Since neither of them could think of an interesting date idea, they decided to stick with what 99% of couples do: shopping and watching a movie.
On the subway ride to the mall, Lu Ze scrolled through movie options while leaning against Liang Xiao’s shoulder, his phone tilted toward Liang Xiao.
“There aren’t many choices,” Lu Ze said, showing Liang Xiao his phone. “There’s a romance film, a sci-fi film, and an action film. The rest are either for kids or have bad seats left.”
“Which one do you want to watch?” Liang Xiao asked.
“I’m fine with any,” Lu Ze replied lazily. “I was thinking about the sci-fi one, but…”
He lowered his voice. “But isn’t it more appropriate to watch a romance movie on a date?”
Liang Xiao subtly moved his leg closer to Lu Ze’s until they were touching and smiled. “Did you always watch romance movies on dates with your ex-girlfriends?”
Lu Ze clicked his tongue and laughed. “I can’t remember—my memory auto-deletes after a breakup. I think we just watched whatever they wanted.”
“Then let’s watch the sci-fi one,” Liang Xiao suggested. “The romance movies I’ve watched with clients rarely had happy endings.”
“Alright,” Lu Ze said with a smile, selecting the tickets on his phone. “Middle row or back row?”
Liang Xiao glanced at Lu Ze’s hand. “Either is fine.”
“Then… back row.”
When they arrived at the mall, there wasn’t much time left before the movie started, so they went straight upstairs to collect their tickets and waited outside the theater.
Lu Ze was practically glued to his phone, even when he wasn’t using it. But he noticed that Liang Xiao didn’t have the habit of constantly checking his phone—it stayed in his pocket unless he needed it.
Feeling influenced, Lu Ze put his phone away and turned to ask, “Should we get popcorn and Coke?”
“I’m fine with anything. If you want it, we can get it,” Liang Xiao replied.
Lu Ze stared at him for a moment. He usually disliked vague answers like “anything” or “whatever” because he asked questions to get opinions, and such responses felt like no answer at all.
But now that he understood Liang Xiao’s background, he realized why Liang Xiao always answered this way—it wasn’t indifference; it was genuine flexibility. Even if it hadn’t been true when he was younger, years of trying not to trouble his adoptive mother had made it real.
Noticing Lu Ze’s gaze, Liang Xiao realized he’d given an answer Lu Ze didn’t like. Pressing his lips together briefly, he stood up. “I’ll go buy them.”
“Hey…” Lu Ze reached out and grabbed the hem of Liang Xiao’s T-shirt.
Liang Xiao was wearing one of his stretchy T-shirts today, and when Lu Ze tugged on it, it stretched downward before snapping back against Liang Xiao’s back with enough force to reveal a small section of his lower back.
Quickly reaching out again, Lu Ze helped pull Liang Xiao’s shirt back into place. Liang Xiao turned around with a laugh. “You scared me—what’s wrong?”
Looking up at him, Lu Ze said, “I’m still full from earlier. I don’t really want anything; I was just asking casually—don’t bother buying anything.”
Liang Xiao lowered his eyes and looked at Lu Ze for a moment before leaning down to whisper in his ear, “Your boyfriend isn’t that poor, really. I can afford popcorn.”
Lu Ze froze for a second, then instinctively wrapped his arm around Liang Xiao’s neck. “Xiao-ge, I’m really not trying to save money for you. If I were, I wouldn’t have asked you—I’d just go buy it myself. I was just casually asking; I didn’t really feel like eating it.”
Liang Xiao smiled. “Alright, got it.”
Lu Ze let go of his neck, and Liang Xiao straightened up, ruffling Lu Ze’s hair. “Then we won’t get popcorn. Let’s just get a Coke in case we’re thirsty.”
Lu Ze nodded. “Okay.”
As Liang Xiao went to queue up, Lu Ze watched his back for a while. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed someone sitting across from him. Turning to look, he saw a boy about his age staring directly at him.
Instinctively, Lu Ze glanced behind him to confirm there was no one else the boy could be looking at. Just as he was about to speak, the boy asked, “Hey handsome, is that guy your boyfriend?”
He even pointed to Liang Xiao, who was standing in line.
Lu Ze frowned slightly. What was this about?
Instead of answering directly, he responded coldly, “Do you need something?”
The boy smiled politely and said, “I mean no harm… I just really like how you look. If you have a boyfriend, then sorry for bothering you.”
Lu Ze was stunned, unable to hide the shock on his face. The boy seemed equally surprised by his reaction and hesitantly asked, “So… he’s not your boyfriend?”
After a pause, Lu Ze replied, “…He is.”
“Then I won’t bother you anymore. My apologies,” the boy said as he stood up to leave.
“Wait…” Lu Ze called out. “How did you figure out I’m gay?”
“Just a hunch,” the boy said with a smile. “It’s pretty obvious.”
