TLLKTBD CH 13

Chapter 13: The Patron Is Angry

And just like that, Jin Lang truly began taking care of Lu Qian’s three meals a day without missing a single one.

Since Lu Qian wouldn’t let him deliver food every day, Jin Lang prepared dishes that wouldn’t spoil or lose their flavor even after being reheated, so Lu Qian could take them to work. Occasionally, every few days, he would join Lu Qian for a meal. As luck would have it, every time he came over, he always ran into Xu Yang and Qi Shaobai. Over time, an unspoken agreement seemed to form—whenever Jin Lang was around, the four of them would always sit and eat together.

Though Xu Yang remained a man of few words, he wasn’t as cold as before. Qi Shaobai, being closer in age to Jin Lang and naturally sociable, quickly hit it off with him. By their third meal together, they discovered that they played the same mobile game, and they had already exchanged Line contacts and phone numbers. Soon, they were chatting enthusiastically on the phone, often making plans to play together.

Today, Jin Lang came over for another meal.

When he arrived at the lobby, Lu Qian and Xu Yang were still seeing off a particularly chatty client. It had already been twenty minutes, and despite saying goodbye five times, the client still wouldn’t leave. Seeing this, Qi Shaobai went down to the first floor to pick up Jin Lang and led him to the second-floor dining area.

Qi Shaobai went to buy rice and juice for himself and Xu Yang, then sat down to wait for Jin Lang to serve the dishes. However, Jin Lang refused—these dishes were specially prepared for his patron. Although he had made extra portions to accommodate the two freeloaders, Xu Yang and Qi Shaobai, he wasn’t about to start eating before Lu Qian arrived.

As they waited, Qi Shaobai finally couldn’t hold back his curiosity and asked, “Xiao Lang, you and Qian-ge… what’s your situation?”

“What do you mean, ‘what situation’?” Jin Lang’s internal alarm bells rang, but he maintained a look of utter confusion. “He’s just my big bro! Didn’t I tell you last time? My sister asked Qian-ge to look after me, so I’m staying at his place for now.”

“That’s not what I meant. Wait a minute—didn’t you say you were an only child last time?”

“…” Jin Lang froze. Had he really said that? How did the conversation go that he even revealed that detail? “…She’s my cousin,” he said stiffly, trying to cover up his slip.

“…”

Qi Shaobai wasn’t interested in that at all—who cared if it was a sister or a cousin? His gaydar was very accurate, and he was sure that there was something unusual going on between those two. But when he focused on Jin Lang alone, he couldn’t detect any signs that he was part of the community.

Qi Shaobai thought about it for a moment, unsure how to bring it up. He never hid his own orientation, and those with a keen eye could tell right away. If asked directly, he had no problem admitting it. But not everyone was as open as he was. In fact, he took a bit of pride in his self-acceptance. Sexuality wasn’t something you could just announce to the world, so he couldn’t exactly ask outright.

Just as he bit on his straw, struggling to figure out how to satisfy his curiosity without being rude, Jin Lang suddenly asked, “What about you? What’s your situation with Xu-ge?”

“Cough, cough…”

Qi Shaobai choked on his apple juice.

“What?” He looked completely bewildered. He wasn’t even sure if Jin Lang, who had just played dumb with his question earlier, even understood what he was asking now.

“Xu… Director Xu is my boss,” Qi Shaobai said, his eyes darting around. “Strictly speaking, he’s my boss’s boss.” He pursed his lips and muttered meaningfully, “And with Qian-ge between us, what kind of ‘situation’ could there possibly be?”

“You do know Xu-ge is your boss’s boss, right? You’re pretty bold to get on his bad side,” Jin Lang whispered. “Did you two have a fight?”

“I didn’t fight with him,” Qi Shaobai grumbled, feeling frustrated. It was just that ever since that night, Xu Yang had been avoiding him like the plague. Aside from that one time when Xu Yang had randomly called to demand why he hadn’t gone to work and why he hadn’t cleaned up his place, he had completely ignored him.

Qi Shaobai felt utterly wronged. That day, he had been halfway through cooking when Qian-ge showed up out of nowhere, and he had to leave in a hurry, unable to clean up the kitchen. He had even apologized afterward! But Xu Yang had only huffed and hung up the phone, and since then, he had been giving him the cold shoulder. If it weren’t for this weird lunch gathering they somehow ended up having, Xu Yang wouldn’t have shared a table with him at all.

