Feeling that Lu Xingmian was acting a little strange, Lu Shiran also hurried over. He was a bit surprised when he saw his parents. “Mom, Dad, why are you here?”
He stayed close to Lu Xingmian and looked at Lu Yu. Lu Yu laughed awkwardly. “Dad and Mom happened to be with me. They heard that Lu Xingmian was sick, so they came along to see him and you.”
But Lu Shiran didn’t actually believe that they had just “happened to come along.”
Lu Yu turned his head and coughed unnaturally. He had accidentally mentioned to his parents that Lu Xingmian was sick, and they decided they wanted to come and see him. Even though he tried to dissuade them, they were very insistent, so Lu Yu had no choice but to bring them.
Lu Yu understood his parents’ feelings perfectly. It wasn’t easy for Lu Shiran to find a boyfriend, so of course they were happy. His parents had wanted to meet Lu Xingmian for a while already, but Lu Shiran always felt the time wasn’t right. Now that they heard Lu Xingmian was sick, they definitely had to come see him.
So on the way over, when Lu Yu called Lu Shiran, he was also trying to gauge Lu Shiran’s mood. It seemed Lu Shiran was in a very good mood, so he probably wouldn’t be angry, right?
Lu Xingmian hadn’t expected to suddenly meet Lu Shiran’s parents in this situation. After a moment of daze, he called out “Uncle and Auntie” and unconsciously moved closer to Lu Shiran.
In this moment, only by being close to Lu Shiran did he feel safe.
Mother Lu was overjoyed. She had only seen Lu Xingmian from a distance before and had thought the child was beautiful even then.
Now, seeing him in person, the child was obedient, exceedingly adorable, and also Lu Shiran’s boyfriend. The more Mother Lu looked at him, the more fond she became.
Father Lu, who was beside them, also secretly took a few more glances at Lu Xingmian. Afraid of being caught, he pretended to be nonchalant, keeping a calm expression.
The three of them had come to visit the sick, so Lu Yu was carrying large bags of things. Mother Lu had brought out all the valuable supplements and nutritious foods from home.
Everyone sat in the living room. Lu Xingmian clung tightly to Lu Shiran, but then he thought that this behavior might leave a bad impression on Lu Shiran’s parents, so he secretly shifted away.
Lu Shiran noticed his strange behavior and sat directly next to him, which made Lu Xingmian feel a little safer.
Mother Lu asked with concern if Lu Xingmian’s cold was better. Lu Xingmian said he was already well. As Mother Lu chatted with Lu Xingmian, Father Lu quietly drank tea nearby. Lu Xingmian was very nervous, clutching Lu Shiran’s clothes without letting go.
Lu Shiran rarely saw Lu Xingmian so nervous and anxious. He gently soothed him by rubbing his hand on his lower back.
Perhaps sensing that they had startled Lu Xingmian, Mother Lu changed the subject to Xiao Youzi. She mentioned that Xiao Youzi had been talking about Lu Xingmian constantly after they got home, which suggested that Xiao Youzi truly liked him.
Mother Lu said that Xiao Youzi had recently become interested in the piano. The other day, Xiao Youzi had only heard a melody once but was basically able to play it on the piano. It seemed Xiao Youzi had a great talent for the instrument.
Lu Xingmian sat quietly beside Lu Shiran and listened. Lu Shiran felt Lu Xingmian slowly release his grip on his clothes. Lu Shiran instinctively felt that he was unwell, so he reached out and held his hand.
He held his hand openly in front of everyone.
Father and Mother Lu saw this and knew that Lu Shiran really liked Lu Xingmian.
Lu Shiran changed the subject. “Mom, how have you and Dad been feeling lately?”
Lu Yu was trying to smile at Lu Shiran the whole time. He could already sense Lu Shiran’s displeasure over his presumptuousness. He really didn’t mean to do it, but he couldn’t just ignore what his parents wanted either.
