ASPWWD Chapter 70

The whole livestream now knew that the top-ranked viewer was the streamer’s boyfriend.

As the number of viewers skyrocketed, Wen Xia couldn’t help but wonder if, at that moment, he had transitioned from a gaming streamer to a “dog food” streamer.

The former 5140005, who had been dethroned to second place, hadn’t appeared in the stream that night. Those who once shipped the two could only mourn their now-broken ship, lamenting in silence.

Lin Fengqi was very well-behaved, stopping his spree of donations once he secured the top spot. Wen Xia managed to redirect everyone’s attention back to the game, though Lin Fengqi returned home before the stream ended.

After ending the stream that night, Wen Xia pulled Lin Fengqi aside to give him a good talking-to about his reckless spending.

Lin Fengqi listened attentively, with a lowered gaze, but halfway through, he couldn’t resist moving closer to hug Wen Xia.

“…” Wen Xia, who was in the middle of his lecture, paused. After a couple of seconds of silence, he said, “I’m scolding you.”

“I’m listening,” Lin Fengqi replied, holding him tighter.

“… You’re cheating by listening like this.”

Lin Fengqi nuzzled against him. “Mm.”

Wen Xia: “…”

Wen Xia began to wonder if he should set some rules for Lin Fengqi, like limiting the number of times he could hug him each day, or the duration of each hug. But then, thinking about it, it seemed like he’d be punishing himself too, so he decided to drop the idea.

The dinner with Zhou Boyan happened two weeks later.

By December, the temperature had dropped even further. That Sunday, after visiting Ye Shixue at the convalescent home, Wen Xia and Lin Fengqi ran into Zhou Yixian.

“Perfect timing, saves me from having to send a message,” Zhou Yixian said. “Did Aunt Ye mention the end-of-year performance to you guys today?”

Lin Fengqi nodded, and Wen Xia asked, “What about the performance?”

“Oh, nothing special. I just wanted to make sure she told you. A lot of family members will probably attend, and I wouldn’t want Aunt Ye to be there alone. If you guys are too busy to make it, I can keep her company.”

The convalescent home was preparing for a New Year’s Eve event. The residents were mostly elderly, with only a few young people. The activities were tailored to the older generation’s needs, ensuring a warm, family-friendly atmosphere.

“We’ll be there,” Wen Xia assured him.

Ye Shixue had mentioned it to them earlier that day, adding that they didn’t have to come if they were busy.

With the year-end rush, work was bound to be hectic, but there was still a bit of a break during the New Year’s holiday.

After leaving the convalescent home, the two headed to the restaurant where they had arranged to meet Zhou Boyan.

Zhou Boyan arrived, pushing the door open against the wind and snow, complaining, “It’s freezing out there.”

Just as Wen Xia was about to reach for the teapot, Lin Fengqi had already poured a cup of hot tea and slid it over.

“Thanks,” Zhou Boyan said, brushing off the snow from his clothes before sitting down and taking a small sip of the steaming tea. He let out a contented sigh and slumped back in his chair.

“What’s up with you?” Wen Xia asked. “You look like a fairy sucked all the energy out of you.”

“Don’t even mention it. A few customers nearly trashed my shop today.”

“What happened?”

Zhou Boyan reluctantly sat up straighter. “Yesterday, a group of high schoolers came in, and one of them injured one of my employees during a chase. I told you about that, right?”

Wen Xia nodded. “Didn’t you say it was all sorted out?”

“Sorted out, my ass,” Zhou Boyan retorted. “Today, the kid’s parents showed up, dragging him along to argue with me. They insisted that if our haunted house wasn’t so scary, their kid wouldn’t have been frightened, wouldn’t have panicked, and wouldn’t have injured my employee. They even tried to claim it was self-defense…”

“What did you say to that?” Wen Xia asked.

Zhou Boyan sneered, “I didn’t say a damn thing. I called the cops.”

At that moment, the waiter brought over the roast lamb, filling the room with its enticing aroma. Lin Fengqi took the initiative to serve a few slices to Zhou Boyan before turning to serve Wen Xia some leg meat.

