Chapter 7: Embarrassment

Editor: A Friend

Xiao Qi didn't expect Jiang QingChi to call right away. He stared at the screen where the three droplets icon was flashing, lost in thought for a while, but finally answered the call.

He could hear Jiang QingChi breathing on the other end. Both of them stayed silent for a moment after the call connected. Xiao Qi lay his head on the steering wheel, burying his face in his arms. After a short while, his nails dug into his palms, causing him pain.

"Jiang QingChi," Xiao Qi called his name with a trembling voice, suddenly not wanting to argue with him anymore. "I'm only going to say this once, as a way to give myself closure for these past few years, because I've grown tired of hating myself over this."

Jiang QingChi quietly listened to his voice and softly replied, "Go ahead."

Jiang QingChi's overly gentle tone made Xiao Qi momentarily lose his voice. It took him a while to find it again.

"I've liked you for a long time," Xiao Qi said, rubbing his sore nose and closing his eyes. "I don't know when it started, and I don't know how many years I've kept it to myself. If you hadn't found that broken game console, I might never have told you. So I never expected you to respond."

"But since you did respond, I'm telling you now. Didn't you just want us to be the same as before? You told me not to avoid you, and you secretly put the game console back in my car, and even wanted to introduce me to someone. I don't mind any of that. In fact, I've been thinking lately about not liking you anymore," Xiao Qi took a deep breath, and his voice steadied a bit. "But please give me some time. Don't come looking for me for a while."

If Yu MinMin had to describe her boss, she would say he not only fit her aesthetic but was also a very easy-going person, always emotionally stable. She had almost never seen him in a bad mood, and he never brought personal emotions to work.

But looking at the model with a long face and Jiang QingChi frowning at the photos, Yu MinMin suddenly felt that maybe she didn't know her boss as well as she thought.

"The expression is too stiff, the neck is too forward. Let's do another set." As the sky gradually darkened, Jiang QingChi adjusted the camera settings and asked Yu MinMin to help with the lighting.

Yu MinMin stuck out her tongue, handed the model a bottle of water, and whispered to the model's assistant, "Brother Chi is just aiming for the best results, but it’s going to be tough on you to soothe your guy."

By the time they finished, it was already nine in the evening. Yu MinMin saw Jiang QingChi sitting in the car, importing the photos into the computer as usual, flipping through them one by one for selection.

Jiang QingChi appeared to get along with everyone, but when alone, he could give off a distant vibe.

Yu MinMin quietly watched the screen with him. He didn’t delete several clearly out-of-focus photos, and after observing for a while, she realized he seemed to be flipping through them without actually reviewing.

Yu MinMin thought about the phone call Jiang QingChi had taken in the lounge that afternoon. He had been acting off since then.

"Brother Chi?" Yu MinMin called him cautiously.

Jiang QingChi responded naturally, asking her what was wrong.

"Do you have something on your mind?" Yu MinMin asked.

Jiang QingChi's hand paused on the mouse. He told her he was fine, but after a moment, he asked her, "When is the date set with FengYue?"

"The third of next month," Yu MinMin replied.

"Let FengYue know that for the RuiChuang shoot, we’ll handle it directly on our end." Jiang QingChi said as he closed the laptop.

"Okay, I'll communicate with them. Oh, Brother Chi, the shoot in Lian City is almost done, just one more scene to go," Yu MinMin groaned, "We can finally go back to YiPing..."

Jiang QingChi asked her, "Have you arranged your place yet?"

"I'll stay with a friend for a while until I find a place," Yu MinMin asked him, "Are you still staying at the studio, Brother Chi?"

Jiang QingChi stared at his phone in a daze. After a while, he said, "Depends."

When Xiao Qi got home, the living room lights were on for a change. As he passed the sofa, Xiao WangHua called out to him.

"Not even a hello to your old man?" Xiao WangHua, nearly fifty but not showing much age, spoke. Tang YiRu, who usually took good care of herself, also kept an eye on his increasing wrinkles.

"Hey, Dad," Xiao Qi responded absentmindedly.

Greeting wasn’t enough, so Xiao WangHua asked, "Did you take leave this afternoon again?"

Having not bothered with him for a while, Xiao Qi thought that his father must have suddenly remembered he had a son. This fatherhood role really suited Xiao WangHua's whims.

It was like this when he was a child too. When he was busy, he’d leave Xiao Qi with Xiao JianGang. When he wasn’t busy, he’d come around to tease him. Most of the time, he didn’t ask about anything, but the decisions he made had to be followed. Like making Xiao Qi move out of the family quarters, not allowing him to apply to a local university, and making him join the family business after graduation.

"Tomorrow, your mom and I are having dinner with you," Xiao WangHua said, sipping his tea, "at Manting Manor."

