Chapter 41

Chapter 41

When Su Xingyao returned to the villa, he noticed some materials piled up in the yard, with several workers busily moving in and out.

Auntie Zhang stood by the lawn and waved warmly at him as he arrived.

"Hey, Xiao Su, welcome back!"

Su Xingyao looked at the workers carrying materials back and forth, pulling his suitcase over to Auntie Zhang. "Auntie Zhang, what’s all this about?"

Auntie Zhang pointed to the building behind the villa.

"Mr. Lu is planning to renovate that place."

Su Xingyao followed Auntie Zhang's gaze.

As far as he knew, the Lu family's villa was already perfectly decorated.

There shouldn’t be any need for a renovation halfway through.

However, Su Xingyao didn't have the habit of prying into others' privacy, so he didn't ask further.

As he walked around the renovation materials and headed inside, Su Xingyao glanced back once more.

He thought the materials looked kind of familiar.

Back in his bedroom, Su Xingyao took out the dog costume and washed it.

Then he watered the plants on the juice balcony in his room.

Once he was done, he grabbed some paper and a pen, starting with a sketch as usual.

With the next competition in two weeks, he had to design the costume for the third round during that time.

For the first two matches, inspiration for his costumes came easily. He knew the sunset and coral themes so well that he had the designs nearly finished as soon as he started.

But this time, he was stuck.

Polar bear, bunny, snow leopard, panda...

He had plenty of animal ideas in his head, but when he picked up the pen, he just couldn’t get anything down.

Frustrated, Su Xingyao lowered his head, tapping the pen against his cheek as he stared at the eighteen failed drafts, lost in thought.

It was so frustrating having no inspiration; nothing felt right.

Su Xingyao sat there, deep in thought, unsure how much time had passed.

It wasn’t until a polite knock at the door in the evening snapped him out of it.

Su Xingyao got up to answer the door and found Lu Jiuxu, who burst out laughing the second he saw him.

Lu Jiuxu’s eyes scanned him from head to toe.

First, he noticed Su Xingyao’s slightly furrowed brows, then his eyes caught the three red marks on his left cheek.

It looked like he’d drawn cat whiskers on himself.

"You’ve turned into Coral," Lu Jiuxu teased.

"Hmm?"

Su Xingyao looked at the other person in confusion.

Coral?

Noticing Su Xingyao hadn't connected it to the cat, Lu Jiuxu traced three lines on his own face, "There are three red marks here."

Su Xingyao finally understood the reference.

He picked up the pen in his hand and immediately noticed that the pen had leaked ink while he was absentmindedly fidgeting with it...

Su Xingyao quickly reached for a wet wipe and wiped his cheek according to the position Lu Jiuxu had indicated.

Then he looked up and asked Lu Jiuxu, "Did I get it all?"

Serving as a human mirror, Lu Jiuxu adjusted his position, "There's still a bit here."

Following Lu Jiuxu's guidance, Su Xingyao vigorously scrubbed his entire left cheek with the wet wipe.

Because he scrubbed so hard, his face instantly turned red.

Lu Jiuxu couldn't stand to see Su Xingyao treating his beautiful face so roughly, so he stepped in to help.

"Here."

He spoke softly, assisting Su Xingyao in wiping away the last trace through the wet wipe.

Compared to Su Xingyao's force, Lu Jiuxu was much gentler.

But the other's excessively gentle touch made Su Xingyao momentarily distracted when his cheek and Lu Jiuxu's fingers touched through the thin wet wipe.

"Done."

As Lu Jiuxu tossed the used wet wipe into the trash, he noticed it was overflowing with discarded drafts.

"What's going on?"

Su Xingyao, struggling with a creative block, pointed to the half-finished draft he had been working on, "I can't come up with the costume design for the next competition."

After saying this, Su Xingyao shook his head, frustrated at the draft.

"Today, for some inexplicable reason, I just can't find any inspiration."

Lu Jiuxu picked up Su Xingyao's half-finished draft and studied it in the fading sunlight.

He didn't comment on how Su Xingyao's drawing looked but instead offered a suggestion.

"How about we go out for some hot pot?"

Lu Jiuxu's narrow eyes crinkled slightly, "Maybe inspiration will strike after we eat."

Having spent the entire afternoon without producing a satisfactory draft, Su Xingyao knew it was pointless to keep pushing.

And Lu Jiuxu's suggestion clearly resonated with him.

Su Xingyao, who hadn't had hot pot in a long time, put down his brush, looked up at Lu Jiuxu, nodded, and immediately agreed.

"Let's go."

After saying this, he went to get his phone, ready to head out.

But the first thing Su Xingyao did when he found his phone was to check the time, as usual.

