Chapter 37: Chapter 37 Stinky Beauty Brother and Stinky Beauty Cheese.

Chapter 37: Mr. Vain and Vain Cheese.

After dinner, Lu Zhishi quietly asked Lu Zhiyu about Chi Chen's nicknames.

"Oh, there are quite a few."

Lu Zhiyu ticked them off on his fingers: "Xiao Chen, Fat Chen, Chen Bao, Baby, Darling, Little Guy, Chubby Buddy…"

After he finished, Lu Zhishi asked, "Why haven’t I heard Uncle Chi and the others use those before?"

He had heard Uncle Chi accidentally call Chi Chen "Baby" once, but "Chen Bao" was new to him.

"Xiao Chen wouldn't let anyone use those names after he turned five. He'd get really upset and ignore anyone who did."

Lu Zhiyu chuckled: "He's very proud. Back then, he'd put on a serious face and say he was grown up, so everyone had to call him Xiao Chen."

Aww, that's just adorable!

Lu Zhishi pictured Chi Chen’s face—young features, fair skin, cheeks still round with baby fat, and that serious, stern look saying not to call him by nicknames.

Just picturing it was endearing.

Perhaps because he had been thinking about it all day, Lu Zhishi dreamed of him that night.

It was Chi Chen as a child.

He couldn’t recall when or where he had seen him, but it was as if through a foggy glass.

When Lu Zhishi looked up, he met Chi Chen’s eyes.

Those slender, calm eyes silently watched him. Lu Zhishi stared back, unblinking.

They gazed at each other for an unknown duration, but Chi Chen showed no reaction.

Just as Lu Zhishi was about to drift off, he saw Chi Chen reach out and gently press his palm against the glass, as if trying to touch his face through it.

His lips parted slightly, as if calling out: "Lu Zhishi..."

...

Chi Chen turned his head for the third time and met those dazed, round peach-blossom eyes staring blankly at him.

This time, Chi Chen didn’t look away. He just kept watching, his gaze as calm as still water.

When Lu Zhishi snapped out of it, he nearly jumped out of his skin. Feeling guilty, he quickly looked away and raised the book in his hands to cover his face, like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.

Chi Chen tapped him lightly on his fluffy hair and said calmly, "Hurry up and finish. You still have two more test papers."

Lu Zhishi rubbed the spot where he’d been tapped, quickly checked the time, and dug into his work.

Elementary school test papers were relatively easy for Lu Zhishi. A quick glance was all it took for him to find the answers.

So while he wrote, his mouth kept going.

"Big Brother Xiao Chen, where did you first see me?"

"Was I fat? Dad said I was really fat when I was born."

"I think I saw you at the hospital. Is that right, Big Brother Xiao Chen?"

"Big Brother Xiao Chen..."

Chi Chen glanced sideways at the little chatterbox beside him, his gaze falling on the mouth that kept moving nonstop.

How does he talk so much?

Unable to bear it any longer, Chi Chen reached out and covered his mouth, saying coldly:

"Pay attention. No distractions."

"Mmph..." Lu Zhishi mumbled, stealing a glance at Chi Chen’s stern expression before quickly lowering his head and writing furiously on his test paper.

Seeing that he had finally quieted down, Chi Chen withdrew his hand and went back to working on his own problems.

Though he spaced out, Lu Zhishi was quite serious when it came to studying. Without stopping, he quickly finished the test paper and handed it to Chi Chen for checking.

He then picked up the remaining two test papers and continued working.

"Big Brother Xiao Chen, can we chat after I finish?"

Lu Zhishi broke his concentration to ask.

Chi Chen didn’t even look up. "Yeah."

Teacher Chi was always very strict during tutoring sessions. Lu Zhishi sighed, writing and sighing at the same time.

"..." Chi Chen checked the test papers expressionlessly.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the little one slouching over the desk again as he wrote. Chi Chen’s eyes showed a hint of helplessness as he placed his hand on Lu Zhishi’s back and gently rubbed it up and down.

The hunched back immediately straightened, and the big, dark eyes sneaked a glance in his direction.

Though his eyes were looking over, his hand never stopped writing—a skill Lu Zhishi had somehow mastered.

