Don’t Ignite It chapter 45

Don’t Refuse Me

They pondered and mulled over things and it wasn’t until almost dawn that the two of them fell asleep.

In the morning, Xu Zhan woke up early and went to have breakfast with Xia Yu’s family. He returned to the room around ten o’clock and woke Xia Yu up.

Xia Yu, still half-asleep, gulped down a bowl of milk porridge and then sat in the car with a face that hadn’t fully awakened.

They had agreed to go skiing today, and the whole family split into two cars before setting off together.

When they arrived at the ski resort, even Xia Mil had changed into a little red ski suit, clutching her little snowboard, and excitedly plunged into the snow.

Out of the seven family members, it was surprisingly Xu Zhan who had the worst skiing skills.

His athletic abilities were never well-developed, and his slender, fair hands were more suited for holding a pen than for skiing.

Xia Yu didn’t hold back from teasing him. “You’re so clumsy.”

Xia Yu stepped in to help Xu Zhan adjust. “Seriously, even Xia Mil can ski better than you.”

Xu Zhan smiled and didn’t argue.

The two of them, one teaching and one learning, cooperated quite well.

While Xia Yu may appear unreliable, he was patient when teaching, and even though he didn’t ski, he leisurely accompanied Xu Zhan.

When Bai Ning was drinking water, she nudged her husband and said with a smile, “Look at those two.”

Xia Jin glanced up.

He saw Xu Zhan having trouble keeping his balance, leaning on Xia Yu’s shoulder. Xia Yu was talking and laughing, looking radiant, which made the people around them steal glances.

Normally, Xia Jin would have a few words to say in response to his wife’s comment, but today, he watched Xia Yu and Xu Zhan for a while without saying anything. Instead, he said, “I’ll go check on Mil.”

They played at the ski resort until the afternoon, and then Xu Zhan had to leave for something.

He discreetly apologized to Xia Yu. “Ruan Sen insisted on spending New Year’s with me. I said I wanted to be with my family, but he…”

Xu Zhan didn’t know how to explain. He could have refused, but Ruan Sen had raised an eyebrow at him on the hotel bed, looking reluctant. His face was undeniably handsome, but he pouted like a child, which made Xu Zhan want to indulge him.

Xu Zhan pinched the bridge of his nose and whispered, “I can’t refuse him.”

Xia Yu couldn’t help but tease him. “Professor Xu, the man of few desires, turns out he can also be blinded by lust.”

Xu Zhan glanced at him but remained silent.

Xia Yu was a bit curious now. He asked, “Can your little lover come out? When can I meet him? Of course, I won’t mention that I’m your husband.”

Xu Zhan hesitated for a moment. In reality, Ruan Sen wasn’t very enthusiastic about meeting his family, and he didn’t ask much about Xu Zhan’s family.

“It might not be possible right now,” he said, looking at Xia Yu. “But there will be opportunities in the future.”

Xia Yu, being considerate, didn’t press for more information.

However, when Xu Zhan apologized to the family and said he had to leave, Xia Yu stood up as well.

“I’ll go with Xu Zhan,” he said to his parents. “I won’t join you for dinner tonight. I’ll come back in a few days.”

Xia Dad and Xia Mom were a bit surprised, but they assumed that the young couple wanted some private time.

“We won’t disturb you,” Xia Mom smiled and patted her younger son. “You two need some personal space as a married couple.”

Xia Yu smiled back and kissed his mother’s hand. “Thanks for your approval.”

Xu Zhan didn’t say much, just joined Xia Yu in saying goodbye to everyone.

They didn’t speak until they left the ski resort and walked to the parking lot. Then Xu Zhan asked, “Where do you want to go now?”

Xia Yu looked down at the road, and in his pocket, the ill-fated rose still lay there.

He didn’t directly answer Xu Zhan’s question. “Just drop me off at the coffee shop on Fengcheng Road.”

Speaking of which, this was a spur-of-the-moment decision. Just now, Lu Zhao had sent him a message, asking if they could meet up in the evening. He should have refused.

But he remembered Lu Zhao under the streetlamp yesterday and inexplicably replied with an “Okay.”

Xu Zhan had no idea what to say.

He stared at Xia Yu for a long while, sighed, and opened the car door. “Get in.”

