CW: underaged
While Cheng Chen never made any inappropriate moves towards Lu Zheyu when he’s a minor, Cheng Chen still had feelings for him anyway. Also, I’m pretty sure Cheng Chen is 24 and Lu Zheyu is 16/17. If you don’t like it or can’t stand this, please don’t read.
The bathroom of the rental house was small to begin with, but the landlord had to stuff a worn-out washing machine into it. As a result, it was crowded with just two people standing inside.
Lu Zheyu walked in and turned on the hot water and adjusted the temperature. He turned back and saw the man leaning against the door, staring at him intently.
It was cold in winter, and there was no air conditioning inside the rental house. The moment the hot water was turned on, mist instantly filled the entire tiny bathroom.
Lu Zheyu stood in the mist. His eyes were calm, his face was cold, and he looked at the door without saying a word. Still, he looked natural.
He didn’t need to deliberately groom or shape himself. Simply standing there was enough to make face-con girls scream with enthusiasm.
Cheng Chen’s tipsy eyes narrowed slightly.
He walked slowly to the bottom of the shower, raised his hand to push Lu Zheyu’s heavy bangs aside. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re very handsome?”
Lu Zheyu: “…”
Cheng Chen took the shower head from him.
Lu Zheyu didn’t know what he was going to do, but he wanted to know. So, he stood there silently.
Cheng Chen suddenly raised his hand, and the water sprayed towards him. Lu Zheyu instinctively closed his eyes, frowning.
After a while, the water stopped. But it was enough to soak him like a drowned chicken.
Lu Zheyu: “You—”
He wiped his face, opened his eyes and saw Cheng Chen. He was too close to him, and Lu Zheyu’s breath hitched.
Cheng Chen felt no guilt at all. He turned off the water spray, walked straight forward, lifted Lu Zheyu’s wet bangs, revealing his smooth forehead.
The water droplets dripped from the tips of his hair into his face, then finally pooling at the teenager’s somewhat-defined collarbone. His peach blossom eyes, looking somewhat misty, revealed its full innate charm.
Cheng Chen nodded with satisfaction. “Mn, very good-looking.”
Lu Zheyu: “…”
The teenager was too lazy to pay attention to him. He directly took off his soaked coat, noticing that his inner sweatshirt was also wet. He paused for a moment, feeling that it was really uncomfortable to wear, so he simply stripped it off too.
The hem of the sweatshirt lifted, revealing a thin waistline. Cheng Chen immediately saw the firm abdomen hidden by the shirt.
With an unabashed stare, Cheng Chen kept his eyes glued to it. For some reason, he swallowed his saliva.
“With your appearance, if you debut, your achievement will not be lower than anyone in the agency.”
Lu Zheyu felt a little better after taking off his wet sweatshirt. After hearing what Cheng Chen said, he fell silent for a long time. Finally, with a frown, he said, “Cheng Chen.”
The older man looked up at him.
His eyes were hazy, clearly still drunken. He looked confused.
Lu Zheyu continued, “I can’t give you what you want. I won’t debut.”
‘Why did he keep following me? Why did he keep taking care of me?’
‘Did he fancy my appearance and want me to sign? Package me like those stars, and use me to make profits?’
‘But he didn’t look like that kind of person.’
Cheng Chen nodded. “I know.”
“….”
He smiled and looked up at Lu Zheyu. “I also feel a little reluctant to let you appear on the screen now.”
Lu Zheyu: “….”
It’s clear Cheng Chen was being casual, but it was enough to make his heart jump.
He didn’t know whether he would be irritated or lose his temper.
He stood in the bathroom for a long time, and was awakened by the chill. He pulled aside the guy blocking the door and went out with his wet coat in tow.
On the way out, he closed the door.
Cheng Chen came out of the shower looking a little more sober. Lu Zheyu called a designated driver to send him back.
The next time they met again, Cheng Chen seemed to have forgotten what he had said when he was drunk. Neither of them mentioned what happened on New Year’s Eve.
Work went on as usual until school started.
They then met less frequently, but still keep in touch.
After they got familiar with each other for those few months, Cheng Chen began to let Lu Zheyu take orders from more famous clients. Occasionally, someone would ask to meet, and Cheng Chen would drive to pick the teenager up in E City during weekends.
Lu Zheyu was reluctant at first. But seeing Cheng Chen waiting outside the school gate, he finally agreed to leave with him.
He got in the car and went to another city occasionally afterwards. Usually, it would take about two hours to go back and forth.
This arrangement was actually not in line with Lu Zheyu’s principles.
But he agreed.
Even when he met with the client, except when discussing specific requirements, Cheng Chen was mostly talking to them.
Sometimes Lu ZHeyu would feel strange. Because after those clients met the older man, they – who said they wanted to meet him – either didn’t dare to look at him or kept stealing glances at him. Even when talking to Cheng Chen, those people looked very restrained.
It looked like they were… afraid.
What were they afraid of? Cheng Chen?
However, there was also someone who wasn’t afraid of Cheng Chen. Lu Zheyu knew that person – it’s Zhuo Yunan.
The actress was a warm person. When she saw him, she mentioned the last time Lu Zheyu composed her a song. After knowing that he’s not her fan, she wasn’t embarrassed, but thanked him solemnly.
Because the song, now a fan benefit, became popular due to its quality, it made Zhuo Yunan even more famous. She was grateful for that.
