Xu Xingzhe had never understood why Lu Zhaoshen suddenly came out of the closet on National Day without notice. It seemed too rushed and sloppy. But now, looking at Xu Chengshan’s expression, Xu Xingzhe suddenly understood.
No wonder Lu Zhaoshen was a genius at Nangang Business School.
As he came out on National Day, even if his parents were angry, there was nothing they could do. Once the seven days were over, he would have to return to school, leaving behind endless unfinished business that could only be put aside.
Xu Xingzhe couldn’t help but applaud him in his mind.
Qin Jiazhen lifted the lid of the soup pot and served Xu Xingzhe a bowl of chicken soup. Her precious son hadn’t eaten properly for days. Qin Jiazhen was so distressed that she cried for several nights and got into a fight with Xu Chengshan.
Xu Chengshan had said, “You’re better off without such a troublesome kid. Leave him be. Let’s just live well for the rest of our days.”
Qin Jiazhen had pushed him away and glared at him with red eyes, “I just want my son. You can live with whoever you want.”
What else could Xu Chengshan do? He could only compromise.
Qin Jiazhen had someone buy an old hen and then stewed it overnight, waiting for Xu Xingzhe to get up in the morning to drink it. She handed the bowl to Xu Xingzhe, touched his cheek, and said tenderly, “It’s only been a few days, and you’ve lost so much weight.”
Xu Chengshan snorted from the side, “Lost weight? I’ve seen him eat plenty of snacks and play plenty of games.”
Xu Xingzhe stuck out his tongue at Xu Chengshan and finished his bowl of chicken soup. Then he sidled up to Xu Chengshan and sucked up to him, saying that he loved his mom and dad the most. He also mentioned that he found a box of cookies in his room and ate them all before realizing that they had expired a month ago. His pitiful plea softened Xu Chengshan’s heart, and he pushed the bowl over to Xu Xingzhe to let him have another bowl of chicken soup.
After breakfast, Xu Xingzhe patted his bulging belly and threw himself on Qin Jiazhen. He said, “Mom, I’m sorry.”
Qin Jiazhen held Xu Xingzhe’s wrist and gently stroked it. Xu Xingzhe had grown a lot during the summer after the college entrance exam, shooting up in height, and was half a head taller than Qin Jiazhen. He was no longer the kid who threw tantrums in the supermarket to buy a game console. He even had his own little plans for the future. Although they sounded immature, they were endearing.
Qin Jiazhen sighed, “Actually when you were in high school, I had a hunch that your relationship with Xiao Lu wasn’t ordinary. But I didn’t dwell on it. Xingxing, I can’t fully accept this matter right now but don’t worry, Mom won’t try to stop you or burden your life.”
Qin Jiazhen turned around and stroked Xu Xingzhe’s hair and temples, smiling as she said, “As long as you promise Mom one thing.”
“Mn, I’ll promise you anything you want me to do.”
“Don’t mess around, don’t do any of those dangerous things. If you like him, stay with him. If you’re ever mistreated, come home. Mom and Dad’s place will always be your safest haven.”
Qin Jiazhen had read many news articles online and heard many unspeakable rumors. She was scared by what many young people called “love and freedom”. None of the chaos, madness, and disease could happen to Xu Xingzhe.
Other than that, Qin Jiazhen did not ask for anything else. Besides, she knew deep down that Lu Zhaoshen was an exceptional boy.
“Mom and Dad have never been your shackles.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Before leaving, he received a WeChat message from Lu Zhaoshen, saying he was on time. But Xu Xingzhe waited beside the ticket barrier for a long time, until the ticket inspector urged him for the second time, yet he still didn’t see Lu Zhaoshen’s figure.
He hesitated whether to board the train or wait for the next one.
With only a minute left, Xu Xingzhe decided to go first. He lowered his head to send a message to Lu Zhaoshen when his hand was suddenly grabbed.
The person in front of him was breathing heavily, and because he was running fast, he bumped into Xu Xingzhe. Lu Zhaoshen was wearing an oversized white hoodie and jeans, with a backpack slung over his shoulders. His hot breath hit Xu Xingzhe’s face, but he was still smiling, the corners of his eyes were raised, and even his eyes were shining. He was happier than ever. He grabbed Xu Xingzhe’s suitcase with one hand and pulled Xu Xingzhe with the other. Just as the ticket inspector was about to close the barrier, they rushed in.
Xu Xingzhe was stunned and ran inside with Lu Zhaoshen.
