LNTSWJLY Chapter 74

In the dim room, the only light came from the tiny candle flame burning quietly. Its glow was reflected in their eyes, making them look especially bright. The affection in those eyes was also clearly visible, without the slightest attempt to hide it.

The soft touch on his lips brought Yu Zhi back to his senses. He lifted his gaze to those bright eyes. After a long moment, he finally leaned in and returned the kiss…

Their breathing gradually grew more hurried. Only when he had made Lan Jingzhi’s heart race as fast as his own did Yu Zhi pull back a little. He curled his lips into a smile and whispered softly, “Thank you.”

He guessed that Lan Jingzhi had probably checked the date on his ID card. He did not mention that the birth date listed on the original owner’s ID was actually a little earlier than his real birthday.

Neither the original owner nor Yu Zhi himself had ever paid much attention to birthdays. There was no harm in celebrating on the date listed on the ID card from now on.

Lan Jingzhi’s lips were flushed red. He pressed them together with a smile and said to Yu Zhi, “Blow out the candle.”

Yu Zhi smiled. “Aren’t you supposed to make a wish first?”

But Lan Jingzhi said, “Who am I supposed to make a wish to? Heaven? If it could really grant everyone’s wishes, then there wouldn’t be so many helpless situations and regrets in this world.”

He tilted his head up and looked at Yu Zhi with a proud, almost haughty expression.

“If you have a wish, why not tell me instead? I’m more biased in your favor than Heaven is. If Heaven won’t help you make your wish come true, I’ll grant it no matter what.”

Yu Zhi felt as though his heart had been steeped in sweetness. He was sinking deeper into it, unable to pull himself free. Pressing his lips together, he smiled softly. “All right.”

“My wish is very simple. As long as you’re doing well, that’s enough. Whether I’m by your side or not, you have to take good care of yourself and wait for me to come find you.”

Lan Jingzhi looked at him suspiciously. “Why does that sound as if we’re going to be separated?”

Yu Zhi took advantage of his younger body to be willful for once. “Just tell me whether you’ll agree or not.”

Seeing how serious he was, Lan Jingzhi still did not believe they would actually part ways. Even so, he was willing to indulge Yu Zhi and humor him, so he readily agreed.

“All right, all right. I promise. Now can we blow out the candle?”

Yu Zhi curved his lips into a smile, tilted his head toward the candle, and blew it out. The surroundings immediately sank into darkness. Only the moonlight quietly streamed in through the window, casting a faint, hazy glow over the room and shrouding everything in an indistinct, dreamlike gloom.

Lan Jingzhi was just about to put down the cake and go turn on the lights when Yu Zhi suddenly caught him by the wrist.

“Wait a moment. I’ll turn on the lights,” Lan Jingzhi said, assuming that Yu Zhi was afraid of the dark.

But then Yu Zhi’s deep voice reached his ears.

“It’s better with the lights off.”

Yu Zhi took the cake from his hands and, guided by his memory of the room, placed it on the dining table. Then he stepped forward, wrapped his arms around Lan Jingzhi, and chuckled softly.

“You celebrated my birthday for me, and I really liked it. I want to give you something in return, too. We can have dinner a little later. Why don’t we unwrap the present first?”

As he spoke, he held Lan Jingzhi with one arm while gradually undoing the buttons of his own shirt with the other.

Lan Jingzhi’s face quietly reddened in the darkness. He scolded him in embarrassment, “It’s your birthday! Why are you giving me a present?! Do you really have to dress it up with such a grand excuse?!”

Yu Zhi led him over to the living room sofa, where he pressed Lan Jingzhi beneath him and laughed in a low voice.

“I’m fine either way. I just think you seem to like this kind of surprise arrangement, so I figured there was no harm in trying it once in a while.”

Lan Jingzhi endured Little Brother Yu’s kisses, his face still flushed as he stubbornly refused to give in.

“You… You’re talking nonsense!”

