Chapter 43: Chapter 43 “Why Do You Ask?”…

Chapter 43

"Why do you ask?"...

After a few more days of classes, Lu Zhishi officially began his winter break.

The weather was cold, and Lazy Cheese preferred to stay indoors. Only when Zhao Xiaoxing occasionally came to find him would he venture out for a stroll.

Ninth and twelfth graders had extra classes that continued until a few days before Chinese New Year's Eve. During this period, Lu Zhishi was the only one at home during the day.

Whether it was college admission through recommendation or studying abroad, as long as things weren't settled, all senior high students had to continue attending classes according to the school's arrangements.

It was certain that Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen would pursue college admission through recommendation. Both had won gold medals in the last competition, and with enough awards, their guaranteed admission was secure.

Zhao Xiaoyun was going abroad to study in distant Country Y, and Zhao Mingzhu had already begun processing the necessary paperwork.

Zhao Xiaoxing couldn't bear the thought of his brother going so far away. When he heard the news, he cried inconsolably, and Zhao Xiaoyun had to comfort him for a long time before he calmed down.

In just half a year, his older brothers would be leaving for faraway places to study. Lu Zhishi also felt down for a few days.

But this was something they had known about for a long time and had already been decided. There was nothing they could do, even if they were reluctant.

Municipal joint exams, national mock exams, school placement tests... exams were everywhere, and test papers piled up like mountains. Whether his eyes were open or closed, all he saw were stacks of white papers. During this time, Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen were so exhausted that their lips turned pale, and they developed dark circles under their eyes.

They were still somewhat better off since they weren't taking the gaokao, so the pressure wasn't as intense. But under such high-intensity studying, several other students had already fallen ill.

"Brother, have some soup." Lu Zhishi brought his brother some tonic soup at night.

Lu Zhiyu put down his pen, rubbed his eyes, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Did you have some?"

"Yes, I had two bowls."

Lu Zhiyu nodded. Lu Zhishi set the soup down, walked behind him, and massaged his temples.

He had learned this from Song Qinian.

Lu Zhiyu's frowning brows relaxed slightly, and he sighed.

Lu Zhishi didn't know how to comfort him. Telling him to stop studying wasn't an option, but seeing him so tired made Lu Zhishi feel bad for him.

Seeing that Lu Zhishi had been silent, Lu Zhiyu guessed what he was thinking and said, "It's fine, don't worry. I'm not under too much pressure."

He knew how to solve all the problems; it was just that there were too many test papers, and he couldn't finish them all, yet he still had to hand them in for the teachers to grade.

"Brother, take a break this weekend. I'll make you something delicious."

Senior high students had extra classes on Saturdays but could rest on Sundays.

At this stage, Song Qinian wouldn't let him go to the company, prioritizing his studies instead.

Lu Zhiyu nodded. "Okay, I'll rest on Sunday. Make me some cabbage and tofu soup. I'd like to have some."

"No problem, trust my cooking."

After massaging for a while, Lu Zhiyu told Lu Zhishi to go back and rest.

He had only just started his break and was still at a growing age, so getting more sleep was better.

Thinking about growth, Lu Zhiyu added a couple more words.

"Since you're free at home during the break, go to the third-floor gym when you have time. Run on the treadmill and get some exercise."

"Got it, got it. I'll go when I have time."

"Lazy Cheese, go tomorrow."

If he waited until he had time, who knew when that would be? He would keep putting it off until school started again, and then he wouldn't want to move at all.

How could he not listen to his brother? The next day, as soon as Lu Zhishi got up, he went to the third floor, entered the gym, and started jogging slowly on the treadmill.

He ran intermittently for two hours and practiced two sets of tai chi. By then, Lu Zhishi was breathing heavily.

He wasn't particularly enthusiastic about exercising. If it weren't for Lu Zhiyu keeping an eye on him, Lu Zhishi would likely be exercising only sporadically.

Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen rested on Sunday.

On Saturday evening, Lu Zhishi cooked, making cabbage and tofu soup and casually preparing dinner as well.

Although it couldn't compare to Chef Song's cooking, the taste was still decent—just a few simple home-style dishes.

He made a large pot of cabbage and tofu soup, using two whole cabbages. After it was done, he took half of it to the Chi family. When he returned, he was carrying a basin of pork rib and kelp soup.

Song Qinian laughed. "That's a huge bowl! Did Uncle Chi give you the entire pot of soup?"

Lu Zhishi chuckled. "Uncle Chi made a huge pot."

"Alright, dinner has turned into five dishes and two soups."

