No One Else Will Do But You - Chapter 30

Luo Luo, how have you been lately? Are you eating properly at school? Don’t be a picky eater. I’ve already told A Mu to watch you eat. Also, make sure you wear the gloves Mom bought you. The weather is getting colder; I don’t want you coming back with chilblains and crying. I heard you’re working on that New Year’s Day gala recently, is that right? Are you taking part in anything?”

Shu Mom’s questions were numerous, as is always the case for a mother with her child.

“Mom, you have so many questions, I don’t know which one to answer first. I’m eating well, I’m wearing the gloves, and yes, I’m participating in a performance.”

“What kind of performance? Did the school invite parents to attend?”

Uh… He wanted to say no, but in reality, they could attend. However, he absolutely did not want his mother to see him in a dress.

“Yes, Auntie! Shu Luo is participating! You absolutely must come and watch, Auntie! You’ll regret it if you don’t!” Wang Kai, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation, heard the question and blurted out excitedly.

Shu Luo immediately covered the phone’s receiver, glaring furiously at Wang Kai and shooing him away in a low voice: “What are you doing? Who told you to listen to my call! Go on, go play somewhere else!”

“So stingy! Auntie, you definitely have to come! Your Shu Luo has a performance!”

“…” Shu Luo looked at him expressionlessly, his heart sinking. He had planned to keep it a secret.

As soon as Shu Mom heard that Shu Luo had a performance, she got excited: “Luo Luo, you’re performing on New Year’s Day. Can I go?”

“Uh… Mom, about that… fine, you can come.” He could hear the joy radiating through the phone receiver and truly didn’t want to spoil his mother’s excitement.

Shu Mom excitedly replied: “Really? That’s great! Anyway, you’ll have a holiday that day, right? I can come pick you up, and your Dad will be back then too, so we can all go together.”

Shu Luo felt like he could die right there.

Now he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go through with it. A dress is a dress, he accepted his fate.

Jiang Mu, who was reading a book, looked over when the commotion started and saw Shu Luo’s… mixed-emotions face.

“Luo Luo, is A Mu there? Ask him to listen. Mom wants to chat with him too.”

Shu Luo glanced at Jiang Mu and said into the phone: “Mom, you’re not playing fair. You only called me for two seconds before asking for Brother.” Saying that, he handed the phone to Jiang Mu.

Jiang Mu took the phone and said gently: “Godmother, how have you been recently?”

“A Mu, is everything going well at school? Luo Luo hasn’t been bothering you much, has he?”

“No, Luo Luo has made a lot of progress in every aspect. Why would he bother me now?”

Shu Mom suddenly laughed: “A Mu, are you participating in any performance too?”

“Yes, I am. Are you planning to come, Godmother?”

“Of course! Since both of you are performing, naturally I have to come! Your godfather is also coming back the day before New Year’s Day. We’ll watch your performance and then take you out for a nice meal to celebrate. Oh my, I need to bring a camera that day. I can’t miss your performance.”

Jiang Mu maintained a slight smile throughout, showing no sign of impatience with Shu Mom’s continuous stream of conversation.

Li Zixin, watching Jiang Mu on the phone, suddenly sighed: “A son-in-law like that is truly a role model worth learning from. Shu Luo, you little wife, you are so lucky.”

Shu Luo glared at him: “Get out of here with your ‘little wife’ talk!”

“Well, isn’t it true? Look how much Jiang Mu dotes on you—a model husband!” Wang Kai teased.

“What’s it to you? You jealous? Go find one yourself,” Shu Luo said dismissively, climbing into bed to sleep.

“Did you brush your teeth?”

Jiang Mu’s slightly cool voice reached him. Shu Luo, whose first foot had just landed on the bed, had to put it back on the ladder and silently climb down.

Sob… What kind of model husband? You guys are wrong!

Shu Mom seemed to have overheard: “A Mu, you absolutely must control these bad habits of Luo Luo’s that he can’t change! He never likes to brush his teeth before bed. Now he has cavities, and he still won’t listen! He’ll know the pain when he has to get them filled!”

“I understand, Godmother. I’ll make sure to keep an eye on Luo Luo.”

Shu Mom was truly extremely satisfied with her godson. He was handsome and steady. Why didn’t I give birth to a daughter? How perfect would that have been?

“Alright, I won’t interrupt your rest. Go wash up and sleep.”

