WBAI Chapter 61

Xie An’yu shifted his legs slightly and took a sip of tofu pudding as if nothing had happened.

“If he hadn’t said he was your uncle, I really wouldn’t have guessed you two were related,” Yu Feng remarked.

How could the nephew be so composed and refined while his uncle was so sleazy and crude? There was a faint resemblance in their eyebrows and eyes, but aside from that, they were like heaven and earth.

“He doesn’t look like my dad either. When I was little, I used to wonder if my grandparents had picked him up somewhere.”

Yu Feng chuckled. “Your dad must’ve been pretty handsome, then.”

Xie An’yu looked at Yu Feng and hummed in agreement. “Just like you.”

Yu Feng tilted his head with a laugh before turning back to him. “Can you not compare me to him like that—I’ll start worrying about my age.”

Xie An’yu lowered his head and stirred the tofu pudding. “You’re way younger than my dad.”

Xie An’yu grabbed a steamed bun and took a bite, nearly finishing half of it in one go.

“Slow down,” Yu Feng said. “Don’t choke.”

Xie An’yu quietly finished the bun before speaking again. “Were the boyfriends you dated before all older than me?”

“What do you mean, ‘all older than me’?” Yu Feng nudged Xie An’yu’s leg with his knee again. “Do I really seem like someone who’s been in a lot of relationships?”

“…That’s not what I meant.”

“Falling for someone isn’t that easy,” Yu Feng said.

After all, there was a time when he hadn’t even liked himself.

Yu Feng felt like he had used up all his luck just to meet Xie An’yu.

Meeting Xie An’yu—Yu Feng didn’t know how much luck he’d cashed in for that.

Xie An’yu agreed with the sentiment. In his nearly two decades of life, he’d never met anyone who made his heart race like Yu Feng did.

His voice was tentative as he asked, “You… you’ve never dated anyone before?”

“No.”

Xie An’yu seemed a little disbelieving, surprise flickering in his eyes.

Yu Feng narrowed his gaze. “What, just because I’m older, I must’ve dated before?”

“No…” Xie An’yu muttered, “It’s just… you’re so good-looking…”

Yu Feng asked again, “And good-looking people must’ve dated before?”

Teasing, he added, “So young, yet already so full of stereotypes.”

Xie An’yu had no retort. The truth was, there were indeed plenty of outstanding people who remained single—not everyone yearned for love, and not everyone found it easy to fall for someone.

Xie An’yu’s phone on the table vibrated twice. He ignored it out of habit, but Yu Feng glanced at it and remarked, “No wonder it takes you forever to reply to my messages.”

Xie An’yu paused, then picked up his phone, and admitted his fault. “I’ll reply faster from now on.”

He had tried to change this bad habit before, but it hadn’t lasted. It wasn’t that he replied slowly; it was that he didn’t check his messages at all.

Xie An’yu looked at the screen of his phone.

Ding Xiaofei: 【You went to a flower shop?】

Ding Xiaofei: 【Who did you buy flowers for?】

Xie An’yu: 【How did you know?】

Ding Xiaofei: 【Someone took a photo of you outside the flower shop—it’s all over our school’s forum!】

Ding Xiaofei sent a link. Since Xie An’yu didn’t have the forum app, the link opened directly to a webpage. The first post displayed a photo of Xie An’yu walking out of the flower shop holding a bouquet in one hand. The thread title was impossible to miss.

【Help… I think I just took a picture of our school heartthrob】

#[Image]

#Pic to attract attention¹鎮樓 (zhèn lóu): lit. guarding the floor; (Internet slang) to use something popular (e.g. good-looking photos) inside one’s post to ensure it trumps all other posts in a thread. When posting online, pictures or texts are posted on the first floor (top floor) in order to attract attention, show characteristics or attract netizens. They are often based on pictures of beautiful women (goddesses) or interesting content to prevent the poster or floor from being overwhelmed by other content.—saw him while jogging this morning. Any sisters from the class of 2020 here? Is this Xie An’yu from Class 3?

#It’s him!!!!!!!!

#Holy shit! He’s so handsome now???

#He was always handsome, duh

#Always been a looker. The heartthrob of our batch. So many girls in our class had crushes on him, but he was kinda aloof. His family situation seemed kind of complicated too; he didn’t come back for senior year

#No wonder I never saw him after that

#My God, so many old-timers are still active on this forum

#Hahahahaha a handsome guy just summoned a swarm of senior alumnae

#That’s him! He went to another city for a while and just came back a few days ago! I even went to the pier with my bestie to check him out!

