Chapter 33 Part 2

Lu Quan said nothing, his thin lips pressed into a tight line, a chill radiating from his entire body.

Liang Zhixia sensed the gaze from behind and glanced back. With a sigh, he tugged at Lin Jie’s sleeve.

“Lin Jie, I’m going to say hi real quick. Wait for me.”

Lin Jie was a bit surprised that this guy knew Lu Quan, but he nodded anyway.

Liang Zhixia walked over. “Senior, Brother Lu.”

Xu Cheng grinned lazily. “You know Lin Jie?”

He nodded. “He showed me to the dorms on the first day of school.”

Xu Cheng glanced at Lu Quan, who was exuding cold air all on his own, and chuckled. “Mind if we join you?”

This meal was Lin Jie’s treat today, and Lin Jie wasn’t familiar with Lu Quan and the others. Liang Zhixia shook his head. “Next time. I gotta go—see you later, Senior.”

With that, he turned and headed back to Lin Jie.

Lu Quan’s dark eyes fixed on the young man’s retreating back. Aside from that initial “Brother Lu,” Zhizhi hadn’t so much as glanced at him the whole time.

His breath hitched slightly, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. His brows furrowed, his face cold as he watched the two walk farther away, his knuckles clenching tight.

Xu Cheng shrugged. “Come on, let’s go eat. I’m starving.”

Lu Quan’s lips pressed into a straight line, a shadow falling over his features. He felt like Zhizhi was distancing himself from him.

Had he… done something wrong?

Xu Cheng repeated himself several times without a response. Turning, he saw his good friend’s face twisted like he’d bitten into a bitter gourd.

He instinctively took a step back. “You… you’re not thinking of hitting someone, are you?”

Lu Quan shot him a glance. “Let’s go.”

Xu Cheng hurried to catch up, patting his chest. “What happened? Tell me, and I’ll figure out a way to fix it.”

Lu Quan stopped and turned to him, his gaze shifting slightly. “Ask Xia Xia if he’s coming back to the dorm at noon today.”

“Easy peasy,” Xu Cheng said as he fired off a message. “Why are you suddenly so interested in your junior?”

Ding-dong—

“He says he’s not coming back.”

Lu Quan rubbed his knuckles, his eyes carrying a cold edge.

So he was avoiding him now?

Meanwhile.

Liang Zhixia set down his phone and took the chopsticks Lin Jie offered. “Thanks.”

They’d arrived late, and the rice noodles for the day had sold out. The shop was nearly empty, but the kindhearted boss whipped up two special portions just for them.

“Wow! Smells amazing!”

The boss had prepared the deluxe version—huge bowls with a golden fried egg thrown in for free.

Seeing how much Liang Zhixia enjoyed it, Lin Jie smiled. “If you want some next time, just call me, or I can bring takeout for you.”

Liang Zhixia shook his head. “No need. I memorized the route just now.”

They’d only met twice; he wasn’t about to ask Lin Jie to deliver food to his dorm.

Besides, Lu Quan didn’t allow eating in the dorm.

Lin Jie felt a twinge of disappointment but perked up quickly. They just weren’t that close yet.

By the time they finished their rice noodles, they were the only ones left in the shop.

Liang Zhixia licked the soup from his lips. The boss’s chili was packed with flavor—his lips were slightly swollen and vividly red now. It felt great.

Lin Jie’s gaze drifted up to those flushed lips. He swallowed hard, paused, then pulled out a tissue and handed it over. “Here.”

Liang Zhixia curved his lips in a smile. “Thanks.”

He glanced at the wall clock—it was already one o’clock. Normally, he’d be napping in the dorm by now, but today, he didn’t want to go back.

Lin Jie seemed to pick up on it and hesitated. “Xia Xia, want to nap here for a bit? My uncle has a rocking chair. I crash here sometimes for lunch breaks.”

Liang Zhixia was tempted. Skipping his afternoon nap would leave him drowsy in class.

“Where would you sleep?”

Lin Jie shook his head. “I’m not tired.”

He was about to carry the two bowls to the back when a figure stepped in from outside.

The boss called from the register. “Rice noodles are sold out for today. Come back tomorrow.”

Curious about someone even later than them, Liang Zhixia started to turn, but the man stopped right beside him.

He looked up in confusion—and met Lu Quan’s cold expression.

“Brother Lu?”

Lu Quan stared at his swollen, red lips, his eyes darkening, brows knitting together. He pressed his lips thin and set the item in his hand on the table, his face expressionless. “Lu Manman is looking for you.”

It was the pink Little Genius Phone Watch that Lu Manman had wanted to give him earlier—but which Lu Quan had pocketed.

Lu Manman’s childish voice came through.

“Xia Xia, can you hear Manman?”

Liang Zhixia didn’t know why Lu Quan had connected the call again, but he picked up the watch anyway, his tone gentle. “Xia Xia can hear you. Does Manman need something?”

Lu Manman’s voice bubbled with excitement. “Yay! Xia Xia finally picked up! Earlier I—”

“Lu Manman,” Lu Quan said coldly.

“Oh, Manman just missed you! Manman wants to invite Xia Xia to our house to play. Do you have time?”

The two chatted away as if no one else was there. Lu Quan stood tall beside them like a towering guardian. He lifted his eyes and met Lin Jie’s probing stare.

