ASFSODS 84

Wen Chi and Jiang Siheng finally met up. They were standing side by side, each holding one corner of the banner, smiling at the camera. Their interlocked hands were hidden behind the red banner.

Xiao Pang took the shot.

“Alright, alright, successful promotion,” Wen Chi happily sat on the sofa with his phone. After editing the photo, he asked, “Teacher Jiang, should I post this on Weibo?”

Jiang Siheng responded with a brief “Mm.”

Xiao Pang handed the car keys to Jiang Siheng. “Jiang Ge, Mr. Wen, I’m leaving now.”

Wen Chi waved his hand without looking up. “Bye.”

Xiao Pang didn’t dare to stay too long, afraid of hearing something he shouldn’t or seeing something he shouldn’t. As soon as Xiao Pang left, the entire house became quiet and Wen Chi quietly fiddled with his phone.

Jiang Siheng sat down next to him, leaned in a bit, and saw that Wen Chi’s phone was still on the editing page. “What’s wrong?”

Wen Chi looked a little troubled and said, “I haven’t figured out what to write for the caption yet.”

“Do you still need a caption?”

Wen Chi suddenly remembered that Jiang Siheng rarely shared his life online. He had once scrolled through Jiang Siheng’s Weibo profile, and all he saw were advertisements for endorsements or new movie promotions. He later learned that Xiao Pang was the one posting all of that for him, as Jiang Siheng himself didn’t care about it at all.

“Whether you write one or not, it doesn’t matter. It’s up to you,” Wen Chi moved a little closer to Jiang Siheng. He decided to give up on trying to think of a caption.

Jiang Siheng could clearly see that Wen Chi had already posted the photo. He took out his own phone, opened Weibo, and saw the post that Wen Chi had just published. He casually tapped on the screen a few times before tossing his phone aside and pulling Wen Chi onto his lap.

Wen Chi automatically found a comfortable position and continued fiddling with his phone. They had both gotten used to this hugging position, with Wen Chi’s head resting on Jiang Siheng’s shoulder, his thumb scrolling down the screen. “Teacher Jiang, did you share my Weibo post?”

Jiang Siheng hummed in response, “Is it not okay to share it?”

“It’s not that it’s not okay…” Wen Chi lifted his phone in front of Jiang Siheng. “Take a look at the comments.”

Jiang Siheng glanced at it quickly, then, as if uninterested, looked away. Resting his chin on Wen Chi’s shoulder, he said, “The comments are refreshing too quickly. I can’t make them out.”

“Really?” Wen Chi looked at him suspiciously. In fact, the comments were just full of screams like “Ahhhhh!” and words of confession, all saying roughly the same thing.

Jiang Siheng seemed a bit sleepy, his voice lazy. “Dinner is at 6:30 at the restaurant.”

Wen Chi, who had been laughing while reading the comments, froze at the corners of his mouth when he heard Jiang Siheng’s words. He immediately jumped out of Jiang Siheng’s arms. “I need to find clothes, find clothes.”

Seeing Wen Chi run off without even putting on his slippers, Jiang Siheng picked them up and followed him. He found Wen Chi standing in front of the wardrobe, searching through it.

Jiang Siheng walked over and gave Wen Chi’s butt a light slap. “Put on your slippers.”

Wen Chi ignored him, holding a few t-shirts and pants then turning to face Jiang Siheng. “Teacher Jiang, which shirt goes better with which pants?”

The weather had warmed up recently but the temperature at night was still a bit chilly and since the restaurant was by the lake, wearing just a t-shirt would definitely be too cold.

Seeing Jiang Siheng take out one of his own jackets and hand it to him, Wen Chi asked, “What’s this for?”

“Take this with you,” Jiang Siheng said.

Wen Chi replied, “Oh, okay. Can you help me choose among these clothes?”

Instead of just saying that all of them looked fine, Jiang Siheng carefully looked at the clothes and finally picked out a simple white t-shirt and a pair of black loose straight-leg jeans for Wen Chi.

Wen Chi nodded and hung the other clothes back in the closet. He didn’t ask Jiang Siheng why he picked those clothes because he already thought he knew the reason.

As evening approached, Wen Chi started to get more and more nervous. Even though he had already changed into his clothes and was sitting on the sofa, playing with his phone, it was obvious that his attention was elsewhere.

“What time is it?” Wen Chi turned to Jiang Siheng, who was leisurely playing games on his phone. “Should we head over early? If we go too late, I’m worried we won’t make it in time.”