"No," Xiao Qi refused, "I have work to do."

"This little brat..." Xiao WangHua started getting angry after just a couple of sentences, but he was interrupted.

"Enough, enough," Tang YiRu poked her head out from the kitchen, holding a spatula, and lightly tapped it at the two of them. "If you keep arguing, take it outside."

Tang YiRu, wearing an apron over her suit, with her big waves of hair, looked full of life as she glared at them, making Xiao WangHua shut his mouth.

Xiao Qi walked over to help her straighten the apron, whining, “Mom, I'm hungry.”

“It's so late and you haven’t eaten?” Tang YiRu touched his face, noticing he seemed thinner lately.

“Nope,” Xiao Qi replied.

“I'll cook some noodles then,” Tang YiRu said.

Xiao WangHua's voice came from the living room, “Honey, can you make some for me too?”

“Make it yourself!” Tang YiRu retorted.

Xiao Qi chuckled, and Tang YiRu finally turned her attention back to him, her eyes filled with concern. “Are you very tired lately? Your eyes look a bit red.”

It was probably from laying in the car earlier. Xiao Qi sighed and played the pity card, “Mom, I’m really tired. Can I skip tomorrow?”

Tang YiRu smiled and said, “Nope.”

So, the next morning, Xiao Qi was dragged out of bed by Tang YiRu.

The drive to Manting Manor took about an hour and a half. Xiao Qi hadn’t slept well the night before, so he closed his eyes shortly after getting into the car.

In his half-awake state, his mind started to drift. His brain forced in images both good and bad, which Xiao Qi resisted but couldn’t help recalling. In this state of resistance, Xiao Qi's consciousness gradually became foggy and eventually succumbed to sleep.

The last clear memory he had was a scene from his second year of high school.

At the observation deck of Manting Manor, Jiang QingChi turned his head to look at him. Snowflakes fell on Xiao Qi’s cheeks and melted instantly. Jiang QingChi said, “I’m with Tan Qiu now.”

Xiao Qi couldn’t react for a long time and didn’t say anything until Jiang QingChi came over and flicked his forehead.

“Oh… really?” Xiao Qi covered his forehead with his arm, hiding his face from Jiang QingChi's gaze. “When did this happen? Why are you only telling me now?”

Jiang QingChi casually answered and tried to pull his arm away to see his forehead, asking, “Did I hurt you?”

Jiang QingChi’s warm fingertips almost made Xiao Qi tear up instantly. Because Jiang QingChi had a partner now, these actions seemed inappropriate and marked the first time Xiao Qi viewed them as crossing a line.

Xiao Qi evaded his touch and whispered, “Yes, it hurt a lot.”

Jiang QingChi took it seriously and dropped the topic of his relationship, focusing instead on checking Xiao Qi’s forehead. Finding nothing serious, he smiled and scolded, “You big baby, it was just a flick, and you’re in so much pain. Aren’t you embarrassed?”

Embarrassment didn’t stop there. Xiao Qi woke up groggily as Tang YiRu nudged him. He also remembered the confession he made to Jiang QingChi over the phone the day before. If Jiang QingChi ever realized he was pretending to cover his forehead to hide his tears, he would probably laugh his head off.

Xiao Qi should have guessed it. If Xiao WangHua and Tang YiRu were on the same page and insisted on him joining them for a meal, there must be another agenda.

“Don’t give me that face,” Tang YiRu warned him through gritted teeth.

Xiao Qi forced a smile, looking at the unfamiliar woman in front of him and tightly pressing his lips together.

“Hello, Uncle Xiao, Aunt Tang,” the woman greeted as she stood up.

Xiao WangHua and Tang YiRu smiled and nodded in response.

“When did you arrive, ZhiMan?” Tang YiRu asked.

“Just now. My dad might be a bit late.” Ren ZhiMan, taller than Tang YiRu, naturally sat down beside her, her eyes squinting slightly when she smiled. Xiao Qi found her somewhat familiar.

“Xiao Qi?” Ren ZhiMan suddenly looked up at him and said, “You look much better than when you were a kid.”

Xiao Qi felt a bit offended, but Xiao WangHua and Tang YiRu nodded in agreement, saying, “He was like a little monkey, jumping around everywhere.”

Ren ZhiMan chuckled and extended her hand towards Xiao Qi, “Do you remember me?”

Xiao Qi wanted to say no, but he actually did remember.

Reflecting on his childhood, aside from the mischievous times, there were rare moments of shyness. Meeting Ren ZhiMan was one of those moments, especially since he had boldly declared he would marry her when he grew up.

Xiao Qi wished he could claim amnesia but could only awkwardly say, “Yes, I remember…”

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