When they arrived home, Xu Jingjing was already waiting for them. Before they could even input their fingerprints on the door lock, it opened from the inside. Xu Jingjing stood at the door with a warm smile. “Xiao-Xiao is finally here!”
Liang Xiao quickly smiled back and nodded politely. “Hello, Auntie.”
“Hello, hello! Here, give me those,” Xu Jingjing said as she reached out to take their bags.
Liang Xiao dodged slightly. “No need—they’re heavy…”
Lu Jinglang lightly tapped Xu Jingjing on the back of her hand. “Do you really need to do this?”
“Why don’t you help them carry something?” Xu Jingjing muttered under her breath.
Feeling wronged, Lu Jinglang replied, “There’s not that much stuff—and it’s not like he brought home a girlfriend…”
Xu Jingjing immediately swatted him lightly in protest. At that moment, Liang Xiao handed over the bouquet of flowers he was holding.
“Auntie, these are for you,” he said with a smile. “I saw them at the supermarket earlier and thought they were beautiful.”
Xu Jingjing exclaimed in delight, “Tulips! They’re so beautiful. Thank you, Xiao-Xiao.”
Liang Xiao’s face turned slightly red. Although he was used to being called that by Lu Ze, hearing it from an elder felt completely different.
From behind, Lu Ze laughed and said, “Stop blocking the doorway—we can’t carry these things anymore!”
“Come in quickly,” Xu Jingjing said.
After changing into more comfortable clothes in the bedroom, Lu Jinglang headed straight to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Meanwhile, Lu Ze and Liang Xiao sat in the living room chatting with Xu Jingjing.
Liang Xiao had accompanied clients to meet their parents before, and those conversations usually revolved around predictable topics like age, education, job, and family background. But Xu Jingjing didn’t bring up any of that.
As she arranged the tulips in a vase, she commented, “This vase seems a bit too big. I had a really pretty smaller one, but I can’t find it.”
Liang Xiao immediately thought of the vase Lu Ze had mentioned stealing from home. He glanced at Lu Ze, who clearly remembered as well and quickly said, “Uh… that vase… I used it.”
Xu Jingjing looked at him curiously. “What did you use a vase for?”
Clearing his throat awkwardly, Lu Ze replied, “I used it… to give to my boyfriend.”
Both Xu Jingjing and Liang Xiao froze for a moment—neither had expected Lu Ze to admit it so directly.
“Um… Auntie,” Liang Xiao stammered, “I’ll bring the vase back to you tomorrow…”
Xu Jingjing burst out laughing. “If Xiao Ze gave it to you, then it’s yours! No need to return anything. If you like it so much, take a few more.”
“No need, no need,” Liang Xiao said quickly.
Xu Jingjing sat down across from them with a warm smile. “Xiao-Xiao, don’t be nervous. Today is just a simple dinner. If you’re this nervous, Auntie might not dare invite you over again next time!”
Liang Xiao tried his best to smile naturally. “Am I really that obviously nervous?”
Lu Ze patted his knee and teased, “Very obvious, Xiao-ge. You’re supposed to be Manager Liang—someone who’s seen big occasions! Relax.”
“Okay,” Liang Xiao replied.
Right in front of Xu Jingjing, Lu Ze reached over and lightly touched Liang Xiao’s waist. Startled, Liang Xiao looked at him in shock. Lu Ze said casually, “Your waist is all stiff—why are you sitting so straight? Doesn’t it hurt?”
Liang Xiao let out a breath and adjusted his posture, leaning back against the sofa.
“Let’s start with some fruit,” Xu Jingjing suggested. “Xiao-Xiao, what would you like?”
“Oh… anything is fine,” Liang Xiao replied.
“You sit down,” Lu Ze said to Xu Jingjing. “I’ll get it.”
He gave Liang Xiao’s leg a playful pat before standing up and heading toward the kitchen. As soon as he left, Liang Xiao became visibly tense again. Sitting up straight and clearing his throat slightly, he said hesitantly, “Auntie… there’s something I’d like to tell you.”
Xu Jingjing immediately gave him her full attention with a serious yet encouraging expression. “Alright—go ahead.”
“The last time we met at the art exhibit,” Liang Xiao began nervously, “there was someone with me… a woman. I’m not sure what Lu Ze told you about her—but she wasn’t my girlfriend. She was actually one of my clients.”
Xu Jingjing was quite surprised. She had initially assumed that her son had liked Liang Xiao while he was still in a relationship, waited for him to break up, and then seized the opportunity to take him out and develop a relationship. But it seemed she had guessed wrong from the start.
Seeing Xu Jingjing’s expression, Liang Xiao realized that Lu Ze hadn’t told his family about his past.
