The fruits in the basket were washed and cut into pieces by Mu Nanqiao, put into boxes, packed together with many other exquisite snacks made by the Mu family chef, and taken out for a picnic.

It was just a picnic, and only to the small lake behind the house. When Lu Qi proposed this idea, he was worried that Mu Chuanbai would refuse, but Mu Chuanbai was very pleased. He also told Mu Nanqiao to bring a charcoal grill and marinated meat, and they simply had dinner by the lake, mainly for the sake of the rustic appeal.

So in the end, Mu Nanqiao had to drive. The auntie at home asked if they wanted to bring the chef, and Mu Chuanbai waved his hand. “No need, Nanqiao’s barbeque is very good. You can have a few people skewer the meat. What else does Xiao Lu like to eat? Go and see what is missing, and tell Auntie Sun to go purchase it.”

Lu Qi was a little embarrassed by his enthusiasm to mobilize the troops. Mu Nanqiao took him to the kitchen to look at the ingredients, and asked the chef waiting inside: “When was the meat marinated?”

The chubby chef said with a smile: “Someone gave Chairman Mu a piece of venison last night, and he marinated it when it was delivered to him. It is still fresh.”

Mu Nanqiao frowned. “Is there any other meat?”

“There is also wagyu and lamb…..”

Lu Qi grabbed his arm and used him as a crutch to keep his weak foot from touching the ground hard. He whispered: “Why not eat venison? I haven’t eaten venison before.”

Mu Nanqiao raised his eyebrows and smiled meaningfully: “You really want to eat venison?”

He really looked good when he smiled like this, and the small red mole at the tip of his eye was very attractive. But it just revealed a cunning wickedness, like a beautiful and clever fox.

Lu Qi’s crisis radar beeped, and he said: “Then never mind…..”

“It’s quite delicious,” Mu Nanqiao said. “It’s more tender than beef. The ones my dad ordered from the deer farm were all young deer and didn’t have much gaminess. We’ll bring some to try.”

“Okay, ah.” Lu Qi smiled. “Do you have any lemons? I’ll make a drink to take with us.”

“We do.” Auntie smiled and said to Lu Qi, “Come with me.”

After he made the drink, Auntie found him crutches. Lu Qi blushed and said that it wasn’t that serious anymore. His feet stepped with no problems. In the end, Auntie stuffed them under his arms, and he used the crutches to find Mu Nanqiao, who was putting things in the truck. He lay softly against Mu Nanqiao’s back and hugged his narrow waist with both hands. Both crutches fell to the side with a clank.

Mu Nanqiao stopped what he was doing and turned his head slightly, looking at the crutches. “What? Did you find that I’m more useful as a human crutch?”

“En.” Lu Qi nodded, rubbing his cheek against Mu Nanqiao’s back with a sigh. “I feel like everyone is very enthusiastic toward me, and I’m a little flattered…..”

“I thought you were used to it.” Mu Nanqiao also put his dad’s fishing rod in and then turned around and embraced Lu Qi, swinging him. “After all, my boyfriend is handsome and has a good personality. He has many friends wherever he goes…..”

“Not really…..” Lu Qi’s face went hot as he spoke. Thinking of something, he felt a little sad. “I don’t know when my family will accept my sexuality. I really want my mom to see how good my boyfriend is, but she can’t figure it out. I can’t take you back there. I don’t want you to be wronged.”

Mu Nanqiao felt that it didn’t matter if he got a few supercilious looks. Lu Qi’s parents had raised him so well. He was only grateful to them.

“You suddenly came over and asked for a hug. It turns out you’re homesick.” Mu Nanqiao lowered his head and kissed his forehead. “It’s okay. I won’t be busy for a while. I’ll accompany you to Yuncheng, and if Auntie gets angry when she sees me, I’ll just wait for you in a hotel.”

Lu Qi looked around and saw that the vehicle was blocking the two of them, so he stood on tiptoe and kissed Mu Nanqiao on the lips.

