Chapter 38 “How could Lu Liu be ‘Zhi’…”

The next morning, Lin Zhi and Zhao Shaochuan left together—one to meet his current girlfriend, the other to meet his past and future boyfriend.

As they neared the movie theater, Lin Zhi grew more and more excited. Even his walking posture, built over twenty years of life, felt awkward. Before their first meeting, he had mostly felt anticipation and joy, but after the interruption last time, his mood was different this time.

To ease his nerves, Lin Zhi took out his phone and aimlessly scrolled through the home screen, thinking of asking “Zhi” if he had arrived yet, but he himself hadn’t even arrived. After a moment, Lin Zhi sent a message: 【I’ll be there soon.】

【Zhi: I’m already here.】

Lin Zhi couldn’t help but quicken his pace. Twice now, “Zhi” had arrived before him.

This year, three highly anticipated movies were released for the National Day holiday. The waiting area in the cinema was packed, and Lin Zhi didn’t see anyone who resembled “Zhi.” Just as he was about to message him, someone lightly tapped him on the shoulder from behind and called his name: “Lin Zhi.”

Lin Zhi turned around, stunned. He quickly turned off his phone screen, trying to hide his surprise, and asked, “Class monitor? What are you doing here?”

Lu Liu smiled faintly. “Came to watch a movie.”

Of course, he was here to watch a movie. What kind of question was Lin Zhi asking? Still stunned, Lin Zhi asked, “Are you here alone?”

Could he be here with “Zhi”?

“No,” Lu Liu shook his head lightly. “I’m meeting someone.”

“Oh,” Lin Zhi’s hand, hanging by his side, idly rubbed the back of his phone case. “I’m here for the same reason.”

Lu Liu didn’t respond, only smiled.

“Well,” Lin Zhi casually pointed to the right, “I’m going to get my tickets first.”

He wanted to send Lu Liu back to meet his companion, but he also wanted to find “Zhi” first. However, Lu Liu wasn’t as sharp as usual and didn’t catch his subtle hint. After nodding and agreeing, he followed Lin Zhi toward the self-service ticket machine.

Lin Zhi secretly gritted his teeth. Was Lu Liu’s companion not here yet? That didn’t mean he should waste time and not find “Zhi.”

After getting the tickets, Lin Zhi decided to go for it. “Zhi” had been waiting for a long time, and he couldn’t let him wait any longer. If Lu Liu wanted to follow, so be it. When the three of them met, he would just pretend that today was the first time he’d learned that “Zhi” and Lu Liu were roommates.

“One double set,” Lu Liu moved his gaze from the menu to the cashier’s face. “Thank you.”

Oh right, Lin Zhi stopped fiddling with his phone and leaned closer to Lu Liu. “I’ll have one too.”

The cashier, smiling with her standard politeness, asked, “Another double set?”

Before Lin Zhi could nod in agreement, Lu Liu said, “Wait a second,” then turned to him. “Isn’t two double sets too much?”

“What?” Lin Zhi didn’t quite understand.

“We’re two people. Isn’t it too much to order two double sets?”

Guys usually have big appetites, and it’s common for one person to eat a double set, but this wasn’t the kind of meal that would fill you up—it was sweet, greasy popcorn and drinks. Lu Liu didn’t really like it. If Lin Zhi liked it, he could have all of it. There was no need to order two servings and waste it.

“What?!” Lin Zhi repeated, not because he didn’t understand, but because he had understood and was now confused.

Lu Liu clearly saw Lin Zhi’s mouth slowly open in an “O” shape. He thought Lin Zhi probably figured it out, feeling a bit guilty but masking it well. He calmly said to the cashier, “One is enough. Thank you.”

Even after sitting in the theater, Lin Zhi was still in a daze. He belatedly sent a message to “Zhi” on WeChat and then kept his eyes fixed on Lu Liu’s hand resting on his thigh, waiting to see if he would check his messages.

“……”

After a while, Lu Liu didn’t respond. His phone had been set to silent just before entering the theater.

Lin Zhi didn’t expect this. His mind had been so mixed up with all kinds of thoughts that it felt like a tangled mess. Now, not seeing Lu Liu’s reaction, he couldn’t help but feel a little shaken.

