Qiao Jin moved out of the Lu family home and then moved back in. It wasn’t all for nothing; he figured things out for himself and, in the process, helped Lu Pingzhang figure things out too.
Lu Pingzhang bought a new phone and got a new SIM card, then gave the phone number to Qiao Jin alone.
Now he not only answered calls promptly but also replied to messages promptly. As long as he wasn’t in a meeting, he would choose to call.
He deliberately chose a small, quiet restaurant, but perhaps because it was Friday night, it soon started to get crowded.
Qiao Jin looked at the handbag containing the two sets of clothes placed beside his seat and sighed, “I’ve never given clothes to anyone before. You’re really good at saving me money.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Feng just smiled. He refused to accept expensive gifts, but after opening the bag and seeing that it was indeed everyday wear, he reluctantly accepted it.
Yu Feng held his wine cup and blushed slightly: “Alright, thank you, Qiao Ge.”
He was indeed very innocent and easily blushed. Qiao Jin restrained himself and tried not to tease him.
He liked eating shrimp but didn’t like handling them. After eating two, he rarely touched them again. Yu Feng noticed this, put on gloves, peeled one, placed it on his plate, and then peeled the second one.
“No, no,” Qiao Jin hurriedly said, “I’ll do it myself. You really don’t have to be so polite. This makes me feel a bit embarrassed.”
“It’s okay,” Yu Feng said, “I’ve already gotten my hands dirty, so I might as well peel them all.”
Qiao Jin tried to stop him but couldn’t, so he rolled up his sleeves and said helplessly, “Then we’ll just peel them ourselves and eat them.”
Yu Feng paused for a moment and nodded, “Alright.”
Qiao Jin had already thought about how to bring up the topic, but he didn’t say it directly. Instead, he softened his tone and said, ” I invited you out today because there’s something else I need to discuss.”
“Is it about the previous matter?” Yu Feng asked.
Qiao Jin smiled slightly, lowering his eyes. The rolled-up cuff was pinned to his arm, revealing skin covered in a layer of muscle neither too thick nor too thin, clean and strong, which contrasted with his slightly thin lips.
Yu Feng’s impression of him had always been this contradictory. Sitting here now, he dared not meet his eyes.
Whether it was “Yu Feng” or “friendship,” the words he spoke tugged at Yu Feng’s thoughts at the same time.
He also took off his gloves and picked up his cup: “I’ve already thanked you. You helped me find a new job.”
“Work is work,” Qiao Jin said. “For a young person in this city, finding a job isn’t that difficult. Nowadays, companies go out of their way to retain employees. This isn’t a big deal.”
“It is,” Yu Feng said softly. “It is.”
Qiao Jin’s lips curved into a smile as he said seriously, “Yu Feng, we’re friends, right?”
Yu Feng was startled and looked at him suddenly.
Qiao Jin looked at him gently: “What I mean is, it’s very normal for people to have feelings for each other.”
Yu Feng’s face turned red again. He lowered his head and took a sip of wine first, then ate a few big mouthfuls of food because it was spicy.
Qiao Jin reached out to hand him some warm water, still maintaining that natural, equal, and serious demeanor: “This kind of affection becomes more and more mundane as we grow older. For example, in high school, we are used to having crushes and are easily moved. In college, we begin to expect some sense of ceremony and surprise. After entering the workforce, the importance of this kind of emotion becomes even smaller.”
Yu Feng stopped eating and took the cup of water.
Qiao Jin exhaled: “I have a younger brother. If he were still alive, he’d probably be like you.”
Yu Feng looked up at him and suddenly asked: “Is it… Lu Boyang?”
Qiao Jin paused, remaining silent for a few seconds: “It’s him.”
Yu Feng also fell silent. The two sat quietly across from each other in the steamy shop until the waiter brought the final soup course.
Qiao Jin served him a bowl and placed it in front of him.
