Milan is a paradise filled with a strong sense of history and artistic atmosphere. There aren’t many ultra-modern skyscrapers there; many streets are even paved with old blue bricks. Wandering through the alleys and streets, it almost feels like time slows down.
As a rising superstar, Chu Hang had naturally been to Milan many times before, but always for work. He had almost never been like this—putting everything aside, holding the hand of the one he loved, and aimlessly strolling through the streets.
At first, he felt a bit restrained. After all, the atmosphere back home was still relatively conservative. Even though there was more tolerance now toward people like homosexuals, many still looked through colored lenses. So even abroad, he had rarely held hands openly with Lu Chenghan like this without any concern.
But who could blame him when the other young couple was just so openly affectionate? Especially Lu Ning, who seemed almost glued to Lu Chenghe like they were conjoined twins. Walking along, holding hands wasn’t enough; Xiao Ning insisted on being carried on Chenghe’s back, holding a bottle of water and resting against him, occasionally taking a sip and then feeding Chenghe. And Chenghe simply indulged him, completely ignoring the stares from passersby.
Compared to their unabashed closeness, he suddenly felt that simply holding hands wasn’t such a big deal. Especially when he held Lu Chenghan’s hand, feeling the firm grip, he couldn’t help but smile slightly. Chenghan probably wanted this very much, but was restraining himself just for him.
As he thought about whether he should loosen up a little more—after all, they were out to have fun and should enjoy it properly—he saw Xiao Ning, still on Chenghe’s back, turn around and wave at them: “Big brother, big sister-in-law, do you want to eat something? There are grilled meat skewers up ahead!”
Eating grilled meat skewers on the streets of Milan—this was probably something only Zuo Ning would do.
Seeing Xiao Ning jump off Chenghe’s back and pull him toward the front to buy some, the two of them said nothing and slowly followed, then were handed a few skewers. The smell was pretty appetizing. They’d been walking all morning and were indeed a bit hungry.
Zuo Ning blew on the skewer to cool it down, took a bite, then nodded repeatedly at Lu Chenghe: “Although it’s not very spicy, it’s delicious!”
Lu Chenghe took a tissue and wiped the corner of Zuo Ning’s mouth: “For you, as long as it’s edible, nothing tastes bad!”
Zuo Ning bit off a piece of meat from the skewer, then slightly stood on tiptoe, tilted his head back, and offered the meat in his mouth toward Lu Chenghe’s mouth.
Lu Chenghe turned and started to walk away, but Zuo Ning grabbed him: “Mmm mmm!!”
Zuo Ning hooked his arm around Lu Chenghe’s neck, forcibly pressed his head down, and stuffed the meat in his mouth, then smiled proudly: “Eat quickly, eat quickly, I already tested it for poison.”
In front of his big brother, Lu Chenghe, who had never done anything like this, couldn’t hold back and slapped Little Pudding’s head, but there was no end to the teasing. Still, the meat fed into his mouth was eaten; after all, he couldn’t spit it out, or else who knows what Little Pudding would do to him next.
Watching the whole scene behind them, Lu Chenghan looked at the skewer in his hand with a bit of a wistful expression, while Chu Hang laughed heartily. Young people these days are really something.
Milan is mostly about fashion and churches—whether world-famous cathedrals or small, unnamed chapels by the street, they all look especially atmospheric. Especially inside the churches, filled with all kinds of murals and statues that dazzle the eyes. Even if you don’t understand anything, you can still feel a powerful emotional impact from them.
But for Zuo Ning, all these things were just too deep. He was a near-illiterate who hadn’t even finished university or fully recognized all the characters. Asking him to experience foreign cultural history was less practical than letting him sit by the roadside and eat a few more skewers.
However, Chu Hang was very interested in these art-filled things, so they followed the original plan and split up to explore separately.
But coming to such a country full of Renaissance vibes, besides sightseeing, there wasn’t much else to do. As for food, there really wasn’t much that suited Chinese tastes. Even the online recommended guides weren’t that great when you actually tried them; sometimes, they were even worse than the little street shops.
But none of that mattered anymore. What mattered was that, after splitting from Chu Hang and the others, Lu Chenghe had been put in charge of this trip. That meant deciding where to go, what to eat, reading maps on his own, asking for directions himself, and speaking up for buying things—all on his own.
In Italy, most people who speak English are tourists; the locals’ English usually isn’t very good. They actually seem to lean more toward French. As for Zuo Ning, his English was practically mute-level. He had only managed to scrape some of it back by stubbornly binge-watching American TV shows later on. Speaking fluently with others wasn’t entirely impossible for him, but he just didn’t have the confidence. He always felt that if his accent was too heavy, people would laugh at him.
However, no matter how much he clung to Lu Chenghe and tried to act spoiled, Lu Chenghe simply refused to speak. If he said he wouldn’t, he wouldn’t—just let Zuo Ning wave his hands and stammer through it.
One word at a time, one phrase at a time, after a few tries, he became more and more fluent. And finally, after successfully asking a local international student for the correct directions, Zuo Ning excitedly pounced on Lu Chenghe: “Aren’t I awesome?! Didn’t I sound super fluent?! Even if we got lost, I could still ask someone how to get back to the hotel!”
Lu Chenghe smiled and said, “You did very well. See? Wasn’t that easy?”
