"You..." Sulan Qiao was suddenly at a loss for words. When he initially made the proposal, he thought that the next time he went to Chu Cheng's house, he would be able to be a little more straightforward when teasing him in the dead of night.
However, the straightforwardness of his remark caught him off guard.
Fulfill obligations? He couldn't hope for anything more.
"Are you serious?" Sulan Qiao chose his words carefully to make himself sound less excited, but the curve of his mouth betrayed his inner joy. "I can do that."
Chu Cheng chuckled sullenly. "I was kidding. Let's go eat first."
"How can you joke like that? You said it yourself, so I should fulfill my duty as a qualified pet." Sulan Qiao grabbed his cuff, persistent and unrelenting, ignoring his own dignity. What did his dignity matter? Well, it had been a long time since they last slept together. It was indeed comfortable, but more than that, it was emotionally comforting. Only at such times could his feelings come into play, allowing him to kiss and hold him freely, feeling incredibly close.
Once they got out of bed, they couldn't be as unrestrained as truly in love, not daring even to hold hands.
Fundamentally, Sulan Qiao was someone who needed physical contact to feel secure.
Chu Cheng stubbed out his cigarette in the nearby trash can, casually took his luggage, and said, "We can go directly from here to the parking garage without being seen by anyone."
"Okay." Sulan Qiao lowered his head and followed him from behind. He didn't care how long Chu Cheng had been waiting in the safety passage. His mind was filled with thoughts of fulfilling his obligations.
After dinner, he would have to bring it up himself, but Chu Cheng had jokingly put it on the agenda, so he had to follow through.
Kaiseki cuisine served sake. Why not have a few drinks and pretend to be drunk?
Alternatively, he could delay until very late and then stay overnight, right? Chu Cheng probably wouldn't refuse.
If all else failed, he could be childish. It wasn't impossible.
Sulan Qiao's little scheming thoughts flickered, not paying attention to the road. When he reached the last step, he nearly tripped and crashed into Chu Cheng's back.
He exclaimed, "Ouch."
"Who asked you not to look where you're going and think aimlessly?" Chu Cheng had already walked to the car, handed the luggage to Lao Chen.
Furrowing his brows, Sulan Qiao rubbed his sore nose, got into the car, and casually asked, "Don't you have work today?"
"I work every day. Don't I deserve a break?" Chu Cheng leisurely crossed his legs and rested his hands on his forehead, looking at him.
Sulan Qiao awkwardly smiled, playing with the string on his hoodie. He said casually, "I didn't mean that. I'm happy you came to pick me up today. It's been a long time since someone made a special trip to pick me up. When I was a child, I used to go home from school by myself. Other kids had their parents pick them up, but I had to go by myself. When I grew up and flew back to England, the person who came was the butler, very proper and responsible. It's not the same; that's being paid to do a job."
As he rambled on, Chu Cheng suddenly caught onto a key point and interrupted with a deep voice, "You have a butler at home? I thought you claimed to be poor?"
When he initially received his first public relations fee, Sulan Qiao had professed to be broke, looking pitiable, like the two hundred and fifty thousand was taking his life. It turns out it was all a pretense?
"Well, the, the, the old butler is cheap." Sulan Qiao, trying to cover up, almost let it slip.
Chu Cheng raised an eyebrow but didn't expose him.
It's fine to deceive others, but to deceive him, the kid was a bit young.
Apart from managing domestic affairs, a British-style butler is also responsible for the entire household's financial management. A person requiring such services should have a rather substantial company. It couldn't be as destitute as Sulan Qiao had claimed.
But why did he conceal his family background? Chu Cheng narrowed his eyes.
If the child wouldn't say, he wouldn't pursue.
Both of them did not speak on the way, and the atmosphere in the car was a bit quiet. Sulanqiao felt that with Chu Cheng's intelligence and associative thinking, this matter would sooner or later be impossible to hide.
Actually, he hadn't intended to hide it from the beginning, he just wanted to play the victim and earn some sympathy. It's just that when it comes to home, it definitely would bring up the old story from eight years ago, something he didn't want to mention, like a nightmare.
The car drove to what looked like a high-end private Japanese restaurant. Sulanqiao knew that the production team had occasionally promoted it online in recent days. His face also gained some recognition, and he was afraid of causing trouble again.
Before getting off the car, Sulanqiao cautiously put on a baseball cap, covering his face solidly with the black brim, only revealing a small line of his chin. But Chu Cheng in front was too eye-catching, with his nearly six-foot-tall figure standing out in the crowd, coupled with his impeccable face, he was ostentatious on the road.