Yu Feng snapped out of his daze and forced a smile: “I understand.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a person dressed in ordinary clothes lingering outside the restaurant, occasionally glancing inside but not entering.
On several occasions, they even locked eyes with Qiao Jin, but quickly looked away before he could react.
That tall, muscular figure was definitely not an ordinary person. Qiao Jin withdrew his gaze and did not look at them again: “I am a little older than you, and I don’t want to see you take the wrong path. I’m telling you this clearly today, and I won’t mention it again in the future.”
Yu Feng remained silent, so Qiao Jin continued, “You can consider me a friend. I hope we can become good friends.”
Qiao Jin smiled gently again: “Those are the least important things. Making friends is mainly about sincerity.”
Yu Feng stared blankly for a moment, only able to see the top of Qiao Jin’s head from his angle for a long time.
Qiao Jin picked up his wine glass, but before he could speak, Yu Feng had already lifted his head.
“Qiao Ge, you’re really different from others. Others might just walk away or refuse outright, but you’re really… gentle.”
He had always known in his heart that Qiao Jin could never be his moon.
He took a deep breath, raised his wine glass toward him, as if he had made up his mind: “May we become good friends.”
Qiao Jin exhaled, raised his glass to clink with Yu Feng’s, and took a sip.
He hadn’t been to the gym in a long time, and Dada had sent him several pages of messages. He didn’t just send messages to Qiao Jin, but also to Fu Linshao.
After Qiao Jin entered the gym, Dada was thrilled and kept circling around him, calling him “brother.”
Fu Linshao watched him for a while and couldn’t help teasing him, “As soon as you arrived, I lost my favor. Before, Dada was always circling around me.”
“Go on, keep circling around your Lin Ge,” Qiao Jin said. “Your Lin Ge is jealous.”
He hadn’t been there in a long time, so after working out for a while, his legs felt sore, and he sat on the mat to rest.
Fu Linxiao didn’t stop, using a resistance band to stretch his ankles.
As he watched Dada go to get a towel, he finally spoke to Qiao Jin with a sigh: “You brought Yu Feng along when you switched jobs. Didn’t Lu Zong cause any trouble for you?”
As soon as he finished speaking, he corrected himself: “No, didn’t he cause trouble for Yu Feng and Sui Ran? Didn’t he get jealous?”
Qiao Jin hadn’t noticed his jealousy. Lately, he had been acting magnanimous and considerate, completely changing his previous domineering style that made people feel suffocated. He no longer insisted on returning home at a specific time.
“He’s been pretty good lately, he’s changed his domineering ways.” Qiao Jin thought for a moment, “You can come over to our place sometime and observe for yourself.”
Qiao Jin wiped the sweat off his hands and shrugged.
Fu Linxiao sighed, “I can’t imagine it.”
Qiao Jin couldn’t imagine it either.
But Lu Pingzhang was truly changing. That night, he kept every promise he made.
Whether he went home or not, he would tell him. If he didn’t go home, he would send him his location and even include a photo of the room. He also stopped interfering with his friendships and gave him maximum freedom.
Qiao Jin moved away from him: “It is… Take a few deep breaths before you speak.”
It was definitely exciting.
Usually, Qiao Jin had good endurance before finishing in bed, but once he finished, he lost interest in continuing. So Lu Pingzhang would try to prolong the middle part, thrusting hard before Qiao Jin finished. If he saw any signs of him about to climax, he would immediately switch to a gentle mode, waiting until he had recovered before continuing the intense thrusting.
The frequency and duration were so intense that Qiao Jin couldn’t take it anymore.
Dada returned with a new towel, giving each of them one and taking the old ones away.
Dada turned around confidently, pulled down his pants a bit, revealing a small rose flower just below his hipbone.
Qiao Jin took a look and gave him a thumbs-up with a smile: “It’s nice.”
Dada smiled and walked away. Fu Linxiao watched his back and tapped Qiao Jin’s arm: “Is it really nice? I want to get one too.”
