“Handsome, can I get your WeChat?”
Suddenly someone approached—Wen Ran and Shang Ge were startled.
Wen Ran quickly hid his phone, clearing his throat to cover.
He looked up at the newcomer—
A man, wearing black-rimmed glasses.
Who is he looking for?
Wen Ran glanced at Shang Ge, who said, “Don’t look at me, definitely you.”
Oh.
Wen Ran turned to the glasses-wearing man and expertly declined: “Sorry, I have a boyfriend.”
Shang Ge sighed—this kind of refusal really ensured Wen Ran’s single status remained intact.
The man replied: “No worries, just friends.”
He gestured sideways: “Not me, my friend. Handsome guy.”
Wen Ran and Shang Ge turned—and froze.
Such looks! Such aura!
Broad shoulders, unmistakably strong and commanding.
The body-type difference!
Exactly the kind they loved most!
!!
Before Wen Ran could even react, Shang Ge reached over and grabbed the phone in front of him.
“Here, add him.”
“Alrighty.”
The glasses-wearing man smiled.
Wen Ran: ?
The phone was quickly returned to him. Shang Ge nudged him: “Your turn—add him yourself.”
?
Wen Ran looked at Shang Ge.
Shang Ge looked back: Add him! That’s a double-door chest! More impressive than a fridge! Real, not like in your anime drawings!
Fine.
Wen Ran lowered his head and silently tapped the screen.
Not far away, Luo Xiao watched this with a quiet smile—slow, deliberate, the picture of calm hesitation.
So why hesitate? What was there to hesitate about?
Luo Xiao stood up.
At that moment, Wen Ran lifted his head and froze—standing right in front of him was the man.
Tall, easily a head taller than Wen Ran’s 179 cm, broad-shouldered, a chest that filled out the thin fabric of his shirt, arms smooth and strong beneath the short sleeves.
Deep, sharp features, undeniably masculine, with a slightly tanned complexion.
Wen Ran was immediately struck, eyes wide—how did he get here so fast?
Shang Ge, beside him, was equally stunned: Whoa! Whoa! That height, that build, that aura! Whoa!
“I’m Luo Xiao,” the man introduced himself.
With that, the glasses-wearing guy left, tossing Wen Ran a teasing glance before turning away.
“Luo, like the camel; Xiao, like the autumn wind.”
Shang Ge also stepped back, and the departing man added teasingly: Handle this well~
Wen Ran’s face heated slightly—fortunately, the dim lighting in the bar hid it.
He stammered, meeting the man’s gaze: “Hi, I’m Wen Ran.”
“Here with friends?”
Luo Xiao stood naturally at the high table across from him.
“Yeah,” Wen Ran nodded, clearly not a man of many words.
“I’m not from C City. I’m here for a friend’s wedding.”
“Oh, that one just now,” Luo Xiao prompted, “we met while hiking. You know hiking?”
Wen Ran nodded again, a little embarrassed—he wasn’t very good with strangers.
Luo Xiao noticed, glanced at the cocktail near Wen Ran, and suggested: “I’ll get you a drink.”
“Uh…” Wen Ran wanted to decline.
But seeing Luo Xiao signal the approaching waiter and glance back at him, Wen Ran hesitated and finally said, “Actually… a cocktail works.”
Of course, he liked a drink to relax.
“Okay.”
Luo Xiao told the waiter: “Two cocktails, low alcohol.”
Then he looked back at Wen Ran, engaging: “What kind of topics make you feel relaxed?”
Huh?
Wen Ran blinked.
Luo Xiao met his clear eyes and smiled: “Want to play dice?”
He returned to the nearby table, grabbed a cup and two dice, came back, shook them in the cup, and challenged: “Guess the total. Two dice, minimum two, maximum sixteen. Eight and below is small, above eight is big. Guess big or small?”
He placed the cup in front of them, eyes prompting Wen Ran.
Wen Ran looked down, guessed, “Big?”
He didn’t know, just a shot in the dark.
Luo Xiao lifted the cup—four and six, total ten. Big.
“Correct.”
Luo Xiao smiled, met Wen Ran’s eyes, and Wen Ran smiled in return.
“Again,” Luo Xiao said.
He shook the dice again.
“You guess first.”
Wen Ran: “Big?”
Luo Xiao lifted the cup—again, big.
“Correct.”
Wen Ran smiled instinctively—winning always brought happiness.
