Just as Xie Siqi finished speaking, Fang Junhao chimed in:
“Little Pei, you don’t know—since you started bringing him meals, every day at noon, he starts posting pictures in the group, bragging, asking why you’re not eating at the office. He’s so disgusting, I swear.”
Lan Xingchen: ???
“Your face right now is way more disgusting than that.”
Lan Xingchen scoffed. “You’re just jealous.”
“Look, look,” Fang Junhao pointed at him, looking at Pei Qingjian. “Isn’t he begging to be slapped?”
Lan Xingchen laughed. “Tsk, so bitter.”
Fang Junhao mocked, “Better than being heartless, right?”
Pei Qingjian listened to their banter, finding it quite amusing.
They ate until after ten at night before reluctantly ending the dinner.
Lan Xingchen paid the bill, and everyone headed out together.
At the parking lot, Fang Junhao warmly said, “Let’s eat together again sometime.”
Pei Qingjian nodded eagerly. “Mm-hmm.”
“Let’s go,” Fang Junhao said, smiling, then pulled Xie Siqi and Chang Le into his car.
Pei Qingjian also got into the car with Lan Xingchen, heading home.
After two meals in a row, he inevitably felt a little tired.
Yet his heart was very happy—Lan Xingchen’s friends were all good people, whether Fang Junhao and the others he’d known since high school, or Shao Kang from college.
They were clearly very tolerant of each other.
Though he had some gaps in family affection, his friendships were complete.
That was enough.
Pei Qingjian lay on the bed, satisfied.
Soon after, Lan Xingchen came out after showering. Seeing Pei Qingjian lying on the bed, he walked over, scooped him up along with the blanket, and held him close in his arms.
“Time for bed, time for bed,” Lan Xingchen said with a smile.
Pei Qingjian pulled a hand free to turn off the light, only to be nudged back under the blanket by Lan Xingchen, who rubbed their foreheads together and kissed him affectionately.
Pei Qingjian couldn’t help but laugh at the kisses, wrapping his arms around Lan Xingchen’s waist.
They cuddled in the darkness for a while before finally falling asleep in each other’s arms.
After Pei Qingjian had met Shao Kang, Fang Junhao, and the others, it was Lan Xingchen’s turn to visit Xu Ya’s parents.
He had prepared a gift in advance and arrived at Xu Ya’s home on Saturday afternoon.
It had been some time since Cao Jie and Xu Yang had seen him, and now that he was there, both of them couldn’t help but smile.
Cao Jie led him to the sofa and asked about his work and life.
As Lan Xingchen spoke, he took off his coat, revealing the black sweater Cao Jie had knitted.
Cao Jie’s eyes lit up. “You actually wore it over here?”
She looked him over from all angles. “Not bad, not bad. Fits perfectly.”
“More than fits—it’s comfortable too.”
“As long as you like it,” Cao Jie said happily.
Xu Yang, deliberately teasing, said, “Of course, Xingchen would like it. Unlike me—nothing like that.”
Cao Jie shot him a sharp look. “Why are you jealous of the kid?”
Then she turned back to Lan Xingchen. “Ignore him.”
Lan Xingchen chuckled softly. “Or Auntie, you could knit one for Xu Shu too.”
Xu Yang nodded along obediently.
Cao Jie gave a resigned smile. “Alright, I’ll see if I have time later.”
Just then, Xu Ya came downstairs.
He paused for a moment when he saw Lan Xingchen but quickly composed himself, hiding any awkwardness. As usual, he sat on the other side of the sofa.
Lan Xingchen greeted him naturally. “You came down.”
Xu Ya froze for an instant. This was the first time in a long while that Lan Xingchen had spoken to him proactively.
“Mm,” Xu Ya said dryly.
Lan Xingchen smiled and turned back to continue talking with Cao Jie.
It was just like any other ordinary day, just like every time he came to their home.
Everything seemed to return to the way it had been, as if nothing had happened, as if nothing had changed.
They were still the same as before, living life as usual.
Xu Ya cherished the rare atmosphere quietly, unable to pull himself away.
Suddenly, he didn’t understand what all his previous actions had been for.
He had once had the most complete family and the closest friends.
Now, all of that seemed like a dream.
