Chapter 84: Chapter 84 “Chi Chen, Chi Chen, Come Save Me…”

"Chi Chen, Chi Chen, come save me!"

"Why are you asking this out of nowhere?"

After asking, Lu Zhishi curiously leaned closer to Lu Zhiyu, trying to see if there was an answer written on his face.

Lu Zhiyu was still smiling, his ears slightly red, and he raised a hand to rub the tip of his nose.

His right hand had been hanging down earlier, so Lu Zhishi hadn’t noticed anything different. But now that Lu Zhiyu raised his hand, Lu Zhishi immediately spotted something new—something different.

"Is this a matching couple's ring?"

"It’s an engagement ring." Lu Zhiyu’s smile was especially bright, his ears flushed bright red as he shyly lowered his gaze.

"Oh, an engagement ring..." Lu Zhishi nodded, then touched the ring necklace around his own neck. After a moment, he wondered if he had misheard. "An engagement ring? You two are already engaged? Skipping confession and dating to go straight to marriage?"

Even the usually calm and composed Chi Chen couldn’t help but lose his composure, his lips slightly parted, his eyes mirroring Lu Zhishi’s disbelief. Then he pressed his lips together, his gaze filled with a mix of resentment and longing, and upon closer inspection, even a hint of hurt.

"Not marriage, just engagement," Lu Zhiyu said with a curved smile.

The hurt in Chi Chen’s eyes lessened slightly, but he still looked deeply upset. He glanced at Lu Zhiyu, then at Lu Zhishi, and when he lowered his eyes, he resembled a sad puppy.

"You two... which one of you proposed?" Lu Zhishi was a bit dazed.

Lu Zhiyu pointed to himself. "Me."

Lu Zhishi wandered in a daze to his feet, went to the door, and headed to Zhao Xiaoxing’s house. He found his best friend buried under the covers in his room.

Zhao Xiaoxing’s entire face was flushed red. When he sat up, his hair was a mess, and on the middle finger of his left hand was a stunning, noticeable ring.

Lu Zhishi sat beside him, smoothing his hair, first offering congratulations before asking, "You two are moving so fast?"

Zhao Xiaoxing clutched the comforter, his head bowed, his cheeks growing even redder as he murmured, "I didn’t expect it either..."

When they went out to eat, he had thought Lu Zhiyu was going to confess and had been extremely nervous.

But then Lu Zhiyu pulled out a ring box and asked Zhao Xiaoxing if he would marry him—or at least get engaged first and marry after graduation. At that moment, Zhao Xiaoxing was completely stunned.

His heart felt like it was about to stop. When Lu Zhiyu tried to slip the ring onto his finger, Zhao Xiaoxing noticed that Lu Zhiyu’s hands were shaking badly, failing several times to get it onto his middle finger.

Zhao Xiaoxing held a beautiful bouquet of red baby's breath, watching the handsome man kneeling on one knee before him, and thought—so he wasn’t the only one nervous.

The situation with Lu Zhiyu and Zhao Xiaoxing had unfolded quite suddenly. Song Qinian and Lu Tingan hadn’t seen it coming, and the next thing they knew, it led to a round of family punishment.

Zhao Xiaoxing hadn’t even graduated from university yet; he had barely turned nineteen. Lu Zhiyu had skipped the dating phase entirely, going straight to proposing, engagement, and even planning marriage. How were they supposed to explain this to the Zhao family?

Lu Zhiyu was stubborn too. Kneeling in the Lu family ancestral hall, his back covered in red welts from a switch, he gritted his teeth and insisted on getting engaged during the New Year. He had already arranged the engagement banquet.

Song Qinian was both angry and amused—Lu Zhiyu had gone behind their backs, without discussing anything with the family.

An engagement decided so privately and casually—where was the proper behavior for an elite family? How would this reflect on the Zhao family, and what would they think of Lu Zhiyu?

As a result, Lu Zhiyu was beaten even harder. This was the first time Song Qinian had laid a hand on him since he’d grown up.

