Chapter 79

Chapter 79

"079"

As soon as Lu Ao spoke, Lu Qing's expression darkened further, but he was wary of Lu Ao and remained silent with a grim face.

The one who asked the question was surprisingly open-minded. He looked Xiao Lancui over again, and Xiao Lancui nodded politely in acknowledgment. With kind eyes and a gentle brow, he said, "You're Xiao, right? Hello. Lu Ao's grandfather was my biological older brother. You can call me Second Grandpa, just like Lu Ao does."

Second Grandpa Lu said with feeling, "When my brother passed away back then, the one he worried about most was Lu Ao. It's good that after all these years, someone's finally here to take care of him."

He was openly being passive-aggressive, and Lu Qing felt quite uncomfortable, drinking his wine in silence. Han Xinyi, however, remained composed. Her gaze passed over Lu Qing and Lu Ao, and she smiled at Xiao Lancui, saying, "Indeed, I think Little Xiao is really great. Lu Ao is fortunate."

Xiao Lancui held his water and drank, not responding to Han Xinyi. Her expression shifted slightly, and she turned the conversation toward Lu Siye. "A Ye's not doing so well either—he just got a girlfriend—" she emphasized the word "girlfriend," "—and recently they've been fighting, on the verge of breaking up."

Lu Siye knew exactly what Han Xinyi was up to, but he couldn't take in a single word. The more he sat there, the more restless he became. He shoved his chair back, and even through the carpet, the chair legs made a dull scraping sound as he stood and walked out. "I'm going to take a call."

Before Han Xinyi could stop him, Lu Siye had already strode off. She lowered her hand, adjusted her smile, and said, "Young people these days—such a small disagreement, and they get so carried away."

Second Grandpa Lu smiled but didn't respond to her. He was sitting right next to Xiao Lancui, and he poured a glass of wine, handing it to him. "Today is just a casual family dinner. Have a drink—Moutai, young people can handle it fine."

Lu Ao reached his long arm across in front of Xiao Lancui and took the glass first.

"He's allergic to alcohol. I'll drink it."

He drank it all in one go.

Xiao Lancui glanced at Lu Ao from the corner of his eye, then raised his water glass to Second Grandpa Lu. "Sorry, I'll have to substitute water for wine."

"No problem, no problem—if you can't drink, then don't." Second Grandpa Lu chuckled. "Lu Ao really knows how to take care of someone. That's good. Partners, after all, should take care of each other."

Second Grandpa Lu held the highest seniority, and with his endorsement, Lu Ao's relationship reveal was simply brushed aside.

Especially since most of them were meeting Lu Ao for the first time and had no conflicts of interest, they didn't care about his orientation at all.

On the contrary, people kept coming over to toast.

It was to get acquainted with Lu Ao, the mysterious young master of the Lu family, and also to get a closer look at Xiao Lancui.

Lu Ao kept accepting drinks, and by the time the family dinner ended, his face was flushed, and he was hanging all over Xiao Lancui and wouldn't let go. He rubbed against Xiao Lancui's neck uncomfortably and mumbled, "Brother, I feel like throwing up."

Second Grandpa Lu hadn't drunk much and was chatting with someone nearby. When he heard Lu Ao was drunk, he turned back to Xiao Lancui and said, "Go out of the hall, turn left, and there's a restroom at the end."

"Thank you."

Xiao Lancui was supporting Lu Ao as he was about to leave when Han Xinyi also stood up. "Let me help."

Xiao Lancui declined. "No need."

After repeatedly offering warmth and getting coldness in return, Han Xinyi finally gave up. She sat back down with a light laugh and whispered something into Lu Qing's ear. "This new daughter-in-law or son-in-law of yours is really not to be messed with."

Lu Qing drank his wine, his face nearly as dark as the bottom of a wok.

Meanwhile, Xiao Lancui guided Lu Ao into the restroom.

The restroom was empty, with the fresh scent of woody essential oil, and it was spotlessly clean. Xiao Lancui steered Lu Ao into a stall, about to toss the drunk inside, when Lu Ao suddenly moved, grabbing Xiao Lancui's arm and pulling him into the stall, slamming the door shut in an instant.

