Embedded Files
Psst! We're moving!
Lin Zhe Xia performed well in her last exam.
After the exams ended, a brief three-day holiday began.
“Are we going home for the break?” Lin Zhe Xia asked as she emerged from the exam room. Chi Yao was leaning against the corridor, waiting for her. “Can you stay at my place?”
Chi Yao didn’t take the opportunity to tease her: “I already told He Yang I’d stay at his place.”
“Why? Wouldn’t it be better if you stayed at my house?”
Before Lin Zhe Xia could add, “We used to stay together when we were little,” Chi Yao extended a finger and pressed it against her forehead, warning, “No.”
“...Why not?”
“It’s not good for you,” he said. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to control myself.”
“...”
Lin Zhe Xia paused, then stepped back to avoid his hand: “You’re right. It’s better for you to stay at He Yang’s place. My house might not be appropriate.”
Speaking of He Yang, she remembered something else: “What about that post you made on your social media and the status update? A lot of people commented. How did you reply?”
As they walked downstairs, Chi Yao replied: “I didn’t reply.”
Lin Zhe Xia sighed in relief: “That’s good. I don’t know how to explain it to them.”
“Not replying doesn’t mean I didn’t know what to say,” Chi Yao glanced at her. “It’s that I didn’t know when you wanted to make it public.”
He added coolly: “So... Are you saying you don’t want to give me a title?”
“Of course not.”
Lin Zhe Xia carefully worded her response: “I just think it’ll be hard for them to accept. If we’re going public, maybe we should do it gradually.”
Chi Yao: “You’re quite strategic.”
It wasn’t that she was strategic—it was just that their relationship would be hard for the people on Nanxiang Street to accept.
Childhood best friends announcing their romance?
It sounded pretty shocking no matter how you thought about it.
In the end, Lin Zhe Xia said: “Is He Yang coming back too? Let’s try talking to him first and see his reaction.”
The first person Lin Zhe Xia and Chi Yao chose to publicly announce their relationship to was He Yang.
However, they had no idea how awkward He Yang, the sole person in the know, felt inside.
He Yang had thought this day—returning home for the break—would be just another ordinary day.
He packed his things simply and headed out after being invited to a meal by his two best friends.
“Why are you treating me again?” He happily went along to eat and drink for free. “Too kind of you.”
He Yang: “Is this the beauty of distance? When we were close, you guys barely paid attention to me. Now that I’m at Lianyun Teachers’ College, do you miss me?”
Lin Zhe Xia, head bowed, silently stared at the rice in her bowl: “...Yeah. You can think of it that way.”
He Yang: “I’ve packed everything. We can leave as soon as we finish eating.”
Lin Zhe Xia had so much to say but didn’t know where to start.
Finally, she looked up at Chi Yao.
Chi Yao caught her silent plea for help. He put down his chopsticks and tapped the table with his curled fingers: “Hey.”
He Yang: “I have a name. It’s not ‘hey.’ You can call me Little Yangyang.”
“...”
Chi Yao didn’t bother arguing with him. He unfolded his curled fingers in front of He Yang and, without a word, reached for Lin Zhe Xia’s hand.
Lin Zhe Xia’s hand, which had been hanging below the table, was now pulled onto the table. Once it was there, Chi Yao naturally adjusted their posture into an even tighter interlocking of fingers, directly in He Yang’s line of sight.
“............”
He Yang found it hard to swallow the rice in his mouth.
Actually, from their social media posts and Lin Zhe Xia’s sudden unilateral avatar change, he could roughly guess what had happened between them recently.
But he hadn’t expected to face such a blatant public announcement.
He Yang mechanically shoveled food into his mouth while his brain sluggishly processed the situation: His current persona was that of an innocent childhood friend who knew nothing.
He needed to react appropriately to this situation!
The next second—
He spat out his rice.
Lin Zhe Xia and Chi Yao both dodged.
Chi Yao: “Even food can’t shut your mouth.”
Lin Zhe Xia: “Be civilized.”
He Yang delivered the performance of a lifetime. He abruptly stood up, trembling as he pointed a finger at them: “You… What are you doing?! Holding hands in public, what’s this nonsense!”
Chi Yao: “...”
Lin Zhe Xia: “...”
Lin Zhe Xia regretted her earlier remark about being civilized. She should’ve said, “Act normal.”
Chi Yao remained calm, showing remarkable poise in displaying affection.
