What Are Your Tastes? chapter 55
This is Where My Brother Lives
“You have someone you like?” Mo Ziyang was shocked when he heard the news from Zhou Yanchuan. “Do I know them?”
Luckily, they were eating in a private room in the canteen, with no one else around. Otherwise, Mo Ziyang’s reaction would have spread Zhou Yanchuan’s gossip all over the company.
Zhou Yanchuan gave him a disdainful glance. “You don’t know them.”
Although they had met a few times, Lu Yunchu wasn’t considered an acquaintance of Mo Ziyang. Moreover, Zhou Yanchuan didn’t want to reveal too early that he liked a man.
“What’s going on then?”
“Didn’t I tell you before…about suspecting someone likes me…”
“Yes, you did,” Mo Ziyang nodded, suddenly noticing his friend’s enigmatic expression. “No way, you actually like that person back?”
“Yes,” Zhou Yanchuan said awkwardly, “But the person doesn’t like me. Likes someone else instead.”
“Really?” Mo Ziyang looked at him sympathetically. “Are they with that person?”
“No…the person is married.”
“Oh, I thought it was something serious,” Mo Ziyang breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s easy then. Aren’t you two friends?”
“Yes.”
“Friends can easily turn into romantic relationships.”
Zhou Yanchuan looked at him doubtfully. Mo Ziyang continued, “Xiao Nan and I were very good friends before.” Xiao Nan was his wife, and they had been married for over six years.
“Didn’t you meet in the student council?” Zhou Yanchuan rarely pried into others’ privacy and hadn’t heard much about Mo Ziyang’s love story, only knowing that they had been together since their school days and were both student council members.
“Yes,” a rare blush appeared on his face, “We were friends first and got along well. There was a period of ambiguity before I realized I wanted to be with her. I also hesitated for a while, not knowing how she felt about me…”
“There’s always the fear, you know. What if she doesn’t feel the same way? If I make a move and she doesn’t like it, we might not even be able to stay friends… But there was an opportunity that I seized.”
“What opportunity?”
“A trip.”
“A trip?”
“It was kind of a coincidence,” he said. “That year during the May Day holiday, I was supposed to go to the reservoir with my dorm mates. But one of them had a family emergency and had to go home. I casually mentioned it in front of Xiao Nan, saying it’s a bummer to go alone since my friend bailed on me.”
Zhou Yanchuan started to understand: “And then she offered to go with you?”
“She didn’t say that outright at first,” Mo Ziyang said, scratching his head sheepishly. “She just showed interest, asking if it was fun over there and saying she’d never been. I thought, ‘Could it be that she wants to come along?’ Of course, I had to seize the opportunity, and we ended up going together.”
“You went together… and then you two got together?” Zhou Yanchuan asked. “Just like that?”
“You’ve been in a relationship before, how can you be so clueless?” Mo Ziyang tapped his temple. “If a girl is willing to go out alone with you, that’s a huge sign of trust. Even if she’s not fully ready, it’s likely a signal that she’s open to trying. Anyway, we had a great time that day, and when we got back, I confessed to her. She said she liked me too but wasn’t fully prepared for a relationship yet. She was a well-protected good girl at home and had never experienced this kind of thing, so she was a bit nervous. I told her it was okay, she could take her time, and we’d still be friends until she was ready.
“Actually, she didn’t make me wait long. After about half a month, we got together.”
Zhou Yanchuan was completely engrossed in Mo Ziyang’s story and remarked, “You two are quite romantic.”
“That’s normal. We had it pretty smooth,” Mo Ziyang said, seeing Zhou Yanchuan had no other reaction, and couldn’t help but give him advice, “You should also invite her out to go somewhere. See if she’s willing.
“This place is nice,” he pulled up some photos on his phone showing fields of rapeseed flowers, orchards, rural scenery, and a unique bed and breakfast. “My family went there last week. It’s a short drive on the highway, not far from here.”
Zhou Yanchuan had heard of Pingliang Village—a rural tourist destination that had only recently become popular. He hadn’t thought of going there before because the roads were not great. But after seeing the photos on Mo Ziyang’s phone, he was intrigued.
“But you can’t make it back in a day,” Mo Ziyang continued before Zhou Yanchuan could say anything. “You’ll need separate rooms, don’t scare the girl…”
Zhou Yanchuan thought, they’ve already spent nights together, even sharing the same room.
“I don’t mind being your cover,” Mo Ziyang added. “You can say I bailed on you.”
Zhou Yanchuan was taken aback. Was Mo Ziyang suggesting he recreate his own experience?
“Come on, do I need to use you as an excuse to ask someone out?” When he had suggested going to the grasslands before, Lu Yunchu had agreed without hesitation, so this shouldn’t be an issue.
“Are you two that close?” Mo Ziyang didn’t know he was talking about a guy and didn’t catch any romantic implications. “Then isn’t there a good chance?”
Zhou Yanchuan didn’t correct Mo Ziyang’s misunderstanding. He thought it was a good idea to go somewhere together. With the Qingming Festival holiday coming up, it would depend on whether Lu Yunchu had time.
“You’re talking about Pingliang Village?” Lu Yunchu was slightly surprised by Zhou Yanchuan’s suggestion.
“Yeah, is there a problem?”
“No,” he smiled faintly, “that’s where my brother lives.”
“Your brother?” Zhou Yanchuan was shocked.
“The bed and breakfast in your photos,” Lu Yunchu pointed at the pictures on Zhou Yanchuan’s phone, “is run by him.” He hadn’t been there himself but recognized it as “Yaning,” frequently seen in Gu Wenxi’s social media.
“I didn’t know you had a brother.”
“We didn’t grow up together. We only reconnected a couple of years ago,” he explained to the puzzled Zhou Yanchuan, “because his mother isn’t my mother.”
Zhou Yanchuan understood—they were half-brothers.
Even though real-life family dramas aren’t as exaggerated as those in novels and TV, he couldn’t help but worry. If Lu Yunchu had issues with his father’s outside affairs or a strained relationship with his brother, his suggestion might hit a sore spot.
“Sorry, I didn’t know about that,” he changed his tone. “Should we go somewhere else?”
“Why are you so nervous?” Lu Yunchu knew what he was worrying about. “My brother and I get along well. His partner is also a good friend of mine and recently suggested I visit them.”
“Really? So you mean—”
“Let’s go together,” Lu Yunchu thought Zhou Yanchuan wanted company and it suited him. “I’ll book the rooms.”