Chapter 72: Chapter 72 “Be Good…”…

Chapter 72

"Be good now..."

Chi Chen had just finished showering when he saw Lu Zhishi on the verge of tears. Pausing as he dried his hair, he strode over, slung an arm around Lu Zhishi’s shoulder, and frowned, "What’s wrong?"

Lu Zhishi wiped the corner of his eye, though no tears were there. "I lost my game."

Chi Chen chuckled, ruffled his hair, and comforted him, "It’s okay, you lost this time, but you’ll win the next round."

Lu Zhishi tugged at Chi Chen’s pajamas to wipe his eyes. "They thrashed me two rounds in a row."

Chi Chen immediately declared, "I’ll help you thrash them back."

When they arrived at the Lu house, Lu Zhiyu was already seated on the carpet, using Zhao Xiaoxing’s gaming account. He tilted his head slightly as he selected his game character.

On the screen, the other two characters were under Zhao Qiyun’s and Zhou Nianjing’s accounts—Zhao Xiaoxing had even brought in his two older brothers from afar.

Chi Chen sat down and logged into his own game account. Since Lu Zhishi was a bit more skilled, he took over for this round.

Out of the five characters, only Lu Zhishi was a bit of a novice; the other four were all pros.

Experiencing the thrill of being completely carried for the first time, Lu Zhishi was overjoyed, laughing as he played.

After beating the opponents in one round, they let Zhao Xiaoxing play the second. Lu Zhishi squeezed in beside Chi Chen, watching him play. His serious boyfriend was truly handsome!

After crushing the opponents for three rounds, Lu Zhishi and Zhao Xiaoxing stopped playing, too busy reveling in their victory.

After a good fight, they became friends. The opponents even invited them to play together again next time. Lu Zhishi and Zhao Xiaoxing then logged out of the game.

Chi Chen put down the game controller, removed his gaming headset, and said, "The opponents might be semi-pro players."

Lu Zhishi suddenly understood. "No wonder."

Lu Zhiyu also set down his controller and headset, stood up, stretched, and ruffled Lu Zhishi and Zhao Xiaoxing’s hair.

"Next time you can’t win, just call me. I’ll help you thrash them back."

Lu Zhishi smoothed his tousled hair, still thrilled from being carried. His eyes sparkled as he said, "Got it, got it."

Zhao Xiaoxing nodded. "Thank you, Brother Xiao Yu, thank you, Brother Xiao Chen. We’ll definitely win next time!"

Lu Zhishi clenched his fist. "Yeah!"

Gently smoothing his hair, Chi Chen smiled. He stayed with them for a while before returning to the Chi home.

Lu Zhishi gave a sly pat on Zhao Xiaoxing’s lower back, chuckled a few times, then grabbed the hem of Chi Chen’s shirt and followed behind him like a little tail.

Only Lu Zhiyu and Zhao Xiaoxing remained in the room.

Once they reached Chi Chen’s room, Lu Zhishi sank into the sofa, stretching out comfortably.

Chi Chen sat beside him, looking down at some documents while holding Lu Zhishi’s hand and gently rubbing it.

Lu Zhishi leaned closer to him, tilting his head to rest on Chi Chen’s shoulder as he scrolled through his phone.

He came across a post with a photo of a snowy scene, featuring a pair of footprints—one large, one small.

It was a couple walking through the snow.

Lu Zhishi lifted his head to glance at Chi Chen before slowly resting it back on his shoulder. He continued scrolling through other netizens’ shared photos of couples walking in the snow.

"What were you going to say earlier?"

"I just saw a post about couples walking in the snow. Boyfriend, when it snows, let’s go for a walk too, okay?"

Lu Zhishi showed him the picture, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Last year when it snowed, Lu Zhishi and Chi Chen weren’t together yet, so they couldn’t hold hands and stroll like a couple.

But it didn’t matter—this year, they were together, and they could hold hands and walk in the snow!

