TECSBRO-(55)
Li Si experienced the novelty of Lu Xu's gaze landing on him for the first time, radiating his own charm with a hint of pride.
Enviously, Lu Xu poked his abdominal muscles and earnestly said, "How can I be as mature as you?"
For teenagers around thirteen or fourteen, they admired their peers who seemed more mature and naturally enjoyed hearing compliments about their maturity.
Li Si was no exception. He pulled Lu Xu and encouraged, "Come to my house's party tomorrow?"
"What party? Is it your birthday?" Lu Xu was momentarily puzzled, not remembering Li Si's birthday falling around this time.
"Just a casual weekend gathering," Li Si patted Lu Xu's head. "See what we usually do."
After a moment's thought, Lu Xu, filled with curiosity about Li Si's junior high school life, nodded earnestly. He didn't notice the three fathers, Xue Ying, Qi Sui, and Rong Que, who were behind him, exchanging glances at Li Si.
It seemed like their little princess was going to hang out with the spirited young man with blonde hair.
Rong Que hesitated for a moment but eventually pulled Lu Xu aside, saying, "I'll come along too."
Li Si was about to help Lu Xu decline, but Lu Xu earnestly spoke up first, "No, Rong Que, if you come along, it'll feel like we have parents with us."
Rong Que, who looked even younger than Li Si based on appearances, sighed silently.
Seeing their concern, Li Si reassured them by patting his chest, "Don't worry, I won't lead Xiao Lu astray. Besides, he has his phone; if anything happens, he can just call."
Indeed, Li Si's nature was not problematic, and Rong Que had experience dealing with him in a past life. Despite his flashy appearance, he wouldn't let Lu Xu get hurt.
However, even so, Rong Que couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.
It was as if he feared Lu Xu might prefer this kind of lifestyle.
But Lu Xu seemed determined not to let them go, and they could only compromise and wait nearby while Lu Xu enjoyed himself.
At least nothing should happen that they couldn't rush to in time.
The two decided on their plans and had dinner together before parting ways. Lu Xu was somewhat looking forward to the gathering tomorrow.
In the evening, Qi Sui initially wanted to take Lu Xu to the house his father had bought.
Staying at his own home was more casual, but considering Lu Xu's plans for the next day, they decided to book a room in a nearby high-rise hotel.
At night, Lu Xu sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, observing this different city while fiddling with his phone.
He was chatting with Li Si.
Lu Xu asked about what to wear tomorrow, and Li Si suggested just a regular T-shirt and shorts.
It sounded casual, and Lu Xu felt less nervous.
Rong Que was always aware that as Lu Xu grew older, he became more private. In sixth grade, during weekends, Lu Xu occasionally went out with friends without bringing Rong Que along.
He seemed more like an older brother, taking on the role of a guardian.
However, at night, Lu Xu still insisted on sleeping together, using the excuse that Rong Que would have nightmares if they slept separately. Although Rong Que no longer had nightmares, Lu Xu continued to use this reason to avoid separate rooms.
Rong Que just went along with it.
After all, Lu Xu liked sticking close to him when sleeping.
The next morning, everyone escorted Lu Xu to Li Si's doorstep, watching as Li Si came out to greet him.
Li Si's house had a courtyard with some casually decorated colorful balloons. A group of junior high school kids, looking like high school students, were in the yard, drinking juice and enjoying pizza and fried chicken.
Li Si's parents were busy barbecuing.
It seemed like they were having a carefree time, with nothing inappropriate for children.
Lu Xu's parents felt a bit more at ease.
Li Si's parents had met them before and came out to greet them, inviting them to join the gathering.
However, they politely declined.
After all, Lu Xu wanted to enjoy his time alone.
The group of concerned fathers found a nearby shopping mall to pass the time.
Lu Xu dressed quite casually today, wearing a short-sleeved hoodie with a pair of rabbit ears hanging from the hat. He paired it with loose white casual pants and sneakers.
Li Si sincerely complimented Lu Xu on his cute outfit, then led him inside to introduce him to his friends.
Lu Xu looked at everyone inside, all of them towering over him, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the height difference.
However, everyone was dressed very casually, wearing T-shirts and shorts. The girls were in tight-fitting clothes or tank tops, displaying no hint of shyness.
It was a cultural atmosphere completely different from what Lu Xu was used to in China.
As soon as Li Si and Lu Xu entered, everyone noticed the younger boy. One of Li Si's close friends approached, putting an arm around Li Si's shoulder and curiously asking if this was his little brother.
Li Si found it amusing because, after all, when they were kids, they looked like peers. Now, there seemed to be a difference of four or five years. Moreover, Lu Xu naturally looked delicate and younger than his actual age.
After a brief thought, Li Si said that Lu Xu was his old classmate from China.
The surrounding classmates were visibly surprised. They thought Lu Xu was, at most, ten years old.
Lu Xu had decent English from elementary school, understanding commonly used words, but the classmates spoke quickly and chattered non-stop, making it hard for him to comprehend.
He tilted his head slightly and tugged at Li Si's sleeve, asking, "Why are they so surprised?"
Li Si rubbed his head, "They're saying you look like a little kid."
Lu Xu didn't like being called a little kid. Despite just entering junior high, he pouted, "Then help me explain that I'm not a childish elementary school student anymore."
Li Si was amused. After all this time, Lu Xu was still so cute. When he helped explain, he said, "The kid says he's not a childish little kid anymore."
The surrounding classmates found him adorable and chuckled without malice.
Lu Xu didn't know what they were laughing about, but he decided determinedly that he would study English seriously when he got back home.
