Although Mu Chuanbai said this, and couldn’t just stand by and watch with his son flirting coquettishly, he didn’t want to get too involved in the young couple’s affairs. They were young after all, so after giving a warning, he closed the door and went to video chat with his wife.

Lu Qi pursed his lips and snickered, and Mu Nanqiao reached out to touch his dimple.

Airline meals tended to be western-style. Lu Qi didn’t eat western food often, so he couldn’t tell if the food was authentic or not. In any case, he enjoyed his meal very happily. After finishing a dish, it was taken away and another dish was served. Every time the flight attendants came, he smiled like a small animal looking forward to being fed.

Most first-class passengers were very prideful, and this was likely the first time they had seen such a handsome and smiling young man. During the serving time, three young ladies took turns, and there was a young brother who came. Everyone took a turn to look.

Mu Nanqiao lost his composure because of this smile. He really wanted to kiss him in front of others to declare his sovereignty, but doing so would be odd and lovey-dovey. There was also cream of corn soup on the table in the middle, and it wouldn’t be good to spill it all over.

He endured it for a long time, and Lu Qi excitedly watched the flight attendants make the bed after dinner, also trying it on his own under their supervision. By this time, everyone had realized the relationship between the two men, and their smiles became much more reserved, gradually converting to the benevolent smiles of melon-eaters.

The lights on Mu Chuanbai’s side were turned off, but there were still faint voices whispering in Russian.

Lu Qi accomplished the achievement of bathing in the sky. He came back with wet hair and threw himself on the bed, wearing his yellow pajamas. Unfortunately, the cabin space was limited no matter how luxurious it was, and the double bed was not very spacious for two people. With this pounce, he ran directly into Mu Nanqiao’s arms like a deer entering a fox’s mouth.

Swish—

Mu Nanqiao closed the curtain, completely isolating the small space from the outside world. Lu Qi groaned when Mu Nanqiao pressed him against the pillow and kissed him twice.

“What are you doing…..” Lu Qi hummed in his throat and nervously grabbed Mu Nanqiao’s clothes. “Don’t cause trouble, be careful that Uncle doesn’t make you relive your childhood and put you to sleep…..”

Mu Nanqiao kissed him a few more times and raised his eyebrows with upright pride. “I’m shameless, so I don’t care about him seeing.”

But Lu Qi had shame, ah, so he had no choice but to grasp the clothes on his chest and carefully and meekly raise his head to kiss him. There was an ambiguous wet sound as their lips and tongues entangled, and his eyelashes trembled uneasily like frightened little butterflies.

With the sound of their lips parting, Lu Qi covered his mouth and stared at Mu Nanqiao’s smiling face.

“Okay, okay…..” He lowered his head and kissed the other’s forehead, then kissed his eyelashes comfortingly. “I won’t bully you anymore. You’re tired from catching the plane, so let’s go to sleep.”

Lu Qi was so angry that he pulled his hair and whispered: “Why are you pretending to be a good person…..you got a bargain and you’re still currying favor…..”

He pulled out a few hairs and hummed contentedly, turned his back with a slightly swollen mouth, and prepared to go to sleep.

Mu Nanqiao was left to touch his painful scalp, thankful that his hair was thick.

. . . . . . .

It was already the afternoon of the next day when they arrived at the hotel, and the performance was scheduled to start in the evening.

Although the environment in the first class cabin was the very best, they were still on a plane, after all, and they would still feel tired after disembarking. Lu Qi took another nap when they arrived at the hotel.

When he woke up, Mu Nanqiao was speaking Russian with others at the door. After a moment, he closed the door and came in with two sets of clothing in his arms.

Lu Qi grasped his hair and sat up in a daze, asking: “The clothes have been delivered?”

After all, they were going to watch the ballet. Lu Qi himself had already prepared a formal suit, but before they left, Mrs. Talia had prepared outfits for the three of them and hoped that they would wear the clothes she had prepared.

Lu Qi could only agree when she said this, and took the heavy bag with a gilded logo from Mu Nanqiao’s hand.

As he was carrying the bag and about to try it on, Mu Nanqiao stopped him again and gave him a small bag, explaining: “Here’s a shirt clip. Do you know how to use it?”

He seemed to be expecting Lu Qi to say that he didn’t know how. Thinking of the place where the belt was tied, Lu Qi’s ears warmed up. He took the small bag and replied: “I can do it!”

Mu Nanqiao touched his nose regretfully.

They had booked a suite at the hotel. Mu Nanqiao carried his own set of clothes into the room, also intending to change. He often wore this kind of three-piece suit on more formal occasions. When he finished putting it on, he straightened the collar and cuffs in the mirror to make sure there wasn’t anything wrong.

He opened the door and saw Lu Qi coming out. As expected, Mrs. Talia had chosen white for Lu Qi. Predictably, Lu Qi looked good in it.

The well-tailored outfit perfectly accentuated his tall frame and narrow waist. He hadn’t folded the burgundy scarf on his chest properly, but the shape turned out to be very beautiful, like a blooming rose. Holding a bow tie in his hand, he walked up to Mu Nanqiao and stretched out his hand, saying: “Help me, it won’t fasten…..”

Mu Nanqiao lowered his head and put it on for him, then briefly helped him arrange the silk scarf.

If one didn’t wear these kinds of clothes often, they would feel a little tight. What’s more, Lu Qi was used to wearing loose, comfortable clothes and felt a little uncomfortable in his movements. But the young man in the mirror had indeed lost some of his boyishness and become noble and elegant. 

Lu Qi patted his waist and sighed happily: “Fortunately, I’m not too fat to wear these clothes…..”

Then he turned to look at Mu Nanqiao. “When are we leaving?”