Sulanqiao intentionally increased the distance between himself and Chu Cheng, maintaining a secretive distance. Bending over, he covered his face and quickly went upstairs into a private room, only then did he relax.
"Finally becoming conscious of being a star?" Chu Cheng, seeing him cover his face so tightly, as if afraid of being seen by others, found it amusing.
Sulanqiao took off his hat and muttered, "I got scared after the last photo incident, and you spent so much money to suppress it."
"A small amount, no big deal." Chu Cheng waved to let the waiter come in and prepare the dishes. Soon, several exquisite appetizers were placed one by one.
Sulanqiao hadn't had such delicious food for a long time, so he didn't bother talking to Chu Cheng and just kept putting morsel after morsel in his mouth.
In fact, this was a bit rude, but he thought that Chu Cheng could not be considered a stranger now, and it didn't matter that much.
Chu Cheng wasn't hungry, he chewed the foie gras slowly, keeping an eye on Sulanqiao. He found the way the kid ate quite cute, making him feel hungry just by looking.
Clearly a model, he had an inexplicable persistence when it came to eating. It was just as he'd said before, keep the kid happy by giving him some food, it was as simple as raising a pet.
Half an hour later, leaning back in the chair, satisfied, Sulanqiao finally remembered the little plan he had made earlier and immediately beckoned the waiter to bring a few bottles of sake.
Chu Cheng, seeing him order three bottles at once, raised an eyebrow, "Your tolerance isn't good, why drink?"
"Thank you for taking care of me recently, I owe you quite a bit, so I'll use the wine to show my thanks." Sulanqiao blurted out, thinking to himself that with a bit of alcohol, he would have an excuse.
Chu Cheng chuckled, poured him a glass, and said, "Who taught you all these messy words? Drink slowly, the car you vomited in last time still has a smell."
Sulanqiao clinked the small cup with his, and drank it in one go, "President Chu, I'm really happy to meet you again."
It was a hint within his words, but Chu Cheng didn't question further, waiting for the little guy to drink some more, and naturally, spill everything.
Thinking this way, Chu Cheng refilled Sulanqiao's cup.
The two of them, after a few rounds, finished the two bottles of sake.
Sulanqiao was already a little tipsy, and when he got tipsy, he liked to get close to people. Right now, he was swaying and leaning against Chu Cheng, their legs touching, hands touching, almost hanging on to him.
Chu Cheng straightened him out and casually asked, "Have you checked Weibo the past few days?"
"No, the production team keeps a strict eye, afraid of any leaks. Except for the first day when I could use it for half an hour, they took away all our phones afterward." Sulanqiao supported his swaying head, squinted at him, and chuckled, "What's the matter?"
"Your CP with Xu Zhili is trending on Weibo, don't you know?" Chu Cheng, not wanting to beat around the bush, pointed it out directly.
"What CP?" Sulanqiao shook his head, looking confused, "I don't know."
He picked up his phone to log in and clicked on the official account of the show's production team. The JiaoXLi series had reached the fifth episode. The most recent episode was a video of the two helping each other stretch their legs.
It was a very normal act of helping each other, but the editing and the pink subtitles made it look very passionate, and the comments underneath were even crazier.
"Yes, this has been pulled apart, so it's better to do something else in the evening. Auntie's face.JPG"
"The lovely CP is well-deserved!!! I'm addicted, you two should get closer!!!"
"Editor, be generous and give us all the material, I believe in love again!"
"I think the significance of watching this variety show is the interaction between boys and boys."
"Xu Zhili is high and cold to others, why is he so gentle to Sulanqiao? What kind of divine setup is this!!"
"Hee hee hee, I feel better now, these two must stay together till the end, mom will vote for you."
"The babies are also loving each other today, mom feels relieved."
...
Sulanqiao was at a loss, he and Xu Zhili were just normal friends, how did it all become like this? It was all too much for the production team to handle. Apart from video editing, a CP fan club had even been set up, and the suggestive snippets inside were more embarrassing, simply unacceptable.
It was only a week without checking his phone, how did the wind change to this extent? This generation of netizens is just too difficult to understand.
Sulanqiao coughed uncomfortably, attempting to explain, "Why are people always spouting nonsense online? I really have no idea what this CP thing is, and the production team hasn't communicated with me either."
"You said it, you did it, you made the friends, otherwise, there wouldn't be any material for them to edit." Chu Cheng pointed out the key with a touch of emotion.
Well, what you said is right, I can't argue with that.
