When he went to the restaurant, the entire hall was as quiet as a study room, with a tense atmosphere all around.
But Xu Zhuo whistled cheerfully in his mind, knowing from this momentum that Ziyu had come down.
"Seafood risotto, thank you," he said to the server behind the counter. Usually, he'd carefully select a few dishes he liked, but today, he was unwilling to wait for even a moment, so he randomly ordered a meal.
"Hey handsome, we meet again." A stylish lady next to him came over, lowering her voice. Xu Zhuo recognized her as the one who gave him "enlightenment" on the first day he met Du Ziyu in the restaurant.
Xu Zhuo smiled at her, took the tray from the server, and went to pay.
The lady also happened to be leaving at that time, so she followed him, "Every time I see you, Ziyu always comes to eat. Shouldn't we say that it's our fate with Ziyu?"
"Shouldn't it be our fate with Ziyu?" Xu Zhuo laughed.
The lady thought about it and agreed that it could be put that way.
After Xu Zhuo finished paying and left, she still followed him closely, "Let's find a safer place—hey, why are you going that way? You're going the wrong way!"
The lady anxiously reminded him, and Xu Zhuo casually waved a hand at her.
"Young people these days are so daring!" The lady sighed sympathetically as she found a seat further away, watching Xu Zhuo in the distance.
He was completely oblivious to it, his mind focused entirely on another person.
There was a small loft in the restaurant, reserved for senior management, semi-closed off with frosted glass all around the outside.
After observing for a while, Xu Zhuo deliberately chose this location, where he could peek inside through the door to see a bit of the scene inside.
He hadn't held much hope, but when he saw Du Ziyu sitting in a position facing the door that he could see, he was overjoyed as if he had won the lottery.
He's waiting for me!
Xu Zhuo's heart felt as sweet as honey, and he also sat down.
Almost as if telepathic, Du Ziyu looked up at that moment and met Xu Zhuo's eager gaze directly, then quickly looked down again.
Xu Zhuo smiled like a cat that had stolen cream.
The seafood risotto is made with plenty of ingredients, and the golden rice grains, shrimp, and chicken pieces increase one's appetite. The fragrant aroma from the stir-frying increases one's craving.
However, it is not the right time for it. Those who are eating it only have their loved ones in their hearts and eyes. They scoop with their spoons and chew with their mouths, but their eyes are fixed on Du Ziyou as if they are too absorbed to even notice themselves. They are likely to taste nothing even if they were eating dragon meat.
Perhaps Xu Zhuo's gaze is too intense, as if it is projected directly onto Du Ziyou's calm face, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
He picked at the food with his fork, not eating much, occasionally responding to the people around him, and only looked outside at Xu Zhuo when no one was paying attention. They were more than twenty meters apart, and occasionally others passed by. They didn't speak, and no one knew their relationship.
Despite the distance, the two appeared to be on a date. It was as if they were not eating an ordinary dish but facing each other in a high-end restaurant, having a candlelight dinner without words, only their compelling gazes intertwining openly and brazenly, stirring up emotions.
Their actions in full view of everyone made their adrenaline flow, stimulating them to an unusual excitement. Xu Zhuo couldn't control his impulse and texted him, "What are you eating?" Meanwhile, Du Ziyou looked at the phone on the table, then at Xu Zhuo twenty meters away.
Xu Zhuo smiled at him. Du Ziyou lowered his head to check his phone and typed out a message. Xu Zhuo immediately received a new message: "Pasta." Followed by another: "What about you?"
Xu Zhuo replied, "Seafood risotto with plenty of ingredients. Next time, you should try it too." "Okay." Xu Zhuo added, "But Aunt Wei's fresh shrimp and mushroom soup is still the best. So, when will you invite me over for a meal again?"
After sending this suggestive message, he looked at the other party expectantly, but he saw him tilting his head and listening to the conversation of a middle-aged man next to him.
Xu Zhuo waited, feeling anxious, tapping the motionless screen of his phone with his fingers, glaring at the third wheel. Why hasn't he replied yet? Is work more important than talking during meals? If you don't want to eat, just say so, but don't stop my Mr. Du from eating.
After a long minute, Du Ziyou finally freed himself from the man beside him and replied, "Sorry, I had something just now." Xu Zhuo went online and said, "It's okay, work is important."
Du Ziyou didn't notice anything unusual and added, "Aunt Wei said a batch of fresh oysters will be flown in today." Xu Zhuo was overjoyed and waited for the sequel.