The darkness gave them a layer of concealment. No matter how red his face grew or how embarrassed and annoyed he became, no one would see him.

Yu Zhi chuckled softly and said, “All right, let’s say I’m talking nonsense. Then, Jingzhi, does that mean you don’t want your present anymore? If that’s the case, then I…”

As he spoke, he began to get up.

Lan Jingzhi’s expression darkened. Irritated, he grabbed Yu Zhi by the collar and pulled him back down.

“You really are something!”

“Something what?”

“……My favorite present.”

“What a coincidence. You’re mine, too.”

You are the gift the galaxy bestowed upon me, the one I found only after journeying across billions of stars.

……………… 

Lan Jingzhi was making plans to reopen his yoga classes. He had suspended all his lessons before because of the Yu family, and now that he was preparing to start again, he had no idea how many people would sign up.

Still, he needed to support their household and, more importantly, save up the ten million yuan that Yu Zhi had decided to use to repay the money he owed. His monthly salary would be little more than a drop in the ocean compared with ten million, but small amounts added up. If he kept earning, he would eventually save enough.

He had no intention of placing his hopes in Yu Zhi’s livestreams. Livestreaming also required time to build an audience and grow, and there was no guarantee that it would become popular. Having a stable source of income would already be good enough.

With that in mind, Lan Jingzhi posted a notice on his WeChat Moments announcing that his classes would be reopening. Quite a few people on that account had taken lessons with him in the past. Most were housewives, people who, like his former self, had ambitions that far exceeded their circumstances, and some of the fair-weather friends he had met before.

Less than five minutes after he posted the notice, several former clients had already booked sessions. Lan Jingzhi could not help letting out a sigh of relief.

Just as he was replying to them one by one, a rather different message came in.

Bestie Jia: 【Brother Lan, do you have some free time lately? Why not bring Young Master Yu out to have some fun?】

Lan Jingzhi raised an eyebrow and glanced at the message with an almost amused smile.

He refused to believe that these people, who were so well-informed and loved gossiping, had no idea about what had been happening online. Were they pretending not to know so they could see how awkwardly he would try to put on an act and cover things up?

Lan Jingzhi had initially intended to ignore the message. But then the other person sent another one.

【There’s a gathering in a few days. Want to come? Brother Qi is organizing it. It’ll be at that same XX club where you treated us last time, Brother Lan.】

Lan Jingzhi furrowed his brows. His fingers dragged sharply across the screen as he stared at the name and the club mentioned in the message, his lips pressed together and his teeth clenched.

Oh, really… If they hadn’t reminded him, he might almost have forgotten that he had been set up by that man surnamed Qi before. If the person he had encountered that time hadn’t been Yu Zhi, who knew how much more disgusted he would have felt?

Now, looking at the message on his screen, he wondered: Was this a coincidence?

Lan Jingzhi gave a mocking smile. He certainly didn’t think it was.

Most likely, that man surnamed Qi was trying to remind him of what had happened and boast about it at the same time.

Although that incident had unexpectedly led to a rather wonderful encounter, that didn’t mean Lan Jingzhi had to be grateful to Qi for it. Lan Jingzhi wasn’t the kind of person who liked to let others take advantage of him. Even if he hadn’t retaliated at the time, he would still find an opportunity to get even later.

Lan Jingzhi sneered at the chat window and began typing.

【Sure! Come to think of it, we haven’t gotten together in ages. I’ll treat everyone this time. Order whatever you like when you get there. Brother Yu loves me so much that he’ll cover the bill for me.】

He was saying this on purpose. The other person would surely think he was trying to save face by pretending to be richer than he was. Not only would they agree immediately, but they would also go all out ordering expensive wines and liquor.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before Bestie Jia, replied.

【Great! Then we’ll have to let Young Master Yu spend a little money on us!】

On the day of the gathering, Lan Jingzhi got up intending to tell Yu Zhi that he would be going out. However, he was surprised to see a rare sight of Yu Zhi dressed in formal attire. Clearly, he was going out as well.

