LHKE Ch24

Summer has passed, and the trees are lush and shady. The small alley is filled with blooming roses, their branches thriving.

At the fruit stand by the alley entrance, cherries and watermelons are now on sale. The warm sunlight filters through the gaps in the leaves, scattering on the ground. A young man stands in front of the fruit stand, bending over to carefully pick out the bright red, plump cherries.

Each small, round cherry, some with a hint of yellow, is selected with care. He fills a small bag and hands it to the elderly vendor to weigh.

As he pays, his phone rings. Seeing the caller ID, his eyes light up with a smile. When he hears the man’s voice on the other end, the corners of his mouth curve upwards.

“I’m in the small alley next to the school,” he says as he takes the bag of cherries and turns towards the alley entrance. “Yes, I see you.”

The area near the school is quiet on weekends, making the man standing at the school gate particularly noticeable.

In Lu Changting’s eyes, Shen Li, who is walking towards him, is equally striking.

Shen Li’s simple shirt and jeans fit him perfectly. His features are handsome, his steps brisk, and everything around him fades into the background as Lu Changting watches him approach step by step.

When he finally arrives, Lu Changting ends the call. “Have you been waiting long?”

“Just got here,” Shen Li replies, showing him the bag of cherries he bought. The cherries, still covered in water droplets, are plump and shiny in the sunlight. “I bought some cherries.”

Lu Changting glances at the time. “If I hadn’t come early, how long would you have waited?”

They had agreed to meet at noon, but it’s only around 11:40 now, so Shen Li must have arrived about half an hour early…

Shen Li smiles. “I wouldn’t want to make you wait.”

He wouldn’t bear to make Lu Changting wait, either.

Lu Changting looks at him, his tone somewhat resigned. “Let’s go eat.”

“Auntie’s Home Cooking” is still the same, with wooden tables and chairs, simple décor, and the menu of dishes and sweet soups hanging on the wall. The teapots and porcelain bowls show signs of wear from years of use, slightly different from how they remembered but still familiar.

Lu Changting instinctively heads towards the seat by the window, and Shen Li sits across from him. The elderly owner, slightly hunched, approaches with a kind smile and asks what they would like to order.

After consulting with Shen Li, Lu Changting orders three home-cooked dishes, a cold dish, and two sweet soups.

Shen Li quietly asks the elderly man if he can use the kitchen to wash the cherries. After receiving permission, he goes to the back kitchen and returns with a disposable plastic container filled with freshly washed cherries.

Water droplets still cling to his wrist, the soaked red string around it has darkened, making his wrist appear even paler. The blue veins on his wrist are clearly visible. Lu Changting stares at his wrist and hands him a couple of tissues.

“Thank you,” Shen Li says, taking the tissues to dry his hands. He smiles and asks the elderly man if he’d like to try some cherries.

As Lu Changting watches Shen Li chat familiarly with the elderly man, he feels a bit puzzled.

It’s been so many years since they graduated, and even if Shen Li used to frequent this place during school, how could he be so familiar with the elderly man?

The elderly man takes a few cherries and slowly makes his way back to the kitchen. He then returns with a smile, bringing sweet soup and a complimentary snack. “This mung bean cake is on the house. Enjoy.”

Shen Li thanks him, takes the mung bean cake, and places it in front of Lu Changting. “The mung bean cake was taken from the fridge. Try it.”

“You seem very familiar here,” Lu Changting remarks, taking a bite of the mung bean cake. “Did you come here often when you were in school?”

Shen Li takes a sip of the sweet soup, gently stirring the red bean and white fungus soup with the porcelain spoon. “Any student from First High has been here before.”

His answer is standard and flawless, but it only deepens Lu Changting’s curiosity.

“I can’t figure out why I don’t remember you,” Lu Changting says, a question he’s pondered for a long time. They were in the same grade, on the same floor, and Shen Li was so sociable, how could he not know or remember him…

“It’s understandable,” Shen Li smiles faintly. “I was very different in high school.”

He continues, “I didn’t have many friends in high school. I was introverted and a bit insecure, the kind of person who barely left an impression.”

The complete opposite of someone like Lu Changting.

Those who dwell in darkness yearn for the light. That’s why he gravitated towards it, becoming deeply enamored…

Lu Changting is surprised by this. “That’s hard to imagine.”

