Liang Xiao was indeed busy during the May Day holiday, rushing from one client to another. On the first day alone, he had three clients. However, since they were all female clients, his schedule didn’t extend past 9 PM.
That evening, just as he got home, Lu Ze sent him a message:
[Done for the day?]
Liang Xiao replied:
[Yeah, just got home.]
Lu Ze:
[How many clients today?]
Liang Xiao knew Lu Ze was just making casual conversation, but it felt oddly like he was being checked up on. He replied:
[Three. Pretty tiring. I’m going to take a shower.]
Lu Ze:
[Go ahead.]
After plugging in his phone to charge, Liang Xiao went to shower. When he came out, he heard his phone buzzing again. Shaking his head with a hint of exasperation, he decided to take his time—he put on clean clothes, tossed the dirty ones into the washing machine, drank a glass of water in the living room, and only then returned to check his phone.
In that short span of time, Lu Ze had already sent several messages:
[Done showering yet?]
[Guess not.]
[Xiao-ge?]
[Why do you take so long to shower?]
[Did your water suddenly stop running? Or are you struggling to scrub your back?]
Liang Xiao couldn’t help but smile as he replied:
[I’m done.]
Lu Ze:
[Finally.]
Lu Ze:
[Took you long enough.]
Liang Xiao:
[Is something up?]
Lu Ze:
[Nothing much. My holiday’s been pretty boring—just spending time with my mom. Not as exciting as your packed schedule.]
Lu Ze:
[Are you this busy tomorrow too?]
Liang Xiao:
[Two clients tomorrow—one in the morning and one in the afternoon.]
Lu Ze:
[More shopping, eating out, escape rooms, and murder mysteries?]
Liang Xiao:
[One’s a bit more refined—an art exhibit and a concert.]
Lu Ze:
[Whenever I go to concerts with my mom, I basically sleep through the whole thing and only wake up when people start clapping.]
Liang Xiao smiled as he typed back:
[I mostly just zone out.]
Lu Ze:
[Tch, you’d be better off playing Dou Dizhu (a card game) with me instead.]
After a pause, Liang Xiao replied:
[Their appointments are too early. Want to play now?]
Lu Ze:
[Sure, let’s do it.]
The two of them played Dou Dizhu over voice chat for more than an hour. Lu Ze was laughing almost the entire time—it was clear he was in a great mood.
After losing two consecutive rounds, Lu Ze said, “Alright, I’m done. You must be tired today—you seem low-energy. Go rest early.”
Liang Xiao responded with a simple “Mm.”
“Goodnight,” Lu Ze said.
“…Goodnight,” Liang Xiao replied.
The call lingered for a moment with only the faint sound of static and their breathing. Lu Ze asked, “Why haven’t you hung up?”
“WeChat froze for a second,” Liang Xiao explained. “Hanging up now.”
“Alright. Goodnight.”
Liang Xiao hung up the call directly.
Xu Jingjing, wearing a face mask, sat down next to Lu Ze. “Finally done?”
Lu Ze jumped in surprise. “What’s up?”
“Old Lu has something to do tomorrow. Little Lu, why don’t you accompany me?” she said.
“You have so many good friends,” Lu Ze replied. “Little Lu wants to rest tomorrow.”
Lu Jinglang walked past the sofa and ruffled Lu Ze’s hair. “Your mom just wants you to spend more time with her.”
Lu Ze covered his head. “Fine, fine, I’ll go with you. Just don’t flick my head—don’t you know your own strength?”
Lu Jinglang clicked his tongue. “I wasn’t going to flick you. If you don’t go, I’ll go.”
Xu Jingjing quickly interjected, “No need for you to go. With your vibe at an art exhibit, people might think you’re there to steal the paintings.”
Lu Ze laughed for a long time. When he was younger, he hated it when Lu Jinglang came to pick him up from school because the next day, kids would chase him around asking if his dad was in the mafia or if he ate children.
After laughing so much that his cheeks hurt, Xu Jingjing suddenly said, “Your face must be sore by now.”
Lu Ze paused mid-motion and turned to her. “Huh? What?”
“You’ve been laughing for over an hour—of course it’s sore.”
Lu Ze blinked in surprise. “I’ve been laughing for over an hour?”
“Yes,” Xu Jingjing nodded. “You were laughing so much while playing Dou Dizhu.”
