Chapter 29: I Want to Hold You While Sleeping Tonight
In the end, Xie Siheng gently massaged Chi Wang’s waist and concluded; he couldn’t use too much force, considering Chi Wang was still carrying a baby.
Chi Wang had never had anyone else massage him before, so Xie’s touch felt quite good. He kept praising Xie—after all, giving compliments is easy and makes others happy, so why not?
Chi Wang believed that compliments are the most cost-effective investment!
After finishing, Chi Wang turned over, pulled down his shirt to cover his belly button, and began to see him off. “Alright, Senior, I’m going to sleep now. You should go rest too.”
Xie watched as Chi Wang stretched out his leg, using his toes to lift the quilt over himself. He wiggled around, tucking the quilt under his body. Soon, the white bedding wrapped him from head to toe, like a plump white silkworm cocooning itself, giving off an indescribable sense of casual ease.
The entire process was practiced to perfection.
One look and you could tell Chi Wang definitely didn’t have the bad habit of kicking off the covers.
Xie softly said, “Goodnight.”
Chi Wang replied, “Goodnight!”
Xie left Chi Wang’s room. Before closing the door, he couldn’t help but glance back. In the dim light, Chi Wang had already found a comfortable sleeping position and soon was still.
With a soft “click,” Xie closed the door and returned to his own bedroom.
He walked to the window, gazed for a while at the night sky that didn’t reveal a hint of light, then took out his phone and made a call.
The call was quickly connected; a gentle female voice answered, “Hello, Shengsheng? Is there something you need?”
In a low voice, Xie said, “Mom, I’m not going abroad anymore.”
Chu Qing was momentarily stunned, then exclaimed with surprise, “Really? Then are you coming home after graduation?”
Xie replied, “I’ll be taking over the company in H City and settling there for a while.”
Chu Qing wasn’t surprised; Xie had always been independent-minded and often didn’t consult his parents when making decisions. He’d only inform them after the fact, and they couldn’t do much about it.
Children grow up and indeed can’t be controlled… But even when Xie was little, he was hard to manage.
He was too quiet, which is why his nickname was “Shengsheng” (meaning “sound”); she hoped he would talk more.
Chu Qing said, “That’s fine, it’s up to you. But you’re not young anymore. Have you found someone at school? If not, I have some friends’ daughters—each one outstanding and beautiful. Would you like to meet them?”
Even as a wealthy lady, she couldn’t escape the urge to nudge her son into finding a partner.
Xie wasn’t surprised and coldly declined, “No need.”
Chu Qing said, “You know, Mom is just concerned about you. Guys your age have already had several girlfriends. I’m not asking you to be a playboy, but you can’t have none at all. Since you’re not going abroad, you can start thinking about finding someone. Dating for at least two years, then marry for a year and have a child—you’d be at least 26 when you become a father. You know, I had you when I was 20.”
“…” Xie said, “There’s no rush.”
Chu Qing replied, “You may not be in a hurry, but I am. A man’s golden years are just those few years; you need to seize the moment. Otherwise, the opportunity will pass.”
Xie changed the subject, “Please let Dad know that I’ll be going to Haisheng in a few days. I plan to complete the work handover within two days.”
Seeing that he was impervious to persuasion, Chu Qing didn’t say more. “Alright, it’s up to you. I’ll inform your father. I’ll have Assistant Li come over to help you.”
After hanging up, Xie pinched the bridge of his nose. The weariness in his eyes had lessened considerably after sleeping for over an hour.
In the middle of the night, Chi Wang began cramping again. The cramps weren’t severe enough to wake him, so the pain didn’t rouse him. As a result, the next morning, he got out of bed without realizing anything was wrong. His legs gave way, and his knees heavily hit the floor.
He instantly woke up fully. Trying to stand, his legs were weak and powerless. His eyes widened in shock—was he paralyzed?
He quickly reached for his phone, just about to call Xie, when there was a knock on the door. Xie’s voice sounded, “I heard some noise.”
Chi Wang hurriedly called out, “Come in quickly!”
