He Xiaoyuan looked up, and for a brief moment, he felt a strange illusion—that Lu Chen was being unusually gentle with him. He froze for an instant, just a blink, too short for anyone else to notice.
Lu Chen glanced at his watch and asked, “It’s still early. Want to walk around?”
He Xiaoyuan snapped out of his daze. “Sure.”
Though not skilled at much else, he was used to accompanying Xu Ruomeng on shopping trips, so he was fairly adept at it.
The two of them headed down the escalator together.
As they stood one behind the other, He Xiaoyuan asked, “Lu ge, is there anything you want to buy?”
Lu Chen’s gaze swept across the nearby stores. “Just looking at men’s clothes.”
He Xiaoyuan assumed Lu Chen meant his own clothing and followed him down to the men’s wear floor.
Upon entering a store specializing in shirts and suits, a sales assistant came over to greet them. But Lu Chen gestured toward He Xiaoyuan and said, “Pick out a few sets of summer clothes for him—one set.”
He Xiaoyuan blinked.
He turned to Lu Chen, eyes wide, puzzled. “For me?”
Lu Chen, hands in his pockets, explained, “You gave me such nice tea as a gift. How could I not return the favor?”
The sales assistant began leading He Xiaoyuan to pick out clothes, but he gestured to wait and leaned closer to Lu Chen, whispering, “Lu ge, you really don’t have to.”
After all, the tea gift was both a token of greeting and a thank-you for Lu Chen’s past help to him and their team. Buying him clothes felt… excessive.
But He Xiaoyuan didn’t voice all that directly, simply insisting politely that Lu Chen was being too courteous and initially refusing.
Lu Chen, however, seemed unfazed, as if he hadn’t even heard the refusal: “Go pick. Choose what you like.”
He Xiaoyuan persisted: “Lu ge…”
Lu Chen’s lips curved slightly. He admired the boy’s principles and his way of handling situations.
He continued in a calm, even tone: “Today I paid for lunch; next time, you pay. Right?”
He Xiaoyuan nodded.
Lu Chen went on: “You came over, brought me a gift, I accepted without refusal. Now I want to give you something—would you refuse?”
He Xiaoyuan froze.
Lu Chen knew he had his effect: “Go ahead. A few sets won’t cost much. And don’t argue in the store—looks bad.”
Finally, He Xiaoyuan relented. “Thank you, Lu ge.”
Alright, let it be for now. Plenty of time to return the favor later—meals, gifts…
He followed the sales assistant to choose a few outfits and went into the fitting room.
He emerged shortly after, wearing a perfectly fitted shirt with suit trousers. Compared to ordinary casual clothes, this set looked sharp and refined.
Plus, with He Xiaoyuan’s naturally striking features, he looked like a groom about to walk down the aisle—handsome, confident, and full of presence, according to the sales assistant.
Lu Chen couldn’t help but admire him, a smile playing in his eyes.
He Xiaoyuan glanced in the mirror and, imitating Xu Ruomeng, turned to ask Lu Chen’s opinion: “Is it okay?”
Lu Chen nodded. “Looks great.”
He Xiaoyuan looked back at the mirror and agreed—it did look good.
He quickly turned to Lu Chen, resting a hand on his arm, and whispered as they walked a few steps away: “But it’s expensive. I just checked the tags—just the shirt is over a thousand.”
Lu Chen’s attention, however, wasn’t on the price. It was the closeness between them, the boy’s flawless complexion, the tiny fine hairs on his face, his long, thick lashes casting soft shadows under the store lights—and their first physical contact.
Lu Chen spoke calmly, quietly: “There’s something you need to understand.”
He Xiaoyuan looked up.
So close, Lu Chen gazed into his eyes: “My position isn’t low. Financially, this isn’t much to me.”
He Xiaoyuan blinked, lashes fluttering. “I know,” he said. At least he was dealing with a high-ranking executive.
He explained: “I just feel I can’t accept such expensive clothes.”
