TLLKTBD CH 12

Chapter 12: You Can Call Me Xiao Lang

Their first weekend together passed by in a relaxed and lazy manner, just staying at home.

When Monday arrived, Jin Lang did not forget his promise to Lu Qian.

He got up early, made a cup of café latte with a beautifully crafted milk foam design, and prepared a breakfast of fried eggs and bacon, perfectly toasted bread, and a small bowl of refreshing salad with vinaigrette dressing. It was a pleasant surprise for Lu Qian, who usually kept his breakfasts simple.

Lu Qian finished his meal with great satisfaction and said to Jin Lang, “Thanks for the energy-boosting breakfast, Simba. You worked hard. Go back and take a nap.” He reached out and ruffled Jin Lang’s slightly messy hair. “I’m off to work now.”

It wasn’t until Lu Qian stepped out of the house that he realized— Did I just ruffle his hair?

On the other hand, Jin Lang didn’t react much to the gesture. Having his hair ruffled wasn’t a big deal. In the future, he’d have to get used to even more awkward forms of physical contact. He absentmindedly ran his fingers through his hair and got up to clean the table.

Meanwhile, Lu Qian spent the entire morning staring at his right hand—the one that had reached out to pat Jin Lang’s head—completely baffled by his own actions. He remained puzzled until noon when he suddenly received a call from Jin Lang, which startled him. He thought something had happened.

“I’m fine. I just came to deliver your lunch. I forgot to ask this morning—what floor is your office on? I’m downstairs now.” Jin Lang spoke as he stepped into the building.

“You really brought me lunch?” Lu Qian was genuinely surprised. “W-Wait a moment! I’ll come down right away.”

He never expected Jin Lang to be serious about delivering lunch. When lunchtime arrived, Lu Qian had planned to take his usual nap and hadn’t even thought about eating.

Hurriedly, he took the elevator down, and the sight that greeted him was that of a striking young man, casually leaning against a pillar. Jin Lang was dressed in a plain black V-neck T-shirt paired with simple jeans. One hand held a food bag while the other idly scrolled through his phone. As soon as he spotted Lu Qian, he immediately straightened up, flashed a smile, and lifted the bag to show him.

Lu Qian overheard the receptionists in the lobby whispering excitedly among themselves, speculating whether Jin Lang was some celebrity. He found it amusing—but he also had to admit that they weren’t wrong. With his tall and slender build, standing there like a graceful poplar tree, Jin Lang really did look as handsome as any popular TV star.

Lu Qian walked straight up to him and took the food bag. Peeking inside, he found two lunch boxes and an insulated container, which he assumed contained soup.

“Why is there so much? I can’t finish all this by myself.” Lu Qian was puzzled.

“It’s not just for you. I haven’t eaten yet either.” Jin Lang had no intention of letting Lu Qian refuse to eat together.

“Then I’ll take you upstairs to our dining area. There are plenty of seats there.” Lu Qian led Jin Lang towards the cafeteria on the second floor.

“Are we allowed to bring outside food in? Will they kick us out?” Jin Lang asked as he unpacked the meal while sitting across from Lu Qian.

“No, this is a designated public dining area. Many employees bring their own meals here so that the office doesn’t end up smelling like food. The companies in the building all contribute a small fee to the restaurants for cleaning services, so they don’t mind. Plus, having more people around is good for business.” Lu Qian explained.

“Oh, that’s actually really thoughtful,” Jin Lang remarked.

“What’s really thoughtful?” A voice suddenly chimed in.

A man carrying a tray stood by their table. “Xiao Qian, it’s rare to see you eating here. You’re finally taking a break from being a ‘cultivator’! And this is…? Aren’t you going to introduce me?” Xu Yang grinned as he looked at the two of them.

Jin Lang glanced at the newcomer curiously and noticed a fleeting look of discomfort on Lu Qian’s face.

“He’s my… roommate,” Lu Qian introduced Jin Lang to Xu Yang.

Xu Yang was visibly surprised. “Huh? Roommate? Since when did you get a roommate?” Then, his eyes gleamed with curiosity as he turned to Jin Lang, studying him for a couple of seconds. “Mind if I join you? I’m Xu Yang, Lu Qian’s colleague.” Without waiting for an answer, he pulled out a chair and sat beside Lu Qian. “You can call me Xu-ge. What should I call you?”

