ASFSODS 50

Because this episode wrapped up a bit early, Wen Chi spent the entire day lying around after returning home. Apart from bathroom breaks, he stayed in bed the whole time.

Faced with the scolding of working stiffs Qiao Congnan and Huo Yinshi, Wen Chi gave it a nice-sounding excuse. He was adjusting to the time difference.

“We’re coming to hang out with you the day after tomorrow so remember to come pick us up,” Qiao Congnan said over the phone.

“The day after tomorrow?” Wen Chi remembered he had an audition on Tuesday, but it didn’t conflict with the timing. “Sure, send me a message when you land.”

“Okay.”

Just thinking about his friends visiting in two days made Wen Chi incredibly happy. After all, it had been a long time since they last came.

He wasn’t sleepy, and he was getting a little hungry. Wen Chi quickly ordered some luosifen delivery and topped it off with another milk tea. Just then, a voice call from Jiang Siheng startled him.

The moment he saw Jiang Siheng’s name, Wen Chi was reminded of that strange hug they had shared at the airport in Country Y.

Steadying himself, he tapped the answer button. “Good evening, Teacher Jiang~”

“Good evening. Have you eaten yet?” Jiang Siheng seemed to be outside because there was background noise in the call.

Wen Chi glanced at the delivery app. The order had just been accepted. “Not yet.”

Jiang Siheng gave a short hum. “I ordered some delivery for you. I’ll message you when it arrives.”

“Huh?”

Sensing something off in Wen Chi’s tone, Jiang Siheng raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

Wen Chi made a vague sound, then switched to WeChat and checked. “I just ordered some too.”

As expected, Jiang Siheng asked, “What did you order?”

Wen Chi replied, “Something that’ll make me really happy after eating it.”

“Be specific.”

“…” Wen Chi gave up. “Luosifen with extra spice and a 70% sweet iced green milk tea.”

Xiao Pang was holding Jiang Siheng’s coat nearby. He glanced over and caught sight of his brother’s dangerously amused smile and narrowed eyes. “You’re good, Wen Chi.”

Xiao Pang perked up his ears.

No idea what the person on the other end said, but Jiang Siheng let out an exasperated laugh.

“You have to eat something good after recovering,” Wen Chi said seriously.

Since Wen Chi had already placed his order, Jiang Siheng couldn’t exactly ask him to toss it. He asked, “Can you store it in the fridge and eat it tomorrow?”

Wen Chi thought about it seriously. “The milk tea, yes. But the luosifen? I don’t think so.”

Jiang Siheng realized that was a dumb question and sighed. “Got it.”

Wen Chi pressed his lips together. “Then I’ll just eat a little bit.”

“What?” Jiang Siheng didn’t catch that.

“I’ll only eat a little of the luosifen, and have your delivery for dinner.”

Not long after, the delivery Jiang Siheng ordered arrived. It came from the restaurant itself. When the delivery guy saw Wen Chi, he gave him a few curious glances. Wen Chi found it strange. “What is it?”

Caught in the act, the delivery guy scratched his head, a little embarrassed. “Oh, nothing, I was just curious.”

“Curious?”

“Yeah, because this is the first time Mr. Jiang has ordered delivery from us. Usually, he comes to dine in with friends.”

Wen Chi closed the door and placed the delivery on the living room coffee table. The table wasn’t big, and now there were three delivery bags on it. Just a few minutes before this delivery came, the one Wen Chi ordered had also arrived.

On the left, it was bright red, extra-spicy luosifen and 70% sweet green milk tea. On the right was a mild but fragrant mushroom and shrimp congee with some small side dishes.

Wen Chi pulled out his phone to take a photo, only then noticing that Jiang Siheng’s assistant, Xiao Pang, had sent him a message two minutes earlier.

【Xiao Pang: Teacher Wen, what did you just say to my brother?】

【Xiao Pang: (photo)】

【Xiao Pang: Help, he keeps randomly smiling in the car—it’s kinda freaking me out(terrified)】

Wen Chi opened the photo. It was clearly a candid shot, a bit blurry, but he could still see the man’s lips faintly curved into a smile.

Wen Chi had no idea why.

【Wen Chi: I didn’t say anything!】

【Wen Chi: I really don’t know either】

【Xiao Pang: QWQ】

Staring at the emoji Xiao Pang sent, Wen Chi remembered why he had picked up his phone in the first place. He took a picture of the food on the coffee table and sent it to Jin Ge.

Jin Ge replied instantly.

【Jin Ge: What’s this for?】

【Wen Chi: Come eat? There’s too much and I can’t finish it.】

【Jin Ge: ??】

Luckily, Jin Ge didn’t live far from the place Wen Chi was renting. It only took a few minutes for him to ride his little electric scooter over.

When Jin Ge arrived, Wen Chi had just found a variety show perfect for eating along to. He eagerly invited him in. “Come, come, let’s eat together.”

Seeing the fiery red luosifen in front of him, Jin Ge winced. “Damn, Wen Chi, you’ve got guts. You just recovered and you’re already eating this heavy stuff?”

