YA Ch54: The Date

On the way home, Lu Yu excitedly said, “Yan-ge, let’s go on a date tomorrow!”

Back in college, weekends didn’t seem that precious, and even on weekdays, there were times without classes. But after nearly half a month of intense work, Lu Yu felt weekends were incredibly wonderful, almost to the point of being moved.

On such a beautiful day, of course, one should go on a date with the person they like, to not waste the good time.

Ming Yan originally planned to visit the factory tomorrow, but when he met Lu Yu’s sparkling eyes, he changed his mind and said, “Alright, we can also get you some new clothes. You don’t really like wearing Lu Dayu’s clothes anyway.”

After agreeing, Ming Yan realized something was off. Had he explicitly agreed to resume a romantic relationship with Lu Yu? The word “date” was really too ambiguous.

Lu Yu tilted his head and watched as a trace of regret appeared on Ming Yan’s face. He bowed his head and chuckled, “You’ve agreed to go on a date with me, so at least we’re in a relationship where we’ve successfully matched and agreed to continue seeing each other.”

Ming Yan was amused by the cheesy phrase “successfully matched” but didn’t refute it.

“If we’re buying clothes, then the first stop should be the mall,” Lu Yu eagerly started planning, “I haven’t seen the malls nowadays. Have they become really futuristic? Like where people can instantly teleport to the top floor from the ground, or touch a screen and jump straight to a store?”

Ming Yan shook his head. “Not quite that exaggerated.”

The technological advancements of the past decade had mostly been in smart devices, with little progress in large-scale machinery.

Listening to Lu Yu’s various guesses, Ming Yan suddenly realized that since the day Lu Xiaoyu had woken up until now, he hadn’t gone out to have fun. He had only lived between two places—work and home. The one time he did go out was to drink with Lao Yang to gather information. He was just an eighteen-year-old boy, yet he had been patiently working all this time.

Thinking of this, Ming Yan no longer regretted agreeing to go on a date with Lu Yu.

After dinner, Lu Yu was still excited, pulling Lu Dongdong to plan tomorrow’s date—where to play, where to eat, and what little surprises to prepare.

One person and one fish huddled in the study, whispering.

Shen Baishui sneered, “Two bumpkins, what could they possibly plan?”

Ming Yan sat leisurely in a reading chair by the living room’s floor-to-ceiling windows, flipping through a design magazine. “Do you know anything about this?”

The President Ball sat on the chair’s armrest, crossing his arms smugly. “Essential CEO skills—I’ve got them all. Don’t be fooled by the fact that I didn’t end up with a man or a woman, but in the book, I was actually quite popular. Pretending to play along, using my handsome appearance to achieve goals—that’s something I did quite often. Of course, everything was for money. I’m not interested in love.”

Is that even the right way to use “man or woman”?

Ming Yan helplessly raised his hand to rub the President Ball’s head and continued reading.

Shen Baishui, however, got hooked on the topic and started boasting about his knowledge. “Dating varies by person. For someone like you, a graphic artist, you should go to an art exhibition, visit a museum, then hit a luxury store for a shopping spree, and finish with a romantic candlelit dinner. Preferably at one of those fancy restaurants where you can’t understand the food, but it looks amazing.”

Ming Yan thought about it and nodded. That did sound about right. If the date were arranged like that, at least he wouldn’t mind. “You do know your stuff. So, what about a date with Lu Yu?”

The President Ball rolled his eyes. “For a childish guy like him, take him to play video games all day or skate at a skate park. Then go on a shopping spree at a luxury store, and in the evening, find a place with good food that’s not too expensive. You could even take him to a night market. His curiosity will spark his writing inspiration amid the lively atmosphere.”

Lu Yu suddenly popped his head out from behind the chair. “Why do all your plans include a shopping spree at a luxury store?” As he spoke, he poked President Ball’s head, sending the lightweight balloon-like figure floating away, huffing and puffing.

“Everything else is superficial; money is eternal. To win over a date, the key is a luxury shopping spree to showcase your wealth and taste.” Shen Baishui spread his arms wide, proudly presenting his money-centric theory.

“Tsk, you materialistic kid. Go snuggle with your little blanket and sleep with your money forever.” Lu Yu tossed a blanket covered in gold coins onto President Ball’s head, then reached out, scooping Ming Yan up in a bridal carry.

Ming Yan gasped in surprise, quickly wrapping his arms around Lu Yu’s neck, trying to shift his weight onto Lu Yu’s shoulder.

Lu Yu held his breath, carrying Ming Yan into the bedroom, where they both collapsed onto the bed. He propped himself up on Ming Yan, panting for a couple of breaths, and grinned. “Impressive, right?” He had secretly increased the gravity in the gaming pod and had been working out while working every day.

Ming Yan was genuinely surprised. “It’s only been a few days, and you’ve already gotten stronger.”

“Yep, I’m a natural talent,” Lu Yu said smugly, his expression mirroring Shen Baishui’s earlier confidence. “Other things have grown too. Want to check?”

Ming Yan wrinkled his nose and pushed him away. “You pervert! I don’t want to look.”

Lu Yu blinked in confusion. “I was talking about my muscles. What were you thinking?”

