Chapter 81

Chapter 81

After coming down the mountain, the group took their time, enjoying the sights along the way. By the time they returned to Li Xiaofei's guesthouse, it was already dark.

Having spent the whole day exploring, they were all famished. Zhao Qian, Fang Ge, and Lin Chengyi didn’t wait for Hu Yan to finish parking and hurried over to Li Xiaofei, all eager to grab a bite.

Lu Jiuxu's car was the last to arrive. Since the parking spaces near Hu Yan's car were already full, he had to drive around to find another spot.

However, the road was tricky because the only lane was blocked by a car ahead.

Li Xiaofei's guesthouse was doing well, and with the recent influx of tourists, it was no surprise the parking lot was packed.

At first, Su Xingyao didn’t think much of it.

It wasn’t until they had been waiting in the car for nearly ten minutes, and the car in front still hadn’t moved, that Su Xingyao lowered the passenger-side window and leaned out to take a look at the big G-Wagon up front.

The driver looked like a beginner. The spot was really tight, with cars on both sides, making it hard for her to get in.

In the tight space, she frantically turned the wheel back and forth, trying a few times but still couldn’t get it right.

Seeing the driver flustered and sweating bullets, Su Xingyao turned to look at Lu Jiuxu.

"I’ll go help her out."

Lu Jiuxu gave a slight nod but got out with Su Xingyao.

As Su Xingyao was about to offer help, Lu Jiuxu tapped lightly on the window and exchanged a few words with the driver.

A minute later, Lu Jiuxu slid into the driver’s seat of the G-Wagon.

The spot was a tough one.

As Su Xingyao was pondering the best route, he saw Lu Jiuxu glance casually at the rearview mirror through the open window.

Then, with a couple of smooth moves, he backed it right in.

The whole thing was smooth and almost elegant, complemented by Lu Jiuxu's handsome face, making parking look downright impressive.

The car owner, seeing how easily the car was parked, repeatedly thanked Lu Jiuxu.

Lu Jiuxu closed the car door and simply said, "No problem."

The girl, looking at the handsome man who had helped her so selflessly, finally mustered the courage to ask, "Excuse me, can I have your contact information?"

Perhaps it was her first time being so forward in asking for someone's contact, as she seemed nervous and even stuttered a bit.

Hearing this, Lu Jiuxu, who was about to return to his car, paused but didn’t turn around.

His gaze fell on Su Xingyao's face before he replied, "Sorry, it's not convenient."

The girl wasn’t upset by the rejection and instead nodded generously at Lu Jiuxu's retreating figure.

As she watched Lu Jiuxu walk away, her eyes finally landed on Su Xingyao, who was standing two meters away wearing a mask.

Then, to her surprise, she noticed that the clothes the handsome man who had helped her park was wearing...

Were a couple's set with Su Xingyao's!

Realizing this, she quickly apologized to both Lu Jiuxu and Su Xingyao.

"Oh, my bad... I thought you were still single."

After apologizing for her abruptness, she smiled at Su Xingyao, "Hey, handsome, best wishes to you both!"

"You guys make such a great couple!"

The unexpected compliment made Su Xingyao realize he and Lu Jiuxu were being mistaken for a couple...

He originally wanted to explain the misunderstanding.

But Lu Jiuxu gently tugged his sleeve, got him into the car, and quickly started the engine.

By the glow of the car’s sensor light, Su Xingyao glanced at the driver’s seat.

Lu Jiuxu’s expression didn’t change much, but Su Xingyao somehow sensed he was in a great mood.

Especially those deep, pool-like eyes, which seemed to hold a hint of warmth.

Because of the delay, when Su Xingyao and the others got back, they found Zhao Qian, Hu Yan, and Lin Chengyi in the lobby with their suitcases.

Seeing everyone with their luggage, Su Xingyao thought they were leaving early.

Lu Jiuxu glanced at them, puzzled, and asked, "What’s up? Are you leaving?"

Li Xiaofei hesitated, while Lin Chengyi smiled and pointed at Fang Ge.

Zhao Qian, "We’re not leaving; the three of us are just gonna crash with him for the night."

Zhao Qian started, and Li Xiaofei also explained the reason to Lu Jiuxu.

