The two hadn’t seen each other for several days. Qiao Jin waited anxiously for his news, his mind and body reaching a new stage of detachment, with no thoughts of turning worry into possession.
Lu Pingzhang, on the other hand, had been thinking about this matter every day during the days they were apart.
Now that he had finally found Qiao Jin, he naturally wanted to resolve his longing through action.
Afterward, Qiao Jin leaned against the headboard and read a book, holding the copy of *Waiting for the Wind* he had purchased at the auction.
Lu Pingzhang leaned in to take a look, just as he was on the page about Sui Ran. He observed Qiao Jin silently for a moment, until he saw no particular interest, then pretended not to notice and asked, “I heard you’re going to work at Sui’s company?”
Qiao Jin didn’t look up, his eyes still on the book: “Sui Ran. Who told you? I haven’t decided yet.”
“A small company? What’s so great about that?” Lu Pingzhang wanted to light a cigarette, but after glancing at the pack, he decided against it. “If you want a new environment, you could go to the headquarters.”
Qiao Jin had just vented his frustration and was now at his coldest.
“I’m not going,” he said, still not looking up, his eyelashes long and slightly drooping as he read. “The psychologist said that being too close isn’t good for us, it’s not conducive to building… a relationship.”
Lu Pingzhang didn’t press him on whether the psychologist had actually said that, but asked, “What kind of relationship?”
Qiao Jin stopped reading and glanced at him.
He had deliberately dragged out the situation to repair the relationship that had nearly broken down during this time.
“A romantic relationship?” Lu Pingzhang said, “If it’s that kind of relationship, I can reluctantly accept being apart for a while.”
He paused briefly before continuing, “You can work wherever you want, but can you move back home to live?”
Qiao Jin looked at him. The remaining light strips on the wall and the bedside lamp illuminated the back of his neck, making it appear very white.
“Why?” Qiao Jin closed the book, placed it aside, and his gaze was as still as the winter night outside. “You often travel for work, and you don’t come home very frequently.”
Lu Pingzhang didn’t understand his meaning. Even if he didn’t come back often, it was still home.
No matter how busy he was, he would still come back home.
Qiao Jin continued to look at him with those piercing eyes: “There are so many people around you. I’m just one of them.”
“What people?” Lu Pingzhang furrowed his brows, staring at him.
“Bai Yuan, or others. How many people have slept in that private room at Jin Yu Liang Yuan? When you weren’t coming home, where were you spending your time?” Qiao Jin looked at him calmly, “I don’t understand.”
Although Qiao Jin appeared passive at all times, sitting idly by was not his style. In the matter of Lu Pingzhang, as he had told his psychologist, he always gave the utmost patience and continued to give himself and Lu Pingzhang opportunities.
“No,” Lu Pingzhang said, “there was no one else, only you.”
“There were condoms and lubricant in your hotel room,” Qiao Jin said.
Lu Pingzhang protested, “I didn’t use them. They’re standard hotel amenities.”
“Why?” Qiao Jin persisted.
Lu Pingzhang couldn’t help but ask, “Why what?”
Qiao Jin said confidently, “At first, you just saw me as Lu Boyang. Later, you might have felt that I was more compatible with you in bed than as your younger brother, so…”
Qiao Jin met his gaze, as if trying to see through him.
Lu Pingzhang realized this was a rare opportunity and insisted, “I admit, when Lu Boyang first passed away, I was under a lot of pressure and saw you as a brother and family. But later, I realized you weren’t him and couldn’t be him, so I truly began to see you as Qiao Jin. You are just you, and bringing you to bed was something that happened later. These psychologists can testify to that, as can the secretary, and Xiao Chang knows something about it too. You can call them right now to verify it.”
Qiao Jin stared at him for a full minute.
He chose not to call Secretary Yin or Xiao Chang, nor did he continue to ask about the details and timeline.
He was like a high-and-mighty judge, unaffected by worldly distractions, yet softened by the defendant’s plea, wanting to let him off lightly.
