Love—what does it feel like? For Zuo Ning, who had never been in love before, it was like gulping down an ice-cold soda on a scorching summer day. The moment it slid down his throat, it was both exhilarating and refreshing. So good that after one sip, he immediately craved another.
So when he clung to Lu Chenghe, pestering him for another round, Lu Chenghe pinned him to the bed and gave him a solid beating.
Zuo Ning, flattened against the bed like a helpless turtle, flailed his limbs in protest. “I knew it! You only agreed to humor me. You never meant it!”
Lu Chenghe glanced at the time. “You need to get back to the set today. Keep this up, and you’ll be late.”
As Lu Chenghe prepared to get out of bed, Zuo Ning hurriedly grabbed his arm. “You’re serious, right? You’re not just humoring me, treating me like a kid? I’m talking about a relationship that lasts a lifetime. Don’t think I don’t understand—I do! Like your eldest brother and Chu Hang, like your third sister and that brother-in-law I’ve never met, like your fourth brother and Ren Shishi.”
Lu Chenghe looked down at him, his gaze steady and sincere. “When have I ever lied to you?”
Zuo Ning rolled his eyes, thinking it over. It seemed like Lu Chenghe had never actually lied to him, but at the same time, he always felt like he was being tricked. After a moment of contemplation, he pouted and said, “Then kiss me. Only lovers kiss on the lips. If you kiss me, it proves you’re serious.”
Lu Chenghe chuckled softly, then leaned down and pressed a kiss to Little Pudding’s pouty lips. Seeing the instant joy that lit up those dark eyes, he smiled again, reached out to smooth Little Pudding’s hair, and then lowered his head once more—this time, capturing the lips he had long wanted to taste.
Every time, it was always him who clung to Lu Chenghe, the one who took the initiative, launching all sorts of unexpected moves to try and steal a kiss to declare his claim. But each time, it ended at just a light peck—barely even counted as a real kiss. Just a brief touch, and that was it. It never truly qualified as a proper kiss.
So when Lu Chenghe genuinely kissed him this time, Zuo Ning was completely stunned. His eyes flew wide open, and his whole body froze stiff, not daring to move an inch.
Lu Chenghe cupped his face and chuckled, “Close your eyes, open your mouth.”
Zuo Ning instinctively obeyed, and right after, something soft and warm slid into his mouth.
It was Lu Chenghe’s breath—that familiar scent of his, carrying a faint trace of mint.
Lu Chenghe braced himself with one hand so he wouldn’t fully press down on his Little Pudding, while the other hand gently held Little Pudding’s face. And for the first time, he kissed him deeply.
Nibbling lightly. Sucking gently. Tangling intimately.
The little thing who always teased him on purpose now just sat there foolishly, letting himself be conquered. That tiny tongue tucked inside his mouth was like a frightened little animal, hiding in what it thought was a safe corner—at the slightest touch, it trembled and retreated.
That shy, innocent reaction made Lu Chenghe chuckle softly. Every day, he watched his Little Pudding try all sorts of tricks—sometimes subtle, sometimes bold—to tease him. But in reality, he was just all bark and no bite. Now that they were really in the moment, he was so scared he didn’t dare move.
Lu Chenghe gently rubbed and kneaded his small ear, slowly guiding him, helping him to gradually relax. From the clumsy, directionless biting at the beginning, little by little, he started to learn how to respond. And eventually, he even began to take initiative and seek more.
When it’s with the right person, kissing could be something incredibly beautiful—so tender and lingering that neither wanted to let go. Even Lu Chenghe was left breathless by the end of it, let alone Little Pudding, whose cheeks were flushed red, eyes watery and full of emotion.
Lu Chenghe gently wiped the dampness from the corner of Little Pudding’s lips and asked softly, “Are you satisfied now? Can you tell whether I was brushing you off or being serious?”
At this point, Zuo Ning could only nod dumbly as he panted for breath. He felt like even the tips of his fingers were tingling, and his heart was racing out of control. Yet despite it all, a deep emptiness seemed to well up from within him—an inexplicable craving for more. It just wasn’t enough. Nothing felt like enough.
It wasn’t until Yang Shun came to pick him up and the two of them arrived at the set that Zuo Ning, still holding his script, kept breaking into silly little smiles from time to time. Even the makeup artist working on him had already reminded him more than once not to move around so much. The whole process of putting on makeup became incredibly difficult. Finally, unable to bear it anymore, the artist snapped, “Lu Xiao Ning, did you win the lottery or something? Stop smiling already! Every time you grin, I don’t even know how to do your makeup anymore. Your character is supposed to be noble and aloof, not some lovestruck fool!”
Zuo Ning beamed as he nodded, “Okay, okay.”
But after holding it in for a few seconds, he couldn’t help it. He grinned again, making the makeup artist roll their eyes.
