INT Chapter 14

After a few rounds, Lu Ze started chatting while playing, asking whatever came to mind. “Xiao-ge, do you take on all kinds of clients? What if some of them are… you know, too much?”

 

“Those kinds of clients are rare,” Liang Xiao replied. “They send photos before meeting.”

 

“That Lotus guy is way too arrogant. I’ll bomb him,” Lu Ze said. “How long have you been doing this job?”

 

“Just about a year,” Liang Xiao said calmly as he played a King Bomb. “Started in my third year.”

 

Lu Ze was surprised. “Only a year?”

 

Then he realized something. “Wait, hold on—third year? A year? So you’re a fourth now? I thought you were several years older than me!”

 

Liang Xiao responded with a simple “Mm.”

 

“Wow…”

 

Lu Ze was stunned into silence for a while before Liang Xiao said, “I look old.”

 

“No, no, no, don’t say that! I didn’t mean you look old. You just seem really mature and cool, so I assumed you’d graduated years ago.”

 

Lu Ze was still full of surprise in his tone. “So you’re only two years older than me? Impressive.”

 

Liang Xiao chuckled softly. What was so impressive about being two years older? In fact, he was probably around the same age as Lu Ze.

 

Lu Ze had sharp ears and immediately asked, “Did you just laugh?”

 

Liang Xiao quickly suppressed his smile and replied indifferently, “No.”

 

He didn’t even bother with an excuse like “You must’ve misheard,” making his denial sound very convincing.

 

When the round ended and they were waiting for the next match, Lu Ze repeated, “Seriously impressive—only a senior and you’ve already made quite a bit of money.”

 

It was true that Liang Xiao had earned a lot, but after paying off debts, it felt no different from having earned nothing.

 

Moreover, Liang Xiao attended a second-tier university where most students were just coasting through. The teachers weren’t strict, and few classmates studied hard. On the other hand, Lu Ze’s college was prestigious. So Liang Xiao said, “If you’re not in urgent need of money, it’s better to enjoy college life.”

 

If it was someone Lu Ze wanted to talk to, he could be very chatty. He immediately picked up on the cue and changed the topic.

 

“When the rain stops later, why don’t you come to our campus?” Lu Ze said. “My mom sent me some fruit. We don’t have a fridge in the dorm, so it’ll spoil if we don’t eat it soon. You can take some.”

 

Before Liang Xiao could respond, Lu Ze added, “It’s not anything expensive—just bananas and apples—but they’re really good. The apples are super sweet.”

 

After a brief silence, Liang Xiao said, “Alright, thanks.”

 

Lu Ze snapped his fingers on the other end of the call and then whistled in case Liang Xiao didn’t hear it.

 

Liang Xiao returned the snap.

 

Lu Ze started laughing again. “You don’t know how to whistle, do you?”

 

“I do,” Liang Xiao glanced around his surroundings. “There are quite a few people taking shelter from the rain—it’d look silly.”

 

Lu Ze laughed even harder. “Well, there are even more people around me; does that make me even sillier?”

 

Liang Xiao could faintly hear someone on Lu Ze’s side chiming in—it must’ve been one of his roommates: “You finally realized it, Ze-ge! You do look kinda silly—never saw you like this when you were dating before…”

 

Lu Ze suddenly coughed twice, loudly. “Shut up, don’t disturb me while I’m playing Fight the Landlord.”

 

“That was my roommate just now…” Lu Ze explained to Liang Xiao.

 

Just as the round ended, Liang Xiao said, “Hold on, let me reply to a message.”

 

Lu Ze suddenly remembered that Liang Xiao, stuck in McDonald’s, probably had other things to do and could also chat with clients. Feeling a bit guilty, he lowered his voice and asked, “Am I interrupting your work? You can chat with clients during this time, right?”

 

“I’m off this afternoon,” Liang Xiao replied casually. He hadn’t given himself a break in a long time and suddenly didn’t feel like working.

 

So the two of them kept playing until the rain stopped. Lu Ze told Mao Xin he was heading out, then stood up and started walking. “You’re probably near the east gate. I’ll meet you there. Have you eaten yet? Let me treat you to a meal at our school cafeteria—there are a few places with really good food.”