His parents insisted on coming to see Lu Xingmian, and he couldn’t stop them. It was Lu Shiran’s fault for not bringing his boyfriend back home sooner.
Father and Mother Lu’s visit was so sudden. They also felt that Lu Xingmian was a little nervous and that Lu Shiran was being protective of him, so the three of them left after sitting for a little while.
Lu Shiran walked them to the elevator. Mother Lu apologized to Lu Shiran, saying their visit was a bit sudden today. She told Lu Shiran to take good care of Lu Xingmian, saying the child looked a little thin and it was heartbreaking.
Mother Lu was a bit worried. “Lu Shiran, did we really scare Lu Xingmian?”
Lu Shiran told them not to think too much about it.
When Lu Shiran got home, Lu Xingmian was sitting on the sofa, looking at him with a helpless expression.
The sight made Lu Shiran’s heart tighten. He hurried over and embraced him. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry. I didn’t handle this properly. I never expected you to run into them so soon. I’m truly sorry.”
He had sensed Lu Xingmian’s nervousness and anxiety and was afraid that Lu Xingmian would be scared away.
Lu Xingmian didn’t speak for a long time in his embrace. Lu Shiran became truly worried. “Zai Zai,” he said, and gently cupped Lu Xingmian’s face.
Lu Xingmian’s eyes were a little red. “Ge, do Uncle and Auntie dislike me?”
Lu Shiran was stunned. “No, they like you very much.”
Lu Xingmian said, “But I don’t think I did well just now.” He had been mostly silent the whole time, and they had left so quickly. It seemed like Father Lu didn’t like him.
Lu Shiran explained that his parents really did like him.
Lu Xingmian seemed to not quite believe it. “Really?”
“Yes, they like you very much,” Lu Shiran said. “Zai Zai, I promised you I wouldn’t lie to you.”
Back when Lu Xingmian returned to the Lu family, he could truly feel the way Lu Yan and Xia Yuefang looked at him, not with the joy of finding a long-lost child, but with a bit of disdain.
It was because he didn’t fit in with them. Compared to Lu Sihang, he could do nothing; he couldn’t even play the piano.
The Lu family was like a small paper boat beside the Lu clan’s grand cruise ship.
So after meeting Lu Shiran’s parents today, he was worried that he still wouldn’t fit in and that Father and Mother Lu wouldn’t like him.
All of Lu Shiran’s coaxing wasn’t as effective as a single message from Mother Lu.
An hour later, Mother Lu sent Lu Shiran a message on WeChat. The general meaning was that Lu Shiran was not to bully Lu Xingmian and had to treat him well.
Lu Shiran showed the message to Lu Xingmian, and only then did Lu Xingmian truly believe Lu Shiran’s words.
“Uncle and Auntie are so nice.”
Lu Shiran asked, “Zai Zai, am I not good too?”
Lu Xingmian said, “You’re good, too.”
Seeing Lu Xingmian smile happily, Lu Shiran’s heart finally settled.
–
Back then, in the car, Lu Xingmian had answered with a definite yes.
Unfortunately, on the night they got home, Lu Xingmian started to feel unwell. As expected, he had a high fever in the middle of the night and was sick for several days before he fully recovered.
After he got better, Lu Xingmian had a lot of schoolwork. Busily caught up in various tasks, and he quickly forgot about it. By the time he remembered, final exams were approaching.
Lu Xingmian didn’t want to fail his first university exams, so he spent all his time on his studies.
When Lu Shiran went to kiss him, Lu Xingmian said, “Ge, don’t mess around right now, I’m reviewing.”
Lu Shiran could do nothing but sit beside him, gloomy, and go over things together.
After the exams were over, it was finally time for the break.
On this day, Lu Xingmian was lying in bed playing on his phone while waiting for Lu Shiran. His snake game had just reached a new high score. When Lu Shiran came in, he didn’t even bother to look up.
Lu Shiran walked over and took his phone away.
