Liang Xiao only had one day off before returning to work, while Lu Ze spent several consecutive afternoons rushing to Liang Xiao’s place right after class.
While cooking dinner, Liang Xiao stuck closely to Lu Ze, practically glued to him. Since their time together was limited, he wanted to make the most of it. However, he didn’t interfere—he was careful not to distract Lu Ze or risk him cutting himself. Instead, he would hug him occasionally, steal a kiss, or help out when needed.
“Let’s video call Auntie,” Lu Ze suggested. “I’m making fish today, and I promised to teach her last time.”
Liang Xiao kissed him before letting go. “Why are you always chatting with my mom behind my back?”
“Tsk, what do you mean ‘behind your back’? How about we create a group chat for the three of us so we can all talk together?”
Liang Xiao chuckled and made the video call to Jiang Qing. As soon as the call connected, Lu Ze and Jiang Qing started chatting enthusiastically, leaving Liang Xiao with nothing to do.
Since Jiang Qing was watching on the other end, Liang Xiao refrained from doing anything too intimate. Instead, he busied himself preparing a fruit salad for dessert.
Suddenly, Jiang Qing called his name. “Liang Xiao, are you still such a terrible cook? Is that why Lu Ze is always the one cooking?”
Before Liang Xiao could respond, Lu Ze defended him. “Auntie, I actually enjoy cooking. There’s no need for Xiao-ge to do it—his job keeps him busy enough as it is. Meanwhile, I’m free after class and can experiment with recipes.”
Jiang Qing clicked her tongue several times. “Every time I say something about this little rascal, you jump to his defense.”
Lu Ze laughed and cleared his throat. “Well… he’s my boyfriend after all. You can say what you want—I’ll defend him regardless.”
After Jiang Qing hung up the call, Liang Xiao fed Lu Ze a spoonful of the fruit salad he had prepared. “Baby, maybe I should learn how to cook from you.”
“I told you there’s no need,” Lu Ze said as he plated the fish. “This stuff is easy for me—it’s no big deal.”
“Yeah,” Liang Xiao agreed. “You always make cooking look so effortless. Honestly, I’ve never been good at it—I’m afraid you wouldn’t like how my food tastes…”
“Why are you explaining yourself?” Lu Ze put down the spatula and turned to look at him. “We’ve always split tasks—I cook, you wash dishes—it works perfectly because I hate doing dishes.”
“Really?” Liang Xiao asked.
“Why would I lie about something like this?” Lu Ze replied with a laugh before kissing him on the cheek.
Liang Xiao hugged him tightly and admitted sincerely, “Baby… I just really like watching you cook in the kitchen.”
Lu Ze ruffled his hair and said helplessly, “I know—you’re like a little shadow following me around. Does having someone cook at home feel that special?”
Liang Xiao smiled softly. “Yeah—it feels incredibly happy.”
Lu Ze understood exactly how Liang Xiao felt. Growing up, Lu Ze had always known he was lucky—someone would pick him up from school, there’d be the smell of food at home, and his family would sit together at the table to eat and chat.
He knew what Liang Xiao cherished most in these moments. Every time Liang Xiao hovered behind him in the kitchen while he cooked, Lu Ze felt just as happy as Liang Xiao did.
Because Liang Xiao’s happiness came from him, and being able to make the person you love happy is truly a fulfilling feeling.
·
After dinner, Liang Xiao went back to work, while Lu Ze set up his laptop on their folding dining table. He worked on his assignments while snacking on fruit salad.
His phone rang, and he answered, “Hello?”
Lu Jinglang’s voice came through. “Do you know who this is?”
Lu Ze chuckled. “Even without checking the caller ID, I’d still recognize my own dad.”
“Oh, so you do remember I’m your dad. Your mom and I have been back for a while now, and you haven’t visited once or even called much. Looks like your relationship is going pretty well.”
Feeling a bit guilty, Lu Ze replied, “Well… I’ll come home in a few days when I have time. Didn’t you say we shouldn’t let Mom find out? If I visit too often, it’ll be harder to keep it a secret.”
Lu Jinglang snorted. “I think she’s already figured it out.”