Du Ziyou awkwardly typed "Come over," then felt it wasn't right and, biting his lip, thought for a moment and changed it to a more tactful "There's too much, they won't taste good if kept for the next day," and sent it.
After receiving this, Xu Zhuo didn't reply, and his gaze was fixed on him.
Seeing that Du Ziyou hadn't received a response after waiting for a while, a hint of annoyance appeared on Xu Zhuo's face. He lifted his head and glared at himself from a distance.
Xu Zhuo's smile grew wider, afraid to tease too much, and immediately replied, "Oysters are my favorite, I'll come help you solve it."
This time, it was Du Ziyou's turn not to reply. He calmly twirled a forkful of noodles, slowly chewing, as if savoring a rare and delicious delicacy.
My goodness, Xu Zhuo really loves him.
It's so cute even when he's sulking!
His mind was filled with excitement, and he sent another message to his sweetheart, "Oops, I misspoke." When he heard the notification sound, he glanced at the message and before he could think "Misspoke about what," another message quickly followed: "My true love is you."
Du Ziyou blushed as his heart pounded. He calmly took a deep breath, trying to suppress the warmth on his face, but he felt ashamed of himself. Although he had said such things to himself numerous times, every time he heard them, he blushed and his heart raced.
Teasing had to be done in moderation. Xu Zhuo started talking about serious matters: "What time do you get off work? I'll wait for you in the community."
Considering his schedule, Du Ziyou replied with a time, and then received Xu Zhuo's response: "Okay, let's meet at my place at six."
Meet at my place at six.
Du Ziyou mulled over these words, a strange feeling rising in his heart, like the cicada that was about to molt at dusk, emerging from the dark and humid soil, basking in the afterglow of the setting sun, encountering a beautiful but unfamiliar scenery, bringing a faint warmth.
He had never longed for "6:00" to arrive sooner.
*
Xu Zhuo got out of the taxi and sighed. Buying a new car had to be prioritized. He usually found taking a taxi convenient, and since he owned a house and was not financially comfortable, he didn't want to ask his old man for money, so the car purchase was put on hold.
Now that he was in love, it would be convenient to have his own car. He could drive back with his loved one, and in the future, they could go out on dates together. How wonderful.
"The young man is here again?" The security guard at the entrance recognized him.
Xu Zhuo was surprised and put on a smiling face, saying, "Yes."
Even more unexpectedly, the guard pressed the entry button and said, "Go in quickly, Mr. Du has already informed us."
Curious, Xu Zhuo asked, "What did he tell you?"
The guard replied, "He said you're his friend; aren't you?"
Xu Zhuo smiled wryly, not wanting to reveal too much privacy, "Of course, I am. Thanks."
He recalled the routes he had taken in his previous visits as he walked to the Du family's house. Outside the courtyard, he saw a large truck parked with two workers unloading a treadmill from the cargo hold.
Aunt Wei saw him and greeted him with a smile, "Mr. Xu is here, but Mr. Du hasn't arrived yet."
Xu nodded and pointed to the truck, "What's this for?"
"These are Mr. Du's fitness equipment," Aunt Wei replied. She usually didn't discuss the family's affairs with outsiders, but she felt that Xu was different, so she was willing to reveal a bit. "The pool is also being cleaned."
For villas like this, a gym and a pool were standard, but Xu felt that Du Ziyu didn't seem like someone who frequently exercised, so he presumed that the gym and pool would have accumulated a thick layer of dust.
As they were talking, Du Ziyu's car also returned, and when he opened the back seat door, he was greeted by Xu's smiling face.
"You're back," Xu said.
Among the others present, Du Ziyu always maintained his icy demeanor, but Xu saw warmth in his eyes.
"Mr. Du?" a bearded worker walked over, holding a document, "Sign here."
"Is everything delivered?" Du Ziyu took the document and, after signing it, handed it back. "These equipment need to be set up according to the drawings."
"No problem, it's our duty," he said, then went to direct his subordinates to work.
"Why the sudden interest in fitness?" Xu accompanied him into the house.
Du Ziyu took off his coat. "I'm too thin."
Xu blinked. "Really?" His physique was perfect and exactly to his liking.
Du Ziyu looked at him nervously and asked in a low voice, "Don't you think... I'm too skinny?"
Xu promptly raised his emotional intelligence. He really wanted to exercise, so he couldn't discourage him.
Moreover, Xu suddenly realized that during exercise, one would be drenched in sweat, panting heavily, with the sweat making the vest semi-transparent... and there was also the time spent swimming...
So he showed a big smile, "If you want to work out, I can take you. Let's not postpone it, how about tonight?"