AAWOMAHI Chapter39

Lu Shiran was entertaining some friends in the business world. He glanced at his phone and saw that Lu Xingmian hadn’t messaged him all day; he wondered if it was because his part-time job was too busy.

 

Checking the time, he thought Lu Xingmian should be home by now and wondered if he had eaten. So he sent a message, but to his surprise, right after he sent it, Lu Xingmian called him directly.

 

Lu Shiran smiled and walked to a quiet place to answer the call. “Lu Xingmian, did you have dinner yet?”

 

Then he heard Lu Xingmian’s tearful voice on the phone: “Ge, can you come and pick me up?”

 

Lu Shiran returned to his friends and apologized, saying he had an urgent matter and had to leave. He promised to treat them to a meal to make up for it another time.

 

The men watched Lu Shiran leave in a hurry. It seemed to be the first time they had ever seen him look so anxious and worried.

 

After hanging up the phone, Lu Xingmian sat on the steps by the roadside, watching the people come and go. For some reason, his mood had improved a lot after calling Lu Shiran.

 

He wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, not wanting Lu Shiran to know he had been crying again. He told himself that everything was in the past and it was no big deal, he would just pretend he never had it.

 

But his heart still ached a little. He had looked at the small ledger that Song Mingyi had kept, and the records were incredibly detailed, not just the casual notes the Song family had claimed they were. The more he looked, the more pain he felt, so he gave up and put the small notebook and the signed statement away, waiting quietly for Lu Shiran.

 

He remembered Lu Shiran’s instructions before hanging up, telling him to wait in a busy and crowded area and not to go with just anyone. Lu Xingmian thought to himself that he wasn’t a child anymore; in a little over an hour, he would be an adult.

 

The streetlights overhead cast his shadow onto the ground.

 

Just as Lu Xingmian was playing with his shadow, a car pulled up beside him. The moment he looked up, Lu Shiran got out of the car and walked toward him with large strides.

 

Lu Xingmian sat by the roadside and looked up into the light. The light on Lu Shiran’s face was dimmer than the light behind him, but he could clearly see Lu Shiran’s expression.

 

On his face, Lu Xingmian saw worry.

 

It had been under twenty minutes since he called Lu Shiran, yet in a city like Yancheng where traffic jams were common, Lu Shiran still managed to show up before him so swiftly.

 

When Lu Shiran found Lu Xingmian on the side of the road, he let out a sigh of relief. Lu Xingmian, dressed in a plain white T-shirt, was squatting by the roadside, his small frame resembling that of a forlorn child left behind. When he looked up, his eyes were still a bit red.

 

Lu Shiran knelt in front of him and asked, “Lu Xingmian, when did you get here? How long have you been waiting? What happened?”

 

Upon seeing Lu Shiran, Lu Xingmian immediately hugged him. Lu Shiran’s body stiffened for a moment before he gently patted Lu Xingmian’s back, a bit worried. “Lu Xingmian?”

 

Lu Xingmian hugged him tightly. “Ge, I’m fine. Just let me hug you for a bit.”

 

Only Lu Shiran would care about what happened to him. Only Lu Shiran would worry if he was hungry or had eaten. Only Lu Shiran, upon receiving his call, would rush to him without asking a single question just because of what he said. And only Lu Shiran would allow him to hug him like this.

 

Even Lu Shiran’s soft “en” sound was so pleasant to hear.

 

On the roadside, Lu Xingmian held onto him in silence for several minutes. Lu Shiran carried a light trace of tobacco, a scent unlike what he had before.

 

Lu Xingmian pursed his lips and asked in a low voice, “Ge, can you let me stay with you tonight?”

 

After saying this, Lu Xingmian felt a little guilty. Every time he had tried to ask Lu Shiran to stay before, he had been gently refused, so he was afraid he would be rejected this time, too.

 

But Lu Xingmian really didn’t want to be alone today. He didn’t want to go back to an empty room and feel like the loneliest person in the world, as if he had been abandoned by everyone.

 

When Lu Shiran didn’t respond, Lu Xingmian grew more and more nervous and uneasy. Has Lu Shiran become unhappy?

 

Just as Lu Xingmian was about to get up from Lu Shiran’s embrace and say that he was going back, he heard an incredibly beautiful and gentle voice say, “Lu Xingmian, come home with me.”

 

Sitting in the car, Lu Shiran fastened Lu Xingmian’s seatbelt, then his own, and started the engine.

 

Watching the streets outside the window recede, Lu Xingmian still couldn’t quite believe that Lu Shiran had actually agreed. He turned his head to look at him, thinking how handsome Lu Shiran looked while driving.

 

Lu Shiran’s place wasn’t far from where Lu Xingmian was waiting. They entered a residential complex within twenty minutes, and the car stopped in front of a building. Lu Xingmian looked out the window and got the impression that the complex was very high-end.

 

Lu Shiran unfastened his seatbelt, then helped a dazed Lu Xingmian with his. “We’re here.”

 

Lu Xingmian got out and followed Lu Shiran. They took the elevator up, and it stopped on the sixteenth floor. It was then that Lu Xingmian realized there was only one apartment per floor, which made him wonder just how big the place was.

 

“Ge…” Lu Xingmian started.

 

“What is it?” Lu Shiran asked.

 

Lu Xingmian didn’t say anything. He wanted to say that Lu Shiran’s home was beyond his imagination. This neighborhood was prime real estate, and even if Lu Shiran was renting such a large apartment, the monthly rent was probably more than what he paid in a year in S City. So Lu Shiran lived in a place like this.