After dinner, Lu Zhishi went to check on his cabbages. They were fresh and vibrant, more resistant to the cold than he was.

The tomatoes and cucumbers in the nearby vegetable garden were already gone, leaving the plot bare. They would plant new seedlings when spring comes.

"Come back after you're done checking. It's cold outside," Song Qinian urged him.

"Coming!"

The sky was dark, and though there were lights in the yard, it was still hard to see clearly. Reassured that the cabbages were growing well, Lu Zhishi felt relieved.

The closer it got to New Year's Eve, the colder the weather became. On the day Lu Zhiyu started his winter break, a heavy snow fell.

A thick layer of snow covered City A, turning everything white.

Lu Zhishi was sensitive to the cold and avoided going out unless necessary. Occasionally, he would bundle up and go next door to see Chi Chen.

Zhao Xiaoxing's home was a bit farther away, so Lu Zhishi didn't visit. Instead, they usually talked on the phone.

But on New Year's Eve, no matter how cold it was, they had to return to the old house for the family reunion dinner. After eating, they would stay overnight to make it easier to pay New Year's visits the next day.

With the new year, Lu Zhishi was now thirteen years old. He had been in this world for thirteen years.

Memories of his previous life were fading. If he didn't deliberately recall them, he could hardly remember what happened before.

There wasn't much to miss anyway.

In his previous life, he had been busy with part-time jobs to earn money, which led to overexertion and heart problems. He had passed away in his sleep. Probably everyone would pity him—dying young, his life cut short unfairly.

But if he had to choose again, he would still prefer to be here.

"What are you spacing out for again? Come over and have some tangyuan." The back of his head was gently rubbed. Lu Zhishi covered his head, grumbled a bit, and tagged along behind Lu Zhiyu.

"I wanna eat two bowls—two whole bowls!"

"Alright, two bowls it is."

"I want you to scoop it for me."

Lu Zhiyu laughed in exasperation, "What, you want me to feed you too?"

Lu Zhishi grinned and pressed close, wrapping his arms around his brother's, looking up with a smile, "Wouldn't be the worst thing."

"You’re such a clingy little thing, the clingiest in the world."

"I am not."

"You are."

The two brothers started bickering again. Song Qinian yawned and leaned his head against Lu Tingan’s shoulder.

"Gege, I’m so tired, I hate going to work."

Lu Tingan nodded, "Me too."

After Lunar New Year celebrations, the couple only got time off on Lantern Festival day. They’d been exhausted lately, busy with work—either going over documents or sitting in meetings.

Their desire for retirement grew stronger by the day.

Lu Zhiyu returned to school after the seventh day of Lunar New Year. The school only gave them a break on Lantern Festival, and he had to return to class the next day.

Lu Zhishi’s school wouldn’t start until the following week, so he still had a few days left to play.

But he was also a diligent student. Instead of playing these last few days, he spent them previewing and going over the next semester’s material.

"I don’t want to study, I want to play," Zhao Xiaoxing slumped over his desk, miserably and half-heartedly flipping through his textbook.

Lu Zhishi: "No, you don’t want to play. You want to study. You love studying."

Zhao Xiaoxing: "…"

He wailed, "How can you say something so harsh and cold?"

Lu Zhishi, annoyed by the noise, turned his back to him, but Zhao Xiaoxing tugged him back around.

"If you don’t study hard, Lan Lan will definitely surpass you on the back-to-school test."

Their scores were already neck and neck, and over the month and a half long winter break, Lan Lan must’ve been hitting the books.

"Xi Yue is gaining on you too. Lan Lan’s been tutoring her all break," Lu Zhishi flipped through his chat history.

Xi Yue’s grades were also good, consistently ranked in the top ten of their grade, sometimes even ranking fifth.

The fourth spot was always held by that boy with glasses—quiet, polite, and completely focused on studying.

Zhao Xiaoxing widened his eyes, "How do you know that?"

"She said so herself. She’s been whining just like you."

Zhao Xiaoxing wailed even louder, "Oh my god, we’re only in seventh grade! Why is everyone working so hard?"

"Quit whining and get studying," Lu Zhishi patted him on the back.

Pressure motivated him. Zhao Xiaoxing had been waking up earlier than the roosters and going to bed later than the dogs these past few days, burning through his studies.

On the first day of school, the class was buzzing again. Some students lived close by and had been able to meet up during the break.

Those who lived farther away hadn’t seen each other in a while and were now catching up in little groups.

The study atmosphere in the experimental class wasn’t as serious as others imagined, nor were they a bunch of nerds who only studied all day, as people said.

They liked to have fun too—chatting during breaks, even spacing out in class sometimes.