Lu Zhishi cried until his eyes were swollen, trying to block the blows and insisting they punish him instead. But Lu Zhiyu gently pushed him aside and took the punishment himself.

He had anticipated the consequences, but Lu Zhiyu had no regrets. If it meant getting engaged, he would endure ten rounds of punishment—as long as they could be engaged.

Punishment aside, the next day, several elders from the Lu and Song families, along with the parents, brought lavish gifts and took Lu Zhiyu to the Zhao family to apologize.

The two young people were mutually devoted, and Zhao Xiaoxing was also willing to get engaged. The Zhao and Lu families discussed the engagement arrangements together.

Lu Zhishi still remembered the first time Lu Zhiyu visited the Zhao home as a fiancé. Zhao Qiyun wrapped an arm around his shoulders and led him outside, smiling with a tight smile as he said they should "chat." Grabbing Lu Zhiyu by the collar, he asked, "Come on, bro, look me in the eye. Do you really think this is right?"

Dating was one thing—Zhao Qiyun could turn a blind eye to that. But they had skipped dating and gone straight to engagement!

The phrase sounded familiar. When Lu Zhishi had started dating, Lu Zhiyu had said the same thing to Chi Chen...

For the entire month while the engagement details were being finalized, Zhao Qiyun’s face was furious every day, nitpicking everything about his usual buddy at every turn.

Because of what happened with Lu Zhiyu, Chi Chen became more on his best behavior, no longer constantly talking about wanting to get engaged quickly.

He wasn’t afraid of kneeling in the ancestral hall and taking a beating—he would gladly endure ten or even a hundred rounds if it meant getting engaged. But he was afraid of Lu Zhishi being punished.

Lu Zhishi felt the same. He stopped talking about engagement too. He wasn’t afraid of being punished himself—he could take a hundred beatings—but he was afraid of Chi Chen being punished.

Elite families had their traditions. For engagements and marriages, everything had to be done with proper formalities and the approval of both families’ elders—following the parents’ wishes and formal arrangements.

The elders of the Lu and Song families hoped their children would marry only after graduation. The Chi and Bai families naturally deferred to the Lu and Song families—after all, their Chi Chen was five years older than Fat Cheese. As long as the "old cow" could eat the "tender grass," they didn’t care when the marriage happened.

The elders of the Chi and Bai families were quite easygoing.

The engagement details were finalized before the Mid-Autumn Festival. On the day of the festival, Lu Zhiyu arrived at the Zhao family’s home loaded down with gifts for the family dinner. Zhao Qiyun greeted him with that same tight smile, ushering him inside.

Due to the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, some slackers under his command had stirred up a mess, forcing Chi Chen to work overtime. His mood was far from good as he sat at the head of the conference table, his face stormy throughout the meeting.

Normally, Chi Chen was expressionless, but this time his emotions were on full display—his face was practically black. The slackers who had caused the issues were too guilty to speak.

Fortunately, Chi Yuehang wasn’t there, or it would have been a true storm. The chairman was a tough customer. If messy affairs delayed his return to the Bai family for the Mid-Autumn dinner, the consequences for those slackers would have been even worse.

The issues weren’t major enough to require Chi Yuehang’s involvement, and these minor slackers weren’t worth the chairman’s attention. Chi Chen was more than capable of handling it.

Chi Yuehang had returned to the Bai family for dinner, but Chi Chen couldn’t go to the Lu family yet—he still had to handle the fallout.

The Lu family was already preparing the Mid-Autumn feast, but Chi Chen hadn’t arrived. That afternoon, Lu Zhishi went to the Chi Group to pick him up.

Knowing he was in a meeting, Lu Zhishi went to Chi Chen’s office and waited patiently on the sofa in the lounge area.

When Chi Chen returned from the meeting, Lu Zhishi was curled up on the sofa watching a horror movie, equal parts scared and hooked.

"Tell those slackers to clear out their desks and get out of the Chi Group."

Hearing the voice, Lu Zhishi quickly turned off the scary audio and looked up.

Chi Chen marched in, his leather dress shoes usually sleek and refined, but now even his sharp footsteps carried anger.