“Yes, Godmother, good night.”

The Unbearable Cuteness

Hanging up the phone, Jiang Mu’s peripheral vision caught sight of the guy already brushing his teeth, seemingly with some indignation, treating his mouth with a rough violence.

Hmph! Mom is too biased, treating Jiang Mu so well and always complaining about my bad habits!

Suddenly, a long, warm hand covered the hand holding the toothbrush.

“Brushing so hard will make your gums bleed.”

Sigh, it was this accursed gentleness—and this voice—that had captivated his mother.

Shu Luo, his mouth full of bubbles, turned his head to glance at Jiang Mu, and a sudden mischievous idea struck him: he spat a mouthful of bubbles onto Jiang Mu’s face.

Jiang Mu, startled by the sudden attack, wiped the bubbles off his face helplessly.

“Hmph!”

Shu Luo turned back to slowly brush his teeth.

Jiang Mu washed his face clean and glanced at him before walking back inside the dorm.

“Oh dear, Jiang Mu, you are spoiling your little wife too much! He’s going to walk all over you now. You need to put him in his place!”

Jiang Mu raised an eyebrow and asked: “How should I put him in his place?”

Wang Kai leaned into his ear mysteriously: “Activate his slave nature. Give him the cold shoulder for a few days. He’ll get uncomfortable and willingly cling back to you.”

“Oh? Have you tried it?”

“Of course! It works like a charm. I do the same thing to my girlfriend.”

Jiang Mu chuckled. He was genuinely afraid of hurting that guy; he was so sensitive.

The rented costumes had arrived. When Shu Luo saw the Snow White dress, he felt his eyes water.

“Aiya, this Snow White dress is so pretty! The lead character really is special!”

Bringing it back to the dorm inevitably resulted in a round of teasing from Wang Kai.

Shu Luo was speechless. Not only was there the dress, but there was also a wig. Sigh… How upsetting.

Li Zixin curiously stepped forward and touched the dress: “It feels quite nice to the touch. It must be comfortable to wear.”

Hey, brother, that’s not the point!

The Prince’s costume was, of course, a black knight’s suit, very handsome. The woven white and gold threads on it highlighted the garment’s overall elegance—a graceful, gentlemanly English style.

Shu Luo touched the Prince’s costume enviously. Why couldn’t he be the Prince? Why did the creative part have to involve him cross-dressing? Does the class leader always have to make such a big sacrifice?

“Shu Luo, why don’t you try it on?” Wang Kai looked at Shu Luo with a mischievous smile.

“I choose to remain mysterious,” Shu Luo said, quickly putting the clothes away. He didn’t want to wear it twice; once was enough.

Jiang Mu’s eyes deepened. Yes, once is enough for the dress. He actually preferred the idea of him wearing it in front of him, but only in front of him.

“I heard… there’s a kiss scene too?” Li Zixin chimed in again.

If he didn’t mention it, Shu Luo might forget, but when he did, Shu Luo didn’t know how to vent his anger. He had stayed up for three nights—was it all for this script? No, it was completely different from what he had envisioned. He wouldn’t have worked so hard otherwise. Plus, no matter what he said to Huang Wen Yu, she insisted the kiss scene could not be cut. In her words, if they cut the kiss, there would be no need for Snow White; they might as well just bury her. And the Prince wouldn’t be necessary either; they might as well let the Seven Dwarfs save the world.

Sigh.

Seeing Shu Luo’s troubled expression, Jiang Mu also felt uneasy.

This kind of reaction—complete rejection—made him feel that the road ahead was long and difficult.

“Hehe, yes, there is. Make sure you watch then,” Shu Luo said with a forced, unnatural smile.

Jiang Mu reached out and pinched his cheek. Shu Luo cried out in pain, clutching his face and looking at Jiang Mu innocently.

“Wh-What was that for?” Did he say something wrong again?

Jiang Mu said nothing, reached for his uniform jacket on the rack, put it on, and walked out the dorm room door.

It’s the middle of the day. Isn’t he going to sleep?

Shu Luo had to start guessing what was wrong again. Jiang Mu… mixed-race people are just complicated. I just don’t understand him.

“Shu Luo, Jiang Mu is probably mad. You made it look like you didn’t want the kiss. It’s not like he’s going to rape you! Why the disgusted look? It’s just a kiss! You’re a grown man, why are you so uptight? Or… are you really his little wife?”