His thumb lightly rubbed against the knuckles of Lin Zhe Xia’s fingers, then he provocatively asked: “What do you think we’re doing?”
“Trying to trick me? Do you think I, He Yang, am that easy to fool?”
“...”
Chi Yao pursed his lips, suppressing the urge to beat him up first, and said indifferently: “No one has the time to fool you.”
“It’s exactly what you see,” he added. “We’re together.”
At this moment, He Yang’s mind raced.
What should he do now?
What reaction would seem more genuine?
He thought for half a second, slowly sat down, then dramatically fell off the chair to express his shock: “What—You two are actually together?!”
“Oh my god, I’m so shocked. Are my ears malfunctioning? Did I hear wrong? Or am I dreaming?” After getting up, He Yang spun around in place, as if searching for his lost soul. “I’m completely stunned.”
“Aren’t we best friends? My best friend and another of my best friends are together? How could this happen? What happened between you two? When did you get together? How did it happen?”
Chi Yao: “...”
Lin Zhe Xia: “...”
Something about his reaction felt off.
Lin Zhe Xia hesitantly whispered to Chi Yao: “Is he... crazy?”
Chi Yao watched He Yang spin in place and didn’t refute her: “Remove the question mark and use an affirmative sentence.”
“...”
Originally, the next person they planned to tell was Lin He and Wei Ping.
After witnessing He Yang’s dramatic reaction, Lin Zhe Xia was hesitant to tell Lin He.
What if Lin He also collapsed...
When they got home, Lin He and Wei Ping had taken the day off to wait for her at home: “You’re back! I thought since Lian University is in this city, you’d come home often. I didn’t expect university to be so busy.”
“Mom, Uncle Wei,” Lin Zhe Xia put down her things and hugged them each in turn. “I just started school, so it’s busier. Once things settle down, I’ll come home more often.”
Lin He: “Alright, no need for such formalities between mother and daughter. You don’t even believe them yourself.”
Lin Zhe Xia: “Little He, you’re still as sharp-tongued as ever.”
Lin He: “Back already and itching for trouble, huh?”
Lin Zhe Xia smiled and sat on the couch, eating fruit Wei Ping had pre-cut for her.
Returning home brought a sense of comfort and familiarity.
Earlier, as the three of them returned to Nanxiang Street and passed the street sign, they ran into other childhood friends who were also home for the break. Everyone gathered at the entrance of the neighborhood and chatted for a while, giving Lin Zhe Xia the illusion that no one had ever left.
“Mom,” Lin Zhe Xia said as she ate her fruit, cautiously probing, “a lot of people in university are dating.”
Lin He turned to prepare dinner in the kitchen: “That’s normal. University is a time for dating, but girls must protect themselves.”
Lin Zhe Xia followed up: “What if I start dating too?”
Lin He: “Then go ahead.”
Lin Zhe Xia: “Oh.”
After saying “oh,” she deliberately waited a moment before adding: “Chi Yao’s back too.”
Lin He wasn’t surprised: “Is he staying at He Yang’s place? Perfect, call him over for dinner later. You’re in the same school—he must’ve caused you a lot of trouble.”
Lin Zhe Xia protested softly: “You make me sound like a troublemaker.”
“...”
The house fell silent.
Wei Ping went inside to fetch something, and Lin He started chopping vegetables.
Lin Zhe Xia stood by the kitchen door, watching Lin He for a while, then said: “Mom, what do you think of Chi Yao?”
Lin He: “He’s great.”
Before Lin Zhe Xia’s heart could settle, Lin He’s next words sent it racing again: “I see him as my own son.”
“............”
If that was the case...
For Lin He, it would be like her daughter and son being together.
“What’s wrong? Did he start dating in university?” Lin He asked.
“Uh,” Lin Zhe Xia’s prepared words got stuck in her throat. She avoided the topic: “How long until dinner’s ready? I’ll go call him.”
“About half an hour. You can message him to come over early.”
Lin Zhe Xia curled up on the couch and messaged Chi Yao: Dinner’s in half an hour. Shouldn’t you come over now?
Boyfriend: Got it.
Lin Zhe Xia continued typing: By the way, I haven’t told Mom yet.
-Because
-She sees you as
-Her own son.
Boyfriend: ...
Hesitantly, Lin Zhe Xia typed: Maybe we shouldn’t... go public. It feels a bit like incest.
Chi Yao didn’t reply to this message.
