“You…” Zhou Ziheng gripped Xia Xiqing’s shoulders, too furious to speak.
“What about me?” Xia Xiqing wrapped an arm around his neck, smiling suggestively.
Though furious, Zhou Ziheng couldn’t vent his anger at Xia Xiqing. Just as he was boiling over, a familiar voice suddenly echoed from the staircase, “Zhou Ziheng?”
He turned his head and saw standing beside the man from the gossip who had been holding the fish…
“Xu Qichen?”
Startled by the name, Xu Qichen froze. “Yes, yes.” But the next second, he caught the explosive sight of Zhou Ziheng pinning Xia Xingqing beneath him. Instantly, he raised his hand to cover his eyes. “Um… I’ll go cook. Go cook.” With that, he grabbed the person beside him by the elbow and dragged them into the kitchen. “Xu, let’s go.”
Zhou Ziheng was now utterly dumbfounded, turning his head blankly toward Xia Xiqing. Xia Xiqing raised an eyebrow at him. “You don’t seriously think I’m involved with Xu Qichen too, do you?”
“…Of course not.” Though Zhou Ziheng was fuming, he was clear on that point.
Xia Xiqing leaned in and kissed him. “That’s more like it.”
“So who exactly is that man?” Zhou Ziheng still felt a thorn in his heart. To Xia Xiqing, he looked like a child whose toy had been snatched away.
Xia Xiqing pushed Zhou Ziheng up by his chest, took his hand, and led him to the kitchen. “Here. See for yourself.”
Zhou Ziheng suppressed his anger and followed his gaze. In the kitchen, Xu Qichen was cutting fish with his head down. The young man from earlier had just finished washing his hands and flicked the droplets onto Xu Qichen’s face. Xu Qichen turned around, looking annoyed, only to be kissed.
“Is that Xu Qichen’s boyfriend?” Zhou Ziheng suddenly understood.
Xia Xiqing murmured softly, “Not just his… he’s mine too…”
The anger Zhou Ziheng had barely managed to suppress flared up again instantly. “Yours?!”
“My nephew,” Xia Xiqing shot him a look. “This is my nephew studying IT, Xia Zhixu. I thought I mentioned him to you before.”
The information overload left Zhou Ziheng momentarily speechless. He stared blankly at Xia Zhixu’s retreating back. “How old is he…”
“Older than you. He’s twenty-five.”
What?
Zhou Ziheng immediately grabbed Xia Xiqing’s cheeks with both hands. “Then how old are you? You lied to me, didn’t you? You’re definitely not just twenty-five?” He quickly let go and covered his ears. “Oh my god, don’t tell me you’re thirty-five. I don’t want to hear it…”
Xia Xiqing stared at Zhou Ziheng with utter helplessness.
How did he end up falling for such a fool?
“I’m eighty-five. You believe me?”
“No.”
Fine. He wasn’t beyond redemption yet.
Xia Xiqing dragged him into the living room. “My grandfather had ten children. Xia Yunkai is the youngest. Xia Zhixu’s grandfather is my grandfather’s eldest son. So Xia Yunkai and his grandfather are actually the same generation—he’s his great-uncle. As for me, I’m his younger uncle. Even though we’re the same age, our generations are worlds apart.”
Zhou Ziheng, finally sorting out the family tree, nodded blankly. “That’s so sad.”
“You mean Xia Zhixu? Yeah, he’s got it rough. I can handle it, but he has to call that little brat Xia Xiuze ‘uncle’ too.”
Xia Xiqing suddenly recalled something and chuckled. “I remember when he was about ten? During the New Year, everyone gathered together. Xia Xiuze had just been born, not even a year old—still a baby. He was clutching a red envelope, and the adults insisted Xia Zhixu bow to the infant and call him ‘Uncle,’ threatening to withhold the red envelope otherwise. Hahaha.” “
Zhou Ziheng pictured the scene and suddenly felt a wave of pity for Xia Zhixu.