Chi Chen leaned over to take a look, then raised his eyes to glance at Lu Zhishi.

Lu Zhishi was puzzled. He looked down at his writing—it wasn’t messy.

Why did Big Brother Xiao Chen’s eyes seem to hold a hint of approval?

As if reading his mind, Chi Chen said calmly, "You take after your brother."

Lu Zhishi scratched his head. Like what?

With the tutor watching over him, Lu Zhishi finished the remaining two test papers quickly.

After handing them to Chi Chen for checking, Lu Zhishi went to pour two cups of hot milk. He placed one in front of Chi Chen and cradled the other, chugging it.

As he drank, Lu Zhishi unconsciously leaned closer, pressing against Chi Chen’s arm to watch him check the papers.

Chi Chen’s pen paused slightly, but he showed no reaction, keeping his eyes lowered.

Lu Zhishi had always been like this since he was little. Whenever he was near Chi Chen, he liked to cling to him.

When Lu Zhishi was younger, he would grab onto Chi Chen’s knees and climb up, whining as he settled into Chi Chen’s lap—a little chubby bundle—then slowly nibble on a roll.

When he was happy, he’d kick his chubby feet, crumbs falling from his mouth. Chi Chen never reacted, calmly brushing off the crumbs from his clothes one by one and throwing them away. After that, he’d pull out his handkerchief to wipe Lu Zhishi’s mouth.

Chi Chen had gotten used to it.

"You did well; keep it up next time." Chi Chen concisely explained the test paper.

"The college entrance exam next semester will be a bit more challenging, so don’t let your guard down."

Lu Zhishi nodded, "I will, Brother."

His grades had always been excellent, thanks to his memories from his past life, and he consistently scored perfect scores on exams.

It felt like he was finally catching up with his two older brothers.

"Brother Xiao Chen, now that I’m done, can we talk?"

Lu Zhishi hadn’t given up on the idea yet, clingily snuggling up to Chi Chen while holding his milk and looking up at him.

His big, round eyes were clear and bright, with long, thick eyelashes.

The little one bore an 80% resemblance to his younger father—with beautiful, delicate features, making him the most good-looking child in the surrounding villa areas.

Chi Chen looked at him, suddenly pinched his cheek, then calmly withdrew his hand.

So soft.

"The first time I saw you was in the hospital. You weren’t chubby, just a tiny little thing in an incubator."

Chi Chen briefly answered one of his earlier questions.

"Hmm," Lu Zhishi touched the spot where he’d been pinched.

So it really was in the hospital incubator—just as he’d thought. He really was the Lu family’s Fat Cheese.

No wonder, he thought, someone had violently spanked his butt so hard for no reason back then. It had hurt so much.

Lu Zhishi felt indignant.

Chi Chen: "...Uncle Song said you didn’t cry at all when you came out. No matter how much they tried to make you cry, you just frowned. It wasn’t until they spanked you really hard that you started wailing."

"..." Lu Zhishi scratched his head awkwardly. "But my dad said I started bawling loudly as soon as I came out, crying so hard I almost brought the hospital down."

"..." Chi Chen seemed to hesitate, then lowered his head and fell silent.

"? " What’s wrong? Why did he stop talking all of a sudden?

Lu Zhishi nuzzled against Chi Chen, rubbing against him, and finally murmured, "Brother Xiao Chen, you’ll be in your last year of high school next semester."

"Mhm."

"Will you study abroad?"

"..." The air grew quiet. After a long pause, Chi Chen said, "Haven’t decided yet."

Now it was Lu Zhishi’s turn to fall silent.

Rubbing his eyes, Lu Zhishi hung his head and continued snuggling against Chi Chen. He couldn’t bear the thought of them leaving, but he would respect his brothers’ decisions.

Emotions are contagious. Chi Chen knew him so well—the moment he lowered his head without speaking, Chi Chen understood what he was thinking.

Putting down his pen, Chi Chen pulled him closer, placed a hand on his fluffy head, ruffled his hair, and said softly,

"I haven’t decided whether to go or not. Don’t be sad."

He added, "Learning to say goodbye is a lesson everyone must face."

