ASFSODS 30

Wen Chi lay sprawled on the living room sofa at home with one leg propped up in a completely ungraceful position against the wall. Lin Huixiu paused mid-step as she walked by, her expression faintly helpless.

Wen Chi hadn’t noticed his mother’s look. He had been staring at Jiang Siheng’s WeChat messages for a long time. It was only now he realized he hadn’t replied to Jiang Siheng’s message from last night.

【Wen Chi: I’m here I’m here】
【Wen Chi: Teacher Jiang, I’m so sorry. 360-degree bow without dead angles】
【Wen Chi: I thought I already replied to you】

On the other end, Jiang Siheng finally let out a quiet sigh of relief after he saw Wen Chi’s reply. Beside him, Xiao Pang had also been watching intently and visibly relaxed when the message came through.

Then Xiao Pang froze.

Wait a minute—why was he nervous about this?

Suddenly, Jiang Siheng started a WeChat video call. The sudden call startled Wen Chi, and his hand slipped. His phone smacked him right in the nose. He let out a loud yell.

“What’s wrong, what happened?” Lin Huixiu came rushing out from the kitchen holding a spatula, startled by her son’s sudden scream.

Wen Chi clutched his nose, his phone having fallen to the far side of the sofa while his eyes teary from the pain. “My nose… my phone hit it.”

Lin Huixiu let out a helpless laugh. She picked up the phone and handed it to him. “Let me see, did it bleed?”

“Should be fine.” Wen Chi didn’t feel anything serious, but he moved his hand away anyway.

Lin Huixiu checked him over. Seeing that it was only a bit red, she relaxed and gave the phone back. “You really shouldn’t play on your phone while lying down. Otherwise—eh? Who’s this kid?”

What kid?

Wen Chi sat up and leaned over to look at the phone in Lin Huixiu’s hand. The video call had somehow been answered, and a man’s upper body was now visible on screen.

Jiang Siheng had expected to see the face he had been thinking about all night. Instead, he was met with a middle-aged woman’s face. One that looked somewhat familiar to Wen Chi’s. He blinked in surprise but as soon as he heard the voices, he guessed who she was.

“Teacher Jiang”

Lin Huixiu was surprised. That name sounded familiar.

Jiang Siheng gave Wen Chi a small smile, then looked toward Lin Huixiu. “Hello, Auntie.”

“Oh! Hello, hello.” Off camera, Lin Huixiu nudged Wen Chi’s wrist.

Wen Chi quickly reacted, taking the phone back. “Mom, this is Jiang Siheng, my partner from the show I told you about. Teacher Jiang, this is my mom.”

Perhaps Jiang Siheng didn’t even realize it himself, but as soon as Wen Chi introduced the woman as his mother, his previously casual posture straightened up significantly.

Lin Huixiu took a good look at Jiang Siheng. This young man was very handsome. Smiling, she returned the phone and said, “Alright, you two talk. I’ll go finish cooking.”

After just a few steps, she turned back and asked, “Xiao Chi, you’re not eating at home for lunch, right?”

“Right, no need to cook for me.”

“Okay, then I’ll just throw something simple together for your dad.”

Wen Chi turned his attention back to the screen and saw Jiang Siheng still smiling at him, making him feel a bit self-conscious. “Teacher Jiang, did you need something?”

“Nope.”

Wen Chi: “…”

Wen Chi said helplessly, “Teacher Jiang, can you stop teasing me?”

Xiao Pang, sitting nearby, could faintly hear the conversation and groaned internally. Even he could tell that tone was teasing.

Jiang Siheng chuckled and changed the subject. “How long are you staying at home?”

Wen Chi blinked. Why did it feel like everyone had to ask him that?

“What?” Jiang Siheng raised an eyebrow. “Is it some kind of state secret?”

Wen Chi almost laughed. “Come on, Teacher Jiang, what’s so secretive about how long I’m staying at home?”