Before Xu Jingjing could ask any questions, Liang Xiao took the initiative to explain. “My family owed some money before—a significant amount for us. So I took on a job… where I acted as someone’s boyfriend.”
Liang Xiao laid everything out honestly, explaining how he and Lu Ze met and how they eventually got together.
Lu Ze had never understood why Liang Xiao was so nervous. It wasn’t just about meeting his parents; it was also about coming clean about his past to his boyfriend’s family.
But Liang Xiao had taken the easier route—he chose to confide in the soft-hearted Xu Jingjing instead of the more intimidating Lu Jinglang.
What Liang Xiao didn’t expect was just how soft-hearted Xu Jingjing truly was. Seeing her tear up, he panicked and said, “Auntie, Auntie, please don’t cry…”
When Lu Ze returned with a plate of fruit, he saw his boyfriend looking utterly flustered and helpless. Then he noticed Xu Jingjing’s red-rimmed eyes.
“What the hell…” Lu Ze quickly put down the fruit plate and instinctively glanced toward the kitchen. Luckily, his dad was busy chopping vegetables with his back turned.
Lowering his voice, Lu Ze asked, “What happened? Mom, why are you crying? I was gone for just a few minutes—what did you two talk about?”
Xu Jingjing dabbed at her eyes with a tissue, her voice still choked with emotion. “Why didn’t you ever tell me about everything with Xiao-Xiao?”
“What are you talking about?” Lu Ze asked, completely confused. “Oh my dear mom, beautiful Xu Boss, please stop crying! If Dad sees this, we won’t even have dinner tonight.”
Xu Jingjing chuckled softly and said, “It’s nothing—I just feel so bad for Xiao-Xiao.”
Lu Ze froze for a moment before turning to look at Liang Xiao. “What happened to Xiao-Xiao?”
He quickly walked over to Liang Xiao and examined him closely. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
“Nothing,” Liang Xiao explained quietly. “I just told Auntie about my previous job and how we met… and she…”
Lu Ze let out a sigh of relief and plopped down beside him on the sofa. “You scared me! I thought something serious happened. That’s all in the past—why bring it up now?”
“It needed to be explained,” Liang Xiao said seriously. “Auntie did meet…”
He paused mid-sentence, but Lu Ze immediately finished it for him. “Xiao Jin, right?”
Liang Xiao blinked in surprise—he hadn’t expected Lu Ze to remember her name.
Lu Ze clicked his tongue and crossed his arms. “I still remember she was pretty good-looking too. Hanging onto your arm like that—so close and cozy…”
Liang Xiao gave a helpless smile while Xu Jingjing gently scolded, “Why are you saying that, Xiao Ze? You weren’t even with Xiao-Xiao back then.”
“Damn,” Lu Ze said incredulously as he looked from Xu Jingjing to Liang Xiao. “Xiao-Xiao, you’re impressive—you’ve already won over my mom’s sympathy!”
“This was… unexpected.”
Liang Xiao hadn’t anticipated that sharing his story would make Xu Jingjing like him even more. But in hindsight, he should have expected it—after all, Lu Ze was just as kind-hearted as she was.
“I’ll go wash my face,” Xu Jingjing said with a smile. “Otherwise, if your dad notices and asks questions, I’ll have to explain.”
“Yes, yes, go quickly,” Lu Ze urged.
As soon as Xu Jingjing left, Lu Ze leaned close to Liang Xiao’s ear and whispered, “So this is why you were so nervous—because you wanted to tell my mom about this?”
Liang Xiao nodded softly. “Mm.”
“Feel better now that it’s off your chest?”
“Much better,” Liang Xiao admitted.
Lu Ze sighed, feeling a mix of heartache and helplessness. He didn’t even know what to say.
After a moment, he pulled Liang Xiao down with him, kissed him on the cheek, and said in an overly affectionate tone, “We haven’t even been together that long, but I already love you so much.”
Liang Xiao smiled at him and quietly asked, “Will you still love me this much after a long time?”
“I don’t think that’ll change,” Lu Ze replied softly.
“Just ‘think’?” Liang Xiao pressed, clearly unsatisfied.
Lu Ze laughed and pinched his cheek. “I’m sure it won’t.”
Although it was Lu Ze who had pursued Liang Xiao in the beginning, ever since they got together, Liang Xiao had always shown a level of steadfastness that exceeded Lu Ze’s expectations.
Liang Xiao never entertained thoughts of breaking up or falling out of love. Instead, he focused on building their future together. He brought Lu Ze home to meet his family, was the first to say “I love you,” and made sure to explain everything about his past when visiting Lu Ze’s family for the first time.