His words only made Lu Zhishi even sadder. His nose tingled, and tears welled up in his eyes.

"I know... I just can’t bear to see you all go..."

Studying abroad was so far away. It would take at least half a year to come back once, and if studies got busy, maybe even a full year.

They had grown up together and had never been apart for so long.

"What’s going on? Chi Chen, did you bully my brother?"

Lu Zhiyu had come to call his Stinky Cheese home to sleep, but as soon as he entered, he saw him curled up next to Chi Chen, tearfully wiping his eyes.

Seeing him come in, Lu Zhishi went over and hugged his waist, burying his head without saying a word, tears and sniffles staining his clothes.

He had grown up and couldn’t hug Chi Chen so casually anymore, but he could still hug his own older brother.

Chi Chen unconsciously fiddled with the pages of the book on the desk, his lips pressed into a tight line.

"Alright, alright, don’t cry. Your brother’s here. Tell me what’s wrong."

Lu Zhiyu didn’t say anything like, "Aren’t you too old to be crying?" If the little one wanted to cry, he could cry. In his eyes, he was still a child.

Skillfully, he held him and swayed gently, patting his back up and down while murmuring,

"There, there. Ah, if Dad sees you like this, he’ll think I hit you. I’ll get an earful when we get back..."

Lu Zhishi cried quietly for a while before stopping, then used Lu Zhiyu’s pajamas to wipe his eyes and discreetly clean his nose.

Lu Zhiyu: "...So only your pajamas are expensive, huh, Stinky Cheese? You got snot all over mine."

Lu Zhishi pretended not to hear, turned around, and waved to Chi Chen, saying with a slightly stuffy nose, "Goodnight, Brother."

Chi Chen neatly stacked the test papers, handed them to him, and as he let go, placed a piece of candy in his hand.

Without a word, he silently watched them leave.

Lu Zhiyu took the test papers and flipped through them while Lu Zhishi followed behind, saying goodbye to Chi Yuehang before the two left the Chi household.

"Brother, give me a piggyback."

"Aren’t you a bit old for that?" Lu Zhiyu said, but he was still honest in his actions, crouching down.

Lu Zhishi went over, climbed onto his back, and wrapped his arms around his neck.

Lu Zhiyu steadily hoisted him up, just like every time when they were kids, carefully carrying his brother home step by step.

"Brother, are you going to study abroad too?"

"Who told you that? We haven’t decided yet."

"Brother..."

Lu Zhiyu tilted his head, adjusted his grip to carry his brother more securely, and said, "Is that why you were crying just now?"

"..." Lu Zhishi rested his head on his brother’s shoulder and mumbled, "I just don’t want you all to leave."

"We haven’t even left yet, and you’re already crying in advance?" Lu Zhiyu chuckled.

The moonlight gently draped over him. The once little boy had grown taller and more mature, his side profile well-defined and his features gentle with a smile, his face handsome — He looking more and more like Song Qinian.

But no matter how much he grew, he was still Lu Zhishi's older brother.

"You just rubbed your tears on my pajamas."

"......"

"And you grabbed my pajamas to wipe your nose."

"............"

"Why aren't you saying anything, Stinky Cheese?"

".................."

Lu Zhishi guiltily scratched his head.

"If you feel guilty, why are you scratching my head?"

Lu Zhiyu chuckled exasperatedly. "You've messed up your gege's handsome hairstyle."

"Vain brother." Lu Zhishi snorted and scratched a couple more times.

"As if you're not conceited yourself, Lu Zhishi." Lu Zhiyu teased him, "I know you're just jealous of my awesome hairstyle."

"Brother, you're really so conceited."

"Hey, Stinky Cheese, aren't you too? Hurry up and give me my pajamas back."

"......"

"See, you're guilty again. You owe me a set of pajamas."

The big one and the little one bantered back and forth. The short journey was enough for them to bicker eight hundred times. Their shadows overlapped under the moonlight.

The big shadow carried the little shadow on its back, the little shadow clinging to the big shadow's back, the whole way, boisterous and lively, intimate and warm.

...

8 p.m., Lu family living room.

