TECSBRO-(64)
On Friday, Qi Sui brought Lu Xu—now going by the alias Qi Zhao—back home. During the weekends, Rong Xu would return home as his university was not far away, and there were still many traces of Lu Xu's past life there. So, every weekend, Rong Xu would come back.
When Qi Sui brought Lu Xu home, Rong Xu had just arrived.
Qi Sui rarely lied to Rong Xu and was surprisingly nervous this time. He pulled Lu Xu aside and said, "Rong Xu, this is my distant cousin, Qi Zhao. Since he got an early break for the winter vacation, he'll be staying with us for a while."
Rong Xu casually glanced at Qi Sui.
Although nothing had been said, Qi Sui was already getting flustered.
He picked up his phone, pretended to check a message, and without looking up, said, "By the way, there's something to attend to at work. Could you help my cousin get familiar with the place?"
With that, he walked away, his body visibly tense.
Left behind, Lu Xu and Rong Xu faced each other.
Lu Xu was also a bit nervous, but this was the long-awaited reunion he had been anticipating. He took the initiative to break the silence, revealing a practiced sweet smile. "Hello, Rong Xu-ge. Can I call you that?"
Rong Xu withdrew his gaze from Qi Sui's retreating figure, looked at Lu Xu, and his eyes held a hint of curiosity. Then, as if intentionally making things difficult, he said, "No, you can't. I don't like it."
Lu Xu paused for a moment, and his smile froze briefly. However, he quickly reacted. Since Rong Xu enjoyed being called 'Rong Xu-ge,' was this a sign that only he could address Rong Xu like that?
Lu Xu felt a sweet sensation in his heart. "Alright, then. Could you please show me around?"
Rong Xu turned and headed up the stairs. "There's nothing much to familiarize yourself with. Except for one guest room, don't enter any other rooms."
He pointed to the only guest room.
Curious, Lu Xu asked, "Why? Are they all occupied?"
"Nothing like that." Rong Xu didn't explain the reason, but his tone carried a hint of impatience. "Remember, don't enter other rooms."
Then he returned to his own room.
Lu Xu stood in the corridor, unable to articulate what he felt in his heart. However, it seemed that Rong Xu cared more about him than he had imagined.
Because the rooms here, apart from the guest room, each one was designed by Qi Sui to serve various functions for them since childhood. This included an art studio, study room, and gaming room.
Indeed, there were traces of Lu Xu's presence in all of them.
The photos of Lu Xu hanging in the house, capturing his growth from childhood to adulthood, remained unchanged, not even gathering dust.
After wandering around the corridor, Lu Xu smiled contentedly, then returned to the guest room to put down his things.
It was rare to come home and not be able to stay in his own room, but Lu Xu found it quite amusing.
He casually tidied up his things and left the room, intending to check out his own room. Since Rong Xu currently seemed to want to ignore him, he probably wouldn't come out.
Pushing open the door, he found that the room was still the same as the day he left.
Lu Xu was a bit stunned. Everything on the table, even though it had faded, showed no signs of dust.
He remembered that Auntie wouldn't enter his room.
Was this done by Rong Xu?
"I told you that you can't come in, right?" Rong Xu's voice suddenly sounded from behind.
Lu Xu, in his own room, suddenly felt like he had trespassed into someone else's private space.
He quickly turned around, smiling apologetically. Lu Xu deliberately maintained this appearance because his face looked particularly good when he smiled.
Surprisingly, he didn't see any trace of disgust in Rong Xu's eyes.
Instead, there was an emotion that Lu Xu couldn't comprehend.
People are always a bit nervous about the unknown.
Lu Xu hurriedly ran out.
Rong Xu calmly closed the door, seeming not to intend to pursue the matter. His tone was even better than before, "Let's eat."
Lu Xu obediently followed downstairs.
Rong Xu sat in his usual seat, and Lu Xu instinctively wanted to sit in his usual spot next to him.
Rong Xu frowned, "This seat is taken."
"Oh, okay." Lu Xu hastily sat opposite Rong Xu.
Encountering Rong Xu's coldness for the first time, Lu Xu was even a bit excited.
However, it seemed a bit difficult to approach him at the moment.
Lu Xu decided to open the conversation himself and take the opportunity to understand Rong Xu's attitude.
He started, "There are many photos of your family in this room. Is this your younger brother?"
Rong Xu glanced at the frame on the wall, and a soft expression unintentionally appeared in his eyes. It was evident that he liked his younger brother very much.
Continuing with the conversation, Lu Xu said with a tea-like tone, "I envy you. I don't have an older brother, and I don't know what it feels like."
"Maybe you can experience it with your brother Qi Sui." Rong Xu said with a smile that seemed meaningful, his gaze inscrutable.
