After posting the notice, Cheng Shixu left with his school bag, his pace light and happy. His mind was filled with thoughts of what he should wear for his “first” meeting with Lu Jian after finding him.
He sniffed the perfume on his clothes. It was Lu Jian’s favorite scent.
When they first met, he had smelled this perfume on Lu Jian. It was the Clive Christian No. 1 collection, featuring a base of amber and vanilla, a perfect balance of woody and sweet notes that smelled very comforting.
He Yu used to call him a copycat, saying he mimicked everything Lu Jian did. But he really liked Lu Jian, so of course, he wanted to have the same scent. It was normal for friends to influence each other’s preferences, let alone someone he had been with for five years.
In his past life, every time he brought Lu Jian to meet He Yu and the others, He Yu would come up with many ideas to force drinks on Lu Jian. Come to think of it, among his childhood friends, He Yu was the one who had the best relationship with Lu Jian.
After graduating from college, He Yu went into his family’s business, and Lu Jian also ran a company. The two had plenty to talk about, but Lu Jian was also the one who felt jealous of He Yu the most. Especially when he heard He Yu talking about their childhood stories, Lu Jian would always go home in low spirits.
“Cheng Shixu.”
After leaving the newspaper office, Cheng Shixu turned into a small alley to head back to school. More than a decade ago, this area was not fully developed. The city progressed slowly, and many old buildings were still along the roadside. Passing a small grocery store, he bought two popsicles to bring back for Ning Shen. For some reason, Ning Shen really liked popsicles.
As soon as he finished buying them, his path was blocked by several delinquent youths.
“Do I know you guys?” Cheng Shixu swung his bag over his shoulder and looked at them with a smirk. The leader looked somewhat familiar; he was wearing a school uniform, though it was hard to tell if it was from a vocational school or the high school division.
Judging by their dyed hair, they were likely from a vocational school.
He deduced that they must have had a grudge against the fake Lu Jian. He had been visiting the fake Lu Jian for tutoring quite often lately. After class, many students would stand in the corridors to chat, and he had felt many unfriendly gazes directed at him then.
“I heard you and Lu Jian are a couple?” The buzz-cut man took a step forward, and the others behind him followed. They clearly meant trouble.
Cheng Shixu thought to himself, So it really is because of the fake Lu Jian. “Who did you hear that from? Tell me about it.” He tugged on his bag strap and slowly tied the hem of his school uniform into a knot, looking much more agile instantly.
“You do not need to know that.” The buzz-cut man scanned Cheng Shixu’s watch and shoes. “Borrow some money for us to spend.”
Cheng Shixu took a step forward. “And if I do not?” If news of him being forced to “borrow” money got back to his group of friends, he would be laughed to death. Did they think all those years of Taekwondo training were for nothing?
He casually picked up a wooden plank from a nearby pile of debris. With a loud snap, the board shattered in his hands. The troublemakers’ expressions changed instantly, and they all took a step back in unison.
He tossed the debris on the ground with a thud and stepped onto it, lifting his chin and looking down at them. “Are you still going to borrow money?” He was over thirty years old; did they think he could be bullied by a bunch of teenagers? What were they thinking!
The only person who could bully him hadn’t been born yet, except for Lu Jian.
Besides, Lu Jian loved him too much. Other than having his cotton candy stolen in elementary school, he had never suffered such grievances.
“Are you borrowing or not?” Cheng Shixu asked again. The group ran off as if they had seen a ghost, quickly disappearing into the maze of alleys.
He clapped his hands to dust off the wood shavings. Turning around, he saw Lu Jian standing sneakily by the store’s freezer. “You sure know how to attract trouble.”
Lu Jian was just leaning against the freezer, completely unaware that he looked “sneaky” in Cheng Shixu’s eyes. He had been standing there since the moment Cheng Shixu shattered the wooden plank; not to exaggerate, but he had been startled.
Their curious gazes collided. Lu Jian turned to open the freezer. “You were flashing your wealth.” Why blame everything on him? Was he the one who took the fall for everything?
The freezer was filled with a dazzling array of drinks. He finally took out a bottle of oolong tea featuring Patrick Star, walked over to Cheng Shixu, and looked down at the wooden debris on the floor. “Here, have a drink.”
Cheng Shixu did not take it. “What happened before was my fault. I have already apologized. I will redeem that necklace myself, and you do not need to pay me back; just consider it my compensation to you.” He untied the knot in his shirt and smoothed it out, making his uniform look less wrinkled. “From now on, let us just act like we do not know each other when we meet.”
After saying that, he turned and left.
Lu Jian stood where he was, looking at the five-yuan oolong tea in his hand. A faint scent of perfume still lingered at the tip of his nose, the same scent he had smelled earlier when Cheng Shixu sat beside him to help him with his questions.
Today, he knew immediately that Cheng Shixu had sprayed perfume. It was very similar to the scent Cheng Shixu usually had, but also just a little bit different.
