Chapter 79

Boom—

The world came to a crashing halt. The dust that was kicked up seemed to be in a slow-motion movie shot, scattering and falling through the air, so slowly it seemed to hang suspended, even the air itself was frozen.

Only the violent and apprehensive pounding of his heart brought Ji Wei back to his senses.

He came to, meeting Lu Shenxing’s dark, heavy gaze—

That gaze seemed to carry warmth. The places it touched couldn’t help but burn and tremble. He had to use all his strength to keep himself from looking down and away. He thought he finally understood what the fans meant by that look in his eyes.

It must be just like this.

They were only a short distance apart.

He let his hand holding the phone fall naturally, stood on his tiptoes, and with a red face, gave his Lu Shenxing a kiss.

It was just a peck, and he quickly moved away.

But the next moment, his thin waist was grabbed by Lu Shenxing. The man’s other hand naturally took the phone he was streaming with, pressed the power off button, and tossed it onto the sofa.

He heard the man’s deep voice from above his head, “One kiss isn’t enough.”

Ji Wei wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but Lu Shenxing’s voice sounded far less calm than usual.

But another kiss…

The thought appeared in his mind, and his face turned beet red. If there were a spark in the air, he would probably burst into flames.

He took a slow, deep breath, not daring to look the man in the eye, and mustered up his courage to say, “Then… then… one more kiss.”

“Just one,” Ji Wei added in a small voice.

The man gave a soft “mm.”

Ji Wei stood on his tiptoes and gave him another kiss, but this time, as he was about to pull away, the man pressed him into his embrace…

And in the disconnected live stream, the bullet comments flooded the screen.

[Why did it disconnect?! I just came online to see Film Emperor Lu!]

[Ahhhhhh! Ji Wei’s Lu Shenxing just now! Film Emperor Lu is so smooth! Even fanfiction isn’t this sweet!]

[Dying from sweetness, dying from sweetness! This CP fan can go to sleep content!]

[Does anyone remember a post from earlier today, insinuating that Weiwei and Film Emperor Lu were putting on a show… ]

[Hahahahaha, if you can call Lu-Wei a show, you can donate your eyes to the country, thank you!]

***

When Ji Wei woke up the next day, he was sore all over. He picked up the phone from his pillow and posted on Weibo to explain the reason for the interruption yesterday. Of course, he couldn’t say it was because of his idol.

[Ji Wei Who Plays Games] The internet at home is bad. Sorry about last night, it suddenly disconnected.

There must have been quite a few fans waiting. Just a few seconds after he posted, there were already hundreds of replies.

[Mr. Peach] It’s okay, Cub Wei! Waiting for your stream!

[Longan] I’ve been having trouble sleeping recently. I have to listen to your high school lessons stream every day to fall asleep.

[Water Peach] Hahahahaha, the person above is so real. I’m a sophomore in high school, and I’ve learned a lot from the streamer’s lessons these past two days. If I can get into my dream university next year, I’ll send the streamer gifts!

The fans were all understanding, which made Ji Wei feel quite bad.

It was eight o’clock now.

There was still a long time before his game stream, so he decided to go to the study and write on the fan faces for the fan lottery.

Having made up his mind, he got up, but he couldn’t get up.

Lu Shenxing was still sleeping beside him, and even in his sleep, his hand around his waist hadn’t let go, holding him tightly.

It was rare for his idol to sleep in.

Ji Wei didn’t want to wake him, so he gently wriggled out of the man’s embrace and carefully got out of bed.

Huang Bo was already busy in the kitchen. Seeing Ji Wei come out of the bedroom, he brought out a plate of coconut flake pastries and a bowl of milky white crucian carp soup.

The coconut flake pastries had very little sugar, but the filling was distinct and delicate, smooth and creamy. The moment it entered his mouth, it was filled with the faint fragrance of coconut, not at all cloying.

The crucian carp soup was also light, with the fish bones removed, leaving only the savory broth.

Ji Wei couldn’t help but praise, “Uncle Huang, your cooking is too delicious.”

Huang Bo was still in the kitchen simmering the broth for the week. Hearing Ji Wei’s words, his eyes crinkled into a smile. “Does Weiwei like beef jerky? I’ll make some for you at noon.”

“Thank you, Uncle Huang,” Ji Wei nodded.

He liked spicy food, and Huang Bo mostly cooked Cantonese cuisine. At first, he was afraid he wouldn’t get used to the taste, but the more time they spent together, the more he discovered that Huang Bo could cook dishes from all over the country!

