Chapter 76
Soon, Yan Yunzhen's mother, Cynthia, came to the restaurant under the guidance of the waiter.
Because the door rollers were of excellent quality, Cynthia came in quietly. Lu Zixi happened to have his back to the door, and he lowered his head to chat with Yan Yunzhen while playing with his slender and beautiful fingers. Therefore, until Yan Yunzhen held his hand and stood up together, he didn't notice anyone pushing the door at all. Even after standing up, he was still confused. It was not until Yan Yunzhen poked his waist that he suddenly realized Cynthia's presence and hurriedly followed Yan Yunzhen to say hello.
Although I'd met the parents before, I'd explained that it was a chance meeting with a senior whom I greatly admired, and it was meant to expand my network. It was a reasonable excuse, staying within the safe range of an ambiguous relationship. But this time was different. It was a Christmas family dinner, and as someone not from the family, there was no way I could attend.
This is equivalent to making their relationship clear in front of Yan Yunzhen's mother.
Although after what happened at the red carpet party last time, he knew that Cynthia not only did not oppose their relationship, but even had a hidden attitude of support and encouragement, but for some reason, he was a little nervous, so much so that when he looked at his supermodel mother, his palms were slightly sweaty.
Yan Yunzhen seemed to see through his deep inner anxiety, squeezed his palm encouragingly, looked at his mother at the door calmly and naturally, took Lu Zixi's hand and walked to her side, then let go of her hand, took the bag and the coat she had just taken off in a gentlemanly manner, and invited her in.
Cynthia was obviously a little surprised when she saw the two of them holding hands, but she quickly reacted and greeted them warmly: "Lu Wenqi, is that so? It's been a long time since we last met! You're still as handsome as the last time we met! I was wondering what the surprise Zach told me about tonight was, and it turned out to be you! This is indeed a great surprise, and I'm very happy to see you here!"
"It's my honor." Lu Zixi smiled. "You look beautiful today too. If Yan Yunzhen hadn't told me that you are his mother, I really wouldn't have thought of it."
"I'm very happy to be praised by two handsome men at the same time," Cynthia winked. "This proves that my charm has not diminished, doesn't it?"
"You are always the most beautiful." Yan Yunzhen helped her hang her clothes on the hanger at the door and asked, "Did you come here alone? Where are grandpa and the others?"
Cynthia took off her leather gloves and said apologetically, "Unfortunately, plans changed and they didn't have time... They had an event to attend. Otherwise, I think they would be very happy to meet Mr. Lu—such a lovely young man."
"Then it looks like there will only be three of us today." Yan Yunzhen wasn't too depressed. He already felt very happy to have Lu Zixi by his side this year. "My dad probably won't come either."
Lu Zixi was still pondering the hidden message in this sentence, but Cynthia was clearly accustomed to it and shrugged nonchalantly: "Workaholics don't have holidays. After all, Yuanhong is his biological son."
He turned to Lu Zixi and said in a light tone, "To be honest, I used to worry that Zach would become like his father when he grew up. After all, he seemed so distant from everyone. Fortunately, your appearance gave me hope and made me realize that my icy son still cares about something. When he faces you, his passion is as blazing as a blazing fire."
Lu Zixi felt somewhat embarrassed when the other party's mother commented on their relationship in person. Yan Yunzhen just looked at him with a smile, ruffled his hair with his hand, put his arm around his shoulders, and brought him to his arms intimately, using physical contact to make him feel at ease.
Cynthia was a woman with great insight. Seeing this, she could basically see the relationship between the two. She said in a teasing tone, "It seems that I have to leave here in time after dinner and leave this wonderful night to the two young people."
Hearing this, Lu Zixi felt even more embarrassed. Yan Yunzhen didn't think it was a big deal. He smiled cooperatively, put his arm around Lu Zixi's shoulders, and led him to the dining table.
Unlike the grand banquet Lu Zixi had imagined, this Christmas dinner was essentially just a small gathering of three, which invisibly reduced a lot of pressure on him. If he had met all the Yan family members, or even the clan on Yan Yunzhen's grandfather's side, the dinner would probably have become a real social event, and it would never have been as warm and cozy as it was now.
