After buying the gift, Yan Qing prepared to return the same way to meet everyone.
However, as he stood on the roadside, he suddenly froze, lost in thought: which way had he come from just now? Both left and right roads looked the same to him.
Few people knew that Yan Qing had a bit of a sense of direction problem. While most well-off families send their children abroad for education, Yan Qing had always stayed at home because of his poor sense of direction.
Even though he was now an adult, his parents were still afraid he might get lost, so they never considered sending him abroad for study. After all, no matter how good studying abroad might be, they only had one child.
Fortunately, the production crew was following him to ensure he didn’t get lost. However, since there were no life-threatening issues at the moment, even if he sought help from the crew, they wouldn’t assist him.
Yan Qing had a headache.
The open-air market here was set along winding, meandering streets, and it was like he had walked every single one of them.
He couldn’t tell where the exit was. Should he go forward or backward?
He stood in the crowd, holding a small gift bag in his left hand, hesitating. Just as he finished selecting a small rooster figurine and was about to turn right, a large, powerful hand grabbed his wrist from behind.
Yan Qing instinctively turned to look and raised his eyes to see Wen Jueli. His eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, “Husband!”
The sunlight was gentle, and the weather was pleasant. Wen Jueli unexpectedly appeared behind him in the bustling crowd, and though the people moved noisily around him, Yan Qing only had eyes for him.
Wen Jueli was tall, lean, and had a slightly cold expression. His long, dense eyelashes gently lowered, concealing the emotions in his eyes, and he looked at Yan Qing with a faint gaze. Wen Jueli’s earlobes tinged with a hint of crimson without leaving any traces. He pursed his lips and chose selective deafness, pretending not to hear the term “husband.”
Instead, he asked, “Didn’t you finish shopping? Do you still want to continue looking around?” Yan Qing’s mouth turned downward as he said, “No… I got lost. I thought that was the way out.”
Lost. He got lost in such a small market. Wen Jueli’s brows and eyes softened as he recalled certain events from several years ago. He didn’t say much and instead asked, “Is this for the boss’s daughter?”
Yan Qing wasn’t particularly observant, but it was hard not to notice the large bouquet of sunflowers that Wen Jueli was holding.
The golden sunflowers, wrapped in brown paper with English letters printed on it, were not only sunflowers but also adorned with some flowers of the same color scheme, making the bouquet incredibly beautiful and eye-catching.
Yan Qing took the bouquet from Wen Jueli, who naturally released his hand. Yan Qing took a sniff and the flowers had a faint fragrance. He raised his gaze and asked, “It’s beautiful! But we’re going over tomorrow night. If we buy them now, will they wither by then?”
Wen Jueli’s fingertips trembled slightly, feeling the residual warmth in his palm.
With the bouquet in his arms, Yan Qing looked even more radiant and lively.
He was more beautiful than the sunflowers.
He gathered his thoughts and blurted out, “Then, I won’t give it to her.”
“I’ll give it to you.”
Yan Qing was taken aback, “To me?”
Wen Jueli shifted his gaze away to the dark orange flower core and then said, “Hmm… I haven’t bought flowers before. You said you’re afraid they’ll wither, so I’ll give them to you.”
Yan Qing didn’t think too much, and he was surprised and delighted, “Thank you!”
“This is the first time I’ve received real flowers.”
Wen Jueli asked, “Real flowers?”
Yan Qing replied, “Yes, it’s like when I was a kid, my classmates who liked me would make paper origami flowers and give them to me. Back then, paper origami flowers were already very beautiful. I think my parents probably still have a few of them at home, they said they’re keeping them as childhood memories.”
After saying this, he chuckled, seemingly reminiscing about his innocent childhood.
Wen Jueli muttered under his breath in a peculiar tone, “Oh. So you had admirers in elementary school, and you already knew what it meant to like someone back then?”
Yan Qing said, “Actually, it probably started in kindergarten.”
He continued to reveal his past, “What’s wrong with elementary school? It’s just having a little crush. I think I had a crush on someone who sat behind me in the fifth grade; he was really handsome.”