Because Liang Xiao’s starting point was always the same: he believed he and Lu Ze would be together forever.
—
Dinner was warm and harmonious. Xu Jingjing and Lu Jinglang didn’t bring up their relationship directly, making Liang Xiao feel more like a guest visiting Lu Ze’s home than just “Lu Ze’s boyfriend.”
Halfway through the meal, Lu Jinglang suddenly said, “Should we have a drink? How’s your alcohol tolerance, Xiao Liang?”
Before Liang Xiao could respond, Lu Ze jumped in. “Beer is fine—nothing else.”
As he stood up, Lu Jinglang snapped his fingers. “Beer it is.”
Liang Xiao chuckled quietly—now he understood why Lu Ze liked snapping his fingers so much.
Xu Jingjing brought out a set of beautiful small glasses while Lu Jinglang poured beer for everyone. Raising his glass, he said, “Alright, let’s start with a toast. Someone say something.”
Xu Jingjing turned to Liang Xiao with a smile. “Xiao-Xiao, why don’t you say something?”
Caught off guard, Liang Xiao froze for a moment before nodding nervously. “Me? Well… I’m very happy to meet Uncle and Auntie today, and I’m very grateful.”
Lu Jinglang chuckled. “Xiao Liang, I heard from Lu Ze that you’re a manager—your words shouldn’t be this clumsy.”
Xu Jingjing shot him a glare. “Clumsy? He’s sincere!”
“Clumsy is true; sincere is also true,” Liang Xiao said seriously. “I’m very grateful for how understanding Uncle and Auntie are about our relationship. Beyond gratitude… I really don’t know what else to say.”
“There’s no need to thank us,” Lu Jinglang said in a deep voice. “Lu Ze has always walked his own path, from childhood to now. As parents, we’ve never interfered, and we won’t interfere in the future either.”
He paused for a moment before continuing, “But today, I want to interfere just a little. Lu Ze.”
“Yes?” Lu Ze responded, slightly surprised. “Why so serious all of a sudden?”
Lu Jinglang looked at him intently. “Since you chose this path for yourself, and you’ve chosen it so firmly, then you need to walk it well—walk it with your whole heart. No matter where it leads, make sure that when you look back, you won’t regret it.”
Then he turned to Liang Xiao. “Liang Xiao, the same goes for you.”
“Understood,” the two of them replied solemnly in unison.
After that, the atmosphere at the dinner table lightened up again. The conversation shifted to casual topics, and at one point, Lu Jinglang asked Liang Xiao which bar he worked at, saying he might want to take some friends there for drinks.
Liang Xiao gave him the address and said, “If you ever want to come by, just let me know directly.”
“Their bar is run by a super-rich second-generation heir,” Lu Ze added. “The whole place is members-only—you have to top up your account and get a membership card first.”
Clicking his tongue, Lu Jinglang said, “What do you take me for? I can afford a membership card.”
“You don’t need one,” Liang Xiao quickly interjected. “We have employee cards—you can just use mine when you visit.”
At this point, Lu Jinglang seemed to catch on. “Is your bar really expensive?”
“It is…” Liang Xiao admitted.
“Then forget it,” Lu Jinglang said immediately. “I’ll just use your card.”
Lu Ze couldn’t stop laughing. “Dad! Where’s your dignity? Where’s your pride? Weren’t you just saying you could afford the card?”
“With your mom sitting right here? What pride? None,” Lu Jinglang replied.
“I didn’t say you couldn’t get a card,” Xu Jingjing said with a laugh.
“You don’t understand,” Lu Jinglang lowered his voice conspiratorially. “I think I know what kind of bar this is—it’s one of those fancy places for rich people. All private rooms, super high-end. People spend tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands in one night.”
“What? That expensive?” Xu Jingjing was shocked. She turned to Liang Xiao with admiration. “Xiao-Xiao, that’s amazing—being a manager at such an upscale bar.”
“It’s the boss who’s amazing,” Liang Xiao said modestly. “I’m just an employee.”
“There’s no need to be humble in my house,” Lu Ze said as he placed a piece of food on Liang Xiao’s plate. “See this? Five-star chef cooking! In our house, there’s no such thing as humility—we’re all about hyping each other up.”
Liang Xiao laughed and cleared his throat before saying more confidently, “Alright then—yes, I’m the senior manager of an upscale bar. How about that?”
“Perfect! You’ve earned yourself another rib as a reward.”
—
After dinner, they moved from the dining room to the living room and continued drinking while playing Dou Di Zhu.
Frowning at his cards, Lu Jinglang muttered, “What kind of garbage hand is this?”
Lu Ze wasn’t playing this round and stood behind the sofa watching Liang Xiao’s cards. He commented with a grin, “You’re going to win again.”
