EOD Chapter26

Zhou Zefeng was sitting on the sofa in Lu Zhao’s living room when, at the exact same moment, both of their stomachs rumbled in unison.

“You haven’t eaten dinner either?” Zhou Zefeng was somewhat surprised. He had been sitting outside freezing his off, but Lu Zhao was in his own home; how could he be starving?

“I just didn’t eat my fill at dinner,” Lu Zhao casually spouted nonsense. “There’s nothing left in the fridge. Let’s go out to eat.”

The two of them left the apartment one after the other with a distance of about half a meter between them. Their expressions were perfectly serious and the atmosphere was harmonious, making them look like a pair of not-very-close friends.

After heading downstairs into the residential complex, he walked beside Lu Zhao along the road, where they happened to run into the elderly woman who lived downstairs from Lu Zhao. Whenever Lu Zhao occasionally shared an elevator ride with her, he would help her carry her things. This grandma was always dedicated to setting Lu Zhao up on blind dates and was a very enthusiastic old lady.

The two greeted each other, and the grandma’s gaze fell on Zhou Zefeng standing beside Lu Zhao, a hint of confusion appearing on her face. “Doctor Lu, this is…”

“My younger brother.”

Hearing this, Zhou Zefeng abruptly turned his head to look at Lu Zhao, only to see that Lu Zhao looked perfectly serious, his face not even turning red as he lied.

“Hahaha, so Doctor Lu’s family has three brothers, and every one of them is exceptionally handsome…” The grandma praised them a few more times before going upstairs. Seeing that the grandma had walked far away, Zhou Zefeng grabbed Lu Zhao’s arm and asked, “Three brothers?”

Lu Zhao didn’t explain anything, taking advantage of him with an unchanged expression. “Let’s go, Gege will take you to eat.”

Zhou Zefeng didn’t refute him and followed behind Lu Zhao. Looking at his back, a different kind of emotion welled up in Zhou Zefeng’s heart.

Perhaps every single person who passed by them would think they were friends, brothers, or even colleagues. But only they themselves knew in their hearts that just thirty minutes ago, in the slightly cool autumn entryway, they had shared a kiss.

Zhou Zefeng couldn’t help but begin to relish the memory.

Lu Zhao’s kiss hadn’t lingered on his lips for too long; it was just a fleeting touch before breaking away. Before the lingering warmth of the fireworks in Zhou Zefeng’s mind could truly land, Lu Zhao spoke up to pull him back from Disneyland.

“Are you still angry?”

How could Zhou Zefeng still be angry? His entire being was drowning. He stood up dizzily and wanted to pull Lu Zhao close but was pushed away by him instead.

“Now it’s my turn to be angry.”

Lu Zhao turned around and went into the apartment. Zhou Zefeng shamelessly followed him inside. Xuebing didn’t dare to make a sound nearby, silently releasing the leash clamped in its mouth.

Zhou Zefeng knew the one who truly had every right to be upset was Lu Zhao; after all, he had agreed to meet, only to be stood up. But it wasn’t as though Zhou Zefeng had wanted things to turn out that way either.

After seeing Zhou Ruixuan that afternoon, Zhou Zefeng spent the entire bus ride home lost in thought.

He had clearly confirmed his feelings before at his mother’s grave, but Zhou Ruixuan’s words had hit him like a bucket of cold water, snapping him awake. There he was, pouring all his feelings into an unrequited crush, while Lu Zhao had spent yesterday enjoying a pleasant date with a young man, only to turn around today and start flirting with yet another “stranger.” The more Zhou Zefeng thought about it, the more unpleasant it felt, and a swell of grievance and resentment even began to breed in his heart.

Why did he turn him gay only to wash his hands of him?

Zhou Zefeng arrived outside Lu Zhao’s door at six in the evening. He didn’t know if Lu Zhao was home, and for reasons he couldn’t quite explain, he didn’t ring the doorbell but just stood outside the door falling into a deep sense of bewilderment.

As the night grew darker, he sat in the empty hallway for two hours. The later it got, the heavier his heart sank.