But it was true that their grades were excellent—a group of high achievers.

Lao Ben often said that when it was time to study, they should focus seriously, and when it was time to play, they should have fun wholeheartedly.

Under his influence, this year’s experimental class was quite lively.

The back-to-school test covered last semester’s material, serving as a review and assessment to help teachers understand the students’ progress.

Lu Zhishi had lazed around for most of the winter break and only started cramming in the last half-month.

Thanks to his memories from his past life and the fact that he’d spent years hanging around Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen, secretly learning a lot from them, Lu Zhishi had a solid foundation in middle and high school basics.

This back-to-school test wasn’t too difficult, and Lu Zhishi still ranked first.

Zhao Xiaoxing, however, fell to third place. Second place went to Lan Lan, with a gap of over ten points between them.

The affections of youth are always intense. Positive admiration drives people forward—who wouldn’t want to be closer to the person they like? Lu Zhishi was no exception.

He looked over his subject scores, then recalled Chi Chen’s results, frowning.

"Darn it…"

Zhao Xiaoxing, who was slumped over the desk correcting his mistakes, responded, "Huh?"

Lu Zhishi stared blankly, "How did this happen? I’m the only one in the family without a talent for foreign languages…"

Back in the day, Lu Tingan and Song Qinian always aced their foreign language tests, excelled in speech competitions, and even won awards.

Lu Zhiyu was even more impressive—he spoke several languages and didn’t need a translator when studying abroad.

The little guy came home looking dejected. Song Qinian walked over and patted his head, asking, "Did you not do well?"

Lu Zhishi shook his head, having an existential crisis. He asked Song Qinian, "Dad, how come I’m the only one in the family without a talent for foreign languages?"

Song Qinian thought for a moment, then glanced at Lu Tingan on the couch.

Lu Zhishi: "?"

He followed his gaze, staring at Lu Tingan’s slender, upright back, widened his eyes, and turned to look at Song Qinian.

Song Qinian coughed twice but didn’t say anything, quietly edging away from Lu Zhishi to avoid being pestered with questions.

Lu Zhishi quickly grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving, making faces and silently urging him to speak.

Lu Tingan on the couch, as if he had eyes on the back of his head, said without turning around, "Don’t ask. You got it from your grandpa."

Lu Zhishi was puzzled, "But Grandpa is really skilled."

Grandpa Lu was a tall, well-built man, with handsome, strong features—the picture of a tough guy.

Though Grandma calls him a reckless brute daily...

But still, Grandpa is truly remarkable. In his youth, he was a powerhouse in the business world, outmaneuvering a pack of shrewd old foxes. He played a huge part in taking the Lu Group to greater heights and achieving its present success.

"Even the most capable people have their blind spots," Lu Tingan couldn't help but crack a smile.

Song Qinian laughed along, cracking up, utterly delighted.

As they all laughed, Lu Zhishi also found himself chuckling, noting another embarrassing moment in Grandpa's history.

Laughter really is contagious. Lu Zhiyu was holding a water glass, not having taken a sip yet, but a smile had already spread across his face.

The family of four returned home without drinking water or eating, too caught up laughing and having a good time together.

That evening, when Lu Zhishi went to find Chi Chen, he was still grinning, "hehehe," like a happy little fox.

Catching his mood, a faint smile also appeared in Chi Chen's eyes.

"Alright, pay attention," Chi Chen said, tapping his head lightly after seeing him laugh nonstop for so long.

Lu Zhishi rubbed his head and leaned closer, his eyes fixed on the foreign language exam in front of Chi Chen.

Lu Zhiyu could’ve helped him with the questions, but Lu Zhishi wanted to spend time with Chi Chen. After dinner and a shower, he came over with his exam and chestnut cake.

He set aside half for Uncle Chi and Uncle Bai, then took the other half upstairs to share with Chi Chen.

Now, sitting so close, as Chi Chen lowered his head, he was met with Lu Zhishi's soft, round cheek.

His turned-up nose, soft, moist lips, long, thick lashes blinking, and a light scent emanating from him.

It was probably the family's shampoo, the scent of jasmine and lily of the valley—he had smelled it on Lu Zhiyu before.

Their shower gel had the same fragrance too. Usually, when Chi Chen stayed over, he used the same shampoo and shower gel, so he smelled the same.

Chi Chen lowered his eyelashes and drew two lines on the exam.

The same scent, but on different people, smelled different.

Lu Zhishi blinked, looked up at Chi Chen, then back at the densely written foreign language exam.

