Chapter 76: He Hoped to Spend Every Day with Chi Wang
This time, Xie Siheng didn’t use his tongue; he simply pressed his lips lightly against Chi Wang’s, a brief touch before naturally pulling away once the kiss ended.
Chi Wang: “…”
Previously, when he was kissed, his consciousness had been hazy, lacking a sense of reality. But now, Xie Siheng had genuinely kissed him while he was fully aware.
Chi Wang: Fire burning his eyebrows [1]
Had he given Xie Siheng some kind of misunderstanding? So much so that Xie Siheng disregarded gentlemanly conduct and seized every opportunity to invade his territory?
If they were playing a game of Go, they might have been evenly matched at the beginning. But as time went on, while Chi Wang was still meticulously analyzing the situation, Xie Siheng had already started to throw caution to the wind, revealing his hidden dagger at the end of the map [2], pressing him step by step, leaving little room, and the defeat was inevitable.
I’m going to lose, Chi Wang thought.
Although he had been prepared for this, Xie Siheng’s boldness was increasing.
It goes to show that some doors shouldn’t be opened; once they are, people become unstoppable.
Nothing could be done—it was he who had relaxed his own boundaries.
Chi Wang wanted to scold Xie Siheng, but the words reached his lips and he swallowed them back.
Forget it; it’s not like he hadn’t been kissed before. Why get angry over this?
Xie Siheng seemed unaware of his thoughts. After kissing and pulling back, he casually said, “There was no manipulation.”
This was the truth. Small companies didn’t have the freedom to hold annual meetings. If not for Chi Wang, Dongyue wouldn’t have had an annual meeting this year.
Seeing that he didn’t admit it, Chi Wang felt a bit disappointed. Just as he was about to change the subject, Xie Siheng asked, “Why didn’t you keep all the prize money? Don’t you need money?”
Chi Wang paused and said, “I do need money, but not that much right now. I’m only a sophomore; I don’t have many expenses. With such a large sum, I want to donate it partly because I think impoverished children have it tough, and if my donation can help them even a little, that would be great. On the other hand, since I’m expecting a baby—although I’m not superstitious—it’s better to believe in something than not. So I want to do some good deeds to bring blessings to the baby.”
Perhaps all Chinese people have a bit of superstition in them, Chi Wang thought.
It had already been over five months. In truth, Chi Wang was somewhat afraid, but he wouldn’t show such emotions—it would make him seem too timid.
Although he spoke with a calm expression and demeanor, Xie Siheng still noticed the subtle emotions in his words and eyes—so vivid in that moment that they were hard to ignore.
He paused, his gaze deepening, and said in a low voice, “…The annual meeting was indeed arranged by me.”
Chi Wang was stunned and looked up at him. Just a moment ago, he had been denying it vehemently; why was he confessing now?
Xie Siheng lowered his gaze and said calmly, “If it weren’t for you, there wouldn’t have been this annual meeting. So there was no manipulation; I gave you this money.”
Chi Wang had wanted him to admit it, but now that Xie Siheng had confessed, he felt a bit embarrassed.
He nodded, “I thought so—I don’t have that kind of luck.”
Xie Siheng countered, “Doesn’t this count as good luck?”
Under Xie Siheng’s warm gaze, Chi Wang felt a bit shy. He wanted to pick at his fingers but quickly restrained himself.
He put his hands behind his back and smiled at Xie Siheng, his gaze clear and candid. “…Of course it counts. This is the luck you gave me, and I’m very happy.”
Although the luck was fabricated, Xie Siheng’s feelings for him were genuine.
However, Chi Wang still said, “I think you shouldn’t do this kind of thing in the future. You can treat me well in private, but don’t make it public; it feels too provocative. Let’s be good to each other secretly.” Treating others as NPCs made Chi Wang feel awkward and apologetic.
After he finished speaking, he paused, thinking of postponing the discussion about the salary card, perhaps giving Xie Siheng some hopeful promises.
But as the words reached his lips, he swallowed them back down.
Sometimes, it wasn’t that he was being coy or conflicted; it’s just that he was indeed young—barely eighteen years old. Even though he had a good impression of Xie Siheng, Chi Wang didn’t know if his attachment was due to hormonal influences from the pregnancy.
