For someone who had never left the country before, Zuo Ning was filled with enthusiasm for this trip. Even as a dog, he had gone out with Lu Chenghe once, although he was confined to a small island and hadn’t really experienced much, at least he had gone out. But as a human, his passport was spotless. He was even less traveled than a dog!
At first, he thought that when Chu Hang and the others said they were going out to have fun, it might be to some private club, quietly staying there for a couple of days, enjoying some leisure time. But unexpectedly, they actually planned to go to Italy. As for Italy, Zuo Ning only had one impression: pasta.
To be able to travel comfortably, Zuo Ning had asked the director for leave early, finishing all his scenes that could be filmed in advance. To show gratitude to the actors who cooperated despite their disrupted schedules, he also gave some gifts. Fortunately, most people in this crew only signed on for this project, so the timing was easier to manage, and everything was arranged relatively smoothly.
The day before departure, Zuo Ning was very diligent in packing his luggage. During the time waiting for the visa, he had already bought the things he might need for the trip; now all that was left was to pack. The weather there wasn’t much different from back home—it was summer as well—so there was no need to bring heavy clothing. However, Lu Chenghe glanced at the messy stuff inside the suitcase that Little Pudding was packing and couldn’t help but throw some of the cluttered items out.
Zuo Ning hurriedly picked up the things Lu Chenghe had thrown out: “Why? Why! These are all useful!”
Lu Chenghe said, “You’re not cooking, so why bring hotpot base, chili sauce, and what’s this pile? Pickled mustard? Are you worried there’s nothing to eat outside?”
Zuo Ning snorted and rolled his eyes: “I checked the travel guides. Many people say these are essential items for Chinese travelers. Bringing them is definitely right! Don’t worry, we’ll pack our clothes in one suitcase and the food in another. It won’t dirty the clothes.”
Lu Chenghe saw him pulling out four big suitcases to pack and reminded him, “There’s a weight limit for each person’s luggage.”
Zuo Ning paused, “Huh? Aren’t we taking a private plane?”
Lu Chenghe flicked his forehead and said, “Unless it’s necessary, why use a private plane if there’s a direct flight? Do you think a private plane can just take off whenever it wants? Flying it is way more troublesome than just buying a ticket.”
Zuo Ning looked around with a miserable face: “But I’ve prepared so many things to bring. What if it’s overweight? Can I just pay extra?”
Seeing all the stuff Little Pudding wanted to bring, Lu Chenghe remained expressionless and said, “The extra fee is more expensive than the plane ticket.”
In the end, under Lu Chenghe’s watchful eye, Zuo Ning carefully picked out only the things he absolutely couldn’t do without and put away the rest. The four suitcases were reduced to two: one full of food, the other full of clothes and accessories.
Although he couldn’t bring many things he wanted, Zuo Ning was still very excited the next day as he followed Lu Chenghe to the airport at the scheduled time. Once they entered the agreed-upon lounge, Zuo Ning immediately saw four extra-large suitcases lined up side by side, and instinctively looked around: “Besides us, is there anyone else?”
Chu Hang smiled as he came over to help them with the luggage: “No, just us. What’s up?”
Zuo Ning pointed to a corner: “That one’s probably overweight, right?”
Chu Hang paused briefly, then couldn’t help but laugh: “No, we bought first-class tickets, so the weight limit is different.”
Zuo Ning immediately turned and glared angrily at Lu Chenghe: “You lied to me!”
Lu Chenghe just expressionlessly found a comfortable spot to sit. He wasn’t lying. If it were just flashy clothes, that would be one thing, but Zuo Ning practically wanted to bring pillows and blankets; no matter how many suitcases there were, it wouldn’t be enough to pack everything.
Lu Chenghe’s older brother met this younger man his brother trusted for the first time. After quietly observing him for a moment, he smiled and said, “Hello, I’m Chenghe’s big brother. You can call me big brother just like Chenghe does.”
Zuo Ning quickly smiled brightly: “Hello, big brother!”
Looking at that bright and radiant smile, Lu Chenghan nodded. The appearance was very good—more than enough to match Chenghe—and the temperament could be observed slowly over the next few days. But anyone favored by his own second brother couldn’t have a bad character.
With Chenghe’s big brother here, Zuo Ning instinctively toned down a bit, but he still couldn’t help sneaking over to Lu Chenghe’s side, secretly pinching his arm and glaring at him.
