Shoutout to Kari for the commission!
Zhou Shirui seemed to really love saying things like that.
His burning words, containing countless hidden desires, made Le Cheng stare blankly for a moment.
He bumped his forehead against Zhou Shirui’s, then said, “I understand. Of course I understand.”
They had barely been affectionate for two minutes when they were interrupted by a sudden knock on the door.
Le Cheng’s entire body jolted. He heard Cao Fanqin’s voice.
“Chengcheng, hurry up and open the door.”
“Mom forgot to bring her keys.”
Le Cheng answered, “Oh, oh, okay!”
He looked around frantically, and in his panic, directly pushed Zhou Shirui backward into the room. Then he jogged over to the door, grabbed the keys from the cabinet in his hand, and pulled the door open.
“Mom.” Le Cheng handed them over. “Here!”
After only a few steps, he was already panting.
Cao Fanqin took them and glanced at him in surprise. “If you’re hot, turn on the air conditioning in the living room.”
Le Cheng blinked. “Mm… mm.”
“Why is your face so red even when you’re at home? I think you just don’t get enough exercise. When you have time, you should go out for a walk too,” Cao Fanqin continued. “Have you gained weight around your stomach lately?”
Le Cheng frowned at her words. “Mom, no. Mom, stop talking…”
Once the door closed again, Le Cheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.
When he turned around, Zhou Shirui was leaning against the doorframe, looking at him calmly.
Le Cheng couldn’t help laughing. “The two of us are kind of like we’re having an affair…”
Zhou Shirui nodded, but said in an indifferent tone, “Mm. After all, we have no proper status and no legitimate standing. There’s nothing we can do about it.”
Le Cheng: “…………”
After that, Le Cheng didn’t dare let Zhou Shirui stay any longer. Once Zhou Shirui had finished washing up, he walked with him toward the entrance of the residential complex.
After seeing him to the gate, Le Cheng said goodbye to him. “Which hotel did you book?”
Zhou Shirui: “Are you coming to find me?”
“Mm.” Le Cheng nodded. “I’ll go see you when I have time.”
Zhou Shirui: “When you have time?”
Le Cheng immediately changed his wording. “Specially. I’ll make a special trip to see you.”
Zhou Shirui sent him the name of the hotel. “Don’t forget.”
“I won’t forget.” Le Cheng agreed without hesitation.
On his way back, Le Cheng glanced at his phone.
First, he copied the hotel name Zhou Shirui had sent him into his navigation app and looked it up to see where it was.
Then he saw the messages Tan Xiaobai had sent.
[Little White Rabbit, White and White: Little Cheng, are you awake?]
[Little White Rabbit, White and White: Still not awake?]
[Little White Rabbit, White and White: F*ck, Zhou Shirui can’t be that inhuman, can he?]
[Little White Rabbit, White and White: Zhou Shirui really flew over there? Wow, that’s insane.]
[Little White Rabbit, White and White: Remember to put on some medicine when you wake up. This time, I’m the one who wronged you.]
[Little White Rabbit, White and White: Biting a handkerchief and crying.jpg]
The last sticker was of a smug-looking rabbit crying into the wind. It made Le Cheng’s head fill with question marks. Thinking back to the tense scene last night when his neck had been held down, the finger tapping at his screen began pressing harder.
[Orange: What medicine? Who’s putting on medicine?]
[Orange: I was just about to ask you, what exactly happened?]
[Orange: How did I get drunk?]
There was too much to say, so Tan Xiaobai simply called him.
“Ahem, ahem. Actually, the whole thing is very simple.” Tan Xiaobai briefly explained what had happened. “I’m sorry, okay? I accidentally handed you a bottle of Qiangshuang, thinking it was a soft drink.”
“But I’m not too clear on what happened afterward,” Tan Xiaobai said. “You have no idea, when Zhou Shirui called me, he asked me, ‘Where is Le Cheng?’ That voice, it was terrifying. The moment I heard it, I immediately took all the blame!”
Le Cheng corrected him, “No. It was your fault in the first place. You should say ‘bravely admitting your mistake.’”
“Okay, okay, bravely admitting my mistake,” Tan Xiaobai said. “But I also didn’t expect Zhou Shirui to fly straight over there… to find you.”
