The next day, Lu Shiran woke up to an empty space in his arms. He instinctively reached over but felt nothing. When he opened his eyes, the space beside him was empty. He touched the sheets, and they were already cool, so the person next to him must have left several minutes ago.
Lu Shiran got up to look for Lu Xingmian. He wasn’t in the bathroom, on the balcony, or even in the study. Lu Shiran was momentarily stunned. Has Lu Xingmian gone out? He glanced at the time; it was only seven in the morning, and Lu Xingmian rarely woke up this early. Could he be having insomnia again?
Just as he was about to go back and get his phone to call Lu Xingmian, he heard a sound from the kitchen. Lu Shiran went to check and saw the refrigerator door open. Lu Xingmian was bent over while rummaging through something inside. Although Lu Xingmian looked thin, his butt was quite pert and felt soft and fleshy to the touch.
Seeing him, Lu Shiran unconsciously let out a sigh of relief. “What are you looking for?” His voice was still hoarse, but it was much better than the day before.
Lu Xingmian looked up. “I’m trying to figure out what we should eat. Perfect, you’re here. Ge, what do you feel like eating?” There were too many things in the fridge, and Lu Xingmian didn’t know what to make.
Lu Shiran came over and looked. “Dumplings, how about it?” He remembered that Lu Xingmian loved the dumplings the housekeeper made and had been talking about them two days ago.
“Okay!” Lu Xingmian was also thinking about dumplings, and he was surprised that Lu Shiran had the same idea. “Ge, you go and get ready. I’ll cook the dumplings.”
Lu Shiran was pushed out of the kitchen, but not without a final instruction. “Be careful not to get burned.”
When he finished getting ready, he saw Lu Xingmian cooking dumplings in the kitchen. He was wearing an apron, holding a spoon, and watching the dumplings bob in the pot. When he saw Lu Shiran, he smiled. “Ge, the dumplings will be ready soon. Just a little more.”
After the dumplings were cooked, Lu Xingmian scooped them out, put them on a plate, and brought them over. He then naturally touched Lu Shiran’s ear, which was a little hot from the steam.
Lu Shiran started to get up, but Lu Xingmian pressed him down, not letting him move. Lu Xingmian brought over another plate of dumplings and then pinched Lu Shiran’s ear again.
When he took his hand back, Lu Shiran caught his fingertips and looked at them. They’re slightly red, he then lowered his head to blow on them. The cool air on his fingertips felt so comfortable. Lu Xingmian looked at Lu Shiran and smiled. “Ge, you’re so good to me.”
After breakfast, they left together. In the car, Lu Xingmian reminded Lu Shiran to take his medicine on time. He thought that with such a bad cold, Lu Shiran would stay home and rest today instead of going to the office.
During class, Lu Xingmian was still worried and sent him a message asking if he was feeling better. Lu Shiran replied that he was much better and pointed out that it was his class time, and he should listen carefully instead of playing on his phone.
Lu Xingmian blinked at the message. He’d been caught slacking off in class by Lu Shiran. “All right, I’ll be a good student.”
Just as Lu Xingmian put his phone away, it vibrated again. He thought it was Lu Shiran but saw Lu Yu’s name instead. It turned out Lu Yu had just called Lu Shiran and could tell his younger brother had a cold from the sound of his voice.
[Lu Yu: Lu Xingmian, ever since he was a kid, Lu Shiran has been extremely resistant to taking medicine when he’s sick. He hates it. It was true back then, and it’s even more true now. Every time he gets sick, he just toughs it out. He listens to you most, so please talk to him. When you’re sick, you need to take medicine, not just power through it.]
Lu Xingmian read the message and fell into deep thought. Did Lu Shiran really hate taking medicine? He remembered watching Lu Shiran take his medicine yesterday; Lu Shiran hadn’t even blinked. There was no sign that he didn’t want to take it at all. He also remembered the last time he was sick and didn’t want to take his medicine. Lu Shiran had personally fed it to him. He recalled the medicine was incredibly bitter, making him frown, but Lu Shiran’s expression had been calm, almost completely unfazed.
When class ended for lunch, Lu Xingmian sent a message to Lu Shiran, reminding him to eat lunch and not forget to take his medicine. After sending the message, he looked up and saw two familiar figures: Jiang Ran and the boy who had come to see him before. They were walking side by side, a harmonious sight that suggested they had made up. Lu Xingmian smiled happily at them.
He didn’t have any classes in the afternoon, and after his club activities finished, it was still early. Lu Xingmian decided to go to Lu Shiran’s office to pick him up. He hadn’t called to tell him he was coming because he wanted to give him a surprise, if he knew in advance, it wouldn’t be one anymore.
Without a work pass, not being an employee, and having no appointment, Lu Xingmian wasn’t allowed into the company. He could only sit on the wide, comfortable couch in the lobby. Lu Shiran had said he still had over two hours until he got off work. The time passed quickly. Feeling a bit thirsty, Lu Xingmian bought a drink from a nearby vending machine.
As he finished his drink, he finally spotted Lu Shiran entering from outside, accompanied by several men in suits. With his long legs, Lu Shiran walked with firm, powerful strides, each step radiating authority. This was the first time Lu Xingmian had seen Lu Shiran in his work environment. Even though he wore the same kind of clothes at home, Lu Xingmian always saw him as gentle. Here, Lu Shiran walked ahead of the group, his expression calm, yet surrounded by an unspoken authority that made those around him feel a sense of awe.
