Chapter 50.2
In the afternoon, when Lu Yao called, Yu Le was squatting in front of Shui Cai, watching him eat.
Lu Yao’s voice was low and hoarse, coming through the electrical signal, making Yu Le’s ears tingle.
He couldn’t help but rub his ears and whispered, “Just woke up?”
Lu Yao lazily replied, with sounds of him turning over and the rustle of the bedding still audible.
Yu Le, “……”
To keep a clear head for the upcoming conversation, he decided to distance himself from the sound source—by putting the call on speakerphone.
He patted Shui Cai’s adorable head, “Brother, why do I feel like you haven’t even opened your eyes yet?”
Indeed, he hadn’t.
Lu Yao, holding the phone and lying on his pillow, had his eyes closed, and a faint sense of laziness between his brows, “I was afraid you’d be worried, so I called you first.”
He had stayed at the hospital until early morning, switching shifts with Lu Father around ten o’clock.
He didn’t want to disturb Yu Le’s sleep, so he didn’t call; after getting home and taking a shower, he collapsed into bed and only woke up just now, finding time to contact Yu Le.
“Not worried.” Yu Le said, “I saw the message you sent last night. Take good care of Grandpa; you don’t need to be too concerned about me. Have you eaten?”
“No.” Lu Yao sat up in bed, pinching his swollen nose with his eyes closed, “I slept from morning until now.”
Yu Le furrowed his brows, “You haven’t even had lunch?”
Hearing his slightly reproachful tone, Lu Yao silently smiled, “I’ll eat soon.”
Yu Le, “Are you still going back to the hospital?”
Lu Yao, “Yes.”
Yu Le, “Will you stay there all night again?”
“Until the later part of the night.” Lu Yao said, “He has been transferred to a regular ward now. We’ll observe him during the first part of the night, and the caregiver will take over later.”
“Good to know.” Yu Le, feeling sorry for his boyfriend, reminded him, “Rest well when you can these days. Don’t worry about calling me. A message will be enough.”
Lu Yao, “Messages are not enough.”
Yu Le, “Why?”
“I want to talk to you.”
Lu Yao smiled and looked down, “I always feel less tired when I hear your voice.”
…
Lu Yao didn’t know when he would return, and Yu Le was initially worried about the reservations he might not handle correctly, but later found that Wen Yuan could log in with two accounts to solve the problem perfectly.
Little Zhao Xiaosong was not very up-to-date with the news, and it was the third day after Lu Yao left before he learned about it. He came bouncing over with his small phone.
“Le Le, I’m here to play with you.” He greeted Yu Le, who was drawing under the tree.
“Thanks, buddy, but I’m a bit busy right now.”
Yu Le was busy tracing lines and couldn’t look away, “The ribs on the stove are still hot, so go eat them yourself.”
“Got it!”
Zhao Xiaosong ran into the kitchen, grabbed a whole plate of crispy ribs, and sat down by the table, munching away happily. The crunchy bones made loud noises as Shui Cai chewed them.
He asked Yu Le, “Le Le, when will the boss come back?”
Yu Le wasn’t sure, but from Lu Yao’s recent two calls, it seemed like it wouldn’t be long, “Soon, either tomorrow or the day after.”
Zhao Xiaosong responded with an “oh”, “So soon.”
Yu Le teased, “It sounds like you’re not too eager for him to come back.”
“No, not at all.”
Zhao Xiaosong cleaned his hands with a napkin and took out his phone to send a message to his big brother, Zhao Xiaosong: [Is the boss there? Is the boss there?]
In a single room at the top of the hospital’s inpatient department, Lu Yao had just finished keeping watch over the old man, pulled the partially open window half-closed, and turned to leave the room. In the elevator waiting area, he responded to his younger brother’s message,
Lu Yao: [What’s up?]
Zhao Xiaosong: [Boss, I want to discuss a big deal with you.]