“On that note, if you think it’s okay, I can name you as the composer of that song. It will be very beneficial to your future development.”
Lu Zheyu’s originally calm face suddenly became cold.
Cheng Chen was even more anxious. “He won’t enter this circle in the future.”
Zhuo Yunan: “Ah?”
‘—But didn’t Cheng-zong personally recruit this young man into the agency because he valued his ability?’
The actress looked at Cheng Chen, then at Lu Zheyu, and instantly understood. She smiled and apologized. “Oh, sorry, I’m too nosy.”
Lu Zheyu: “…”
After that, Zhuo Yunan looked at them. Her eyes always revealed an unspeakable ambiguity.
Since nobody said it outloud, Lu Zheyu didn’t take it seriously.
After returning, even when he was not working, Cheng Chen would come to the county town to find him, occasionally in an Internet cafe.
Lu Zheyu was used to studying in a fixed private room. Cheng Chen wouldn’t disturb him after finding him, and would only look over after he finished the course and took off his headphones.
Cheng Chen said, “Do you really dislike dealing with others?”
Lu Zheyu didn’t deny it. “Yeah.”
It was originally a very pointed question, but Cheng Chen still smiled. “With your personality, maybe the work of a typical tech nerd is more suitable for you.”
“…”
Lu Zheyu looked at him and thought, ‘Since you know, can’t you not always drag me to “see the world”?’
‘But why was Cheng Chen smiling?’
Lu Zheyu wanted to ask, but didn’t want to show too much curiosity.
He still let the older man come to see him every week, but no longer asked him why he was so free.
Lu Zheyu would still pay for meals, but no longer shouted that he was going bankrupt.
A thin layer of paper window stood between them, just waiting for one of them to break it first.
Another semester ended. During the summer vacation before the second year of high school, Lu Zheyu didn’t go to the bar to work part-time, but went to a milk tea shop in the county.
“I heard that you don’t go to the Internet cafe every weekend before the final exam?”
They were eating grilled fish. Cheng Chen asked this question with a bit of bad taste.
Lu Zheyu asked back, “How do you know that I didn’t go there?”
Cheng Chen replied, “I went to the Internet cafe to find you.”
“….”
After a pause, Lu Zheyu still asked back, “Why didn’t you call me before you go?”
Cheng Chen: “I didn’t call you before I went this time.”
Lu Zheyu: “….”
Can this be the same?
But speaking of it, it seemed that it’s always Cheng Chen who called him every time.
There was no outgoing call to Cheng Chen on Lu Zheyu’s phone log.
His hand holding the chopsticks subconsciously tightened.
“And…” Cheng Chen added, “Will you even come out if I call you?”
Lu Zheyu: “…”
He didn’t go to the Internet cafe because he had a new part-time job. He bought a laptop and could do his work at school, and the same goes for studying.
When he was busy, unless there was an earthquake and he absolutely had to move, it would be useless for anyone to ask him to go out.
But if that person was Cheng Chen…
Because Cheng Chen always showed up without saying hello, he forgot that Cheng Chen didn’t call him before looking for him.
He went to the Internet cafe to surf the Internet only once. Cheng Chen asked about it, he answered it, and then Cheng Chen went.
It has always been Cheng Chen who accommodates his own times, comes to him, and stays with him quietly.
Lu Zheyu asked with a dry voice, “Why did you look for me?”
Cheng Chen: “I don’t know, I just want to.”
“…”
At first, it was just admiration and curiosity. After getting to know him more, it seemed that he could see the same strong-will as Tongtong, and felt that he couldn’t leave this teenager alone.
Lu Zheyu’s personality made him difficult to get along with. He usually doesn’t speak, and when he does, it’s often to end a topic.
Cheng Chen wasn’t attracted to Lu Zheyu’s looks. But sometimes he got annoyed by Lu Zheyu’s stubbornness.
—In fact, he didn’t know when he started to like Lu Zheyu as a person to begin with. But after forming a habit, no matter what he does, he always thinks of this hard-headed teenager. He felt annoyed when Lu Zheyu got a difficult client and had to revise his drafts again and again. He felt sorry for the teenager because his schedule was jam-packed every day.
Cheng Chen actually felt something was missing if he didn’t see Lu Zheyu for a day. That’s why he went to school to pick him up for “work”.
Every time he called Lu Zheyu to go out, he always had a high-sounding reason. But if he had to be honest, it’s actually all just his selfishness.
Cheng Chen had been single for 24 years. And now, he had fallen so low to have a feeling for an underage teen.
These ambiguous feelings should’ve stopped before it’s allowed to bud. It’s inappropriate.
As for Lu Zheyu—
For a teenager who’s tired of life and study, this kind of emotion only brings him confusion and burden.
Still, they maintained a relationship as professional partners.
Lu Zheyu worked in Shao Ming’s milk tea shop during the day. After work, he finished writing lyrics and didn’t fall behind in his studies.
He worked harder than before.
One of them was willing to fight, and the other was willing to wait.
Something that neither of them cared about, something that had never been discussed, turned upside when they were caught off guard.
A theme song for a TV series that Lu Zheyu composed became popular. The leading singer of the song met Lu Zheyu alone. When he saw Cheng Chen who came with the teenager, the singer blurted out “Cheng-zong” as a greeting, which stunned both Lu Zheyu and Cheng Chen.