“Hey, listen,” Jin Lang said, giving him a knowing look. “You’re just a little employee. You should endure a little, bow your head, and not mess around. Why risk your job? Are you stupid?”

“I have been enduring! I’ve tried talking to him, he won’t respond. I’ve told jokes, he won’t laugh. I’ve apologized at least eight hundred times, and he’s still acting like this. What else can I do?” Qi Shaobai grew more annoyed as he spoke. “He looks at me like I’m a ghost or something. Forget it, I’ll just stay away from him from now on.”

Fuming, he picked up his rice and started shoveling it into his mouth, stuffing down his frustration along with it. Within a few mouthfuls, he had already eaten half the bowl.

“Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? Trying to choke yourself to death on plain rice?” Jin Lang sighed helplessly.

Lu Qian and Xu Yang were still not here, the food was getting cold, and Qi Shaobai was so hungry that he was eating plain rice out of spite. Even though he had wanted to save the food for Lu Qian, he couldn’t stand watching the guy sulk like a child. With a sigh, he finally opened the insulated food container.

“Here, eat some with the dishes.”

Qi Shaobai, still sulking, instantly perked up at the sight of the food. Without hesitation, he grabbed several large bites and started eating enthusiastically.

“Slow down! And don’t take too much—Qian-ge hasn’t eaten yet…” Jin Lang nagged as he watched him. Then, suddenly, he asked, “So what exactly did you two fight about?”

Smack!

Qi Shaobai slammed his chopsticks onto the table.

“I’m full.”

Jin Lang flinched in surprise, staring at Qi Shaobai’s slightly flushed ears. Then he heard him mutter, “Thanks for the meal, I’ll be going now…”

With that, Qi Shaobai hurriedly cleared away his trash and bolted.

“What’s he running for?” Jin Lang turned around, only to see that Lu Qian and Xu Yang had just arrived at their table.

Lu Qian frowned as he watched Qi Shaobai’s retreating figure. “He already finished eating? Running off right after eating… isn’t he worried about indigestion?”

“This kid is pretty quick,” Xu Yang sneered, then casually sat down and started eating. “Let’s see, what’s on the menu today? Oh, Mapo Tofu! I love this one…”

Jin Lang: “…” Heartless. Good thing you’re not my boss, stinky Xu-ge.

“Qian-ge, come and eat, you must be hungry,” he called out. In front of others, he still addressed Lu Qian as “Qian-ge,” just as Lu Qian had instructed.

“You haven’t eaten yet either? Next time, don’t wait for me—just go ahead and eat. Cold rice is bad for the stomach,” Lu Qian said.

“Huh? Really? Then I’ll go get you another bowl of rice,” Jin Lang offered.

“No need, no need. Just eat,” Lu Qian reassured him.

“Hey, my rice is cold too,” Xu Yang interjected after listening to their back-and-forth. It wasn’t even anything special, but for some reason, it made his teeth ache. He tapped his bowl with his chopsticks. “Why isn’t anyone getting me a new bowl?” He sounded a little annoyed. Usually, when the four of them ate together, he never noticed anything. But now, he suddenly felt like a third wheel.

Jin Lang rolled his eyes. The small employee who would’ve fetched rice for you has already been scared away by you. I’m not serving you.

Without Xiao Qi around, Xu Yang suddenly felt like the odd one out. Was this the classic “third-wheeling” experience? Watching Jin Lang carefully picking dishes for Lu Qian while Lu Qian spoke to him warmly, Xu Yang felt a little bitter.

What little brother? More like a little wolfdog.

Xu Yang had wanted to ask Lu Qian about his relationship with Jin Lang several times but couldn’t bring himself to. One, he was afraid of hearing an answer he didn’t want to hear. Two, he no longer had the right to ask. The meal ended up feeling heavy and tasteless.

After they finished eating, Lu Qian and Xu Yang headed upstairs. Lu Qian casually asked Jin Lang what his plans were for the afternoon.

“I’ll go check in at the classroom. This term’s almost over, so I want to see if there are any other courses I can take,” Jin Lang replied.

