ASPDDW Chapter 54

“I like you.”

These words were ones Wen Xia had waited to hear since high school. Ten years had passed.

Back when Wen Xia thought he would never cross paths with Lin Fengqi again, Lin Fengqi suddenly reappeared and said, “Marry me.” He offered a generous sum as payment, though if this had been in the past, a mere monthly salary of 200,000 yuan would have been insignificant to Wen Xia. He agreed, but perhaps even then, it wasn’t just about the money.

And just when Wen Xia was trying to extinguish that small, rekindled hope, Lin Fengqi’s journal fell into his hands, right on time.

Wen Xia had spent this entire period trying to force those words out of Lin Fengqi’s mouth. Now, he had succeeded.

But Lin Fengqi…

He was drunk.

Wen Xia had never dealt with a drunk Lin Fengqi, but he had been drunk himself before—on the night of their high school graduation party. He hadn’t gone because he was afraid that seeing Lin Fengqi would make it harder to let go. He knew they had chosen different paths, and he had resolved not to cling to a one-sided affection anymore. It would be difficult to meet again in the future.

That night, Wen Xia and Zou Boyan drank themselves into a stupor. The next morning, Wen Xia couldn’t remember a thing, a complete blackout.

Now, he wasn’t sure just how drunk Lin Fengqi was—what if he woke up the next day and said, “I don’t remember”?

Wen Xia might really want to clobber him.

Wen Xia lowered his gaze to meet Lin Fengqi’s eyes, almost getting lost in the unprecedented warmth he saw there.

He licked his lips unconsciously, trying to calm his racing heart.

It took him a while.

“Hold on a second,” he said, pulling out his phone and turning on the recording app, holding it up to Lin Fengqi’s mouth. “Say what you just said again.”

A hint of confusion flickered in Lin Fengqi’s eyes, but he obediently complied. The alcohol made him particularly candid. He repeated, “Wen Xia, I like you.”

“And?”

Lin Fengqi looked puzzled.

Wen Xia prompted, “You said something else too.”

Lin Fengqi tilted his head, thinking for a moment. “I want to pursue you.”

Wen Xia stopped the recording and saved the file. “I’ll give you an answer tomorrow.”

“…Oh.” Lin Fengqi’s head drooped in disappointment.

Wen Xia looked down at the top of his head, unable to resist reaching out to ruffle his hair. It was so soft.

It was like petting a large dog.

The big dog seemed to enjoy it, squinting his eyes slightly.

“Why did you drink just because others were urging you?” Wen Xia suddenly asked. “You could have refused, couldn’t you?”

“I wanted to build up my courage,” Lin Fengqi answered honestly.

“Build up your courage for what? To confess to me?”

“Mm…”

Wen Xia pressed a little harder, making Lin Fengqi whimper softly as he looked up at him, pitiful.

“Why don’t you ever have this much courage usually?” Wen Xia teased. “You had to rely on alcohol to get bold.”

Lin Fengqi bit his lip in a show of grievance, mumbling, “When I see you… I get really nervous.”

Wen Xia asked, “Why? What’s there to be nervous about? Do you think I’m going to eat you?”

Lin Fengqi shook his head.

He frowned, frustrated. “You wouldn’t, you’re great… I’m just afraid I’ll say something wrong and make you upset. But it seems like the more I worry about that, the more I screw things up…”

Lin Fengqi knew he wasn’t great with words, especially when it came to Wen Xia. He had thought that after going through university, starting his own business, and navigating the murky waters of the business world, he could handle any situation with ease, charm anyone, and walk away unscathed. That’s how he’d gotten by all these years.

But with Wen Xia…

Facing Wen Xia, it was like he reverted to that awkward high school kid who couldn’t string together a proper sentence. Any social skills he had were utterly useless, making him so clumsy that it frustrated him to no end.

Lin Fengqi sat there, sulking. Then he heard Wen Xia say, “Well, you could give it a try.”

He was startled and turned to look at him. “Try what?”

Wen Xia replied, “Try not to think so much. Don’t worry about whether I’m happy or not. Just say whatever comes to mind—you said it yourself, I’m not going to eat you, and I’m a nice person. So, what are you afraid of?”