“I’m…” Jin Lang hesitated. He couldn’t very well tell Xu Yang to call him Simba.

Before he could answer, Lu Qian interrupted, “Just eat your food. Why so many questions?” Clearly, he didn’t want to put Jin Lang in an awkward position. Quickly, he opened one of the lunch boxes and exaggeratedly exclaimed, “Wow, green peppers today! Let’s eat.”

Jin Lang was pulled back into the conversation, leaving no time to worry about Xu Yang. He simply urged Lu Qian to eat quickly so they could finish up and get back to work.

Xu Yang, however, was more interested in the food. “This looks way better than the stuff in our cafeteria. Where’d you buy it from? I wanna try it next time.”

As he spoke, he shamelessly reached his chopsticks into Lu Qian’s lunchbox and took a big bite of the stir-fried green peppers and pork. Lu Qian shot him a glare— I haven’t even taken a bite yet!

Jin Lang chuckled slightly. “I made it myself. If Xu-ge likes it, I can prepare an extra portion for you tomorrow.”

Since Xu Yang was one of Lu Qian’s colleagues, Jin Lang didn’t dare to be impolite.

“Tomorrow?” Xu Yang was stunned. Wait, is he delivering lunch every day? Quickly swallowing his mouthful of food, he replied, “Sure, sure! Count me in. I’m so sick of eating the same cafeteria food every day. Oh, by the way, these green peppers—”

“Too greasy? Good, you could use some weight loss. Your belly’s getting bigger—you should watch out.” Lu Qian interjected, shooting back at Xu Yang before turning to Jin Lang. “You don’t need to bother with him. Are you really delivering food every day? Aren’t you exhausted? Don’t bring any tomorrow.”

Lu Qian’s blunt rejection cut off both Xu Yang’s excitement and Jin Lang’s habitual kindness. Just as the two were about to protest, Lu Qian suddenly stood up and greeted someone behind Jin Lang.

“Xiao Qi, are you here for lunch too? Come sit with us!”

“Why did you call him over?” Xu Yang muttered under his breath, frowning, feeling that Lu Qian was meddling too much.

Jin Lang noticed the way Xu Yang’s previously cheerful demeanor suddenly deflated and grew curious. He turned to see who this Xiao Qi was.

A young man approached them with a warm yet somewhat reserved smile. There was a slight pause in his steps—something almost imperceptible unless observed carefully.

“Brother Qian, Director,” Qi Shaobai greeted them politely while balancing his food tray. He then turned to Jin Lang and smiled. “Hello, I hope I’m not interrupting your meal?” He sneaked a glance at Xu Yang, looking a little apprehensive. However, Xu Yang didn’t lift his head to look at him, focusing on eating instead.

Qi Shaobai let out an awkward chuckle. “There’s a seat over there. I’ll just head over—”

Jin Lang, who had been about to make space for him, glanced at the two men sitting across from him when he heard Qi Shaobai intending to leave.

Without a word, Lu Qian kicked Xu Yang under the table. Xu Yang let out a muffled grunt before grudgingly pointing his chopsticks at the empty seat across from them. “You’re already here—just sit down. Or do you plan on wandering around with your tray all day?”

“Ah… Alright!” Qi Shaobai’s face lit up, and he immediately scooted back to the table. “I’m Qi Shaobai, Brother Qian’s assistant. You can just call me Xiao Qi. And you are?” He greeted Jin Lang enthusiastically.

“I’m… Brother Qian’s roommate.”

Jin Lang turned his head and saw Lu Qian also looking at him, as if about to step in to help him explain. Instead, he introduced himself.

“My name is Jin Lang.”

It seemed like he was introducing himself to Qi Shaobai, but his gaze remained locked on Lu Qian, who looked slightly surprised. “You can call me Xiao Lang.” Jin Lang gave Lu Qian a small nod.

Lu Qian lowered his head and took a big bite of his meal, his lips curling into a faint smile.

“Oh! Roommate, huh…” Qi Shaobai murmured in confusion. He had never heard of Lu Qian having a roommate before. His gaze darted back and forth between them, his curiosity almost bursting.

“Xiao Lang is the younger brother of a friend. He came here for a visit and hasn’t found a place to stay yet, so he’s temporarily living at my place,” Lu Qian explained lightly. He was well aware that the other two were blatantly eavesdropping.