Lu Yao: [？]
Zhao Xiaosong: [I offer taking photos of people’s partners, one yuan per photo. You won’t have to worry about long-distance relationships anymore. Do you need this service, boss? /starry eyes]
Lu Yao: [……]
Lu Yao: [Where did you learn this nonsense?]
Zhao Xiaosong: [Didn’t learn it; geniuses in business use their brains to make money, hehe.]
Zhao Xiaosong: [First order 20% off for a trial, boss, want to give it a try? ^_^]
Lu Yao: [I can directly video call you and Le Le. Why do you need to take photos?]
Zhao Xiaosong: [You’ll probably just chat during a video call. Aren’t you curious about what Le Le does when you’re not around or when you’re not on a video call?]
Zhao Xiaosong: [Here’s a hint, right now, Le Le is alone under the tree, drawing. The sun is so big, and Le Le looks great in his blue clothes!]
Lu Yao got into the car, turned on the engine, and glanced at the two messages.
Zhao Xiaosong: [Or how about this, given our long-time relationship, the first order is free. Little Zhao, the boss’s first trial, how about it? /starry eyes]
Lu Yao: [Red envelope]
Zhao Xiaosong was organizing his sales pitch when suddenly a red envelope popped up on his screen, leaving him stunned.
Excitedly, he opened it—
[Two hundred photos? I can’t take that many at once.]
He pondered if holding down the shutter could be considered cheating. Before he could decide, another message from Lu Yao arrived,
Lu Yao: [No photos.]
Zhao Xiaosong: [Then what?]
Lu Yao: [Initiate a video call invitation]
Zhao Xiaosong understood immediately, accepted the video call invitation, and flipped the camera to focus on the main character in the yard.
“How is it? Didn’t lie to you, right?” He covered his mouth and secretly laughed, “Le Le looks super good today!”
Lu Yao looked at the person in the yard, who was engrossed in his drawing, and his lips curved into a slight smile, “He looks great every day.”
“Oh, you adults are so cheesy in love.”
Zhao Xiaosong shook his head and was about to say something when he heard a distant call, “A Yao.”
Lu Yao looked up to see his mother quickly approaching.
Lu Yao, “Mom, what’s up?”
“I almost forgot.”
Lu Yao’s mother walked up to the car, “There’s that kid I wanted to introduce you to before. He was busy with work before, but I heard he’s back recently. Since you have some free time these days, should I ask him to meet with you?”
Lu Yao had completely forgotten about this and found it amusing, “Mom, no need…”
“No need? You were the one who said you liked him. Besides, it’s rare for someone younger to not mind your age. If he likes you, you should be happy.”
Lu Yao’s mother was heading upstairs and had no time to chat further, “I’ll call his parents in the afternoon. You need to prepare—where to eat, what to do, and what time to send him back. Everything must be arranged properly. Make sure to leave a good impression, understand?”
Lu Yao’s mother was eloquent, and Lu Yao couldn’t interject a word throughout. In the end, he could only watch helplessly as she hurried away.
Forget it; there’s no rush. He’d explain later.
When he refocused, he saw that the video call had ended without him noticing. He casually placed his phone aside and drove into the bustling traffic.
Back at the inn, Zhao Xiaosong, who had accidentally discovered the “great secret,” stared wide-eyed at his phone, deeply conflicted.
What to do?
On one side is the boss; on the other, is the good buddy!
On one side is brotherly loyalty; on the other is moral integrity…
Forget it!
He tightly gripped a rib and stood up.
Ms. Zhao once said, “You can be without anything, but you can’t be without humanity!”
Today, Zhao Xiaosong would uphold righteousness and break the ties of kinship!
Yu Le finished his last drawing, looked up, and saw Zhao Xiaosong, who had been enjoying the ribs, approaching him with a serious expression.
Yu Le asked in confusion, “What’s wrong? Did you choke on the ribs?”
“No, no, no.” Zhao Xiaosong shook his head seriously, “It’s not that I choked on the ribs, but you might be wearing a green hat (boyfriend cheated on you).”
