Chapter 3: Who’s On Top?

That evening, Lu Gongming came over again. The moment the knock sounded at the door, my dad scrambled into a panic, changing his clothes at lightspeed while stuttering, “I… I have a dinner date with a friend!” Then he grabbed his jacket and bolted out the door like he’d seen a ghost.

Uncle Lu stood in the doorway holding a bag of fruit, a look of complete bewilderment written across his face. “Does your dad really have that many friends? He’s going out for dinner every two or three days now.”

I rested my chin on my hands, staring at him while thinking: The air in here is practically choking with jealousy, and you’re still asking questions?

“It’s not your fault,” I offered, letting out a deliberate sigh.

“Huh? What did I do to make him run away from me?” He looked utterly lost.

I began counting off on my fingers. “You gave him a car, a house, and a watch worth hundreds of thousands. What normal person would dare accept all that?”

The more Lu Gongming listened, the more confused he became. “So… he doesn’t like the car? Or the house? Or the watch?”

Me: “…”

Heaven help me. The emotional intelligence of these two was equally abysmal. If I didn’t step in as their strategist, they’d probably both stay single until they were gray and withered.

I crossed my arms and fixed him with a deadly serious look. “Uncle Lu… are you in love with my dad?”

Lu Gongming froze. The usual icy composure on his face dissolved into instant panic. “What… what makes you think that?”

“Even a blind person could see it. Nobody looks at my dad with eyes burning brighter than high beams except you,” I sighed.

The tips of his ears flushed a brilliant red. He let out a soft cough and asked in a low voice, “Does… does your dad know?”

“If he didn’t, why would he be dodging you like the plague lately?” I blinked innocently. “He’s literally out on a blind date right now.”

At the words blind date, the CEO’s expression darkened instantly. After listening to my quick breakdown of the situation, he asked gloomily, “Does he think I’m weird? Does he think I’m… a creep?”

I nearly choked on my own spit. A ruthless, fearsome titan of the business world was currently terrified that his crush would think he was a creep. Love really turned everyone into an idiot. I patted his shoulder with a knowing grin. “Don’t worry, I’ve got your back. But you have to promise you’re truly sincere about my dad.”

His eyes snapped up, blazing with intensity. “Really? I’ve been in love with your dad since we were kids. If I ever betray him… may lightning strike me down.”

—

Three days later, my dad took a day off work, using the excuse that I was “sick” to sneak out… on another blind date. Unfortunately for him, he had no idea that Uncle Lu and I had already formed a secret alliance.

The minute my dad stepped out the door, my phone vibrated. Uncle Lu’s voice sounded tight with tension over the line. “Your dad is sitting across from a woman at a restaurant. They’re chatting so happily… he’s smiling at her way more than he ever smiles at me.”

I calmly took a sip of my milk box. “Then just go over there and demand answers. Perfect time to mark your territory, too.”

Inside the high-end restaurant, my dad was grinning ear to ear at the woman across the table when a towering shadow suddenly halted beside them.

“Ah Shu,” a cold, smooth voice cut through the air.

My dad jumped so hard he nearly dropped his water glass. “Oh… the teacher called and said my kid was fine, so I…”

“Oh. Is that so?” Uncle Lu let out a faint, chilly smile, the kind that looked like he was about to put someone on trial.

The woman sitting across from my dad stared at Lu Gongming, her face flushing crimson as she asked timidly, “Is this… your friend?”

Lu Gongming smoothly cut in. “Yes. We’re very close friends.” Then he turned his gaze back to my dad, the rims of his eyes faintly red, his voice raw and gravelly. “You came out on a blind date… so what about me? Was it all meaningless when you got drunk that night and wrapped yourself around me all night? Was it meaningless when you kissed me? Are you just going to deny everything now?”

“…”

My dad froze. The woman sitting across from him froze, too.

She cupped her hands over her mouth, her eyes practically sparkling like she had just struck gold. Looking back and forth between the two men, she asked with utmost sincerity: “Can I just ask one question… Between you two… who’s the top and who’s the bottom?”

My dad: “???”

A rare, quiet laugh escaped Lu Gongming’s lips, instantly softening his sharp features. He looked at the woman and answered calmly, “Is that… not obvious enough?”

The woman’s face instantly lit up. She snatched up her handbag and stood up. “I totally get it! You two look so gorgeous together, wishing you a hundred years of happiness! I won’t be a third wheel any longer!”

With that, she darted out of the restaurant, leaving my dad beet-red and completely paralyzed in his seat, while Lu Gongming continued to gaze down at him with a look of melting, desperate devotion.

—

It was only after the woman had completely vanished that my dad finally snapped out of his trance. His face burning red, he whipped around to glare at Lu Gongming. “Hey! Stop making things up! We are just good friends!”

Unfortunately, his blind date was already long gone, completely out of earshot for his feeble defense. Lu Gongming watched her departure before letting out a soft laugh, a chuckle that carried a mix of helpless affection and something subtly… dangerous. He took slow, deliberate steps forward, backing my dad up until his spine hit the wall.

“Good friends?” his voice dropped to a low rumble. “What kind of ‘good friends’ hold each other and sleep in the same bed all night? Did Guan Yu and Zhang Fei get that intimate?”

Pinned tightly against the wall, the tips of my dad’s ears flared a fierce crimson. “I… I was drunk! It’s not like I held and kissed you on purpose! Why are you being so petty?!”

At the word kiss, Lu Gongming’s eyes darkened completely.

In the very next second, he leaned down and captured my dad’s lips. My dad’s eyes widened in sheer shock. The kiss was commanding yet overwhelmingly tender, melting my dim-witted father into absolute jelly right then and there.

When they finally broke apart, Lu Gongming kept his arms wrapped tightly around him, burying his face into the crook of my dad’s neck like a giant, clingy beast. His voice rasped softly, “Are my lips soft? Did you like kissing me?”

My dad choked on his words, his long eyelashes trembling wildly. Uncle Lu refused to let him off the hook, relentlessly pushing for an answer with a mix of gentle persistence and sheer stubbornness.

On the verge of tears, my dad stammered, “Stop doing this… We’re like brothers…”

The moment my dad uttered, “I like women. I even have a daughter… Don’t waste your time on me…”, the light in Lu Gongming’s eyes instantly died out.

Slowly releasing his grip, he walked away in complete silence. His tall, broad back had rarely looked so utterly desolate.

It wasn’t until I stepped out from the shadows and shoved a pack of tissues into my dad’s trembling hand that the quiet broke. “Wipe your face, Dad. Your eyes are completely bloodshot.”

“I am not crying!” my dad snapped at me, though his voice lacked any real bite.

I crossed my arms, putting on my best adult wisdom. “It’s not like you had any luck loving women anyway. Mom ran off, didn’t she? Clearly, women aren’t in your cards. Uncle Lu is handsome, rich, and adores you to pieces. If you don’t even give it a shot, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”