YPHC Chapter 53

“The meaning is I also miss…”

 

“…”

 

Yan Jie was silent for several seconds on the other end of the phone.

 

When his response didn’t come, Jiang Nan’an raised an eyebrow slightly: “What’s wrong?”

 

“…Nothing.”

 

Yan Jie silently took a deep breath, barely suppressing the drumming heartbeat in his chest:

 

“Jiang Nan’an.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Next time, perhaps you can be more direct with me. You don’t need to say ‘Happy New Year,’ you can just tell me you miss me.”

 

Yan Jie had held back from making this call for nine days. During these nine days, every time he wanted to talk to Jiang Nan’an, wanted to hear his voice, he had to admonish himself: No, you agreed to stay calm until after the New Year. This is a major life decision. You can’t be impulsive. Impulsiveness is the devil.

 

But how was this “staying calm” for him? “Torture” would be a more accurate description.

 

These past few days, Yan Jie couldn’t eat well or sleep well. He counted the days on his fingers every day, never having looked forward to the New Year so much in his life.

 

He missed Jiang Nan’an terribly, to the point of agony. After holding back repeatedly, he still couldn’t resist opening their pinned chat to ask “What are you doing?” After receiving a reply, no matter how much he wanted to continue the conversation, he had to force himself to end it. When he really couldn’t bear it anymore, he would call Fat Fish to cry about how he hadn’t spoken to Mr. Hang for days and couldn’t go on living like this.

 

Fat Fish maintained a disdainful attitude toward this while grudgingly accepting the fact that “my buddy seems to have genuinely fallen in love with a man.”

 

Yan Jie had completely given up struggling against it.

 

He had fallen for it, fallen in love, and without Jiang Nan’an, he simply couldn’t live happily.

 

But he had to keep his promise to himself, so he forced himself to hold out until New Year’s Eve. As soon as midnight passed, he called Jiang Nan’an, wishing he could fly to Shanghai that very night to pour his heart out at the other’s home.

 

Heaven knows how he endured those twenty-something minutes when he couldn’t get through and could only repeatedly hear “the line is busy.”

 

And only heaven knows how he felt when Jiang Nan’an told him he had been on the phone with Shanshan.

 

That was Jiang Nan’an, Jiang Nan’an! The person whose WeChat looked like a fake account, yet he would spend half an hour on the phone with someone? And that someone was a beautiful, sweet-voiced female celebrity with strong professional abilities and a good personality??

 

Yan Jie felt like he had been kicked from a cloud into a gutter, but none of that mattered now.

 

Because Jiang Nan’an’s “I miss you” immediately made him abandon his dark crawling, sprout wings, and fly from the gutter up into the sky, shoulder to shoulder with the sun.

 

Yan Jie felt he was truly done for.

 

“Not really.”

 

Jiang Nan’an didn’t agree with his suggestion.

 

“Why?” Yan Jie asked patiently.

 

“It sounds like flirting.”

 

“Oh, so you understand flirting?”

 

“‘Behavior during courtship aimed at leading to mating’-is this some profound, difficult-to-understand term?”

 

“Not difficult, not difficult at all.” Yan Jie chuckled.

 

He just hadn’t expected that someone who couldn’t quite understand friendship and liking could distinguish these things.

 

He changed the subject:

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“Reading.”

 

“Still reading the History of Xuan?”

 

“No, Jung’s ‘Red Book.'”

 

“You have quite diverse interests, teacher. That thing can put you to sleep.”

 

“You’ve read it?”

 

“Yes, it’s quite niche, but I studied psychology, so it’s relevant to my field. I flipped through a couple of pages when I had free time, but I still couldn’t get through it-it made me sleepy.”

 

“You studied psychology?”

 

“Yes, I’m not an expert, but I did manage to get a master’s degree.”

 

“Wow.”

 

“What’s the ‘wow’ for?” Yan Jie laughed.

 

“Very impressive.”

 

Jiang Nan’an genuinely respected Yan Jie.

 

He sincerely praised him and then asked: “Which university?”

 

“Manchester.”

 

“Where’s that?”

 

“England.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“What about you?” Jiang Nan’an’s reaction was oddly cute, and Yan Jie couldn’t help but ask with a smile:

 

“Which school did you attend? Shanghai Theatre Academy?”

