ASPWWD Chapter 65

It was Sunday, and with nothing on their schedules, Wen Xia took the opportunity to sleep in, enjoying a rare, undisturbed nap where he wasn’t treated like a human teddy bear. When he finally got up, he heard a commotion outside.

Groggily, he opened the door to investigate, only to see a black blur dart towards him, zipping past his legs and leaping onto the windowsill into the dog bed, whimpering pitifully.

Lin Fengqi walked over, looking somewhat disheveled. He was wearing just a light shirt, with his sleeves rolled up, and his hair was slightly messy.

Wen Xia glanced at him and then at Ah Mou, who was curled up in the dog bed. “What’s going on with you two?”

“Bath time,” Lin Fengqi replied. “For Ah Mou.”

Large dogs didn’t need to be bathed too often, especially in the winter. Ah Mou was usually well taken care of, with no noticeable odors. Lin Fengqi would clean his paws whenever they returned from walks, but a full bath was rare.

In the month Wen Xia had been living there, it was the first time he’d seen Ah Mou getting a bath.

“Is it that big of a deal?” Wen Xia patted the big black dog’s head. “He doesn’t seem to mind when you wash his paws.”

“That’s just his paws,” Lin Fengqi explained. “He doesn’t like getting his whole body wet.”

“Quite particular, isn’t he?”

Lin Fengqi mentioned that it might be related to Ah Mou’s past as a stray. When he first found Ah Mou, the dog was terrified of water and had a severe reaction to it. The first time he tried to bathe Ah Mou, the dog howled so pitifully that the neighbors thought he was abusing the dog and came over to check.

Later, when he took Ah Mou to be examined by Dr. Liao Xingchen, the vet suggested that Ah Mou might have had a near-drowning experience in the past, possibly inflicted by humans. The dog also had other scars, like burn marks from cigarettes, which clearly weren’t self-inflicted.

As Wen Xia listened, he couldn’t help but pet Ah Mou a little more. His own cat, Wen Da Ge, had been pampered from birth and had never endured such hardships.

Although Ah Mou’s fear of water had lessened over the two years he’d been with Lin Fengqi, and he would obediently wash his paws after walks, a full-body bath still inevitably turned into a battle.

Lin Fengqi noticed Wen Xia petting Ah Mou for a long time, and the dog gradually relaxed under his touch, even rolling over to expose his belly for more pets.

“Before you moved in, Ah Mou wasn’t this resistant to baths,” Lin Fengqi said.

Wen Xia raised an eyebrow. “Are you blaming me?”

“…No,” Lin Fengqi mumbled, looking a bit dejected. “He’s become more spoiled since you came.”

Wen Xia paused mid-pet. “Not just him, huh?”

Lin Fengqi wisely kept his mouth shut.

Even animals know how to take advantage of affection. It’s not just animals; humans do it too. But Ah Mou, who thought he’d scored a permanent place in Wen Xia’s heart, didn’t expect to be personally escorted to the bathroom by Wen Xia himself.

Wen Xia helped hold Ah Mou down, but the dog shook water all over his face. Wiping it off, Wen Xia asked, “Will this stress Ah Mou out?”

The large black dog, now soaking wet, shrunk down in size as he sat pitifully under the warm water, his fur plastered to his body.

“No, half of this is just an act,” Lin Fengqi said as he efficiently lathered Ah Mou with dog shampoo.

Listening to Ah Mou’s pitiful whimpering, Wen Xia thought that if this were a child, they’d probably be crying their eyes out by now.

Wen Xia had seen dogs being bathed before—he’d even helped wash Zhou Boyan’s little corgi, who behaved very well. Although Lin Fengqi claimed that half of Ah Mou’s cries were just an act, it still tugged at Wen Xia’s heartstrings. He couldn’t help but laugh.

He asked, “Do you think Ah Mou will hate me after this?”

“No.”

“You’re that sure?” Wen Xia teased.

“Mm.”

Lin Fengqi continued to scrub Ah Mou’s fur, his gaze lowered, and his voice soft. “You’re likable.”

Wen Xia froze for a moment, feeling his face heat up.

Taking advantage of his distraction, Ah Mou suddenly shook free from his grasp, sending suds flying all over the bathroom, splattering both of them.

