DABGBTF 13

When Xie Zheng asked the question, Lu Lu was picking at the cherry tomatoes on his plate.

He piled those few cherry tomatoes into a very artistic heap and obediently answered Xie Zheng’s question. “I guess so, I’m actually quite well-liked by elders.”

Xie Zheng looked at Lu Lu’s foolishly smiling face, feeling that he could almost fantasize about his life for the past eighteen years. 

A small family that couldn’t be considered wealthy but couldn’t be called poor either—a family of three would sit at a small dining table during meal times to eat. Both parents deeply loved this sensible child, smiling at him, petting his head, and pretending to complain that he was very naughty.

Xie Zheng casually asked, “Who do your looks resemble more?”

Lu Lu tilted his head up and pondered, only answering after a long while. “It should be Mom.”

Xie Zheng raised his eyebrows.

Such a simple question, if it were him answering, he wouldn’t hesitate for so long. 

Lu Lu, however, thought for a full half-minute before he could answer.

Lu Lu seemed to know what Xie Zheng found strange. His eyes curved as he explained, “I grew up with my grandpa and grandma.”

Grew up with his grandpa and grandma? What did that mean? 

Never seen his parents? 

Abandoned? Or some other reason?

Numerous speculations flashed through Xie Zheng’s mind, and when he raised his eyes again to look at Lu Lu’s smiling face, he couldn’t help but frown.

“So stupid.” Xie Zheng said, “Hurry up and eat.”

However, after finishing the meal, a small interlude occurred.

They had already driven halfway when Lu Lu finally realized he had left his phone in the restaurant. He turned the car around to go back and get it; with this back-and-forth trip, he missed the dorm curfew time.

Xie Zheng actually originally wanted to just go straight back to Song Qingyuan’s place to rest today. 

However, he wouldn’t do something as classless as bringing someone back to a friend’s house to mess around, so he instructed Lu Lu, “Go to the hotel.”

Xie Zheng had already had Lao Tian book that room long-term, and the people on duty at the front desk already recognized Xie Zheng. Seeing him arrive, they even gifted a fruit platter and snacks, which were accepted by Lu Lu with a beaming smile.

After entering the room, Lu Lu, carrying a clear grapefruit scent, lowered his head to kiss Xie Zheng, his hand burrowing under the hem of Xie Zheng’s shirt.

Xie Zheng pushed him away. “Not doing it today.”

Lu Lu let out an “ah,” carefully examining Xie Zheng’s brows and eyes. “Are you in a bad mood, Uncle Xie?”

Xie Zheng didn’t speak.

It couldn’t be called a mood or no mood, he just felt it was meaningless. Every time he spoke with his mom, Xie Zheng’s emotions seemed as if someone had pressed the reset button. Whether good or bad, the emotions all became blank, needing to be accumulated all over again.

“Are you tired?” Lu Lu asked, “Shall I order hot milk? Or wash some fruit?”

“…” Xie Zheng found it funny to hear. “Coaxing a child? Baby, you’re quite cute.”

Xie Zheng raised his hand to pinch Lu Lu’s face. Lu Lu’s squinting and very obedient expression was pinched this way and that by Xie Zheng.

Seeing him like this, a little bit of wicked intention sprouted in Xie Zheng’s heart.

He sent his finger into Lu Lu’s mouth. Lu Lu held it in his mouth, and even asked indistinctly, “Want to eat grapes or strawberries?”

Xie Zheng was ultimately amused. “Grapes.”

As his voice fell, Xie Zheng felt the phone in his pants pocket start to vibrate. Taking it out to look, he discovered it was actually Song Qingyuan calling.

Xie Zheng raised his eyebrows. “Isn’t this Teacher Song—what’s up?”

Lu Lu’s eyes dimmed in an instant. 

He bit Xie Zheng’s fingertip lightly, picked up the grapes from the fruit platter, and walked to the sink.

From behind came the smiling voice of Xie Zheng chatting with Song Qingyuan.

What would it be like in two years? This relationship heading to an end, Xie Zheng finding someone he likes more?

Lu Lu exhaled forcefully, only to realize that several grapes had already been crushed by him, light green juice dripping down from his fair fingertips.

By the time Lu Lu finished washing the grapes and came out, Xie Zheng had also hung up the call with Song Qingyuan and was watching TV. 

Lu Lu walked to Xie Zheng’s side to peel the grape skins, feeding the grapes to him.

There was nothing good to watch on late-night TV—out of ten channels, nine were playing dog blood soap operas of deep love and bitter hate, while the remaining local channel was broadcasting the late-night news. 

