INT CHAPTER 84

Two Months Later

 

“Ze-ge, you don’t seem to be in a good mood,” Sun Zhuoyu said. “What’s wrong? Did you finally have a fight with your boyfriend?”

 

“What do you mean… wait,” Lu Ze poked his head out from under the blanket and looked at him. “What do you mean by finally? Were you looking forward to it?”

 

Sun Zhuoyu chuckled. “You two have been together for so long, and I’ve never seen you fight. Even Qian Qian and I, who are both pretty easygoing, have had a few arguments.”

 

“Tsk, there’s nothing for us to fight about,” Lu Ze replied.

 

“Then what’s the issue this time?” Sun Zhuoyu asked curiously.

 

“It’s because I don’t want to take the graduate college entrance exam,” Lu Ze said.

 

Sun Zhuoyu froze. “That’s… a pretty unique reason to fight. If you don’t want to take it, then don’t. What’s the big deal?”

 

Lu Ze sighed. “He thinks I don’t want to take it because of him.”

 

“Ah, I think I get it now,” Sun Zhuoyu said. “So… is it because of him?”

 

“Half and half. It’s not entirely because of him,” Lu Ze admitted.

 

After Sun Zhuoyu left, Lu Ze lay on his bed for a long time. He opened and closed WeChat several times, but there were no messages from Liang Xiao.

 

He checked the time—it was almost noon. Liang Xiao had gotten off work late last night, so Lu Ze wasn’t sure if he hadn’t woken up yet or just hadn’t reached out.

 

Staring blankly at his phone screen, he suddenly saw a message pop up.

 

Jiang Yijie: [What are you up to? Awake yet?]

Lu Ze: [Lying in bed.]

Jiang Yijie: [Get up and come to the third cafeteria for beef noodles. My treat.]

Lu Ze: [Alright.]

 

When Lu Ze arrived at the cafeteria and saw Jiang Yijie’s expression, he couldn’t help but laugh. “I was wondering why you suddenly invited me out for food—did you have a fight with Shen Tang?”

 

“Is it that obvious?” Jiang Yijie asked gloomily.

 

Lu Ze nodded, took off his down jacket, draped it over the back of his chair, and sat down across from him.

 

“You seem like you had a fight with Liang Xiao too,” Jiang Yijie said, noticing Lu Ze’s lack of enthusiasm.

 

Lu Ze glanced at his phone again—still no messages. “How should I put it… we didn’t exactly fight. It’s more like neither of us is willing to listen to the other, so it’s just been a bit unpleasant. What about you two? What happened?”

 

Jiang Yijie stirred his noodles with his chopsticks and sighed. “Honestly, it’s so ridiculous that I feel embarrassed even saying it. We’ve been together for a while now, but he insists that I don’t actually like him.”

 

“What’s his reasoning?” Lu Ze asked.

 

Jiang Yijie let out a cold laugh. “He thinks the only reason I’m with him is because he kept pestering me back then, and I just gave in because I couldn’t take it anymore.”

 

Lu Ze froze for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. “Wait… what kind of logic is that? He was the one who pestered you in the first place, and now he’s upset about it? That’s some next-level thinking.”

 

“Exactly! It’s insane,” Jiang Yijie said angrily, shoving a big mouthful of noodles into his mouth. “I must’ve owed him something in my past life…”

 

After laughing for a moment, Lu Ze said more seriously, “Honestly though, are you not giving him enough security? That might be why he keeps feeling like you don’t like him.”

 

Jiang Yijie widened his eyes. “What more do I need to do? He sends me 800 messages a day, and I reply to almost all of them instantly as long as I see them.”

 

Lu Ze clicked his tongue. “Are you maybe a little impatient with him?”

 

“I… well, that’s because he’s really annoying sometimes,” Jiang Yijie admitted. “If only he had Liang Xiao’s personality…”

 

“Hey, hey, hey,” Lu Ze interrupted with a laugh. “Xiao-ge isn’t like that with me—he talks way more than usual when we’re together and is super clingy.”

 

Jiang Yijie looked at him skeptically. “Liang Xiao? Clingy? Are you serious?”

 

Lu Ze nodded. “But we’ve never fought over jealousy or anything like that because we both feel secure in our relationship. I know how much he loves me, and he knows how much I love him. There’s no way we’d ever be interested in anyone else—if we get jealous, it’s just playful.”

 

Jiang Yijie frowned and muttered, “Damn, no need to be so mushy—I get that you two are madly in love.”

