Chapter 91: Chapter 91 “Which Country Should We Take Wedding Photos In?…

Chapter 91

"Which country should we go to for our wedding photos…?"

Why do awkward things always happen in life? Lu Zhishi wished he could just faint.

Not only had he clawed and grabbed at the person, but he also discussed it with the person in question and expressed regret.

Lu Zhishi wished he could relocate to another planet.

Chi Chen spoke up, "If you like white chocolate, we can go to the supermarket and buy some after breakfast. But I’m afraid it might be hard to find one as tall as a person."

Lu Zhishi turned over, facing away from Chi Chen, and buried himself completely under the covers, vigorously shaking his head. "No, no, I don’t want any. We still have chocolate at home."

Chi Chen chuckled softly. "Alright, then. Did you see how many pieces of white chocolate there were last night? If not, you can count them now."

Lu Zhishi: "..."

Lu Zhishi wasn’t just blushing on his face—his entire body turned red. He slowly squirmed further down under the covers, refusing to come out.

Chi Chen leaned over, wrapping his arms around both the blanket and Lu Zhishi, then lifted a corner for air.

"Hmm? Why so quiet? How many pieces of white chocolate were there?"

Trapped in his embrace, Lu Zhishi shut his eyes tightly, his face flushed bright red as he whispered, "Eight pieces..."

A low, magnetic laugh sounded close to his ear. "You paid very close attention, Lu. Teacher Chi says you should get more practice..."

After the "practice," Lu was entirely flushed, scrambling up in a fluster to splash cold water on his face in the bathroom.

Teacher Chi followed him in, squeezing in next to his Lu to brush their teeth together. Their eyes met silently in the mirror.

Lu Zhishi couldn’t help but smile, eyes curving as he edged closer to lean against Chi Chen’s arm.

In the large mirror, a pair of slightly rounded peach-blossom eyes smiled happily, while another pair of narrow, deep-set eyes gazed back with tender affection. Even something as simple and ordinary as brushing their teeth seemed like a couple's date for them.

Since they didn’t have to work today, Lu Zhishi stayed home with Chi Chen, making breakfast together. After eating, they drank a cup of warm milk, and Lu Zhishi started working on his thesis.

His Teacher Chi sat beside him, working on company documents—putting in some weekend work when he had time.

Tap-tapping away at the keyboard, Lu Zhishi focused on his thesis without looking up. "Teacher Chi, I think we’ve forgotten something. We haven’t looked at the wedding venue decorations yet."

"No rush. Finish your thesis first; we can check after lunch."

Choosing wedding decorations was a small matter—Lu Zhishi’s thesis was the main priority. The sooner he finished, the sooner he could relax. Chi Chen didn’t like seeing him stressed about his paper.

"So, what should we have for lunch?"

"What would Lu like to eat?"

Lu Zhishi asked, "How’s the weather outside?"

Chi Chen: "?"

Chi Chen glanced outside the floor-to-ceiling window—bright sunshine bathing the earth, scorching hot. "Want some tomato and eggs?"

Lu Zhishi: "I want hot and sour noodles, with a heart-shaped fried egg, and an ice-cold Coke."

Chi Chen fell silent for a moment, slowly turning to look at Lu Zhishi typing away. After a pause, he said, "Don’t you worry about a stomachache?"

Lu Zhishi: "No!"

Chi Chen didn’t respond.

"When it comes to good food, a stomachache is nothing." Lu Zhishi said seriously. "Then let’s go with mildly hot and sour noodles, a heart-shaped fried egg, and a Coke at room temperature."

—Lu Zhishi, ever adaptable.

Chi Chen let out a short, low laugh, taking out his phone to have ingredients delivered for the noodles, along with extra meat and vegetables.

"Teacher Chi will personally cook for you—mildly hot and sour noodles, with a heart-shaped fried egg and room-temperature Coke."

Lu Zhishi giggled, feeling that calling each other "Teacher Chi" and "Lu" gave off a taboo romance feel.

"Teacher Chi."

"Hmm?"

"Teacher Chi."

Chi Chen guessed what he was thinking and simply smiled, answering softly, "Hmm, I’m here."

"Teacher Chi..." Lu Zhishi hesitated, holding back his words and scratching his cheek without speaking.

"What’s wrong?"

Sensing his hesitation, Chi Chen put down his phone and looked at him.

Lu Zhishi shook his head. "It’s nothing."

Chi Chen didn’t push him. "Then, Lu, whenever you’re ready to talk, just let me know."