 

“No,” Jiang Nan’an turned a couple of pages in his book without continuing to answer his question, instead asking:

 

“So is studying also one of your ‘side quests’? After conquering the esports world championship, you switched tracks and went abroad to study?”

 

“Something like that. When I was eighteen, I was hot-headed. After a year of settling down, I still felt that a person should read more books. It just so happened that I had decided to retire but didn’t know what to do in the future, so I thought I’d find a school to attend.”

 

Hearing him say this, Jiang Nan’an lowered his eyes and nodded gently.

 

Later, realizing that Yan Jie couldn’t see him on the phone, he was about to respond verbally when fireworks suddenly exploded outside. He instinctively looked up, and his eyes were illuminated by the colorful lights.

 

“What’s wrong?” Yan Jie was waiting for his response, and when he didn’t get one, he gently inquired.

 

“Nothing, there are fireworks outside.” Jiang Nan’an unconsciously curled the corner of the book page with his fingertips.

 

“Are they beautiful?”

 

“They’re okay.”

 

“That’s good.” Yan Jie paused, then said:

 

“It’s getting late, I won’t disturb Mr. Hang’s reading anymore. Rest early, good night.”

 

“Mm.” Jiang Nan’an responded, about to move the phone away from his ear when he heard Yan Jie call out:

 

“Jiang Nan’an?”

 

“Is there something else?”

 

“Yes.” A faint sound of airflow came through the receiver, as if the person on the other end had exhaled a puff of smoke. Indeed, when he spoke again, his voice was slightly hoarse:

 

“Happy New Year.”

 

Yan Jie’s tone was a bit slow:

 

“The meaning is I miss you too. See you this afternoon.”

 

“…”

 

Jiang Nan’an was lost in thought for a long time, only coming back to his senses when he heard the “beep” of the call ending.

 

He turned off his phone and put it aside. When he lowered his eyes again, he found that the corner of the book page had been wrinkled by his fingers, curled up together.

 

Jiang Nan’an pressed his fingertips against the corner of the page, trying to smooth it out, but the crease and curl marks couldn’t be erased-they remained there forever.

 

The warm yellow reading lamp on the small table illuminated the ink-printed text on the paper. Jiang Nan’an read a few pages but found his state somewhat off. Although he took in the words with his eyes, his brain couldn’t parse their meaning, let alone absorb them into his heart.

 

Jiang Nan’an took a deep breath and simply closed the book, allowing his body to slowly slide down, lying horizontally on the sofa and looking at the sky outside the window.

 

Yan Jie was truly a strange person.

 

He had thought this more than once.

 

Jiang Nan’an found Yan Jie’s attitude of treating life like a strategy game interesting, but not everyone could have such thoughts and experiences.

 

When he wanted to play esports, he did; when he wanted to retire, he did; when he wanted to study, he went to study; when he wanted to go somewhere, he could just go; he could get whatever he wanted.

 

He appeared carefree and frivolous, but actually understood many things and principles. He seemed to know everything and had a clearer, more open-minded perspective than anyone else.

 

Jiang Nan’an stared at the ceiling, faintly illuminated by the warm light, lost in thought for a long time until drowsiness crept over him. Only then did he close his book and lie down on the bed.

 

Before sleeping, Jiang Nan’an inexplicably recalled something Yan Jie had told him long ago, and as if possessed, he opened his phone and clicked on WeChat Moments.

 

For him, WeChat mostly served the function of sending and receiving messages; he had never deliberately opened Moments before. Now that he did, he discovered that everyone had been actively sharing their lives.

 

Today is the Spring Festival, and along with it, the photos in Moments are all red and festive. Most are WeChat friends sharing stage anecdotes or the New Year atmosphere in their homes.

 

The photos are all well-taken, and those warm scenes are quite appealing. However, Jiang Nan’an had too many random contacts in his account, most of whom he didn’t really know, so he could only browse through them quickly.

 

Until he saw Yan Jie’s post.

 

Yan Jie had posted a nine-grid photo collection, including his home’s New Year decorations, photos of him with his parents, and a scruffy little dog that looked like a mop.

 

Jiang Nan’an slowly looked through those nine pictures, lingering there for a long time.

 

Before leaving, he gave Yan Jie the first like he had ever given since using WeChat Moments.

 

–

 

Wei Yinghua had spent most of her life in the film and television industry. Being gentle and inclusive, she had formed many good relationships. The New Year greetings she received were unusually numerous. Early on the first day of the Lunar New Year, industry juniors came to pay their respects one after another, keeping her busy inside and out of the house.