Off to the side, Yang Shun couldn’t help pressing a hand to his forehead. Once the makeup was done and everyone else had left the room, he asked, “What exactly has you so happy that you’re like this? Are you sure you’re in any condition to act today? Don’t end up breaking into a smile in the middle of a serious scene.”
Zuo Ning huffed, “I’m a professional, okay? I’ve got to work hard and earn money to support my family.”
Yang Shun thought to himself, If your family really had to rely on your meager income, Mr. Lu would probably starve to death. But of course, you couldn’t dampen your own artist’s enthusiasm. Encouragement still had to be given, even if there was a slight… mismatch in perception. Confidence was still important.
Just as the two of them were chatting inside the room, they heard some commotion outside. Yang Shun opened the door to check what was going on, then turned to Zuo Ning, who was still holding his script and grinning like an idiot.
“Looks like someone’s visiting the set—brought a lot of stuff, too. I’ll go see if it’s a fan or someone from the industry. You stay in the room and don’t wander off.”
However, he had barely taken two steps when he saw Chu Hang walking over, surrounded by people.
In the past two years, Chu Hang had practically exploded in popularity. One hit project after another—TV dramas that drew in massive fandoms, movies that earned him nominations for all kinds of major awards. For someone at his age and with the amount of time he’d been in the industry, his achievements were already quite impressive.
And on top of that, the powerful figure backing him had made no attempt to hide their claim over him. Outsiders might not know the details, but anyone with even a bit of standing in the industry knew—Chu Hang was currently dating the president of the Lu Corporation. The man had even gone so far as to cross over from the gourmet world into entertainment just to support him.
As long as that person continued to back Chu Hang, no one in the circle dared to disrespect him.
Seeing that Chu Hang was clearly headed toward Lu Ning’s makeup room, Yang Shun only had to think for a second to understand the situation. After all, they were from the same household.
He just didn’t know what kind of relationship they had behind the scenes. In these wealthy elite circles, it was said that the scheming and rivalry could be quite intense.
Though he was thinking all of this in his heart, Yang Shun still politely greeted, “Hello, Teacher Chu.” This was a common form of respectful address in the industry—most people were referred to as “teacher”. Some used “senior”, but that was more common among younger artists when addressing each other.
Chu Hang already knew he was Lu Ning’s assistant. Before coming, he’d had his own assistant look into the people around Lu Ning. After all, not recognizing someone or mistaking them would’ve been far too rude. He gave a polite smile and a small nod. “Lu Ning should be in the room, right?”
Yang Shun quickly stepped aside to make way. “Yes, he is. Just finished getting his makeup done and is going over his script.”
Chu Hang smiled and said, “I brought over some food. You should get some for Lu Ning, too. It’s so hot today. Be careful to avoid heatstroke.”
Yang Shun gratefully replied, “Alright, thank you, Teacher Chu.”
Only after seeing Chu Hang knock and enter the makeup room did Yang Shun finally head outside. But halfway down the corridor, he was stopped by a few assistants from the crew—ones he got along fairly well with and who worked with other artists.
“Is Lu Ning really close with Chu Hang?” one of them asked.
Yang Shun smiled at them. “They’re family, of course, they get along.”
The other assistants, who had come to snoop around for gossip, couldn’t help but think—with the people behind them, it really does seem like they’re one family.
However, this so-called “one family” in the eyes of outsiders was, at this moment, meeting for the first time.
For Chu Hang, this was indeed his first time meeting Lu Ning.
Previously, the Lu family’s fourth brother had mentioned to him, “Look after Lu Ning a bit more—we’re all family after all.” After going back, he asked Lu Chenghan about it and found out that this Lu Ning might be Lu Chenghe’s partner. It just hadn’t been made official within the family yet. But since the Lu family’s fourth brother could say something like that in front of everyone, and Lu Chenghe hadn’t objected, it was pretty much a silent confirmation.
Today, since he happened to be nearby discussing a script, he decided to drop by and say hello, just to get acquainted.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, Zuo Ning turned his head. When he saw Chu Hang walk in, he was briefly stunned—then instinctively blurted out, “Big sister-in-law?”
Chu Hang immediately froze on the spot, looking thoroughly caught off guard, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Zuo Ning realized what he had just blurted out and chuckled sheepishly. “Well, uh, in front of outsiders, I should still call you Brother Chu Hang. Brother Chu Hang, what brings you here today? Just now, Yang Shun said someone brought something over. Was it you? Did you come to visit me on set?”
Chu Hang nodded. He had been thinking about how to get to know Lu Ning without needing a formal introduction through someone else. If Lu Ning truly was the person Lu Chenghe had chosen as his future partner, then they really would be family someday. Naturally, it was best to get along if possible. He hadn’t expected this person to be so naturally friendly, and not in an annoying way either.