 

Lu Ze chuckled twice before sighing again.

 

“So what’s going on with this ‘non-fight’ of yours?” Jiang Yijie asked. “Want to talk about it?”

 

Lu Ze thought for a moment before answering. “Honestly, I’m not sure what I want to do after graduation right now. Before I met Xiao-ge, I was planning to just go with the flow and take the graduate college entrance exam like everyone else. But after being with him, I don’t really want to anymore—I want to start working and making money sooner. But he thinks my decision not to take the exam is all because of him.”

 

“Well… isn’t that true?” Jiang Yijie asked bluntly.

 

Lu Ze frowned slightly. “Not entirely—it’s not just because of him. The main reason is still me. You know I’ve never liked studying. The only reason I chose English as my major was because I have some talent for it—it doesn’t require much effort from me. But continuing my studies? No way—I really don’t want to do that anymore. Graduating and starting work sounds perfect.”

 

“So Liang Xiao might be the immediate reason, but the root cause is your own feelings about studying—right?”

 

“Exactly,” Lu Ze confirmed.

 

“Then just explain that to him,” Jiang Yijie suggested. “Tell him everything you just told me.”

 

“I did,” Lu Ze said with a sigh. “But he doesn’t believe me—or maybe it’s not that he doesn’t believe me; he just still feels like it has something to do with him.”

 

Jiang Yijie shook his head with a wry smile. “Why are both of you so stubborn?”

 

Just then, Lu Ze’s phone buzzed. He immediately put down his chopsticks and grabbed it to check the message eagerly.

 

Liang Xiao: [Ze-ge, have you had lunch yet?]

 

Oh, he didn’t even call me “baby” this time. He’s really upset, huh?

 

Lu Ze originally wanted to reply with a simple “I’ve eaten,” but it felt too cold, so he deleted it.

 

I had beef noodles… No, that still doesn’t work.

 

After thinking for a while, Lu Ze finally replied: [I’m at the third cafeteria having beef noodles with Jie-ge.]

 

He figured this was detailed enough—person, place, and activity all accounted for. Should be fine, right?

 

Lu Ze waited nearly a minute before Liang Xiao replied: [Okay, enjoy your meal.]

 

What the hell?

 

Lu Ze stared at his phone in shock. Still so cold? This was starting to remind him of when they first met.

 

Frustrated, he immediately called Liang Xiao. The call connected quickly, but there was no sound on the other end.

 

Clearing his throat, Lu Ze asked, “Xiao’er, are you still mad?”

 

Liang Xiao seemed caught off guard. “…I’m not mad.”

 

“Tsk,” Lu Ze teased. “Since when did you learn to act tough?”

 

Hearing Lu Ze’s tone, Liang Xiao finally realized that Lu Ze wasn’t upset either. He let out a helpless laugh and said, “I’m really not mad, baby. I thought you were mad.”

 

Now it was Lu Ze’s turn to be surprised. “Why would I be mad? I thought you were mad!”

 

The two of them laughed foolishly over the phone for a moment before Lu Ze asked, “Did you just wake up? Have you eaten yet?”

 

“No, I was out running some errands with Jiang Heng,” Liang Xiao replied.

 

“Oh? Where are you now? Are you done?”

 

“Just finished. Jiang Heng has to stay behind for something. I can head home or go to the bar—it doesn’t matter.”

 

“Send me your location,” Lu Ze said. “I’ll come pick you up, and we’ll go out for lunch.”

 

Across the table, Jiang Yijie silently glared at Lu Ze. Ignoring him, Lu Ze smiled and said into the phone, “I only ate half a bowl of noodles—it’s fine; I can eat more… Okay, see you soon.”

 

After hanging up, Jiang Yijie waved him off impatiently. “Go on, get out of here.”

 

“I’ll treat you next time,” Lu Ze said with a grin.

 

“This isn’t about treating or not treating!” Jiang Yijie said angrily. “You’re ditching me for your boyfriend!”

 

“Tsk,” Lu Ze teased. “Come on, you’ve been in a relationship too—you should understand! When your boyfriend calls, it’s hard not to prioritize him over friends.”

 

Before Lu Ze even finished speaking, Jiang Yijie’s phone rang. Raising an eyebrow at him, Lu Ze mouthed: Be gentle—talk nicely.

 

“I don’t need your advice,” Jiang Yijie muttered before answering the call as gently as he could manage. “Hello… I’ll come find you later. Let’s talk in person.”

 

Lu Ze stood up and put on his down jacket while watching him. After a moment, Jiang Yijie hung up the call.

