Chapter 55.2
After boarding the plane, Lu Yao asked a flight attendant to bring a blanket and put it on Yu Le’s lap, “Is the new studio settled?”
Yu Le, “Pretty much, but we’re still negotiating the price.”
Lu Yao, “Hua Zhao Bay?”
That was the place Lu Yao had just sent him to.
“No.” Yu Le said. “It’s another place, on Nan Shui Road Fu, the building next to the intersection.”
Lu Yao lifted his eyebrows, “Nan Shui International?”
Yu Le nodded and noticed Lu Yao’s expression wasn’t quite right, “What’s wrong? Is there something unsuitable about that place?”
“No.” Lu Yao smiled. “It’s quite suitable. No need to negotiate the price. It comes with free renovation and decoration. Just move in when you’re ready.”
Yu Le was stunned, then widened his eyes in surprise, “Is it really that coincidental? That building is…?”
Lu Yao nodded.
It was that coincidental.
Actually, when Lu Yao first heard that Yu Le wanted to move his studio, he had already planned to offer him some options.
But since Yu Le already had alternatives and he wasn’t sure what requirements a studio might have for location, he decided to wait and see. Who knew that, once again, his boyfriend would collide into his arms completely unaware.
Yu Le gasped with delight, “Does this count as getting a gold leg to hold onto?”
“Not quite. It will all be yours in the future.”
Lu Yao helped him spread the blanket and patted his head, “You’re not sleepy? Take a nap. I’ll wake you up when we arrive.”
During the two-hour flight, they successfully arrived home before dinner.
Having had practical experience in the morning, explaining things again in the afternoon went smoothly, except that the scapegoat had shifted from Lu Yao to Yu Le. Other than that, everything was essentially the same.
Maintaining the image of one’s own boyfriend was something both were very good at.
Yu Le’s parents were surprisingly accepting. Apart from being startled at the door when their son brought his matchmaker home, everything else unfolded quite naturally.
And, as Yu Le said, they were really pleased with Lu Yao and liked him very much.
Who wouldn’t like a promising and capable young man?
Especially when that young man was the future son-in-law, the filter was definitely stronger.
With some time left before dinner, Yu Le kept his promise and took Lu Yao to tour his room.
He placed the wooden sculpture that Lu Yao had said was suitable on the shelf and stepped back to examine it. Indeed, it was very fitting.
Lu Yao lingered behind, surveying the room like a tourist. This time, without the screen, every corner and detail was captured.
The overall tone was blue, with various modeling figures on the shelves, which suited typical male preferences. The room wasn’t very large but was full of items without being cluttered, giving off a strong sense of life.
When Yu Le finished tidying up and turned around, he saw Lu Yao thoughtfully sitting at his desk.
His computer was still packed, and the desk was empty except for a stack of manuscripts tilted at an angle.
“What are you thinking?” Yu Le walked over.
Lu Yao, “I’m wondering if you ever chewed on the pen caps when you were sitting here writing math papers.”
Yu Le, “……”
He opened a drawer and grabbed two pens, placing them on the desk, “Do you mean these?”
They were visibly old, with noticeable wear on the plastic casings. What stood out most was that both had cracked and deformed caps from being chewed.
Lu Yao picked them up, chuckling softly.
There was also a photo frame on the desk, one that Yu Le had shown Lu Yao during a video call. However, seeing it in person was much more vivid and real than on screen.
In the photo, three boys stood together, with Yu Le in the middle, his classmates’ arms around him. He was grinning at the camera, making a “V” sign with his hands, looking fresh and energetic, the kind that everyone would like at first glance.
Seeing that Lu Yao was interested, Yu Le went to fetch an old, dusty photo album.
Since there was no place to sit, Yu Le moved Lu Yao’s hands aside and used his legs as a stool, placing the album on the desk and flipping through it from photos of him with a pacifier.
Lu Yao held him, resting his chin lazily on his shoulder, listening to him enthusiastically explain the interesting stories behind each photo.
From childhood to elementary school, then middle school, and high school, Yu Le reminisced about his past childishness, making himself laugh. He noticed that the person behind him hadn’t responded for a while.
Turning his head, he gently patted Lu Yao’s head, which was slightly prickly from the short hair, “Are you tired?”
“No, just realized something.”
Lu Yao flipped back a page and pointed to a photo, “This is from the English speech competition?”