Zuo Ning was so proud he could’ve wagged his tail. He held Lu Chenghe’s hand, dragging him through every street and alley. They didn’t stop playing until the sky went dark and only then reluctantly returned to the hotel.
There was a short winding road leading up to the hotel entrance, and Zuo Ning and Lu Chenghe walked up slowly. On the way, Zuo Ning insisted on carrying Lu Chenghe on his back. Lu Chenghe didn’t trust his small frame at all, but he couldn’t resist Zuo Ning’s shameless pestering, so in the end he gave in and leaned onto his back.
Zuo Ning felt that as a man, he should be able to carry someone, especially since Lu Chenghe’s build looked very balanced—neither fat nor skinny, a golden ratio. Even if he was a bit heavier, it couldn’t be by much. But while the idea was beautiful, reality was cruel. He couldn’t even stand up with Lu Chenghe on his back.
Lu Chenghe watched him struggling and chuckled softly, “Maybe try again after a few years of training.”
Zuo Ning squatted on the ground, holding onto Lu Chenghe’s hands and refusing to let him get up: “Let me try again. Don’t move!”
After saying that, he suddenly exerted all his strength—and actually managed to lift Lu Chenghe onto his back. After catching his breath, he declared proudly, “How about that? Bet you underestimated me!”
Lu Chenghe laughed gently. He had never been carried by anyone before, especially not someone with such an obviously slim frame. “Then you better walk steadily. Uphill roads are tough—it’s easy to fall.”
Zuo Ning huffed, “Don’t worry. Even if we fall, I’ll be underneath you to cushion the blow!”
Lu Chenghe chuckled and silently muttered, You fool. If we really fall, there’s no way I’d let myself land on you.
Seeing how excited Little Pudding was to carry him, Lu Chenghe didn’t resist and let him be. As he watched their elongated shadows stretch out under the streetlamp, Lu Chenghe smiled and said, “When you grow up a bit more, it won’t be so hard to carry me anymore. But by then, I’m afraid you won’t want to carry me.”
Zuo Ning sniffled and panted, “I am already grown up! Stop treating me like a kid. I can carry you now. And ten years from now, twenty years from now, I’ll still be able to carry you!”
“Little Pudding.”
“Mm?” Zuo Ning responded, still catching his breath. Carrying someone uphill really wasn’t easy. But a man’s word is like spilled water—you say it, you do it! The main problem was that Lu Chenghe’s legs were too long. Zuo Ning had to strain to lift them high enough, or his feet would drag on the ground.
Lu Chenghe laughed and said, “Alright, now it’s my turn to carry you.”
The moment Zuo Ning heard that, he quickly set Lu Chenghe down. This was Lu Chenghe’s first time ever offering to carry him! Every other time, it was always Zuo Ning forcing his way onto Lu Chenghe’s back.
Seeing Little Pudding’s eager expression, Lu Chenghe couldn’t help but laugh. Still, he squatted down and let Zuo Ning climb up. Compared to how Zuo Ning had struggled earlier, Lu Chenghe stood up so effortlessly with someone on his back that it didn’t even look difficult.
Zuo Ning adjusted himself, leaning closer to Lu Chenghe’s ear and said, “This is the first time you’ve carried me on your own! I’m going to mark today down as our anniversary!”
“If you mark every little thing as an anniversary, 365 days a year won’t be enough for you.”
The two of them gradually walked out from under the dim streetlights and reached the hotel entrance. There, in front of the main doors, was a large fountain. Spotlights beamed up from the pool, illuminating the fine streams of water spurting from the fountain’s mouth, making them sparkle brilliantly and dazzlingly.
When they reached the brightly lit area and were just about to enter the hotel, Zuo Ning quickly said, “Chenghe, wait a sec.”
Lu Chenghe turned his head slightly. “What is it?”
Zuo Ning tightened his arms around his neck and climbed up a little higher, then shifted his body to the side, stretching his head forward, still lying on Lu Chenghe’s back, and directly kissed him on the lips.
Standing on the balcony with a glass of red wine in hand, enjoying the breeze, Lu Chenghan witnessed everything. From Zuo Ning struggling forever to lift Lu Chenghe, all the way to the two of them sharing a passionate kiss at the fountain outside the hotel entrance. He couldn’t help but take a sip of wine to steady his nerves. Young people these days. Even a kiss has to be done in such a difficult, acrobatic pose. So dramatic.
Hearing a sound behind him, Lu Chenghan turned around and saw Chu Hang just coming out of the shower. He drained the rest of his red wine in one gulp, then turned around, shut the door, drew the curtains, and pulled Chu Hang onto the bed, pressing him down without another word.
This chapter is so funny. When dating before I never tried to carry someone ony back because they are inevitably about a foot taller than me. But there was a time when I was super fit, and during judo classes every single person was required to run laps up and down a stairwell while carrying another person. For girls the teacher was a bit kinder and let up carry a boy of similar height. But that’s still around 130 to 150 extra lbs … while running, and on stairs! I never fainted in class but afterwards I was always covered in bruises (kicks to the shin area) and my muscles extremely sore. I think it’s completely understandable that a slim guy (who does take judo 😂 and is a bit lazy regarding fitness) would really struggle with carrying a heavier person uphill, especially after a whole day of walking. Unless you’re regularly training your body to lift heavy loads while walking it should be difficult for everyone to do.