 

“Keep that attitude from now on,” Lu Ze advised with a smile. “Stop being so impatient all the time.”

 

“I’m not really impatient; it’s just… never mind, let’s not talk about it. You should hurry and go.”

 

“Aren’t you leaving too? Do you want me to drop you off first?” Lu Ze asked.

 

“Please spare me,” Jiang Yijie laughed. “We’re not even on good terms yet. If you drop me off, we’ll just end up arguing again.”

 

“Alright then, I’m leaving. You two should communicate properly if there’s anything going on. What’s the point of keeping it all bottled up?” Lu Ze said.

 

“Okay, Master Lu. Should I start calling you ‘teacher’ from now on?” Jiang Yijie joked.

 

By this point, Lu Ze was already walking away. “Then you’d better treat me to a meal!”

 

—

 

As Lu Ze exited the cafeteria, a cold wind hit him, causing him to shiver. He quickly pulled up the zipper on his down jacket.

 

He went to the parking lot to get his car and stopped by a flower shop at the school entrance to buy a bouquet of roses to place in the passenger seat.

 

Although it wasn’t exactly a fight, it was still the first time he and Liang Xiao had an unpleasant moment together. Buying flowers couldn’t hurt.

 

The weather was too cold. It wasn’t until he arrived at the designated spot that he called Liang Xiao. “I’m here—come out! I’m in the parking lot behind.”

 

“Okay, I’ll be right there.”

 

Lu Ze watched as Liang Xiao jogged over, and when he opened the car door, he exclaimed in surprise, “Did you buy flowers too?”

 

Lu Ze lifted the flowers and let Liang Xiao get in first before handing them to him with a smile. “I just felt like buying them. Are you hungry? What do you want to eat?”

 

“Wait a minute,” Liang Xiao said, holding the flowers in one hand while struggling to pull a plastic bag from his down jacket pocket with the other. “I bought you a baked sweet potato earlier—want to eat some while it’s still warm?”

 

Lu Ze paused for a moment before laughing. “I was wondering why I smelled something delicious as soon as you got in! Why did you put the baked sweet potato in your pocket?”

 

“I was afraid it would get cold,” Liang Xiao replied with a smile. He opened the plastic bag and carefully peeled the skin off the sweet potato, bringing it to Lu Ze’s lips. “Here, try a bite—it should be sweet.”

 

Lu Ze looked at the steaming baked sweet potato, and suddenly his eyes felt warm.

 

He turned his face away slightly, trying to keep his tears from spilling over.

 

“Baby?” Liang Xiao leaned forward to look at him anxiously. “Why are you crying? Don’t cry…”

 

As soon as he spoke, Lu Ze knew he was done for; tears began streaming down his face uncontrollably.

 

Liang Xiao hurriedly set the baked sweet potato aside and placed the roses on the floor before leaning in to cup Lu Ze’s face and wipe away his tears.

 

“What are you crying for?” Liang Xiao frowned, his tone full of concern. “Are you still upset about what happened yesterday? It’s my fault; I…”

 

Lu Ze interrupted him, saying, “I already told you I’m not mad…”

 

Before Liang Xiao could say anything else, Lu Ze wrapped his arms around him tightly, burying his face in Liang Xiao’s embrace as he muttered, “You bought me a baked sweet potato because you were worried I’d be upset, right?”

 

After a moment of silence, Liang Xiao raised his hand to pat Lu Ze’s back gently and whispered softly, “And you bought me flowers because you were worried I’d be upset too?”

 

“Mm…” Lu Ze nuzzled against him. “I’m sorry, Xiao-ge. I didn’t mean to argue with you yesterday; I just had a bad tone.”

 

Liang Xiao felt a warmth in his heart and rubbed the back of Lu Ze’s head. “That wasn’t really an argument; it barely even started.”

 

Lu Ze chuckled softly, his voice still tinged with the remnants of tears. Liang Xiao kissed him on the ear and said, “Baby, I really can’t handle it when you cry.”

 

“I don’t want to cry either,” Lu Ze sniffled. “But I can’t control it—tears just come.”

 

He lifted his head from Liang Xiao’s embrace, and Liang Xiao looked around. “Are there any wet wipes in the car? You should wipe your face.”

 

“Let’s eat the baked sweet potato first,” Lu Ze said casually, wiping his face with his hand. “It’ll get cold otherwise.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Liang Xiao picked up the baked sweet potato again and brought it to Lu Ze’s lips. Lu Ze bent down and took a big bite, closing his eyes in satisfaction as he mumbled, “Delicious!”

