Just a hug was enough. Even if Talia was willing to accept her child’s differences, that didn’t mean that the Russians would accept it. Most of their beliefs pointed out that homosexuality was sinful and an act of rebellion against God. 

After they walked hand-in-hand for a while, two burly men skewed their eyes. Although fighting against the whole world sounded cool, there was no need to do this unless it was necessary. The two let go of their hands and walked side by side for a while. Lu Qi was wrapped in Mu Nanqiao’s coat, his fingertips poking out from the sleeves. 

The September night in Moscow had become cold. The cold-weather clothes he had brought were not suitable for wearing outside his outfit, so before setting off, Mu Nanqiao brought him his own coat.

Every breath was full of Mu Nanqiao’s scent, wrapping him warmly. The discomfort of being stared at gradually dissipated, and Lu Qi whispered: “My mom said she was afraid of others looking at me like this. Right now, I seem to understand her a little bit. But if she was willing to stand behind me, I would probably have a lot more courage.”

Mu Nanqiao’s eyes flashed, and he whispered: “I think Auntie will figure it out soon.”

Lu Qi only thought he was comforting him, and shook his head with a smile. “Let’s take it slowly. Right, it won’t take long to go back…..”

He rubbed his nose and whispered: “It’s really cold tonight…..”

Mu Nanqiao laughed in spite of himself and held his hand, rubbing it. The fingertips of that little paw were indeed cold, and he said with a smile: “In fact, they won’t mind if you stay as an extra light bulb. What a cute little light bulb, giving off light for warmth when it is so cold.”

“I know they don’t mind my presence.” Lu Qi winked slightly. “But I’m afraid you will be kicked out.”

Mu Nanqiao: ……

It seemed that his little boyfriend had realized that his status in this family was not as good as Xiao Sanhua and the little pig.

“Thanks for your hard work staying with me through the cold.”

The two people’s hands linked together again unconsciously, and they stood at the roadside, waiting for the driver to pick them up. On the streets of a foreign country, two young men with oriental faces were already conspicuous, not to mention that both of them were well-dressed and had outstanding looks.

Across the road were two young men who had clearly walked past but circled back. They went back and forth several times and finally stood on the opposite side, whispering and keeping their eyes on the two of them.

Lu Qi was still whispering to Mu Nanqiao about the gift he had sent, and he didn’t notice those two people. Mu Nanqiao talked to Lu Qi in a low voice, and while holding his hand, turned his attention toward himself.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Qi looked at him doubtfully.

“The wind is strong, it’s so cold, ah. The wind is behind you, lower your head.” Mu Nanqiao smiled.

Lu Qi bowed his head obediently and continued to ask: “Will Auntie like that brooch?”

“Yes, ah.” Mu Nanqiao replied in a low voice, but kept his eyes on those two people.

His height was superior, and even compared to Europeans, he did not lose out. Usually when he smiled politely, he gave people a strong sense of oppression. Lu Qi, on the other hand, was pestered by his coquettish behavior every day. He had not once seen his cold face, and had no idea what it looked like when he appeared gloomy.

His features were shadowed, but because of his handsome appearance, there was an evil aura in the gloom like that of a colorful python. Not only was his size a powerful deterrent, but he even advertised to the other party how deadly he was.

The two people hesitated as they were about to cross the road. Mu Nanqiao put his arm around Lu Qi’s shoulders and curled his lips at them.

Even across the road, that smile caused the two people to feel a chill in their hearts. It was completely different from the soft, gentle appearance he had when talking to that young man. The two men looked at each other in disbelief. One of them cursed and gave Mu Nanqiao the middle finger across the street, then turned around and ran away.

Their footsteps that seemed as if they had seen a ghost already showed their embarrassment. Mu Nanqiao didn’t take the gesture seriously at all. He lowered his eyes and patted Lu Qi’s shoulder. “Come on, Lu baby. The car is here.”

When they arrived at the hotel they had booked in advance, Mu Chuanbai and Talia were already waiting inside. Talia had removed her makeup and was wearing a pink dress, taking pictures of a small box on the table with her mobile phone. On the dark blue velvet inside the box was the brooch gifted by Lu Qi.

When she saw the two people come in, she stood and hugged Lu Qi: “Xiao Lu, I like the gift you gave me very much. Whether a brooch or a painting, thank you, dear.”

Lu Qi bent down slightly and hugged her. He was very happy that the gift was approved of, and said in unfamiliar Russian: “Сднем рождения,  прекраснаяледи.”^[1]

In order to learn this Russian sentence, Lu Qi was forced to pay tuition fees to Mu Nanqiao twice, and his wrist was still sore to this day.

