Chapter 90
Not every apology gets a response.
Wen Ningshu's late apology was no different.
Su Xingyao softly said "Take care" before hurrying towards the car in the dead of night.
Once inside the car, Su Xingyao quickly rubbed his numb fingers.
Lu Jiuxu, who had already figured it all out, casually glanced towards Wen Ningshu, but when he looked back, the irritation and sharpness in his eyes had slowly disappeared.
He didn't bring up the subject.
Instead, Su Xingyao brought it up casually in conversation with Lu Jiuxu.
"I just bumped into Wen Ningshu on my way out. She dropped her phone, so I picked it up for her."
Su Xingyao didn't elaborate, thinking there was nothing more to say.
Lu Jiuxu replied casually, as if it were no big deal. "No wonder your hands were so cold."
"It's freezing out there."
After saying this, Su Xingyao muttered, "I should've gone with you to the garage."
Seeing that Su Xingyao mentioned Wen Ningshu without any unhappiness or emotional disturbance, Lu Jiuxu's initial tension eased up a lot.
He looked down and cranked up the heat a little.
Soon, Su Xingyao's face and fingers, chilled by the wind, started to warm up.
He glanced out the window; the rearview mirror was empty. Staring into the dense night, his gaze suddenly sharpened.
Su Xingyao glanced at Lu Jiuxu, a smile lighting up his eyes.
"She came to say sorry, but all I could think about was last year when I fell off that cliff..."
Su Xingyao continued, "I'm so thankful and lucky you were there that day."
Time heals all wounds.
Now, when he brings up that day, the pain his family caused has mostly faded.
The past feels like a lifetime ago to him.
But while those painful memories fade, Lu Jiuxu still stands out to him.
"If you hadn't saved me back then, I might really have died."
Su Xingyao knows full well that he had died after that call with Wen Ningshu.
It was only later that he was reborn, returning to the moment when Lu Jiuxu saved him.
It was precisely because of Lu Jiuxu's timely appearance that he was given a new life.
Otherwise, he would still be trapped at the bottom of the mountain.
Lu Jiuxu didn't say anything, just quietly listened to Su Xingyao speak.
During this period, because of the situation with Chu Zian, everyone learned about Su Xingyao’s fall from the cliff.
Although Su Xingyao downplayed it on the show, having seen the tragedy with his own eyes, he knew better than anyone how much pain Su Xingyao had endured at that time.
If Su Xingyao hadn’t brought it up, he would never have wanted to make him relive that traumatic memory again.
So he had never brought it up in front of Su Xingyao.
But today, Su Xingyao unexpectedly brought it up.
Even though his tone was calm, it still pained Lu Jiuxu.
After silently waiting for Su Xingyao to finish, Lu Jiuxu finally spoke.
However, he flatly rejected the possibility Su Xingyao brought up.
“No, that won’t happen.”
Lu Jiuxu’s eyes matched the firmness in his voice.
He said, “I’ll make sure to save you.”
And I’ll be the one to save you.
Even if it costs everything.
Lu Jiuxu gazed deeply at Su Xingyao, who stood unharmed.
He had never actually told the other person.
Because up until now, he hadn’t figured it out himself.
But now he’s crystal clear.
Between him and Su Xingyao, there’s no room for ‘what ifs.’
The expensive professional medical equipment he had set up at home...
The places where he seemed to run into the other person by chance.
These had been lurking in his subconscious since birth.
A voice had always been there, warning him.
In this lifetime, he had to do whatever it took to save one person.
He couldn’t afford to miss it again.
At first, he chalked it up to coincidence.
But now it finally clicked.
Everything he did seemed to lead to saving Su Xingyao that day.
To put it plainly, it was about saving the one person he couldn’t live without.
Su Xingyao was the obsession buried deep in his subconscious.
Lu Jiuxu looked at the person beside him.
Right now, his face was flushed, lively, and cute.
It was no longer the pale, blood-stained face from their first encounter, as if he might lose him at any moment...
*
Wen Ningshu's visit and apology didn't make much of an impact on Su Xingyao.
Since they were strangers now, it didn’t hurt him anymore.
Instead, Lu Jiuxu's earlier words affected him more.
Though Lu Jiuxu seemed calm, Su Xingyao could feel the emotional undercurrents.
He could tell there were still unspoken words.
Back home, Su Xingyao was about to ask Lu Jiuxu something, but Lu Jiuxu spoke up first.
"Why didn’t you join the red envelope draw at the annual meeting?"
At the annual meeting, the company held a red envelope draw with different prizes.
Everyone joined in and walked away with plenty of prizes.
The luckiest person even won a 100,000 yuan bonus.
