Chapter 30: Maid Outfit

Chapter 30: The Butler's Uniform

Lu Hechi finished knocking and waited at the door.

The outfit Feng Qi had picked out was a bit much for him to wrap his head around.

A black shirt paired with a white lace apron, somewhat like the cosplay he'd seen in videos online.

Okay, fine, he could deal with that.

But Feng Qi had even given him a leather collar with a bell attached.

Was this guy really a butler who graduated from a legit school?

Time was tight, so Lu Hechi had no choice but to ignore the collar, put on the clothes, and check himself in the mirror.

Tall and handsome in this getup, he looked like a male model from some high-end club.

It was a little hard to swallow.

Lu Hechi almost tore the clothes off right then and there, but he took a few more looks in the mirror and had to admit the outfit was actually pretty decent.

Perfect for buttering someone up.

He put himself in the other guy's shoes—if Shen Lanxue wore this to make it up to him, he wouldn't just not be mad, he'd probably get a nosebleed on the spot.

So Lu Hechi steeled himself and stood at the door in this outfit.

He heard footsteps approaching and tensed up until the door swung open.

Lu Hechi straightened up: "Master, good morning. Breakfast is ready for you. Would you like to eat now?"

Shen Lanxue opened the door and jumped back, startled.

His beautiful, lake-like eyes landed on Lu Hechi's face, then swept over his outfit.

He figured he must be dreaming.

He even closed his eyes and opened them again—same scene.

Shen Lanxue's heart was a mess of emotions he couldn't quite name, which made him stare at Lu Hechi a little longer than usual.

Lu Hechi had been excited at first, but now under that gaze, he was all nerves.

For some reason, he whispered again, "M-Master?"

"..." Shen Lanxue fumbled for words, finally asking, "You... what's going on with you?"

Lu Hechi asked, "You don't like it?"

He spun around, "Is it kinda gross?"

Shen Lanxue paused for a beat: "No."

Lu Hechi lit up instantly.

"Then you like it! I mean, I think it's a bit weird too, but I gotta admit, Butler Feng knows what he's doing. This outfit really shows off my body."

"It's actually pretty great."

Shen Lanxue was in a long gray loungewear set, the pants a little too long and dragging on the floor. His features were refined, and there was a rare question mark on his face.

"Feng Qi picked this out?"

Lu Hechi nodded enthusiastically.

Guess he's paying the butler too much.

Shen Lanxue thought to himself.

He closed the door and headed downstairs, with Lu Hechi quickly trailing behind him, the white apron swinging in an arc through the air.

Downstairs in the dining room, breakfast was already laid out.

Toast, fried eggs, milk.

Lu Hechi pulled out the chair a step ahead of Shen Lanxue and stood beside him, saying, "Mr. Shen, please eat."

Just moments ago, when it was just him and Shen Lanxue, he could barely choke out "master." But now there were several servants in the dining room.

Feng Qi was there too.

There was no way Lu Hechi could say that now.

Noticing there was no breakfast for Lu Hechi, Shen Lanxue told Feng Qi, "Make the same breakfast for Mr. Lu."

Feng Qi nodded: "Yes, sir."

He picked up a slice of bread and started eating, his movements slow and elegant.

Lu Hechi stood beside him, his hands itching, wondering if a servant was supposed to feed the master.

Should he make the first move?

But with people watching, his brother would definitely be embarrassed.

After all this time, he knew Shen Lanxue's personality well.

They'd even had a kid together, and he still got all shy about kissing.

Ugh.

Lu Hechi watched him set down the bread, then eagerly grabbed the milk and handed it over. "Milk, sir."

"..."

Outside the dining room.

Xiaomei and Xiaoyu were tidying up the living room, pretending to wipe down the tables while sneaking glances at the dining room.

"Mr. Lu's got a great body."

Xiaoyu chuckled, "No, you should say our young master eats well, hehe."

Xiaomei snuck a look around, saw no one else, and whispered:

"Last night, I went upstairs with Xiaoxian to clean the room and heard Mr. Lu at the young master's door, begging to sleep with him. He even took a milk bath just for it."

Xiaoyu's eyes went wide, totally shocked.

"Mr. Lu used to not even want to come. The young master mentioned several times that he wanted his dad, and he could only soothe him by saying Mr. Lu was busy. I never thought he'd be the type."

Feng Qi passed by the kitchen carrying breakfast and saw the two maids huddled together, their faces full of all kinds of expressions.

He coughed.

Xiaoyu and Xiaomei immediately fell silent, scrubbing the table extra hard.

Feng Qi carried the breakfast to the dining room. Shen Lanxue was almost done eating and was wiping his mouth with a napkin.

He set the breakfast down at the seat next to Shen Lanxue, gave a slight bow, and said politely, "Enjoy your breakfast, Mr. Lu."

Lu Hechi shot a glance at Shen Lanxue.

Shen Lanxue tossed the napkin into the trash and said, "Eat up."

At that, Lu Hechi obediently sat down. He had just picked up a slice of bread and was about to take a bite when he saw Shen Lanxue get up to leave.

His eyes widened, and he quickly grabbed Shen Lanxue's hand.

With his mouth still full, he mumbled, "Where ya goin'?"

Shen Lanxue glanced down at him.

"I'm heading to the gym."

Lu Hechi stood up with the bread in his mouth, then tilted his head back and chugged the milk in one gulp, and said, "I'm coming with you!"

Shen Lanxue hesitated, his eyes lingering on Lu Hechi's clothes. "...Like that?"

Lu Hechi looked down and said, "Uh," his mind racing, then it hit him, and he said, "I'm your personal butler today, so I'm here to serve only you."

Shen Lanxue said nothing.

He turned and walked away.

Leaving Lu Hechi staring at his cold, indifferent back.

Lu Hechi went anyway. He took off the outer apron and had two buttons of his black shirt undone.

When he reached the gym, Shen Lanxue was lightly jogging on the treadmill.

Lu Hechi walked over hesitantly and said, "Bro, is there anything you need me to help you with?"

"...No."

"Okay."

Lu Hechi just stood there watching, then eventually started working out on his own.

Since waking up in the hospital, he'd noticed he had a great physique—broad shoulders, narrow waist, and a toned eight-pack.

He looked like the type who loved to work out.

Lu Hechi's hand was now almost fully healed, and he couldn't feel any trace of the fracture during his daily activities.

He adjusted the bench press setup, planning to work out on his own.

Shen Lanxue caught sight of this from the corner of his eye and couldn't help frowning. He stopped the treadmill and walked over.

"Doesn't your arm still hurt?"

Lu Hechi's eyes lit up when he saw him coming over.

He shook his head and said, "It stopped hurting a while ago. It's totally fine now."

Shen Lanxue was still worried. "Your muscle strength on both sides is uneven. Without a doctor around, you could easily get hurt again. Stick to simple exercises."

Lu Hechi was thrilled. "Bro, you care about me."

"So you're not mad at me anymore?"

Shen Lanxue said, "I'm not mad."

Lu Hechi didn't believe him. He raised four fingers and swore, "I promise I'll never eat stinky tofu again, okay?"