Song Qinian looked up for the eighth time, shifting his gaze from the documents to his little son walking back and forth in front of him.

Walking over, walking away, and finally watching him walk away.

Song Qinian was puzzled. He turned to ask Lu Tingan beside him, "Ge, what do you think he's walking around for?"

Lu Tingan pushed up his glasses, signing documents without looking up. "Maybe he has something on his mind."

"He's just a child, what could be on his mind?" Song Qinian was quite confused.

By the time he finished reading the contract in his hand, the little guy had wandered over again, doing nothing but walking in a circle in front of them, then another circle.

Occasionally, if he saw their cups were empty, he would refill them and continue walking.

Song Qinian: "......"

He leaned over, nudging Lu Tingan's shoulder once, then again.

Lu Tingan looked up, closed the document, and spoke calmly, "Lu Zhishi."

"Here!" Lu Zhishi snapped to attention.

Lu Tingan: "Is there something you need your dads' help with?"

The boy hesitated, then started walking back and forth in the living room again.

Song Qinian also closed his document, quietly watching him along with Lu Tingan.

"Dad, are you sending big brother abroad to study?"

After a long while, Lu Zhishi finally stammered, probing tentatively.

Song Qinian exchanged a glance with the man of the house beside him, raised an eyebrow, and said,

"That depends on Lu Zhiyu's wishes. We respect his decision."

Lu Tingan beckoned, and Lu Zhishi hurried over, standing obediently beside him.

Smoothing his hair, Lu Tingan asked, "Have you finished all your homework?"

"Yes, Dad."

"Don't want your brother to go abroad?"

Lu Zhishi lowered his head, clasping his hands behind him, his slippers scuffing on the carpet: "Just a little..."

Song Qinian pulled him over and patted his shoulder:

"It depends on your brother's wishes. If he wants to go, he can go; if he doesn't, he doesn't have to. The family respects his choice.

Even if he goes abroad, he'll still come home during holidays. Just think of it as him going to university in another city.

Okay, baby?"

Song Qinian held him, ruffled his hair, and said softly, "Whether big brother goes to university or studies abroad, your fathers will still be with you. Don't be afraid."

Ears turning red, Lu Zhishi lowered his head, his eyes inexplicably burning. He mumbled in reply, then turned and ran back to the second floor.

Song Qinian frowned, watching him go upstairs, then turned to Lu Tingan and said, "Do we not spend enough time with him? The little guy seems very insecure."

Lu Tingan also thought for a long time. "Maybe it's because since he's been growing up, we've been too busy."

Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen were busy with school, and he and Song Qinian had gradually focused more on work. Perhaps sometimes they had overlooked the boy's development.

"He's almost hitting puberty."

Song Qinian flipped through the documents and sighed. "Let's all go out to eat together this weekend."

"To Sky Loft, the kids like it there." Lu Tingan nodded.

...

Weekend.

Suddenly receiving the notice from their dads to go out for a meal, Lu Zhishi was thrilled and got ready early.

He first went to the Chi family to tell Chi Chen he wasn't coming to tutoring that evening.

Chi Chen was watching the news in the living room, and Chi Yuehang was also there.

After hearing what Lu Zhishi said, Chi Yuehang thought for a moment—it’d been a while since their family had gone out together.

Chi Yuehang was busy with work, but he made an effort to leave work on time each afternoon to come home and spend time with Chi Chen. They usually ate at home.

Bai Yansheng was a doctor, so saving lives was his top priority, but he also loved his child and used his free time to spend more with him.

After seeing Lu Zhishi off, Chi Chen returned to the living room. As soon as he sat down, he heard his father say:

"Fat Chen, ask your dad tonight to see when he’s free. Let’s go out for dinner too."

Chi Chen: "...Dad, you guys don’t need to babysit me."

Chi Yuehang disagreed: "It’s just a meal together. Our family hasn’t gone out to eat in a long time."

He added: "Your other dad would definitely like to go out too."

As soon as he brought up Bai Yansheng, Chi Chen immediately agreed: "We’ll ask him tonight."

Meanwhile, at the other residence, Lu Zhishi was waiting by the door, occasionally checking the time on his watch.

