When Jiang Ran saw Sun Xiang’s apology on the forum, his throat tightened slightly, and the knot that had been weighing on his chest finally loosened.
Lu Xingmian had actually found the original poster and made him apologize publicly. Finally, someone he knew wasn’t going through the same thing he had.
Under Sun Xiang’s post, all the IDs that had been attacking Lu Xingmian were now apologizing, saying they shouldn’t have talked trash and asking for his forgiveness.
Lu Xingmian was a little surprised, it was a nice bonus. He had only expected Sun Xiang to make a formal apology.
It made sense, though. On forums, people are anonymous, which makes it easy to say irresponsible things without consequence. Since no one knows who anyone is, there’s nothing to worry about.
But now, with Sun Xiang’s public apology, it was clear Lu Xingmian had found him, which meant Lu Xingmian had some influence. Naturally, the others got scared. They had just been jumping to conclusions and running their mouths.
Sun Xiang’s public apology made them realize things weren’t as simple as they thought. Afraid Lu Xingmian would track them down, they rushed to apologize.
Suddenly, more than a hundred people were lining up to say sorry under Sun Xiang’s post. Some people tried to act tough at first and refused to apologize, but it didn’t last long before they sheepishly gave in.
Now it was Sun Xiang getting the strange looks. His classmates and roommates started to avoid him. Who knew if he’d pull a stunt like that again?
After that, Lu Xingmian ignored Huo Chang and Sun Xiang whenever he saw them. And honestly, neither of them had the nerve to speak to him anyway.
As soon as he got home, Lu Xingmian went to find Lu Shiran in his study. Without Lu Shiran’s help, things wouldn’t have been resolved so quickly and perfectly.
The things he had said to Sun Xiang that afternoon were all thanks to Lu Shiran. He couldn’t believe how well they worked, Sun Xiang apologized right away. Once he did, the whole thing disappeared from the forum.
It was a perfect ending.
Lu Shiran was right: sometimes you have to use the law to protect yourself. If people aren’t punished for hurting you, they won’t learn their lesson and will just do it again.
Lu Shiran raised an eyebrow. “Looks like that kid, Sun Xiang, knows how to read the room.”
Seeing how happy Lu Xingmian was, Lu Shiran relaxed.
Still, Lu Xingmian insisted the smooth resolution was all because of Lu Shiran. He praised him endlessly, and Lu Shiran felt incredibly satisfied listening to the compliments.
Lu Shiran handled countless issues in the business world with ease. This little thing was nothing to him, but he had taken it very seriously.
Lu Shiran had a cigarette between his fingers. He had just lit it when Lu Xingmian walked in and had taken a single drag.
He didn’t smoke the rest of the time they talked. The cigarette in his hand was already half-burned, and he was tapping the ash into an ashtray.
Lu Shiran had beautiful hands, and the way he held the cigarette was unbelievably sexy.
Those hands weren’t only graceful when holding a cigarette, they were just as elegant with chopsticks, when clasping his own hand, and utterly sensual whenever they made contact with him.
Lu Xingmian stared at the half-smoked cigarette, his curiosity growing with every second.
“Ge, what does a cigarette actually taste like? What does it feel like to smoke?”
He knew some of his classmates at school smoked, but he found the smell harsh and unpleasant. For some reason, though, the scent of cigarettes on Lu Shiran was actually quite nice.
Could it be that Lu Shiran smoked a special kind of cigarette that smelled better? Lu Xingmian’s curiosity just kept building.
Lu Shiran froze. Lu Xingmian’s curious eyes were fixed on him, his face practically screaming, “Ge, I really want to know! Can I try it? Can I please try it?”
That look made Lu Shiran’s heart flutter.
Perhaps Lu Xingmian didn’t even realize that when he looked at people like that, it made them want to eat him up.
Of course, Lu Xingmian had no idea. He even pursed his lips a little as he asked the question.
Lu Shiran took a deep breath.
Lu Xingmian was an adult now, and he seemed genuinely curious about cigarettes. It made sense; he had never touched them before. Kids were always curious about the unknown.
Fine, he thought. He’d let him try it just this once. It was better to try it at home so he wouldn’t be tempted to try it outside.
Lu Shiran pulled an open pack of cigarettes from his drawer. “You can try one.”
“That’s too much trouble.” Lu Xingmian said, leaning in. He lowered his head and took the cigarette from between Lu Shiran’s fingers into his mouth.
He was waiting for Lu Shiran’s answer.
The red ember of the cigarette glowed and moved rapidly up the stick.
As Lu Xingmian sat up, there was a glimmer of moisture on the tip of the cigarette. Lu Shiran’s adam apple bobbed.
Lu Xingmian perched on the chair’s armrest, his curious eyes blinking as he drew on the cigarette. The taste was barely noticeable. He tried to blow out a puff of smoke like Lu Shiran had, but still felt nothing. It wasn’t as fun as he’d imagined.
Lu Xingmian swallowed. The smoke went down his throat, and he was immediately seized by a fit of violent coughing.
It was so harsh, so overpowering. He almost coughed up tears, and a watery film covered his eyes. So smoking wasn’t fun at all.
Lu Shiran patted the “curious little one” on the back. “Did you just swallow it?”
