He Xiaoyuan immediately exclaimed, “Wow!”—he had guessed correctly again.
Yang Yun turned his attention to Guan Xingping, teasing, “Look, honey, this is proper feedback between people. Totally respectful, really giving face.”
Guan Xingping rolled her eyes at Yang Yun and smiled at He Xiaoyuan.
Lu Chen glanced at the smiling boy, picked up a new glass, sipped, furrowed his brow slightly, and looked at He Xiaoyuan. The boy, calm and collected, feigned curiosity: “What’s wrong?”
Lu Chen glanced at the wine in his hand. “Mixed wine?”
He Xiaoyuan widened his eyes. “You can even tell that?”
Yang Yun couldn’t hold back and interjected, encouraging He Xiaoyuan: “Kid, don’t get caught. You know whether he’s just testing you or really can tell? The tongue isn’t like an ear hearing a piano chord. There’s no such thing as ‘absolute taste.’ You should bluff—calmly say nothing, let him keep tasting and guessing himself.”
He Xiaoyuan considered it and smiled.
Guan Xingping teased Yang Yun: “Stop jabbering and shut your mouth.”
He Xiaoyuan turned back to Lu Chen, feigning seriousness: “No mix.”
Lu Chen smiled, his eyes teasing with a “Do you think I’m dumb?” glint.
He Xiaoyuan broke character and couldn’t help laughing, shoulders trembling slightly.
Yang Yun chuckled: “Ah, this kid—sharp at work, silly in private.”
He reached for another glass, tilting his head back to gulp it down like a cola. Then he exclaimed: “Grapevine wine! Red, from this year!”
Guan Xingping laughed uncontrollably and threw the cork at Yang Yun, who, with half-white hair, played along like a mischievous old boy: “I’m dodging!”
Lu Chen picked up the final glass, didn’t sip, but downed it in one go. He then walked over to He Xiaoyuan, ignoring the other two, put an arm around the boy, and headed toward the wine cellar exit.
He Xiaoyuan didn’t pay attention to Yang Yun and Guan Xingping, walking alongside Lu Chen, laughing as he asked: “You really can tell?”
Lu Chen smiled.
Yang Yun wasn’t wrong: the boy was clever at work, but easygoing in life.
“Of course I can’t guess everything,” Lu Chen said.
He Xiaoyuan tilted his head, confused: “Huh?”
But he had gotten most right.
Lu Chen smiled gently: “Types are easier to distinguish. Each winemaker has a different process, so the taste varies. Vintage is harder to guess.”
He Xiaoyuan blinked innocently. “Then how did you guess?”
Lu Chen looked at him and smiled.
He Xiaoyuan pressed, “Tell me.”
Lu Chen finally explained slowly: “Older wines—you think I keep them for drinking, but I don’t open them. Only the recent ones get opened. That Malbec’s older, but it wasn’t you who opened it. It had been opened before, then re-sealed with plastic wrap.”
“I saw the plastic wrap on the table.”
He Xiaoyuan: “……”
He couldn’t help but laugh, exclaiming, “How come you’re so precise?”
Lu Chen reached over and pinched the back of the boy’s neck gently. “Little trick.”
He Xiaoyuan shrank his neck, laughing, “Next time you open something expensive, anyway it’s your wine—you don’t mind.”
Lu Chen released his hand, draped an arm over the boy’s shoulders in an intimate gesture, and said softly as they walked: “Why worry about wine? Wine is made to be drunk. Open any bottle next time, whatever you like.”
Behind them, Yang Yun and Guan Xingping walked side by side, eyes on the intimately close pair.
Guan Xingping nudged Yang Yun with her elbow and whispered, “Are they already… together?”
Yang Yun shook his head immediately.
“No way.”
Knowing He Xiaoyuan well, if he were in a relationship, he’d show at least a little embarrassment, especially around Lu Chen and in front of others. Right now, he was relaxed and natural—definitely nothing going on.
Yang Yun covered his mouth, leaning toward Guan Xingping, who thought he had gossip to share and leaned closer. Yang Yun whispered: “Honey, let me tell you—capitalists are all bad, and Lu is especially bad!”
Guan Xingping: “……”
She glared at him: “No gossip, why are you whispering?”
With a scolding expression, she pushed Yang Yun forward. “Move.”
Yang Yun hurried after her: “Wait for me!”
Back on the ground, He Xiaoyuan noticed Yang Yun and Guan Xingping had brought a lot of uncooked skewers—meat and vegetables—and a full bag, plus a box of beer and two bottles of coconut juice.