Liang Xiao felt a bit helpless. His cards were so good that he’d won three games in a row—he couldn’t lose even if he tried.
When Lu Jinglang played a pair of fives, Lu Ze watched Liang Xiao hesitate for a long time and teased, “What are you thinking about? Don’t go easy on him.”
“Even if he goes easy, your dad still won’t win,” Xu Jingjing said with a laugh. “His hand is terrible.”
Lu Jinglang froze for a moment. “Wait, are you looking at my cards?”
Xu Jingjing blinked innocently. “I accidentally saw them. Stay further away from me.”
“Pfft, fine, look if you want. We’re on the same team anyway.”
“What’s going on here?” Lu Ze chimed in. “No cheating allowed!”
After losing two more games in a row, Lu Jinglang threw his cards onto the table. “That’s it—I’m done. If I keep playing, I’ll just keep losing. Let me show you some magic instead.”
Liang Xiao immediately played along. “Lu Ze used to show me magic tricks all the time and said he learned them from you.”
As he shuffled the cards, Lu Jinglang glanced at Liang Xiao and said, “You two sure call each other some pretty mushy names.”
Liang Xiao felt a bit awkward and stayed silent.
Lu Ze sat down beside him and retorted, “We learned it from you two—no one’s mushier than you guys.”
“Hey, your mom’s a woman—I have to spoil her a little. But you two are grown men…”
“What’s wrong with being men?” Lu Ze shot back immediately. “Men need to be spoiled too, right, Xiao-Xiao?”
Liang Xiao glanced at Xu Jingjing and Lu Jinglang before reluctantly replying, “Right… baby.”
“You two…” Lu Jinglang looked at them with a complicated expression before finally saying, “Impressive.”
Liang Xiao couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. His boyfriend had clearly inherited every trait from his parents—including their signature use of the phrase “impressive.”
“Alright, kiddo,” Lu Jinglang said. “Stop laughing and pick a card.”
Liang Xiao selected a card, and what followed was a magic performance so impressive that he didn’t even have time to pick his jaw up off the floor.
He watched intently as Lu Jinglang finished by pulling an intact card out of an empty wine bottle—a card that had seemingly been torn to pieces earlier. Liang Xiao clapped enthusiastically, joined by Lu Ze and Xu Jingjing.
“You’re amazing,” Liang Xiao praised sincerely. “You could totally become a magician.”
“When did you secretly learn new tricks?” Lu Ze asked.
“What do you mean ‘secretly’?” Lu Jinglang replied smugly. “I’ve performed this for your mom several times already.”
Lu Ze clicked his tongue and leaned over to whisper in Liang Xiao’s ear, “Don’t admire him too much—I’ll learn it too and perform it for you later.”
Liang Xiao smiled softly. “Alright.”
“You two should stay here tonight,” Lu Jinglang suggested. “It’s late, and you’ve both been drinking—you can’t drive.”
“Ah… then Xiao-Ge will have to share a room with me,” Lu Ze said.
“Who else would he share a room with? Me?” Lu Jinglang replied dryly as Xu Jingjing burst into laughter.
“Damn…” Lu Ze laughed along for a moment before adding, “I was just letting you know—we’ll be sharing a room so you can mentally prepare yourself.”
“That makes it sound like when I’m not around, you two don’t share a room,” Lu Jinglang shot back.
They stayed in the living room playing until after 10 p.m., at which point Lu Ze took Liang Xiao back to his room. As soon as the door closed behind them, Liang Xiao wrapped his arms around Lu Ze from behind.
“What’s wrong?” Lu Ze asked with amusement. “Did you drink too much? That doesn’t seem right.”
“No…” Liang Xiao chuckled softly. “I’m just really happy.”
Lu Ze nudged Liang Xiao step by step toward the bed. “Then… should we do something to make you even happier?”
“Better not… I’m afraid your dad will kick me out.”
The two of them tumbled onto the bed together. After laughing for a while, Lu Ze suddenly sighed and said, “I’m so lucky.”
“Hm?” Liang Xiao, lying on top of Lu Ze, felt the vibrations of his chest as he spoke.
Lu Ze turned his head slightly, resting his chin against Liang Xiao’s forehead. “To have met my parents, to have met you—I’m so lucky. Do you think I’ve used up all my luck for this lifetime?”
Before Liang Xiao could respond, Lu Ze kissed him and added with a smile, “But it’s okay. Even if I’ve used it all up, having this one lifetime is more than enough.”
Aww~ that’s a luck that I’d like to say was–fated–meant to happen. I love the sm!
Thank you for the update~❤️
really glad you like it!!! (⁀ᗢ⁀)