 

“I’ve already eaten,” Liang Xiao declined very simply.

 

Lu Ze clicked his tongue. “Guys get hungry quickly. I’ll show you around the campus for a bit, and you’ll be able to eat again.”

 

Liang Xiao couldn’t find any other excuse to refuse and reluctantly said, “…Alright.”

 

The campus was full of puddles from the rain. By the time Lu Ze avoided all the water and reached the east gate, Liang Xiao was already there.

 

From about ten meters away, Lu Ze sized him up. As usual, Liang Xiao was dressed in simple casual wear—a black jacket, casual pants, a plain white T-shirt, and black-and-white sneakers. He looked both cool and clean.

 

And maybe it was just psychological, but Lu Ze felt that today Liang Xiao really looked like a university student.

 

When he got closer, Lu Ze whistled and smiled. “Cool.”

 

This time, Liang Xiao returned his whistle—a playful one with a little twist at the end.

 

Lu Ze raised an eyebrow. “You want me to stand at the college gate and have a whistling contest with you?”

 

“No need,” Liang Xiao said quickly. “Let’s go inside.”

 

Lu Ze laughed as he followed behind him. “Just teasing you.”

 

After the rain stopped, more people were walking around campus again. Lu Ze could clearly feel that many people who knew him were sneaking glances at him and Liang Xiao out of the corner of their eyes. Keeping his gaze straight ahead, Lu Ze tilted his head slightly toward Liang Xiao and whispered, “Do you need to wear a mask?”

 

Liang Xiao paused for a moment before replying, “No need.”

 

“They might think you’re my…” Lu Ze hesitated for a moment but couldn’t bring himself to say those three words.

 

Liang Xiao didn’t wait for him to finish and calmly said, “It’s fine.”

 

This was part of his job—it couldn’t be more normal.

 

The air after the rain was still damp but carried a refreshing earthy scent that Liang Xiao quite liked. He quietly followed behind Lu Ze as he introduced the various buildings on campus.

 

When they passed by the basketball court, Lu Ze ran into some friends who called out for him to join their game. Lu Ze waved them off. “You guys play—I’ve got a friend visiting campus today; I’m showing him around.”

 

Someone teased loudly: “What kind of friend is so handsome? Could it be your boyfriend?”

 

Lu Ze had been teased countless times before and thought he was used to it by now. But being teased about having a “boyfriend” for the first time… well, it still made him feel a bit embarrassed.

 

He cleared his throat forcefully. “Get lost! When I have time, I’ll come beat you all on the court.”

 

After leaving the basketball court, the two of them walked side by side in silence. Liang Xiao didn’t say anything, and Lu Ze didn’t take the initiative to introduce anything else. Even his walking felt awkward—his arms and legs were almost moving in sync, and he had to adjust his steps several times.

 

After a while, Lu Ze spoke up, sounding a bit uneasy. “Well… it’s my first time being gay, so I’m not very skilled at it yet.”

 

“Why did you come out?” Liang Xiao finally asked the question. His tone was calm, without any curiosity or insistence on knowing the answer—it was as if he didn’t particularly care.

 

“I don’t know…” Lu Ze turned his head and smiled at him. It wasn’t the embarrassed smile from earlier but a relaxed and cheerful one. “I was feeling pretty annoyed, and then I ran into Han Jing—my ex-girlfriend—and the girl she likes. I just blurted it out.”

 

Lu Ze spread his arms wide to embrace the breeze blowing toward him. “Isn’t that kind of weird? I don’t even know what I was thinking at the time. But whatever felt good in the moment, I did it. Coming out feels pretty nice, actually—probably no girls will bother me anymore. Right now, I’ve got a bit of a phobia about girls.”

 

After running forward a couple of steps into the wind, he quickly turned back around and zipped up his jacket. “This breeze is actually pretty chilly.”

 

Then he glanced up at Liang Xiao’s unzipped jacket. Before he could say anything, Liang Xiao said, “I’m not cold.”

 

Lu Ze snapped his fingers and grinned. “Cool.”

 

 

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