Chapter 72
Until he got into the car, Tang Yue never asked Jiang Shulu why.
Just as Liu Xichao wouldn’t ask Jiang He why he had come to see Jiang Mingxun one last time.
Tang Yue didn’t let Jiang Shulu drive. He glanced at the message Jiang Xiuyun had sent, saying he had already picked up Tang Mian.
He also sent a photo of Tang Mian reading manga in his study.
The full-time manga artist, having once served as a “Keeper of Dogs,” felt that raising a child was just like raising a puppy and was quite happy to babysit.
Tang Mian was a naturally likable child who could thrive anywhere.
Tang Yue replied with a “thank you” and then messaged Tang Mian: Baby, can you stay at Uncle’s house tonight?
Tang Mian replied quickly: Okay.
Jiang Shulu’s work hours were more regular than Tang Yue’s. The whole company knew the CEO was married with a child, and that the child was a genius baby.
One of the favorite daily activities for many new employees was watching Jiang Shulu bring Tang Mian to work.
When they got off work, seeing the exclusive elevator doors open and the “big curly hair” walking out with the “little curly hair” was a sight to behold.
The scene was simply too soft and cute; it easily gave people the idea that “marriage might not be so terrible.”
But a second later, thinking of Jiang Shulu’s financial power, ability, and looks, and then thinking of Tang Yue’s terrifying talent and the sister behind him, they instantly felt that these two were only grounded on the surface. In essence, they were not ordinary people at all.
Tang Yue found an address saved in his map and prepared to navigate there.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Jiang Shulu looked at him and asked, “Not going home?”
Tang Yue: “I want to go to that shop we used to eat at, the one that sells roasted beef with pineapple.”
That had been quite some years ago. Jiang Shulu smiled. “It might not be open anymore.”
Tang Yue: “Let’s go and see.”
Because he rarely saw Tang Yue drive, Jiang Shulu couldn’t help but say, “How about I drive?”
Tang Yue: “Are you looking down on me?”
Jiang Shulu: “It’s just that I drive most of the time, or your assistant does, right?”
Tang Yue: “I used to drive hovercars, you know.”
When they had free time, Jiang Shulu and Tang Yue watched many movies. Every alien-themed movie would be roasted by Tang Yue, calling them various forms of pseudoscience.
He would say wormholes weren’t used like that, and so on.
At times like those, Tang Yue would talk a lot—about the Constant Temperature Planet, the spaceship tickets he couldn’t afford, and the uncle he had never met.
In the end, he would collapse into Jiang Shulu’s arms and say with a hint of guilt, “I really want to know how the Tang Yue who swapped with me is doing.”
“I always feel like I owe him so, so much. This was originally…”
Jiang Shulu had also investigated the previous Tang Yue.
That person had thin family ties. He wasn’t old, but his style of handling things was particularly seasoned. However, he was a bit like a drifter, never having fixed, long-term friends.
The results of the investigation were all short-term impressions.
With such a personality, logically, he should have had many friends, yet he was accustomed to parting ways. Even his schooling had been intermittent.
Looking at the photos, it was obvious he wasn’t the same person as the one in Jiang Shulu’s arms.
The soul was enough to make the same skin have a vastly different temperament.
Jiang Shulu said at the time, “Maybe he’s living much better than you. Didn’t you tell me your uncle might come to pick you up?”
Information about Planet 9787 couldn’t be found online at all. It might be light-years away, or perhaps not even in this galaxy.
Or perhaps, at this point in time, it hadn’t even been named yet.
Amidst the rustling sound of rain hitting the plane trees outside the window, Jiang Shulu held Tang Yue and said, “But since the technology there is so advanced, maybe one day we’ll receive a message from him?”
Tang Yue: “That’s true.”
He started roasting the hovercars in movies again, saying novels were also just making things up.
His driving skills were excellent.
The current Tang Yue had a look of triumph on his brows and eyes, insisting on driving himself.
Tang Yue: “Let me take Shulu-ge to relax.”
Jiang Shulu let out an “Oh” sound. “Do I look very sad?”
