Chapter 120 (Extra)
Chi Wang left, and only then did Xie Siheng say to Chu Qing, “Don’t joke around like that.” His tone was severe—no one knew a child better than their mother, so Chu Qing realized immediately that this was a sign of him being upset.
Given his temperament, Chu Qing felt a bit awkward. “I know, I know. But that child, Chi Wang, is a bit precocious. He even knows about men liking men. I should call Qingdai about this so the kid doesn’t pick up bad habits.”
Xie Siheng said, “No need. He’s got a good head on his shoulders.”
It didn’t surprise Xie Siheng that Chi Wang might already be aware of such things. Kids these days were exposed to a lot, and Qingteng’s environment was open; all sorts of couples existed, and he’d had plenty of boys confess to him, too. Even if you tried, it would be hard not to know.
All of a sudden, his brow furrowed slightly.
Chi Wang was attractive—his features were bright and delicate, and his personality lively. Naturally, he was well-liked. And in their social circles, early dating wasn’t considered so outrageous.
He returned to his bedroom, grabbed his phone, and called Chi Wang.
Chi Wang answered quickly. “Hello? Brother? Need something?”
Xie Siheng was silent for a moment. Then in a cool, detached voice, he said, “No.”
Chi Wang—if he ended up dating early, it was none of Xie Siheng’s business.
“Oh. Then if there’s nothing, I’ll hang up?”
“Wait,” Xie Siheng murmured quietly.
Chi Wang paused, patiently waiting on the line for him to speak.
Xie Siheng said, “Never mind.”
Chi Wang: “…”
What the—?
Chi Wang hung up.
Xie Siheng lowered his phone. He’s not my real brother. No need to worry so much. That was his faint thought.
After hanging up, Chi Wang was at a bit of a loss. But knowing Xie Siheng, he typed out a text message: “Brother, just now I was just joking around with Auntie. Honestly, I think Auntie’s just a little lonely. It’d be great if you could talk with her more.”
Chi Wang felt some pity for Chu Qing. Neither Xie Yunting nor Xie Siheng was talkative; it must have been tough for such an outgoing personality as hers not to feel lonely at home. Whenever Chi Wang heard laughter in the Xie household, it was usually because Chu Qing had invited her friends over for cards or an afternoon tea. The other women’s children would tag along, all huddling around her and having fun.
Even with her husband and son around, Chi Wang sensed she felt lonely. So whenever he came over, he tried to keep her company. Of course, as a wealthy lady, she certainly had no shortage of leisurely ways to spend her time. Maybe he was overthinking it.
Finishing the text, he realized it sounded a bit like lecturing. After a moment, he deleted the latter half. Better not teach Brother Siheng how to live his life.
One should maintain appropriate boundaries.
Chi Wang sent the trimmed text, and before long, Xie Siheng replied with a single character: “Mm.”
Chi Wang sent back an emoji: “High Five qwq.jpg.”
Seeing the sticker, Xie Siheng’s lips twitched.
…Cute.
With a cold, unruffled face, he secretly clicked “Save” on that sticker.
*
Even though he’d said he wouldn’t meddle, Xie Siheng still went to check on Chi Wang’s situation at school.
It turned out exactly as he expected—Chi Wang was wildly popular. He even had a fan club of sorts. But he didn’t treat anyone special, and no one seemed particularly close to him. As for romance, it was all baseless rumors.
If Chi Wang had stayed in the south for school, his classmates might have been too shy to confess even if they liked him. But at Qingteng, that wasn’t a problem at all—everyone was confident, straightforward, often self-absorbed. Because they were all like that, Chi Wang actually came across as relatively reserved.
If he was too nice to someone, they’d quickly confess to him. Which put Chi Wang in awkward situations. And it wasn’t just girls—boys, too.
Chi Wang hadn’t been “led astray”; it was simply that kids these days matured earlier. Thanks to elite education, they had a strong sense of self. Those who liked the same sex were unashamed, competing openly with those who liked the opposite sex.