Talia laughed and pulled Li Qi to sit next to her. Her beautiful brown eyes were filled with a gentle smile, and she took the menu and asked which dishes Lu Qi wanted to eat. After ordering, she praised Lu Qi’s painting again.

The painting was of a ballet dancer dancing on top of ruins. The warm red skirt was like a burning flame, like rouge dropped into water and smeared, the red tail of a betta fish…..

That was Talia’s first dance after becoming prima donna. It had shocked everyone and ignited her career like a fire.

Choosing this dance and capturing this movement took a lot of effort. Talia happily held the painting and looked at it again and again. She loved this painting even more than the gemstone necklace given by her husband and the tutu given by her son.

Father and son looked at each other in confusion. Mu Chuanbai frowned and looked at Mu Nanqiao: “Can you ask Xiao Lu to draw our hug on the stage? After he finishes the painting, give Xiao Lu a car.”

Mu Nanqiao glanced at his old father and understood his meaning. Although there were many painters, his mother obviously preferred those painted by Lu Qi. Gifting a car sounded good, but he still needed to ask Lu Qi his opinion.

Mu Chuanbai added: “Draw me more handsome.”

Mu Nanqiao: “That will be another price.”

Mu Chuanbai: “……”

. . . . . . .

In the next few days, Mu Chuanbai took Talia away to revisit the places where they fell in love. Mu Nanqiao supported his father very much in this matter. After all, Lu Qi truly liked his mother, and the two were almost like a biological mother and son. He hadn’t been able to go on a date alone with Lu Qi for several days.

The neglected father and son hit it off immediately, and each took their wives to visit the tourist attractions, staggering their schedules to prevent Lu Qi and Talia from meeting unexpectedly.

Red Square, Saint Basil’s Cathedral, the National Historic Museum…..

It was a pity that they couldn’t visit other cities in Russia. Mu Chuanbai and Mu Nanqiao were going back to China to handle work. The merger and acquisition of Hengjin Group was officially on the agenda. After that, the Lin family would be completely kicked out of the circle of Shanghai’s wealthy families.

Mu Nanqiao said that they could come again at Christmas time. The aurora over the arctic ocean and the blue ice of Lake Baikal were both beautiful.

Talia was staying temporarily in Moscow, as she still had work to hand over.

After returning to China, Mu Chuanbai and his son went straight to the company. Lu Qi didn’t see Mu Nanqiao for the next week, but he would make a video call to Lu Qi before bed. Lying on a pillow and acting coquettishly, he pointed out the dark circles under his eyes to Lu Qi. His hair was messy and hung between his eyebrows, giving him a decadent look. 

The 14-pound Xiao Sanhua couldn’t stand it anymore, and bit the edge of the screen. After a sizzling sound, the canine disappeared and the screen of Lu Qi’s mobile phone also cracked.

Lu Qi: …….

Life could not go on. Why could she crack through even the screen, ah?!!

After buying a new mobile phone, Wife Xiao Lu’s wallet was getting thinner by the day, so he took time to resume his former business and take a suitable commission.

When the benefactor made the request, they used bold and spicy words. Lu Qi, a person who had been around the block, felt his face redden and his ears grow hot. He drew two line drawings and came to a consensus with Party A about the posture of the two people. After obtaining Party A’s consent, the parts that should be covered were covered and the live broadcast began. 

A minute later, fans came in one after another.

[Oh~ My divorced ex-wife came back with the children to see me]

[Do you know how I lived without you?]

[What is this?! Wife! Kiss! What is this?! Wife! Kiss!]

[Reporting! Pants are ready for takeoff!]

[Ahhhhh I’m drinking CP! Thank you to sponsor daddy, 555~]

[Wah! Is this posture really not going to break? Hehehe]

When Lu Qi said hello, the little black pig came over curiously and meowed.

The barrage also said: 

[Understood, Wifey turned into a cat!]

[I am holding my unfilial son by the neck and asking him why he remains unchanged.]

At this point, the members of the pants-flying group were pretty much in place, and there were occasionally a couple of people behind them asking technical questions. Lu Qi patiently spoke a few words.

Little fans posted a string of thanks, but before they could finish thanking him, the special effects of a captain entering the live broadcast room shot out. Lu Qi looked at the ID on the captain’s bow and hummed in surprise.