Then he saw that Lu Zhiyun had sent him a message an hour ago.

"Zhiyun said he's on his way and wants to stay over tonight."

Su Xingyao told Lu Jiuxu, who was still waiting, and asked hesitantly, "Are we still going out?"

Lu Jiuxu paused for a second before answering.

"Then let's invite him along."

Su Xingyao quickly told Lu Zhiyun to join them for hotpot.

But Lu Zhiyun didn't reply right away.

Thinking Lu Zhiyun was probably driving and would arrive soon, Su Xingyao grabbed a mask and went downstairs to wait.

As luck would have it, just as Su Xingyao stepped downstairs, he saw a flashy yellow sports car pulling into Lu Jiuxu's driveway.

The car followed the garden path and stopped right in front of Su Xingyao.

Lu Zhiyun, in the car, flipped up his sunglasses with one hand on the wheel, giving Su Xingyao a big, cheeky grin.

"Su Su, hop in. I'll take you for a ride with my new wife."

Lu Jiuxu, who had followed Su Xingyao out, glanced at Lu Zhiyun, who was strutting like a peacock, and said dryly, "We're heading to Nanwan for hotpot. You sure your 'wife' can handle the ride?"

The road to Nanwan goes through downtown, so of course, there's no room for a joyride!

So Su Xingyao, sitting in Lu Jiuxu's equally pricey but understated sedan, couldn't help but glance back as they hit the busiest part of downtown.

Behind them, the flashy sports car, looking like it had no friends, was now crawling at under 20 mph...

And Lu Zhiyun, behind the wheel, had already tossed his sunglasses somewhere.

Hearing "Aston Martin stuck, Rolls-Royce stuck..." in his ears, he kept his eyes on the traffic lights, frowning as he waited in the long line of cars.

After over an hour of driving, the three finally reached Nanwan.

Though they hit some rush-hour traffic, luckily, the place wasn't packed.

Lu Jiuxu had booked a private room, and the three were quickly shown in by the waiter.

The owner, who knew Lu Jiuxu, greeted him at the door, making small talk.

Seeing his brother hadn't come in yet, Lu Zhiyun, who had been sitting across from Su Xingyao, moved next to him.

As they ordered, he brought up the unfinished business with Su Xingyao again.

"Su Su, are you free on Children's Day? I'll take you for a ride in my big wife!"

Maybe worried Su Xingyao would misunderstand again, he added, "That place won't have any traffic!"

Hearing Lu Zhiyun keep talking about his "wives," Su Xingyao almost got distracted.

So, Lu Zhiyun is into sports cars too.

This hobby is just like Qin Mingchuan's.

"What do you think, Su Su?"

Few can resist Lu Zhiyun when he gazes at them with such intensity.

Su Xingyao was no different.

After checking that his show recording schedule was clear, Su Xingyao agreed.

Once they set a time, Lu Zhiyun began chatting with Su Xingyao about other matters.

He leaned in closer to Su Xingyao, his voice dropping to a mysterious whisper, "Su Su, I’ve got a huge secret to tell you."

After making sure no one was coming, he whispered.

"I just found out my brother’s a total fanboy!"

Lu Zhiyun stressed the last three words with extra emphasis.

Su Xingyao looked at him, puzzled. "What?"

Lu Zhiyun, thrilled by his brother’s new hobby, couldn’t hold back and immediately pulled out his phone to show the show.

"It’s this one, the super popular cat that’s been trending lately."

Lu Zhiyun, curious and carefree, eagerly shared his findings with Su Xingyao.

"When I went to see him the other day, my workaholic brother actually ditched work to watch a live stream..."

"And I’m pretty sure he knows this person because the headgear he wore was our Sunset and Coral—even the name matches exactly."

Lu Zhiyun then asked Su Xingyao earnestly, "Su Su, you’re close to my brother and in the entertainment biz—do you know who this is?"

He chuckled, "Honestly, I’ve been following the show too... I’m really curious about it."

After hearing Lu Zhiyun’s mysterious tale, Su Xingyao was at a loss for words.

Well... Should he tell him that the person he’s talking about is... right here...

Just as Su Xingyao was about to spill the truth, Lu Jiuxu walked back into the private room.

As he walked past Lu Zhiyun, his slender fingers tapped his shoulder twice, his eyes crinkling into a charming smile.

"Next time you share my secrets, keep it down."

Lu Zhiyun, like a kid caught red-handed by a parent, instantly wilted.

He looked up at his brother pleadingly, "No, no, I was just getting to the main point..."

Watching Lu Zhiyun turn into a big puppy around Lu Jiuxu, Su Xingyao couldn’t help but laugh.

He pulled out the photo of Lu Jiuxu helping him pose with the Sunset and Coral mascot costumes when they first created them.

