After Lu Ze started his vacation, he became quite busy—spending time with his parents, attending various class reunions, and keeping up with invitations from different friend groups.
Liang Xiao, on the other hand, rarely initiated contact with Lu Ze. However, Lu Ze would send him a photo of whatever he was doing, almost like he was reporting his schedule.
Liang Xiao had only come to this city for university. After starting college, he was always busy working part-time jobs to earn money and wasn’t very close to his classmates. His real friends were back in his hometown. With no one looking for him here, his days were exceptionally quiet.
His phone buzzed—it was a transfer of 20,000 yuan from Jiang Qing.
Sighing in exasperation, Liang Xiao pinched the bridge of his nose and called her. “Why did you send me money again?”
“Just take it,” Jiang Qing replied impatiently. “It’s money I’ve saved recently. What’s the point of letting it sit in my account when it’s not going to grow interest?”
“Mom,” Liang Xiao said softly, “I really don’t need you to send me money. You don’t have to skimp and save…”
Before he could finish, Jiang Qing snapped, “Liang Xiao! Do you still remember I’m your mom? Are you saying I don’t even have the right to repay my own debts now? Why are you acting so distant with me? If you don’t want me to scrimp and save, do you think I’d feel any better knowing *you’re* the one scrimping and saving?”
Her voice carried a faint tremble, as if she were on the verge of tears. Liang Xiao froze, feeling a deep ache in his chest. He opened his mouth but couldn’t find the words to respond.
Jiang Qing’s vulnerability lasted only a moment before she returned to her usual tone. “If you don’t take this money and dare call me ‘Mom’ again, I’ll break your legs.”
Staring at the ground, Liang Xiao finally whispered after a long pause, “I’ll take it. Don’t worry about me—I’m doing fine now. I only have a few thousand left to pay off. Jiang Heng agreed to deduct it from my monthly salary. Plus, I’m not skimping on anything… I’m even dating someone.”
Jiang Qing didn’t respond immediately. After a moment of silence, she asked incredulously, “You? Dating?”
“Mm,” Liang Xiao replied with a small laugh. “It’s going really well—don’t think of me as so pitiful.”
Jiang Qing raised her voice. “If you don’t want me thinking you’re pitiful, then tell me things! You never say anything—you’re sneaking around dating someone!”
Frowning slightly, Liang Xiao lowered his voice and said, “My bad—I’ll tell you everything from now on.”
“What kind of girl is she? How long have you been together?” Jiang Qing asked.
“Not long,” Liang Xiao replied. “Don’t ask too much for now—I’ll bring them to meet you when there’s an opportunity.”
Jiang Qing let out a dissatisfied hum. Liang Xiao tried to reason with her: “This money must’ve been saved by cutting back on your own expenses. I’ll keep 10,000 yuan and send the other 10,000 back to you. Spend it however you like—don’t worry about the debt anymore. I’ll come visit you soon.”
After hanging up the call, Liang Xiao sighed deeply. Neither he nor Jiang Qing were particularly sentimental people. There were things he could easily say to Lu Ze but couldn’t bring himself to say to her—even though they were right on the tip of his tongue.
His phone buzzed again—it was a photo from Lu Ze. Opening it curiously, Liang Xiao saw an overhead shot of a motorcycle with part of Lu Ze’s leg in the frame.
Liang Xiao: Going for a ride?]
Lu Ze: [Come downstairs—your gege is taking you for a spin.]
When Liang Xiao stepped out of the building, he saw Lu Ze leaning casually against the motorcycle, head down as he played on his phone. His entire demeanor radiated an effortless coolness that was impossible to ignore.
Hearing footsteps, Lu Ze immediately looked up and flashed a smile at Liang Xiao. Liang Xiao smiled back and, as he got closer, said softly, “Who’s calling who *gege*? I’m at least a few months older than you.”
Lu Ze placed a helmet on Liang Xiao’s head. “Get on.”
Liang Xiao swung his leg over the motorcycle and sat on the back seat.
Tilting his head slightly, Lu Ze teased, “You’re older than me… but calling you *gege* doesn’t feel quite right.”