The news wasn’t very interesting either. First was a group of doctors celebrating phased progress in a certain disease, followed by students of a certain school jointly petitioning against a professor’s academic fraud.

Xie Zheng was watching until he felt drowsy. Just as he was about to turn off the TV, he heard the host say something about Linyuan’s housing prices rising too fast and the government having stepped in to regulate.

Xie Zheng crossed his legs, his eyes revealing contemplation.

Linyuan was, after all, a city he had lived in for a few years. If choosing a location for a branch office, he would definitely choose here. 

The assistant had selected several office buildings, but each had pros and cons, and they were still making the final decision. 

While Xie Zheng certainly had a strong desire for control over his subordinates, it wasn’t to the extent of needing to intervene in even this small matter.

He was thinking about something else.

He looked at Lu Lu. “Are you free in a few days to accompany me to look at some houses?”

Lu Lu’s hand peeling the grape paused. “Look at houses? Uncle Xie, are you going to buy a house here?”

“If there’s a suitable one, I’ll buy.”

Xie Zheng listed a few real estate development names, and Lu Lu smiled. “What a coincidence. I’ve been to see a few of them. I went to accompany a senior from Environmental Arts for a site survey.”

He grabbed his phone and leaned close to Xie Zheng, finding the photos he had taken for him.

Xie Zheng laughed. “You secretly photographed me? When?”

He reached out and swiped down Lu Lu’s photo album, then clicked open a photo in the corner. After the image enlarged, Xie Zheng clearly saw his sleeping self. 

Looking at the background, it should be this very hotel—the quilt casually draped over his waist, revealing a broad and bare back, the wheat-colored skin bearing bite marks and hickeys left by Lu Lu.

The few pictures before and after were also photos of Xie Zheng, largely identical with minor differences, just from different angles.

Lu Lu didn’t have the awkwardness of being caught red-handed¹Modern slang meaning to be caught in the act of doing something sneaky or embarrassing., he just smiled. “You can also photograph me.”

Pausing for a moment, Lu Lu’s voice grew a bit lighter. He looked into Xie Zheng’s eyes and asked him, “Do you want to photograph me? Uncle Xie.”

Xie Zheng gave him a look. He suddenly pulled open his own collar, pressed Lu Lu’s head against his chest, and lazily commanded. “Lick.”

A moment later, a wet sensation came from his chest.

Xie Zheng leaned the back of his neck against the sofa, tilting his head up to enjoy it for a while. 

He then grabbed Lu Lu’s phone, pulled Lu Lu’s bangs, and forced him to lift his head a bit.

“Click.”

The image in the phone froze the two of them at this moment.

In the upper half of the image, Xie Zheng was looking at the camera smiling very joyfully; in the lower half, the bright red tip of Lu Lu’s tongue was still exposed.

“Photos should be taken like this.” Xie Zheng had absolutely no guilt about teaching a kid bad things. “Did you learn it?”

The two met each other’s gaze. Lu Lu’s eyes flickered for a moment and he gave a low “mm.”

A little later in the night, the two were lying in bed preparing to rest.

Speaking of which, this should be the first time the two of them lay in the same bed without having to do anything.

The hotel bed was very large. Xie Zheng and Lu Lu each had their own quilt, with a clearly demarcated²An idiom that translates to “as distinct as the Jing and Wei rivers.” The Jing River is muddy while the Wei River is clear, and where they meet, the waters don’t immediately mix. It means a very clear, strict boundary or distinction. 38th parallel³This refers historically to the 38th parallel north, which divides North and South Korea. In everyday Chinese slang, it is playfully used to describe an imaginary boundary line drawn (usually between two people sharing a desk or a bed) that neither person is allowed to cross. in the middle.

Lu Lu listened to Xie Zheng’s breathing and thought, If only Xie Zheng also wanted to do it tonight. He then thought, Actually lying together like this is also very nice, if only we could be a little closer.

• 1
  Modern slang meaning to be caught in the act of doing something sneaky or embarrassing.
• 2
  An idiom that translates to “as distinct as the Jing and Wei rivers.” The Jing River is muddy while the Wei River is clear, and where they meet, the waters don’t immediately mix. It means a very clear, strict boundary or distinction.
• 3
  This refers historically to the 38th parallel north, which divides North and South Korea. In everyday Chinese slang, it is playfully used to describe an imaginary boundary line drawn (usually between two people sharing a desk or a bed) that neither person is allowed to cross.