Lu Qian nodded with a smile, and Jin Lang waved at the two before grabbing the food containers and heading off.

Jin Lang had enrolled in a cooking class to expand his repertoire of dishes. However, after completing a term, he found it a little dull. That afternoon, he visited the adult education center and brought back a stack of course brochures to review later.

That evening, Jin Lang sat in the living room, flipping through the cooking class brochures, trying to find a suitable course, but none seemed satisfying. Lu Qian, after tending to a small pot of succulents on the dining table, walked over and took the brochures from behind the sofa to glance through them.

“These courses are designed for beginners. They’re too basic for me—there’s no challenge,” Jin Lang said, slouching against the sofa with a frown. “I really want to learn from a master chef.”

“Then go find a master,” Lu Qian suggested.

“I don’t have any connections. I’m not a culinary student, and I don’t have much kitchen experience. Why would any master take me in?” Jin Lang muttered gloomily.

“Eh? Sketching?” Lu Qian suddenly noticed a different set of brochures among the cooking class pamphlets. “And oil painting? You like drawing?”

The moment Lu Qian asked, Jin Lang practically jumped up from the sofa, snatching the brochures from his hands and stuffing them behind him. Lu Qian was dumbfounded by his reflexes—was this kid trained at the Shaolin Temple?

“Wait, what are you getting so worked up for?” Lu Qian found it amusing. The way Jin Lang looked—like a guilty puppy caught peeing on the carpet—was almost cute.

“I was just casually looking… I wasn’t planning to sign up, really. Just looking…” Jin Lang’s voice trailed off, his head lowering.

Lu Qian sensed something was off. He circled around the sofa and sat down beside Jin Lang. “Let me see.”

Jin Lang reluctantly handed over the slightly crumpled brochures. Lu Qian flipped through them—most were for cooking classes, but three were for art courses, with notes scribbled on them. He suddenly remembered something Jin Xiaomi had mentioned—Jin Lang had once been accepted into F University’s Fine Arts program.

“If you like it, why not sign up?” Lu Qian asked.

“I don’t have… time.” And money.

“You don’t have time?” Lu Qian was puzzled. This kid only attended cooking classes, occasionally came to have lunch with him, and spent the rest of his time holed up at home. Compared to Lu Qian’s busy work schedule, Jin Lang had plenty of free time. And yet, he claimed he was too busy?

“What are you busy with?” Lu Qian pressed.

Jin Lang shook his head.

“If you like cooking, you take cooking classes. If you like painting, you take art classes. Why overthink it?” Lu Qian continued to reason with him.

“I took cooking classes because it was necessary for work,” Jin Lang blurted out.

Lu Qian’s expression stiffened. “…You took cooking classes because of work?” His smile froze on his face. “I thought you genuinely loved cooking, that you had a passion for it, which was why you wanted to take classes. But it turns out… that wasn’t the case?” His voice grew colder as he spoke.

“I… I do love cooking…” Jin Lang’s voice grew softer, his fingers unconsciously scratching at the sofa.

“You’re good at cooking. You can instinctively balance flavors, your sense of taste is sharp, and you can combine ingredients effortlessly—that’s a gift. I thought you were one of those people who truly loved cooking, a natural-born chef. That’s why when you asked to take cooking classes, I encouraged you.” Lu Qian felt a tightness in his chest, and he took a deep breath before continuing with difficulty. “But if you’re only doing it because of… work? Because I’m your financial backer?”

Jin Lang could tell Lu Qian was upset, but he had no idea why.

“I—I did it for you, sir. I wanted to cook better food for you, so you’d be happy. Is that… wrong?” Jin Lang mustered up the courage to ask.

“It is wrong. If you’re only doing this to please your ‘financial backer,’ then you don’t need to go anymore,” Lu Qian said coldly. He stood up and walked toward his room. Before closing the door, he added, “And don’t cook anymore, either.”

Bang! The door slammed shut.

“Sir…”

Jin Lang had never seen Lu Qian angry before. He wanted to follow, but he didn’t dare move. He stood there frozen, unsure of what to do.

Even more confusing—he didn’t understand why Lu Qian was angry.

He learned to cook for him, yet Lu Qian said: It was wrong.

What was wrong?

(To be continued…)