“This time, it was my fault.” After saying that, Tan Xiaobai added, “Actually, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. To show my apology, I’ll mail you some medicine…”
Le Cheng was confused for a second. “Why are you mailing me medicine?”
Tan Xiaobai bluntly said, “Zhou Shirui flew all that way to get to you. If your *ss still didn’t suffer, then he’s pretty d*mn good at holding back.”
Le Cheng: “???”
Only then did his face turn red belatedly. But it wasn’t because of what Tan Xiaobai had said. He was embarrassed because everyone seemed to be questioning his physical endurance.
It was a little humiliating.
Without explaining, he vaguely shouted, “So what if it did? There’s still no need to put on medicine.”
It wasn’t that Tan Xiaobai looked down on his friend. It was just that, based on his many years of judging people, he felt that someone like Zhou Shirui, a cold and quiet type who didn’t talk much, was probably the kind of person who behaved properly out of bed but went all out in bed.
There was no helping it.
A man’s intuition.
Ignoring his friend’s stubbornness, Tan Xiaobai decided to leave him some dignity. “Fine, fine. Then don’t put any on. Make sure you get some rest.”
After hanging up, Le Cheng returned home, his forehead covered in sweat. He turned on the air conditioning, plugged in his drawing tablet, and prepared to finish the remaining artwork he still had.
After paying off his debt, he told his family that he could earn money by taking art commissions. Cao Fanqin and Le Shuhai didn’t believe him at first, so Le Cheng showed them his account balance. Only then did they believe him, and they were even moved to tears.
“Good child.” Cao Fanqin wiped away her tears. “Actually, Mom used to always wonder what you would do after entering society. Would you still be unable to endure hardship? Would you still be like before and only know how to have fun…”
“But now, Mom is relieved,” Cao Fanqin said. “I didn’t even know you were this capable.”
Le Cheng looked at those slightly clouded eyes and tightly squeezed her hand.
For some reason, heaven had given him another chance to start over. Since he had been given this identity, he naturally had to cherish it and take responsibility.
“Mom, don’t worry.” Le Cheng made her a promise. “From now on, I’ll be fine.”
Le Cheng used the money from his commissions to buy Cao Fanqin a thick gold necklace, and he also bought Le Shuhai a new fishing rod. The two of them were overjoyed.
As a result, those two items took over their Moments feed for an entire week.
Even in their family’s large group chat, the two gifts dominated the conversation for an entire week.
Le Cheng was both a little helpless and a little happy. Knowing that they had never received gifts before was why they reacted this way, he secretly decided to earn even more money from his commissions to make it up to them.
That evening, before going to sleep, Le Cheng had a video call with Zhou Shirui.
“I’m a little nervous.” Le Cheng lay on the bed, his fingers restlessly picking at a shedding stuffed toy by the headboard. “Zhou Shirui, are you ready?”
Clearly, Zhou Shirui was the one coming to his home, yet Le Cheng acted as though he himself were about to meet the parents.
Zhou Shirui said, “More or less.”
“You’re really mentally strong,” Le Cheng praised him.
“It’s not that I’m mentally strong.” Zhou Shirui spoke honestly. “It’s that I’ve been preparing for this for a long time.”
Le Cheng had actually thought about why Zhou Shirui was so eager to meet his parents. The reason was simple and obvious.
He wanted to hold on too badly.
Because there were very few things he cared about, whenever there was something he truly wanted to have, he would always work very hard to hold on to it, work very hard to get close to it.
Bubbles rose in Le Cheng’s heart. “…I know.”
The way he looked made it seem as though he had been deeply moved.
Sometimes, Zhou Shirui was very honest, but other times, he would only say half of what he meant. It depended on whether he wanted Le Cheng to remember, whether he wanted to add another weight in Le Cheng’s heart that would make it impossible for him to leave.
For example, at this moment, he wanted Le Cheng to understand how much he cared, how hard he had tried.
So Le Cheng said, “Don’t worry. My parents are both really nice. They’ve wanted to meet you for a long time.”
Zhou Shirui nodded.
“Oh, right.” Le Cheng stared at the screen, then asked worriedly, “I forgot to ask you. You suddenly came back, what about your mom… what’s going to happen on her end?”