Shu Luo kicked him: “You’re the little wife! Take that, take that!”

Wang Kai dodged and laughed: “Aiya, you and Jiang Mu have such a good relationship. Haven’t you ever ‘helped’ each other out?”

The “help” he was referring to was obvious, and Shu Luo understood, but no, they hadn’t.

“We are completely pure! Stop thinking about dirty things all the time!”

Wang Kai looked unconvinced: “No? Lying! Don’t tell me… you haven’t even had your first time yet?”

“…” Please don’t expose me!

Seeing Shu Luo fall silent, Wang Kai burst into loud laughter.

“Aiya, don’t worry, don’t worry! Reading up on certain things can help, you know. You’re still young. Oh, right, isn’t your birthday coming up soon?”

Shu Luo decided to ignore him, put on his clothes, and went to comfort his sensitive Jiang Mu. Sigh, the worry.

The Confession of the Heart

Jiang Mu hadn’t gone far, just walking around downstairs.

Shu Luo was very bothered by the kiss scene. It could have easily been a forced perspective shot, but he was fixated on it, even outright rejecting it, despite their closeness.

Every expression of rejection on his face made Jiang Mu feel a sense of loss.

He didn’t want him to see any of his true emotions.

Truly, I’ve brought this suffering upon myself.

“Hey, Brother, why did you come down in the middle of the day? It’s so cold.”

The clear voice from behind him suddenly tugged at his nerves.

He stopped and turned sideways, his expression indifferent.

The afternoon sun outlined his perfect profile, his nose straight and prominent, his lips slightly pressed together. The school uniform accentuated his tall, lean figure, and his every movement exuded a distinct nobility.

So handsome…

Shu Luo swallowed. Jiang Mu really was getting handsomer and handsomer. Even he, as his brother, felt a little drawn to him. Sure enough, like attracts like.

Jiang Mu noticed a fleeting look of infatuation in Shu Luo’s eyes and was somewhat surprised.

“Luo Luo?”

“Hehe…” Shu Luo gave a silly laugh, walked up to him, stood on his tiptoes, and hugged his shoulder: “Brother, I feel like you’ve gotten handsomer again.”

Jiang Mu raised an eyebrow. Did he come down just for this?

“Well, Brother, you’re not mad about the kiss scene, are you? Actually, it’s fine. We’re so close, right? It’s just a kiss. How about we kiss right now to get used to it?”

Is he really this innocent?

Jiang Mu forced a twitch of his lips, unsure how to respond. He hadn’t expected Shu Luo to assume he was the unwilling one and try to compromise first.

Seeing Jiang Mu remain silent, Shu Luo couldn’t guess what he was thinking. This man is so reserved.

“I wasn’t bothered by it.”

“Really? Then I’ll be the one to kiss you when the time comes?”

“I’ll be the one to kiss you.”

“Oh, okay. That works too. As long as you don’t mind.”

How could I mind?

A Sincere Feeling

December 31st was Shu Luo’s birthday and also the day of the New Year’s Day gala performance.

The school had sent invitations. All students’ parents were welcome to attend the gala. The school’s convention center had enough space to seat ten thousand people, and the middle and high schools combined had just over four thousand students.

Stage preparations went smoothly.

The backstage work was also proceeding in an orderly fashion.

Class 5’s performance slot was second-to-last, a result of the lottery draw. It was a great spot, but also nerve-wracking. The last performance was the regular closing song.

There were fifteen junior high classes and thirty high school classes, but only twenty classes were performing, along with two teacher performances. The total performance time was three hours.

Admission began at 1:00 PM, and the show started promptly at 1:30 PM.

Shu Dad’s flight was at 2:00 PM. After going home to wash up, he would probably arrive at the school around 3:00 PM.

“You can make it. I’m the second-to-last performance, so it should be around 3:30 or 4:00 PM,” Shu Luo said into the phone to his father.

“Alright, you better prepare well, young man. Don’t disappoint your old man with all the secrecy!”

Uh… I might be disappointed, though.

He didn’t want to say that out loud. Haha, they’ll probably all be very surprised.

“Shu Luo, come over for makeup!”

Huang Wen Yu’s voice carried from far away.

Shu Luo said goodbye to his father and hung up the phone.

Huang Wen Yu’s aunt was a makeup artist who had just returned from Paris and was currently working for a high-end cosmetics company.