The logic was flawless.

Lin Fengqi sat there, stunned, thinking it over.

Wen Xia leaned in closer, seriously gazing at him. “If you don’t tell me, how am I supposed to know what you’re thinking?”

—

After Wen Xia had left, Wen Shan Hai and Uncle Liao returned to find Liao Xingshen alone and worried that the two young men had had a falling out. Wen Shan Hai was just about to call Wen Xia when he walked back in.

“Where did you run off to?” Wen Shan Hai asked.

“Bathroom,” Wen Xia replied with the universal excuse.

Wen Shan Hai glared at him, annoyed. As his father, he could tell it was a lie immediately.

They hadn’t planned on staying overnight, intending to leave after the night market, but with both Wen Shan Hai and Uncle Liao having had some alcohol, it was a long, late drive back to the city. Rather than paying for a ride home, it made more sense to stay the night, maybe even enjoy the hot springs.

“You just want to soak in the hot springs,” Wen Xia teased.

“What do you know? Spending money to go home and spending money to enjoy another night out, are two different things,” Wen Shan Hai huffed.

“Well, you guys go ahead. I’m heading home,” Wen Xia said. “I’ve got something to take care of.”

Wen Shan Hai wasn’t happy. “What could be so urgent?”

“Work,” Wen Xia replied. “Plus, your grandkid, my cat, is at home alone. You didn’t say we’d be staying overnight when we came here, so there’s no one to take care of him.”

Wen Shan Hai looked conflicted but still insisted, “Call Xiao Zou and ask him to check on Big Ge.”

Wen Xia gave him a look. “Old man, you’re really out of it. He doesn’t have a key to my place.”

Wen Shan Hai: “…”

Uncle Liao patted him on the shoulder, stepping in to mediate. “Alright, alright, let the kids handle their business. Xingshen, how about you?”

Liao Xingshen glanced at his phone. Someone had spammed him with several emojis intermittently. Calmly, he blocked the person and said, “I need to head back too.”

“See, Wen? They’ve all got their own things to take care of. The kids spent the whole day entertaining us old folks, isn’t that enough?”

The two older men walked off together, arms around each other’s shoulders, while Wen Xia and Liao Xingshen headed to the resort’s reception to return their access badges and retrieve their cars.

When they walked out of the entrance, Lin Fengqi was standing under a streetlight. Seeing Wen Xia, his eyes lit up as he walked over, his steps unsteady.

Liao Xingshen raised an eyebrow. “Is he drunk?”

Wen Xia sighed. It was obvious.

Liao Xingshen grinned. “I guess that’s why you were in such a hurry to leave.”

“Sorry, I dragged you into this,” Wen Xia said.

“No worries, I really do need to get back too,” Liao Xingshen chuckled. “Well, I’m off.” He made sure to say goodbye to the tipsy Lin Fengqi as well.

Most of the people at the resort were staying overnight. There were very few who spent the whole day and then left, so the entrance area was especially quiet and desolate.

Watching Lin Fengqi stare after Liao Xingshen, Wen Xia teased, “Do you even know who that was?”

Lin Fengqi responded, “Liao Xingshen.”

“Wow, you still recognize people. I thought you were too drunk to tell.”

Lin Fengqi said, “He saved A’Mou. I remember.”

Afterward, he turned back to Wen Xia, sounding a bit affronted by the earlier comment. “I recognize you.”

Wen Xia’s heart softened a little. “Alright, you recognize me.”

Wen Xia went to the parking lot to retrieve Lin Fengqi’s car. Since he hadn’t been drinking, he had to play the role of a free chauffeur for the night. As for his own car… He had secretly slipped the keys into Wen Shan Hai’s pocket. Tomorrow, his dad and Uncle Liao could drive it back themselves. That way, they’d each have a car.

This was the true meaning of being a free chauffeur.

Even though Lin Fengqi was drunk, he managed to get into the car without any trouble. But when it came time to buckle his seatbelt, he fumbled with it for ages before frowning at Wen Xia and saying, “I think it’s broken.”