Lu Zhishi turned to look at Chi Chen.

Those deep, gentle eyes held only Lu Zhishi, as if gazing upon a priceless treasure—the most precious one of all.

Lu Zhishi’s heart fluttered. Looking at Chi Chen, he said very seriously, "I’ll definitely tell you."

Chi Chen slowly curved his lips into a soft smile, leaned down, and kissed his lips.

"I’ll wait for you. I love you, Lu Zhishi."

...

After their afternoon nap, Lu Zhishi snuggled in Chi Chen’s arms as they looked over wedding arrangements together.

The attire and gifts were already prepared. With only six months left, it was a bit rushed, but most of the wedding preparations were done—only small details remained.

"For the bouquet, let’s use black tea roses. The fireworks should be red and eco-friendly, and the petals can be pink roses..."

The wedding would be in Western style. Lu Zhishi finalized the details, carefully choosing decorations he liked. "For the ceremonial flowers, I want green lisianthus. I like these—using only black tea roses would be too monotonous."

As he spoke, Chi Chen took notes, also adding details for their new home.

"Add two tasseled table lamps, one on each side of the bed. The wedding photo should hang on the wall right above the bed..."

At this, Lu Zhishi looked up at Chi Chen and asked, "When are we going to take our wedding photos?"

Seeing him look up like that, Chi Chen’s Adam’s apple moved unconsciously. They were too close—he couldn’t help but lower his head and kiss the corner of his lips. Lu Zhishi unconsciously grabbed the hem of his shirt, tilting his face up slightly, eyes half-closed.

That's just how the kissing fiend is — even a kiss takes a full ten minutes to feel satisfied. After kissing, the clingy little couple pulled slightly apart, both breathing a bit unsteadily.

"We'll go in August or September. The weather won't be as hot then, and the rose fields will be in full bloom."

Lu Zhishi nodded, leaning against him, feeling a bit tired. "Mmm..."

There were still many improvements to make for the wedding arrangements. Lu Zhishi had dinner there but had to go home to sleep.

He wasn't married yet, so he couldn't stay over often. Once or twice was fine, but not too many times — otherwise, Song Qinian or Lu Zhiyu would personally come to fetch him home to sleep.

"See you tomorrow~"

Lu Zhishi gathered his laptop and gifts, turned to say goodbye to Chi Chen, and headed toward the Lu residence.

He left without hesitation. Chi Chen seemed to hesitate, holding back words, following him to the front gate to watch him head home.

After Lu Zhishi left, Chi Chen silently returned inside and sat on the sofa where Lu Zhishi sat.

The villa felt vast and empty — without laughter or joy.

Humming cheerfully, Lu Zhishi made his way home, giving each of his Dad, Papa, and annoying brother a hug and a nuzzle before bounding upstairs to put his things away.

Song Qinian: "?"

He asked Lu Tingan, "Is he usually this happy?"

Lu Tingan replied calmly, "Probably because he’s happy around Xiao Chen."

Song Qinian felt a twinge of sadness — his little boy was all grown up. Fat Cheese didn’t cling to him anymore; now he clung to his dear boyfriend and fiancé instead.

Lu Zhiyu was also feeling jealous. His dear little brother only had eyes for Chi Chen and didn’t even cling to his older brother anymore.

But then again, Zhao Qiyun probably felt the same way, so his jealousy eased.

After packing up a bunch of things to go on a date with his precious fiancé, Lu Zhiyu told his two parents he’d be back late and happily hurried off.

Song Qinian: "..."

His precious Fatty Fish was gone too, and he’d even taken half of Song Qinian’s prized collectibles. Song Qinian closed his eyes briefly.

Ah, well. He’d just earn more money to buy more collectibles. Both sons were a handful.

Song Qinian asked Lu Tingan, "Why don’t they raid their own collections?"

Lu Tingan thought for a moment. "Maybe because your collectibles are more impressive. When giving gifts to someone you love, you naturally want to give the best."

Song Qinian felt both heartache and relief — heartache for his collectibles, but relief that his two sons had finally gotten the hint.

After unpacking his gifts he’d brought back, Lu Zhishi took a careful look. Everything Chi Chen had given him was expensive.

He ran to the staircase and called out to the living room, "Big dad, I want to take a piece of jade from your collection to make a phone charm and a men’s bracelet for Chi Chen."

Song Qinian: "..."

Song Qinian’s heart shattered. That jade came from an auction, and now his youngest son wanted to carve it for a phone charm and bracelet...