In such an environment, it was only natural that Chi Wang was also rather mature. But he had his own clarity: he was still a student, school came first, and he had no interest in dating right now. So as he entered ninth grade and joined a new class, he became even more low-key.
He saw a lot, and he understood. But he wasn’t going to jump on the “relationship” bandwagon.
All in all, Xie Siheng’s concern was unnecessary. Chi Wang had always been a rational, level-headed kid.
*
By the time Chi Wang started high school, Xie Siheng had gone on to university in H City, which was quite far from C City. The added distance naturally strained their relationship. Chu Qing mentioned news of him sometimes, so Chi Wang got an idea how things were going with Xie Siheng.
In twelfth grade, Xie Siheng had started dealing with insomnia. Fortunately, it wasn’t too severe and didn’t affect his academics; he took the college entrance exams as planned and got into H University.
When he was choosing colleges, he’d actually consulted Chu Qing and Xie Yunting for their opinions, which shocked Chu Qing. Normally, anything Xie Siheng could handle by himself, he would, only informing them afterward. She’d assumed he’d simply tell them where he was going, not ask.
Thus, she tactfully told him to do as he wished; she herself would’ve liked him to stay in C City, but she also knew the local universities weren’t great. And he might have his own thoughts.
Still, when she said that, she sensed that Xie Siheng’s mood was not as good. For a moment, she wondered if maybe he wanted her to urge him to stay in C City?
But that doubt was fleeting. Xie Siheng swiftly resumed his usual cool demeanor, simply nodding. In the end, he chose H University.
At H University, his insomnia worsened. Relying on sleeping pills became routine, and he grew even more distant, seldom coming home during breaks.
When Chu Qing was in a resentful mood, she’d often call Chi Wang, so naturally he found out about Xie Siheng’s situation. He worried, but worrying did no good. He sent two messages to Xie Siheng, neither of which got a reply. Where once Xie Siheng had answered each message, now he was leaving him in “idle mode.”
Chi Wang took the hint and stopped bothering him.
Xiao Fu, on the other hand, was quite pleased with the turn of events. He hadn’t planned on continuing school at first—he was itching to get home and butt heads with Xiao Wenzhou. But there was no way Yang Qingdai would let him ruin his future over that man, so she personally supervised him. The only person on earth capable of controlling Xiao Fu was indeed his mother. Thus, he settled down to study. He actually managed decent college admissions in the end—he wasn’t stupid, after all. His poor past performance stemmed from simply not caring about school.
So now Xiao Fu was a “proper” college student, still in C City. He disliked dorm life, so he stayed in Chi Runyu’s home, thick-skinned enough to claim a bedroom of his own. He even adopted a cat. Chi Runyu said nothing. With this stepchild, he maintained a middle ground of neither closeness nor offense—offering maximum freedom and courtesy, and nothing more.
Over winter break, Xiao Fu was itching to get under Chi Wang’s skin, telling him, “Xie Siheng’s school let out early. He’s been home for days and never contacted you, which means he doesn’t really see you as a friend. Let’s both ignore him from now on, okay?”
Chi Wang: “Oh.”
Xiao Fu glared. “What’s with the ‘oh’?”
Chi Wang said, “Look at you, all touchy. I was giving you a response. If you say don’t bother, then I won’t. No big deal.”
Xiao Fu relaxed. “Great.”
At first, he had felt some resentment toward this younger brother. Back then, he’d been the only child their mom had. Then another appeared, inevitably taking her attention. But that was his own mom’s son—what reason could he have to reject him? So he ended up liking this brother pretty quickly. Even after going to college, he assigned a friend to keep an eye on Chi Wang.
Thanks to that, Xiao Fu was quite aware of Chi Wang’s habits. Chi Wang indeed hadn’t reached out to Xie Siheng, and if Chu Qing invited him over to their home, he would decline.
His reason was straightforward: he was going to work.