Zhou Shirui’s expression paused slightly. “It’s fine. I’ve already explained everything clearly to her.”
Le Cheng asked, “What did you say?”
“I said,” Zhou Shirui slowly began, “that I was coming back to see you.”
Le Cheng said, “Then what did your mom say? Did she, um, try to stop you? Or…”
“No.” Zhou Shirui answered without much hesitation. “No. Of course she has to give us her blessing.”
Only then did Le Cheng’s eyes curve with relief. “Then your mom is pretty nice. That’s great.”
He had originally thought it would be very difficult, but if that was the case, then that was wonderful.
Although he said that he did not care, deep down, he still wanted to receive his parents’ blessing.
Zhou Shirui quietly looked at his curved eyes and lightly curled his lips as well. “Mm.”
But was it really that easy?
His thoughts drifted as his gaze fell on the chat history still open on his tablet.
[If you insist on going back, Mom will respect your choice. But I hope you won’t regret it. This path was never going to be easy.]
During the more than ten days he had spent abroad, rather than saying that he had been handling matters, it would be more accurate to say that his mother had deliberately used all kinds of reasons to keep him there. She took him to tour the company, introduced him to people from the upper class, and even tried to introduce him to new people at a reception.
He saw through her intentions and began refusing completely.
His mother was already in her forties, but she took good care of herself and still looked very young, with a gentle and graceful temperament.
“Shirui, Mom really hopes you’ll think this through carefully and not act on impulse.” Shen Lan lit a cigarette, her black hair neatly pinned up.
“It’s not that I don’t respect you. It’s that you’re still too young. Do you know what is most important? Mom knows about your ambitions and your ideals. If you stay here, I can provide you with better help.”
“You’re blinded by emotion right now, which is why you feel that he is absolutely indispensable. But what about after the passion cools down? The two of you have no legal protection, nothing binding you together. All you have are verbal promises. What happens in a few years if, even if you don’t change your heart, he stops loving you? What if he abandons you again? What will you be able to do then?”
On the cruise ship that was about to dock, the sea breeze brushed against his face, soft and tranquil, while Shen Lan’s words were simple but powerful.
Zhou Shirui did not speak.
When he had suddenly decided to return home, Shen Lan had not stopped him. At the airport, Zhou Shirui heard himself say this.
“When we were children, on the last night before we separated, you once told me that in this world, there was no one who was obligated to love me.”
“I used to agree with what you said,” Zhou Shirui said calmly. “But now, I don’t agree with it quite as much.”
“Because,” Zhou Shirui said, “I want Le Cheng to love me.”
“Le Cheng has to come and love me.” Zhou Shirui smiled. It was a very faint smile. “You say that I’m acting on impulse. But in fact, I’ve thought about these things hundreds of times.”
“I used to always think that feelings were too troublesome and too intangible. If I couldn’t hold on to something, then I would let it go. If it wasn’t mine, then I didn’t want it. There are very few things I care about, and I had already obtained most of them.”
“But I can’t let him go,” Zhou Shirui said lightly. “Even if, just as you said, he lets me go years from now, then at that time, I won’t need to be so honorable and straightforward. Perhaps I wasn’t accurate enough just now. It’s not that Le Cheng has to love me. It’s that I want him to come and love me.”
“Besides, he isn’t you. You couldn’t do it, but he can.”
Shen Lan looked into his dark eyes, and only then did she seem to suddenly realize that, at some unknown point, the shoulders she remembered had become so broad. Like a bird spreading its wings from the shore, he had long since slipped beyond her control, flying toward the distant place he wished to reach.
***
Early the next morning, Le Cheng casually brought up the matter of Zhou Shirui.
Cao Fanqin and Le Shuhai were naturally very happy.
“We’ve wanted to meet Little Zhou for a long time. You child, why are you still hesitating? Why didn’t you bring him home sooner?”
Le Shuhai chimed in as well, “Exactly. Your parents are both open-minded people. So when exactly is Little Zhou coming? Your mom and I can prepare in advance, clean up the house. And you too, your room is way too messy. If Little Zhou sees it, who knows how much he’ll laugh at you. Hurry up and clean it tonight.”
Le Cheng scratched his cheek with his finger and said somewhat guiltily, “There’s no need for that, right?”
