WP 30

Jiang Yibai set the bags down on the couch, still stunned as he glanced through them.

Bags, shoes, underwear, a phone, a camera… and even a delicately boxed cake.

“What…?” Jiang Yibai pulled out an expensive-looking water bottle and turned to Si Shaorong. “These are all for me?”

“I thought they looked nice, so I bought them for you,” Si Shaorong said, taking a sip of water. He went to the bathroom to splash his face, then changed into his pajamas in the guest room before coming back out. “Just went out for a stroll.”

Just a casual stroll and he came back with all this? This had to be close to thirty thousand yuan!

“Hang on,” Jiang Yibai was full of question marks. “I won’t even mention the bag and shoes, but what’s with the camera and phone?”

“Don’t you like photography? I saw your camera was kind of old, so I bought a new one and even got a lens for it. The clerk recommended this phone, said it takes great photos, so I picked one up too,” Si Shaorong said as he rummaged through the boxes. “I don’t really know much about this stuff. Do you need filters or a tripod too? I saw a stabilizer online…”

“No! No need for that,” Jiang Yibai quickly cut in. “I just take photos for fun. I’m not a pro.”

Si Shaorong smiled. “I just wanted to buy them. You don’t need to feel pressured. That’s what being in a relationship is.”

For some reason, that line sounded really familiar to Jiang Yibai. Then it hit him. It was what he had once said.

“But this is way too much…” Jiang Yibai felt like traveling back in time to stop himself. “You don’t give gifts like this.”

“If you like them, that’s all that matters. Don’t worry about anything else.” Si Shaorong took his hand and copied Jiang Yibai’s old habit, lightly pressing the center of his palm. “Do you like it?”

What else could Jiang Yibai say? He could only nod and admit he did.

Si Shaorong lit up with a shy but excited smile, his whole face glowing with joy. Jiang Yibai felt a sudden warmth in his chest, and he reached out to gently touch his lover’s soft earlobe.

“…?”

Jiang Yibai chuckled. “You’ve got the makings of a pushover husband.”

Si Shaorong understood the phrase and lowered his voice slightly. “If you truly love someone, you’ll be a pushover for them.”

Jiang Yibai’s heart skipped a beat.

From the side, Chen Yi flailed his arms. “Hello? There’s still a living, breathing person here!”

Jiang Yibai: “…”

He withdrew his hand and shot Chen Yi a glare, then sighed and muttered, “I’ve really failed as a teacher.” He could already guess where Chen Yi got the inspiration for that half-baked stunt he pulled to keep his dad from leaving.

Jiang Yibai had always been open with his students. He had nothing to hide, no secrets tucked away. His relationship with them was part teacher, part friend. So long as they studied well and behaved decently, like Sun Ying for example, most of them knew his real situation.

His honesty had earned their trust in return.

Chen Yi wasn’t a great student, but the two of them had weathered a few rough patches together. And though Jiang Yibai always ended up “selling him out” in the end, Chen Yi still liked being around him.

So Chen Yi also knew about his past. What Jiang Yibai didn’t expect was for the kid to use that as a so-called “idea.”

It was rare for him to feel genuinely dejected. He might be casual and careless about other things, but when it came to being a teacher, he had always poured in real effort. Now he realized that his transparency might have misled a young, still-immature student into thinking certain things were okay. That thought weighed heavily on him.

Si Shaorong wrapped an arm around his shoulder and gave him a comforting pat, steering the conversation away. “So when’s Chen Yi going back?”

“He’s not going back for now,” Jiang Yibai said dispiritedly, leaning against his boyfriend’s shoulder, dazedly staring at that soft, pale earlobe. “He’ll sleep in my room. I’ll take the guest room.”

Si Shaorong raised his eyebrows. Jiang Yibai met his eyes and said with a teasing smile, “Or should I sleep with you?”

His tone carried a hint of flirtation, the inflection light and suggestive. It stirred something in Si Shaorong’s chest, like a swing swaying back and forth.

Si Shaorong swallowed, just about to say it would be fine to share a bed, but Jiang Yibai stopped there.

“Just kidding. You have work to do at night. I shouldn’t bother you. The couch bed is fine. I barely ever use it anyway.”

Jiang Yibai showed off the fold-out couch as if it were nothing, his expression casual, the corners of his lips still wearing that habitual smile. But Si Shaorong’s chest tightened. There was a faint ache, an itch, and a hard-to-name frustration.

Jiang Yibai was someone who knew how to wear a mask. Si Shaorong had picked up on that.

But there was no way to rip that mask off now. Some people want nothing more than to shout their pain for the whole world to hear, while others see vulnerability and failure as a kind of shame.

Si Shaorong knew Jiang Yibai was not in a good mood today. So he didn’t make him cook. Instead, he took them both out for a small hot pot dinner.

Chen Yi didn’t know much about what went on in Jiang Yibai’s household. He only knew that his teacher was living a pretty laid-back life these days and had a boyfriend who supposedly wrote novels for a living.

He had been curious ever since their conversation earlier, and during dinner, he finally asked, “You don’t really look like someone who’s struggling with money. So how do you even know what it’s like to pinch pennies?”

Jiang Yibai took a sip of hot soup, his forehead breaking into sweat. “My family was pretty average. We didn’t lack for money, but my dad was ridiculously stingy.”

Si Shaorong watched him closely, a little nervous. Seeing that Jiang Yibai didn’t seem upset, he quietly let out a breath of relief.