[Antlers 21] Leonid: Wifey~ I missed you so much! (Happy Heart)

Lu Qi: ……

His hands went still and he looked at the time. It was during work hours. Mu Nanqiao must be slacking off.

After posting this sentence, there was no more movement from Mu Nanqiao. He was probably busy with work during the live broadcast.

It felt like the two were working together. Lu Qi pursed his lips in a smile, and a small pear dimple appeared on his left cheek. 

Lu Qi’s live broadcast was slow in pace. Many people said hello and then went to do other things. There were eventually fewer messages, so when an argumentative person appeared, they were particularly obvious.

[What is this? Two men?]

[Is the artist a female? They talk like a girl]

[You girls, stop living in a fantasy, okay? In reality, there is no such big **** at all.]

Lu Qi grew angry when he saw this, and was about to kick him out when he saw the special effects of a captain’s message slowly appear.

[Antlers 21]  Leonid: Do you not have one? (question mark) (question mark)

[Antlers 21]  Leonid: If not, you should be called mother when you have children in the future (thumbs up) (thumbs up)

[Antlers 21]  Leonid: Or do you not have a mother, so you don’t know what that means? (bewildered) (sudden realization) (crying)

Lu Qi: ……

This profound sarcasm made him laugh.

Unexpectedly, the dissenter popped up again after a while.

[Disgusting, you can kiss ass so well, why don’t you become a governor?]

[Antlers 21]  Leonid: .

The other side: ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

In the next second, the special effects for a governor popped up with a blue-haired little man wearing sunglasses. Standing on the bow of a ship and holding a glass of red wine in his hand, the golden word “Governor” when he took office was blinding.

[Antlers 21]  Leonid: Sticking to wifey~ (heart fingers)

The barrage suddenly became lively, and the scoundrel was instantly submerged in the rapidly scrolling text. Later, Lu Qi sent him a blacklist package.

He logged off the live broadcast and called Mu Nanqiao.

Mu Nanqiao didn’t answer, but replied on WeChat.

[Baby, my dad is talking and I’m slacking off. It’s inconvenient to answer the phone (kitten fishing.jpg)]

Lu Qi: …..

He replied on WeChat:

[The platform shares a part of the proceeds, don’t tip next time (heartbroken kitten in tears.jpg)]

After waiting for a while, Mu Nanqiao replied: 

[It’s okay, didn’t you just change your phone? This can be considered as giving Baby a boost.]

He had wanted to be a Governor from the very beginning, but feared that a new fan would make Lu Qi suspicious with such a generous act, so this time it wasn’t all because of that bully.

A disorderly mess of privileges popped up on the screen. Looking at the words “You have become the first governor of LU Deer,” Mu Nanqiao suddenly felt that his money was well spent.

After some thought, he sent another message, asking: 

[I’m almost done with work this week. When do you plan to move, wifey Xiao Lu? (cat poking its head out.jpg)]

On the balcony of 501, the autumn sunshine was just right. Xiao Sanhua was beating the little black pig violently, and the two furry ones rolled into a ball. They had no idea that they were about to enter the “canine’s” territory and were still playing around carelessly, sending up a lot of cat hair.

There was something that Lu Qi was a little embarrassed to say.

It was only a week, but he felt that he hadn’t seen Mu Nanqiao in a long time. He was used to seeing that person’s deep and doting features as soon as he opened his eyes in the morning, and was also used to Mu Nanqiao testing his wits and courage against Xiao Sanhua every day for the territory of the “bed.”

Lu Qi rubbed Xiao Sanhua and successfully rescued the bullied little black pig. Squatting on the ground, he replied to Mu Nanqiao:

[If we move, will the new place be close to your place of work?]

After a moment of thought, he added: 

[Even if you are busy or work overtime, can you still go stay at home?]

“Typing…..” The dialogue box flashed. Lu Qi waited for a while, and his phone suddenly vibrated.

Mu Nanqiao directly initiated a call.

Lu Qi clicked to connect.

A familiar low voice sounded at once.

“Do you miss me?” Mu Nanqiao spoke with a smile and a bit of hoarseness after staying up late. “The location of the new place is very close to the company. I will stay there every day from now on, and the rent I charge is also fair.”

Lu Qi blinked: “How much money do you want, ah?”

Mun Nanqiao laughed: “No money, just a kiss in the morning and a kiss in the evening. Is that okay?”

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[1] Happy Birthday, Beautiful Lady. ⮐

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Chapter Thirty-Seven << Table of Contents >> Chapter Thirty-Nine