INT CHAPTER 64

Their travel plans were progressing slowly. Over the past few days, they had only gone rafting once and visited a few scenic spots, as they spent half of each day at the hotel.

 

Sometimes, they didn’t even do much—just leaned against each other, chatted, and lazed around, letting the morning slip by.

 

That afternoon, after they had just finished being intimate, they lay naked in each other’s arms when Liang Xiao’s phone rang.

 

Reaching for it, Liang Xiao frowned slightly when he saw the caller ID.

 

Lu Ze didn’t notice his expression and lazily traced circles on Liang Xiao’s abs with his fingertips.

 

“Hello, Grandma Zhang,” Liang Xiao answered.

 

The voice on the other end was urgent, and Lu Ze could hear it clearly. “Liang Xiao, do you have time to come home in the next couple of days?”

 

Lu Ze stopped his movements and listened attentively.

 

Liang Xiao’s heart tightened as he quickly asked, “What happened? Don’t worry, take your time explaining.”

 

“Oh, it’s not a big deal,” Grandma Zhang reassured him after a pause. “Your mom has always clashed with Liu—well, you know how it is. Today, for some reason, they got into a fight…”

 

Liang Xiao’s grip on Lu Ze tightened. “What about my mom? Is she hurt? Is it serious?”

 

“Don’t panic,” Grandma Zhang said quickly. “It’s not too serious—she hit her head and bled a little. She’s fine now but had to go to the hospital for stitches.”

 

Liang Xiao frowned deeply. Lu Ze patted him gently, and Liang Xiao glanced at him before saying to Grandma Zhang, “Thank you for letting me know. I’ll call my mom right away.”

 

“Alright, don’t worry—it’s not a major injury…”

 

After hanging up, Liang Xiao looked at Lu Ze apologetically. Before he could say anything, Lu Ze said, “What are you waiting for? Call Auntie.”

 

“I…” Liang Xiao started to speak but stopped when he saw Lu Ze already getting out of bed. “I’ll go with you. There should still be tickets available now.”

 

Taking his phone, Lu Ze walked toward the bathroom. “Call Auntie first—I’ll take a quick shower to save time.”

 

As water began running behind the frosted glass door of the bathroom, Liang Xiao called Jiang Qing. The phone rang for a long time before she picked up.

 

“Mom,” Liang Xiao said.

 

“Oh? Aren’t you traveling with friends? How do you have time to call me?” Jiang Qing replied nonchalantly.

 

“Where are you?” Liang Xiao asked in a low voice.

 

“I’m… at the shop doing my nails. Why?”

 

After a moment of silence, Liang Xiao said, “Grandma Zhang told me you got into a fight with Aunt Liu?”

 

“Oh dear,” Jiang Qing sighed loudly. “That old lady! It was such a small thing—why’d she have to tell you? You know how your Aunt Liu is—always running her mouth. Us arguing isn’t unusual…”

 

“It wasn’t just an argument,” Liang Xiao interrupted with a heavier tone. “You needed stitches and didn’t tell me?”

 

Jiang Qing paused before responding casually, “What would telling you do? Can you stitch me up? I’m an adult—it’s just stitches; no need to make such a fuss! Don’t worry about me—just enjoy your trip…”

 

Liang Xiao interrupted her, “I’ll come home to see you tonight.”

 

Jiang Qing immediately raised her voice, “What are you doing? I just bumped my head! It’s not like my hands don’t work! What’s there to see?”

 

Liang Xiao sighed, “Don’t get worked up. Keep your voice down, or you’ll tear your stitches.”

 

“You’re not allowed to come back!” Jiang Qing insisted. “Enjoy your trip!”

 

Liang Xiao didn’t respond. Jiang Qing clicked her tongue. “Did you hear me, you little brat?”

 

“Take care and rest well,” Liang Xiao said.

 

When Lu Ze came out of the shower, he saw Liang Xiao sitting on the edge of the bed wearing only his underwear. Lu Ze said, “I bought the tickets. Go take a shower; I’ll pack our things.”

 

Looking up, Liang Xiao’s slightly reddened eyes caught Lu Ze off guard. Startled, Lu Ze quickly walked over. “What’s wrong? Is Auntie’s injury serious? Don’t worry—we’ll head back right away…”

 

Before Lu Ze could finish, Liang Xiao reached out and pulled him into a hug, burying his face against Lu Ze’s stomach.

