TLLKTBD CH 17

Chapter 17: Homophobia Means You’re Deep in the Closet, Kid

Jin Lang had no idea what had happened. That morning, Lu Qian had greeted him with a warm smile. But after Jin Lang finished his shower and came back out, that gentle atmosphere around Lu Qian had disappeared.

In its place was a polite distance, almost as if they had reverted to the moment when Lu Qian first opened the door and said, “Hello, please come in. My last name is Lu—Lu Qian. Are you Simba?”

Jin Lang was puzzled. What had happened in just ten minutes? Lu Qian didn’t seem angry—he still spoke to him in a gentle tone, answering his questions as usual. Yet, even after breakfast, after cleaning up and getting into the car to head to the art exhibition, that strange tension lingered.

Once they were seated and buckled in, Lu Qian turned on the audio system. Music softly flowed through the quiet space of the car. Jin Lang stole a glance at him.

Lu Qian rested his left hand casually on the car window while his right hand loosely gripped the steering wheel. His eyes flickered to the rearview mirror as he effortlessly maneuvered out of the parking spot. Sunlight illuminated the side of his face, making him look incredibly handsome.

It wasn’t Jin Lang’s first time sitting in the passenger seat while Lu Qian drove, but for some reason, this time, he found himself staring in a daze.

Noticing the gaze, Lu Qian turned his head slightly. “Is there something on my face?”

“No.” Jin Lang quickly looked away, not daring to stare any longer.

Lu Qian didn’t say anything else. The two of them quietly listened to the music playing in the car.

Jin Lang’s thoughts wandered, drifting to his conversation with Brother Xiao Qi last night. He suddenly remembered Xiao Qi’s date. Did he get home safely? Taking out his phone, he sent a message.

Jin Lang: Brother Xiao Qi, are you awake? How was your date? Did you make it home safely?

He waited for a while, but there was no response. Jin Lang frowned as he fiddled with his phone.

“What’s wrong? Too excited to meet Teacher Ding that you can’t even speak?” Lu Qian noticed his troubled expression and couldn’t help but ask. Jin Lang had been eagerly anticipating meeting Teacher Ding Qiao for days. Lu Qian had expected him to be chattering non-stop in the car, but instead, Jin Lang seemed oddly absent-minded.

“It’s not that… I’m just a little worried about Brother Xiao Qi,” Jin Lang replied with a furrowed brow.

“Xiao Qi?” Lu Qian found it strange. “What about him?”

“Last night, I called him, and he said he was on a date…” Jin Lang hesitated for a moment before continuing, “With a guy he just met.”

Lu Qian paused for a second.

“Their circle seems pretty messy, doesn’t it? Who knows if he even got home safe? He barely knows the guy—what if he turns out to be a total creep?” Jin Lang’s words came faster, his worry evident.

Before Lu Qian could reply, Jin Lang’s phone suddenly rang.

“Ah! Brother Xiao Qi is calling me back!” Jin Lang fumbled in a panic, accidentally putting the call on speaker.

Lu Qian lowered the volume of the music, allowing him to take the call properly.

Qi Shaobai: “Xiao Lang, thinking about me so early in the morning?”

Jin Lang: “I was just worried you’d run into trouble last night.”

“Wow, you have quite the imagination,” Qi Shaobai chuckled. “I just went out to meet someone. What’s so dangerous about that?”

“Well, who knows if you guys would just jump into bed after a few words! That’s how it happens in all the movies.”

Lu Qian choked on his laughter upon hearing that. He found it both ridiculous and amusing.

Jin Lang continued his nagging. “That’s really bad, you know? What if he has some kind of disease—”

Before he could finish, Qi Shaobai interrupted, laughing.

“What kind of movies are you watching? Show me, let me have a look!”

Then, as if realizing something, Qi Shaobai’s voice turned teasing.

“Wait a minute… Xiao Lang, why are you even watching those kinds of movies? You wouldn’t happen to be—”

“I’m not!” Jin Lang cut him off immediately. “I haven’t watched anything! I was just guessing!”

“Hahaha, alright, alright, you’re not,” Qi Shaobai laughed loudly, clearly unconvinced.

Feeling wronged, Jin Lang muttered, “I was just genuinely worried about you…”

Qi Shaobai finally calmed down.

“I’m fine. I was home by eleven last night. The guy was actually pretty decent—good manners, funny, and we had a lot to talk about. My friend who introduced us said he’s looking for something serious.”

This time, his tone was more serious.

“I want to try settling down too. You and Brother Qian seem to have a good thing going.”

“What do you mean, ‘me and Brother Qian’?” Jin Lang panicked and shot a quick glance at Lu Qian, afraid of any misunderstandings.

“I don’t have that kind of relationship with him, don’t say nonsense!”

Lu Qian, however, showed no reaction. He simply continued driving calmly.

“What nonsense?” Qi Shaobai chuckled. “I just meant the kind of deep bond you two share, like family. What were you thinking?”

Jin Lang was speechless.

“Homophobia means you’re just deep in the closet, kid.”^[1]

Qi Shaobai stretched lazily, then suddenly remembered something. “Oh yeah! What about your date? Let me tell you, Brother Qian is a tough one to win over. Did you mind your manners? And seriously, in a confined space like a car, scents can be pretty strong. If you’re in heat and your pheromones spread—”

Jin Lang furiously hung up the call.

What the hell is he talking about?!

The car was stopped at a red light. Silence filled the space. Jin Lang’s face was so red it looked like he was about to bleed. He didn’t dare look at Lu Qian.

Lu Qian, on the other hand, tried to hold it in but eventually burst into laughter, his shoulders shaking.

“Xiao Qi is really something else,” he said, gripping the steering wheel as he laughed.

Jin Lang was speechless again. But thinking about it, it actually was pretty funny, so he ended up laughing too.

That laughter melted away whatever little frustration Lu Qian had been holding onto that morning. The tension eased, and the atmosphere returned to normal.

Honk! Honk!

The green light was on. The cars behind them urged them to move.

Lu Qian rubbed his face. “Alright, let’s go. Teacher Ding is waiting for us.”

“Okay.” Jin Lang smiled, then picked up his phone to record a voice message.

Lu Qian glanced over and saw Jin Lang speaking into his phone.

“The call just now was on speaker. Brother Qian heard everything. You’re dead.”

Less than ten seconds later, a voice message came back.

“Ahhh, you little bastard! Brother Qian, Your Majesty, spare me! I was just talking nonsense! Have mercy on your humble servant!”

Lu Qian chuckled. He gestured for Jin Lang to bring his phone closer and recorded his own message.

“Does Xu Yang know you’re going on blind dates?”

Jin Lang frowned, confused. What did this have to do with Xu Yang? Did the director have some kind of issue with homosexuality? Was he the type to ban employees from dating? No wonder Brother Xiao Qi always avoided him. If Xu Yang really was the kind of straight guy who disrespected people’s sexuality, it was no wonder Qi Shaobai wanted nothing to do with him.

A message came back immediately.

“Like hell it’s any of his business!”

But his tone had completely changed—those four words sounded full of gritted teeth.

(To be continued…)