Zhou Shirui had already been here and seen it…
Cao Fanqin was unhappy. “What do you mean there’s no need? Don’t we have to leave him with a good impression?”
Le Cheng could only obediently pick up a rag and clean his room.
Cao Fanqin took out the old almanac and chose an auspicious day, then asked Le Cheng whether Zhou Shirui was free at that time.
Le Cheng certainly did not dare tell them that, in order to meet the parents, Zhou Shirui was on standby at any time and had not even gone back yet. He was staying at a hotel.
“I’ll go discuss it with him.”
Zhou Shirui knocked on the door on Wednesday evening.
Le Cheng was watching television in the living room. They had already communicated over the phone, and when he heard the movement, he hurried over to open the door. “I’m coming, I’m coming.”
“Click.”
As the front door opened, Le Cheng and Zhou Shirui looked at each other for two seconds. Before they could say anything, they heard footsteps behind them. Cao Fanqin hurried over. “Little Zhou is here? Come, come, come! Oh my, I was cooking. I didn’t hear you!”
Le Cheng was ruthlessly squeezed to the side. Le Shuhai followed after her. “Little Zhou, come sit inside. Why did you bring things? Oh my, you’re being far too polite, far too polite.”
“Just a small token of appreciation.” Zhou Shirui wore a perfectly appropriate smile.
He had not brought any expensive jewelry or fancy appliances. Instead, he had brought health supplements, a tea set, green vegetables, and fruit.
Le Cheng had secretly slipped out with him and watched him pick them out.
Le Cheng knew exactly what Le Shuhai and Cao Fanqin liked. The gifts he had chosen were completely to their liking. Hearing the two of them praise the gifts endlessly, Le Cheng sat down opposite Zhou Shirui and proudly blinked at him.
He mouthed: How about that? Pretty impressive, right?
His long eyelashes fluttered. For some reason, Zhou Shirui’s heart itched at the sight of him, but he did not show anything on his face. He merely nodded slightly.
Le Cheng had barely warmed his seat before Cao Fanqin sent him off to make tea.
“Mom, didn’t you just make a pot?”
“You made the wrong one.” Cao Fanqin said. “This one is the good stuff. Hurry up and make a pot of this.”
“Oh… okay.”
By the time he returned, Cao Fanqin had already begun the first round of her “interrogation” of Zhou Shirui.
“Little Zhou.” Cao Fanqin said, “Where do you live now? Did you drive here by yourself? And do you have any younger brothers or sisters?”
“Auntie, I live by myself in C City,” Zhou Shirui said. “I drove here, and I don’t have any younger brothers or sisters.”
“That’s quite close. Chengcheng, look at Little Zhou. He can drive here all by himself.”
“Mom.” Le Cheng protested. “I have a driver’s license too. I can drive.”
“Then why do you never drive? Are you just lazy?” Cao Fanqin did not spare him even a glance. “Little Zhou, have some tea. The meal will be ready soon. Chengcheng said you like braised fish. What a coincidence, that’s Old Le’s specialty.”
Zhou Shirui thanked her and took a sip of tea.
Cao Fanqin smiled. “Oh, right, Little Zhou. Chengcheng said you’re making games now. What kind of games are they?”
Zhou Shirui said, “Auntie, it’s like this…”
Le Cheng sat on the sofa nearby, listening on and off.
The way he looked at Zhou Shirui also became increasingly astonished.
Who would have thought that Zhou Shirui, who usually seemed so quiet and aloof, would actually appear so completely at ease when facing his parents’ questioning?
It was truly surprising.
No wonder he had said that he had been preparing for a long time. Le Cheng felt that all his previous nervousness had been directed toward the wrong person.
Le Shuhai brought the dishes to the table. “Alright, alright. You can chat more later. Let’s eat first. Little Zhou, do you drink?”
“Dad, he doesn’t drink!” Before Zhou Shirui could speak, Le Cheng rejected the offer at lightning speed.
Le Cheng was afraid that Zhou Shirui, whose alcohol tolerance was terrible, would have his thinking affected by drinking. That would not be good.
“I’m asking Little Zhou.” Le Shuhai looked at him. “Does Little Zhou drink? I’ve got some good liquor here. Someone gave it to me. It costs a thousand yuan a bottle.”