"Lu Zhishi, take your jacket." Song Qinian came out, pulled him inside, and insisted on making him take a jacket before letting him leave.

He scolded Lu Zhishi: "All about style, no regard for warmth, you little fashionista."

Lu Zhishi straightened his clothes, slowly moved over to Lu Zhiyu, pouted and glared at him, mumbling: "Fashionista brother! Tattletale!"

Lu Zhiyu raised his hands. "I’m innocent! That’s not what I said, you little fashionista."

Talk about adding insult to injury—claiming innocence but still adding "you little fashionista" at the end.

The two younger ones were squabbling again, but Song Qinian pretended not to see it. He slung a thick jacket over his arm, took Lu Tingan by the hand, and headed out.

They bickered all the way, and Lu Tingan sat in the passenger seat listening to them argue as if it were a comedy show.

Song Qinian tried to mediate while driving, getting a headache.

Those kids argued the whole way but were all over each other again as soon as they got out of the car.

"Brother, let’s go for steak!" Lu Zhishi happily grabbed Lu Zhiyu’s arm and took the elevator to the top floor.

Lu Zhiyu grabbed his collar to keep him from running too fast—if he slipped and fell, he’d end up crying again.

"Slow down, wait for Dad."

The Sky Pavilion was a famous restaurant in City A that only accepted private reservations. Without clout or connections, you couldn’t get a table.

It was quite beautiful, located on the top floor with a Chinese-inspired design, classically elegant.

Song Qinian had reserved a table by the window, overlooking the river and the sunset.

"Babe, this is still the place where we had our first date."

Song Qinian cut the steak and placed it in front of Lu Tingan.

Lu Zhishi and Lu Zhiyu, who were busy eating their steak: "..."

Why do we feel like third wheels?

Lu Tingan remained expressionless and fed a piece of steak into Song Qinian’s mouth: "Eat."

Song Qinian beamed like an idiot, snuggling against Lu Tingan’s arm, and with a wave of his hand, ordered more dishes.

All of them were Lu Tingan’s favorites.

Finally, candles and roses were brought out.

Lu Zhishi: "..."

Lu Zhiyu: "..."

—Didn’t we agree this was a family dinner, Dad?

The family dinner instantly turned into a candlelit dinner, with two little tagalongs shining brightly.

Lu Tingan closed his eyes for a moment and pinched Song Qinian’s waist under the table: "Did you forget why we’re here?"

Song Qinian suddenly remembered and glanced at their two sons across the table.

Three pairs of peach blossom eyes looked at each other.

"Sorry, sorry, we totally spaced on you guys," Song Qinian quickly added a few more dishes. "It’s been a while since we went on a date with your Little Dad."

Lu Zhiyu and Lu Zhishi: "?"

Didn’t they just go on a date last month?

But they were used to it—Big Dad and Little Dad were always clingy, and when they were together, they only had eyes for each other.

The family dinner wrapped up. Stuffed and happy, they saw it was still early, so Song Qinian suggested taking a walk.

"Stay here with Little Dad and wait. I’ll go look around over there."

Song Qinian put his jacket over Lu Tingan’s shoulders, adjusted his collar, whispered something, and then left.

Lu Tingan brushed off his clothes, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"He’s definitely buying flowers," Lu Zhishi whispered into his brother’s ear.

Lu Zhiyu nodded and whispered back, "I bet it’s 'black tea roses'."

Word was that when Song Qinian first asked him out, he gave "black tea roses." Although he gave all kinds of flowers, "black tea roses" were his favorite to give.

Lu Tingan’s face was still pretty famous. Even though he was out of the spotlight years ago and hadn’t made any public appearances, he still had a large fanbase.

Wearing a mask, he quietly signed a few autographs for fans before leading the two children to a more secluded spot.

Lu Tingan’s fans were quite respectful. Knowing it was personal time, even though they hadn’t seen him in years, they only watched from a distance and didn’t approach.

These days, Lu Tingan had taken over the Lu Corporation again, so fans could only see him in financial news—he rarely appeared in entertainment news anymore.

After waiting for a bit, Song Qinian returned, hiding a large bouquet of roses behind his back.

When he reached them, he smiled and said, "I know it’s obvious, but guess what they are?"