"Make sure they return everything they embezzled. I don’t want to see these incompetent fools in the company tomorrow."

The secretary responded, "Understood, Mr. Chi."

"Good, you may go."

The door opened and closed as the secretary left, leaving the office quiet again.

Chi Chen removed his glasses, leaned back in his office chair, closed his eyes, and rubbed his temples, his brow furrowed.

It was rare to see Chi Chen so fierce at work. Clearly, this was a major mess. Lu Zhishi stood up and walked over.

Hearing the footsteps, Chi Chen snapped his eyes open. Seeing it was Lu Zhishi, his sharp and imposing gaze softened, and he reached for him.

“When did you get here?”

“While you were in the meeting.” Lu Zhishi took his hand, then let go, moving behind him to massage his temples.

Catching the familiar faint fragrance, Chi Chen unconsciously closed his eyes, leaning slightly against Lu Zhishi’s abdomen. He looked exhausted, his voice raspy as he said, “Sorry for making you wait so long.”

“None of that.” Lu Zhishi bent down to kiss his hair, continuing to massage him. “Do you still have work to do?”

“Just a little left.”

Chi Chen opened his eyes, lowering his gaze, his voice tinged with guilt. “I’m sorry.”

Lu Zhishi gently pinched his cheek. “Don’t say that.”

As his face was gently squeezed, Chi Chen couldn’t help but chuckle softly. He took Lu Zhishi’s hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it. “Then I’ll have to trouble my boyfriend to stay with me a bit longer. It’ll be done soon.”

Lu Zhishi’s fingers curled slightly. He bent down, resting his chin on Chi Chen’s head, and whispered, “Anytime.”

While Chi Chen was busy working, Lu Zhishi pulled a small sofa over and sat beside him, watching a horror movie with the sound off.

From time to time, when he got scared, Lu Zhishi would instinctively shrink closer to Chi Chen. But remembering Chi Chen was focused on work, he’d stop halfway and continue watching, shivering by himself.

He was scaredy but still loved watching horror movies. Chi Chen took his hand and placed it on his own waist. “If you’re scared, just hold onto the hem of my suit jacket to block the view. Or if you want to hide in my arms, that’s fine too.”

Lu Zhishi grabbed his jacket. “Okay!”

Seeing that he only held onto the hem of his jacket, Chi Chen pursed his lips, regretting that he had been too subtle earlier.

By the time Chi Chen finished work, Lu Zhishi had just finished the movie. He stretched, stood up, and holding onto Chi Chen’s jacket, trailed lazily behind him, yawning.

“Did you not sleep well at noon?” Chi Chen took Lu Zhishi’s car keys, opened the passenger door for him, then walked around to the driver’s side to start the car.

Lu Zhishi yawned again, rubbing his eyes and pressing on pressure points to wake himself up. “I made mooncakes with Grandpa and Grandma at noon, so I didn’t take a nap. You should try the mooncakes I made later and see if they’re good.”

Chi Chen nodded. “I’m sure they’ll be delicious.”

Lu Zhishi laughed. “You have so much faith in me?”

Chi Chen smiled too. “Well, it’s not like your cooking skills are as bad as Brother’s.”

Lu Zhishi laughed even louder.

Driving home, Lu Zhishi and Chi Chen stopped by a flower shop and bought thirty-one bundles of osmanthus—one for each of the Grandparents, Fathers, Uncles, and Brothers.

When they reached the old villa area, they delivered osmanthus bundles to the Zhao, Lin, and Zhou families, as well as to Lu Zhiyu. Then they went to the Bai family’s old residence to deliver flowers for the Chi and Bai families before finally returning to the Lu family’s old home with a bunch of flowers for the Mid-Autumn Festival dinner.

“Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, look what we brought back—it’s super pretty!”

Before even entering the house, Lu Zhishi called out loudly. The family members in the kitchen, living room, and upstairs all peeked out one after another, responding with a chorus of voices.

“It’s golden osmanthus! Nice, nice—I could smell its fragrance from afar.”

“Perfect, fine wine paired with osmanthus.”

“I’ll go find some vases.”