Xiao Lancui was about to speak when a body heavy with the smell of alcohol pressed down on him. Lu Ao lowered his head, pressing his forehead against Xiao Lancui's, his dark eyes perfectly clear, looking at him as he asked, "A Lan, can you not be mad anymore?"

As expected, he was faking it again.

Xiao Lancui pushed him. "Don't get so close. It's hot."

Lu Ao hugged him instead, his burning lips pressed against Xiao Lancui's neck as he murmured, "No, I'm not rolling away."

Xiao Lancui thought Lu Ao was still drunk, his nerve getting really bold. "No one's telling you to roll away. You—"

"A Lan, I want to kiss you." Lu Ao cut him off, his scorching breath mixed with the smell of alcohol spraying onto Xiao Lancui's skin, trailing all the way to the corner of his mouth. "I'll just kiss once, twice..."

Suddenly hearing footsteps, Xiao Lancui quickly clamped his hand over Lu Ao's mouth, signaling with his eyes for him to shut up.

Lu Ao nodded and really didn't move anymore. Just as Xiao Lancui breathed a sigh of relief, voices came from outside. "His going missing has nothing to do with me."

Xiao Lancui's brow twitched. It was Lu Siye.

A sound of running water, then Lu Siye scoffed. "I've slept with plenty of people—if I had to take responsibility for all of them, I could cover the Civil Affairs Bureau's annual KPI by myself."

"Hey, I'm saying—you care so much about Xiao Anfeng, don't tell me you've got a thing for him?"

Lu Siye teased, probably washing his hands, with the speakerphone on. Xiao Lancui heard Huo Shenan's voice.

"Yeah."

It was very soft. The water stopped, and Lu Siye's voice dropped. "An-zi, are you serious?"

Huo Shenan laughed. "How could that be fake? It's in the past now. I've got someone else—" He didn't finish. "I'm just reminding you—Xiao Anfeng has gone missing. If you still have any feelings for him, don't miss this chance."

Lu Siye was silent for two seconds, then laughed bitterly. "You're mocking me. Didn't I already tell you? I'm fucking hooked on Xiao Lancui."

Xiao Lancui frowned. Suddenly, his palm became wet. He turned his head slightly and met Lu Ao's dark eyes.

Lu Ao was kissing his palm, his gaze so hot it could melt someone.

The kiss made Xiao Lancui's palm itch, and he tried to pull his hand back, but Lu Ao lifted his head first, tightened his arm around Xiao Lancui's waist, and pulled him fully into his embrace, lowering his head to kiss those two beautiful thin lips.

The strong aroma of alcohol engulfed Xiao Lancui, making him slightly tipsy. Both hands clutching Lu Ao's collar, he was kissed until his head tilted back, fragments of the conversation outside reached his ears.

"He doesn't like you." Huo Shenan's voice.

"He will like me." Lu Siye laughed coldly. "I will definitely have him. I don't believe he'd fall for an idiot."

"An idiot?"

"Yeah. He attended the Lu family dinner with Lu Ao today."

Huo Shenan's voice rose slightly. "Lu Ao? Your younger brother Lu Ao?"

"Is there a second Lu Ao?"

Huo Shenan paused for a moment. "Isn't there an emperor in Dali named Lu Ao? My family invested in a drama where he was the lead—it did pretty well last year."

Suddenly hearing something about Lu Ao, Xiao Lancui instinctively bit the tongue entwined with his. The taste of blood spread, and that tongue had a cut on it, but it only wrapped around Xiao Lancui's tongue even more violently. Xiao Lancui could barely stay standing, held firmly by the hand on his waist.

Then he heard Lu Siye say, "...I'm serious."

Huo Shenan laughed, and it took a while before he stopped. "A Ye, let me ask you one thing. Do you really think Xiao Lancui would ever fall for anyone? Who does he even deem worthy?"

Lu Siye fell silent. Footsteps faded into the distance, and the outside returned to silence.

The aggressively invading tongue finally withdrew, planting gentle little kisses around Xiao Lancui's lips. Lu Ao's voice was hoarse and pitiful. "A Lan, would you like me?"

Xiao Lancui ignored him, taking the moment to catch his breath while Lu Ao kept pressing. He swung a backhand slap—light, but it still landed on Lu Ao's face. His cheeks were flushed from the kisses, and red with anger as well.

