your sore throat. Didn't you say that your throat was dry and sore from the meetings you had these days?"

As she spoke, she put down her things and walked towards her room along the route: "Remember to eat, I'm going back to my room to wash up."

"Come back." Pei Yizhou called her in a cold voice.

Lin Lu stopped, scratched his eyebrows, then turned back to the living room and sat down on the sofa.

Pei Yizhou sat at the bar. The curtains were not drawn. The bright lights outside shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows, reflecting various colorful lights on the glass beside him.

The glass was filled with wine with ice cubes, and only half of it was left.

"Sister Chen said that you went straight home after finishing your work, why did you come back so late?" he asked, his tone calmly, not sounding angry.

"I went out for a walk," Lin Lu said vaguely, picking up the snacks on the table and unpacking them, "Then I went to buy you some medicine, so I came back late."

"You're going shopping alone. What are you going shopping for? Don't you go to the supermarket to buy things and go home directly after get off work every day? Why do you want to go shopping today?"

Lin Lu knew Pei Yizhou. When they were good siblings, they rarely asked several questions so aggressively.

He usually guessed and asked questions, and when he knew almost everything, he would start to gently guide her, from "it's best not to fall in love at this age" to "you can bring friends home to play". He mainly tried to find solutions and never got angry with her.

She also tried to smooth his fur using the old method.

"Okay, okay, it's because I realized I made a mistake today and I was afraid you would scold me, so I stayed outside for a while before coming back. Brother Jiayan asked me to bring you a message, but I forgot."

"Forgot? I never knew you had a bad memory." Pei Yizhou twirled the wine glass with his fingers, his tone still indifferent, but the look he gave her was somewhat sharp.

Lin Lu was quick to sense that something was wrong, so he stopped making excuses and even became more cautious when eating snacks.

Silence is sometimes a kind of attitude. Pei Yizhou felt that the strong liquor he drank suddenly ignited a fire, burning his stomach, chest and brain, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Don't lie to me, Lin Lu. Your reaction today tells me that you know why I am investigating Duan Chengyu. Who is he?"

Lin Lu sighed: "Someone I might know. After all, I dreamed about him. You should know more detailed information about him. He is the owner of an information consulting company and does offshore outsourcing."

"You know that's not what I want to hear."

"Which ones are those? Would I steal trade secrets and work with him to bring down the company? Or do you think I'm doing some high school kid falls in love with a millionaire story?"

Pei Yizhou watched her brows slowly furrow, suppressed the anger and panic burning in his chest, and his eyes fell on the red orange next to the snack bag.

"The red oranges in the supermarket downstairs have only been on the market for a few days. Where did you buy your red oranges?"

"I..." Lin Lu looked at the red and oranges, opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, he heard him continue asking.

"You often chat on your phone, but Ding Zitong and Xu Jiayan both said they rarely contact you. Who are you chatting with? You can't put it down at night."

"I do not have……"

"Also, you said you went out for a walk, where did you go? And you didn't complain about being hungry and wanting to eat when you came back, so did you eat out? Alone? Isn't the food at home delicious? Why do you want to eat out?"

The more he asked, the more he sounded like a suspicious man, which was not the attitude a brother should have.

Lin Lu stood up and called out, "Brother!"

Pei Yizhou seemed to be frozen in place by the word "brother". The fire in his heart was extinguished by a shower of rain, turning into thick smoke that made it difficult for him to breathe. "Brother," Lin Lu said slowly, "It's wrong for me to hide the matter about Duan Chengyu. I just want to investigate why I dreamed of a stranger for no apparent reason."

She went on to say, "I don't think this is something worth talking about. I'll go out and investigate Duan Chengyu by myself. I can ask for your help or not ask you for the time being. This should be normal. Also, whether it's buying fruit or chatting with people, this is my private matter. Brother, I know you are worried about me, but I'm an adult, you don't have to worry about everything for me."

Pursing her lips, she added, "You never worried so much before."

This can be called interrogation and questioning.

How could this be the same? Pei Yizhou swallowed the bitterness in his throat. How could this be the same as before?

He was still at the bar, like a frozen sculpture in the night light.

For some reason, Lin Lu was a little afraid to look at him. She lowered her head, folded the seal of the snack bag, and turned back to the room.

"Don't forget to take your medicine and stop drinking." These were the only words she left before closing the door.

—

Probably because he was a little tired after the day, Lin Lu slept very soundly at night. He did not dream about Antarctica or Duan Chengyu again, and slept till dawn.

When he woke up, he walked around the living room as usual and told Pei Yizhou that he was still alive.

However, after going out, my nose woke up before my brain. I subconsciously shrugged it and smelled a strong fragrance.

Following the aroma to the kitchen, Pei Yizhou was preparing the soup base. He turned around and smiled at her when he heard the voice.

"Are you awake? Go wash up. I'm having plain noodles and tomato and egg buns for breakfast today."

He looked so gentle, as if the unpleasantness of last night had never existed, and after a good night’s sleep he became a good brother again.

Lin Lu liked the peaceful and warm family atmosphere. She followed him down the stairs, ran back quickly to wash and change clothes, and then ran back to the kitchen quickly.

"It smells so good - tomato and egg can actually be made into small buns. I have to add another dish to my versatile tomato recipe." She secretly ate one on the way to the plate and gave Pei Yizhou a thumbs up.

"If it tastes good, eat more, so you won't be hungry before lunch time. Xu Jiayan said that he occasionally saw you running to the company cafeteria, and your speed was comparable to that of a hungry cheetah."

"...Brother Jiayan doesn't know how to use metaphors, so he doesn't have to use metaphors." She curled her lips, sat down, picked up a handful of noodles with chopsticks and blew on it.

Watching her eat the food he cooked was Pei Yizhou's exclusive enjoyment. Pushing the tomato and egg bun in front of her, he chatted about the company's affairs - Hong Cheng and Duan Chengyu, they were all kicked out of the house and he never mentioned them again.

"After I have lunch with you at noon, I will go on a business trip and will be back at ten o'clock in the evening."

"In such a hurry?" Lin Lu chewed and chewed.

"That's what it's like at the end of the year. Get things done as soon as possible so we can go on vacation sooner. I've picked out a few places, you can choose one when you have the afternoon free."

Going on vacation early? Lin Lu slowed down.

Pei Yizhou didn't seem to notice her reaction. He watched her finish her meal and prepare to go out together.

He didn't wear a tie in the morning because he was afraid of getting it dirty while cooking. Now he held his coat in one hand and the Tremella sweet soup he prepared for her in the other. He poured it with his left and right hands at the entrance and sighed, "Lulu, can you help me tie my tie?"

Lin Lu scratched the strap of his cross-body bag with his fingertips before taking his tie with a smile.

"Okay. Lower your head a little more."

(End of this chapter)