Wen Chi swallowed a mouthful of congee. “That’s why I called you to share it.”

Jin Ge snorted, unwrapped the chopsticks, slurped up some noodles, and asked, “Why didn’t you invite Sang Sang? Isn’t she a big luosifen fan too?”

“She’s meeting up with friends tonight.” Wen Chi stared longingly at the luosifen. “Jin Ge, I want a bite.”

Jin Ge glanced at him, then turned away heartlessly. “No.”

Wen Chi: QAQ

And this wasn’t just any luosifen. It was the spicy deluxe version. Wen Chi had added fried egg, duck feet, fried tofu puffs, and sausage. He also had a cup of iced milk tea. Pure bliss.

“Why did you order so much delivery tonight? I doubt you bought luosifen just to lure me over.”

Jin Ge then looked at the congee Wen Chi was eating. “So what’s the deal with that bowl of congee?”

Jin Ge knew Wen Chi too well. There’s no way he would ditch his milk tea and luosifen for some bland, nutritious congee.

“The luosifen you’re eating now? That was supposed to be my dinner,” Wen Chi said, vaguely.

“…” Jin Ge’s eyelid twitched. “So who ordered the congee?”

Wen Chi gave a sheepish smile. “Teacher Jiang did.”

Jin Ge: “…”

Only then did Jin Ge notice the delivery bag under Wen Chi’s congee. It was white, opaque, and high-quality plastic with the restaurant’s logo.

“Yueyang… Holy crap, don’t tell me it’s that Yueyang?”

“Which one?”

Jin Ge looked at Wen Chi with a complicated expression. “The one like Shiyinyuan—averaging four figures per person, needs to be booked half a month in advance, and doesn’t do delivery. Even if they do deliver, you need to spend at least 100k at the restaurant. I heard the delivery fee alone is insane.”

Wen Chi blinked and quickly popped the mushroom that had fallen onto the bag back into his mouth.

“You didn’t have to go that far…” Jin Ge suddenly remembered something and set down his chopsticks. “Your audition Tuesday is in the evening, right? I forgot to bring the script so remind me to give it to you tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

The phone nearby lit up, and both Wen Chi and Jin Ge turned to look. Jiang Siheng’s name was clearly displayed.

Wen Chi glanced at Jin Ge, who was also looking at him.

Suddenly, Wen Chi felt guilty. “…Why are you looking at me like that?”

Jin Ge looked away, expressionless. “Nothing.”

Wen Chi grabbed his phone, and as if worried Jin Ge might see something he shouldn’t, he leaned back slightly while unlocking the screen and opening WeChat.

Jiang Siheng had messaged to ask if Wen Chi got the food delivery. It was a perfectly normal question.

Only then did Wen Chi realize he had forgotten to take a photo for Jiang Siheng. So he simply snapped a shot of the coffee table full of takeout boxes and sent it over.

【Wen Chi: Got it already!】

【Wen Chi: It’s sooo delicious aaaaahhhh】

He wasn’t just being polite. The mushroom and shrimp porridge with side dishes was genuinely tasty.

【Jiang Siheng: Mm.】

【Jiang Siheng: Got a friend over?】

【Wen Chi: My manager’s here.】

Wen Chi wondered why Jiang Siheng asked that. He opened the photo he just sent and realized he had accidentally included Jin Ge’s hand holding chopsticks in the frame.

【Wen Chi: I asked my manager to come over and eat luosifen~】

【Wen Chi: (Little bear spinning.gif)】

【Jiang Siheng: Mm, very good.】

Wen Chi stared at those last two words for a long time. It was so long that Jin Ge, annoyed by the sight of him grinning at his phone, tapped the back of Wen Chi’s hand with the tip of his chopsticks. “Snap out of it.”

It hurt a little. Wen Chi hissed and turned to glare at Jin Ge.

Jin Ge finished the last piece of tofu puff in his bowl, wiped his mouth contentedly, and gave Wen Chi a sideways glance. “What are you smiling like an idiot for?”

“I’m not smiling like an idiot.” Wen Chi exited his chat with Jiang Siheng, locked his phone, and put it down, going back to eating his porridge.

Jin Ge didn’t say anything. He rested his chin on his hand, staring at Wen Chi for a few seconds. Just as Wen Chi was about to turn away and eat facing the wall, Jin Ge finally said, “Take your time eating. I’ve got something to do, I’m heading out.”

Wen Chi held his bowl, sipping porridge. “Oh, okay.”

“Rest well these next few days, and try to be in top shape for the audition.” Jin Ge stood up, ruffling Wen Chi’s hair before leaving.

“Yeah yeah yeah, got it.”

As he left, Jin Ge also took out the trash. Wen Chi finished his dinner and paced around the living room a bit before heading back to his room with pajamas in hand to shower.

.

Two days wasn’t long, but not exactly short either. Qiao Congnan and Huo Yinshi’s flight landed in the morning. As the polite host, Wen Chi arrived at the airport half an hour early, bought a coffee at a café inside, and waited while playing games.