Xu Zhan drove Xia Yu to the coffee shop. Before Xia Yu got out of the car, Xu Zhan hesitated and looked at him, as if he wanted to say something.

Xia Yu guessed what he wanted to say and smiled at him innocently. “Don’t scold me. I’m just going to meet someone. I’ll be back soon.”

He found it funny as he spoke. It was as if he had gone back to when he was in high school, wanting to stay up late at a friend’s house to watch a game and needing to ask his big brother for permission.

Xu Zhan couldn’t say anything more. He shook his head, then said quietly, “Just be careful.”

But what exactly he wanted Xia Yu to be careful about, he didn’t know himself.

It was like sending a child out the door; there wasn’t much to caution him about, but he still wanted to say a few more words. Xia Yu was already an adult.

Xia Yu smiled again, a mischievous and innocent smile, making Xu Zhan feel helpless.

“Well, I’m off.”

Xia Yu opened the car door and got out.

While waiting for Lu Zhao to pick him up at the coffee shop, Xia Yu sat at the table near the window. He dipped his finger into the water in his glass and drew all sorts of random shapes on the glass surface.

Being an art student, he could easily create these designs. He sipped his iced coffee with a straw, and the sunlight bathed his face, turning his eyes a light brown.

There was music playing in the coffee shop, and Xia Yu absentmindedly doodled on the glass while he wondered when Lu Zhao would arrive. Since he had rekindled his relationship with Lu Zhao, he had never waited for him like this before.

But a few years ago, he often ran to the vicinity of Lu Zhao’s school, waiting for him to finish classes.

He still remembered the café he frequented, with its owner being a long-haired beauty who would give him plum candies. Whales were painted on the ceiling, and looking up at the play of light and shadows, he felt like he was in the sea.

Back then, Lu Zhao didn’t love him.

But while waiting for Lu Zhao to finish classes at that café, he somehow felt sweetness in his heart.

Xia Yu drew another heart shape on the glass, albeit crooked. But just as he finished, he heard a stuttering voice nearby.

“Hello.”

Xia Yu turned around and saw a guy in a gray down jacket, not too tall, but with a fairly attractive face.

When Xia Yu turned, the guy became even more nervous, struggling to find his words for a while.

“Can I have your WeChat?” the guy asked. “I, uh, study nearby, at University A. I’m not a bad person…”

Xia Yu couldn’t help but chuckle.

He could tell it was an attempt to strike up a conversation. Over the years, many people had tried to talk to him, and he had become quite skilled at handling such situations.

He didn’t like giving his contact information to strangers, but before he could think of a polite way to decline, a clear and cold voice interrupted.

“No.”

Xia Yu turned his head and saw Lu Zhao walking over, dressed in a black coat with a smoky gray scarf wrapped around his neck. He had a pale, handsome face and stood tall and imposing, exuding an air of dominance.

The guy who was trying to start a conversation suddenly lost some of his confidence.

Lu Zhao walked up to Xia Yu, wiped away a caramel speck from the corner of his mouth, and then gave the guy across from them a brief glance.

“Please keep your distance from my boyfriend,” he said.

The guy slinked away, looking quite dejected, like a child encountering an opponent he couldn’t beat.

Xia Yu couldn’t help but laugh.

Sitting on a barstool, he was a bit shorter than Lu Zhao. He reached out and tugged at Lu Zhao’s smoky gray scarf, his eyes slightly raised, his light brown eyes bright and mischievous, and his red lips curved in an unbelievably pretty manner.

“Are you my boyfriend?” he asked.

Lu Zhao didn’t get angry either and calmly asked in return, “Then what am I?”

As Xia Yu looked into Lu Zhao’s eyes, he seemed unable to answer the question. A word rolled around on his tongue but ultimately went unspoken.

He hopped off the high stool and picked up his jacket, which he had placed beside him.

“Let’s go,” he said to Lu Zhao.

It wasn’t until they were in the car that Xia Yu remembered to ask, “Where are we going?”

Lu Zhao didn’t answer, only saying, “You’ll find out when we get there.”

Xia Yu raised an eyebrow but didn’t press further.

While Lu Zhao was driving, Xia Yu had nothing to do, so he turned on the car’s radio, tuned in to a random station, and happened to find a reading program. A gentle female voice was reciting Marguerite Duras’s “The Lover.”

