What Are Your Tastes? chapter 44

Embrace

Originally, the two had planned to watch the evening show together after dinner. However, due to the events of the afternoon, Lu Yunchu didn’t want to stay at home at all and felt embarrassed to trouble Zhou Yanchuan again. He planned to drive out alone for a ride.

“How can I leave halfway when we agreed to spend the evening together?” Zhou Yanchuan didn’t mind staying at home or going out. Taking a drive wasn’t an unreasonable request. “Let’s go, take my car, I’ll take you!”

Lu Yunchu opened his mouth but couldn’t find the words to refuse. He decided to follow his own desire. He longed for Zhou Yanchuan’s company, especially tonight.

Once they got in the car, Lu Yunchu sent a message to his aunt.

He wasn’t sure if Wu Lan had returned home, and he couldn’t ignore his mother. Wu Lan had the best relationship with his sister and would often visit their aunt when she was upset. So, he thought his aunt might know her current situation.

The car drove through the most bustling streets of the city. On New Year’s Eve, there were hardly any people out, and the entire street was empty, with only the lights glowing continuously. The night view of the city center in Sen city was exceptionally dazzling.

Lu Yunchu occasionally glanced at Zhou Yanchuan but spent most of the time looking out the window.

In the car, Zhou Yanchuan had turned on the stereo, and soft music flowed out.

“So many faces, aimlessly drifting, what are they searching for…” (*)

Lu Yunchu couldn’t imagine someone playing such an old song in the car, but if it was Zhou Yanchuan, it wasn’t too surprising.

“What do you like to listen to?” Zhou Yanchuan asked, “Should I connect your Bluetooth?”

“No, this is fine.”

The car soon reached the newly built “Starlight Plaza.” The journey didn’t take much time, but they had already moved from the eastern part of the city to the western part.

The area around “Starlight Plaza” featured clusters of high-rise buildings and commercial structures, making it the city’s most beautiful spot at night. Even the streetlamp covers were designed to look like flower petals.

Normally, at this time, the plaza would be crowded with people of all ages, shopping and strolling around, with street vendors frequently appearing. But today, even the staff who usually charged for parking had gone home.

Zhou Yanchuan casually parked the car in one of the spots.

“Want to take a walk?”

Lu Yunchu replied, “Sure.”

He unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. His phone vibrated slightly in his hand, indicating a message from his aunt.

As expected, Wu Lan had informed his sister. She had left Lu Yunchu’s place and headed to the train station to return to S City, but she refused to go home. Currently, his aunt was waiting for her at the station.

Understanding the basic situation, Lu Yunchu politely replied with a thank you.

A minute or two later, his aunt sent a long message, filled with reproaches about his lack of consideration and lecturing him on respecting his elders.

Zhou Yanchuan saw it too. Without reading every word, he could tell the gist of the message by skimming a few lines. Taking the liberty, he locked Lu Yunchu’s screen for him.

Lu Yunchu stared at him in a daze.

Despite the apparent meddling, Zhou Yanchuan showed no guilt and confidently said, “You’re already an adult. You don’t need someone else lecturing you on big principles.”

Lu Yunchu was not angry, just a bit surprised by his words, and asked back, “Haven’t you lectured me before?”

“I wouldn’t call it lecturing, more like sharing life wisdom.”

Lu Yunchu laughed at him, “Why are you so thick-skinned?”

“See, you’re laughing now,” Zhou Yanchuan boasted, “Good reasoning is the kind that makes people happy. Why bother with reasoning that just adds to the frustration?”

“Alright, I won’t argue,” Lu Yunchu didn’t bring a bag. He put his phone back in his pocket, unable to stop himself from chuckling, “Zhou Yanchuan, were you one of those problem students that teachers found particularly troublesome when you were young?”

“Yeah,” Zhou Yanchuan’s tone was as carefree as it was last year in Wen County, “I was even used as a negative example by my homeroom teacher in middle school.”