“True,” Jiang Siheng replied, his tone suddenly becoming nonchalant.  Xiao Pang instantly sensed trouble.

Then both Wen Chi and Xiao Pang heard Jiang Siheng say, “Otherwise, how would I know you’ve been out all night eating supper with friends instead of replying to my message?”

Wen Chi: “…”

Xiao Pang internally: Ge, seriously?

“I didn’t mean to ignore your message!” Wen Chi started to panic.

“Oh, not listening.”

Teacher Jiang, you’re being a little bratty now.

Wen Chi gave him a look that said “You’re being childish,” and Jiang Siheng chuckled again.

Wen Chi pouted. “What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing.” Jiang Siheng stopped teasing but he remembered the photos netizens had posted last night. Wen Chi looked so carefree and happy. Even though he had relaxed around him during the show, it wasn’t the same.

Wen Chi finally noticed that the background behind Jiang Siheng didn’t look like a hotel. “Teacher Jiang, where are you?”

“At home.”

“In Haining?”

“Mhm.”

“You’re from Haining?”

“No, I just have an apartment here. Want to come visit sometime?”

Wen Chi laughed. “What’s there to visit about a house? I’m telling you, next time you’re in Ningsan, come to my parents’ restaurant. Their cooking’s amazing.”

Just then, another call came through. Wen Chi glanced at the caller ID and said quickly, “Teacher Jiang, I gotta go, let’s talk later!”

Before Jiang Siheng could say anything, the call ended.

He stared at the now-default chat screen.

Xiao Pang, munching on a bag of chips nearby, suddenly paused. The room was so quiet he could hear his own crunching. He glanced over at Jiang Siheng.

The man scrolled through their chat history, then remembered Wen Chi’s mom had said he wasn’t home for lunch. And it was nearly lunchtime now. Whoever was calling had probably asked him out to eat.

“Tch.”

Xiao Pang: “…”

And yes, Jiang Siheng had guessed right. The caller was Wen Chi’s “lunch buddy”. Qiao Congnan talked non-stop over the phone, repeating the one key point: lunch was at XX restaurant.

【Wen Chi: Got it. I’m leaving now.】

This wasn’t Wen Chi’s first time riding this little electric scooter and he had a fondness for its bright color.

The restaurant he was heading to was at least twenty minutes away by scooter. Thankfully, the weather this time of year was mild—not too hot, not too cold—or else he might’ve already decided to strangle Qiao Congnan for making him ride this far.

To be honest, the scooter wasn’t exactly fast.

It was actually pretty fast, but the breeze along the way and the passing scenery made the ride feel quite nice.

Then he hit a traffic jam.

Wen Chi couldn’t believe it, even a small town like this had traffic jams? Judging by the looks of it from afar, this one was serious. Even the traffic police had been dispatched.

There were motorcycles on both sides. Wen Chi turned to the guy on his right and asked, “Bro, what’s going on up ahead?”

The man didn’t even look at him, eyes fixed straight ahead. “They say a big celebrity showed up.”

Big celebrity? Wen Chi’s first thought was Jiang Siheng but he dismissed it a second later.

He had literally just been video chatting with Jiang Siheng. The guy was in Haining. There’s no way he could’ve shown up here this fast.

The guy on the left clearly didn’t have as much patience. His face was full of irritation. “These celebrities, I swear. They can’t even manage their own fans. Look at this mess, they’ve blocked the whole damn road.”

His voice was so loud that even people further back could hear him. Wen Chi then picked up on a bunch of murmurs, all expressing annoyance with the unnamed star.

“Who is it? What celebrity?”

“This is ridiculous. How much longer is this gonna last?”

“Probably a while. Oh, someone just posted a video in my building’s group chat. Looks like a girl got into an argument with someone.”

“Seriously, what trash.”

Wen Chi looked around. He couldn’t go back because the other roads were blocked too. There’s no telling how long the jam would last. He figured he should text Qiao Congnan and Huo Yinshi.