The blatant favoritism made Zhou Boyan’s teeth ache. “Am I here for roast lamb or dog food?”

Wen Xia grinned. “Why not both?”

Zhou Boyan shook his head. “No thanks, I’m only here for the lamb.”

After savoring the tender meat and sipping some tea, Zhou Boyan asked, “Aren’t you two drinking?”

Wen Xia nodded toward Lin Fengqi. “He’s driving.”

“But you can drink,” Zhou Boyan urged, “Come on, a meal without alcohol is like a feast with just plain bread.”

The mention of drinking made Lin Fengqi wary. The last time he had tried to bolster his courage, he had ended up blackout drunk. Though he couldn’t drink today because he was driving, the thought of Wen Xia drinking…

Recalling how adorable Wen Xia was when tipsy made his heart itch.

He wanted to see it again.

But, as much as he shouldn’t entertain such thoughts, Lin Fengqi found himself both guilty and secretly hopeful.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as he had hoped.

Wen Xia was usually a rational drinker, never letting himself get too drunk. The only two exceptions were right after the college entrance exams, when he had drunk himself silly over unrequited love, and the night he read Lin Fengqi’s diary, drinking too much in a fit of joy.

But just because Wen Xia was sensible didn’t mean Zhou Boyan was. Figuring that he had a designated driver, Zhou Boyan drank without restraint, downing one glass after another until he started to feel the effects.

Once tipsy, Zhou Boyan became a chatterbox, even though his tongue was starting to trip over itself. He threw an arm around Wen Xia’s shoulder. “Xia-ge, I’m really happy for you. Back when you told me you liked a guy, I was genuinely worried for you. If I hadn’t seen how much you liked him, I would’ve told you to stay away from straight guys—they’ll only bring you misery…”

Lin Fengqi, who had been quietly listening, heard every word. He looked at Wen Xia, lifting his hand slightly before realizing it wasn’t convenient to hug him, so he reached over and held Wen Xia’s hand instead.

Wen Xia turned to meet Lin Fengqi’s gaze. His eyes were soft and glistening with a hint of guilt. Wen Xia flipped his hand over and intertwined their fingers.

“But it all turned out okay in the end,” Zhou Boyan rambled on, slurring a little. “Good thing you found Lin Fengqi’s diary. If it weren’t for that, seeing you all hopeless and pitiful would’ve driven me crazy…”

He kept going, oblivious to the fact that the mention of the “diary” made his good friend freeze up instantly.

And it wasn’t just Wen Xia who stiffened; Lin Fengqi, who had been holding his hand under the table, did too.

“Anyway, seeing you two doing well now, I can rest easy,” Zhou Boyan said, his mouth dry. He reached for his drink again and turned to Lin Fengqi. “Lin Fengqi, let me tell you something. Wen Xia and I go way back, grew up together. I helped you out because Wen Xia likes you, but you’d better treat him well, or I’ll take him and run off in the middle of the night—”

Wen Xia stared at him, expressionless. “We’re no longer friends.”

“Huh?” Zhou Boyan was confused.

“We’re done. Friendship over.”

“What? Why?”

The rest of the meal was eaten in an extremely awkward atmosphere. Wen Xia didn’t dare look at Lin Fengqi’s face and mentally cursed Zhou Boyan from top to bottom. He shouldn’t have told Zhou Boyan about the diary in the first place!

Lin Fengqi, for his part, remained silent. He only responded when Zhou Boyan directly addressed him; otherwise, he just mechanically sliced the lamb for them, barely eating any himself.

Though Wen Xia eventually took the bottle from Zhou Boyan to prevent him from drinking more, he was already quite drunk.

Zhou Boyan had driven there, but Wen Xia couldn’t let him go home alone in that state. Conveniently, he also wasn’t ready to face Lin Fengqi. Grabbing Zhou Boyan’s car keys from his pocket, he said, “I’ll take him home,” and quickly left with him, leaving Lin Fengqi to settle the bill.

Wen Xia called for a driver to take them home safely.