Xie opened the door, saw him kneeling on the floor, immediately walked over, bent down, and helped him up, seating him on the bed.
Chi Wang said perplexedly, “My legs have no strength.”
Xie reached out to touch his calf; the muscle was hard as a rock. “You’re cramping. I’ll massage it out.”
He lifted his eyelids slightly to look at Chi Wang and asked, “Doesn’t it hurt at all?”
Chi Wang felt for a moment, “It does hurt a bit, but not much.”
Xie lowered his gaze and began massaging his leg. His fingers carefully pressed down from a few inches above the knee, slowly working the cramped muscle back into place.
Judging by the stiffness of the calf, he had been cramping for at least two or three hours, yet Chi Wang hadn’t noticed and slept until now.
Thinking back to that night, the question that had been lingering in Xie’s mind was finally answered at this moment.
After Xie finished massaging, Chi Wang stood up, walked around, and instantly felt back to normal. “It’s fine now; I can walk.”
Xie looked down at Chi Wang’s bare feet on the floor. His feet had turned red from the cold. He bent down, picked up the slippers, held Chi Wang’s ankle, and helped him put them on.
Chi Wang was taken aback.
“That’s not necessary, man,” he thought.
After putting on the slippers, he felt a bit awkward for some reason. Perhaps Xie’s care had gone overboard. Thinking for a moment, Chi Wang said, “Let’s go have breakfast.”
The housekeeper was like a ghost—she would prepare the three meals and leave, then quietly return after they ate to clean up and wash dishes.
Sometimes Chi Wang felt like he was living in a haunted house—he could hear sounds but never see anyone. What else could it be if not a haunted house?
After breakfast, Chi Wang went to school for classes.
Their university didn’t have central heating; classrooms would turn on the warm air from air conditioners, but the effect wasn’t very noticeable—it would still be cold when it should be.
Moreover, in ten days, it would be New Year’s Day. The festive atmosphere of the upcoming holiday was gradually spreading.
Luo Lianyun asked Chi Wang, “Are you going home for New Year’s?”
It was a rhetorical question because Chi Wang hadn’t gone home during any holidays in the past year.
But Luo still wanted to ask.
Sure enough, Chi Wang said, “Probably not; I’m not going home.”
Luo asked, “Still going to work?”
Chi Wang answered naturally, “Yes.”
Shu Tingyu asked, “What about the Lunar New Year? You’re not going home for that either?”
Chi Wang replied confidently, “Not going home. The pay is triple during the New Year.”
Luo and Shu exchanged glances and asked, “Have you told your family about your pregnancy?”
Chi Wang was surprised, “Is that something that needs to be said? Once it’s born, it’s over. Do I need to announce it?”
Luo & Shu: “…”
They had some suspicions before, but they were just vague guesses without evidence. Now, Chi Wang’s attitude gave them a clear sense that perhaps Chi Wang didn’t have a home.
But Chi Wang had never revealed this at all. He lived simply, even being a bit frugal with himself. From his constant part-time work, they could vaguely see some issues.
When they discussed the living expenses their families sent, Chi Wang never participated in the conversation.
What else could they not figure out?
Shu raised his hand and said to Chi Wang, “Why don’t you spend the New Year at my house? How about it?”
Chi Wang coldly refused, “No, thanks.”
Shu scratched his head, “Then how about spending New Year’s Day at my place?”
Chi Wang politely declined, “During winter break, I’ll often come back to clean the dorm. Don’t worry.”
Luo and Shu didn’t press further.
With Chi Wang, some things couldn’t be asked unless he was willing to share.
But with his personality, he probably wouldn’t say anything.
In the afternoon after classes, Chi Wang received a call from Qiao Yuzhen. As expected, she was asking for money again. They didn’t have much else to talk about.
After hearing what Xiao Fu had told him, Chi Wang didn’t feel much, but he had a question: Where did Qiao Yuzhen get him from?
