AMTWPICL Chapter 18

They chose to have dinner at a place not far from Song Linchu’s school.

It was recommended by Tan Yue, and as Song Linchu was not a picky eater, he was okay with it, just as long as the dishes were not too unusual.

This restaurant was located near the school so Song Linchu had heard of it. It had a reputation for being a high-end establishment with prices so steep that even one’s closest relatives would disown them, and it was a popular spot for many wealthy people and celebrities.

Rumor has it that this restaurant has a special private room that takes up a hundred square meters. It is semi-circular in shape with floor-to-ceiling windows all around, allowing for a breathtaking view of the city’s skyline, much like an observation deck.

Of course, just reserving the private room alone would cost an exorbitant amount, and it requires a reservation made half a month in advance.

At that time, their two dorm mates had not moved out yet and when He Wanyan, the rich roommate, mentioned this private room, he said that only a fool would spend money on such a room when he could use that money to have three meals instead.

Now that fool had arrived, and his name was Tan Yue.

The waiter brought hot towels to clean their hands. Tan Yue was clearly familiar with this kind of service and quickly wiped his hands. He put the hot towel back in the tray held by the waiter and looked up to see Song Linchu slowly opening his towel with a pale face. Tan Yue asked, “Are you feeling uncomfortable?”

“Not really,” Song Linchu smiled with embarrassment, “Just not used to it, it’s too high up.”

His words were not accurate. It was not that high up, but because all three sides were floor-to-ceiling glass windows and outside was the vast night sky without any cover, it made him feel like they were floating in the air and brought the constant fear of falling.

This was probably what a country bumpkin like him would feel.

Tan Yue turned to the head waiter who was serving them and said, “Please lower the curtains.”

The head waiter was probably hearing such a bizarre request for the first time. After all, they had paid a high price to come to this private room to enjoy the view, but now, with the curtains closed, what was the difference between this and a regular private room?!

However, in the face of Tan Yue’s cold and intimidating presence, the head waiter did not dare to say a word and respectfully said, “Yes, sir.”

Hhe used his eyes to signal the other two waiters to close the curtains, and Song Linchu quickly said, “No need, I just need some time to adjust, it’ll be okay later.”

Tan Yue said directly, “Then we’ll open them later.”

Song Linchu was surprised to see this considerate side of Tan Yue, who was usually a straight steel man. He felt a little happy and asked them not to close the curtains on both sides, so they could still admire the night view without feeling the sense of being suspended in the air.

Soon, the dishes were served one by one.

The dishes were abundant, and the cooking techniques were exquisite. The taste was delicious, and perhaps Song Linchu was easy to please, but everything he ate was delicious.

“Gege, are you in a bad mood?” Song Linchu asked when he saw that Tan Yue had hardly touched his food.

Tan Yue was a person who rarely showed his emotions, so people who were not close to him always thought he was cold and unemotional. Only those who were very close to him could judge his current mood from some subtle changes in his expression.

Song Linchu thought he belonged to the category of people who were not very close to Tan Yue, but he could clearly feel that Tan Yue was absent-minded, indicating that he was indeed in a bad mood.

Tan Yue, who had been found out, put down his chopsticks and said, “My grandfather was taken to the emergency room this morning.”

Song Linchu almost bit his tongue.

He knew what the emergency room meant and asked anxiously, “Is he okay?”

Tan Yue’s voice was calm, “There’s no immediate danger to his life, but he’s still unconscious.”

Song Linchu was smart and he immediately guessed that Tan Yue’s request was related to his grandfather.

He put down his chopsticks and looked at Tan Yue, asking, “Brother, is there anything I can do to help you?”

In that moment, Song Linchu’s mind flashed with many cliché drama scenes.

“Your kidney/ bone marrow matches with my grandfather’s. Only you can save him. Don’t you like me? If you like me, give him your kidney/ bone marrow.”

Um…

Tan Yue wouldn’t be that ridiculous…right?

