MVCFO CH31.1

When Lin Xiangqi overheard that conversation back then, it led to a big misunderstanding. Now, Lu Cong personally explained everything to him.

It turned out that Lu Cong’s father hadn’t said those harsh words out of dislike for him. On the contrary, he had been worried that Lu Cong, young and impulsive, might make a reckless decision that would harm both of them. So he had issued that warning.

After hearing this, Lin Xiangqi’s overwhelming reaction was guilt. He said, “Then I need to apologize to Uncle Lu. These past two years, whenever he called you, I was actually right beside you, but I deliberately avoided greeting him. I thought he hated me. Turns out it was just a misunderstanding… I really owe him an apology.”

Lu Cong looked at him expressionlessly.

Lin Xiangqi forced a dry laugh. “Now that everything’s cleared up, can you let me go?”

From the moment they started talking, Lu Cong had been holding him tightly. Lin Xiangqi couldn’t move at all. Every time he struggled slightly, Lu Cong would punish him with a kiss on the corner of his lips.

“And? Is that all you have to say?” Lu Cong lowered his eyes. With every word, his voice grew colder. “If you hadn’t overheard that conversation back then, what would you have thought? What would you have done?”

Lin Xiangqi’s eyelashes fluttered quickly. “Well… maybe… I’d have sent Uncle Lu a holiday greeting text during festivals…”

“Lin Xiangqi.” Lu Cong narrowed his eyes. “Still pretending?”

Lin Xiangqi flinched. “I’m not.”

Lu Cong stared at him for a long moment, then suddenly chuckled. “Fine.”

Lin Xiangqi thought the topic was finally over. But the next second, Lu Cong grabbed his hand and started dragging him toward the door.

Qi Ye was probably still outside, on the phone with Lu Huo.

Lin Xiangqi was doomed.

No—strictly speaking, he thought Lu Cong was doomed.

He couldn’t understand what had gotten into Lu Cong. It was strange enough that he kissed him out of the blue in the hospital room just now. But now he was pulling him in front of Qi Ye and bluntly, without warning or reason, declared:

“Mom, just letting you know—I won’t marry anyone except Lin Xiangqi.”

Qi Ye was still on the call, on speakerphone. She and Lu Huo both paused for a moment, but quickly accepted this non-negotiable announcement and replied, “Oh, okay.”

Lin Xiangqi was completely stunned.

What?

Who’s getting married?

Why was that answer so casual?

Lu Cong was speaking nonsense—without reason, without warning.

Lin Xiangqi turned pale from shock and bit his tongue hard, frantically trying to explain to Qi Ye: “No, no, Auntie, he misspoke. What he probably… maybe… meant to say is that he doesn’t plan to get married for now! Yes, that’s it!”

Lu Cong: “Wrong.”

Lin Xiangqi: “Don’t speak!”

Lu Cong: “I will.”

Lin Xiangqi stomped his foot in panic. “Did the suppressants mess up your brain? How did we go from being perfectly fine to suddenly talking about marriage?”

Lu Cong raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t say I was marrying you.”

“Ah?” Lin Xiangqi choked, starting to doubt his own hearing. “Did I… misunderstand?”

Then he heard Lu Cong explain: “I simply said I won’t marry anyone except you. I’m informing my parents so they won’t secretly interfere or do anything unnecessary. But you, Lin Xiangqi—you’re free. You don’t have to respond. You can pretend you heard nothing—you’re good at that, aren’t you? If you don’t want me, I’ll stay single forever. It’s fine. I’m prepared for that.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiangqi immediately jumped up and smacked him on the head. “You’re ridiculous!”

Lu Cong smiled slightly. “I don’t mind.”

Qi Ye quietly hung up the phone on the side and said, “I have something to do, I’ll leave you two.”

Maybe Lu Cong had overdosed on suppressants and scrambled his brain, because since that day, his words had become increasingly shocking and out of control.

Not only did he make that almost oath-like declaration in front of Lin Xiangqi, but afterward, he stayed in Lin Xiangqi’s hospital room and, whenever the chance arose, asked him: “Will you marry me?”

Every time, Lin Xiangqi was scared out of his wits, stammering, “Stop saying weird things! I only agreed to your pheromone comfort treatment, don’t drag this into something else.”

Lu Cong: “Not refusing means agreeing.”

Lin Xiangqi: “I refuse.”

Lu Cong: “Not daring to look at me means you’re lying.”

Lin Xiangqi forced himself to meet his gaze and squeezed out a few words from between clenched teeth: “I re—fuse—”

Lu Cong interrupted directly: “Do you hate me?”

Lin Xiangqi froze. His brain hadn’t caught up yet, but his mouth answered automatically: “No, I don’t hate you.”

“Then you like me,” Lu Cong said matter-of-factly. “Qianqian, I like you too.”

“Ahhh—” Lin Xiangqi let out a shriek, clutching his ears. “Dr. Tang, Dr. Tang! Lu Cong’s probably entering heat early, he’s talking nonsense!”

Lu Cong stepped forward, reached out, and effortlessly pulled him into an embrace, lowering his head to kiss Lin Xiangqi’s reddened ear as he whispered, “Qianqian, if you really wanted to reject someone, you wouldn’t give him the chance to hold you like this.”

Lin Xiangqi muttered, “I—I just can’t outrun you!”

Lu Cong chuckled but said nothing more. Instead, he held the back of Lin Xiangqi’s head and kissed him hard.

To Lin Xiangqi, it felt like Lu Cong’s entire personality had changed overnight.

He was no longer the quiet, reserved, and patient Lu Cong from before.

In the past, Lu Cong would never even touch on sensitive topics like “marriage.” He wouldn’t even dare ask who Lin Xiangqi might date in the future, or whether they’d drift apart after dating.

Back when Lin Xiangqi was still sick, even when Lu Cong wanted to kiss him, he’d come up with all kinds of legitimate excuses to leave Lin Xiangqi room to refuse.

But now, when Lin Xiangqi no longer needed Lu Cong’s pheromone comfort, Lu Cong kissed him even more frequently.

No warnings, no excuses—just a look exchanged between them, and Lu Cong would kiss him.

It was terrifying.

And yet, Lin Xiangqi couldn’t do a thing about this version of Lu Cong.

What’s worse was… this side of Lu Cong didn’t feel entirely unfamiliar to him.

This Lu Cong reminded him precisely of that moment in the past—when Lu Cong hadn’t yet taken his suppressants and had marked him.

If the old Lu Cong had been like a perfectly programmed computer—calculating, powerful, flawless, omniscient, and invincible—so perfect that Lin Xiangqi didn’t know how to respond…

Then the Lu Cong before him now was like a wild beast finally awakened from hibernation—hungry, impulsive, ferocious. He lunged straight at Lin Xiangqi with suffocating intensity, his eyes full of long-suppressed desire, desperate to break free of all restraint.