Chapter 79: Chapter 79 “If You Don’t Mind, Could…”

Chapter 79 "If you don't mind, we can."

As it turned out, Lu Zhishi and Chi Chen were indeed a match made in heaven as a couple, for his boyfriend’s fishing skills were equally subpar.

A pair of fishing novices.

Lu Zhishi secretly glanced at Chi Chen beside him, who then turned his head to meet Lu Zhishi’s gaze.

Lu Zhishi fought back a smile, patted Chi Chen’s back, and turned away, his shoulders trembling with suppressed laughter.

Chi Chen: "..."

Chi Chen pressed his lips into a straight line, staring at his fishing rod, which hadn't had a single bite in half an hour.

After a while, the rod showed some movement. Chi Chen perked up and steadily reeled it in.

He was met with an empty hook—the bait was gone.

Chi Chen: "......"

Lu Zhishi: "......"

Lu Zhishi was furious: "Those ill-mannered fish! Bullying me is one thing, but bullying my boyfriend too?!"

Lu’s father and Song’s father laughed heartily nearby, doubled over with mirth, even forgetting to reel in their own catches.

"You two really provided a whole day's worth of laughs, hahahahaha—"

"You two are truly a perfect match, Fat Cheese, Fat Chen."

Lu Zhishi was genuinely incensed, especially after seeing the look Chi Chen gave him—a mix of grievance, admiration, and expectation. He transformed into an energized fishing machine!

He brought out ten fishing rods, baited them with double the amount, cast them all into the water, placing one in every corner, and patrolled back and forth.

Whichever rod moved, Lu Zhishi would pounce, reeling in the line without giving the plump fish any chance to escape.

As it turned out, the power of love was truly immense. After a long streak of empty hooks, Lu Zhishi finally caught a big, fat fish.

"Chi Chen, Chi Chen! We'll stew this plump fish tonight and make fish soup for you!"

Lu Zhishi laughed triumphantly, placed the big fish into the bucket, re-baited the hook, and cast the line again: "I'll catch another one to make steamed fish for you!"

Chi Chen smiled and nodded, squeezed Lu Zhishi’s hand, and said admiringly, "I believe in you."

Lu’s father and Song’s father were delighted, watching the young couple with affection. Young people were simply adorable.

With Chi Chen constantly motivating him, Lu Zhishi remained fully energized. Half an hour later, he caught another one.

They had their steamed fish for the evening!

Lu Zhishi glanced at the sky, turned to look at Chi Chen, and asked, "Baby Chi Chen, would you like braised fish tonight too?"

Chi Chen: "?"

Chi Chen chuckled. Lu Zhishi swallowed hard, then tied on double the bait again: "I'll catch two more—one for braised fish and one for pickled fish."

Lu’s father and Song’s father also checked the sky; it wasn't dark yet, so they could fish a bit longer.

But plans often change. Lu Zhishi didn't manage to catch his braised fish or pickled fish because Song Qinian called them home for dinner.

Lu Zhishi had to head home with two fat fish. Even though he didn't catch the braised or pickled fish, he was still very happy.

"My fishing skills have improved significantly!"

Chi Chen smiled, glanced sideways at the top of his head, and praised softly, "Baby Cheese, you're really amazing. You caught two big fat fish today."

Lu Zhishi couldn't hold back and laughed again, puffing out his chest with a proud little expression: "Baby Chi Chen is amazing too. Without your motivation, I wouldn't have caught any fat fish."

The young couple praised each other, held hands, and headed home, cheerful but off-key little tunes drifting all the way back.

When they got home, Lu Zhiyu saw Chi Chen carrying a bucket. He took a closer look and saw two big, fat fish.

"Wow, bro, your fishing skills have gotten this good?"

Chi Chen said, "Fat Cheese caught them."

Lu Zhiyu raised an eyebrow, looked at Lu Zhishi standing proudly nearby, and rubbed his chin: "Are you sure it was Fat Cheese? If you said you caught them, I might believe it more."

His own brother—he knew him well. Lu Zhishi's fishing skills were inversely proportional to his vegetable-growing skills.

As skilled as he was at growing vegetables, that's how terrible he was at fishing.

Chi Chen patted Lu Zhishi's head beside him: "He really did catch them. He's amazing. Both were caught by him."

Lu Zhishi lifted his chin: "That's right, I'm just that good!"

Seeing that they weren't joking, Lu Zhiyu believed them and patted Lu Zhishi's shoulder: "Not bad, Fat Cheese. You've successfully achieved a big improvement. Keep it up in the future."