Sulanqiao choked, stammering and explaining, "Yes, I did these things, but isn't that what friends do? Our dorm was already a mess, and meeting a friend who got along well was rare. It's not too much for friends to help each other, is it..."
"Right, a friend who gets along well." Chu Cheng repeated his words, sinister in his tone.
The more Sulanqiao listened, the more wrong it seemed. Why was Chu Cheng fixated on Xu Zhili, earlier in the afternoon as well, when he hadn't mentioned who he was eating with, Chu Cheng asked if it was Xu Zhili.
Could it be that he's...jealous?
This idea seemed a bit audacious.
Perhaps successful people have a strong possessiveness, even their pets can't get too close to others, it must be like that.
Sulan Qiao’s mind turned a circle, successfully persuading herself with this reason.
"I will pay attention next time during the recording. I have never been on a show like this before, and I didn't know the program team could make up such nonsense." After reasoning this out, Sulan Qiao ingratiatingly smiled at Chu Cheng and tugged at his sleeve, saying, "I won’t become someone else's pet, so you can rest assured."
It was now that Chu Cheng realized that his possessiveness towards Sulan Qiao was indeed a bit excessive. It was exaggerated to run to the dormitory building to confront people whenever he saw a lovely CP.
People are free to be friends with whomever they please, and he can't control it.
He loosened his tie, putting an end to this inexplicable topic, and said, "You can play with anyone you want, go home."
Sulan Qiao's alarm bells went off in his mind. Go home? If he has to go, it should be back to Chu Cheng's home!
Thinking like this, he leaned his head on Chu Cheng's shoulder and said, "But I suddenly feel a bit drunk, you know I can't hold my liquor well. If I go back alone at this late hour and the night is so dark, if I were to fall somewhere..."
"Hmm? So?" Chu Cheng looked at him with an amused smile, gesturing for him to continue.
"So, can I...?"
The phone on the table started vibrating, interrupting Sulan Qiao's stammering speech. Chu Cheng glanced at the incoming call and saw that it was his mother, Li Wan.
Chu Cheng gestured for Sulan Qiao to remain silent and then answered the phone, "Mom, what's wrong?"
After a pause, "Okay, I will come over now."
Surprised by Chu Cheng's serious expression, the feeling of being drunk suddenly faded for Sulan Qiao. He asked bewilderedly, "Is something wrong?"
"My mom sprained her foot on the side of the street, she wants me to come pick her up." Chu Cheng pressed his forehead, sounding a bit helpless, "She's quite delicate, I have to go."
Sulan Qiao sighed, never expected that his calculated plan would be aborted because of such an event.
It's okay, there is still plenty of time to sleep with Chu Cheng. With this in mind, he showed as much understanding as possible, "Auntie needs you, so you should go. It's okay, I don't mind."
Ah, I am really a lovely and kind little Qiao, Sulan Qiao couldn't help but praise himself.
"Is it because you can't hold your liquor and you're afraid of falling?" Chu Cheng stood up and put on his coat. "Come with me."
"Come with you...?" Sulan Qiao hesitated for a moment, wouldn't that mean meeting Chu Cheng's family? He looked down at his attire—loose linen trousers, a black hoodie, the two cotton cords he had tied into a knot for amusement, everything seemed too casual.
If he had known he was going to meet Chu Cheng's mother today, he should have dressed up nicely. He hadn't even washed his hair; fortunately, he had a hat on.
Chu Cheng had already walked to the door and turned back to glance at the lingering boy, "Come on."
Sulan Qiao, still feeling a bit groggy, followed Chu Cheng into the car. They drove to a commercial area, and from a distance, Sulan Qiao saw a stylishly dressed woman sitting on a bench by the square. This should be Chu Cheng's mother.
Chu Cheng quickly walked over, squatted in front of Li Wan, and carefully checked her foot. "Is it serious?"
"It's not that serious, but I can't walk." Li Wan's other uninjured foot was still stretched straight, maintaining its elegance. "You care about me the most. Your father is camping with friends, and Chu Rang is unreliable. He's in a hurry to chase his boyfriend and can't come over. What use are they? By the way, I hope I didn't delay your business?"
Chu Cheng, standing, sighed in relief, "No, just having dinner with a friend."
Li Wan then noticed the tall handsome boy behind Chu Cheng and her eyes lit up, "This handsome boy looks so familiar. He's the new spokesperson for your company, right?"
Upon being called out, Sulan Qiao's sake-drinking had already sobered him up halfway. He quickly went forward and bowed, "Hello, Auntie, I'm Sulan Qiao. It's nice to meet you for the first time. I didn't bring anything, I'm really sorry."
