Chapter 59 – What Should I Call You

Although his voice was steady, the occasional skipped beat in his breathing betrayed that Xi Yufeng’s heart was far from calm.

And Jiang Ruo felt as though his own heart had been left behind in the bleak void of loneliness. So when he heard this sincere confession, it felt almost like he was enduring a form of torment.

But this torment, this uncontrollable trembling, he welcomed with open arms.

It made him long even more to see the person on the other end of the phone call. Just as Jiang Ruo was about to speak, he heard the background noise of flight announcements through the receiver and hurriedly asked, “Where… where are you?”

Before he could finish asking, the line suddenly went silent.

He checked his phone and saw that the call had disconnected. When he tried calling back, there was no answer.

Pacing back and forth in his hotel room while clutching his phone, Jiang Ruo threw himself onto the bed. But after barely two minutes, he sprang up again like a carp leaping out of water, and dialed again.

Still, no one picked up.

Jiang Ruo, who had just started to understand Xi Yufeng, was now confused once more.

He even considered opening Baidu to search, “What does it mean when someone hangs up after confessing?”

Was it in retaliation for not answering his call at first? But Xi Yufeng wasn’t that petty.

Jiang Ruo gnawed at his back molars in frustration and checked WeChat again.

Their last voice call had ended three minutes ago, lasting fifteen minutes and eight seconds.

So it wasn’t a dream.

Could it be that because they had talked too long, Xi Yufeng felt embarrassed about taking advantage?

It wasn’t until Jiang Ruo was seated in the car heading to the film festival that he learned from Xiao Shen that an actor had been pelted with eggs by the crowd at the award ceremony the previous day.

The entertainment reporters at the scene quickly posted the news online, initially withholding the actor’s name to build suspense. This led to rampant speculation, and all the artists who had received awards that evening were implicated.

Among them, Jiang Ruo, who had walked away with a stony face after winning Best Supporting Actor, became the main suspect. As he sifted through messages from friends, Jiang Ruo found several asking if he was the one who had been hit with eggs.

It dawned on him. “That’s why.”

No wonder Xi Yufeng was so anxious to call him and check if he was alright.

His heart softened, like cotton candy melting under a flame. But still unable to reach him, Jiang Ruo urged Xiao Shen to call Shi Mingxu and ask if Xi Yufeng was busy.

Shi Mingxu answered and said, “President Xi didn’t come to the office today.”

Unable to resist, Jiang Ruo leaned toward the phone and asked, “Where did he go?”

“He flew to Hai City last night, said something urgent came up.”

Jiang Ruo was taken aback.

Then he called Aunt Fang. She told him that Xi Yufeng hadn’t returned home yesterday, only giving her a call after landing to say he was out of town and that his phone was about to die, asking her not to worry if she couldn’t reach him.

“I don’t know what was so urgent that he had to leave so suddenly,” Aunt Fang sighed over the phone. “He didn’t even have time to grab his charger.”

Jiang Ruo also sighed, thinking to himself that if he knew where Xi Yufeng was, he would rush over right now to bring him a power bank.

Recalling the flight announcements he heard during their voice call, Jiang Ruo furrowed his brows even tighter.

— Could it be that he flew to Hai City, called him from the airport, and then flew back to Feng City?

— No, that wouldn’t make sense. Xi Yufeng, such a cool-headed man, wouldn’t do something so impulsive.

Yet, he remained worried.

Stretching his neck to look ahead, Jiang Ruo saw the dome of the venue in the distance and tentatively asked Xiao Shen, “Do you think I could take a sick leave from Director Zhuang?”

“Why would you need to take leave?”

“It’s just a screening-like event, they won’t miss me much…”

Xiao Shen looked at him with a knowing gaze. “Are you forgetting that you’re the lead actor in the movie?”

“…”

Deflated, Jiang Ruo slumped back into his seat and said as a fallback option, “Then help me change my flight ticket. I need the earliest flight to Feng City after the film festival.”