Lu Zhishi flashed eight big teeth: "I definitely will!"

They had caught a lot of fish that day. They sent a few to the Chi and Bai families, a few to the Zhao and Lin families, and made a full fish feast with the rest.

The two fish Lu Zhishi caught were used—one for fish soup and one for steamed fish.

After stuffing themselves at the full fish feast, Lu Zhishi leaned back on the sofa, burped, and took a sip of hawthorn water.

Since the elders were all at home, Chi Chen didn't reach out to rub his stomach but instead gave him two digestive aid pills.

After taking the medicine and downing another cup of hawthorn water, Lu Zhishi's stomach still felt uncomfortably full.

Chi Chen simply took him out for a walk to help with digestion.

The young couple held hands and strolled slowly along the roadside. The evening breeze brushed against their faces, bringing a slight chill.

Lu Zhishi said, "I have to leave tomorrow morning and might not come back next week."

"It's okay, I'll come visit you. When you're alone, please take good care of yourself, because someone will worry about you." Chi Chen held his hand, his voice magnetic and gentle, drifting softly into Lu Zhishi's ears with the evening breeze.

"Your work is busy; you don't need to come see me. I'll come home when I have time."

Lu Zhishi tilted his head and nuzzled against his shoulder, his voice muffled, his eyes full of reluctance:

"Don't work too late. Make sure to eat and rest on time for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When you're alone, please take good care of yourself too, because Fat Cheese will worry."

Chi Chen also tilted his head, nuzzling his hair, and said softly, "Okay."

Happy times are always short.

Early the next morning, before dawn, Lu Zhishi drove to the Zhao family to pick up Zhao Xiaoxing and head to school for an 8 a.m. class.

The days of leaving home for school had begun again; his heart ached with endless longing. He was homesick already, even though he had just left...

8 AM classes every day, back-to-back classes every day, make-up sessions every day—Lu Zhishi had been completely wiped out recently, attending classes during the day and returning to the dorm at night to work on group assignments.

His only three respites were when he messaged or called Chi Chen;

when he went to the Gardening Club after class to do some gardening with clubmates and attend lectures by top-notch professors at the agricultural college;

and finally, when he had free time on weekends, going fishing out in nature with Zhao Xiaoxing and the Fishing Club.

April passed in a non-stop busyness, and May was spent balancing classes with studying for final exams.

In early June, on a Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. at University A's campus,

Lu Zhishi had just finished one exam, with the next one scheduled a few days later. All classes were already over, and there were no make-up classes on the weekend.

Lu Zhishi and Zhao Xiaoxing packed up their stuff, ready to go home to eat and sleep, and return only when it was time for exams.

The summer in City A was brutally hot, scorching the skin, and even the wind felt hot.

Carrying their luggage, they took the elevator down from the dormitory. As soon as they stepped out of the dorm building, a wall of heat hit them, and both Lu Zhishi and Zhao Xiaoxing hesitated to take another step.

The short five-minute walk from the dorm entrance to the nearby parking lot was enough to make their backs drenched in sweat.

Once in the car, with the air conditioning on, Lu Zhishi let the AC cool things down before starting the car and driving to their off-campus place.

They hadn’t stayed there for a while, having been living in the dorm recently, and there were still some things at home that needed tidying up.

On the way, Zhao Xiaoxing got out to buy two mung bean drinks to drink at home.

"I kind of feel like having green grape jasmine milk tea."

Zhao Xiaoxing sighed, "It’s a shame the milk tea shops around here don’t get the taste right. I still prefer the milk tea made by the old lady at the end of the food street near our high school."

Lu Zhishi nodded, keeping his eyes on the road as he replied, "I want some too. Let’s swing by the food street on our way back and grab a few servings to take home."

Just talking about the food street brought a bunch of delicious food names to his mind, and he felt like going shopping for snacks: "My cough has been gone for a while now, so I can go buy things from the food street. Want to go take a look?"

Zhao Xiaoxing hesitated, "But in weather like this, eating grilled skewers and squid might make us get heaty..."

Lu Zhishi grinned, "When did I say I was buying grilled squid?"

Zhao Xiaoxing blinked, then realized his mistake. His ears turned red with embarrassment, and he shot back, "Well, do you want to eat it or not?"

"Yes!"

Having reached an agreement, Lu Zhishi detoured to the food street near the school and found a parking spot.

Despite the scorching weather, the food street was still packed, filled with college students with umbrellas while shopping.