Lu Ze smiled. “That’s fine by me. Honestly, we should’ve told her earlier. Who is Xu Jingjing anyway? She’s not as fragile as you think. Besides, Xiao-ge and I are in a stable relationship. If we weren’t both men, we’d already be at the stage where our families could meet and discuss marriage.”
“Tsk tsk tsk, look at you bragging. Why don’t you just bring him home next time?”
“Really? I’ll ask Xiao-ge then. The main issue is his busy work schedule—I’m not sure when he’ll have time.”
Lu Jinglang paused for a moment before asking, “Isn’t National Day coming up? Doesn’t he get time off? What does he do for work?”
“He’s a bar manager,” Lu Ze said. “I don’t think they get holidays during National Day.”
“A bar… manager?” Lu Jinglang sounded surprised.
“It’s a legitimate bar and a legitimate job,” Lu Ze clarified. “Don’t overthink it.”
Intrigued, Lu Jinglang asked, “How old is he? And he’s already a manager?”
“He’s excellent,” Lu Ze said proudly. “His boss really likes him. And don’t let his age fool you—when Xiao-ge puts on a suit, he commands the room better than you did when you were younger.”
“Hey now, watch your words,” Lu Jinglang retorted indignantly. “I’m still young! What do you mean ‘when I was younger’?”
Lu Ze laughed uncontrollably. “It’s good to have that youthful spirit.”
“Spirit my ass! I’m not old! Who’d believe I’m pushing forty? Someone even asked for my WeChat the other day.”
“Oh? You’d better not let Mom hear about that,” Lu Ze teased.
Clearing his throat, Lu Jinglang lowered his voice. “She wasn’t around—and I didn’t give it to them anyway.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t rat you out.”
“There’s nothing to rat out!”
“By the way, Dad,” Lu Ze said with a grin, “can I discuss something with you?”
“Nope—nothing good ever comes from these discussions.”
“I’ve had my driver’s license for two years now. Isn’t it time I got my own car?”
“A car? You don’t even need one. What would you do with it?”
“I do need it,” Lu Ze insisted. “It’ll be convenient when the weather gets colder.”
“Convenient for you or for him?” Lu Jinglang asked.
“…Mainly for me to see him,” Lu Ze admitted. “Didn’t you say you’d get me a car when I was close to graduating? Considering I’ve already sorted out my ‘lifelong partner’ situation before graduation, how about moving that timeline up? It doesn’t have to be a fancy car—just something practical. I’ll buy a nicer one myself after I graduate.”
“Hold on—you and Liang Xiao haven’t been together that long. Now you’re talking about marriage and lifelong commitments? Sure, he’s good-looking, but have you never seen a handsome guy before? You’re this smitten?”
Lu Ze chuckled. “Why not? These days, plenty of people get married after knowing each other for just a few days. Compared to that, we’ve been together for quite a while.”
“…Are you thinking about a flash marriage? I get it now—if Liang Xiao were a woman, you’d have dragged him to the registry by now. I might even be a grandfather already.”
“If you want to be a grandfather, we can still—”
“Stop right there!” Lu Jinglang cut him off immediately. “I’m still young! I don’t want to be a grandfather.”
—
Ever since the fight that night, Brother Qin hadn’t shown up for a few days. Zhang Xiao, however, continued to visit regularly with his group of friends. When Liang Xiao was around, Zhang Xiao would quietly stare at him; when he wasn’t, Zhang Xiao didn’t go out of his way to look for him.
On Monday, before the bar opened, they held their usual meeting. Jiang Heng sat nearby, half-listening without much interest. After the meeting ended, he didn’t leave right away.
Liang Xiao deliberately stayed behind until everyone else had left before saying, “Heng-ge, there’s something I want to ask you.”
Jiang Heng raised an eyebrow, signaling him to continue.
“It’s about Zhang Xiao… What kind of person is he?”
“Annoying, right?” Jiang Heng replied.
Liang Xiao nodded.
“We’re running a business here—I can’t exactly put up a sign saying ‘So-and-so is banned.’ Just ignore him. If he really crosses the line, handle it however you see fit.”
Liang Xiao smiled faintly. “That’s all I needed to hear.”
Jiang Heng pulled out a pack of cigarettes and gestured toward Liang Xiao, who shook his head.
Smiling, Jiang Heng lit one for himself and said, “You’re doing great. In a while, I’ll find someone suitable to be your assistant manager so you won’t have to be this busy.”