Meanwhile in Feng City, a plane from Hai City landed, and after getting off, Xi Yufeng took a short nap in the airport lounge before heading straight to his company.

Last night, after seeing the news, he had immediately called Jiang Ruo, but neither of his calls were answered. He spun the steering wheel and drove straight to the airport.

In his haste, Xi Yufeng only brought his phone and ID card, leaving everything else behind.

Upon arriving in Hai City, he realized his phone battery was nearly dead. Not wanting to waste time looking for a place to charge it, he prioritized calling Jiang Ruo to ensure he was alright, only feeling relieved once he confirmed it.

Reflecting on it later, Xi Yufeng felt his actions bordered on recklessness. Rushing over on a whim could have potentially burdened Jiang Ruo.

As for those “five minutes,” perhaps they were also a result of his impulsiveness.

Back at the Meng residence, Xi Yufeng had been moved by Meng Chao’s firm stance. Later, hearing Jiang Ruo’s resistant tone on the phone, he couldn’t help but recall how Jiang Ruo had laughed so openly with his friend downstairs at his new home, yet was so cold towards him, not even sparing a glance.

This felt like the tide coming in, watching the waves draw closer and closer, squeezing his space for survival inch by inch. Then, a huge wave came crashing down, forcing him into a situation where he had to save himself.

He feared that if he didn’t say anything, it would truly be too late.

So even though the odds were slim and the timing wasn’t ideal, Xi Yufeng spoke up.

Using simple, unadorned language, he told Jiang Ruo everything he had asked before, everything he might want to know, pouring it all out without holding back.

It was precisely because they weren’t face-to-face that Xi Yufeng had the courage to reveal everything.

Midway through, he was unsure if the person on the other end was still there. Pausing briefly, he heard faint, steady breathing, allowing him to gather his composure and continue.

He was immensely grateful that his phone automatically turned off only after he said the most important thing.

Plugging his phone into the car charger, he stopped at a red light and picked up his phone to check.

It had already been far longer than five minutes. Jiang Ruo hadn’t told him to stop.

Seeing the several missed voice calls from Jiang Ruo later on, Xi Yufeng hesitated for a moment before typing a reply: My phone died earlier.

Then he put his phone down.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to return the call, and he had learned from Shi Mingxu that Jiang Ruo had been looking for him. However, considering that Jiang Ruo should have been attending the film festival at that time, he didn’t want to disturb him.

Apart from that, Xi Yufeng admitted that he was intentionally delaying things.

He had said everything he could say, revealing his true self completely and placing the choice in Jiang Ruo’s hands.

This left him with a feeling of powerlessness, akin to awaiting judgment, with fear far outweighing anticipation.

Jiang Ruo seemed to indeed be busy, not replying to the message until the afternoon.

Nor did he call, causing Xi Yufeng to feel uneasy. He opened Weibo and saw photos updated by Jiang Ruo’s fan club just three minutes ago, which alleviated his concern.

There was an event in the evening, and Aunt Fang happened to mention she needed to retrieve something from the main residence, so Xi Yufeng had Old Liu drive her and suggested that Aunt Fang stay there for the night to avoid traveling at night.

Aunt Fang understood and said over the phone, “Tomorrow, I’ll drop by the market. Xiao Jiang loves the cured meat I make; I’ll prepare more this year.”

Xi Yufeng glanced at the calendar and hummed in agreement.

The dinner was held at Jin Garden, attended by long-time business partners. While catching up and reminiscing, they couldn’t help but raise their glasses in toasts.

By the time the gathering dispersed, Xi Yufeng felt a delayed sense of dizziness. After staying awake all night the previous night and another busy day today, even a body of steel would struggle.

After all, he was just an ordinary person. Having courage didn’t mean he never regretted; being decisive sometimes meant he could also be hesitant.

In a daze, he drove back to the city center, only to be jolted awake by the cacophony of honking horns. Opening his hazy eyes, Xi Yufeng saw tiny ice crystal-like particles falling onto the car window, realizing it was snowing.

This was the first snowfall in Feng City this year.