Actually, he had vaguely suspected before. He was smart, quick to learn anything, especially musical instruments; he was very sensitive to music. This could barely be called talent and should be hereditary. But both Qiao Yuzhen and Chi Kangnian were ordinary people, and his brother Chi Cheng was also mediocre, with abysmal grades.
But Chi Wang also knew that genetics could be mysterious and couldn’t be generalized, so he was only a bit suspicious. With his straightforward thinking, how could he consider that he wasn’t their biological child?
With doubts in his mind, Chi Wang directly asked Qiao Yuzhen, “Mom, I have a question for you.”
Qiao Yuzhen: “What is it? Ask away.”
Chi Wang said, “Someone said I’m not your biological child. I think it’s quite credible, so I want to ask you—from where did you adopt me?”
Qiao Yuzhen was shocked and stammered, “What are you talking about? Who said that?”
Chi Wang said, “Don’t worry about who said it. Just tell me whether it’s true. Even if you don’t admit it, it’s okay. It’s easy to do a paternity test nowadays. I’m just curious, very curious.”
Qiao denied it, “How could that be? I love you so much. If you weren’t my own, would I have raised you?”
Chi Wang laughed, not arguing further, and deliberately tried to scare her, “Mom, you didn’t abduct me, did you? Nowadays, both buyers and sellers involved in abduction are equally guilty and can be sentenced. You’d better tell me the truth; otherwise, I’ll report it to the police, and everything will become clear.”
Qiao Yuzhen was annoyed. “What’s wrong with you, child? I already told you you’re my biological son. How could it be fake? You’re so handsome; could you be someone else’s kid? Don’t you know your dad? You look exactly like him!”
Chi Wang: “…”
Chi Wang thought that Qiao Yuzhen must be seeing things through rose-colored glasses as thick as a city wall. Sure, Chi Kangnian looked okay, but they really didn’t resemble each other much.
He said, “This kind of lie is easy to expose. If a paternity test shows we aren’t related, you’d be guilty of child trafficking and might go to jail.”
Qiao Yuzhen was so angered that she awkwardly changed the topic. “Alright, let’s not talk about this. Transfer me some money; your brother needs to get an injection—2,000 yuan per shot.”
Chi Wang asked, “What kind of injection?”
Qiao confidently replied, “Growth hormones. Your brother gave up things for you to eat; otherwise, how could he not grow taller?”
Chi Wang was stunned. “What? I haven’t been home for two years, and you’re still blaming me for this?”
She said, “Who else? You’re so tall, and your brother is so short.”
Chi Wang replied, “… Is it possible that I exercised? When I was running and playing basketball, he was lying in bed all day. Anyway, if you don’t tell me the truth, I might consider not sending you money anymore. Besides, there’s no law requiring children to repay their parents for raising them, right?”
Qiao was furious. “I told you the truth, but you don’t believe me. You just don’t want to send money. Whether you pay or not, you’re still my son. I’ll cling to you for the rest of my life. You have to support your brother too.”
Chi Wang said, “I won’t support him, and there’s nothing you can do about it. If you sue me, the court will only require me to pay a minimum monthly support of 200 yuan. If I decide to be difficult, I could even refuse to pay. Besides, I’ve already left home; how will you cling to me? Do you even know the way? Can you take a high-speed train or a plane?”
Qiao was so angry she nearly fainted. “You’ve gone bad out there! You weren’t like this before. Now you don’t respect me at all.”
Chi Wang said, “Then you remembered wrong. I didn’t respect you before either; you just chose to forget.”
Qiao: “…”
She roared, “I don’t care! Send me the money now! If you delay your brother’s injections, you’ll be responsible for supporting him for life!”
Chi Wang hung up the phone with a snap.
He knew Qiao would be furious, but he was speechless. She blamed him for everything, but he wasn’t a scapegoat.
Even though he was exasperated, he didn’t dwell on it. He knew Qiao’s personality and saw no need to argue with her.
Expecting someone as stubborn as a rock to say anything reasonable was like expecting the sun to rise in the west.
However, Qiao’s attitude wasn’t quite right. He knew her too well; when she denied it, her tone had a hint of panic.