He returned to the dormitory with the oolong tea and calculated his wages from the past two days. Just as he finished, Jin Yi (the pink-haired guy) came back from outside, holding a pair of boxing gloves that looked old and battered, likely discarded by some gym.
“Damn, Brother Lu, you can actually afford to drink five-yuan oolong tea now?” Jin Yi was very surprised. Lu Jian usually survived on steamed buns and pickled vegetables to save every penny, only buying one-yuan mineral water when he was extremely thirsty. This “high-end drink” appearing on Lu Jian’s desk was as surprising as Mars colliding with Earth.
“Eh? How come you have not opened it yet?” Jin Yi asked casually, then lowered his head to sniff his clothes. “Yue, it stinks! I am going to take a shower.” He hurried out with his toiletries, as the public bathroom sometimes required queuing.
Lu Jian did not have a chance to reply. Right, he really could not afford to drink five-yuan beverages. However, he had wanted to buy it for Cheng Shixu. But the popsicle in the side pocket of Cheng Shixu’s bag cost fifty yuan.
They were fundamentally different.
That was why Cheng Shixu did not take his drink.
If he finds that person, will Cheng Shixu go back to speaking in that soft, gentle, “cloying” voice to him again?
He walked to the mirror on the wall and looked at his own face, reaching up to touch it. Is there really such a strong resemblance?
He patted his palm against the mirror. Lu Jian put his thoughts away, quickly changed into a black T-shirt and ripped jeans, and grabbed a bottle of hair gel. He poured some into his hands, styled his hair in a flashy way, and left his right-arm tattoo fully exposed.
When Jin Yi returned, the two rode their bicycles toward their workplace.
They stopped at an inconspicuous internet cafe where the LED lights were flickering. Lu Jian walked in with his hands in his pockets, and they passed the main room, heading straight down the stairs.
A boxing ring came into view, where two fighters were sparring. The seats below were full. As soon as Lu Jian saw the people on the stage, he thought to himself that there was going to be a good show today.
“Walkie-talkie.” Jin Yi also changed into a black T-shirt, took the walkie-talkie, and handed one to Lu Jian. After checking the connection, they took their posts around the ring.
Lu Jian watched the intense fight on the stage, a touch of longing in his eyes. He did not have many hobbies; his other part-time jobs were just for survival. Working security here was one of the few jobs he actually enjoyed and found relaxing.
The pay was good, and sometimes he could learn some boxing techniques.
He wondered if he would ever have the chance to become a fighter on that stage.
Back at the dormitory, Cheng Shixu exaggerated his encounter to Ning Shen. “I was so scared I nearly wet my pants.” He gave the popsicle to Ning Shen. Ning Shen did not even take it, instead pulling him up and down anxiously to check on him. “Are you hurt? Let us go tell the teacher!”
“No. Telling the teacher is useless.” Cheng Shixu held him back. “I am fine, just a bit speechless.”
Ning Shen was stunned. “You were robbed and you are just speechless? Tell the teacher! They are from a vocational school; the teacher will handle it.” In a way, they were still part of the same school.
Cheng Shixu shook his head. “No need.” The teacher could not really do much, and he had not actually been robbed. Besides, he guessed the teacher would probably just tell him to stay away from those people.
It was his own fault for provoking the fake Lu Jian in the first place.
“Fine.” Seeing that he was okay, Ning Shen gave up on the idea of reporting it to the teacher and finally noticed the popsicle. He was shocked. “Damn! Why did you buy a ‘popsicle assassin’? Did you get scammed?”
Cheng Shixu was taken aback. “Assassin? Is it not good?” He looked at the packaging of the other popsicle. He did not like popsicles much; he preferred ice cream. “Next time I will take you to the supermarket. There is an ice cream there that is delicious.”
It was an old brand, seventy yuan a scoop, though it should only be fifty yuan now.
In his past life, in the apartment he shared with Lu Jian, Lu Jian would have his assistant send ice cream every summer. He often leaned on Lu Jian, watching movies and eating ice cream together, feeding a bite to Lu Jian after every bite he took.
Later, he discovered that Lu Jian did not like sweets at all and stopped feeding him.
Mentioning that he did not like sweets made Cheng Shixu feel he knew even less about Lu Jian. He did not know what Lu Jian liked to eat. He was very picky, with many dishes he avoided. Sometimes when they ate out and there were ingredients he disliked mixed in, Lu Jian would always finish the meal anyway.
Since he had no food restrictions, for Lu Jian’s first birthday, Cheng Shixu spent a long time thinking about what to cook but could not decide. In the end, he could only boil a pot of charred, spicy, pickled-pepper bullfrog.
“I will order takeout.” Cheng Shixu looked at the pathetic-looking dish with frustration and reached for his phone. Lu Jian pressed his hand, wrapped his arm around his waist, and just as they were about to kiss, Lu Jian said something incredibly mood-killing: “Can I kiss you?”
Ahhhhhhhhhhh. Why do you have to ask? Don’t couples just kiss if they want to? If he said “yes,” he would seem indiscreet. If he said “no,” he would want to rip his own mouth off; he desperately wanted to kiss Lu Jian.