Caught off guard by Lu Jiuxu’s question, Su Xingyao feigned ignorance, smiling vaguely, "I got caught up in the excitement and forgot..."
Obviously, the lie didn’t hold up.
So when he finished and saw Lu Jiuxu staring at him, he finally came clean.
"Alright, I’m just used to it..."
Used to being a bystander in others’ excitement.
Used to thinking good luck would never find him.
Hearing this, Lu Jiuxu softly touched Su Xingyao’s hair, his eyes filled with tenderness.
Then he asked softly, "Do you want to try again?"
Su Xingyao shook his head, "It’s too late..."
Before he could finish, Lu Jiuxu pulled out a stack of red envelopes from his coat like magic.
Lu Jiuxu’s dark eyes held his reflection, and his voice was incredibly soft as he continued.
"Have you heard this saying?"
Su Xingyao waited quietly for what came next.
"If someone draws the luckiest red envelope with different amounts inside, they’ll have good luck all year."
Lu Jiuxu’s voice was as soothing as a spring, drawing Su Xingyao in.
He handed the red envelopes to Su Xingyao, "The top prize here is two hundred. Want to try your luck?"
Su Xingyao paused for a moment.
"I’ve always had pretty bad luck."
After saying this, he glanced at the handsome man in front of him.
He clearly wanted to say no.
But since it was Lu Jiuxu asking, he felt he couldn’t say no.
"I’ll probably end up with the worst one."
Su Xingyao had already prepared himself for the worst in his heart.
After chuckling and poking fun at himself, his eyes finally landed on the red envelope in Lu Jiuxu’s hand.
After eyeing the red envelope back and forth a few times, Su Xingyao made his choice carefully.
He looked as serious as a wide-eyed little kid.
Su Xingyao’s fingers lingered over the red envelope a few times, and after muttering a childhood mantra to himself, he finally picked the seventh one.
"I’ll take this one."
Su Xingyao smiled as he picked up the red envelope.
Even though he claimed his luck was bad, his eyes sparkled with curiosity about what was inside.
Su Xingyao carefully opened the red envelope and slowly pulled out the money.
Then, two crisp red bills came into view.
Su Xingyao’s eyes widened, and he stared at the man in shock.
"Two hundred bucks?"
Su Xingyao was stunned.
The man smiled and nodded.
"Yep, two hundred."
Su Xingyao felt like he’d just won the lottery, and his whole face lit up with joy.
"Does this mean I’ll have good luck all year?"
"Absolutely."
Outside, the snow started falling heavily again.
But Lu Jiuxu gazed at Su Xingyao through the snow and said firmly.
"Su Xingyao, you’ll always have good luck."
*
After getting the lucky red envelope, Su Xingyao slept soundly, dreaming sweet dreams all night.
Two days after the snowfall, it was time for one of China’s most important holidays—the Spring Festival.
On New Year’s Eve, Su Xingyao decorated the courtyard with all kinds of lanterns.
Perhaps sensing the festive mood.
As Su Xingyao was hanging the lanterns, Luori came over to join the fun.
However, when it arrived, it had a “gift” in its mouth for Su Xingyao.
Several red envelopes.
Su Xingyao instantly recognized the familiar cover, realizing that Luori was holding the remaining red envelopes from that night when Lu Jiuxu had him pick one.
He scooped up Luori, gave its head a rub, and asked, “Did you sneak into Mr. Lu’s stuff again?”
Lately, Luori had taken to rummaging through things.
Hearing Su Xingyao’s question, it whined innocently, playing dumb.
Su Xingyao just smiled, not scolding it, took the remaining nine red envelopes from Luori’s mouth, and planned to return them later.
Just as he held the red envelopes in his hand, an idea suddenly popped into his head.
He grabbed one of the red envelopes and tore it open.
Inside was two hundred yuan.
Curious, Su Xingyao quickly opened another one.
It had two hundred yuan too.
He went on to open the remaining seven envelopes, one after the other.
Sure enough, each had two hundred yuan.
Staring at the neatly stacked two hundred yuan bills, Su Xingyao recalled what Lu Jiuxu had said to him that night.
So, Lu Jiuxu hadn’t put different amounts in the envelopes at all.
From the start, Lu Jiuxu had only put two hundred yuan in each.
This way, no matter which envelope Su Xingyao picked, it’d always be the highest amount.
And Su Xingyao, the one picking the envelope, would always get the best luck.
For someone as unlucky as Su Xingyao.
Lu Jiuxu had only prepared blessings for him, start to finish.
Su Xingyao kept all the red envelopes, each filled with blessings.
Su Xingyao saw through Lu Jiuxu’s little tricks but kept it to himself.
He pulled out his phone and changed Lu Jiuxu’s nickname to “Lu Puppy (Limited Deception Edition).”
