INT Chapter 47

While eating, Liang Xiao casually mentioned to Lu Ze that the owner of the bar “Fool” was the person who had lent him money. Lu Ze was a bit curious about it but could tell that Liang Xiao didn’t want him visiting the bar. Respecting his wishes, Lu Ze didn’t insist on tagging along and instead took the subway back to school.

 

After finishing his homework, Lu Ze glanced at the time—it was only a little past ten, likely the liveliest hour at the bar. He opened WeChat and scrolled through his messages. There were quite a few, but none from Liang Xiao.

 

Since adding Liang Xiao’s personal WeChat account yesterday, they had been chatting exclusively there. Lu Ze even shared Liang Xiao’s new account in a six-person group chat they had created during a previous outing, encouraging everyone to re-add him. Now, it felt official—this was his boyfriend’s real WeChat account.

 

Lu Ze pinned Liang Xiao’s chat to the top of his list. He didn’t add any notes to the contact name; it remained as Liang Xiao’s simple username, “x,” which Lu Ze thought looked cool. Then he found their old chat history on Liang Xiao’s secondary account. The contact name there still had the note “Cold and Heartless,” which Lu Ze had added after being rejected by Liang Xiao during his confession. Although it was kind of cute, he figured it was time to change it.

 

He pondered for a while. “Boyfriend” seemed too plain, and “Xiao-ge” didn’t feel special compared to all the other “Brother X” nicknames in his contacts. “Xiao Liang”… definitely not. After much deliberation, he finally settled on “Xiao Xiao.” Unable to hold back a smile, he admired the new nickname for a moment and even tapped on Liang Xiao’s profile picture playfully.

 

‘Please take care of our old chat history,’ Lu Ze thought to himself. ‘Even though some of those words were annoying, they’re still precious.’

 

Just as he was enjoying this moment, a voice call suddenly popped up on his screen. Startled, he accidentally accepted it with a shaky hand.

 

On the other end came Lu Jinglang’s voice: “What’s this? Were you planning not to tell me anything?”

 

Glancing at Mao Xin, who was studying nearby, Lu Ze got up and walked out onto the balcony. After closing the door behind him, he said, “I just haven’t had time yet.”

 

Lu Jinglang snorted coldly. “Talk.”

 

Lu Ze didn’t bother beating around the bush and got straight to the point: “It’s what I told you about before—I sorted it out and started dating someone.”

 

“I figured as much,” Lu Jinglang replied.

 

Lu Ze chuckled. “You’re taking this so calmly?”

 

“Pfft, should I throw you a party or something?” Suddenly, there was a loud clapping sound from Jinglang’s side of the call. “Good! Well done! My boy really knows how to get things done!”

 

“Damn…” Lu Ze frowned and held his phone away from his ear until the noise subsided. After a moment, he brought it back and said, “No need for celebrations. Just don’t get in my way.”

 

“You’re really riding high now that I gave you an inch,” Jinglang teased. “So tell me—are you serious about this relationship or just fooling around?”

 

“That’s an unfair question,” Lu Ze replied indignantly. “Do I look like someone who dates just for fun?”

 

Jinglang showed no mercy: “Your past girlfriends didn’t exactly scream ‘serious relationships.’”

 

Lu Ze clicked his tongue in annoyance. “That’s because I was young and clueless back then—I didn’t even know what liking someone meant.”

 

“Oh? So after all these attempts, you’ve finally figured it out?” Jinglang mocked.

 

Lu Ze answered earnestly: “Yeah, I have.”

 

There was a brief silence on Jinglang’s end before he asked abruptly: “Is your boyfriend that Jiang…”

 

“Not him,” Lu Ze quickly interrupted. “You don’t know him; he’s not my classmate.”

 

“Whoever it is, just… don’t tell your mom yet,” Lu Jinglang said.

 

Lu Ze paused. “Why? She’s open-minded.”

 

“You two just got together, right?” Jinglang asked.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“How long will it last? A few days? You don’t even know yet.”

 

“It won’t end in a few days,” Lu Ze frowned. “I told you, I’m serious.”

 

“I’m just saying, no need to get worked up,” Jinglang chuckled. “Still, you know dating a boyfriend is different from a girlfriend. Your mom won’t oppose it, but she’ll definitely worry about you.”

