Chapter 57: “Children aren’t allowed to be curious!”…

Lu Liu was extremely upset, his heart aching as he solemnly said, “Baby, don’t ever do this again. I really can’t handle losing you again.”

“…” Lin Zhi remained eerily silent, finding the situation both amusing and frustrating. “The way you say that, how many lives do I have for you to waste?”

Lu Liu’s gaze remained fixed on Lin Zhi, his hand not leaving him as if he wouldn’t feel secure unless he was touching him, as though Lin Zhi might disappear any second. He repeated the same words again, aimlessly, “Sorry…”

“Wait,” Lin Zhi interrupted, “Why do you keep apologizing? Even if I had died, it wouldn’t be your fault.”

“If I hadn’t kept it from you, if I had been there that day, I could have picked you up,” Lu Liu spiraled into irrational thoughts, “Then you wouldn’t have had to cross the intersection alone, and you wouldn’t have…”

“Stop, stop, stop,” Lin Zhi interrupted again, flicking Lu Liu’s lips with his hand. He said seriously, “My brother, you don’t need to take the blame. Seriously, no matter how you hypothesize, what’s meant to happen will still happen. It’s not about whether you picked me up or not. Like today, I still crossed that street safely on my own.”

Lu Liu thought for a moment and nodded. Just when Lin Zhi thought he understood, Lu Liu said to himself, “Next time, I’ll be with you when you cross the street.”

“Good, stop being silly,” Lin Zhi chuckled, stroking Lu Liu’s face. “We still have a long life ahead of us, and you can’t always be by my side. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful in the future and won’t get into any more trouble.”

Lu Liu grabbed Lin Zhi’s mischievous hand, like a child needing reassurance, and looked directly into Lin Zhi’s eyes. “Do you promise?”

“I promise,” Lin Zhi nodded firmly, then added, “Alright, enough of this unlucky talk. Did you remember anything else? Something happier?”

Lu Liu vaguely replied, “I remembered everything.”

Sure, there were happy memories, but with the tragic ending attached, any happiness seemed insignificant.

Lin Zhi waited for a while, noticing that Lu Liu didn’t want to talk more, so he didn’t press further.

Neither of them knew who should comfort whom. It was clear that Lin Zhi had “died,” but he had only felt pain for a very short time. Lu Liu’s feelings should have been more complicated, with physical pain and emotional pain, but Lin Zhi didn’t have the ability to compare them, nor was there a need to dwell on it. Every mention of it was like cutting another wound into Lu Liu’s heart.

“Mm,” Lin Zhi awkwardly changed the subject. “It suddenly feels so cold in this forest. Let’s go out and grab something to eat.”

They ate some cold pudding while it was being cooked, the steam clouding their faces. The small round table barely accommodated them, with Lu Liu’s long legs resting against the table edge, his knee firmly pressed against Lin Zhi’s.

After sitting still for a while, Lin Zhi’s legs started to go numb. He subtly shifted, but within five seconds, Lu Liu’s leg silently moved closer. Lin Zhi couldn’t help but chuckle and moved his knee from side to side, bumping against Lu Liu’s.

After eating, they strolled along a walking street to digest. Lu Liu still wore no smile, disliking the crowded place. There were too many people, and holding Lin Zhi’s hand openly would attract unwanted attention, as if no one had ever seen two men in a relationship before.

They happened to spot a KTV sign, and for the first time, Lu Liu didn’t ask Lin Zhi’s opinion and booked a private room for two. They squeezed onto a spacious sofa and listened to a few hours of music.

Two microphones quietly lay on the cold stone table, with only the original singer playing. Both Lin Zhi and Lu Liu’s minds were on each other. When they opened their mouths, there was no song, only the occasional breath escaping between kisses.

Later in the evening, Lu Liu stubbornly sent Lin Zhi to the building downstairs. If the timing had been right, Lu Liu would have preferred to see Lin Zhi go inside safely.

“I think you might as well just spend the night at my place,” Lin Zhi joked. “Since Xiao Jing moved in, there aren’t any spare rooms. You can just share a bed with me.”

Lu Liu actually felt a little moved but restrained himself. “Next time!”

Lin Zhi laughed, humming the song they had heard at KTV as he opened the door. As soon as he entered, he heard his father’s voice, filled with authority, saying “General.” It was clear that his father was playing chess with his godson.

“I’m home,” Lin Zhi called out to the two people in the living room.

Lin Qingye ignored him, while it was Yao Wenjing, who was more obedient, that responded with a nod, saying, “There’s food left in the kitchen for you, from Uncle.”

“I already ate before I came back,” Lin Zhi entered the living room, casually draping his down jacket over the sofa and sat down in a good mood to watch them play chess. “Dad, you’re never done playing outside, and when you get home, you have to drag Xiao Jing to play with you too.”

Before Lin Qingye could respond, Yao Wenjing spoke first, “It’s my fault. I got bored and asked Uncle to play chess with me.”

Lin Zhi hit a wall and awkwardly said, “Oh,” as he grabbed a honey tangerine from the fruit plate.

Lin Qingye moved a piece on the chessboard and glanced at Lin Zhi. “When you go out, why don’t you ask Wenjing to come along?”

“Ah,” Lin Zhi peeled the tangerine and said, “It’s not convenient today, I’ll bring Xiao Jing along next time.”

“What’s not convenient?” Lin Qingye asked. “Didn’t you go out today with Lu Liu? Wenjing and he are not strangers.”

Lin Qingye had just said it casually, but Lin Zhi and Yao Wenjing were both startled. Lin Zhi quickly gave Yao Wenjing a look, and Yao Wenjing immediately shook his head slightly.

Lin Zhi swallowed the tangerine pulp and smiled awkwardly. “Dad, how did you know I went out with Lu Liu?”

“I saw you,” Lin Qingye gestured toward the down jacket draped over the sofa. “This afternoon, I was at the park doing Tai Chi with Uncle Li, and I saw the two of you there.”

“Is that so?” Lin Zhi thought for a moment. In the park, older people usually practice Tai Chi in open spaces, so it was likely that his father had only seen him and Lu Liu pass by. There was no way he could have seen them hugging.

Lin Zhi breathed a sigh of relief, popped the remaining tangerine into his mouth, and reached for the remote control on the coffee table, intending to change the TV channel to distract Lin Qingye’s attention, so he wouldn’t ask any more questions.

But before he could grab the remote, Lin Qingye suddenly grabbed the collar of his sweater and tugged it, asking, “What’s this?”

“It’s a sweater,” Lin Zhi was confused and even a bit hurt. This was the carefully chosen couple sweater he wore, so why did his dad’s tone seem a bit disapproving?

“I know it’s a sweater,” Lin Qingye stared at him. “I’m asking what’s on your neck?”

“What? What?” Lin Zhi was still puzzled, and turned to ask Yao Wenjing to help him check. But halfway through, he suddenly stopped and instinctively reached up to cover his neck.

He remembered. In the bamboo forest, Lu Liu had been biting and kissing his neck, and surely had left some marks.

Oh no, he hadn’t even thought to check. Now he regretted forgetting about it.

What’s it like coming back from a date with your boyfriend and getting caught by your parents with hickeys on your neck? Lin Zhi could tell you from personal experience—it’s super awkward!

Yao Wenjing was still waiting to see what would happen. Lin Zhi’s face turned red as he stood up and fled the sofa. As he ran toward the bathroom, he called out loudly, “Children aren’t allowed to be curious!”

He had only mentioned Yao Wenjing and still didn’t know how to explain things to Lin Qingye, nor did he dare to turn around and look at his father’s expression.