Spending the New Year at the in-laws'?
The way he said it sounded so natural, as if the two of them were genuinely a married family.
Su Lanqiao chewed on these words repeatedly in his mind, finding them unbelievably heartwarming.
The previously irked mood due to the holiday preparations now felt smoothed out, just like ironed clothes.
He knew that Chu Cheng had given him a legitimate reason and a way out, preventing him from feeling too awkward. The intention itself was very considerate.
"In that case, I'll go," Su Lanqiao smirked faintly, "so that you, a single man, won't get too uncomfortable being around a lovey-dovey couple."
Chu Cheng snorted coldly and steered the wheel, "Chu Rang is quite clingy, he wants everyone to know about his relationship with Lin Heyu."
Su Lanqiao thought to himself, if I were with you, I'd also want the whole world to know.
He could deeply empathize with that sentiment. For example, at this moment, Chu Cheng seemed to want to share with someone whatever he had done.
Seeing Chu Cheng's eyes fixed ahead, Su Lanqiao quickly switched to his Weibo account and posted: "When Chu Cheng talks about romance, it's sure to be sweet enough to melt your heart."
The followers on this account were all from the fan base of "Qiao Chu," so it didn't take long for someone to leave a comment: [Exactly! I also think that this aloof magnate must have his own set of private romantic moves.]
Su Lanqiao couldn't help but reply: [Considerate, meticulous, and gentle, simply perfect!]
After sending the sugary reply, someone resonated with him, and Su Lanqiao inexplicably felt in a good mood.
He smiled as he put away his phone, then suddenly remembered something else, "By the way, do we need to get a gift for Chu Rang, and what do they like to eat? Do we need to prepare anything else?"
Listening to the chattering of the person beside him, Chu Cheng lightly hooked the corner of his mouth, "I've already bought the gift, let's go to the supermarket now and grab some food."
Perhaps unbeknownst to himself, when he was with Su Lanqiao, his expressions became more varied, and he became more talkative.
"Alright," Su Lanqiao enjoyed the feeling of being taken care of, leaning back comfortably in his seat.
This man was good in every way, domineering yet attentive, and so attractive. Su Lanqiao couldn't help but sigh in his heart at the god-like man.
When Chu Cheng saw that he had been silent for a while, he turned his head and looked at him, "What are you thinking?"
"I think you're really good," Su Lanqiao spoke frankly, not concealing his feelings. However, when these words fell into another person's ears, they took on a different meaning.
Chu Cheng turned back with an indifferent expression, yet another good guy card from this guy, enough already.
The car stopped at the supermarket parking lot, and as Chu Cheng unlocked the car door, he couldn't shake off that good guy card, "Could it be that your Chinese isn't good?"
"I'm fluent in Chinese, and I even listen to Crosstalk Comedy [a popular Chinese comedy group]," Su Lanqiao proudly raised his face and smiled at him.
Chu Cheng tapped his forehead, "I'm not a good person at all, I'm just good to you."
He emphasized the words "just to you," feeling that the implication was already quite clear.
With a narrowed-eyed smile, Su Lanqiao said, "I can be good to you too."
Chu Cheng got out of the car, thinking that perhaps this was his way of repaying kindness, he must not be a fool.
The supermarket was quite large, and after wandering around and picking up some meat and vegetables, they also bought a few bags of dumplings, adding a festive touch to their purchases.
Chu Cheng pushed the shopping cart ahead as they headed to the condiment aisle and grabbed a bottle of bean paste.
Sulan Qiao stared at the bottle of Pixian Douban and scratched his head, "I don't know how to cook Sichuan cuisine, although I really enjoy eating it."
Cheng Chu raised his hand and took a bottle of Sichuan peppercorn oil, saying, "I'll do it."
"You can cook? I must have really embarrassed myself before." Sulan Qiao covered his face. The food he cooked before was not bad, but not particularly delicious, yet Cheng Chu ate it all up graciously.
Cheng Chu ruffled his hair and continued to throw various seasonings into the car, "As a foreign student, you have to know how to cook. Cooking is a pleasure, but I've been too busy lately and haven't had the chance to cook."
Sulan Qiao had thought that this kind of young man was just waiting for others to bring food to him, but he did not expect Cheng Chu to be so proficient in cooking, causing Sulan Qiao to unconsciously become more impressed with him.
"Indeed, every international student is like a master chef from New Oriental. We are lucky to have the chance to taste your cooking this time," Sulan Qiao nodded in agreement.
Cheng Chu sighed inwardly, "Your Chinese is good; you have a way with words, but you failed to understand my true intentions."
"Does your house have an apron?" Sulan Qiao suddenly asked, looking up.
"No," Cheng Chu replied.
Sulan Qiao picked up a plain apron with lace and handed it over, "Buy one."
Looking at the colorful and fancy design, Cheng Chu felt a headache, "Do you think this suits me?"
"The others all have bunnies and bears, which are even less suitable. Besides, no one will see it at home," Sulan Qiao persuaded with a suppressed smile.
Cheng Chu pursed his lips and threw the lace apron into the shopping cart before continuing to push it forward.
After buying the ingredients, Sulan Qiao was getting ready to head towards the checkout counter, but Cheng Chu turned the cart and walked to the family planning supplies section.
Sulan Qiao blushed as he stared at the various styles on the shelves, "D-Do you want to buy this?"
Since the last time he had sternly declared an end to their physical relationship, there had been no intimate contact. They would just sleep on the same bed without any other interactions. Now, Sulan Qiao regretted it a little.
Thinking back, being with Cheng Chu in bed was such a wonderful thing, providing both physical and mental pleasure. If he could go back, he would definitely shut himself up.
