My Two Dads

Ji Xun was going to film a movie.

The main cast would be the young actress who was in a scandal with Han Shi Yu previously. With a cheerful and easy-going personality, her name was Yan Yuan. The shooting started at the end of July and when she was travelling to the shooting location in the middle of the day, she decided to visit Han Shi Yu along the way.

Yang Han’s home was very close to the main filming site so Han Shi Yu only needed to drive an hour to get there, making it convenient to cameo in the movie.

Yan Yuan’s nature was very compatible with Yang Han. The two of them quickly and easily got acquainted over one morning. She said she would bring Yang Han along to visit the filming site, which Yang Han nodded excitedly in response.

The summer vacation was really long this time anyways, so Yang Han had plenty of time to have fun.

The programming class that Lu Yue Ming signed up for had a summer class, so he wouldn’t be able to return home to Qingdao until late July. With that, Yang Han would often call the friends from her gang to meet up at her home.

Needing to do farm work for her family, Liu Zuo Ye had to go back home for the holidays. But every time the bunch of them organized a gathering, she would call and give her a live broadcast of what was happening. Without her, “the harem” wouldn’t be complete otherwise.

Even Shang Xue noticed something off about it, so while they were playing board games together, he smirked and asked, “Yang Han, you sure have a really close relationship with Liu Jie 1.”

Yang Han scratched her cheek with a finger, “Ah…”

Xu Jia had long since given up on going for the top position within the harem and shifted into becoming Granny Xu, a palace maid and advisor instead. She would sigh vicariously next to her with the tone of an old mother.

Han Shi Yu wasn’t completely not working all the time either. Sometimes he would leave for work but most of the time he was still home.

On this day, Yang Han invited Lu Yue Ming who was rarely free these days to come over to play. The two of them discussed exam questions in the living room in a feverish haze.

Han Shi Yu returned home then and as he changed shoes by the door, he shouted, “Yang Yang, your uncle Liu is here. Go get some drinks out…”

Liu Mu followed him in and as the second he stepped into the living room, he was blessed by the grand calligraphy words by the wall. He raised an eyebrow and exclaimed, “Hoh.”

Liu Mu was considered an independent artist with no management agency supporting him, also known as an influencer by public. He was also one of the participating actors and had to travel here to prepare for the start of filming. He intended to stay at an old friend’s house along the way.

Han Shi Yu turned to look at him, “What do you want to drink?”

Liu Mu: “Carbonated drink is fine.”

Han Shi Yu shouted, “Yang Yang, bring two bottles of Coke.”

Yang Han responded with an ‘oh’ while dragging her slippers towards the refrigerator.

Lu Yue Ming greeted Han Shi Yu respectfully and when his gaze landed on the person behind him, the tip of his pen stilled on top of the paper. He fell into a daze looking at this familiar Liu Mu.

His eyes hovered with a hint of hesitation but when Liu Mu walked in and waved at him, he still greeted him politely, “Hello, uncle.”

Liu Mu: “……”

A few months had passed since they last met. He had grown a bit of a short, messy scruff, his hair was shoulder-length with natural curls at the end and was casually tied up behind his head. He swept some of his bangs and tucked it behind his ear, with a few rebellious strands falling down.

A blue grey-ish Hong Kong style shirt on top and a long, black pants at the bottom. He had ankle tattoos and some letter tattoo on the back of his hand.

He looked like a fashionable, avant-garde uncle.

“How did I turn from older sister to uncle now,” Liu Mu pretended to be sad and said, “It’s an entire level of difference in generations.”

Hearing that familiar voice, Lu Yue Ming immediately recognized him. He frozed a little before changing his words, “Sorry…senior Mu, hello.”

Liu Mu waved his hand and smiled, “Oh well, you refuse to call me by ‘ge’ anyhow huh.”

It felt wrong no matter what he said. Lu Yue Ming: “…….”

When Yang Han returned and handed a Coke to Liu Mu, she warmly greeted him, “You’re here, Master Liu!”

Liu Mu curved his index finger and knocked lightly on Yang Han’s head. “Yes, my unfortunate daughter, I’ve come.”

He then asked, “Do you guys have a lighter here…”

“Go to the bathroom if you want to smoke.” Han Shi Yu returned from washing his hands and took over the cold Coke from Yang Han’s hands. “Didn’t you say you’re quitting?”

“Fine.” Liu Mu stood up after sighing, then took out a pack of cigarette from his pocket and held to his mouth before walking to the bathroom.

Han Shi Yu saw how stiff Lu Yue Ming was and said, “Hey, relax a little, Xiao Lu. No need to feel so restrained, you’ve came over so many times already.”

“Ah…Okay.” Lu Yue Ming snapped out of it and realized he had blotted out the ‘xy’ symbol on his paper.

He carefully asked Yang Han, “Are you and uncle really close to senior Mu?”

“I’ve known Master Liu since a long time ago, “Yang Han said, “But I just didn’t know he was wearing the ‘Mu Liu Su’ vest on him.”

Lu Yue Ming: “Oh…”

Yang Han asked, “Xiao Lu, do you know him?”

Lu Yue Ming awkwardly said, “Sort of.”

Liu Mu came out of the bathroom after quite a while. When he showed up again, his scruff had been cleanly shaven off and he wore a white cap backwards, pressing his hair up a little. The air of a melancholy uncle had been swept away.

As soon as he came out, he stretched out his arms and asked Lu Yue Ming, “How is it.”

Lu Yue Ming lowered his head and mumbled, “Ge…”

Liu Mu scratched Lu Yue Ming’s chin with a satisfied tone and said, “That’s more like it.”

He seemed to really like this little gesture. But Lu Yue Ming didn’t. He would subconsciously hide any part of his face that was tickled as the tip of his ears heated up in response.

“You’ve already touched this gege before,” Liu Mu curved his lips upwards into a smile as he teased him happily. He laid down on the sofa and refused to back down, “What’s there to still be shy of?”

Lu Yue Ming: “.”

Yang Han: “!”

Han Shi Yu: “?”

Yang Han: “X-Xiao Lu…what did you…do?”

Liu Mu said plainly, “He touched my chest.”

The potato chips Yang Han was snacking on no longer had any taste. She widened her eyes in shock and looked at Lu Yue Ming.

Lu Yue Ming had always been an upright and open person from the day he was born, just like a blank sheet of paper. He had never seen such a person who would twist the story so far from the truth like him. He stuttered, “No…I’m not…I didn’t!”

Han Shi Yu put a stop to Liu Mu and frowned, “Tsk, no talking dirty to a minor.”

Liu Mu: “He’s still underage?”

“…There’s still another month till my 18th birthday.” Lu Yue Ming couldn’t help but interject as he worked on a difficult math question to calm his nerves.

“I’m old now,” Liu Mu suddenly started lamenting about how time passed so fast, “When you were still in your mother’s womb, this uncle had already finished with college entrance exams.”

He was silent for a moment before he corrected himself, “No, it’s gege.”

Footnotes

姐/Jie = Female equivalent of 哥/Ge, aka older sister.