#Gods, our school actually produced such a handsome senior? Born at the wrong time QAQ

#? This guy didn’t even finish high school. Are girls’ standards that low now?

#Caught a wild mediocre guy with inflated ego

#HAHAHAHA some average Joe just got triggered

#These photos are amazing though. Such vibe. By the way, does he have a girlfriend?

#Probably. Who else would those flowers be for?

#AHHHH he’s taken??? How did I just get heartbroken the moment I clicked in AHHHH

#…………………………really don’t get girls these days

#Sorry to derail²歪個樓 (Wāi gè lóu): lit. the building is crooked. T/N: In the Internet, 歪樓 mainly refers to the shifting of comments from one topic to another in major forums. Crooked posts in online life refer to someone deliberately going off-topic in a reply on a forum and asking questions that seem to be related but unrelated to the original intention of the poster. but genuine question—what flowers is he holding? It’s so beautiful

#I think it’s beautiful too! So cute!

#Mainly because he’s handsome. Anything looks good in a handsome person’s hands. Too handsome, help

#It might not be for a girlfriend, right? They’re not roses. Maybe they’re for a friend?

#He’s staying at Dreamfall Guesthouse. You’re welcome

……

Shuangye Isle only has one high school. Pretty much all the local young men and women of the right age study there—the academically gifted leave the island after graduation, while others go to vocational schools here. With just this one high school on the island, its school’s forum naturally became the de facto social platform for Shuangye’s youth, always bustling with activity.

Xie An’yu had never browsed his school’s forum, let alone known he’d been a ‘regular guest’ during his student days.

Ding Xiaofei: 【Do you know how many people texted me this morning…】

Ding Xiaofei: 【Zhang Xiao kept asking me if you have a girlfriend. I didn’t know what to say】

Xie An’yu: 【Why would she ask you that?】

Ding Xiaofei: 【She’s asking for Liu Xiaoyun】

Xie An’yu: 【Who’s Liu Xiaoyun?】

Ding Xiaofei: 【……………….】

Ding Xiaofei: 【The girl who was on our team last time we played beach volleyball. Your memory is insane. It’s only been a little over a year, and you don’t remember her??】

Xie An’yu: 【I remember her face, but not her name】

Ding Xiaofei: 【Little Sister Xiaoyun is too miserable】

Ding Xiaofei: 【By the way, who’d you buy flowers for?】

Xie An’yu: 【Yu Feng】

Ding Xiaofei: 【???? The guy you like?】

Xie An’yu: 【Mm】

Ding Xiaofei: 【HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT! You didn’t confess to him, did you?!】

Xie An’yu: 【Did it yesterday】

Ding Xiaofei: 【!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!】

Ding Xiaofei: 【It’s done?】

Xie An’yu: 【Mm】

Ding Xiaofei: 【HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!】

Xie An’yu: 【Gotta go. I’m eating breakfast】

Yu Feng glanced at Xie An’yu’s phone. “What’s up? You look like you just swallowed a fly.”

Xie An’yu put his phone down. “Someone took a picture of me when I bought flowers this morning.”

Yu Feng chuckled: “You really have fan clubs?”

“No,” Xie An’yu said with a helpless chuckle. “How could I?”

“Let me see.”

Xie An’yu opened the link to the forum post that Ding Xiaofei had sent him and handed his phone to Yu Feng.

Yu Feng glanced at the screen. “A forum?”

“Mm.”

“Your school’s?” Yu Feng clicked into the thread. The first post was a photo of Xie An’yu walking out of the flower shop with flowers in his arms. He scrolled down—the number of replies and the level of discussion were practically like he had his own fan club.

“Quite a few potential love rivals here,” Yu Feng said as he returned the phone to Xie An’yu. “No wonder you’re the island heartthrob. Save that featured photo and send it to me.”

“What… do you want it for?”

Yu Feng lowered his voice: “Isn’t it normal for me to collect photos of my boyfriend?”

Xie An’yu saved the image and forwarded it to Yu Feng, who stored it in his album. Suddenly, Yu Feng remembered something: “Has your old place already been demolished?”

“Mm.”

“Do you want to go back and take another look?”

Xie An’yu shook his head. “Actually, I went the first day I came back. They’re already building new houses there.”

