LHKE Ch14

On Friday, Lu Changting received a call from Cheng Zhao, asking if he was free over the weekend to come over for a meal. They agreed on Saturday afternoon. All of Saturday morning, Lu Changting pondered what kind of gift would be appropriate to avoid being impolite.

Not knowing Cheng Zhao and Shen Li’s preferences, he decided to buy some fresh fruit. He didn’t dress too formally—just a white T-shirt paired with a loose denim jacket, black casual pants, and white sneakers. It was a look that should appeal to elders—young yet proper.

When Cheng Zhao saw the fruit Lu Changting brought, her smile became even more gentle. “Come in and sit down; don’t be formal. Just think of it as your own home.”

Even at home, Cheng Zhao wore delicate makeup and a well-tailored qipao, exuding grace.

Cheng Zhao was a person who appreciated life. Her home was stylishly decorated yet warm and inviting. It was a duplex apartment, the living room bright and spacious, with floor-to-ceiling windows half open, revealing a balcony lush with potted plants.

Lu Changting took a seat on the sofa and glanced up the spiral staircase.

Is Shen Li not at home?

Cheng Zhao washed some fresh fruit and put together a fruit platter with some candy and nuts, then brought it out.

Seeing the chocolates on the platter, Lu Changting straightened his back slightly. His own supply of chocolates was nearly finished.

“Would you like something to drink—tea or a soft drink?”

Lu Changting’s eyes lingered on the chocolates. He politely replied, “Tea, please.”

“Then sit for a moment,” Cheng Zhao said. “I’ll make you some tea.”

“Thank you, Auntie,” Lu Changting nodded.

Once Cheng Zhao left, Lu Changting looked around the empty living room, reached for a few pieces of chocolate, and took six pieces, slipping them into his pocket. He fiddled with the candies on the platter, making sure it didn’t look like too much had been taken.

Satisfied, he took one more piece of chocolate, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth.

Cheng Zhao returned with the tea, sat on the sofa, and took a sip herself.

“You always seemed so mature and composed. Today, with your change in style, you look about the same age as Xiao Li.”

Lu Changting had always thought Shen Li was younger than him. Hearing Cheng Zhao say this, he assumed it was a compliment on how youthful he looked today. “I’m not that young. I just turned twenty-seven last month.”

“Then you and Xiao Li are the same age,” Cheng Zhao smiled. “But Xiao Li’s birthday is at the end of the year.”

Lu Changting hadn’t realized Shen Li was the same age as him, and he was a bit taken aback.

Cheng Zhao shifted the conversation back to Shen Li and suddenly seemed to remember something. “I’ll go call him down. You young people will have more to talk about.”

Initially, Lu Changting felt a slight, almost imperceptible disappointment that Shen Li wasn’t home. But now, he was filled with a sense of quiet delight. The chocolates today tasted especially sweet, and he didn’t dwell much on why his emotions were fluctuating so. “He’s at home?”

“Yes,” Cheng Zhao replied. “He’s sleeping.”

“Returned home drunk at 5 a.m., slept until noon, had lunch, then accompanied me to the supermarket to buy ingredients and acted as a laborer. When we got back, he went upstairs to catch up on sleep.”

The mention of Shen Li being drunk reminded Lu Changting of that night Shen Li had been intoxicated. He took an awkward sip of his tea.

“Why don’t you go wake him up? His room is the second one on the right upstairs,” Cheng Zhao said. “I’m still simmering soup and need to keep an eye on it.”

So, Lu Changting climbed the stairs and pushed open Shen Li’s bedroom door.

Shen Li’s room was spacious and decorated quite differently from what Lu Changting had imagined. He had thought that the lively Shen Li, who was always chatting and laughing at the bar, would have a vibrant room, perhaps with a cool liquor cabinet. Instead, Shen Li’s room was simply decorated in shades of gray and white, with a very minimalist style.

The room had a faint wooden scent, clean and warm.

On the bedside table, there was a collection of cat figurines in various poses—cute and exaggerated expressions, either lying down or sitting. They were dust-free, clearly well-loved by their owner.

The young man on the bed was wrapped up tightly like a clumsy cocoon, leaving only his head visible, resting on a soft pillow.

Lu Changting bent down and, with a sudden impulse, poked Shen Li’s face.

Shen Li had completely forgotten about that night of drunkenness, leaving Lu Changting to stew over it alone. Thinking about it made Lu Changting a bit annoyed.

Shen Li’s face was very soft, and even softer were his lips—Lu Changting pushed away the strange thoughts in his mind, and gently patted the wrapped-up Shen Li.

The cocoon-like figure seemed to be dreaming sweetly. When pulled out of the dream, he frowned, rubbed his face on the pillow a couple of times, and finally opened his eyes.