Lu Quan’s cold features were sharply aggressive. Lin Jie looked away, stood, and picked up the bowls to head to the kitchen.

But as his hand touched Liang Zhixia’s bowl, it was blocked.

“I’ll do it,” Lu Quan said.

Lin Jie frowned, unsure what Lu Quan meant.

Lu Quan, brows furrowed, explained, “Xia Xia’s bowl. I’ll wash it.”

On the other end of the call, Lu Manman was the complete opposite of his brother—chattering nonstop. Liang Zhixia could barely get a word in; he had to listen carefully just to keep up.

He was oblivious to the subtle tension crackling between Lu Quan and Lin Jie.

Lin Jie narrowed his eyes and tsked softly. “Follow me, then.”

He didn’t believe the young master would wash dishes himself.

The rice noodle shop’s kitchen was spotless; the boss always cleaned up after closing.

Lu Quan’s furrowed brows eased a bit as he stood behind Lin Jie, watching him squirt dish soap and scrub the bowls with a rag.

At the sight of that rag, Lu Quan’s brows furrowed again.

Lin Jie placed the clean bowls in the sterilizer and held out his hand. “Give it here. Young Master Lu, you should sit out front.”

Lu Quan ignored him and turned on the faucet himself.

He was dressed in a suit today, his back slightly bent as he pulled a handkerchief from his jacket pocket. He added dish soap, worked up a lather with his long fingers, and began washing.

Lin Jie, waiting to take the bowls: “…”

Was this guy nuts???

Lin Jie crossed his arms, watching the young master use his handkerchief to clean the bowl spotless before tossing it in the trash.

Lu Quan slotted the bowl into the sterilizer without a glance at Lin Jie and walked out.

Just then, Liang Zhixia and Lu Manman’s chat wrapped up.

“Okay, it’s a deal! This weekend afternoon, Manman and Uncle Butler will come pick up Xia Xia!”

“Mm-hm.”

Both men present caught the perfunctory tone, but little Lu Manman took it at face value and hung up happily.

Liang Zhixia handed the watch back to Lu Quan and paused. “When the time comes, could you tell Manman for me that I have something going on and can’t make it?”

Lu Quan’s mouth tightened. “Then you shouldn’t have agreed in the first place.”

Liang Zhixia thought for a moment. “It was a white lie.”

He had a shift at the coffee shop that weekend; agreeing on the spot via the phone watch had just been a stopgap.

Lu Quan toyed with the watch’s strap, his fingertip rubbing it. “I can tell him, but if he insists on coming, there’s nothing I can do.”

Liang Zhixia murmured his assent. They’d deal with it then.

His gaze fell to the table—his bowl was gone. He looked straight at Lin Jie. “Lin Jie, did you wash my bowl for me?”

Lin Jie shifted his eyes to Lu Quan and smiled. “Nope. Senior Lu did.”

Lu Quan?

Liang Zhixia looked at Lu Quan in puzzlement, his gaze landing on the other’s slightly damp fingers—definitely wet.

Given Lu Quan’s germaphobia, how could he possibly go to the kitchen to wash dishes for him?

He even doubted whether the young master knew how to wash dishes at all.

Lu Quan read the doubt and distrust in Zhizhi’s eyes. A hint of grievance flashed across his brows, and his tone came out stiff. “I washed it for you.”

Liang Zhixia didn’t know why Lu Quan looked so unhappy. Perhaps he had misunderstood him.

So he said very earnestly, “Thanks, Brother Lu, for washing the dishes for me.”

After he spoke, he noticed that Lu Quan’s expression had softened just a little.

Lu Quan looked down at him. “Heading back to school?”

Liang Zhixia hesitated for a moment. “In a bit.”

Lin Jie sat down leisurely across from Liang Zhixia, his intention obvious: he was waiting to return to school with Liang Zhixia.

Lu Quan’s eyes darkened as he silently took the chair next to Liang Zhixia.

Liang Zhixia turned to him, his expression puzzled. “Brother Lu, aren’t you going back to school?”

He glanced at the suit Lu Quan was wearing, paused, and added, “Brother Lu, do you have something to take care of? If you do, go ahead. Lin Jie and I will head back later.”

Lu Quan’s chest felt tight, the irritation in his heart refusing to fade. His nerves were on edge, and his index finger tapped idly on the table.

He stared straight into Liang Zhixia’s eyes, his voice slightly hoarse. “Did I… make you uncomfortable last night?”

Liang Zhixia hadn’t expected him to bring it up so directly—especially not in front of Lin Jie.

“No, no, you didn’t…” he said quickly.

As the words left his mouth, he realized how ambiguous they sounded and quickly corrected himself. “Class is starting soon anyway. I’m not going back to the dorm today.”

His classroom and Lu Quan’s weren’t in the same building, so he saw no need to go back together.

Lu Quan was like a lion whose fur had been stroked smooth. He lowered his head, his voice deep. “Then I’ll go back with you.”

Liang Zhixia couldn’t very well tell Lu Quan to leave outright, so he could only agree.

Meanwhile, Lin Jie on the other side was still reeling from the conversation. When he looked up, he met Lu Quan’s gaze—deep and icy. Lu Quan propped his cheek on one hand, a faint, mocking smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

He is mine.