Chapter 153: The Older, the More Childish

Chapter 153: Growing Older, Growing More Childish

Maybe because he used to care too much about what others thought, constantly ignoring and bottling up his own feelings, now Xu Moxing only makes decisions based on his own feelings if he thinks it won't mess with his work or life.

Xu Moxing doesn't need Su Lichen to come out to his family, nor does he need him to take him home to meet his parents.

He doesn't want that kind of "public acknowledgment."

Xu Moxing didn't directly answer Su Lichen's question.

"If I said I didn't want to go, that I didn't want to be judged or sized up, would you be mad?"

Su Lichen thought for a moment, then first shook his head, then nodded.

"What's with the shaking and nodding?"

"The nod means I get why you don't want to go; the shake means I gotta think about my parents' feelings too."

Su Lichen's point was that if he came out and his parents were cool with it, it's only natural they'd want to meet the guy their son had been with all these years.

Xu Moxing also had to consider Su Lichen's feelings, and he got lost in thought.

Seeing him so conflicted, Su Lichen didn't push him; instead, he took his hand and led him along.

"Can we decide later? No rush, I haven't even told my parents yet. Don't worry too much; my parents are actually decent people. I'll also talk to them beforehand and prepare them."

Xu Moxing set the issue aside for the moment, and they found a place to grab a bite.

This small disagreement didn't drive a wedge between them; instead, it helped them understand each other's needs and find a middle ground.

Xu Moxing remembered the hotel had a gym and asked, "The hotel has a gym. Want to go hit it later?"

"Yeah, let's do a light workout. I've been eating too much lately."

This year, because they're getting older, Su Lichen started dragging Xu Moxing to the gym—not just running like before, but doing strength training.

Xu Moxing was reluctant at first, but eventually he got into it.

The short vacation ended, and they went back to work.

Xu Moxing had been renting a single room for over three years, and the landlord wanted to raise the rent. So on top of work, he had to find a new place and move.

Su Lichen saw this as the perfect chance and kept bugging Xu Moxing.

"Just move in with me, don't rent another place, alright?"

"After two years of dating, you still don't want to live together? We get along great, don't we?"

"How about: you have to move anyway, so just move in with me first. If you don't like it as much, I'll help you find a new place. Deal?"

In the end, Xu Moxing moved in with Su Lichen. If it didn't work out, he could always move out again—it wouldn't be any different from his current situation.

When they turned thirty-five, Su Lichen came out to his family.

Dong Yuzhen and Su Yu were worldly and open-minded, so they didn't make a big deal out of it and quickly accepted it.

"So you've been together for over ten years? And it's always been him?"

"Yeah."

"Can you bring him over for a meal?"

"For the first meeting, maybe we shouldn't do it at home? If he's okay with it, I'll reserve a restaurant, and we can all have dinner together."

Su Lichen felt that inviting Xu Moxing to his home would make him feel like he was on someone else's turf.

It was their first meeting anyway—his parents, their child, and the child's partner. The partner would already be at a disadvantage, power-wise, and Su Lichen didn't want him to feel the slightest bit uncomfortable.

Dong Yuzhen nodded, agreeing.

Su Lichen and Xu Moxing picked the restaurant together; they'd been there a few times before.

During that first meeting, Xu Moxing didn't feel ignored, pressured, or put on the spot at all.

The four of them sat together. They didn't talk about their relationship, didn't pry into Xu Moxing's past or family, and didn't bring up any of Su Lichen's old stories to side with him. They just had a meal.

They talked about the food and their hobbies.

"I love a good spicy chili sauce—the kind that's fragrant and spicy. Can Mo Xing handle spicy?"

Dong Yuzhen, happy with the chili sauce, took the initiative to chat with Xu Moxing about her food preferences.

She loved spicy food, and also noodles and garlic.

Su Yu liked food that's heavy on oil and spice, but his body couldn't handle it often.

"I'm okay with it; I can handle a little. Some dishes just need that spicy kick to taste good."

"Exactly. When I was on a business trip to Cheng City, the dishes without chili were just bland."

Xu Moxing and Su Lichen had been to Cheng City too, so they kept talking about it.

All in all, it was a pretty nice dinner.

After that meeting, Su Lichen's parents didn't bring anything else up—just told them to have a good life together.

They lived their lives peacefully and happily, occasionally throwing a little tantrum or getting a little moody.

One Friday, they had plans to eat at a certain restaurant and then do some shopping, but Xu Moxing got so caught up in work that he forgot.

Su Lichen called him several times, but Xu Moxing was in a meeting and didn't hear his phone.

When he finished the meeting and checked his phone, Su Lichen had already been waiting downstairs for over an hour.

By the time Xu Moxing ran downstairs, Su Lichen was already angry.

"Sorry, sorry, I forgot about today's dinner. I was in a meeting."

Normally, Su Lichen would just be a little annoyed, but not angry enough to blow up.

But he had also been super busy that day, skipping lunch because of work, and had been looking forward to leaving on time to go on a date with Xu Moxing. He never thought Xu Moxing would completely forget.