“Come in quickly, Fat Cheese, Xiao Chen.”

Song Qinian stood at the kitchen doorway, holding a large spatula and smiling. “We were just saying earlier that the only thing missing was osmanthus.”

Lu Zhishi put down the osmanthus in his arms and asked curiously, “What were you missing osmanthus for?”

Chi Chen followed behind him, setting down the bouquets he was carrying and greeting each of the elders respectfully.

He asked, “Do we still need to buy more osmanthus?”

“We were just missing some for decoration,” Lu Tingan said as he walked down the stairs. “The ones you brought back are enough.”

“Go try the mooncakes.” Patting the two little ones on the shoulders, Lu Tingan went to take the flowers they had brought back, considering where to place them for the best artistic effect.

Lu Zhishi nuzzled against Lu Tingan’s arm, then grabbed Chi Chen’s wrist and bounded eagerly to the dining room.

“Guess which mooncakes I made?”

Chi Chen scanned the neatly arranged rows of mooncakes, picked up one with a lighter filling color, and guessed, “This one?”

Lu Zhishi silently gave a thumbs-up. “How do you always guess right?”

Chi Chen took a small bite. It was a snow skin mooncake with red bean paste—lightly flavored, not too sweet, just how Chi Chen liked it.

“Because I know you’d specially make a batch of not-too-sweet mooncakes for me. My boyfriend has always been very thoughtful.”

Lu Zhishi glanced back toward the living room and kitchen, then stepped forward to hug Chi Chen’s waist, reluctantly letting go after a moment.

Sticking close to Chi Chen’s arm, Lu Zhishi said, “My boyfriend is also a very thoughtful person. I like him a lot. Do you think he likes me too?”

Chi Chen said softly, “Your boyfriend says he loves you.”

Lu Zhishi couldn’t hold back anymore. He stood on his tiptoes, cupped Chi Chen’s face to tilt it slightly, and planted two quick kisses on his cheek.

Two kisses weren’t enough—he then opened his mouth and gave a gentle bite, nibbling lightly before letting go, a very satisfied expression on his face.

Chi Chen was stunned for several seconds, the mooncake in his hand forgotten. His ears and cheeks flushed bright red.

He quickly glanced toward the living room, then looked at Lu Zhishi’s delighted expression, his voice hoarse as he said, “I’ll let you bite as much as you want tonight.”

This time, it was Lu Zhishi’s turn to blush deeply. His eyes darted around, and he stammered, “W-What are you talking about…?”

Chi Chen tilted his head, looking at Lu Zhishi’s flushed face. After a moment of silence, he suddenly laughed. “Boyfriend, I meant my face. What were you thinking?”

The young couple had been together for almost a year and a half, and their intimacy had always stayed at kissing, hugging, and lifting each other playfully—never venturing further.

Lu Zhishi: “…”

The redness on Lu Zhishi’s face faded at a visible pace.

Chi Chen raised a hand to cover his face, turning slightly away as his shoulders shook with silent laughter.

Lu Zhishi: “…”

Lu Zhishi moved in front of him. “Don’t laugh at me! It’s your fault for saying something so misleading, you dummy Chi Chen!”

Chi Chen turned back, his face seemingly calm again, but his words carried a hint of laughter. “My mistake. What I said made a certain cute cheese misunderstand. I’m very sorry.”

Why did he have to repeat it? It was too embarrassing. Lu Zhishi bristled, his ears reddening again as he puffed out his cheeks and glared at Chi Chen.

Chi Chen reached out, his large hand resting on Lu Zhishi’s head, gently ruffling his hair.

Lu Zhishi's agitation settled; he softly tilted his head and nuzzled against Chi Chen's palm, looking utterly adorable.

The young couple was being all lovey-dovey, and the adults simply turned a blind eye, pretending not to see.

After eating one of the plain mooncakes Lu Zhishi had specially made for him, Chi Chen looked at another row of oddly shaped, unevenly sized mooncakes and pointed, "Did Brother make these?"

"Yep, no need to guess—it's definitely him. The kitchen disaster."