But Lu Xingmian wasn’t afraid at all. He put his hand, which he had started to raise, back down. They seemed to be in the middle of a discussion, and he didn’t want to interrupt Lu Shiran. He quietly remained seated on the sofa, trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.
Lu Shiran had walked forward a few steps when he suddenly stopped, as if sensing something. When President Lu stopped, the people beside him also stopped, and the person talking to him knew to immediately fall silent. Seeing him pause, Lu Xingmian suddenly grew nervous. Could Lu Shiran have seen him? Lu Xingmian shrunk further into the corner of the sofa. He was certain Lu Shiran hadn’t seen him.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Lu Shiran walked toward a specific area and stopped in front of a young man. To everyone’s greater surprise, President Lu actually knelt down to speak with him.
“When did you get here?”
His voice was gentle with a hint of hoarseness, but it was already much better than yesterday. It was slightly raspy and a little nasal, but to Lu Xingmian’s ears, it was still the most pleasant sound in the world.
Everyone’s eyes were on Lu Xingmian. “Who is that?” they wondered.
Lu Xingmian replied, “I just got here.”
Lu Shiran looked at the empty drink bottle in his hand and knew he was lying. “Little liar. Come up with me.”
Lu Xingmian glanced at the group of people craning their necks. “No, no, it’s fine. I’ll just wait here for you. You go and be busy. Don’t worry about me.”
Lu Shiran took his backpack from beside him and held his hand. “Come to my office and wait. Be good.”
No matter when, Lu Xingmian could never resist when Lu Shiran said the words “be good.”
Under everyone’s gaze, Lu Shiran led Lu Xingmian by the hand into the elevator. Lu Shiran looked at the group of people who hadn’t moved. “Are you guys not coming in?”
The people outside finally reacted. “President Lu, we can take the next elevator. You go on ahead.”
Lu Shiran didn’t say anything, and the elevator doors closed. Lu Xingmian noticed that everyone seemed to be a little scared of Lu Shiran.
It was just the two of them in the elevator.
“Ge, you look so handsome at work.” Lu Xingmian said.
Lu Shiran ruffled his hair. “Next time you come, call me. Don’t wait down there like a little fool.”
With his hair all messed up, Lu Xingmian explained, “I wanted to surprise you.”
Lu Shiran thought to himself that a surprise like this was not worth it. He couldn’t stand the thought of Lu Xingmian waiting there like that. If he hadn’t happened to come back from outside, he wouldn’t have known Lu Xingmian was down there waiting for him.
Lu Xingmian was worried about his cold and asked, “Did you take your medicine on time for lunch? Are you feeling better?”
Lu Shiran laughed. “Zai Zai, you were the one who made sure I took my medicine at lunchtime. Did you forget?”
As the elevator slowly ascended, Lu Xingmian was still a bit uneasy. “Ge, will I really not bother you at work?” How could he have known that Lu Shiran would spot him in that corner of the lobby?
“No, you won’t.” Lu Shiran’s voice was filled with an undeniable joy.
Lu Shiran hadn’t lied to him. After they arrived, he still had a meeting to attend and told Lu Xingmian to wait for him in his office. An hour later, after spending time on his phone and watching some TV, Lu Xingmian realized that when Lu Shiran came back, he hadn’t even finished a single episode.
“You’re done so quickly?” Lu Xingmian asked. He had felt like ten minutes waiting downstairs was an eternity, yet how could an hour in Lu Shiran’s office have passed so quickly?
After work, the two of them went home together.
In the elevator, Lu Shiran looked at Lu Xingmian’s hand. His hand was beautiful, but it felt like it was missing something.
Noticing his gaze, Lu Xingmian asked, “What are you looking at?”
Lu Shiran naturally took his hand. “I’m happy you came to pick me up from work.”
Lu Yu had said that Lu Shiran hated taking medicine, so that night, after Lu Shiran took his medicine, Lu Xingmian unwrapped a fruit candy and put it in his mouth.
Lu Shiran’s eyebrows suddenly furrowed. “Zai Zai, what’s this?”
“It’s a fruit candy,” Lu Xingmian said. “If you eat candy after taking medicine, your mouth won’t be bitter.”
Lu Shiran’s expression was strange. “Zai Zai, do you want to try one?”
“Sure.” Lu Xingmian unwrapped a candy and put it in his own mouth. A few seconds later, his face contorted. It was sour! Extremely sour! Incredibly sour! So sour his teeth felt like they were about to fall out.
Lu Xingmian quickly took the bag of fruit candies out of his pocket to look at it. He hadn’t paid attention and had bought the green apple flavor, but he never expected it to be so sour. He quickly spit the candy out but then heard the sound of Lu Shiran biting down on his own candy.
Lu Xingmian was speechless. Didn’t it taste sour?
Lu Shiran guessed that Lu Yu must have told him about his dislike for medicine, which was why Lu Xingmian had thought of buying candy to coax him.
“Zai Zai, don’t worry. I’ll definitely take my medicine on time so I can get better quickly.”