All those emotions piled up, and he got pissed.

They didn't go out to eat that day. Su Lichen drove straight home.

Xu Moxing was exhausted from work too, and having to calm someone down took a lot of emotional energy. The car ride was silent, and they went home and closed the door behind them.

"What do you want to eat tonight? How about we order takeout?"

Xu Moxing had initially thought about picking up some food on the way back, but he didn't want to ask Su Lichen to stop the car, afraid Su Lichen would ignore him.

Now, after resting a bit, he finally had the energy and emotional strength to bring it up.

Su Lichen glanced at him. "You still have the mood to eat? I'm too angry to eat."

"I didn't mean to forget. Can we eat first and then you can be mad?"

"You're starting to take our promises for granted now! You don't care about me at all!"

Xu Moxing leaned in to kiss him.

"I'm sorry, I really didn't mean it. I was just swamped today."

Su Lichen turned his face away, refusing the kiss.

Xu Moxing simply got up and walked away.

Su Lichen thought he was angry too, and couldn't help but turn his head to watch Xu Moxing.

Su Lichen watched as Xu Moxing went straight to the bathroom, washed his hands, and came back.

Su Lichen looked away, continuing to sulk.

Xu Moxing walked over to him, cupped his face, and said, "I'm sorry, I apologize. Can I have a kiss?"

Su Lichen didn't say anything, just stared at his lips, and Xu Moxing leaned in and kissed him.

Only then did Su Lichen's anger subside a little. The two sat cozily together, ordering takeout and waiting for it to arrive.

"Are you free tomorrow? How about we go eat tomorrow?"

Seeing that Su Lichen wasn't as angry anymore, Xu Moxing suggested a way to make up.

"Fine."

Xu Moxing used to be very afraid of conflict; every fight felt like it drained the relationship.

But he didn't feel that way anymore.

Mainly because after each quarrel, they would both make changes, unlike arguments where nothing ever changes even after a million times.

Getting angry is a normal emotion, nothing to be ashamed of.

Xu Moxing used to think Su Lichen was very mature, calm, and emotionally stable.

Now that they're older, Su Lichen becomes even more unflappable at work and when handling things, but around him, he isn't as steady as he used to be.

Still, Su Lichen acting a bit spoiled occasionally is quite cute, and Xu Moxing is happy to humor him.

Sometimes Xu Moxing gets moody too, needing Su Lichen to coax him in return.

Xu Moxing and Su Lichen living together didn't cause any major problems, so they just kept living together.

Shen Qin watched as both her children were well into their thirties and still single, but she never pressured them to marry.

Every year, she and Luo Shuling went on trips, and they saw many people in their forties and fifties who were still single, and also heard about people driven to suicide by marriage pressure. She no longer worried about her children's marital status.

Everyone has their own choices and destiny. Worrying doesn't help; it only worsens the relationship between parent and child.

They're already exhausted from work; as a mother, she shouldn't make things harder for them.

Xu Moxing never came out of the closet, and until Shen Qin passed away at the age of eighty-eight, she never knew her son was gay.

She just assumed that both children chose not to marry because of their parents' marriage and the unhappy marriages of most people around them.

Before she died, Shen Qin only told them to live well and to look after each other if they got sick, without adding anything else.

The year Shen Qin died, Xu Moxing was sixty.

Eighty-eight is considered a ripe old age, and Shen Qin passed away without much suffering.

From getting married and having children in her twenties to her fifties, she lived a hard life, but fortunately, she woke up in her fifties, got a divorce, and lived the rest of her days comfortably.

It could be considered a "happy funeral."

After Shen Qin's funeral, Su Lichen and Xu Moxing walked hand in hand, fingers interlaced. Su Lichen squeezed Xu Moxing's hand as they left the cemetery.

Thanks to their years of working out, they looked much younger than other sixty-year-olds.

"I recently read something online: one benefit of sticking to exercise is that when you die, you go pop—just like that, without much pain."

"Haha, is that your reason for keeping up with exercise all these years?"

"Not really. Mostly it's about keeping fit and keeping my weight in check so I can eat more good food."

"I plan to hire someone to run the company in a few years, and then I'll retire and enjoy life with you."

"That sounds good. Hopefully, we can both go with a snap, free of illness and pain, when the time comes."

Su Lichen squeezed his hand again. "Don't think about such far-off things. Let's just make the most of these years first."

Xu Moxing smiled and nodded.

Time changes many people and many things. Some die, some are born.

Some become hugely successful, some fail in their startups.

Some people's personalities change drastically, some buy houses and cars...

There are things time cannot change. For example, Xu Moxing and Su Lichen still love each other, still choose to spend the rest of their lives together.

But Xu Moxing still puts himself first. No matter how much he loves Su Lichen, he holds something back. Su Lichen is his second choice; Xu Moxing's first choice will always be himself.

Love yourself first, take good care of yourself, and then everything else is just icing on the cake.

The two held hands as they walked, leaving the cemetery far behind. A gust of wind swept over Shen Qin's gravestone, rustling the wind chimes on a nearby tombstone, producing a sound that was strangely pleasant...