“I will work hard.” He said with a smile and curved eyes, “I’ll work hard to give you a status!”

Mu Nanqiao lowered his eyelashes, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. He raised a hand to clasp the back of Lu Qi’s neck, and deepened the kiss with no intention of finishing it.

. . . . . . .

It was said that Mu Nanqiao would cook alone, but in fact, two people came over to help.

When they arrived at the open space by the lake, several people set up tables and took out the barbeque ingredients. Mu Nanqiao rolled up his sleeves and took the meat skewers from the box. Lu Qi rolled up his sleeves and was preparing to help when Mu Chuanbai stuffed a fishing rod into his hands and pulled him farther away to the lake for fishing.

Mu Chuanbai’s fishing gear was all professional equipment. Lu Qi had never fished before, so he was inevitably anxious. This influential figure in the business world was unexpectedly patient. After Lu Qi finally got into position, he praised him with a smile: “What a smart kid.”

Lu Qi, who was treated as a child, coughed in embarrassment. He wiped his hands with a wet wipe, took out the fruit, inserted a small fork, and pushed it toward Mu Chuanbai. “Uncle Mu, please eat some fruit.”

Mu Chuanbai forked a piece of peach.

A gentle breeze blew over the lake, bringing with it moist water vapor. Lu Qi feared that Mu Chuanbai would be cold, so he took a blanket out of the bag beside him and covered Mu Chuanbai’s legs.

Mu Chuanbai smiled and thanked him. He gazed at the lake and chatted with Lu Qi at a leisurely pace, and the topic naturally revolved around Mu Nanqiao.

“Does it feel difficult to be with Nanqiao?” Mu Chuanbai asked gently: “He has a past that he can’t escape. Will you feel tired pulling him along all the time?”

Lu Qi shook his head, holding his chin as he asked: “Why do you think so? I’ll just pull him gently, and he will try to walk forward on his own. When he’s tired of walking, I will pull him again…..”

Mu Chuanbai smiled, and his eyes, which were similar to Mu Nanqiao’s, flashed with relief. His child’s relationship was going well, which gave him the happiness of an ordinary father.

“Besides, why would it feel so difficult…..” Lu Qi’s face felt hot, and he said with embarrassment, “He makes delicious food every day. Since I started dating him, the cat and I have gained weight…..”

“His cooking is very delicious.” As long as he was not in front of his son, he did not hesitate to praise him. “He should have told you that after that night in the warehouse, he left the Mu family to rent an apartment. It was at that time that he developed his cooking skills.”

Lu Qi nodded, but felt that something wasn’t right. After thinking about it, he didn’t know what “that night in the warehouse” was referring to. He always had an infinite curiosity about Mu Nanqiao, so he asked cautiously: “That night in the warehouse?”

Mu Chuanbai seemed a little surprised, and raised his brows, asking: “He hasn’t told you?”

“No, ah, does it have something to do with me?” Lu Qi blinked his eyes in confusion, then suddenly thought of something. 

Warehouse…..that night…..he was…..

Looking back farther, Mu Nanqiao had once tentatively asked about his high school days, and if he had ever been to Shanghai. And that competition…..

He stood abruptly and gave Mu Chuanbai an apologetic look. “Uncle Mu, I have something to tell Mu Nanqiao. I will go over for a while and come back to fish with you later.”

When he finished speaking, he ran away in a hurry. The fish that was about to bite the hook flicked its tail in shock and slipped back into the water.

. . . . . . .

Mu Nanqiao was about to ask someone to call that person over when he looked up and saw Lu Qi trotting toward him. Because his foot was still swollen, his movements were rather comical. Mu Nanqiao frowned and stepped forward to catch him with open hands. 

“Why are you running?” He lightly patted Lu Qi’s butt, intending to scold him, but his tone was uncontrollably soft as he spoke. “Your foot doesn’t hurt anymore? If you’re in a hurry, you can use my dad’s wheelchair and just let him sit on the ground.”

