Chapter 51.1
On the eastern hills, the sun blazed brightly in the sky, while on the western hills, dark clouds gathered, hinting at rain.
The weather was a bit strange, but in Zhao Xiaosong’s eyes, it all seemed less odd compared to how his older brother, Le Le, remained unfazed and continued to paint even after hearing that his boyfriend was going on a blind date with someone else.
“Le Le, aren’t you sad?”
He squatted on a rock, staring at Yu Le with curiosity, “Aren’t you disappointed? Aren’t you upset? Don’t you want to immediately grab a knife and confront that jerk?”
Yu Le, feeling a headache coming on, said, “Where did you learn such words from, little kid? What are you doing running around talking like this all day?”
Zhao Xiaosong replied, “My mom loves watching such dramas.”
Yu Le, “It’s fine for adults, but you should watch less of that stuff and try to maintain some childlike innocence and naivety.”
“Got it, I’ll definitely do that next time! If my mom watches again, I’ll go play in the mud.” Zhao Xiaosong said, “But seriously, the boss is really going on a blind date?”
“Le Le, he’s leaving you here alone while he goes to meet another handsome guy, and you’re so calm? Is it really like Brother Longfei said, that adults are like Ninja Turtles, just getting by, even if they’re being cuckolded—”
“Stop talking nonsense.” Yu Le said, pinching his face with one hand, “Are you scolding me or your boss?”
“Nope.” Zhao Xiaosong grinned, “I’m now the embodiment of justice, acting on behalf of heaven, and even if it’s the boss, everyone must be treated equally! Le Le, do you need me to call and help you vent your anger?”
“Alright, I appreciate the thought.” Yu Le released him, “I’ll scold him myself later. Your ribs are getting cold, so hurry up and finish eating them. Wrap up what you don’t finish and put it in the fridge.”
“Even thinking about ribs…”
Zhao Xiaosong muttered as he didn’t understand, returning to the kitchen to pack up the remaining half plate of ribs, “Le Le, I’ll take these back to eat. I’ll let Ms. Zhao try them too.”
Yu Le called out, “Then take them out of the fridge again, don’t pack up leftovers.”
“No need! Let her try and see if she likes them! And taking them out again means having to fry them, which is too much trouble.”
Zhao Xiaosong, holding the bag of ribs, ran towards the door, waving as he went, “I’m leaving, Le Le! If you need anything, just call me. Make sure you stay strong and don’t cry secretly. It’s not worth it for that jerk!”
Yu Le, “…Just go already.”
The flowers in the corner of the opposite wall in the courtyard Yu Le was painting were vivid in color, making them a bit troublesome to color. He had planned to finish the last bit and then call Lu Yao to tease him about the blind date, but since he was working slowly, Lu Yao’s call came in as scheduled.
Yu Le swiped to answer and put the call on speaker while continuing to paint the yellow-green gradient on the leaves with his right hand, “Boss Lu, are you done with work?”
“Hmm, just got home.” Lu Yao, changing shoes at the entrance and preparing to grab clothes to take a shower, asked, “What are you doing?”
Yu Le, “Thinking about whether to share some fresh news with my boyfriend.”
Lu Yao, “Oh? What’s the fresh news?”
Yu Le, “I heard someone’s family arranged a blind date for him?”
Lu Yao raised his eyebrows, quickly deducing the source, “Xiaosong told you?”
“Yeah, otherwise in this remote mountain, I wouldn’t have known my boyfriend was going on a date with someone else.”
Yu Le adjusted his paint colors with a relaxed tone, “So, Boss Lu, when do you plan to meet this person?”
Lu Yao continued walking to his room, “Do you want me to go?”
“It’s your date, not mine. What does it have to do with me?”
Yu Le chuckled, “If you want to go, then go. What if you find out that the kid is perfect for you? Isn’t that a huge gain?”
Although his words might sound a bit jealous, Yu Le’s tone was playful.
Lu Yao knew this was just Yu Le teasing him on purpose and decided to play along, “It’s not a matter of ‘what if,’ it’s a certainty.”
Yu Le, “Hmm?”
Lu Yao took out a clean outfit from the closet, “From what my mom described, the kid really is quite to my taste.”
Given the tone, Yu Le knew Lu Yao was just teasing him.
However, since it was rare for him to have the upper hand, Yu Le wasn’t going to concede easily, “In what way is he to your taste? Tell me so I can pass it on to your boyfriend.”
Lu Yao, “He’s said to be good-looking since he was young, has a pleasant temperament, is cheerful, and lovable by everyone.”
Yu Le, “Oh?”
Lu Yao, “He’s also young, just graduated not long ago.”
Wow, Lu Yao really listened and remembered everything.
Yu Le gritted his teeth, “Anything else?”
Lu Yao, “Hmm… Seems he has achieved remarkable success in his field, has won many awards, and has his own brand and studio at such a young age.”
Yu Le finally caught on that something was off, “What field?”
Lu Yao, “Fashion design?”
Yu Le stopped painting and couldn’t help but look up, “Wait, hold on—”
Lu Yao, “I think the connection is that his grandfather and my grandfather were comrades in arms, so that’s why his family thought of setting us up.”
Some guesses started to take shape, and Yu Le, pressing his palm against the paper, felt a sense of disbelief, “You…”
Lu Yao, “I didn’t ask for the full name, just know that his last name is Yu, the same as in ‘Yu Meiren’.”
Yu Meiren.
Yu Le’s Yu.
Yu Le felt as if his heart had been hit by a small hammer.
This was too surreal.
The person he ran away from in the vast wilderness, the blind date candidate, was now his boyfriend?
Oh right, a special forces soldier.
How could there be so many special forces soldiers, and why did they keep orbiting around him? He should have realized it earlier.
But then again, it all seemed absurd, “My mom clearly said you took over the family company after retiring. How did you end up as an innkeeper in the mountains?”
He recalled various past events and it seemed more and more far-fetched, as if every pore was oozing question marks, “Brother, tell me, where do you resemble a CEO?”
Is there such a versatile and down-to-earth CEO???
Lu Yao chuckled, “Le Le is right, I don’t look like one.”
Feeling overwhelmed and mixed with emotions, Yu Le struggled to organize his thoughts, repeatedly trying to say something but finding himself at a loss for words.
So, he ended up running away twice—once from a blind date candidate and once from a one-night stand—only to end up encountering them both, almost as if fate was making sure he couldn’t escape.
After a long pause, he slapped his forehead, took a deep breath, and felt conflicted about whether to laugh at his own stupidity or be grateful for his luck.
Lu Yao’s tone carried a smile, “So, Little Yu, are you still curious about your boyfriend’s blind date?”