About five minutes later, the doorbell rang.
Wei Ping opened the door: “Chi Yao! It’s been so long since I’ve seen you. Let Uncle take a good look—you’ve gotten even more handsome after more than a year.”
Wei Ping, having likely overheard her conversation with Lin He, quickly added: “Now that you’re in university, are you dating anyone?”
Lin Zhe Xia coughed and squeezed past Wei Ping to pull Chi Yao inside: “Uncle Wei, don’t pry into other people’s privacy. He’s actually very shy about this stuff and doesn’t like talking about it.”
Wei Ping: “Huh?”
He couldn’t see any shyness in Chi Yao.
Once Chi Yao entered, he was treated even better than her because of the long absence. Lin He and Wei Ping had a lot to catch up on with him.
Chi Yao sat next to her, unable to openly display their relationship. Instead, he interacted with her through small gestures only the two of them understood.
“How are things at home? How’s your mom’s health?”
“Mm, all settled. Her health’s good now.”
As Chi Yao spoke, he used a toothpick to pick up a piece of fruit and handed it to her.
Lin Zhe Xia was caught off guard and stuffed with fruit. She didn’t have time to explain: “...I’ve already eaten a lot.”
A second after he let go, while Wei Ping was looking down and not paying attention, Chi Yao lightly brushed his fingertip against the corner of her mouth, wiping away the fruit juice.
Lin Zhe Xia’s heart sank. She felt like they were doing something sneaky.
Wei Ping was still chatting from across the room: “Tell your mom to rest more and not work all the time.”
Chi Yao responded: “It’s useless. Before she was discharged from the hospital, she said she’d stop working and enjoy life more, but she couldn’t sit still for long.”
“That’s true,” Wei Ping thought for a moment. “It’s not easy to just sit around. Having nothing to do every day isn’t fun. And now, unlike before, you’re grown up, studying at Lianyun University, and can take care of yourself. She doesn’t need to worry about you anymore.”
During Wei Ping’s chatter, Chi Yao seemed to notice her discomfort and intentionally teased her. He reached behind his back and touched her hand at an angle no one else could see.
Lin Zhe Xia tensed up, her hair standing on end.
“Stay away from me,” she shifted her position. “Don’t sit so close.”
Chi Yao whispered: “Such a coward.”
Was this really a matter of courage?!
This was...
This was flirting behind their parents’ backs.
Just as she was looking for an excuse to leave the living room, Lin He called from the kitchen: “Old Wei—We’re out of soy sauce. Go to the supermarket and buy a bottle.”
Lin Zhe Xia shot up: “I’ll go.”
Wei Ping: “You usually avoid going out whenever possible. Why are you so eager today?”
Lin Zhe Xia declared solemnly: “I’m a college student now. I’ve grown up and become more sensible.”
“...”
She grabbed her wallet and had just stepped outside when the door behind her was pulled slightly open. She saw Chi Yao following her out: “I’ll go with her.”
Lin Zhe Xia didn’t say much, but she deliberately stood to the side while waiting for the elevator.
She was afraid Wei Ping might suddenly come out.
Fortunately, the door remained tightly closed.
Then—
“Ding—” The elevator arrived at their floor.
After they entered, Chi Yao stood behind her.
He wrapped his arms around her waist, leaned down, and practically “hung” himself on her.
Though they were the only ones in the elevator, Lin Zhe Xia stiffened.
Sensing her tension, the person behind her whispered in her ear: “Let me hold you for a bit. There’s no one here.”
“But...”
“Mom and Dad aren’t going to check the surveillance cameras.”
“But...”
“If someone comes in, I’ll let go.”
“...”
Fine.
She couldn’t think of any other excuses, so she let him hold her.
After a while, she reminded him: “But remember to keep some distance from me once we’re in the neighborhood.”
The person behind her reluctantly agreed.
The young man rested his chin on her shoulder, his breath brushing against her neck as he spoke. He clicked his tongue and said, “Your mom sees me as a son?”
Lin Zhe Xia: “...Yeah.”
Chi Yao: “Do you think we’re committing incest?”
Lin Zhe Xia: “...There’s a bit of that, a mistaken feeling.”
“Since you feel that way,” Chi Yao accepted it frankly. Then he raised a hand, gently pressing it on top of Lin Zhe Xia’s head, almost expectantly saying, “Then—Call me ‘Big Brother’ first and let me hear it?”
“...”
Google Sites
Report abuse