Husband, Hungry, Eat! Chapter 105

Chapter 105 

June was already halfway through by the time Lu Yang made it back to Mingcheng.

Back when Lu Yang was doing an event in Sucheng, Qi Cheng thought he spotted Liu Sinian in one of the big promo photos from the event—looking really enthusiastic. Mostly just out of curiosity, he asked around.

And sure enough, it was him.

Boss Orange: What was Mr. Liu doing there? Was he there just to see your event?

Boss's Sister Orange: Boss, do you know Mr. Liu too? He's so handsome and gentle in person.

This "Orange" had changed her nickname ever since she got that red envelope for milk tea last time. She said she was riding the boss's good luck to boost her own status. Everyone took it as a joke—nobody really cared.

Boss Orange: He's our neighbor. Knows how to paint, knows how to cook. Really nice guy.

Zhuzhu: Oh wow, he can cook too? Kind of shipping them a little.

Boss Orange: ? Shipping?

TT: It means "I'm seeing something between them" (just kidding).

Boss's Sister Orange: Hahahaha careful or Xiao Lu will silently assassinate you.

And then the topic drifted off. Qi Cheng asked Lu Yang when he'd be back, saying he'd go pick him up.

Lu Yang: No need. Lao Ke and I will take a cab back.

Boss Orange: Let me go!!! I've been home lazing around under the AC for half a month. I desperately need to get out and do something. Driving counts as going out too.

Lu Yang: ...Fine. We have luggage.

Boss Orange: Got it. I'll take a bigger car.

Everyone knew the boss had money, so hearing him say he'd switch cars didn't surprise anyone—they figured it was just standard rich-kid stuff. The courtyard house they'd filmed at before, the gallery they'd borrowed, the signed postcards he'd given away for free, and even the townhouse studio that belonged to the boss. Plus the occasional big red envelopes during holidays or hot weather.

In short—money wasn't an issue. But nobody actually knew exactly how wealthy the boss was.

Some people in the group chat were curious and had asked Lu Yang before, but Lu Yang wasn't the type to share what he didn't want to. He'd just go cold-faced and refuse to give anyone face.

Since Qi Cheng was coming to pick him up, Lu Yang switched his overnight flight to the next morning instead, so he stayed one more night in Sucheng.

The next day, Qi Cheng took the family SUV to the airport.

This was his husband's car. The interior had been modified before to fit a wheelchair, and the entry had been adjusted too. After his husband recovered, they kept the car and had it remodeled back to standard.

Qi Cheng knew his family was well-off, but it wasn't anything like the exaggerated luxury people online imagined. Even back when they were getting dividends from Jiang Group stocks, it never felt extravagant. Not to be humble—it was just their lifestyle. Meals were simple home cooking, though Uncle Quan made everything delicious.

Fruit was always available. Whatever they wanted, they had.

Clothes were sometimes from big brands, but they only bought what looked good.

And compared to Jiang Zhi's family's massive estate, or Zhao Zhuo's sprawling courtyard compound with butlers and chefs, Qi Cheng's place was pretty down-to-earth.

They didn't waste food. His husband's old car was still useful after some adjustments.

He'd joked before about being a "rich boss," but when he saw all the wild speculation online, he'd clarified himself: "I was just kidding earlier. I'm not that rich—just a little bit of money, that's all."

Of course, that screenshot got used against him every time—people saying the studio was bragging, or that Lu Yang was faking a rich-kid persona.

Lu Yang had never played that persona.

The mockery kept coming. Qi Cheng didn't care—he wasn't living his life for netizens.

He parked at the airport lot and waited. Before long, Lu Yang, Lao Ke, TT, and the assistant came down. Zhuzhu had flown straight to Shanghai. After picking everyone up and loading the luggage, Lu Yang sat in the front passenger seat with his backpack on.

"You look a little tanner?" Qi Cheng observed.

TT chimed in from the back: "Xiao Lu didn't wear sunscreen at first. After one day in the sun, his skin started peeling." Then added, "Boss, you look paler."

Qi Cheng grinned, proud of himself. "I barely saw any midday sun all summer. Been eating fruit every day. That's probably why."

"Let's grab lunch first, then I'll drop you guys home."

Boss Orange finally had a day out and about—of course he wasn't in a rush to get back. Lu Yang knew that and didn't object.

"What do you want to eat?"

"I want something spicy. The food in Sucheng was so bland."

So in the middle of summer, they decided on hotpot.

They booked a private room. The AC was blasting when they walked in—it actually felt a little cold at first. But once the hotpot arrived and they started eating, things warmed up quickly.

TT took a photo and asked, "Can I post this on Weibo, boss?"

Qi Cheng had no objections. "Go ahead."

"I thought you didn't like being in photos."

Qi Cheng swirled meat in the pot and grinned. "I look this good—why would I be afraid?" He lived off his face after all!

Lu Yang: ...

TT had followed Lu Yang through three cities. Fans who couldn't get Lu Yang's contact info started going after people around him. TT and Lao Ke certainly weren't going to hand out Lu Yang's WeChat, but whether to give out their own was up to them.

TT posted on Weibo first, then reposted on Moments.

Home now. Boss treated us to hotpot right after we landed. Boss is generous.

Comments came in fast:

—Boss? Who's that?

—Is that the chubby, geeky-looking boss?

—That geek is Lao Ke, the photographer, okay.

—Ahhhh Xiao Lu looks so good even without makeup.

—Process of elimination—so the only one left who could be the boss is...

—Whoa!

—Holy crap!

