The meeting was scheduled for Saturday at 4 PM in N City.
Lu Heng had researched about this city beforehand. Although he couldn’t find a real-life equivalent, its urban planning was similar to that of a real first-tier city.
Since he had to handle some company matters on Friday, he asked his secretary to book a Saturday morning flight. Before dawn, Lu Heng took a taxi to Jiang Yunxing’s home.
When he arrived at Jiang Yunxing’s residential complex, he was already waiting at the entrance with his usual school backpack, which looked quite heavy.
“What did you pack?” Lu Heng asked casually after Jiang Yunxing got in the car.
Jiang Yunxing hugged his bag to his chest and replied, “This week’s homework. There’s quite a lot.”
Lu Heng glanced at Jiang Yunxing’s bag, suddenly remembering his own high school student identity.
These past few days, he had been busy with company affairs – reviewing project plans during class, checking emails between classes, and rushing to the company after school. Since the employees had already left by the time school ended, it was difficult to meet them in person. Many things could only be communicated through phone calls. It wasn’t until today that he finally got things sorted out.
He hadn’t even touched his homework. He carried his school bag back and forth without even opening it.
Thinking about the remaining year of high school life and the dreaded college entrance exam that awaited all high school students, Lu Heng’s brows furrowed slightly.
Lu Shenghua had specifically emphasized the importance of studying that day. No matter what, he couldn’t let his grades drop too low.
Realizing he had another task to add to his list, Lu Heng felt dejected. He leaned against the car window and closed his eyes slowly, deciding to empty his mind and rest for a while.
He was already a light sleeper, and having missed the golden hour for sleep made it even harder to doze off. He had only managed to get two hours of sleep this morning.
It was barely dawn, and everything was quiet both inside and outside the car. With some distance still to go before reaching the airport, Lu Heng started feeling drowsy.
His consciousness hovered between sleep and wakefulness, but he couldn’t completely let go. Instead, it left him feeling uncomfortably restless.
Lu Heng’s brows knitted together, and his breathing grew heavier.
The car hit a steep slope and jolted. Lu Heng lost his balance and lurched forward. He quickly grabbed the seat in front to steady himself. Although he avoided hitting his head, he was now fully awake.
“Ge, are you okay?”
Lu Heng turned his head to find Jiang Yunxing looking at him with concern, his hand still suspended in mid-air as if he had been about to help.
“I’m fine,” Lu Heng said.
Jiang Yunxing withdrew his hand and hugged his backpack again. Lu Heng readjusted his position and looked out the window.
“You don’t look well,” Jiang Yunxing suddenly said.
“Mm.” Lu Heng’s expression remained unchanged as he replied casually, “I didn’t sleep well last night.”
“Then why don’t you sleep for a while? We’re still far from the airport,” Jiang Yunxing said, then added hesitantly, “Do you want to lean on me?”
Lu Heng glanced at Jiang Yunxing, who was staring at the ground and unconsciously fidgeting with his backpack straps.
Although Lu Heng disliked crowded places in real life, he had to frequent certain establishments to socialize.
In that world of neon lights and alcohol, there was never a shortage of people making advances.
Lu Heng still remembered how it felt when those people got too close, even though it only happened once.
That one time, he had shoved the person who approached him to the ground, clearly expressing his disgust. After that, no one dared to court his anger again.
But strangely, seeing Jiang Yunxing beside him now, he felt an intense desire to be closer.
Hearing those words from Jiang Yunxing even made him feel happy inside.
Was it still because of that mark?
Several days had passed, but the mark’s influence still lingered. Even without seeing Jiang Yunxing these past few days, whenever his mind wandered, Jiang Yunxing would appear in his thoughts.
More vivid than Jiang Yunxing’s face was the scent of his pheromones.
And this was just from their first temporary marking.
Lu Heng sighed inwardly. Seeing Jiang Yunxing’s awkward demeanor, he reached out and pressed on Jiang Yunxing’s bag.
It took Jiang Yunxing a moment to understand. He moved his bag to his left side, and Lu Heng leaned down to rest his head on Jiang Yunxing’s lap.
Lu Heng relaxed his body, and drowsiness immediately washed over him. He took several deep breaths before his breathing gradually steadied.
