Because of just one sentence from Wen Xia, Lin Fengqi spent the entire afternoon in a daze.
What started as a cheerful effort to help Wen Xia move his belongings turned into a somber task by the time they were leaving.
On the way home, after nearly dropping Wen Xia’s things once again, Wen Xia couldn’t help but ask, “What’s going on with you? You’ve been distracted since earlier. What’s on your mind?”
Lin Fengqi gave him a complicated look. “…Are you planning to move out?”
“Huh?”
“I mean… move out of my place.”
Wen Xia finally caught on and glanced at him. “Not for now.”
Lin Fengqi’s heart skipped a beat. “Not for now…?”
Wen Xia nodded. “Yeah, not for now.”
Lin Fengqi: “…”
As they walked into the elevator, the doors closed, enclosing them in the small, quiet space. Lin Fengqi couldn’t help but ask again, “Is it because you’re uncomfortable living there?”
“It’s fine,” Wen Xia replied. “Just a precaution.”
Lin Fengqi didn’t quite understand.
Wen Xia explained, “In case we ever argue, at least I’ll have somewhere else to go.”
Lin Fengqi was taken aback and immediately said, “We won’t.”
“Hmm?”
“I won’t argue with you.”
Lin Fengqi frowned, his expression serious, as Wen Xia unlocked the door and said, “That’s not necessarily true. What if I feel like arguing with you right now?”
Lin Fengqi still frowned, worried, and replied, “I won’t talk back.”
“That’s not an argument; that’s you just taking the scolding.”
Without hesitation, Lin Fengqi said, “I’ll take it.”
Wen Xia was left speechless, staring at him.
Is this guy… really without a temper?
“No,” Wen Xia demanded, his tone exacting. “We have to argue. No just taking the scolding.”
Lin Fengqi’s expression finally showed a hint of grievance.
It seemed like the conversation had veered off track.
As the saying goes, once there’s a first time, there will be a second. That night, Lin Fengqi showed up at Wen Xia’s door again, pillow in hand. This time, he didn’t even bother asking for permission, casually leading his dog into the room and placing his pillow next to Wen Xia’s.
Wen Xia didn’t say anything, watching as Lin Fengqi, without expression, turned off the lights and got into bed. Initially, they lay separately without bothering each other, but clearly, Lin Fengqi couldn’t hold back. After just a few minutes, his hand reached out to hook Wen Xia’s finger.
“What are you doing?” Wen Xia asked.
Lin Fengqi didn’t respond. After a while, not satisfied, he turned over, intending to hug him.
Wen Xia raised a hand to stop him.
“Just sleep properly,” he said. “You’re treating me like a teddy bear.”
“…Just for a bit.” In the dark, his boyfriend’s voice sounded pitiful.
In truth, Wen Xia enjoyed being hugged by Lin Fengqi. Since Lin Fengqi was usually so reserved, any affection shown through physical touch felt amplified, as if it were twice as potent.
This person was constantly using the most genuine “language” to tell him just how much he was loved.
So much that they couldn’t bear to be apart, even for a moment.
After they confirmed their relationship, Lin Fengqi’s courage grew. What used to make Wen Xia’s silence cause him anxiety now simply made him bide his time, but in the end, he would always reach out to hug him.
When Lin Fengqi held Wen Xia in his arms, he felt at ease.
Inhaling the scent of Wen Xia’s hair, he nuzzled closer and, struggling a bit, whispered, “Don’t move out, okay?”
Maybe he didn’t even realize his tone was akin to pleading. Wen Xia’s heart skipped a beat, feeling like it was melting into mush.
“I never said I was moving out,” he said, pulling back a bit from Lin Fengqi’s embrace. He reached out to find the man’s face, cupping it in his hands. “Are you really that scared I’ll leave?”
Lin Fengqi’s arms tightened around his waist, and he softly hummed in response.
“Rest assured,” Wen Xia said, his heart fluttering as he leaned in to kiss him. “I’m not moving out.”
Lin Fengqi sighed in relief, but then Wen Xia added, “We still have a year left on our contract. I should at least fulfill that, right?”
Lin Fengqi: “?”
