Married, but Still Strangers - Chapter 12

Yue Lu had never taken the subway, which was well within Zhuang Yan’s expectations.

After all, what kind of eldest young master commutes by subway or bus every day?

Even if they didn’t have a driver, wouldn’t they at least be able to drive themselves?

Zhuang Yan had a transportation card, but it was clearly not cost-effective to go and get another one for Yue Lu now.

So in the end, Zhuang Yan decided to use the ride code he applied for on his phone himself and let Yue Lu use the transportation card.

Don’t ask why he didn’t apply for a ride code using Yue Lu’s phone it was because Yue Lu’s phone number was a “black account” (unregistered/new) and didn’t have the 20% discount.

Only after finishing the application did Zhuang Yan realize that Yue Lu didn’t care about those few cents.

However, since the transportation card had already been given, it wasn’t polite to ask for it back.

It took two hours by subway to reach the morning market. Zhuang Yan took Yue Lu straight to that Huntun Hou shop near the market.

They got up at 5:30 this morning just to have this mouthful of wontons, and the taste truly did not disappoint them.

Zhuang Yan was afraid Yue Lu wouldn’t have enough to eat, so he ordered an extra egg pancake for him.

The egg pancakes at this Huntun Hou were oily, fragrant, and crispy on the outside, while the egg stuffed inside was very tender and smooth. If it weren’t for the concern of wasting food, Zhuang Yan would have bought several more.

It wasn’t impossible to buy a few more to take home, considering this shop was quite far away.

Thinking of this, Zhuang Yan ordered five more egg pancakes to go.

Two for himself to eat, and three for Yue Lu.

Are three enough for Yue Lu?

Zhuang Yan looked up to observe Yue Lu; his appetite didn’t seem that large perhaps he was just hungry that other day.

It seems one really shouldn’t have stereotypical impressions of people.

Yue Lu gently blew twice on the wonton in his spoon, took a small bite to reveal the meat filling inside, and occasionally used chopsticks to pick up the egg pancake to eat, looking as though he was worried about getting his hands dirty.

But aren’t things tastiest when held and eaten by hand? If hands get dirty, they can be washed, or wiped with a tissue.

Wontons should be put into the mouth skin and filling together; what’s the point of biting them open?

Although Zhuang Yan did not understand Yue Lu’s behavior, he still showed respect for it and did not say anything.

After eating and drinking their fill and settling the bill, Zhuang Yan took Yue Lu to browse the morning market according to plan.

Strawberries seven yuan for a large box, buy two boxes. Loquats a rare find, buy a bag. Sauce-flavored pancakes look delicious at a glance, get five yuan worth. Cold appetizers Chinese salad, get a bag. The shrimp look good and are still jumping around, get half a kilo. …

Finally, Zhuang Yan and Yue Lu emerged from the morning market, each carrying several bags.

Now this was a problem; they couldn’t go anywhere else. Where could they go for fun while carrying so many things?

“How about we go back once to put these things at home?” Zhuang Yan asked tentatively.

Yue Lu did not object. The two of them lugged the many bags, with Yue Lu also holding a pot of flowers in his hand, and took the subway for another two hours to get home.

With all this tossing and turning, the amusement park was a no-go; they got back just in time for lunch.

So the two of them hurried back to the subway station and went to the restaurant Zhuang Yan mentioned.

It was almost past peak lunch hours, but there were still quite a few people in the restaurant. Fortunately, there was an empty table; Zhuang Yan felt the need to pull Yue Lu down to sit, fearing someone else would snatch it.

“How does it taste?” Zhuang Yan propped up his face, looking at Yue Lu.

He had just tasted a bite; the flavor couldn’t be called particularly stunning, but it was generally good.

At least it was worth the price actually, it far exceeded the price.

Yue Lu looked up and replied, “Not as delicious as what you make.”

“Really or fake?” Zhuang Yan felt like he was asking nonsense again; could Yue Lu possibly tell him it was fake?

“Of course it’s real.”

Just as expected.

“Since that’s the case, then I’ll have to go to the company to deliver food to you every day.”

“Okay.” Yue Lu immediately agreed, fearing Zhuang Yan would regret it.

He actually didn’t have to work overtime every night; he could be like other employees and get off work on time to go home for dinner.

But that was Zhuang Yan personally coming to the company to deliver food to him how could he refuse such a temptation?

Zhuang Yan: ?

Could it be the food he makes is tastier than the chefs at your company? Tastier than the great chefs outside? Could it be he has a talent for being a chef? It’s a pity he took the “crooked path” of art; if he had gone to New Oriental to learn cooking, he might have opened a chain of stores by now.