Lu Tingan was wearing a mask, so it was hard to tell if he was smiling, but his eyes curved slightly.

"They're 'black tea roses'," he said.

Song Qinian's smile deepened.

Lu Zhiyu felt like he was glowing even brighter and silently shifted over with his equally radiant brother.

Lu Zhishi tugged at him, saying excitedly, "Look, we have flowers too!"

The large bouquet of roses was for Lu Tingan, while Song Qinian also got two smaller ones for the two children.

Lu Zhiyu happily hugged his roses, leading his brother—who was also grinning from ear to ear with his own bouquet—as they followed their fathers.

Some fans wanted to follow along, but Song Qinian had hot drinks sent over, and they didn’t want to bother them anymore.

Not only did Lu Zhiyu and Lu Zhishi enjoy strolling through the food street, but Song Qinian and Lu Tingan did too—clearly, it ran in the family.

The couple walked hand in hand at the front, all lovey-dovey, while the two little tagalongs shone brightly behind them.

Lu Zhiyu pulled out some cash, let them know he was going, and took his brother to explore other places.

"Brother, get this."

"This one too."

"Buy it!"

They were already full from dinner, but now they had bought a bunch of snacks. Lu Zhishi slouched in the car, moaning about his stomach being bloated.

Lu Zhiyu wasn't much better, slumped in the car, looking completely listless.

Song Qinian just sighed helplessly. "I said to walk around, not to eat so much."

"Dad, I know I was wrong."

"Me too..."

They had originally planned to stay for the fireworks show, but with the two kids so stuffed, Lu Tingan was worried. So Song Qinian wrapped up the outing early and drove them home.

After drinking some hawthorn water, Lu Zhishi finished his bath and lay on the bed, too stuffed to budge. Still, he got up to put his flowers in a vase and sprinkled water on them.

Sprawled back on the bed, Lu Zhishi gazed blankly at the ceiling.

He knew that this outing was his fathers' way of helping him relax. Otherwise, with all the paperwork in the study, how could they possibly have found the time for a family dinner out?

His fathers would probably have to work overtime tonight.

Lu Zhishi rolled over, fingers fiddling with the sheet.

"Brother Xiao Chen had a point..."

Goodbyes are something everyone has to learn.

"Fat Cheese, why are you in a funk again?" Lu Zhiyu knocked for a while but got no response, so he just opened the door and walked in.

When he entered, he saw the kid lost in thought again.

"Stop overthinking things. We don't even know if we're going yet—there's still a year and a half to go."

Lu Zhiyu pulled him up from the bed and sat him down at the desk. "Hurry up and finish your homework and assignments. You can sleep after you're done."

"..." Lu Zhishi had been lost in his thoughts, but being forced to do homework quickly distracted him—there was plenty to keep him busy with the assignments in front of him.

"Let's do it tomorrow," Lu Zhishi whined.

Lu Zhiyu refused. "No, don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today."

Perhaps knowing that the more idle this kid was, the more he’d overthink, Song Qinian had piled on more work, hiring several tutors to teach him junior high school material in advance.

And so it was—Lu Zhishi was miserable every day, attending classes at school, more classes at home, and even more on weekends.

The tutors even roped Zhao Xiaoxing into the lessons, making him so afraid of coming to the Lu house to play that Lu Zhishi was left alone, grinding through daily lessons.

With his brain crammed with info, Lu Zhishi had no energy to think about long-term future worries. Even his dreams at night were filled with foreign languages, formulas, and ancient poetry.

The half-year of tutoring really paid off. In the secondary school placement exam, Lu Zhishi ranked first with outstanding scores and entered the experimental class.

Zhao Xiaoxing did great too, ranking second in the junior high division's overall scores and joining Lu Zhishi in the experimental class.

It was all thanks to Zhao Mingzhu's persuasion. She said, "If you don’t study hard, you won’t be in the same class as Zhishi anymore. He’ll end up with another desk mate."

That scared Zhao Xiaoxing so much he stayed up late at night doing practice problems.

He had to be in the same class as Six Cheese! They had to be desk mates!

Nobody’s taking his Six Cheese!