After a long five seconds…
Wen Jueli said, “Oh.”
[Wait, is Mr. Wen getting jealous? Hahaha!]
[Ooohhh! If it’s not jealousy, then what is it? My boyfriend does the same ‘oh’ when he’s jealous, haha!]
[Exactly! What’s wrong with being in elementary school? At least in elementary school, people give flowers!]
[I never expected this to be Mr. Wen’s first time giving flowers to Yan Qing. They seem so sweet together. I thought they’d done it all. Learn from the elementary school kids!]
Perhaps out of curiosity, Yan Qing suddenly asked, “Then, when you were so good-looking as a kid, did you never have a romantic relationship? No one ever gave you gifts?”
[Gossip!]
[Here comes Wen Gua! By the way, Wen Jueli has been in the industry for almost ten years, and I still don’t know if he had any past relationships.]
Yan Qing hadn’t seen childhood photos of Wen Jueli but assumed that if he looked so good now and was cute as a child, then his husband couldn’t have been too different.
Wen Jueli quickly replied, “No.”
He had been a solitary child in his early years. How could someone who was reserved have been liked by others? Even if he had been, Wen Jueli had no interest in it.
“I see…” With the answer, Yan Qing’s mood inexplicably relaxed and softened, pondering something.
In the past, if Yan Qing liked something, he would buy it without asking about the price. But times had changed, and he fiddled with the sunflowers before asking, “By the way, how much is this? I spent 35 on the gift.”
He automatically rounded the number down to 0.99.
The two of them walked together.
Wen Jueli said, “It’s free, someone gave it to me.”
Yan Qing guessed, “Fans?”
Wen Jueli considered it and said, “Not exactly. I recently had a movie released in Europe and America. While passing by a flower shop, the owner recognized me because he had watched the movie.”
“So, is this considered a lucky coincidence?” Yan Qing looked at him with admiration, playfully praising, “Husband, you’re amazing!”
Once again, he used the term “husband”, and strangely, there was no visible reaction from Wen Jueli. It seemed he had developed a thick skin.
Yan Qing was practically in high spirits every day. He held the flowers in his arms, unable to link arms with Wen Jueli. He could only follow closely behind like an obedient little puppy. When Wen Jueli noticed, he quietly slowed down his pace.
This market here sells almost everything. Besides boutique accessories, houseplants, and fruits and vegetables, the most common item is clothing.
Sure enough, Yan Qing saw a stall with a large sign that read “SALE.” It was a clothing clearance sale.
Clothes were hanging on the poles of tent umbrellas for customers to see the designs, and below, a large flat surface was used to neatly stack the clothes.
Yan Qing inquired with the owner, who said that all the clothes in the store were two for seven pounds.
What luck!
Although Yan Qing had borrowed two items from Wen Jueli, they didn’t quite fit, and with several more days ahead, he couldn’t just wear those three pieces of clothing. So he waved his hand and bought several sets of clothes at once.
Yan Qing had a well-proportioned body and excellent style, so he didn’t need to try them on. Anything he wore would undoubtedly look great and fit him.
As Yan Qing was about to make the payment, he noticed that one of the T-shirts was quite similar to his favorite from the ones he had picked.
He stared intently at that T-shirt, reaching out to grab Wen Jueli’s hand and asked, “Jueli, do you need clothes?”
Wen Jueli replied, “…”
Following Yan Qing’s gaze and looking over, “?”
Yan Qing felt a little excited and turned to him, saying, “Don’t you think this one and the one I’m wearing look like a couple’s outfit?”
“Can I wear it with you?”
Without waiting for Wen Jueli’s response, Yan Qing calculated his remaining balance, returned the T-shirt he had initially picked, and instead chose the “couple’s outfit.”
He did it all in one go.
[Darling, are you really on a mission?]
[Isn’t this just publicly-funded dating? What kind of mission is this!]
Yan Qing said, “Trust my judgment. You’ll definitely look good in it!”