Her comment made Lu Ze feel oddly self-conscious. He explained, “It’s always fun playing cards with Xiao-ge.”
“Liang Xiao’s in his senior year, right? He should be interning somewhere. What kind of job does he have? Doesn’t he get a break during May Day?”
Lu Ze hesitated, unsure if Liang Xiao would mind Xu Jingjing knowing about his work. To play it safe, he gave a vague answer: “He’s really busy—has to accompany clients.”
—
The next afternoon, Lu Ze accompanied Xu Jingjing to an art exhibit. As he looked up, he unexpectedly spotted the supposedly “very busy” Liang Xiao with a refined-looking young woman who was affectionately holding his arm.
Instinctively, Lu Ze stepped in front of Xu Jingjing to block her view of that direction and casually said, “I don’t get this painting at all.”
Xu Jingjing began explaining it to him while Lu Ze quickly pulled out his phone and messaged Liang Xiao:
[Are you at the art exhibit?]
Liang Xiao saw the message and glanced around:
[Are you here too?]
Lu Ze:
[I’m here with my mom.]
Liang Xiao froze for a few seconds, unsure how to respond. Before he could figure it out, Xiaojin—the girl beside him—had already led him closer to where Lu Ze and Xu Jingjing were standing.
Liang Xiao watched as Lu Ze and his mother walked ahead of them. He wanted to suggest moving to the next gallery with Xiaojin, but before he could say anything, Xu Jingjing turned her head and noticed them.
She locked eyes with Liang Xiao for a few seconds before breaking into a delighted smile. “Xiao Ze! Isn’t that Liang Xiao?”
Lu Ze felt the situation grow increasingly awkward. He exchanged a quick glance with Liang Xiao before reluctantly pulling Xu Jingjing along toward them.
Liang Xiao was the first to speak. “Hello, Auntie.”
Xu Jingjing looked at him appreciatively and said, “Oh my! Hello! You’re so handsome.” Then her gaze shifted to the young woman beside Liang Xiao.
While Liang Xiao frantically tried to think of what to say, Xiaojin beat him to it and spoke up with a bright smile: “Hello, Auntie! I’m Xiaojin—his… girlfriend.”
Lu Ze frowned and finally shifted his gaze to Xiaojin. She was a poised and elegant girl, different from the clients he’d seen Liang Xiao with before. She was standing very close to Liang Xiao, her gaze filled with infatuation, as if they were a couple deeply in love.
Lu Ze felt uncomfortable on Liang Xiao’s behalf. His frown deepened, and his expression grew darker.
After a moment, Xu Jingjing poked him lightly from behind and whispered, “Xiao Ze, what are you thinking about? Let’s go.”
Snapping out of his thoughts, Lu Ze looked back at Liang Xiao and found that Liang Xiao was also staring at him. There was a complicated expression on his face—one that was hard to describe.
Lu Ze quickly averted his gaze, glancing at Xiaojin’s hand wrapped around Liang Xiao’s arm. In a flat tone, he said, “We’ll head over there first.”
After they parted ways, Xu Jingjing suddenly linked her arm with Lu Ze’s and asked, “Why do you look so upset all of a sudden?”
“I’m not upset,” Lu Ze replied.
Xu Jingjing didn’t believe him. “Is it because Liang Xiao told you he was working?”
Lu Ze hadn’t been paying attention to what she said and absentmindedly responded with a vague “Mm.”
Xu Jingjing chuckled. “It’s just a little white lie. Maybe he didn’t want to tell you he was with his girlfriend because he thought you’d be upset.”
Lu Ze turned to her in shock, raising his voice. “Why would I be upset?”
Xu Jingjing was taken aback by his reaction. “I mean… maybe he thought you’d feel like he’s neglecting his friends now that he has a girlfriend. You’ve always had this slight possessiveness over your close friends since you were little.”
Lu Ze’s face darkened as he frowned deeply.
Close friends? Possessiveness?
He and Liang Xiao had only known each other for about a month.
Could he really have possessiveness toward Liang Xiao?
![When the Sand Sculpture Protagonist Enters the World of Crematorium [Quick Transmigration]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/photo_2023-12-20_21-58-42.jpg "When the Sand Sculpture Protagonist Enters the World of Crematorium [Quick Transmigration]")