Lan Jingzhi walked over and looked Yu Zhi up and down in his suit. His eyes filled with admiration.

“Little Brother Yu, you look so handsome! But why are you dressed up so nicely? Where are you planning to go?”

Yu Zhi was going to attend the launch event for a new game. It would also be his first public appearance. This was the first step toward proving that he was even more outstanding than Yu Chen, making the Yu family’s parents notice him and eventually regret how they had treated him.

“I’ll tell you when I get back.”

He smiled and kissed Lan Jingzhi.

“You’re going out?” Yu Zhi asked, glancing at the clothes Lan Jingzhi was wearing.

The possessiveness in Lan Jingzhi’s heart had been suppressed by that kiss. He did his best to push down the urge to stop Yu Zhi from going out and nodded.

“I have a gathering to attend. I might not be back until a little later.”

Yu Zhi’s event was expected to end quickly, so he said, “That’s fine. I’ll come pick you up when I’m done.”

Lan Jingzhi tilted his head. “How are you going to pick me up? We don’t even have a car at home.”

Yu Zhi was momentarily at a loss for words, but he immediately replied, “I’ll take a taxi and come get you anyway.”

Lan Jingzhi smiled with a hint of satisfaction, maintaining a composed and slightly coy air.

“All right, then. I’ll wait for you.”

The two of them left home, each heading in a different direction toward a different destination.

Inside the private club, several young men were sitting on the sofas. The table was already covered with an assortment of expensive alcohol, worth at least several hundred thousand yuan.

“How is it? Do you think he’ll get scared and decide not to come?” Qi Sheng asked.

The other man glanced at his phone and said, “No way. I just asked him, and he said he was already on his way.”

The speaker was the person surnamed Jia who had been messaging Lan Jingzhi. In Lan Jingzhi’s phone, he was saved under the contact name “Bestie Jia”

“I knew he wouldn’t be able to swallow his pride. Who doesn’t know that he and Young Master Yu have fallen out?”

“I heard Young Master Yu doesn’t even like him in the first place. He was the one desperately throwing himself at Young Master Yu, and then he got dumped, right?”

The group chatted merrily among themselves.

They didn’t care what the truth was. The fact that Lan Jingzhi had been abandoned by the Yu family was enough for them. They could make up whatever else they pleased.

As long as they saw someone else doing badly, they were happy. After all, with his looks, his good fortune, and his scheming, affected way of acting innocent, Lan Jingzhi had always been their common enemy, hadn’t he?

They had had enough of watching him put on that coy, affected act and throw his weight around in front of them. Now that he had fallen on hard times, of course they were going to kick him while he was down.

“You’re all here so early?”

The moment Lan Jingzhi stepped into the private room, the atmosphere inside changed abruptly.

“Brother Lan is here?! Come in! Come in!”

“Brother Lan, long time no see! Have you been so busy with Young Master Yu that you’ve forgotten about us? You really do value romance over friendship!”

“Brother Lan, you’re late. You have to make up for it by drinking three glasses!”

The group swarmed around Lan Jingzhi, surrounding him on all sides and treating him like the center of attention, as though he were the moon surrounded by stars.

How could Lan Jingzhi fail to see what they were up to? He sneered inwardly but maintained a warm expression.

“I’m really sorry. My boyfriend is especially clingy, so I haven’t had time to come out and see you all for ages. I’m treating everyone today, so order whatever you like.”

The others were thoroughly disgusted by his claim that his boyfriend was clingy. They thought to themselves, Go on, keep making things up. Let’s see how you explain yourself when we expose your lies later!

Everyone exchanged knowing looks and raised their eyebrows at one another.

“Then we won’t stand on ceremony!”

Several of them proceeded to order even more drinks.

Lan Jingzhi watched them without giving it a second thought. After all, he wasn’t going to be the one paying for the bill anyway.

“Brother Lan, you’re so generous!”