"An old customer said he’s coming tonight, but the rooms are booked... So when they heard, they offered to give up theirs."

Li Xiaofei looked apologetic, as if trying to stop them from giving up their rooms.

Fang Ge slung an arm around his shoulder, acting like it was no big deal.

"Hey, no worries, we’ve all crashed together before."

Business is tough these days. Li Xiaofei’s new shop has a loyal customer coming, so the guys wouldn’t hog the rooms and risk losing him.

Once he understood, Su Xingyao asked Li Xiaofei, "Do you have enough rooms? Should I clear out mine too?"

Li Xiaofei quickly waved his hand, "Nah, they only need three rooms, and we’re good now."

After Li Xiaofei spoke, Lu Jiuxu glanced at the four, "Are you all sharing one room?"

Without waiting for an answer, Lu Jiuxu tilted his chin and said, "You can use my room too."

As soon as Lu Jiuxu finished, Lin Chengyi waved him off.

"No way, Mr. Lu, you’re too picky about cleanliness—none of us wanna share with you."

Seeing Lin Chengyi’s look of mock disgust, Su Xingyao glanced at Lu Jiuxu.

Lu Jiuxu’s a clean freak??

He couldn’t ask Lu Jiuxu right then, but he agreed it’d be too cramped for Lin Chengyi and the others to share one room.

Su Xingyao, "Four in one room’s too tight—want to split up and share mine?"

As soon as these words were out, Lin Chengyi's reaction became even more intense.

"Nonono! Teacher Su, I really couldn’t."

Lin Chengyi glanced teasingly at Lu Jiuxu, "Besides, I’m pretty sure Mr. Lu wouldn’t be on board."

"Cut it out with the sarcasm, Dr. Lin."

Fang Ge, who appeared last, walked directly to Su Xingyao's side.

"Teacher Su’s got a point. Having you three in my room would be a total squeeze!"

After saying that, he quickly sorted out the room assignments.

"Old Zhao’s with me, and Old Hu, you’re bunking with Dr. Lin."

Then he looked at Su Xingyao inquiringly, "Mind sharing a room with Mr. Lu tonight?"

Su Xingyao glanced over at Lu Jiuxu.

However, Fang Ge stood between Su Xingyao and Lu Jiuxu, so Su Xingyao couldn’t make out Lu Jiuxu’s expression.

With Lu Jiuxu silent and everyone waiting, Su Xingyao nodded, "If he’s okay with it... I’m good."

A few seconds later, Lu Jiuxu responded in a deep voice.

"I’m good with it too."

And just like that, the rooms were sorted.

After a full day of hiking, everyone was pretty wiped. With the drive back tomorrow in mind, after dinner and a bit of hanging out, everyone returned to their rooms to rest.

As Su Xingyao headed back to the room, Zhou Mengxue called him, and Lu Jiuxu went back first.

When Su Xingyao returned, he found Lu Jiuxu, fresh out of the shower, lounging on the sofa with a book.

Su Xingyao didn’t bother him, just grabbed his clothes and slipped into the bathroom.

After a shower and drying off, Su Xingyao felt a lot of the day’s fatigue melt away.

He’d meant to ask Lu Jiuxu about his cleanliness thing, but seeing Lu Jiuxu still absorbed in his book, he quietly climbed into bed.

Su Xingyao shifted the quilt over, leaving half the bed for Lu Jiuxu.

But after a while, with Lu Jiuxu still not in bed, Su Xingyao gave him a puzzled look.

Then he noticed, to his surprise, that Lu Jiuxu, who’d been reading, had been watching him.

Their eyes locked.

After two seconds of silence, Su Xingyao spoke first, "Aren’t you going to sleep yet?"

Fresh from the shower, his eyes were glistening, and his voice was soft, almost velvety.

Lu Jiuxu's eyes flickered.

His heart felt as if a feather was gently brushing it, tingling with a slight itch.

"Getting ready to sleep."

Lu Jiuxu looked away and carried the blanket to the sofa.

With a tight throat, Lu Jiuxu turned off the light.

"I'll sleep on the sofa."

Only Su Xingyao’s bedside lamp remained on.

In the dim light, he looked over at Lu Jiuxu, who was sleeping on the sofa.

He was tall with long legs.