Lu Xingmian’s eyes were red. “Yeah, it’s so harsh.”
Lu Shiran let out a soft laugh. Lu Xingmian truly had no idea how to smoke.
Once Lu Xingmian stopped coughing, Lu Shiran said, “Zai Zai, let me teach you.”
Before Lu Xingmian could react, Lu Shiran pulled him onto his lap.
He watched Lu Shiran inhale the rest of the cigarette in one go. He saw the smoke slowly leave Lu Shiran’s mouth, swirling between them. So this was the smell of tobacco.
Lu Xingmian looked at him, puzzled. He had said he was going to teach him, but now that he had finished the cigarette, how could he possibly teach him?
Just as Lu Xingmian was wondering this, Lu Shiran lowered his head and kissed him.
Lu Shiran’s lips were thin, giving him a cold, aloof look, but his kiss was burning hot. There was a faint scent of tobacco between their lips, not unpleasant at all—in fact, it was intoxicating.
They had smoked the same cigarette, so why had it felt so harsh just moments ago, and now, with Lu Shiran, it wasn’t at all?
The subtle tobacco scent had even transferred to his own mouth. Lu Xingmian leaned in, wanting to taste more.
Unconsciously, Lu Xingmian ended up straddling Lu Shiran’s lap.
When the kiss ended, Lu Shiran looked at the breathless Lu Xingmian. “Zai Zai, that’s what a cigarette tastes like. Do you get it now?”
Lu Xingmian pursed his lips, as if savoring the flavor. “I guess it’s not bad.”
Lu Shiran said, “If you ever want to know what a cigarette tastes like, just come to me. Smoking isn’t a good habit.”
Lu Xingmian smiled. “Okay, I know. I won’t start smoking.”
Lu Shiran stroked his head with a look of relief. “Good Zai Zai.”
Every time he stroked his head and spoke to him in that tone, Lu Xingmian felt like he was being treated like a child.
But the tone was incredibly captivating, and Lu Xingmian loved it. He nuzzled his forehead affectionately against Lu Shiran’s shoulder.
Lu Shiran’s neat black shirt was now wrinkled in his hands, and his tie still had the tie clip he had given him.
Lu Xingmian now knew that all of Lu Shiran’s clothes were custom-made, which made the tie clip he had given him seem a bit cheap. But Lu Shiran wore it almost every day, treating it like a priceless treasure.
Lu Shiran’s charisma made the tie clip look incredibly valuable.
Lu Shiran treated him so well and clearly cared for him. Lu Xingmian also knew that he had deep feelings for Lu Shiran; every kiss between them ignited a spark that set them both aflame.
Lu Xingmian rested his head on Lu Shiran’s shoulder and reminded him, “Ge, I’m already an adult.”
Lu Shiran simply replied, “Mm.”
Even a simple “mm” sounded so good.
Lu Xingmian thought, …Lu Shiran doesn’t seem to get what I mean.
Just as he was considering being more direct, Lu Shiran spoke.
Lu Shiran kissed his ear. “Zai Zai, wait a little longer. You’re still too young.”
Lu Xingmian mumbled, “I’m not young…”
Lu Shiran inhaled the scent of his neck, his voice deeper and hoarser than ever. “Zai Zai, just wait. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Lu Xingmian shivered, a sense of tingling electricity running through him. “Oh,” he said, “okay.”
Lu Shiran’s heart trembled. Lu Xingmian was so docile and well-behaved that he never wanted to leave him for a second, afraid someone else might come and steal him away.
But for now, he had to leave for a few days.
Lu Shiran actually had something else to tell Lu Xingmian today.
“Zai Zai, I have to go on a business trip tomorrow.”
Lu Xingmian looked at him, blinking. A business trip? It was a little sudden.
Seeing the look in his eyes, Lu Shiran’s heart softened. “I’ll be back soon.”
He didn’t want to go, but the weather had suddenly turned cold in the past few days, and Xiao Youzi had gotten sick. Lu Yu had to take care of her, so Lu Shiran had to go on the trip himself.
“How long will you be gone?” Lu Xingmian asked.
“About a week.” An overseas acquisition plan had hit a snag, and he needed to go handle it in person.
It wasn’t that long, just about seven days, which Lu Xingmian could handle. He had already waited for him for a much longer time before.
Lu Shiran was still a little worried. “I’m really uneasy about leaving you here alone. Zai Zai, while I’m gone, if anything happens, go straight to Uncle Hou. He can handle anything. You have his number, right?”
Lu Xingmian said he did, but Lu Shiran was still concerned and checked his phone to make sure he really did have it.
“Also, while I’m away, no secretly eating instant noodles.”
Lu Shiran even considered asking the family housekeeper to come cook for Lu Xingmian, but Lu Xingmian quickly refused, promising he would eat on time and absolutely wouldn’t sneak any instant noodles.
Suddenly, Lu Shiran picked him up and placed him on the digital scale, looking at the number.
“You weigh 118 catties[mfn]Should be about 59kg[/mfn] right now, which is still too thin. Eat well while I’m gone. If I come back and you’ve lost weight, I won’t let you off the hook.”
Lu Xingmian thought, This works too?