“Brother Lan, how come Young Master Yu isn’t here with you? Didn’t you say he was clingy?”

“Oh, he went to work. He said he’d come pick me up when he’s finished. I don’t want him to work so hard, either, but he’s just that considerate. You have no idea how good he is to me at home. Not only does he personally cook for me every day, but he also often puts work aside to spend time with me.”

Lan Jingzhi scoffed inwardly, but outwardly, he continued showing off.

“Oh, right, you probably don’t know this, either, but my boyfriend has incredible stamina. He can do several hundred push-ups every night without even getting out of breath. He keeps me up so much that I never get enough sleep. Just look at me, I’m practically getting dark circles under my eyes! See? I still had to put on makeup before I dared to leave the house.”

He understood these people’s mentality. Who wouldn’t want a capable boyfriend who loved them? All he had to do was casually mention a few things his boyfriend did for him, and he could easily stir up their jealousy.

Sure enough, several of their faces twisted.

They had been determined to flatter Lan Jingzhi into spending money he couldn’t afford, so they had to keep praising him with all their might. No matter what he said, they had to play along and shower him with compliments. Who could have guessed that after staying out of sight for a while, he would come back acting even more like a green tea than before? They were so furious that they wanted to splash the liquor in their glasses straight into his face, soaking that clear, rosy complexion, which obviously had barely any makeup on it and had clearly been nourished by love, to their hearts’ content!

Wait a minute. Hadn’t the Yu family dumped him? Why didn’t he look like someone who had been dumped at all? If anything, he looked even more radiant and alluring than before.

This made no sense!

“Heh. Brother Lan, it sounds like you’ve really been working hard. I wonder if your back can still take it. Want me to introduce you to an old Chinese medicine doctor for a checkup?” someone sneered.

Lan Jingzhi looked at him in surprise.

“How did you know my boyfriend bought me Chinese medicine? He said traditional Chinese medicine is good for maintaining your health. We’re still young, but we need to take good care of our bodies. Otherwise, we’ll suffer when we’re older. He was even worried that one doctor might prescribe the wrong medicine, so he consulted several traditional Chinese medicine practitioners before settling on a prescription.”

It was true that Lan Jingzhi had been drinking Chinese medicine. However, it hadn’t been prescribed by some old doctor. Yu Zhi had somehow found a prescription from who knew where. Apparently, it was supposed to treat an underlying health problem. Yu Zhi thought there would be no harm in trying it once or twice, so Lan Jingzhi had gone along with it. As it turned out, after just a few days, he really did feel more comfortable physically. He had continued taking it ever since.

Everyone: “…”

Who did he think he was fooling?

They had genuinely intended to keep coaxing and flattering Lan Jingzhi until the very end, then expose him. They wanted to watch him grit his teeth and pay the bill, only to be stripped of his pretenses and left looking utterly humiliated.

Who could have expected him to be so shameless? He was actually making up these unbelievable stories to show off to them and pull the wool over their eyes!

Anyone who believed that would have to be an idiot.

They didn’t want to be made fools of, but they also didn’t want all their previous efforts to go to waste. After exchanging glances, they eventually reached a unanimous decision to change the subject.

Qi Sheng pulled out his phone and started playing a game.

He wanted to see Lan Jingzhi looking miserable, not showing off.

So, before exposing Lan Jingzhi, he decided he might as well play the game he liked.

“Brother Qi, are you playing 《Azure Edge》? Which server are you on? Let’s add each other. Maybe we can play together sometime!”

“Count me in, too! I just started playing this game, and I desperately need an expert to carry me!”

Qi Sheng had been playing for a month, making him a veteran compared with them. He enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention, with everyone fawning over him like stars surrounding the moon. He immediately curled his lips into a smile and said, “No problem!”

He glanced at Lan Jingzhi out of the corner of his eye, only to find that Lan Jingzhi wasn’t the least bit displeased at being ignored. Instead, he was looking at his own phone, apparently watching a video. Qi Sheng had no idea what he was watching, but Lan Jingzhi’s face was glowing with a happy, affectionate smile.