“Hmm?” Liang Xiao didn’t catch his meaning.
Lu Ze smirked mischievously and, just as the motorcycle roared to life and sped off, he shouted, “Shouldn’t I be calling you *jiejie,* innocent girl?”
Liang Xiao wrapped his arms around Lu Ze’s waist and shouted back, “You’re not letting this go, are you?!”
Lu Ze laughed loudly. “Hold on tighter!”
Liang Xiao had been feeling a bit down earlier, but after riding with Lu Ze through the cool breeze, it was impossible to stay gloomy. It felt refreshing, exhilarating, and joyful.
“Baby—” Liang Xiao suddenly called out.
“What—” Lu Ze replied.
“I missed you—”
“I missed you too—” Lu Ze answered without hesitation, letting one hand leave the handlebars briefly to touch Liang Xiao’s hand.
He deliberately chose quieter roads and rode all the way to the riverside before stopping. Liang Xiao got off the bike and removed his helmet while Lu Ze asked him, “How was it? Fun?”
“It was great,” Liang Xiao said with a smile. “It’s been so long since I’ve ridden.”
“You know how to ride too?”
“Mm.”
“Then why don’t we go on a road trip together? What do you think? I’ll borrow another bike from my dad.”
Liang Xiao didn’t find Lu Ze’s spur-of-the-moment ideas surprising. Instead, he responded seriously, “We’d have to replan the route for that.”
After thinking for a moment, Lu Ze changed his mind. “Forget it—riding makes it hard to really enjoy the trip.”
As soon as he got off the bike, Liang Xiao pulled him into a tight hug. The atmosphere instantly turned sticky and intimate.
Looking into his eyes, Liang Xiao asked in a low voice, “What should you call me?”
Lu Ze smiled faintly, his eyes reflecting Liang Xiao’s face. “Jie…”
Before he could finish, Liang Xiao kissed him fiercely.
The weather was hot, but the cool breeze by the river made it a perfect night for kissing.
After lingering in each other’s embrace for a while, Liang Xiao asked again, “What should you call me?”
Finally deciding to stop teasing him, Lu Ze quickly repeated, “Gege gege gege—I’ll call you gege now, okay?”
Liang Xiao’s breath deepened as he kissed the corner of Lu Ze’s lips again and murmured softly, “Maybe it’s better if you don’t call me anything at all.”
They walked to the riverside to enjoy the breeze. Facing the wind with outstretched arms, Lu Ze laughed and said playfully, “Gege—want to take me home tonight?”
Liang Xiao glanced at him, and Lu Ze took the opportunity to wrap his arm around Liang Xiao’s shoulder, whispering softly, “I missed you so much.”
“Okay,” Liang Xiao replied.
Lu Ze sent a message to Xu Jingjing, saying he was staying over at a classmate’s house and wouldn’t be coming home that night.
On the way back, Liang Xiao rode the motorcycle while Lu Ze sat on the back. When they passed a fragrant roadside barbecue stall, they stopped for a quick meal.
After returning home, they took a shower together. Liang Xiao showed Lu Ze the planned travel itinerary. After reviewing it, Lu Ze nodded. “Looks good. This is enough—we’re not really going for sightseeing anyway.”
He glanced at Liang Xiao and added uncertainty, “Right?”
Liang Xiao smiled and replied with a soft “Mm.” “We’re going just to be together.”
Lu Ze snapped his fingers. “Exactly.”
—
On the day of their trip, they agreed to meet at the station an hour early. Lu Ze was ten minutes late and ran all the way after passing security.
Seeing him rushing over, Liang Xiao quickly stood up and waved. Lu Ze came to a screeching halt in front of him, leaning on his suitcase and panting heavily. “I’m exhausted…”
“What’s the rush?” Liang Xiao patted his back. “We still have plenty of time.”
“We agreed to meet an hour early, and I’m already late,” Lu Ze said, checking his watch. “My dad had something to do and offered to drop me off on the way, but the traffic was insane. I had to drag my suitcase and run to the subway station.”
Liang Xiao didn’t know what to say—waiting a bit longer at the station wasn’t a big deal.