Under the orange-yellow light, scented candles are burning, the simplest and most rustic tableware, delicious food that does not appear exaggerated due to excessive decoration, all of this has a homely feeling.
Because his mother died young, Lu Zixi hadn't experienced much maternal love since childhood and rarely interacted with people of his mother's generation. He had expected some awkwardness during the conversation, but it was clear that Cynthia was no ordinary mother. She was open-minded and understanding. Lu Zixi simply felt like a more mature adult, not like he was being lectured by an elder. The two of them had a very pleasant conversation.
Lu Zixi also noticed that, ever since Yan Yunzhen introduced him to Cynthia, even though Yan Yunzhen had stated that he was still pursuing her, Cynthia had taken the matter very seriously—she was genuinely following his progress. She was fully aware of his recent activities, even revealing that she had seen the trailer for "Clinic No. 58" and had ordered the Christmas special issue of "Aurora" online, expressing her love for his performance in both. All of this made Lu Zixi feel the family's acceptance and tolerance for him, something he had never dared to imagine before.
He had always believed that if he continued to insist on being with someone of the same sex, both families would be left devastated. That was why he hadn't fallen in love with anyone other than Yan Yunzhen for so many years. But now, Cynthia's behavior had put his heart at ease.
I just don’t know what my stubborn old dad would think.
Just as Lu Zixi finished thinking about this with a headache, he suddenly remembered that the current "Lu Wenqi" no longer has a father.
He suddenly felt his eyes getting hot, so he quickly picked up the wine glass and took a sip to cover up his sudden surge of emotions. However, the emotions were too much and too overwhelming, and he ended up finishing half a glass of red wine. His face also turned red, and he couldn't tell whether it was his face or his eyes that were red.
While the two chatted, Yan Yunzhen quietly cut the steak for Lu Zixi, coated it with pepper sauce, and placed it on his plate, waiting for him to eat. He did it easily and naturally, without any of his usual aloofness, as if doting on Lu Zixi was already his instinct.
He saw Lu Zixi start to blush, and recalled how drunk Lu Zixi looked when they first met after his rebirth. He suddenly felt something was wrong and quickly took the wine glass from Lu Zixi's hand: "Be good, don't drink for now, let's eat first."
Lu Zixi originally didn't feel anything, but when he finished half a cup, he suddenly began to feel a little dizzy, but he could still hold on. Hearing Yan Yunzhen's words, he shook his head, exhaled, and scooped up some salad, eating slowly.
Yan Yunzhen peeled two grapes and fed them to him, putting his hand to his mouth to catch the seeds. Under normal circumstances, Lu Zixi might have felt that Yan Yunzhen took too much care of him, but he was a little dizzy now, so he confusedly let Yan Yunzhen take away the remaining grape seeds, and asked Yan Yunzhen to gently wipe his face with a cold towel so that he could be more awake.
Cynthia held her chin in her hand and watched the two people's sweet and tender little actions with a smile. She didn't show any dissatisfaction at being ignored. Instead, she seemed to be very interested. "This kid is not very good at drinking, is he?"
Lu Zixi felt the alcohol starting to take effect, so he could only lower his head and shake it.
"This isn't pure wine, so the alcohol content is much higher." Cynthia said, and seeing that his face wasn't looking good, she suddenly became worried. "Are you okay? Do you need a hangover medicine?"
"Not yet," Lu Zixi took a few deep breaths and said in a hoarse voice, "Eat first, it's okay."
After eating, Cynthia didn't stay long and said goodbye.
With only Yan Yunzhen around, Lu Zixi no longer needed to maintain his image. He quickly unbuttoned his coat, curled up on the sofa, squinting his eyes to slow down the effects of the alcohol.
If someone had urged him to drink, who could Yan Yunzhen blame? But it was Lu Zixi who drank the wine himself, so who could he blame?
Yan Yunzhen originally wanted to say something to him, but when he saw his pitiful appearance curled up on the sofa, he immediately lost his temper.