“Thanks in advance,” Liang Xiao said.
“It’s been tiring lately,” Jiang Heng acknowledged. “But how’s the pay? Are you satisfied?”
Through the haze of smoke, Liang Xiao looked at Jiang Heng and joked, “If I say no, will you give me a raise?”
Jiang Heng chuckled twice. “You’ve only been open for a month and already want a raise?”
Liang Xiao immediately backtracked. “I’m satisfied.”
“I won’t be around during the National Day holiday—I’ll be out of town. For anything that’s not a big deal, you can make the decisions. Your pay will be calculated at five times the usual rate.”
Liang Xiao froze for a moment. “Five times… isn’t that a bit much?”
Jiang Heng glanced at him. “What, too much for you to accept?”
“No,” Liang Xiao smiled faintly. “I’m just worried that if you keep being so… carefree, you might lose money.”
Jiang Heng exhaled a puff of smoke and said, “Don’t worry. The one thing I’ll never run out of is money. If I ever do, it might actually be interesting.”
—
“Is he even human?” Lu Ze exclaimed angrily. “How rich is this guy?”
Liang Xiao pulled him into his arms with a smile. “You should be asking how bored he is.”
Lu Ze sighed. “We’ll never understand the world of bored rich people… So, you’re working all seven days of National Day?”
“…Yeah.”
Liang Xiao could sense Lu Ze’s disappointment, and it made him feel bad too. After a brief silence, Liang Xiao said softly, “It’s late, baby. Let’s sleep.”
Lu Ze kissed him lightly. “Alright, goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
Even after saying goodnight, neither of them fell asleep. Listening to Liang Xiao’s breathing, Lu Ze suddenly said, “Living together is so hard.”
Liang Xiao froze in surprise as Lu Ze hugged his head and ruffled his hair. “Xiao-ge works so hard to earn money and take care of us.”
Liang Xiao felt his heart melt instantly. In a soft voice, he replied, “It’s not hard—just sad that I can’t spend the holiday with you.”
“I don’t want to go out,” Lu Ze said. “Can I come visit your bar?”
Liang Xiao thought for a moment. “Why don’t you bring some friends along instead?”
“Really? Isn’t your bar super exclusive and membership-based?”
“You count as family—employee family members can use my card. There’s a monthly free allowance, so it won’t cost anything,” Liang Xiao explained.
“Wow, that’s amazing! Does every employee get a card like this?” Lu Ze asked in surprise.
“Only supervisors and above.”
Lu Ze grinned. “Alright then—can I bring my parents during National Day?”
Liang Xiao thought he misheard. “Bring who?”
Holding back laughter, Lu Ze cleared his throat and said, “My parents.”
Liang Xiao was silent for a long time before finally saying, “Baby… are you joking with me?”
Lu Ze burst out laughing. “Yes, yes, I am.”
Liang Xiao let out a sigh of relief. “You scared me…”
In the darkness, Lu Ze reached out to find Liang Xiao’s ear and pinched it gently. “Actually, my parents already know about us. When you have time, would you like to meet them?”
“Auntie knows too?” Liang Xiao asked in surprise.
“Yeah, I didn’t deliberately hide it from her. She probably already figured it out but just hasn’t asked me about it.”
Liang Xiao immediately felt nervous. “Then I…”
Lu Ze patted his back reassuringly. “No rush. I told my dad you’re busy with work. We’ll talk about it when you have some time off.”
“They’re really not upset at all?” Liang Xiao asked.
“No,” Lu Ze replied with a smile. “Auntie Jiang wasn’t upset either, right? My parents are just as easygoing as she is.”
Liang Xiao hugged him a little tighter, feeling less anxious. “Not many people say my mom is easygoing.”
“I’m not just saying it to sound nice,” Lu Ze said. “Auntie’s personality is great—straightforward and refreshing.”
Liang Xiao chuckled and said, “I’m worried that once she gets too familiar with you, she’ll start calling you ‘little rascal.’”
Lu Ze laughed so hard he almost couldn’t stop. “That’s fine! It’d be great—‘little rascal.’”
Liang Xiao paused for a moment before kissing him and saying, “This is the first time I’ve heard such an affectionate version of ‘little rascal.’”