Yu Le nodded, “Yes.”
The boy in the photo looked even younger than in the framed picture from senior year. Dressed in a white shirt and suit pants, with neatly combed hair and a smooth forehead, he smiled at the camera under the lights, like a beloved little prince.
Lu Yao looked at the photo’s date, “If I’m not mistaken, the national finals that year were held at Xuan Middle School?”
“Seems like it.” It had been so long that Yu Le had forgotten until reminded. “I remember going to Xuan City. Were you already graduated?”
Lu Yao, “Senior year.”
“Ah, I was only in junior high.” Yu Le sighed. “And I didn’t see you. Did you attend the speech?”
Lu Yao, “Skipped class to play games.”
Yu Le, “……”
Lu Yao, “My mistake.”
Yu Le pouted, wondering what more could he do, letting it go. It was just a matter of dealing with a teenage boy.
The subsequent photos were mostly group pictures. Regardless of the number of people, Lu Yao always managed to spot Yu Le at first glance.
In his eyes, Yu Le was the brightest star in the crowd. It seemed that as long as he appeared in sight, his gaze would automatically track and focus on him.
Lu Yao, “I need to take back what I said earlier.”
Yu Le, “Which one?”
Lu Yao, “The one about you coming to find me. I wouldn’t ignore that.”
Yu Le was curious, “Why?”
Lu Yao hugged him tighter, burying his head in his neck and taking a deep breath, “You looked too good as a student.”
“No one dislikes a good child, and eighteen-year-old Lu Yao is no exception.”
……
After dinner, Yu Le took Lu Yao out for a walk.
His home wasn’t far from Wuzhong, so he took Lu Yao on the path he had walked for six years.
In the autumn season, the evening breeze in the city had turned cooler.
The streets were lively at this time, with more food stalls as they approached the school. Occasionally, they saw a few students in Wuzhong uniforms urging the vendors to hurry, grabbing fried snacks and rushing towards the school gate.
Yu Le glanced at the time, “Looks like evening self-study still starts at seven. It hasn’t changed in all these years.”
Lu Yao, “Evening self-study?”
Yu Le, “Yes, from seven to ten forty, equivalent to four periods. The first three periods are supervised by teachers, and the last period is self-study.”
Lu Yao asked, “Do all students attend?”
“Yeah.” Yu Le wondered, “Isn’t it the same for you?”
Lu Yao, “We finish school at five.”
Yu Le, “No evening self-study?”
Lu Yao, “An hour and a half for boarding students. If you’re not boarding, you don’t need to.”
Yu Le was shocked. He had always thought that the high-intensity study schedule in high school was standardized nationwide and didn’t realize how relaxed it could be elsewhere, “If I had known, I would have transferred to Xuan City. Why suffer here?”
Passing the school gate, the bell for self-study had just rung, and students who hadn’t entered the classroom rushed towards the teaching building with determination.
Yu Le looked at the gate, “I haven’t visited my teachers in a long time.”
Lu Yao, “Do you want to go in and see them?”
Yu Le shook his head, “Forget it. It’s too late, and not all teachers stay for evening self-study. My teachers might have already left.”
They took a turn and walked down another tree-lined path.
There were fallen leaves on the ground, but not yellowed. Yu Le occasionally stepped on them, reflecting, “I walked this path countless times with classmates, playing around. After graduation, everyone went their separate ways. I came here alone and found it uninteresting, so I haven’t come back much.”
What people miss isn’t the scenery or objects but the people who were with them at the time and the memories they created together. Whenever recalled, they are still in the scene, but reality has long since parted ways, which is why scenery can evoke such sorrow.
Yu Le kicked a small stone, “It’s still more fun when someone is walking with you.”
Lu Yao agreed, “I’ll walk with you from now on.”
“How will you accompany me?” Yu Le laughed. “I’m not studying anymore. Are you planning to make time to fly to Wuzhong with me every day?”
“If we can’t walk this path, there’s always the next one.”
Lu Yao, “We won’t part ways, so however long you want to walk, I’ll be with you.”
Yu Le’s heart skipped a beat. He couldn’t help but stop and turn to look at him.
They stood in the light, with the illumination pouring down from above.
Lu Yao brushed away a piece of broken leaf from above, his cool fingers gently touching Yu Le’s face.
“Yu Le, after we move to Xuan City, come live with me.”