Once they arrived, he texted Lin Fengqi: [Zhou Boyan’s too drunk, so I’ll stay over at his place to take care of him. I won’t be coming home tonight.]

It took a long time for Lin Fengqi to reply: [Okay.]

Drunk people were a handful, but Wen Xia wasn’t in the mood to deal with it. He barely managed to get his drunken friend out of his coat, shoved him into bed, placed a basin nearby in case he threw up, and left him to it.

After all, Zhou Boyan had talked too much after drinking, spilling everything. The fact that Wen Xia was helping him into bed was already an act of great mercy.

Zhou Boyan’s fat corgi circled Wen Xia’s legs, wanting to get on the bed but unable to because of its short legs. Wen Xia, the gracious young master, fed it and then tucked it into bed with its unlucky owner.

That night, Zhou Boyan slept like a log, while Wen Xia tossed and turned on the sofa, unable to sleep well.

The next morning, Wen Xia got up first, wrinkled his nose at the smell of alcohol on his clothes, then rummaged through Zhou Boyan’s closet for a clean set to wear. He took a quick shower and tried to pull himself together.

When he arrived at the office with dark circles under his eyes, Liu Feisi and the others were startled.

“Boss, what happened?” Liu Feisi asked worriedly, clutching his thermos. “You don’t look too good.”

Yao Yao put down her breakfast. “Are you feeling unwell?”

“If you’re not feeling well, don’t push yourself,” Ah Deng said. “Liu Feisi can handle your work alone.”

“The hell I can!” Liu Feisi protested.

Wen Xia rubbed his aching head. “I’m fine.”

But Wen Xia hadn’t slept well, and he was off his game all morning. Zhou Boyan didn’t wake up until after ten, and when he did, he called Wen Xia twice, both of which Wen Xia ruthlessly declined. So Zhou Boyan resorted to messaging.

Zhou Boyan: [??? Bro, are you busy? Why’d you hang up on me?]

Zhou Boyan: [Did you crash at my place last night? I didn’t do anything stupid, did I? By the way, I washed your clothes, so you can either pick them up when they’re dry or let me know if you want me to bring them to you.]

Zhou Boyan: [Oh, and you left wearing one of my outfits.]

Zhou Boyan: [You stayed at my place last night. Lin Fengqi didn’t say anything, did he?]

Wen Xia coldly glanced at the messages and updated his contact info for Zhou Boyan.

Blocked: [Hello, Xia-ge? Just reply when you see this.]

The more Wen Xia thought about it, the more annoyed he became. He sent Zhou Boyan to the penalty box—his contact information was now in the blocked list.

It didn’t take long for Zhou Boyan to reach out with a backup account: [??? What’s going on? Why’d you block me? What did I do last night? Don’t scare me!]

Wen Xia only replied with two words: [Hehe.]

Zhou Boyan: [!!! Bro, don’t do this; you’re scaring me.]

Wen Xia: [We’re not friends anymore.]

Zhou Boyan: [???]

Wen Xia knew he was just lashing out in powerless anger.

Zhou Boyan spilling the beans about the diary was his fault. After all, it was Wen Xia who had snooped through someone else’s private journal.

He hadn’t dared to message Lin Fengqi all morning.

Aside from Lin Fengqi sending him a simple “Morning. Are you at the office?” and Wen Xia replying with “Morning. I’m here,” they hadn’t exchanged a single word.

It seemed like Lin Fengqi wasn’t angry.

Then again, Wen Xia didn’t think he would be angry with him.

Damn, being loved without reservation really makes you reckless.

On one hand, Wen Xia felt guilty about reading the diary; on the other, Lin Fengqi’s indulgence made him feel both ashamed and justified.

He almost wished Lin Fengqi would just get mad at him.

That afternoon, he didn’t go to Fenghang Tech for lunch like usual. Instead, Lin Fengqi sent Zeng Yuan over with lunch for everyone at the studio, including Wen Xia.

It was as if he had known Wen Xia wouldn’t come.

Finally, after a long day at work, Wen Xia knew he couldn’t avoid going home any longer.