“Guess again…”
And so, the two newly acquainted strangers, who had little to talk about, played back-and-forth dice guesses for a while.
Astonishingly, Wen Ran kept guessing correctly.
After a moment, he looked up at Luo Xiao in surprise: “Do you… control the dice?”
“No,” Luo Xiao denied. “You guessed right.”
“You’re the one!”
Wen Ran wasn’t dumb and laughed.
Gradually, the tension eased, and Wen Ran stopped being so wary.
He drank the cocktail Luo Xiao bought him, casually asked: “So… what do you do?”
Not prying—just making conversation like he would with any stranger his age.
“I don’t work,” Luo Xiao said, surprising Wen Ran. “Since college, I’ve been hiking, climbing, traveling. All over the world, all over China.”
“Wow.” Wen Ran’s eyes widened. “That’s amazing!”
Luo Xiao smiled: “Things are different now. Before, people would always ask how I afford to travel so much. Now, they just praise it—especially in the past six months.”
“Seems like nobody really likes working now,” Wen Ran said.
“Exactly.”
Curious, Wen Ran asked: “So… how do you manage financially?”
“Living off my parents,” Luo Xiao said casually.
Wen Ran raised an eyebrow. “Funny… me too.”
They laughed together, breaking the last bit of distance.
Wen Ran asked: “Where have you been?”
…
Nearby, Shang Ge watched them from another table: Not bad. Really rare. Looks like they’re getting along well.
Indeed—the “body-type difference” was clearly a draw.
The conversation flowed from Antarctica to Wen Ran’s modest comic career.
“Just something I draw casually,” Wen Ran said humbly, “nothing notable.”
Afraid Luo Xiao might ask for his pen name, he quickly added: “Don’t ask, really just casual stuff.”
A little regret—he shouldn’t have mentioned it.
But Luo Xiao said: “Back in school, I read Chun Yedu’s Romantic Autumn and Feng Qiaonan’s Tennis High.”
Wen Ran’s eyes lit up: “Those are old! You’ve read them?”
“Yes.”
“I still have the books.”
Luo Xiao pulled out his phone and showed them. Wen Ran leaned in, both heads close.
Shang Ge, watching: Not bad, not bad, body-type difference guy’s got skills.
The two chatted easily, laughing, relaxed, and ended up drinking a bit more, faces flushed.
Shang Ge had wandered off somewhere. It was late, Wen Ran felt dizzy—alcohol kicking in, the bar noisy—he decided to leave.
Luo Xiao not only paid the bill but personally escorted him outside.
At the door, Wen Ran lowered his head, focused on his phone to call a rideshare.
Unbeknownst to him, Luo Xiao watched him—watching the phone, glimpsing the pale, smooth nape exposed as Wen Ran’s head bent.
“I’ll take you. Don’t bother with a taxi.”
Luo Xiao’s Adam’s apple rolled slightly.
“Huh?”
Wen Ran, possibly tipsy, looked up with wide, innocent eyes like a little animal.
That single look made Luo Xiao’s chest tighten—his body reacted before his mind. He reached out, pulled Wen Ran’s arm toward him, holding the young man close, voice low:
“Alone, right? No boyfriend?”
?
“Yeah.”
Alone.
Wen Ran’s expression—bright, innocent, like grapes.
The next second, Luo Xiao cupped Wen Ran’s face with his other hand and kissed him.
Wen Ran wasn’t prepared, eyes widening in shock.
That was the last scene in Wen Ran’s memory.
Now, he huddled under the blanket, stunned, skin prickling—he’d slept with this man he’d just met last night.
Ah?!
Then, a stylishly dressed middle-aged couple appeared at the door.
Wen Ran panicked: Who are they now?
“What…?”
“My parents,” Luo Xiao gestured, still in a calming “stay cool” pose.
But the woman suddenly exclaimed: “Daughter-in-law?!”
Then, beaming, she pointed at Wen Ran on the bed: “Wonderful! It’s my daughter-in-law!! I’m your mom, your mom!”
Then she added, “Sweetheart daughter-in-law, do you like blank checks? Mommy can give you one to play with!”
Wen Ran: ?????
What?
What the hell is going on?!
He was utterly dumbfounded, face blank, shrinking tightly under the covers.
Soon, his face burned crimson with a mix of embarrassment and indignation—how could he have slept with a stranger he’d only met the night before and exchanged a few sentences with?
And now a woman was calling him her daughter-in-law?
And there were so many people standing by the bed.
What was happening?!