“What I say is even more effective than what he says.” Le Cheng immediately reached over and pressed down Zhou Shirui’s wine glass. “He’s not drinking.”
“Look at that, look at that.” Le Shuhai said helplessly, smiling at Zhou Shirui. “He’s just that domineering. Then we won’t drink today.”
Cao Fanqin came out of the kitchen carrying soup. “Honestly, you. Didn’t the doctor tell you to drink less? You’re not even as sensible as a child.”
Le Shuhai scratched his head. “I’m just happy…”
Once they sat down to eat, Cao Fanqin began the second round of her “interrogation.”
Le Cheng did not say anything and simply focused on eating. There were only four people, but twelve dishes had been prepared, completely filling the dining table. Le Cheng ate happily, only occasionally tugging on Zhou Shirui’s sleeve to signal for him to pick up dishes that were too far away for him to reach.
“Cough, cough, cough…!” Le Cheng was burned by a beef ball and choked, his face turning bright red. He immediately attracted the attention of the other three people at the table.
“Did you burn yourself?” Cao Fanqin said. “Hurry and spit it out.”
Le Shuhai turned around to get some tissues. “How could you be so careless? Where’s the garbage can?”
Zhou Shirui reached out and supported Le Cheng’s chin, saying quietly, “Spit it out.”
With a “plop,” the half-bitten meatball fell into Zhou Shirui’s palm. Immediately afterward, a glass of water was brought to his lips. “Hold it in your mouth.”
Le Cheng took a large gulp of water from Zhou Shirui’s hand. Fortunately, he had spat it out in time. His mouth was only a little numb from the burn, and it did not hurt.
Only then did Zhou Shirui lower his eyes, throw the meatball into the garbage can, and get up to wash his hands.
Watching this incredibly natural scene, Cao Fanqin quietly turned her head and exchanged a look with Le Shuhai.
Le Shuhai raised his eyebrows and smiled.
Le Cheng did not notice their silent exchange at all. When Zhou Shirui returned after washing his hands, water was still dripping from his fingertips. He did not touch Le Cheng’s face and merely said, “Let me see.”
Le Cheng naturally understood what he wanted to see, but in front of his parents, he suddenly felt a little embarrassed. He hurriedly shook his head and secretly tugged on Zhou Shirui’s sleeve beneath the table. “It doesn’t hurt anymore. I’m fine.”
Zhou Shirui stared at him for two seconds and did not insist. “Drink some more water.”
“Okay.” Le Cheng nodded.
The meal lasted for three hours. Le Cheng ate until his stomach was round and full, groaning from being so stuffed.
As it gradually grew dark, Le Shuhai sat in the living room and enthusiastically talked to Zhou Shirui about how to fish. Miraculously, Zhou Shirui was actually able to carry on the conversation with him.
“Chengcheng, go. Stop lazing around here,” Cao Fanqin said. “Wash some fruit for after the meal.”
“Mom, I’m so full. I can’t eat anymore.” Le Cheng rubbed his stomach miserably.
“If you don’t want to eat, does that mean Little Zhou doesn’t want to eat either?” Cao Fanqin urged him. “Wash some for Little Zhou.”
“Okay.” Le Cheng stood up, went into the kitchen, picked out a plate of fruit, and began vigorously washing it under the running tap.
“Click—”
Someone opened the door and came in. Le Cheng turned around and saw that it was Cao Fanqin.
“Mom, why did you come in?” Le Cheng lowered his eyelashes. “I can wash it myself.”
“Mm. Go ahead and wash it.” Cao Fanqin stood beside him and watched.
Le Cheng sensed that something was not right and quietly asked, “Do you want to talk to me about something?”
“Chengcheng.” Cao Fanqin nodded, her expression becoming somewhat serious. “I do have something to say to you.”
“What is it, Mom…” Le Cheng blinked.
“I talked with Little Zhou just now. I think Little Zhou is a very good young man.”
Le Cheng breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes curving as he smiled. “I think so too!”
Cao Fanqin moved closer to him and lowered her voice. “But precisely because of that, I took a look just now. The car Little Zhou drives isn’t cheap, is it? Where have we ever even seen that brand around here? And that tea set he bought, I’m an outsider, but even I could tell it was expensive.”
