CW: mild transphobia and homophobia.
Ji Linqiu seemed to be affected by the hotpot’s spicy broth, and when Jiang Wang acted a little coquettishly, he unexpectedly agreed to something he hadn’t planned on.
He had long decided to avoid that place, thinking it wasn’t worth wasting even a bit of his time.
Sometimes, the past and family were like a dark vortex, drawing in any light that got too close.
Once someone returned there, they would become irritable, impatient, and difficult to communicate with–
—eventually blending in with the rest in self-destruction.
Jiang Wang wasn’t interested in traditional activities like celebrating the New Year. He simply didn’t like seeing others bother Ji Linqiu.
It was fine for him to tease Ji Linqiu, though.
Jiang Wang’s life philosophy had only two rules: “Don’t overthink things” and “If there’s a problem, deal with it.”
If one doesn’t crush the problem completely when it arises, no matter how far they avoid it later, it will continue to haunt them, possibly popping up again to cause trouble unexpectedly.
Ji Changxia could hardly believe the issue was resolved so easily.
She was eating a bowl of spicy beef tripe, which was so dark it seemed burnt, yet she barely broke a sweat.
As the meal was nearing its end, it was as if she finally processed everything, suddenly standing up and raising her glass.
“Brother Jiang, I toast to you! Really, thank you so much!”
Jiang Wang couldn’t help but laugh, lowering his glass to accept the toast.
“Well then, for the New Year, I’ll come over and disturb you both. Thank you in advance.”
Ji Changxia didn’t stay long in Hongcheng, as if afraid of being a burden.
Ji Linqiu had originally planned to take her around the city the next day, perhaps visit Jiang Wang’s bookstore for some coffee and books, but his sister had already caught a ride back to the provincial capital early in the morning. She even sent a text reminding him to eat on time and take care of himself.
Ji Linqiu noticed how rushed her departure was, her expression not quite one of relief.
He stood at the empty guest room door for a long time, as if trying to hold onto something that had once again slipped through his fingers.
Strangely enough, Jiang Wang was also nowhere to be found.
It was the weekend, and Jiang Wang should have been working late into the night and then sleeping until the afternoon, calling it “fully recharging his brain.”
Ji Linqiu initially thought Jiang Wang had taken his sister somewhere, but it wasn’t until 12:30 PM that the man strolled back in, humming a tune.
“I already had lunch with Xingwang, and there’s soup left for you in the kitchen.”
At first glance, Ji Linqiu didn’t notice anything unusual, but then a glint of gold caught his eye. He realized Jiang Wang had something different about him.
“Did you…get an ear piercing?”
Jiang Wang walked over to him, proudly pushing his face closer, showcasing his handsome profile.
“I look handsome, right?”
He had gotten a cartilage piercing on his left ear, a gold hoop that threaded through the cartilage and circled halfway around, swaying slightly with his movements.
With his slightly tanned skin and wild, unrestrained demeanor, Jiang Wang looked even more distinguished, exuding an air of nobility.
On anyone else, gold jewelry might seem tacky or out of place.
But on Jiang Wang, it only enhanced his charisma.
Peng Xingwang, who had been cleaning the kitchen, rushed out to see what was happening.
“Wow— Big Brother, didn’t it hurt?”
“It’s hot out, be careful not to get an infection,” Ji Linqiu reminded him, checking if he had bought the proper ointment. “You need to watch out for inflammation.”
“I got it done at a proper hospital… but that’s not the point.” Jiang Wang, still waiting for a compliment, leaned in closer. “Tell me I look handsome, quickly.”
Ji Linqiu, reassured, couldn’t help but laugh. “I didn’t expect you to go this far first thing in the morning.”
“It really does look handsome,” he said, feeling something in his heart stir again, though he tried to suppress the feeling as he added, “Gold looks good on you.”
Peng Xingwang stood on tiptoe to get a closer look, and Jiang Wang obligingly bent down.
“It’s really nice,” the boy said, suddenly a little downcast. “But now you can’t come pick me up anymore.”
Jiang Wang couldn’t understand the connection.
“Teacher Xu, our homeroom teacher, really hates adults wearing jewelry or getting piercings, especially men. If you wear that when you pick me up, she’ll call you a thug, a delinquent, a transvestite, or a homosexual.”
Ji Linqiu’s breath hitched slightly.
Before he could say anything, Jiang Wang laughed again. “Is Teacher Xu always right?”
Peng Xingwang had never been asked that before. He hesitated before replying, “But there’s a grandpa in town who liked to wear skirts and hair clips, and all the other grandpas and grandmas cards used to say the same things about him.”
Jiang Wang squatted down to look the boy in the eye, patiently asking, “Did those people treat him better when that grandpa wasn’t wearing a skirt?”
“Um, no, they were still very rude to him.”
“And did him wearing a skirt hurt anyone or get him in trouble?”
“Not really, no.”
“So, why shouldn’t he dress up if it makes him feel good?”
Jiang Wang touched his earring in front of Peng Xingwang, his smile still bright.
“I’m a bit of a narcissist, you know.”
“I’d love to go out every day shining, so people see me and say, ‘Damn, Mr. Jiang is so handsome!’”
Then he looked up at Ji Linqiu, who had no choice but to play along.
“…Mr. Jiang, you’re really handsome.”
“See, even Teacher Ji is impressed by my looks,” Jiang Wang said, clearly pleased, patting Peng Xingwang on the shoulder. “When you’re older, you can get as many piercings as you want, or even dye your hair as bright as a green onion.”