 

Jiang Nan’an didn’t want to impose too much. After having lunch with Wei Yinghua, he said goodbye and prepared to go home. Wei Yinghua, busy entertaining guests, didn’t try to keep him too much, only personally seeing him off at the small courtyard gate, telling him to visit often, and letting him know that if he didn’t mind, he could come to her home for all future holidays.

 

That afternoon, Jiang Nan’an returned to Shanghai.

 

Opening the door, the red Chinese knot that Xiao Sun had given him still hung at the entrance.

 

Jiang Nan’an took off his hat and mask, went to his room to put away his luggage and wash what needed washing, then sat in the recliner, wanting to settle down and read in a completely comfortable and safe state. But after picking up his book for just a few seconds, he inexplicably picked up his phone again.

 

In WeChat, his conversation with Yan Jie still ended with the “Happy New Year” message he had sent last night.

 

Yan Jie said he would come today-was he serious or joking?

 

How long would he stay? There was a guest room, but there really wasn’t much food in the house.

 

Well, he said he’d bring his own provisions, and if there was really nothing to eat, they could order takeout. He wouldn’t let a grown man starve in his home.

 

Jiang Nan’an had originally planned to message Yan Jie asking roughly what time he would arrive, but after thinking about it, he felt it wasn’t necessary.

 

It didn’t matter whether he came or not, or what time he arrived. After all, he would be home all day and had no other plans… It would be best if he didn’t come, to avoid the trouble.

 

Jiang Nan’an lay in the soft recliner, listening to soothing light music, reading a book that was a bit difficult to understand but had beautiful language. This was his favorite state of living besides acting.

 

Perhaps because he was too relaxed, or perhaps because he wasn’t focused enough on the text, or maybe because he hadn’t slept well the night before, Jiang Nan’an fell asleep in his comfort.

 

Early evening naps are often accompanied by bizarre, meaningless, fragment-like dreams. After an unknown amount of time, he was awakened by a series of doorbell rings. He opened his eyes in confusion to find that the sky outside was already filled with the orange-red color unique to the sunset.

 

The doorbell was still ringing. Jiang Nan’an put down his book, put on his slippers, and rubbed his hair as he went to open the door.

 

Having just woken up, his brain hadn’t fully booted, and he was in a dazed state until he pulled the door open-

 

Outside stood Yan Jie, whom he hadn’t seen for many days.

 

Along with a bouquet of fresh red roses in his arms.

 

Yan Jie was wearing a black coat, with loose pants below, making him appear broad-shouldered and long-legged. His hair looked like it had been carefully styled yet also just casually tousled, handsome in a casual and relaxed way. There were dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn’t slept well the night before, but his eyes showed no fatigue, only the smiling expression that Jiang Nan’an was most familiar with.

 

Jiang Nan’an looked at him, then at the bouquet of roses in his arms, which he estimated to be 99 in number.

 

The meaning of such flowers was too special. Jiang Nan’an’s brain forcibly booted up and operated at full speed, and he cautiously stepped back half a step:

 

“…What are you doing?”

 

“Paying you a New Year visit! Happy New Year, Mr. Hang.”

 

As he spoke, Yan Jie extended the bouquet of roses toward Jiang Nan’an:

 

“Also, I need to tell you something.”

 

Jiang Nan’an stared at the bouquet of roses, not knowing if it was his limited knowledge or what, but he couldn’t figure out how “New Year visit” and “red roses” could be connected, so he didn’t dare to accept them for the moment.

 

After a moment’s hesitation, he raised an eyebrow slightly and boldly offered his guess:

 

“Is it a Beijing traditional custom to use roses for New Year visits?”

 

Yan Jie was slightly stunned, not understanding how he could think this, and couldn’t help but laugh:

 

“Of course not.”

 

“Then…”

 

“Red roses are of course used for confessing one’s feelings. That’s a tradition recognized by people all over the world, right?”

 

Yan Jie looked at Jiang Nan’an, curved his eyes, and smiled, showing his canine teeth:

 

“What I want to tell you is just this, Jiang Nan’an, I’m certain I’ve fallen in love with you.

 

“So this time I’m not just here for the New Year, I’m here to pursue you.”

 

 

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 (advanced chapters available on kofi)