Chapter 48: Baby, Sweetheart, Honey, Sweetheart, Butler…

Gao Zhenghong stood at the edge of Lu Liu’s bed, looking down at him as he woke up. He retracted his hand and said, “Finally awake? Getting used to not waking up early during the holidays?”

“No.” Lu Liu sat up groggily, his mind still in a state of confusion. He could barely distinguish whether the things he had dreamed about were real or not.

“Come on, get up,” Gao Zhenghong said, “First period, there’s class.”

“Mm.” Lu Liu didn’t pay much attention. He just thought that the things Lin Zhi had said the previous night were too far-fetched, and since he had been thinking about Lin Zhi day and night, those words had just become material for his dreams.

Later, when Lu Liu met Lin Zhi, he suddenly remembered the dream and casually shared it as a joke.

Lin Zhi was shocked when he heard it, his eyes wide open. “You… remembered?”

“Hm?” Lu Liu, who had always believed in science, didn’t take Lin Zhi’s reincarnation story seriously. He laughed and said, “It was just a dream.”

Lin Zhi stared at him for a long time, his mind racing, and after a while, he nodded slowly.

He was actually quite conflicted. When he had told Lu Liu the truth that night, it was to answer his doubts. It was normal for Lu Liu not to believe him, and he wasn’t upset about it. But if Lu Liu had somehow gained any memories from what he said, Lin Zhi didn’t know whether he should be happy or worried.

Although the happy memories from the previous life weren’t many, they were real, and they belonged to both of them. If Lu Liu could know about them, it would make up for the regret. However, when thinking of the beautiful memories, they always came with an imperfect and unresolved ending, and Lin Zhi didn’t want Lu Liu to know about that.

“Don’t think too much about it,” Lin Zhi smiled and said, “None of that matters anymore.”

What happened in the past didn’t affect the present. Let that time be his personal secret.

“Mm.” Lu Liu often found Lin Zhi’s words interesting and deliberately asked, “Then what is important?”

“What’s important is the present,” Lin Zhi answered without hesitation.

Lu Liu nodded in agreement. He habitually wanted to praise him but saw Lin Zhi’s expression change suddenly.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Liu asked.

“I’m planning to tell Xiao Jing about our relationship,” Lin Zhi said with a righteous air.

“Oh, you haven’t told him after all this time?” Lu Liu didn’t feel as moved as Lin Zhi had expected. In fact, he even felt a bit jealous. “You two have been so close for so long.”

“Heh,” Lin Zhi was speechless. “I just realized how sharp you are at catching details. No wonder you’re such a top student.”

“Thanks for the compliment.” Lu Liu replied without modesty.

Lin Zhi almost wanted to roll his eyes. “Well, I’ve been spending all my free time with you. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Yao Wenjing. Also, are you not happy with the way I address you?”

“Are you talking about calling me ‘Hey,’ ‘You,’ and stuff like that?” Lu Liu raised an eyebrow. “Or do you prefer me to call you by your full name? Or should I just give you a look?”

“Ah,” Lin Zhi almost laughed. “You remember it pretty clearly. Then what do you want me to call you?”

“Figure it out yourself,” Lu Liu hinted. “It should be something unique like how you and Yao Wenjing call each other.”

Lin Zhi thought for a long time, hesitated, and then asked, “Should I call you Xiao Liu or Xiao Lu?”

Lu Liu: “…”

“That seems a little strange,” Lin Zhi scratched his nose. “Hehe.”

Lu Liu couldn’t do anything about him and huffed, “Call me ‘husband,’ don’t be shy.”

“Get lost.”

Lin Zhi and Yao Wenjing had planned to meet up on Saturday afternoon. During these past weekends, Lin Zhi had usually spent his time with Lu Liu. Most of the time, it was Lu Liu who came to see him, though sometimes Lin Zhi would go to Lu Liu’s school. Over time, he had become very familiar with the areas surrounding both schools. However, even though the locations were familiar, their dates never lacked freshness.

Perhaps it was because they were still in the passionate phase of their relationship, or perhaps it was because he cherished this “regained” love so much, but Lin Zhi particularly enjoyed being alone with Lu Liu.

In the first semester of their freshman year, when there weren’t many classes, Lin Zhi would sometimes head to Lu Liu’s school as soon as his classes ended, often just to have a meal together. On occasions, they would even sit together in class.

The experience of being in a strange environment, surrounded by unfamiliar students and teachers, attending a class unrelated to his own field of study, with his boyfriend sitting next to him, paying attention but occasionally turning to look at him—sometimes they would share a smile from across the classroom—brought Lin Zhi a fresh and secret joy.

“Xiao Zhi—” Yao Wenjing called out from a distance.

To show his affection, Lin Zhi called back, “Xiao Jing—”

Passersby looked at them, probably thinking they hadn’t seen each other for years, and that they must be on the verge of an emotional reunion with a long, teary hug.

But the reality would disappoint them—after they met, both Lin Zhi and Yao Wenjing burst out laughing.

“You’re copying me!” Yao Wenjing said with a smile, his eyes squinting.

“I didn’t,” Lin Zhi replied with a laugh, “I just felt inspired.”

“You didn’t used to be like this,” Yao Wenjing hummed unconsciously, “You even said I was childish.”

Lin Zhi reflected for a moment and wondered why he was being childish with Yao Wenjing today. Maybe… love really does make people return to their true selves?

“Xiao Jing, I suddenly realized…” Lin Zhi said mysteriously, “Our names sound kind of nice when called like this.”

That day, in the end, Lin Zhi still hadn’t figured out what to call Lu Liu. “Xiao Liu” and “Xiao Lu” were completely rejected by Lu Liu, and Lu Liu’s playful suggestions of “husband,” “dear,” and “darling” were things Lin Zhi couldn’t bring himself to say.

Later, Lin Zhi complained that Lu Liu didn’t have a special nickname for him either. Lu Liu shamelessly listed out a bunch of overly sweet names like “baby,” “sweetheart,” “honey,” and “butler,” leaving Lin Zhi to choose. But Lin Zhi didn’t want to choose, he just wanted to cover Lu Liu’s mouth.

After a lot of playful teasing, Lu Liu finally became a bit more serious and said he would just call Lin Zhi “Lin.” By that point, Lin Zhi’s mind was completely off track. He smiled bitterly and said, “So should I call you ‘1’? Or should we just call each other by our surnames? I’ll call you ‘Lu,’ and our combined name could be ‘Lu Lin, Good Man’?”

Lu Liu paused for a moment, then smiled as he reached out to mess up Lin Zhi’s meticulously styled hair, praising him for being cute, and then said he would call Lin Zhi “little cutie” from now on.

Thinking about it, it was… both funny and frustrating.