Tang Yue shook his head. “Not really, but a little…”
Because they had left in such a hurry, Tang Yue hadn’t even taken off his earrings. When he turned his face, they were particularly dazzling.
Even though Liu Xichao had roasted fans for their over-the-top praise of Tang Yue’s “ice skin and jade bones,” Jiang Shulu occasionally had to admit it.
Tang Yue was indeed tempting. Tempting when he pushed away, tempting when he was direct. And without Jiang Shulu needing to pour his heart out, Tang Yue seemed born to understand Jiang Shulu’s joys and sorrows.
Tang Yue: “Relax.”
He sighed again. “Actually, I don’t need to say much. Shulu-ge figured it out long ago, didn’t you?”
Tang Yue hated the Jiang family. He didn’t hate the individuals, but those rigid rules, as if even desires had to be reined in, making people look like exquisite ornaments.
But what he fell in love with was the personified Jiang Shulu, the person who would sigh in the lonely night behind the facade of the ornament.
Tang Yue: “Shulu-ge is a very kind person, different from them.”
He drove the car, and one could tell he was indeed very relaxed.
When Tang Yue took his driving test back then, Lin-jie was afraid he would fail Subject Two three times like Liu Xichao. In the result, the most unreliable Tang Yue passed in one go. He even wanted to get a license for driving large trucks, though no one knew where that peculiar hobby came from.
The young man curved his eyes in a smile. The photo displayed in the car was of their family of three.
The warmth of this car was visible to the naked eye, all decorated by Tang Yue and Tang Mian. The intimacy they created gave Jiang Shulu the courage to keep going.
The word “kind” was too formal.
Jiang Shulu didn’t know what to say for a moment.
Tang Yue: “It’s a pity I’m driving now and can’t hold Shulu-ge‘s hand. You have to carry me upstairs when we go back tonight.”
Jiang Shulu: “Okay.”
Tang Yue: “I heard from Lin-jie that you gave the tickets to Maiyin-mama’s family, is that right?”
Jiang Shulu gave a hum of affirmation.
Tang Yue: “Xiao Mie mentioned before that he wanted to see photos of Maiyin-mama. Do you have any, Shulu-ge?”
Jiang Shulu shook his head.
But he said, “Grandpa and Grandma still have some.”
Tang Yue: “Then can I take Xiao Mie to meet them next time?”
Tang Yue was occasionally afraid of meeting strangers, but the flip side of his social anxiety carried the lonely longing of the Tang Yue from Planet 9787.
He wanted family, and he needed mundane social interactions.
Jiang Shulu considered things very thoroughly for him, so much so that Tang Yue didn’t need to think too much, but he also had moments where his thoughts were cluttered like this.
Amidst the orchestral sounds of the car’s light music, Tang Yue said, “Shulu-ge can rely on me today.”
Jiang Shulu: “Okay.”
But Tang Yue didn’t expect that Jiang Shulu’s “reliance” meant letting him pay for everything.
The shop selling roasted beef with pineapple, from which they frequently ordered takeout during their group days, had really closed down. It had turned into a small shop selling Oden and Takoyaki.
The cold wind was howling, but there were still quite a few people on the street at this hour.
Tang Yue wore a mask, and inside his long coat was a loose sweater, making him look no different from the students in the surrounding university town.
On the contrary, Jiang Shulu standing beside him seemed a bit too steady and composed.
With the flu prevalent recently, most people were wearing masks, and “Masked Handsome Guy” had become a popular search term.
Even though Jiang Shulu and Tang Yue had beautiful eyes, passersby who weren’t fans would at most look twice and then look away.
Thinking that perhaps the faces under the masks were grotesquely ugly.
Tang Yue asked, “Ge, what Oden do you want? I want the combo Takoyaki.”
Jiang Shulu watched as Tang Yue took items for himself right after asking. “I’ll eat whatever you eat.”
Tang Yue said “Oh.”
But Jiang Shulu pointed at the crab stick. “This one.”
Tang Yue: “I knew it.”
The sound system of the shop next door was very loud, and surprisingly, it was playing Tang Yue’s Planet Fragments.
Tang Yue whispered to Jiang Shulu amidst the sound of his own music, “You pretended not to like it before, but last week when we ate the split-pot hotpot, I saw you snatch Xiao Mie’s crab stick.”
