Chapter 25
In the afternoon, Ti Xiao finally made it back home, remembering to pick up both the soy sauce and tangerines his family had asked for.
“Uncle, you’re finally back!” Ti Nanyi opened the door, immediately snatching a handful of tangerines. “Are they sweet?”
“Can you at least help me carry the bags?” Ti Xiao sighed.
“Xiaoxiao, you’re back!” His mom called from the dining room. “Where’s the soy sauce?”
“Here.” Ti Xiao handed it over, then hollered toward the living room: “Ti Jiji, are you wearing my slippers again?”
His mom examined the bottle with a frown. “Hey, isn’t this a different brand? Why’d you buy this one?”
“My… my neighbor recommended it,” Ti Xiao brushed his bangs aside, voice a little guilty. “Said it tastes better.”
Nobody knows you better than your brother — Ti Zhe sauntered over, slippers in hand, flashing a sly grin. “I don’t think that’s the real reason~”
“Shut up and get out of my sight with your tangerines.” Ti Xiao grumbled, slipping on his reclaimed slippers and heading to his study.
“Uncle, what are you drawing?” Ti Nanyi, chewing on a tangerine, snuck up to him like a little gremlin.
Ti Xiao had brought back his old drawing tablet — it was New Year’s Eve, and he’d promised his fans a special art update.
“Go do your homework.”
“Haven’t finished.” Ti Nanyi giggled, pulling out his phone. “Here, wanna see a secret pic I took of our English teacher? It’s a bit blurry, though.”
The tablet’s charging port was acting up, and no matter how many times he tried, it wouldn’t connect. Getting frustrated, Ti Xiao didn’t even look up.
“Not interested. Go away.”
“Just one look! You’ll regret it if you don’t!”
Thinking back to that tall, handsome figure he’d seen at the restaurant, Ti Xiao rolled his eyes. Regret? With a face like that?
“Three… two… one. If you don’t go, I’m calling your mom.”
After dinner, Ti Xiao locked himself in his room, busy drawing.
It was the last day of the year, and maybe everyone was with their families — even after ten minutes, his Weibo post hadn’t gotten a single comment.
Was he… washed up?
“Ding dong.”
A tiny envelope icon appeared.
He clicked it — someone had liked his post. But when he checked, the user had already unliked it, leaving no trace.
“Weird…” He scratched his head.
It was the classic accidental like situation — someone tapped too fast, panicked, and immediately unliked.
And the culprit?
Currently scrubbing down his table.
Xiao Yao stared at the mess he’d made, tea splattered across the surface from when he’d choked. His face burned red, ears glowing as he instinctively covered his mouth, as if someone could see him.
He… draws this kind of stuff?
Xiao Yao cautiously tapped the long image again, scrolling down just a bit…
Then slammed his phone face-down on the table.
The illustration depicted the two main characters of Ti Xiao’s new series.
That part was normal.
Their positions, however…
Little Bun is… bolder than I thought…
He gulped down a glass of ice water, face burning. Eventually, he couldn’t take it anymore and fled to the bathroom for a much-needed, uh, break.
Even in release, his mind was full of Little Bun.
Meanwhile, Ti Xiao sprawled on his bed, lazily scrolling through Weibo.
From celebrity gossip to current events, he browsed mindlessly, completely unaware of the chaos he’d just caused.
I wonder what Xiao Yao’s doing right now…
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Ti Xiao’s phone buzzed.
Past: What are you doing?
Oh? Was this what people called a soul connection? Ti Xiao grinned, grabbing his phone without noticing the faint possessiveness laced in those words.
Magic Conch: I’m reading a book 📚 [Photo]
To make it more convincing, he grabbed a random book from the shelf — something thick and scholarly-looking — snapped a picture, added a fancy filter, and sent it over.
Xiao Yao rubbed his finger beneath his nose, suppressing a laugh.
Past: Are you still reading later?
Ti Xiao thought for a moment before replying.
Magic Conch: Yeah, this book is so good. I want to finish it in one go tonight.
Xiao Yao remembered the Weibo post that promised fans five art drops in a row, and his smile deepened.
Ti Xiao, completely unaware that his secret identity had already crumbled, eagerly kept the conversation going — after all, it wasn’t every day Xiao Yao reached out first.
Magic Conch: Do you want me to keep you company? Fair warning — I charge for that service.
A red envelope popped up on his screen.
He’d only been joking, never expecting Xiao Yao to actually send him money. And even though he had no intention of accepting it, his reflexes — honed from fierce red envelope battles in the family group chat — betrayed him, and he clicked it instinctively.