Chi Chen hesitated before speaking, "So... he took mooncakes like these to Aunt Zhao's house for the holiday?"

Mentioning this made Lu Zhishi angry again. He put his hands on his hips and said, "He took away half of the mooncakes I made!"

Chi Chen patted his head. "When he learns how to make mooncakes, we'll take his too—two more than what he took from you now."

Lu Zhishi nodded vigorously. "Actually, we could just take all of his mooncakes right now."

Chi Chen glanced at the row of strange-looking mooncakes, fell silent for a moment, then looked back at Lu Zhishi.

Lu Zhishi patted his chest, confident. "It's fine, you eat the ones I made, and I'll eat my brother's."

Though he had promised to finish everything, Lu Zhishi only managed three mooncakes, saving room in his stomach for the Mid-Autumn Festival dinner.

After worshipping the moon god, the family enjoyed their Mid-Autumn dinner in the large courtyard of the Lu family's ancestral home, eating while admiring the full moon.

From the start of the feast to the end, Lu Zhishi's bowl was never empty—Chi Chen kept serving him plenty of his favorite dishes.

Lu Zhishi had an excellent appetite, finishing three bowls of rice, two bowls of hot soup, and a small cup of osmanthus wine, so stuffed he couldn't stop burping.

As everyone knew, Lu Zhishi had a particularly low alcohol tolerance, so neither his family nor his boyfriend would pour him wine—he was supposed to be drinking juice. So, whose small cup of osmanthus wine had he finished?

The answer was obvious—it belonged to his boyfriend sitting beside him.

While Chi Chen was talking with the adults, Lu Zhishi sneakily picked up a piece of prepared hairy crab and put it in Chi Chen's bowl. On retrieving his chopsticks, he also swiped the wine cup, quickly tilting his head back for a sip. His eyes sparkled brightly.

It was much tastier than red wine—lightly alcoholic with a fragrant aroma of osmanthus.

Lu Zhishi had originally planned to just taste it and then return the cup to Chi Chen, but by the time he put it back, the cup was empty.

When Chi Chen glanced at Lu Zhishi, he didn’t notice anything unusual at first and finished the hairy crab Lu Zhishi had given him.

But when he looked at Lu Zhishi again, his cheeks were flushed, his eyes moist and noticeably dazed.

Chi Chen asked, "?"

Noticing Chi Chen looking over, Lu Zhishi lifted his head a beat slower and asked slowly, "Are you still going to drink the osmanthus wine?"

Glancing at the other adults, Chi Chen leaned in and whispered, "Why do you ask?"

Lu Zhishi giggled, also tilting his head to rest against Chi Chen’s, and said in a small voice, "If you are, can you share half with me? This year's osmanthus wine is really good…"

This year's osmanthus wine is really good?

Did that mean the osmanthus wine in previous years wasn’t good?

So, had Lu Zhishi been sneaking sips of osmanthus wine every year?

No wonder, back when they weren’t together, Chi Chen’s Mid-Autumn Festival greetings always arrived on Lu Zhishi’s phone when the moon was at its fullest and brightest, while Lu Zhishi’s "Happy Mid-Autumn" messages always came late at night.

Last Mid-Autumn Festival, Chi Chen had celebrated at the Chi family’s ancestral home but later came to the Song family’s home to admire the moon together.

That year, Lu Zhishi didn’t sneak any of his osmanthus wine—or maybe he did but found it unappealing and only took a small sip before putting it down.

In Chi Chen’s memory, Lu Zhishi was fully conscious and sober at that time.

Chi Chen also replied softly, "No more for you. You already stole a sip of my osmanthus wine, you boozy cheeseball."

Lu Zhishi pouted unhappily. "What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is yours—there’s no 'yours' or 'mine' between us. Drawing lines like that feels so distant."

He wasn’t upset about Chi Chen accusing him of drinking his wine—he was upset that Chi Chen was making a distinction between "yours" and "mine." How could a couple separate like that? They should be intertwined—yours is mine, mine is yours!