The choice of location might confuse others, but Fu Linshao knew exactly why Qiao Jin had chosen it.
“It must hurt,” Qiao Jin said. “You could just stick on a temporary one instead—you can change it anytime.”
Fu Linshao thought he had a point: “That’s an idea.”
The two sat for a while longer, then Qiao Jin got up to go running, and Fu Linxiao followed him onto the treadmill.
Fu Linshao: “I guessed.”
“Dragging it out can give people the wrong impression,” Qiao Jin increased the speed slightly, maintaining proper form, “It’s better to reject him outright. If you’re friends, just be pure friends. Otherwise, it’s awkward.”
Much of what he said made sense, but even after being friends with Fu Linxiao for so many years, he still couldn’t put it into practice.
Some things seemed natural for Qiao Jin to do, even when he said no, it felt just right.
If it were anyone else, it would feel wrong in every way.
“How did you tell him?” Fu Linshao asked. “Write me a draft later; I might need it.”
Qiao Jin glanced at him: “Who are you planning to refuse?”
“My ex-boyfriend,” Fu Linshao said, feeling annoyed just thinking about it. “Don’t mention it.”
Qiao Jin didn’t want to get involved in their business, so he thought for a moment and said, “Ex-boyfriends have their own reasons. Why don’t you come over to my place this weekend, and we can discuss it.”
Fu Linxiao didn’t know why he was so insistent on “visiting,” but the thought of being under the same roof as Lu Pingzhang made him feel suffocated.
Qiao Jin really wanted him to go: “We just finished renovating a mahjong room. If you come, we can play mahjong together.”
Not only would he have to see Lu Pingzhang, but he’d also have to play mahjong with him. Fu Linshao felt like he wouldn’t survive until the end of the game.
“Go,” Qiao Jin said. “Lu Pingzhang sometimes speaks harshly, but it’s not directed at you. He’s like that with everyone. If you’re unhappy, I’ll have him apologize to you.”
“No, no, no, go, go,” Fu Linshao coughed, afraid that he would really make Lu Pingzhang apologize to him, and it took him a long time to calm down. “Stop torturing me, I’ll go.”
Qiao Jin rushed home, but by the time he reached the front door, Lu Pingzhang still hadn’t called.
He stood outside the door, just as he took out his keys, the door clicked open from the inside.
Lu Pingzhang stood inside the door, stepping aside to let him in. Under the warm, bright light, he looked at him, forcing his irritation into a calm tone: “You’re back.”
Qiao Jin handed him the lilies he was holding and stood by the door to change his shoes: “I saw a vase in the study; it would be perfect for arranging flowers.”
The vase was a gift Lu Pingzhang had received for a project, supposedly from the Yongzheng period. Qiao Jin didn’t know this, and Lu Pingzhang didn’t say anything. He went to the study, took out the vase, and placed it on the living room table.
Qiao Jin finished changing his shoes and took the flowers from his hand: “Get me a pair of scissors.”
Lu Pingzhang found a pair of scissors for him, watched him stand by the table cutting the flower branches, and then place each flower into the vase one by one.
He had replaced all the lights in the room a few days earlier with warm-colored ones.
It wasn’t very noticeable in the living room, but in the bedroom, the temperature suddenly felt warmer, transforming the previous icy coldness into the cozy warmth of a fall day wrapped in a warm scarf.
Lu Pingzhang’s frustration, which had been building for an hour, was easily soothed by the sight of him trimming the flower branches.
What’s the big deal if he comes back a little late? he thought. Isn’t he just buying flowers to decorate our home?
Lu Pingzhang had always thought of himself as a staunch minimalist, someone who would want to get rid of any extra items in the house.
But that wasn’t the case.
Qiao Jin might decide to change the bedding today, or move the cushions into the bedroom tomorrow to read by the bookshelf. Lu Pingzhang often discovered the surprises he had arranged in various cozy corners, which made his heart race.
He watched the changes in the house with satisfaction, feeling that it should have been this way all along.
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