Realizing he had been caught, Jiang Shulu looked at Tang Yue. Tang Yue met his gaze and sighed with feigned depth. “Too un-fatherly.”
Jiang Shulu: “You also stole Xiao Mie’s cream puff.”
Tang Yue: “I didn’t steal it, I told Xiao Mie.”
Jiang Shulu: “You only told him after you were discovered.”
Tang Yue: “So it wasn’t stealing.”
Their heads were leaning together, one picking Oden, the other ordering food, appearing exceptionally oblivious to others.
The female student waiting for Takoyaki on the other side finally felt something was amiss.
There were too many students around here with gold, silver, gray, and red hair, so Tang Yue’s hair color was considered common.
But he was simply too pale. The obsidian earring seemed to make him look extraordinary under the overhead light.
Even amidst the rising steam, even though his voice was muffled, he still appeared distinct.
Plus, the texture of his and Jiang Shulu’s outfits was excellent. Anyone who followed stars even a little would find them familiar.
When Tang Yue turned around to scan the code to pay, he was finally recognized.
But the girl didn’t disturb Tang Yue; she just whispered to her companion.
She pretended to casually observe these two public figures who were rumored to be rehearsing but had come out to eat.
Whether their relationship was good or not could be seen—the intimate posture, the subconscious hand-holding when leaving.
After getting into the car, Jiang Shulu said, “That girl on the right kept looking at you.”
Jiang Shulu, holding cups of Oden, looked completely different from the cover of the latest issue of the financial magazine.
His eyes and brows were rippling with a smile. “Seems like she’s a fan of our Teacher Tang.”
Tang Yue: “She’s a CP fan of me and you.”
Jiang Shulu: “How could you tell?”
Tang Yue: “I heard her say ‘they match so well’.”
Jiang Shulu: “Was that the original sentence?”
Tang Yue: “Real husband and wife.” (Zhen Fu Qi)
After saying it, he felt something was wrong and narrowed his eyes. “You heard it all, yet you still ask me!”
Jiang Shulu: “Wife?” (Qi?)
Tang Yue huffed. “Can’t you be my wife?”
He even sang a line of a folk tune he learned from who-knows-where, carrying a strong local accent.
Jiang Shulu nodded. “Okay, I am.”
He asked, “Where to next? Home?”
Tang Yue shook his head. “There’s another place we went to before.”
It was a small roadside KTV booth, the kind where you scan a code for a limited time.
A long time ago, Tang Yue, Liu Xichao, and Yao Lixin had been here.
At that time, they went to eat at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, and Tang Yue got a stomachache. It was Jiang Shulu who came to pick him up.
It was even photographed by netizens, claiming Jiang Shulu had a night rendezvous with a “pretty girl” and gave her a ride on a bike.
This incident amused Yao Lixin for almost a week, and later he would occasionally call Tang Yue “Pretty Girl.”
It made Tang Yue suffer greatly.
The small KTV booth was right at the entrance of the alley.
The car stopped by the roadside. Tang Yue, holding the warm Oden, led Jiang Shulu over there.
Jiang Shulu: “Just how many good places did you guys go to play behind my back?”
Tang Yue: “It’s because you were just too busy, so many things to do.”
After saying that, Tang Yue paused. “So, as punishment, you have to take me and Xiao Mie everywhere to play in the future.”
This punishment was too sweet; Jiang Shulu couldn’t help but smile.
These small KTV booths were crowded even for two people, let alone two men. Once the door closed, the space became very cramped.
Tang Yue even fished a bottle of water out of his pocket, which surprised Jiang Shulu a little.
Tang Yue reached out and covered Jiang Shulu’s eyes. “Don’t be surprised, there’s another bottle.”
Jiang Shulu: “When did you stuff these in?”
Tang Yue: “Before getting in the car.”
Jiang Shulu: “You can really stuff things.”
Tang Yue: “Am I amazing?”
Jiang Shulu nodded. “Amazing.”
Tang Yue scanned the code, skillfully picked a song, and then handed the microphone to Jiang Shulu. “You sing.”
Jiang Shulu: “Why?”