“I can see that, a typical rebellious teenager.”

“Mm, I thought I could save all of humanity when I was in middle school.”

“Maybe you still have that thought now.”

“Nowadays…” Zhou Yanchuan shook his head, “I just hope my friends around me are doing well.” His family was no longer around, but he still had friends.

It was quiet all around, undisturbed, allowing the two to chat more freely.

Despite the unpleasant incident on New Year’s Eve, Zhou Yanchuan still did not intend to ask about Lu Yunchu’s family situation. He thought that if the other party wanted to talk, he would tell him eventually.

After a while, Lu Yunchu indeed started talking.

“I didn’t mean to upset my mom, I was just upset for her,” he walked slowly, speaking as he went, “I always feel that she’s pitiful. She has good conditions, a good family background, a high level of education, and she’s capable… but she just doesn’t dare to stand up to my dad. When I have conflicts with my dad, she always advises me to give in.”

Zhou Yanchuan couldn’t imagine such a family structure, knowing it was inappropriate to intervene, he silently listened to his story.

“I really want them to divorce,” Lu Yunchu didn’t reveal the secret that Tao Jin had told him, but Tao Jin’s sentiments aligned with his own, “She could definitely stand on her own, but she insists on being tied to that man. I can’t understand it.”

“If you ask me, there’s no reasoning in this,” Zhou Yanchuan said, “You feel bad because you care about her. If it were someone irrelevant, you wouldn’t think so much.”

When they first got out of the car, they felt cold, but after walking for a bit, they warmed up. However, for a New Year’s Eve when families gather, this place seemed a bit desolate.

“Sorry for dragging you out for a walk on such a big holiday.”

“It’s no big deal,” Zhou Yanchuan looked up at the surrounding tall buildings and the starry night sky, “With such a beautiful night view, you wouldn’t see this if you stayed at home. It’s just the two of us, more to gain.”

“Indeed.”

The plaza had varying elevations. Lu Yunchu intentionally jumped onto the stone edge of a flower bed, walking along the narrow “path.” He hadn’t played such childish games since starting school.

At first, the edge was only about ten centimeters higher than the ground, so Zhou Yanchuan didn’t climb up, just followed alongside.

The further they walked, the higher the flower bed got, and the edge became steeper.

“Be careful.” Zhou Yanchuan still walked on the ground, while Lu Yunchu was now much higher than him.

Ahead was a decorative pillar of the plaza, making it impossible to continue along the edge.

“Enough?” Zhou Yanchuan spoke again, “Need me to help you down?”

Lu Yunchu was standing high, but by squatting, he could easily jump down from there.

However, he didn’t want to jump down by himself. He looked at Zhou Yanchuan’s outstretched hand and smiled knowingly.

He grabbed Zhou Yanchuan’s hand and leaped.

He didn’t use much force from the other person, but upon landing, with a sudden jolt, he embraced Zhou Yanchuan.

Arms around another person’s neck, unwilling to let go immediately.

At this moment, he once again felt an overwhelming rush of emotions.

The long-repressed family life, the near-breakdown with his once-trusted mother, his feelings for Zhou Yanchuan… these currents were enough to flood the mental walls he had carefully built.

He wanted to be willful for once.

Zhou Yanchuan didn’t understand Lu Yunchu’s feelings for him, thinking he was just sad about family matters. When someone is emotional, they need support and comfort from others.

So he didn’t reject this overly intimate hug, feeling it was a way to give strength to the other person.

He also opened his arms, patting Lu Yunchu’s back gently, just like Zhang Hong used to comfort him when he was a child.

Close against each other’s chests, their rapid heartbeats. Zhou Yanchuan gradually lost his calm, waves of emotions rising.

After a moment, Lu Yunchu let go, pulling back a little.

He didn’t seem to have cried, his beautiful eyes clear and clean, even curling his lips into a smile at Zhou Yanchuan.

“Let’s head back.” He said.

“Okay.”