Chapter 95

Chapter 95

"095"

Xiao Lancui said, "Not enough."

Lu Qing's web of connections was tangled; news that he'd set fire to his own youngest son was suppressed before it could even break.

Lu Ao nodded. "I know, but let's give them something to keep them busy first. As for what comes next—"

"I've already put together the fake accounts Lu Qing and Han Xinyi made at Lu Corporation and the foundation." Xiao Lancui pulled out his phone again, found the files, and sent them to Lu Ao's WeChat.

Later in the original story, when Xiao Anfeng fought against the Lu family, he'd dug up the old accounts of Lu Qing and Han Xinyi. But since the original ended in a happy family reunion, those materials were just a spice for Xiao Anfeng and Lu Siye's romance—hot for a moment, then tossed aside.

Xiao Lancui had organized everything, pulling together data scattered across different chapters of the original into over a thousand pages of whistleblowing materials over a week.

Originally meant to be leverage in the fight for custody of Lu Ao.

Not needed anymore. Straight to prison.

"That's my A Lan for you." Lu Ao made up an excuse to lean in for another kiss.

"Know when to quit."

Xiao Lancui was still transferring files, eyes fixed on the screen. "Are you gonna go or not?"

Lu Ao couldn't help it—he quickly stole a peck on Xiao Lancui's cheek, then reluctantly got back in the driver's seat and started the car.

Lu Ao was acting really wronged. "I'm a normal red-blooded guy. I've stayed celibate for you in that palace for over ten years. Now that I finally have some standing, I can't even get one little kiss?"

The signal out in the suburbs was slow. Xiao Lancui watched the painfully slow transfer, then finally glanced at Lu Ao. "That's what you call 'one little kiss'?"

From yesterday to...

Xiao Lancui was always straightforward, but remembering yesterday's excesses, a blush crept over his pale face.

Lu Ao grinned. "When two people are in love and getting it on, going overboard is normal. A Lan, we're both gonna have to get used to it."

Xiao Lancui, "..."

Xiao Lancui had nothing to say, so he just stayed quiet. Back in the day, when it came to twisting words, Lu Ao was unbeatable.

Now, when it came to being shameless, Lu Ao was still number one.

In the afternoon, the scenery outside was lush and green, with a bit of sun peeking through. As they neared the foot of the mountain, Xiao Lancui's eyes were drawn to a pavilion.

Last night it was too dark to see. Now, in the bright daylight, he could vaguely make out a banner in the pavilion with his calligraphy on it.

Lu Ao saw it too. He turned the wheel and quickly pulled up onto the flat ground outside the pavilion, stopping the car.

Getting closer, it was obvious.

The pavilion really did have Xiao Lancui's calligraphy hanging on it.

"THE GREAT LI DYNASTY'S #1 BEAUTY XIAO ZIXIAN! YOUR SOLDIERS ARE HERE!!"

Xiao Lancui and Lu Ao looked at each other, then both got out of the car.

Walking up to the pavilion, they saw the stone benches piled high with flower bouquets—some fresh, some half-wilted, some completely dead.

A rope was strung between the stone pillars, covered in all kinds of little trinkets.

Some of the charms had writing on them. Xiao Lancui went over, looked for a few seconds, and understood.

"'Zixian and the Lu dog, madly in love for four hundred years'?" Lu Ao picked up a tag and read the words aloud.

He was confused. "What the hell is this?"

Xiao Lancui didn't feel like explaining.

He looked at a memorial plaque dedicated to him, a bit surprised—they'd actually figured out he was also buried in the imperial mausoleum.

They just didn't know the exact spot, so they'd picked this abandoned pavilion to pay their respects.

"So it really is in memory of you." Lu Ao stepped forward, saw the plaque Xiao Lancui was staring at, and quickly put two and two together. "'Lu dog' is me, right?"

Lu Ao was intrigued. "These people are blessing us to be madly in love for four hundred years?"

Xiao Lancui suddenly remembered that ridiculous fanfic. His eyelid twitched. He set down the plaque and pulled Lu Ao away. "Let's go."

"Wait—what's this?" Lu Ao grabbed Xiao Lancui's hand, not letting him leave, and pulled him toward a transparent sealed box.

A cylindrical box sat by one of the stone pillars, with a big red paper on it: "FREE WEDDING MERCH, FELLOW FANS HELP YOURSELVES!"

Lu Ao had caught the word "wedding."

Xiao Lancui tried to stop him, but Lu Ao, full of curiosity, lifted the lid first.

A lot had already been taken. A few chibi keychains of two guys in fancy red wedding outfits were left in the box.

Lu Ao had never seen them before, but he could guess—these two guys holding hands in red wedding robes were him and Xiao Lancui.

Lu Ao immediately picked out two keychains, shoving one into Xiao Lancui's hand. "One for you, one for me."

Xiao Lancui, "...No. Pointless."

He was about to put it back when Lu Ao's big hand wrapped around Xiao Lancui's, covering the keychain too. He lowered his head, wheedling, "A Lan, I like it. Keep it."

Two seconds of silence. Xiao Lancui didn't move his hand, then turned and walked out. Lu Ao was instantly thrilled. His other hand immediately hooked around Xiao Lancui's waist, stealing another quick kiss on the lips, grinning. "Now hang it up!"

Xiao Lancui ignored him. Glancing at the bouquets that were almost overflowing, he said, "You handle it. I'll wait in the car."

He pulled his hand back and walked out of the pavilion toward the car.

Lu Ao watched Xiao Lancui get in the car, then pulled out his keys and attached the keychain. He quickly gathered the dried bouquets and tossed them in the trash. When he got back to the car, the first thing he noticed was a new keychain on Xiao Lancui's bag.