He was aware of how much hormones could affect pregnant women.
He needed to be responsible to himself and to Xie Siheng.
I’ll wait a bit longer, Chi Wang thought. He needed more time to observe.
However, sometimes things don’t develop according to one’s will. Like in Go, if Black is surrounded and captured by White, the outcome can only be a loss—it’s just a matter of losing quickly or slowly.
And obviously, Xie Siheng was accelerating this process; Chi Wang found it hard to resist, and defeat was imminent.
Xie Siheng said in a low tone, “So, can you accept my card?”
As he spoke, Xie Siheng took out a black card from his pocket. “I’ve always wanted to give this to you but didn’t have the chance.”
Chi Wang blinked and said, “But I don’t have anywhere to spend money. But I’ll accept it anyway; thank you.”
As he said this, Chi Wang reached out and took Xie Siheng’s card, accepting it naturally.
Xie Siheng looked at his beautiful face without speaking.
Actually, from Chi Wang giving him half the money and donating most of the rest, Xie Siheng could tell that Chi Wang didn’t have much possessiveness over money given by others.
This was an innate openness and magnanimity, and also confidence in himself.
He recalled the first time he met Chi Wang.
In truth, good-looking people were not rare in their circle; everyone had an above-average appearance—handsome men and beautiful women everywhere.
Xie Siheng had seen many outstandingly attractive people. Although Chi Wang’s looks were among the top, they wouldn’t have made Xie Siheng fall in love at first sight.
It was when Chi Wang was playing the guitar on stage at a bar. His fingering was skillful yet leisurely, as if he’d cast the world aside, lost in his own reverie. The ambiguous and cool lighting glazed his beautiful features with a thin sheen. His pretty eyes were lowered, the corners of his lips slightly curved up, revealing faint glimpses of his canines, exuding an air of lofty arrogance.
Graceful like willows in the spring moon, elegant like the rising morning glow, bright as the sun and moon embracing—the freedom and uniqueness radiating from within. Xie Siheng sensed the aura of his soul.
He was captivated at first sight.
But at that time, Xie Siheng didn’t want to get involved with Chi Wang.
Xie Siheng pulled back from his thoughts, gazing at Chi Wang with deep eyes. “It’s like a nuclear weapon—you can choose not to use it, but you can’t be without it. You may not need it, but I want you to know my attitude.”
Chi Wang laughed uncontrollably. “…Alright, alright, I’ll accept it. I’ll find ways to spend it.”
Actually, he didn’t have much to spend money on. Being only a sophomore, he didn’t have much life pressure. Even if he did, he was currently eating and living at Xie Siheng’s place—where would the pressure come from?
Well, the only pressure was that his pregnancy was progressing, and he was scared.
He was now 157 days pregnant, already at twenty-two and a half weeks.
Between thirty-seven to forty-one weeks is considered full-term for normal delivery. In as early as fifteen weeks, he would be giving birth. Just thinking about it made his heart race and his limbs go weak.
For the first time, Chi Wang felt like a coward. It was like being on death row, counting down the days.
When he first found out about the pregnancy, Chi Wang wasn’t that scared because it was still early, and he didn’t have a real sense of it.
Moreover, Chi Wang wouldn’t worry about things that hadn’t happened yet; otherwise, he’d be scared for several more months.
At times like this, he only started to fear when the birth was near—very economical with his emotions.
Because of this personality, Chi Wang seldom felt anxious.
Now that it was a time when he couldn’t help but feel fear and anxiety, Chi Wang began to be scared.
Chi Wang didn’t want to be so timid, but on second thought, who isn’t afraid of giving birth!? Fear is a perfectly normal emotion!
So Chi Wang felt justified in being afraid.
He hadn’t revealed these small emotions to anyone, and no one could see the change in his mindset.
His baby bump was indeed smaller than normal; slightly loose clothing could cover it. If he stood straight, his belly only slightly pushed against his clothes. Others would just think he had a small belly. Nowadays, young people sit for long periods and overeat; having a small belly isn’t unusual.
But the pregnancy timeline doesn’t lie—at twenty-two and a half weeks, in about four months, he would give birth.