Since they had bought the clothes, Wen Jueli didn’t resist and simply tilted the corner of his mouth and said, “Okay.”
Watching this scene, the viewers outside the live broadcast screen couldn’t help but put on a gentle smile.
So sweet!
Yan Qing wasn’t surprised at all by Wen Jueli’s response. It was just that for a brief moment, he felt troubled. Wen Jueli spoiled him too much, and that could be a problem if Yan Qing’s rationality ever slipped for financial matters.
Their budget was limited, and they couldn’t afford to spend recklessly.
While holding the flowers, Yan Qing didn’t link arms with Wen Jueli, but once you got used to this feeling, it became somewhat subtle.
Wen Jueli gently pursed his lips, thought of something, and asked, “Yan Qing, did they mention when they will call you at the airport?”
Yan Qing shook his head, “They didn’t mention it. Probably in about two weeks…”
Time drags on forever.
Waiting for two weeks felt long, and the worst fear was not being able to retrieve the gift.
The task of buying a gift for the campsite owner’s daughter was uncertain, as it was a last-minute idea from the production team. If the guests were lucky, they might find one or two items that would suit her taste, but if not, they would end up spending money on something she didn’t like. That’s why the gifts chosen by the participants were not many but practical and beautiful.
Yan Qing particularly liked the embroidery chosen by Ni Li and the small succulent plant bought by He Zijia, lush green with soft fur.
“So cute.”
He Zijia was momentarily stunned. Her expression didn’t show it, but the slight lift of her mouth gave her away. “Oh, it’s okay…”
The train arrived on time, and they took the last picture in the outskirts of the city. Everyone got on the train to return to the city center.
As it was nearing the end of the workday, the train had more passengers.
The lucky ones found seats, but the less fortunate had to stand in the small compartments connecting the train cars.
After walking a lot during the day and without resting in the afternoon, Yan Qing couldn’t help but yawn.
Yawn…
So tired.
Xia Xingchen sat opposite him and asked with a raised tone, “Yan Qing, are you tired?”
Yan Qing’s upper and lower eyelids were in a fierce battle.
“A bit.”
But he couldn’t actually fall asleep because the train ride was only forty-five minutes, and he had already held on for twenty minutes. He had to endure the remaining twenty-five minutes!
However, as he gradually lost his senses, he could only vaguely sense Wen Jueli having a conversation with Gu Siwei.
What was it about…
He knew in his dream.
Wen Jueli said, “Alright, I understand. When we get back, I’ll check online.”
“Thank you for your hard work,” Gu Siwei appreciated his execution skills. “If you hadn’t become an actor, I would’ve definitely had your grandpa hire you to work at our company!”
Wen Jueli’s smile was very faint, and he didn’t respond.
The next moment, Yan Qingg’s left shoulder felt heavier, and he fell asleep, leaning against Wen Jueli’s shoulder. He was holding a bouquet of sunflowers in his arms, with his bag at his feet. Perhaps he was too tired, his slender white neck couldn’t support the weight of his head. In no time, his head slipped from Wen Jueli’s shoulder and began to sway irregularly up and down, like a pecking chicken.
The high-speed train was traveling through the woods, and the setting sun’s afterglow slanted into the carriage from a distance. It cast a layer of rusty yellow filter over the soundly sleeping Yan Qing.
Wen Jueli’s heart skipped a beat. He reached out, gently straightened Yan Qing’s head, paused for a moment, and then let him lean securely against his shoulder.
Yan Qing was obedient and continued sleeping, tightly snuggled against Wen Jueli’s side.
His breathing was steady.
Gu Siwei and Wen Jueli were fishing enthusiasts and had known each other for several years. Watching this scene, Gu Siwei couldn’t help but silently smile and said, “I didn’t expect you to be so gentle. You’ve changed quite a bit.”
Wen Jueli replied, “…”
He turned his gaze to the window.
His eyes, tinted yellow by the setting sun, were clear and transparent. Besides the urban scenery, there was also a peacefully sleeping face.