“And his family situation. Before, you only said that his mother was abroad and his father was in the country. Why didn’t you tell us that his family owns a company? I’ve heard of his father’s company. A child from such a wealthy family… Chengcheng, tell me honestly, how did the two of you meet?”
Le Cheng was a little stumped by the question. “We… we met at school. Mom, what do you mean by that?”
“Of course Mom isn’t doubting you.” Cao Fanqin said worriedly. “It’s just that… our family is an ordinary family. We’ve never thought about marrying into wealth or climbing our way up. But you’re dating a wealthy boyfriend, and your boyfriend treats you very well. That should be something to be happy about, but precisely because of that…”
“His parents didn’t come either. You said before that it was because they were divorced and didn’t care about him, but I think…” Cao Fanqin asked pointedly, “They both disapprove, don’t they?”
Le Cheng did not know how to explain this matter. He nodded, then shook his head. “Yes… and no. But it’s true that his parents stopped taking care of him when he was very young. After he went to university, he never asked his family for a single cent again.”
Only then did Cao Fanqin’s expression relax slightly.
When Le Cheng carried the fruit out, Zhou Shirui happened to look up as well. Le Cheng paused slightly and gave him a reassuring smile.
After finishing the fruit, it was time for Zhou Shirui to leave. Cao Fanqin and Le Shuhai walked him to the door and warmly said, “Little Zhou, come visit whenever you have time.”
“Okay.” Zhou Shirui nodded. “Uncle, Auntie, it’s hot outside. You should go back in.”
“Alright,” they agreed.
Le Cheng put on his shoes and hurriedly said, “I’ll walk you out. I’ll walk you out.”
Cao Fanqin smiled and teased, “Oh my, go on then. You’re so clingy.”
Embarrassed by her teasing, Le Cheng quickly shut the door. Taking two steps at a time, he caught up and grabbed Zhou Shirui’s hand.
The indoor air conditioning had been cool, making their fingertips slightly cold. Zhou Shirui interlaced his fingers with Le Cheng’s and asked quietly, “How was it?”
Le Cheng said, “Hm? What?”
“How did I do today?” Zhou Shirui lowered his eyes and looked at him very seriously.
Le Cheng smiled brightly. “You did especially well. I was shocked! I thought you wouldn’t know how to say all those flattering things. Who knew you’d be smoother at it than I am?”
Zhou Shirui pinched his cheek. “Is that a compliment?”
“Of course.” Le Cheng nodded. “It’s definitely a compliment.”
Zhou Shirui accepted the compliment. “Then what about Uncle and Auntie? Did they say anything?”
Under the hot chirping of cicadas, Le Cheng looked at him. As though covering up the pounding of his heart, he merely paused before shaking his head. “Of course they didn’t say anything.”
“Really?”
“Oh, I remember. They did say something!” Le Cheng’s eyes curved, sparkling like stars. “They said… now they can finally feel at ease leaving me in your hands!”
Zhou Shirui froze slightly. It felt as though waves of wheat were rippling through his chest. His expression was clearly moved, and unable to contain his emotions, he wrapped an arm around Le Cheng’s waist and pulled him into his embrace.
Le Cheng’s chin rested against his shoulder. Feeling the pounding of his heart, his thoughts seemed to flash back to the room.
At the end, Cao Fanqin had asked him this: “Chengcheng, Little Zhou is very good, and you’re very good too. But Mom is still a little worried. You don’t have his parents’ blessing, and there’s no legal bond between you. His family is also like this. You already like him so deeply now, but what about later? What if one day he stops loving you? What will you do then?”
Le Cheng thought about it for a moment. “But I really like him right now, and he really likes me too.”
“I know, Chengcheng,” Cao Fanqin said. “Mom is only worried. I’m not trying to break you two up right now. But you should think about it too. The road ahead is so long. You’re a devoted child, but what about other people? Can you control someone else’s heart?”
Le Cheng thought that he could not control someone else’s heart.
It was as though two different spaces and times overlapped. Different times, the same setting, and the same choice.
So, what had he said?
He had said this: “Mom, I understand! I can’t control someone else’s heart, but Zhou Shirui’s heart is already in my arms. I have to take good care of it for him. I can’t let him down! So, you can feel at ease leaving me in his hands!”