“He feels bad about freeloading at my place, so he’s been bringing me food as rent,” Lu Qian teased Jin Lang with a wink. “But from now on, that won’t be allowed. If your sister finds out, she’ll think I’m bullying you and skin me alive.”

Since Lu Qian had said this so seriously in front of his colleagues, Jin Lang could only obediently reply, “Understood.”

Ever since Qi Shaobai sat down, Xu Yang’s mood had visibly plummeted. He finished his meal in record time, then said to the group, “I’m full. I’ll head back first.” Without waiting for a response, he picked up his tray and left, his attitude cold and distant—completely different from before.

Jin Lang frowned at the sudden change in Xu Yang’s demeanor, wondering what was up with him when Qi Shaobai suddenly spoke.

“Is Director Xu mad at me?”

It had been two months since Lu Qian caught Qi Shaobai at Xu Yang’s place. In these past two months, Qi Shaobai had acted as if nothing had happened, going about work, joking around, and even causing a bit of chaos as usual. But Xu Yang had kept his distance. Whenever there were files to be delivered, he made sure someone else did it. After a few instances, Qi Shaobai got the message and stopped eagerly running to the director’s office.

But even so, it seemed like Xu Yang’s anger hadn’t subsided.

Now, Qi Shaobai wore a troubled expression, unsure of what to do. “Brother Qian, do you think Director Xu will fire me? I really need this job.”

Lu Qian, mindful of Jin Lang’s presence, didn’t want to say too much. He could only offer a small reassurance.

“Don’t overthink it. Just focus on your work. He won’t fire someone without good reason.”

Thinking back to how Xu Yang once said he wasn’t interested in younger men, Lu Qian figured that was as much of a hint as he could give. Even without Jin Lang sitting beside him, just seeing Qi Shaobai’s restrained yet persistent feelings for Xu Yang made it hard for him to be too blunt.

Matters of the heart… Sometimes, if you let them cool down for too long, they just fade away.

“Oh,” Qi Shaobai mumbled, still looking down. But after a while, as if recharged, he beamed again.

“Brother Qian, Xiao Lang, I’m full. Brother Qian, Mr. Wang from Lixie will be here this afternoon to review the designs. I’ll head back and prepare first. You guys take your time.”

As Qi Shaobai walked away, Jin Lang suddenly spoke up.

“Brother Qi… did he hurt his leg?”

Lu Qian looked at Jin Lang in surprise. “You noticed?”

It had taken them a whole month to realize it themselves. Back then, a few of their colleagues had spontaneously decided to play basketball. They dragged Qi Shaobai onto the court to make up the numbers. He was too shy to refuse, so he played the entire afternoon. Only later did they notice that his legs seemed weaker, and he had a slight limp.

“He had a car accident when he was little. His family was struggling financially at the time. It was just a minor fracture, but they couldn’t afford proper treatment, so it left him with aftereffects. By the time they realized his right leg was shorter than his left, the only solution was to rebreak the bone and let it heal again. The doctors couldn’t even guarantee a full recovery. Qi Shaobai was afraid of the pain, and his family couldn’t afford the procedure, so they just left it as it was.”

Jin Lang finally understood.

Lu Qian added, “Don’t bring it up in front of him. He acts cheerful, but deep down, he still minds it.”

Jin Lang nodded. “I’m not that insensitive. That’s why I waited until he left to ask.”

Lu Qian chuckled. “Yeah, yeah. But you barely ate and spent the whole meal observing people. What else did you notice?”

Jin Lang pouted. “I noticed that Xu Yang likes you.”

Lu Qian froze for a second. “What makes you think that?”

“The way he looks at you is different,” Jin Lang said confidently. “How should I put it… it’s gentle. He doesn’t look at Brother Qi that way. Actually, he doesn’t look at him at all.”

Lu Qian shook his head, impressed by Jin Lang’s keen observation skills. He knocked on Jin Lang’s lunchbox. “Eat. Stop gossiping.”

“Oh.” Jin Lang ate a few more bites but couldn’t resist adding, “But seriously, Xu Yang isn’t right for you.”

Lu Qian smiled faintly and asked, “Oh? Then what kind of person do you think suits me?”

(To be continued…)