Lu Liu chuckled lightly. He had been paying attention to Lin Zhi’s movements all along and knew exactly what Lin Zhi was waiting for. He obediently pulled out his phone and unlocked it. “Not teasing you anymore.”

The movie hadn’t officially started yet, and people who arrived late were still moving about the theater. Amid the deliberately low voices from the audience in the back rows, Lu Liu passed the unlocked phone to Lin Zhi without reservation, letting him check his WeChat.

Lin Zhi didn’t care about privacy at this point. Following Lu Liu’s guidance, he opened the chat window. The most recent message was a random emoji he had sent earlier, and above that were earlier chat records.

【I’ve already arrived】

【I’m almost there】

—

【See you tomorrow】

—

After a long pause, Lin Zhi handed the phone back to Lu Liu, muttering, “It really is you…”

Before he could finish speaking, all the main lights in the theater went out. Only the dim light from the aisle lamps cast a faint glow, and at the same time, the familiar opening music of the movie started.

For a full hour and a half, Lin Zhi kept his eyes on the big screen, but he didn’t absorb anything from the movie. His mind kept repeating two phrases: “How is that possible?” and “No wonder.”

“How could Lu Liu be ‘Zhi’?”

“No wonder they have such similar vibes.”

“How could ‘Zhi’ be Lu Liu?”

“No wonder their qualities are so similar.”

—

It was only when Lu Liu reminded Lin Zhi that he realized the movie had already ended. He followed Lu Liu out like a puppet on strings, his mind gradually clearing.

So that was it. No wonder in the previous life, “Zhi” had never been curious about his personal information because he was Lu Liu—he had always known.

No wonder in the previous life, “Zhi” had never told him his personal information because he was Lu Liu—he didn’t want him to know.

Lin Zhi shook his head, but the more he thought about it, the more confused he became.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Liu asked quietly.

“It’s nothing,” Lin Zhi replied absent-mindedly.

But why didn’t Lu Liu want him to know? And why, under the name of “Zhi,” had he suddenly appeared on his contact list, showing concern for his moods and emotions, worrying about his studies, and treating him so well?

Lin Zhi wanted to know, but the current Lu Liu hadn’t done any of those things. How could he get an answer? Perhaps, this was what he should explain to Lu Liu: how he had suddenly appeared on his list, acting so “enthusiastically.”

He hadn’t realized before, but now that he knew Lu Liu was “Zhi,” Lin Zhi suddenly felt very embarrassed. What had he said?!

“Well,” Lin Zhi said, looking at Lu Liu with a bitter face, “Did you enjoy the movie?”

Seeing Lin Zhi finally “return to normal,” Lu Liu, although not understanding why it had taken him so long to process, breathed a sigh of relief. He shoved the almost untouched large bucket of popcorn into Lin Zhi’s arms and said, “It was good. The character development was rich, and the plot was exciting.”

“Oh.” Too bad he didn’t pay attention to it. It was all Lu Liu’s fault. Lin Zhi grabbed a handful of popcorn and stuffed it into his mouth, his cheeks puffing up, his voice muffled as he pretended to complain, “You tricked me so badly.”

“Sorry,” Lu Liu immediately apologized. “I’ve been trying to find a chance to tell you. I only felt the timing was right today.”

Lin Zhi chewed on the popcorn with a “crunch crunch” sound.

“Actually, I didn’t exactly lie to you,” Lu Liu thought for a moment and decided to defend himself. “I’ve hinted at it many times, it’s just that you didn’t catch on.”

“How would I have thought it was you?” Lin Zhi swallowed what was in his mouth. “I thought…”

He was halfway through the sentence when Lu Liu suddenly pulled him hard. The popcorn scattered all over the ground, and in an instant, Lin Zhi and Lu Liu swapped positions, with Lin Zhi steadying himself on the sidewalk.

“Damn,” Lin Zhi was startled. “What are you doing?”

Lu Liu didn’t answer him and didn’t look at him either, his face turned toward the outside.

A middle-aged woman pushing a cart filled with candied hawthorns slowly passed by Lu Liu, glancing at them several times with an ambiguous look.

Lin Zhi didn’t understand what was happening. Seeing that Lu Liu seemed to have frozen in place, he couldn’t help but lower his voice. “What’s going on? What are you looking at?”

After a while, Lu Liu finally spoke in a hushed tone, “I think I just heard the sound of wheels…”