“Barbecue?” he said, surprised and delighted.
When Yang Yun and Guan Xingping came out of the cellar, the four of them got busy moving the food out, setting up a grill at the door, lighting charcoal, and arranging the skewers.
He Xiaoyuan had intended to cook, feeling that, being the youngest and lowest-ranking among the four, it was his duty to honor the elders.
But Yang Yun, the “dutiful husband,” held the grill firmly, and Guan Xingping waved him over to sit instead.
Yang Yun turned to him: “Go ahead. Grab a blanket for Teacher Guan—it’s quite cold outside.”
He Xiaoyuan: “Okay.”
Guan Xingping: “No need, it’s not cold.”
Just as He Xiaoyuan reached the door, Lu Chen came out of the house carrying a blanket.
Perfect timing.
He Xiaoyuan took one of the blankets and turned toward Guan Xingping, handing it to him.
“Thanks,” Guan Xingping said.
He Xiaoyuan didn’t realize that the other blanket in Lu Chen’s hands was meant for him. He went to sit across from Guan Xingping. Just as he settled, Lu Chen came over, shook out a blanket, and draped it over He Xiaoyuan’s shoulders.
He Xiaoyuan was surprised and turned to Lu Chen sitting beside him. “I’m not cold. You take it.”
Lu Chen said calmly, “Keep it on. It gets chilly at night.”
He Xiaoyuan tugged the blanket down from his back. “I’m young; I’m not afraid of the cold.” He stood, shook out the blanket, and laid it across Lu Chen’s legs.
Lu Chen said nothing. He Xiaoyuan sat back down, lifting a corner of the blanket to cover both their legs.
Alright, this time He Xiaoyuan didn’t refuse.
Guan Xingping, sitting across from them, watched the scene with a gentle smile.
Yang Yun, standing by the grill, turned and saw it too, shaking his head. “Hey, hey, hey! Doesn’t anyone care about me? I’m the oldest here; I’m the one who should be kept warm!”
Everyone laughed.
Guan Xingping got up to drape the blanket over Yang Yun. Yang Yun immediately said, “Honey, I’m not cold. Just put it on yourself.”
“For warmth,” Guan Xingping replied, draping it over him and resting a hand on his shoulder from behind. “You’ve worked hard, husband.”
He Xiaoyuan couldn’t help but tilt back in his lounge chair, turning to look at Lu Chen with a teasing expression.
Lu Chen smiled lightly, eyes reflecting the overhead light and the surrounding glow. His gaze focused intently. “Jealous?” he asked softly.
He Xiaoyuan thought for a moment before replying, “The look of love?”
Lu Chen’s eyes were locked on He Xiaoyuan. “Mm,” he said.
He Xiaoyuan sighed softly. “Jealous, yes… life’s truly wonderful.”
Lu Chen smiled and reached out, affectionately brushing He Xiaoyuan’s hair from his forehead.
The four of them spent the evening grilling, eating, and chatting under the night sky. They talked about everything—Yang Yun shared funny home stories with Guan Xingping, Guan Xingping recounted mishaps in the lab, and He Xiaoyuan talked about the time he and Qin Chengfei competed to see who could stay longest at their desks, even skipping dinner to win, sitting until eleven at night.
They also discussed more serious topics, as men naturally tend to talk about careers and money.
After eating, drinking, and chatting, the atmosphere grew relaxed, and they started playing games like rock-paper-scissors.
Initially, He Xiaoyuan had only been drinking coconut juice, but after a few rounds, he switched to beer. One bottle in, he felt warm, took off his jacket, and his flushed face amused Yang Yun and the others.
Yang Yun, seeing He Xiaoyuan in just a shirt with sleeves rolled up halfway, exclaimed, “Youth is wonderful!”
He bragged, “When I was your age, I could take down a few tigers.”
Lu Chen remarked quietly, “You’re mistaken. That wasn’t you—it was Wu Song.”
Yang Yun protested, “That was me! Not that Wu guy!”
Everyone burst into laughter.
Guan Xingping added teasingly, “I thought you were going to say at your age, you could go multiple rounds a night.”
Yang Yun, serious, shouted, “I still can now!”
He Xiaoyuan almost spat out his beer laughing.
Yang Yun, clearly drunk, was losing control of his words—or perhaps the relaxed atmosphere among familiar friends freed him. He straightened his back, holding his beer, pointing a finger at He Xiaoyuan. “Xiaoyuan! You tell me—how many times a night?”
