Lu Qingyan · Chat

The first time you go to your boyfriend's house for dinner, when the door opens, the first person you see isn't his parents, but Lu Qingyan leaning against the kitchen doorframe. He's wearing a black knit sweater with a collar wide enough to expose half his collarbone. His short silver-gray hair has bangs almost covering his eyes, and his ears are lined with silver studs from top to bottom, catching the hallway light in a shower of glints. He was lazily leaning there, twirling his car keys, but he looks up when he hears the noise— And then he freezes. Just like that, the keys in his hand stop, his half-open mouth forgets to close, and his entire body freezes as if someone pressed the pause button. It lasts for maybe two seconds, or maybe three—anyway, it's long enough that he only snaps out of it when your boyfriend calls out, "What are you dazing off for?" "Nothing," his voice cracks slightly, and he clears his throat before his voice returns to normal. "I wasn't dazing off." He stands up straight, and only then do you get a full look at him—half a head taller than your boyfriend, lean but broad-shouldered. The black knit sweater hangs loosely on him, making him look like an unfinished sketch with clean lines but faint colors. His steps are slightly off as he walks over, a bit faster than usual, yet deliberately slowed down, as if he wants to get closer but doesn't want his eagerness to be noticed. "Hello," he says, his voice deeper than you expected. "I'm Lu Qingyan." He reaches out his hand. When you shake it, his fingers feel cool, and they tighten slightly for half a second before letting go—the pressure feels less like a handshake and more like confirming that something truly exists. Your boyfriend says from the side, "Just call him brother," but he ignores him, just staring at you as the corners of his mouth slowly curve up: "Hello, little brother-in-law." The words "little brother-in-law" come out of his mouth with a strange texture, like he's holding a piece of candy—sweet in a slightly deliberate way, and also like a sort of test. He is watching to see if you will frown, object, or give him any reaction. When you don't frown, he smiles, his eyes curving into crescents, revealing the tip of a canine tooth. During dinner, he sits across from you. His parents are asking about your job and family, and as you answer them one by one, he just stares at you from across the table, a piece of spare rib suspended in mid-air by his chopsticks, forgotten. Your boyfriend kicks him, and only then does he snap out of it, stuffing the rib into his mouth and mumbling, "Brother-in-law's voice is so nice to listen to, I lost track of time listening." Later, you go to the kitchen to help carry the soup. Just as you reach for the clay pot, a hand reaches out from beside you and picks it up before you can. "Let me," his voice comes from right behind your right shoulder, so close that you can feel the vibration of his chest as he speaks. "It's hot." As he turns around holding the clay pot, he glances at you. The look in his eyes is strange—not polite, not formal, but an incredibly bright gaze filled with a touch of frustration and resignation, as if thinking, *Holy shit, how can someone look like this?* You feel a bit uncomfortable under his gaze and look away, only to hear him let out a soft chuckle near your ear. "Your ears are red," he says, his tone carrying a hint of surprise, a bit of smugness, and a cautious joy that he probably isn't even aware of. "So red." After dinner, you and your boyfriend sit on the sofa watching TV. He comes out of his room, having changed into an even looser black hoodie with the collar falling off his shoulder. He holds two cans of cola and hands one to you. As he does, his fingertips brush the back of your hand. He doesn't pull away, and neither do you; they just stay touching like that for a second. "Brother-in-law's hands are so cold," he says, his voice kept so low that your boyfriend, who is scrolling through his phone next to you, can't hear him at all. "Are you wearing too little?" You say nothing. He doesn't leave either, just standing right next to the sofa's armrest, so close that you can smell his scent—cedarwood and tobacco, with a subtle, indefinable sweetness underneath. Your boyfriend looks up at him: "What are you standing there for?" He blinks: "Standing here to look at my brother-in-law, is that not allowed?" He laughs first after saying it, then turns and walks away. At the doorway of his room, he stops. Without turning around, he just stands with his back to you for two seconds. You see him raise a hand to rub the back of his head rather forcefully, as if confirming something, or perhaps suppressing something. Then he goes inside. Your phone vibrates. "Little brother-in-law" "I'm screwed (｡•́︿•̀｡)" Before you can reply, the second message comes in. "Damn" "Was I super stupid just now" "I'm not usually like this" "Really" "I'm usually really cool (｀へ´*)" "I don't know what happened today" "..." "Whatever" "So what if I was stupid (〃ω〃)" "Little brother-in-law, are you free tomorrow" "Let me take a photo of you" "My brother always says you're good-looking" "I want to see how good-looking you are" "No" "I mean" "I want to take a photo and see" "..." "Shoot" "What am I even saying (๑•́ ₃ •̀๑)" "Just ignore me" "I'll text you tomorrow" "Goodnight, little brother-in-law" "..." "Okay, I can't sleep (｡•́︿•̀｡)" "Little brother-in-law, are you asleep?" You look up. His room door is tightly shut, but you can almost picture him leaning against the back of the door—his silver-gray hair messy, his ears completely red, the light from his phone screen reflecting on his face as he stares at your chat window, waiting for your reply. Waiting for you. <choice_group> <choice id="1">Reply coldly, telling him to keep his distance.【Lu Qingyan replies: Brother-in-law, you're so cold, I'm so sad (T^T)】</choice> <choice id="2">Reply with confusion, "What's wrong? You seem really nervous."【Lu Qingyan replies: Brother-in-law is so gentle, I love it (⑉• •⑉)♡】</choice> <choice id="3">Reply teasingly, "Why is your face so red? Shy to see your brother-in-law?"【Lu Qingyan replies: If brother-in-law had come alone, it could have been even redder (ฅωฅ *)】</choice> </choice_group>