WCG Chapter 64

With these 2 uploads, my job today is done. Happy Holidays!

The warmth of Xie Xu’s palm pressed lightly over Jiang Shi’s eyes, shielding him from the fireworks’ glare. Jiang Shi blinked rapidly, his long lashes grazing against Xie Xu’s hand, but he remained obediently still. 

This was their first New Year spent together.  

Around them, the world bustled with noise. 

Fireworks boomed overhead, and at their feet, Xiao Hei was still attempting to chew off his pink tie, occasionally nudging Jiang Shi’s leg in protest. Jiang Shi closed his eyes, focusing on the comforting heat of Xie Xu’s palm and counting the beats of his own racing heart.  

“Boom, boom, boom…”

His heartbeat was faster than the fireworks.  

It turned out that New Years can be such a happy occasion.

In the darkness behind his eyelids, Jiang Shi turned his thoughts toward Xie Xu, softly whispering, “Xie Xu, happy New Year.”  

There was a pause before Xie Xu responded with a teasing smile as he withdrew his hand, “You called me by my full name again.”  

It was only the second time Jiang Shi had done so. The first being that drunken, late-night incident prompted by his unfilial sons. 

Jiang Shi heard the playful undertone in Xie Xu’s voice, and his ears flushed red. Still, he raised his chin stubbornly to meet Xie Xu’s gaze. “You call me by my name, too.”  

Indeed, Xie Xu never used a nickname with him, though he occasionally used “Time” when chatting with Jiang Lele. But with Jiang Shi, it was always the full name.  

So, he also wanted to call Xie Xu by his full name.

Jiang Shi continued, his tone a little more earnest. “Didn’t I tell you before that I had something to say to you in person?”  

Xie Xu hummed in acknowledgment, adjusting Jiang Shi’s scarf to cover his red-tipped ears. Jiang Shi, however, pulled the scarf down slightly so his words would be clearer. “I was going to ask you a question, but now I’ve decided there’s something more important to say.”  

The fireworks continued to burst in the background, their radiant light reflecting in Jiang Shi’s bright eyes.  

“I like you, Xie Xu,” Jiang Shi confessed, his tone deliberate and serious, his ears still flushed red.  

His voice, though soft, cut through the chaotic noise around them. It landed in Xie Xu’s ears with undeniable clarity.  

Jiang Shi thought about how the atmosphere of the moment made confessing far more appropriate than bringing up some casual question about the past. 

The way his heart raced when Xie Xu had approached with fireworks in hand—that wasn’t something he could ignore.  

Jiang Shi liked him, not for his hands or looks.

He wanted to seize the courage of the moment because if he didn’t, he wasn’t sure when he’d muster it again.  

Xie Xu stared at him for a long while, his gaze lingering on Jiang Shi’s youthful face, which looked even smaller beneath the scarf. Under the glow of the fireworks, Jiang Shi’s features seemed delicate and unguarded, a stark reminder that he was only nineteen.  

“What kind of like?” Xie Xu finally asked.

His voice was deep, blending into the winter night, covered by the loud booms of fireworks. It felt rather unreal. 

The question startled Jiang Shi, who blinked in confusion. 

Wasn’t it obvious? Like was just… like!  

But he couldn’t very well say it was the kind of “like where he wanted to sleep with him”, could he?  

Xie Xu, noticing Jiang Shi’s furrowed brows, encouraged, “Say whatever comes to mind.”  

He just wanted to hear Jiang Shi’s true thoughts.

Jiang Shi hesitated under Xie Xu’s indulgent gaze before finally discarding the “sleep” part of his real thoughts. “It’s the kind of like where I want you to always set off fireworks for me. And only for me.”  

The thought had bloomed in Jiang Shi’s mind the moment Xie Xu lit the fireworks just for him. 

A sense of possessiveness surged stronger than ever before.  

Xie Xu chuckled softly at Jiang Shi’s earnest tone. 

This answer was so… 

Fitting for Jiang Shi’s personality. 

Suppressing a smile, he adjusted Jiang Shi’s scarf again, this time fully covering his ears and mouth, leaving only his bright eyes exposed.  

“I’ve never set off fireworks for anyone else.” 

Jiang Shi opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, Xie Xu’s phone rang.  

“Hello? Mom, I’ll be back soon. Don’t wait for me,” Xie Xu said into the phone. Then, as if struck by an idea, he glanced at Jiang Shi, covering the receiver. “Want to come to my place?”  

Jiang Shi’s eyes widened in alarm, and he shook his head vehemently, like a startled animal. 

He had just confessed and hadn’t even figured out how to navigate their relationship, let alone meet Xie Xu’s elders.  

