LHKE Ch 4

When Lu Changting next went to “Gu Jiu,” it was near the end of the month and he went with Lu Changxu.

After a brief relaxation at “Gu Jiu” last time, he had been busy and overwhelmed for several days, so much so that he had forgotten he still had a set of clothes at Shen Li’s place. When Shen Li handed him a paper bag, he was momentarily stunned.

“Clothes,” Shen Li explained. “I hadn’t found a good chance to return them to you.”

In reality, Shen Li had been deliberately holding onto them, waiting for Lu Changting to ask for them himself.

Lu Changting took the paper bag and belatedly remembered the clothes. “I also forgot about them.”

As Lu Changxu was ordering drinks, he glanced up and saw the clothes in the paper bag, raising an eyebrow. “Changting, why are your clothes with Boss Shen?”

“I drank too much last time, and Boss Shen gave me a ride home. It was too late, so I stayed over for the night.”

Lu Changxu’s “oh” was meaningful, with a teasing tone.

He had originally wanted Lu Changting to build a good relationship with Shen Li, but didn’t expect it to progress so smoothly. Lu Changxu handed the drink menu to the waiter and then said on a whim, “Boss Shen, are you free this weekend? It’s Changting’s birthday, and I’ve booked a vacation villa for a little getaway. It’ll be livelier with more people.”

Shen Li hadn’t expected Lu Changxu to invite him. He remembered Lu Changting’s birthday and had even secretly sent a gift many years ago, but the day had no special significance for him… Now that Lu Changting was inviting him for a vacation, his mind momentarily went blank, followed by overwhelming joy. He couldn’t help but pinch himself.

The pinch was subtle, leaving a slight mark and pain in his palm, reminding him that it was real, not a dream.

“I’m free,” he heard himself say. “I’m free.”

His voice trembled slightly.

Fortunately, neither Lu Changxu nor Lu Changting noticed anything unusual.

Lu Changting was a bit surprised.

He hadn’t expected Shen Li to agree so readily, without asking about who else would be there or how long it would be. It was almost blindly agreed to.

He remembered that when he last met Shen Li, Shen Li’s mother had asked if he wanted to go to City H, and Shen Li had declined.

Since he agreed, Lu Changxu cheerfully added the details: “It’s only for a couple of days, just two days and two nights. We’ll leave on the afternoon of the 29th and return on the afternoon of the 31st. The place is in Fuxian Mountain, about a three-hour drive.”

“Chu Jinghong is on a business trip to Country Y and won’t be back. The others you’ll meet are Fu Jiashu, Chen Xingye, Xiao Yao, and some younger siblings of the family. You know them all.” Lu Changxu opened WeChat while talking, “I’ll add you to the group. If you have any preferences for things to do or eat, just let me know. We’ll be departing at 3 PM. I’ll pick you up then, so it’s easier to coordinate.”

Lu Changxu added Shen Li to the temporary group chat. Shen Li opened his phone and saw the group name was quite amusing: [Did You Inherit the Family Fortune Today].

They were all people who had business dealings with each other’s families, roughly the same age, and had grown up together, maintaining close relationships. Shen Li, however, felt like an outsider among them.

So, Shen Li didn’t quite understand why Lu Changxu had invited him.

Lu Changxu’s reasoning was simple. Lu Changting had been abroad for years and had celebrated his birthdays casually. Now that he was back, he should celebrate properly and in a lively manner. Also, since Lu Changting had just returned, he needed to reconnect with old friends and quickly make new ones to expand his social network. Lu Changxu noticed that Lu Changting seemed to have some interest in Shen Li, so he decided to give it a push.

The waiter brought the drinks and some snacks. Lu Changxu popped a preserved plum into his mouth and sent a message in the group: [I added Boss Shen]. Seeing the message, Chen Xingye sent a welcome emoji [Welcome, Boss Shen.jpg].

Shen Li humorously replied with [Little Brother Coming to Pay Respects.jpg]. Just as he finished the message and was about to put his phone away, someone ran into his arms, and he instinctively lifted his arm to steady them.

“Li Ge!”

Lu Changxu heard the clingy tone and saw the person, laughing. “Le Yi, why are you at the bar? It’s Tuesday; no classes today?”

“How many times do I have to tell you? It’s Le (yuè) Yi, not Le (lè) Yi!” The big boy who had thrown himself into Shen Li’s arms looked up, revealing a slightly chubby face with rosy lips and white teeth, a particularly well-behaved appearance.

“Le (lè) Yi.” Shen Li supported his shoulders to help him stand properly, sounding resigned. “Don’t run over like this next time.”

The bar was crowded and full of high-profile young men. Le Yi’s reckless behavior could eventually cause trouble with other patrons.