"Brother Xiaoyun is getting engaged soon. How come you and my brother aren’t together yet?" Lu Zhishi asked, carrying a cup of boba milk tea as he walked with Zhao Xiaoxing to buy grilled squid.

"It’s not the right time yet. Let’s see how things go and wait a bit longer," Zhao Xiaoxing replied, taking a sip through his straw. Then he asked Lu Zhishi, "What about you? Aren’t you and Brother Xiao Chen planning to get engaged yet?"

"Me? Probably not until after graduation. No one in my family has mentioned it."

"It’s fine, it’s coming up soon. Freshman year is almost over—just three more years, and senior year isn’t far off," Zhao Xiaoxing comforted him.

"Getting engaged or not doesn’t seem to make much difference. Things are okay as they are now."

Lu Zhishi took two steps forward in the line for grilled squid. He’d forgotten to bring an umbrella and was feeling the heat:

"It’s just that we barely see each other. I’m doing long-distance with Chi Chen every day, but after graduation, we won’t have to be long-distance anymore."

After buying the grilled squid he wanted, Zhao Xiaoxing took a bite and said vaguely to Lu Zhishi, who was also chowing down on his squid beside him, "During senior year internships, you might not need to come to campus. Just wait two more years."

"You’re right," Lu Zhishi said, taking a big bite, though unfortunately, he still got oil on his mouth. "This grilled squid is so delicious. It’s been a while since I’ve had any. Should we buy a few more skewers?"

"No, we can’t. Only one skewer each—eating more will make us get heaty and give us fever blisters," Zhao Xiaoxing said, pulling the snack-obsessed guy back from returning to buy more squid and dragging him toward the car, even forgetting to finish his own skewer.

"We can, we can! If we get heaty, we’ll just drink more cooling tea. If two cups aren’t enough, we’ll drink four," Lu Zhishi pleaded.

"No."

"Please, please!"

"Not listening, not listening." Zhao Xiaoxing bundled him into the passenger seat, got into the driver’s side, and drove back to their place near the school.

Taking the elevator upstairs, Zhao Xiaoxing first made a pot of cooling tea. After packing the things they needed to take home, he carried the iced cooling tea out and gave half to Lu Zhishi.

Lu Zhishi: "..."

Holding a large pot of cooling tea, Lu Zhishi looked as if facing his worst nightmare, his pretty face scrunched up like a bitter gourd.

"Drink up, drink up. This cooling tea is really cooling and helps reduce heatiness."

"Can I not drink it?" Lu Zhishi asked, his face still twisted as he poured a cup and sniffed it. "I don’t feel that heaty."

After smelling it, he found the odor even stranger—worse than he’d imagined. He asked Zhao Xiaoxing, who was driving, "Where did this cooling tea come from? It smells so weird. It’s the most foul-smelling cooling tea I’ve ever encountered."

Zhao Xiaoxing looked puzzled, "Your brother brought it over a couple weeks back. You have a jar of it too—haven’t you brewed any to drink?"

Lu Zhishi stammered, "I haven’t. I didn’t think I was heaty, so I didn’t want to drink it..."

"Just try a couple of sips. It smells weird, but it tastes okay," Zhao Xiaoxing said, turning to look at Lu Zhishi’s contorted expression when they stopped at a traffic light. "It cost over a hundred thousand kuai per jar. I brewed such a big pot—if you don’t drink it, I can’t finish it all by myself."

Alright, hearing the price, Lu Zhishi decided to drink it.

If it turned out to be weird, expensive, and tasted bad, Lu Zhishi resolved to take the unopened jar from his place and give it to Lu Zhiyu to drink.

Can’t waste money, and can’t waste the cooling tea—might as well let his brother drink it.

He took a sip and held it in his mouth, hesitantly swallowing it and carefully savoring the taste.

"Hey, it’s not bad. It’s pretty good."

Zhao Xiaoxing laughed, "See? Not only does it taste alright, but it really works."

"Okay, I’ll drink the other half. It’s a shame I didn’t bring that jar from home," Lu Zhishi sighed, pouring another cup. The clean, refreshing taste of the cooling tea spread in his mouth.

Hmm, that unopened jar of cooling tea at home—won’t be giving it to Lu Zhiyu after all.

He’d ask his brother where he bought it later. Lu Zhishi planned to buy over ten more jars and give a few to each household to try.

He’d also give a jar to Baby Chi Chen to keep at the office and drink when work stress makes him heaty.

Remembering they still needed to buy green grape jasmine milk tea, Zhao Xiaoxing drove to the food street near their high school and found the old lady at the end of the street.

"Grandma, we’d like to buy thirteen servings of milk tea, to take away."