In the end, Lu Jian saw his silence and simply leaned up to kiss his forehead. “No need for takeout. This looks very fragrant.”
Cheng Shixu, feeling both unwilling and speechless, sat down and said dejectedly, “Do not comfort me. I did not inherit a bit of my dad’s cooking talent.” His dad was excellent at cooking; that was how he had chased after his mom.
Lu Jian sat beside him, eating slowly from a small bowl. “It is really delicious.” It was just a little charred. “Shixu, is it boring for you to be with me?”
“Huh?” Cheng Shixu was confused. Although Lu Jian was quiet, soft-spoken, and had no hobbies other than work, he always tried to find topics to accommodate him. “How could it be!” he declared righteously. “Husband, do not tell me you have someone else outside and are looking for an excuse to break up with me?”
Lu Jian saw him acting as if it were a major crisis and laughed, “No.” He took Cheng Shixu’s hand with his other hand. “It is my birthday today. Would you satisfy one wish for me?”
“Sure, sure.” Cheng Shixu was delighted. They had been dating for a year and had only kissed; they had never had any real intimate contact. He did not even know Lu Jian’s size; it was funny to think about.
It seemed Lu Jian had finally opened up and realized that at thirty-one, he could not live on vegetarian food alone. He wanted to arrange things. He thought that when Lu Jian asked if they could go to bed, he would immediately take out the enema tools locked in the safe.
But the result:
Lu Jian pulled a charm out of nowhere. “You hang this on your bag. From now on, whenever you see it at work, you will think of me.” The plump body of Patrick Star swayed gently with the chain, its two eyes shining brightly under the European-style chandelier.
Cheng Shixu stared at the Patrick Star cotton doll, speechless for a moment.
The stitching was a bit rough, and it did not look exactly like Patrick Star; it was clearly handmade. He took the doll. “Did you sew this yourself?”
Lu Jian nodded. “My wish. You must hang it on your bag.” He paused and asked again, “Is that okay?”
Cheng Shixu imagined Lu Jian sitting in his office every day, wearing a suit and tie, furrowing his brows while sewing a cotton doll. It was so funny, and so… lovable.
If He Yu knew, he would probably say the things that moved him were too cheap.
“You sewed it.” Cheng Shixu hugged Lu Jian’s neck. “Right?”
Lu Jian turned his head away, only slightly raising his eyebrows. “Yes. It took a long time.”
“Who gives someone else a gift on their own birthday?” Cheng Shixu had ordered a custom suit for Lu Jian from a high-end designer; he saw Lu Jian wearing suits every day and assumed he liked them.
Lu Jian chuckled softly, “Then, are you willing to satisfy my wish?”
How could he not satisfy it?! If he did not satisfy it, he might as well be hacked to death on the spot!
Cheng Shixu jumped up, ran to the entryway to grab the bag from the cabinet, and hung it on the bag right there. “Husband, I will carry it every day. I will carry it until I die.”
Seeing him so happy, the curve of Lu Jian’s lips deepened. “Alright, keep eating. When you finish, we can open your gift.”
“Okay. You will definitely like it.”
Back to reality, Ning Shen called him several times before he turned his face back. “Hmm?”
Ning Shen said, “I said okay. You buy me ice cream, and I will help you organize your mistake notebook.”
Cheng Shixu was worried about the upcoming monthly exam, which he predicted would go poorly. Ning Shen’s collection of mistakes would save his life. It seemed he still needed to find a tutoring class to catch up; he could not get into his past life’s company if he could not even get into a college this time.
His mom was still waiting to throw a celebration party for his graduation; she had been planning it for two years and he did not know how many designs of invitations she had already gone through.
Come to think of it, he really missed that Patrick Star doll. It was sewn by Lu Jian’s own hands. Since he had given it to him, he had never let it leave his side. No matter what bag he carried when he went out, he brought it with him, and he even hung it on the dashboard of his car.
He wondered when he would be able to get it in this lifetime.
He should just focus on finding his real husband first.
It was ridiculous. He had read plenty of novels about “real and fake young masters,” but he never expected to experience “real and fake husbands” himself.
Once he found the real Lu Jian, he would curl up on his sturdy chest and have a good cry; only that could console his feelings over these past few days. Everything had been such a roller coaster.
Thinking he had found him, only to find he had not.
Who would not be miserable?
He still had to get the money to redeem the necklace.
However, because of this, he was also very confused about the fuzzy memory of bumping into Lu Jian at the Crown Club that night. Perhaps he was wrong; the waiter he bumped into was the fake Lu Jian, and the reason that necklace was in the real Lu Jian’s hands was just a coincidence of the real Lu Jian buying it.
This was not right. He kept thinking about it. After finally untying the knot in his heart about that necklace, was he right back where he started?
Since he did not give it to him personally, it meant someone else did. He met Lu Jian late, and Lu Jian did not know it was his necklace. And if it was just something bought at a pawn shop, it would not be that important, right?
Who was that person?!
Who?!