Not on his keys. On his bag.

Xiao Lancui spoke first. "Try kissing me again and see what happens."

Lu Ao resignedly sat back and laughed. "Alright, no more kissing today."

Xiao Lancui said nothing, pulled out his phone, and tapped away. A moment later, Lu Ao's WeChat got a new schedule.

"Overindulgence is bad for you." Xiao Lancui said flatly. "Any intimacy not on the schedule is strictly forbidden."

Lu Ao refused without even looking. "Too little. No way."

"You haven't even looked at it."

"I don't even need to look." Lu Ao said helplessly, "Banned Monday through Friday, once on Saturday and once on Sunday, right?"

Xiao Lancui was quiet for a couple seconds, thinking that was a bit much, so he gave in a little, "Add one more on Wednesday."

"Ah Lan." The car instantly pulled over to the curb. Lu Ao turned his head, putting on a pitiful look, "Look at me, really look at me."

Xiao Lancui did look at him, really looked, and Lu Ao was very satisfied, then continued, "Not to mention I'm in my twenties and full of hormones, this body isn't even 19 yet—an age where just one look at you gets me going—"

"Enough." Xiao Lancui thought the dirty talk in the original text was nothing compared to Lu Ao.

He picked up his phone and looked it up—this was definitely a blind spot for him.

Lu Ao watched the search bar—"Recommended frequency of healthy sex life for adult men"—and stared at Xiao Lancui's profile, his dark eyes turning a deep red, barely holding himself back from kissing him.

So damn cute!

But Lu Ao didn't say it—if he did, Xiao Lancui wouldn't be looking so cute anymore.

Xiao Lancui read through the answers for a long while, then turned off his phone and said, "The schedule's scrapped."

Lu Ao kept looking at him. "What do you mean?"

Xiao Lancui pursed his lips slightly, then said, "On days when there's nothing the next day, you..." He paused. "Let's just go with what we feel."

Lu Ao couldn't hold back anymore. He leaned in, his hot breath hitting Xiao Lancui's nose, and asked in a low, husky voice, "Ah Lan, I want to kiss you. May I?"

The moment the answer left his mouth, Xiao Lancui's lips were covered.

By the time they got back to the city, it was already past nine at night. Lu Ao didn't actually end up camping out overnight at the marriage registry.

He'd just thought of something.

"I'm getting my face fixed tomorrow." Lu Ao was grinding his teeth so hard they nearly cracked.

You have to take photos for the marriage certificate, and there was no way he was taking those with Xiao Lancui looking like this.

Lu Ao said with regret, "We'll go register once my face heals."

Xiao Lancui had no objections. He wasn't hungry either, just dead tired—his body was completely worn out.

He said a few words to Lu Ao and fell asleep against the seat. When he woke up, the room was dim, a soft bedside lamp casting light on Lu Ao's sleeping chin.

A faint stubble was already starting to show.

Just like the biology stuff he'd looked up, guys this age had crazy amounts of energy.

Xiao Lancui tilted his head up, gently kissed Lu Ao's chin, and tried to quietly slip out of his arms. But the moment he moved, Lu Ao's arms tightened around him, and a sleepy voice came from above: "Don't go. Don't leave me."

Thinking Lu Ao was awake, Xiao Lancui looked up—but he was still sound asleep. It was a reflex, both in his actions and his words.

Xiao Lancui's mind drifted. Lu Ao must have said things like that so many times that it came out instinctively even in his sleep.

His chest felt like it had been brushed by a feather. He craned his neck and kissed Lu Ao's lips again on his own, "I'm going to get something to eat. You sleep well."

The arms around him finally loosened. Xiao Lancui got out of bed, tucked Lu Ao in, grabbed a robe, and headed out.

He was actually a little hungry. He went into the kitchen looking for fruit or bread, but as soon as he walked in, he heard Lu Ao's voice, "I made wontons. Let me boil you a bowl."

Before he could turn around, a warm body wrapped around him from behind. Lu Ao rested his chin on Xiao Lancui's shoulder, still sounding sleepy, "There's fresh beef filling and veggie shrimp. Which one do you want?"

They hadn't been home in a while—Lu Ao must have made the wontons while he was asleep. He turned his head, looked at Lu Ao's barely open eyes, and gave a small smile, "Go back to sleep. I'll cook it myself."

Lu Ao kissed his neck lightly, "Your hands are way too pretty to be cooking wontons."

He opened his eyes quickly, his dark gaze sharpening, and planted a full kiss on Xiao Lancui's neck. He loosened his grip, scooped Xiao Lancui up by the waist, and carried him out, "Go sit down. I'll have it done in no time."

He suddenly lost his balance, and Xiao Lancui instinctively wrapped his arms around Lu Ao. When Lu Ao set him down on the couch, he said, "Add some vinegar."

"Mm." Lu Ao took the chance to steal another kiss and hurried back to the kitchen.

Xiao Lancui stared at the kitchen for a bit, then turned back and switched on the TV.

Around three in the morning, he muted the TV and flipped through channels, stopping on a science channel.

It was a show about quantum mechanics and space.

"If we really do go back to Dali, would you still want me?" Lost in thought, he suddenly caught the smell of food right next to him.

Lu Ao sat down next to Xiao Lancui with a white porcelain bowl, smiling at him, and added a condition, "If we ever really get the chance to go back to Dali, and you've forgotten everything about this world, would you still want me?"

At the same time, he scooped up a plump, translucent wonton, blew on it, and brought it to Xiao Lancui's lips.

Xiao Lancui looked at Lu Ao first, then said, "If I didn't want you, wouldn't you just snatch me up anyway?"

Then, as usual, he opened his mouth, took the wonton, and chewed it slowly.