Qi Sheng felt a knot of frustration tighten in his chest. His gaze darkened, but he forced a smile and asked, “Jingzhi, do you play games, too? I have one to recommend. I wonder if you’d be interested?”

Lan Jingzhi’s smile faded as he exited the livestream video of Yu Zhi from earlier. He replied indifferently, “Sorry, I’m not interested in playing games.”

“Brother Lan, you’re really falling behind the times. A while ago, a game became so popular that it broke out of its usual circle and went mainstream. If you don’t even know about that, how are you supposed to have anything in common with Young Master Yu?” someone mocked.

Lan Jingzhi was about to say that his boyfriend wasn’t interested in games either, but then he saw the other person pull out his phone and say, “Look! The company behind 《Azure Edge》 is so productive. It hasn’t even been that long since they released their first game, and they’ve already launched a second one that’s completely different. This is the livestream of their launch event. Their boss is so handsome! He has the same surname as Young Master Yu, but I honestly think he’s even more handsome and talented than Young Master Yu.”

“Of course! No matter how capable Young Master Yu is, he’s still just a rich second-generation heir who took over an established family business from his parents. But Chairman Yu is different. He built his business from nothing, and he’s exceptionally handsome. He’s practically the male lead of a novel brought to life!”

Unable to hide their envy, the group seized the opportunity to take a jab at Lan Jingzhi. By putting Yu Chen down through comparisons with someone else, they could also make Lan Jingzhi lose face.

They had assumed that even if Lan Jingzhi didn’t respond with a sarcastic remark, he would at least blush with embarrassment.

But when they looked at him, the smiles on their faces gradually froze.

What was that expression on his face?

But when they looked over, they saw Lan Jingzhi staring intently at the livestream video. His eyes were fixed on a certain person on the screen, and his expression kept changing. One moment, he was frowning; the next, he was glaring. Then he looked utterly bewildered, followed by an expression that suggested he was questioning everything he had ever known about life.

After a while, having looked at the man in the video from every possible angle—left, right, up, and down—and still being unable to convince himself that the man was anyone else, Lan Jingzhi finally managed to get his expression under control.

His eyes were still full of confusion, but at least he remembered where he was and what kind of occasion this was. He opened an unopened bottle of drink, took a sip to calm his nerves, and only then managed to say haltingly, “He really is handsome and he really is impressive.”

He just looked a little familiar.

Well, considering that Lan Jingzhi spent more than half of every day looking at that face, and even held its owner in his arms while falling asleep every night, how could it not be familiar?

At that very moment, Lan Jingzhi had absolutely no interest in figuring out how to deal with this disgusting group of people. His mind was filled with just one thought: find Yu Zhi, find Yu Zhi…

What was he going to do when he found Yu Zhi?

Settle accounts with him!

Right! He was going to settle accounts with him!

What about that ten-million-yuan debt? What about becoming a food streamer? What about not having a job…? Every last bit of it had been a lie!

Ha!

Lan Jingzhi narrowed his eyes slightly. A dangerous glint flashed through them, and his lips pressed into a thin line. He mentally turned that certain someone over and over, going through every possible way to deal with him, yet he still couldn’t decide where to begin.

Slapping his face was out of the question. He was far too handsome. Lan Jingzhi just couldn’t bring himself to do it. Hitting his hands was out, too. They were far too pretty for him to lay a hand on them. What about spanking him? His butt seemed like a viable option, but Lan Jingzhi was certain that if he dared to strike Yu Zhi there, Yu Zhi would return the favor in exactly the same place.

Ahhh! His Little Yu was just too wonderful for his own good! Even when Lan Jingzhi wanted to teach him a lesson, he had no idea where to start!

Should he just put him on a sex ban, then?

But would that be punishing Yu Zhi or punishing himself?