But the sofa was clearly too small for Lu Jiuxu, who was 1.9 meters tall.

Seeing how uncomfortable Lu Jiuxu looked, Su Xingyao thought for a moment and asked, "Maybe I should take the sofa?"

As he spoke, he began to get up.

"Don’t bother."

Lu Jiuxu cut him off sharply.

Hearing this tone, Su Xingyao was sure the other was really uncomfortable.

When he went camping with Lu Zhiyun before, he’d shared a tent with Lu Jiuxu.

Since the room was tight, he didn’t understand why Lu Jiuxu would choose to sleep on the sofa.

So he tentatively asked, "Are you a neat freak?"

In the dim night, Lu Jiuxu's deep voice came through.

"Lin Chengyi was making stuff up."

"I’m not a neat freak."

After getting this answer, Su Xingyao was even more confused and naturally blurted out, "Then why are you on the sofa instead of the bed?"

After saying this, Su Xingyao suddenly realized that his words came out a little odd.

But he couldn’t quite pinpoint what was odd.

On the other side, Lu Jiuxu, lying on the sofa, stared at Su Xingyao, whose face was still slightly damp, and stayed quiet for a while.

Since Lu Jiuxu didn’t speak, Su Xingyao took the silence as a refusal.

Seeing that the other didn’t want to answer directly, he let it go. After turning off the light, he pulled up the blanket and lay down on the bed.

After a while, Su Xingyao heard a cool voice cut through the darkness.

"I just thought... might it be inconvenient?"

After lying in bed for a while, Su Xingyao was actually feeling a bit sleepy.

He rubbed his eyes, his voice soft with drowsiness, "What’s the big deal?"

"We’ve slept in the same tent before."

What responded to him was another stretch of silence.

But after roughly ten seconds, Su Xingyao felt the other side of the bed dip slightly.

Realizing Lu Jiuxu had already climbed into bed, Su Xingyao closed his eyes in relief.

He didn’t get much sleep last night, and after hiking today, he was utterly exhausted.

After mumbling a sleepy goodnight and catching the faint, soothing scent of wood in the air, he drifted off into a deep sleep.

Su Xingyao was out cold, but Lu Jiuxu, who shared the bed with him, despite hardly sleeping the night before, was still wide awake.

In fact, his mind was clearer than ever.

His heart was racing wildly, and his blood was coursing with restless energy.

Listening to the steady breathing beside him, Lu Jiuxu couldn’t help but turn and gaze at the sleeping face.

His right hand rose, lingering in the air for what felt like an eternity.

As he took in the peaceful, serene expression, Lu Jiuxu fought back the darker urges in his heart, only gently running his fingers through the tousled strands of hair.

From his dry throat, he finally whispered two words.

"Goodnight."

...

Su Xingyao stirred awake, feeling too warm.

Blearily opening his eyes, he noticed the morning light seeping through the curtain cracks, dappling the floor with soft light.

The familiar, comforting scent of wood filled his senses.

Su Xingyao suddenly became aware that he was cradled in someone’s arms.

Su Xingyao shifted his gaze closer.

More accurately... He was nestled in Lu Jiuxu’s arms.

The silk pajamas of the man before him were open at the top.

Now, his head was nestled snugly against the other’s neck.

His cheek was pressed against the warm, bare skin, and even his body... was tightly pressed against the other person.

Especially his legs... were entwined with the other person in an extremely suggestive posture.

So suggestive that... even through the fabric, he could unmistakably feel the other’s morning arousal.

Feeling this heat, Su Xingyao’s ears burned a deep red.

His mind was in a haze, completely unable to understand how, when he went to bed last night, he and Lu Jiuxu each had their own blanket.

Now, how...

Su Xingyao looked up at the blanket he had unknowingly kicked to the foot of the bed, suddenly remembering that in the middle of the night, he had felt a bit cold and then dreamed that Lu Jiuxu had given him a panda plushie.

He found the stuffed animal really cozy to cuddle, so he hugged it tightly...

In his dream, he even mumbled about how the toy felt warm.

But it turned out he wasn’t holding a toy at all—it was...

Lu Jiuxu!

Waking up to such an awkward situation, Su Xingyao didn’t know how to handle it and could only blush and gently pull his hand away.