He left Xia Xiqing and walked into the kitchen. Clearing his throat, he tapped Xia Zhixu on the shoulder. Xia Zhixu turned around, seeing Zhou Ziheng and thinking he was about to hit him. “Wait, let me explain…”
“I’m sorry.”
Xia Zhixu froze, turning to look at Xu Qichen, who stared back at him just as bewildered.
“Earlier, I jumped to conclusions without knowing the facts. I mistakenly thought you had some improper relationship with Xia Xiqing.” Zhou Ziheng kept his head bowed, half-curtsying. “I’m truly sorry to make such a fool of myself on our first meeting.” He extended a hand. “I’m Xia Xiqing’s boyfriend. My name is Zhou Ziheng.”
What on earth did Xia Xiqing do to deserve such an angel… Xia Zhixu nervously grasped Zhou Ziheng’s hand. “It’s fine, I don’t mind. It’s not like this is the first time something like this has happened… Ah, no, I mean…” Xia Zhixu suddenly cleared his throat and lowered his voice. “I mean, you’re perfectly normal, so what on earth possessed you to fall for someone like Xia Xiqing…”
“What are you saying?!”
So does that mean there are no good people in the Xia family? Zhou Ziheng wondered silently.
During dinner, the four of them sat around the table. Xia Zhixu, fearing Zhou Ziheng might still harbor misunderstandings, laid out the truth about last night’s gathering. “Yesterday was my grandfather’s 90th birthday celebration. He went along too. Neither of us wanted to stay any longer, so we made an excuse to slip away. That’s probably when the reporters snapped those photos. Don’t misunderstand—Xia Xiqing just likes to get handsy with people. Don’t take it seriously.”
Zhou Ziheng nodded with understanding. “Mhm.”
“Mhm what?” Xia Xiqing slammed his chopsticks down, making Xu Qichen flinch. “Xia Zhixu, what’s your point? If you’re going to talk, just talk—no need to take a dig at me. Think I can’t tell?”
Xu Qichen rubbed his back. “Calm down, calm down.” But the next second, Xia Zhixu, seated to Xu Qichen’s left, yanked his arm back. “Don’t touch him.”
Seeing this, Zhou Ziheng suddenly felt like he’d found an ally.
“So what if I touch him? I’ll touch him.” Xia Xiqing grabbed Xu Qichen’s hand and pulled it to his chest. “Did you grow up on jealousy or something?”
Xia Zhixu slammed his chopsticks down. “I did grow up on jealousy. Ten years of it. Got a problem with that?”
“You deserve it for ten years of it. Who told you to be such a coward?”
“Then stop being a coward yourself. I’ll expose all your secrets later and see if you’re still so scared.”
“Try it? I’ll kill you.”
Zhou Ziheng silently reached for the hand Xia Xiqing was using to grab Xu Qichen. He pried his fingers apart one by one, finally freeing Xu Qichen. Xu Qichen pulled away with a grateful smile for Zhou Ziheng. “These two are always like this. The moment they’re together, they start fighting.”
Zhou Ziheng forced a smile and scooped a spoonful of tuna salad onto Xu Qichen’s plate. “It’s fine. Let’s just eat quietly.”
Suddenly, Xia Xiqing, who had been in the thick of the fight, shifted his attention. “You’re serving him food, but why aren’t you serving me?”
Zhou Ziheng immediately caught on, placing a piece of sashimi in his bowl. He was thrilled inside. “Go ahead, eat up. Have some more.”
Only then did Xia Xiqing’s face soften with satisfaction. In his good mood, he couldn’t be bothered to argue with Xia Zhixu anymore. To quickly change the subject, Zhou Ziheng struck up a friendly conversation with Xia Zhixu. “My dear nephew.”
Instantly hitting a nerve.
“Who are you calling ‘dear nephew’?” Xia Zhixu’s face softened into a polite smile.
“Well, I am Xiqing’s boyfriend, after all. By family hierarchy…” Zhou Ziheng gazed at him with a knowing smile. “See, even Xiao Ze is your uncle, right?”