Time was passing too quickly; it felt like he had only found out he was pregnant yesterday.
Dongyue began its annual leave, and Xie Siheng arranged for Haisheng to have a holiday as well—also eighteen days off.
For a big company, this was an extremely generous holiday—so generous it was unbelievable. Assistant Li, now Secretary Li, had objections and tactfully tried to persuade Xie Siheng.
Assistant Li was one of Xie Yunting’s people, extremely capable. He came over to work for Xie Siheng to help him quickly take over Haisheng. After Xie Siheng took over, Secretary Li didn’t leave and continued to work for him.
But Xie Siheng didn’t entrust many matters to him; instead, he gave them to Secretary Huang.
Assistant Li noticed this but didn’t mind. He only cared when Xie Siheng made decisions that were detrimental to the company.
An eighteen-day holiday could already affect the company’s normal operations. Assistant Li earnestly advised Xie Siheng that a standard five-day annual leave would suffice.
However, once Xie Siheng had made up his mind, he wouldn’t change it. So, he arranged for the 18-day holiday.
Haisheng wasn’t a small company; it was a leading subsidiary of the Xie Group with significant achievements. Granting even one extra day off could result in economic losses amounting to tens of millions. Assistant Li, after all, wasn’t one of Xie Siheng’s own people. After his failed attempts to persuade Xie Siheng, he reported the situation to Chu Qing.
Upon hearing the report, Chu Qing was surprised. She had thought that Xie Siheng was staying in H City because of work. But now, knowing that he was willing to grant an 18-day holiday and wasn’t coming home for the New Year, she felt a bit saddened.
Chu Qing didn’t immediately call Xie Siheng. Instead, she told Xie Yunting about it. She said, “What is Shengsheng [3] up to? Do you have any idea?”
Xie Yunting thought to himself, what could he possibly know? Isn’t this a good thing? A new official takes office with three fires [4]; after the fires have burned, it’s time to offer some sweetness.
He said aloud, “Children grow up and have their own minds; let him be.”
Chu Qing was speechless. “Let him be? I don’t mind him giving an 18-day holiday—losing some money isn’t the issue. But he keeps saying he’s so busy, yet he’s taking more vacation than anyone else. He’s not going to school, not going abroad, not going to the company, and not coming home. What is he doing out there?”
Xie Yunting casually said, “Maybe he’s hiding a beauty in a golden house.” [5]
Chu Qing: “…”
She narrowed her eyes and said, “That might actually be possible.”
Xie Yunting paused. He was just talking nonsense—did she really believe it?
Chu Qing mused, “Come to think of it, something’s off. Shengsheng has always been very determined and planned; we couldn’t make him change his mind. He decided to study abroad back in high school—could he suddenly change his plans just like that? Also, I felt that his condition when I last saw him wasn’t quite right. He’s had insomnia for many years, and every time we see him, his mood is bad. But last time, he was much more emotionally stable, and his tone was much calmer when speaking.”
Xie Yunting said, “Maybe the red ginseng I sent him is working well.”
Chu Qing rolled her eyes at him. “No, I think something’s off with him. You said he’s hiding a beauty in a golden house—that might actually be true. The land of warmth and tenderness is the hero’s tomb. [6] But if he’s not going abroad because he’s in love, it doesn’t seem very reasonable.” She didn’t think her son would give up his plans just because of a romantic relationship.
Xie Siheng did have a history with this kind of thing; he was so plan-oriented that it had reached a stubborn level.
Chu Qing still remembered when Xie Siheng was eight years old. He had planned to go up the mountain on the weekend to observe the stars. As a result, he broke his arm. She advised him not to go, but Xie Siheng didn’t listen and calmly said, “It’s just one injured arm; I still have two legs and one good hand. I won’t give up because of a fracture.”
He was only eight years old, yet so determined.
Sometimes, Chu Qing didn’t know whom he took after. If he was like Xie Yunting… well, if she said a few words, Xie Yunting would immediately change his mind. As for herself, she was someone who easily changed her ideas.
So, eight-year-old Xie Siheng went up the mountain with a cast on one arm.
