Just as Jiang Zimu asked that question, the private room door opened, and Qi Xu finally showed up. Xu Yichen opened his mouth, speechless at what he saw Qi Xu wearing.
That coat had been on Xie Huai just a few days ago. The scarf too.
Fang Qian’s eye for detail was sharper—Qi Xu usually didn’t wear watches, yet now there was a luxury timepiece on his wrist: a Patek Philippe worth over five million yuan. It clearly came from Xie Huai’s personal collection.
As Qi Xu approached, she caught a whiff of a scent that didn’t suit him—it was Xie Huai’s scent. A cool sandalwood base note, clean and reserved.
Everyone knew Xie Huai had a strong need for control. It made them wonder if Qi Xu was being styled like some sort of Barbie doll.
But that wasn’t quite the case.
Everyone also knew Qi Xu wasn’t the most refined. Uncle Li always sent him tailored clothes every season, and Qi Xu just wore whatever showed up. He never even noticed if things in his closet weren’t his.
That morning, he grabbed the coat randomly. As soon as he stepped into the living room and saw Xie Huai raise an eyebrow, he glanced down and realized why the coat felt so familiar—Xie Huai had just worn it days ago. It had been dry cleaned and mistakenly hung in his own closet by the housekeeper.
Their height was about the same, and other than Qi Xu having slightly narrower shoulders, the fit was fine. So he didn’t bother changing.
As for the watch, they’d made a silly bet over breakfast—two boiled eggs. Qi Xu liked them fully cooked, Xie Huai preferred runny yolks.
Without touching, just by looking, Qi Xu correctly guessed the doneness of both eggs. Xie Huai didn’t—and lost his Patek Philippe in the process.
A breakfast worth over five million. Xie Huai personally fastened the watch on Qi Xu’s wrist.
As for the scarf, Qi Xu put it on himself—he hated the cold.
Xie Huai, acting like a dutiful wife, saw him off at the door, standing in his way.
When Qi Xu looked up, Xie Huai stood there like a gatekeeper deity. Qi Xu chuckled and leaned in for a hug.
Xie Huai buried his head in Qi Xu’s neck and clung to him for a long time, reluctant to let go. He offered to drive him to work, but Qi Xu refused—afraid Huai would end up losing the car to him on the way.
Xie Huai had a thing for “moving in”—he gradually moved all his clothes into Qi Xu’s closet. At this point, Qi Xu had accidentally worn his stuff more than once. But clothes were clothes—Qi Xu didn’t care.
As for the perfume? Qi Xu wanted to try something with a cool vibe. He sprayed it on himself but realized it still smelled better on Xie Huai.
As soon as Qi Xu sat down, he took off the Patek Philippe watch and tossed it back into Xie Huai’s lap, saying nothing. He’d never liked wearing watches, and now with over five million yuan on his wrist, he couldn’t even move naturally.
Trial period over. The Patek Philippe went back to its rightful owner.
Noticing the weird vibe at the table, he asked, “Why is everyone so quiet?”
Jiang Zimu picked up where they left off. “Xu-ge, do you know who Huai-ge’s been chasing after? They won’t tell me.”
Qi Xu: “…”
Xu Yichen grinned meaningfully. “Wow, you really asked the right person.”
Jiang Zimu looked around, still confused, until Fang Qian couldn’t take it anymore and said, “Are you that slow? Look right in front of you. Those two are practically sitting on top of each other.”
Jiang looked over and saw Xie Huai and Qi Xu browsing the menu together. Xie Huai’s arm was draped over Qi Xu’s chair. When Qi Xu ordered a glass of champagne, Xie Huai casually changed it to fruit wine after a short discussion between them.
Totally normal, nothing strange… or so he thought.
After ordering, Qi Xu noticed Jiang Zimu still looked confused. He raised his hand and clarified, “The one Huai-ge’s chasing is me.”
Jiang Zimu blinked for a second, then nodded and said, “Oh, when you guys get married, I’ll be one of the groomsmen.”
Even though he was slow to catch on, he was surprisingly cool about it. I mean, it’s Huai-ge and Xu-ge—totally made for each other.
Xu Yichen applauded. “Nice! One each, no fighting over anyone.”
It sounded like they were divvying up loot—“you take one, I take one.”
They were all having fun with it, but Xie Huai and Qi Xu hadn’t even talked about marriage yet. They weren’t even old enough.
The server came in with the food, and the conversation continued over the meal.
“Zhang Xinping asked me the other day what kind of stuff you like—said he wanted to apologize. He felt responsible for what happened at the wine tasting,” Xu Yichen said, handing a piece of king crab leg to Fang Qian.
“If you didn’t know any better, you’d think you were some bloodthirsty heir out for revenge, not sparing a single person from that night.”
Qi Xu actually had Zhang Xinping’s contact info and had tried to meet up a few days ago, but his schedule was packed, so he had to turn him down. Clearly, Zhang wanted to apologize for that night.
Zhang Xinping and Xu Yichen were close. Qi Xu said, “Help me tell him it’s over. We’re all friends—there’s no need for any apologies.”
