ASPWWD Chapter 41

As they stepped out of the barbecue restaurant, the cumin scent clinging to their clothes dissipated in the breeze.

Standing by the entrance, Zhou Yixian exchanged a few words with Lin Fengqi before waving goodbye. “Wen Xia, let’s hang out again sometime.”

Wen Xia replied with a nod, “Sure.”

“Are we heading home?” Wen Xia asked Lin Fengqi.

“Is there somewhere else you’d like to go?” Lin Fengqi countered.

“No,” Wen Xia said, “I’ve been out all day. I want to go home and spend time with my son.”

“Then let’s go home,” Lin Fengqi agreed with a soft “hmm.”

He loved the sound of the word “home,” especially when it came from Wen Xia. It was even better when it was prefixed with “our.”

On the way back, Wen Xia reviewed the day’s surveillance footage. The two little ones had been particularly well-behaved, just playfully chasing each other as usual—nothing that would end in tears or bloodshed.

Wen Xia couldn’t help but marvel at how his once-dominant Wen Da Ge had turned into such a gentle giant, quickly forming a brotherly bond with the new addition. Truly, it took after its dad.

After closing the surveillance app, Wen Xia glanced sideways at Lin Fengqi.

Zhou Yixian’s words from earlier felt like a dull knife, grinding away at his heart. Yet, when he thought of how this blockhead kept overthinking things, he felt an urge to pry open Lin Fengqi’s head to see what was going on inside.

Once they got home, Lin Fengqi immediately called his mom, Ye Shixue.

She had taken a walk after her nap and had met a few other elderly residents. Zhou Yixian had visited her in the afternoon to inform her that the nursing home would be hosting a small concert in a few days, and if she was interested, she could attend. This was something Ye Shixue enjoyed, as she had always had a fondness for the arts. Her mood was noticeably brighter during the call.

After hanging up, Lin Fengqi turned to find Wen Xia watching him intently.

He paused and asked, “What’s up?”

“I’m just thinking about something,” Wen Xia replied. “I remember you saying the reason I’m staying here is to avoid raising suspicion with your mom. But now that she’s settled in the nursing home and might not return anytime soon, doesn’t that mean we don’t need to keep living together to avoid suspicion?”

Lin Fengqi was taken aback.

Wen Xia continued, “I mean, this was part of the contract, but now that the main premise has changed, shouldn’t we reconsider and maybe amend some of the terms? You mentioned adding the bonus clause to the contract the other day, right?”

It took a moment for Lin Fengqi to gather his thoughts. “Are you… not comfortable living here?”

Wen Xia shrugged. “It’s fine. Your place is spacious, and the bed’s just the right firmness.”

“Then why…” Lin Fengqi began but was interrupted.

“Why do you insist on me staying here?” Wen Xia pressed.

Lin Fengqi was silent for a second before replying, “Because we’re married.”

“That’s for normal married couples,” Wen Xia said. “Do you think this situation is normal?”

Lin Fengqi choked on his words.

Wen Xia continued to look at him with such focus that it bordered on stubbornness.

Lin Fengqi had never been good at handling such intense attention from Wen Xia.

He instinctively wanted to look away, but then, recalling everything that had happened that day, he bit his lip and forced himself to maintain eye contact. “I want you to stay here. Is that not okay?”

Wen Xia blinked, and that intense look vanished instantly.

He smiled. “You could’ve just said that from the start.”

Not giving Lin Fengqi time to react, he scooped up Wen Da Ge, who had been rubbing against his leg, and headed back to his room.

Lin Fengqi stood alone in the living room, unable to process what had just happened.

His heart pounded, his mind muddled by Wen Xia’s dazzling smile.

What… did that mean?

For the next few days, Lin Fengqi found himself constantly pondering what Wen Xia’s words had meant and what that smile had implied. Could that bright smile really have been directed at him?

Wen Xia, meanwhile, had made a brief visit home on Sunday to check in on the lonely middle-aged man, Wen Shanhai. After a relaxing weekend, he returned to the grind of work. As for Lin Fengqi’s occasional attempts to bring up the conversation, Wen Xia pretended not to notice, determined to break him of his habit of bottling things up.

If there’s a problem, speak up. If there’s something you want to say, just say it. Why hold back?

And if Lin Fengqi didn’t get the hint? Well, he needed to learn to be more assertive.

Wen Xia had realized that Lin Fengqi’s biggest problem when it came to dealing with him was that he was too soft.

He might look stern with that cold expression, but his actions were completely out of sync with it.

On the plus side, during Wen Xia’s week of overtime, Lin Fengqi either delivered dinner himself or sent Zeng Yuan to drop it off if he couldn’t make it. It got to the point where the team at the studio became spoiled, eagerly awaiting the arrival of their gourmet meal every evening.

Finally, after a week of hard work, Thursday arrived, and the demo version of End of the Flower was released.

The demo only showcased a small part of the game, merely the opening act in the grander scheme. It went live at 10 a.m., and by midday, Wen Xia’s post announcing the release had already garnered a substantial amount of feedback.