Rubbing his temples, he waved his hand helplessly. "Go ahead, take it. If you like any, take a few more pieces. Give a couple to Xiao Chen too."

Then, remembering something, Song Qinian opened his eyes and added, "Actually, take a few more. Carve two pairs of phone charms and men’s bracelets — one for you and one for Xiao Chen."

What a surprise! Lu Zhishi’s eyes lit up, and he blew a kiss from the stairs. "Love you, dad!"

Song Qinian: "...You’re welcome."

"Love you too, little dad! Mwah mwah!"

Lu Tingan chuckled softly. "I love you too, Fat Cheese."

After picking out four nice pieces of jade, Lu Zhishi took them back to his room, planning to have them carved tomorrow.

Evening meant more work — Lu Zhishi still hadn’t finished his thesis. After his shower, he came out with a gloomy face.

He’d originally planned to call Zhao Xiaoxing to work on their theses together, but suddenly he and Lu Zhiyu had gone on a date.

A lonely night, a lonely Lu Zhishi, and a damn thesis.

Chi Chen sent a video call request.

Now it was a happy night, a happy Lu Zhishi, and a damn thesis.

...

This year’s summer vacation was quite exhausting. Lu Zhishi was basically either working or rushing to finish his thesis — or traveling to inspect other branch offices.

Chi Chen was also very busy. He was swamped with company matters, and he had to personally oversee wedding plans.

The young couple had been in a long-distance relationship before, and now, even though they didn’t have to go to school anymore, they were still in a long-distance relationship.

They spent so little time together that Lu Zhishi missed Chi Chen every night, even dreaming about kissing him.

Lu Zhiyu was even busier. Not only did he have to handle work for the Lu Group, but he also had to help with the Song Group. To make things easier for his dear younger brother, Lu Zhiyu was basically working overtime and staying up late every day.

On top of that, he was also preparing for his wedding with Zhao Xiaoxing, juggling everything and constantly running around.

Zhao Xiaoxing was in the same boat. Now acting as Assistant Manager Zhao at the Zhao Group, he was overwhelmed daily. Forget dates — even having lunch with Lu Zhiyu was difficult.

Both engaged couples were busy; only one newlywed couple had it easy, eating, drinking, and traveling every day.

Oh, forgot to mention — Zhao Qiyun and Zhou Nianjing were on their honeymoon. Work at the Zhao Group was either handed over to Zhao Mingzhu or to Zhao Xiaoxing.

It made Lu Zhishi and Zhao Xiaoxing want to go on a honeymoon too.

August was too hot, with high temperatures all over the world, so Lu Zhishi didn’t go abroad to take wedding photos.

At the beginning of September, when school started, he and Zhao Xiaoxing returned to campus to participate in their thesis proposal defenses.

There were both strengths and weaknesses. Lu Zhishi and Zhao Xiaoxing, the hapless brothers, were both praised and criticized.

They dragged themselves back to their place near campus to revise their theses. Lu Zhishi sprawled on the sofa motionless, while Zhao Xiaoxing collapsed onto another long sofa.

"Dammit, my thesis is so perfect — and it’s still not enough?"

"Dammit, my thesis is so impressive — how could it get torn apart like this?"

The spacious apartment was quiet, except for the two of them sniffling and whining. If it were nighttime, someone might’ve thought to scatter ritual rice for ghosts.

Crying was useless though; they still had to get up and revise their theses, sighing after every paragraph.

Lu Zhishi gave up on himself, typing furiously on his laptop and wailing in frustration, "I’m not writing anymore!"

Zhao Xiaoxing sent a question mark.

He watched Lu Zhishi typing rapidly on the keyboard, writing his thesis faster than him—and he calls this not writing?

Lu Zhishi was truly on the verge of a breakdown. The literature was giving him a headache and making his eyes blur, and to make matters worse, Chi Chen wasn’t around—he had nowhere to recharge. Shut down, shut down, shut down—

If it weren’t for the meeting at school tomorrow, Lu Zhishi and Zhao Xiaoxing would have gone home long ago to eat and recover. Having gotten used to living at home, they now found it hard to sleep in an unfamiliar bed.

Lu Zhishi made a video call to Chi Chen, whining and complaining that he needed to recharge.

Chi Chen comforted him gently, "I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon, and I’ll let you recharge as much as you want, okay? For now, let’s do a long-distance recharge."

"Then I want ten kisses."

"How about a hundred?"

Lu Zhishi suddenly burst out laughing, falling onto the bed in delight. "A hundred kisses? Wouldn’t my lips swell up?"