Tang Yue: “To express the inner…”
He thought for a moment. “Certain emotions.”
Jiang Shulu: “Can I change the song?”
The songs Tang Yue picked were all English songs. Few singers would sing their own songs at KTV; Tang Yue purely had psychological trauma from failing to score ninety points on his own songs in the past.
Tang Yue: “I’ve never seen Shulu-ge‘s listening playlist; it’s all hidden.”
Jiang Shulu: “Then I’ll pick the number one song from my weekly playlist.”
Tang Yue watched him choose an old song. It indeed had a sense of age. Tang Yue first heard it when he had just moved into the Away dormitory.
He had always thought it was a song Liu Xichao chose. Only now did he realize he had misjudged again.
Outside, it suddenly started to rain, pattering against the glass of the roadside KTV.
The dark blue glass couldn’t reflect the pedestrians outside, but it could reflect their silhouettes.
The space inside was too cramped; even breathing raised the temperature.
Jiang Shulu watched Tang Yue sing. As the captain of the former top boy group Away, Jiang Shulu was famous for maxing out all stats with no weaknesses.
Singing was naturally no problem, only he was too stable, making people question if he had no emotion and was just completing a task.
But now, with the wind and rain raging outside, the world pouring down, Tang Yue felt the rain falling into his heart, crashing and splashing with his overflowing love for Jiang Shulu.
When the chorus began, Tang Yue finally couldn’t help but hug Jiang Shulu, swallowing the remaining half-sentence of the other party’s “The one who loves you most is me.”
With a clunk, the microphone vibrated as it was placed on the table.
Jiang Shulu captured the heat source drilling into his lips and tongue, curling around until Tang Yue had to hug him tighter.
The backing track was still playing. The sound of kissing seemed to be picked up by the microphone as if the surroundings were filled with this intense entanglement.
Jiang Shulu: “Can’t kiss anymore.”
Tang Yue: “Then kiss when we get back.”
Jiang Shulu: “You paid for an hour of singing.”
Tang Yue: “Can I order an hour of Shulu-ge?”
Jiang Shulu laughed. “It really fits that saying about almost misfiring.”
Tang Yue knew he agreed and opened his arms—
“Go home.”
“Our home.”
— 「Former Names」
Liu Xichao once changed his name.
Tang Yue: San-ge, your name used to be Liu Shu (Willow Tree)?
Yao Lixin: Wow, what a rustic name!!
Liu Xichao: Mind your own business!
Tang Yue: Then does Little Uncle know?
Yao Lixin: Xiao Yue, have some sense! They’ve already got the marriage certificate, how could he not know.
Tang Yue looked at Jiang Shulu.
Back home, Jiang Shulu told him: The first time I met Liu Xichao was at Little Uncle’s house. They were arguing.
Tang Yue: And then?
Jiang Shulu mimicked Jiang He’s manner from back then.
Jiang He: Liu Shu, stop making a scene.
Tang Yue: Ge, what was your reaction when you heard that?
Jiang Shulu: Didn’t think much of it at the time.
That night, Liu Xichao received teasing from Yao Lixin—
Seems like our boss can uproot a weeping willow tree! (T/N: A reference to the strong character Lu Zhishen uprooting a willow tree).
Liu Xichao: ……
He showed his phone to Jiang He, who was combing the cat nearby.
Jiang He: Not uprooting.
Liu Xichao’s face turned completely red: Sleep with the cat tonight.
Jiang He: ?
Translator’s Note:
- Keeper of Dogs (Bi Gou Wen): A pun on “Bi Ma Wen” (Keeper of Horses), the lowly title given to the Monkey King (Sun Wukong) in Journey to the West. The character is making a joke about his job being a glorified dog/child sitter.
- Uprooting a Willow Tree: A reference to a classic scene from Water Margin where the monk Lu Zhishen pulls a willow tree out by its roots, signifying immense strength. Yao Lixin is making a suggestive pun about Jiang He “handling” Liu Xichao (Liu Shu/Willow Tree).
Recommended Reads
![Enemies on a Narrow Road [Esports]](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/enemies-on-a-narrow-road-214x300.jpg)