Xu Ya lowered his eyes, a vague sadness filling his heart.
The ringtone he had set in advance went off. Xu Ya answered and quickly spoke a few words before hanging up.
“I’m heading back to the office,” he said. “There’s a problem with a proposal I need to fix.”
Cao Jie looked at him. “Is it that urgent? Eat first, then go.”
“The manager’s already here, waiting for me.”
Lan Xingchen, seeing Xu Ya preparing to leave, spoke up in a casual tone—careful not to reveal anything to Cao Jie.
“I’ll let your manager know, so you can go after you eat.”
Xu Ya paused again.
He looked at Lan Xingchen, and if Pei Qingjian hadn’t already told him what he was thinking, he might have believed this was his sincere intention.
“Forget it,” Xu Ya said, picking up his coat. “It’s better not to affect anything.”
“You eat first. I’ll try to come back early.”
“Alright,” Xu Yang said. “Work comes first. Don’t let anything go wrong.”
“Mm,” Xu Ya replied.
Cao Jie sighed. “Make sure you eat.”
“I will,” Xu Ya said, smiling at her, then turned to leave.
Lan Xingchen watched his back, pretending to go after him. “I’ll go with him.”
Cao Jie pressed him down. “What for? You haven’t eaten yet.”
“Exactly. Their department has its own things to handle. If you go, you’ll just be pressuring the manager,” Xu Yang added.
Lan Xingchen had expected this reaction, so he feigned helplessness and stayed at the Xu home.
They chatted a little longer until it was almost time, and Cao Jie got ready to cook.
The dishes were already prepped. Cao Jie moved skillfully, frying up a table full of Lan Xingchen’s favorites.
Lan Xingchen watched her remove her apron, feeling a warm flicker of emotion like candlelight.
She hadn’t cooked in a long time, yet every time he came over, she would cook for him personally—just like when he was a child, preparing the foods he liked and placing them before him.
Looking down, he noticed a streak of silver in Cao Jie’s hair.
She had grown older.
As he had grown up, so had she.
He couldn’t put into words what he felt at that moment—a mix of peace, nostalgia, cherished warmth, and tenderness.
Sitting beside her, eating the dishes she served, he felt a rare, quiet sense of comfort.
Everything else—the worthiness, the worries—faded in that instant, leaving only the soothing calm of body and mind.
So soothing, he didn’t even want to worry about anything else.
After finishing the meal, Lan Xingchen chatted with them a bit longer. By almost eleven, he was ready to leave.
Cao Jie looked outside at the dark night. “Why not stay the night? I’ve had your bedroom cleaned.”
Lan Xingchen thought for a moment but couldn’t leave Pei Qingjian behind, so he declined. “Next time. I didn’t tell my roommate I’d stay over this time—he’s probably waiting for me. Next time, I’ll tell him and come over.”
Cao Jie’s mind spun quickly when she heard “roommate.”
So amazing—he hadn’t mentioned a roommate all this time, and now he actually has one?
“Roommate or girlfriend?” Cao Jie asked.
Lan Xingchen felt a little embarrassed. “Just a roommate, of course.”
Cao Jie nodded. “Then I’ll have to meet your roommate some other day.”
Lan Xingchen: …
Xu Yang, surprised, exclaimed, “You’re actually dating someone?”
Lan Xingchen wanted to deny it, but then he remembered that for Xu Ya, Pei Qingjian really was his boyfriend.
Previously, he might have held back from telling Cao Jie and Xu Yang because of their current relationship, but after tonight, if Cao Jie asked, Xu Ya wouldn’t lie to her.
So, he swallowed the words of denial.
Since he didn’t speak, Cao Jie and Xu Yang took it as tacit confirmation.
“When did this happen?” Cao Jie asked, pleasantly surprised. “What kind of girl is he?”
“It’s a boy.”
Cao Jie and Xu Yang were startled for a moment, then quickly adjusted their expressions to avoid hurting Lan Xingchen’s feelings—after all, while same-sex marriage was legal now, it was still uncommon, and many parents didn’t fully accept it.
Even though they weren’t Lan Xingchen’s biological parents, they had raised him in part and naturally carried some warmth toward him. He would want their understanding and support.