After two rounds, Wen Chi suddenly remembered he was supposed to pick someone up. He quickly exited his game and opened WeChat. Sure enough, in the group chat, Qiao Congnan and Huo Yinshi were frantically @-ing him.

Thankfully, the messages were sent only five minutes ago and he still had time.

Carrying his unfinished coffee, Wen Chi jogged over. For once, he was grateful that his two friends were so handsome. Their tall and striking figures stood out clearly in the crowd.

Plenty of girls were sneaking photos of them and Wen Chi spotted several just on his way over.

As he approached, he heard Qiao Congnan talking behind his back.

Wen Chi, masked, raised an eyebrow and walked up to step on Qiao Congnan’s foot.

“Ow—what the hell?” Qiao Congnan turned and saw a boy with eyes smiling into crescents. “Chi Bao?!”

That “Chi Bao” almost made Wen Chi lose it. He reached out to stop Qiao Congnan, who was pouncing on him for a hug. “What are you doing?”

“Come on, give me a hug! Long time no see.” Qiao Congnan was taller than Wen Chi, at least 1.9 meters.

“No hug. I’m holding coffee.” Wen Chi sidestepped to stand next to Huo Yinshi.

The three of them, all tall and long-legged, immediately drew attention. Even with one of them wearing a mask, the visible pair of eyes was especially striking.

“So handsome…”

“Are they celebrities?”

“Doesn’t look like it. No fans here to pick them up.”

“Of course hotties are friends with other hotties.”

“I kinda want to ask for their contact info… Someone stop me?”

None of the three noticed the attention around them.

Huo Yinshi looked at Wen Chi, teasing, “Big star?”

Expressionless, Wen Chi nodded. “Yep. A big star must wear a mask in public.”

“Let’s go. We’ll drop our stuff at your place and then eat,” Qiao Congnan said.

Walking alongside, Wen Chi caught a glimpse of the 26-inch suitcase Huo Yinshi was pushing and asked, “Why did you bring such a big suitcase? Planning to stay long?”

Huo Yinshi replied deadpan, “No, this is for both me and Er Qiao. He carried it before we came so I will carry it after we arrive.”

Wen Chi: “…Oh.”

Qiao Congnan chimed in smugly, “This way we don’t have to bring two suitcases.”

Wen Chi stared at the 26-inch suitcase for a moment, then said, “Ah Shi.”

“Hmm?”

“Push me.”

He didn’t need to explain further. Huo Yinshi stopped, waited for Wen Chi to straddle the suitcase, then resumed pushing.

Not much had changed, just the weight.

Fortunately, Wen Chi was light and Huo Yinshi’s arms were strong. Seeing this, Qiao Congnan quickly pulled out his phone to take a photo.

After snapping a few, Qiao Congnan turned to Wen Chi. “I’ll send these to your parents, okay? Auntie asked me to get a picture of you before we left.”

Wen Chi nodded. “Okay.”

On the way out of the airport, Wen Chi calmly faced the curious stares of nearby passengers. Their ride had already arrived.

The driver glanced at the rearview mirror. The three tall young men crammed into the back seat and no one seemed to mind the squeeze.

Wen Chi sat in the middle. Now he had one head resting on each of his shoulders.

To make time for a completely work-free weekend in Linquan City, Qiao Congnan and Huo Yinshi had wrapped up all their tasks beforehand and pushed any non-urgent work to next week. As a result, they were both running low on sleep after catching an early flight.

Near Wen Chi’s home, he finally woke the two of them. Groggy and barely awake, they each started massaging his shoulders.

“What do you guys want to eat later?” Wen Chi asked, enjoying the service.

Huo Yinshi yawned. “Anything. Can we eat and then take a nap? Take you out tonight instead?”

“Sure, but I’ll be the one taking you out,” Wen Chi corrected him seriously.

Huo Yinshi chuckled. “Alright.”

It wasn’t their first time visiting Linquan. They had been here a couple times before so the shoe cabinet by the door still had their slippers.

Wen Chi saved the photos from earlier in the group chat and picked two to post on his Moments.

【Wen Chi: 😛 with some super good friends [pic] [pic]】

……

Jiang Siheng had just wrapped up a schedule and was on his way to eat a very delayed lunch. He hadn’t slept well last night, so his head ached all morning. Just as he closed his eyes to rest a bit, he heard Xiao Pang and Zhou Ge chatting up front.

He caught fragments like “Teacher Wen,” “so handsome,” “really close.”

Jiang Siheng opened his eyes. The car was dim with curtains drawn and the phone screen dimmed to minimum brightness.

He opened WeChat. No new messages in his chat with Wen Chi.

His lashes lowered slightly. Thinking of something, he tapped into Wen Chi’s Moments. Sure enough, a new post from an hour ago.

There’s two photos, each one more “intimate” than the last.

Two minutes later, Jiang Siheng posted a new update on his own Moments.

But for some reason, ten minutes passed with not a single like or comment. It was very unusual for a post from a movie emperor.