Fang Qian asked, “Wait, what does this have to do with Zhang Xinping?”
Xu Yichen explained, “He was one of the co-hosts of the wine tasting. I already told him—Chen Jiaming is Chen Jiaming. This has nothing to do with anyone else. You’re not the type to go after innocent people.”
After the Song Ruoming incident, everyone in their circle knew Qi Xu’s character well—he never let grudges slide. Just like Xie Huai. Anyone who crossed them usually paid the price. They were well-matched that way.
But one thing still puzzled Fang Qian. “We never even hang out with Chen Jiaming. He’s skipped like nine out of ten gatherings. What made him snap and suddenly start picking a fight that night?”
Xu Yichen had no idea. He just assumed Chen Jiaming couldn’t stand Qi Xu’s background. That crowd of rich second-gens was like that—always looking down on anyone from a less powerful family.
The irony was, their own power all came from their families. If they really had what it took, they wouldn’t need to rely on their lineage. Most of them had just floated through school abroad and came back with flashy but hollow degrees. Nothing much to brag about.
“People like that don’t need a reason. Once he heard Qi Xu was on a business trip and might be taking over the Shen Group project, he got jealous. The fact that the rest of us haven’t changed over the years is probably the best thing we’ve done. If someone else had joined our little four-person group, we’d have fallen apart ages ago.”
That last part sounded a little pointed.
Xu Yichen realized his words might’ve come off the wrong way and quickly clarified, “Of course, Xu-ge, you were invited by us personally. You’re not just anyone. The moment I saw you, I knew you were my kind of friend. The way you swung at that guy—damn, it was badass.”
Fang Qian nodded approvingly. “That backhand scissor move at my coming-of-age party? Right on point. If Ah-Huai hadn’t met you first, I would’ve been the one trying to win you over.”
It sounded like praise, so Qi Xu gave a polite “thanks.”
Finally, Jiang Zimu found his moment to jump in. “So if Brother Chen likes someone, would they get added to our group chat too? Would we become five?”
Xu Yichen: “…”
Bro… you trying to kill me?
Fang Qian’s eyes lit up. “Oh? You like someone? Who is it? Do I know them? If they’re joining our group, I’m the first to welcome them.”
For some reason, her last line gave Xu Yichen a chill. It sounded… ominous. He involuntarily shivered.
Qi Xu took a sip of his fruit wine, staying quiet, clearly enjoying the drama. Xie Huai leaned back in his chair, watching Qi Xu’s amused expression with a slight smile.
Jiang Zimu, totally unaware of the chaos he stirred, kept going: “If I liked someone…”
Fang Qian and Xu Yichen cut him off in unison: “Absolutely not.”
Jiang Zimu was way too naive. The kind of guy who’d get sold and still help count the money—classic open book.
Fang Qian and Xu Yichen immediately huddled up to give him a crash course on keeping his guard up when making new “friends.”
Qi Xu watched the whole thing, clearly entertained. It was moments like this that made him realize—he never got to see any of this before.
He turned to Xie Huai and said, “Your friends are hilarious.”
Xie Huai corrected him gently, “Our friends.”
Qi Xu looked down and smiled. “Yeah… our friends.”
In his past life, Qi Xu could barely count on one hand how many people he truly called friends. But in this one, not long after coming back, he already had more than a few.
He had to admit—everything started to change the moment he made the decision to let go of the past.
If, in that last life, he had seen through the Shen family sooner, stopped clinging to that fake sense of family… would all those disasters have been avoided?
Maybe, like Xie Huai once said, even if they hadn’t met at Fang Qian’s birthday party, they could’ve met at school—like any other students. They would’ve still been drawn to each other. They would’ve still become friends.
But if that were true… how much had he missed out on?
Four years of college. Six years after graduation. A full decade.
And how many decades does a person even get?
Xie Huai noticed Qi Xu spacing out and gently pulled his hand over, placing it on his thigh. His fingertips brushed against Qi Xu’s. “What are you thinking about?”
Qi Xu replied softly, “Just realizing how sad it is to miss out on things.”
The old Qi Xu would never have said that. Admitting regret meant weakness. And he never allowed himself to be weak. Missed it? Then screw it. He never wanted it to begin with.
Xie Huai asked, “Anything you regret now?”
Qi Xu tilted his head. “Why?”
“So I can help you make up for it,” Xie Huai said, lacing his fingers one by one between Qi Xu’s, their hands fully interlocked.
The only thing Xie Huai regretted was not meeting Qi Xu sooner.
Qi Xu smiled, for real this time, warm and certain. “There’s nothing I missed anymore.”
As he spoke, he suddenly asked, “Huai-ge, are you like… a wish-granting machine? You can even make up for lost time?”
Xie Huai looked at him seriously. “I can be your wish-granting machine.”
Qi Xu froze. For some reason, he felt like Xie Huai actually meant it. A phrase suddenly surfaced in his mind, uninvited: ‘Qi Xu, as long as you’re alive, it’s never too late.’
His heart skipped a beat, like something was pulling at it.