The sunlight shone on Lu Zhaoshen, and he seemed to be glowing.
The first time they met, the hallway was dark and the voice-activated lights were off. Xu Xingzhe couldn’t even see the stairs clearly. He Kai and his friends blocked the door, glaring at him like a tiger watching its prey. However, with Lu Zhaoshen standing in front of him, even without saying a word, Xu Xingzhe felt like Lu Zhaoshen was glowing, and he wasn’t afraid of anything anymore.
As they took their seats, Lu Zhaoshen still hadn’t let go of Xu Xingzhe’s hand.
“You—”
“You—”
They both started speaking at the same time, then stopped simultaneously, allowing the other to speak first.
Neither of them spoke again; they looked at each other and understood each other’s meaning.
Lu Zhaoshen could not contain his feelings and cupped Xu Xingzhe’s face to kiss him. This time, it was Xu Xingzhe who felt shy and turned away to look out the window without saying a word.
“My dad agreed,” Lu Zhaoshen said.
Xu Xingzhe’s hand was almost crushed by Lu Zhaoshen’s grip. He nodded clumsily, his heart beating so fast that he could not hold it back, like soda overflowing from a shaken bottle. He turned his head and leaned on Lu Zhaoshen’s shoulder, his tone was so serious that it was cute, “Then I’ll go propose marriage to your family.”
Lu Zhaoshen smiled but didn’t respond. As soon as the high-speed train arrived, Lu Zhaoshen dragged Xu Xingzhe to a hotel. He pushed him onto the bed and stripped him naked. He even confidently claimed that he was worried Xu Xingzhe had gone hungry in the past few days.
Xu Xingzhe’s legs were raised and he adjusted himself. He pinched Lu Zhaoshen’s arm with his fingers and said angrily, “Who’s the hungry one here?”
*
[A few years later]
Xu Xingzhe claimed there were two things in his life he could never get tired of eating: sweet and sour spare ribs and Lu Zhaoshen.
Lu Zhaoshen put the frozen ribs he had just taken back into the freezer and said blankly, “Oh, we’re having braised chicken fillets today.”
Xu Xingzhe snorted a laugh and jumped off the couch into Lu Zhaoshen’s embrace, rubbing his forehead against Lu Zhaoshen’s chin. Lu Zhaoshen hugged him back after closing the freezer door. It was a hard-earned weekend break, and Lu Zhaoshen hadn’t tidied himself up. He had a short stubble on his chin, which was slightly prickly, but Xu Xingzhe still loved it.
“You can’t monopolize everything in my heart.”
Just as Xu Xingzhe said that, Lu Zhaoshen bit his earlobe. Xu Xingzhe pouted and lunch was delayed for another two hours.
Lu Zhaoshen was always on business trips, and Xu Xingzhe was always working overtime. They hadn’t spent a weekend together in nearly two months.
Before they had jobs, Xu Xingzhe never thought he could endure such a lifestyle. He believed that if two people weren’t glued together, their relationship would fade quickly.
But now he had adapted because both he and Lu Zhaoshen were striving for this little family. They had a car, five years left on their mortgage, and everything they needed. As Xu Xingzhe put it, they were just missing retirement, getting a dog, growing flowers in the garden, and enjoying their old days of watching the rain and admiring the blossoms.
He had made Lu Zhaoshen more active, while Lu Zhaoshen had grounded him.
Lu Zhaoshen had clear plans for his life, and Xu Xingzhe had initially worried that he wouldn’t be able to keep up with his pace. But he gradually realized that he had been included in the center of Lu Zhaoshen’s life plan early on. Lu Zhaoshen was paving the way for him, overcoming obstacles, and hoping to create a perfect future for them.
What more could one ask for?
After a nap, they used the home projector to watch what was supposed to be the best thriller of the year, but it turned out to be neither thrilling nor suspenseful. After only ten minutes, Xu Xingzhe guessed who the killer was. He leaned on Lu Zhaoshen’s shoulder and whispered if he had figured it out too.
Lu Zhaoshen curled the corners of his mouth and nodded.
After that, they lost interest in continuing the movie. They kissed in the dim light, the soundtrack of the movie drowning out the wet sounds of their intertwined lips and tongues. As they kissed, Xu Xingzhe was about to pounce on top of him, but Lu Zhaoshen held him back, “We’re going out for dinner tonight.”