“Xiao Chi, it’s only five o’clock right now,” Jiang Siheng said. “It’s only a twenty-minute drive to the restaurant from here.”

“Oh,” Wen Chi responded, then fell silent.

Jiang Siheng passed the level that Wen Chi had been stuck on for a while, then turned to look at him. He could feel the boy’s anxiety even without words.

“Do you want to not go anymore?”

“Huh? We can’t not go.” Wen Chi mumbled, “I’ve already promised, I can’t go back on my word, or your parents will think I’m someone who doesn’t keep promises.”

Jiang Siheng said, “It’s fine. Even if you back out and break your promise, my Mom will make up a reason for you.”

Wen Chi: “…”

Jiang Siheng smiled at him. “You don’t know how much she likes you.”

Wen Chi blinked, and suddenly… he wasn’t nervous anymore?

On the way to the restaurant, Wen Chi sat in the passenger seat, holding the gift he had brought for Jiang Siheng’s parents. He turned to Jiang Siheng and asked, “How long are your parents staying in the country?”

“They’ll leave in a couple of days,” Jiang Siheng replied.

Wen Chi asked, “Did they move abroad a long time ago?”

“Not really. They decided to move abroad when I was in college.”

Wen Chi nodded.

Perhaps because the restaurant was located farther from the city center, Wen Chi noticed that there weren’t many people in the restaurant when he got out of the car. However, this worked out better for him and Jiang Siheng.

“Let’s go.”

Jiang Siheng held Wen Chi’s hand and walked into the restaurant with him.

As soon as they entered, a waiter came up to them. “Good evening, Mr. Jiang, Mr. Wen.”

Wen Chi was surprised at how the waiter knew they were there.

“Are my parents here?” Jiang Siheng asked calmly.

“Mr. Jiang and Mrs. Jiang have already arrived. Please follow me,” the waiter said, his attitude impeccable, even the smallest detail of his appearance carefully arranged.

The restaurant’s overall ambiance was high-end and elegant. The faint fragrance of roses filled the air and soothing piano music played in the background. The clientele here was either wealthy or of high status, and people spoke in low voices, even while conversing.

Wen Chi felt like he had accidentally wandered into a place where he didn’t belong, feeling out of place. Was this really a place he could eat at?

The waiter led them toward the other side and Wen Chi noticed that, in the few short steps they took, many people turned to look at them. He didn’t think they had been recognized but it seemed like everyone was curious about them going upstairs.

Upstairs were private rooms and it was quieter than the first floor. The waiter stopped, knocked on a door, then turned the doorknob and stepped aside.

The people inside the room heard the sound and almost simultaneously turned to look. Wen Chi saw Jiang Siheng’s parents and immediately felt his nerves tighten.

“Dad, Mom,” Jiang Siheng said, leading Wen Chi forward, while the waiter quietly closed the door behind them.

“Here you are.” Cheng Yazhe was seeing Wen Chi in person for the first time; she had only seen him online before. She hadn’t expected him to look even better in person than in videos or photos.

Wen Chi nervously pressed his lips together and forced a smile. “Uncle, Auntie, hello. I’m Wen Chi.”

Jiang Lixiao, who had been quiet up until now, nodded with a faint smile. “Hello.”

“I know you’re Wen Chi,” Cheng Yazhe said with a face full of fondness and approval. She gently held Wen Chi’s wrist and easily pulled him to her side. “Are you hungry? Sit down first, let’s eat and chat.”

Wen Chi was completely pulled along by Cheng Yazhe and made to sit beside her. In his heart, he kept praying desperately that Jiang Siheng’s father wouldn’t sit down on his other side—Jiang Siheng, save me.

Fortunately, Jiang Lixiao didn’t seem to want to sit next to Wen Chi. Jiang Siheng sat down beside him and Wen Chi let out a small sigh of relief.

The waiter, who had just left, returned, followed by several others carrying dishes. One by one, the exquisite and fragrant dishes were placed on the table.

“Mr. Jiang, Mrs. Jiang, the dishes are ready.”

Cheng Yazhe nodded. “Alright, thank you.”

Wen Chi looked at the dishes in front of him. He was indeed a little hungry but since the elders hadn’t touched their chopsticks, he couldn’t start eating either.

“Go ahead and eat,” Cheng Yazhe said, spooning some egg custard for Wen Chi. “Try the egg custard here, it’s different from other restaurants.”

