INT Chapter 39

The two of them stayed like that—one standing, the other sitting—staring at each other without saying a word.

 

After a while, Liang Xiao lowered his head and tightened the cap on his water bottle. “It doesn’t seem like you had anything specific in mind when you asked me to hang out today.”

 

Lu Ze squinted his eyes and smiled. “Yeah, I was just bored and wanted you to keep me company for a day.”

 

Liang Xiao squeezed the water bottle lightly. “Do you have any plans later? If not…”

 

“I do,” Lu Ze interrupted him immediately. “Have dinner with me.”

 

Liang Xiao was silent for a moment before looking up and saying, “Alright.”

 

Both of them were drenched in sweat after playing basketball, so Lu Ze took Liang Xiao back to his dorm to shower. “You go first. I’ll find you some clean clothes.”

 

Lu Ze opened his wardrobe while Liang Xiao stood still in place. Lu Ze asked, “Do you need a change of pants? I also have new underwear if you want.”

 

Liang Xiao stared at Lu Ze’s back. He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but Lu Ze suddenly seemed… unusually comfortable with all this.

 

When Liang Xiao didn’t respond, Lu Ze poked his head out to look at him and snapped his fingers. “What are you standing there for?”

 

“No need, just a change of shirt is fine.”

 

“Alright, I’ll grab you something. You can head in first.”

 

Liang Xiao went into the bathroom while Lu Ze deliberately picked out a cool black t-shirt for him and placed it along with a bag for clothes on his bed.

 

After that, he had nothing else to do but sit in his chair and listen to the sound of running water from the bathroom.

 

The sound made his heartbeat, which had just calmed down, start racing again.

 

Lu Ze raised his hand and pressed it against his chest. Why is it beating so fast? Even when I confessed to Han Jing, my heart didn’t race like this.

 

Trying to settle himself down, Lu Ze picked up his phone and scrolled through WeChat before sending a message to Lu Jinglang:

[Do you have any heart problems?]

 

Lu Jinglang replied coldly:

[Are you sick?]

 

Lu Ze:

[Is it hereditary?]

 

Lu Jinglang:

[You’re seriously sick.]

 

Lu Ze:

[I’ve figured it out.]

 

Lu Jinglang:

[?]

 

Lu Ze:

[Forget it. I’ll tell you after I figure things out—it’ll be a surprise for you and Boss Xu.]

 

Lu Jinglang:

[What kind of nonsense are you planning now? Are you sure it’s a surprise?]

 

Lu Ze chuckled:

[Probably.]

 

Lu Ze wasn’t too worried about Lu Jinglang or Xu Jingjing opposing him. After all, they had always been very open-minded. Since he was young, their approach to parenting had been to let him make his own decisions—whether good or bad, he’d have to deal with the consequences himself.

 

Besides, Xu Jingjing had gone against her entire family’s objections back then to marry someone who looked nothing like a “good guy,” Lu Jinglang. And yet their marriage turned out blissful, their careers successful, and they even had such a handsome son together. So they probably wouldn’t interfere with his choice of romantic partner.

 

The real issue now was Liang Xiao.

 

Lu Ze had no idea what Liang Xiao was thinking—whether he had any feelings for him at all, and if he did, how much. And if Liang Xiao didn’t feel anything, how was he supposed to pursue him?

 

Tsk. This was the first time in his life he was chasing after a guy—and not just any guy, but a cool one at that. He couldn’t exactly woo him the way he’d pursued girls, with flowers and gifts. Liang Xiao definitely wouldn’t go for that.

 

What was he supposed to do? Rent Liang Xiao as his boyfriend every day? Monthly subscription? Annual plan?

 

If it came to that, he’d be broke in no time. Even if he pooled all his New Year’s money together, it wouldn’t be enough—he’d have to apply for financial aid.

 

Liang Xiao’s shower was incredibly quick. Lu Ze’s heart was still racing when Liang Xiao walked out, steam rising off him, wearing nothing but a pair of underwear.

 

Lu Ze’s gaze immediately glued itself to him. Liang Xiao’s proportions were practically perfect—so much so that even Lu Ze, as a guy, couldn’t help but admire him. Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, long legs, and just the right amount of muscle—his body was sleek and beautifully defined. Tiny droplets of water clung to his abs, threatening to slide off but holding on just enough to tease the eye.