Inside was 100 yuan.
Past: Yes.
Panicked, Ti Xiao scrambled to return the money, but Xiao Yao never opened the transfer.
Past: Talk to me for a bit. It’s kinda lonely being home alone.
New Year’s Eve — the night people should be spending with their families.
Ti Xiao sat up, imagining a forlorn Xiao Yao all by himself, quietly simmering a pot of soup.
He typed out a message:
Magic Conch: Why aren’t you home?
…But after thinking it over, he deleted it and carefully rephrased the question.
Magic Conch: What’s wrong? Do you… miss me?
There was a tiny, selfish hope hidden in those words.
Xiao Yao’s heart melted instantly. He glanced at the bubbling pot on the stove — truth be told, he did miss him.
Before he could reply, another message came in.
Magic Conch: I’m heading back tomorrow. Gotta feed my cat.
In reality, he’d left enough food for a whole week, but he didn’t want Xiao Yao to get suspicious, so he made up a reason.
Past: Cat?
Xiao Yao had been to Ti Xiao’s place before, but he’d never seen any trace of another living creature. Sure, cats could be elusive, but there hadn’t been even a single stray cat hair in sight.
Magic Conch: Yeah, she’s a tabby. I found her in college — her name’s Little Purr.
Xiao Yao finally pieced together the mystery behind all those old Weibo posts about “Little Purr”.
He remembered one in particular: “Little Purr’s snoring is SO loud 😩”
At the time, he’d nearly lost his mind, thinking Little Purr was some nickname for a girlfriend.
Turns out, it was just a cat.
He finally felt at peace.
Magic Conch: She’s super lazy, though. All she does is eat and sleep 💤 [Photo]
Ti Xiao even sent over a few more pictures.
One of them was a selfie — Ti Xiao hugging Little Purr, dimples faintly visible as he smiled at the camera.
Why didn’t I notice those dimples before?
Xiao Yao chuckled and quietly saved the photo.
They kept chatting for hours, seamlessly jumping from astronomy to geography.
Along the way, Xiao Yao shamelessly fished for information, teasing Ti Xiao with playful questions.
Ti Xiao, blissfully unaware, laughed through it all.
They were both lightning-fast texters, and in the blink of an eye, the clock struck midnight.
They’d just started talking about art — Ti Xiao ready to launch into a full-fledged lecture — when a voice message arrived.
Everyone at home was already asleep. Ti Xiao climbed out of bed, groping around in the dark for a pair of earphones. He stubbed his toe against the desk, nearly face-planting, but even that couldn’t stop him — he had to know what Xiao Yao had said.
The moment he clicked on the voice message, his heart thudded loud and fast in his chest.
“Happy New Year, Little Jiujiu.”
The clock had just ticked past midnight. Outside, fireworks bloomed like flowers in the night sky, bursts of color streaking through the darkness, lighting up the world.
Ti Xiao held his phone close, heart echoing with the sound of Xiao Yao’s words.
Little Jiujiu?
Wasn’t this… a foul play?
And that little spark of affection he’d been suppressing?
It felt like the fireworks outside had illuminated it — undeniable, blazing bright.
Past: Are you going to sleep?
Sleep? Ti Xiao couldn’t even think about sleeping. If anything, he wanted to chug a few cans of Green Bull energy drink and talk until the sun rose.
Magic Conch: Not tired at all 😏
Past: Then stay up and chat with me a little longer?
Magic Conch: Okay.
They were like two high schoolers in the throes of first love, endlessly texting, always finding something new to say. They said goodnight over and over, but neither wanted to be the one to put the phone down first.
When Ti Xiao finally went to bed, he snuck the voice message out again, replaying it over and over, heart practically blooming with happiness.
Xiao Yao’s voice was low, warm, and impossibly smooth. Listening to it alone, late at night, felt like hearing a lover whisper against his ear. The faint smile in his voice made it even worse — just hearing it, Ti Xiao could practically see the curve of his lips.
If he could download the message, he’d have made it his notification sound in a heartbeat.
Wait a second…
Ti Xiao hit replay.
He’d been too distracted earlier, too caught up in the sound of Xiao Yao’s voice, but…
What the heck is Little Jiujiu???
Was there… some kind of hidden meaning?
He clutched his phone, palms damp with sweat from all the excitement, determined to listen again — maybe he’d catch something new this time. But his hand slipped, fingers tapping who-knows-what, and his phone tumbled down…
Right onto his face.
Groaning and holding his nose, he grabbed his phone — only to find the voice message was gone.
Deleted.
Ti Xiao wanted to cry.
No — he wanted to chop his hand off.