"Alright." The old lady smiled and packed their order.

After paying, Lu Zhishi and Zhao Xiaoxing carried the bubble tea to the car and headed to another neighborhood.

They delivered two bags of bubble tea to Auntie Zhou and Zhou Nianjing at the Zhou family's home, politely declined Auntie Zhou's dinner invitation, and promised to come over for a meal during the summer break when they had time. Then, Lu Zhishi and Zhao Xiaoxing drove back home.

When they arrived home, no one was there. Lu Zhishi checked the time—it was 5 p.m., so they were probably still on their way.

He put his suitcase back in his room, went downstairs to wash his hands, and checked the fridge for ingredients. He simply prepared a few home-cooked dishes and placed them in the food warmer.

Grabbing a small shovel, he went to check on the vegetable patch. As he squatted to loosen the soil, he listened for any approaching cars.

Headlights drew nearer, and Lu Zhishi popped up from the garden, his eyes lighting up.

"Baby Chi Chen!"

Chi Chen slowly parked the car in the Lu family's front yard, got out, and brought out a vibrant bouquet of tea roses. "Baby Cheese."

Lu Zhishi hugged the bouquet, tilting his head to nuzzle against Chi Chen, feeling a bit sheepish. He had been so focused on getting snacks that he forgot to get flowers.

Chi Chen slipped an arm around his shoulders, gently stroking his hair, his voice filled with apology. "Sorry, I couldn't pick you up today."

Lu Zhishi quickly looked up at him. "No need to apologize! If you’re busy, it’s fine. I can make it home myself."

Chi Chen’s lips parted slightly, about to speak, but Lu Zhishi pressed a hand over his mouth.

He didn’t need to guess what Chi Chen was going to say—those deep, beautiful eyes had already told him. Lu Zhishi didn’t want him to apologize.

"Just hug me. It’s been so long since we last saw each other." Lu Zhishi wrapped his arms around Chi Chen’s waist, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then raised the bouquet to shield them from view of the house. Tilting his face up slightly, he whispered, "Kiss me."

Chi Chen’s ears grew hot, and he chuckled softly before lowering his head.

Just then, headlights appeared around the corner, startling the young couple so much they almost bit each other's tongues. They quickly pulled apart.

Lu Zhishi wiped his lips, his heart racing, face flushed red.

Chi Chen was just as flustered, his lips pressed together lightly, ears burning red.

His tongue hurt a little—he'd probably bitten it. Lu Zhishi’s teeth were quite sharp.

Two cars approached one after another, slowly driving through the Lu family’s gate and parking in the front yard.

Sure enough, it was both dads and his older brother returning from work. Lu Zhishi smiled and waved at them. "Dad, Papa, Brother!"

Chi Chen stood beside him and greeted the three elders as they got out of the car. "Mr. Lu, Uncle Song, Brother."

"Fat Cheese, Xiao Chen." Lu Tingan nodded, his gaze sweeping over the roses in Lu Zhishi’s arms, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. "It’s hot outside. Let’s go in."

Lu Zhishi nodded. "Dad, we’ll come in later. I haven’t finished looking after my little garden yet."

Lu Tingan nodded. "Come in once you’re done. Don’t stay out too long—it’s hot."

Song Qinian grabbed some bags out of the trunk and followed Lu Tingan inside, calling over his shoulder, "Come in soon, you two. It’s hot outside, and dinner is almost ready."

"Okay~"

Watching the two dads go inside, Lu Zhishi noticed Lu Zhiyu still standing there and urged him, "Brother, what are you still doing out here? It’s hot—hurry inside."

Lu Zhiyu stroked his chin, circled them slowly, and chuckled. "You two..."

Lu Zhishi’s face flushed again, and he instinctively covered it, stammering, "Y-You saw us?"

"I didn’t see anything. I was driving behind you. I just guessed." Lu Zhiyu laughed, with a teasing grin, and patted Lu Zhishi’s head. "But I think the dads might have seen."

He gave Chi Chen a playful elbow nudge, hummed a tune, and went inside, carrying three small cakes.

Chi Chen’s ears were just as red. He took Lu Zhishi’s hand and nuzzled against his head.

Lu Zhishi held his hand too, covering his face with the other, his cheeks burning.

"The chestnut cake is in the car. I’ll go get it. We can have it after dinner." Chi Chen stroked his hair, his fingers brushing Lu Zhishi’s warm ear, his voice gentle with laughter.

"Okay." Lu Zhishi let go of his hand, hugged the bouquet, and squatted in front of the garden, absentmindedly working the soil with a small shovel.

