INT Chapter 19

Lu Ze hadn’t received any updates from Liang Xiao yet. Just as he was about to put on his headphones and start working on his listening practice, there was a knock on the dormitory door.

 

He looked up and called out, “Come in.”

 

He thought it might be someone from a neighboring dorm dropping by, but to his surprise, Jiang Yijie walked in. Lu Ze froze for a moment, puzzled. “Why are you here?” he asked.

 

Jiang Yijie had noticeable dark circles under his eyes. Lu Ze glanced at him and teased, “Did someone dump you?”

 

“Do I even have a partner?” Jiang Yijie replied flatly.

 

Lu Ze chuckled, leaning back lazily and stretching. “Fair point.”

 

“You…”

 

Jiang Yijie hesitated for a moment. Sensing something was off, Lu Ze straightened up slightly and asked, “What’s wrong? Something on your mind?”

 

Jiang Yijie pulled over a chair and sat down without meeting Lu Ze’s gaze. “Didn’t you say before that you liking guys was just a joke? So why do you suddenly have a boyfriend?”

 

“Someone must’ve taken a photo,” Lu Ze said casually.

 

“Yeah.” Jiang Yijie nodded.

 

“You didn’t recognize who it was?” Lu Ze asked.

 

Jiang Yijie frowned as he tried to recall. After a while, he said, “Was it the guy who dropped us off at the hotel that night?”

 

Lu Ze nodded. “That’s him. I asked him to pretend to be my boyfriend for a bit.”

 

Jiang Yijie didn’t respond immediately. Seeing this, Lu Ze waved a hand in front of his face. “What’s going on with you? Did you pull an all-nighter last night?”

 

Jiang Yijie rubbed his face tiredly. “No, I just don’t really get you. You used to like girls—how did you accept this so quickly?”

 

Lu Ze laughed softly and leaned back in his chair again, balancing it on its back legs so the front ones hovered in the air. “Don’t say you don’t get it—I don’t even get it myself. It just kind of happened out of nowhere. But it’s fine; actually, it’s pretty nice. At least no girls will chase after me anymore…”

 

Jiang Yijie lifted his foot and nudged the back of Lu Ze’s chair. “Stop rocking.”

 

Lu Ze clicked his tongue in annoyance. “I’m not as dumb as you.”

 

Back in high school, Jiang Yijie had been solving problems while rocking his chair like this. He got so focused that he tipped over backward, taking the desk down with him. Lu Ze had been sitting right next to him at the time and laughed about it for an entire day. Even now, the memory made him chuckle.

 

As he laughed to himself, he noticed Jiang Yijie looking at him with an exasperated expression. Lu Ze patted him on the shoulder and said, “Jie-ge, what’s up with you today? You’re acting strange—got something on your mind?”

 

“No,” Jiang Yijie replied with a yawn. “I just didn’t sleep well—I’m exhausted.”

 

He stood up and said, “I’ll head back and take a nap first. We still have classes this afternoon.”

 

“Take out my trash for me on your way out,” Lu Ze said with a grin.

 

Jiang Yijie clicked his tongue, bent down to pick up Lu Ze’s trash bag, and turned to leave. At the door, he paused and asked, “Lu Ze, why was your friend able to pretend to be your boyfriend? Is he gay?”

 

“No,” Lu Ze replied. “Actually, it’s part of his job.”

 

Jiang Yijie froze. “What kind of job? Pretending to be someone’s boyfriend?”

 

“Yeah,” Lu Ze nodded. “He does things like keeping people company, chatting, meeting parents, or even angering ex-boyfriends or ex-girlfriends. He’s super handsome, so his rates might be a bit high, but his skills are top-notch. If you know anyone outside our school who needs this kind of service, let me know. He didn’t charge me yesterday, so I’d like to help him find some clients.”

 

Jiang Yijie stood stunned for a while, clearly shocked by this profession. As he left, he accidentally caught his sleeve on the doorknob, nearly breaking it.

 

After Jiang left, Lu Ze finally checked his phone. Liang Xiao still hadn’t replied to him. Looking at the two messages he had sent earlier, Lu Ze felt a little guilty—he had dragged Liang Xiao around campus yesterday, which probably caused him to catch a cold. He decided he should show some concern.

 

Lu Ze: [Xiao-ge?]

Lu Ze: [Are you asleep?]

Lu Ze: [Is your fever bad?]

 

Liang Xiao: [No.]

Liang Xiao: [Not bad, just a low fever.]

 

Lu Ze: [Sorry about yesterday. I shouldn’t have dragged you around aimlessly.]

 

Liang Xiao: [It’s my own fault.]

 

Lu Ze sighed. Whenever Liang Xiao wasn’t working, he always managed to end conversations quickly.

 

Lu Ze: [I won’t bother you anymore. Rest well.]