 

Lu Ze hesitated. “Alright… I won’t tell her for now.”

 

“Whatever happens in your relationship, even if it’s dramatic, it’s your business. Just don’t make my wife worry about you. If you break up, then don’t let her know at all.”

 

Lu Ze laughed helplessly. Truly father and son, but he understood Lu Jinglang’s concern. Xu Jingjing was a kind-hearted person who would feel sad for days over something as small as a lost puppy. She avoided keeping pets herself for fear of heartbreak if something happened to them.

 

When Lu Ze was younger, he had once said something that upset Xu Jingjing deeply. She had hidden away to cry alone, not daring to let Jinglang know. Seeing this had left Lu Ze feeling extremely guilty, and from then on, he vowed never to make her cry because of him again. Both father and son were equally terrified of Xu Jingjing’s tears.

 

“I get it. Don’t worry—no one would dare make your wife worry.”

 

After hanging up, Lu Ze stood on the balcony for a while. He had initially planned to ask Lu Jinglang for some money but hesitated, afraid that Lu Jinglang might suspect it was for Liang Xiao.

 

The relationship was only a few days old; he didn’t want his boyfriend to be misunderstood as someone who would ask him to borrow money from his family.

 

Lu Ze walked back inside. “Mao Mao, didn’t you say you took on some translation work before? Are you still doing it?”

 

“No, I just did it for practice. But the guy I got it from still posts plenty of jobs in his Moments. If you’re interested, I can send you his WeChat.”

 

“Sure, send it over; I’ll take a look.”

 

“Are you short on cash? Or just practicing? With your skills, you don’t need practice—and you’re not exactly broke either.”

 

“I’m just bored,” Lu Ze replied with a smile.

 

He checked the balance in his WeChat wallet and then looked at his bank account. It contained his untouched New Year’s money. He also withdrew the earnings from his video projects—all his own money—and found that the total wasn’t insignificant.

 

Even though he knew Liang Xiao wouldn’t borrow money from him to repay debts, Lu Ze still accepted two translation jobs after browsing through the contact’s Moments.

 

His boyfriend hadn’t even graduated yet but was already financially independent and capable of helping his family pay off debts. Lu Ze didn’t want to rely on family money while dating either.

 

—

 

Around midnight, Liang Xiao sent him a message during a bathroom break: [Still awake?]

 

Lu Ze replied instantly: [Yeah, doing homework.]

 

Liang Xiao chuckled. Spending an entire evening at a bar and then receiving a message from his boyfriend saying he was doing homework felt unexpectedly adorable. He replied: [It’s late, go to bed early and finish it tomorrow.]

 

Lu Ze: [Are you done with work?]

 

Liang Xiao thought for a moment and decided to be honest: [Not yet, probably another two hours.]

 

Lu Ze: [That late?]

 

Lu Ze: [Perfect, I’ll work on my assignments and keep you company.]

 

Liang Xiao frowned slightly: [It’s Saturday tomorrow. Finish it then—go to sleep now.]

 

Lu Ze: [You’re already bossing me around, huh?]

 

Liang Xiao: [Yes.]

 

Lu Ze: [Alright, but message me when you get home tonight. Even if I’m asleep, send it.]

 

Liang Xiao: [Okay.]

 

Lu Ze: [Go back to work—and don’t forget to tell those pretty ladies you have a boyfriend.]

 

Liang Xiao sent a voice message: [Don’t worry. Goodnight.]

 

Lu Ze replied: [Goodnight.]

 

After leaving the restroom, Liang Xiao splashed cold water on his face to wake up. Lu Ze still thought he was working as a bartender, but in reality, Liang Xiao was in marketing now. Previously, he had only helped out occasionally by mixing drinks. Now, as an official employee under Jiang Heng, he earned a salary and commissions from marketing work, which paid more but was also more exhausting—sometimes even requiring him to entertain clients.

 

Liang Xiao sighed. It wasn’t exactly a proper job, but if he took a regular office job, he’d earn less and take longer to pay off debts—not to mention having less time and energy for Lu Ze.

 

Right now, all he wanted was to have a good relationship with Lu Ze—the first person he truly liked.

 

Even though every practical consideration told him it wasn’t the right time for romance, Lu Ze had said that mutual affection made it the perfect time.

 

He didn’t want to waste this opportunity.

 

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