Don’t Ignite It chapter 21

A new day

That evening, Xia Yu didn’t sleep very well. He dreamt about many things from the past.

He dreamt of the times when he and Lu Zhao watched movies together.

It was probably the most peaceful time between him and Lu Zhao, the time when they confirmed their friends-with-benefits relationship. He was cautious and didn’t dare to have unrealistic expectations or ask Lu Zhao to be his boyfriend. During these times, Lu Zhao treated him like a friend.

But when they watched movies, he would intentionally sit in Lu Zhao’s lap and insist on eating popcorn from Lu Zhao’s lap.

Lu Zhao was disgusted by the crumbs but tolerated it, wrapping his arms around Xia Yu’s waist as they watched boring romantic movies together.

At the end of the movie, the female lead walked alone under an umbrella across a white bridge. She had grown old, with gray hair, and everyone she had loved was gone. She was truly alone.

However, what she remembered most was her first encounter with her husband when he, a young scholar in a blue shirt, had looked at her and softly said, “Miss, you dropped something.”

The movie didn’t have a very high rating, just something they randomly chose to watch.

But Xia Yu felt sad at this point.

Because, until the end, the female lead never knew that her deceased husband had actually loved her. He had just never expressed it, so she never knew.

This made Xia Yu lose his appetite for popcorn, and he stared at the closing credits with a heavy heart.

Lu Zhao probably sensed it and asked him, “What’s wrong? You picked the movie yourself, don’t you like it anymore?”

The sound of the air conditioning was unusually clear in the quiet afternoon. There was a faint humming noise, and occasionally, you could hear the chirping of cicadas outside the window, but it quickly disappeared, leaving only the green shadows of trees on the windowsill.

Xia Yu held Lu Zhao’s hand and looked at him expectantly, wanting to say something but ultimately remained silent.

He wanted to tell Lu Zhao that if he ever fell in love with him, even if it was just for a moment, could he please let him know early?

But he thought about it and didn’t say it because it seemed too far-fetched.

So, he just leaned against Lu Zhao’s shoulder and said, “Yes, I don’t think this movie is very good.”

……………………………

When Xia Yu woke up, it took him a while to remember where he was.

He was wrapped in soft blankets and reached over to touch them, realizing that Lu Zhao wasn’t there, but the blankets still smelled like him.

He yawned and sat up from the bed, looking around for a moment, wondering where Lu Zhao had gone. He couldn’t have left him alone to go to work, could he?

He got up and went to the bathroom to freshen up. When he came out, he looked at his clothes from the previous night with a frown.

His clothes were obviously unwearable. Not only were the buttons loose, but they also smelled of smoke and hadn’t been washed. He found them quite distasteful.

After thinking for a moment, he opened Lu Zhao’s closet. Although Lu Zhao’s clothes didn’t fit him in terms of size, he could make do.

But when he opened the closet, he found that some of the clothes didn’t match Lu Zhao’s usual style. They were very casual and relaxed, all brand new, and he randomly checked a few, finding that they were the same brands he often wore, with the tags still on and the sizes matching his own.

Xia Yu raised an eyebrow but didn’t dwell on it. He picked out a light gray turtleneck sweater and a pair of black casual pants.

Once Xia Yu was dressed, he came downstairs. As soon as he reached the ground floor, he saw Lu Zhao sitting on the couch. He was impeccably dressed, with papers spread out on his knees, talking on the phone, fully engaged in work.

But as soon as he glanced at Xia Yu, he said something to the person on the other end of the line and hung up.

Xia Yu had already walked over.

Lu Zhao held his hand and had him sit on his lap. “Good morning, did you sleep well?”

Xia Yu felt a bit uncomfortable.

This was the first time he had spent the night with Lu Zhao since they had reunited, and it was at Lu Zhao’s house. Previously, they had always stayed in hotels, and no matter how late it was, Xia Yu would get up and go home after they were done.

But now he had spent the night and woke up in Lu Zhao’s embrace in the morning.

It felt a bit too intimate.

“Yeah,” Xia Yu rubbed his eyes and let out a small yawn, “I’m actually still a bit sleepy.”

He looked a bit groggy, still not fully awake, and had a somewhat sluggish cuteness about him, like a sloth.

As Lu Zhao watched him, he leaned in and kissed him, nibbling gently on Xia Yu’s earlobe.

Xia Yu squirmed in Lu Zhao’s embrace.

“Don’t kiss me,” Xia Yu pushed Lu Zhao away a bit and scolded him, “You’ve left marks all over me from biting so hard. Don’t bite so forcefully next time.”

He was thinking that if his colleagues saw the marks, they would surely tease him.

But Lu Zhao slightly changed his expression and didn’t say anything. Instead, he lifted Xia Yu and said, “Let’s have breakfast.”

Breakfast was already prepared, with all of Xia Yu’s favorite dishes. Lu Zhao had household staff and a butler, but they all lived in a small villa in the backyard. They only came over for cooking and cleaning, and nothing else.

Lu Zhao said, “Even if you stay here, they won’t talk about it outside. You can rest assured.”