But was that the real issue, tipsy cheeseball? Did he even realize that with his low alcohol tolerance, drinking would give him a headache and make him uncomfortable, dear?

A look of helpless indulgence flashed in Chi Chen’s eyes. "You’re right."

The osmanthus wine might have tasted mild and delicious at first, seeming like it wouldn’t be easy to get drunk from, but in reality, this particular jar had a strong kick—especially for someone like Lu Zhishi, who gets drunk after one cup.

The young couple had been whispering closely together for quite a while, and the adults who had been chatting finally looked over.

"One-cup-wonder cheeseball, did you sneak a drink of your Brother Xiao Chen’s wine? Your face is so red." Song Qinian set down his wine cup and took a closer look at his child’s face—clearly drunk.

Lu Zhishi defended himself, "I’m not drunk, I’m very sober. I know exactly what you’re all talking about."

Song Qinian: "Then get up and walk a few steps."

Get up then, walk then—Lu Zhishi stood up and took one step to the side, but before he could take a second step, he wobbled.

Luckily, Chi Chen had been keeping an eye on him and quickly reached out an arm to steady him. Otherwise, the drunk cheeseball would have staggered sideways, tilting straight into the grass.

With the ground as his bed and the sky as his blanket, Lu Zhishi was practically ready for a deep sleep right there.

This alcohol tolerance was truly worrisome—just like worrying about Lu Zhiyu’s cooking skills. Song Qinian frowned with concern.

Two troublesome rascals.

"Uncle, I’ll take him back to rest." Chi Chen stood up and supported the unsteady but still somewhat coherent Lu Zhishi back to the house.

"But I don’t want to go back. I still want mushroom soup, and I want cola too…"

Chi Chen held him up and instructed the house manager to bring a bowl of mushroom soup to the second floor. Passing through the living room, he also stopped to get a small bottle of room-temperature cola from the snack cabinet.

"Chi Chen, you’re the best! I like you! I love you!"

Leaning against the headboard, Lu Zhishi held the cola bottle and chugged half of it in one go.

After finishing with a burp, Lu Zhishi looked at Chi Chen, who was kneeling on one knee in front of him. His eyes were clear and bright, his voice crisp and loud but softened by drunkenness: "Kiss me!"

Chi Chen, who was kneeling to take off his shoes, smiled slightly. His eyes lowered, ears slightly red, he said softly, "In a minute."

"Why?"

The alcohol was starting to hit, and Lu Zhishi’s head felt a bit dizzy. He quickly finished the remaining half bottle of cola.

"Because the house manager will bring the mushroom soup up soon." Chi Chen took the empty cola bottle to throw away, washed his hands, and then gathered Lu Zhishi’s pajamas. "Do you want to shower first or have the mushroom soup first?"

"Shower. I’m dizzy, so sleepy…" Lu Zhishi stood up unsteadily.

Chi Chen strode forward to support him. "Then let’s shower first."

Helping Lu Zhishi inside, he placed a small stool in the shower and put the pajamas nearby.

A drunk person shouldn't soak in the tub—it's accident-prone when alone. A shower is much safer and more reassuring.

"I'll be right outside the door. If anything happens, just call me. I've left the door cracked."

"Okay, got it..."

"Make sure to call me if you need anything," Chi Chen said, giving him an uneasy look.

Lu Zhishi sat on the small stool, clenched his fist, and declared, "I’ll definitely call you!"

"Mm."

Lingering nearby the bathroom, Chi Chen idly scrolled through his phone while keeping an ear tuned to the sounds inside, just in case anything happened.

The butler brought up the mushroom soup and placed it on the table in the living area of the room. The steaming soup was rich and fragrant.

With the aroma of the mushroom soup in the air and the scent of shower gel drifting from the bathroom—one being Lu Zhishi’s favorite creamy soup, the other the familiar fragrance often lingering on Lu Zhishi—Chi Chen couldn’t help but zone out.

Lost in thought, he suddenly heard a commotion from the bathroom—a crash, as if a bunch of things had fallen.

Lu Zhishi yelled in a panic, "Chi Chen, Chi Chen, come quick, help me—"