Lu Xingmian immediately tried to grab it back. “Ge, Ge, don’t mess with me, my snake is at its longest right now.”
“Zai Zai.”
Lu Xingmian thought he wanted him to go to sleep early. “Ge, it’s a holiday now, I don’t have class, so I can stay up a little later.”
If the Lu Xingmian from a year ago had heard himself say something like this, he would have been furious. A year ago, the sleepless Lu Xingmian was on the verge of a breakdown, and now he was asking to stay up later.
But Lu Shiran’s intention was for him to go to sleep early. He placed the phone far away. “Zai Zai, stop looking at your phone and look at me instead.”
A hot breath was sprayed onto his ear. Lu Xingmian then noticed that Lu Shiran wasn’t wearing a shirt and only had a towel wrapped around his waist.
His perfect physique was on full display. His beautiful abs and V-line were so close, and he could even see a drop of water slowly sliding down his body.
Lu Xingmian pursed his lips. Who cared about playing on the phone? Of course he was going to look at Lu Shiran.
Lu Shiran slowly leaned over, their foreheads touching. “Zai Zai, no more phone, okay?”
Lu Xingmian had always been helpless against Lu Shiran’s voice, especially now.
“Okay.”
Lu Shiran then kissed his lips.
This kiss was more passionate than any other. As Lu Shiran kissed him, he guided Lu Xingmian’s hand to feel his body.
“Zai Zai, are you scared?”
“No.”
The surprise came so suddenly. Lu Xingmian’s face flushed red, and his eyes were full of both pleading and anticipation. Lu Shiran loved this look on him.
“Zai Zai, tonight will be a long night.”
Even though Lu Shiran had spent a long time trying to comfort him beforehand, when they finally made intimate contact, Lu Xingmian still cried out with tears falling.
In many cases, the real sensation is more impactful than the visual.
Lu Shiran’s words were very true—it was a long, long night…
But Lu Xingmian knew that it was all more wonderful than he had imagined and that Lu Shiran was very good.
This was the quickest Lu Xingmian had ever fallen asleep; after just a few rounds, he was instantly out.
Lu Shiran held him, still feeling a lingering desire. After restraining himself for so long, Lu Xingmian felt irresistibly delightful. Yet, the person in his arms was utterly exhausted, so he decided to let him rest for a while.
This was probably the longest Lu Xingmian had ever slept—over ten hours, without waking up once.
When he finally woke up, Lu Xingmian wanted to go to the bathroom.
But as soon as he stood up, he felt a sudden loss of balance. Just as he was about to fall, a broad embrace caught him.
“Do you want to go to the bathroom? I’ll carry you.”
Lu Xingmian wanted to refuse, but his legs were still trembling slightly. Realizing he couldn’t make it to the bathroom on his own, he allowed Lu Shiran to carry him.
He was not very steady on his feet. Lu Shiran wrapped his arms around him from behind, and Lu Xingmian leaned his whole body against him.
Lu Xingmian was thin-skinned and wanted him to leave.
Lu Shiran said, “Zai Zai, we are already so close, you don’t have to be like this.”
In the end, Lu Shiran assisted him, letting Lu Xingmian tend to his needs comfortably. Lu Xingmian leaned against him, his ears flushed a deep crimson.
Lu Xingmian didn’t know how he got through the next three days. He had lost track of day and night.
Lu Xingmian no longer knows how many rounds it is now.
“Ge, I really can’t do it anymore.”
Lu Shiran held him from behind, kissing his ear. “Zai Zai, be good, you still want to.”
For three days, whenever Lu Xingmian woke up, Lu Shiran would cling to him.
Lu Xingmian pretended to be asleep several times, but as soon as Lu Shiran kissed him, his ears would turn red and his body would uncooperatively respond.
Finally, Lu Xingmian looked at the dozen or so torn-open wrappers in the trash can and fell into a deep sleep once again.
For three whole days, Lu Xingmian never left the room.