"No need to bring anything, this handsome boy is so cute!" Li Wan smiled, sending a signal to Chu Cheng with her eyes, "Is he the one you mentioned before..."
Chu Cheng coughed uncomfortably a few times, lightly acknowledged, but didn't say anything.
Li Wan understood and wrinkled her nose, then sniffed, "Are you two drinking? Did I interrupt something?"
"No, no, Auntie, we are just casually eating. Let not interfere with you." Sulan Qiao hurriedly waved his hand, still thinking about what Chu Cheng might have told his mother earlier. It all seemed very mysterious.
Chu Cheng decided to stop her, making Sulan Qiao breathe a sigh of relief. If she continued to be meticulous, he didn't know how to explain the relationship between the two.
The car arrived at the entrance of a detached house in another residential area. Chu Cheng quickly got out of the car and carried Li Wan out, "Stay in the car, I'll be back soon."
"Do you want to come in and sit for a while?" Li Wan strained to turn her head and smiled at Sulan Qiao, "Come to our house next time, little cat."
Sulan Qiao nodded as he thought to himself how this carefree mother could have given birth to Chu Cheng, who was so dull. This is probably due to genetic mutation.
He played with his phone in the car, and only then did he see Chu Cheng return to the car. They sat side by side, and both spoke at the same time.
"It's too late, so why don't we—"
"It's too late, come home with me."
Su Lanqiao swallowed the words "I'll just go home first" and smilingly said, "Sure," with dimples on her cheeks.
Chu Cheng sneered, "Have you got your wish?"
Su Lanqiao turned her head to look out the window. It was obvious that at first, you wanted me to fulfill the obligation of being your bed companion, yet you are good at shifting the blame.
There weren't many cars on the road at night, so Lao Chen quietly increased the speed to save time for his boss. The two had gone home together several times, keeping their activities unspoken.
Chu Cheng's family villa was not far from Chu's home, and they arrived at the door in about ten minutes.
After turning off the car, Lao Chen looked back at the two and asked, "Boss Chu, should I come to pick you up tomorrow morning?"
As experienced individuals, they knew what was really going on. When you bring someone home, can you really wake up early the next morning?
Chu Cheng raised his eyelids to look at Lao Chen, took a second to think, and nodded, saying, "Come pick me up at noon."
Su Lanqiao was choked by his unabashed tone. If he took the morning off after being dragged by someone, would Ling Feng want to kill him?
The mighty Chu Cheng has now fallen.
Su Lanqiao followed Chu Cheng into the living room. Although the room was spacious, he felt the air was tight. When the two were alone, there was an inexplicable tension in the atmosphere.
He took off his coat and placed it on the sofa, then went to the kitchen to pour a glass of water for Chu Cheng. He was familiar with everything here, as if he had come to his own home. "I didn't have the courage to ask Lao Chen just now, but have you mentioned me to your mother before?"
"I didn't mention your name," Chu Cheng, who was loosening his tie, said casually. "One day, my dad brought a girl home for dinner, intending to force one of us brothers to be her boyfriend. But we both didn't want to, so we came out directly."
"How did you do it?" Su Lanqiao's throat felt tight, unable to resist swallowing nervously. Just imagining that scene made him wonder if Chu Cheng's parents would blow up in anger. If they didn't, that's a relief.
"I told them that a few days ago, I had just finished sleeping with a man, and it was not bad. I realized that I might be interested in men." Chu Cheng unbuttoned two more buttons of his shirt and sneered, "But the man ran away after sleeping with me."
How did your parents not beat you to death with such a straightforward statement? You must be incredibly stubborn.
Su Lanqiao didn't know if Chu Cheng had really realized his own sexual orientation or if he just used him as a shield for blind dates. From the beginning to the end, Li Wan looked at him with a few more inquisitive glances. With such a background, anyone would be curious to the point of exploding, right?
Chu Cheng's mother asked so many questions. Was she trying to test the possibility of him running away with her son?
Considering today's attitude, Chu Cheng's family had already tacitly accepted the fact that their son is gay, right?
As all this information finally connected in his mind, Su Lanqiao felt a mess in his heart, thinking, "What a mess."
The amount of information he received tonight was overwhelming. He wiped his forehead and said with a trembling voice, "I'll go take a shower first. I'm a little dizzy from drinking."
"Go to the third floor to shower. There's my bathrobe inside. You can wear it." Chu Cheng stepped upstairs, holding an unlit cigarette in his hand.