Fortunately, Luo Xiao quickly reacted and stepped toward the foot of the bed, gesturing to Ju Yaxin and Luo Zhengting at the door: “Mom, Dad, this isn’t a good time. Could you step out for now?”
“We can talk later,” he added.
“Is he… your boyfriend?”
Ju Yaxin was held by Luo Xiao as he turned, joy and curiosity lighting her expression, eyes sparkling as she checked him out: Wow, he’s handsome… so this is the type my son likes.
“We’ll talk later,” Luo Xiao said firmly, guiding his parents out. He closed the sliding bedroom door behind them.
Once the door was shut, he turned back to the bed. Wen Ran’s face was still red, brows furrowed in embarrassment, eyes flickering with distrust.
Clearly, Wen Ran had forgotten parts of last night and might even believe he hadn’t gone willingly.
Luo Xiao hadn’t expected this reaction. He raised his hand in a calming gesture: Relax, listen to me, and spoke evenly:
“You don’t remember, do you?”
“How much do you remember of me?”
“Just how much?”
“It wasn’t like you think.”
“We got along really well yesterday.”
“I even asked if I should send you home first.”
“You said to come to my place, and that’s why we ended up here.”
“Really, we had a good time. You were happy, and we…”
“Stop.”
Wen Ran’s face was so red it could bleed.
Even though he remembered nothing of the night, he was aware of one fact: he was a 24-year-old adult, not a child.
He had been a bit dizzy from drinking at the bar, but not unconscious or taken anywhere against his will.
Whatever happened with this man last night, it almost certainly wasn’t coercion.
Wen Ran was still processing, keeping silent, wanting only to put on clothes and get control of the situation.
He scanned the bed—no clothes. Under the bed—none either. Only a single sock a short distance away.
“I… my clothes?” he asked hesitantly.
Luo Xiao looked at him, said nothing, bent down to pick up the clothes from the floor, handed them to him on the bed, then retrieved Wen Ran’s white shirt and passed it over, closing the sliding door behind him.
Wen Ran no longer hid under the covers, silently dressing.
As he got dressed, Luo Xiao’s eyes lingered on the marks on Wen Ran’s neck and shoulders. His chest tightened—this reaction was completely unexpected. Last night, Wen Ran had been enthusiastic, clingy, even passionate. How could he forget so quickly?
A blackout?
Luo Xiao liked Wen Ran, deeply. That’s why, against his usual principles, he had brought Wen Ran to his hotel and spent the night with him…
Seeing Wen Ran finished with his shirt, Luo Xiao paused, then turned his back, sighing silently: How could he forget, and of all mornings, my parents walk in?
Luo Xiao retrieved his own clothes, getting dressed.
By the bed, he found shoes—and noticed a few used condoms on the floor, each seemingly weighted with something inside.
Wen Ran’s face, just regaining color, flushed violently.
Memories and imagination collided, all the positions and gestures he had experienced…
Stop it!
Wen Ran’s mind scrambled, telling itself to calm down.
Wait—he recalled something: first times supposedly hurt, your ass aches…
But it didn’t hurt.
Just then, Luo Xiao, dressed and turning, asked casually: “Any discomfort anywhere?”
“…No, it’s fine,” Wen Ran replied, lips pressed together.
Luo Xiao, calmly tying his shoes, said: “You said it was your first time yesterday, so I was careful.”
“If anything is uncomfortable…”
He didn’t continue, seeing Wen Ran’s face flame bright red.
He didn’t press—partly to spare Wen Ran further embarrassment, partly because he thought the sight incredibly cute. One thought filled his mind: I want to kiss him. Hold him close and kiss him hard, like last night.
And Luo Xiao knew one thing clearly: whether Wen Ran remembered last night or not, this wouldn’t end after just one night.
Wen Ran, meanwhile, thought: What do I do? Calm… calm…
No, first—escape.
Fully dressed, he picked up his almost-dead phone, adopting a meek, obedient tone: “If nothing’s going on, I’ll just…”
From the living room came a woman’s voice: “Luo Xiao? Are you done?”
“Come out, we need to talk.”
Wen Ran’s words died in his throat. He looked at the sliding door; Luo Xiao explained: “My parents. They don’t have a room card—they must’ve come straight in.”
“Don’t worry, nothing serious—they just came to see me…”
Outside: “Luo Xiao?”
Luo Xiao gestured: “Let’s go, I’ll send you home first.”
Wen Ran nodded.