Chi Chen glanced at the picture, then turned to look at the light in Lu Zhishi’s eyes. He agreed, "When it snows, we’ll go for a walk and take the same kind of photo."

"Okay!" Lu Zhishi nodded vigorously. "Let’s go during New Year’s—it’ll be lively and so much fun!"

Chi Chen smiled. "Then we’ll go for a walk during New Year’s and take photos."

Lu Zhishi smiled back at him, but then a thought occurred to him, and he grew worried. "What if it doesn’t snow during New Year’s?"

Chi Chen said seriously, "If it doesn’t snow in City A during New Year’s, we’ll go to City H—just to take a walk and take couple photos."

Lu Zhishi laughed at his response.

The evening breeze drifted in through the window, brushing past the strands of hair on Chi Chen and Lu Zhishi’s foreheads before slowly fading away.

The moment was peaceful and long, and love grew boundlessly.

Every weekend felt too short. Lu Zhishi had to return to school after just a few days, making him especially look forward to winter break this year.

Before winter break was New Year’s Day, but even before that came a light, fluttering snowfall.

A layer of snow, neither too shallow nor too thick, covered City A. Stepping on it produced a soft crunch, and if one wasn’t careful, they could slip and slide far away—saving the effort of walking.

After finishing his final exam at noon, Lu Zhishi took a few spills. He and Zhao Xiaoxing had to support each other as they made their way back to his house.

Brushing the snow off his clothes and rubbing his sore bottom, Lu Zhishi took a shower and changed into fresh clothes. He then stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a cup of ginger tea as he admired the snowy scenery.

This kind of weather was perfect for grabbing a small sofa by the window, sipping hot milk tea, and watching the snow.

Unfortunately, he’d been coughing lately and couldn’t drink hot milk tea, so he could only have some ginger tea to ward off the cold.

Just as Lu Zhishi finished a cup of steaming strong ginger tea and was washing the cup in the kitchen, the sound of a passcode being tapped in echoed through the room.

Coming out to check, he saw Chi Chen changing his shoes at the entrance, holding a pot of honey loquat water.

Chi Chen’s black coat was dusted with unmelted snow, and his hair was slightly damp. Under his deep, dark eyebrows, the tip of his nose and his thin lips were tinged with red, giving him an unexpectedly adorable contrast.

"Come in quickly." Lu Zhishi hurriedly took the things from Chi Chen’s hands, pulled him inside to get warm, and poured him a cup of hot ginger tea.

"Did you come from outside?"

After taking a sip of the ginger tea, Chi Chen frowned at the strong ginger taste. "Yeah, the underground parking was full, so I parked in a street spot."

"Don’t be picky, finish it quickly." Seeing that Chi Chen had only taken one sip and then stopped, Lu Zhishi poked his waist to urge him on. "If you drink it all in one go, it won’t be so bad."

Chi Chen’s furrowed brows remained, but he glanced at Lu Zhishi, lowered his head, and obeyed, drinking it all in big gulps.

Putting down the cup, his mouth full of ginger flavor, Chi Chen unconsciously pursed his lips. Noticing Lu Zhishi watching him, he quickly resumed his usual calm and composed expression.

Lu Zhishi was cracking up, wrapping his arms around Chi Chen's neck and giggling uncontrollably while messing up Chi Chen's hair. "I saw everything, Chi Chen, Chi Chen, you're so adorable too, Baby Chi Chen."

Chi Chen's ears turned red as he hugged Lu Zhishi's waist, gently nuzzling his shoulder.

"Alright, alright, boyfriend, I won't say anymore." Lu Zhishi patted his thick-haired head, eyes crinkling with laughter as he held back a smile.

After cuddling for a while, Lu Zhishi released him and fed him a mint to get the ginger taste out of his mouth.

He then fetched two cups and poured some honey loquat water to drink, feeling like he might cough.

"This flavor seems familiar. Did my brother brew it?"

"Mm." Chi Chen looked down and spoke softly, "Brother said you prefer the loquat water he makes. He wouldn’t let me make it."

