After confirming that Jiang Qing only had a cut on her forehead and no other discomfort, Liang Xiao gave a few reminders and returned to the bedroom with Lu Ze’s pillow and blanket.
Just as he was about to close the door, Jiang Qing called him back and motioned for him to come over. Liang Xiao handed the blanket to Lu Ze, then turned and went back out, where Jiang Qing pulled him into the living room.
“What’s wrong?” Liang Xiao asked.
Lowering her voice, Jiang Qing said, “Lu Ze’s family seems quite wealthy, doesn’t it?”
Jiang Qing wasn’t usually materialistic, so Liang Xiao wasn’t sure why she brought this up. He simply replied, “Yeah.”
“He might not be used to staying here with you,” Jiang Qing said with a slight frown. “The kid is very polite and probably too embarrassed to say anything. Why don’t you sleep on the couch for a few days?”
Liang Xiao didn’t expect this and couldn’t help but laugh. “How do you know he doesn’t want to stay with me? What makes you think that?”
“Keep your voice down,” Jiang Qing said. “I’m just guessing. Kids these days are particular about these things—unlike you…”
Liang Xiao helplessly placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear, “Mom, don’t you think I know my own friend? We’ve already stayed together several times; it’s fine. You should rest well and go to bed early. Don’t worry about us.”
“I haven’t even settled accounts with you yet,” Jiang Qing said as she tugged his ear playfully. “Calling me ‘Mom’ so smoothly now, aren’t you? Little brat.”
“Hey,” Liang Xiao laughed as he dodged her hand. “Take it easy! Lu Ze’s still in the room—shh!”
Jiang Qing glared at him but let go. Liang Xiao gently pushed her toward her bedroom and said in a normal tone, “Rest early. Don’t go to the shop tomorrow. Be careful when washing your face and hair; don’t let water touch the wound.”
“I’m fine; why wouldn’t I go? I already have two appointments scheduled. Stop worrying about me and go to sleep.”
Unable to argue with her, Liang Xiao sighed and said, “Then don’t cook tomorrow—I’ll handle it.”
“Your cooking is barely edible,” Jiang Qing said dismissively.
“You’re not much better than me.”
In the end, Jiang Qing shooed him back to his room. When Liang Xiao closed the door, he saw Lu Ze smiling at him.
“You and Auntie are so funny,” Lu Ze said.
Liang Xiao climbed into bed. “She’s worried you don’t want to share a room with me and suggested I sleep on the couch.”
Lu Ze laughed and pounced on him, pinning him down on the bed before kissing him. “That won’t do! I’m already used to sleeping with you—I probably couldn’t sleep without you.”
“Really?” Liang Xiao looked up at him with a smile.
Lu Ze held his gaze for two seconds before saying, “…Not really. I don’t have much trouble sleeping.”
Liang Xiao burst out laughing, which made Lu Ze shake with laughter as well.
“Did you lock the door?” Lu Ze asked.
“No,” Liang Xiao replied as he wrapped an arm around Lu Ze’s back. “My mom always knocks before entering. She waits for permission first—locking it would seem suspicious.”
“That’s good.” As Lu Ze spoke, he leaned down and kissed Liang Xiao on the neck.
Liang Xiao tilted his head back, his Adam’s apple moving up and down. Lu Ze gently bit it and sucked lightly. “Go to sleep.”
Before Liang Xiao could react, Lu Ze smiled, wiped his own saliva with his fingertip, and smeared it on Liang Xiao’s collar. “I wouldn’t dare mess around with you at your house—it’s too scary.”
Liang Xiao grabbed his hand. “Why are you wiping it on my clothes…”
Lu Ze laughed uncontrollably. “Sorry, I thought my saliva was gross after wiping it.”
But Liang Xiao didn’t mind at all and kissed Lu Ze’s fingertip. “It’s not gross.”
Initially, they started off properly, each with their own blanket. Later, Lu Ze complained about being hot and removed his blanket, only to say he felt cold moments later.
“I’ll find a thinner one…” Liang Xiao offered.
Lu Ze stopped him. “Just hold me.”