Meanwhile, Cheng Chu casually picked up two boxes of condoms and lubricant and threw them into the shopping cart, then cast a glance at Sulan Qiao, "I'm getting these for Chu Rang."
"You are a really considerate brother, even preparing condoms," Sulan Qiao sighed lightly, feeling left out.
He watched Cheng Chu choose the items, pouted, and followed him.
As they left the supermarket, they ran into a little girl selling fairy wands. Cheng Chu bought four boxes for two hundred.
Sulan Qiao thought he was quite interesting, buying fireworks for the new year. But at fifty yuan for one box of fairy wands, he was indeed being taken advantage of.
To save Cheng's face, Sulan Qiao did not say a word from start to finish.
By the time they got back home, it was already seven in the evening. Cheng Chu took off his coat as soon as he entered and carried the pile of groceries into the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Sulan Qiao found an apron among the plastic bags and put it over Cheng Chu's head, "Be careful not to dirty your clothes."
Cheng Chu eyed his black shirt now covered by the lacy apron, gritting his teeth, "Sulan Qiao, are you doing this on purpose?"
"No, I'm just afraid of staining your clothes," Sulan Qiao replied, finding it amusing to see the business tycoon, usually in suits and ties, now in a lacy apron.
He suppressed his laughter and tied a beautiful bow in the back.
"Cheng, good luck," Sulan Qiao patted his waist.
Cheng Chu didn't want to say anything, thinking that since no one else could see, he would just go along with it.
He swiftly began to blanch and slice the meat, then marinated it with spices, skillfully and proficiently.
Sulan Qiao leaned against the door and watched Cheng Chu, thinking that he was really good at cooking, even better than him.
After a while, he couldn't help but take out his phone and snap a photo of Cheng Chu's back as his chat background.
In less than an hour, Cheng Chu brought a few dishes to the dining room, "Try it, no one has ever enjoyed this treatment before."
"Thank you for your hard work, Cheng," Sulan Qiao fawningly went over to massage his shoulders, applying just the right amount of pressure, causing Cheng Chu to close his eyes in comfort and praise, "That's a good technique."
Sulan Qiao's hands didn't stop, applying a little more pressure, feeling the warmth on Cheng Chu's shoulder.
Before cooking, Cheng Chu had taken off his coat and removed the apron, leaving only a black shirt, his sturdy physique creating some wrinkles in the shirt, making it look very attractive.
Sulan Qiao couldn't help but take the opportunity to tease him, "Boss, do you need a change in technique?"
"Enjoying the massage? Come and eat," Cheng Chu casually touched his hand and then returned to the dining table.
Sulan Qiao pulled out a chair and sat down, picking up a piece of boiled sliced meat and stuffing it into his mouth. After swallowing, he couldn't help but exclaim, "This taste is amazing, I'm really not exaggerating, it's really delicious."
As he spoke, he picked up another bite with his chopsticks.
"Then eat more. I know you can't handle too much spice, so I put less chili in it," Cheng Chu was meticulous. He had been scared by Sulan Qiao's stomachache last time, so he had to make the flavor a little milder for the child to enjoy.
Sulan Qiao was extremely satisfied with the meal.
He knew he had a sensitive stomach, but he couldn't resist the temptation of Sichuan cuisine. Every bite, he would recall some moments spent with his mother.
So, eating spicy food before the show last time was also an act of self-indulgence.
Watching Sulan Qiao voluntarily stand up to tidy the table, Cheng Chu reminded him, "We have a dishwasher, you can just put them in there."
"Okay," Sulan Qiao wiped the table clean, collected all the dishes, and then went to wash up.
He watched Cheng Chu sitting on the sofa in the living room smoking, wanting to say something but hesitating.
He didn't want to sleep in the guest room tonight, but he had clearly stated the end of their relationship last time, so mentioning it now would be too embarrassing.
"Do you have something to say?" Chu Cheng spoke with smoke coming out of his mouth, and through the smoke, Su Lanqiao couldn't see his expression clearly.
Su Lanqiao bit his lip, then swallowed his words, and quietly replied, "No, I'm going to take a shower and go to bed."
"Alright, go ahead," Chu Cheng didn't move and continued to sit there smoking.
Su Lanqiao slowly dragged his luggage up the stairs, finished washing, changed into pajamas, but his heartstrings continued to tremble.
Yue Xi's voice echoed in his ear, "Grab a man, grab his body and his mind..."
Su Lanqiao went downstairs first, tucked one of the two boxes of condoms under his arm, and also carried a small pillow as he quietly made his way up to the third floor.
This time, he didn't knock on the door, but pushed it open forcefully.
There was a loud thud, followed by a muffled grunt from inside.
"Su Lanqiao, what are you doing?" Chu Cheng pulled open the door, holding his head and looking at him with anger on his face.
Su Lanqiao squeezed the pillow in his arms and couldn't help but swallow a gulp of saliva, "Why aren't you in bed?"
"I was worried you wouldn't be able to sleep, so I was getting ready to come down to find you. But instead, you just slammed a wooden door on my head," Chu Cheng rubbed his forehead, looking quite red from the impact.
Su Lanqiao pouted and reached out to rub it for him, "I'm sorry... I wanted to give you a surprise..."
"More like a shock," Chu Cheng coldly snorted and then turned around, lying heavily back on the bed. "What are you doing here?"
Su Lanqiao leaned over the edge of the bed and took out one of the condom boxes from his arms, looking pitifully at Chu Cheng. "Should we let Brother Chu try one first to see if the quality is good?"