College classes for first-year students were quite demanding. Lu Xingmian had classes in both the morning and afternoon, and by the time they were over, the day was gone.
He would head home only after having dinner at the school cafeteria.
As he changed his shoes at home, it hit him—he was all alone. Lu Shiran had already left. He had gotten a message from him that morning while he was at school; Lu Shiran was already at the airport by then.
The time difference between Yancheng and where Lu Shiran had traveled was a full twelve hours.
Fortunately, Lu Xingmian felt he could handle staying up late, so he could wait for Lu Shiran’s call.
After spending so much time with Lu Shiran every day, the sudden quietness was unsettling. Everything felt a bit empty.
But then, he noticed Lu Shiran’s things and his scent everywhere, and the sense of loneliness faded. He wasn’t really alone.
Even though Lu Shiran had told him to eat on time before he left, he had also prepared a ton of snacks for him.
The coffee table was covered in them, and there was even a big bag of snacks stashed underneath it as well.
Lu Shiran had been worried that Lu Xingmian wouldn’t feel like cooking sometimes, and he wanted to make sure there were at least snacks to keep him from going hungry.
Lu Xingmian munched on a snack and opened the fridge. As expected, it was neatly stocked with washed fruit, milk, and other items.
Lu Shiran had prepared all of these things before he left.
Lu Xingmian figured he probably wouldn’t even finish everything before Lu Shiran came back.
Although it was winter, the house was so warm that he only needed to wear a light shirt.
Just after he finished showering, Lu Xingmian’s phone buzzed. It was so late, only Lu Shiran would called him.
“Ge.” Lu Xingmian said, setting the phone on the table.
It was noon where Lu Shiran was, and he had been eager to call Lu Xingmian as soon as he got to the hotel. He was worried Lu Xingmian wouldn’t be able to fall asleep at home without him.
When he saw Lu Xingmian on the screen, Lu Shiran instantly lost his composure.
Lu Xingmian was wearing his shirt—the white one.
Lu Shiran’s shirt was very loose on Lu Xingmian, just barely covering his hips. Since he had just showered and the room was warm, Lu Xingmian wasn’t wearing pants. A hint of black underwear was visible through the thin, white shirt.
Lu Xingmian had only casually fastened two or three buttons, leaving the top ones undone. The shirt hung loosely on him, exposing most of his shoulders and collarbone.
Lu Xingmian casually pulled the collar up, but a moment later, the shirt slipped back down.
Actually, before he saw the video call, Lu Xingmian had planned to button it up. But when he saw it was Lu Shiran calling, he changed his mind and even tugged the shirt down a little more.
From the video call, Lu Shiran’s voice suddenly deepened. “Zai Zai, are you wearing this little?”
“I just got out of the shower,” Lu Xingmian said lazily. “It’s really warm in here.”
He set the phone on the table and walked out of view. Lu Shiran heard the thud-thud of slippers from the phone and stared intently at the screen. “Zai Zai, what are you doing?”
A moment later, Lu Xingmian reappeared, standing in front of the phone with the towel in hand while wiping his hair. “I’m back! I went to find a towel.”
As he dried his hair, the hem of the shirt moved up and down with his motions, revealing the edge of his underwear.
Lu Xingmian’s legs were long, straight, and perfectly toned, with a faint pink blush at the knees—utterly enticing.
Lu Shiran’s voice was barely steady. “Zai Zai, have you eat dinner tonight?”
“Yes!” Lu Xingmian chirped sweetly.
As they talked, Lu Xingmian stayed standing, his long, beautiful legs clearly visible on screen.
It seemed Lu Xingmian’s hearing was a little off tonight. He would occasionally lean closer to the phone, pursing his lips to listen carefully. The shirt would slowly slip down, and just as half his pale shoulder was exposed, he would pull it back up.
After this happened a few times, Lu Shiran chuckled softly with a hint of resignation in his voice. “Zai Zai, you’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”
Caught red-handed, Lu Xingmian grinned mischievously. “You noticed!” Yes, he was doing it on purpose.
How could Lu Shiran not notice? Over the past few years, countless men and women had tried to get close to him, using every trick in the book to entice and seduce him.
But Lu Shiran had ignored them all, treating them as if they were something dirty that would soil his eyes just by looking.
With Lu Xingmian, he acted entirely differently, overflowing with special attention and indulgepnce. Lu Xingmian was exceptionally adorable and captivating in this way, completely impossible to resist.
Lu Shiran’s voice dropped to a low tone. “Zai Zai, it’s the middle of the day here.”
Lu Xingmian froze. The time difference the hit him. It was late at night for him but midday for Lu Shiran. And Lu Shiran had his assistant with him on this trip. What if his assistant is nearby?
“Ge,” Lu Xingmian whispered. “Is someone there? Will anyone see?”
“There is no one,” Lu Shiran replied. “No one will see.” He would have to be insane to let anyone see Lu Xingmian like this.
Reassured that he was alone, Lu Xingmian smiled into the camera. “Ge, your shirt is so comfortable to wear.”
Lu Xingmian saw Lu Shiran’s prominent adam apple bobbing on the screen.
“Zai Zai,” Lu Shiran said, “I have a meeting soon. You don’t want me to show up in front of people in a state of discomposure, do you?”
Lu Xingmian thought about it for a moment, then understood what Lu Shiran meant. He laughed softly. He had thought Lu Shiran wouldn’t have a reaction, but it seemed his efforts had worked. A look of triumph spread across Lu Xingmian’s face.