 

After entering the apartment, Lu Xingmian was stunned again. The decor and furnishings felt very high-end. It seemed Lu Shiran was a bit different from what he had imagined.

 

Just as they walked in, Lu Xingmian’s stomach rumbled. Lu Shiran frowned slightly. “You haven’t eaten yet?”

 

Lu Xingmian quietly hummed in agreement. He hadn’t even had dinner before rushing to the city center. It was almost 11 p.m., and after a long day, he was already starving.

 

Lu Shiran told Lu Xingmian to sit on the sofa. “Wait here for a bit. I’ll make something. What would you like to eat?”

 

“You don’t need to trouble yourself,” Lu Xingmian said. “If you have instant noodles, I can just eat that.”

 

Instant noodles would be the easiest.

 

“Lu Xingmian,” Lu Shiran said, taking off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves. “I don’t have instant noodles at my house. You can’t have them even if you want to. I’ll make you some dumplings.” The dumplings in the fridge were fresh, made by the auntie at the villa, and was delivered today.

 

Once the water in the pot boiled, Lu Shiran took the dumplings out of the freezer. He prepared a few extra portions to suit Lu Xingmian’s appetite, and while the food was simmering, he also cooked a bowl of soup. Soon, a steaming bowl of dumplings and a warm bowl of tomato and egg soup were placed in front of Lu Xingmian.

 

Lu Shiran grabbed a pair of chopsticks and asked, “Do you want some vinegar?”

 

Having been hungry all day, Lu Xingmian’s mouth watered at the sight of the hot, fragrant dumplings. “Yeah, and a little chili would be even better.”

 

Lu Shiran placed a bowl of dipping sauce in front of him. “I put in a little chili, but eating anything too spicy this late isn’t good for your stomach.”

 

Lu Xingmian was truly starving and finished a single dumpling in just two bites. He ate a little fast, yet his manners remained refined, making him look rather endearing. Across from him, Lu Shiran sat in quiet observation. He didn’t ask any questions, only if the dumplings tasted good and to be careful not to burn himself.

 

Soon, the plate of dumplings was gone. Lu Shiran asked him, “Do you want me to cook you a few more?”

 

“No, no, I’m pretty full,” Lu Xingmian replied. “I still have a bowl of soup to finish.”

 

In the end, Lu Xingmian finished the soup too. With the satisfying meal, his stomach felt comforted and his spirits lifted.

 

Lu Xingmian had been busy all day at the courier station. The station was housed in a prefab building, and despite the fans running, the air remained stifling, leaving him drenched in sweat.

 

Holding the clothes Lu Shiran had found for him, Lu Xingmian was about to go shower, but he felt too embarrassed to ask Lu Shiran about underwear.

 

“What size do you wear?” Lu Shiran asked.

 

“Huh?” Lu Xingmian said.

 

Lu Shiran’s expression was natural. “Underwear. What size do you wear? I’ll go buy you some new ones.”

 

Blushing, Lu Xingmian quietly told him his size.

 

“I’m heading to the supermarket to pick up a few things,” Lu Shiran said. “Is there anything else you need me to get for you?”

 

“No, that’s it, Ge,” Lu Xingmian said. “Please be careful on the way and come back soon.”

 

Lu Shiran went out to the nearest supermarket and was back in less than half an hour, carrying a full bag of things. He had bought underwear and slippers in Lu Xingmian’s size and a bag of snacks.

 

When he came in and didn’t spot Lu Xingmian in the living room, he lifted a brow and went to check. Hearing the sound of running water from the bathroom, he realized Lu Xingmian was taking a shower.

 

When the sound of water stopped, Lu Shiran knocked on the bathroom door with his back to it. “Lu Xingmian, I’ve got the stuff.”

 

Lu Xingmian answered from inside, and then Lu Shiran heard the sound of slippers shuffling closer. The bathroom door opened slightly, releasing a wisp of steam. A fair, slender hand stretched out to brush against Lu Shiran’s waist. Glancing down, Lu Shiran saw that Lu Xingmian’s fingertips and knuckles were tinged a soft pink from the hot water.

 

Lu Shiran passed the underwear to that fair hand. The slender fingers received it lightly, and from inside came Lu Xingmian’s voice, “Thank you.” The pale pink fingertips flushed red in an instant.

 

Then the bathroom door clicked shut, the sound itself seeming to carry a sense of shyness.

 

After his shower, Lu Xingmian put on Lu Shiran’s clothes. They were a bit big on him; the T-shirt completely covered his rear, and the pants dragged on the floor. Lu Xingmian had to roll them up several times to keep them from dragging. He looked just like a child wearing adult clothes.

 

When Lu Shiran saw him, he couldn’t help but smile. “It really does look a little big.”

 

“No, it’s perfect.” Lu Xingmian insisted.

 

Lu Shiran usually lived here. A cleaning lady came every day, so the rooms were all clean and tidy. He quickly tidied up the guest room next door.

 

Lu Xingmian sat on the bed, looked around the room, and then looked at Lu Shiran. He wondered why someone who lived in such a nice place would have a part-time job as a sleep-coaxer.

 

Lu Shiran came over with a dry towel to dry Lu Xingmian’s hair. “You didn’t even dry your hair properly.”

 

His touch was gentle and precise. Lu Xingmian gazed up at him with moist eyes. Lu Shiran looked down and smiled unexpectedly. After drying Lu Xingmian’s hair, he sat across from him, quietly looking at him.

 

“Lu Xingmian, can you tell me what happened tonight?”