Then he passed the phone to Lu Zhiyun.

After looking at this group photo, Lu Zhiyun widened his eyes and stared at Su Xingyao in disbelief for quite a while.

"Su Su, you're incredible!"

After holding it in for several seconds, Lu Zhiyun finally blurted out this sentence...

No wonder his brother was so serious about following the live stream!!

Realizing this, Lu Zhiyun suddenly realized that he might be one of only two people on the entire internet who knew the identity of the cat.

Thinking of this, Lu Zhiyun felt a thrill as if he had stumbled upon a huge secret.

But before he could enjoy it for a few seconds, he heard Lu Jiuxu remind him.

"He signed an agreement, don't go blabbing about it."

Lu Zhiyun immediately made an OK gesture and then mimed zipping his lips.

"Got it, boss~"

Su Xingyao watched Lu Jiuxu tease Lu Zhiyun with amusement.

But hearing the final reminder, he remembered what Lu Zhiyun had said earlier.

So, had Lu Jiuxu skipped work to follow the live stream that day?

Thinking of this, he looked up at him.

Lu Jiuxu also met his gaze.

Su Xingyao didn't ask, but the other seemed to read his thoughts through his eyes.

Lu Jiuxu handed him the water and said slowly, "It wasn't exactly skipping out on work."

Su Xingyao lowered his head and picked up the cup.

Just as he was about to take the first sip, his phone on the table started vibrating.

Su Xingyao was still pondering Lu Jiuxu's words and didn't pay much attention to the caller ID.

Moreover, the production team had been reaching out to him with unfamiliar numbers recently, so he answered the call directly.

"Hello, how can I help you?"

As soon as Su Xingyao finished these three words, he suddenly sensed something was wrong.

In the past, the staff would have already started discussing the matter.

But now, the other end was eerily quiet, with no sound for several seconds.

Su Xingyao didn't press further and was about to hang up.

But at this moment, Wen Ningshu, her voice slightly emotional, called his name.

"Xing Yao, it's me."

After three months, finally getting through to her son, Wen Ningshu almost burst into tears.

It was an indescribable emotion.

But at this moment, she wanted to hear her son talk to her more than ever before.

Recently, it felt as if she had suddenly woken up from a dream, and her longing for Su Xingyao was stronger than at any time in the past six years.

"It's been a while since you came home. How have you been lately?"

The smile on Su Xingyao's face vanished the moment he realized who it was.

Although he hadn't thought about these people in a while.

The memory of that last unanswered cry for help was still too vivid.

So when Wen Ningshu called again, he couldn't help but recall that moment.

Su Xingyao closed his eyes, masking his emotions, and replied coolly, "Sorry, ma'am, you must have the wrong number."

Lu Zhiyun, oblivious to the situation but busy ordering food, assumed Su Xingyao had gotten a wrong number.

Since he'd remembered all of Su Xingyao's food preferences this time, he quickly looked for approval.

"Su Su, Su Su, I didn't grab your..."

Lu Jiuxu cut off Lu Zhiyun's blurted words.

At Lu Jiuxu's glance, Lu Zhiyun promptly closed his mouth.

After saying this, Su Xingyao hung up, his face expressionless.

But his earlier good mood was truly dampened.

On the other end, Wen Ningshu, hung up on by her son, no longer felt anger but a hollow emptiness.

She knew better than anyone that even if Su Xingyao changed his number.

As long as he stayed in the entertainment industry, their family's connections could easily track him down.

It just depended on whether she wanted to look for him or not.

This time, she found Su Xingyao's new number in just half a day.

But before that, she'd ignored him for three whole months.

And in turn, Su Xingyao had been gone from home for three months...

But those three months had turned everything upside down. She distinctly heard someone call him Su Su, but Su Xingyao claimed it was a wrong number...

For a moment, Wen Ningshu felt her son slipping further away.

His good mood was suddenly shattered, and it took Su Xingyao a moment to recover.

*

During this time, Lu Jiuxu kept talking to him, whether intentionally or not.

As they chatted, Su Xingyao's focus slowly shifted.

Soon the pot was boiling, and Lu Zhiyun tossed all the meat in front of him into it.

As they waited for the food to cook, he suddenly noticed Lu Jiuxu and Su Xingyao's phones.

After glancing back and forth at their phone cases a few times, he curiously asked Su Xingyao.

"Su Su, where did you and my brother get your phone cases?"

Su Xingyao, who had been counting the seconds for the Kung Fu potatoes, looked at his phone case upon hearing Lu Zhiyun's question.

"This one?" Su Xingyao asked.

While answering, Su Xingyao regretfully turned his attention back to the potatoes. "What second was I on just now..."

