Chapter 37

Chapter 37

People always get busy when they're embarrassed. Lu Xingwen was busy, and Su Xingze was busy too.

Lu Xingwen was busy looking for files to work on, while Su Xingze was busy finding something to do.

The heartbeat he'd just felt under his hand wasn't fake. He stared into Lu Xingwen's eyes for a few seconds, and the other seemed to snap out of it and quickly looked away.

If he said it was real, wouldn't that mean Xiaolu liked him? If he said it was fake, then what about that heartbeat? Can someone's heart really race just from being close to another person?

"I—I still need to go look at cake shop locations. I'm hungry, I'll go order takeout." Su Xingze bolted out of there, closing the door behind him.

Could Xiaolu actually like him? Impossible! Xiaolu had never said anything. They'd always kept a proper distance—no crossing lines, not even a single kiss.

Well, there was that one time he kissed his forehead, but they'd never kissed lips to lips.

What the hell was he thinking about! Su Xingze slapped his own face and started ordering takeout.

Lu Xingwen couldn't focus on the documents at all. He'd only made that casual remark to test the waters, but in the end, he was the one left all twisted up.

Staying in his room just made his mind wander even more, so he opened the door and stepped out—just as Su Xingze came up with the takeout, about to ask him to eat together.

They ran into each other again. The moment their eyes met, they both instantly looked away.

Su Xingze stared at the wall and said, "Let's eat."

Lu Xingwen nodded. "Yeah, I'm hungry too."

This awkward back-and-forth lasted for days. Even when it was time to head back to the villa, Su Xingze still couldn't look at Lu Xingwen.

Lu Xingwen, on the other hand, seemed to struggle even more with the distance between them, trying his best to get things back to how they used to be.

But Su Xingze didn't see it that way at all. His relationship with Xiaolu had already changed, and there was no going back. He had to find a new way forward for them.

Back at the villa, Su Xingze sorted through his stuff and put it in an empty room. He then texted Fu Yao, inviting him to come hang out at the villa.

Fu Yao happily told his parents, and they agreed to let him stay at the villa for a couple of days. He arrived around noon.

Lu Xingwen hadn't been to the office in days, and a mountain of work was piling up for him, so Assistant Xu had picked him up early.

The villa was huge, so it was just Su Xingze and Aunt Zhang. He and Aunt Zhang didn't really have anything to talk about. He was bored out of his mind and really needed someone to talk to.

Fu Yao flopped down on the sofa and complained, "I've been so bored these last few days. I don't dare go out alone, and I don't dare go to class either. We're probably both gonna fail this semester—I heard we might get expelled."

Su Xingze brought over two plates of cut fruit. "Better than being brainwashed."

"True." Fu Yao kicked his feet. "Oh right, Ze-ge, I'm getting engaged this coming spring. You have to come."

"Engaged?" Su Xingze said, stunned.

Fu Yao nodded. "Yep, arranged marriage. It was set up before I was even born. I'm the only child in the Fu family, so it has to be me."

"That's such an old-school tradition. If you don't want to go through with it, you should fight it." Su Xingze took the invitation and opened it.

Huo Fuye. A top-tier Alpha.

The Huo family. Su Xingze had heard of them. When he was a teenager, they were already a big deal in Zecheng. Su Ping had tried to partner with them multiple times but always got rejected. Later, he even pissed off the Huo family and nearly got the Su Corporation destroyed.

Fu Yao sat up. "Actually, I do like him, you know." He pointed at the name. "But you know my situation. I'm afraid I'll disappoint him. Yet he insists on the engagement, saying we can work everything else out later."

Su Xingze said, "Then he must really like you, huh."

Fu Yao looked troubled. "Maybe. But he's never said it out loud."

"Does not saying it mean he doesn't like you, though?" Su Xingze pondered.

Fu Yao: "Not necessarily. You can usually tell if someone likes you or not. Sometimes people don't say it because they've got their reasons."

Su Xingze asked, "Say I have a friend—he and his brother have always been close. But one day, he feels like their relationship has changed. He thinks his brother might have feelings for him, and he can't just keep treating him like a brother anymore. So is it real feelings, or just brotherhood taken too far?"

Fu Yao chuckled and called him out, but in a nice way: "Don't pretend it's a friend. That's you, isn't it?"

Caught red-handed, Su Xingze admitted, "Yeah, it's me."

Fu Yao was so excited it was like his ship had finally come in. "Oh my god, you two finally got to this point! I thought you guys should've gotten together back in middle school!"

Su Xingze denied it. "Xiaolu and I have always just been good brothers."

Fu Yao: "Only you two think that. To everyone else, you're glued to each other everywhere, all lovey-dovey—basically already a couple."

Su Xingze went quiet. But he humbly asked, "So what should I do now?"

Fu Yao popped a strawberry in his mouth. "Do nothing. Just let it happen naturally."

Su Xingze was skeptical. "Just do nothing?"

Fu Yao rolled over and sat up. "Honestly, I don't know much about this stuff, but I think since you two are already at this point, doing nothing is actually the best move."

Su Xingze thought it over and figured it made sense. After all, he had no clue what to do—he had zero experience with this kind of thing.

The two chatted a bit more. When it got close to dinner time, Su Xingze changed and went to cook with Aunt Zhang.

Fu Yao snagged a few bites to taste, but before the meal was even done, he called his driver and took off.

Su Xingze tried to get him to stay. "Why not stay for dinner?"