If Wen Xia hadn’t mentioned it, he would have completely forgotten about the 200,000 yuan monthly contract between them.
The contract stipulated that for at least a year, they had to live together, with the option to renew depending on how things went after the year ended—Lin Fengqi had figured, dragging it out for a year was better than nothing.
After a brief silence, Lin Fengqi coldly muttered, “…We can end the contract early.”
“What about the penalty?”
“I’ll pay it.”
Wen Xia deliberately teased him, “So, does that mean you want me to stay or that you want me to leave as soon as possible?”
Lin Fengqi was at a loss. He had meant to dissolve the cold, transactional nature of their relationship, feeling that he no longer needed to use such methods to keep Wen Xia by his side. But Wen Xia’s question made him feel like he’d shot himself in the foot—right, as long as the contract was in place, Wen Xia had to stay, but if it ended, wouldn’t that mean Wen Xia could leave whenever he wanted?
Sensing Lin Fengqi’s frustration, Wen Xia laughed and gently bumped his forehead against his. “I was just teasing you. I do want to buy a place, but it’s not to leave you. I just need to have some property of my own, right? This house is yours, not mine.”
Wen Xia had been carefully calculating his finances recently. Aside from one last debt payment, he had shares in the family business—an adult gift from his father on his eighteenth birthday. With dividends from those shares and the savings he’d accumulated from his studio and streaming work, he could afford a down payment on a smaller unit in the area.
Lin Fengqi asked, “So… you really aren’t moving out?”
“I already told you, if we argue, then I’ll move out.”
Hearing this, Lin Fengqi held him tightly, voice filled with determination: “We won’t argue.”
After learning that Wen Xia’s plan to buy a house wasn’t a move to leave him, Lin Fengqi felt much better. That Monday morning, he walked into Fenghang Technology in a particularly good mood. Even his greeting to the receptionist sounded less cold than usual.
Though it wasn’t exactly warm, the receptionist, who was used to their boss’s icy demeanor, was pleasantly surprised.
Lin Fengqi arrived at the office earlier than usual, and though he normally dove straight into work, today he didn’t.
Instead, he began researching real estate listings.
Earlier that morning, he had taken advantage of Wen Xia’s half-awake state to ask him about his housing preferences. Wen Xia mentioned he was looking at a few nearby developments, some of which were still under construction while others were ready to move into. Naturally, he preferred the ready-to-move-in units to avoid the hassle of renovations, but they were more expensive.
Lin Fengqi also asked him about his preferences for layout and floor level, but when he asked too many questions, Wen Xia became suspicious: “Why are you asking all this?”
Lin Fengqi hesitated for a moment and replied that he was just curious.
Wen Xia didn’t quite believe him.
But regardless of whether Wen Xia believed him, Lin Fengqi had already made up his mind.
Lin Fengqi had been quick to buy his own place, signing the contract on the spot when he found the right one. It was a fully furnished apartment, and the purchase had even caught the attention of the real estate company’s president. Though the president wasn’t in the city, he made a personal phone call to enthusiastically inquire about Lin Fengqi’s experience, suggesting he might be interested in another property in their villa section, insisting it was far superior…
After a bit of back and forth, Lin Fengqi politely declined the opportunity to be fleeced.
While he was sifting through listings, he suddenly received a message from Zou Boyan: [Not bad, I heard from Lao Xia that you two are together now, huh? I even got chewed out by the young master, who accused me of secretly colluding with you. So, when are you going to treat me to a meal?]
Zou Boyan was just looking for a bit of fun, but Lin Fengqi responded seriously: [Sure, I will.]
Zou Boyan: […It was a joke, no need to go that far.]
Lin Fengqi replied: [No, it’s the right thing to do. You’re his friend.]
Zou Boyan: [Wow, pulling out the family card already, huh?]
Zou Boyan: [Alright, then. Can I have full control over choosing the meal?]
Lin Fengqi: [Yes.]
After a moment’s thought, Lin Fengqi asked: [By the way, do you have contact info for Fang Huai?]
Zou Boyan: [??? Why do you want that?]
Lin Fengqi: […I have some business with him.]
Lin Fengqi: [Don’t tell Wen Xia.]