"How could that be? I love the one you make too." Lu Zhishi patted his shoulder. "When we go home, we'll brew our own loquat water."

"Mm." Chi Chen nodded. "We’ll drink the one I make when we get back, not the one your brother made."

"Deal! We’ll only drink the loquat water you make, not my brother’s."

A slow smile spread across Chi Chen's lips. "Mm."

Meanwhile, in the CEO's office of Lu Corporation, Lu Zhiyu sneezed three times in a row. He grabbed a tissue to wipe his nose and motioned to his secretary to continue the report.

He couldn’t help but wonder who was so bored, talking about him behind his back?

It must be that scheming, green-tea-acting Chi Chen!

And that hopelessly romantic Stinky Cheese!

As for the last one… Lu Zhiyu glanced over at the photo frame on his desk.

After lunch, seeing the snow still falling outside, Lu Zhishi and Chi Chen each took a nap in their own rooms.

It was cold outside but warm inside. Lu Zhishi hugged his big fluffy rabbit and slept soundly until the afternoon, waking up with flushed cheeks.

He was overheated—the heating at home was too strong, and sleeping under blankets made him sweat.

Checking the time, it was already past three in the afternoon, and the snow outside had lightened up.

The snow wasn’t heavy, but it came down off and on, lasting quite a while.

After tidying the bed, Lu Zhishi picked out some clean clothes and took a hot bath.

Once out, he dried his hair, packed the things he needed to bring home into his backpack, and opened the door to leave.

Chi Chen had woken up earlier and was sitting on the living room sofa reviewing documents. The way he wore gold-rimmed glasses and focused on his work was really attractive.

Lu Zhishi walked behind the sofa, leaned down, and kissed his cheek. Chi Chen’s lips curled into a smile.

Lu Zhishi smiled back, then leaned down to kiss Chi Chen’s ear as well.

Then Lu Zhishi watched as Chi Chen’s ears turned visibly red, and his own grin widened.

Chi Chen turned and grabbed his wrist, his Adam's apple bobbing as he said in a low, husky voice, "Don’t kiss my ear, it’s ticklish. Be good..."

"Okay~" Lu Zhishi circled to the front of the sofa and sat down beside him, snuggling against Chi Chen’s arm.

After Chi Chen finished his work, the couple got up to leave—it was time to go home for dinner.

Just as Lu Zhishi and Chi Chen stepped out, about to call Zhao Xiaoxing to go home, they saw him and Zhao Qiyun coming out together.

Lu Zhishi rubbed his chin. No wonder Lu Zhiyu wasn't here—Zhao Qiyun was here to pick up Xiao Xing.

Zhao Qiyun patted Chi Chen’s shoulder and said with a smile, "Let’s go, let’s go, time for dinner."

Chi Chen nodded. "Mm."

They took the elevator downstairs. Lu Zhishi and Chi Chen headed to the outdoor parking lot, while Zhao Xiaoxing and Zhao Qiyun went directly to the underground parking garage.

When they set off, Chi Chen’s car waited at the entrance until Zhao Qiyun’s car arrived, then slowly started moving. The two cars drove in tandem toward the villa area.

The roads were slippery from the snow, so Chi Chen drove slowly. By the time they arrived, it was getting dark.

Lu Tingan and Song Qinian were waiting for them to come home for dinner. Lu Zhiyu had been waiting at the door even earlier, occasionally glancing toward the entrance of the villa area.

The lights at the Chi residence were off—Bai Yansheng was in surgery, and Chi Yuehang was working overtime at the company. Chi Chen would once again be having dinner at the Lu family’s home.

It was cold outside, so as soon as Lu Zhishi and Chi Chen entered, they were handed bowls of ginger soup.

"Drink up, you two. I made it myself," Lu Zhiyu said, standing in front of them with his arms crossed, supervising until they finished.

Lu Zhishi downed his in one go, made a face, and raised his hand to request permission to speak. "Can I drink Chi Chen’s for him? He’s strong and healthy—he doesn’t need ginger soup. Drinking more hot water is enough."

