WP Chapter 38

When Chen Yi returned, he was covered in the smell of barbecue and carried the faintest trace of alcohol. Jiang Yibai was standing in his pajamas, shoulder to shoulder with Si Shaorong, both facing the doorway like a pair of proper guardians.

Si Shaorong glanced at Jiang Yibai’s stance, then copied it. He crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow slightly, fixing his gaze on the boy at the door.

Chen Yi’s cheeks were tinged with the pink flush of alcohol, but his eyes were sharp and his movements steady. He did not seem drunk at all.

He let out a snort, changed into his slippers, and tucked away his keys while saying, “What is this, you two playing temple guards?”

Jiang Yibai held out his hand, palm open. “Keys.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve already been more than lenient with you. You skipped dinner and stayed out this late. Did I call to scold you? And drinking while still underage? That’s impressive. Why not go all the way—gamble, rent a room, the full set? Why are you even staying in my house?”

Chen Yi’s expression began to sink. He stood in the doorway, holding his keys, chin raised. “You’re kicking me out, Jiang Yibai?”

Jiang Yibai nodded. “That’s right. Are you leaving or not?”

Chen Yi was not someone who responded well to force. That tone of voice immediately riled up his temper. He shoved his hands into his pockets and said, “No. My mom asked you to look after me. If I leave, how are you going to explain that to her?”

He scoffed. “So I had a couple drinks. I didn’t go overboard. I know my limits.”

Jiang Yibai stepped forward and backed him into a corner, pressed down on his wrist, and took the keys away.

“My place is not a sanctuary for your royal tantrums.” Jiang Yibai tapped the boy’s nose with the cold metal key. “Chen Yi, you’re really growing bold. Fine. Do whatever you want. I’ll call your mom right now and tell her to come pick you up. I’ll refund your tuition. From now on, don’t come here again. I’m not the right person to teach you, and I don’t have the patience to pretend I am.”

Jiang Yibai turned to go. Chen Yi’s eyes went wide, his face flushed red, and he suddenly lunged forward to grab Jiang Yibai’s arm.

He shot a glare toward Si Shaorong, who was still standing in the hallway, and the more he thought about it, the more humiliated he felt. Unwilling to back down, he shouted, “I’m not leaving! You already took me in! You can’t just throw me out like this! You hypocrite, Jiang Yibai!”

He held on tightly to Jiang Yibai’s arm, and when he got no reaction, he suddenly changed tactics. Relying on the few taekwondo basics he remembered, he hooked his leg around Jiang Yibai’s knee, tried to throw him off balance, grabbed his arm, and pulled hard in an attempt to shove him against the wall.

This was exactly the kind of moment that showed why regular lessons mattered. Chen Yi had never stuck to anything for long. He had been learning piano for over a year and was still going in circles, like some elderly man with early-stage dementia. His taekwondo was no exception. He knew only the basics, and whatever he had learned afterward, he had either never gotten around to or had long forgotten. Now, unsure how to apply pressure with his hands, he gave Jiang Yibai just enough of an opening to break free and twist his arm back.

At the same time, Si Shaorong had already stepped forward and shoved the boy aside, shielding his boyfriend behind him.

Normally, Si Shaorong never interfered in matters between Jiang Yibai and his students. But this time, it was clear. This kid had no sense of boundaries. No matter how good Jiang Yibai was to him, he would not listen. And now he had even dared to lay hands on him. That was the last straw.

For once, Si Shaorong genuinely lost his temper. He grabbed the boy by the collar, dragged him out and threw him right through the front door.

Chen Yi barely had time to react before he found himself outside. The blast of hot air in the hallway was a stark contrast to the cool air inside. He had not even put on his shoes, and his bare toes were pressed against the hard floor. Staring at the closed door in disbelief, he opened his mouth to curse, but Si Shaorong lifted a hand and pointed straight at him.

“Leave.”

Just one word. And somehow it carried more weight than anything Jiang Yibai had said.

Chen Yi went quiet on the spot.