Another landmine detonated.
“……”
Xu Qichen couldn’t bear to watch any longer. He immediately began serving food onto the plates of the remaining three, piling the bowls high. “Everyone, eat, eat! We can talk about anything after we finish our meal.”
Xia Xiqing pulled out his phone and snapped a photo of the dishes on the table.
“What are you doing?” Zhou Ziheng asked when he saw Xia Xiqing take the photo and then bury his head in his phone again.
After typing, Xia Xiqing looked up and took a bite of sashimi. “Posting a clarification on Weibo.”
Xia Zhixu also breathed a sigh of relief. “You finally clarified it. My company group chat blew up all morning with gossip. Some even claimed you’re the guy I’ve secretly admired for ten years. Secretly admired for ten years? More like openly hated for twenty-five, okay?”
Xu Qichen leaned back in his chair and laughed. “Netizens will definitely say Xia Xiqing is a professional fake gossip-maker. Every rumor that comes out of his mouth is fake, hahaha.”
Zhou Ziheng, however, earnestly refreshed the homepage twice before finally catching Xia Xiqing’s new post.
[@Tsing_Summer: Let’s clear this up. The guy photographed is my nephew by generation, an outsider with a girlfriend. We were attending a family gathering together. If paparazzi have this much free time, they should interview me directly—sneak shots are so lame.”
Amidst the storm, Xia Xiqing issued another Weibo clarification, quickly propelled to the trending charts by gossip-hungry netizens.
[@LittleFishEatsBigFish: Truly a painter more top-tier than the top-tier celebrities…]
[@AStrayKitty: Xia Xiqing is so A-list, my goodness!]
[@ImAGoodAngel: Am I the only one concerned about the age gap? Xia Xiqing and this guy look like they’re the same age. But looking closely, their eyebrows and eyes do kinda resemble each other.]
[@12345GoHuntingTigers: I was so happy when I saw the clarification, but then finding out he has a partner was a total blow. Waaah, this guy is totally my type.]
[@MyBelovedIsALittleArtist: Even at family gatherings, paparazzi are snapping photos. He’s not even a celebrity, yet he’s hounded by paparazzi daily. My heart aches for our Xi Qing brother.]
[@MySelfStudyIsUnmatched: This is literally like a deathbed startle! A self-study girl’s daily emotions are a rollercoaster.]
[@MarshmallowIsNotSweet: I also think it’s a bit fake for two people this good-looking to be together. Maybe Xia Xiqing’s boyfriend is some greasy middle-aged guy.]
[@Who Says I’m a Little Princess: They’re really not a couple?? But they look so good together! Let’s ship this bone-age pairing [Does this count as bone-age?]
Seeing his name absent from the comments, Zhou Ziheng felt deeply disheartened.
“Why the long face?” Xia Xiqing glanced at Zhou Ziheng, amused by his lifeless expression.
Xu Qichen cut straight to the point with a laugh, “Ziheng’s probably upset no one’s mentioning him in the comments. Feeling a bit invisible, huh?”
Zhou Ziheng hesitated to speak. Xia Zhixu calmly explained, “Think about it. At a time like this, your fans would naturally keep quiet to avoid suspicion. Xia Xiqing is already in the eye of the storm. Even CP fans wouldn’t dare casually mention your name, lest they get attacked by solo fans.”
“How do you know so much about fandom culture?” Zhou Ziheng suddenly zeroed in on the point.
“Well…” Xia Zhixu gave a nervous chuckle. “My company developed a role-playing game with entertainment industry storylines. When I tested it, I played a popular actor myself.” He patted Zhou Ziheng on the shoulder. “Bro, I get it.”
Only Zhou Ziheng flashed a grateful smile. Xu Qichen, his ears reddening, buried his head in his food, stung by the reminder of an embarrassing past. Xia Xiqing, ever the provocateur, danced dangerously on the edge of tact. “Tsk tsk. Testing? Let me play too.”