Lu Zhiyu gave a tight-lipped smile. "Take a guess?"

"Fine." Lu Zhishi put his hand down, and together with Lu Zhiyu, stared at Chi Chen with encouraging eyes.

Chi Chen: "..."

Chi Chen drank his expressionlessly, took the bowl from Lu Zhishi, and went to the kitchen to wash it.

Lu Zhiyu raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "So, bro, how was it? Tasted pretty good, right?"

Chi Chen replied flatly, "It was alright."

Lu Zhiyu slung an arm over his shoulder, grinning provocatively. "Still putting on an act in front of me? Fat Cheese isn’t here—you’re allowed to be yourself for a bit."

Chi Chen gave him a look, elbowed him in the side, removed his arm, and then looked toward Lu Zhishi, who was coming downstairs, a smile curling his lips.

Lu Zhiyu: "?"

Lu Zhiyu: "..."

"Time to eat, time to eat~"

Lu Zhishi helped serve rice, sat up straight in his chair, and waited for everyone to gather before starting the meal.

There was no rule against talking during meals at home. Lu Zhishi ate his rice while listening to Lu Tingan and Song Qinian chat.

Tomorrow was New Year’s Day, and they would be having dinner at the old residence. This year, it was the Song family’s turn.

Chi Chen picked up a piece of lamb and placed it in Lu Zhishi’s bowl, tapping the back of his hand to remind him to eat and not just listen, or the food would get cold.

Lu Zhishi snapped out of it, finished the food in his bowl, and glanced at Chi Chen.

Chi Chen bent down and asked softly, "What’s wrong?"

"Do you have to work tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I work days, and we've got to go back to the main house for dinner in the evening." Chi Chen nodded. Their family also had to return to the main house for New Year's Day dinner, and this year it was the Bai family's turn.

"Alright, then I'll pick you up after work in the evening, and we can go back to the old villa area together." Lu Zhishi pushed his rice around, picked up a green vegetable, and put it in his mouth, his voice muffled.

Chi Chen picked up a piece of beef for him and said softly, "I'll come back to have lunch with you at lunchtime."

Lu Zhishi shook his head, ate the beef, and said, "It's cold and the roads are slippery, don't bother coming back for me. I'll go find Chubby Xing at lunchtime to study for finals, and I'll pick you up in the afternoon."

Seeing that he already had plans, Chi Chen didn't push it, though he was still a bit worried about him driving to the Chi Group to pick him up after work.

Lu Zhishi asked, "You don't trust my driving skills?"

Chi Chen hesitated to speak; honestly, he really didn't trust them much.

Lu Zhishi's driver's test results were stuck in Chi Chen's mind, and with the roads so slippery, Chi Chen was really worried.

Lu Zhishi patted his shoulder, with a serious, earnest look, and said, "Trust me."

Chi Chen nodded hesitantly, "...Okay."

After dinner, Lu Zhishi followed Chi Chen to the Chi house, found a comfortable spot on the sofa in the room, and sat down.

Then he pulled out a pile of textbooks, picked up a pen, and began seriously reviewing for the final exam.

Chi Chen, not wanting to disturb his studying, sat on the other side of the sofa and started going through paperwork.

Ten minutes later, Lu Zhishi brought his textbooks and pen over and sat next to Chi Chen, continuing to study intently.

Chi Chen was surprised for a second, then understood, a faint smile flickering in his eyes.

He scooted closer to Lu Zhishi, so their arms were touching, and they both lowered their heads to focus on their own tasks.

Out of the corner of his eye, noticing Chi Chen's movement, Lu Zhishi lowered his gaze to write notes on a blank sheet of paper, a clear curve forming at the corner of his lips.

At 9 p.m., his biological clock kicked in, and Lu Zhishi started feeling a bit sleepy.

He hadn't showered yet, so he packed up his things and got up to go home.

Chi Chen put down the documents, saw him downstairs, and watched him enter his house before turning back.