What else could Lu Shiran do but dote on him and spoil him?
Lu Xingmian’s insomnia was actually much better now. He could probably fall asleep even without Lu Shiran by his side, but Xingmian was still very happy to hear Shiran’s voice before bed.
Before, he thought Lu Shiran would be too busy to chat with him, which was why he would wear Lu Shiran’s clothes. Wearing his clothes felt just like having Lu Shiran right beside him.
Lu Shiran suddenly thought of something. “Zai Zai, if you have a reaction, you have to tell me.”
Lu Xingmian froze for a moment, his cheeks suddenly flushing crimson. “I didn’t!”
This time, it was Lu Shiran who started laughing on the phone. His laughter reached Lu Xingmian’s ears, and his whole body went soft.
Lu Xingmian insisted he didn’t have a reaction, but the next morning when he woke up, both his pants and shirt were wet.
As he washed the shirt, Lu Xingmian’s cheeks were red the entire time. He wasn’t going to tell Lu Shiran about this.
But that evening during their video call, Lu Xingmian’s eyes gave him away. Lu Shiran knew at a glance. After just a couple of questions, Lu Xingmian quietly admitted it, his eyes darting around, unable to look directly at the camera.
His shy demeanor almost made Lu Shiran, the eternal virgin, lose control. What kind of rare treasure was his Zai Zai? How could he be so adorable?
It was already December, and the weather had suddenly turned cold. The winters in Yancheng were always frigid.
Under the strict supervision of a certain person, Lu Xingmian had to bundle up whenever he went out, as he took the bus to school while Lu Shiran was away.
Lu Xingmian diligently attended his classes every day and participated in club activities, living the life of a typical college student.
That afternoon, Lu Xingmian only had one class. It was not even four o’clock when he left school, so he decided to take a stroll around the nearby commercial street.
He never expected to run into Lu Sihang on the bus.
Lu Sihang showed a hint of panic when he saw Lu Xingmian and quickly turned his head to look at the scenery outside the window. But Lu Xingmian didn’t seem to notice him. He was sitting in the front, wearing headphones, and didn’t even look back after he sat down.
So, Lu Xingmian must not have seen him. Lu Sihang breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t want anyone to see him in his most pathetic state right now, especially Lu Xingmian.
From childhood, Lu Sihang had lived a life of luxury, always chauffeured around in fancy cars. When had he ever taken a bus?
But he had no choice. His mother said that his father had taken all their money to invest in a project with friends. She told him they would be moving back into their villa soon.
Soon enough, he would be the only young master of the Lu family again. All their current difficulties were just temporary.
The bus became more crowded, and Lu Xingmian stood up to offer his seat to an elderly grandpa.
Lu Sihang’s stop was approaching, so he walked to the door to get ready to get off.
He tightly frowned as he looked at the crowded people inside the bus. When had he ever suffered such hardship? It was just people crammed together.
And the bus driver was always so fond of slamming on the brakes. If their family driver drove like this, they would have been fired long ago.
When they were about to reach the stop, the driver hit the brakes suddenly, and everyone on the bus lurched forward.
A phone dropped to the ground, and Lu Sihang heard a man’s voice coming from it.
Then, someone picked up the phone; it belonged to Lu Xingmian.
Lu Sihang got off the bus and watched it drive away with a look of utter contempt. He never expected Lu Xingmian to fall so low. It was clear he must have been kept by a man, and the image of a greasy, pot-bellied man appeared in his mind.
He had heard before that men like that loved to keep handsome young boys, and Lu Xingmian had just that kind of look.
Lu Sihang cursed silently, feeling a sense of satisfaction. As long as Lu Xingmian was miserable, he was happy.
It was December, and Lu Shiran would be returning for Christmas. Lu Xingmian went to the mall to find a suitable gift for him.
Lu Shiran had given him a card and told him he could spend as he pleased, but Lu Xingmian had never used it. Lu Shiran was always sending him red packets and transferring him money anyway.
After wandering around the mall for a while, Lu Xingmian still couldn’t find a suitable gift for Lu Shiran.
For his birthday, he had given him a tie clip, which had caused a minor conflict.
So, Lu Xingmian wanted to carefully choose a gift and have a happy Christmas with Lu Shiran.
As he was walking around, he noticed a little girl in the corner of the mall.
The little girl stood all alone, her big eyes carrying a pitiful look, while her parents were nowhere to be seen.
Lu Xingmian thought, This child must have gotten separated from her family.
He walked over and asked, “Little sister, did you get separated from your mom and dad?”
The little girl looked at Lu Xingmian but didn’t speak. Teachers and parents had taught her not to talk to or go with strangers.
Lu Xingmian noticed the child’s phone watch and reminded her, “You can use this to call your mom and dad.”
Perhaps because Lu Xingmian didn’t look like a bad person, and the little girl felt like she had seen this brother somewhere before, she finally spoke, “It’s out of battery.”
Lu Xingmian: “……”
Lu Xingmian asked her, “Do you remember your mom and dad’s number?”
The little girl nodded.
Lu Xingmian took out his phone and handed it to her. “You can use my phone to call your mom and dad.” The girl’s parents must be so worried right now.
Lu Xingmian maintained a distance from the little girl the entire time, which made her feel safe.
The little girl took the phone and pressed a series of numbers.
The call finally connected.
“Daddy, I’m by the big doll.”