Chi Chen laughed too. "Swelling from a distance?"

Lu Zhishi laughed even louder.

After laughing, he started speaking boldly, without blushing or skipping a beat. "When you come back tomorrow, I’ll give you a hundred kisses. How does that sound?"

Chi Chen raised an eyebrow. Was this little Cheese flirting with him? How bold.

"Then don’t try to dodge tomorrow. Have some ointment ready for the swelling. How does that sound?"

Lu Zhishi covered his cheeks, moving out of the screen, his ears turning bright red.

Chi Chen’s voice was full of laughter. "What’s wrong? All talk, dear fiancé?"

"Of course it’s real." Lu Zhishi rubbed his cheeks and returned to the screen, answering Chi Chen.

Adorably, his cheeks and ears were flushed red, but his tone was completely serious.

Chi Chen’s eyes smiled as he kissed his lover’s forehead through the screen. "I really wish I could reach through the screen to be with you."

Hearing this, Lu Zhishi also felt down, mumbling, "Me too..."

Counting on his fingers.

A day apart felt like three years. Lu Zhishi missed Chi Chen deeply. "We’ve been apart for three days already."

Look at this pitiful Fat Cheese—you’d think they’d been separated for three years.

But Chi Chen adored this side of him, feeling heartache as he sent a long-distance kiss and comforted him softly. "I’ll be back tomorrow. I promise you’ll see me right after dinner, okay?"

Lu Zhishi rubbed his eyes. "Okay~"

Chi Chen coaxed him, "Guess what gift I’m bringing back this time."

Lu Zhishi thought seriously. "Can you give me a hint?"

Chi Chen chuckled. "Guess on your own, Baby Cheese. There’s a surprise if you get it right."

This stoked Lu Zhishi's anticipation, successfully diverting his deep longing. He was still awake past his bedtime, too excited to sleep.

"It’s nine o’clock, time for bed." Chi Chen reminded him. "If you can’t sleep, I’ll stay with you, okay?"

Lu Zhishi acted coy, having waited for those words, but he was also worried about disturbing Chi Chen.

"Are you busy?"

Chi Chen said, "Not busy."

In reality, he was busy. With the time difference, it was daytime abroad, and Chi Chen still had a lot to handle. But Lu Zhishi was the most important.

He was his most precious treasure, his supreme little sun—nothing else mattered more than him.

"If you’re not busy, stay with me. I can’t sleep in this unfamiliar bed..."

"Okay, sleep. I’ll be here."

Lu Zhishi yawned, hugging the giant plush rabbit Chi Chen had made for him, slowly blinking. "See you tomorrow."

Chi Chen’s voice was gentle. "See you tomorrow. Goodnight, Baby Cheese."

"Night night, Baby Chi Chen..."

As he drifted off to sleep, Lu Zhishi was still thinking about picking up his Baby Chi Chen from the airport early tomorrow.

...

With something on his mind, Lu Zhishi worked efficiently. After the meeting, he revised his thesis, submitted it, and once it was approved, headed home.

Zhao Xiaoxing didn’t go home with him. Instead, he bought a bouquet of baby's breath and went to Lu Corporation to find Lu Zhiyu. After a few days apart, the couple missed each other a lot.

During work hours, no one was home. Lu Zhishi put away his things, took a shower, changed into clean pajamas, and crashed on his own bed.

It was naptime according to Cheese’s biological clock.

Sometimes it was impressive how precise his biological clock was—more accurate than an alarm. He slept and woke on schedule, and his sleep quality was excellent.

Truly enviable.

Exhausted from working on his thesis the past few days, Lu Zhishi’s nap was deeper and longer than usual.

When he woke up, it was already dark outside. Lu Zhishi was dazed, his mind still lingering in his dreams as he slowly returned to reality. But he felt like he’d forgotten something.

He’d forgotten to make dinner, hadn’t loosened the soil, watered, weeded, or dealt with pests in the little vegetable garden. Chi Chen had said he’d see him after dinner...

Had he already landed?

Lu Zhishi was late. He had originally planned to pick up Chi Chen early and bring him home, but now Chi Chen was probably already on his way.

He rubbed his temples in frustration, pinched the bridge of his nose, then grabbed his messy bedhead.

Lu Zhiyu knocked twice on the door but there was no answer. He gently opened the door and went in, faintly making out a figure sitting on the bed. Startled at first, he relaxed when he realized it was his brother.

Turning on the small lamp, Lu Zhiyu walked over, saw his disheveled hair, and gently smoothed it down before checking his temperature.

