The Stars In Your Eyes

Chapter 5 - Cedar Wood



"Hey, you just arrived?" Jian Kang Lu asked his kitten.

His kitten nodded his head, and then raised his finger to point at the mobile phone that still lingered around Jian Kang Lu\'s ear.

Sun Hongjia keeps silent on the end of the line. Jian Kang Lu then said back to him.

"Sorry brother, i have an appointment today, and my friend just came. I\'m flattered you guys think about me. But it\'s nothing like you guys worried about. So don\'t think too much. Let me call you back later, okay?"

"Okay, call me back later when you\'re free."

At the line of the phone, Sun Hongjia kept silent while staring at his phone.. His son and his daughter are still pestering him and asking why they can\'t speak to their uncle Jian. He definitely can hear that different tone of Jian Kang Lu\'s voice when talking to the other person that he can\'t see nor hear the voice. It\'s been so long he didn\'t hear Jian Kang Lu doting tone. It seems that the vacation to W city definitely brings something new to his best friend\'s life.

He\'s glad, but now he is really curious about that person. He doesn\'t even know the gender of that person. He knows his best friend is gay. But he has also had relationships with women before. But considering his best friend\'s past, Sun Hongjia was 70% sure that this person must be a man. No woman ever made Jian Kang Lu can speak with that tone.

He just doesn\'t know if this is the best for his best friend. Sun Hongjia still remembers Jian Kang Lu\'s state when he broke up with his last boyfriend. He knows how hard for gay couple in this country, doesn\'t even mention how Jian Kang Lu\'s job need to make him appear respectable. It will be hard for him to have this kind of relationship with a happy ending.

He just hopes the best for his best friend. Because he knows how good Jian Kang Lu is as a person.

Jian Kang Lu then hung up the phone, and put the phone back in his pocket. He tilt his head to look at his kitten, and can\'t help to think why his kitten looks even cuter compared to the first time he met him. He starts to wonder whether he turns into a pervert uncle that likes to eat fresh meat. This is the first time he took interest in someone much younger than him.

"Do you want to have lunch first or just straight wandering around to accompany me choose the gift?"

"This is still 11 o\'clock, maybe we can choose the gift first?"

Jian Kang Lu nod, "Okay. What do you think is the best gift for a new university student nowadays?"

Both of them then walk towards the mall.

His kitten answered him back "I assume this is a male student, right? Which department he accepted?"

"Medical faculty."

"Hmm.. I didn\'t really know what medical faculty students need. I have no friends in that department. He must be really smart."

"Yeah, his father is one of the youngest person to become a professor. No wonder his son chose the same field as him."

There was a five second of silence before his kitten replied. "I do remember you said that his father is your colleague. Are you a doctor also?"

"Yes I am. Doesn\'t look like one, am i?"

His kitten gives him a surprised face while his phoenix eyes get rounder and stare at him. Then his kitten smiled and chuckled a bit. "Yes, you don\'t look like a doctor."

"Then what do you think my job was?" Jian Kang Lu tease him.

"Hmm.. I was guessing that you work as white collar worker, or have your own business. Or maybe even in the entertainment industry."

"Entertainment? Why do you think that I was in the entertainment industry?"

"Well.… You look like those one in the magazine or television." His kitten said in a low voice and his ear tip looks a bit red behind his soft silky black hair.

This time Jian Kang Lu didn\'t restrain his laughter because he heard about that many times before, and said in a light tone. "A stand up comedian, maybe? Or a model in that flora and fauna magazine?"

His kitten laughed back and said "No really. You look like an anchor or a model. A… Anyway, since you\'re a doctor, don\'t you know better what to give for a new medical student?"

Since his kitten\'s ear turns red even more then start to stutter and try to divert the conversation, Jian Kang Lu decides not to tease him more and get along with the question.

"I do, but honestly it\'s like a million years ago when I was accepted as a new university student. I don\'t really know what youngsters like nowadays. He won\'t need any medical book like i used to back then, his father has tons of that. And new medical students won\'t need any medical tools also. We\'ll need it later when we start our internship. I just want to give him something that will make him happy despite the hardship that will come soon."

"Hmm.. Do you know his hobby?"

Jian Kang Lu felt that his kitten\'s pondering face is exceptionally cute, it makes him want to touch that soft cheek and straighten the lines between his kitten\'s eyebrows.

"I only know that he likes to read. We talked about books every time we met. But I bet he will hate books later when he starts his study."

His kitten stopped in front of a branded shoe store. Then he looks at Jian Kang Lu. "How about shoes? I think most of my friends love to get a new sneaker or boots. And it will be winter soon. So maybe it was good to get a functional gift. But i don\'t know your budget."

Jian Kang Lu nodded. He felt that he couldn\'t reject anything his cute kitten suggested. "Okay then, let\'s choose some boots or sneakers that you think are popular around youngsters nowadays."

"Actually I don\'t really know about style, but let me show you what most of my friend\'s wanna get for themselves."

"Sure!"

Both of them walk inside and his kitten tries to show him some of sneaker. This branded store has some limited edition display shoes. Not many people are inside even though it\'s the weekend. Maybe because it\'s still noon time. The store attendant welcomes them and asks for their needs, then also gives them a few suggestions.

After walking around to many branded shoe stores to compare different kinds of models and discuss for almost an hour, they finally made their choice. Jiang Kang Lu even managed to make his kitten try a few different shoes in the name of \'I want to see how it looks when youngsters wear it\'.

Jian Kang Lu is satisfied with himself. No matter from which angle or which model, his kitten looks very cute in everything he tried. Jian Kang Lu even managed to half kneel in front of his kitten to look at the shoes better. And when he stands up, he can smell the soft cologne from his kitten body. It\'s a soft musk with a hint of cedar wood underneath. He wonders how it feels if he can sniff at his kitten\'s nape.

He shook his head and tried to clear his mind. Both of them agreed that the limited edition dark blue and white sneaker with some thin gold lines in the brand logo is the one that looks the best.

Jian Kang Lu then made a phone call to his colleague to ask about his son\'s shoe size. The store doesn\'t have the size at the moment but they said they can get him the size around 1-2 weeks later. He agreed to pre order and asked the store to notify him once they got the shoes.

"Thank you for accompanying me. Do you still want to wander around? You need something to buy also? I\'ll accompany you back."

His kitten shook his head. "No, I don\'t. I rarely go to the shopping mall."

"Okay then, let\'s have lunch shall we? What do you want to eat?"

"Mmm.. Anything. I don\'t have many preferences."

"Do you have any food allergy?"

"No, I don\'t."

"I also can eat anything. It should be your choice, since I dragged you here to accompany me. It\'s my treat."

"I really rarely go outside, so i don\'t really have any preferences."

Jian Kang Lu thought for a while, and gave his suggestion. "Then you choose, Chinese food, western food, hotpot, or vegetarian."

His kitten stops walking, and thinks for a while. He then answered slowly. "Hotpot? Is it convenient for you to eat hotpot at noon?"

Jian Kang Lu smiles. "Why is it an inconvenience? I told you I can eat anything. This shopping mall doesn\'t have an excellent hotpot restaurant. How if we go outside, i can take you to the nearest excellent hotpot restaurant. It\'s not very far from here. But if you prefer to eat here, that\'s also fine for me."

"I don\'t mind."

"Great. I park my car on the 3rd floor. Do you want to go to the car with me, or do you want to wait in front of the lobby?"

"Let\'s just go together in your car. More practical."

Jian Kang Lu smiles so bright while walking to the parking lot together with his kitten. He was so happy, he managed to have a lunch date with his kitten. His voice can\'t conceal his excitement.

"Okay!"