“But I don’t have an elevator card…” Zhuang Yan blinked his eyes expectantly at Yue Lu. “I can’t have you come down to pick me up every time, right?”

“I don’t have anything much to do anyway; coming down to pick you up is fine too.”

? What does that mean? He doesn’t want to give him an elevator card? Could it be he’s really having a “situation” in the office behind Zhuang Yan’s back? That’s not right; those secretaries are all Betas. Could it be an Alpha of Yue Lu’s status likes to engage in AB relationships?

“Am I not even worthy of an elevator card?” Zhuang Yan slammed his chopsticks down on the table in anger.

“No, that’s not what I meant…” He just wanted all the company employees to praise how well-matched the two of them were.

“Then what do you mean?” Zhuang Yan pressed.

“I… I… I…” Yue Lu “I-ed” for a long time without saying anything substantial. He couldn’t possibly say his true thoughts, right? That would be too forward.

“Forget it, I won’t argue with you. Just say whether you’ll give the elevator card or not?” Sometimes, between husband and wife, one has to turn a blind eye.

The closest yet most distant relationship is that of a husband and wife that’s the logic.

Yue Lu took the out: “Okay.”

After lunch, Zhuang Yan took Yue Lu to the cinema.

The area near the small restaurant where they ate was relatively remote and had no cinema; they took the subway for another hour to reach the cinema in the city center.

With all this traveling, the food they just ate had mostly digested.

It was also hard on Yue Lu to walk with Zhuang Yan like this; today’s step count probably caught up with all the walking Yue Lu had done in the past month.

But looking at Yue Lu, how did he seem not tired at all? Logically, Yue Lu sits in the office every day and has a driver to pick him up and drop him off his stamina shouldn’t be as good as Zhuang Yan’s.

“Aren’t you tired?” Zhuang Yan opened his mouth, adhering to the principle of asking when there’s a question.

Yue Lu shook his head: “It’s alright.”

“Did you secretly go to exercise? Otherwise, how could your stamina be better than mine?”

“I go for a run before you wake up, and occasionally go to the gym,” Yue Lu explained.

“Okay then.”

So that’s how it was.

Zhuang Yan wakes up late every day and doesn’t see Yue Lu going out for runs; he only knows that by the time he wakes up, Yue Lu has already prepared breakfast.

“Then call me next time you go out to exercise.” Zhuang Yan also wanted to be a self-disciplined person.

“Sure. But if you’re tired, take a break. Excessive exercise is actually harmful to the body.”

“Of course, I’m not stupid.”

The lead actor of this movie was still Shi Qiu; his resources lately were ridiculously good.

No, it should be said his resources had always been very good.

After all, he himself is the capital, and he has both acting skills and looks. Filming a movie is not a difficult task as long as he wants to do it.

Zhuang Yan laughed until he had physiological tears in the cinema, but Yue Lu was like a mannequin, only laughing a couple of times occasionally.

If it weren’t for the waves of laughter in the cinema, he would have suspected there was something wrong with his own aesthetics.

But now, he suspected even more that Yue Lu sitting next to him was a mannequin with pre-set emotions.

“Why aren’t you laughing?” Zhuang Yan leaned over, staring at Yue Lu’s eyes from the side. “Are you facial paralyzed? Why do you always have this expression?”

As expected of the Alpha he picked and chose for so long this face… tsk tsk… who knows who would be the one losing out by sleeping with him.

“There was an accident before; I can’t make large facial expressions,” Yue Lu explained.

He had long forgotten which kidnapping caused it; if he knew he would be misunderstood by Zhuang Yan now, he should have stabbed those kidnappers to death back then.

“I thought you didn’t like this movie.”

“Do you like this star very much?”

“Who?”

“This one.” Yue Lu pointed to Shi Qiu on the screen.

“You mean him… I guess I like him. Didn’t I tell you before? His variety shows are quite good; the two of us even watched them together.”

How should he put it? Zhuang Yan didn’t actually know many stars; most of them he knew because his classmates or friends liked them and he followed along.

Only Shi Qiu was someone he knew from watching too many of his movies, TV dramas, and variety shows especially the variety shows, which were every single one high quality.

After watching the variety shows and then seeing his dramas and movies, he didn’t feel out of character at all, which really tested his acting skills.

Yue Lu lowered his eyes, seemingly reflecting on Zhuang Yan’s words.

If what Zhuang Yan liked was a married, beautiful Omega, what were the chances of him immediately turning into an Omega now?

However, Zhuang Yan didn’t know Yue Lu’s inner thoughts; he was very puzzled: didn’t he just say one sentence? What was there to think about?

The movie ended, and Zhuang Yan and Yue Lu followed the flow of people out of the cinema.