Wen Chi quickly cupped the bowl with both hands. “Thank you, Auntie.”

Jiang Siheng noticed that Wen Chi’s face was almost buried in his bowl. He helplessly rubbed his brow and said, “Mom, stop staring at him. He’s getting nervous.”

“Huh?” Cheng Yazhe glanced at Jiang Siheng, then at Wen Chi, who had been focused on eating the egg custard. She noticed that his ears had turned red at some point. “Oh dear, alright, alright, I’ll stop looking.”

The warm, affectionate gaze above his head disappeared, and Wen Chi couldn’t help but breathe a small sigh of relief. His hair was gently ruffled and then he heard Jiang Siheng say, “Your hair is about to touch the bowl.”

“…Oh.” Wen Chi raised his head.

The dinner passed without any awkwardness, and Wen Chi gradually became more comfortable with Jiang Siheng’s parents. Jiang Siheng’s mother was even warmer than he had imagined. She showed no concealment of her favoritism for him. After dinner, she suggested taking a walk by the lake. She left her husband and son behind, taking Wen Chi’s arm and walking ahead.

“It’s still a bit chilly in the evening. Good thing you wore a jacket.” Cheng Yazhe turned to adjust Wen Chi’s clothes, almost like a mother caring for her own son.

“I was planning to wear just a t-shirt, but Teacher Jiang said it would be cold and asked me to take the jacket,” Wen Chi smiled shyly.

“Did Xiao Heng ask you to wear it?” Cheng Yazhe seemed a little surprised, then smiled with satisfaction. “That’s good, at least he cares for his boyfriend.”

She then asked with curiosity, “Is he good to you?”

Wen Chi wasn’t sure why Cheng Yazhe asked, but he still nodded. “Yes, he is.”

“He’s made you go through so much hardship, and you’re still on his side.” Cheng Yazhe said helplessly, clearly aware of what had happened before.

“Well, it’s not really about taking his side…” Wen Chi thought for a moment and said, “Teacher Jiang really does treat me well.”

“That’s good. If he treats you badly, tell me. I can beat up my son however I like.”

Wen Chi smiled and squinted his eyes. “Okay.”

Cheng Yazhe looked at him for a few seconds and sighed, “Xiao Chi, do you know how beautiful you are when you smile?”

Wen Chi was stunned for a moment, then, feeling shy, pressed his lips together.

Behind them, Jiang Lixiao, who had been walking slowly, turned to look at Jiang Siheng. “How long are you planning to keep acting?”

“Huh?” Jiang Siheng met his father’s gaze.

Jiang Lixiao said, “You should come back and manage the family company.”

“Why?” Jiang Siheng responded with a glance.

“This has nothing to do with my health. The company should be handed over to you,” Jiang Lixiao replied.

Jiang Siheng’s tone was calm, as if he wasn’t interested in managing the company. “We’ll talk about it later.”

Jiang Lixiao said, “Your uncles have already overstepped. The things Xu Yuqing did before seem to have something to do with Jiang Hongliang.”

“Do you have proof?”

“There are some leads but not enough evidence yet. Even if we prove that Jiang Hongliang and Xu Yuqing are involved, for him, it’s just a minor issue, not enough to throw him off balance.”

Jiang Lixiao patted his son’s shoulder, which was even higher than his own, his expression seemingly a bit tired. “Xiao Heng, I just want to hand the Jiang family business to you. It can only be entrusted to you.”

…

After saying goodbye to Jiang Siheng’s parents, Wen Chi sighed with relief once he got in the car. He turned to Jiang Siheng and said happily, “It seems like your parents are quite satisfied with me.”

Jiang Siheng, driving steadily, chuckled and said, “Not just satisfied. They’re practically treating you like a second son.”

He glanced at Wen Chi. “Though, you are their second son.”

Wen Chi didn’t understand. “What?”

“You’re going to marry me sooner or later, so we’ll be family in the end.”

When Wen Chi heard the word “marriage,” his face immediately heated up. “It’s still too early.”

Tonight’s meeting with his parents went very smoothly and Wen Chi felt in a great mood. He hummed a little tune, then heard Jiang Siheng call his name. Wen Chi turned his head. “Hmm?”

The red light turned on, and Jiang Siheng slowly braked and stopped the car. He turned to look at Wen Chi, and his emotions were hidden behind the darkness of the night. “If one day I want to quit the entertainment industry, would you support me?”