Lu Chen replied steadily: “A thousand for a single piece isn’t expensive to me.”
He Xiaoyuan, negotiating politely: “Lu ge, you have to understand—I can’t just comfortably spend your money.”
Even if a thousand was nothing to him, it still mattered to the boy.
Lu Chen suddenly asked: “How much was the tea you gave me?”
He Xiaoyuan: “…”
Three thousand.
Lu Chen’s words were skillful, casually shifting the perspective: “See? I didn’t hesitate to accept your tea.”
Implying that if he could gladly accept tea worth far more than a shirt, why feel awkward about the clothes?
He Xiaoyuan had nothing to say. He just looked at Lu Chen. Lu Chen returned the gaze, and they remained locked in that silent exchange.
He Xiaoyuan held onto a faint hope that, with his gaze and gentle insistence, Lu ge might reconsider buying him clothes as a return gift. However—
Lu Chen lifted his head, gestured to the sales assistant, and said loudly, “Hello, I’ll take this set. Please wrap it up for me.”
He Xiaoyuan: ……
Then Lu Chen continued, “The other items you picked, same sizes—all of them.”
He Xiaoyuan: ???
He never expected the Lu ge he knew to be this determined. Eyes wide in astonishment, he looked at the man before him, speechless yet helpless. “Ge, you really don’t have to do this, right?”
How iron-willed must someone be to insist on giving a return gift this way?
Lu Chen smiled at the “Ge” and glanced at the boy’s wide-eyed, helpless expression. If it weren’t too early and they weren’t yet familiar enough, he would have wanted to reach out and pinch his face.
“Mm,” Lu Chen said, “this is how it’s going to be.”
Then, half-jokingly, he added, “Shall we take a walk downstairs too?”
The first floor was lined with luxury brands.
He Xiaoyuan: No! Definitely not!
That was still just a thousand-yuan shirt.
He obediently gave in, saying immediately, “Alright, I accept. Thank you, Lu ge.”
At checkout, He Xiaoyuan watched as Lu Chen pulled out a black card. The machine beeped, confirming the total: two full sets of shirts and suit pants, with store and mall discounts applied, totaling 5,689 yuan.
He Xiaoyuan thought to himself: Not long ago, Lu ge had just paid off a debt after receiving his salary, leaving himself barely over five thousand.
Five thousand yuan… and now two sets of clothes, not for himself, just casually spent on someone else.
He had no other thoughts except feeling that Lu ge had spent way too much today—and also, that having money was really nice.
As he stood at the counter, distracted, the sales assistant handed him the two paper bags, but he was a step late; Lu Chen took them naturally.
“Let’s go.”
Lu Chen carried the bags as he turned to leave.
He Xiaoyuan followed, puzzled. “Why are you carrying them? I’ll take them.”
Lu Chen didn’t respond, simply swapped hands and asked, “Still want to walk around?”
He Xiaoyuan, not holding the bags, didn’t argue. “That’s enough, it’s getting late. We should go.”
“Mm.”
Lu Chen carried the bags with ease, chatting as they walked: “How did you come?”
“Taxi,” He Xiaoyuan replied.
Lu Chen saw the sign for the express elevator and led the way: “Come on, let’s go down together. I’ll give you a ride—on the way.”
The phrase “on the way” made refusal impossible.
Inside the crowded elevator, they stood side by side. He Xiaoyuan’s mind was racing; he subtly glanced at the man next to him, held the gaze for a few seconds, and then looked away.
He realized that Lu ge, who he found so gentle and approachable, was the same person as Lu Zong. No wonder the Lu ge he knew was so easy to get along with.
Meeting in person, with Lu ge paying, buying clothes, and carrying bags, made him feel both grateful and embarrassed.
And Lu ge was unusually polite, even helping him with the bags—He Xiaoyuan normally carried things for Xu Ruomeng, not the other way around.
Lu ge is such a gentleman, he thought.