Lu Chenghe reached out and rubbed his head: “If you need anything, you can buy it there. This time it’s just us going out for fun, no bodyguards. We have to carry all these suitcases ourselves, which is really troublesome.”
Zuo Ning pouted and quietly complained to him, “Then you could have just told me, why did you have to lie to me!”
Lu Chenghe chuckled lightly: “I just said it casually, who knew you’d believe it so easily.”
Zuo Ning grunted and rolled his eyes.
Lu Chenghan hadn’t seen his second brother interact with anyone like this before, so it was a bit novel for him. After all, his brother wasn’t exactly serious and unsmiling since childhood, but he was still a rather cold and quiet type. However, it seemed that even the coldest person was different in front of their lover.
After waiting a little while in the lounge and seeing that the time was almost right, they went to check in. Seeing that all the luggage Chu Hang brought was smoothly checked in, Zuo Ning couldn’t help but glare at Lu Chenghe again. He had prepared so many things—matching clothes, matching shoes, matching accessories. But in the end, he only brought part of the clothes and accessories, not even a single pair of shoes.
Seeing Little Pudding’s mouth practically watering, Lu Chenghe placed his hand on his head and gently rubbed it: “Behave yourself, big brother is watching.”
Zuo Ning instinctively glanced over there. Because Chu Hang was famous, even though they had a separate VIP channel, they still fully armored themselves to avoid being recognized. Lu Chenghan was quietly talking with Chu Hang over there. Although there was no intimate behavior, there was a kind of harmonious atmosphere that outsiders couldn’t blend into, so they had no time to pay attention to them.
Zuo Ning snorted, tightened his grip on Lu Chenghe’s hand, and followed him onto the plane, not forgetting to remind Lu Chenghe, “You absolutely can’t lose me out there. I only speak English, not Italian. If I get lost, I won’t be found again!”
Lu Chenghe chuckled lightly, “If you get lost, what’s the point of looking for you? You eat so much every day. How much food do you gobble up? You’ll starve me out.”
Hearing this, Zuo Ning gave Lu Chenghe another pinch. The noisy pair boarded the plane. Although it was first class with plenty of space and a spot to stretch out and sleep, enduring the flight of over ten hours was still tough. When they got off the plane, even Zuo Ning looked pale and weak, hanging on to Lu Chenghe like he was about to collapse.
Seeing his state, Chu Hang laughed, “Looks like Xiao Ning hasn’t adapted to the rhythm of frequent flying yet. If he can’t handle this level, he’ll naturally get used to it after more flights.”
Zuo Ning hurriedly shook his head, “I don’t want to be a frequent flyer. I already told Chenghe, from now on, we’ll only shoot locally, no flying around for promotion. If it’s outside the city, I won’t take the job.”
Chu Hang was a bit surprised and froze for a moment. He probably had never seen anyone like this in the entertainment circle. Lu Chenghan raised an eyebrow at Chu Hang, who smiled and took his hand in comfort. The good thing about being abroad was that you could do whatever you wanted without anyone recognizing you.
The first stop for the four of them was Milan. Milan Fashion Week was internationally famous, attracting large numbers of celebrities from various countries every year to watch the shows. But this time, they were purely there to have fun and definitely wouldn’t go to places crowded with domestic celebrities.
Their first day in Milan was naturally spent at the hotel. They were too tired from the flight, so to go out and play, they definitely needed to rest and recharge. Their planned first stop was the very famous Milan’s Church of Bones[mfn]Santuario di San Bernardino alle Ossa or Chiesa di San Bernardino alle Ossa[/mfn]. After resting for a day, early in the morning and full of energy, Zuo Ning appeared in a matching couple’s outfit just like Lu Chenghe’s, standing opposite another couple.
Nowadays, couple’s outfits are designed very subtly. Unlike before, when wearing exactly the same clothes meant a couple’s outfits, now a couple’s outfits show the idea of pairing through small, thoughtful details in the clothes, without being too flashy. Plus, with matching watches on their wrists and matching sunglasses and hats, Lu Chenghan got a full dose of “couple vibes” early in the morning.
He immediately looked at Chu Hang with a hint of envy and sorrow. They had never worn couple’s outfits before.
Zuo Ning held Lu Chenghe’s arm with one hand and intertwined their fingers with the other, smiling brightly as he greeted them, “Good morning, big brother, big sister-in-law!”