“Wait a minute.” Mu Nanqiao came over.

He was wearing the same three-piece suit with a dark pattern, and with his wide shoulders and long legs, his steps were pleasing to the eye. Lu Qi secretly admired him and tilted his head, asking: “Wait for what?”

Mu Nanqiao said: “I want to kiss you.”

Thus, unsurprisingly, his mouth was a little swollen when he went out.

. . . . . . .

The seats Talia left for them were in the first row, with an excellent viewing angle. The audience came in one after another before the start of the performance. Lu Qi found that some people were overtly melancholy, and even a few elegantly dressed ladies had slightly reddened eyes.

Mu Nanqiao lowered his voice and explained to Lu Qi: “Many of those here today are loyal viewers of my mom.”

It was always sad to say goodbye. Lu Qi sat up a little straighter, and was a bit regretful that he had only just met this excellent ballet dancer.

As if he could read his thoughts, Mu Chuanbai sitting to the side said: “Xiao Lu, don’t be sad. She is only bidding farewell to the stage. This is also a new beginning. In the future, she will have more time to dance for the people she loves.”

Also, Talia would be engaged in choreography and teaching after she retired, which would be a new life journey.

After the host went up to make a simple announcement, magnificent music sounded, the lights onstage dimmed, and the symphony came to an abrupt end. There was silence for a few seconds, and then the curtain opened slowly.

The ballad “Fairy Maiden” officially began.

On the stage, under the dim lights, a man sat asleep on a high-backed chair. As the music became cheerful and playful, a figure leaped out from behind the chair, spinning and jumping, every step so light.

Lu Qi’s eyes widened in pleasant surprise, refusing to miss any detail.

Talia was a fairy. She wore a long white silk dress with flanges on her upper arms, and there were two cute little wings on either side of her slender and powerful waist, symbolizing her fairy status. They trembled slightly with her movements.

As if in a dream, she completed the solo dance under the spotlight. Then, the man sleeping in the chair woke up, and it turned out that the fairy had appeared in his dreams.

After one scene, there were not many scenes where the fairy appeared. Mu Nanqiao explained in a low voice, “I think she chose this show because it was her first performance onstage.”

That was when she was still a fourteen-year-old girl. Now the years had passed by and she was already a mother, but as long as she was onstage, she was the spirit of ballet. Time had not passed, and she was still dancing happily like a young girl.

Lu Qi didn’t even notice the time change, and it was already the last scene. 

The man finally put the gauze scarf given by the witch onto the fairy, trying to bind her with his selfish desire. And the fairy struggled painfully, her wings fell off, and she finally died.

After the performance, there was thunderous applause. The actors took a bow and exited, leaving Talia behind, who remained bowing deeply to everyone.

She took the microphone and said farewell to the stage.

Mu Nanqiao translated her words to Lu Qi in a low voice.

“I want you to be happy for me. From now on, I can enjoy the food that I never ate in my former life. Once I danced for you, and after today, I will dance for myself…..”

“Mrs. Talia is so beautiful, ah…..” Lu Qi whispered. “It’s like she’s shining.”

After Talia finished her speech, amidst the deafening applause, the unexpected happened.

Mu Chuanbai struggled to stand up from his wheelchair, wearing a silver-gray outfit that Talia had chosen for him. Holding a bouquet of roses in bloom, he staggered toward the stage step by step and walked toward his lover.

This was his gift to Talia. He walked with such effort that sweat broke out on his forehead. It was rare for the handsome man to be in such disarray, but Talia remained patiently waiting for him, tears gradually filling her eyes.

When the two finally embraced, Lu Qi’s eyes grew uncontrollably hot. Amidst the cheers and applause, he silently reached out and hooked Mu Nanqiao’s little finger. 

With his hand held in a reverse grip, Mu Nanqiao lowered his eyes to gaze at him. Only the shadow of Lu Qi reflected in his narrow fox-like eyes. He raised his eyebrows and silently asked Lu Qi why he had suddenly held his hand, his features full of focus and tenderness. 

“Let’s go out for a walk.” Lu Qi stood on tiptoe and whispered in his ear: “I left the gift for Auntie backstage. Let’s not disturb them for a while.”

Mu Nanqiao nodded. He called for Mu Chuanbai’s bodyguard to come over, whispered a few words, and then took Lu Qi’s hand and quietly exited the warm atmosphere of the theater.

The street lights had gradually turned on, and the tall theater building looked solemn under the cover of night, like a church. Lu Qi looked back and breathed out softly.

There was a heavy weight on his shoulders as Mu Nanqiao put his coat on him. He lowered his eyes and smiled softly. “What are you thinking about?”

Lu Qi shook his head and pulled Mu Nanqiao forward along the street.

“I just feel that with parents who love each other so much, you have always had the ability to love someone.” He thought of something and couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s just that you hid this ability. Fortunately, I found it.”

He shook Mu Nanqiao’s hand and said softly, “Suddenly, I feel that I’m very lucky.”

Mu Nanqiao hummed with a smile, and said without blushing: “You are indeed lucky.”

His lack of modesty made Lu Qi choke. His deer-like eyes widened slightly, and he didn’t know how to continue.

Mu Nanqiao laughed out loud. He stopped in his tracks and raised his arms to hug him.

“What I mean is, I got lucky.”

Perhaps his life’s luck had been spent on two things. One was his parents, who loved each other and loved him. They gave him the ability to love someone, like planting the seed of a rose. 

And one was meeting Lu Qi.

The sunshine found the cracks in the soil, and the seeds took root and sprouted. Facing the biting wind and snow, the roses bloomed at last.

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Chapter Thirty-Six << Table of Contents >> Chapter Thirty-Eight