The two found a spot in the campus café by the window, with sunlight streaming in through the clear glass, casting light on the wooden square table.
The aroma of coffee and baked goods filled the space. Lu Yuxing placed his backpack down and asked, “What do you want to drink?”
Shang Jue sat across from him and replied nonchalantly, “Anything.”
Lu Yuxing stood up and walked to the counter.
“Hello, I’d like two cups of…”
The staff member at the bar, busy preparing drinks, didn’t turn around. “You can scan the QR code on the table to order.”
Lu Yuxing paused, looking at his phone, his eyelashes lowering as he thought for a moment.
“Can’t I order at the counter?”
“Uh…” The staff member turned to glance at him.
Since the QR code ordering system was introduced two years ago, students typically didn’t come to the counter anymore; those who did were usually older teachers.
He put down what he was doing and walked over. “It’s fine. What would you like?”
It was only ten o’clock, and the café wasn’t very busy. Normally, students with classes were in their classrooms, while those without either went to the library early or were still in bed. There weren’t many orders, so after Lu Yuxing placed his, the staff quickly prepared two cups of coffee.
When he returned from the pickup counter, Lu Yuxing held two identical hazelnut lattes, placing one in front of Shang Jue.
Shang Jue tilted his head and stared at the coffee cup for a while. “You ordered two of the same?”
Lu Yuxing lifted his gaze, puzzled. “Is there a problem?”
Shang Jue smirked. “So unromantic.”
No wonder he’s twenty and still doesn’t have a girlfriend. Ugh, this silly dog won’t still be single at thirty, will he?
After some serious thought, Shang Jue realized that possibility seemed quite high.
Lu Yuxing stared at the coffee cup in his hand for a few seconds, not quite understanding why ordering two of the same was considered unromantic.
If it’s unromantic, then so be it; it doesn’t matter to him.
“What do you want to talk about? Are we breaking up?”
Before coming, Shang Jue had a hunch that Lu Yuxing probably wanted to bring up “breaking up.”
From what he knew about Lu Yuxing, this guy seemed to hate establishing intimate relationships, especially with someone of the same sex.
He stirred his straw, speaking very casually. This indifferent tone made Lu Yuxing glance at Shang Jue again.
Sitting by the window, the sunlight seemed to particularly favor the person across from him, casting just the right amount of light on his face.
After watching for a moment, Lu Yuxing finally said, “No.”
“Not breaking up?”
“Not breaking up.” Lu Yuxing frowned. “Why would you think that? Was I bad to you before?”
Shang Jue was silent for a moment, turning his face slightly. “Not really.”
It was the kind of “not really” that implied he’d want to kill him when he regained his memory.
For a moment, Lu Yuxing didn’t know what to say.
Based on the conclusions he’d drawn in the past few days, his attitude toward his boyfriend had indeed not been great. He was neither considerate nor gentle.
However, he wasn’t surprised at his behavior either.
He wasn’t the kind of person suited for a romantic relationship, and there probably weren’t many who could tolerate having a partner who treated their lover with such emotional detachment.
But he hadn’t considered that he had vaguely thought about domestic violence toward Shang Jue.
That was just not his style; it was truly despicable.
After a moment of silence, he said, “I will change.”
“…” This time, it was Shang Jue’s turn to be surprised.
What is this silly dog saying?
Lu Yuxing frowned. “I will try to change the things I did wrong before.”
But he couldn’t guarantee what kind of change that would be, he added silently in his mind.
Lu Yuxing had never liked accommodating others, and he had never harbored any fantasies about intimate relationships. The fact that he could make such concessions was entirely due to a sense of guilt toward Shang Jue.
Shang Jue stared blankly and responded with an “Oh.”
Seeing him acknowledge it, Lu Yuxing shifted the topic, “However, as my boyfriend, there are a few things I hope you can do.”
He called him “boyfriend,” but his face wore a cold, serious expression as if he were negotiating with someone at work.
Shang Jue felt a spark of curiosity. “What do you want me to do?”
“First, don’t call me ‘baby,’ and I hope you can behave a little more during class.”
Shang Jue raised an eyebrow.
“Second,” Lu Yuxing paused for a moment, “you cannot go to bars.”
“Just these two for now.”
He believed his demands weren’t excessive. The term “baby” was truly a bit nauseating. As someone’s boyfriend, not going to chaotic places like gay bars was a reasonable expectation.
Shang Jue fell silent.
Hearing Lu Yuxing lay down such serious demands, he couldn’t help but want to laugh.
How ridiculous? This guy was clearly still in a state of amnesia, unable to remember what he’d done over the past two years, and his life was completely out of balance. Yet, he still thought he could control others?
Shang Jue set his coffee cup down and relaxed his body, leaning back against the sofa, silently scoffing.