Jiang Yibai rubbed his arm and muttered, “Kid’s got a pretty decent grip.”

Si Shaorong had already been about to close the door, but hearing that only made him angrier. He swung the door back open and looked straight at the boy in the hallway.

“You act like this because you know he has a soft heart and is easy to talk to. Your parents are the same. They were kind, they gave in, and you knew they could not stop you. Try treating someone else this way and see how far it gets you.”

His voice went cold. “Someone will teach you how to behave.”

Chen Yi’s eyes were wide with anger. His fists were clenched. “None of this is your business.”

Jiang Yibai was angry too. Tonight, Chen Yi had truly gone too far. It was not just disappointment. It hurt. Most of the time, things between them had been fine.
Most of the time, things were fine between them. Even when he had to discipline him, it rarely escalated beyond a few words. Sometimes the boy would even listen. Even if he did not play piano, he would still chat, still make jokes. He had always just seemed like a normal, slightly rebellious teenager.

But now Jiang Yibai was starting to wonder if he had misjudged him completely. Maybe he really had been too sentimental. Maybe he was only fit to teach music part-time. The idea of being a mentor for someone’s emotional development was something he was never meant for.

Si Shaorong slammed the door shut and wrapped his arms around Jiang Yibai, gently rubbing his arm and shoulder. “Did you hurt anything?”

Jiang Yibai had not been ready for that sudden move. The kid had caught him at a bad angle. It had not done any real damage, but the force had been enough to bruise.

“I’m fine. You think he can take me down? When I used to fight…” Jiang Yibai trailed off, then scratched the back of his neck with a sheepish look. “I was just as much of a pain in the ass when I was his age.”

Si Shaorong held him close, rubbed his back, and leaned in to kiss his ear.

That kiss made Jiang Yibai’s knees go weak. But he had not forgotten about the boy still standing outside. He said softly, “It’s not safe to leave him out there this late.”

Si Shaorong pressed his lips together and stayed silent.

Jiang Yibai wrapped his arms around him in return, sensing that his boyfriend was acting like a sulky kid himself. It made him look even more lovable. He gently coaxed him while walking over to open the door again.

Of course, the kid had not left. Chen Yi stood there barefoot, already dripping with sweat. The moment the door opened, he looked up and saw the two of them standing close together, still wrapped around each other like they wanted the whole world to know what they were.

His gaze settled on Jiang Yibai’s hand, still resting on Si Shaorong’s waist. He had always liked that hand. Liked it so much he could never quite explain what that feeling even was.

He felt awful. What he wanted most right now was to cry his eyes out.

He stiffened his neck and shouted, “Fucking faggots!”

“Fuck!” Jiang Yibai swore and grabbed the slipper off his foot, hurling it straight at Chen Yi’s face.

Chen Yi dodged quickly and shouted back, “Shameless!”

Si Shaorong lifted his head and stared at the boy with a cold gaze.

Jiang Yibai hurried to defuse it. “Hey, hey, he’s just a kid. Don’t get mad. He doesn’t know what he’s saying.”

He felt like he was losing his mind, stuck in the middle trying to calm everyone down. One hand soothing the adult, the other grabbing the slipper off his other foot and flinging it again with a low curse. “Are you coming in or not? I’m counting to three. Three.”

Chen Yi shouted back, “What happened to one and two, did you eat them?” Then he stomped his foot and ran inside.

Jiang Yibai shut the door behind him. Chen Yi stood barefoot on the floor, bouncing on his toes. He looked furious, but truthfully, he felt embarrassed. He turned on his heel with a snort and headed straight for the bathroom.

Si Shaorong wrapped his arms around Jiang Yibai from behind. “You don’t owe him anything.”

“I know.” Jiang Yibai let out a sigh. “I don’t get why he’s like this. His family’s not bad. His parents really care about him. They work hard just for his sake…”

Si Shaorong pressed him against the wall, leaning in until his knee pushed between Jiang Yibai’s legs, copying the move Jiang Yibai had used that day, giving a slow, deliberate nudge.