The warmth in his palm grounded him, brought him back to reality—as if all that had just been a figment of his imagination.
By December, winter had officially arrived. The cold was bone-deep. Qi Xu’s sleep time hit an all-time high—like some kind of hibernating creature. Once he fell asleep, he was out cold.
Saturday noon, the student council was holding a mobilization meeting, so Xie Huai didn’t have time to go back home. Qi Xu decided to just hang around the dorm.
The other three roommates had council and club activities, and left the dorm early.
Li Yan and Feng Zhenjie were the first to head out. Before leaving, Xie Huai walked to Qi Xu’s bed, pressed down on the blanket covering his face, revealing the sleeping boy underneath. “Qi Xu.”
Qi Xu was especially sensitive to Xie Huai’s voice. Half-asleep, he turned toward the sound.
Xie Huai asked, “Am I your favorite?”
Qi Xu murmured a drowsy “Mmm-hmm,” completely unaware.
That obedient, sleepy version of Qi Xu filled Xie Huai with a deep satisfaction. He reached out and flicked his face gently. The sudden cold touch made Qi Xu half-open one eye.
And immediately scowl.
Grumpy Qi Xu was no joke. “Get lost,” he muttered, then rolled over and ignored him.
Xie Huai couldn’t even bring himself to be annoyed. He stared at the back of Qi Xu’s head a moment longer before finally leaving.
That afternoon, Li Yan came back to grab something and brought lunch for Qi Xu while he was at it. But he found him still fast asleep. After calling out a few times with no response—but verifying the guy was, in fact, alive—he did the only logical thing and called Xie Huai.
“Huai-ge, I think Xu-ge might be, uh, kinda dead—pff, I mean, still really asleep. It’s already 1pm and he hasn’t moved.”
Xie Huai, who had just finished lunch and was in a conference room, stepped into an empty classroom and said, “Put the phone next to his ear.”
Li Yan tiptoed over and held the phone close to Qi Xu’s head.
Xie Huai said firmly, “Qi Xu.”
Qi Xu reacted just like earlier—just a sleepy “Mmm” with no follow-up.
“…Zero-one-one-one-one-one.”
Qi Xu’s eyes flew open. He shot up and snapped, “What?!”
Xie Huai sighed and rubbed his forehead. Of course, Qi Xu’s wake-up switch wasn’t some sweet nickname—it was his bank card PIN.
“Get up and eat something. I’ll come pick you up when my meeting’s over.”
Li Yan let out a huge sigh of relief. “Xu-ge, that nap seriously freaked me out.”
Qi Xu climbed down from his bunk. “It’s winter. Mammals hibernate. I haven’t fully evolved past that yet.”
After his belated lunch, Qi Xu was just tidying up his desk when someone knocked next door—Fang Peining.
“Xu-ge, you free right now? I’ve got this huge delivery downstairs and they won’t bring it up. Can you help me move it?”
“Sure,” Qi Xu said.
He threw on a coat and went down with him. As they walked, Fang Peining said, “Looks like we’re the only guys left in the dorm. The others are either in student council or clubs. Can’t even catch a break on the weekend.”
Student council and club meetings always picked weekends—because it was the only time students were collectively free.
When they got to the front gate, the delivery van was nowhere in sight. Fang Peining made a call and found out the driver had gone to the side gate and now couldn’t figure his way back.
Fang Peining walked off to be a human GPS for the delivery guy.
Qi Xu, bundled up in a long black down coat, felt warm and windproof. Just as he felt his phone buzz in his pocket, he took it out—when someone suddenly slammed into him from behind. The phone slipped from his hand and hit the ground.
He frowned and turned around. Across the street, through the passing cars, stood a figure he could recognize even if the man turned to ash—grinning at him from the other side with a mouth full of disgusting, yellow teeth.
As he’d suspected—Qi Guohui had come looking for him.
No—someone had sent Qi Guohui to find him.
Unbothered, Qi Xu bent down to pick up his phone, sticking to traffic rules. If you got hit in a crosswalk during a red light, you could at least get 300,000 yuan in compensation.
Fang Peining hung up the phone and turned around. “Xu-ge, he’s here—huh? Where’d you go?”
He tried calling, but Qi Xu didn’t answer. Left with no choice, he gritted his teeth and started hauling the heavy delivery back to the dorm himself. Luckily, he ran into someone from the next room on the way, and with the two of them, the task was a lot less exhausting.
When Fang Peining returned, he looked around for Qi Xu, only to find their room, 314, had just one person inside—Xie Huai.
“Huai-ge, Xu-ge didn’t come back?”
Xie Huai set down his phone, his brows furrowed. “Where did he go?”
Seeing the serious expression on his face, Fang Peining quickly explained, “He was with me, helping get the package at the front gate. I was on the phone, and when I turned around, he was gone. If he didn’t come back here, I really don’t know where he went.”
Ever since Qi Guohui was released, Xie Huai had people keeping tabs on him. But a week ago, they lost track. The last clue was a high-speed train ticket Qi Guohui bought to Z City.
There’s no direct train from M City to the capital—Z City is the closest stop on that line.