Two young men full of energy, holding each other, felt even warmer than using blankets. As Lu Ze’s thoughts began to wander in a less innocent direction, Liang Xiao suddenly said, “Baby, I feel like my mom has changed a lot compared to before.”
“Hm?” Lu Ze forced himself to refocus. “How has she changed?”
While asking, he ruffled the back of Liang Xiao’s head twice. Liang Xiao leaned closer to him, pressing tightly against him. “She didn’t really care much about me before—not that she didn’t care at all—but… ever since I was little, she told me how I came into this world. She made it clear she wasn’t my biological mother and wouldn’t let me call her ‘mom.’ She said she was just raising me so I wouldn’t be homeless or starve to death. Everything else I had to learn to handle on my own.”
Lu Ze’s heart quieted completely.
Liang Xiao continued slowly, “When I was younger, I resented her a little, but as I grew up, I became deeply grateful to her. I can feel that she… loves me. But our relationship has always been awkward. She’s always been tough on the outside but soft on the inside. I never knew how to show her that I care about her too…”
Liang Xiao paused for a long time before Lu Ze softly finished for him: “You love her very much too.”
Liang Xiao nodded slightly. “Yeah, I do love her very much.”
“Since I started college, I’ve noticed she’s changed a bit—especially after she was scammed and ended up in heavy debt. It became more obvious; our awkwardness turned into a different kind of awkwardness.”
Liang Xiao hesitated as he searched for the right words. “She doesn’t want me to worry about her too much because she feels like she’s burdening me. But I can tell—she’s not like before anymore. She’s more like the moms of other people I know—asking if I have enough money to spend, how things are at school, whether my clothes are warm enough… I know she misses me a lot but doesn’t want me to come back and see her because she doesn’t want me to feel like she needs me.”
These thoughts had been buried in Liang Xiao’s heart for years—he had never shared them with anyone else because he didn’t know who to tell or how to say them. But with Lu Ze, speaking them aloud felt surprisingly easy. Even though Lu Ze simply stayed by his side and listened quietly, Liang Xiao felt much lighter.
Lu Ze gently patted his back in rhythm before saying softly, “A lot of parents are like that. When their kids grow up and leave home, they start aging and needing their children more. But Auntie probably feels guilty—that’s why she acts so awkwardly.”
“Yeah, I know she feels guilty,” Liang Xiao replied. “But I don’t know what to do to make her stop feeling that way. She’s my mom—it’s only right for me to help her pay off debts. Besides, without her, who knows if I’d even be alive or if I’d have been kidnapped by human traffickers? She has no reason to feel guilty.”
Lu Ze thought for a moment and said, “If Auntie feels guilty, it means she truly sees you as her own son. She doesn’t think you need to thank her for adopting you because, to her, you *are* her son. Raising you is something she sees as natural.”
Liang Xiao stayed silent for a long time. Lu Ze gently rubbed his forehead with his chin and said softly, “You just need to keep being good to Auntie. She definitely knows you care about and love her. The rest can be left to time—it’ll get better gradually.”
Liang Xiao responded quietly, “Everything else is fine; it’s just that she won’t get the chance to be a grandmother in the future.”
Lu Ze froze for a moment before laughing. “You’re so sure? What if one day…”
Liang Xiao immediately tightened his arms around him. “There’s no ‘what if.’”
He lifted his head to look at Lu Ze with a serious gaze. “Even if there is… that’s something for the future—not now.”
Right now, Lu Ze was Liang Xiao’s baby, and he would always remain Liang Xiao’s baby.
Lu Ze stared at Liang Xiao for a long moment. Liang Xiao’s eyes were dark, but when he looked at someone with focus, they weren’t intimidating—they were deeply affectionate, making it impossible to look away.
Lu Ze kissed Liang Xiao on the eyelid and resolved never to joke about such things again—not now, not ever.
He tried to recover by saying, “Actually, I was just thinking… what if we adopted a child ourselves someday?”
Liang Xiao was amused by the abrupt shift. “Baby, we’re still young.”
Clearing his throat, Lu Ze replied, “I’m just… thinking ahead.”
