What Are Your Tastes? chapter 60

Be Good to You for a Lifetime

A week later, on a Saturday afternoon, Zhou Yanchuan followed Lu Yunchu to the studio because Lu Yunchu mentioned that Tao Jin would bring Sabrina during class.

Sabrina was a small dog. When they found her last year, she was already fully grown. They hadn’t seen her for more than half a year, and aside from seeming a bit chubbier and having a small bow on her neck, she hadn’t changed much.

The little dog, upon seeing Zhou Yanchuan and Lu Yunchu, excitedly ran in circles. It was unclear whether she remembered them or was simply excited to see people.

“Sabrina—” In front of the real owner, Zhou Yanchuan felt embarrassed to use the nickname he had given her and instead called her by her foreign name, “Do you still remember me?”

The little dog barked twice, wagging her tail, and ran around in circles.

“Play with her for a while,” Lu Yunchu said to him as he prepared for class.

“Sure.”

At first, Sabrina stayed obediently in the office, but soon she became restless, rubbing against the door, clearly wanting to go out and play.

To avoid disturbing Lu Yunchu and the others, Zhou Yanchuan took her out through another door. The green space in the cultural and creative district provided an excellent area for her to run around.

Two hours later, Lu Yunchu’s class ended, and most of the students left. While packing up, he saw Zhou Yanchuan being pulled by Sabrina from the window, moving left and right, looking somewhat comical.

Tao Jin also glanced downstairs and then asked, “Are you two together?”

Lu Yunchu turned his head, “You noticed?”

“Yeah,” he said, “It’s quite obvious.”

Some things the person involved might not notice, but observers can easily pick up on.

“Yes, it’s only been a week.”

Tao Jin smiled, showing his dimples, “Congratulations.”

“Thanks.”

Zhou Yanchuan received a phone call and looked a bit flustered; Lu Yunchu saw it clearly and recalled how he was holding his phone tightly while holding the leash outside Ning Ruowei’s shop.

“Let’s go, let’s get Sabrina.”

He walked downstairs, naturally taking the leash from Zhou Yanchuan and handing it back to Tao Jin.

“Oh, it should be fine… I’ll ask and let you know later.” Zhou Yanchuan was still on the phone, just glancing at Lu Yunchu.

As soon as he hung up, Tao Jin’s mother arrived and took Tao Jin and Sabrina away.

Lu Yunchu felt that the phone call just now was related to him and was about to ask when Zhou Yanchuan spoke first, “Are you free tomorrow at noon?”

“Yes, why?”

“Mo Ziyang—he’s the vice president of my company and also a good friend. His mother has known me for over ten years and is like a godmother to me. They want to invite us to their home tomorrow.”

“Us?”

“Yes, they know about us,” Zhou Yanchuan said. “They mainly want to meet you. Aunt An is very open-minded and cares about my personal issues, so… would you like to come with me?”

“Yes,” understanding the situation, Lu Yunchu agreed without hesitation, “Of course I want to.” Zhou Yanchuan had lost his parents, so the people he introduced were probably the ones who had treated him best over the years.

“Then I’ll send a message.”

---

Zhou Yanchuan was very familiar with the Mo family and didn’t specially prepare any gifts. On Sunday morning, under Lu Yunchu’s insistence, they bought some fruit to visit.

The whole family was there. Mo Ziyang had informed them about the two of them in advance, so no one was surprised to see Zhou Yanchuan and another man.

Although they hadn’t met often, Mo Ziyang had a good impression of Lu Yunchu.

“Do you remember me?” he asked. “At the Lantern Festival party, I was sitting next to Yanchuan.”

“Yes.”

“If I had known about you two earlier… I would have seated you together then.” Thinking back, Zhou Yanchuan did seem a bit distracted that day, probably looking for Lu Yunchu.

Lu Yunchu smiled, “It’s okay.”

Mo Ziyang introduced his mother to him, “Yanchuan used to rent a house from us, but it was demolished five or six years ago.”

“Yes, yes, it was demolished five or six years ago,” An Wan continued, then turned her gaze to Lu Yunchu, “I heard about you from Ziyang and thought we should invite you over.”

“Thank you, Auntie.”

An Wan looked older than Wu Lan. Although it was their first meeting, she didn’t have any elder’s airs, giving a kind and amiable impression.

“I’ve known Yanchuan for a long time. He’s a well-behaved child, more worry-free than Ziyang—”

“Mom,” Mo Ziyang complained with a frown, “You’re so biased.”

Mo Ziyang’s wife, Xiao Nan, laughed and patted him, “You’re an adult now, don’t you feel embarrassed?”

While the adults were talking, five-and-a-half-year-old Tao Tao was bored. He leaned over to Zhou Yanchuan and asked, “Uncle Zhou, are you getting married?”

Children speak without restraint, and Zhou Yanchuan blushed, whispering back, “You could say that.”