Lan Jingzhi’s expression kept changing, leaving everyone else utterly baffled. He didn’t exactly look like someone who was furious with embarrassment. Could he have been so shocked that he’d actually lost his mind?

“Brother Lan, I know the guy is handsome, young, and successful, but you can’t just keep staring at him.” No matter how long you stare, he’s never going to be yours!

Only then did Lan Jingzhi look up at them. Seeing the contempt and disdain hidden in their eyes, he found that he wasn’t the least bit bothered. He merely responded with a calm, “Oh.”

“What if he’s my boyfriend?”

A few seconds later, the private room erupted in laughter.

“Hahaha… Brother Lan, stop joking around! Isn’t your boyfriend that Young Master Yu from the Yu family? His name is Yu Chen! This up-and-coming game company’s boss is called Yu Zhi. Stop trying to claim someone else’s achievements for yourself. They’re obviously two completely different people!”

Lan Jingzhi stubbornly repeated, “What if he’s my boyfriend?”

Qi Sheng gave him a mocking smile. “If he really is your boyfriend, I’ll pay for everyone’s bill tonight.”

Qi Sheng wasn’t particularly wealthy himself. Spending several hundred thousand yuan would practically wipe out his savings. But so what? It was never going to happen anyway, so he had nothing to fear.

Lan Jingzhi immediately reached out and gave him a quick squeeze on the hand.

“Thanks for treating us!”

He glanced at the livestream of the launch event and noticed that Yu Zhi was no longer on screen. His segment must have ended. Lan Jingzhi took out his phone and called him.

“Where are you?”

“I’m just about to come pick you up.”

“Okay. I’ll wait.”

Just before hanging up, Lan Jingzhi forced down his irritation and gritted out one last sentence.

“Be careful on the road.”

Just wait until we get home tonight. I’ll settle the score with you then!

Judging by his expression, anyone who didn’t know better might have thought he wasn’t wishing Yu Zhi a safe journey but cursing him instead.

Yu Zhi looked at the phone after the call ended and raised an eyebrow, feeling a little suspicious.

Could he have found out this quickly?

Since when had Lan Jingzhi been interested in video games? And since when had he even paid attention to game launch events?

Yu Zhi was walking toward the roadside and had originally intended to hail a taxi. But after thinking about the strangely well-timed phone call, he changed his mind and drove one of the company’s cars instead.

He had only obtained his driver’s license recently, and today seemed like the perfect opportunity to put it to use.

A little over ten minutes later, Yu Zhi arrived at the address Lan Jingzhi had given him. Looking at the familiar place, he couldn’t help letting a trace of amusement show in his eyes.

The private room was easy enough to find. A few minutes later, a server led him to the designated room. He reached out and pushed the door open.

Everyone inside turned to look at him.

Yu Zhi’s gaze swept across the room before finally settling, with pinpoint accuracy, on Lan Jingzhi, who was dressed in a light blue outfit.

“Sorry to interrupt. I’m here to see Lan Jingzhi.”

Yu Zhi spoke as he walked into the room.

The man who had just appeared in the livestream had suddenly shown up in person, right in front of them. Everyone froze, their faces filled with confusion and shock. It took a good while before someone finally managed to recover enough to stammer, “Y-you… you are…?”

Yu Zhi glanced at Lan Jingzhi. Just one look was enough. When his eyes met Lan Jingzhi’s gaze, which was deliberately trying to suppress his excitement, he immediately understood.

Lan Jingzhi had found out.

Yu Zhi smiled helplessly to himself and walked over at an unhurried pace before taking a seat beside him.

“I’m his boyfriend. I’ve come to take him home.”

Everyone: “?!!!”

Lan Jingzhi tried his hardest to suppress his smile, but the corners of his lips still curled upward. When Yu Zhi stopped him from holding his hand, he didn’t resist, either. His gaze drifted casually toward Qi Sheng, whose face had gone pale.

“Oh, and thanks for the treat.”

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