You hidden in my heart - Chapter 57.1

Chapter 57.1

It was already past four in the afternoon when the two returned home from the supermarket. Li Xining was so sleepy that she could hardly open her eyelids. 

Lu Yuling could see that she was really exhausted, so as soon as he entered the house, he said to her, “You go to bed. I’ll arrange these.”

“Then call me before 7.30,” Li Xining didn’t refuse Lu Yuling’s words. 

Lu Yuling’s show was from 8.30 to 11.30 in the evening, and she wanted to go with him.

Lu Yuling: “Well, go to bed first.”

Li Xining changed her shoes to slippers and went to bed directly.

Before going to bed, she took off her clothes and put on Lu Yuling’s T-shirt, which had become her exclusive pyjamas. She thought it was very comfortable to wear.

After closing the curtains and turning on the air conditioner, she hopped into the bed. 

As soon as her head touched the pillow, she fell asleep. She didn’t know how long she slept; she felt someone holding her while she was half asleep. That person even tucked the corner of the quilt for her.

She shut her eyes and sleepily whispered, “I’m so tired…” 

“I’ll hold you while I sleep,” Lu Yuling whispered gently.

Feeling reassured, she drifted back into a deep slumber. When she finally woke up, the room was dark, indicating the night had fallen.  

The first thing she did was call out for Lu Yuling, but there was no reply. So she touched the other side of the bed and found it empty.  

“Ugh, how annoying!” Li Xining exclaimed as she sat up in bed. After clicking on the table lamp, she noticed the clock on the wall—it was nearly half past eight. Quickly, she grabbed her phone and dialled Lu Yuling’s number.

As if he had been waiting for her call, Lu Yuling picked up almost instantly. “Just waking up? Are you planning to sleep more tonight?” His voice was laced with a smile.

The noise coming from the phone was super loud, clearly coming from a bar. Upon hearing that, Li Xining was getting more and more frustrated. “You’re so annoying!” 

“Why do you keep hating me?” Lu Yuling replied, sounding all pouty and hurt. “You say you hate me when I don’t let you sleep, and then you say you hate me when I let you sleep in a bit longer? Do you really hate me that much? It makes me sad.”  

“Who told you not to call me?” Li Xining shot back. “I’m heading home now!”  

“Wait, wait, wait!” Lu Yuling said quickly, trying to calm her down. “Can’t we talk this out? Always running back to your parent’s place isn’t a great habit.”  

‘What does it even mean to go back to my mom’s?’ Li Xining snapped, “I’m going back to my own place!”  

Lu Yuling replied, “But isn’t there no one at your house?”  

Li Xining paused, suddenly feeling anxious. “My house? Why would there be no one home? Someone’s definitely there today; I have to get back!”

“Oh.”Lu Yuling just said casually, “You told me yourself that there’s no one at home. There has been no one at home for half a month.”

“What!” Li Xining shook her head with frustration, insisting, “When did I ever say that?”  

Lu Yuling replied, “This afternoon at the supermarket.”  

Li Xining couldn’t argue anymore, but she stood her ground. “Even if I’m all alone, I’m going home!”  

“Come on!” Lu Yuling whined playfully, “Li Xining, we have such a great bond. It’s my birthday today, so why not celebrate with me?”  

Li Xining: “…”  

She wanted to stay on her decision, but hearing Lu Yuling’s words, she found it hard to say no. With a sigh, she murmured, “Just make sure you come back right after the show. Oh, and drive safely.”  

Lu Yuling beamed with happiness. “Sure thing! I won’t let you sit alone in that empty room.”  

“What a pain!” Li Xining ended the call abruptly.  

Even though he hung up, Lu Yuling wore a satisfied grin. It felt amazing to know someone was looking forward to his return at night.  

He hadn’t felt that kind of anticipation in years. It was like a lost boat finally finding its way back to a safe harbour.

The show was set to start in just a few minutes. Lu Yuling was about to enter the bar, and he accidentally locked eyes with Zhao Hailan, who was seated at an outdoor booth. 

Lu Yuling’s smile vanished at that instant.