Su Lanqiao responded with an "okay," took Chu Cheng's bathrobe, and hid in the bathroom. After taking off his clothes, he turned on the shower to the maximum, and the splashing water filled the room.
As the water droplets fell on his face, his mind cleared up a bit, picking up on the key points of the conversation. According to what Chu Cheng just said, did he realize his interest in men because he had sex with him? In other words, he might have been Chu Cheng's first? Considering Chu Cheng's initial awkwardness during the kiss, Su Lanqiao realized he might have indeed been Chu Cheng's first conquest.
Su Lanqiao's heart raced. He didn't have any psychological aversions. For a big shot like Chu Cheng, having had other partners in the past was normal. But for him, being the first, Chu Cheng's first, that label itself was significant. Who wouldn't want to be someone's first memory of love?
He was still pondering over these thoughts when the bathroom door was pushed open. Chu Cheng, wearing only a pair of black boxers, stood at the door amid the steaming mist, revealing his muscular figure.
Su Lanqiao was stunned for a moment before regaining his composure. As Chu Cheng walked towards him step by step, Su Lanqiao couldn't help but take a step back, pressing his back against the cool wall. "How did you get in?"
Chu Cheng pushed open the glass door and looked at him with lowered eyes, his voice calm. "I didn't see you come out for a long time, so I thought you fainted in there."
"No, I was just thinking. I'm almost done. Do you want to shower together?" Su Lanqiao's throat rolled, and the bathroom was filled with steam. The sight of water droplets gathering on Chu Cheng's slightly moist muscles, some coming together and sliding directly down to his waist, was... arousing.
Chu Cheng's voice echoed through the steam and bathroom, "What? You insisted on coming back with me, thinking about how to fulfill your obligations?"
"No, I was reflecting on what I did wrong in the program." Su Lanqiao didn't have the courage to say, "I've been researching if I'm your first."
Chu Cheng squinted, looking at him with an expression that clearly said he didn't believe a word of it.
Su Lanqiao glanced down at the little Chu Cheng and found it very active and spirited.
Recalling some of the recent manga he had caught up on, Su Lanqiao thought, if it's a service, shouldn't it be thorough? With this idea in mind, he bent his leg, preparing to squat down.
Chu Cheng quickly grabbed his arm, pushed him back against the wall again with some force, and asked, "What are you squatting down for?"
"You said you wanted to fulfill your obligations? I can help you..." Su Lanqiao bit his lip, shamefully spitting out the last word, "a bit."
Chu Cheng ground his back teeth. Unable to resist, he leaned in, his voice sinking to a deep, hoarse tone, "Kitten, where did you learn this from?"
"Online..." Su Lanqiao felt that just listening to this man speak made his legs weaken. His hand tentatively touched Chu Cheng's waist. Tipping his head slightly, his lips reached Chu Cheng's ear lobe.
In a critical moment, Su Lanqiao's courage came forward again. He slowly darted his tongue, teasingly running it in Chu Cheng's ear, successfully hearing Chu Cheng's heavy breathing.
He found pleasure in this and gently licked around, exhaling with a smile, "Mr. Chu, I'm happy to serve you."
This seemed like a signal, more like an entrapment. Chu Cheng grabbed his waist, slightly lifted Su Lanqiao's chin, and kissed him, unstoppable.
Throughout the whole experience, Su Lanqiao felt dizzy. Comparing it to the first night when Chu Cheng was silent from beginning to end, he couldn't help but feel that Chu Cheng had changed a lot.
At the point where he was begging for mercy, this man terribly asked him, "Do you want to change positions?"
Boss Chu, you have changed.
When the two of them finished, it was already early in the morning. Su Lanqiao accompanied Chu Cheng to finish a cigarette and chatted about random things.
The moonlight outside was dim, and Su Lanqiao really liked this feeling, doing beautiful things with him, and then chatting about anything and everything under the sun.
At the moment, Chu Cheng was lying next to her, seemingly already asleep, breathing deeply, but Su Lanqiao was wide awake, the conversation just now echoing in her mind.
Chu Cheng had just asked him why, as someone who had grown up in England from a young age, he gave himself a Chinese name Su Lanqiao. His answer was, because it sounded nice.
Su Lanqiao stared at the ceiling, the room was pitch black, and she couldn't see the emotions in his eyes. He was trying hard to control himself, but his eyes were slightly red, murmuring to himself, "Because when I met someone, that bridge was called Blue Bridge."
Just thirteen years old, Su Lanqiao did not know Chinese well, only the Pinyin of Chinese characters, leading to a misunderstanding of the two words, which led to him giving himself the name Su Lanqiao.