【Qiao Congnan: Who is it?】
【Wen Chi: No idea】
【Huo Yinshi: What are you driving?】
【Wen Chi: Tao Ge’s little scooter】
【Huo Yinshi: Shouldn’t you be able to weave through traffic with that thing?】
【Wen Chi: [photo] I would if I could. But there are too many traffic cops up ahead】

“Holy crap, turns out Xu Zhouwei came to our town!” a girl’s excited voice rang out nearby.

“Who?” asked a guy beside her.

“My new fave idol! Aaaah! It’s Xiao Wei! No wonder there’s a jam like this. Totally understandable,” she said, voice completely unfiltered. She was sitting on the back of a motorcycle, head down looking at her phone, completely unaware of how everyone around her looked at her after she said that.

The guy driving—probably her boyfriend—sensed the tension and coughed awkwardly. He turned slightly and muttered, “You should stop talking.”

Wen Chi lowered his gaze, quietly pulling back his attention.

Xu Zhouwei.

If he remembered right, that was the name of the celebrity the Heartbeat’s Confession producers originally wanted as a cast member.

Fortunately, the traffic police were efficient, and things cleared up soon enough.

A huge crowd had gathered outside a shopping mall. It was easily the most eye-catching spot along the whole street.

As Wen Chi passed by, he glanced over.

Forget it. None of this had anything to do with him anyway.

After three days at home, Wen Chi flew to another city for work, lugging along a big red plastic bag full of mom-approved hometown snacks.

Jin Ge and Sang Sang were waiting for him at the airport. As soon as he landed, he met up with them.

“What did Aunt Lin give you this time?” Jin Ge asked, eyeing the bright red bag perched atop Wen Chi’s suitcase.

“Just some food,” Wen Chi said, yawning. He’d gotten up super early to catch the flight and was now exhausted.

“Perk up a bit, this is your first endorsement shoot,” Jin Ge said, ruffling his hair.

Sang Sang was clearly more excited than either of them. She had a gut feeling that Wen Chi was about to hit it big.

This advertiser wasn’t some no-name brand. In fact, they were one of the main sponsors of Heartbeat’s Confession 2. A well-known domestic skincare company, they had just launched a new night cream, and with their previous spokesperson’s contract ending, they had set their sights on Wen Chi as the new face of the product.

When they arrived at the shoot location, staff were already waiting outside. As soon as Wen Chi got out of the car, one of them came forward immediately. “Mr. Wen.”

Wen Chi had gotten numb to being called “Mr. Wen” at this point. He simply smiled at the staffer. “Hello.”

Looking at the bright and clean-cut boy in front of them, the staff member couldn’t help but feel their own mood lighten.

They led the team into the studio, where the set had already been prepped. Wen Chi barely had time to glance around before being ushered straight to the makeup room.

Just as he sat down, two or three more people entered. One of them, a man wearing a chunky gold chain, walked right up to Wen Chi and, without a word, reached out and lifted his chin to closely inspect his face.

Wen Chi was caught totally off guard, utterly confused but too intimidated to speak up. As the man examined him, his nose suddenly itched, and he scrunched it instinctively.

The little twitch seemed to amuse the man. He let go, turned to the others, and spoke with thinly veiled satisfaction. “He’s very pretty. This face is perfect for Winter’s Eve.”

Wen Chi recognized the name. Winter’s Eve was the name of the new night cream. Its packaging was designed like snow melting into a deep blue sea, and to capture the perfect shot, they couldn’t use someone with skin that was too pale or too sallow.

The photographer in charge of the shoot overheard and nodded in agreement. “That was exactly my thought from the beginning.”

When the brand had been selecting a new spokesperson, the photographer had gone through all his previous collaborators and still hadn’t found anyone suitable. Then someone recommended Wen Chi. The moment he saw Wen Chi on video, his eyes lit up and he decided right then and there.

He had been a little concerned that Wen Chi’s real-life appearance might not match the video, but the moment he walked in and saw the boy sitting in the chair, those worries vanished completely.