The Chi house was empty; Bai Yansheng and Chi Yuehang hadn't returned yet, leaving only Chi Chen at home.

After showering, Chi Chen sat in the spot where Lu Zhishi had been, working late into the night.

Lu Zhishi had already fallen asleep long ago. After showering and drying his hair, he immediately threw himself into his big bed, hugged his large rabbit, pulled up his big blanket, and slept like a log until morning.

Half-asleep, Lu Zhishi dreamed of Chi Chen again, but when he woke up, he couldn't remember it, which left him feeling restless and distracted. Even while brushing his teeth, he kept wondering what he had dreamed about.

He thought about pulling out his phone to message Chi Chen, but after checking the time and realizing Chi Chen was surely in a meeting, he put his phone away again, rubbed his face in frustration, and went downstairs for breakfast.

The Lu house was also empty. Lu Tingan, Song Qinian, and Lu Zhiyu had all gone to work, leaving only Fat Cheese at home.

After munching on two meat buns, Lu Zhishi brushed snow off the vegetable garden to check on his cabbages.

Well, the cabbages were fine, looking fresh and healthy.

He felt like eating some spicy pickled cabbage, but he didn’t know how to make it, so he decided to ask Chef Song in the evening.

The snow had stopped, but it was super cold as it melted. Lu Zhishi puttered around in his garden, then hunched his shoulders and hurried back inside to warm up.

Just after sitting down in the living room, he got up again to check the warming drawer for any honey loquat water. His throat was itchy, and he felt like coughing.

He was fine while sleeping, but after waking up, he couldn’t help but cough a couple of times; otherwise, he felt uncomfortable.

Lu Zhishi poured a cup of honey loquat water, drank it, and soothed his throat, trying hard not to cough to avoid Song Qinian hearing him and dragging him off to the hospital for injections and nebulizer treatments.

After finishing the cup, he noticed the honey loquat water tasted a bit different, almost better.

It wasn’t Lu Zhiyu’s doing, nor Song Qinian or Lu Tingan’s—it was probably Chi Chen.

Lu Zhishi pulled out his phone to check Chi Chen’s chat window. Chi Chen hadn’t sent any messages about it, so he switched apps to check the home surveillance. Sure enough, it was Chi Chen who had made it early in the morning and brought it over.

"Chi Chen, Chi Chen! Baby Chi Chen!" Lu Zhishi sent Chi Chen a kiss emoji, then didn’t send any more messages, afraid of disturbing Chi Chen at work.

After filling a thermos with honey loquat water, Lu Zhishi gathered his review materials and drove to Zhao Xiaoxing’s place to study for the final exam.

The Zhao house was also empty. Aunt Zhao, Uncle Lin, and Brother Xiaoyun had all gone to work, not even taking a break for New Year’s.

Zhao Xiaoxing was eating breakfast while Lu Zhishi had already moved a small sofa and a large table in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, laid out his study materials, and was waiting for Zhao Xiaoxing to join him to start the day’s review.

After finishing breakfast, Zhao Xiaoxing slumped lifelessly over the desk, scribbling with a pen: "It’s New Year’s today."

"And?"

Zhao Xiaoxing blinked. "New Year’s is about taking it easy and relaxing."

Without looking up, Lu Zhishi asked, "What does that have to do with us college kids preparing for final exams?"

Exams would start right after the New Year’s break. If they didn’t study properly now, there wouldn’t be much time left.

Zhao Xiaoxing’s eyes lost their sparkle. "Winter break, winter break, when will you come…"

Lu Zhishi finished for him, "Winter break says it’ll come after you finish your finals."

Zhao Xiaoxing: "..."

What’s the difference between saying that and not saying anything?

No matter how much Zhao Xiaoxing complained, they still had to study. Fortunately, they had paid attention in class and had thorough notes, so reviewing wasn’t too difficult. By lunchtime, they were already halfway through the material.

Zhao Xiaoxing looked completely drained by studying, listlessly picking at the lunch Zhao Qiyun had brought over.