He Xiaoyuan froze, caught between laughter and embarrassment.
“I’m not competing with you,” he said.
Yang Yun insisted, “Loser drinks half a bottle!”
Guan Xingping interjected, “No need to compete. You’d definitely win. Xiaoyuan’s twenty-one now, right?”
Lu Chen corrected, “He’ll be twenty-two after the new year.”
“Mm, twenty-two. Xiaoyuan, twenty-two, single… your nightlife must be quite rich,” Guan Xingping said, deliberately drawing out the last words.
Yang Yun realized and hurriedly said, “Honey, I was single at twenty-two too!”
He raised a finger toward the sky. “I swear, really, honey!”
Guan Xingping grabbed his hand, pressing the beer to his mouth. “Drink it!”
Everyone laughed again.
They moved on to a game of “I have, you don’t.”
Yang Yun said he had a wife, so the others lowered one finger each.
Guan Xingping said he had a PhD certificate, others lowered theirs.
When it was Lu Chen’s turn, Yang Yun commented dryly before Lu Chen could speak, “This one’s unbeatable.”
He Xiaoyuan, confused, tilted his head.
Yang Yun explained, “He has a mansion, cars, everything ordinary people don’t.”
He Xiaoyuan realized and added, “And a horse ranch.”
Lu Chen confirmed, “I have a horse ranch.”
The three of them reacted in disbelief.
When it came to He Xiaoyuan, Yang Yun joked, “You’re still a virgin, right?”
He Xiaoyuan was speechless.
Yang Yun and Guan Xingping lowered a finger in unison. Lu Chen didn’t move, which prompted the others to glance at him. He Xiaoyuan followed their gaze.
Yang Yun looked at Lu Chen’s still hand and said in disbelief, “Are you bragging or lying?”
Lu Chen replied calmly, “Neither. Want a drink?”
Guan Xingping burst out laughing. He Xiaoyuan finally realized: oh—Lu Ge is one too!
He Xiaoyuan looked at Lu Chen in surprise. “You too?”
The “too” was perfect—his expression of astonishment made everyone laugh again.
Guan Xingping couldn’t help but laugh, and Yang Yun pounded the table, exclaiming, “See? Xiaoyuan doesn’t believe it either!”
Lu Chen turned his head, meeting He Xiaoyuan’s clear, earnest gaze. Lu Chen’s own expression was steady, while He Xiaoyuan blinked innocently.
Some men, it seemed, had a skin thick as city walls—no matter the situation, they could remain calm, exuding a quiet certainty that everyone else was wrong and only they were right.
Under Lu Chen’s composed stare, He Xiaoyuan hesitated, then reached for the beer on the table and sheepishly said, “Oh… okay, I’ll drink.”
Lu Chen lightly placed his hand on He Xiaoyuan’s arm, his voice low and measured: “What are you drinking?”
He glanced at Yang Yun across the table.
Yang Yun picked up his beer. “Alright, alright, I’ll drink too.”
A virgin… truly, another virgin.
He Xiaoyuan finally realized—wait a second!
“I wasn’t talking about that!” he blurted. The whole virgin thing was Yang Yun’s comment!
He hurriedly clarified, “I meant I’m twenty-something, the youngest here.”
The other three: “……”
So cruel. Really cruel!
The three men who weren’t in their twenties silently lowered their fingers.
Another round began—
Yang Yun: “My surname’s Yang!”
Guan Xingping raised a hand and pointed away. “You, go away!”
Yang Yun continued, “I’ve liked someone—like, love-like—for over ten years.” He grinned at Guan Xingping beside him.
He Xiaoyuan thought, isn’t this also helping Guan Xingping? Just then, Guan Xingping lowered a finger, and He Xiaoyuan’s mind lit up with little alarm bells: there’s gossip here!
“Teacher Guan, he’s the one you liked later?” He Xiaoyuan asked curiously.
“Mm.” Guan Xingping rubbed the tip of his nose sheepishly.
Yang Yun grinned, swinging his leg. “You didn’t like me at first; you liked your lab senior… ugh.”
Guan Xingping quickly covered his mouth.
He Xiaoyuan’s eyes sparkled: there really is gossip!
But before he could savor it, Yang Yun and Guan Xingping went off together for a “private chat.”
He Xiaoyuan quickly asked Lu Chen, “Did you know?”
Lu Chen simply said, “Mm, he liked his senior.”