“Shu Luo, you are so lucky. My aunt is amazing.”

Huang Wen Yu’s aunt was named Zhang Ling. She was a very young-looking woman, appearing to be barely in her early thirties, dressed beautifully in a sapphire-blue business suit.

“Xiao Yu, it’s rare for you to compliment me so much,” Zhang Ling teased while preparing her tools.

“It’s just the truth!”

Zhang Ling gently lifted Shu Luo’s chin with her hand, examining his features and skin condition, and nodded in satisfaction.

“Shu Luo, your skin is very good—no acne and very delicate. Not many boys have skin like yours.”

“Thank you, Big Sister. Maybe it’s because I drink a lot of cooling herbal tea to reduce heat.”

The address “Big Sister” was well-received.

“Heh-heh, you’re quite a smooth talker,” she said, starting to apply foundation.

Zhang Ling found Shu Luo’s relatively soft and delicate features very easy to work with.

It took about ten minutes to finish, and a completely different person appeared in the mirror. Even he was stunned.

“Th-th-this…” Oh my heart. My masculine vigor!

His eyes were handled perfectly—they looked larger and more watery, and his eyelashes were long and curled. His surprised expression was so lively, making him look exactly like a naughty, adorable girl. With the gradient lip gloss on his lips, his whole appearance was completely feminine.

Zhang Ling put the wig on him—a playful bob for Snow White.

Jiang Mu watched the person in front of him slowly transform into a girl, and his heart surprisingly skipped a beat, his eyes lighting up.

“Jiang Mu, go help Shu Luo change his clothes. No one else can help with the zipper at the back,” Huang Wen Yu said, handing the dress to Jiang Mu.

The Dressing Room

Even after walking into the fitting room, Shu Luo felt too shy to look directly at Jiang Mu.

“Luo Luo, why aren’t you looking at me?”

Jiang Mu’s gentle voice came from behind him. He turned his head.

In the moment their eyes met, the atmosphere around them seemed to shift, filled with a subtle, unusual emotion that gently wrapped around them.

“Uh… I feel a little awkward,” Shu Luo said, feeling unaccustomed. This feeling was as if he really was a girl.

Jiang Mu hung the dress on the wall, signaling for him to take off his clothes.

Shu Luo didn’t hesitate, immediately taking off his shirt, revealing his fair upper body, followed by his lower half.

Jiang Mu felt his mouth go dry. The flame hidden deep in his heart seemed to be completely ignited, but he had to forcibly suppress it. He subtly turned his body away, shifting his gaze.

Shu Luo saw he wasn’t speaking, so he proceeded to put on the dress himself, which was a bit tricky since he’d never worn a dress before.

“Oh no, I’m stuck.”

Shu Luo struggled to pull the dress down, but it was caught at his neck.

Jiang Mu glanced over, walked forward helplessly, and fully pulled the zipper down the back of the dress. Shu Luo’s head finally popped out.

He had been muffled for a moment, his face flushed, and his eyes seemed a little watery. The dress was finally on.

Jiang Mu tidied up his clothing and casually looked up at the person in the mirror.

Both of their expressions were clearly visible.

Shu Luo, beautiful and completely feminine in the mirror and in front of him, created a visual shock and a surprise in his heart that left him speechless.

“Brother, I completely look like a girl now, don’t I?” Shu Luo touched his face and tugged at the skirt, a strange feeling washing over him.

“Yes, you are the spitting image of a girl. Very beautiful.”

Shu Luo looked at the smile on the man’s face behind him. Maybe wearing a dress wasn’t so hard to accept after all.

He still hadn’t put on the stockings. Jiang Mu told him to sit on the chair.

Shu Luo watched Jiang Mu squat down in front of him to help him put on the stockings, suddenly feeling curious.

“Brother, what does it feel like to put stockings on a girl?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then what does it feel like to put them on me?”

“It feels like something.” The flutter of the heart.

Shu Luo watched Jiang Mu’s movements, wondering why he was so stunned. It feels like something? What kind of feeling?

He then put on the red leather shoes, and the Snow White look was complete.

Jiang Mu smiled slightly, helping him smooth out his slightly messy hair.

The height difference between the two of them was perfectly harmonious.

Huang Wen Yu, who was secretly peeking in, was full of envy. Aiya, they are so well-matched! I have to take a picture, I have to take a picture!

So, he quickly grabbed his camera and snapped a photo of the moment.