 

Liang Xiao replied with a simple “Mm.” Just as Lu Ze put down his phone, it buzzed again within two minutes.

 

Liang Xiao: [What type of bananas were those? They were pretty tasty.]

 

Lu Ze raised an eyebrow. Why did everyone seem to love bananas? Were sweet and crunchy apples not good enough?

 

Lu Ze: [They’re called xiǎo mǐ jiāo (mini bananas). I’ll bring you more when you finish them.]

 

Liang Xiao: [No need. I’ve already finished them and want to buy more myself.]

 

Lu Ze: [???]

Lu Ze: [You already finished both bunches of mini bananas? Are you eating them as meals?]

 

Liang Xiao: [Mm.]

 

Laughing as he typed back with slightly clumsy fingers, Lu Ze paused when another message came in from Liang Xiao.

 

Liang Xiao: [I was starving when I woke up at noon. There was no food at home, so I ate the fruit you gave me.]

 

Lu Ze froze for a moment and deleted what he had been typing earlier. Instead, he asked:

 

Lu Ze: [You didn’t have lunch? You only ate fruit?]

 

Liang Xiao: [Mm.]

 

Lu Ze took a while before replying: [Impressive… but no matter how tasty it is, you can’t treat it as a meal. You’re still running a fever; you need to eat proper food.]

 

Lu Ze: [Aren’t you good at taking care of others? Why are you so careless when it comes to yourself?]

 

This time, Liang Xiao sent a voice message. His voice sounded normal, but the tone revealed he was still sick: [Taking care of myself costs money; it doesn’t make money.]

 

Lu Ze replied with a voice message as well: [Are you obsessed with money? Just order some delivery. There’s a congee shop near your place that’s pretty good.]

 

Liang Xiao asked: [What’s it called?]

 

Lu Ze checked the time: [Wait, let me search for it first.]

 

He looked it up on the delivery app and found the shop, which offered tasty beef pancakes, buns, and various types of congee. He shared the name with Liang Xiao: [Their beef pancakes are great if you have an appetite. If not, just order the century egg and lean pork congee.]

 

Liang Xiao switched to text: [I have an appetite. Thanks.]

 

Lu Ze: [Send me your address.]

 

Liang Xiao: [?]

 

Lu Ze insisted firmly: [If I don’t help you order after that ‘thanks,’ I’d feel guilty. Send me your address.]

 

After sending an ellipsis, Liang Xiao finally shared his address.

 

Muttering “That’s more like it,” Lu Ze ordered beef pancakes and congee for Liang Xiao and added two buns in case he wasn’t full. Before paying, he switched back to WeChat: [Your phone number?]

 

Liang Xiao: [Just use yours.]

 

Lu Ze: [Do you have fever medicine?]

 

Liang Xiao: [Yes, leftover from you.]

 

After completing the payment, Lu Ze asked Liang Xiao: [Did I infect you?]

 

Liang Xiao replied via voice message: [Can fevers even be contagious?]

 

Given how much time had passed, his question sounded more rhetorical. However, Lu Ze couldn’t help laughing after hearing it—it seemed Liang Xiao’s fever had dulled his thinking, making his tone sound genuinely confused.

 

Lu Ze replayed the voice message several times while laughing. Just then, his dorm room door swung open, and Sun Zhuoyu walked in with a cheerful expression. Seeing Lu Ze’s amused face, he paused and asked, “What are you laughing about all by yourself?”

 

Before Lu Ze could respond, Sun smacked his forehead and grinned. “Oh right! My bad memory—our master here has a boyfriend now! Chatting with him, huh? Smiling like springtime itself.”

 

Lu Ze glanced at him and said, “Between us, who’s really the one smiling like springtime?”

 

Sun Zhuoyu raised an eyebrow. “Can’t we both be? You’ve got a boyfriend; I’m about to have a girlfriend.”

 

“Finally about to win her over?” Lu Ze asked, taking a sip from his water cup.

 

Sun Zhuoyu grinned like a blooming flower. “Almost, almost! When the time comes, bring your boyfriend—oh wait, Shimu[mfn]Master’s wife[/mfn] —and we’ll have a big feast. My treat…”

 

“Pfft…”

 

Lu Ze spat out the water he had just drunk.

 

“Damn it!” Sun Zhuoyu jumped back two steps. “You sprayed it all over my face!”

 

Lu Ze coughed for a while and wiped his chin. “What Shimu! Who are you calling Shimu!?”

 

“What else should I call him?” Sun Zhuoyu said while wiping his face. “Should I call him Master too? Or Senior Brother? Junior Brother?”

 

What kind of nonsense is this?

 

Lu Ze waved his hand dismissively. “Shut up. Stop talking. With your IQ, I don’t think this meal is happening.”

 

 

---