He pointed at the long sentence with two lines drawn under it and asked doubtfully, "Brother Xiao Chen, are these two sentences key lines too?"

Though Lu Zhishi wasn't exceptionally skilled in foreign languages, he wasn't that bad either. Why couldn't he grasp the importance of these two sentences?

Chi Chen snapped out of it, glanced at the underlined sentence, crossed it out, and with a sweep of his eyes, underlined a sentence two lines below.

He said calmly, "I underlined the wrong one."

"Okay," Lu Zhishi nodded without suspicion. He always idolized Chi Chen and took his word for everything.

It was March, but up north, it was still chilly. Only on sunny days, when the sun was out, did it warm up a bit.

The window was open, and the cool night breeze blew in, making the scent even clearer to Chi Chen.

When Lu Zhishi was little, he carried a sweet, milky smell. Now that he was older, he had a faint jasmine and lily of the valley fragrance, light and not too strong.

After going through the entire exam, Chi Chen reviewed the key points with him and pulled out his old notes for him.

Lu Zhishi took them and flipped through the notebook. Chi Chen's handwriting was crisp and neat, unlike his cool, stern demeanor.

Speaking of which, Lu Zhiyu's handwriting was also sharp and bold.

He had been forced by Song Qinian to practice calligraphy since childhood, but the more he practiced, the more his writing resembled Lu Tingan's.

Song Qinian said it might be innate, he takes after his little dad.

"Brother, will you give away your books and notes after you graduate?" Lu Zhishi again touched the notebook.

Chi Chen glanced at him and said, "Yeah, I’m giving them away."

"Ah?" Lu Zhishi looked up. He had only asked casually and didn't expect Chi Chen to actually give them away.

Who’s that close to him that Chi Chen would give his books and notes to them? Are they closer than him?

"Who is it?" Lu Zhishi asked urgently, "Who are you giving the books to?"

Chi Chen looked at him without speaking, his eyelashes half-lowered, a hint of emotion hidden in his narrow eyes, almost like a smile.

Lu Zhishi, worked up, couldn't decipher it at the moment. Seeing Chi Chen remain silent, he grew so anxious that he stood up, leaned in with his head tilted to ask, "What is it? Cat got your tongue?"

He was too close. Chi Chen's gaze wavered, and his eyelashes lowered further.

"You."

Lu Zhishi's heart immediately calmed. He sat back down, his eyes crinkling into a smile as he chuckled twice.

"I knew it was for me."

This time, Chi Chen didn't look at him, only saying, "I'll bring them back after I graduate."

Lu Zhishi was thrilled, already thinking about where to place the things Chi Chen would bring back.

After a while, Chi Chen spoke again, "Do you want your brother's too?"

"Of course, I want both of my brothers' notes," Lu Zhishi nodded. Both were his brothers, so he couldn't show favoritism.

Chi Chen fell silent again. His expression was always neutral, and it was hard to discern any emotion.

Lu Zhishi didn't find it strange. He was used to Chi Chen's silent moments; he was naturally a quiet person.

It was getting late, and they had classes the next day. Lu Zhishi said goodnight to Chi Chen.

Chi Chen walked him downstairs and stood on the steps in front of the villa, silently watching him walk away, his gaze deep and unreadable.

A moment later, he returned to his room, picked up his phone, and called his therapist.

...

Around April, the early acceptance results for various schools were released. Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen got into their desired schools as wished.

With this major matter settled, they had some free time, though they continued studying since there were only two months left.

The weather warmed up, and Lu Zhishi tilled the empty vegetable patch, planting tomato and cucumber seedlings.

His cabbages were growing well. The large cabbages were harvested for soup, while the small ones were still growing. In the empty spots, Lu Zhishi planted new cabbage seedlings.

One day, after watering the cabbages, Lu Zhishi crouched down to weed, moving around as he worked, when he suddenly came face to face with a plump, green caterpillar.

This wasn't like when he was a child. Lu Zhishi had grown up now and had no interest in that chubby insect.

As soon as he saw the bug, the first thing he did was rush into the house and shout.

"Dad, my cabbage has bugs again!!"

Song Qinian was even more alarmed than him, charging out of the kitchen holding a spatula: "Did you grab the bug?! Quick! Throw it out!"

Lu Zhishi: "...No bug, I didn't grab it."

Song Qinian went over to check his hands, making sure he wasn't holding a big fat bug, then let out a sigh of relief.

"It's getting late now, let the bugs live for one more night. Tomorrow I'll have someone come over to get rid of them."

"Okay." Lu Zhishi's hands were dirty, and he was still holding a few weeds.

"Finished weeding?"