Guan Xingping’s warning voice echoed: “Lu! Chen!”
Lu Chen shrugged at He Xiaoyuan.
When they returned, Guan Xingping casually said, “I had a crush on my senior.”
Lu Chen and He Xiaoyuan: ?
Yang Yun: ?????
This time Yang Yun wouldn’t let it slide: “I thought you said not to mention it!”
Guan Xingping: “You went first.”
They went off again for another “private chat,” leaving He Xiaoyuan laughing uncontrollably.
He laughed so hard he could barely speak. “They must have argued over this a lot back then.”
Even now, they were still a bit touchy.
Lu Chen, suppressing a smile, asked him, “Did you?”
He Xiaoyuan: “?”
Lu Chen clarified, “Crush. Back in school. A senior.”
He Xiaoyuan confidently said, “Of course not. I was just trying to survive then—working, earning money, no time for that stuff.”
He looked at Lu Chen teasingly. “You definitely did, though.”
Lu Chen replied calmly, “No.”
He Xiaoyuan gave him a look that clearly said he didn’t believe him.
Lu Chen’s face remained composed. “My standards were high. Very high. You know that.”
Nearby, Yang Yun and Guan Xingping stopped talking and started walking back together.
A few steps later, Guan Xingping tugged on Yang Yun: “Hey.”
Yang Yun: ?
Guan Xingping glanced toward Lu Chen and He Xiaoyuan, and Yang Yun immediately understood, giving an OK sign.
They returned to the table, the four of them resuming the game. Yang Yun deliberately asked Guan Xingping, “So, that was a crush… or does it have to involve a senior?”
At that, Lu Chen looked up from across the table, silently watching the two.
Guan Xingping said casually, “Just a crush. That’s enough.”
“Oh~~”
He Xiaoyuan teased, lowering a finger.
Yang Yun lowered his as well. “I don’t have crushes. I’m always straightforward.”
Lu Chen didn’t move.
“Wow!”
He Xiaoyuan felt like he had discovered another juicy detail. Excitedly, he said to Lu Chen, “But just now you said you had high standards, no crushes!”
Lu Chen looked at him calmly. “None while in school.”
Meaning, after school there might have been?
He Xiaoyuan’s expression lit up with the thrill of gossip.
Guan Xingping and Yang Yun, who already knew everything, were struggling to suppress laughter—one pursed his lips, the other covered his mouth.
Curious, He Xiaoyuan asked Lu Chen, “Who did you have a crush on?”
Lu Chen countered: “Is this part of the game?”
He Xiaoyuan persisted: “Who?”
He instinctively scanned the room. Lu Chen seemed always at work or with him after work, never interacting privately with anyone else—did he really have a crush now, and He Xiaoyuan just didn’t know?
He guessed, “A colleague at work?”
Thinking of someone who could meet Lu Chen’s high standards in age, looks, and position, he blurted out, “President Qiao?”
Yang Yun spat out his beer laughing, and Guan Xingping choked a little.
Lu Chen: “…………”
Yang Yun: “Hahahahaha!”
He Xiaoyuan blinked.
Lu Chen deadpanned, “Not him.”
Decisively: “Continue.” The game went on.
Yang Yun still laughed, even pulling out his phone. “I’m posting in the group—I’m tagging Old Qiao.”
He Xiaoyuan hurriedly held up his hands. “No, no! I was just guessing! Old Yang, don’t—”
Guan Xingping couldn’t hold back a laugh. “If Qiao Sixing knew you guessed that, he’d probably have nightmares tonight.”
He Xiaoyuan quickly said, “I was just saying it casually.”
Seeing Yang Yun still holding his phone, he got up, leaned over the table, and tried to stop him, pleading, “Mr. Yang, please don’t, I still need to meet Mr. Qiao later, don’t—”
Yang Yun finally put his phone away, still laughing so hard tears were nearly coming: “Qiao Sixing would really have nightmares tonight.”
He Xiaoyuan tried to regain control: “Alright, alright, let’s continue.”
Just as he sat down, Lu Chen’s calm, measured voice rang out: “I have experienced love at first sight.”
Yang Yun and Guan Xingping: ?
He Xiaoyuan: ????
This wasn’t just gossip—this was juicy information being served up directly!
He Xiaoyuan rolled up his sleeves, putting on a serious expression. “President Lu, let me tell you, today you have to let me enjoy this story fully.”
Lu Chen just smiled without a word, while Yang Yun and Guan Xingping were already doubled over in laughter at the “juicy detail.”