Jiang Yunxing sat stiff as a statue. He did not dare to look down and could only stare straight ahead.
Although he had suggested it, he didn’t expect Lu Heng to do it without hesitation.
He felt the warmth on his legs. Lu Heng’s breathing alternated between shallow and deep, his warm breath seeping through the thin fabric onto his skin.
It took Jiang Yunxing a while to adjust. When he finally sneaked a peek down at Lu Heng’s profile, he was stunned again.
He had never seen Lu Heng look so relaxed before.
Lu Heng seemed to be in deep sleep, his brows smoothed out, eyelashes fluttering slightly, his usual coldness notably softened.
Jiang Yunxing stared at that face, his gaze unconsciously falling on Lu Heng’s lips.
Memories of that day flooded back, and Jiang Yunxing’s face instantly turned red.
Why did Lu Heng kiss him?
He thought about it for days but didn’t dare to reach a conclusion.
The car jolted again. This time Lu Heng didn’t fall forward, but his sleep was disturbed, his brows furrowing tightly.
Jiang Yunxing held Lu Heng’s shoulders to straighten him up and soothingly rubbed his forehead. Lu Heng relaxed quickly.
After staring at that side profile for a long time, Jiang Yunxing closed his eyes and let out a frustrated sigh.
He should have stayed when Lu Heng kissed him.
–
Thanks to Jiang Yunxing, Lu Heng slept soundly throughout the ride and took another nap on the plane, making up for his lack of sleep from last night.
Since they were only staying one night for a meeting, Lu Heng only brought a backpack. They both traveled light and went for breakfast near the airport after landing.
Breakfast proved to be challenging. While Jiang Yunxing ate with relish, Lu Heng stared at the food in front of him, unable to take a single bite.
They each ordered a bowl of beef noodles. When Jiang Yunxing looked up after finishing half his bowl, he found Lu Heng resting his chin in his hand, watching him without even touching his chopsticks.
After swallowing his food, Jiang Yunxing asked, “Ge, why aren’t you eating?”
Lu Heng glanced at Jiang Yunxing’s bowl and said, “The meat looks tough and will get stuck in my teeth.”
“It’s not that bad, I think it’s pretty good. How can you tell just by looking?” Jiang Yunxing said as he picked up a large piece and put it in his mouth.
Lu Heng said nothing, focusing intently on Jiang Yunxing. After a few moments of awkward eye contact while chewing the beef, Jiang Yunxing couldn’t take it anymore, wondering what Lu Heng was thinking.
Just as he was about to ask, Lu Heng said, “Thirty-two chews.”
Jiang Yunxing: “…”
He lowered his head and took a sip of soup, too embarrassed to admit he’d forgotten to swallow because Lu Heng was staring at him.
After taking a sip of soup, Lu Heng handed over his phone with the payment QR code displayed.
Lu Heng said, “Let’s go to the convenience store next door and make instant noodles.”
Jiang Yunxing: “…Who eats instant noodles first thing in the morning?”
“The taste isn’t bad,” Lu Heng said casually.
“That’s junk food, you shouldn’t eat too much of it. It’s hard to digest,” Jiang Yunxing looked up at Lu Heng’s frank expression and suddenly his expression changed, “Ge, don’t tell me… you’ve been eating instant noodles for lunch these past few days?”
Lu Heng raised an eyebrow, not denying it.
“You can’t eat like that!” Jiang Yunxing wanted to cry. He’d been wondering how Lu Heng had been managing lunch these days, and now he knew. Lu Heng was not only picky about food but also unable to adapt.
“What did you usually have for breakfast before?” Jiang Yunxing asked.
Lu Heng thought for a moment. “Fish.”
Jiang Yunxing: “What else?”
Lu Heng: “Fish soup goes well with noodles, rice, bread…”
Jiang Yunxing: “…You really love fish, don’t you?”
“Yes.” Lu Heng admitted frankly, then added, “But it can’t have bones.”
After entering this world, he lost the right to have the fish bones picked out while cooking, which meant he couldn’t eat fish to his satisfaction anymore.
Lu Heng didn’t say this out loud, but Jiang Yunxing could guess it since he had helped pick out fish bones when he first arrived in this novel.
