Chapter 8: That Would Be Best

 Editor: A Friend

The day Jiang QingChi moved back from Lian City to YiPing was bright and sunny. Jiang gave Yu MinMin the day off; she had a sudden whim last night and took off to the seaside with her suitcase this morning. Jiang's solo trip, planned half a year ago, was postponed, so he decided to head straight home.

When he got home, Jiang ZhiDe was sunbathing on the balcony while listening to an audiobook. Jiang QingChi approached to help lower the volume but couldn’t find the switch.

"Xiao You, lower the volume," Jiang ZhiDe instructed the little robot on the table.

"Wow, high-tech already?" Jiang QingChi leaned against the railing, the sunlight warming his medium-length hair, giving it a golden glow.

"Get outta here. Xiao’er gave it to me." Jiang ZhiDe’s hair had turned half white. In the past two years, his mood and temper had improved a lot. Listening to audiobooks and watching birds, he could spend an entire afternoon quietly alone.

Jiang QingChi picked up the little robot and examined it in his hand, smiling. "Xiao’er sure is generous. It has a hundred functions, and you only use it to listen to books."

"Is this thing expensive?" Jiang ZhiDe put on his glasses. "I even think it often doesn’t understand me."

Jiang QingChi gestured a number with his fingers, shaking them in front of him.

"Then return it to Xiao’er and see if he can get a refund." Jiang ZhiDe suggested.

"He put a lot of effort into picking it out for you. Returning it would only make him sad." Jiang QingChi said.

"Then invite him over for a meal. I'll fry some small fish for him." Jiang ZhiDe assigned the task.

Jiang QingChi suddenly fell silent, and Jiang ZhiDe, noticing his expression, snorted.

"Old Jiang told me last time that you two probably had a fight since you didn’t come to see me on my birthday. Haven’t I always told you to go easy on him? What did you do to upset him this time?" Jiang ZhiDe turned to add some water to the birdcage.

"Don't dare to upset him. If he gets angry, I have to coax him," Jiang QingChi teased the bird.

The green-grey parrot in the cage opened its beak and squawked, "Jerk! Jerk!"

"Hey..." Jiang ZhiDe tapped the parrot on the head, saying to Jiang QingChi, "It's cursing at you."

When Xiao Qi received a call from Grandpa Jiang, he was curled up on the couch, half-heartedly gaming with Li XingQian.

Ever since discovering Xiao Qi’s skills, Li XingQian had been treating him as a stepping stone for leveling up, clinging to Xiao Qi almost daily for a few rounds.

"I need to take this call," Xiao Qi said.

"Go ahead, but come back quickly, Boss Xiao. I can't handle them alone." Li XingQian’s voice came from the phone.

Xiao Qi chuckled smugly, "You’re such a noob."

Jiang QingChi heard the call connect, and Xiao Qi addressed Grandpa Jiang with a tone that still carried a smile, indicating his good mood.

Unavoidably, Jiang QingChi thought of Li XingQian’s recent game screenshots on social media. Xiao Qi used the same avatar across all game platforms, making him easily recognizable.

Xiao Qi had been gaming with Li XingQian for at least a week. Sometimes, late at night, Jiang QingChi would see Li XingQian post victory screens on social media, always with Xiao Qi’s avatar among the teammates.

At least, Xiao Qi’s mood didn’t seem too affected, as if his life was even better without contact with Jiang QingChi.

"Xiao’er, is the company busy lately?" Jiang ZhiDe asked Xiao Qi over the phone in Jiang QingChi’s presence.

"Not too busy. What made you call me, Grandpa Jiang?" Since the last talk between Jiang QingChi and Xiao Qi, they hadn’t spoken for over half a month. It wasn’t their longest period of silence, but Jiang QingChi felt it had been a long time since he heard Xiao Qi’s voice.

"The calligraphy practice book you brought me last time is finished. When will Teacher Xiao come to teach me calligraphy again?" Jiang ZhiDe asked with a smile.

Xiao Qi playfully replied, "Classmate Jiang, wait at home for a few more days. Teacher Xiao caught a cold recently and wouldn’t want to pass it on to you."

"Then take good care of yourself, Teacher Xiao, and let me know when you can come over."

After a brief silence, Xiao Qi asked, "Is QingChi at home recently?"

Jiang ZhiDe glanced at Jiang QingChi standing beside him and said, "I haven't seen him in a long time."

Xiao Qi then said, "Alright, I’m off the day after tomorrow. I’ll come by in the afternoon."

After hanging up, Jiang ZhiDe’s face turned slightly stern. Jiang QingChi could already guess what he was about to say.

"Be more considerate of Xiao Qi. Grandpa Xiao has helped us a lot. You should be grateful and treat Xiao Qi like a younger brother. Make the necessary concessions and apologize when needed."

Xiao Qi had planned to visit Jiang ZhiDe on Saturday afternoon, but he started preparing ink, paper, and brushes in the morning. It had been a long time since he practiced calligraphy, so he spent two hours in the study before stopping.

Xiao JianGang had made Xiao Qi practice calligraphy during his most restless years, every weekend from 4 to 6 pm, which was prime playtime for the kids in the compound. Xiao Qi had resisted many times, often stretching his neck to look outside while writing, only to get his palm smacked by the calligraphy teacher’s ruler.

Xiao Qi’s palms were tender, turning red with even a light tap. He would hide his left hand when playing with other kids, afraid of losing his prestige. When no one was around, he’d show Jiang QingChi his palms and ask him to blow on the marks.