But as he tried to quietly untangle his legs from the other person’s, the struggle ended up waking the person next to him.

Su Xingyao froze and mumbled awkwardly, "Sorry for waking you."

"It's fine."

Lu Jiuxu’s voice was sleepy and lazy.

But two seconds later, he seemed to notice the warmth of their skin pressed together, and his body stiffened as well.

Even his breathing grew unusually heavy.

Su Xingyao’s face flushed even more, and he quickly pulled his leg back.

"Sorry, I must’ve kicked the blanket last night..."

"I’ll... I’ll get up first."

Lu Jiuxu paused for a moment before he finally muttered, "Okay."

His voice was tense and oddly hoarse.

Su Xingyao quickly got up.

But as he got out of bed, his eyes accidentally landed on Lu Jiuxu’s neck.

Then he noticed the other’s fair skin, just like his own, had a faint blush.

...

It was the last day of the vacation, and everyone decided to stay in.

After lunch, they packed up and headed back.

Before leaving, Su Xingyao turned and waved goodbye reluctantly.

Although the holiday was short, it was a rare chance for him to relax both body and mind.

He didn’t have many friends, and opportunities to gather and have fun with them were even rarer.

After all, due to his "unwanted" setting since birth, such cozy and lively moments never seemed to be his.

But this time, being able to spend such a pleasant holiday with Lu Jiuxu’s friends was a luxury and satisfaction he had never imagined before.

"If only the holiday didn’t have to end."

Su Xingyao closed the car door, and just as they parted, he began to reminisce.

Lu Jiuxu chuckled softly, "If you want, the vacation doesn’t have to end."

Su Xingyao understood what Lu Jiuxu meant but still shook his head.

"Although the boss approved the vacation, I still have to work hard to provide for my family."

"After all, I still have to look after Coral, Sunset... and Wuyou."

After joking, Su Xingyao explained slowly to Lu Jiuxu.

"I just feel very happy spending these days with you and your friends."

Lu Jiuxu corrected him.

"They are also your friends."

Su Xingyao smiled and murmured in agreement.

He leaned his head against the car window, stealing glances at Lu Jiuxu.

This person hadn’t said a word to him the entire time.

But Su Xingyao was very clear in his heart that during the three days of the livestream incident, the public backlash was at its peak and most chaotic.

And during these three days, Lu Jiuxu took him out to unwind and even invited his friends to accompany them...

The other party had paused his work, called in some favors, all in an effort to shield him from the online backlash.

Thinking of this, a thought suddenly crossed Su Xingyao's mind.

—Hope Su Xingyao's wish comes true.

That was the wish Lu Jiuxu had made on the wishing tag.

His heart missed a beat.

He averted his gaze from Lu Jiuxu.

Su Xingyao spoke softly, "Lu Jiuxu..."

"Thank you."

*

When they were almost home, Lu Jiuxu got a phone call.

After hanging up and texting, he pulled over.

"Su Maomao, let’s stop by Lu Zhiyun’s place first to get Sunset and Coral."

Having not seen Sunset and Coral for several days, Su Xingyao agreed right away, "Okay."

"He probably doesn’t know we’re coming, let’s call him first."

As Lu Jiuxu spoke, he turned and changed course.

When they arrived at Lu Zhiyun's house, the latter had just gotten back from walking the dog.

The very enthusiastic Lu Zhiyun insisted Su Xingyao stay for dinner since he’d come all this way.

Su Xingyao stayed, of course.

However, before dinner, Lu Jiuxu said something urgent came up and left ahead of time.

He glanced apologetically at Su Xingyao, "Sorry, I have some urgent matters to attend to. I'll come pick you up later."

Lu Zhiyun waved his hand, "No need to pick him up. Xing Yao can just stay here overnight."

Right after Lu Zhiyun spoke, he noticed his brother's icy glare, so he quickly changed his tone, "Well... I can drive him back, right?"

This time, Lu Jiuxu finally softened his expression, saying "Drive safe" before he left.

After leaving Lu Zhiyun's house, Lu Jiuxu called Auntie Zhang again, got the details, and then hurried home.

Half an hour later, he finally met the guest Auntie Zhang had told him about, who’d been waiting for a while.

Su Xingyao's mother, Wen Ningshu.