ASFSODS 81

Cheng Yazhe glanced at her son and asked, “How do you know he won’t run away? Xiao Chi is quite likable, and it’s not like you’re the only one who likes him in this world.”

“I know.”

“Good, as long as you know.” Seeing that he was still looking at his phone, Cheng Yazhe said irritably, “What are you looking at on your phone? Call Xiao Chi and ask when he’s free. Let’s have a meal together. You’ve already met his parents, so there’s no reason why he shouldn’t meet us. It would be unfair to him.”

“I’m looking at photos Xiao Chi posted. I’ll call him after he’s done eating,” Jiang Siheng said.

“What photos? Let me see?” Cheng Yazhe stood up and sat next to Jiang Siheng.

Since it wasn’t anything inappropriate, Jiang Siheng tilted his phone towards her. “He’s having hot pot with his friends.”

Cheng Yazhe now had an overwhelmingly favorable view of Wen Chi, and she looked at the young man in a lemon-yellow T-shirt with adoring eyes. After a moment, she said, “Honestly, if you two hadn’t been together for such a short time, I’d actually want you to get engaged soon.”

Jiang Siheng took back his phone and said casually, “It’s too early.”

“True.”

Because Cheng Yazhe kept reminding him, Jiang Siheng, under his mother’s watchful gaze, had to call Wen Chi one minute after receiving a message from him saying he was about to go home after dinner.

“Hello? Good afternoon, Teacher Jiang. What’s up?” Wen Chi’s clear and bright voice came through the phone.

Jiang Siheng noticed that Cheng Yazhe’s eyes lit up the moment she heard Wen Chi’s voice.

In fact, not only Cheng Yazhe, but Jiang Siheng himself might not have realized how gentle his gaze had become when he heard Wen Chi’s voice. “No, I just wanted to ask if you’re free these days. My parents want to have a meal with you and meet you.”

As expected, Wen Chi seemed a bit flustered when he heard that Jiang Siheng’s parents wanted to meet him. “Huh? Why do they suddenly want to meet me?”

It wasn’t that Wen Chi was unwilling, he just felt it was a bit too sudden. He had been with Jiang Siheng for less than a month and now he was going to meet his parents.

“My mom really likes you and has been wanting to meet you,” Jiang Siheng said, seeing his mother nodding continuously.

“Well… okay,” Wen Chi scratched his head, stepping out of the elevator. “Just let me know the time so I can prepare in advance.”

“Prepare for what?” Jiang Siheng asked. “Have you gotten home?”

“Just got home.” Wen Chi collapsed onto the couch. “Preparing a gift. Isn’t it customary to bring a gift when meeting the parents for the first time?”

Jiang Siheng remembered the scene when he first met Wen Chi’s parents. “…Okay.”

After the purpose of the call was accomplished, neither Jiang Siheng nor Wen Chi seemed eager to hang up.

“Has Zhou Ruoyao gone back?” Jiang Siheng got up and returned to his room, asking.

“Yeah, he dropped me off downstairs and then left.” Wen Chi replied.

“I have a business trip tomorrow afternoon.” Jiang Siheng suddenly said.

“A business trip? Where to?”

“To a neighboring city. I have a visit to do,” Jiang Siheng said.

Wen Chi: “Okay.”

Jiang Siheng raised an eyebrow when he heard the “okay” and asked, “Is that it?”

Wen Chi thought for a moment and added, “Then, safe travels?”

Jiang Siheng chuckled and said, “What I meant was, do you want to have dinner together tonight?”

“With your parents?”

“No, just the two of us. After dinner, we can go for a walk,” Jiang Siheng said.

Upon hearing this, Wen Chi asked, “Are you in Linquan City right now?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.” Wen Chi was a little excited, as this was the first time he and Jiang Siheng were going on a date as a real couple outside the show.

Perhaps because he was thinking about his date with Jiang Siheng later, Wen Chi kept checking the time in the afternoon, wondering if the clock was running slow.

Finally, when it was almost time to meet, Wen Chi took a shower, dried his hair, and changed clothes. Just as he was done, his phone, which had been lying on the table, vibrated.

【A-Heng[heart]：I’m here】

Wen Chi replied while putting on his shoes.

【Wen Chi: Okay, I’m coming down now.】

When Wen Chi walked out of the community, he saw a black car parked at the entrance. The license plate looked familiar. He walked over to the driver’s side and knocked on the window. The man sitting in the driver’s seat looked up, and a faint smile flashed in his eyes when he saw Wen Chi.

“Get in.”

Wen Chi happily walked to the other side, opened the door, sat inside, and asked while fastening his seatbelt, “What are we going to eat?”

Jiang Siheng, looking ahead, said, “Hot pot.”

Wen Chi, who had just eaten hot pot at lunch, said, “…Are you serious?”