Lu Xu chuckled awkwardly and skipped that topic, "Qi Sui brother told me that you're from A University. Can you take me to visit your school in a few days?"
"No access control, you can go around by yourself." Although Rong Xu refused verbally, his eyes lingered on Lu Xu's face, as if looking through him to someone else.
All the topics Lu Xu prepared were shut down. Finally, he silently started eating.
He didn't notice that when he habitually pushed the meat to the side of his bowl, the piece of meat that had been rejected was already under Rong Xu's gaze.
Rong Xu found it strange when he saw Qi Sui's unusual reaction. Moreover, although he didn't allow this person to enter any room, he accurately went to Lu Xu's room. Rong Xu immediately checked the corridor surveillance when he returned to his room.
The corridor had always been under surveillance, even when Lu Xu was a child, but Rong Xu hadn't deliberately told him, so he didn't know.
After coming out of the guest room, the person went straight to Lu Xu's room in a good mood.
That was definitely not the curiosity and exploration of entering a strange space. Instead, it was a feeling of familiarity and nostalgia.
"I'll go to the cat café tomorrow." Rong Xu suddenly took the initiative to speak. His attitude softened a lot, as if he was finally willing to talk to Lu Xu.
However, Lu Xu immediately sensed that something was wrong.
The cat café was a very special place.
Because if Lu Xu went there, there would definitely be no cats gathering around him.
Was Rong Xu suspecting that he was Lu Xu?
"Wow, I also love cats. Can you take me there?" Lu Xu almost didn't hesitate and continued to follow along.
The reason was simple. Since he could use his ability to change his appearance, he could naturally hide his aura as well.
In the foreign country, Lu Xu had successfully approached stray cats. Going to the cat café with Rong Xu not only helped dispel Rong Xu's suspicions about his identity but also provided a good opportunity to get closer to him.
Rong Xu glanced at him for a few seconds, probably wondering why he seemed so at ease. "Alright."
Afterward, Rong Xu went upstairs on his own.
Lu Xu returned to his room shortly after. Feeling tired from a busy day, he quickly washed up and prepared to sleep.
At 9 PM, he turned off the lights and intended to go to sleep. However, there was a faint light coming from the side of the curtain.
Lu Xu remembered that his studio was in that direction, so he walked over and pulled the curtain aside to take a look.
As expected, the light in the studio was on.
Except for Rong Xu, who would enter at this time, there shouldn't be anyone else. Lu Xu thought and decided to put on his sleeping robe before leaving his room. He walked to the studio door and knocked.
He initially thought Rong Xu would ask him to leave. However, he heard a voice from inside saying, "Please come in."
Lu Xu was somewhat surprised but still pushed the door open and entered.
Rong Xu sat in the position where Lu Xu used to paint, and there was a blank sheet of paper in front of him. The walls were adorned with Lu Xu's previous works.
Feeling a bit nostalgic, Lu Xu entered the room. Rong Xu, sitting in the middle of the room, seemed lost in thought. Despite Lu Xu's entrance, he remained silent.
Lu Xu walked up to a painting, a childhood picture of himself and Rong Xu. Although the painting style was already mature, there were still some minor details lacking.
Nostalgically, Lu Xu remarked, "Is this your brother's studio?"
"Yes." Rong Xu's reply was quick this time. His gaze lingered on the young man in the robe. Normally, people wouldn't ask, "Is this your studio?" Even when the other party readily agreed to go to the cat café, Rong Xu had almost locked in on the other's identity.
Although he didn't know what game Lu Xu was playing, since he had come back, Rong Xu decided to play along.
Rong Xu sighed and said, "Time flies. He hasn't come back in two years."
Lu Xu pretended to be curious, "So, you missed him and came to this room? Weren't you the one who didn't let me in before?"
"If I'm here, you can go into any room." Rong Xu answered with a softer tone than during the day.
He was deliberately teasing Lu Xu, a bit of payback for Lu Xu not telling him about his return.
Lu Xu pursed his lips. He initially thought Rong Xu would strongly refuse anyone other than himself. However, he didn't show it.
Lu Xu felt like he was experiencing a split personality. On one hand, he wanted to use this entirely new identity, breaking free from the younger brother's role, to reintroduce himself to Rong Xu.
On one hand, he didn't want to witness Rong Xu interacting with others, but on the other hand, he didn't want to see Rong Xu getting along with someone else.
"Alright, let's go back to sleep. I'll take you to his favorite cat café tomorrow." Rong Xu suddenly stood up, smiling at Lu Xu like a hospitable host.
Lu Xu was momentarily stunned, then he maintained a smile on his face and returned to his room, seemingly calm on the surface but inwardly quite upset.
Rong Xu turned off the lights, closed the door, and watched Lu Xu's departing figure. After so many years, Xiao Lu still liked to be jealous, and now, he was even jealous of himself.
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