Lu Jiuxu naturally continued for him, "Six seconds."

After saying this, he scooped up the potato strips from the hot pot grid and put them in Su Xingyao's bowl. "But it's been eight seconds now."

The steaming potato strips in the bowl brought the spicy hot pot aroma right up to his face.

Su Xingyao put down his phone, picked up his chopsticks, and before taking a bite, answered Lu Zhiyun's question.

"We won them as first-place prizes from a claw machine game."

"Really? That's so cool!"

Lu Zhiyun got excited, initially wanting to ask where they played so he could get a matching set for himself.

But just as he was about to speak, a sudden realization hit him, and he looked up again at Su Xingyao and his brother's phone cases.

Wait... the more he looked, the more they seemed like couple cases.

Especially his brother!! How could he agree to use something like this???

Lu Zhiyun felt something was really off.

He combined this with the unusual behavior he had accidentally noticed from his brother toward Su Xingyao...

And came to a bold conclusion in his head!

No way, no way!

Lu Zhiyun's eyes widened, and suddenly the tripe in his mouth didn't taste so good.

He finally realized that the meal he had come to join was actually interrupting a date between the two of them...

Thinking this, Lu Zhiyun's hair stood on end.

Damn, hadn't he even mentioned taking Su Su out for a ride in front of his brother?

Lu Zhiyun: ...

No wonder his brother had snapped at him!

Suddenly understanding that he shouldn't be here but under the car, Lu Zhiyun wanted to make an excuse to leave the next second.

But his emotions told him that leaving halfway through the meal would be really unfair to Su Xingyao.

Thus, torn and wildly speculating about the relationship between Su Xingyao and Lu Jiuxu, Lu Zhiyun found this hot pot meal hard to swallow and lost his appetite.

"Zhiyun, what's wrong?"

Lu Zhiyun wore his heart on his sleeve, and seeing him distracted, looking at himself and then at Lu Jiuxu, Su Xingyao worried if he was feeling unwell.

When asked, Lu Zhiyun quickly shook his head.

"I just realized that today might not be the best day for me to have hotpot."

Right after finishing the hotpot, Lu Zhiyun made up an excuse and left in a hurry.

Before leaving, he specifically told his brother and sister-in-law, "You two have fun."

However, the two, not catching his hint, didn't go anywhere to play and drove straight home.

Without the evening rush hour, the drive home was much smoother.

Lu Jiuxu wasn't driving very fast, so Su Xingyao rolled down the car window.

He looked up at the sky and said, "There are actually stars tonight."

"How unusual."

The sky was exceptionally clear tonight, with a few bright stars twinkling above.

Su Xingyao couldn't help but reminisce about the times his sister took him stargazing as a child, and he shared this with Lu Jiuxu.

"When I was a kid, we often had starry nights, and our teacher would have us observe the Big Dipper."

Su Xingyao felt a bit nostalgic, "I used to think the stars were countless, but as I grew up, I hardly see them anymore."

Now, only a few are visible.

In the cool night breeze, Lu Jiuxu gazed at Su Xingyao, who was captivated by the stars.

Seeing him so engrossed, Lu Jiuxu softly asked, "I know a great spot for stargazing."

"Su Meow, want to check it out tomorrow?"

Su Xingyao turned to look at Lu Jiuxu, his eyes sparkling with light.

He was clearly thrilled by the idea.

But before Lu Jiuxu could continue, Su Xingyao's face showed a hint of regret.

"But I have to record a show tomorrow..."

The previous episode of "Let's Travel Together" was so well received that Zhang Shanfeng had contacted him earlier, hoping he and Xu Xiang would return as guest stars for another episode.

He had enjoyed the show and agreed right away.

At the time, he hadn't expected it to clash with Lu Jiuxu's invitation.

"Maybe next time?"

In the quiet car, Lu Jiuxu's deep voice responded, "Whenever you want to see them, just say the word."

Su Xingyao nodded in agreement.

He stopped looking at the stars, leaning his head lightly against the window, supported by one hand, and spoke softly.

"Mr. Lu, besides cats and dogs, what other animals do you like?"

The sudden change in topic made Su Xingyao think Lu Jiuxu would take a moment to respond.

However, he didn’t expect Lu Jiuxu to answer so quickly.

Lu Jiuxu responded almost instantly, "A little fox."

"A little fox, huh?"

This answer had never crossed Su Xingyao’s mind.

His eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Lu Jiuxu didn’t explain why, but with a smile, his gaze lingered on Su Xingyao’s light-colored, fox-like eyes.

After Lu Jiuxu’s response, that very night, Su Xingyao rushed to finish his design.

And the next day at noon, he hopped on a plane to the new filming site.