Chapter 41
Jiang Zhong closed the guest room door, turned around, and threw himself onto Xi Qin, laughing for a while: “What a waste of tension.”
“Yeah,” Xi Qin sighed, “Uncle and Aunt are really nice people.”
“I didn’t expect them to be so easygoing,” Jiang Zhong said with a smile. “But my dad still looks kind of scary.”
“Your personality is a lot like your mom’s.”
“Really?” Jiang Zhong said, “I don’t think so.”
“You are,” Xi Qin affirmed, “You might not notice it yourself, but many of your micro-expressions are quite similar.”
“Alright, it’s normal if I’m like my mom.”
The two of them were affectionate for a while, and then Jiang Zhong brought some disposable toiletries for Xi Qin.
“Go ahead and freshen up, I’m going back to my room to take a shower.”
“It’s still early,” Xi Qin held onto him, “Aren’t you going to stay with me a bit longer?”
“I also need to freshen up.”
“So you’ll come back down after showering?” Xi Qin asked. “Where are you sleeping tonight?”
Jiang Zhong raised his chin proudly: “I’ll sleep wherever I want.”
When Jiang Zhong left the guest room, Zheng Yinqui and Jiang Chengye were still in the living room.
“Dad, Mom,” Jiang Zhong asked deliberately, “Aren’t you guys going to bed yet?”
“We’ll go to sleep soon,” Zheng Yinqui said.
“I’m going upstairs first,” Jiang Zhong pointed to the stairs, “Goodnight.”
As Jiang Zhong reached the corner of the staircase, he faintly heard Jiang Chengye’s voice: “This brat really did go back to his room obediently…”
Jiang Zhong pressed his lips together and smiled. How could he be obedient?
He was just putting on an act.
He didn’t know when his parents would go upstairs, so he had to drag it out and come down later.
After returning to his room, Jiang Zhong lay on the bed and played with his phone for a while.
During the Spring Festival, there were a lot of posts on social media about what people had been doing, eating, and showing off their love.
What’s so great about that? Jiang Zhong thought sourly. Who doesn’t have a partner?
Then, Jiang Zhong, feeling provoked, couldn’t help but update his social media:
【Today I brought my boyfriend home to meet my parents / Throwing flowers】
After posting, Jiang Zhong happily gave himself a like.
What’s the big deal about posting a few photos together? He and Xi Qin had already met each other’s parents.
His boyfriend had said that, in his world, after meeting the parents, it’s settled for life.
For life. It sounded like such a long time, but if it meant spending it with the person you love, it sounded so fulfilling.
With a satisfied heart, Jiang Zhong took his pajamas and went to the bathroom to shower. When he came out, his phone buzzed with several new message notifications.
He thought it was Xi Qin urging him, but when he checked, it was all messages from Deng Letian.
【Deng Letian: Damn】
【Deng Letian: No way】
【Deng Letian: Am I overthinking this?】
【Deng Letian: You and Xi Qin…】
Jiang Zhong’s heart skipped a beat, and he thought, “Could it be that Xi Qin responded to me from afar?” However, after checking, he realized there was nothing unusual.
The only thing that could have raised Deng Letian’s suspicion was that Xi Qin had posted a moment ago, five minutes earlier. It was a selfie of him in a bathrobe in front of a mirror.
The bathrobe was worn tightly, his expression serious, but his slightly damp hair gave off a seductive vibe.
Deng Letian mentioning Xi Qin clearly meant that Xi Qin’s post wasn’t set to be visible to just him.
Damn Xi Qin, posting such a picture on social media!
Jiang Zhong cursed, long-pressed to save the picture, then returned to the chat interface to reply to Deng Letian:
【Jiang Zhong: ?】
【Deng Letian: What’s going on between you two?】
Jiang Zhong was a bit confused. The last time he and Xi Qin posted something more suggestive when they were traveling to G City, Deng Letian didn’t suspect anything. Why was he so sensitive today?
【Jiang Zhong: What’s going on?】
【Deng Letian: Is Xi Qin at your house?】
Jiang Zhong was shocked for a moment.
【Jiang Zhong: How do you know?!】
【Deng Letian: Xi Qin’s location, isn’t it the address from when we went to your house last time?】
Location?
Jiang Zhong looked at Xi Qin’s post again, and only then did he notice that under Xi Qin’s selfie, there was indeed a location tag, clearly indicating the area where his house was.
“Damn…” Jiang Zhong couldn’t help but curse.
