Work Text:
"Lu Jinghe. Sit down properly."
"I'm nowhere near you, Zuo Ran. Why so sensitive? Is my presence that distracting?"
"Yes. You're far too noisy."
"This isn't a library, Zuo Ran. It's fine to lighten up the room a bit."
"If you want to lighten the room, increase the brightness of the lights."
"Ah? What happened to our dear youngest senior attorney with a 99% win rate? You're not following the law very well, Zuo Lüshi . Aren't you supposed to interpret things in a way that promotes the underlying objective, rather than a purely literal way?"
"We're not in court, Lu Jinghe. I'm free to interpret your words with bias."
"But that's not very fair, is it? What about your oath to uphold justice?"
"The one who's not upholding justice is you."
"What, you think it's an injustice to be here with me? Do you know how many people would kill for this opportunity?"
"I am a law-abiding citizen, so please do not count me amongst them."
"Why so boring, Zuo Ran."
"Why so flippant, Lu Jinghe."
Qiangwei rolled her eyes.
They really can't go one day without arguing, huh.
It's been almost half a year since I joined NXX, and so far, they've argued as regularly as the sun rises.
Well, at least they seem to have calmed down a little… though they still glare at each other a lot. And Lu Jinghe's smirk seems to have just grown more smug.
If the others at Themis could see how he spars with Zuo Lüshi, they'd really think he has a death wish.
She shook her head.
So much for that conversation I overheard that time…
"Zuo Ran, the trial is about to start soon. Are you nervous?"
"Your question is very senseless."
"How can you say it's senseless? I'm showing concern for you, you know. And…"
His usual light-hearted air turned solemn.
"You do understand the situation, right? According to Hang Jiahe, Tai Shan doesn't currently know of your existence, but after today's case, it's impossible that he won't prepare any measures to use against you. So… have you thought everything through clearly?"
The ice in the blue eyes was as unyielding as ever.
"Of course. I won't give up, won't retreat, and… won't lose."
A light laugh sounded.
"Ah, that's right. This is the Zuo Ran I know."
It really did seem like they'd warmed up to each other.
Shrugging, she sighed.
But I guess it was just a mistaken impression.
After all, they've basically gone back to square one, maybe just with hostility replaced by teasing and accustomed annoyance.
"Lu Jinghe. Can you please settle down? I'd like to go home tonight."
"Oh? Why, do you have something, or someone you're looking forward to seeing at home?"
"Yes, and it's 8 hours of quality sleep in my bed."
"Alone?"
Alone? Alone ??
Her jaw couldn't help dropping slightly.
Does he really have a death wish? Why would you ever ask someone that, let alone Zuo Lüshi—
“Stop badgering me with inane questions, Lu Jinghe. You’re a grown man, surely I don’t need to babysit you?”
“If it’s you, I don’t mind having a babysitter.”
……
“……”
The stress of managing Pax and art has gotten to him, hasn’t it?
“Can’t you be serious for even one moment?”
“But this is the most serious I’ve been since we began this conversation.”
“… Learn how to have some self-control.”
“Self-control’s useless before you, Zuo gege.”
She nearly choked.
Z-zuo gege?!?
Even if you’ve lost all ability to reason, basic instinct would tell you that you should never call Zuo Lüshi something as familiar as gege—
“Rest with me for a while, won’t you?”
“It’s already 8pm. Any rest should only be after finishing this file.”
“Didn’t you say you were going to stop being a workaholic?”
“This isn’t being a workaholic. This is simply completing my agenda for the day.”
“You load your agenda with far too many things, gege. It’s worse than mine, and I’m a CEO and graduate student at the same time.”
“I apportion my work appropriately, Lu Jinghe. Everything is perfectly manageable, as long as I am able to work undisturbed .”
The pout was patently clear even just from the tone.
“You’re calling me a disturbance? Zuo gege, what happened to being kind and gentle? Why are you so cruel?”
“I’m fair. Everyone gets the reaction they deserve.”
“What?? That’s even worse. You’re saying I deserve such cold treatment?”
“Interpret it however you like.”
“Ehh, Zuo gege’s so mean. I’m heartbroken.”
“Yet you’re as energetic as ever.”
“Can’t let life keep you down, right?”
“…… Lu Jinghe. Stop that.”
“Stop what?”
“Don’t play the fool. Stop touching my tie.”
Her eyes widened again.
Tie??? Touching his tie????? Has Lu Jinghe really completely lost—
“I’ll stop if you stop working, Zuo gege.”
… He’s completely lost it.
“……” A deep exhale sounded. “Do whatever you like. Just let me finish reading this document in peace.
… I said peace , Lu Jinghe.”
“What’s not peaceful about this, gege?”
“Stop draping yourself over my shoulders.”
dRAPING—
“Shunning me for my weight? Really?”