Tao Tao glanced thoughtfully at the unfamiliar Lu Yunchu, then asked, “When are you having the wedding?”

“We… might not have one,” Zhou Yanchuan said awkwardly.

“Why?” He was a bit disappointed, “Last week, I went to a wedding with my mom. It was so fun!”

“We could have a small party and invite you, your parents, aunt An Yuan and grandma.”

“Oh,” he tilted his head in confusion, “Why not have a big party?”

Zhou Yanchuan helplessly patted his head, “Our situation is different. You’ll understand when you grow up.”

“Uncle Zhou, you’re just fooling kids!”

“You even know what ‘fooling kids’ means?”

“Of course!” He nodded vigorously. Perhaps his attention shifted, and he no longer fixated on the wedding, “I’m so bored.”

“Tao Tao, don’t you love drawing?” Zhou Yanchuan said, “Uncle Lu here is great at drawing. You could show him your work.”

“Really? Then I’ll go get it!” He hopped upstairs and indeed found a stack of “drawings” in his room, which he brought down to show Lu Yunchu.

Lu Yunchu eagerly flipped through them, observing the unrestricted patterns and images, entirely spontaneous.

“Uncle, did I draw well?”

“Very well,” he thought that such a young child didn’t need to follow strict rules; having something to express was more valuable. “Can you tell me about your drawings?”

Tao Tao, naturally friendly, especially when it came to things he was interested in, chatted endlessly until his mother called everyone for lunch, still holding his drawings and telling stories.

“Come on, let’s eat first,” Xiao Nan said apologetically to Lu Yunchu. “This kid can be a handful, can’t he?”

“No, he’s very smart.”

After they started eating, the adults continued their casual conversation. Mo Ziyang, upon hearing that Lu Yunchu’s friend was An Yuan’s girlfriend, was quite surprised. “That’s quite a coincidence.”

“Yes, they’ve known each other for almost a year.”

“Yuan Yuan is too busy with work,” he sighed. “Otherwise, it would be great to invite them over to gather together.”

“They came to see me last month, but Yuan Yuan had something come up at the hospital and had to leave shortly after arriving,” An Wan said. “Is it Miss Ning?”

“Yes, her name is Ning Ruowei.”

“That’s good. During the New Year, I was just telling Yanchuan that the most important thing is to have someone to keep you company. Look at you all, you all have someone now, which makes me happy.”

Sitting on the same side of the dining table, Zhou Yanchuan and Lu Yunchu glanced at each other involuntarily, their expressions entirely noticed by Mo Ziyang on the opposite side. He made a face as if experiencing a toothache. “Alright, save the affectionate looks for when you’re alone; there are children here.”

“Dad, you’re looking down on kids again!”

“When did I look down on you?” Mo Ziyang, exasperated by his son, responded, “I’m just saying you know too much.”

Their banter amused everyone at the table. After lunch, Tao Tao still wanted to talk about his drawings, but An Wan needed to rest in the afternoon, and it wasn’t convenient for Lu Yunchu and Zhou Yanchuan to stay long. Mo Ziyang had to coax his little prince into agreeing to go back to his room.

“Uncle Lu, next time I’ll show you more drawings!”

“Alright, see you next time.”

Mo Ziyang saw them out. “My boy talks a lot; you two should go home and rest early.”

“Alright, you don’t need to see us out.”

After a lively midday, the two returned to their apartment at Blue Bay.

The Mo family’s home gave Lu Yunchu a warm yet unfamiliar feeling—children and parents could tease each other and talk about anything. Aside from visiting teachers’ homes in the past, he rarely experienced such a family atmosphere, inevitably feeling touched.

Back at home, his mother Wu Lan was relatively gentle with him, but as long as Lu Changming was present, that gentleness came with conditions—he had to obey his father. Otherwise, even a simple joke could lead to a scolding. He always thought it was foolish to express one’s true feelings in front of elders.

After Wu Lan left on New Year’s Eve, the mother-son relationship ceased. A few days ago, Lu Yunchu tried to inquire about Wu Lan’s current situation, only to find he had been blocked. Opening their WeChat conversation, he saw the conspicuous exclamation mark.

“What’s wrong?” Zhou Yanchuan glanced down, seeing Lu Yunchu staring blankly at his phone on the sofa.

“Nothing.” He quietly pressed the lock screen.

Zhou Yanchuan, sharp-eyed, had already noticed the red exclamation mark on the screen and figured out the reason. Previously, he had no position to ask about Lu’s family matters, but now realizing the other was still hurt, he felt worse than if he had experienced it himself.

“Are you thinking about your mom?”

Lu Yunchu raised his head blankly, unsure how to confide. He wasn’t used to showing weakness, even to someone he was in a relationship with.

“Yunchu, I understand,” Zhou Yanchuan didn’t press further, sitting beside him. “With your family… Uncle and Auntie, let’s take it slow. If it can improve, great; if not, don’t feel wronged. You still have me.

“I’ll be good to you for a lifetime.”