Jiang Siheng just smiled without replying. Wen Chi snorted, “Fine, let’s go. Hot pot is always good.”

“We’re not just having hot pot, you’ll see when we get there,” Jiang Siheng said.

The car stopped in front of a shopping mall. After parking, Wen Chi looked at the mall and asked, “Are we eating here?”

Jiang Siheng nodded and handed Wen Chi a hat. “Put this on.”

“What about you? Don’t you need to wear one? I think you’d look better with it on.”

Jiang Siheng raised his hand, and his little finger was hooked around a mask.

Wen Chi understood.

The shopping mall was crowded, and Wen Chi rarely came here because it was a bit far from his community—taking a cab would take around half an hour.

As soon as Wen Chi entered the mall, he was attracted to a store selling building blocks near the exit. He completely forgot that they came here to eat and pulled Jiang Siheng straight into the store.

The store clerk saw them and approached, “Hello, feel free to look around.”

There were many types of building blocks, and Wen Chi was too overwhelmed to look at them all. In the end, he bought a small house building block set.

When it was time to pay, Jiang Siheng was faster than him. Before Wen Chi even had time to open his phone, Jiang Siheng had already paid.

As they walked out of the store, Wen Chi, holding the bag, turned to look at Jiang Siheng. “Why did you pay for me?”

Jiang Siheng, replying to a message, said, “Isn’t it natural for a boyfriend to pay?”

Wen Chi felt a warm feeling inside when he heard this, but he said, “Actually, I bought this to assemble and give it to you. Since you paid for it, isn’t that like giving a gift to yourself?”

Jiang Siheng paused in his typing, looked at him, and said, “How about you ask for a refund and pay for it again?”

“…” Wen Chi stared at him in silence.

Jiang Siheng, having had his fun, patted Wen Chi’s head and said, “Remember to give it to me after you finish assembling it.”

Wen Chi huffed, “I’m not giving it to you.”

“You’re being so fierce.”

“Mm, just being fierce to you.”

“Seriously, no building blocks?”

“I don’t know, depends on my mood.”

Jiang Siheng looked at Wen Chi. Though Wen Chi didn’t show much expression, the smile in his eyes was clear. He nodded and said, “Alright, then when Teacher Wen’s mood improves, you can give me the building blocks.”

Wen Chi asked, “What if I never give them to you?”

Jiang Siheng replied, “It’s fine, as long as you’re mine.”

Wen Chi: “…”

Jiang Siheng waited for a while, but when he didn’t hear Wen Chi respond, he turned his head to look. He saw Wen Chi slightly lowering his head and mumbling something under his breath, sounding like he was muttering to himself.

Jiang Siheng had a feeling that Wen Chi was secretly cursing him.

The sixth floor of the mall was entirely a food court. Jiang Siheng led Wen Chi to a Southeast Asian restaurant. As soon as they entered, a waitress approached, asked how many people they were, and then guided them to a two-person table.

“Look at what you want to eat,” Jiang Siheng took off his mask and handed the menu to Wen Chi.

“Won’t you look at it? You can order what you want first,” Wen Chi said.

Jiang Siheng looked at the menu that was handed back to him and reluctantly flipped through it, casually choosing two dishes.

Wen Chi glanced at the dishes Jiang Siheng had ordered and said, “Huh, Teacher Jiang, do you like eating cake?”

Jiang Siheng replied, “I ordered it for you.”

“…” Wen Chi pouted, “Fine, I’ll just order something randomly but you can’t say you don’t like it later.”

Jiang Siheng replied, “Mm, I like whatever you order.”

Wen Chi studied the menu as if conducting academic research, while Jiang Siheng, feeling bored, opened WeChat and clicked into a group chat, deciding to annoy someone.

【Jiang Siheng: Out to dinner with the wife】

【Qin Xiyu: ?】

【Jiang Siheng: [picture]】

【Jiang Siheng: Is there really anyone who eats alone?】

【Qin Xiyu: ……】

【Pei Yining: Go away, who doesn’t have a dinner buddy】

【Jiang Siheng: Oh, but you still don’t have a wife to eat with】

【Pei Yining: You bastard!】

“I’m done ordering.”

Jiang Siheng put his phone down and looked at Wen Chi handing the menu to the waiter while politely saying thank you.

Wen Chi turned his head and noticed Jiang Siheng staring at him, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed. “Why are you looking at me?”

Jiang Siheng seemed to notice Wen Chi was shy and smiled before asking, “Where do you want to go after dinner?”

Wen Chi shook his head, “I don’t know. I rarely go out, so I’m not sure what fun places are around.”

At that moment, the waiter arrived with two cups of milk tea. Hearing their conversation, she smiled and said, “There’s a small live music event at a park nearby tonight. If you’re interested, you could check it out after dinner.”