Lu Zixi's eyelids were drooping, and there were still water droplets on his long eyelashes from the wet towel. His cheeks and eyes were abnormally flushed. Due to the excessive alcohol intake, his breathing was a little heavy, and from time to time there was a very slight nasal sound. He looked so pitiful, and it made people want him to be more "wronged" and more "pitiful".
Sure enough, alcohol is the best catalyst.
Yan Yunzhen had just drunk a few glasses of wine. He had a good alcohol tolerance and did not feel drunk, but the alcohol itself had the effect of accelerating the heartbeat and raising the body temperature. At this moment, he looked at Lu Zixi as if he was looking at a gift to be opened. He couldn't wait to peel off the outermost wrapping paper, open the gift box, and take a look at the deepest part.
But even though he was so confused, Lu Zixi actually had the leisure to look up at him and chat with him about tonight: "I suddenly feel something is wrong. Why are you so attentive tonight? I don't think you usually take care of me like this."
"I just want my mother to know that I love you very much." Yan Yunzhen didn't expect him to mention this. He was stunned for a moment before saying, "I hope my family can value you as much as I do."
"This will make your mother think I'm hard to please. I should show off in front of your mother." Lu Zixi muttered softly, "I thought you were being so nice to me because you wanted to have sex with me."
"Have I ever treated you badly?" Yan Yunzhen felt a bit awkward and reached out to pinch his face, "You little heartless guy."
"I don't believe it." Lu Zixi was obviously drunk, and became awkward and serious. "Unless you don't sleep with me, I will believe that you are not coaxing me just to sleep with me."
"You promised to give me lamb to eat, how can you go back on your word?" Yan Yunzhen was not in a hurry. He knew that Lu Zixi seemed to have a strange way of thinking now, but he was actually quite easy to coax. Once coaxed, he would "do" whatever he asked him to do. It was even more exciting than usual. "You already said you would give me lamb to eat, do I need to coax you?"
Lu Zixi tilted his head and thought for a while.
He continued to think.
Yan Yunzhen waited patiently by his side until he finished thinking. After more than ten or twenty minutes, he found that he was still in deep thought. He immediately felt something was wrong. When he looked carefully, he found that Lu Zixi had curled up on the sofa and fallen asleep.
Yan Yunzhen: ...
It won't just turn over like this, right?!
Yan Yunzhen paced around the sofa anxiously. If Lu Zixi simply didn't want to pay attention to him, he could still carry him to bed and coax him, but he just fell asleep!
Is this even possible? ?
The big-tailed wolf, who thought he was infallible, was stunned. However, Lu Zixi was drunk and wanted to sleep, so he felt embarrassed to wake him up.
And even if he wakes up, he won't be able to enjoy himself in his current state...
Yan Yunzhen tried calling him a few times and found that he was really asleep. He could only sigh and helplessly carried him back to his bedroom.
He was a little worried that he would not be able to control his desire for him after drinking, so he had to close the door and go to the study to deal with official business while venting his anger.
----
Due to the jet lag, Lu Zixi didn't sleep for long.
When he woke up, he was still not very clear-headed. His mind was confused and he didn't even know what time it was or where he was.
He reached out and found that his coat had been taken off by Yan Yunzhen. There were two mobile phones in the coat pocket. He touched one of them and wanted to check the time.
I looked for a long time but didn't see anything, but instead saw a mess of red envelopes all over the screen.
The author has something to say: My computer broke down today, so I can't submit the manuscript. My friends in the reader group can testify to this... So these 3,000-plus words were typed from memory on my phone... I'm very, very sorry for not updating often enough...
I'll check tomorrow morning to see if my computer is working properly. If it is, I'll put out the rest of the manuscript. If not, I'll just keep writing from memory... I feel like I've been really unwell lately. I really want to go to a temple to pray for good luck...
The next chapter will be about opening red envelopes and eating sheep. I hope I won’t make a mistake in my estimation this time. Theoretically, I should be able to finish it, because the first plot of the next chapter is this. If the manuscript is not lost, this one is 6000 words, and I have already written it now orz
I apologize again. I will be in the provincial capital on the 7th and 8th. During this period, I will use my mobile phone to write some updates. When I come back from the provincial capital, I will go to repair my computer to save my manuscript. qaq
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