He remembered that during an interview some time ago, when asked who he wanted to be with during the first snowfall, Jiang Ruo had smiled and said, “Of course, with someone I like.”

Xi Yufeng took out his phone and opened the photo he had viewed that afternoon.

In the photo, Jiang Ruo was wearing a well-tailored suit, smiling at the camera and greeting it warmly. His composed demeanor stood out brilliantly among the crowd.

Right now, he was in Hai City, surrounded by throngs of people who adored him.

Among them, there might be someone he liked.

At this thought, Xi Yufeng felt a chill in his chest.

It was as if a cold wind had blown in, or as if snow had fallen into his heart.

Without lingering downstairs, Xi Yufeng took the elevator straight to the top floor.

There was only one apartment on this level, and one had to walk down a corridor to get from the elevator to the front door.

Uncertain whether it was a hallucination, as he stepped out of the elevator, he seemed to hear some noises.

The lights were bright, and Xi Yufeng approached with curiosity.

Normally, in this kind of situation, one would have a few guesses or at least a general idea, so as not to be surprised by the outcome.

But Xi Yufeng had none. Walking forward without any preconceived notions, he was caught off guard when the “result” presented itself right in front of him, and he froze in place.

Less than two meters away, in front of the heavy double doors, stood a boy dressed in the exact same suit as in the photo, waiting there.

He seemed to have been waiting for some time and was possibly resting, leaning against the wall for support. Upon seeing Xi Yufeng, he straightened up instantly, his eyes widening in surprise as if startled.

He had beautiful eyes, and every time they gazed at Xi Yufeng, they shimmered with affection.

But Xi Yufeng wasn’t sure now if those eyes still held him.

They stared at each other for a moment, and in the end, it was Jiang Ruo who couldn’t hold back, saying, “You’re back.”

His voice lacked its usual clarity, slightly hoarse, perhaps because of catching a chill. After speaking, he coughed lightly.

It was this cough that pulled Xi Yufeng out of his daze.

He stepped forward, bowed his head to input his fingerprint, and asked the person standing beside him, “Why didn’t you go in first?”

With a “beep,” the door unlocked, and at the same time, Jiang Ruo’s voice echoed, “This isn’t my home, I can’t just…”

He couldn’t just barge in.

Xi Yufeng completed the sentence in his heart, not having the chance to feel wistful before hearing Jiang Ruo say, “But this is my boyfriend’s home, so it should be fine for me to wait outside, right?”

It was hard to describe his feelings at that moment.

It was like a person who had prepared to fall being suddenly pulled back to safety. Or like snow landing on the ground, melting into water before it could accumulate.

His hand gripping the doorknob tightened involuntarily, and Xi Yufeng stood there, momentarily unable to react.

To Jiang Ruo, this silence carried mostly negative connotations.

“Have you forgotten what you said on the phone?” he pressed, stepping forward anxiously. “Or are you planning to renege on your promise — ”

But this time, he didn’t get to finish his sentence. Jiang Ruo was grabbed by the arm and then forcefully pulled into the house.

Just before his back collided with the wall, a hand loosely encircled his waist, preventing him from the impact.

The lights inside were off, casting the foyer into a dim glow.

Jiang Ruo hadn’t even had time to process what was happening when he found himself trapped in a confined space created by strong arms.

It was so quiet that he could hear the other person’s slightly hurried breathing.

“What should I call you?” Xi Yufeng asked.

The extremely close proximity and his excessively deep voice sent a strange tingling sensation through Jiang Ruo’s eardrums.

In this moment of confrontation, the more he retreated, the worse he appeared.

So Jiang Ruo met the fiery gaze piercing through the darkness, lifting his chin and saying, “Boyfriend, of course. You confessed, and I accepted, so it’s — ”

Once again, he failed to finish his sentence.

Xi Yufeng cupped Jiang Ruo’s face, lowered his head, and sealed his lips that always spoke out of turn.

Like a man who had finally received amnesty, he kissed his regained lover eagerly.