While the waiter was looking down, she lifted her head to look at the two of them. When she recognized them, she froze for a moment, then her eyes widened in surprise as she covered her mouth.

Wen Chi knew they had been recognized but didn’t want to leave. He raised his finger to his lips and whispered, “Shh, don’t make a scene.”

The waiter bit her lip and nodded, her expression still full of excitement. She glanced at Jiang Siheng, then at Wen Chi, and quietly asked, “Are you two on a date? Are you filming a show?”

Wen Chi looked at Jiang Siheng. Seeing that he didn’t plan to speak, Wen Chi answered the waiter, “Teacher Jiang said the Southeast Asian food here is really good, so he brought me to try it.”

The waiter nodded, though she still felt something was off but couldn’t pinpoint what. “Oh, okay. I won’t disturb you. Enjoy your meal.”

“Thank you.”

After the waiter left, Wen Chi let out a sigh of relief and turned to ask Jiang Siheng, “Are we going?”

“Do you want to go?” Jiang Siheng asked in return.

“Let’s check it out? We don’t know where to go after dinner anyway,” Wen Chi said.

“Okay.”

When Wen Chi heard Jiang Siheng’s “okay,” he suddenly realized the scene where the waiter recommended an activity while bringing their food seemed oddly familiar.

After a while, he figured out why it felt familiar—it was almost the same as the time in Y country when a restaurant server recommended they go to a fountain square to watch fireworks.

If it weren’t for the fact that he knew Xu Yuqing had already been caught, and this was Hua country, Wen Chi would have thought that this time it was another scheme targeting him and Jiang Siheng.

Jiang Siheng watched the boy who would suddenly smile while drinking his milk tea.

So cute.

The Southeast Asian food at this restaurant was indeed great, but the portion sizes were small. Wen Chi’s favorite dish was the breaded curry chicken.

After the main course, there was dessert, and Wen Chi hadn’t finished his iced milk tea yet. He held the glass with both hands, sucking through the straw, the adorable way he drank it made Jiang Siheng want to pull him into his arms and cuddle him.

Wen Chi was feeling a little full and couldn’t finish the last few bites of cake, so he handed it over to Jiang Siheng.

After paying the bill and heading out, they ran into the same waiter who had brought their iced milk tea. She was standing at the door with a menu, trying to attract more customers. Even though Wen Chi and Jiang Siheng were both wearing hats and masks, the waiter still recognized them.

Her eyes sparkled, and she spoke in a suppressed, excited tone. “Hope to see you again next time!”

Wen Chi waved at her. “Bye.”

The waiter smiled brightly as she watched them leave. Once they were completely out of sight, she suddenly realized what felt off earlier.

They weren’t wearing microphones and there was no cameraman with them, meaning they weren’t filming a show. Also, Wen Chi hadn’t denied either of the two questions she had asked earlier. 

She had asked if they were on a date, and neither of them had denied it. She had also asked if they were filming, and again, neither had denied it…

Oh my god. The waiter put her hand on her chest, her heart racing. Did she… discover something?

…

The park the waiter mentioned wasn’t far from the shopping mall. After finishing their meal, it was the perfect distance for a casual walk to digest.

Wen Chi and Jiang Siheng walked down the tree-lined pedestrian path, with the streetlights’ glow obscured by the thick branches above them. They quietly held hands under the dim light.

Before they even reached the park, Wen Chi could already hear the beat of the music. Colored lights flashed as a crowd of people, laughing and chatting, walked past them toward the live outdoor music event.

“So many people,” Wen Chi said, looking at the bustling crowd ahead, hesitating to get closer. “How about we just stand here and watch?”

Jiang Siheng pulled Wen Chi a little closer, avoiding him getting bumped by a passerby. “Mm.”

Luckily, both of them were tall and even though there was a large crowd ahead, they had the height advantage to see over the crowd.

The live music event started with some high-energy music. The audience below waved glow sticks and danced along with the rhythm of the music.

Wen Chi was affected by the lively atmosphere and, without realizing it, began moving along with the music, nodding his head and humming the melody. His eyes turned into crescent-shaped smiles.

Jiang Siheng only glanced at him for a while before looking away. No matter how good the singer was on stage, the person who could always capture his attention and focus was the guy sitting beside him.

When another song ended, Wen Chi cheered along with the crowd, excited to see Jiang Siheng’s reaction. However, when he turned around, he accidentally locked eyes with the man’s deep gaze.

In Jiang Siheng’s eyes, there was a gentle tenderness, as if he had been looking at Wen Chi for a long time.

Wen Chi froze for a moment, then understood what was happening. He smiled, and the glow sticks sparkling like stars were reflected in his eyes. At that moment, the only thing left in his gaze was Jiang Siheng.

Taking advantage of everyone’s attention being on the stage, Wen Chi leaned forward and quickly kissed the man’s soft lips.

“Jiang Siheng, I love you.”