“I see,” Cao Jie quickly adjusted her tone. “A boy is fine. Any boy you like must be exceptional.”
Lan Xingchen smiled. “He really is.”
“When are you bringing him over for us to meet?” Cao Jie asked with genuine concern.
“Once it’s settled,” Lan Xingchen replied, adding, “Don’t tell my uncle about this yet.”
“Understood,” Cao Jie smiled. “You two focus on each other. Once you’re ready, we’ll talk about it.”
Lan Xingchen nodded. “Mm.”
Xu Yang only now fully processed it, thinking to himself that these kids really knew how to keep secrets.
He always asked if there was anyone they liked, and the answer was no. Now, suddenly, there was a boyfriend?
A boyfriend—he actually had a boyfriend?!
If Wen Yuan found out, he’d probably freeze in shock just like them.
“You really don’t reveal anything,” Xu Yang said with awe.
Lan Xingchen: …Because he never planned to date anyone in the first place!
He silently sighed to himself, thinking that now it was like a snowball rolling bigger and bigger.
All Xu Ya’s fault!
Thinking of Xu Ya, he realized it was that time again—Xu Ya still hadn’t come back.
Where was he hiding? Surely he hadn’t actually gone back to the office?
Lan Xingchen chatted with Cao Jie a little longer before leaving Xu’s home and driving back.
Passing the fork in the road toward the office, he hesitated but eventually turned down the side street.
He drove slowly, finally arriving under the office building.
Sitting silently in the car for a long while, he finally got out and entered the building.
The lights on the 27th floor burned alone. Xu Ya sat at his desk, eyes on the computer while flipping through documents.
As if sensing footsteps, he looked up and saw Lan Xingchen standing nearby with his hands in his pockets.
Xu Ya stared in disbelief, unsure why he was here.
Really came to work late, huh, Lan Xingchen thought quietly.
For a moment, he didn’t know what he felt and simply stated calmly, “I’m leaving. You can go home now.”
“Okay,” Xu Ya replied softly. “Once I finish this, I’ll head back.”
Lan Xingchen gave a slight nod, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
“Be careful on your way,” Xu Ya called after him.
Lan Xingchen didn’t reply and pressed the elevator button down.
The night was deep, bathed in hazy moonlight and unseen stars.
Driving, his mind raced in a thousand directions.
He thought of many things, yet somehow felt like he had thought of nothing at all.
By 11:30, he was home.
Lan Xingchen opened the door to find Pei Qingjian sitting in the living room, waiting.
Seeing him, Pei Qingjian put down his chips and ran over.
“How was it? Did you get along with Xu Ya’s parents?”
Lan Xingchen nodded, lifting the items in his hands. “They insisted I bring these back.”
“Wow,” Pei Qingjian praised, looking them over. “Not bad. Quite the haul.”
Lan Xingchen placed the items on the entryway cabinet and asked, “How was your rest?”
“Great, very great, super great. And I have good news!” Pei Qingjian exclaimed excitedly. “I’m going for an audition! If it goes well, I’ll be shooting a new drama!”
Lan Xingchen: ???
He couldn’t believe it. “But didn’t you just finish filming?”
“Yes, but Brother Zhou found a great new script. Shows how attentive and professional he is!”
Lan Xingchen: …
He really didn’t think Pei Qingjian needed to be that professional!
This is supposed to be good news? Feels more like bad news!
He looked at his little canary—wasn’t he supposed to be a house bird? Why is he flying around outside every day? Is this okay?!
Lan Xingchen felt his head throb a little.
“Do you… really have to do this drama?” he asked.
Pei Qingjian nodded. “It’s a great script.”
“Brother Zhou said, if the original actor hadn’t had an accident, I wouldn’t even be considered.”
“And I’m not guaranteed to get it,” Pei Qingjian added realistically. “I still have to audition. If the director doesn’t like me, if I fail the audition, then I won’t go at all.”
Lan Xingchen: …
He felt he didn’t want Pei Qingjian to go act, but he also didn’t want him to fail the audition.
How could he fail?
His little canary’s acting is good enough—he sees no problem at all. So why would he fail?!
“Have confidence in yourself. What failure? I know you can do it,” Lan Xingchen said, patting his shoulder, speaking with absolute certainty.