Last week, Xu Xingzhe mentioned a newly opened Sichuan restaurant on Huiping Road that was supposed to be delicious but was always fully booked. His colleague had waited in line for two hours just to get a table. Xu Xingzhe had forgotten, but Lu Zhaoshen remembered for him. During lunch, he told Xu Xingzhe that he had reserved a table and that they would go there that evening.
Xu Xingzhe reluctantly got off Lu Zhaoshen and hopped to the closet to change, still insisting Lu Zhaoshen wear matching couple colors.
When they arrived at the Sichuan restaurant, they indeed saw a long, long line. Xu Xingzhe held up Lu Zhaoshen’s phone to show the waiter the reservation, and they were effortlessly led to their table.
Xu Xingzhe placed the order while Lu Zhaoshen helped clean the utensils.
Xu Xingzhe looked at the ratings on the food app and selected several signature dishes. After ordering, he began surveying the surroundings.
“It’s really full, not a single empty table. The decor of this place is so interesting, look at that lantern—”
Xu Xingzhe paused in the middle and whispered to Lu Zhaoshen, “That person looks familiar.”
Lu Zhaoshen followed Xu Xingzhe’s line of sight to look over. Then he turned back with a grim face and didn’t say a word.
“It’s Yan Xiao! I remember now! It’s Yan Xiao,” Xu Xingzhe slapped the table, then quickly narrowed his eyes, “Eh? The person across from him also looks familiar, it seems like that…that… Right, Jiang Yaning.”
Lu Zhaoshen wasn’t interested, but a gossipy smile suddenly appeared on Xu Xingzhe’s face, “They’re really hooking up. Did you know? Once in our third year of uni, I think it was on Qixi, we spent the night outside and didn’t return to the dorm until after 10 in the morning. When I opened the door, I found Yan Xiao on the bed, talking on the phone. He swore as he said, ‘Get as far away as you fucking can. Laozi was drunk last night and mistook you for a fuck buddy. Don’t think last time meant anything. Practice your skills before you talk about dating me.'”
Xu Xingzhe burst into laughter and continued, “Then he heard me come in and quickly hung up. At noon, when I went downstairs to get some takeout, I ran into Jiang Yaning. He called out to me and handed me some takeout, asking me to give it to Yan Xiao. As I climbed the stairs, I glanced at the takeout receipt, and it turned out to be plain congee! I almost died laughing. When I handed it to Yan Xiao, I deliberately asked him, “It feels good to be 0, right? His face immediately turned dark, and he didn’t speak to me for days.”
“I didn’t pay attention to whether they got together later, but I do remember seeing Jiang Yaning several times in front of our dorm.”
Lu Zhaoshen listened and watched Xu Xingzhe laughing, so he smiled as well.
After finishing their meal, Xu Xingzhe wanted to go to the restroom before leaving and he had to pass by Yan Xiao and Jiang Yaning’s table. Yan Xiao was eating with his head down, while Jiang Yaning was resting one hand on the table, holding a glass, and looking at him quietly. Xu Xingzhe walked quickly and only heard Jiang Yaning say, “Come home with me after you finish eating.”
Then he heard the sound of Yan Xiao slamming his chopsticks on the table and roaring in a low voice, “Get lost.”
But it wasn’t entirely anger, it was more like helplessness.
When Xu Xingzhe came out of the toilet, Jiang Yaning and Yan Xiao were also getting ready to leave. Jiang Yaning seemed to be about to straighten Yan Xiao’s collar, but Yan Xiao impatiently dodged. Just as he was about to take a step, he turned around and grabbed Jiang Yaning’s scarf, wrapped it around his neck two or three times with a fierce expression on his face, and strode toward the door. Jiang Yaning didn’t seem annoyed and followed with a smile on his face.
Xu Xingzhe looked thoughtful before walking over to Lu Zhaoshen, who was waiting for him with his phone and coat.
As Xu Xingzhe put on his coat, he suddenly said, “It’s a chasing game as well?”
“What?” Lu Zhaoshen asked.
Xu Xingzhe shook his head with a smile, then looped his arm through Lu Zhaoshen’s arm and headed toward the door, saying cheerfully as they walked, “I love you so much Lu Zhaoshen.”
t/n: the next chapter is short so I’ll post it at the same time 
Thank You for the new chapter (ෆ❛ัᵌ❛ัෆ)°
Everything is falling into place finally
I need yan xiao and jiang yaning’s story (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄
Awwww they’re so happy together now 🤧 perseverance is key y’all