Lu Zhishi wasn’t much better. He finished his lunch in big bites, drank a cup of honey loquat water, and suddenly perked right up, even his fluffy curly hair seeming to glow with energy.

Zhao Xiaoxing stared in amazement. How could the difference between people be so big? Were they even eating the same lunch?

"Hurry up and eat. After lunch, take a nap, and we’ll continue reviewing after waking up." Lu Zhishi took out his phone to reply to Chi Chen’s messages.

Zhao Xiaoxing wondered, "What if I nap so deeply that I accidentally sleep until 5 p.m.?"

"Guess?" Lu Zhishi looked up at him with a sarcastic smile and said, "Do you prefer Aunt Zhao’s feather duster, Uncle Lin’s hundred recitations of the Heart Sutra, or Brother Xiaoyun’s spanking?"

Zhao Xiaoxing: "..."

Zhao Xiaoxing closed his eyes, looking utterly defeated, covered his face, and said sadly, "I’ll wake up on time."

After going upstairs to his room at the Zhao house, Lu Zhishi texted Chi Chen before his nap, asking if he had eaten.

Chi Chen video-called him.

Lu Zhishi turned over, lying on his side on the bed, looking at Chi Chen onscreen: "Did you eat on time?"

"Yes, I ate on time." Chi Chen nodded.

Noticing that the background behind him seemed to be a bed, he checked the time—it was Lu Zhishi's usual naptime.

"Are you about to take a nap?"

Hearing his words, Lu Zhishi couldn't help but yawn, blinking away the tears in his eyes: "Yes, it's almost time to sleep. Cheese's biological clock is working."

Chi Chen let out a soft, gentle chuckle and said, "Well, good afternoon. See you later."

"Good afternoon, good afternoon. See you later, Baby Chi Chen~"

"See you later, Baby Cheese."

After hanging up the phone, Lu Zhishi yawned again, rubbed his eyes, hugged the blanket, and drifted off to sleep half-awake.

Just before falling asleep, he thought to himself that he had forgotten to bring his plush rabbit, so sleeping felt a bit off.

He set an alarm for his nap and woke up at two in the afternoon. Lu Zhishi groggily got up, washed his face to wake himself up, then went to the next room to pull a still-groggy Zhao Xiaoxing out of bed. After splashing some water on his face to wake him up, he brought him to the study to continue their review.

Zhao Xiaoxing had a look of utter despair, while Lu Zhishi frowned with a bitter look on his face, writing furiously with his pen as if writing faster would speed up their review progress.

Driven by the crankiness from lack of sleep, their review progressed at an accelerated pace. Lu Zhishi and Zhao Xiaoxing finished their studying early.

Zhao Xiaoxing dragged his exhausted body upstairs, wandering like a ghost into his room before collapsing onto the bed without moving.

Well, almost—he did manage to grab the fleece blanket and pull it over his stomach.

Lu Zhishi drank a cup of strong tea, grabbed his car keys, and headed outside, driving slowly to Chi Chen's company.

He stopped along the way, got out to buy a few things, then continued on to the Chi Group.

It wasn't quitting time yet, and the president's office was empty—Chi Chen was still in a meeting.

After thanking the secretary who brought him a cup of warm honey water, Lu Zhishi waited until she left before getting up and walking around the coffee table a few times.

A beautifully wrapped bouquet of black tea roses sat quietly on the table, fresh and vibrant.

Who had sent them to Chi Chen?

Or were they from Chi Chen for him?

Uncertain, Lu Zhishi didn’t touch the flowers. He sat on the sofa, sipping his honey water while occasionally glancing at the black tea roses, his mind beginning to wander.

He remembered that he had seen such roses in a dream last night.

But what the other half of the dream was about, Lu Zhishi couldn’t recall. He pinched his cheek, growing more anxious the harder he tried to remember.

It wasn’t until he saw Chi Chen—returned from the meeting, dressed in a well-tailored suit, walking toward him—that Lu Zhishi finally remembered.

What exactly was the dream he had last night...