At that moment, as He Xiaoyuan looked away, Lu Chen glanced down at the young man’s face from the side, eyes briefly lingering, focused.
A girl standing slightly behind them witnessed the entire scene and was stunned.
When the elevator reached the first floor, she followed the crowd out, buried her head in her phone, and rapidly messaged her best friend:
[Help—!!!!]
[I just saw two super hot guys in the elevator!!!]
[The slightly shorter one is fair-skinned and handsome, like a movie star. The taller one exudes elite, executive vibes!!!]
[They stood right next to me! The shorter one glanced up at the taller one—the look in his eyes! Like a young wife looking at her husband!!!]
[Then! Then! The taller one glanced down at the shorter one! That clingy gaze—like a CEO pampering his wife!!!]
[I’m watching from the side, and I’m about to swoon!!!]
They reached the parking garage, and He Xiaoyuan followed Lu Chen to the car.
It was a brand-new BMW SUV, no driver today.
Lu Chen placed the bags in the back seat and climbed into the driver’s side. He Xiaoyuan sat in the passenger seat. The car started, moving into the night city, neon lights, and tail lamps; the cabin was quiet. Neither spoke.
At a red light, as the car slowed behind another vehicle, Lu Chen put on music—a soft instrumental He Xiaoyuan liked.
Under the wordless melody, He Xiaoyuan relaxed, silently enjoying the calm.
They occasionally spoke, the atmosphere comfortable and easygoing.
On the road, He Xiaoyuan glanced at the driver. Lu Chen’s handsome, deep features flickered under the passing lights, almost unreal.
So he really is Lu Zong, He Xiaoyuan thought.
Lu Chen noticed the gaze and briefly returned it, giving a faint, gentle smile at the curious, slightly probing look of the young man beside him.
When they reached He Xiaoyuan’s dorm building, he opened the passenger door. Lu Chen got out, opened the rear door, and retrieved the bags. Walking around to face him, he handed over the paper bags with a reminder:
“It’s late. Don’t stay up tonight. Get some rest.”
He Xiaoyuan took the bags, looked back at Lu Chen’s dark eyes, and said, “Mm… Lu ge, you should get home early too. Drive safely.”
After watching the car leave, he was alone, and the surreal feeling inside him multiplied.
By the time he took the elevator up, set the bags on the table, and pulled out the clothes to look at them, He Xiaoyuan felt as if the entire evening had been a half-dream:
Lu ge… is Lu Zong?
Lu Zong treated him to dinner?
Lu Zong even bought him clothes?
Standing by the table, the more he thought about it, the more he felt like he had been dreaming all day.
After showering and stepping out of the bathroom, his phone showed a message from Lu Chen a few minutes earlier:
[Sleep yet?]
At the top of the chat was still the “Lu” character. He Xiaoyuan looked at it again and felt something different this time—before it was “Lu ge,” now, it was “Lu Zong.”
He stared at the question mark in the message, then at the “Lu” at the top, and felt a subtle, new emotion in his chest.
He held the phone for a moment before replying: [Not yet.]
Then he asked: [Lu ge, are you home?]
Lu Chen: [Mm.]
He Xiaoyuan thought for a moment and added: [It’s late, and we have work tomorrow. Lu ge, you should sleep early too.]
[Little dinosaur, good night.jpg]
Stickers were great, especially when one didn’t know what to say.
Lu Chen replied: [Mm, good night.]
[Big dinosaur patting little dinosaur’s head.jpg]
He Xiaoyuan had never paid much attention to this sticker before, but now, he felt as if Lu Chen was actually standing in front of him, gently patting his head.
In that instant, he remembered all the random hearts, piupiu~ gestures, and little emojis he had sent to Lu Chen before meeting him.
He Xiaoyuan: “……”
He flopped onto the bed, face buried in the covers—if only I had known it was Lu Zong… I wouldn’t have sent all those…
Embarrassed. Humiliated. Ah!