A pretty girl with brown hair approached and asked Li Si, "How do I say 'Can I pinch your cheeks' in Chinese?"
They hadn't seen many Asian children before, especially one as cute and delicate as Lu Xu, with a pair of peculiar rabbit ears.
Li Si demonstrated in Chinese.
The girl, using a somewhat comical tone, earnestly asked, "Can I pinch your cheeks?"
If Li Si hadn't just demonstrated, Lu Xu felt he might not have understood what the girl was saying. Even though he didn't understand why everyone liked pinching his cheeks, he couldn't refuse the friendly girl and nodded obediently.
The girl excitedly pinched him, not too hard, and then let out an enthusiastic exclamation. She said a word that Lu Xu could barely understand.
Probably something like "cute"?
Seeing Lu Xu being so popular, Li Si took out his phone and showed everyone Lu Xu's Weibo.
Everyone looked at it with surprise.
Lu Xu's Weibo had photos and videos from his kindergarten days, making him look even more like a cute doll.
Lu Xu felt a bit embarrassed, having his childhood photos shown to everyone.
Several girls strongly requested Li Si to teach them how to use Weibo.
Li Si provided them with a tutorial and encouraged Lu Xu to create an Instagram account as well.
No one could resist such an adorable Chinese child.
Li Si's dad brought over a plate of freshly grilled meat for everyone to eat, and Lu Xu finally caught his breath.
Everyone was so welcoming.
And so tall.
So, does looking mature primarily involve being tall?
Lu Xu felt a bit troubled; it seemed like he would have to obediently continue drinking goat milk.
In the yard, everyone mainly chatted, sang, played video games, and enjoyed snacks and juice.
Minors couldn't drink alcohol.
Despite the language barrier, Lu Xu felt that he was still having a great time. He indulged in many fried foods and snacks that Rong Que usually wouldn't let him eat.
Lu Xu had a habit of taking a nap after lunch, and by three or four in the afternoon, feeling incredibly sleepy from not having his usual nap, he wanted to leave.
Seeing Lu Xu standing unsteadily, Li Si didn't want to hold him back and helped call Rong Que.
When Rong Que received the call, he felt a bit anxious, thinking something might have happened to Lu Xu that he couldn't call by himself.
Luckily, it was just fatigue.
By the time Rong Que arrived, Lu Xu had already fallen asleep with his head on the table.
Rong Que bent down, hooked Lu Xu's legs with one hand, and supported his back with the other before carrying him away.
Li Si's classmates were surprised and exclaimed a few times.
A guy as manly as Rong Que was also extremely popular among them.
After taking Lu Xu away, he slept for a while in the car and rested enough.
Qi Sui asked if he had a good time.
After thinking about it, Lu Xu replied that aside from the language barrier, it was alright.
Qi Sui felt a bit sour. Now that Lu Xu seemed to prefer playing with peers, he was determined to take Lu Xu to even more enjoyable places and make him forget about Li Si.
For the next few days, they ate and played around, enjoying a comfortable journey because of Qi Sui's financial capability. Lu Xu had a great time, and it seemed that Li Si's presence didn't affect him much.
However, after a few days, Lu Xu started to miss hot pot.
So, they decided to head back.
At the airport, Lu Xu saw a farewell area where two black-haired men were hugging.
Lu Xu thought for a moment, maybe it was similar to him and Rong Que. If Rong Que were to return to the country alone, he might also feel reluctant to part.
However, the next moment, those two men's lips touched, their eyes closed, passionately kissing.
Lu Xu was shocked.
In his understanding, kissing on the lips was something reserved for romantic partners, not friends.
Moreover, Rong Que had always told him since childhood that you shouldn't casually kiss someone's lips; that was something only people who liked each other could do.
Lu Xu didn't understand when he was younger, but now that he had graduated from elementary school, he knew that this kind of liking was different from the liking he had for Rong Que.
In the school's little grove, older students who liked each other would kiss, and in TV dramas, the main characters would also kiss.
But this was the first time he had seen two men kissing.
Lu Xu stared curiously, and the next moment, his eyes were covered.
Rong Que pulled him away, saying, "Staring at others is impolite."
Lu Xu responded with an "Oh" but couldn't shake off the image he had just witnessed from his mind.
He looked at the hands held by Rong Que and himself, feeling an inexplicable sense of strangeness.
Even though the two often walked hand in hand, today Lu Xu felt a bit awkward.
At this point, Rong Que hadn't realized that Lu Xu would think so much about the same-sex couple. In his eyes, Lu Xu still didn't understand these things.
On the first night back in the country, Lu Xu took the initiative to grab an extra sheet.
For as long as they could remember, it was the first time Lu Xu wanted to sleep with separate sheets.
Rong Que found it a bit strange, feeling like this might be a sign of sleeping in separate rooms in the future.
But they were in junior high now, and junior high kids had their own rooms. Lu Xu now enjoyed the feeling of privacy, which was normal. Lu Xu had been pursuing a more grown-up appearance since the first grade.
Thinking about this, Rong Que didn't ask further.
Lu Xu, feeling that Rong Que wasn't concerned about his unusual behavior, also had some inexplicable emotions. He couldn't sleep well without being close to Rong Que.
Lu Xu couldn't help but think of the two adults from earlier in the day. Did they also sleep together at night?
Unable to fall asleep, Lu Xu turned over and crawled into Rong Que's quilt.
Even though Li Si had mentioned earlier at his home that junior high students should learn to be independent and not stick to others like a younger sibling every day, those two adults were still hugging and kissing.
Why couldn't he and Rong Que?
After all, Rong Que had said when he was younger that he would always be there for him.
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