Hello, Jie Fen – CH43

Chapter 43: Mom and Dad Are Here

After touring Xie Siheng’s company, Chi Wang was ready to head back.

Xie wanted to keep him for a meal but didn’t succeed. Chi Wang hurriedly returned, saying he needed to get back to work.

He said to Xie, “Seeing how hard you’re working, I can’t afford to lag behind! I need to work hard too, so I’m heading back. Keep up the good work.”

Xie replied, “…Alright.”

He understood that Chi Wang’s purpose was straightforward. He came to see the company, and once he had, he left decisively.

Chi Wang took Xie’s car back to his home. After taking Xiaomi out for a bathroom break, he quickly washed his hands and resumed knitting the scarf.

With Xie not at home, Chi Wang settled on the living room sofa. Although the sofa had mostly become Xiaomi’s throne, the dog had left a spot untouched for him. The ever-diligent housekeeper cleaned and changed the sofa covers daily, so the place where Chi Wang sat was clean.

Xiaomi sprawled on the adjacent sofa like a pancake, exposing a large patch of his belly, trying hard to entice Chi Wang. But Chi Wang was focused; he didn’t even watch videos to avoid distractions, increasing his knitting efficiency.

Under his intense and efficient effort, he finished knitting the scarf by evening!

Chi Wang felt slightly guilty. It seemed he hadn’t fully utilized his potential while knitting this scarf; otherwise, how could he finish ten days’ worth of work in just one day?

He thoughtfully knitted a small, pixelated pattern of Xiaomi at the end of the scarf. He even spent a hefty 49 yuan on a gift box for packaging.

All that was left was to wait for Xie to return in the evening so he could give it to him.

*

As Xie was preparing to leave work, Zuo Qianxing came over, wanting to grab a drink with him. Under normal circumstances, Xie would agree.

But today, he refused.

Zuo was accustomed to being turned down and wasn’t surprised. However, it had been a long time since they’d hung out, and Xie still refused him, which made him feel a bit upset.

Zuo asked, “You’re not rushing home to sleep; what’s wrong with having a drink with me? You don’t have anything else to do.”

Xie retorted, “How do you know I have nothing to do?”

Zuo said, “What could you possibly have to do? You don’t even need to go to school anymore.”

Xie said nothing, tidying up his desk and returning everything to its place.

After that, he stood up and grabbed his overcoat from the rack.

Seeing this, Zuo knew it was hopeless. Thinking about how Xie chatted with Chi Wang, he felt a pang of jealousy. He said, “Are you and Chi Wang that close now? You even brought him to tour the company. Don’t you know the company’s group chat is buzzing? Everyone’s guessing who Chi Wang is to you.”

Xie paused and said, “Didn’t you ask me to look after this junior? Have you forgotten?”

“That’s true, but you’ve gotten close to him awfully fast!” Zuo remarked.

Xie had kept his relationship with Chi Wang tightly under wraps. Aside from himself and the doctors at the hospital, no one knew about it.

He wasn’t planning to disclose anything for now.

If they were to get married, announcing it wouldn’t be an issue. But his relationship with Chi Wang was currently in a delicate state—roommates, friends, and perhaps something deeper. They both knew but were rationally maintaining a balance.

Originally, there was ample time, but now Xiao Fu had appeared.

Xie had been passively opposing Xiao Fu for many years and understood him well.

Xiao Fu was reckless, insidious, and violent.

He had a little-known secret: he had a strong Oedipus complex. It was evident from a young age, but as he grew older, he didn’t dare to reveal it. At his age, he’d never publicly had a girlfriend because, in private, he sought out women much older than himself who resembled his mother.

Since childhood, Xiao Fu was exceptionally close to his mother, Yang Qingdai. He insisted on sleeping with her and proudly spoke of it, always mentioning “my mom” in every sentence.

Because he looked like a little girl at the time, his mother playfully dressed him in girls’ clothes. Even when other children mocked him, he didn’t mind. He happily accepted everything his mother gave him. He also exhibited violent tendencies early on, beating up the kids who teased him. Some even lost several teeth before they were old enough to naturally lose their baby teeth.

Many of Xiao Fu’s actions as he grew up highlighted his character flaws.

Xie had observed all of this. Though he appeared indifferent, he was fully aware.

Absentmindedly brushing off Zuo, Xie returned home.

At this hour, Chi Wang was still tutoring and hadn’t come back.

Xie removed his overcoat and loosened his tie and tie clip. As he walked into the living room, his gaze was drawn to a box placed on the table.

It was clearly a gift box, tied with a red ribbon and bearing a sticky note. Xie walked over, picked up the note, and saw Chi Wang’s message: “Senior, here’s the gift I promised you. You might have forgotten, but I haven’t. Giving it to you today. Salute ?(° . °).”

Upon seeing the emoji, Xie didn’t recognize it at first. But after reading the preceding words, he realized it was a saluting gesture. Was the middle part a nose or a mouth? It looked like a pout.