Seeing his panic, Xie Xu didn’t press further, ending the call shortly after.  

“You should head back, Captain. I should be leaving too,” Jiang Shi said, rubbing his hands together as though warding off the cold. 

The fireworks had finished, and Jiang Shi forced himself to sound cheerful. “That was the best New Year’s gift I’ve ever received since forever!”  

He smiled brightly, his eyes crinkling at the corners. If not for the scarf, his dimples would’ve been visible.  

Xie Xu listened to Jiang Shi’s changed way of addressing him, reached out, his fingers brushing lightly against the corner of Jiang Shi’s eye. “I liked your New Year’s gift too.”  

---

Jiang Shi returned to the base, and was still confused at what Xie Xu meant by “his New Year’s gift”. Was it his New Year greeting?

It shouldn’t be, right?

On the contrary, Xie Xu gave him a very thick red envelope, saying that it was his New Year’s money.

Jiang Shi never received such New Year’s money before, and this feeling was quite novel.

But this sense of novelty quickly dissipated.

Was his confession rejected?

Jiang Shi listlessly dragged his body to the training room, then sent a message to his friend Bamboo.  

[Obedient Jiangjiang: Dad is heartbroken. Come to the canyon, quick.]  

[Bamboo: What happened? It’s the middle of the night. I’m playing mahjong!]  

[Obedient Jiangjiang: .]  

[Obedient Jiangjiang: Fine, I’ll cry under my blanket by myself.]  

[Bamboo: … ]

On the other side, Bamboo asked his father to take his place on the mahjong table temporarily, then found a secluded place to call Jiang Shi via WeChat. He asked, “Didn’t you look fine when you left? How did you end up getting heartbroken?”  

Jiang Shi recounted the evening’s events in a glum tone.  

“He drove over an hour just to set off fireworks for you?” Bamboo asked. “And then you confessed by saying you want him to keep setting off fireworks for you?”  

Bamboo’s disbelief was palpable, even over the phone.  

“What’s wrong with that?” Jiang Shi asked, genuinely puzzled.  

Bamboo sighed. “He probably thinks you’re not serious. Like, a firework show can buy you off.” 

Jiang Shi’s words were too childish.

Jiang Shi sulked further. “What was I supposed to say? That I want to sleep with him?”  

Bamboo: “…”

Why the hell does this kid swing between the two extreme ends of purity and lewdness? How can he impress Xie Xu? Who can accept such wild differences!

He was about to say something, but when he heard the whirring sound of the wind coming from the phone, he frowned. “Where are you? Don’t be rash!”

This kid… won’t actually jump off the building after being rejected, right? 

Jiang Shi: “?”

“Don’t worry, your Dad won’t commit suicide.” Jiang Shi stretched his neck and looked downstairs. “I’m looking at the snow by the window. It’s snowing outside, so fluffy like cotton. Xiao Hei is playing in circles downstairs. He looks so stupid.” 

The snow was blown by the wind, it blanketed the ground until it was all white. Xiao Hei was playing happily, leaving tiny kitty footprints. The small black fluffball was particularly conspicuous amidst the snow.

Bamboo paused when he heard his heartless tone of mocking Xiao Hei.

‘Jiang Shi is also equally as stupid.’    

Jiang Shi was not too sad. After all, Xie Xu not only gave him New Year’s money in the end, but also touched his face. Regardless of whether he rejected his confession or not, these two behaviors showed that their relationship had not changed, and even became a little closer.

“I don’t think Xu actually rejected you. He just wasn’t satisfied with your answer.” Bamboo re-examined the course of events and came to a conclusion. “He must’ve thought that your love was too superficial.”

Xie Xu’s actions clearly showed that he had a good impression of Jiang Shi, but he felt that the two of them were not at the stage of dating, so he gave Jiang Shi a vague response.

Jiang Shi seemed to understand. “So?” 

Bamboo thought for a moment. “You can be more mature, don’t be childish anymore.” 

Jiang Shi understood. “More mature?”

Bamboo felt that Jiang Shi’s tone was a little strange, but his suspicion was dispersed the moment his father called him. “Hey, are you still going to play mahjong or not?”

Immediately, he raised his voice to reply, “Wait, I’ll be there soon.”

“Yes, be more like an adult.” Bamboo said in a hurry. “But don’t be too abrupt.”

Afterall, he knew Jiang Shi still maintained that [Obedient Jiangjiang] persona of his.

After hanging up, Jiang Shi pondered what it meant to be more “adult.” Slowly, his face turned beet red.  

So… that’s what Xie Xu likes?  

Well, he liked it too.