The area where Xie An’yu’s house was located was slated to become a resort area. The surrounding areas would gradually be demolished, and his old home was among the first to go.

“Just think of it as starting fresh,” Yu Feng said.

Xie An’yu nodded. “Mm, that’s what I thought the day I found out it would be demolished. They… are all gone now. It doesn’t really matter where I am.”

As long as he was living well, that was enough.

Xie An’yu handed Yu Feng a stuffed pancake. “Beef filling. It’s really good—try it.”

Yu Feng took a bite.

“How is it?”

“Not bad. We can bring a few back for Zhou Yi and the others later.”

Yu Feng packed a serving of soup dumplings and four stuffed pancakes before heading back to the guesthouse with Xie An’yu.

The cat café on the first floor of the guesthouse was usually quiet, with only the guests staying at the guesthouse stopping by to drink coffee and pet cats. But for some reason, there was a sudden surge of customers that morning. As Yu Feng and Xie An’yu walked past the window, they noticed quite a few people inside—mostly young girls.

When Xie An’yu entered, the girls all turned to look at the door in unison. Yu Feng even spotted a couple of familiar faces among them.

Leaning slightly closer, Yu Feng whispered into Xie An’yu’s ear, “They’re all here for you, Island heartthrob.”

Xie An’yu looked completely bewildered. Then, he saw Zhang Xiao waved at him. “Xie An’yu!”

Ding Xiaofei and his girlfriend were also sitting by the window, drinking milk tea. He had come to find Xie An’yu, but after sitting there for a while, he noticed groups of girls entering one after another—all vaguely familiar, likely former classmates from their high school.

Ding Xiaofei left his girlfriend at the table and walked over to Xie An’yu. “Your location has been exposed.”

Xie An’yu frowned, feeling a little annoyed.

“Zhang Xiao is calling you. Do you want to go over? She probably wants to ask you about—”

Ding Xiaofei paused, glancing at Yu Feng, “you know, that thing.”

Before he could finish, Zhang Xiao had already approached. “Xie An’yu, want some milk tea? My treat.”

“No, thank you.”

“Not even for an old classmate’s sake?”

Xie An’yu looked at her. Zhang Xiao sighed and cut to the chase: “”Can you come over for a second? Someone wants to talk to you—it’ll only take five minutes.”

Yu Feng spoke up beside him: “I’ll head upstairs first.”

Xie An’yu turned to look at him.

Without another word, Yu Feng picked up Zhou Yi’s breakfast and went upstairs.

Xie An’yu didn’t want to embarrass a girl in public, so he followed Zhang Xiao to their table. As they walked, he could feel the girls around them secretly stared at him along the way. Ding Xiaofei trailed beside Xie An’yu, waving at his girlfriend to signal her over.

Zhang Xiao looked at Ding Xiaofei, a little annoyed. “We’re here to talk to him. What are you doing over here?”

“Who’s trying to get in on your conversation? I just want to switch seats. I know what you want to ask anyway.” Ding Xiaofei plopped down at a table two spots away from theirs. “I’m Xie An’yu’s bodyguard.”

Zhang Xiao scoffed: “Who’s protecting who here?”

Xie An’yu’s phone vibrated—a WeChat message from Yu Feng.

Yu Feng: 【I’ll see you in five minutes】

Yu Feng: 【If it’s not over by then, I’m coming out on the spot】

Xie An’yu chuckled softly at his phone, drawing curious glances from the surrounding girls.

Putting his phone down, Xie An’yu asked Zhang Xiao: “What did you want to talk about?”

Zhang Xiao nudged Liu Xiaoyun beside her, whispering: “I already swallowed my pride to get him here for you, don’t chicken out now. Ding Xiaofei told me he’s leaving in a few days. If you back out now, you’ll lose your only chance.”

Liu Xiaoyun flushed crimson, mustering her courage to ask Xie An’yu with her head lowered: “Xie An’yu, do you… have a girlfriend?”

“No.”

Liu Xiaoyun’s head snapped up: “Really…?”

Zhang Xiao couldn’t help but interrupt. “So you didn’t buy those flowers for a girl?”

Liu Xiaoyun tugged at her sleeve.

“It was for someone I like,” Xie An’yu said.

Liu Xiaoyun’s movement froze. Even Zhang Xiao’s expression stiffened. Though Xie An’yu’s voice wasn’t particularly loud, it was clear enough for everyone around them to hear.

Liu Xiaoyun pressed her lips together and nodded: “Okay, I understand.”