"Can't," Fu Yao said, waving his phone. "Someone's invited me out for the afternoon. Besides, once your man gets back, he definitely won't want all three of us eating together."

Su Xingze said, "Aunt Zhang's cooking is really good though."

Fu Yao winked and grinned. "Next time! I'll definitely try it next time."

Once Fu Yao left, Su Xingze focused on cooking. He knew he wasn't good at it, so he only worked on one dish and left the rest to Aunt Zhang.

Aunt Zhang was organized, having already put everything in pots—all that was left was plating once it was cooked. She guided him step by step: "Today we're making a super simple seaweed and shrimp ball soup. You just need seaweed, eggs, and mashed shrimp. Fry the eggs and cut them into strips. Sauté some scallions in a little oil, add a bowl of water and bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and add the shrimp balls. Once they float to the top, add the eggs and seaweed, plus a little seasoning."

When it was done, Su Xingze tasted it and found it pretty good. Having a master chef as a teacher really made a difference—even he could make something this tasty.

At six o'clock, Lu Xingwen finally wrapped up his workday and could head home. Assistant Wang sat in the back with him, giving him a rundown on recent work.

Assistant Wang: "Ying Ying escaped and pinned all the blame on Yang Ye. We can't find him for now. Once Yang Ye is convicted, it'll probably be impossible to get him."

Lu Xingwen looked at the tablet. "Did we recover the money?"

"Yang Ye gave back his cut—thirty million." Assistant Wang handed over a card with the PIN written on it. "It's all in there."

Lu Xingwen took the card and looked it over. "Good work. I'll transfer three million to you as a bonus."

"Thanks, boss." Assistant Wang added, "Also, the people I sent out recently reported that Ying Ying's assistant has been in contact with the Su family."

"Okay, I'll drop you off at the intersection later. Keep digging into this—we've got to catch Ying Ying. There's something off about him, and I have to figure out what's going on."

If what Chen Chen said was true—that he loses his mind and becomes someone else the moment he sees him—then he had to get rid of that threat right away. He couldn't let that person take over Chen Chen's body again.

Lu Xingwen mused, "By the way, I'm going on a trip at the end of October. You'll have free rein then—I'll have your back on everything."

After wrapping up the work report, Assistant Wang relaxed and asked, "Going on the trip with the missus?"

Lu Xingwen: "Mm."

"Have fun." The car stopped, and he got out, lighting a cigarette.

Lately, he'd had to steer clear of so many people and things, which made it hard to operate freely. Sometimes it felt suffocating. Once the boss left on his trip, he could finally cut loose.

Assistant Wang made a few turns and returned to his own courtyard. Over thirty furry kids immediately swarmed him, all begging for pets.

There was also a kid he'd taken in at home, who'd already made dinner and was waiting for him.

Wang Xin took off his coat and ruffled the kid's hair, and surrounded by the dogs, he boasted, "Dad just made some cash—in a few months, I'll get you all a bigger place."

"Dad, you're amazing." The kid threw himself into his arms, showering him with compliments. Wang Xin felt that no matter how tough it got, it was all worth it.

When Lu Xingwen came home, Su Xingze was waiting for him at the door, still in a dark blue apron.

He got out of the car, patted the Omega's head, then got grabbed by the arm and pulled inside.

Su Xingze was excited: "Xiaolu, I cooked today! Hurry up, change, and wash up so we can eat. With Aunt Zhang's help, I think I actually made something good."

"Didn't you notice?" Lu Xingwen asked.

Su Xingze paused: "Notice what?"

Lu Xingwen reminded him: "The rooftop. The surprise I gave you."

Su Xingze froze—he hadn't been up to the rooftop at all today, let alone gone to check it out.

Lu Xingwen smiled, slipped off his apron, and led him up to the rooftop.

The old rooftop used to be tiled, with a small pavilion in the middle and flower beds around it, but since no one had come up in years, it was covered in a thick layer of dust.

Now, after the renovation, there was a glass sunroom in the middle, plus a big enclosed area filled with special planting soil.

"Not sure what to plant, so I'll leave that up to you."

Lu Xingwen hit the switch on the glass room, and the glass panels slid back. Inside, it was like a tiny living room—a couch, a TV, a little vintage table, a carpeted floor, and a bookshelf packed with books.

"You can come here to sleep and study from now on. The sunlight's great."

"Xiaolu." Su Xingze's eyes got misty. When he was fifteen, he'd said he wanted a sunroom where he could bask in the sun and study, but back then it was just a hope for the future—he couldn't even afford a house, let alone an expensive sunroom like this.

Through tear-blurred eyes, he stepped in and tripped, falling flat on his face. Lu Xingwen reacted fast, grabbing him and yanking him back, but with both their weight, they still went down.

Afraid Su Xingwen would hit his head again, Lu Xingwen switched positions mid-fall, landing underneath as a cushion.

Su Xingwen was falling face-down, and somehow, he remembered those TV dramas where a fall always ends in a kiss.

At this angle, they definitely wouldn't kiss—but if he moved forward just a bit, and then left just a little...

It was dusk, and the glass was bathed in golden light, looking warm and cozy.

Su Xingwen closed his eyes and pressed down, their lips landing perfectly together.

For a second, they both stopped breathing, then came the pounding of strong heartbeats.

Not just his—but Lu Xingwen's too.

==========Author's Note:==========

First kiss.