“Shut up.”
By the end of the meal, Xia Zhixu and Zhou Ziheng had suddenly become close as brothers. The two agreed to wash the dishes together, leaving Xia Xiqing and Xu Qichen to play games in the living room.
Zhou Ziheng soaked the bowls in the sink. “So, you’re in IT. Did you start your own business?”
“Yeah. Mainly developing VR and AR games. You into gaming? I can hook you up with some of our stuff later.”
“Sure.” Zhou Ziheng thought to himself, someone starting a business so soon after graduation must be a top student. “Which school did you graduate from?” It suddenly occurred to him, “We might be alumni, huh?”
“Which school did you attend?”
Zhou Ziheng finished washing a plate and set it on the counter. “Physics at P University. Graduating soon.”
“What a coincidence.”
Hearing Xia Zhixu say this, Zhou Ziheng looked up in surprise. “Alumni?”
“I’m from T University, right across the street from yours. School of Information Science, Computer Science Department.” Xia Zhixu extended his soapy hand to shake Zhou Ziheng’s equally soapy hand. “Science and engineering students are family.”
“You’re T University’s campus heartthrob, right? That’s why you look familiar—I swear I’ve seen you trending online before.” Zhou Ziheng frowned in thought. “It must’ve been during the intercollegiate English debate tournament. Yeah, back when I was a freshman, our school even aired footage of your debate team competing against ours.”
“…Maybe?” Xia Zhixu, who’d been the campus heartthrob his entire school life, wasn’t sure whether to admit it or not. “Anyway, I’m not sure if I’m the campus heartthrob, but you’re definitely P University’s.”
“No, no.”
“Stop being modest. If it’s not you, then who else?”
“No, no. There are plenty of good-looking guys at our school too.”
“Come on, how many guys could your school possibly have compared to ours?”
Sitting in the living room, Xia Xiqing and Xu Qichen exchanged a glance and shook their heads helplessly. This mutual back-patting was really something else.
“I heard you mention something about a crush earlier,” Zhou Ziheng asked. “So you have a crush on Xu Qichen?”
“Yeah. I’ve liked him since the beginning. It’s a long story, but suffice it to say, I’m pretty miserable.”
Zhou Ziheng immediately felt indignant. “You couldn’t possibly be as miserable as me. I’m the one who’s truly suffering.”
Xia Zhixu instantly adopted a competitive stance. “I’m miserable. I liked Xu Qichen the moment I first saw him, but we only got together this spring.”
“But I’m the one who’s truly miserable. Xia Xiqing played me like a fool, and I was too scared to even admit I liked him.”
“Me too. Don’t be fooled by how sweet and gentle Chen Chen is now. When we first met, he wouldn’t even acknowledge me.”
“At least you were friends before dating,” Zhou Ziheng lamented. “He and I weren’t even friends. Xia Xiqing only saw me as a hookup…”
“…Then I’m the worst off. At least you got the upper hand first—that ticket compensation thing.”
“I’m the one suffering. I can’t compete with Xia Xiqing at all. Every day I live in fear he’ll just dump me. Xu Qichen would never do something like that.”
“You just need a label, okay? I’ve had a crush on him for ten years and never even held his hand. The first time we… well, it was in a game…”
Zhou Ziheng stared wide-eyed at Xia Zhixu.
This guy held out for ten years? That’s some serious perseverance.
“Then you’re the one who’s worse off.” Without even wiping his hands, Zhou Ziheng slapped Xia Zhixu on the shoulder. “I bow to your resilience.”
Sitting in the living room listening to this pity contest, Xu Qichen suddenly turned to Xia Xiqing with a pout. “I’ve been secretly crushing on you for ten years too! Why does he get all the sympathy?”
Xia Xiqing immediately patted Xu Qichen’s back like he was soothing a child. “Alright, alright. Chenchen’s had it rough too.”
So apparently I’m the only one who isn’t miserable.