Even after they entered the theater and sat down, Lu Ze was still distracted by what had happened—it felt surreal.
The lights hadn’t dimmed yet when Liang Xiao turned to him and asked, “What’s wrong? Do you know that guy from earlier?”
“You saw him?” Lu Ze asked.
Liang Xiao nodded.
Lu Ze chuckled. “Nope, don’t know him. He just came up and asked if you were my boyfriend.”
Liang Xiao frowned slightly, and Lu Ze reached up to press between his eyebrows. “He said I look gay—apparently it’s obvious. I’m just shocked… I haven’t been out for long; is it already that obvious?”
Thinking the guy was just causing trouble, Liang Xiao said directly, “Ignore people like that next time.”
Lu Ze hummed in agreement and didn’t explain further.
When the movie started, Liang Xiao tried watching but couldn’t focus after just three or five minutes. He remembered the last time he’d been in a theater with Lu Ze and worried that Lu Ze might recall it too and feel uncomfortable. Not daring to make any moves himself, he sat upright the entire time.
Lu Ze took a sip of the Coke placed between them and whispered softly to Liang Xiao, “Want some?”
“No,” Liang Xiao replied softly.
Lu Ze moved the drink to the other side, then reached over the armrest and touched Liang Xiao’s leg.
“Your hand…” Lu Ze asked.
Liang Xiao quickly placed his hand up, and Lu Ze grabbed it, pulling it onto the armrest.
Liang Xiao turned his head to look at Lu Ze, who happened to glance back at him and smile in the darkness.
Liang Xiao tightened his grip on Lu Ze’s hand slightly. Thinking it was intentional, Lu Ze squeezed back twice.
Trying to suppress the smile tugging at his lips, Liang Xiao turned back to face the screen. But he failed.
He gently brushed his thumb across the back of Lu Ze’s hand, his smile growing wider in the dark.
—
By the time they left the theater, it was already noon. Liang Xiao asked, “Hungry?”
They had eaten breakfast late, so Lu Ze patted his stomach and said, “Not really.”
“Me neither,” Liang Xiao replied.
Lu Ze tilted his chin toward a nearby arcade. “Let’s exchange some tokens and play the claw machine.”
Liang Xiao glanced at him, and Lu Ze chuckled. Pushing him forward, he drawled, “No hidden agenda—I just feel like playing.”
After exchanging tokens, Lu Ze pulled out his phone to start recording. “Playing claw machines with Xiao-ge. So, which one do you want to grab?”
“Which one do you want?” Liang Xiao asked.
“Oh, confident! Looks like our Xiao-ge is a pro.”
Liang Xiao turned back and smiled—not at the camera but at Lu Ze. The sight made Lu Ze’s hands tremble slightly; he felt utterly defenseless against Liang Xiao’s smile.
“That one… the white one,” Lu Ze said casually, pointing.
Liang Xiao walked over to inspect the machine. It was a white plush dog with a big head. Meanwhile, Lu Ze shifted positions to film from an angle beside the machine.
Glancing at him briefly, Liang Xiao inserted a token and began playing with a focused expression.
“Let’s see how many tries it takes for Xiao-ge to win,” Lu Ze teased.
Before he even finished speaking, the claw had already descended precisely onto the dog’s head.
“Wow!”
As the claw lifted the plush toy, it wobbled precariously. Just as it reached directly above the prize chute, it slipped out and got stuck by its neck on the edge of the glass panel.
“Damn…”
Lu Ze looked at Liang Xiao, who remained calm and said, “A couple more tries should do it.”
Just as Liang Xiao was about to insert another token, Lu Ze stopped him by holding his hand. “Wait…”
Liang Xiao looked at him curiously as Lu Ze bent down in front of the glass panel and blew air at the dog’s backside.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
The plush dog finally fell out through the exit due to its heavy head.
Lu Ze raised an eyebrow and whistled.
Liang Xiao clapped cooperatively. “What an amazing magic trick.”
“Damn,” Lu Ze laughed uncontrollably. “Why does that sound so fake coming from you…”
Liang Xiao smiled, took out the plush dog, patted off the dust, and handed it to Lu Ze with a serious face. “Ze-ge used magic to make it fall.”
Lu Ze laughed so hard he squatted down on the floor.
Liang Xiao took Lu Ze’s phone and snapped a picture of the top of his head. “I never understand Ze-ge’s sense of humor—one sentence can make him laugh like this.”
Lu Ze lowered his head, his shoulders shaking. “It’s because you say nonsense with such a straight face…”
Liang Xiao chuckled and extended a hand. Lu Ze grabbed it to stand up but didn’t let go immediately. Instead, he traced his fingertips along Liang Xiao’s palm.
“Let me try one,” Lu Ze said.
He wandered around and found a silly-looking plush pig. “This one.”