 

Lu Ze gently rubbed the back of Liang Xiao’s head as he murmured hoarsely, “I’m sorry, baby. My mom should be fine. She doesn’t want me to go back, but I have to.”

 

Lu Ze let out a sigh of relief. “Of course you should go back—it’s the right thing to do. As long as she’s okay, that’s all that matters. I’ll go with you.”

 

After a moment of silence, Liang Xiao said hesitantly, “Maybe… you should go home first or stay here for a bit…”

 

Lu Ze pushed him away slightly, his tone turning cold. “Why can’t I go back with you?”

 

Liang Xiao looked up at him. “It’s not that you can’t—it’s just…”

 

“I don’t care,” Lu Ze said as he bent down to put on his pants. “We’ve already shared a bed—are you backing out now? Don’t want to take me home to meet your family anymore?”

 

Before Liang Xiao could explain, Lu Ze suddenly turned back and stared at him. “Damn it, Liang Xiao—you’re not actually backing out, are you? You—”

 

Liang Xiao stood up and took two steps forward to hug him tightly. In a soft voice, he said, “What are you thinking? That’s impossible. I just feel like this might ruin the trip for you.”

 

“What trip?” Lu Ze kissed him on the cheek. “I already told you—I’m not here just for fun. As long as we’re together, it doesn’t matter where we are. Besides, weren’t we planning to visit your home anyway? This is just sooner than expected.”

 

Liang Xiao gazed at him steadily while Lu Ze cupped his face and looked closely at him. “Your eyes were red earlier—you scared me.”

 

Leaning his forehead against Lu Ze’s, Liang Xiao whispered again, “I’m sorry.”

 

Lu Ze frowned slightly. “Say it again and I’ll really get mad. If my mom needed stitches on her head—even if we were abroad—I’d rush back immediately. Auntie is all alone; even if she says she doesn’t want you to come back, deep down she definitely wants her son by her side.”

 

Liang Xiao hummed in agreement as Lu Ze rubbed his face vigorously and coaxed him with a smile. “Alright now—stop overthinking it. Go take a shower while I finish packing so we don’t miss the train.”

 

When Liang Xiao came out of the shower, Lu Ze had already packed their luggage at lightning speed.

 

“Check if I missed anything,” Lu Ze said.

 

Liang Xiao glanced down after getting dressed and said, “Baby, you packed my socks too.”

 

“Damn,” Lu Ze laughed as he opened the suitcase again. “Forgot you still need socks.”

 

He squatted on the floor, holding Liang Xiao’s ankle. “Come, sit down. Your boyfriend won’t even let you put on your own socks.”

 

Liang Xiao took a step back. “No need, I can do it myself…”

 

Surprised by Liang Xiao’s strong reaction, Lu Ze looked up and glared at him. “I just want to help you put on socks. Is that so wrong?”

 

Liang Xiao frowned slightly. “Really, there’s no need, baby…”

 

Lu Ze plopped down onto the floor and held onto Liang Xiao’s socks, refusing to hand them over. “What now? Are you letting me do it or not?”

 

They stood off for a moment before Lu Ze suddenly tossed the socks into the suitcase in frustration. “Fine, then go barefoot.”

 

Liang Xiao looked down at Lu Ze, feeling a surge of indescribable emotions. After a long pause, he finally said, “Alright, you can put them on for me.”

 

He sat down on the edge of the bed and placed his foot on Lu Ze’s crossed legs. Lu Ze clumsily helped him put on his socks.

 

“This is my first time putting socks on someone,” Lu Ze said with a smile.

 

The moment he looked up, Liang Xiao leaned down and kissed him.

 

Lu Ze tilted his head back to meet the kiss, and Liang Xiao shifted positions, kneeling on one knee and wrapping Lu Ze completely in his arms.

 

After a while, Lu Ze leaned back slightly with a grin. “Alright, Xiao-ge… let’s go.”

 

Liang Xiao let out a soft “mm,” but his hand on the back of Lu Ze’s neck didn’t loosen.

 

Lu Ze patted Liang Xiao’s arm, signaling for him to help him up.Instead, Liang Xiao kissed him again, this time with more intensity and emotion.

 

Lu Ze closed his eyes.

 

This was his Xiao-xiao.

 

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