Before coming out of the bathroom, Lu Ze splashed cold water on his face and checked himself in the mirror. Although he didn’t look great, he was still handsome.
Walking unsteadily into the living room, he intended to change his slippers, but Liang Xiao came out of the kitchen holding a cup of hot water. “No need to change them—you’ve already stepped in. Just sit down.”
Lu Ze didn’t argue and plopped down on the sofa, taking the hot water Liang Xiao handed him. Weakly, he asked, “Does drinking hot water actually help?”
“Try it first,” Liang Xiao said, sitting beside him. “If it doesn’t work, I’ll go buy you some medicine.”
Lu Ze took small sips of the hot water and glanced at their knees touching. He muttered, “You let me kiss you earlier… does that mean you’ve agreed?”
“Agreed to what?” Liang Xiao’s tone was calm and indifferent.
Lu Ze’s eyes widened in disbelief as he looked up at him. “Damn it—agreed to be with me!”
Liang Xiao pressed his lips together without responding. Frustrated, Lu Ze slammed the cup onto the coffee table. “Liang Xiao, what do you mean by this?”
Seeing that Lu Ze was genuinely angry, Liang Xiao finally showed some emotion. Smiling slightly, he picked up the cup and placed it back in Lu Ze’s hand. “I’m just messing with you. You’re using my cup anyway.”
Lu Ze froze for a moment and glanced at the cup in his hand. “Don’t all your cups look the same?”
“They do,” Liang Xiao admitted, “but I have one I use regularly—it’s easy to tell apart. I grabbed it by mistake because I was in a hurry.”
Lu Ze clicked his tongue in annoyance. “I haven’t even said whether I mind or not.”
Liang Xiao looked at him with a faint smile in his eyes. “Since we’ve already kissed, I assume you don’t mind.”
Lu Ze didn’t reply immediately but stared at him for a moment before suddenly putting the cup back down and leaning over Liang Xiao.
Liang Xiao’s lower back pressed against the sofa armrest as Lu Ze braced one hand on it and wrapped his other arm around Liang Xiao’s waist. Lowering his gaze, Lu Ze softly asked, “Can I kiss you again? I didn’t do well enough earlier.”
Liang Xiao stayed silent, their breaths mingling. After a moment, Lu Ze leaned in and kissed him again.
It felt no different from kissing a girl—warm and soft.
But Lu Ze was acutely aware that he was kissing a man. Liang Xiao’s build wasn’t as slender as a girl’s; his waist wasn’t as soft, and even his nose bridge felt firmer than a girl’s.
Closing his eyes, Lu Ze gently parted Liang Xiao’s lips with his tongue. As Liang Xiao tilted his head back slightly, Lu Ze raised a hand to hold the back of his neck.
Liang Xiao remained completely passive but didn’t resist, letting Lu Ze explore his mouth gently.
After a while, Lu Ze reluctantly pulled back but couldn’t help brushing against Liang Xiao’s damp lips one last time before ending the kiss completely.
Both of them were breathing heavily. Still leaning over Liang Xiao, Lu Ze asked softly, “Xiao-ge… was that your first kiss?”
“Yeah,” Liang Xiao replied quietly. “I told you—I’ve never liked anyone before.”
“Then this counts as my first kiss after becoming gay,” Lu Ze said with a smile. “You’re the first guy I’ve kissed.”
Looking into his eyes, Liang Xiao asked, “Did it feel uncomfortable?”
At first, Lu Ze thought he was asking about his stomachache but quickly realized Liang Xiao meant the kiss.
Liang Xiao was worried that Lu Ze might feel uncomfortable kissing a man, which was why he hesitated slightly when Lu Ze used his tongue. However, after that, he fully cooperated.
Lu Ze felt a pang in his heart and gently patted Liang Xiao’s head. “Not at all. I already told you—I like you. How could kissing someone I like ever feel uncomfortable?”
Liang Xiao wrapped his arms around Lu Ze’s waist. “As long as it doesn’t.”
“I’m pretty good at kissing, right?” Lu Ze asked confidently, raising an eyebrow.
Liang Xiao chuckled softly. “I don’t have anyone to compare you to.”
Lu Ze stared directly at Liang Xiao’s smiling face. For someone as cool as Liang Xiao, his smile was truly disarming.