He had been so focused on looking at Xi Qin’s photo earlier that he hadn’t noticed this at all.
【Jiang Zhong: Uh, he is indeed at my house.】
【Deng Letian: Why is he still at your house so late?】
The tone… why did it sound strange? Jiang Zhong smiled a little.
【Jiang Zhong: He’s staying at my place tonight.】
It took a while for Deng Letian’s next message to come through, probably because he was hesitating.
【Deng Letian: So the boyfriend you mentioned…】
He was going to tell them sooner or later, and since Deng Letian was asking, it saved him the trouble of finding an opportunity to come out.
【Jiang Zhong: It’s Xi Qin.】
This time, Jiang Zhong waited even longer. By the time the phone screen had turned off, Deng Letian still hadn’t replied.
Could it be that he couldn’t accept it? Jiang Zhong thought.
Jiang Zhong unlocked his phone, repeatedly typed messages in the chat box, but in the end, he deleted them and exited.
Forget it, maybe it’s just a bit sudden. Whether he could accept it or not, it wasn’t his problem.
Jiang Zhong put away his phone, cracked the door open slightly, and pressed one eye against the gap to look outside.
The lights in the second-floor hallway were off, and Jiang Zhong tiptoed to the stairs, stretching his neck to look downstairs.
Great, the lights downstairs were off too.
Jiang Zhong turned on his phone’s flashlight, gently closed the bedroom door, and then, using the light from the flashlight, quietly went downstairs.
When he was still two or three meters from the guest room where Xi Qin was staying, his phone suddenly made a “clink” sound. In the quiet house, the sound was especially sharp.
Jiang Zhong muttered a “damn” under his breath, no longer caring about being quiet, and took two or three quick steps into the guest room.
Xi Qin, who was half-lying on the bed, nearly jumped in surprise at Jiang Zhong’s sudden action.
Xi Qin: “Why the rush?”
Jiang Zhong quickly turned off the light in the room by slapping the wall, his steps not slowing down as he rushed to the bed.
“What’s wrong with you?” Xi Qin couldn’t help but laugh. “So eager.”
Jiang Zhong was pulled into Xi Qin’s open arms, and the light from his phone was blocked by the blanket. In the darkness, he fumbled and kissed Xi Qin, not sure where exactly he kissed.
“I missed you,” Jiang Zhong said as he turned and switched on the lamp on the nightstand.
The warm light instantly enveloped both him and Xi Qin.
Xi Qin tugged the blanket that Jiang Zhong had been lying on, covering Jiang Zhong’s legs with it, then pressed him firmly against the headboard and kissed him thoroughly.
It wasn’t until several minutes later, when their lips and tongues separated, that Jiang Zhong remembered the message he had received earlier outside the door.
He opened his phone, and sure enough, it was a message from Deng Letian.
【Deng Letian: I can’t believe I actually guessed right.】
Jiang Zhong hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell Deng Letian the truth.
【Jiang Zhong: It wasn’t on purpose that I kept it from you. If it bothers you, I’ll move out with Xi Qin next semester.】
Deng Letian replied quickly this time.
【Deng Letian: I’m not bothered. It doesn’t affect me what you two do.】
【Deng Letian: I just thought it was a bit sudden.】
“Who are you chatting with so happily?” Xi Qin asked from beside him.
“Deng Letian,” Jiang Zhong replied as he typed. “He found out about us.”
【Jiang Zhong: I was planning to tell you guys when school starts.】
“Oh,” Xi Qin said, not surprised at all.
Jiang Zhong snorted. “I knew you were doing this on purpose!”
“Doing what on purpose?” Xi Qin played dumb.
“Keep pretending,” Jiang Zhong glanced at him. “Forget the location, but you actually posted that kind of photo.”
【Deng Letian: It’s fine, I just asked because I saw it.】
“I actually wanted to post your photo,” Xi Qin chuckled. “But I was afraid you’d hit me.”
【Deng Letian: As for Xiao Yuan, you can tell him yourself. I don’t know if he’d mind.】
“Posting your shower photo would’ve been better than posting my own photo,” Jiang Zhong grumbled. “Troublemaker.”
【Jiang Zhong: Okay, thanks.】
“What the heck is a shower photo?” Xi Qin chuckled. “Should I delete it and repost it?”
“Shut up,” Jiang Zhong said.