It was hard to say for sure. Song Linchu didn’t know him well, but with his status and background, he definitely wasn’t a kind-hearted person.

A subtle flash of hesitation appeared in Tan Yue’s pitch-black pupils. He rubbed his fingertips together before slowly speaking, “I’d like to ask you to pretend to be my boyfriend for a while.”

…Huh?!

Did he hear that right?

Was this really happening?!

It couldn’t be that he was hallucinating due to his cold, right?

Tan Yue paused for a moment before adding two more words, “With compensation.”

After recovering from his shock and realizing that this was not a hallucination, Song Linchu asked, “Is this for acting in front of your grandfather?”

Tan Yue didn’t deny it and went straight to the point, “The old man is worried about my marriage, and I hope that by doing this, I can reduce his worries and let him recover as soon as possible.”

Oh…

Song Linchu was lost in thought.

“Of course, if you don’t want to,” Tan Yue said in a professional tone, “you can refuse.”

Refusing was not an option, as Tan Yue would definitely find someone else. Then, all of his previous efforts would be for nothing.

The scumbag and the third party still hadn’t been taken down!

Song Linchu looked at Tan Yue and smiled, “Before making a decision, I have a question. Why did you choose me, gege?”

Tan Yue chose Song Linchu, of course he had first thought about it.

Previously, he knew that Song Linchu had approached him not because he genuinely liked him, but because he had ulterior motives and wanted to get back at Tan Mingqing. In other words, he had a hidden agenda.

Tan Yue enjoyed these pure business relationships, and it could also teach a lesson to Tan Mingqing or even the scheming roommate, satisfying Song Linchu’s purpose.

However, for some reason, he didn’t mention his real motive.

He came up with a temporary excuse and said lightly, “It’s urgent and I couldn’t find anyone more suitable than you for the moment.”

“That’s true,” Song Linchu didn’t suspect this reason at all and asked again, “Gege, how far do we have to pretend?”

Tan Yue said, “We just have to act like a normal couple, do what needs to be done.”

After pausing for a moment, Tan Yue coughed before saying, “Except for going to bed.”

Song Linchu: “……”

You don’t even have the ability to go to bed!

“In other words, this play is not for your grandfather to see, but for everyone to see,” Song Linchu said.

Tan Yue replied, “I don’t want any possible flaws to reach my grandfather.”

Tan Yue also didn’t mention that having a public partner could fend off many peach blossoms for him.

Song Linchu nodded, indicating that he understood.

Although there was a big difference between fake lovers and real lovers, it seems that it can also be an opportunity to show off one’s power. Even if there is no way to temporarily take away Tan Mingqing’s inheritance rights, it’s still good to make him angry!

No matter how he thinks about it, there’s no loss.

He’ll do this deal!

Song Linchu made up his mind and blinked at Tan Yue, “Okay. Although I didn’t really want to pretend to be your lover, I’ll have the opportunity to get closer you.”

“… “ Tan Yue ignored his flirtation.

He didn’t seem surprised that Song Linchu agreed, and simply nodded his head, “My grandfather should wake up tomorrow. You don’t have class tomorrow afternoon so I’ll come to pick you up and take you to the hospital to see him.”

Song Linchu readily agreed and said, “Okay.”

After finishing their meal, Tan Yue saw that Song Linchu was still suffering from a cold and had a runny nose, so he didn’t delay any further and sent him back to his school.

It only took a few minutes to drive to his school from here, and Song Linchu, who was already feeling sick, couldn’t help coughing when the cold wind blew on him.

Coughing is a strange thing. It’s fine when you’re not coughing, but once you start, it’s like turning on a switch and it won’t stop. You cough for a while, then stop, then start again.

The car quickly arrived at the bottom of his dormitory building, and Song Linchu had just finished a coughing fit. The corners of his eyes were red, and he sniffed and said to Tan Yue, “Then, I’ll go back first, gege.”

“Wait.”