Lu Pingzhang watched him nervously.
Qiao Jin nodded, sitting on the bed in a more composed posture than before: I didn’t plan to tell you this today, but since it’s come up, I might as well clarify it.”
Lu Pingzhang rubbed his fingers together.
Qiao Jin reached out to pull him closer, noticing the sweat in his palm: “Are you lying to me? Why are you sweating so much?”
“Of course not.” Lu Pingzhang didn’t have time to wipe away the sweat. He clutched his hand and explained, “I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me.”
Qiao Jin smiled, shook his head, and said, “I believe you.”
Lu Pingzhang sighed in relief and moved closer to him: “Can we move back in together?”
Qiao Jin remained silent, and Lu Pingzhang assured him, “If you think there’s anything I need to change, feel free to tell me. I’m at this age now; why bother with separation? Haven’t you noticed the changes in me? Actually, I’ve already started making changes.”
Qiao Jin had, of course, noticed.
The photos taken were still on his phone, and Lu Pingzhang must have a copy as well, but he hadn’t mentioned it yet, nor had he brought up the matter of resigning together with Yu Feng.
“…It’s not about separation,” Qiao Jin sat down, as Lu Pingzhang’s gentle tone made his thoughts slightly more viscous. He sat next to his shoulder, paused for a moment, and said, “I want to buy a house in the east. You can move there, and my friends can come over to visit.”
Lu Pingzhang thought to himself, if Qiao Jin bought a house, he would go over to sleep with him every few days, which would be like keeping a mistress. That wouldn’t do.
He refused without hesitation: “Your friends can come to our house as guests anytime.”
Qiao Jin frowned, imagining the scene, while Lu Pingzhang looked at him with an encouraging expression.
Qiao Jin was about to say that it would be too awkward, and if you were there, everyone wouldn’t be able to breathe freely. Lu Pingzhang said, “I won’t do anything. I’ll reevaluate my relationships and your relationships, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
Qiao Jin was speechless for a moment, effectively agreeing to his suggestion, though he might not actually bring his friends home as guests.
He hesitated under the lamp for a moment before asking, “Can I make a request?”
That bedroom was where Qiao Jin had stayed for a while when he first moved into Lu’s house, but after the two of them started sleeping together, Lu Pingzhang moved all his things into the master bedroom, leaving Qiao Jin’s old room empty.
He didn’t say anything, so Qiao Jin explained in a low voice, “If there’s a need, we address it. If there’s no need, we sleep separately. Besides, you don’t come home every night.” “
Even if Lu Pingzhang was usually calm, hearing such a suggestion made his heart sink.
He wanted to say no, but then he remembered he was “correcting his mistakes,” so he paused for a moment and said with difficulty, “I’ll think about it, and you think about it too.”
Qiao Jin looked at him for a moment, as if trying to determine whether he was being sincere.
Lu Pingzhang laughed, “You say you’ll change, but what kind of look is that?”
Qiao Jin nodded slowly and picked up his book to continue reading.
Lu Pingzhang watched him for a moment, then picked up his phone to send a message to Bei Kaiyuan: Does your wife sleep in a separate room from you?
Bei Kaiyuan called him back, but Lu Pingzhang hung up after one ring.
Qiao Jin glanced at him: “Why didn’t you answer the call?”
Lu Pingzhang replied calmly: “I’m spending time with my wife after work, not working overtime.”
Qiao Jin smiled and continued reading with his eyes downcast. Seeing no reaction from him, Lu Pingzhang sent another message to Bei Kaiyuan: “Typing, can’t talk right now. Qiao Jin is here.”
Bei Kaiyuan replied with an “Ah” first, then added: “We don’t sleep in separate rooms. He’s my wife. We didn’t argue, so why would we sleep separately?”
“Wife” and “arguing”—Lu Pingzhang picked up on the keywords.
Lu Pingzhang didn’t have any friends who were that young, so after thinking it over, the only person who roughly fit the age requirement was Secretary Yin.