Seeing Lu Changting, Shen Li thought he was still dreaming. He closed his eyes again, buried his head in the quilt, and only after a while, peeked out again.

Just like when Lu Changting had caught him in the hot spring, Shen Li’s first reaction was to hide, and then, cautiously, he peeked at Lu Changting.

Lu Changting found it a bit amusing. “Auntie asked me to wake you up.”

Every word Shen Li understood, but when put together, he was somewhat confused. His voice was hoarse and groggy from just waking up. “Why are you at my house?”

Lu Changting curved his lips into a smile. “Auntie invited me over for a meal.”

Shen Li’s face flushed a bit. He shrank down, hiding most of his face in the quilt, mumbling, “Why didn’t my mom tell me?”

His hair was slightly long, with stray strands covering his forehead, obscuring his unusually bright eyes.

Lu Changting reached out to brush the stray hair from his forehead, his tone gentle. “Aren’t you getting up?”

Shen Li was a bit stunned by Lu Changting’s affectionate gesture. He was also a little nervous. He usually kept his emotions in check, but after so long, it was easy to become irrational. The late night, drunken state, and sudden wakefulness—so many moments tested his resolve, and now Lu Changting was only adding fuel to the fire by getting so close and doing things that could be easily misunderstood.

He closed his eyes, pulled the quilt around himself, and buried his whole body inside, mumbling an “Mm.”

Not hearing footsteps, he knew Lu Changting hadn’t left, so Shen Li just remained there, like a snail contentedly hiding in its shell.

But he was starting to feel a bit suffocated.

After a few more seconds, he heard Lu Changting ask, “You really don’t remember what happened that night?”

What night? The lack of oxygen made Shen Li’s thoughts sluggish. He couldn’t hide any longer, so he pulled away the quilt, sat up, and got out of bed, trying to appear calm despite feeling frantic inside. “What?”

Lu Changting watched as Shen Li clumsily walked towards the wardrobe, raising an eyebrow. He was somewhat suspicious that Shen Li was pretending to forget, trying to scare him.

But pressing the issue seemed pointless and could make things awkward.

He sighed. “Forget it, it’s nothing.”

In the few seconds it took to change clothes, Shen Li slowly sorted through his thoughts.

If there was a night he might have done something he didn’t remember, it should be the night of Lu Changting’s birthday when he was drunk.

He remembered that the last time he drank too much, Jiang Chifeng had teased him for days.

Jiang Chifeng said he had been drunkenly making a scene, talking about buying plane tickets and time machines, and babbling about finding “little brothers.”

He had always thought Jiang Chifeng was joking, but… it wasn’t entirely impossible.

Maybe that night, he also hugged Lu Changting and called him “Xiao Gege.”

Just thinking about this possibility felt like falling into a freezing snowstorm, with a large fire burning on top, mixing ice and fire, torturing his heart.

“If you’re talking about the night of your birthday,” Shen Li turned around and met Lu Changting’s eyes, “I’m really sorry, I don’t remember anything.”

“I’m like this when I’m drunk… I forget things.” He lowered his eyes, feeling a mix of cold and warmth, “If I did anything to offend you, I’m really sorry.”

He spoke so solemnly, asking for forgiveness as if he had committed a grave offense. Lu Changting couldn’t bear to be angry with him. “It’s nothing, I was just asking.”

“I must have done something,” Shen Li stood there dejectedly, like a criminal waiting for judgment. “You asked me twice.”

“Do you want to know what you did?” Lu Changting approached, speaking gently.

Shen Li looked up at him.

Of course he wanted to know.

Blank memories always make people feel anxious and helpless. No one wants to forget their actions, especially when it concerns someone they care about. He loved Lu Changting so much, he couldn’t tolerate having done something offensive and forgetting it.

Lu Changting hugged him.

One hand gently patted his back, soothingly. “You hugged me and said ‘Happy Birthday’…” Lu Changting added, “And you said you’d buy me a lot of chocolate.”

“Buy?” Shen Li’s ears turned slightly red. “I said I’d buy you a lot of chocolate?”

“Yes, you said so yourself.” Lu Changting was seriously fibbing. A kiss for some chocolate didn’t seem too unfair to him.

Shen Li suddenly laughed.

Lu Changting was lying to him.

But it didn’t matter.

He was willing to give him a lot of chocolate.

“Did I say anything else?” Shen Li asked.

“You also said you’d give me honey pomelo tea.” Lu Changting finished speaking and silently reflected—was he being a bit too greedy?

Shen Li tilted his head and gently rested it on Lu Changting’s shoulder.

Since Lu Changting was the first to embrace him, let him indulge a little longer.

“Okay,” he heard himself say. “I remember now.”

“I won’t forget this time.”