Chapter 54 part 1
During the meal, Tang Yue was still brooding, looking as though he had been deeply wronged.
Jiang Shulu didn’t prompt him. He simply propped his chin on his hand and watched Tang Yue listlessly pick at his rice; even the movement of his chopsticks seemed unconscious.
Just as Tang Yue was about to pick up a slice of ginger, Jiang Shulu’s chopsticks pressed down on his.
Tang Yue looked at Jiang Shulu. “What are you doing?”
“Are you still angry?” Jiang Shulu asked.
Only then did Tang Yue realize what he had almost eaten. He let out a hmph. “Xiao Mie won’t kiss me anymore.”
“Then can I kiss you?”
The question seemed to carry a double meaning. Tang Yue smiled again. “Shall we start now?”
He even rolled up his sleeves, completely unaware of the bruises on his wrists.
The little alien was very pale, so the marks were stark—evidence that someone had gripped his hand last night, kissing him from the back of his hand all the way up his arm.
It was an ambiguity that had nowhere to hide.
“That stance makes it look like you want to fight me,” Jiang Shulu teased.
Tang Yue hummed thoughtfully. “That counts as a fight… right?”
He cupped his face and glanced at Jiang Shulu. Even though they were sitting face-to-face, he complained, “I don’t like this long table.”
“Then we’ll change it to a round one next time.”
“I’ll call Yi-jie and ask how my house is doing.”
He acted on every whim, standing up to get his phone even though he hadn’t eaten more than a few bites.
Jiang Shulu grabbed him and pulled him directly onto his lap. “Is my cooking that bad?”
“No, I’m just a little anxious. Didn’t I say I was going to support you? I have to start preparing for work.”
He muttered to himself, completely unaware that this posture was exactly how he used to feed Tang Mian.
“There’s no rush,” Jiang Shulu said. “It’s not like I’ve lost absolutely everything.”
“I want to give you a sense of security.”
His tone was very serious, and he even pinched Jiang Shulu’s smiling cheek. “You be serious too.”
It seemed that confirming their relationship like this had completely emboldened Tang Yue. He said, “Third Brother said your Little Uncle is going to write a new contract for me. I need to sign it early so I can have my own team.”
“Open up. Eat some vegetables.”
Tang Yue let out an “Oh.”
After swallowing, he added, “I’ve earned quite a lot of money over the years, Captain, you don’t need to worry.”
“Still calling me Captain?”
“Shulu-ge.”
“Nothing else?”
“Xiao Chou?”
Jiang Shulu smiled. “Something more intimate?”
“Wifey?”
Tang Yue paused. “No, we aren’t married yet.”
“Then shall we…”
“Go today?” Tang Yue looked ready to go prepare immediately.
“But I haven’t proposed to you yet.”
“But! Everyone already knows about our relationship. We don’t need that step.”
Tang Yue had observed Jiang Shulu’s house; it was cold.
Although the refrigerator was stocked with fresh deliveries, looking at the kitchenware, one could tell this person rarely cooked.
The house had several lighting settings, but looking at the switches, one could see that Jiang Shulu mostly used the cold light setting.
It seemed this person had been lonely for many years, just for this one warm meal today.
“Yesterday was too chaotic,” Jiang Shulu said. “I want it to be formal.”
His chin rested on Tang Yue’s shoulder, his cheek rubbing against Tang Yue’s neck as he asked softly, “Can I?”
Tang Yue felt incredibly ticklish. He hummed an assent. “Then I can ask for Xiao Mie’s opinion.”
“Our little flower boy.”
After saying that, Jiang Shulu paused. “Can you accompany me to a place this afternoon?”
“Aren’t there still a lot of paparazzi at the gate?”
Jiang Shulu chuckled. “They’re gone. We’ll move in a few days, okay?”
His “okay?” always made Tang Yue’s heart turn to mush. “Where are we going? Is it far?”
“To see my mother.”
There really were no paparazzi outside the residential complex. Along the way, Tang Yue fiddled with the car’s music system, switching from old Away songs to his own arrangements.
He looked perfectly fine, not at all like someone who needed to see a doctor as Jiang Shulu had feared.
The weather outside was beautiful. With the person he liked sitting in the passenger seat, it even gave Jiang Shulu the feeling of spring.
Perhaps because he had been stared at by Jiang Shulu for too long while waiting at a red light, Tang Yue shifted his gaze from the photo of Tang Mian that Yao Lixin had sent.
He asked, “Is something wrong with my face?”
“I have a question,” Jiang Shulu said.
Knowing they were going to a cemetery, Tang Yue had rummaged through Jiang Shulu’s closet for a long time before leaving.
He tried to find clothes that fit him a bit better.
Jiang Shulu’s style ranged from business to casual, mostly in dark colors. The colors were fine, but everything was too big.
Tang Yue’s shoulders weren’t as broad, and his waist was much narrower than Jiang Shulu’s. He barely managed to find one piece, and asked Jiang Shulu several times:
— Will wearing this be too informal?
The beautiful young man looked particularly anxious, a pile of discarded clothes on the stool next to him.
He complained about why Jiang Shulu was so big.
Sitting on the side, Jiang Shulu couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.
It took Tang Yue a few seconds to realize what he was laughing at. He rushed over to cover his mouth, but unfortunately, he was pulled into a full embrace as soon as he got close.
The person involved was exceptionally tame as Tang Yue pressed him into the sofa, even reaching out to button Tang Yue’s shirt for him.
“What’s so funny? I didn’t say anything wrong.”
“I was just laughing at how cute you are. I didn’t overthink it.”
He blinked, and Tang Yue blinked back, letting out an “Oh.” Just as he was about to get up, he was pulled back by Jiang Shulu.
The man had his arm around his waist. Tang Yue’s visit had been sudden, and his clothes from yesterday hadn’t been washed yet, so he could only wear Jiang Shulu’s.
The freshly changed shirt was only buttoned at the second button. The hem was open and empty, enough for the other to lightly caress, turning Tang Yue completely soft.
Tang Yue closed his eyes, following the sound of breathing to kiss Jiang Shulu.
The feeling of fullness in his heart was stronger than in his body. For the first time, he felt happiness and the anticipation of forever so viscerally.
As a result, it was already afternoon when they went out.
The red light turned green. Traffic flowed around them. As the car drove past the commercial district, Tang Yue could still see Liu Xichao’s endorsement advertisement on a distant LED screen.
He nodded. “Ask.”
In the group chat, Liu Xichao sent a Weibo link and tagged Tang Yue to look.
Tang Yue clicked on it and discovered it was Jiang Shulu’s Weibo.
He had actually replied to a fan who scolded him for having “no career ambition / being impulsive and ignoring the consequences / losing value”—
@Jiang Shulu: I have Tang Yue.
During his time in the group, Jiang Shulu basically never touched Weibo unless the company required it, let alone in the years since.
This sudden reply was immediately pushed to the top.
Not only did he reply, but when the fan continued to argue, Jiang Shulu followed up.
— Fan: Are you going to rely on Tang Yue to support you?
— Jiang Shulu: Yes.
— Fan: What is so good about Tang Yue anyway?
— Jiang Shulu: He is very precious.
The fan replied many more times, saying things like “eating soft rice” (living off a woman/partner) was shameful, etc.
From her ID to her nickname, it was clear she was a fan of Jiang Shulu from back in the day. Marketing accounts were taking screenshots and posting them like crazy.
Someone must have bought a trending topic, because the hashtag was exaggerated.
#Jiang Shulu Eating Soft Rice
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