Jiang Yibai let out a soft sound in his throat and looked at him with a laugh. “So you’re done sulking?”

“I wasn’t.” Si Shaorong did not want to let the mood shift back toward anything heavy. He leaned in and kissed Jiang Yibai’s neck, leaving behind a trail of faint red marks. Jiang Yibai’s knees nearly buckled. He had to admit, the Male God learned fast.

“He’s just a coward,” Si Shaorong murmured.

Jiang Yibai ruffled his hair. “Hmm?”

“I’ve met people like him before,” Si Shaorong looked up and met his eyes. “His parents gave him a good start and all the resources he could want. But he could not live up to it, and that made him ashamed. The more people believe in him, the more he panics. Eventually he turns on the people who care about him, sees them as meddling, just so he can blame someone for the pressure.”

Jiang Yibai thought about that. It made a strange kind of sense. “Then does that mean he thinks even his parents are meddling too?”

“He’s afraid of disappointing his parents,” Si Shaorong said. “So if he never tries to take anything seriously in the first place, then failure and disappointment don’t exist. That’s why I said he’s a coward.”

Jiang Yibai’s eyes lit up. “So that’s what it is.”

Si Shaorong could never resist him when he looked this cute. He reached out and pinched his cheeks. “Come to my room.”

Jiang Yibai grinned and said, “And what are we going to do in your room?” As he spoke, he waggled his eyebrows in that cheeky, ridiculous way of his.

Si Shaorong fought back a smile and forced himself to look serious. “I want you to help me review a scene.”

Jiang Yibai stared at him.

He switched expressions on the spot. One second he was teasing, and the next he was deadpan with disappointment. Si Shaorong could not hold it in. He buried his face against Jiang Yibai’s neck and laughed until his whole body shook.

Just like that, the tension vanished. They were so sweet together it was blinding. Even if they were still technically on a “six-month trial,” neither of them seemed to remember that anymore. Right now, they looked more like a couple completely in love.

Jiang Yibai first coaxed Si Shaorong back into the bedroom, then walked over to knock on the bathroom door. “Did you fall in?”

Chen Yi had left the door slightly ajar and had been secretly peeking through the crack the entire time. Now he leaned against the door and grumbled, “Old Jiang, you’re so unfair.”

“You think you’re fair?” Jiang Yibai kicked the door lightly. “You even had the nerve to put your hands on me?”

“I didn’t use that much force! You were ignoring me.” Chen Yi still felt justified, picking at his fingers as he said, “Do you even act like a teacher? Or at least like someone older? What kind of adult acts like that in front of a kid… ”

“Like what?” Jiang Yibai asked.

“You and that old guy. Doing all those things!” Chen Yi ground his teeth. “Do you even care that I’m right here?”

Jiang Yibai blinked once, then suddenly remembered how Si Shaorong usually responded to things. He answered plainly. “No.”

Chen Yi was stunned.

Jiang Yibai continued, “Let’s talk this through. I was living my life just fine. You’re the one who begged me to take you in. I let you stay, and now you’re full of complaints. How does that make sense?”

Chen Yi fired back, “That doesn’t mean you can be so out in the open about it! What if it messes with my head? What if I turn gay because of you?”

Jiang Yibai stared at him.

Then he frowned. “If people could turn gay that easily, there wouldn’t be a single straight guy left on the street.”

Chen Yi refused to back down. “I don’t care. If I turn gay, it’s your fault. You have to take responsibility.”

Jiang Yibai was starting to feel like this whole day had been a tug-of-war with a kid who refused to let go. He waved his hand. “Fine. You’re right. Which is why you should go home tomorrow.”

Chen Yi fell silent.

Jiang Yibai turned to head back to the bedroom, but Chen Yi suddenly pulled the door open and grabbed his hand. Then, as if scalded, he quickly let go again. He fidgeted by the door, only showing his eyes through the crack.

“I just want to know…” he muttered. “When did you find out you were… you know, like that?”

Jiang Yibai stared at him. “What?”