TLLKTBD CH 41

Chapter 41: You Didn’t Go Out to Have Fun Today?

Lu Qian spent the entire afternoon and evening at You Mu. He didn’t really feel like moving around, so he just sat there, sipping on some drinks and chatting with Ah Tang to pass the time.

At around nine in the evening, he received a call from the cake shop, reminding him that they would be closing at ten and asking if he still planned to pick up his order. Only then did Lu Qian remember—he had ordered a cake. He hurried over and managed to retrieve it just before the shop closed.

The cake shop was near his home, so he took his time walking back, carrying the cake.

I wonder if Jin Lang is home yet. At this hour, if he had gone out with a girl, he should’ve already sent her home.

Or maybe he’s already back and resting? After a whole day out, he must’ve had fun and gotten tired, right?

Lu Qian strolled leisurely, lost in thought, yet before he knew it, he had already arrived home. As soon as he stepped inside, he noticed the dining table cluttered with tools and coffee cups, while the air was filled with the rich aroma of coffee.

Jin Lang was home. And still awake.

The sound of running water echoed from the kitchen—he seemed to be busy with something.

Lu Qian stood by the table, studying the mess when Jin Lang turned off the water, dried his hands with a towel, and walked out of the kitchen. Upon seeing Lu Qian, his eyes lit up.

“Qian-ge, you’re back?” His voice was full of energy.

“It’s already late. Why are you still making coffee?” Lu Qian placed the cake into the fridge. “Did you have fun today?”

“I did.” Jin Lang’s gaze followed Lu Qian as he stored the cake away. After a moment of hesitation, he asked a little sheepishly, “Is that a cake?”

“Yeah. We can have it for breakfast tomorrow, so you don’t need to prepare anything.”

“Oh.” Jin Lang seemed slightly disappointed but didn’t say anything more. He simply stood beside Lu Qian, looking at the table full of coffee art attempts.

“What… exactly are you doing?” Lu Qian finally couldn’t hold back his curiosity.

“I’m running an experiment.” Jin Lang pointed at a cup of coffee with latte art that had already started to collapse. “I made this one just now, and by now…” He turned to glance at the clock on the wall. “It’s been ten minutes. The little puppy paw design is already starting to sink.”

Jin Lang sighed, a little exasperated. “Ten minutes seems to be the limit. I’ve been experimenting all afternoon, adjusting the coffee temperature, the milk foam’s temperature, thickness, and frothing time. This is probably the best result I can get.”

Then, he pointed at another cup of coffee. This one had a heart-shaped leaf pattern that still looked relatively intact. “Flat latte art lasts longer. As long as you don’t touch the cup, it won’t deform too much. Like this one—I made it around seven, and it’s been three hours, but the leaf pattern is still pretty clear.”

“Wait, hold on.” Lu Qian suddenly sensed something was off. “What do you mean by ‘experimenting all afternoon’?” He frowned. “Didn’t you go out to have fun today?” Just now, Jin Lang had even said it was fun.

“Go out?” Jin Lang looked puzzled. “No, I stayed home and played around.”

He gestured toward the coffee-making tools on the table. “I had ordered a siphon coffee maker and a milk frother from Jazz a while ago. They arrived a few days ago, but I kept forgetting to pick them up. Today, the store manager’s sister happened to be free, so she delivered them to me. She also mentioned that the head barista from the main store was visiting for a training session and asked if I wanted to come by. But that class was for current employees—I’ve already quit, so it would’ve been weird for me to go. I had no choice but to lie to Wei-jie and say I was working today. Haha…”

Wei-jie was the store manager’s sister. She often helped out at the shop and was quite familiar with Jin Lang.

“So you…” Lu Qian was dumbfounded. “You didn’t go out at all today?”

“I did! I went out to buy some coffee beans. Tomorrow, I can grind them fresh and make you an even better cup. The beans I had before weren’t that great, so I used them up today for practice. No waste at all.” Jin Lang said this happily, clearly proud of himself.

“So… aside from buying coffee, you just stayed home brewing coffee and playing with milk foam?” Lu Qian was stunned. He couldn’t believe that Jin Lang had spent his birthday just bored at home like this. “You didn’t make plans to celebrate? No one… invited you out?”

“Who would invite me?” Jin Lang countered.

Lu Qian walked into the kitchen to check, only to find an empty packet of minced meat instant noodles in the trash. He felt even more helpless. “You had instant noodles for your birthday dinner?”

Jin Lang looked at Lu Qian like he was the strange one. “You were the one who said we’d celebrate together. Since you weren’t here, of course, I didn’t celebrate.”

Lu Qian stared at Jin Lang, who had unknowingly been stood up by him. A complicated feeling swelled in his chest.

He was being too sentimental.

Glancing at the clock, it was now 10:30 PM. The last thing he had promised yesterday—he could still do it.

Without hesitation, Lu Qian opened the fridge, pulled out the cake, grabbed a bottle of ice wine from the wine rack, and took out a corkscrew along with two glasses. Then, calling out to Jin Lang, he rushed out the door.

“Hey, Qian-ge, where are we going this late?”

“We’re going to the rooftop to enjoy the night view, blow out the candles, and eat cake. Grab your jacket.” As they passed the entrance, Lu Qian didn’t forget to remind Jin Lang to bring a coat. Jin Lang casually grabbed two light jackets and followed Lu Qian out the door.

Lu Qian led Jin Lang up to the rooftop. By the time they pushed open the rooftop’s emergency exit, both of them were panting.

Lu Qian turned to Jin Lang and said, “I drank earlier, so I can’t drive. I can’t take you up the mountain to see the night view today, so we’ll have to make do with this.”

He felt guilty toward Jin Lang.

Setting the cake and wine on the ground, Lu Qian pulled Jin Lang over to stand by the parapet. From here, they could see countless twinkling lights from the buildings below and the glowing streams of traffic on the distant highway.

“Mm, it’s beautiful,” Jin Lang said with a smile, looking genuinely satisfied.

Lu Qian opened the cake box and lit the candles. “Make a wish,” he said, pulling Jin Lang down to sit beside him.

“Wait—aren’t you skipping a step?” Jin Lang asked with a playful smile, unwilling to let him off so easily. “You haven’t sung yet, and you haven’t wished me a happy birthday.”

“……” Lu Qian was momentarily stunned. He had been too rushed, too worried about missing the time. “I forgot.”

Clearing his throat, Lu Qian softly sang, Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you… Under the flickering candlelight, he watched as Jin Lang’s brows curved in a smile.

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…”

“Xiao Lang, happy birthday. Wishing you good health, peace, and happiness,” Lu Qian said sincerely.

Jin Lang beamed, nodding happily before closing his eyes to make his wishes.

I hope Mom will stop gambling.

I hope the people around me will stay healthy and happy.

And…

I hope you… I hope you and I… that we’ll be okay.

Jin Lang felt a warmth creeping into his ears.

(To be continued…)