“Nothing works, you’re really hard to please,” Xi Qin ruffled Jiang Zhong’s hair and accidentally glanced at his phone screen. He laughed. “He noticed, so how could you think Xiao Yuan wouldn’t notice?”
Jiang Zhong turned his head to look at him, smiling. “Are you implying that he’s dumber than Xiao Yuan?”
“I didn’t say that, don’t accuse me,” Xi Qin quickly shook his head. “I wouldn’t say anything like that to praise one and put down the other.”
Jiang Zhong rolled his eyes.
“Done chatting?” Xi Qin reached out and took Jiang Zhong’s phone away. “Stop playing, it’s time for bed.”
“Wait, wait,” Jiang Zhong grabbed his phone back. “I need to set an alarm. I want to go back before my dad wakes up.”
“You…” Xi Qin seemed to hesitate, wanting to say something but stopping.
“Be good,” Jiang Zhong turned and kissed him on the lips. “Just a little show, I was with you last night, right?”
“No,” Xi Qin licked the spot where he had been kissed. “What I wanted to say is, are you sure you can wake up?”
“I’ll wake up as long as you don’t bother me.”
“You said something like that yesterday,” Xi Qin ruthlessly exposed him. “But this morning…”
Jiang Zhong widened his eyes and glared at Xi Qin.
“Okay, okay,” Xi Qin raised his hands in surrender. “Set it, and I’ll wake you up when the time comes.”
As it turned out, Xi Qin really knew Jiang Zhong well.
At 7:15 in the morning, the alarm Jiang Zhong set went off.
Jiang Zhong groggily reached for his phone, expertly tapping “Dismiss,” then turned over and snuggled back into Xi Qin’s arms to continue sleeping.
“Jiang Zhong,” Xi Qin whispered in his ear. “Time to get up.”
Jiang Zhong mumbled something in response.
“Go back to your room and sleep,” Xi Qin continued. “Your dad will be coming down soon.”
Jiang Zhong raised his hand and scratched his ear, which was itching from the hot air.
“Jiang Zhong,” Xi Qin shook him a bit. “Your dad is coming.”
Jiang Zhong slapped Xi Qin’s hand away as if annoyed by the noise.
Xi Qin: “…Alright, go ahead and sleep.”
This couldn’t be blamed on him.
Xi Qin kissed Jiang Zhong on the side of the face and continued sleeping while holding him.
Jiang Zhong was startled awake. In his dream, he stepped into thin air, and as he kicked his leg, he woke up.
The spot next to him where Xi Qin had been sleeping was already empty. Jiang Zhong hurriedly grabbed his phone from the nightstand and looked at it.
08:59!
Jiang Zhong: “…”
Damn.
Jiang Zhong quickly got out of bed, slipped on his slippers, and gently opened the guest room door. After stepping out, he quietly closed the door behind him.
He could hear his dad talking with Xi Qin in the living room. Jiang Zhong tiptoed, planning to “sneak” up to the second floor while his dad wasn’t looking.
He slowly approached the stairs, and luckily, his dad had his back to him.
Xi Qin saw him. Jiang Zhong quickly gave Xi Qin a glance, and Xi Qin couldn’t help but smile.
“Ah hem,” Xi Qin cleared his throat. “Uncle, I have a question I’d like to ask you…”
Now was the moment. Jiang Zhong quickly turned around while his dad’s attention was focused on Xi Qin.
…And then he locked eyes with Zheng Yinqiu, who was standing on the stairs.
—
Author’s Note:
Mini-drama (unrelated to the main text):
Main characters: Deng Letian, Xiao Yuan
Deng Letian (shocked face): I’ve discovered a secret!
Xiao Yuan: What secret?
Deng Letian: Guess.
Xiao Yuan: Did we become the main characters?
Deng Letian: No, here’s a hint—it’s about Jiang Zhong and Xi Qin.
Xiao Yuan (realizing): Oh.
Deng Letian: Can’t figure it out? Let me give you another hint: They both got together on the same day. Right after the break, they went to the same place for vacation, and Jiang Zhong even brought Xi Qin home to meet his parents!
Xiao Yuan: …Oh.
Deng Letian: Still can’t guess? Fine, I’ll just tell you—they’re a couple!
Xiao Yuan: I knew.
Deng Letian: You didn’t expect that… huh? You knew?
Xiao Yuan: Yeah, I could tell something was off between them a long time ago.
Guess when Xiao Yuan “first” noticed something was off between Xi Qin and Jiang Zhong.