Unable to resist, Lu Ze leaned in and kissed the corner of Liang Xiao’s mouth. “Xiao-ge…”
“Hmm?”
“I can’t believe you’ve never been in a relationship,” Lu Ze said. “Not that I don’t believe you—just that it’s hard to believe.”
“Is it that strange?” Liang Xiao asked.
Lu Ze shook his head. “It’s way too strange. You’re so cool, and when you smile, you’re ridiculously handsome. How many girls must have liked you?”
Liang Xiao kept smiling, his voice low and gentle as he replied, “Not many people like me. Maybe I scared them all away.”
For some reason, this line hit Lu Ze’s funny bone, and he laughed uncontrollably while clutching his stomach. Liang Xiao patted his back and asked, “Stop laughing—does your stomach still hurt?”
Lu Ze nodded while laughing. “Ow… yeah, it hurts.”
“I’ll go buy some medicine,” Liang Xiao said. “There’s a pharmacy across the street—I’ll be back in five minutes.”
Lu Ze grabbed Liang Xiao’s hand to stop him from leaving. “You’re my boyfriend now, right?”
“Yes.”
“You’re not rented anymore? No more 150 yuan per hour?”
Liang Xiao smiled helplessly. “Nope, free of charge now.”
“Alright then.” Lu Ze snapped his fingers with a grin.
While Liang Xiao went out to buy medicine, Lu Ze sent a message in the dorm group chat: [I’m at Xiao-ge’s place.]
Sun Zhuoyu: [I was just about to look for you—made up already?]
Lu Ze: [Yeah.]
Mao Xin: [Not coming back tonight again?]
Lu Ze clicked his tongue. Was it too soon to stay over on the first day of being together?
Lu Ze: [Not sure yet.]
After chatting idly in the group for a bit, Liang Xiao returned. Lu Ze checked the time and said, “That was fast.”
“Yeah,” Liang Xiao replied as he took out the medicine. “Take one tablet first and see if it helps. If not, take another half.”
He poured some more water into a cup and handed a tablet to Lu Ze in his palm. Instead of taking it with his hand, Lu Ze lowered his head and took it directly from Liang Xiao’s hand before drinking most of the water in one gulp.
Liang Xiao took the empty cup from him as Lu Ze leaned back into the sofa with both hands on his stomach. Turning lazily to look at Liang Xiao, he complained, “I barely ate anything at lunch, and now my stomach’s completely empty—I’m starving.”
His tone sounded like he was being a bit coquettish. Liang Xiao glanced down at Lu Ze and suggested, “Let’s eat something light. How about the porridge you ordered for me last time?”
Lu Ze nodded. Liang Xiao sat down and started ordering food on his phone, while Lu Ze squinted and stared at his side profile.
After a while, Lu Ze rested his knee on Liang Xiao’s leg and asked softly, “Xiao-ge, about those questions you mentioned earlier…”
“No need to think about them anymore,” Liang Xiao said without looking up. “There’s no issue now.”
Lu Ze blinked in confusion. “Huh?”
Putting down his phone, Liang Xiao looked at him and said, “I’m not doing that job anymore.”
Lu Ze sat up in shock. “Then how are you going to pay off your debts?”
Liang Xiao smiled faintly. “I’ll find another job. I can still pay them off—it’ll just take longer. It’s fine.”
Lu Ze was stunned into silence. It was true that switching jobs wouldn’t stop him from paying off the debt, but as a recent graduate from a second-tier university, Liang Xiao likely wouldn’t earn as much as he did before. Moreover, jobs weren’t easy to find these days, and even if he found one, there would be a probation period with low pay and long hours. To repay his debts, Liang Xiao would have to live frugally.
“How about some soup dumplings?” Liang Xiao asked. “They’re less greasy.”
“Uh…” Lu Ze snapped out of his thoughts. “Sure.”
Just as Liang Xiao was about to pay, Lu Ze suddenly pressed down on his hand. “How about I pay instead?”
Liang Xiao looked up at him. After a brief pause, Lu Ze said, “…I have coupons that are about to expire—it’d be a waste not to use them.”
“No need,” Liang Xiao replied, pulling Lu Ze’s hand down onto his lap and holding it firmly. “I have coupons too.”