Noticing Liang Xiao’s thoughts, Lu Ze smiled and pinched his fingertips gently. “Of course I’d run to see my boyfriend.”
On the high-speed train, their seats were by the window in a three-seat row. Liang Xiao sat by the window, Lu Ze in the middle, and next to them was a woman who looked about 25 or 26 years old. She was frowning as she sent messages on her phone, creating a stark contrast to the cheerful atmosphere between Liang Xiao and Lu Ze.
Lu Ze handed his phone to Liang Xiao and asked him to take a picture of the view outside the window. After looking at it, he praised him: “Your hands are so steady.”
He typed on his phone for Liang Xiao to read: **[The woman next to us is probably fighting with her boyfriend. I can’t even act too happy.]**
Liang Xiao glanced toward her briefly and replied: **[How do you know it’s with her boyfriend?]**
Lu Ze clicked his tongue: **[It’s her vibe.]**
Liang Xiao chuckled softly: **[Want to listen to some music?]**
“Yes,” Lu Ze said.
Liang Xiao pulled out earphones from his bag. When Lu Ze heard it was a Chinese song, he froze for a moment. “Is this… Sun Yanzi?”
“Mm,” Liang Xiao replied as he scrolled through his playlist. “If you want English songs—”
Lu Ze grabbed his wrist. “Don’t change it—it’s nice.”
They listened together for a while to Sun Yanzi’s *Encounter.* Suddenly, Lu Ze leaned closer and whispered into Liang Xiao’s ear, “Xiao-ge, why does Jiang Heng value you so much?”
“Hm?”
Lu Ze’s question came so suddenly that Liang Xiao took two seconds to respond, “Maybe it’s because I’m handsome.”
It was meant as a joke, but Lu Ze didn’t say anything in return. Almost immediately, Liang Xiao realized why Lu Ze had brought up this topic.
His boyfriend was just too perceptive.
Liang Xiao quickly paused the music and explained, “Jiang Heng really likes Sun Yanzi’s songs. When the bar doesn’t hire a band, they often play her music live. I’ve been hearing it a lot recently and started to like it.”
He carefully observed Lu Ze’s reaction before continuing, “As for why he values me… it’s not that serious. He’s a pretty eccentric guy and does things on a whim. I don’t know him that well, but if you’re worried he has feelings for me, that’s impossible. I’m not his type.”
Lu Ze slowly nodded, though it was hard to tell whether he believed him or not. Liang Xiao sighed. “Baby, I was really just joking earlier—I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Lu Ze placed his hand on Liang Xiao’s thigh and tapped his fingers rhythmically. “Jiang Heng is probably a 1, right?”
Liang Xiao blinked in surprise. “Yeah.”
“Then you two are competing for the same role, huh?” Lu Ze teased.
Liang Xiao didn’t respond immediately, suddenly struck by another thought.
Lu Ze chuckled softly. “What are you thinking about?”
Lowering his voice, Liang Xiao asked, “Aren’t we also competing for the same role?”
“Yep,” Lu Ze replied calmly.
Liang Xiao stared at him silently for a moment, as if struggling with something. Finally, he said hesitantly, “Actually…”
But before he could finish, Lu Ze cut him off. “But this little challenge is something we can overcome together, right?”
Liang Xiao paused and then broke into a smile—a warm, gentle smile that made the corners of his eyes curve beautifully. It was so stunning that Lu Ze felt his heart skip a beat.
Before Liang Xiao could stop smiling, Lu Ze quickly grabbed his phone and snapped a picture of him, immediately setting it as his wallpaper.
Just as Liang Xiao was about to say something, they both heard suppressed sobbing from beside them. They exchanged glances and turned to look—sure enough, the woman who had been arguing with her boyfriend was now crying into the small tray table.
Lu Ze mouthed: *What do we do?*
Liang Xiao mouthed back: *I don’t know.*
Lu Ze: *Let’s pretend we didn’t see anything.*
Since she was clearly upset, the two of them decided not to laugh anymore. They put their earphones back on and quietly continued listening to music.
After some time passed and Lu Ze was starting to drift off to sleep, he felt someone lightly tap his arm.