Yang Qingdai opposed him getting a part-time job, but Chi Runyu supported him. He even told Chi Wang stories of his early days, when he used to work random gigs. Chi Wang was fascinated.
Turns out, before finding success, Chi Runyu tried his hand at all sorts of jobs—small-scale but varied—before eventually, in college, starting a business with classmates. That workshop grew into a tech company. He felt such work experiences could sharpen a person’s resolve.
Chi Wang’s first part-time job was handing out flyers at Guangli Plaza. Low in payoff, but it was his first time earning money independently. With his good looks, he quickly got rid of every flyer and pulled in his first paycheck: 120 yuan. He went home and used that sum to buy a woolen hat for Yang Qingdai, and she didn’t say another word of disapproval.
The following day, he planned to wander again in search of another part-time job. Just as he was about to leave, Yang Qingdai stopped him. “Hold on—don’t go out today. Your brother’s here to see you.”
Chi Wang: “Hm?”
He realized something. “Which brother are you talking about?”
“Your Brother Siheng, obviously. Who else?”
Chi Wang: “…”
He hesitated. “How do you know he’s coming?”
“He called me,” said Yang Qingdai, sounding baffled at his reaction. “What else? He asked if you were home, I said yes, and he said he wanted to come see you. I told him sure, come on over.”
Chi Wang let out a short “Oh,” feeling a fleeting, indescribable surge of delight. But he kept his face neutral. “But I’ve got something to do today, so… now what?”
“What is it? Can’t you postpone it?”
Chi Wang raised his chin. “Nope. I’m busy.”
After a brief pause, he said, “How about this—tell him to find me at stm. I got a one-week temp job as a luxury brand store clerk. The pay’s eight thousand for the week, and I can’t be late. I’m off. Bye, Mom.”
With that, he darted out, leaving Yang Qingdai no time to stop him.
Before long, Xie Siheng arrived, carrying gifts for everyone—even Xiao Fu’s cat got one, a bell with the clapper removed. Yang Qingdai was happy, but she had to inform him, “Siheng, Wangwang’s not here. He went off to work. Maybe come back another day?”
Xie Siheng paused. “Where’s he working?”
“‘Stm,’ you know that street? The one full of high-end boutiques. That’s where he is.”
He nodded. After having some tea and petting the cat, he left.
*
Chi Wang was thriving at his job. There was no trick to it—he enjoyed meeting different types of people, and with his good looks, outgoing manner, and sweet personality, customers were easily convinced to shell out money. In just half a day, he’d closed three sales. Some of the veteran staff were jealous, but their petty attempts to sabotage him didn’t work at all.
Towards noon, the door opened, and Chi Wang glanced up automatically, smiling in greeting. But then he did a double take: it was Xie Siheng.
Xie Siheng lowered his gaze to meet his, noting the uniform. Luxury-brand store uniforms were well-made with impeccable tailoring. On Chi Wang, it erased a bit of that boyish air, his hair combed back to reveal a smooth forehead. Combined with his refined features, it lent him a poised maturity and a striking handsomeness.
Before Chi Wang could speak, Xie Siheng said, “This year’s new model—do you have it?”
Chi Wang snapped out of his daze, smiling professionally. “Yes!”
He took out a watch to show him. “This is the new 5740G-001. The case and band are both 18K white gold. The royal blue dial is exquisitely crafted, and the moon-phase and 24-hour cycle are both very clear. It’s only 8.4 millimeters thick—very lightweight, and quite elegant. Sir, you can try it on if you’d like.”
Smiling, he handed it over. Xie Siheng accepted it, but at the same time, he caught hold of Chi Wang’s wrist, setting the watch onto Chi Wang’s slender arm, moving very carefully to fasten it for him.
Chi Wang was slightly taken aback. Then Xie Siheng said in his cool voice, “It looks good on you.”
Chi Wang, feeling a bit at a loss, said, “Uh… thanks?”