Peng Xingwang seemed to understand, looking up at Teacher Ji with newfound admiration.
“If Teacher Ji wore earrings, I bet he’d look great too.”
He was afraid that Ji Linqiu would misunderstand him, so he quickly added, “All TV celebs are like this! A lot of them wear beautiful gems here on their earlobes, don’t they?”
Ji Linqiu had once considered it long ago, but now he could only laugh helplessly. “Male teachers aren’t allowed to wear earrings. If I got my ears pierced now, I’d have to wear something to keep the holes open, so it’s not really feasible.”
“You could wear clip-ons,” Jiang Wang suggested casually. “We can pick some out later.”
Peng Xingwang played in the living room for a while before going upstairs to make the bed. The two adults allowed him to do this, finding his desire to “earn his keep” endearing, and remained in the living room to apply ointment.
The hospital had provided a disinfectant spray and two tubes of ointment that needed to be applied three times a day.
Ji Linqiu had helped students with similar things before, thinking it was just a simple favor.
But when Jiang Wang took off the earring and sat in front of him, Ji Linqiu found himself unable to move.
Jiang Wang smelled… nice.
It wasn’t the scent of laundry detergent or soap, nor was it from his shampoo.
It was the scent of a 27-year-old man’s hormones.
Like the crisp, golden sunlight that blankets the ground as summer turns to fall, warming the fields and slightly scorching the fallen leaves.
Ji Linqiu could smell the faint mint of his aftershave, the warmth that seemed to come from being embraced by the sun.
There was even the lingering bitterness of yesterday’s cigarette near his collar.
Each scent wafted through the air like fish swimming in a stream, making it hard for Ji Linqiu to breathe normally.
He shouldn’t be this close to another man. He seemed to be overly sensitive to Jiang Wang’s scent.
“Hmm? Can’t find the spot?” Jiang Wang, facing away from him, lightly tapped his ear with his fingertip. “It’s right here.”
Ji Linqiu lowered his gaze and picked up the cotton swab, regretting his decision to move in.
He should have kept living alone.
He sprayed the area first, then carefully applied the ointment front and back.
Ji Linqiu deliberately kept some distance, bending over to avoid further physical contact.
“You can lean on my shoulder, you know.” Jiang Wang glanced back and noticed Ji Linqiu’s hesitation. He puffed out his cheeks and dragged out his words, “Teacher Ji — we’re so close now, why are you still holding back?”
Everytime he acted like a spoiled brat, he acted just like Peng Xingwang. Both were very childish.
Ji Linqiu sighed inwardly, feeling a bit exasperated by this steel straight man’s obliviousness.
“Stay still, or I might accidentally poke through your ear with the cotton swab.”
Jiang Wang obediently held still, his fingers playing with the gold hoop earring, watching its light flicker and sway.
“I spent over an hour picking this out,” he murmured. “I was worried that if I chose something ugly, you’d laugh at me.”
“Why would I laugh at you?” Ji Linqiu’s focus shifted to the wound near Jiang Wang’s ear, carefully dabbing the reddened area with the edge of the cotton swab.
It took Jiang Wang a moment to respond, his voice tinged with a rare shyness.
“Because… I’ve always been a bit envious of you.”
“Teacher Ji, you’re really good-looking, you can sing and play guitar, and your English is great.”
“You’ve read so many books and seem to understand everything.”
“I figured if I could at least make myself look a little better, maybe I’d score some extra points.”
As he expressed these thoughts, Jiang Wang sounded like a high school student, filled with a certain reverence for his teacher.
But he also spoke like a grown man trying to stand beside Ji Linqiu, with a mix of awkwardness and sincerity.
Ji Linqiu put down the cotton swab and packed the medicine back into the first-aid kit.
“You have good taste,” he said, gesturing for Jiang Wang to put the earring back on and take a look in the mirror.
“I mentioned before that you have a small mole near your earlobe, just below your neck. If you don’t look closely, it seems like it was placed there deliberately.”
“If you had pierced your earlobe instead, it might not have looked as good. The way it is now is just right.”
Jiang Wang whistled, grinning with pride.
“Tomorrow, I’ll take you to get one too.”
“No way, even if I wanted one, I’d have to wait until next summer.”
Jiang Wang nodded in agreement, then reached out to touch Ji Linqiu’s right ear, his calloused palm brushing lightly against the edge.
“You have really round earlobes; they’d be perfect.”
Ji Linqiu felt a jolt of electricity shoot through him, his gaze snapping up to meet Jiang Wang’s.
The man was still pondering whether a stud, a pendant, or a hoop would suit him best.
Once again, Ji Linqiu forced himself to filter out any unnecessary emotions.
It was as if his instincts had finally been awakened.
It was telling him that this man standing before him was exactly his type, and it was perfectly okay for him to like him.
To admire him, to desire him, to have all those tangled and outright sexual thoughts.
“I’m heading upstairs. Xingwang is waiting for me to help move some things.”
Jiang Wang got up to return the first-aid kit to the storage cabinet, waving his hand casually. “How about grilled razor clams for dinner? I’ll drive, you treat~”
Ji Linqiu looked away, his voice low. “Maybe another time.”
He always pouted and acted childishly, just like Peng Xingwang.
“I still have work to do. You guys go ahead,” he said, avoiding eye contact.