Wen Xia wiped the bubbles from his face and quietly said, “But… Ah Mou’s a dog.”

With foam clinging to the tip of his nose, Lin Fengqi wiped it off with the back of his hand, his ears turning red as he grabbed the big black dog, who was frantically trying to escape the bathroom.

After all the fuss, Ah Mou was finally clean, but Wen Xia and Lin Fengqi both needed to change their clothes.

Wen Xia’s clothes were soaked, covered in bubbles and dog hair. While Ah Mou was being dried, he settled down again, though he continued to whimper softly, as if he’d suffered a great injustice. Wen Da Ge, always curious, watched the spectacle from the bathroom door.

Wen Xia scolded his cat, “What are you looking at, you little rascal? Do you want a bath too?”

Wen Da Ge meowed in response.

Wen Xia decided to take a shower himself. When he came out, Lin Fengqi was still in the bathroom, blow-drying Ah Mou. The room was full of flying dog hair, and Lin Fengqi was brushing it away as he dried, with several black furballs already piled on the floor.

“Need any help?” Wen Xia offered.

Lin Fengqi shook his head, temporarily turning off the dryer. “You’ve just showered. Don’t get dirty again.”

“In that case, I’ll go stream for a bit. Let me know if you need anything.”

Wen Xia hadn’t streamed much this month. Although his contract with the platform didn’t require a minimum streaming time, his inbox had been flooded with messages from fans asking him to go live. Today, with nothing else to do, he decided to indulge them.

When he went live, he received an enthusiastic welcome, with comments flooding the screen.

“Boss Xia!!”

“Xia Xia Xia Xia, do you know how I’ve survived without you? QAQ”

“Who are you? Why are you on my grandpa’s following list?”

“I need to tell my wife that her favorite streamer is live.”

“Wake up, you don’t even have a girlfriend.”

…

“Boss Xia, Boss Xia, I heard there’s something good coming tomorrow. Is that true?”

“Did you just come from Turtle God’s stream?”

“Damn, I also just came from Turtle God’s stream. I think they said the outdoor shoot from last time is going live tomorrow, right?”

Wen Xia found a game while watching the comments and casually replied, “Yeah, just keep an eye on the Qunjing website tomorrow.”

Nana had mentioned in the group chat a couple of days ago that the promotional video they shot would be released tomorrow, first on their website and then on social media, along with some promotional activities related to their upcoming collaboration with Fenghang Technology.

“Really! I can’t wait!”

“Did Boss Xia appear? Did you? Turtle God said you filmed a lot!”

“You guys believe everything Gui Qilai says. I was just there for fun; they barely kept any of my scenes.”

“Man, you’re just saying that; I don’t believe it.”

“I’m ready to see Boss Xia’s face tomorrow, rubbing hands.jpg”

“Since you’re in the video, Boss Xia, have you considered turning on your camera for streams?”

“Camera, camera!”

Wen Xia opened the game and said mercilessly, “Repeat after me: Ca—me—ra.”

“Got it, turn on the camera.”

“Got it, turn on the camera.”

“Got it, turn on the camera.”

…

Wen Xia laughed, “What are you guys thinking about every day?”

He chose a 2D action-adventure game, which required quick reflexes and precise control. A single mistake could lead to failure. At first, he was chatting with the viewers while playing, but after dying a few times, his competitive spirit kicked in, and he started to focus more on the game.

“Is this the legendary ‘the less he talks, the better he plays’? I love it.”

“My chronic high blood pressure is finally cured.”

“Boss Xia is so good at this! Amazing reflexes!”

“By the way, is the numbers guy not coming today?”

Some comments have a way of derailing the conversation.

“The numbers guy… seems like he’s been gone for a while.”

“Hasn’t shown up during Xia Xia’s recent scattered streams either. Maybe he’s too busy?”

“Sigh, let’s not talk about it. I think it really ended in a BE.”

At that moment, a user named “ArithmeticSeriesYyds” sent a comment: “Wuwuwu, my arithmetic series—no BE, please—QAQ”

Then the mod stepped in: “Please avoid off-topic discussions.”

“Wow, the numbers guy isn’t even relevant anymore.”

“My heart is broken. What happened between Boss Xia and the numbers guy?”

“Uh, is this a case of using someone and then discarding them? Taking the gifts and then pretending not to know the person?”