The entertainment facilities were on the third and fourth floors of the mall. The two took the escalator over, and Yue Lu made a grand gesture, directly buying three thousand game coins.

But even with many game coins, if your skill isn’t good, it’s just not good. Zhuang Yan used a hundred coins and still couldn’t catch a single doll.

“Ah…” Zhuang Yan was a bit frustrated. “What kind of thing are you? Is pointing your butt at me looking down on me? If you don’t want to come out, then don’t come out for the rest of your life!”

One could really see Zhuang Yan was in a bad mood; he even started losing his temper at the little pig plushie in the claw machine.

“How about I give it a try?” Yue Lu volunteered.

“I want this little pig, the one with its butt facing me,” Zhuang Yan commanded.

“Okay, I’ll try.”

The first time, Yue Lu failed.

He put another coin in and immediately caught that pink little pig.

“Wow! You’re so amazing!” Zhuang Yan praised sincerely.

Yue Lu handed the little pig to Zhuang Yan: “Which other one do you want? I can try again.”

“Let me see.” Zhuang Yan’s steps were noticeably lighter. Holding the doll Yue Lu just caught, he skipped and hopped through the claw machines.

Yue Lu followed behind him, like a knight always waiting for the prince’s orders.

“I want this one.” This time Zhuang Yan took a fancy to a blue unicorn.

“Okay.” Yue Lu went to the corresponding claw machine, put the game coin into the machine, and caught the unicorn Zhuang Yan wanted in just one try.

“Great!” Zhuang Yan took out his doll from the exit below.

Bringing Yue Lu out today was really the right choice.

“Which one are we going to catch next?”

“Um… that little bee. Seeing his butt facing me is a provocation!”

“Okay.”

“Wait, I want to catch it myself this time.”

Seeing Yue Lu catch them so easily, Zhuang Yan felt he could do it again.

“Okay.”

However, the machine started to disobey orders when it got to Zhuang Yan. Zhuang Yan tried ten times in a row, and not even a single hair on that bee’s neck was caught.

“I’m not catching it, I’m not catching it. Why can’t I catch a single one?” Zhuang Yan lost heart and threw the basket of game coins onto the control panel in a “let it rot” manner.

“Want me to teach you?” His Beibei looked more and more adorable the more he looked at him.

“Yes!” Zhuang Yan’s face was written with the word “determined.”

“I want payment.” Yue Lu tapped his cheek with his finger.

Zhuang Yan understood, stood on his tiptoes, and kissed it: “Is this okay?”

That move by Zhuang Yan seemed to accidentally hit some switch; Yue Lu suddenly “burned up” (blushed) again.

“It… it’s fine.”

“The one who asked me to kiss you was you, and now the one blushing and shy is also you. Why are you such a strange person?”

After hearing this, Yue Lu almost failed to stand firm and fell; fortunately, there was a claw machine behind him, otherwise he would have had to go to the hospital again.

Sigh, truly a porcelain doll.

When they have children, they can’t let Yue Lu raise them; what if they are taught to be like this?

“Are you ready?”

“Ready, Teacher Yue.” Zhuang Yan put his hand on the joystick.

Yue Lu put the game coin in. After the machine started, his hand was placed on top of Zhuang Yan’s, and his body encircled Zhuang Yan.

“These claws all have inertia, so you just have to shake the joystick first to make it dizzy, move it in the opposite direction of where you want to go to the back of the doll you want to catch, and finally move it over the doll’s head and press the claw.”

Yue Lu spoke while guiding Zhuang Yan’s hand to operate; a little green frog was caught by the two of them just like that.

“I think I’ve learned it.” Zhuang Yan happily held the little green frog they just caught. “Let me try by myself.”

The practice process was not smooth. On Zhuang Yan’s fifth attempt, that little rabbit was finally caught by him.

“See, I caught it.” This was the first plushie Zhuang Yan had caught by himself.

“Great job.”

“So you can smile?” Zhuang Yan put that little white rabbit into the basket Yue Lu was holding. He then held Yue Lu’s face with both hands and rubbed it hard. “You’re not facial paralyzed after all.”

“I never said I was facial paralyzed. What I said just now was that I can’t make large expressions,” Yue Lu explained. “And I did smile when watching the movie just now.”

Yue Lu really did smile earlier; Zhuang Yan had thought it was a fake smile made to deal with the situation, but he didn’t expect it was a real smile.

“Forget it, I am a magnanimous person and won’t argue with you. Today, I shall conquer this pile of claw machines. Little Yue, are you willing to follow me?”

Yue Lu cooperated: “Your servant is willing.”

It was a bit like Long Aotian and his young master Liu Bo, but that wasn’t important.

“Good! Then follow me to conquer this territory!”

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