Jiang Yunxing said, “Aren’t there boneless fish too?”
“Yes, but I don’t eat those.”
Jiang Yunxing: “……”
Although Lu Heng clearly disliked the beef noodles in front of him, after Jiang Yunxing’s persistent persuasion, he reluctantly ate a few bites.
Probably because he wasn’t full, Lu Heng’s expression remained sour on their way to the hotel. Fortunately, there was a high-end sushi restaurant next to the hotel. Lu Heng picked out some pieces and seemed quite satisfied.
Lu Heng had booked a double room. Jiang Yunxing only found out when they reached the hotel. Although he looked a bit stunned, he didn’t say anything.
Since they still had time before the meeting, Lu Heng took a shower first and changed into the casual clothes he brought. When he came out of the bathroom, he saw Jiang Yunxing had already taken out his homework and was writing intensely at the table.
Lu Heng glanced at him, went to sit on the bed, and took out the sushi he bought to eat.
After filling his stomach, Lu Heng’s mood improved considerably. He took out the materials for today’s meeting and reviewed them once. When he looked up again, Jiang Yunxing was still doing his homework.
Lu Heng put down the documents and walked over to Jiang Yunxing, standing beside him.
Jiang Yunxing was working on an English test paper, a half-page reading comprehension. Lu Heng scanned the text and Jiang Yunxing’s answers.
“Your grades aren’t bad?” Lu Heng asked.
Jiang Yunxing’s pen paused, and without turning around, he said, “Just English is okay. I originally wanted to study abroad…”
Lu Heng: “Why didn’t you go?”
“…My family wouldn’t let me.” Jiang Yunxing’s tone grew heavy. “We couldn’t afford it, and my other subjects weren’t very good either.”
Lu Heng remained silent, staring at the back of Jiang Yunxing’s head.
This seemed to be the first time Jiang Yunxing had talked about his real life.
But Jiang Yunxing didn’t say more and continued writing.
“Now that you’re repeating your senior year, you can prepare properly,” Lu Heng said. “If you still want to study abroad in the future, I can send you.”
Having managed the branch company for seven or eight years, Lu Heng knew its value clearly. Although the first year’s profits weren’t much, it was more than enough to sponsor Jiang Yunxing’s overseas education.
His thoughts were simple. Since Jiang Yunxing came from the same world as him and was now in his care, he might need his help with the treatment later.
There was nothing off-putting about being around him.
Since he had this wish and enough capacity to help, fulfilling it for Jiang Yunxing wasn’t a big deal.
But Jiang Yunxing didn’t think so.
No one had ever treated him the way Lu Heng did, not even his parents.
Jiang Yunxing’s pen paused again. After a while, he lifted his head to look up at Lu Heng.
“Ge, why did you… kiss me that day?”
Lu Heng looked down to meet Jiang Yunxing’s gaze but remained silent. Jiang Yunxing’s expression was too innocent; he didn’t know how to answer.
He didn’t even consider that a kiss. It was just a touch of lips.
After a while, Lu Heng finally spoke, “The doctor told me that your pheromones merging with mine could help treat my illness.”
“Merging… you mean marking?”
Lu Heng hummed in agreement. “Not just temporary mark.”
Jiang Yunxing’s expression stiffened as he sat up straight and turned around. “D-do you mean the other type of mark?”
Lu Heng: “Yes.”
Jiang Yunxing’s face turned bright red. “That, that won’t work.”
“If we really do that, it will cause irreversible changes mentally,” Jiang Yunxing said with difficulty, like a ripe persimmon. “Although I don’t know how it feels, this is a fixed setting that we can’t change.”
“What are you trying to say?” Lu Heng crossed his arms and leaned lightly against the desk. “You think if you help treat my illness, I’ll fall in love with you?”
Jiang Yunxing: “…”
“You kids like to overthink things, don’t you?” Lu Heng reached out and tilted Jiang Yunxing’s chin up, finding his expression quite amusing.
“Only you can treat my illness, and this is the only way. If this is how this world is set up, what’s wrong with falling in love with you?”
Lu Heng brushed his thumb across Jiang Yunxing’s lips. “When it comes to feelings, it’s best to let nature take its course.”
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