As they left, Xia Zhixu and Zhou Ziheng still looked at each other with teary eyes, like long-lost brothers reunited. Xia Xiqing leaned against the doorframe and kicked Xia Zhixu out with one foot. “Get lost.” Then, with a gentle expression, he stuffed all the little cakes and pastries he was holding into Xu Qichen’s hands. “Chenchen, I saved your game progress. Come back and play it next time.”
“Okay!”
The door closed. Zhou Ziheng looked lost and forlorn. Xia Xiqing grabbed his face. “What are you doing? You’re so fond of my little nephew.”
“No, I’m not. I just feel so sorry for him.”
Xia Xiqing pinched his cheek fiercely. “You’re only allowed to overflow with sympathy for me.”
Zhou Ziheng suddenly smiled, wrapped his arms around Xia Xiqing, and kissed him repeatedly. “You’ve been getting cuter and cuter lately.”
“Cut it out.” Xia Xiqing pried his hands away from his face. “I have serious things to discuss. First, I need to clarify: I had no idea I was being photographed by paparazzi at first. Plus, my phone died and shut off this morning. I only plugged it in after getting home.” He tilted his head, meeting Zhou Ziheng’s gaze with rare sincerity. “I only realized it when you stormed in and blew up earlier. I went along with your story just to tease you. Now you know how painful it is to deliberately make you jealous, right?”
Zhou Ziheng knew Xia Xiqing was referring to the previous incident where he’d used Song Nian, and a pang of guilt washed over him.
“Also, the fact that you stormed in so furious today shows that deep down, you still don’t fully trust me. If it were anyone else, being misunderstood like that by their partner would feel incredibly hurtful and upsetting.” Xia Xiqing forced a lighthearted smile. “Well, what can I say? I’ve got a history of this. It’s only natural you’d think that way. And I get it—you get angry because you care about me. It’s precisely because you care so much that you lose your basic ability to think straight.”
Hearing Xia Xiqing say this, Zhou Ziheng felt a pang of sadness—not for himself, but for Xia Xiqing. He had indeed flown into a rage the moment he saw the photo, convinced Xia Xiqing must have done something wrong. His lips parted, about to speak, when Xia Xiqing lifted his head and kissed him.
“Don’t apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m not upset that you got jealous and angry—quite the opposite, I’m glad. I told you off because I know you care about me.” He gently smoothed Zhou Ziheng’s furrowed brow, his smile open and honest. “I’m saying all this because I want you to trust me more in the future—and trust yourself a little more too.”
Zhou Ziheng stared at him blankly, speechless for a long moment.
After saying all this, Xia Xiqing reverted to his usual roguish grin. “Do this again, and we’ll end the probation period.”
“No way!” Zhou Ziheng, overcome by panic, wrapped his arms tightly around Xia Xiqing. He’d nearly forgotten about the probationary period altogether, and Xia Xiqing’s reminder felt like it had nearly snuffed out half his life.
“Loosen… loosen your grip… cough cough, you’re going to suffocate me…”
“No returns allowed.”
“Depends on your behavior.”
The moment Zhou Ziheng loosened his grip, Xia Xiqing slipped away to the living room. He crossed his legs, grabbed the controller, and resumed the game he’d left unfinished. Zhou Ziheng’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out to find a message from Zhao Ke.
[@Kezi: Bro, did you see Weibo?! Xia Xiqing’s Weibo!!]
[@Hengheng: Yeah, saw it. He just clarified, right?]
[@Kezi: The comments! I’ll screenshot it for you!]
[@Kezi: Forget it, just go see for yourself! You have to see this!]
What the heck.
Zhou Ziheng switched to his Weibo feed and opened Xia Xiqing’s recent post. The top comment was different from before.
[@Who Says I’m a Little Princess: Seriously not a couple?? But they look so perfect together—let’s ship this bone-age pairing [Is this even bone-age?]
The reason it got bumped up was because Xia Xiqing replied.
[@Tsing_Summer: My boyfriend is way hotter than him.]
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