Lu Qi: ……

A kind father and a filial son. Your dad should really hit you with his wheelchair.

Half-supported and half-carried, he was pushed into a chair and his sock and shoe were removed. Mu Nanqiao grasped his calf, placed his foot on his knee, and carefully applied medicinal spray to his ankle.

The medicine was cool and smelled slightly bitter. Lu Qi also felt bitter in his heart.

“I remember that old warehouse.” Looking at Mu Nanqiao, he spoke slowly and clearly. “You asked me if the competition had gone well at that time. In fact, it didn’t. I made several mistakes because I couldn’t help thinking of that boy who was locked up in that old warehouse.”

Mu Nanqiao’s spraying hand paused.

When that boy was carried out by the ambulance, Lu Qi was still at the scene. The other party’s face was bruised and deformed from his beating, and his actual appearance could not be seen at all. He looked as embarrassed as a little stray dog that had lost its protection.

“I remember.” Lu Qi’s eyelashes lowered, and he reached out to touch Mu Nanqiao’s hair. It was not that soft, but was very smooth, nothing like the blood-stuck strands at that time. “But I didn’t know it was you, ah. No one wants to be seen in such disarray by another person, so when you asked me, I subconsciously concealed it for the sake of ‘that boy.’”

When he finished explaining, he blinked uncertainly. “Did you always remember me?”

“Yes, ah.” Mu Nanqiao grasped his hand with a smile and lowered his head, kissing his fingertips. “That is to say, I have liked you for a long time. It was love at first sight.”

Lu Qi felt lost again.

If liking someone had a weight, then his seemed to be lighter than Mu Nanqiao’s.

He said with a guilty conscience: “At that time…..I really couldn’t fall in love with you at first sight…..”

Mu Nanqiao laughed in spite of himself. “Baby, you don’t have to be so sincere…..”

“But every day from now on, when I open my eyes, I will fall in love with you at first sight.” Lu Qi said very earnestly: “I will try my best to catch up with your progress!”

Mu Nanqiao: ……

Sincerity was simply the most beautiful quality in the world.

If no one else was around, he would really want to hold Lu Qi in his arms and kiss him to tears, the tip of his tongue brushing against his back molars. His fox-like eyes gave Lu Qi a deep look and he unconsciously rubbed Lu Qi’s cool white wrist with his thumb.

This aggressive gaze was intense, and Lu Qi’s face felt hot as he was looked at. He whispered, “I’m going to try the roasted venison,” then put on his shoes and ran away.

Mu Chuanbai was also pushed over by the bodyguard.

It was obviously not appropriate to continue the topic from just now. Mu Nanqiao gathered his emotions and walked toward the barbeque grill, picked out two skewers of venison on the side, and handed them to Lu Qi.

Lu Qi ate gracefully, finishing the two skewers in small bites. After eating, he licked the corners of his lips with satisfaction and then remembered to ask Mu Nanqiao: “Aren’t you going to eat?”

His pale lips were stained a light crimson after eating something hot. The red tip of his tongue flicked between his lips, and his eyes were as clear as a reflection of the sky. When he looked at a person with such eager eyes, he was much like a bewitching spirit in a forest, who didn’t know much about the world.

Mu Nanqiao took a deep breath. Indeed, he wanted to eat a little deer.

After handing him two roasted beef skewers, Mu Naniqao said: “Go sit over there and eat. Don’t tease me.”

Lu Qi: ? ? ? 

He didn’t do anything…..

Lu Qi found a small stool and sat down, taking a bite of the beef skewers. The top-grade wagyu beef was rich in fat, the meat fresh and tender, but he felt that the venison skewers were still tastier.

En, he would eat two more skewers later. Mu-shifu’s craftsmanship was really good!

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Chapter Thirty-Three << Table of Contents >> Chapter Thirty-Five