“Came over to talk about a script. I knew you were filming here, so I thought I’d stop by for a look. I joined the industry earlier than you, so if there’s anything you don’t quite get, you can come ask me.” Lu Ning looked really young. According to the official profile, he had only just turned eighteen this month?
Thinking of Lu Ning’s age, Chu Hang couldn’t help but feel concerned for Lu Chenghe. Someone like Lu Chenghe would definitely know exactly what he wanted, but a teenager like this—he hadn’t even settled into himself yet. The entertainment industry was such an easy place to lose oneself in. Who knew what kind of future lay ahead?
Zuo Ning quickly nodded. “Sure, sure! Maybe I’ll even get a chance to work with you someday, Brother Chu Hang.”
Chu Hang smiled and handed over the gift bag he was carrying. “You weren’t around last time I visited the Lu household, so I thought I’d bring this for you today. It’s a bracelet—matches the one I gave Lu Chenghe. The two form a pair.”
This bracelet was a custom-made piece. Originally, the one for Lu Chenghe was a one-of-a-kind design, but after learning about Lu Ning, he had another one made, making it a truly unique matching couple’s set.
Zuo Ning instantly grinned and accepted it with a smile that reached his eyes. Counting this, he had now received two gifts—he’d gotten one when Little Pudding did, too. He opened the gift box to take a look: a beautifully crafted, custom bracelet.
“Thank you! It’s beautiful. I love it!”
As he spoke, he took it out and held it up against his wrist, trying it on for size. He couldn’t help but smile even more. “Matching couple bracelets are the best. If we ever go out together, I’ll make sure we wear our pair!”
Chu Hang laughed. “In a while, if you guys have time, maybe we can all go out for a bit, have some fun.”
Zuo Ning looked at him in confusion. “Go out? Where to? Is this something you and Brother Lu planned? If it’s just the two of you going on a date, wouldn’t it be weird to drag us along?”
Chu Hang laughed and said, “It’s more fun when there are more people. If you two want some alone time, then you can just split off from the group for a while and meet back up at mealtimes.”
Zuo Ning was already feeling tempted. He’d never had a proper outing with Lu Chenghe before. And their relationship had only just become official—not a bad excuse for a honeymoon trip. But he didn’t agree right away. “I’ll have to check with Chenghe first. Once you’ve got the specific time and destination, send it to me. I’ll see if I can shift the filming schedule, and whether Chenghe’s free, too.”
Chu Hang nodded with a smile. “Sure.”
When Zuo Ning got home after filming, he saw that Lu Chenghe had already made dinner and was setting the dishes on the table. He sprinted forward and leapt into his arms like a pouncing koala. “Let’s go on a trip! Sister-in-law visited me on set today and brought a bunch of delicious food and even gave me a gift. He said it’s the same bracelet as yours, and then he said the four of us should go on a trip together!”
Lu Chenghe didn’t respond, simply carried the koala-like Zuo Ning on his chest while bringing the rest of the dishes out.
Seeing that Lu Chenghe was ignoring him, Zuo Ning wriggled around on him. “Let’s go, let’s gooo. I’ve never been on a trip before. I want to go with you. Can we? Can we, can we??”
“If the two heads of the Lu Corporation both drop everything and go on vacation, you think Fourth Brother can handle it all on his own?”
Zuo Ning thought about it, then nodded with certainty. “He can! You have to believe in him!”
Lu Chenghe gave his butt a firm slap. “If it means going on a trip, you’d say black is white.”
Zuo Ning hooked his arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips. “Come on, let’s go.”
With every plea came a kiss. Zuo Ning kissed him over and over until Lu Chenghe’s face was covered in slobber. Only then did Lu Chenghe say, “Wash the dishes and do the laundry for ten days, and I’ll agree.”
Zuo Ning immediately said, “No problem!” There’s a dishwasher for the dishes, and a washing machine for the clothes. What’s there to be afraid of!
When Lu Chenghan found out that his two older brothers were planning to go on a trip together, he was so excited—he had never gone on such a vacation before. He immediately raised his hand to join, wanting to bring along his own wife, Shishi, to make it a group of six. In the end, he was ruthlessly left behind by his two heartless brothers and forced to stay at the company.
Feeling pitiful and wronged, Lu Chenghan bit his finger and tearfully video-called his wife from the office. “They’re bullying me. They won’t let us come along!”
On the other end, Ren Shishi was tidying up her paints. Her long, straight hair was loosely tied to the side with a simple hair tie, a few strands gently falling around her ears. She wore a white dress under an apron used for painting. Hearing his complaint, she simply gave a soft, gentle smile to the camera. “Next time, we’ll go on our own—without them.”
Blinded by that beautiful smile, Lu Chenghan nodded vigorously, practically drooling. No one was better than his own wife.