Chi Wang fell into thought. Qiao was stingy and petty; she probably wouldn’t spend money to buy a child. If he was bought, the amount wouldn’t be small, especially since he was a boy and good-looking. He had heard people talk about child trafficking when he was young—someone was selling a girl at the market for over 10,000 yuan; boys would likely be more expensive.
Qiao wouldn’t spend that kind of money. If he wasn’t bought, then most likely he was stolen.
Glancing at his phone, which was continually flashing with new messages, Chi Wang swiftly added Qiao’s number to the blacklist.
Actually, he hadn’t cost the Chi family much money. His schooling was covered by the nine-year compulsory education; miscellaneous fees were only a few hundred yuan a year, which the family did pay. But when he moved up to middle and high school, he barely used any family money.
The only significant expense was when he was five or six and got seriously ill. Back then, Chi Cheng hadn’t been born yet, and Qiao and Chi Kangnian were willing to spend money on him. How much they spent, he didn’t know, but he knew the family went into debt to treat his illness.
Because of this, Chi Wang accepted it and thought that since there wouldn’t be any future dealings, it might be better to make a clean break.
Forget it; no point thinking about it.
While checking his phone, messages from Xiao Fu popped up. He had sent several videos. When Chi Wang opened them, they were either of Xiao Fu on a yacht with champagne and beautiful women or of him at a cocktail party holding a wine glass and showing the surroundings.
Chi Wang clicked into Xiao Fu’s social media feed but found it completely empty—no posts at all.
He felt that Xiao Fu was quite a complex person but unexpectedly not annoying.
After exchanging a few messages, Chi Wang put away his phone.
New Year’s Day was approaching. Students were tired from studying, so tutoring sessions were temporarily halted until parents notified them to resume.
With only his online job left, Chi Wang suddenly had a lot of free time, which made him feel a bit insecure.
Even though he knew he shouldn’t take on more part-time jobs, he couldn’t help browsing job-hunting apps.
Silently, Xie Sicheng appeared behind him. Without intentionally looking, the distinctive color scheme of the job app still caught his eye.
Xie didn’t say anything, just quietly sat down next to Chi Wang and asked, “Looking for a part-time job?”
Without lifting his head, Chi Wang said, “No, just browsing.”
Xie asked, “Which company are you working for online?”
Chi Wang glanced up at him. “Why do you ask?”
Xie lowered his gaze. “There are many scam companies nowadays.”
Chi Wang stroked his chin. “I don’t think so. The one I found is quite reliable. I worked full-time there during summer vacation. The boss is a rich second-generation entrepreneur, well-funded.”
Xie asked, “Do you remember the company’s name?”
Chi Wang thought for a moment. “It’s called Dongyue Technology. The boss named it after himself; you probably haven’t heard of it. Although I’m quite unlucky, this job was introduced by a friend. If I found it myself, I might really encounter a scam company, but friends wouldn’t recommend bad ones.”
“…,” Xie asked, “You’re unlucky?”
Chi Wang snorted, “If I weren’t unlucky, would I be pregnant as a man?”
Xie: “…”
This was beyond mere bad luck.
Xie said seriously, “From now on, you’ll be fortunate.”
Chi Wang took out two coins. “Here, let me show you. If I toss two coins, there are only three possible outcomes: one heads and one tails, both heads, or both tails. Each outcome has a 33% chance. I bet on both heads. If I win, you give me 10 yuan; if I lose, I’ll give you 20. Essentially, you’re the house. You toss the coins.”
Xie took the two coins, which still had Chi Wang’s warmth on them. He couldn’t help but lightly squeeze them in his palm.
Soon, he tossed the two coins. They landed on the coffee table. One was about to roll off, but Chi Wang stopped it, revealing one heads and one tails.
Chi Wang said, “I owe you 20. Let’s continue.”
Xie picked up the coins and tossed them again. They landed: both tails.
Toss again: one heads, one tails.
Again: one heads, one tails.
Again: one heads, and one stood on its edge.
Again: both tails.
Again: both tails.