The scene felt familiar.

Wen Xia remembered that time when he was slightly tipsy and sitting in the same seat as Lin Fengqi was now, unable to fasten his seatbelt. Later, when Lin Fengqi helped him, his hands had been shaking.

He recalled that when he first got into the car that day, he was still relatively clear-headed. It wasn’t until they were on their way home that the alcohol began to fully kick in.

“Don’t move,” Wen Xia instructed.

He leaned in to take the seatbelt from Lin Fengqi and clicked it into place with a snap. Lin Fengqi’s alcohol-laced breath suddenly invaded Wen Xia’s personal space. When he looked up, the corner of his forehead nearly brushed against Lin Fengqi’s lips.

Wen Xia’s heart skipped a beat, and he swallowed. “Why are you leaning in so close all of a sudden?”

“I wanted to see how you buckle the seatbelt,” Lin Fengqi replied, his expression full of puzzled frustration. “Why couldn’t I do it?”

“Because you’re dumb,” Wen Xia deadpanned, pulling away and securing his own seatbelt with a firm click.

Lin Fengqi was unusually quiet during the drive. He didn’t sleep but leaned back in the passenger seat, staring at Wen Xia the entire time, not looking away for even a moment, as if afraid Wen Xia might sprout wings and fly away if he didn’t keep watch.

Finally, unable to stand being stared at any longer, Wen Xia turned to him at a red light. “Stop staring.”

Lin Fengqi blinked. “Why?”

“It could cause a traffic accident.”

This successfully scared Lin Fengqi. His eyes widened, and he quickly looked away, staring straight ahead for the rest of the trip, not daring to glance at Wen Xia even once.

By the time they arrived home, it was late. As soon as the door opened, A’Mou dashed over but quickly backed away, seemingly overwhelmed by the smell of alcohol on his dad. After sniffing twice, he retreated a few steps and then went to Wen Xia for pets.

Then Wen Da Ge swooped in, swatting A’Mou away with a paw. The cat and dog started chasing each other around the house.

Wen Xia asked Lin Fengqi, “Are you going to take a shower or just go straight to bed?”

“Shower,” Lin Fengqi replied, wrinkling his nose as he sniffed his shirt. “I smell.”

But to be honest, Wen Xia was worried that in his current state, Lin Fengqi might end up slipping and falling in the shower.

However, Lin Fengqi seemed confident in himself. He walked unsteadily back to the bedroom, grabbed a change of clothes, and then floated into the bathroom.

Wen Xia, still concerned, stood guard by the door. “Call me if you need anything.”

Lin Fengqi’s voice echoed from inside the bathroom, “Mm.”

The bathroom door was frosted glass, so Wen Xia couldn’t see inside, but he could make out the vague shadow of movement. As he listened to the sound of clothes rustling, it was easy to imagine Lin Fengqi lifting his shirt or unbuckling his belt…

Wen Xia felt his face heat up. He began to question whether standing by the door was a good idea.

It was a bit torturous.

Wen Xia exhaled softly, thinking that Lin Fengqi was an adult—he should be able to manage a shower, even drunk.

He decided to leave the area of temptation.

Just then, he heard the sound of the shower turning on, followed by Lin Fengqi’s sharp intake of breath and a dull thud as something hit the ground. Then there was a pained whimper from Lin Fengqi.

Wen Xia immediately turned back. “What happened?”

The shadow behind the frosted glass seemed to crouch down, and then there was silence.

Wen Xia knocked on the door. “Lin Fengqi?”

A muffled “Mm…” came from inside.

Wen Xia frowned, hesitated for a moment, and then placed his hand on the doorknob. “I’m coming in, okay?”

There was no response.

Without further delay, Wen Xia opened the door to find Lin Fengqi crouched on the floor, holding his head. He had taken off his shirt, but his pants were only unbuckled, still securely in place. Water was pooled on the floor, with the showerhead lying there, spraying water everywhere, soaking the hem of Lin Fengqi’s pants.

Hearing the door open, Lin Fengqi looked up, his eyes slightly red, on the verge of tears.

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