 

—

 

Lu Ze was staring so intently that when Liang Xiao turned to look at him, he froze for a second before snapping back to reality.

 

“Clothes…” Liang Xiao said.

 

“Oh,” Lu Ze quickly responded, nodding toward his bed. “They’re on my bed.”

 

Liang Xiao grabbed the clothes and slipped them on in just a few quick motions. Lu Ze’s gaze dropped lower, landing on those long, straight legs of his. “Why aren’t you wearing pants?”

 

“I accidentally… got them wet earlier,” Liang Xiao explained. “Do you have a hairdryer? I can dry them.”

 

In truth, he had been so distracted earlier that he hadn’t even taken off his pants before turning on the faucet, drenching them completely.

 

“Forget about drying them—I’ll just grab you another pair.” Lu Ze opened his wardrobe again. “Our legs are probably about the same length… How about these?”

 

Liang Xiao reached out to take the pants. “Thanks.”

 

“Tsk, don’t mention it.”

 

Liang Xiao put on the pants right in front of Lu Ze. Feeling too embarrassed to keep staring at him, Lu Ze busied himself by picking up the bag on the bed. “You can put your wet clothes in here.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“Do you need to dry your hair?”

 

“It’s almost dry already,” Liang Xiao replied.

 

Lu Ze chuckled lightly. “Alright then—I’ll go shower now.”

 

“Mm.”

 

—

 

Normally, Lu Ze would take off all his clothes except for his underwear before heading into the bathroom to shower. But with Liang Xiao here, he felt self-conscious and waited until he was inside to undress. He also made sure to bring his change of clothes with him—otherwise, it would feel like he was deliberately teasing Liang Xiao.

 

Liang Xiao watched as Lu Ze closed the door behind him. He stood in the middle of the room for a moment before sitting down on a chair beneath an empty bunk bed.

 

This time, he had some time to carefully observe Lu Ze’s desk. It wasn’t cluttered like Sun Zhuoyu’s or meticulously tidy like Mao Xin’s—it was clean but had a lived-in feel that made it distinctly a guy’s desk.

 

Then he looked up at Lu Ze’s bed. The bedsheet and duvet cover were deep blue with a starry sky pattern. The quilt wasn’t folded; instead, it was spread out flat across the bed—but not very neatly.

 

Liang Xiao smiled faintly, almost able to imagine Lu Ze waking up with a sleepy face, too lazy to fold his quilt, and simply spreading it out casually.

 

But within a few seconds, the smile faded from his face. He lowered his head, opened his phone, and checked his WeChat balance. Then he transferred some money to Jiang Heng and sent another 2,000 yuan to Jiang Qing.

 

Jiang Qing quickly replied:

[Why are you sending me money again?]

 

Liang Xiao:

[I’m worried you might not have enough.]

 

Jiang Qing:

[I have enough! Even if I run out of savings, the shop still makes money. I don’t need anything. Stop sending me money—you barely have enough for yourself.]

 

Liang Xiao:

[I have enough too. Just take it.]

 

Jiang Qing:

[No way. Who’s the adult here, huh?]

 

Liang Xiao sighed helplessly:

[Fine, then use it to buy something nice for Grandma Zhang.]

 

Jiang Qing:

[I have money for that too.]

 

After going back and forth for a while, Jiang Qing still refused to accept the money.

 

By the time Lu Ze came out of the bathroom, already dressed, Liang Xiao looked up at him. Lu Ze noticed that Liang Xiao seemed a little tired.

 

“Are you tired?” Lu Ze asked directly.

 

Liang Xiao froze for a moment before adjusting his expression. “No, maybe just a bit sleepy.”

 

Lu Ze immediately said, “Then go lie down on my bed and take a nap.”

 

Liang Xiao silently looked at him. Lu Ze towel-dried his hair and joked, “…But napping doesn’t count as part of your paid services, okay? Otherwise, I’d be at too much of a loss.”

 

Liang Xiao didn’t respond but kept looking at him with a heavy gaze that made Lu Ze feel like he could barely breathe.

 

After a long pause, Liang Xiao finally spoke in a low voice: “Lu Ze…”

 

Before he could say more, Lu Ze instantly raised his hand in front of him as if signaling him to stop. Taking a deep breath, Lu Ze gathered his courage and quickly blurted out:

 

“I’ll say it! Liang Xiao—your only male client doesn’t want to be your client anymore. He really wants to know what you think.”

 

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