*
Auntie Zhang and the others prepped the ingredients early and headed home for the family reunion dinner.
By evening, the big villa was just Su Xingyao and the Lu brothers.
Dinner was prepared by Su Xingyao and Lu Jiuxu together.
The meal was simple, but it was the warmest, liveliest one Su Xingyao had had in years.
After dinner, no one opted to watch the Spring Festival Gala. Lu Zhiyun, always on the move, suggested to Su Xingyao that they go out to set off fireworks.
"Let’s head to the mountains to set off fireworks. I’ve got plenty."
Su Xingyao rarely set off fireworks but loved watching them. Hearing Lu Zhiyun's suggestion, he felt very tempted.
The two agreed right away, and Lu Zhiyun went to pack the fireworks.
But just before they left, Lu Jiuxu bluntly and quietly "threatened" him.
"You stay at home."
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhiyun immediately feigned sadness.
"Brother, it’s New Year’s. You’re really going to leave me alone at home watching the Spring Festival Gala instead of letting me go out and set off fireworks?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Zhiyun suddenly noticed his brother's gaze on Su Xingyao.
He promptly shut his mouth, sensing the situation.
In a flash, he dashed over to Su Xingyao, "Oh, Su Maomao... I just remembered my friend invited me to karaoke, so I’ll head out now."
Su Xingyao was a little confused and initially thought about asking him to stay.
But Lu Zhiyun bolted off so quickly that all Su Xingyao could do was wave.
"Zhiyun’s left. What now?"
Su Xingyao turned to ask Lu Jiuxu.
To his surprise, Lu Jiuxu grabbed the fireworks and led him straight to the car.
"Let’s go stargazing."
On New Year’s Eve, the city was ablaze with lights.
Yet, Su Xingyao followed Lu Jiuxu to a secluded mountain, far from the city’s noise.
The view in the mountains wasn’t great, with thick, towering trees lining both sides.
Even though Su Xingyao knew Lu Jiuxu was a skilled driver, the narrow mountain roads still made him nervous, so he kept his eyes glued to the road.
At some point, Lu Jiuxu’s soft voice broke the silence.
"Su Maomao, look up."
At this, Su Xingyao looked up and was met with a dazzling starry sky.
For a moment, Su Xingyao felt like he was a kid again.
His teacher had once assigned homework to observe the stars, and he’d gazed at the galaxy just like this.
He adored such a clear and radiant starry sky.
Lu Jiuxu smoothly parked the car on the highest terrace at the mountain’s peak.
Once out of the car, Su Xingyao gazed at the starry sky for what felt like ages.
Lu Jiuxu stood quietly by his side, keeping him company.
"I’ve been wanting to bring you here to see the stars for a while now."
Upon hearing this, Su Xingyao's first thought was what a shame it was.
He remembered once, after eating hot pot with Lu Jiuxu, he’d mentioned wanting to take him stargazing on their way home.
But he’d turned him down that time.
"It’s too bad we missed it last time."
Su Xingyao glanced at Lu Jiuxu apologetically, "But I’m glad we’re seeing them tonight."
Lu Jiuxu smiled.
"It’s never too late."
With that, he turned to the car and grabbed the fireworks Lu Zhiyun had prepared.
Su Xingyao hardly ever set off fireworks, especially not ones this big.
So he watched curiously as Lu Jiuxu arranged the fireworks and lit them.
As the fuse burned down, Su Xingyao quickly backed away.
On the way to a safe spot, he stumbled in the dark, but Lu Jiuxu caught him.
Su Xingyao held onto Lu Jiuxu’s hand and didn’t let go.
Hand in hand, they ran to a safe distance.
A minute later, a loud bang echoed as a huge, colorful firework burst into the sky.
Then, the sky lit up with sparks.
The fireworks and starry sky together were breathtaking.
As the fireworks exploded, Lu Jiuxu turned to Su Xingyao and said,
"Happy New Year, Su Xingyao."
Su Xingyao looked back at him.
"Happy New Year, Lu Jiuxu."
Then he let go and headed back to the car.
When he returned, he was holding a gift.
"You brought me good luck before, so I wanted to give you a New Year’s gift in return."
Su Xingyao handed the New Year's gift to Lu Jiuxu.
The gift was wrapped beautifully, with care and precision.
It was obvious a lot of time and effort had gone into wrapping it.
Lu Jiuxu kept looking at the gift Su Xingyao had prepared, his eyes brimming with emotion.
Su Xingyao didn’t even glance at the stars, his eyes locked on Lu Jiuxu’s face, blinking softly.
He asked him, "Do you want to open it now and take a look?"
"Is that alright?"
"Yeah."