It’s hard to imagine what Shen Li, silent, reserved, and even insecure, would have been like.

Curious, he asks, “Then why did you decide to open a bar?”

With that kind of personality, why would someone go into the bar business, opening their doors to the public?

“Actually, ‘Gu Jiu’ was already a bar before. The owner was a friend of my mother’s, but he wasn’t good at managing it, so the business was never great. At the time, he had some family issues and needed money, so he wanted to sell the bar,” Shen Li explains. “I happened to major in management in college, so I borrowed some money from my mom and took out a loan to buy the bar.”

Also because Lu Changting once casually said to his friends, “Inheriting the family business sounds tiring. I’d rather open a bar, where no one pushes you to drink, and you can drink without a care, living a carefree life.”

As a young man, Lu Changting only wanted to live a life of wealth and leisure, detached and unrestrained. But in the end, he followed his family’s plan, went abroad for further studies, and eventually took over the family business. Almost every step he took was according to his family’s wishes.

Being born into the Lu family, this was his responsibility.

Shen Li didn’t know how to get closer to him. In the confusing post-graduation period, he finally decided to follow this playful thought.

He opened a bar so that he could drink without being urged, and yet have someone to care for him when he got drunk.

Over the years, under Shen Li’s management, “Gu Jiu” slowly became the most prestigious high-end bar in S City. The loans have all been paid off, and the bar has been consistently profitable.

Shen Li has transformed from being reserved and introverted to someone who is socially adept, making many friends, including people from the Lu family.

Almost every step he took was towards Lu Changting.

He worked hard to make himself excellent, to be at ease, to be strong enough. Perhaps this was the positive side of his long-standing crush.

Lu Changting sips the sweet soup, looking at him with a slightly scrutinizing gaze. “So you really didn’t know me before?” he asks playfully. “A student from First High who doesn’t know me is rare, right?”

Shen Li is silent for a moment.

Outside the window, the wind carries the laughter of children playing in the deeper part of the alley, the sound of leaves rustling, and the chirping of cicadas hidden in the green shade. It feels as though the whole world has woven a net, trapping him within it.

“Of course I knew you,” he answers softly. “How could I not?”

“But there’s nothing much to say about that.”

Lu Changting picks up on the subtext in Shen Li’s words—among thousands of classmates, their connection is too thin to count as anything significant, and he has no need to cling to it.

This person always manages to make his heart skip a beat, time and again.

Lu Changting smiled casually, “So, what was your impression of me back then?”

Thinking of the younger Lu Changting, Shen Li’s tone softened, “You seemed upright and proper, but in reality, a bit free-spirited and unrestrained.”

“I remember I was always a model student,” Lu Changting raised an eyebrow. “How did I come across as free-spirited and unrestrained to you?”

A model student wouldn’t have a teenage romance.

Shen Li’s eyes darkened slightly as he continued, “You appeared well-behaved and disciplined, but I think your discipline was a result of good upbringing, while being free-spirited was your true nature.”

Lu Changting chuckled softly, “And what about now?”

Shen Li looked up at him, a gentle smile in his eyes, “More mature and steady than before.”

And better at controlling his emotions and true nature.

Lu Changting looked at him for a long time before smiling lightly and asking, “Do you feel disappointed that I ended up taking over the family business without any resistance?”

“Not at all,” Shen Li responded without hesitation. “Everyone has their own path to walk. Some people live a life of leisure, while others work tirelessly. I think the latter is more admirable.”

He added, “Whether you’re free-spirited or mature and steady, I think you’re fine just the way you are.”

In life, there are many things beyond our control. Lu Changting had even less control than most, so he had to restrain himself, growing year by year… The Lu family’s legacy, built over generations, must be passed down through his hands.

How could such a Lu Changting ever be disappointing? On the contrary, he filled Shen Li’s heart entirely with admiration.

“Let’s take that as a compliment,” Lu Changting said with a smile, taking a sip of sweet soup. The sweetness spread from his tongue to his heart, his eyes filled with Shen Li’s gentle gaze, his heart brimming with joy. He found himself momentarily confused, unsure if it was summer or spring, feeling that perhaps the best season was right now.

The sun was warm, the breeze gentle, Shen Li sat across from him, smiling and chatting. This moment was the best time of all.