“…… Fine. Stay there if you want to. I don’t care what you d— Lu Jinghe!! ”
“Gege, did you really have to push me away so forcefully? It hurts…”
“D-don’t give me that pouty look! Did you not hear a single word of what I said??”
“Huh? So you mean this isn’t peaceful? Gege’s really shunning me… life’s no longer worth living…”
“I-I’m not shunning you, but you can’t just suddenly… suddenly…”
“Why can’t I suddenly kiss you?”
KISS??? KISS?!?!?!?
“Isn’t that something I can do as your boyfriend, gege?”
…… Ah, doesn't Xia Yan have a friend who's a doctor? Maybe I should visit him. Or visit Mo Yisheng . Hallucinations, you know.
"… There’s a time and place for everything, and this is neither the correct time nor place, Lu Jinghe.”
“Zuo gege, as long as no one’s watching, it’s always the correct time and place.”
“Someone could be watching.”
“Are you really going to care more about a what if than me?”
… Sorry, it’s not just a what if.
“Did you really not miss me in the slightest when I was on my business trip, gege?”
“Didn’t we call every day?”
“That’s nowhere near enough. I was so lonely every night, you know? No one to hug me, and no one to hug back.”
“… I missed you too.”
The soft mumble regained some of its usual stability.
“But that doesn’t mean you can do something like this in public, Jinghe.”
Jing, Jinghe…
“Ahh, be your normal self, gege. You’ve already dropped my surname, drop the rest of your cold act too, won’t you?”
“This isn’t an act. No public displays of affection.”
“Are you embarrassed of me?”
“Of course not!!”
“Ah? So I can do this, and this, and this—”
“G-get your head away from me, Lu Jinghe.”
“Make me.”
“…No dinner for you tonight.”
“As long as you’re around, there’s alwa—”
“ Lu. Jing. He. ”
“Sorry, sorry. Don’t be mad, please? Please, my dearest, sweetest, most precious—”
“O-okay, okay.”
“So can we go home?”
“I want to finish—”
“You always tell me to not overwork myself, but you never take your own advice, gege. Get some rest, alright? You’re not even working on anything urgent.”
“But once I finish—”
“You won’t rest. You’ll just start on another one immediately.”
“……”
“I know what you’re like, gege. So come along with me, okay? Don’t make me carry you to the car.”
“You can’t carry— Jinghe!! ”
“Not only can I carry you, I can do it effortlessly.”
“P-put me down!”
“No~pe.”
“Lu—”
“Why do I feel like you’ve gotten lighter? You haven’t been skipping meals, have you?”
“No.”
“What did you eat last Friday for lunch?”
“…”
“What did you eat last Friday for lunch.”
“……”
“ Gege. ”
“…… Coffee.”
“ Coffee?? That’s not called eating lunch!!”
“I wasn’t hungry that day.”
“… What did you eat last Thursday for lunch?”
“…”
“ Zuo gege.”
“… Soup.”
“ Soup?!?! Why are you on a liquid diet???”
“Going all the way downstairs is too troublesome, so I just bought something from the vending machine right outside the office.”
“…… And you say I need a babysitter. From now on, if we’re unable to eat lunch together, take a picture of your lunch and send it to me.”
“Surely there’s no need to go to such lengths, Jinghe.”
“I trust you in everything but taking care of yourself, gege.”
“…”
“If you don’t want to do that, I can get lunch catered for you every—”
“Please don’t.”
“Hmph, why shoot me down so quickly?”
“You ordered a whole crab last time, Jinghe. Along with 8 different side dishes.”
“Crab’s nice. And 8’s a lucky number.”
“Not even close to the point, Jinghe.”
“Fine. Then remember to take photos of your lunch, okay?”
A resigned laugh sounded.
“Alright.”
“That’s more like it, gege. Now we can go home.”
“Put me down first.”
“Don’t wanna~”
“Jinghe.”
“Then you carry me, gege.”
“… Don’t be ridiculous. If I picked you up in my arms like this, we’d both fall on the ground.”
“See, that’s why I go to the gym regularly. … Though…”
“?!?!?! Move your hand back down, Lu Jinghe!!”
“… Life’s really not fair.”
“???”
“Ah, never mind. I can enjoy it better if gege has it instead of me.”
“????? What are you talking about???”
“Nothing, nothing. Let’s go home.”
Snapping out of her daze, the sole audience member hastily bolted into an empty meeting room.
Dating.
Living together.
Still pretending to hate each other??
… I guess after being so publicly hostile for such a long time, it might be awkward to admit that they fell in love.
… Wait, so maybe my intuition was right?? Maybe they did warm up to each other after that case?
…… Ah, honestly, if you observe past the surface, they do have quite a few similarities. So it’s nice to know that they’ve more than made up, and even nicer to know that the tension during NXX meetings won’t need a knife to be cut.
That kind of tension, at least.
She stifled a laugh.
Brings a new meaning to “love your enemies”, doesn’t it?