Zhang Xiao sighed, giving Liu Xiaoyun’s hand a comforting squeeze.

The conversation ended in less than five minutes. Ding Xiaofei, sitting nearby, hadn’t even managed a few sips of his milk tea.

As Xie An’yu headed upstairs to find Yu Feng, Ding Xiaofei followed: “That one sentence of yours packed quite a punch. Every girl downstairs just had their hearts broken simultaneously.”

“If I’d said it was for my boyfriend, the damage would’ve been even worse.”

Not to mention those girls—even Ding Xiaofei’s heart skipped a beat hearing him say ‘boyfriend’ so casually.

“You… you’re really with that guy now?”

Xie An’yu hummed in affirmation, glancing back at the ground floor. A few of the girls had already left, but a few were still stole glances his way.

Frowning slightly, Xie An’yu thought today’s situation was beyond excessive. No wonder Yu Feng had teased him about having a ‘fan club’—this really did feel like being pursued by fans.

“Did they all come because of that forum post?” Xie An’yu asked Ding Xiaofei.

“Definitely. Someone leaked where you’re staying in that thread.” Ding Xiaofei patted his shoulder. “You’re so out of the loop—you have no idea how famous you are at our school.”

Xie An’yu turned to look at him. “Your girlfriend is still sitting downstairs. Why are you following me upstairs?”

“To ask you guys to hang out. We could go to the small shopping center; bring your friends along.”

“They’re not in your age group—you wouldn’t click.”

Ding Xiaofei clicked his tongue: “You say that like you’re in the same age group as them.”

“Go spend time with your girlfriend. Why would you want a bunch of light bulbs³電燈泡 (diàn dēng pào): light bulb (figurative) third wheel (accompanying two people on a date), as if the person is the light bulb in the background; (Wu, figurative) bald head; gooseberry—unwanted third person accompanying a courting couple; (slang) unwanted third guest. intruding on your couple time? What were you thinking?”

“…Damn, no wonder she barely acknowledged me earlier.”

***

Yu Feng leaned against the doorframe of Xie An’yu’s room with his arms crossed. Hearing footsteps, he glanced over and checked his watch. “Finished early? I was just about to head downstairs and come out of the closet.”

Xie An’yu chuckled at his words and walked up to Yu Feng.

Yu Feng tilted his head back slightly, letting it rest gently against the door. “Open it.”

Xie An’yu hummed in acknowledgment, reaching past Yu Feng’s waist with his keycard to swipe the sensor lock.

After they went inside and closed the door, Yu Feng pinched Xie An’yu’s ear as he followed behind him. “You’ve got quite the fan club.”

Xie An’yu turned around and embraced him, pressing a kiss to the side of his neck. His lips lingered against Yu Feng’s skin as he inhaled his scent with closed eyes.

“Brother, I want to leave early.”

Yu Feng stroked the small of his back through his clothes and murmured, “Alright.”

List of Idiom in Chapter 61

無言以對 (wú yán yǐ duì): to be left speechless; to be unable to respond; have nothing to say in reply; words fail one; there is absolutely no reason to refute it.

生不逢時 (shēng bù féng shí): lit. to be born at the wrong time (idiom); unlucky (esp. to complain about one’s fate); to have a rough and ill-fated life; born under an unlucky star; ahead of his time; be born out of one’s time; be untimely born; not being born at the right time. In the old days, it referred to bad luck.

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• 1
  鎮樓 (zhèn lóu): lit. guarding the floor; (Internet slang) to use something popular (e.g. good-looking photos) inside one’s post to ensure it trumps all other posts in a thread. When posting online, pictures or texts are posted on the first floor (top floor) in order to attract attention, show characteristics or attract netizens. They are often based on pictures of beautiful women (goddesses) or interesting content to prevent the poster or floor from being overwhelmed by other content.
• 2
  歪個樓 (Wāi gè lóu): lit. the building is crooked. T/N: In the Internet, 歪樓 mainly refers to the shifting of comments from one topic to another in major forums. Crooked posts in online life refer to someone deliberately going off-topic in a reply on a forum and asking questions that seem to be related but unrelated to the original intention of the poster.
• 3
  電燈泡 (diàn dēng pào): light bulb (figurative) third wheel (accompanying two people on a date), as if the person is the light bulb in the background; (Wu, figurative) bald head; gooseberry—unwanted third person accompanying a courting couple; (slang) unwanted third guest.