He grabbed some tokens from Liang Xiao and said, “When I play claw machines, it’s all about luck. If I’m lucky, I can get it in two or three tries; if not…”
Before he could finish his sentence, the pig had already fallen into the exit. Lu Ze stared in disbelief at Liang Xiao, then at the machine. “That was way too easy! No way.”
He took out the pig and held it up to the camera. “Seriously, what’s going on? Is the machine broken?”
“You’re lucky,” Liang Xiao said.
Lu Ze laughed. “Me? Lucky? I’m the type who always misses key cards when playing landlord games—how could I be lucky? I must’ve used up all my luck at birth and now I’m borrowing yours.”
“I’m not that lucky either,” Liang Xiao replied.
“Then it must be a case of two negatives making a positive.” Lu Ze snapped his fingers.
Liang Xiao nodded. “Makes sense.”
After using up all their tokens, they went to eat lunch. Lu Ze carried the plush dog while Liang Xiao held the plush pig.
They wandered around the restaurant floor for a while. By noon, almost every place had a waiting line.
As they passed a bullfrog restaurant, Lu Ze glanced inside. It was one of Xu Jingjing’s favorite spots, so they often came here…
When he spotted someone with a profile strikingly similar to Xu Jingjing’s, he froze for a moment before realizing—it was indeed her.
Without thinking, he quickly pushed Liang Xiao forward and whispered urgently, “Hurry up! I just saw my mom…”
Liang Xiao was shocked. Running into a parent on their first date? What kind of luck was this? So much for two negatives making a positive.
As they walked away quickly, Liang Xiao glanced back and said, “I think Auntie saw us…”
Lu Ze paused for a moment before continuing to push him forward. “Doesn’t matter; just pretend—”
“Xiao Ze!”
Xu Jingjing jogged a few steps to catch up, leaving Lu Ze no choice but to turn around helplessly. “Mom…”
Xu Jingjing smiled warmly at Liang Xiao. “We meet again, handsome young man.”
Liang Xiao was nervous inside but maintained a calm demeanor. “Hello, Auntie.”
Xu Jingjing nodded. “Are you two out having fun? About to grab lunch?”
Lu Ze quickly responded, “Yeah, we’re starving and just about to find a restaurant…”
“Perfect timing,” Xu Jingjing said, pointing back at the bullfrog restaurant. “Your dad and I just got our table and ordered food. Why don’t you two join us?”
Lu Ze exchanged a glance with Liang Xiao. Although he couldn’t see any nervousness in Liang Xiao’s expression, he still said, “Maybe not…”
Xu Jingjing blinked. “You don’t want to eat with us? All the restaurants are packed at this hour. How about this—we’ll give you our table instead…”
“No, no, no,” Lu Ze interrupted, glancing at Liang Xiao again. “We…”
“Let’s eat together,” Liang Xiao whispered softly in his ear.
Lu Ze hesitated before saying, “…You and Dad enjoy your meal. Don’t worry about us—Xiao-ge… he can’t eat bullfrog.”
Xu Jingjing froze for a moment, as did Liang Xiao. Lu Ze nodded confidently, feeling quite satisfied with the excuse he had just made up. “Yeah, he’s scared of it—can’t eat it at all and doesn’t even dare to look at it.”
Xu Jingjing seemed surprised but soon smiled again. “I see. Alright then, you two go find another restaurant quickly so you don’t go hungry.”
“Got it,” Lu Ze nodded. “We’ll eat and leave right after—no need to wait for us.”
“Alright, alright, I won’t interrupt your fun,” Xu Jingjing waved her hand and looked at Liang Xiao. “When you’re free during the holidays, come visit us at home.”
Liang Xiao gave a polite smile. “Sure thing. Goodbye, Auntie.”
“Goodbye!”
Lu Ze waved her off. “You should head back now.”
Only after Xu Jingjing returned to the bullfrog restaurant did Lu Ze breathe a sigh of relief. Turning to Liang Xiao, he said, “You were so calm, Xiao-ge.”
Liang Xiao lowered his head and opened his hand to show Lu Ze his palm—it was drenched in sweat.
“Oh wow,” Lu Ze laughed as he touched Liang Xiao’s hand. “I thought you weren’t nervous! When you suggested eating together earlier, I almost agreed.”
Liang Xiao pulled his hand back slightly, but Lu Ze grabbed it again. Liang Xiao laughed helplessly. “Now my sweat’s all over your hand.”
“I don’t mind.” Lu Ze patted his palm rhythmically and said with a grin, “Let’s get something to calm our nerves—how about some ice cream?”
“Ice cream sounds good,” Liang Xiao said proactively. “My heart’s still racing.”
Surprised by his honesty, Lu Ze reached out and touched his chest lightly. “Really?”
Liang Xiao hummed in agreement, feeling his already warm chest grow even hotter under Lu Ze’s touch.
“It really is fast,” Lu Ze said with a laugh. “Alright then—let’s go get some ice cream! No need to be scared.”