Xiao Qi’s willingness to act cute was frequent with everyone but especially so with Jiang QingChi. Yet, as time passed, it became less frequent just with him.

Xiao Qi arrived punctually in the afternoon, showing up at 2:50 for their 3:00 appointment.

Grandpa Jiang lived on the fifth floor of an old building without an elevator. Having recently recovered from a cold, Xiao Qi was slightly out of breath when he knocked on the door.

Footsteps quickly approached from inside. Xiao Qi’s smile froze halfway as the door opened.

Confessing his feelings over the phone had already been difficult. Facing Jiang QingChi in person without having sorted his thoughts was even harder.

"Xiao’er is here? Come in," Jiang ZhiDe called from inside, making Xiao Qi abandon the idea of leaving.

Jiang QingChi leaned against the door, looking at Xiao Qi, not inviting him in, as if waiting for him to speak first.

"If you won’t let me in, I’ll leave," Xiao Qi said without looking at him, turning to leave.

Jiang QingChi grabbed the items from his hand and pulled him in by the wrist, closing the door behind him in one fluid motion, whispering, "How could I not let you in?"

Xiao Qi ignored him and went straight to the study with Jiang ZhiDe.

Jiang QingChi could tell that Xiao Qi was cold towards him. From the moment he arrived, he had only spoken one sentence at the door, avoided eye contact, and refused to drink the water Jiang QingChi offered.

Jiang QingChi had experienced silent treatment from Xiao Qi before and had become quite adept at making up. However, previous disputes were minor, and Xiao Qi’s way of expressing anger was to boss him around until he got tired and calmed down.

But this wasn’t anger.

As the clock neared 6 pm, the sound of frying small fish in the kitchen was intermittent. Xiao Qi, meanwhile, reclined in a wicker chair in the study, eyes closed, indicating he didn’t want to talk.

Jiang QingChi leaned on the chair, saying, "Xiao’er, talk to me."

No response came. Xiao Qi just turned his head away, still with his eyes closed.

There was a small mole on Xiao Qi’s neck. Ever since Jiang QingChi discovered it in bed, he couldn’t help but notice it.

Jiang QingChi’s palm was large, and he always rubbed Xiao Qi’s head gently, feeling both helpless and cherished.

"Can you stop touching me?" Xiao Qi suddenly spoke.

Jiang QingChi’s hand paused but didn’t move away.

"This means nothing to you, but I can’t stand it." Xiao Qi’s voice was calm. Ever since their confrontation, he seemed less burdened. "I don’t know why Grandpa Jiang tricked me into coming here, but I’m done guessing."

"It was wrong to trick you," Jiang QingChi admitted readily. "I was wrong."

"Can you stop placating me?" Xiao Qi opened his eyes to look at him.

"Then what? Should I treat you like a stranger?" Jiang QingChi asked helplessly.

"That would be best." Xiao Qi sat up.

Jiang QingChi looked up at him, easily noticing the unhappiness on Xiao Qi’s face. After a while, he sighed softly and said, "But I’m not good at it."

Xiao Qi was slightly taken aback.

"Last time, you said a lot of hurtful things and then hung up. I tried calling back, but you didn’t answer," Jiang QingChi reflected on the past

 half month. "I don’t want our relationship to be like this."

Not wanting their relationship to be like this had been a major reason Xiao Qi couldn’t express his feelings for many years. He was always cautious and guarded.

"I just need to get used to it," Xiao Qi seemed to have come to terms with it, trying to comfort him. "Now that I’ve confessed, it’s either you wait for me to stop liking you, or we can’t go back to how things were."

In their two conversations, Xiao Qi’s solution was always to stop liking him. Jiang QingChi always wanted to rebut, but before he could, he would be silenced.

"I’m trying to meet new people. Be patient," Xiao Qi said just as Jiang ZhiDe’s voice called them to dinner, providing an escape route. Before Jiang QingChi could react, Xiao Qi had already opened the door and walked out.

At the dinner table, Xiao Qi seemed to revert to the cheerful, talkative person Jiang QingChi once knew, no longer cold towards him. But Jiang QingChi’s mood only worsened.

After dinner, Xiao Qi took a call on the balcony. When Jiang QingChi finished washing the dishes, Xiao Qi was still on the phone. Holding a bowl of washed grapes, Jiang QingChi was about to approach when Xiao Qi, still on the phone, walked out.

"I have to go," Xiao Qi pointed at his phone. "Something came up."

Jiang QingChi raised an eyebrow, not responding, but Xiao Qi didn’t need a reply. He turned to Jiang ZhiDe, "Grandpa Jiang, I have something urgent to deal with. I’ll visit you again next time."

"Okay... Drive safely," Jiang ZhiDe instructed Jiang QingChi, "Xiao Chi, see him off."

"No need, I can..." Xiao Qi was already at the door, cutting himself off as he closed it, leaving half his words behind.

Jiang QingChi popped a grape into his mouth, chewing absentmindedly and wincing at the sour taste.

"I think he’s not actually busy," Jiang ZhiDe glanced at the door, then at the daydreaming Jiang QingChi. "Xiao’er has been seeing a girl lately. Old Song says they’re already talking about marriage. When will you bring someone home for me to meet?"

Jiang QingChi was taken aback, remembering Xiao Qi’s mention of a new relationship earlier. So, he wasn’t just brushing him off?

Seeing Jiang QingChi’s silence, Jiang ZhiDe nitpicked further, "And when are you getting that hair cut?"

"The hair stays," Jiang QingChi replied, then addressed the earlier question, "If you want a daughter-in-law, how about I bring you a son-in-law instead?"

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