Then, Lu Yu suddenly realized, and the corners of his mouth stretched toward his ears as he leaned close to Ming Yan’s ear and asked, “What were you thinking? Tell me. As long as you say it, I’ll let you check.”

Ming Yan opened his mouth, realizing that no matter what he said, it would turn into teasing. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Your armpit.”

“Huh?” This time, Lu Yu was at a loss. Who talks about armpits in the middle of flirting?

Before Lu Yu could react, Ming Yan’s mischievous hand had already breathed warm air into it and reached for his armpit.

Lu Yu was extremely ticklish and immediately screamed, “You’re cheating, hahaha…!”

The two started roughhousing on the bed, tickling each other’s armpits and feet, rolling around in a tangle.

In the chaos, Lu Yu’s pajama buttons were accidentally pulled open. Ming Yan, who had ended up on top, froze, his hand gripping the collar.

Lu Yu’s breathing quickened. He pulled the other side open himself. “Yan-ge, come on. Don’t hold back just because I’m a tender 18-year-old.”

The pajamas fell open, revealing a firework-shaped scar on his chest.

Ming Yan reached out and gently touched the scar, but quickly pulled his hand back as if burned, hurriedly covering Lu Yu up. “Are you saying I’m an old cow?”

Lu Yu: “???”

Wait, how did it turn into that?

Lu Yu grabbed hold of the person who was rolling off his waist. “Hmph, you’re just making excuses to reject me. I’ve seen through tricks like this before. Tonight, I insist on spoiling you.”

“Hey, stop messing around.” Ming Yan couldn’t understand how Lu Yu had trained such strength. He dragged him back by the ankle, holding him in his arms, even issuing threats.

“Don’t move, or I’ll… deal with you,” Lu Yu growled, planting a loud kiss on his forehead.

Ming Yan could feel the change in Lu Yu’s body. Seeing how Lu Yu deliberately shifted back to avoid offending him, he couldn’t help but soften. He wanted to do something, but bit his lip, unable to speak.

Lu Yu took his hand, which had almost reached out, and said, “It’s okay, I’ll calm down soon. That way, I can even have sweet dreams.”

The room had been quiet for a long time when Ming Yan softly said, “You can sleep close to me, I don’t mind.”

He thought Lu Yu had already fallen asleep, so he muttered these words like a dream. Unexpectedly, the next second, the small gap between them was closed by Lu Yu, who happily snuggled up against him.

The next day, after a good night’s sleep hugging Yan-ge, Lu Yu was full of energy, standing tall and walking confidently to their date.

The mall hadn’t changed much. They first bought a few outfits. Lu Yu was especially happy in his new clothes: “Fashion brands nowadays look so good.”

Bold colors, exaggerated designs, but surprisingly stylish.

Lu Yu fastened the large purple hoodie that covered his eyes and struck a classic rapper pose, shaking his hands: “Yo yo yo, this is Lu Yu, aka Han De Ba Yu.”

The store clerks were all amused by him, while Ming Yan couldn’t bear to look, turning his head to pay with his smart device. After paying, he looked back, and Lu Yu, like an untethered dog, had already dashed off and disappeared.

Lu Yu quickly bought two drinks and handed one to Ming Yan. The heating in the mall was turned up too high, and he felt like he was being roasted. He downed the entire 300 ml drink in one gulp, smacked his lips, and looked longingly at Ming Yan, who was slowly sipping through a straw: “I want to play that.”

Ming Yan followed his gaze, which led to the arcade. The President Ball was right after all.

Having a boyfriend ten years younger was indeed a challenge, so Ming Yan could only accompany him to play.

The arcade had been updated with more high-tech games. However, after spending a week in the most advanced gaming pod, Lu Yu wasn’t interested in the lower-level VR games. He quickly got bored after two rounds and only enjoyed the classic basketball toss.

This throwing device was much more advanced than those in the old arcades, and Lu Yu was having a great time.

The girls playing basketball nearby noticed him, sneaking glances at the half of his face that was visible, whispering to each other, “He’s so handsome.”

A few of the excited girls chattered away and handed their basketballs to Lu Yu: “Hey, handsome, could you throw a couple for me? If I miss again, I’m done for.”

Lu Yu had just used up his own game tokens, so he glanced at the neighboring screen, happily took over, and scored a perfect three in a row, with celebratory fireworks lighting up the screen.

The girls cheered, playfully nudging the one who handed him the ball, urging her to ask for his contact information.

Before the shy girl could say anything, Lu Yu excitedly ran back to Ming Yan: “Wasn’t I awesome?”

Ming Yan responded indifferently, “Awesome.”

Riding the excitement, Lu Yu leaned in and planted a kiss on that soft cheek.

Ming Yan was slightly stunned when he suddenly heard a sharp female voice: “Ming Yan?”

Following the voice, he saw none other than Lu Zhenni, whom they hadn’t seen for some time. Beside her was a man carrying bags and boxes. She pointed at Ming Yan with her long, manicured nails, looking thrilled as if she had caught him red-handed: “You’re actually out here keeping a young male student, does Lu Yu know?”

Before Ming Yan could speak, Lu Yu stepped forward and made a gesture as if to flick those long nails: “Want to know if Lu Yu knows? Pay me five million, and I’ll tell you the answer.”