Lu Pingzhang took out his phone and sent a message to the secretary: Do you have a girlfriend?
Secretary Yin, who was at home, had been working tirelessly for half a month and was soaking in the bathtub to relax. When he saw Lu Pingzhang’s message pop up, he thought something earth-shattering had happened—Lu Pingzhang always called directly when he had something to say and never wasted time sending messages.
After quickly reading the content, he was even more shocked, but he still replied without understanding: “No, Mr. Lu.”
Before Lu Pingzhang could ask further, he blurted out the truth and continued sending messages: “I have a boyfriend, the friend I mentioned to you before who works at the court.”
Lu Pingzhang vaguely remembered meeting him once; from his appearance, he didn’t seem trustworthy, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on that: “Do you sleep in separate rooms?”
Secretary Yin quickly searched online for a few articles:
“Reasons why men sleep in separate rooms”
“Benefits of sleeping in separate rooms”
“Are we too old to sleep in separate rooms?”
“My wife wants to sleep in separate rooms. What should I do?”
Two minutes later, he replied to Lu Pingzhang with a clear explanation:
Contemporary young people sleep in separate rooms for the following reasons:
- Different sleeping schedules—some go to bed early, others late. For example, Mr. Qiao is accustomed to staying up late and waking up late, while you prefer to go to bed early and rise early. Sleeping in separate rooms allows both of you to rest better.
2. Different physical conditions and preferences for mattress firmness. Mr. Qiao clearly prefers a softer mattress.
- Different sleep depths. Sleeping in separate rooms can benefit the partner with poorer sleep quality.
- Arguments and emotional distance are also reasons for sleeping in separate rooms.
Summary: Young people may choose to sleep in separate rooms for comfort, convenience, and freedom, but most people do not.
If you do not want to sleep in separate rooms, you can try the following:
- Communicate with Mr. Qiao. Good communication is the bridge to building a good relationship.
- Analyze the specific reasons and address the root issues. Perhaps Mr. Qiao does not actually want to sleep in separate rooms, but is testing your attitude.
3. Prepare small surprises for Mr. Qiao to add a sense of ritual to daily life, such as a goodnight hug or a whispered message before bed.
- Maintain a friendly and approachable attitude, communicate amicably, and avoid being overly assertive in speech. Mr. Qiao is gentle toward polite individuals.
Lu Pingzhang read through each comment one by one, feeling there might still be a chance for improvement, and sent a thumbs-up emoji to Secretary Yin.
Secretary Yin screenshotted his message, set it as his phone’s screensaver, and satisfied, poured a bucket of milk into the water and continued his bath.
Lu Pingzhang glanced at Mr. Qiao’s eyelashes for a moment, reached out to touch them, and successfully drew the person’s gaze to himself.
Lu Pingzhang tossed his phone aside and wrapped an arm around him: “What’s the difference between sleeping in separate rooms and not moving back in?”
Qiao Jin said, “If you don’t think it’s a good idea, we won’t separate.”
Lu Pingzhang noticed that he was about to step back instinctively and immediately softened his tone: “Tell me the specific reasons, and I’ll listen.”
Qiao Jin paused for a moment and said, “I want to decorate the bedroom and install a bookshelf. I’m afraid that if I move too much, you won’t be used to it, and then you won’t be able to sleep…”
Qiao Jin opened his mouth, looking at him in confusion.
Lu Pingzhang had decided to make him take notice: “Also, from now on, I’ll come home whenever I’m not on a business trip, no matter how late it is. I’ll tell you where I’m going for meetings and send you the address of where I’m staying. The details of the property, shares, deposits, and items in the safe have been listed by my secretary. Once you sign the documents tomorrow, you will legally own half of it.”
Qiao Jin still hadn’t processed it, so Lu Pingzhang leaned in and kissed him on the lips, saying politely, “Isn’t that how married couples should be? Shared property, half for each.”
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