Listening to the recitation, Xia Yu began to feel drowsy.

However, when the car stopped at a red light, he felt a touch on his hand.

He opened his eyes slightly and saw that Lu Zhao still had one hand on the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the red light ahead, but his other hand was holding Xia Yu’s hand. The grip was light, almost unconscious.

But “unconscious” might not be the right word; Lu Zhao’s fingers were tracing Xia Yu’s fingernails.

Xia Yu closed his eyes again.

With his eyes closed, the sensation on the back of his hand became even clearer. He felt Lu Zhao’s thumb glide over his ring finger.

That day, he wasn’t wearing his wedding ring.

And on the radio, the female announcer continued to read from “The Lover.”

“…The elegant man got out of the car, lighting a cigarette. He noticed the young girl wearing a masculine fedora and shoes adorned with gold bands. Slowly, he walked over to her. It was clear that he was nervous.”

Xia Yu and Lu Zhao had watched this movie together, and in the dim afternoon light, Xia Yu could vividly imagine the scene described in the book.

But what he thought of at this moment was the street where Lu Zhao had waited for him under the streetlamp last night.

They were lovers too.

But they seemed even more sneaky.

Apart from him, no one in his family would welcome Lu Zhao. Even when Xu Zhan heard that name, he would frown.

Yet, he had still gotten into Lu Zhao’s car on this afternoon, which was before his birthday had even ended.

It took Lu Zhao two hours to reach their destination.

He drove into a mountainous area where it had been snowing along the way, leaving a thin layer of snow on the ground.

Xia Yu gazed at the black wooden cabin in front of him. There was a beautiful terrace and a unique triangular roof, surrounded by snow, quiet like a residence from a fairy tale.

“Where is this?” he asked Lu Zhao.

“It’s my private vacation home, left to me by my mother. I come here occasionally,” Lu Zhao said, taking Xia Yu’s hand and adding, “I haven’t brought anyone here before, not even my father.”

Xia Yu responded with an “Mm.”

However, in the small living room, the space was different from Lu Zhao’s residence. It was warm and casual, exuding a cozy comfort. On the bookshelf in the living room were some disorganized books, and there was a photo frame nearby. Inside was a younger Lu Zhao with his mother.

Xia Yu subconsciously picked it up and took a look.

Mrs. Lu had the same eyes as her son, a pair of gray-blue eyes that were inherited through the generations. She was tall, with her hand on Lu Zhao’s shoulder. Her gaze was even colder than Lu Zhao’s, devoid of any softness, like a pine tree in the icy snow.

“That’s a photo of me graduating from high school,” Lu Zhao explained as he walked over. “My mom didn’t use to smile much.”

“I see,” Xia Yu replied.

But when he had met Mrs. Lu a few times, she seemed quite gentle.

He asked Lu Zhao, “Why did you bring me here?”

Lu Zhao looked at him, hugged his waist, brought his nose close, and whispered, “I want to spend New Year’s with you. Is that okay?”

His cold, blue-gray eyes were fixed on Xia Yu. “Just for two days.”

This wasn’t exactly what Xia Yu had in mind.

He had taken New Year’s leave from the gallery, so theoretically, he could spare the time. But spending two days with Lu Zhao in this remote mountain, in a vacation home hidden from the world, made him feel somewhat uneasy.

It was as if something was about to happen.

However, before he could speak, Lu Zhao lowered his head and kissed him, silencing all the unspoken words.

Xia Yu’s shoulders bumped against the bookshelf behind him, knocking over a book. Their lips and tongues entwined, their bodies rubbing against each other, and whether it was because the temperature in the vacation home was high or for some other reason, Xia Yu found it hard to catch his breath.

“Don’t refuse me,” Lu Zhao kissed him, his voice muffled but indisputable.

Xia Yu’s hand clung to Lu Zhao’s shoulder.

He should refuse. Lu Zhao was like a cunning wolf; once he latched onto his prey, he wouldn’t let go. Despite his well-groomed appearance, he was a scoundrel at heart.

But when Lu Zhao shifted his attention to Xia Yu’s neck and sensually moved his knee between Xia Yu’s legs, Xia Yu couldn’t help but let out a gasp.

Furrowing his brows, he stared at Lu Zhao, but in the end, he didn’t utter the words of refusal.