Lu Jiuxu carefully unwrapped the gift along the edges, afraid of tearing the wrapping paper.
Seeing him move so slowly, Su Xingyao felt a bit anxious for him.
But luckily, Lu Jiuxu soon managed to unwrap the gift without damaging it.
Inside lay a folding fan.
Lu Jiuxu opened the fan, and fireworks burst in the sky, illuminating what was depicted on it.
It was a tree and a bird.
"This painting is titled 'The Blue Eucalyptus and the Shihuai Bird.'"
Su Xingyao looked down and explained, "Didn’t I mention last time that I wanted to give you a painting..."
However, when he looked up again, he was met with Lu Jiuxu's intensely passionate look.
Amidst the dazzling fireworks, Lu Jiuxu's dark eyes were filled with nothing but him.
Usually calm and composed, his voice now carried a hint of fluster and urgency for the first time.
He asked Su Xingyao.
"Is it what I think it means?"
"Xing Yao,"
Su Xingyao did not answer immediately.
Even though the sound of fireworks filled the air, at that moment, Su Xingyao felt as though he could only hear one voice in the entire world.
After a few moments, he replied softly.
"I came across a poem once."
Su Xingyao's eyes fell on the four short lines he had written on the fan——
The blue eucalyptus has encountered the Shihuai bird, loving nothing in this world but you.
The Shihuai comes and goes without a set return, dreaming back as it chases the floating clouds.
He was the toxic and solitary blue eucalyptus in this world.
And the only one who actively sought to redeem him, Lu Jiuxu, was the Shihuai bird in his solitary life.
Lu Jiuxu's feelings were quite evident, and Su Xingyao had actually sensed them long before.
It was just that before he figured it out, he couldn’t respond to this affection.
But tonight, he felt ready to respond.
Because he was certain that he also liked Lu Jiuxu.
Just as he is liked by the other person.
So he wanted to express his feelings through this painting.
Maybe it was love at first sight when they met, or maybe it was the affection that blossomed from spending every day together.
But to him, Lu Jiuxu is the only one.
The man in front of him instantly understood what he meant.
So the other person looked deeply into Su Xingyao's eyes and asked him earnestly.
"Can I be your Shihuai bird?"
The man's voice was soft and deep, especially soothing in the night.
Su Xingyao's heart raced for this person in that moment.
He met the other person's eyes and nodded with determination.
"You already have been."
A burst of fireworks shot into the sky at that very moment.
Under the watchful gaze of the starry sky and the glittering stars.
Su Xingyao rose on his toes and softly pressed his lips to Lu Jiuxu's.
Su Xingyao, kissing someone for the first time, had only meant for it to be quick.
But as soon as their bodies touched, the man pulled him closer, wrapping his arms around his waist and deepening the kiss with growing intensity.
The way their lips and tongues intertwined felt magical, like floating on clouds or being cradled by a gentle stream.
Su Xingyao really liked this feeling.
So even though he had never kissed anyone before and had no idea what he was doing, he matched the other person's passion in that moment.
He clutched the edge of Lu Jiuxu's coat, feeling the warmth of his body and the rhythm of his breath.
Their tongues danced together until their breaths grew scorching and uneven.
Su Xingyao lost track of how long their first kiss went on.
When they finally pulled apart, he felt breathless, his eyes damp and shimmering from the lack of air.
The fireworks had faded from the sky.
Everything around them fell back into silence.
Exhausted, Su Xingyao sank comfortably to the ground.
Lu Jiuxu sat down beside him, pulling him into his arms and letting him rest his head on his shoulder.
Su Xingyao gazed at the sky, his cheeks flushed.
"I had a few drinks with Zhiyun earlier."
"So now I’m feeling a little tipsy and lightheaded."
After Su Xingyao finished speaking, he was afraid that Lu Jiuxu might misunderstand his meaning, so he hurried to clarify.
"Of course, I don't mean to say that everything I just told you was drunken ramblings."
Lu Jiuxu let out a soft chuckle and gently caressed his cheek.
"I know, you wouldn't."
Su Xingyao nodded, then slightly narrowed his eyes, truly looking a bit tipsy.
At this moment, he resembled a lazy little kitten, even his tone of voice was particularly light and adorable.
"What I actually wanted to say is that my album is 90% done, but there's one song I can't seem to finish."
"Lu Jiuxu, you know what? I've written many types of songs."
"About family, about friendship... the highs and lows, the joys and sorrows of life..."
Su Xingyao smiled.
"But among all these songs, I’ve never written about love."
After saying this, he looked up again, locking eyes with the person next to him.
Then he leaned in closer, his lips approaching the other's cheek, whispering softly in Lu Jiuxu's ear, light as a dragonfly’s touch.
"...I think the final song should be about love."