Chu Hang ignored Lu Chenghan’s look of envy and smiled as he greeted them good morning. Because they were too tired the day before, Zuo Ning hadn’t properly looked at the streets of Milan on the way to the hotel. Now, as soon as they stepped outside, the view was filled with European-style buildings full of exotic charm. Excited, Zuo Ning couldn’t stop taking photos nonstop. Not only solo shots, but he also insisted on taking pictures with Lu Chenghe. The good thing about having a handsome face was that any photo taken looked like a masterpiece. No matter how you snapped it, it turned out great.
Since both Lu Chenghe and Lu Chenghan spoke Italian, they didn’t drive but chose public transportation. After all, parking was not easy in some parts of Milan. If they drove themselves, they might waste the whole day stuck in traffic.
To Zuo Ning’s surprise, there were even shared bikes on the streets of Milan. The group ended up riding bicycles to Milan’s Church of Bones.
Even though Zuo Ning had prepared himself mentally before entering—bones are just bones, he had seen plenty of them in TV shows—the sight of countless human bones piled together, combined with the church’s atmosphere and tone, created an eerie feeling. The visual impact was definitely something no picture or video could capture.
As soon as they went inside, Zuo Ning’s skin broke out in goosebumps all over, and he clung tightly to Lu Chenghe, refusing to let go.
Lu Chenghe laughed at him: “They’re just some bones. Yesterday I asked if you were scared, and you said no.”
Zuo Ning whispered, “These are human bones, you know. I don’t even know who these people were when they were alive. Only foreigners would dare do something like this. Our country respects burial in the ground. I’ve heard some ghost stories where a body buried missing a bone causes disturbances and brings misfortune.”
Lu Chenghe raised his phone: “Want to take pictures?”
Zuo Ning quickly shook his head: “No, no! What if we capture some unclean thing in the photos? That would scare me to death!”
Lu Chenghe hummed: “With your courage, you probably would die of fright.”
While Zuo Ning was looking at the Church of Bones like it was a horror story, Chu Hang was admiring it like a piece of art. Watching this, Lu Chenghan couldn’t help but feel a little frustrated. He wished Chu Hang could be scared like Zuo Ning, clinging tightly to him. But his lover was too independent, and his embrace wasn’t needed.
In the end, Zuo Ning hurriedly took a quick round trip inside with Lu Chenghe—at least they had been there—and then quickly pulled Lu Chenghe outside to wait.
When Lu Chenghan came out after finishing their visit, he saw his younger brother and his little lover sitting by the roadside, sharing an ice cream. Xiao Ning would take a lick himself, then hold the ice cream up to Chenghe’s mouth. When Chenghe turned away, Xiao Ning chased after him, insisting he take a lick. After Chenghe did, Xiao Ning happily bit the spot Chenghe had just eaten from, then lifted his head and gave Chenghe a kiss with his mouth covered in ice cream.
That sweet display made Lu Chenghan wince with toothache. Seeing an ice cream shop nearby, he couldn’t help but turn to look at his wife and ask, “Want some ice cream?”
Chu Hang blinked in surprise. “I thought you didn’t like sweets?”
Lu Chenghan cleared his throat lightly, “It’s hot.”
Chu Hang smiled, “Then buy an iced drink instead; ice cream’s too sweet.” Then he turned to ask Zuo Ning if he wanted a drink.
Zuo Ning naturally wanted one and hurried along with them to buy drinks. But he only got one extra-large cup with two straws. Seeing Chu Hang buy two drinks, he came over and said, “Why buy two? One is enough; you can share. If it’s not enough after finishing, we can buy more. Otherwise, it’ll just stop being cold so quickly.”
After saying that, Zuo Ning happily ran toward Lu Chenghe holding the drink. Lu Chenghan secretly gave the little guy a thumbs-up. Young people really know how to do love, and he definitely needed this kind of divine assistance!
It’s interesting to see a Chinese perspective on burial customs. I was raised in an old fashioned Mexican American household where because of Roman Catholic beliefs, it is seen as completely disrespectful to the dead to have cremation and keep the ashes in an urn somewhere in your house. Because of a Bible passage where it’s essential to be buried underground with a whole intact body for the second coming of Christ (I think that’s it, but I kind of forgot). I think it’s funny that many customs I think of as being old fashioned or traditional Hispanic eccentric habits or superstitious beliefs are mirrored in quite a few Asian cultures.