Lu Zhao had a habit of going for a run at night and would usually take Xuebing out for a walk around this time as well. If he didn’t show up, it could only mean Lu Zhao had run out of patience and gone off to find someone else to satisfy himself.

The more Zhou Zefeng thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt, his eyes involuntarily growing red. For the first time, he discovered just how bitter it felt to harbor feelings for someone; and that this particular person’s heart was like a durian, with someone occupying every single thorn. He knew he should leave quickly right now and return to his normal track of life, yet he wanted to see Lu Zhao just one more time.

It was at this exact moment that the door opened.

Zhou Zefeng didn’t voice his entire psychological ordeal. He explained briefly, saying he had gone to handle an urgent matter, which was why he was late.

Lu Zhao was amused in spite of his anger. “Then why didn’t you come in?”

Zhou Zefeng looked at him resentfully. “Why? Are you telling me you don’t know in your own heart?”

Of course, Lu Zhao knew. With an unchanged expression and a steady heartbeat, he looked every bit at the upright gentleman; looking so much like one that Zhou Zefeng wanted to pin him down and bully him until he cried.

But Zhou Zefeng was only having a mental storm. Sitting on the sofa, he asked very reluctantly, “How did you know it was me?”

“Ah? Know what?” Lu Zhao propped up his head and was full of warm smiles. “What are you talking about? This afternoon I was waiting for the person I had a date with, but he stood me up. So, I wanted to go out to walk the dog, only to see you sitting at the door—aren’t those two separate things?”

Zhou Zefeng could no longer tolerate his explosive temper. He forcefully pinned Lu Zhao onto the sofa, leaning over to press down on him. “Don’t say you didn’t know.”

“I really didn’t know.”

Zhou Zefeng let go of Lu Zhao, looking completely speechless as he stared at the ceiling. “Why do you always have to make the atmosphere so raunchy?”

Lu Zhao leaned in close to Zhou Zefeng, ambiguities tracing through his hand as he stroked the back of his neck. “You don’t like it?”

As if surrendering, Zhou Zefeng threw caution to the wind and said, “I like it, okay! I like it!” Pausing for a moment, he asked again, “How did you recognize me?”

Lu Zhao was nearly driven to laughter. Leaving aside the fact that the pic didn’t show a face and wasn’t definitive proof; it was just that Lu Zhao was too familiar with it, so he recognized it, there were also all those photos Zhou Zefeng had posted of the cafeteria, the library, the basketball courts, and the swimming pool, completely exposing himself to the sun. Still, it wasn’t that Zhou Zefeng was unintelligent or didn’t know how to hide himself; it was just that he had treated Lu Zhao as a sounding board, which also explained everything.

Lu Zhao signaled for Zhou Zefeng to bring his ear closer. Even after being played so many times, Zhou Zefeng still couldn’t resist leaning over, wanting to hear what kind of scandalous words Lu Zhao wanted to say this time.

“Zhou Zefeng, the food in your cafeteria looks delicious. I also quite like the braised eggplant.”

Zhou Zefeng froze, not immediately grasping Lu Zhao’s intent in saying that, but he understood it with what followed.

“You play basketball very well. Let’s go together next time.”

“Also, how many days does it take for your swimming pool to change its water? It looks so clear.”

“I’ve read that book too. I didn’t expect you to like this kind of philosophy book. I have the original English edition at home; I can lend it to you.”

“I’ve been to that hot pot restaurant too. The shrimp paste is delicious, but don’t you not eat spicy food?”

Just as Zhou Zefeng was about to answer them one by one, Lu Zhao pressed a finger against his lips, stopping him from speaking.

“Finally, there are two more questions.” Lu Zhao’s voice drifted into his ear, dreamlike and ethereal. “I don’t sell worn underwear to others, nor will I be topped. No one dares to ask me that.”

Looking at Lu Zhao’s face, Zhou Zefeng’s expression instantly dimmed a bit.

Was this a clear rejection?

“But you are different,” Lu Zhao said before touching Zhou Zefeng’s flushed earlobe. “If you put in some effort, you probably can.”

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