“Eh!” Le Yi hugged Shen Li’s arm and nodded his head, “Got it.”

Le Yi was the younger brother of the bartender Le An, just starting college this year. Being younger, the familiar faces at the bar often teased him with name puns. Since Lu Changxu rarely saw him, he took the opportunity to tease: “Why is it that when Boss Shen calls you Le (lè) Yi, you respond, but when I call you Le (lè) Yi, you don’t?”

“I’m willing.” Le Yi made a childish face at him. Except for his brother and Shen Li, he didn’t respond when others called him Le (lè) Yi, but this group of people kept calling him that, which was annoying.

Shen Li intervened at the right moment, breaking up their banter. “Have you notified your brother?”

“Not yet… I came to find you first.” The big boy smiled awkwardly. He was shorter than Shen Li by half a head, and as he looked up at Shen Li, his eyes sparkled in the light.

That kind of look was familiar to Lu Changting, filled with admiration and worship. Many people had looked at him that way, but he always pretended not to notice.

The way they interacted and spoke was very intimate. Lu Changting thought to himself that this was the third time, though the second time was a misunderstanding… But there were so many people around Shen Li, and it seemed like everyone had some sort of connection with him, or none at all…

He looked at Shen Li, observing the young man’s handsome brows and affectionate eyes, and the gentle smile at the corners of his lips when he spoke. Lu Changting thought that Shen Li certainly had the charm to attract so many people.

“Go find your brother. I have other guests here.”

Le Yi let go and obediently responded, “Okay.”

Watching Le Yi head towards the bar, Lu Changxu finally pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took one out, and lit it, taking a slow drag. “Le Yi is only obedient in front of Le An and you.”

Shen Li smiled but didn’t respond.

Lu Changting had been silent. After Shen Li had already had a drink, he suddenly remembered something and turned to Shen Li. “Boss Shen, do you still have the chocolate from last time?”

“You like it?” Shen Li smiled and took a piece of chocolate from his pocket, handing it to him.

Lu Changting took the chocolate, thanked Shen Li, and said, “Thank you. I think I’ve had this brand before, but I haven’t been able to find the same one again. It’s been too long; I might have remembered it wrong, so I wanted to look for it again.”

It was unusual for him to speak at such length and explain so thoroughly. Lu Changxu glanced at him, then at Shen Li, as if he had discovered something interesting. “What brand of chocolate could make Changting remember it for so long?”

“It’s not a big brand,” Shen Li said, lowering his gaze to hide his emotions, his tone淡淡的. After saying that, he stopped talking.

There was nothing more to say.

Lu Changting looked at the chocolate in his hand. The packaging was just simple black paper with no logo, making it impossible to identify the brand.

He didn’t press the issue and just put the chocolate away.

That evening, Lu Changxu didn’t drink much, but he was a bit tipsy and excited. Once in the car on the way home, he couldn’t stop talking.

“You saw it earlier, right? Don’t say I didn’t warn you—Le Yi likes Shen Li. His brother is a bartender at the bar, so it’s a close connection…”

“What are you talking about?” Lu Changting was a bit confused.

“You’ve stayed over at Boss Shen’s place and still don’t admit you have feelings for him?” Lu Changxu laughed and teased, “And asking for chocolate. It’s not the chocolate you’re thinking about, it’s obviously Boss Shen.”

He added, “Don’t worry, I don’t discriminate. Whether it’s heterosexual or homosexual, it’s all love.”

Lu Changxu raised his voice: “Love is the most worthy thing to celebrate.”

Lu Changting gave him a peculiar look. “You’re overthinking it.”

“I’m not listening. You keep quiet.” Lu Changxu patted his shoulder firmly, with a tone that suggested he had seen through Lu Changting’s feelings, “Anyway, I’ve arranged for you to meet him. It’s up to you to make the most of it.”

Lu Changting fell silent, giving up on reasoning with a drunk person, knowing that explaining wouldn’t change Lu Changxu’s mind.

“Boss Shen, well… he’s capable and has a good personality!” Lu Changxu rambled on, concerned about his future, “He’s a good match for you!”

Lu Changting rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit of a headache.

He had secretly had an early romance in high school without his family knowing, then broke up, graduated, went abroad, and remained single ever since. He had received confessions and pursued relationships, but he turned them down, preferring quality over quantity. He had kept his relationships straightforward, with no ambiguous situations. To his family, it seemed like he had never been in a relationship, which explained why Lu Changxu might think he was interested in men…

Had he really not been in a relationship for so long?

So long that he could barely remember why he was attracted to Tang Yao in the first place, or what that feeling of attraction was like.

He only remembered the taste of chocolate, which had been sweet throughout an entire summer.