After sipping some papaya porridge, Xia Yu nodded after a while. “okay.”

He remembered the clothes he had taken from Lu Zhao’s closet and asked, “Whose clothes are in your closet? I picked out a set just now.”

He wasn’t accusing or suspicious, but he was thinking it might be inconvenient if one of Lu Zhao’s younger cousins was staying over. However, it was strange for their clothes to be in Lu Zhao’s room.

Lu Zhao shook his head.

“Those clothes were actually prepared for you. I had them bought in your size,” he said, “but you never came to stay.”

He knew that Xia Yu had been avoiding coming to his house.

Their meetings were always in hotels, where they would rent a room, have sex, and then leave. It was a routine, purely for physical pleasure.

Although Lu Zhao didn’t say anything more, Xia Yu couldn’t help but touch his nose.

He had been doing it on purpose.

Since it was a no-strings-attached friends-with-benefits arrangement, there was no need to get too involved in each other’s lives.

Xia Yu had been to Lu Zhao’s house many times before, and he had even stayed for a while. Once he entered, he couldn’t help but recall many memories from the past.

But now, Xia Yu lowered his head and sipped his porridge, thinking that since he was already staying here, there was no need to be so reserved.

After finishing breakfast, Lu Zhao drove Xia Yu to his art gallery.

Before Xia Yu got out of the car, Lu Zhao held onto him.

Xia Yu turned around, puzzled.

Lu Zhao leaned in and flipped up the collar of Xia Yu’s shirt, tucking it neatly inside his sweater.

“You still look like a little kid,” he remarked.

They were very close and the tips of their noses almost touched.

In the morning sunlight, Xia Yu’s eyes were a light golden brown, resembling a kitten.

Lu Zhao had done this for Xia Yu countless time before, fixing his clothes.

When it came to Xia Yu, even though they were in a friends-with-benefits relationship, he always found himself being so attentive.

Now, three years had passed, but he still acted on these instincts.

Xia Yu pursed his lips, but didn’t say thank you; he felt that Lu Zhao had something to tell him. So, he sat in his seat without rushing to leave.

As expected, after looking at him for a while, Lu Zhao said, “I’ll make plans to meet you later. Will you come out?”

Without waiting for Xia Yu’s answer, Lu Zhao added, “I won’t interfere with your marriage and your life. If we happen to run into each other in public, we’ll act like strangers. I’ve considered what you said last night, and I accept it.”

He was referring to the part about becoming a long-term, steady lover.

He had accepted it and had come to terms with the position of this extramarital affair. His only request was that Xia Yu didn’t see anyone else, a pitiable and laughable condition.

But as he looked into Xia Yu’s slightly widened eyes, he felt that maybe it wasn’t so hard to accept after all, compared to the days he had spent without Xia Yu.

Xia Yu couldn’t quite explain his feelings.

He had been the one to make the request.

But when Lu Zhao earnestly discussed the terms of their relationship and promised to fulfill his role as a “lover” without any expression on his face, Xia Yu felt a subtle sense of suffocation.

“Alright,” he said with a somewhat dry voice, “I won’t avoid you anymore, and I won’t brush you off. You can rest assured.”

He thought for a moment, then leaned forward before getting out of the car, dropping a kiss on Lu Zhao’s cheek.

“Pick me up after work.”

After saying this, he quickly opened the car door, slipped out, and walked a few steps before turning back and looking at Lu Zhao’s car.

He then took the elevator to the eighteenth floor and arrived at his art gallery.

Perhaps because they had gone to a bar together last night, everyone seemed a bit listless today, looking like they hadn’t had enough sleep. Each person was holding a cup of coffee to stay awake.

Xia Yu entered the pantry, made himself a cup of coffee, and sat at his desk to review some artwork materials.

His assistant watched him and couldn’t help but envy him, saying, “Boss, even though we all went out for drinks last night, why do you look so good? You were born with it.”

Xia Yu didn’t even raise his head. “Natural talent.”

The assistant pouted, unable to argue with that answer.

She watered the flowers on Xia Yu’s desk and casually asked, “You and Mr. Xu left early yesterday. Did you go on a secret date?”

She asked with a mischievous smile, already certain of the answer.

Xia Yu chuckled softly.

Indeed, they had both gone on dates.

But they had gone on separate dates.

Just now, Xia Yu had found a moment to call Xu Zhan from the pantry. He wanted to ask if Xu Zhan remembered the inkstone he had bought; he intended to give it to someone as a gift.

However, on the other end of the call, Xu Zhan’s voice was hoarse and filled with a drained, soft weakness, making Xia Yu’s ears tingle.

He instantly guessed what Xu Zhan was doing and couldn’t help but chuckle.

Even if the most absurd novelist were to write about their relationship, it would probably be impossible to capture the strange and ludicrous nature of their marriage.

But he didn’t deny the assistant’s question and simply nodded nonchalantly. “Yeah.”

The assistant beamed with a knowing look.

“I knew it,” she said cheerfully. “You and Professor Xu have such a great relationship.”

Xia Yu laughed again but didn’t say anything more.