Turning his head, he saw the woman next to him with smudged makeup and red eyes. She asked softly, “Excuse me, handsome—do you have any tissues?”
Lu Ze immediately tapped Liang Xiao on the shoulder. Liang Xiao took off his earphones and looked over as Lu Ze repeated dramatically, “Excuse me, handsome—do you have any tissues?”
The woman let out a small laugh despite herself and whispered, “Even when I’m this miserable, you two are still showing off your love…”
“No, no,” Lu Ze said quickly as he handed her some tissues. “I didn’t realize we were being so obvious.”
The woman sighed and wiped her ruined makeup vigorously. “You two are still college students, right?”
Lu Ze responded with a simple “Mm,” and the woman smiled faintly, her tone tinged with envy. “That’s so nice… Back in college, my boyfriend and I used to travel together during holidays too. But after graduation, we got busier and busier, barely had time to meet, let alone travel. We planned for years to visit the snowy mountains and grasslands, but now we’ve broken up, and it never happened.”
She didn’t say much more before getting up to head to the restroom. Lu Ze sighed softly but remained silent.
Liang Xiao lowered his head and played with Lu Ze’s hand. Lu Ze watched him for a moment before moving his fingers to intertwine them with Liang Xiao’s. Liang Xiao brushed his thumb gently over the back of Lu Ze’s hand.
The woman got off at the same station as them. On the platform, she turned to Lu Ze and asked, “Is there anything fun to do around here? My ex-boyfriend was supposed to be here for work, and I came to visit him. Now that we’ve broken up, I don’t want this trip to be a waste.”
Lu Ze briefly described the places he and Liang Xiao planned to visit. She smiled and said, “Got it. Thanks! Maybe we’ll meet again someday.”
“Maybe we will,” Lu Ze replied.
—
The environment in the tourist city was lovely. After dropping off their luggage at the hotel, they wandered around the area. Lu Ze held up a camera he’d taken out of his suitcase. “Xiao-ge and I are now on a mission to find a place for lunch.”
Holding Lu Ze’s other hand, Liang Xiao glanced at the map on his phone and said, “Just another kilometer—turn at the next corner.”
“What if it’s not good?” Lu Ze asked, swinging their joined hands playfully.
“Then we won’t pay—just eat and run,” Liang Xiao replied with a straight face.
Lu Ze burst out laughing and pointed the camera at him. “Listen to this! So bold! I swear you always manage to make me laugh while looking completely serious.”
Fortunately, the restaurant didn’t disappoint—it was delicious. Otherwise, Lu Ze might have worried that Liang Xiao would actually drag him into running out without paying.
After lunch, they took the subway to a nearby museum and a famous historical figure’s former residence. As Lu Ze snapped pictures along the way, he commented, “Honestly, I’m not that interested in any of this.”
“Me neither,” Liang Xiao admitted.
They exchanged amused glances before Lu Ze clicked his tongue. “Then why did we even come?”
“Just to take a look,” Liang Xiao said with a small smile. “Proof that we were here.”
“When I was little, my parents used to take me everywhere,” Lu Ze said. “Sometimes my mom would go through old photos of those trips—museums or scenic spots—and I’d have no memory of them at all. But if she mentioned what food we ate there? That I’d remember.”
Liang Xiao chuckled softly. “I saw an ice cream stand earlier—let’s get some ice cream.”
“Let’s go,” Lu Ze agreed brightly. “It’s perfect since it’s hot out.”
The ice creams were small and delicate. Each of them bought one and took pictures before eating. Lu Ze bit off half of his in one go and mumbled through a mouthful, “This wouldn’t even fill a gap in my teeth…”
“If I ever say ‘the museum ice cream that wasn’t enough to fill a gap,’ will you remember this place?” Liang Xiao teased.
Finishing the ice cream in his mouth, Lu Ze looked up seriously and said, “I don’t need that—I’ll remember every place I’ve been with you.”
![You’re Causing Chaos Again [e-sports]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/1sMqC2JNjIep8Ov.jpg "You’re Causing Chaos Again [e-sports]")