Over the past month, he had bumped into Zhao Hailan quite a bit on this street. The middle-aged man had come to the Green Shade to catch the young man’s performances several times. He would sit there from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. And when Lu Yuling’s performance was over, he would give a generous tip.

Performers at the bar earned a fixed salary plus tips. However, they couldn’t take the whole amount of tips as they had to 

split 50-50 with the bar. Every time Zhao Hailan attended Lu Yuling’s show, he would tip the young man no less than 10,000 yuan, with his highest tip reaching 30,000 yuan.

Since he started performing at the Green Bar, Lu Yuling had never encountered such a generous fan. Normally, he would just take the money and move on, but with Zhao Hailan, he found himself oddly reluctant to accept her generosity.

On his way home after last month’s graduation performance, his uncle Lu Rongxing brought up that Zhao Hailan was interested in signing him and asked if he had any thoughts about pursuing that path.

He had that intention, but he wasn’t keen on teaming up with Zhao Hailan. Even though they didn’t interact much, Zhao Hailan left a bad taste in his mouth. It felt like the guy was always hiding behind a thick mask, making it impossible to read his thoughts. Moreover, Lu Yuling felt that Zhao Hailan was way too focused on him. 

Although his uncle said that Zhao Hailan wanted to sign him into his company because Zhao Hailan admired Lu Yuling’s skills, Lu Yuling had another matter to think about.

After Mr. Li’s birthday party, Lu Yuling saw Zhao Hailan always lurking around the entrance of his school. It felt like the middle-aged man was constantly following Lu Yuling, no matter where he went. 

Lu Yuling wasn’t a fan of that vibe. 

When he first got a tip from Zhao Hailan, he shared it with Li Xining. Since he didn’t know much about Zhao Hailan, he talked about it with Li Xining. After all, the Li and Zhao families had a long history, so she should have a better grasp of who Zhao Hailan was. 

But instead of advice, his girlfriend said, “If he offers you money, take it. Take as much as he gives you. Don’t turn it down!” 

At that moment, he thought Li Xining might not be getting the full picture, so he added, “I don’t know him well, but he’s always around me and throwing money my way. Does that seem right to you?”

Li Xining looked at him seriously and said, “What’s the issue here? He told your uncle he wanted to sign you because he sees your potential, right? But your attitude and your uncle’s response are a bit unclear, and you even want to turn him down. So, he’s probably thinking of other ways to win you over, like showing up at the bar to support you or giving you a generous tip. Those are just his tactics to get your attention. Don’t overthink it—just take the cash.”

Lu Yuling shot back. “But he knows what my uncle does! Are we lacking money? Is he really trying to impress me with such a small amount? That would be disrespectful to my uncle. With his status and experience, he wouldn’t stoop to something so trivial.”

Li Xining was at a loss for words and asked, “So, why do you think he gave you money then?”

Lu Yuling pondered for a moment and replied honestly, “I think he just wanted to give me some cash to use, without any strings attached. He even told my uncle he’d make me a superstar in three years.” Then he added, “Do you really think Zhao Hailan is the type to fuss over an amateur who hasn’t even debuted yet? He’s been really good to me.”

It was Zhao Hailan’s kindness that puzzled him; he couldn’t figure out why someone so successful would be so generous to him, especially since they weren’t related. After all, there was no such thing as a free lunch in the world.

“If someone shows you kindness without any reason, he is either a traitor or a thief.”

Li Xining thought to herself. ‘Zhao Hailan feels indebted to you and is trying hard to make amends.’ But she couldn’t spill the beans, so she said, “He probably just wants to make a good impression on you without expecting anything back.”  

Lu Yuling asked, “So why do you think he showed up at our school gate?”  

Li Xining replied, “He might not have come just to see you. What if he’s looking to transfer Zhao Cichu to a different school?”  

Lu Yuling pointed out. “But Zhao Cichu is our age and has already graduated. Why would she want to switch schools?”  

Li Xining confidently said, “What if she wants to repeat a year?”  

With no way to argue against her logic, Lu Yuling conceded, “Alright.”  

Li Xining then added, “If he offers you money, just take it. Don’t be shy about it. Accept whatever he gives you without hesitation.”

Have a nice day!