Tan Yue signaled for the driver to bring something from the passenger seat. It was a delicate gift box with the restaurant logo they just ate at printed on it, and a bag of something he didn’t know.

“This is cold medicine,” Tan Yue handed him the bag first, “Take it when you get back.”

Song Linchu felt a little guilty. How did Tan Yue know he hadn’t finished taking his medicine?

“I don’t need it. I have some in my dorm.”

Song Linchu was a rather strange person. He’d rather take a needle than take medicine.

These small illnesses like colds, couldn’t he just tough it out and wait for them to pass?

Tan Yue didn’t say anything, he just held out the bag and looked at him.

… A few seconds later, Song Linchu reluctantly took the bag from him.

Tan Yue then handed over the take-out box.

The box was carried by the driver when they left the restaurant, so it couldn’t have been the leftovers they didn’t finish. Song Linchu assumed that Tan Yue didn’t eat much and wanted to take it back for himself, but unexpectedly, Tan Yue handed it to him.

Song Linchu quickly said, “I don’t need this, I just ate a lot and I’m full now. You didn’t eat much yourself.”

“Give it to your roommate,” Tan Yue said.

Tan Yue didn’t have such a good heart and wouldn’t even bother doing something for Song Linchu’s roommate. However, after Cheng Bin told him that Song Linchu’s weird roommate had offended them again, he couldn’t let his nominal boyfriend get bullied.

But Cheng Bin also said that Song Linchu wanted to handle it on his own, so Tan Yue respected him and wouldn’t intervene for now. He only gave this take-out box to Song Linchu to take back, just to let Su Zhan, who loved to belittle others, know that there was someone supporting Song Linchu from behind and not to be too arrogant.

“Oh, I see. Then I should tell them who paid for it,” Song Linchu deliberately pretended to be distressed. “I don’t have friends who are that rich.”

Tan Yue saw the mischief in Song Linchu’s eyes but didn’t say anything.

“I’ll just say it was my boyfriend who paid for it. Let them get used to the identity first, or…”

Song Linchu winked at him and said, “Husband works too.”

Tan Yue: “.…”

After teasing him, Song Linchu felt a flush on his face and felt embarrassed. He took the food from Tan Yue’s hand and was about to run away, but Tan Yue grabbed his wrist.

“Wait a minute,” Tan Yue’s voice was low.

Song Linchu was about to ask what was wrong when Tan Yue suddenly reached out and wiped a physiological tear near the corner of his eye due to the coughing fit.

Song Linchu was a big talker and Tan Yue’s directness made him blush even more.

The man’s fingertip touched the corner of his eye, emitting a scorching temperature that made Song Linchu’s back shiver and made him forget to breathe.

Seeing the youth’s face turn red like a ripe tomato, Tan Yue calmly withdrew his hand and used Song Linchu’s words, “Get used to intimate contact first.”

Song Linchu: “.…”

He was teased by this old man!

A minute later, Tang Yue watched the back of the young man swiftly rushing into the dormitory building, his lips curling slightly. “Let’s go,” he said to the driver.

As Tang Yue’s car disappeared, Su Zhan who had linked his arm with Tang Mingqing’s slowly walked towards the entrance of the dormitory. They just happened to see the back of the car leaving, and Su Zhan’s eyes lit up. “Wow, it’s a Maybach! Who in our school is so rich!”

Tang Mingqing looked at the car fixedly, his eyes strange.

“Don’t look, when you inherit your uncle’s estate, you’ll have one too!”

Just the thought of this beautiful future made Su Zhan feel ecstatic.

He had never ridden in such a luxurious car before!

“No, I feel like I recognize the license plate.” It was like his little uncle’s.

But his uncle often drove a different car, so he wasn’t sure.

“Is that so?” Su Zhan’s tone was excited. “Whose is it, come on, tell me!”

Tang Mingqing shook his head. “I think I made a mistake.”

His uncle was very busy and had just been discharged from the hospital, so it was impossible for him to be here.

Impossible!