RIACMET chapter 111

 

The weather was pleasant, and the streetlights were bright.

With all the lights from the night market stalls, the atmosphere felt especially lively. It was much noisier than before, and everyone was trying their best to survive.

Zhao Lei walked behind Liao Yu, glancing at the stalls in the night market. There was very little food for sale—most of it was daily necessities.

Liao Yu bought a few decks of playing cards and some board game cards, saying he could play with whoever had time.

Otherwise, it was too depressing, so it was crucial to find a way to vent your feelings.

“…”

“Mr. Liao, it’s about time we head back. All the shops ahead are closing.”

After walking for about an hour and noticing the lights growing dimmer, Zhao Lei stopped and reminded him.

Liao Yu, who was squatting in front of a shoe stall, looked up and replied.

“Oh, okay…”

Then, he lifted two pairs of men’s slippers and asked,

“Brother Zhao, what size do you wear? Do you prefer blue or black? I noticed your slippers are cracked, too. Let’s get some new ones together.”

Zhao Lei thought for a moment before answering.

“Blue, size 45. If they don’t have that size, then 44 is fine. Slippers can be stretched to fit.”

“OK!”

Liao Yu said, picking them out quickly and paying the points.

After wishing the tired-looking stall owner “good business,” he picked up the two pairs of slippers and several plastic bags of supplies. As he walked back, he chatted with Zhao Lei.

They suddenly passed a couple on the street, and the young master’s old habits resurfaced:

“Brother Zhao, what if we became a couple too?”

“… ”

Zhao Lei glared at him, his expression saying, “Are you done yet?”

Liao Yu lifted his free hand in a solemn gesture.

“I’m serious.”

“Don’t look for a casual, short-term romance. Didn’t you hear what Sister Qian said?”

Zhao Lei couldn’t be bothered to respond.

But Liao Yu understood what he meant.

“Then how about a long-term contract?”

Zhao Lei countered with a question.

“How long do you think a long-term contract should be?”

Liao Yu replied without hesitation.

“As long as you say. I’m fine with whatever.”

“Heh…”

‘I’m fine with whatever’ again, Zhao Lei really wanted to bite him:

“Then you sure are easy to please!”

After saying that, he stopped talking and strode ahead. He knew this man couldn’t be taken seriously.

“Eh…”

Liao Yu felt frustrated. Was it wrong to try to make things official? Why couldn’t he just say no instead of being evasive?

“…”

When they returned to the dormitory, the young master tossed his things aside, changed his shoes, and went into the bathroom.

When he came out feeling refreshed, his mood had almost recovered. However, seeing Zhao Lei’s stubborn expression made him uneasy again.

No one had ever told him that the grass right next to him was so hard to chew!

Zhao Lei had already sorted their things and neatly arranged the snack bags on the living room table. Seeing his sour face, he spoke bluntly.

“You haven’t done anything, but you’re looking at me like I owe you?”

“… ”

Liao Yu pulled a soda out of the mini-fridge, took two big gulps, belched, and said,

“I’m not glaring at you. I just feel a bit upset. I really wanted to start something serious with you, but you’re treating me like an idiot.”

Zhao Lei laughed exasperatedly.

“You still dare say you’re serious when you say ‘I’m fine with whatever’?”

“Yeah, I’m serious. I mean, let’s try. If you feel it doesn’t work out, you can end it anytime. I won’t make a fuss.”

Young Master Liao looked earnest as he spoke in a calm, steady voice. He didn’t think there was anything wrong with saying, ‘I’m fine with whatever.’

“You… alright…”

That sudden sincerity caught Zhao Lei off guard. He swallowed back the words he’d been about to say: a scolding for being irresponsible and unreasonable.

Liao Yu blinked.

“So… are you still a virgin, brother?”

After thinking about it, he decided that Zhao Lei was right for him. After all, he couldn’t imagine being this comfortable with anyone else, day or night.

“…”

Zhao Lei suddenly sneered. He tossed the snack bag in the trash and wiped down the table until it was spotless. Finally, he crossed his arms over his chest and stood across from him at the square table in the living room. He stared at him and said,

“In that case, there’s no real difference in calling it a relationship or not.”

Liao Yu said, “Ah?”

He scratched his head, thinking it was logical but also feeling like something was missing.

Zhao Lei gave him the answer:

“We eat and live together. I wash your clothes. I take care of the place. I look after you. I cook for you whenever you want to eat. Except for sleeping with you, I’ve already done everything a boyfriend should—and shouldn’t—do. What else are you dissatisfied with?”

He really didn’t understand why this guy had to stir up trouble for no reason.

They knew each other inside and out, so if they dated, they’d instantly become an old married couple—there’d be nothing fresh or exciting about it.

Also, before the apocalypse, when the young master was in his rebellious phase, he had hit someone and nearly been reported and docked pay.

In his eyes, Liao Yu had always been a reckless young man. If Liao Yu suddenly became his partner, Zhao Lei genuinely wouldn’t know how to deal with him.

Liao Yu crossed his legs and swirled the can as if it were a glass of red wine. He said,

“You said ‘except for sleeping with me’—that’s the fundamental difference between a bodyguard and a lover. If you sleep with me, all debts between us are cleared. How great is that?”

Clearly, that patch of grass next door was Zhao Lei’s!

Had his love-struck brain awakened before the apocalypse, he would have probably tried to buy him over with money.

“…”

That made sense, but after giving it some serious thought, Zhao Lei smiled slyly.

“You’re overthinking it. It’s the apocalypse. I never intend to pay you back.”

He would repay his debt by giving himself to the man. More accurately, he’d get both the man and the money—a total win.

“Damn…”

Liao Yu almost choked, unable to get any air. In frustration, he threw the half-finished Sprite at Zhao Lei.

Zhao Lei caught it easily and took a sip.

“You’re really impatient…”

After saying that, he stepped closer and asked shamelessly,

“This isn’t cold enough. Could you add some ice?”

Having a crush on one’s employer meant a bodyguard was unprofessional. But if it was the other way around, that meant it was love.

It would be inappropriate not to tease someone who came to his door for free, especially someone whose tongue is usually so sharp.

“You…”

Liao Yu’s face turned red. He wanted to grab an ice pick and stab him, but when he felt the warmth on his cheek, all his anger melted away.

Zhao Lei bent down, moved closer, and kissed his flushed face. Then, in a steady, serious voice, he said:

“If you really want to be with me, then we’ll be together. But let me say this upfront—my view of love is the same as Cheng Ge’s. There’s no such thing as breaking up, only widowhood. Our long-term contract is for life. Liao Yu, you can treat everything else like a joke, but not this.”

He wasn’t the type of person who needed big gestures. It was better to approach life’s major events calmly.

After all, even before the apocalypse, he would have stayed by Liao Yu’s side without hesitation.

Even though the young master could now protect himself, Zhao Lei would never allow anything unfortunate to happen to him.

If it did, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

Originally, he had planned to give up on his gambling-addict parents and live with the guilt while raising them as a burden.

But after Liao Yu found out, he offered to lend him money and tried to convince him to get those people back. He made him believe that light could shine through the mud.

So, after the apocalypse, when he learned that his parents had run off to gamble and had gotten caught in the rain and turned into part of the first wave of zombies, he wasn’t that sad anymore.

It wasn’t that he had no other feelings toward Liao Yu. Before the apocalypse, the young master was “above” him in social class. He couldn’t get close to him, and he didn’t dare think ill of him.