Unaware, their night together had already slipped beyond their control.
Earlier, Ju Yaxin had stepped out of the bedroom and whispered to Luo Zhengting:
“I feel like it was a one-night thing.”
“A one-night thing? So what?”
Ju Yaxin: “Remember, we met on the 42nd day, and you proposed to me on the cruise! Do you really think your youngest son would do a one-night stand?”
Luo Zhengting agreed—Luo Xiao wasn’t that type.
Ju Yaxin analyzed: “Whatever the boy’s reaction, the fact he was on Luo Xiao’s bed means only one thing—”
She beamed: “Luo Xiao likes him!”
“Daughter-in-law!”
Ju Yaxin squealed: “Yes! My daughter-in-law!”
Luo Zhengting wanted to interject, but Ju Yaxin continued: “As parents, why do we do anything? For the child, of course! Son likes him, we have to support him!”
Luo Zhengting: “Well… feelings are personal…”
Ju Yaxin: “Nonsense! I can’t let this opportunity go!”
She grinned, resolute: This daughter-in-law, I approve!
…
In the bedroom, sliding door opened—Luo Xiao went first, Wen Ran after.
Wen Ran stayed cautious—not just because of the morning, but because of Luo Xiao’s parents, strangers in the room.
He peeked at the couple on the sofa, prepared to quietly vanish if ignored.
Instead, the woman immediately focused on him: smiling, gesturing warmly, “Young man, come, sit. I want to talk to you.”
Wen Ran inwardly groaned.
“Uncle, Auntie,” he greeted stiffly.
Fortunately, Luo Xiao interjected: “Mom, let’s not scare Wen Ran. I’ll send him…”
Ju Yaxin ignored him entirely, focusing on Wen Ran: “Come, Ran Ran. Uncle and Auntie want to say a few words.”
Luo Xiao tried to speak, but she glared: Shut your mouth!
She rose from the sofa, beckoning Wen Ran with warmth and initiative: “Come on, don’t be afraid. Let’s chat.”
Luo Xiao, bewildered, looked at his father.
Luo Zhengting cleared his throat…
Wen Ran, obedient, went over and sat across from them, quietly calling out, “Uncle, Auntie.”
Luo Xiao stayed on a side chair, watching, curious what Ju Yaxin would say.
She started with a simple question: “Your surname is Wen, right? Which Ran?”
“Then… Ran.”
Wen Ran spoke obediently, still cautious but no longer shrinking—just his normal self.
“How old are you?”
Ju Yaxin looked at him with a gentle smile.
“24,” Wen Ran replied.
“That’s good.”
Wen Ran had no idea what was good about that, but before he could think further, the woman continued softly, “Do you have a job?”
She even explained gently, “Just asking, no other meaning.”
“No job is fine, anyway, Luo Xiao doesn’t work either.”
“I draw comics,” Wen Ran answered honestly, not making up anything.
“Drawing comics?”
“That’s good.”
Ju Yaxin smiled warmly.
“Mom,” Luo Xiao tried to interject.
Ju Yaxin ignored him and continued asking where he was from, what his family did—Wen Ran answered quietly and politely.
She kept looking at him, liking him more the longer she did—handsome, honest, a bit reserved but clearly a good kid. She figured once he got familiar, he’d loosen up naturally.
“Auntie,” Wen Ran finally couldn’t hold it in. “You… um… is there something else?”
“If not…”
“Yes, there is.”
Ju Yaxin smiled warmly. “I was about to say.”
She glanced at Luo Xiao. He stiffened, sensing trouble. Then she spoke with gentle delight: “Ran Ran, here’s the thing. Our family is… very traditional.”
“How traditional?” Wen Ran asked cautiously.
“Well… our ancestral home has a shrine and family records,” she explained.
Wen Ran quietly met her gaze, eyes wide.
“Oh! I’ll be brief,” she said, smiling. “Since you and Luo Xiao are together, it’s only proper to take this seriously.”
“You can rest assured, Luo Xiao and our family will take responsibility.”
Responsibility? Wen Ran felt uneasy.
Luo Xiao sat up straight, sensing the tone.
Ju Yaxin continued, “You should tell your parents, and we can discuss when both families sit down…”
“Mom!” Luo Xiao tried to interrupt.
But Ju Yaxin pressed on: “To arrange your marriage.”
Bam! In broad daylight, the word marriage dropped.
Wen Ran: “???”
Luo Xiao: “……”