In truth, getting Fang Huai’s contact info wasn’t difficult—just like when he reached out to Zou Boyan, he could go through a few intermediaries. He even had Fang Lianshu’s contact information on his phone, but going through Fang Lianshu might create unnecessary complications.
However, as a good brother, Zou Boyan immediately turned around and told Wen Xia.
Wen Yixia: [???]
Wen Yixia: [What does he want with Fang Huai?]
Zou Boyan: [Don’t know.]
Zou Boyan: [Oh, and when you’re free, let’s go eat at that whole lamb restaurant you mentioned. It’s on Lin Fengqi.]
Wen Yixia: [That’s it? Can’t you have a bit more ambition?]
Zou Boyan: [Cute kitty head.jpg]
What on earth is Lin Fengqi doing with Fang Huai?
Could it be to apologize for that incident? But it’s been so long.
Wen Xia thought about it and decided to reach out to Fang Huai: [You there?]
Dog Huai: [No, go away.]
Wen Yixia: [Why are you so grumpy? Did you eat dynamite this morning?]
Dog Huai: [Go away, go away, go away! I’m annoyed just looking at you!]
Wen Yixia: [I didn’t do anything to piss you off recently, did I?]
Wen Yixia: [Did Lin Fengqi get in touch with you?]
Dog Huai: [Ha, he’d better not. You two are birds of a feather—both of you should just buzz off] He added an angry and dismissive emoji to emphasize his point.
…It seems like I won’t get any answers out of this idiot.
It’s probably nothing. Given Lin Fengqi’s personality, he really might be trying to apologize to Fang Huai for that resort incident. After all, he’s that stubborn.
Wen Xia shook his head and clicked on the link Nana had posted in the group chat. She mentioned that the promo video had been uploaded to the official website and asked the streamers to share it on their personal feeds.
When he shared it, many people who had already seen it flooded his post with enthusiastic comments.
[Damn, Xia Boss, you’re so damn handsome. Even us male fans are impressed.]
[I always figured you were a looker based on your voice, but this totally exceeded my expectations. Oh my god, why do all the high-quality hotties already have partners? QAQ]
[Wake up, even if they didn’t, you wouldn’t stand a chance.]
[Strongly requesting Xia Boss to start using a webcam in streams.]
[Strongly requesting Xia Boss to start using a webcam in streams.]
[Strongly requesting Xia Boss to start using a webcam in streams.]
…
The entire promo video, which had taken them two days to film, was edited down to just over five minutes, with each person’s screen time about equal. Yet, Wen Xia stood out, even overshadowing Gui Qulai.
Wen Xia’s subscriber count skyrocketed, with most of the new followers clearly drawn by his looks.
Just then, someone noticed that the long-silent user 5140005 had shared Wen Xia’s post about the official promo video.
He added the comment: “Well done.”
Fans, and even Wen Xia himself, were surprised. After all, the big boss had been MIA for quite a while.
Everyone excitedly swarmed the boss’s feed to leave comments. His post also indirectly dispelled some unsavory rumors, like Wen Xia burning bridges, their relationship falling apart, the boss walking away… There was even speculation that the boss had learned of Wen Xia’s relationship, had a failed crush, and was heartbroken enough to quit the internet…
However, Wen Xia himself had no idea what was going on.
He couldn’t help but click into the boss’s feed to take a look.
A fan asked: [Big Boss! Why haven’t you been watching Xia Xia’s streams lately?]
5140005: [Busy.]
Another fan asked: [Big Boss, Xia Boss mentioned in a recent stream that he has a partner. Did you already know?]
5140005: […Just found out.]
A third fan asked: [Even though the arithmetic series seems to have ended, I still want to ask, what did you like about the promo video? Was it Xia Xia’s parts?]
5140005: [Mm.]
Wen Xia wondered, what are these questions even?
He looked at the “Mm” and felt oddly unsettled.
…This is just from a fan’s perspective, right?
As he thought this, he refreshed the page, and suddenly, the “Mm” response disappeared.
The comment was still there, but the reply had changed to: “Everything was well done.”
The new response was posted just a moment ago.
Wen Xia: “?”
Did I imagine that… or what?
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