He glanced down at his arm—Xie Siheng was still holding his hand. The heat of his palm flustered Chi Wang a little. They’d rarely had such physical contact. Xie Siheng disliked it, and Chi Wang himself wasn’t one for hugging or draping himself over people. He had a “50-centimeter personal space rule.”
Right as he was thinking of pulling away, Xie Siheng released him first.
“Then I’ll take this one,” said Xie Siheng. “Charge it.”
He pulled out a card. Chi Wang hurried to say, “Sir, this watch is 1.89 million. Are you sure?”
Xie Siheng: “Yes.”
The other two salespeople envied and resented Chi Wang for scoring another big sale, but no one dared interfere—this was a luxury store, and stealing a client was a severe taboo.
Chi Wang swiped the card, packaged the watch in a deluxe gift box, then placed it in a bag. Presenting it with both hands, he smiled. “Sir, please keep it safe.”
Xie Siheng didn’t take it. “You keep it. I’m giving it to you.”
Chi Wang: “…Huh?”
Giving it to him?
He couldn’t keep his composure. “Why are you giving me such a thing?”
Xie Siheng’s voice remained cold. “A present.”
Chi Wang politely refused. “That’s far too expensive.”
The two staffers who’d been eavesdropping gaped. They pricked their ears but dared not interrupt.
Xie Siheng said, “It’s not that expensive. It looks good on you.”
Chi Wang prodded, “Do you want something from me? If there’s something you need, just say it.”
“What time do you get off?” Xie Siheng asked in an aloof tone.
“Soon.”
“I’ll wait.”
Being tall and strikingly handsome, he stood out like a supermodel, inevitably attracting the attention of wealthy customers. Some socialite “aunties” glided over, trying to chat him up, assuming he was an employee. Xie Siheng ignored them all, leaving Chi Wang to politely intervene.
Finally, he went to his manager, explained the situation, and got permission to leave early. “Let’s go,” he said to Xie Siheng as he took him out.
Once they were clear of the store, Chi Wang removed his uniform jacket and hung it over his arm, turning to Xie Siheng. “So why the random gift?”
“Because I wanted to,” Xie Siheng replied.
Chi Wang laughed. “No one gives you something for nothing—don’t you have some ulterior motive?”
Xie Siheng furrowed his brow slightly. “No.”
Chi Wang said, “If you won’t say, I won’t accept. This is way too expensive. How am I supposed to return the favor later?”
“No need to return the favor.”
“That won’t do. A gift can’t be totally one-sided. You have to give and receive. That’s how it works.”
Xie Siheng fell silent for a moment before asking, “Have you decided which university you’ll apply to?”
Without hesitation, Chi Wang answered, “Probably G University. It’s close to C City.”
Xie Siheng said softly, “You could pick computer science. It’s highly ranked at H University—maybe you should consider H U.”
Chi Wang joked, “Brother, are you a recruiter for H University or something?”
A hint of frost glimmered in Xie Siheng’s dark eyes, but his voice stayed neutral. “I’m just speaking the truth.”
“But H University is so far from C City,” Chi Wang countered. “Every trip home would mean a four-hour train ride.”
Xie Siheng: “…”
Knowing the travel time meant he’d obviously considered it. That realization improved his mood slightly, though he remained impassive on the outside. “You could fly—only two hours.”
Chi Wang reasoned, “Flying’s risky. If something happens, your survival rate’s basically zero.”
In a cool, clipped tone, Xie Siheng said, “The odds of a plane crash are less than one in ten thousand.”
Chi Wang said, “But I’m unlucky.”
Xie Siheng: “…”
No argument there.
He sank into thought.
Just then, Chi Wang’s crisp voice sounded in his ear. “But, Brother Siheng, you look so exhausted lately.”
Something warm and gentle pressed under his eye. Xie Siheng blinked. He found himself staring at Chi Wang’s pretty face, filled with concern, now so close that they were practically inches apart.
He looked into those black pupils, which at that moment seemed even deeper.