Chi Wang’s face showed an expression of “tired, just let it all end.” “See? I told you.”
Xie’s pupils also shook slightly, momentarily speechless.
Chi Wang took out his phone. “Here, I’ll transfer you 120 yuan.”
Xie shook his head. “No need.”
He paused, his eyes wandering slightly. “You can pay me back with a hug.”
“…” Chi Wang couldn’t help but ask, “Does hugging me feel that good? You like it so much?”
Xie nodded. “It feels great, like being oxygen-drunk.”
Chi Wang looked at him skeptically. “Really?”
Xie nodded earnestly. His gaze on Chi Wang shifted slightly as he said, “You could take on another part-time job.”
Chi Wang asked, “Like what?”
Xie averted his gaze, casually saying, “Part-time pillow. I want to hold you while sleeping at night. Name your price.”
Chi Wang: “…”
It’s not impossible. If this helps Xie sleep, he could earn some money.
Xie continued, “Also, you get leg cramps at night. I can help massage them anytime.”
Chi Wang was tempted. “Let’s be clear about money between friends. How about 100 yuan per day?”
Xie: “…”
Even in his dreams, he wouldn’t dare to think big.
Xie tactfully said, “I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in a long time. A hypnotherapy session with a psychologist costs 4,500 yuan.”
Chi Wang immediately understood and raised the price. “Then 200 yuan per day.”
Xie: “…”
Xie said, “300 yuan per day.”
Chi Wang smiled. “Deal.”
Looking at Chi Wang’s smiling face, Xie’s cold gaze softened a bit.
That night, after Chi Wang showered, he waited for Xie to come and hold him.
Xie also came over after showering.
Chi Wang smelled the scent of Xie’s body wash—a faint, cool fragrance that didn’t linger long and was almost gone right after his shower.
Although it was cold outside, Xie was extravagantly heating the house, so Chi Wang’s quilt was light and soft.
In retrospect, moving in was indeed better. In winter, running the heater in the dorm, even if split among three people, wasn’t a small expense each month. Moreover, their dorm’s air conditioning worked better for cooling than heating; sometimes, the dorm was still quite cold.
Chi Wang lay down first, adjusting his sleeping position. Xie followed him into the bed—Xie was tall and more robust than Chi Wang, with much broader shoulders. Chi Wang couldn’t help teasing him, “Your shoulders are so wide they’re pushing me out of the bed.”
Xie: “…”
He remained silent.
He tried reaching out to hug Chi Wang’s waist. Chi Wang laughed, “That tickles.”
Even Chi Wang’s laughter sounded pleasant, carrying a youthful exuberance.
Unconsciously, Xie’s movements became gentler. His hand moved up to lightly embrace Chi Wang’s shoulder. His body didn’t press too close; the most intimate contact was resting his chin on Chi Wang’s hair.
Chi Wang asked, “Is this enough?”
Xie replied, “Yes.”
Although Xie said so, Chi Wang had principles. 300 yuan per day was a high salary. Just doing this made him feel he wasn’t giving enough.
Since he was acting as a sleeping aid, he had to be the most effective one.
As a dedicated worker, he aimed to do everything the best.
Chi Wang proactively turned sideways, hugged Xie’s waist, and half-buried his face in Xie’s chest. He even draped a leg over Xie’s waist. “How about this? The larger the contact area, the smaller the pressure. You studied physics; remember the formula?”
“…” Xie’s whole body tensed. “P = F/S.”
Chi Wang reached out to touch his chest. “How come, with your messed-up sleep schedule, your chest is still so firm?”
Xie: “…”
Is this really okay?
Did he forget that there’s a baby in Chi Wang’s belly?
Chi Wang said, “Say something.”
Xie’s voice was as cool as a stream. “… I exercise regularly.”
Chi Wang said, “What about your abs? Let me feel them.”
Chi Wang’s hand moved downward, but Xie grabbed it. “Don’t touch randomly.”
Chi Wang said, “I get it—you don’t have as many as I do.”
Xie: “…”
Xie pulled his hand and placed it on his own abdomen.