After finishing his meal, he went into the kitchen, placed the plate and bowl in the sink, washed his hands, and prepared to go to the study to write.

Because he didn’t know the gender of his fans, he used folding fans instead of round ones.

It was not easy to write directly on a folding fan. He carefully removed the fan ribs, leaving the fan face. To make the fan face flatter, he went to the bookshelf and took a few of his idol’s large books to press it down.

Once the fan face was flat, he took out the ink and writing brush, moistened the brush with clean water, and began to write on the paper.

They were all poems of blessing, such as “To have warm clothes is true fortune, to have peace for a thousand gold is spring…”

When he wrote, he was used to first conceptualizing the layout in his mind before putting brush to paper. The structure of the characters came out subconsciously.

Ji Wei spent an hour writing on the fan faces. After they dried, he reinserted the fan ribs, and the folding fans were complete. He chose one, took a picture, and posted it on Weibo.

[Ji Wei Who Plays Games] The fan faces for the lottery are finished. The winners will be announced tomorrow!

In the picture, the Slender Gold Style calligraphy on the folding fan was thin and strong, with a sharp, bony quality in every stroke, like sections of ink bamboo standing tall in the wind, carrying a strong sense of frosty elegance.

The comments below were very surprised.

[Ashera] It’s actually writing? I thought he was going to paint on the fan faces!

[Bamboo Rat, Three Yuan Each] I thought it was painting too.

[Weight Under 100] Shakes hands, me too.

But after the surprise, it was replaced by a wave of anticipation.

[Spirit Ferryman] Ahhhhhh, not only is Weiwei good at painting, but his calligraphy is also too beautiful! Can this unlucky person win just once? I’m willing to eat only vegetables for half a month!]

[Learn to Fix Air Conditioners] Damn, I suddenly want to learn calligraphy!]

[Happy Bird] I’ve been drooling over the picture for ages. Are you really not considering streaming calligraphy? I really want to watch Cub Wei write, super loud!]

[Leisurely] I love the Slender Gold Style. I hope I win!]

Ji Wei replied to a few comments and then saw one that made his scrolling hand pause.

The content of the comment was very ordinary, but the number of replies was frighteningly high.

[Hua University Physics Department Chen Liang] Nicely written.

He curiously clicked on the comments below.

[Soy Milk] ?? Last time he was scolding Weiwei for neglecting his studies. Has the great scholar Chen changed his tune today?]

[Fatty Beef Roll] Being passive-aggressive again? If you think it’s bad, go write it yourself. Don’t come to the comments looking for attention, okay? Let’s just ignore him!]

[Hand-Pulled Pancake] +1, he’s a habitual hater of Weiwei. The day before yesterday, during the study stream, he jumped out and said it was all for show. Can anything good come out of his mouth? Sisters, don’t be fooled by him. Who knows what kind of dirt he’s thinking of digging up now!]

[Crispy Sausage] Why do I feel like his tone is quite sincere? Maybe he just thinks the calligraphy is beautiful? My grandpa doesn’t follow TV, but he asked me who wrote the characters in the picture. He wants to buy a couplet. Where am I supposed to buy one? shrugs.

Ji Wei remembered who Chen Liang was. He had some impression of this ID too. Although he didn’t know why he had changed his tune, since the comment didn’t say anything too extreme and even praised him, he didn’t delete it.

As he turned off his phone, he suddenly smelled a fragrance. After replying to a few fan comments, he walked out of the study. The spicy aroma was even stronger. It turned out to be coming from the kitchen.

Just as he walked into the dining room, Huang Bo brought a large bowl of beef jerky to the table. “Are you done? Come and try it.”

Although Ji Wei had eaten a full breakfast, the moment he smelled the beef, he felt… he could still eat!

He sat down at the dining table, a large bowl of beef jerky in front of him. Just as he was about to pick up his chopsticks and eat, he heard Lu Shenxing’s voice from behind him, “What’s that?”

Huang Bo was busy going into the kitchen to simmer the soup. Before he went in, he said, “It’s the beef jerky I made for Weiwei.”

He knew A-Xing’s taste was light, so he didn’t make a portion for him.

Lu Shenxing toasted a piece of bread for himself, spread a thick layer of honey on it, and sat down at the table to eat.

“Good morning,” Ji Wei said. Remembering how they had tossed and turned until midnight, helping each other out several times, he greeted him in a small voice, then quickly lowered his head to eat the beef, his face quietly turning red.