"What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Tell me."

Lu Zhishi sighed. "I’m fine. I just overslept and didn’t get a lot of things done."

He shared his tangled thoughts with Lu Zhiyu, then hugged his head again, wallowing in regret.

Lu Zhiyu couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation. "Such a child, getting all upset over this. I thought something was really wrong."

And he was actually worried for a moment. Stinky Cheese, what a little kid.

"Big Dad and Little Dad made dinner. Xiao Xing and I tidied up your little garden for you. Xiao Chen got home just a bit earlier."

Lu Zhiyu covered Lu Zhishi's eyes and turned on the main room light, only letting go once he had adjusted to the brightness. "Xiao Chen brought a bunch of overseas specialties. He went back to take a shower and might come over soon."

Hearing this, Lu Zhishi felt even more devastated. He closed his eyes and flopped straight back onto the big bed.

Lu Zhiyu: "..."

Lu Zhiyu pulled him up, guided him to the bathroom to wash his face, and then led him downstairs for dinner.

On the stairs, they bumped into Zhao Xiaoxing, who had come to fetch them for dinner. Seeing Lu Zhishi looking so dejected, he asked puzzled, "Six Cheese, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

Lu Zhishi mumbled gloomily, "I'm fine..."

"Then why do you look so unhappy?"

Lu Zhishi squirmed, too embarrassed to say.

Lu Zhiyu tugged his collar. "You know it's embarrassing? Say it yourself—I'm not helping you."

Lu Zhishi grumbled and groaned, then, as if giving up entirely, wailed despairingly: "I miss Chi Chen, I miss Chi Chen, I miss Chi Chen! I really, really miss Chi Chen—"

Lu Zhiyu: "..."

Zhao Xiaoxing was even more puzzled: "Brother Xiao Chen is right in the living room."

Lu Zhiyu: "?"

Lu Zhishi: "??"

Lu Zhishi hurried down a few more steps on the staircase, leaned over to look, and met Chi Chen's eyes—who was sitting on the living room sofa and had turned to glance over.

Lu Zhishi: "..."

This was truly utterly embarrassing. He really wanted to move to another planet—how could he ever show his face again?

And it wasn’t over yet. His earlier outburst had even attracted Song Qinian, who was in the kitchen simmering bone soup.

Holding a large ladle, Song Qinian raised an eyebrow and said with a smirk, "Stinky Cheese, what are you trying to do? Do you also want to feel the feather duster?"

Lu Zhishi quickly shook his head, rushed down the stairs two steps at a time, and squeezed next to Chi Chen on the sofa in the living room.

Song Qinian snorted, took his ladle, and returned to the kitchen, saying something to Lu Tingan.

Lu Zhiyu and Zhao Xiaoxing went upstairs and didn’t come back down, so now only Lu Zhishi and Chi Chen were in the living room.

It had been several days since they’d seen each other, and Lu Zhishi missed him terribly, but what just happened was too awkward. He couldn’t bring himself to speak right away, just held a cup of warm water and drank slowly, head down.

A long arm wrapped around his waist, warmth pressed close as Chi Chen gently kissed his hair.

"It’s been days since we’ve seen each other. Won’t you look at me, boyfriend?"

With just those simple words, Lu Zhishi’s eyes welled up for no reason, and he tilted his head to lean into Chi Chen’s embrace.

"I wanted to pick you up, but I overslept, Chi Chen, Chi Chen..."

The kid was upset. Chi Chen held him, kissed his forehead, and comforted him gently: "The airport is far, and it’s hot outside. It’s better for you to wait for me at home."

Lu Zhishi turned and buried his face against Chi Chen’s chest, nuzzling without a word, one arm slipping around Chi Chen’s back from his side.

Setting the water cup aside, Chi Chen also held him, rubbing the back of his head and comforting him softly: "I’m back for good this time. I’ll spend more time with you, okay? No need to cry."

"I’m not crying..." Lu Zhishi lifted his head, his voice muffled. He was in denial—his tears had already soaked Chi Chen’s shirt, and now only the corners of his eyes were slightly red. "You’re really not leaving again?"

Chi Chen raised his hand, thumb gently brushing over Lu Zhishi’s reddened eye corners, then lowered his head until their noses touched. "Mm. The next time I go abroad will be at the end of the month when we go to take our wedding photos."

Tear-streaked, Lu Zhishi’s peach-blossom eyes were clear and bright as he looked up at Chi Chen:

"Which country are we taking the wedding photos in?"