He was very independent. If he weren’t so young and hadn’t had a broken arm, he wouldn’t have let Xie Yunting help him carry the telescope.
There were countless such incidents, so Chu Qing felt that Xie Siheng rarely needed her. He always planned everything about himself meticulously and didn’t require much parental involvement.
Even in his studies, they didn’t need to say much; he handled everything himself, excelling in every aspect. In fact, no one demanded this of him.
Chu Qing felt that the distance between her and her son was actually very great—distant since he was young. Sometimes, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of loneliness.
Xie Yunting asked, “Do you want to go see him?”
Chu Qing snapped back to reality and said, “If he really has something and doesn’t want to tell us, how would he let us know?”
She thought for a moment and called Zuo Qianxing.
When Zuo Qianxing received Chu Qing’s call, he was initially puzzled. Then Chu Qing directly asked if Xie Siheng was in a relationship.
Zuo Qianxing paused and quickly said, “I don’t know, Auntie. Why do you ask?”
Chu Qing shared her suspicions with him.
Upon hearing this, Zuo Qianxing breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Oh, that. Auntie, you know that Siheng is quite solitary. He just wants to be alone. Giving the company more days off is because his previous reforms caused some resentment among the staff, so granting extra days off is to appease them. Everyone can have a good New Year. The annual meeting will be held in a few days. I heard he’s prepared over twenty million yuan in prizes. He’s sincerely taking on this role.”
Zuo Qianxing’s explanation made sense, but Chu Qing still found it suspicious.
She realized that she couldn’t get anything from Zuo Qianxing; he was wholeheartedly on Xie Siheng’s side and would only help him keep things from her.
After hanging up, Chu Qing said to Xie Yunting, “Let’s go to H City.”
Xie Yunting asked, “Should we let him know?”
Chu Qing hesitated. “…Let’s tell him. If he’s in a relationship, I can definitely see something.”
Xie Yunting thought: Give me a break. You didn’t notice anything last time; what makes you think you’ll see it this time? Even if he’s in a relationship, you won’t find out.
Xie Yunting wasn’t too concerned about whether Xie Siheng was in a relationship; he didn’t share Chu Qing’s anxious mindset.
Unlike Chu Qing, who often regretted the distant parent-child relationship with Xie Siheng, Xie Yunting had a laissez-faire attitude toward him. Children and grandchildren have their own fortunes. Why should he meddle so much?
On the other side, Xie Siheng also received a call from Zuo Qianxing, learning that Chu Qing suspected he was in a relationship.
He was a bit surprised, his heart sinking. He knew Chu Qing was intuitively sharp but didn’t expect that just by arranging an 18-day holiday for Haisheng, she would become suspicious.
Xie Siheng had granted such a long holiday not because he was soft-hearted, but because he had noticed the inadvertent fear and anxiety in Chi Wang’s eyes.
He needed more time to be with Chi Wang.
If possible, he actually hoped Chi Wang wouldn’t go to school and would stay home to rest and prepare for childbirth.
But he knew that if Chi Wang didn’t go to school, his emotions would worsen.
So he didn’t voice his thoughts, but at least during these last 18 days of holiday, he hoped to spend every day with Chi Wang.
Footnotes:
[1] Fire burning his eyebrows (hu? sh?o méi mao): A Chinese idiom meaning to be in a very urgent or anxious situation. Here, it’s used humorously to express Chi Wang’s sudden panic.
[2] Revealing his hidden dagger at the end of the map (tú qióng b? xiàn): An idiom meaning that someone’s hidden intentions or plans are revealed at the critical moment.
[3] Shengsheng (Sh?ngsh?ng): A familiar nickname for Xie Siheng used by his parents.
[4] A new official takes office with three fires: A Chinese idiom meaning that a new leader will make bold moves or significant changes at the beginning of their term.
[5] Hiding a beauty in a golden house (J?n w? cáng ji?o): An idiom meaning to keep a mistress or lover in a luxurious place, implying someone is secretly involved romantically.
[6] The land of warmth and tenderness is the hero’s tomb (W?n róu xi?ng, y?ng xióng zh?ng): An idiom meaning that indulgence in sensual pleasures can lead to a hero’s downfall.