Xie had never seen Chi Wang pout. Imagining it, he thought it would be quite adorable. Being young and good-looking, such a pose wouldn’t seem affected.

His long, phoenix-like eyes couldn’t help but squint slightly; he was charmed.

He reread the sticky note several times before carefully folding it and placing it in his suit pocket.

Only then did he begin to unwrap the gift box. Inside was a neatly folded scarf.

Xie was momentarily speechless.

He hadn’t forgotten about it; in fact, he’d always remembered.

He thought Chi Wang might have forgotten or perhaps was just making an empty promise.

He hadn’t expected Chi Wang to actually knit him a scarf.

Picking it up, his fingertips felt its soft and delicate texture, causing his pupils to contract sharply.

This was clearly not a scarf that could be knitted in just a couple of hours, as Chi Wang had previously claimed.

The scarf was wide, made of fine yarn, and had a great texture. At the end was a pixelated pattern of Xiaomi—a beautifully crafted scarf.

Xie draped it around his neck and lowered his head to catch a hint of Chi Wang’s lingering scent—it was warm and comforting.

He quietly admired the scarf for a while before remembering to take out his phone to send Chi Wang a message.

Just then, his phone rang with an incoming call.

Seeing that it was Chu Qing, he paused before swiping to answer, “Mom.”

Chu Qing’s cheerful laughter came through; she sounded very happy. “Sichen, what are you up to right now?”

“Is something the matter?” Xie asked.

“What’s with that tone? Can’t I call you even if there’s nothing wrong?” Chu Qing said, a hint of displeasure in her voice.

Xie replied, “…You can.”

She continued, “Haha, I’m at the airport now. I’m coming to H City to see you. I should arrive a little after ten tonight.”

Xie was silent for a moment before saying calmly, “That’s a bit sudden.”

Sensing a hint of complaint in his words, Chu Qing quickly said, “It’s not that sudden, is it? I’m calling you as I’m on my way. You shouldn’t be asleep at this time, right? I brought you some calming tea, specially prepared for you. Your father tried it and said it works wonders.”

“Where will you be staying tonight?” Xie asked.

“At a hotel, of course. I won’t bother you, don’t worry,” Chu Qing reassured.

“Alright,” Xie said.

“Okay, I’ll hang up now. Oh, by the way, your dad is coming too. We didn’t get to spend New Year’s together, so we’re coming over to have a meal with you,” she added.

After hanging up, Xie stood there for a moment before sending Chi Wang a message: [I really like your gift; thank you.

Chi Wang replied: [?(° . °), glad you like it!]

He didn’t say anything else.

Others might have added, “It took me a long time to knit,” but Chi Wang wouldn’t say such unnecessary things.

Matters like this require a certain finesse. Bluntly stating how much effort one has put in is rather unsophisticated.

When Chi Wang returned from his tutoring job, he saw Xie neatly dressed and wearing the scarf he’d knitted, looking as if he was about to go out. Surprised, he asked, “Are you heading out?”

Xie nodded. Looking at the half of Chi Wang’s face nestled in his own scarf, he said in a deep voice, “My parents have arrived. I’m going to pick them up from the airport.”

“Oh, where are they staying tonight?” Chi Wang inquired.

“At a hotel,” Xie replied.

Chi Wang frowned, disapproving. “Why stay at a hotel? You have such a big house; don’t you have rooms for them?”

Feeling subtly reproached, Xie felt a bit helpless but explained, “It’s more convenient for them to stay at a hotel. Several hotels are owned by the Xie family. They have their own suites with daily housekeeping. They can just go and settle in.”

It was the same for Xie himself. He had suites in several hotels, all maintained daily. After attending banquets or evening events, he could stay there, reducing travel hassles.

This arrangement was quite common and indeed very convenient.

Upon hearing his explanation, Chi Wang realized he’d made assumptions again. Scratching his head, he said, “Sorry, I didn’t know.”

He paused before asking, “Should I avoid them for the next few days? It would be hard to explain if your parents saw me here.”

Xie fell silent. Now wasn’t the right time for them to meet. Chu Qing was very perceptive. She might not notice anything just by seeing Chi Wang, but with the two of them together, he might inadvertently give something away.

So Xie sighed silently and said, “No need. I won’t be coming back for the next few days.”

Softening his tone and gazing intently at Chi Wang, he asked, “Will you be alright on your own?”

Chi Wang laughed, “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’m not made of glass; am I going to break without you around?”

Xie was momentarily speechless.

“Remember to take your nutritional supplements, and drink a glass of milk in the evening,” he reminded.

Waving his hand dismissively, Chi Wang said, “It’s just a matter of mixing them; I know the drill. Don’t worry.”

He paused, then looked up at Xie and said, “By the way, I agreed with my brother to spend a few days at his place. Isn’t that convenient? We’ll just have to ask the housekeeper to take care of walking Xiaomi.”

Xie: “…”