Trying to change the subject, Si Shaorong took the initiative to speak for once. “How did you do on your high school entrance exam?”

Talk about hitting a nerve.

Si Shaorong didn’t think much of it and kept going, “Which school did you get into?”

Chen Yi stared at him. “Uncle, talking about this over dinner really kills the appetite.”

Si Shaorong paused. Uncle?

Chen Yi poked at his food with his chopsticks. “No way I’m getting into a top school. Might not even make it into a regular one. But my dad pulled some strings, so I’m probably ending up at the one near our place. I don’t care. Whatever.”

Jiang Yibai calmly chewed his food and said, “You may not care now, but if life gets harder later, you’re the one who has to deal with it. Then again, your parents have given you a decent platform to start from. You’ll always land on your feet. Still, getting poor grades doesn’t mean you’re dumb. It’s about this…”

He tapped his temple.

Chen Yi instantly blew up. “Are you saying I’m stupid?”

“Your emotional intelligence could use work too,” Jiang Yibai added. “Once you’re out in the real world, someone will teach you a lesson sooner or later.”

Chen Yi scoffed, not convinced. He thought these two adults just didn’t get his values or his worldview. He crossed one leg over the other, sipping his drink as he said, “Why can’t I decide what I want to be? I just want to grow up fast and make my own money, so I don’t have to depend on anyone.”

“Ambitious,” Jiang Yibai said, leaving it at that. Teenagers were full of fire. No one could predict the future. Any judgment now would be premature. He gave a thumbs-up, his lips red from the spice, and smiled. “Let’s wait and see.”

That night, the three of them walked home. Chen Yi’s shadow stretched out long under the streetlights as he darted between Jiang Yibai’s and Si Shaorong’s shadows, working hard to play the third wheel.

Si Shaorong had never thought a kid could be this annoying, but now he’d seen it for himself.

Once they got back, Jiang Yibai handed over his computer for the kid to play with and headed into the guest bedroom with Si Shaorong.

Chen Yi stood at the door, his black-and-white eyes darting left and right as he said meaningfully, “Keep it PG, I’m still a baby.”

Jiang Yibai reached out and covered the so-called baby’s eyes.

Once inside, he made sure that little brat wasn’t eavesdropping outside. He could swear the kid was exactly the type to pull something like that. Only then did he turn and say, “What’s gotten into you today?”

Si Shaorong had been a little tense about sharing a room and blinked in surprise. “Huh?”

“You brought me gifts. Started chatting with Chen Yi,” Jiang Yibai said. “That’s not like you.”

Si Shaorong trying to initiate small talk was a disaster. He always managed to hit where it hurt most, never watching anyone’s expression. Just thinking of Chen Yi’s face when asked about his test scores made Jiang Yibai want to laugh.

Ever since he got to know Si Shaorong, he’d always thought the rumors were exaggerated. People said he was eccentric and hard to get along with, but Jiang Yibai had never felt that at all. After tonight’s dinner, though, he finally saw a glimpse of it.

Which could only mean that the “Male God” acted completely differently depending on who he was facing.

Jiang Yibai felt like his heart had been dipped in syrup, bubbling with sweetness, pride, and a hard-to-express sense of superiority.

Still, something was definitely off with Si Shaorong tonight. That couldn’t be ignored.

Si Shaorong wasn’t good at lying. His eyes darted aside and he stammered, “I… I didn’t think it was a big deal.”

That just made Jiang Yibai more suspicious. His mind immediately jumped to the worst. “Did I say something wrong? Or are you… planning to move again?”

Si Shaorong looked completely lost. How did he get to that conclusion?

“You came back carrying all that stuff. It felt like an end-of-year thank-you gift or something. And after the thank-yous comes the move, right?”

“No,” Si Shaorong laughed helplessly. “I just wanted to buy you a few things. It doesn’t mean anything else.”

Jiang Yibai hesitated. “If you want to call it quits…”

“I don’t!” Si Shaorong wanted to say, I don’t want to call it quits. I never want to stop, but he knew saying that now could send their relationship into a tailspin. He still couldn’t quite read Jiang Yibai and wasn’t willing to take that risk.

All the words swirling in his chest curled back down his throat. He changed tack. “I just… after hearing what you said to Chen Yi, I wanted to do something for you. You bought me a gift before, remember? This is just a return gift.”

Jiang Yibai froze for a moment. He hadn’t expected Si Shaorong to actually take those words to heart. A wave of emotion rushed through him.

Next time anyone dared say the Male God was aloof and inconsiderate, he’d fight them on the spot.

“I appreciate it. Really. But I do think we need to talk about this,” Jiang Yibai said with a playful grin as he pulled Si Shaorong over to sit on the bed. “It’s totally fine to buy gifts for your partner, but there has to be a limit. If you go overboard, one, it puts pressure on the other person. And two, once they get used to it, they’ll think it’s their due. That’s not good for you.”

“If they’re someone who’s considerate, they won’t care whether you buy them gifts or not. But if they’re ungrateful? They’ll start resenting you for giving too little. All pain and no gain.” Jiang Yibai gave him a serious look. “Boyfriend, you’re way too honest.”

Si Shaorong: “…”

He was trying hard not to laugh. Back when he didn’t have feelings for Jiang Yibai, he thought he was a good friend. Warm, hospitable, kind of cute. Now that feelings were involved, he realized Jiang Yibai could be so clueless it made him even cuter.

Si Shaorong nodded solemnly, though his lips twitched with the threat of a smile. “Got it.”