【This is amazing, simply amazing! All I can say is, Boss Xia, hurry up! I want the full version!】

【I’m getting a bit of 3D motion sickness… but that’s on me. I played it a bit and it’s pretty good. Boss Xia, have you considered making an entirely 2D version for those of us who get dizzy?】

【Did the UI change? It looks different from the one you teased on Weibo. I think I preferred the old one—it was simpler and easier to understand.】

【+1. But the new design has its charm. Maybe a combination of both would be the best of both worlds?】

【The 3D transitions might be too abrupt—I’m not prone to motion sickness, and even I felt a bit uncomfortable.】

【The demo’s story is too short! I need to know what that family did to Robo in the prologue /crying】

…

Wen Xia spent the afternoon sifting through the comments, noting any useful feedback and blocking a few accounts that were only there to stir up trouble.

Overall, the demo of End of the Flower received a very positive response within the first few hours, but it would take a full week to gauge the final verdict.

After a week of overtime, Wen Xia decided to treat everyone to a celebratory dinner. This time, instead of posting on his Weibo, he sent a private message to someone special:

[Dinner’s on me tonight. Wanna join?]

Gou Huai: [???]

Gou Huai: [Did you send this to the wrong person?]

Wen Yi Xia: [Nope, dead serious.]

Gou Huai: [……]

Gou Huai: [Damn, don’t mess with me.]

Wen Xia didn’t reply but instead changed Fang Huai’s contact name, took a screenshot of their chat, and posted it on his Moments. Visibility: Observed Target.

When the Lin Fengqi scrolled through his Moments and saw Wen Xia’s post, only five minutes had passed since it was uploaded.

Wen Xia’s post was a screenshot of a chat conversation, captioned: “Sigh… there’s no one more difficult to deal with than Fang Huai.”

Clicking on the image, the first thing that caught Lin Fengqi’s eye was a large, conspicuous contact name: Someone I want to forget.

Then, as he read the chat, Lin Fengqi’s grip on his phone tightened, his knuckles whitening.

Someone he wants to forget?

Was that Fang Huai’s contact name, or was it Wen Xia’s personal note about Fang Huai?

If he wants to forget him, does that mean he can’t?

Lin Fengqi’s thoughts were spiraling, too chaotic to make sense of anything. He closed Moments and opened Wen Xia’s chat window:

[Are you going out for dinner tonight?]

Wen Xia, in the middle of tidying up his desk to leave, saw the message and replied: [Yep.]

Observed Target: [Alone?]

Wen Yi Xia: [Of course not.]

Observed Target: [With whom?]

Wen Yi Xia: [Hmm…]

As Lin Fengqi stared at that “hmm,” his heart pounded in his chest.

What did that mean? Did Wen Xia not want to say? Or did he not want to tell him? Or… could he not tell him?

Before long, Wen Xia’s next message came through: [Someone you know.]

Lin Fengqi drew in a sharp breath.

He set his phone down, pressing his fingers to his temples, trying to calm himself.

Zeng Yuan poked his head in and asked, “Mr. Lin, about tonight…”

“I’m not going.”

Originally, he had another dinner engagement tonight, but it was non-essential—whether he went or not wouldn’t make much difference. Right now, Wen Xia was far more important.

Zeng Yuan was left dumbfounded, unsure why his boss’s mood had suddenly soured. He quickly finished his report and made his escape.

Wen Xia knew not to push too hard, so after reaching the restaurant, he posted another Moments visible only to Lin Fengqi:

[This place is pretty romantic. Might consider bringing someone here next time.]

He attached a photo of the restaurant’s surroundings, complete with location tagging.

When the group arrived at the restaurant, the waiter asked, “Hello, how many are dining tonight?”

Liu Feisi quickly answered, “Five.”

Wen Xia corrected him, “Six.”

His companions all gave him puzzled looks.

“Right this way, please.”

As they followed the waiter inside, Liu Feisi sidled up to Wen Xia and whispered, “Boss, who else is coming? Brother Yan?”

“No.”

“Then who?”

Yao Yao smacked him lightly on the back. “Are you an idiot? Could it be Mr. Lin?”

A lightbulb seemed to go off in Liu Feisi’s head. “Oh! Really, Boss?”

Wen Xia just smiled and didn’t say anything.

The restaurant they chose was a lesser-known Western place, but the food was excellent. Perhaps due to its location or lack of advertising, it didn’t draw a large crowd. However, the ambiance was cozy and romantic.

After the waiter seated them and handed out menus, Wen Xia let the others order first before excusing himself. He stepped out of the restaurant and waited about ten minutes before he spotted a familiar figure approaching from a distance.

He pretended not to notice, turning slightly as if he were on a phone call.

Soon enough, Lin Fengqi stopped in front of him.

Wen Xia turned to face him, blinking innocently. “What are you doing here?”

The streetlights had already come on, casting crisscrossing shadows on the ground—shadows that mirrored the conflicted look in Lin Fengqi’s eyes, a mixture of bitterness and hurt.

He seemed momentarily at a loss for words, unable to respond.

Wen Xia hesitated theatrically. “We don’t really have a place for you…”

“You mean there’s no room for me, is that it?” Lin Fengqi interjected coldly.

Whoa, that was a bit harsh.

Wen Xia quickly adapted, “What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what it sounds like,” Lin Fengqi replied tersely.

Wen Xia was quiet for a moment before asking, “You still haven’t told me why you’re here.”

“I came to…” The words caught in Lin Fengqi’s throat. “Catching someone in the act” sounded awful; he couldn’t use that phrase to describe Wen Xia. So what could he say?

His earlier confidence evaporated, and he mumbled awkwardly, “…I came to, uh, join you guys.”

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