Lu Shenxing watched as the young man’s head almost drooped into his bowl and asked with a light laugh, “Is it delicious?”

“Delicious,” Ji Wei, who had been looking down, blurted out. Remembering his idol’s taste, he added uncertainly, “I think it’s delicious. I don’t know if you’ll like it.”

“If I like it, will you give it all to me?” the man asked, taking a sip of milk and pursing his lips.

Ji Wei was obviously stunned for a moment.

Lu Shenxing reached out and ruffled the young man’s head, about to say he was teasing him, but unexpectedly, the young man looked up and pushed the entire bowl of beef towards him. He looked up and said shyly, “It’s all yours.”

The air suddenly went quiet.

The man lowered his eyes thoughtfully.

Ji Wei tried to break the silence, swallowing and asking, “What are you thinking about?”

Did he say something wrong?

But he had only said two sentences this morning.

Ji Wei pushed the bowl closer to Lu Shenxing. The man didn’t take it, but said calmly, “I’m thinking about when your twentieth birthday will arrive.” His tone was light.

But Ji Wei’s face instantly turned red. He could feel the heat rising on his face, and his mind couldn’t help but flash back to the image of being pressed down and kissed by Lu Shenxing last night.

He couldn’t think about it any further.

Ji Wei quickly stopped his thoughts.

Just then, Huang Bo also brought Lu Shenxing some coconut flake pastries. Hearing half of the conversation, he asked, puzzled, “Is Weiwei’s birthday coming up? How come I remember it’s in February? Isn’t that still a long way off?”

It was still half a year away.

Just as Huang Bo was about to take out his phone to check his memo, Lu Shenxing interrupted him. He took a sip of hot cocoa and said, “It is still early.”

“But I hope that time comes soon,” the man added slowly.

Ji Wei’s face turned even redder. He wanted to find a crack in the floor to crawl into, but his idol was still nonchalantly drinking his cocoa, without any abnormality at all.

He couldn’t help but wonder if he was overthinking things.

Huang Bo nodded, not understanding the meaning, and reminded Lu Shenxing, “Weiwei’s birthday is still a long way off, but your mom’s birthday is coming up.”

Lu Shenxing put down his cup.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Ji Wei stood up to open the door, but Huang Bo stopped him, untying his apron. “Weiwei, you eat. I’ll get the door.”

He had no choice but to sit down again. Thinking of his idol’s mother, he couldn’t help but ask worriedly, “Is your mother’s illness better?”

His idol hadn’t said he would take him to see her, so he didn’t dare to bring it up.

The man paused for a moment before slowly saying, “She’s still in the hospital on an IV drip. She doesn’t like to see people.”

Hearing Lu Shenxing’s tone, it seemed his relationship with his mother wasn’t very good either.

Ji Wei said “oh,” and his mind conjured up a stern parent who was so angry that her child wasn’t married that she ended up in the hospital, which was why his idol had gone on a blind date and married him.

He really couldn’t imagine what Mother Lu looked like. Because since he was young, Ms. Ye Zhi had been very hands-off with him. Maybe she was like his high school dean? Dressed plainly, unsmiling.

Then he thought of the scene when Lu Ji came last time, how the two of them were at a stalemate and almost started arguing. He couldn’t help but sigh from the bottom of his heart. What kind of dire family situation did his idol live in?

Ji Wei wanted to continue asking but was afraid of upsetting Lu Shenxing, so he had to suppress all his doubts.

As he was thinking this, he suddenly heard the sound of the elevator opening.

Ji Wei subconsciously turned his head.

A woman walked out of the elevator, dressed in a black Valentino suit. Her features vaguely resembled Lu Shenxing’s, but they were more glamorous.

She was carrying large and small bags, obviously just back from the mall. The moment she saw him, the coldness on her face was replaced by surprise. “You must be Weiwei, right? Mom has finally met you!” Her tone was as cordial as a long-lost reunion.

Mom?

Ji Wei blinked, a little stunned.

Huang Bo took the bags from the woman’s hands and then bowed, “Good day, Mrs. Lu.”

His eyes filled with deep confusion. He couldn’t help but turn to look at Lu Shenxing and asked in a low voice, “She is…”

Hearing his question, the man’s usually calm expression was stunned for a rare two seconds. After a moment, he slowly said, “Lu Ji’s wife, which is my mom.”

Ji Wei looked at Mother Lu again. Her complexion was rosy and radiant, and she looked so young, like someone in her thirties, showing no signs of age.

This was the… patient on an IV drip in the hospital?

Ji Wei fell into deep thought.