As soon as he opened the door, he was greeted by the smell of food. Lin Fengqi had even made dinner.

So much for the end-of-year work rush. Why wasn’t he working late or out for dinner meetings?

Wen Xia braced himself and walked inside.

Amou and Wen Da Ge greeted him, one after the other. He bent down to pet his cat and dog, then looked up to find Lin Fengqi staring right at him.

He noticed faint dark circles under Lin Fengqi’s eyes.

“…”

“…”

Wen Xia wasn’t sure if Lin Fengqi felt awkward, but he sure did.

Lin Fengqi’s expression remained calm, though his gaze drifted down slightly, landing on Wen Xia’s clothes.

Wen Xia quickly explained, “They’re Zhou Boyan’s. My clothes reeked of alcohol, so I borrowed a set from him.”

“Mm,” Lin Fengqi responded.

Another brief silence.

“Let’s eat,” Lin Fengqi finally said.

“Ah, okay,” Wen Xia replied.

Wen Xia headed to the kitchen to wash his hands while Lin Fengqi placed the last dish on the table. Then he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

Wen Xia had read his diary…

My god, Wen Xia had actually read his diary!

What was he supposed to do now that Wen Xia was home?

What expression should he have when facing him?

When Zhou Boyan had blurted it out, Lin Fengqi thought he’d misheard. Even after Wen Xia left with Zhou Boyan, Lin Fengqi was in such a daze that he convinced himself he had imagined it.

It wasn’t until he drove home alone, showered, and lay in bed without Wen Xia that it hit him—Wen Xia had really read his diary! He stared at the ceiling, lost in thought for most of the night, finally dozing off just before dawn.

Wen Xia took his time washing his hands, and by the time he finished, Lin Fengqi had already served him some rice. He waited until Wen Xia sat down before picking up his chopsticks.

Both of them were silently observing each other, wondering how to break the awkward silence.

Finally, Wen Xia spoke first. “About yesterday…”

He had barely gotten two words out before he noticed Lin Fengqi’s chopsticks tremble, the pea he had just picked up falling back onto the plate.

Wen Xia: “…”

The man stared intently at the pea, as if willing it to get back on his chopsticks.

“The diary thing…” Wen Xia began again.

“Plop.”

The pea fell a second time.

Lin Fengqi kept his gaze fixed on the plate of peas, completely focused.

Wen Xia: “.”

Just as Lin Fengqi seemed about to start round three of his battle with the peas, Wen Xia quickly said, “I’m sorry for reading your diary.”

“Plop.”

This time, the pea rolled off the table, tumbling a few times before hitting the side of Lin Fengqi’s bowl and finally coming to a stop.

Wen Xia took the opportunity to continue. “Remember when you asked me if I’d ever been in your room? That time, Amou knocked a bunch of stuff off your bookshelf. I was picking it up when I saw the diary. It fell open on the floor, and I just… couldn’t resist reading a bit…”

He finished speaking and anxiously set down his chopsticks, waiting for Lin Fengqi’s reaction.

Lin Fengqi didn’t respond.

He sat there in silence, staring at the plate of pea stir-fry, seemingly lost in thought.

Feeling more and more uneasy, Wen Xia called his name, “Lin Fengqi?”

Lin Fengqi’s eyelashes fluttered as he snapped back to reality. He licked his lips nervously and finally looked at Wen Xia, stammering, “How… how much did you read?”

Wen Xia hesitated for a moment before answering, “Not… not that much.”

Lin Fengqi remained silent.

“Really, not that much,” Wen Xia reiterated. “Just from when you started high school to…”

He did some quick mental math and said, “The end of the first semester of sophomore year, I think.”

From the start of freshman year to the end of the first semester of sophomore year…

A year and a half.

One. And. A half. Years.

The chopsticks slipped from Lin Fengqi’s stiff fingers.

The blood slowly drained from his face, then rushed back up his neck, turning his entire face red.

Wen Xia wanted to say something, but Lin Fengqi suddenly raised his hands, covering his thoroughly flushed face with his palms.

And then Wen Xia heard a faint, muffled sound: “Ugh.”

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