 

He nudged Liang Xiao’s hand. “Come on, you have to try a bite too—it’s super sweet.”

 

Liang Xiao took a bite from the spot where Lu Ze had bitten, and Lu Ze was already eager to take another bite.

 

Liang Xiao smiled and asked, “Are we still going to be able to eat later?”

 

“Doesn’t seem like it,” Lu Ze replied between bites. “But that’s okay—I’ll just watch you eat.”

 

In just a few minutes, they finished one baked sweet potato, but Lu Ze searched the car thoroughly and couldn’t find any wet wipes.

 

“I haven’t driven this car much,” Lu Ze said. “It seems like there was never anything like that prepared.”

 

“There’s a supermarket right across the street,” Liang Xiao suggested. “I can go buy some.”

 

“Forget it,” Lu Ze said as he pulled him back. “It’s not that serious—we can manage without them.”

 

Liang Xiao turned to study Lu Ze’s face closely. Suddenly, Lu Ze leaned in and kissed him on the lips. “Xiao-Xiao.”

 

“Baby,” Liang Xiao replied.

 

Lu Ze smiled and continued, “About yesterday—I want to clarify that my decision not to take the graduate college entrance exam is mainly because I really don’t want to study anymore. I think working and making money sounds good; it’s not just because of you that I don’t want to take the exam.”

 

Liang Xiao nodded. “Have you thought about what kind of job you want?”

 

“My dad’s friend has a pretty good company and said I could intern there in my senior year,” Lu Ze explained. “But honestly, I’m not very interested in that; I don’t want to be just another worker.”

 

Liang Xiao chuckled lightly. “So if you’re not going to be an employee… are you planning to become your own boss?”

 

“Exactly,” Lu Ze raised an eyebrow. “Starting my own business and being my own boss would feel so fulfilling!”

 

“What kind of business are you thinking about?” Liang Xiao continued asking. “Like… a tutoring center?”

 

Lu Ze paused for a moment before laughing. “I actually hadn’t thought of that! I never planned on doing anything related to English at all.”

 

After thinking for a while, Liang Xiao noticed the plastic bag from the baked sweet potatoes they had just eaten and suddenly felt like he might have guessed what Lu Ze wanted to do.

 

“You’re not thinking about… opening a restaurant, are you?”

 

Lu Ze snapped his fingers in excitement. “Wow, you really know me! But it might not necessarily be a restaurant; the investment is too high. Maybe something like a snack shop or something—I haven’t figured it out yet; I’m still in the phase of uncertainty.”

 

Liang Xiao reached out and touched Lu Ze’s face. “No rush, take your time to think it over. It’s okay to be a bit confused for now.”

 

“Give me a kiss,” Lu Ze suddenly said.

 

Liang Xiao’s hand lingered on his face. “Huh?”

 

“I said, kiss me…”

 

Liang Xiao leaned in and gave him a loud kiss on the cheek.

 

Lu Ze smiled and started the car. “Alright, let’s go eat. How about hot pot?”

 

“You’re already full; I can just grab a bite at the bar,” Liang Xiao replied.

 

“No way, we need to go out to eat—to commemorate this.”

 

“Commemorate what?” Liang Xiao asked.

 

Lu Ze turned to look at him. “To commemorate our first fight.”

 

After thinking for a moment, he corrected himself. “I mean, to commemorate our first non-fight.”

 

Liang Xiao laughed for a while. “Alright, such an important occasion definitely needs to be commemorated.”

 

While waiting at a red light, Lu Ze suddenly asked Liang Xiao, “Xiao’er, do you think we’ll never fight?”

 

Liang Xiao pondered seriously for a moment. “Maybe we won’t. Grandma Zhang told me that she and her husband never fought their entire lives.”

 

Lu Ze was shocked. “Is that really possible? Never in a lifetime?”

 

Liang Xiao chuckled. “I don’t know if it’s exaggerated; I’ve just never seen it myself.”

 

“Then let’s be a little exaggerated ourselves.”

 

Lu Ze freed his right hand, which Liang Xiao firmly grasped. He declared, “I will never fight with Liang Xiao for the rest of my life.”

 

Liang Xiao replied, “And I will never be apart from Lu Ze for the rest of my life.”

 

“That’s not exaggerated,” Lu Ze quickly added.

 

Liang Xiao looked at him earnestly. “Right, it’s not exaggerated—it’s forever.”

 

---

THE END!!

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