SYU 35. Finale

Before the semester started, Chen Xiucheng worked two more shifts at his part-time job. He brought some small gifts and homemade sweets to his coworkers to say goodbye.

He had gone from knowing nothing about the tourist side of Liangshan Ranch to getting the hang of things quickly, always ready to help wherever he was needed. He was easy to work with, and whenever anyone needed someone to cover a shift, he never made a fuss. Everyone who had worked with Chen Xiucheng liked him.

The tourist area supervisor was polite when he saw him again. He didn’t ask any questions, nor did he mention why Chen Xiucheng had missed two full weeks of work.

But Chen Xiucheng heard from the others about what had happened during the days Wu Jinshan covered for him. Apparently, his face was so sour while helping out at the ticket checkpoint that he ended up scaring four little kids.

At first, it was just two kids, around five and six years old. But when the other two kids of about the same age saw them crying and glanced at Wu Jinshan, they also burst into tears.

After his shift, Chen Xiucheng came home, found Wu Jinshan in the backyard, and laughed so hard he nearly fell over. He was laughing so loudly that people in Lin Xiulian’s villa could probably hear him.

Wu Jinshan was speechless. He said he hadn’t done anything, just turned around and looked at them, and the kids suddenly started crying. He was completely confused and stood there like an iron post, not knowing what to do.

There had been more parents and kids visiting the ranch during summer break than usual. When a group of parents came over to ask what was going on, Wu Jinshan ended up fleeing to the back area to help with cleaning instead.

He started wondering if crying was contagious. He had no idea why the other kids joined in. In the end, he figured it was easier dealing with animals than people. Human interaction just wasn’t his thing.

“You can’t keep that sour face all the time. Try smiling. Say something nice,” Chen Xiucheng told him.

Wu Jinshan remained unmoved. “I’m not some clown for hire. What’s there to smile about?”

Chen Xiucheng still remembered how he had wanted Wu Jinshan to teach him how to swim, but the weather had suddenly turned cold over the past few days.

Though Wu Jinshan said he could turn on the heater in the pool room, Chen Xiucheng thought about it and decided to drop the idea. It had just been a passing whim. He had already floated a few laps in the pool with the alpaca float and gotten his fun out of it.

“The weather here is so weird. It’s August, and after one rainstorm, it suddenly feels as cold as winter in Qinhai City.” Chen Xiucheng sat on the backyard steps hugging his little frog plushie, squeezing its round face.

“It’s not that dramatic. But yeah, the past few years have been strange. Hot and cold all over the place.” Wu Jinshan’s hand had mostly recovered by now. With the new semester approaching, he took whatever free time he had to check on the soccer balls he’d been collecting, indulging himself a bit.

He rummaged through a bin in the storage locker, picked out a ball he liked, and went to kick it around on the front lawn alone. “I don’t remember it being like this when I was a kid. Maybe the planet’s not doing so well lately. Got a temper now.”

Chen Xiucheng sat nearby watching him, thinking the ball moved like it was part of Wu Jinshan’s body. But what he liked even more was how agile and precise Wu Jinshan was when he played, the way he controlled the ball.

“Oh right, Captain Zhong Lei talked to me before. He said he wants to hand the soccer club over to me.” Before Wu Jinshan could respond, Chen Xiucheng added, “I said yes.”

Hearing that, Wu Jinshan turned around and looked at him in surprise.

Chen Xiucheng rushed to explain. “I just thought it would be a shame to let it fall apart. I can help recruit more members, especially since campus clubs are allowed to apply for weekly reserved field time. We can also use the equipment room freely. That way, you can play as much as you want.”

Wu Jinshan didn’t really care whether or not he could play soccer on campus. Soccer was just an ordinary hobby to him. But if Chen Xiucheng wanted to spend more time together, he was more than willing to stay in the club with him and play side by side.

Chen Xiucheng went on talking about unrelated things. Then he lowered his head, looking a little shy. Afraid Wu Jinshan might see through his thoughts, he tried to distract himself and said he wanted to check if his little fan had replied to him.

While making sweets for his coworkers, he had also taken the chance to finally update his long-neglected food blog.

He had bragged to Wu Jinshan before about having a loyal little fan who liked, reposted, saved, and replied to every single one of his posts. The fan would also interact with him passionately, always saying how much they liked him.

But Wu Jinshan’s reaction was strangely bland. He had only glanced at it and said, “Oh. Not bad,” then walked away.

“Oh no. I forgot where I put my phone.” Trying to use this as an excuse to fix the contact name issue, Chen Xiucheng said, “Let me borrow your phone for a sec.” Then, feigning surprise, he shouted, “Hey! What kind of contact name is this? Why are you calling me wife?”

“I’m a guy. You can’t just call me that.” He insisted Wu Jinshan change the contact name to “Hubby.”

Wu Jinshan pretended to play along. He typed the word “Hubby,” but then paused and repeated deliberately, “You said… change it to hu—what again?”

“Hubby!” Chen Xiucheng emphasized loudly.

“Ah. Right.” Wu Jinshan nodded firmly, then added, “But I’m a guy too. Shouldn’t you call me ‘Hubby’ as well?” Seeing Chen Xiucheng’s reluctant expression, he pushed, “Come on, be fair. You should save me under the same name.”

After thinking it over, Chen Xiucheng decided that since Yashan couldn’t see his contacts anyway, it was fine. He agreed, making it look like he was being generous.

Wu Jinshan smirked as he watched him retrieve his phone, open his contacts, and start editing. Then he asked again, just to confirm, “What are you saving me as?”

“Hubby, obviously.” Chen Xiucheng assumed Wu Jinshan was being forgetful, since he kept asking.

The moment he turned his head, he felt something was off. But by then, Wu Jinshan was already leaning in close. A warm hand cupped the back of his neck, and Wu Jinshan planted a big kiss on his cheek.

“Good boy,” he said. “My little wife is so well-behaved.”

Chen Xiucheng was so furious he felt like a mushroom cloud exploded from the top of his head. He turned to glare at Wu Jinshan, who looked smug after pulling off his stunt.

You bastard.

Before he could raise his hand to hit him, Wu Jinshan bolted.

“Wu Jinshan! You want a beating?” Chen Xiucheng shouted as he hurled his little frog plushie at him.

Wu Jinshan pretended to be hit, collapsed to the ground, and caught Chen Xiucheng as he ran over, pulling him into his arms.

After days of gray skies and rain, the heavy clouds had finally cleared. The afternoon sun streamed through the branches above, casting dappled light over the two of them. All around them was the fresh green of summer life.

Chen Xiucheng hugged him back. The two of them laughed and wrestled playfully, rolling together on the soft grass.

To love someone is to kiss them, to hold them close, and to share the same heart.

-END-