Lu Tingan came down the stairs and, seeing his muddy hands, knew he had been tending to the vegetable garden today.

Lu Zhishi checked the clock on the wall and hurried outside, calling back as he ran: "Almost done, almost done, I'll be right back."

"Finish up early and come back for dinner." Song Qinian yelled out the door.

A clear voice called back from outside: "Got it!"

After calling out to Lu Zhishi, Song Qinian turned to look at Lu Tingan.

He had bathed early today and was already in his pajamas, his hair still damp.

Song Qinian walked over. Having just come out of the kitchen, his hands weren't washed, so he only leaned his face in, nuzzling into Lu Tingan's hair.

No water droplets, but not completely dry either.

Sure enough, he knew it—this lazy kid Fat Cheese, he never blow-dries his hair. Who does he take after?

Definitely takes after Lu Tingan. Look, this one didn't dry his hair either.

The door was open, and from inside the house, they could still see the figure squatting by the vegetable garden, pulling weeds.

Lu Tingan pushed against his chest, pushing the person in front of him away a little, and said in a low voice: "What are you doing?"

"Why didn't you dry your hair?" Song Qinian lowered his eyes and asked in return.

Lu Tingan frowned: "It is dry."

"It's not." Song Qinian trusted his own judgment: "How could you do this? You're not listening."

Lu Tingan still frowned. Song Qinian lowered his head and kissed him on the cheek, chiding playfully: "We have to set a good example for Fatty Yu and Fat Cheese, don't you think?"

"Your food's burning." Lu Tingan turned his head slightly.

Song Qinian sniffed, "Impossible, I turned off the stove when I came out."

But just in case, he hurried back to the kitchen to check.

The dish wasn't burnt; the smell of something burning had drifted in through the kitchen window. Who knows which family burnt their dinner.

Working quickly, he finished cooking the remaining dishes, washed his hands, and pulled Lu Tingan upstairs to dry his hair.

Lu Zhishi kept his head down, busy weeding. After finishing, he went inside and found no one there. He washed his hands, came out to serve the meal, waited a bit, and then Lu Zhiyu arrived.

"Brother, have you seen the dads?"

"They're in the room blow-drying hair." Lu Zhiyu picked up a piece of rib for him: "They said we should start eating first."

Alright then. Lu Zhishi bit into the rib, so tasty it blew his mind, and he couldn't be bothered with the lovey-dovey dads.

"Brother, how come we didn't inherit Dad's cooking skills since he's so good?" Lu Zhishi sighed.

Song Qinian's cooking couldn't be replicated; even with the same ingredients and same steps, the flavor still turned out different.

Lu Zhiyu's hand, holding the vegetables, paused. He forced a smile and said: "Alright, let's not talk about such sad things..."

He was the least skilled cook in the family; even Lu Zhishi's cooking was better than his. Too sad.

Song Qinian and Lu Tingan happened to come down just then.

Pulling out the dining chair for Lu Tingan, Song Qinian casually asked: "What are you talking about that's so sad?"

"We were talking about cooking skills." Lu Zhishi said with a worried look: "Neither of us inherited your cooking talent."

Hearing this, Song Qinian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Lu Tingan smiled slightly.

"It's not like I was born with good cooking skills. I practiced hard at it for ten years when I was young." After saying this, Song Qinian glanced at Lu Tingan beside him.

The two brothers looked at Song Qinian, then at Lu Tingan, and instantly understood.

Oh~ so it's the power of love.

Lu Zhiyu didn't have someone he liked, so he was just surprised. But Lu Zhishi seemed deep in thought.

Looking at them, Song Qinian said: "You two are both adults now, you need to practice your cooking skills more. Otherwise, after you get married, are you just going to wait for the other person to cook for you?"

"If you want to win someone's heart, you first need to win their stomach. Learn well."

Lu Zhiyu and Lu Zhishi nodded seriously. They might not need it now, but they might in the future.

After dinner, Lu Zhishi headed over to the Chis' place again to study with Chi Chen.

While working, Lu Zhishi slumped over the desk, propping his chin on the surface.

As if making casual conversation, he asked: "Brother Xiao Chen, what foods do you like?"

Chi Chen's gaze moved away from the documents, turning to look at him.

"Why do you ask?"

Lu Zhishi turned his head to smile at him: "When I grow up, I'll make meals for Brother Xiao Chen."

Afraid he was being too obvious, he added: "Brother Xiao Chen is good to me, so I should be good to Brother Xiao Chen too. After I learn good cooking skills, I'll definitely cook for you and show my appreciation."

Chi Chen: "..."