—Boss Orange really is soft, pale, and sweet-looking.

—He looks so young though?

—Probably just a rich kid with family money and no real power—just coasting through life.

There were a lot of comments like this on Weibo. Maybe because last year they'd gone up against Yi Ran, and Yi Ran had gotten blacklisted by Jian'er Media. Yi Ran's fans had always resented Lu Yang, especially as he grew more popular. Some extreme ones turned into Lu Yang haters, dragging the studio boss into it too.

They'd previously attacked Qi Cheng's "dirty background." Then when Qi Cheng said he only had "a little money," they started claiming he was a poser faking wealth. Earlier on, they'd even spread rumors that Lu Yang was being kept by the boss—though Qi Cheng had sued a bunch of them.

But with this new photo out, all the "sketchy oily boss" rumors about Lu Yang vanished.

Because the boss looked way too young!

Pale skin, big eyes, bright dark pupils, clean and fresh-looking. He was wearing a colorful graphic T-shirt that somehow looked stylish with his golden curls—vividly pretty.

Different from Lu Yang's sharp, delicate features.

—The boss has that kind of vibe, makes you want to poke and squish him.

—That lipstick shade is so pretty too.

—Someone above, that's probably the color from the spicy hotpot.

—Hahahaha anyway the boss is young, cute, rich, and pampered.

—The boss's hand holding the chopsticks reminds me of that vampire video wrist.

—Whoa! Didn't think of that—going to check.

Fans went to compare, quickly came back with screenshot proof.

—!!! It really is him—here’s the proof with pictures [image]

—That wrist shot was so suggestive back then—pale and soft-looking.

—Just a reminder, the boss is married.

—The boss is so soft and cute—he definitely has a husband!

Qi Cheng saw these online posts too. He'd even comment on the funny ones. When he saw the last one, he liked it and replied: "I do have a husband. I'm just a lazy sponge living off him."

And then the haters mocked him again.

Whatever. Let them mock.

Because he had a husband, he was lazy, and he lived off his husband—all true.

As long as he was happy, that's what mattered.

Lu Yang was stubborn. After wrapping up nearly a month of events, he started calculating the earnings and divvying up the money. Qi Cheng had to go back and forth with him for quite a while before finally getting him to agree not to subtract things like Lao Ke’s pay or TT and Zhuzhu’s styling fees as "costs."

Otherwise, Lu Yang would've subtracted all that and barely made any profit at all.

This kid.

Qi Cheng did all this because it made him happy. And honestly, he wasn't losing—he was gaining too. Mainly because he didn't have to pay rent.

College entrance exam results started coming out.

"I heard it's really competitive. No rush, no rush," Uncle Quan told Lu Yang—though looking at them, Uncle Quan was more nervous than Lu Yang.

"Here, have a fried dough stick and two eggs."

Qi Cheng undercut him: "Uncle Quan, it's not out of 100 anymore. The max score is 150."

Uncle Quan: ...

"Then I'll add five more buns?"

Lu Yang smiled. "It's okay, Uncle Quan. Don't worry—I should get into college."

"By the way, what major are you thinking of applying for?" Qi Cheng asked curiously.

Lu Yang didn't answer. Qi Cheng figured the kid hadn't decided yet and didn't press.

After breakfast, since results were coming out today, Lu Yang stayed one more night. Uncle Quan didn't rush him—wanting to know but also afraid of putting pressure on Lu Yang.

"Uncle Quan, relax. If he's saying that, he probably did pretty well," Qi Cheng said, turning to ask the little goose, "Right, Fanfan?"

Fanfan of course went "yes yes yes."

Everyone laughed.

The results finally came out. Lu Yang scored 622. That was a strong score for a science student—more than 70 points above the cutoff for top-tier universities, which meant he could get into a really good school.

Last winter, Lu Yang had only scored just over 500 on his mock exam.

In half a year, that was huge progress.

"Good kid, good kid. You've done well," Uncle Quan said, emotional.

Auntie Zheng and Uncle Li were equally thrilled. Uncle Li's daughter was in high school too, taking the exam next year—lately, she'd been hanging around Lu Yang hoping some of his luck would rub off.

Qi Cheng: "Quick, screenshot this and show it off! Our Xiao Lu is amazing."

Take that, haters—the ones who had cursed Lu Yang, saying he would bomb the exam and was worthless. Qi Cheng loved doing this kind of thing. It was elementary-school-level trolling.

"I'll do it."

Lu Yang wasn't the type to stay silent either. He had held back all along, waiting for this moment. He took a screenshot of his score and posted it on his main Weibo account—no caption, just a sun emoji.

Qi Cheng immediately reposted.

Sweet Orange from Da Bai's Family: Congrats to our Xiao Lu on his great score! Let's do a giveaway—1,000 people as usual. A set of Xiao Lu's postcards + 1,000 RMB, bundled together, for 1,000 winners. 

—I don't know what to be more shocked by—Xiao Lu's score or the boss's generosity.

—Retweet retweet, I want in early!

—Boss is so generous!

Lu Yang went back to his school. For a school like his, this score was a huge honor. The school was going to give him a scholarship.

Uncle Quan also suggested a teacher appreciation banquet—they had to do it, and they'd handle the planning.

Qi Cheng had never done one before, but he thought it was a great idea. Let's do it!

The banquet was set for August 8th.

In early July, Bai Zongyin said, "Chengcheng, I need to go abroad for something—"

"I'm coming too!" Qi Cheng's first reaction was exactly that.

It just slipped out.