It was rare for him to be this out of sorts.

The last time Xiao Lancui lost his composure was five years ago.

Lu Ao knew Xiao Lancui was angry, and unlike his usual act of playing the innocent, he pressed again: "Will you love me? Even just a little?"

No.

Lu Ao quickly corrected himself: "You have to love me a lot. Only me."

As another slap was about to land, Lu Ao didn't flinch. Just before it hit, a dry, slightly warm hand brushed his cheek as lightly as a feather.

Xiao Lancui shot back: "Do you really see me as that kind of person?"

Lu Ao's entire body jolted. He immediately pulled back his hand and yanked Xiao Lancui into a tight hug. "No, you're not."

With his chest against that familiar heartbeat, Lu Ao thought of the Xiao Lancui he had seen in the snow.

He could never forget that moment—not for a second, not even at the moment of his own death.

Pale and ice-cold, Xiao Lancui lay silent in the snow, looking just like always, except his heart would never beat again.

Xiao Lancui was dead. He had left him.

Clutching Xiao Lancui and refusing to let go, he threatened him again and again in the pitch-black, freezing bedchamber: "A Lan, if you don't wake up, I'll have all of Dali buried with you."

"Please wake up..."

Finally, he buried his face in the cold hollow of Xiao Lancui's neck. "I'm begging you, A Lan, wake up and look at me one more time, let me see you just once more..."

...

Fear overwhelmed Lu Ao. He lost it, clutching the warm body in his arms, endlessly checking that Xiao Lancui had come back, had really woken up, and was right there in his arms.

"...Mm..."

A soft whimper escaped him, and Lu Ao snapped back to reality. He let go of Xiao Lancui, panting hard as he checked him anxiously, "Did I hurt your hand?"

Xiao Lancui looked at Lu Ao's face too. It was the first time he'd seen fear in him—his face completely drained of color.

There was an inexplicable sadness in that look.

He pressed down on Lu Ao's frantic hand and smiled, of all things. "I'm fine."

Then he rose on his tiptoes and, for the first time, kissed Lu Ao on the lips on his own, saying, "Don't be upset anymore. I forgive you."

After coming out of the bathroom, Xiao Lancui didn't head back to the banquet hall. He went to the car to wait for Lu Ao. Before long, Lu Ao still hadn't shown, but a WeChat message came in first.

Lu Ao forwarded a video the private investigator had sent just a second earlier.

A Phantom smashed straight through the villa's gate, and a moment later, it drove back out.

Xiao Lancui recognized that Phantom—it was Xiao Liqin's car.

The private investigator sent another message: "Boss, the car was too fast to get a clear shot, but I'm sure there was only one person in it."

Xiao Lancui called Zhao Lan's voice chat, but no one picked up. He hung up, thought for a moment, and then Lu Ao arrived.

Night had fallen when Xie Jingfang called. Xiao Lancui said, "Mom, I'm staying out with friends tonight. I'm not coming home."

In the cramped car, Xie Jingfang's voice was still clear: "Is it that friend you're always hanging out with? Bring them home next time—I've never met any of your friends."

Xiao Lancui looked at Lu Ao. Lu Ao's color had come back a bit, but he still looked wrecked.

He replied, "Yeah, he's my boyfriend. I'll bring him home sometime."

After hanging up, Lu Ao leaned over and hugged him, breathing in deep that scent only Xiao Lancui had.

Ink and herbs.

The chauffeur dutifully raised the divider. Xiao Lancui finally spoke up: "What's really going on with you?"

"I love you," Lu Ao mumbled. "I love you so much."

"You've said that a lot."

"It's not enough." Lu Ao tightened his arms, pulling him even closer. "Not even close."

Xiao Lancui could tell Lu Ao's weirdness wasn't just from the booze—he'd genuinely been thinking about something utterly hopeless and heartbreaking.

Xiao Lancui nodded and said, "Fine. Say it a few times every day from now on. Miss one, and I'll hit you."

Lu Ao finally smiled. He finally let go of Xiao Lancui, who he'd held from slightly cool to burning warm, and said, "Should we head over to Xiao Jingli's villa now?"

Xiao Lancui wasn't surprised Lu Ao could read his mind. He nodded. "You can get me inside the villa, right?"