Who do you think you are? You think you can demand anything from me?
“Baby, let me give you a little reminder. I really hate it when others tell me what to do.”
Shang Jue’s tone was far from pleasant, and this was the first time Lu Yuxing had seen him display any anger.
However, he remained unfazed. “I’m not demanding you do anything. I’m reminding you of what is unacceptable as my partner.”
“I’m not asking you to sacrifice for me.” As he spoke, he looked at Shang Jue with a probing gaze and said slowly, “If you truly are my boyfriend, you should know my personality.”
Shang Jue paused for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
He indeed understood this person’s character very well.
In Shang Jue's nineteen years of life, Lu Yuxing was undoubtedly the most unique and peculiar person he had encountered. To outsiders, Lu Yuxing seemed to be the most talked-about, aloof campus heartthrob, with very few able to see the extremely terrible personality hidden beneath his handsome facade.
He was extremely self-centered and lacked emotional intelligence. It wasn’t that he was born with low emotional intelligence; he simply couldn’t be bothered to learn or mimic others.
For a moment, Shang Jue really wanted to lay everything out with Lu Yuxing. Being the boyfriend of such a guy, even if it was just for show, was more than enough to be a source of frustration.
“You mean to say that because you have amnesia, you can casually make demands of me?”
Lu Yuxing replied, “This is mutual; you can also state your demands.”
“My demands? Well… I do have one.”
Lu Yuxing patiently waited for him to speak.
“I only have one request.” Shang Jue smiled, “As my boyfriend, you cannot restrict me or dictate ‘what I cannot do.’”
Lu Yuxing was taken aback for a moment and fell silent.
He suddenly had a feeling that his boyfriend was far from the gentle and easygoing person he appeared to be.
Shang Jue raised the corners of his mouth, his fox-like eyes narrowing into crescent-shaped arcs, smiling beautifully.
If he couldn’t outsmart the old Lu Yuxing, then it would be a waste of the years of memories he had accumulated if he couldn’t even handle the amnesiac version.
“Now, do you have any other questions, baby?”
Lu Yuxing felt deflated and remained silent with a cold expression.
He realized that Shang Jue's personality simply did not match his own. After he proposed a few trivial requests, they were completely dismissed without any room for negotiation.
What was the point of continuing this relationship?
Let’s just break up.
After his amnesia, this thought had flashed through Lu Yuxing's mind countless times.
A conversation almost ended on a sour note.
Fortunately, Shang Jue changed the subject. “Have you remembered anything these past couple of days?”
Lu Yuxing didn’t really feel like talking, but he patiently replied, “No, I only remembered a bit about the day I returned to the dormitory.”
Shang Jue’s expression grew serious. “It’s been about a week since you woke up, right? Didn’t your doctor say you should be getting better in a week or two at most?”
But judging by Lu Yuxing's current situation, there were no signs of improvement.
“Other possibilities can’t be ruled out.” Lu Yuxing was quite calm. “I’ll go for another checkup this weekend. If there’s still no improvement, I’ll probably take a break from classes and visit other hospitals.”
“Do you need me to accompany you for the checkup this weekend?” Shang Jue asked out of politeness, though his tone didn’t convey any genuine concern.
Lu Yuxing didn’t pick up on the insincerity in the question and thought Shang Jue genuinely wanted to accompany him.
“No need; my brother is back in the country, and he’ll be with me.”
“Okay.”
Lu Yuxing asked, “If I never remember anything in the future, what will you do?”
Shang Jue replied, “Why suddenly bring this up? You haven’t even had your re-examination yet. Talking about this now feels ominous.”
“It’s just a hypothetical. I’m used to preparing for the worst.” Lu Yuxing rubbed the rim of his coffee cup with his right hand absentmindedly. “I might forget everything about you forever. If you want to break up, feel free to say it; I’d understand.”
Oh really…
Shang Jue almost burst into laughter.
This guy was clearly wishing for him to initiate the breakup while acting as if he could “understand.”
“Haha, I’m not that kind of scumbag who would run away in a crisis.” Shang Jue looked at Lu Yuxing with deep affection. “Don’t worry, baby. Even if you get hit by a car and end up with amnesia, or one day you get hit and become paralyzed, unable to take care of yourself, I will absolutely—definitely—not abandon you!”
The word “absolutely” was drawn out by Shang Jue, emphasizing his commitment.
“……”
Shang Jue then displayed an incredibly warm and radiant smile. “I will definitely be loyal to you, never leaving or abandoning you.”
Lu Yuxing suddenly felt a dryness on his tongue, and the coffee in his mouth tasted bitter beyond measure.
He turned his face away, and after a long pause, he finally replied with a very stiff “Thank you.”
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