After bringing the chestnut cake and the bouquet inside, Chi Chen came back out and squatted beside him, taking the shovel. "Let me do it. You rest."

Lu Zhishi didn’t rest. He stayed squatting next to Chi Chen, their arms pressed together.

Chi Chen shifted slightly to the side, and Lu Zhishi followed, staying glued to his side.

From a distance, the two of them looked like they were surrounded by a pink aura, sickeningly sweet.

Lu Zhiyu came out to call them for dinner. "...You two, quit being so attached and come in to eat."

"Okay!"

Lu Zhishi pulled Chi Chen inside. "Uncle Chi and Uncle Bai still aren’t back?"

"Big Dad said he has to work overtime. Little Dad is a bit busy lately and will be back later." Chi Chen held his hand. "I ordered them dinner."

Lu Zhishi understood immediately—Chi Chen was supposed to pull overtime too, but he adjusted his schedule because he knew Lu Zhishi was coming home today. Chi Chen might have to work late to finish his work.

"Do you have a lot of work?"

"Not much. I’ll finish it quickly and can rest early." Before entering the house, Chi Chen stopped, turned, and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Don’t worry."

Lu Zhishi also leaned into his shoulder. "Then make sure to rest well and get to bed early."

Chi Chen chuckled softly. "Okay."

Two minutes after being called for dinner, the couple took five more minutes before coming inside. Lu Zhiyu went out to fetch them.

"Stop being so lovey-dovey and come eat. You can cuddle all you want after dinner." Lu Zhiyu grabbed Lu Zhishi's collar, dragged him inside, and sat him down at the dining table, placing a small bowl piled high with rice in front of him. "Eat."

Lu Zhishi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Had his personal bowl turned into a proper basin? How embarrassing.

He glanced at Chi Chen, then at the rice in front of him, blinking.

Lu Zhiyu teased him, "No need to worry about Brother Xiao Chen. He knows your appetite."

Lu Zhishi: "..."

Lu Zhishi felt even more embarrassed.

Lu Tingan and Song Qinian couldn’t help but laugh.

Chi Chen smiled, sat down beside Lu Zhishi, and placed a piece of mushroom in his bowl.

"Eat up. There’s more if you’re still hungry. Don’t go to bed on an empty stomach."

"Mhm," Lu Zhishi responded, digging into his meal. He ate two heaping bowls of rice before finally putting down his chopsticks.

After finishing his meal, Chi Chen lingered a bit before heading back. His work wasn't done yet, and if he didn't start working overtime soon, he'd be working late again—something Lu Zhishi would worry about.

Seeing him off at the door, Lu Zhishi gave him a kiss on the lips and called it a goodnight kiss.

Chi Chen let out a short, low chuckle and leaned down to return the kiss.

Once again, it left Lu Zhishi’s cheeks burning. He watched Chi Chen enter his house before turning back home, slipping upstairs to his room and closing the door.

Song Qinian waited until he had tiptoed upstairs before looking up from his documents. He smiled and joked with Lu Tingan, who was watching a movie beside him, "Those two are so clingy in love. I saw Fat Cheese’s face all red."

Lu Tingan also smiled. "That’s how it is during the honeymoon phase. It’s normal for young couples to be all lovey-dovey. It’s sweet."

After showering, washing his hair, and blow-drying it, it was already quite late—almost seven o’clock. Lu Zhishi did a bit of skincare.

He wanted to be more polished in love. His boyfriend always smelled nice, so Lu Zhishi wanted to smell nice too. They were going to be a sweet-smelling couple.

With a face mask on, Lu Zhishi sat at his desk and reviewed his exam subjects.

Not being able to see Chi Chen made Lu Zhishi miss him like crazy; his heart was antsy.

He sent a kissing emoji to Chi Chen.

After a while, Chi Chen replied with the same kissing emoji and asked, "What’s up?"

Seeing the word "up," Lu Zhishi couldn’t help but laugh. Was Chi Chen worried that "what’s wrong" would sound too cold or stiff?

"Miss you, boyfriend. Can we video call?" Lu Zhishi pressed the voice message button. "I’ll be quiet and won’t disturb your work, okay?"

The chat box on the other side showed "typing…"

Lu Zhishi waited quietly for a while, but the other side was still typing. He couldn’t help but widen his eyes in confusion.

Was Chi Chen in a meeting?

After waiting another half minute, Chi Chen sent a voice message. Lu Zhishi tapped to listen.

"If you don’t mind, we can."