“? What are you talking about? How do you know what happened?”

“Wuwuwu, scumbag Xia Xia, please get the numbers guy back, don’t let it end in a BE, okay QAQ”

“…That’s enough.”

“Scumbag, my foot. Stop overanalyzing things, will you? It’s all just for fun, right? Who’s taking it seriously?”

“Ugh, can we stop arguing and just enjoy the stream?”

“Why do you even care about the relationship between the streamer and the big spender? Maybe the numbers guy just got tired of you lot. Can we not be overbearing? This is Boss Xia’s stream, not some arithmetic series wedding suite. Ugh.”

“Mods, aren’t you going to ban someone?”

“Help, I just want to watch the stream in peace.”

…

Wen Xia was so focused on the game that he didn’t notice what was happening in the chat. By the time he did, the mod had already banned several accounts, including one named “ArithmeticSeriesYyds.”

He paused the game to scroll through the previous messages, unsure of what to say.

Forget the fans—he also wanted to know what was going on with the big boss.

…He did have a bit of a “use and discard” vibe.

“Thanks to the mods. Everyone, let’s not get caught up in the drama,” Wen Xia said after some thought. “I did talk to the big boss recently, but I’m not sure why he hasn’t been around lately. Maybe he’s just busy with work.”

His words seemed to calm the chat down.

At least Wen Xia’s assurance that they had talked recently indicated that their relationship hadn’t soured as much as some had speculated.

But in truth, Wen Xia wasn’t so sure. He felt that they had cleared the air during that conversation, and the big boss hadn’t seemed angry—if anything, he had been understanding.

Maybe not coming around was the big boss’s way of showing final kindness?

Just as Wen Xia was pondering this, there was a knock at the door—despite knowing about his streaming, it still felt odd for Lin Fengqi to overhear.

He told the viewers to hold on for a moment and took off his headset. “Come in.”

Lin Fengqi opened the door, and a freshly washed and blow-dried Ah Mou joyfully trotted over, eagerly jumping onto Wen Xia.

“Mm, mm, mm, good boy, you smell so nice,” Wen Xia praised as he lovingly petted Ah Mou’s head. “You even got him trimmed?”

“Yeah,” Lin Fengqi replied.

“He looks much more handsome now, buddy,” Wen Xia said, planting a kiss on the big black dog’s head before turning to the man standing in the doorway. “Why are you standing so far away? Come in.”

“No, I’ll get the floor dirty,” Lin Fengqi tugged at his collar. He was wearing a black shirt, the same color as Ah Mou’s fur, so it wasn’t obvious, but his shirt was covered in dog hair. “I just wanted to show you Ah Mou.”

He glanced at Wen Xia’s computer screen and said, “I’m going to take a shower. I won’t bother you anymore.”

As he was about to leave, Wen Xia let go of Ah Mou and called after him, “Wait a sec.”

Lin Fengqi turned back, looking at him questioningly.

“After your shower… do you want to watch a movie?” Wen Xia asked. “Or we could go out to see one.”

Leaving his boyfriend alone on the first day of their relationship seemed a bit too cold.

And… he really wanted to spend more time with Lin Fengqi.

Lin Fengqi blinked a couple of times, then nodded. “Sure.”

When Wen Xia put his headset back on, the chat had exploded with messages.

He quickly realized—oh crap, he’d forgotten to turn off his mic.

“What did I just hear? What did I just hear?”

“A man… I thought Boss Xia lived alone?”

“Holy shit, with my years of CP experience, the way Boss Xia talked to this guy—something’s up!”

“His voice is so nice…”

“Guys, don’t start overthinking again… can’t a person have friends over?”

“So, what’s the deal? Ah, I’m so curious!”

“Probably just a friend… please don’t jump to conclusions. The numbers guy just left, can’t you dial back the speculation powers?”

…

As the mods banned another account that had made a particularly rude comment, Wen Xia quickly cleared his throat and said, “He’s not a friend.”

“I think I mentioned before that I have a second pet, right? That was his other dad.”

“He’s also my boyfriend.”

Meanwhile, in the bathroom, just as Lin Fengqi put on his Bluetooth headset and opened Wen Xia’s stream to adjust the volume, he heard those words. His phone almost slipped out of his hands in surprise.

He was thrilled.

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