WBAI Chapter 63

The four of them didn’t arrive in Beicheng until the afternoon the next day. The bouquet of daisies in Yu Feng’s hand had attracted quite a few glances along the way—wherever they went, people turned to look.

Following the flow of people out of the train station, Zhou Yi glanced back at Yu Feng and remarked, “Thanks to Xiao Xie’s bouquet, you’ve been quite the head-turner this whole trip.”

Xie An’yu, standing nearby, spoke honestly: “It’s because he’s good-looking…”

Tall, handsome, and holding a bouquet—it was impossible not to stand out. If it were just some average-looking person, there’s no way they’d get this much attention.

Zhou Yi laughed. “Such brutal honesty. Brother Yu’s ego is about to inflate.”

Outside the station, rows of taxis lined the square. Before getting into one, Zhou Yi said to the group, “Everyone free tonight? Come over to my place for hot pot.”

“You’re making it yourself?” Yu Feng asked.

“Of course. Don’t worry, you won’t have to lift a finger. I’ll handle everything. Who knows when we’ll get to hang out like this again after today? We’ve gotta have dinner together tonight.”

Shi Wuyang chuckled. “You make it sound like it’s a farewell dinner. It’s not like we won’t see the sun rise tomorrow.”

“Whether we see the sun tomorrow or not doesn’t affect tonight’s hot pot. You guys go home and drop off your luggage first.” Zhou Yi turned to Shi Wuyang. “You can head straight to my place. I’ll drive you home later.”

“Sure.”

“Come with me to the supermarket later,” Zhou Yi added.

Shi Wuyang grinned. “So you’re keeping me around as manual labor?”

Zhou Yi raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean, ‘manual labor’? I’m letting you pick the ingredients—pick whatever you want, and I’ll pay for it.”

***

Yu Feng and Xie An’yu took a taxi home. After setting down his luggage, Yu Feng grabbed the car keys from the entryway shelf.

“Brother, are you going out?”

“I’m going to a home goods store. Want to come with me?”

“A home goods store? What are you buying?”

“A vase.”

There wasn’t a single vase in the house, and the flowers Xie An’yu gave him had nowhere to be placed. If they weren’t put in water soon, they’d wilt before long.

***

This was Xie An’yu’s first time visiting a home goods store. Truthfully, they could’ve just bought a vase at the supermarket, but Yu Feng was particular, so he made a special trip here.

Xie An’yu glanced at the price tags on the shelves and was slightly stunned.

Most of the vases here cost well over four figures. He had no idea what they were made of to justify such outrageous prices. Still, the designs were undeniably beautiful—elegant, like works of art.

Yu Feng browsed carefully, scanning row after row of shelves without seeming particularly satisfied, his expression unreadable the entire time. He paused and turned to ask Xie An’yu, “See anything you like?”

“You choose. The flowers are yours.” Xie An’yu stepped forward and touched one of the vases. “The stuff here is so expensive. This one doesn’t even seem like it’s made of anything special.”

“Brand markup. The materials aren’t worth much—you’re paying for the name.”

“The designs are pretty, though.”

In the end, Yu Feng picked out three vases, totaling nearly five thousand yuan. Yu Feng sometimes treated money as if it were nothing, a fact evident from the way he had spent so lavishly on Student Xiao Dao in the mini-program before. Having grown up poor, Xie An’yu felt a pang of heartache at the thought of spending four or five thousand on just three vases.

“You’re buying that many?” Xie An’yu asked Yu Feng.

“They’ll come in handy later.”

“They’re so expensive.”

Yu Feng handed the selected vases to a staff member to be packaged. He chuckled and said. “I still have this little money to spare.”

Xie An’yu couldn’t help but think to himself, And this is called ‘a little money’?

They wandered over to the bedding section, where Yu Feng spotted a pillow. He picked it up and gave it a pat—it was moderately soft with an elastic texture, and the pillow core had a depression in the center designed to support the neckline. It looked like it would be comfortable to sleep on.

“You’re buying a pillow?” Xie An’yu asked.

“It’s for you,” Yu Feng replied.

Xie An’yu was taken aback. “The one I have now is fine.”

“That pillow you’re using—I’ve slept on it before. It’s too high, not comfortable.”

Xie An’yu fixated on the wrong detail. “You’ve slept on it?”

Yu Feng chuckled. “Yeah, it’s all my leftovers.”

A sales assistant approached with a smile. “Would you like to lie down and try it?”

The pillow Xie An’yu currently used was indeed a bit too high and stiff, like the kind you’d find in hotels—not great for the neck if used long-term.

“Give it a try,” Yu Feng said to Xie An’yu. “There’s a bed over there.”

Xie An’yu couldn’t bring himself to lie down on a bed in public just to test a pillow, so he said to Yu Feng, “If you think it’s good, just buy it—” He paused. “How much is this pillow?”

The sales assistant smiled. “After discount, 1,888¹T/N: Around 265 USD.”

Xie An’yu inhaled softly.

“Please pack a brand-new one for me,” Yu Feng said, handing the pillow to the assistant.

“Of course, please wait a moment.”

Xie An’yu’s dismay was written all over his face. Yu Feng pinched his cheek when no one was looking, amused. “Is it really that bad?”

Xie An’yu didn’t know what to say. He looked at Yu Feng and felt a little like laughing a little. “Brother, you really are terrible with money.”

“Exactly. The cost of taking care of me in my old age isn’t cheap,” Yu Feng joked, finally bringing it up again. “You might earn a little money, only for me to spend it all in the blink of an eye.”

Xie An’yu glanced at him. “Then I won’t take care of you in your old age.”

“Oh, you’re going back on your word?” Yu Feng continued to tease him.

Of course he didn’t really mean to go back on his word.

It’s just that the idea of ‘taking care of his boyfriend in old age’ was laughable in hindsight. Recalling what he’d said earlier, Xie An’yu found it a little funny.

Xie An’yu lowered his gaze, silent for a moment, then looked up at him. “I’m not going to take care of you in your old age—I’ll grow old with you.”

Xie An’yu wasn’t one for many words, but he rarely spoke nonsense. He was a person who made a big impact when he finally did speak. He didn’t beat around the bush—when he went for it, he went all in. If he had met someone he liked earlier, once he realized his feelings, he probably would’ve acted decisively.

He definitely would have.

Yu Feng’s brief silence made Xie An’yu belatedly self-conscious. He lowered his eyes to the ground, the tips of his ears turning slightly red.

Perhaps this was just how boys his age expressed their feelings—with such sincere passion and frankness.

“I should’ve recorded that with my phone,” Yu Feng said.

Xie An’yu looked up at him.

“Never mind,” Yu Feng said with a faint smile. “Recording it in my heart is just as good.”

Aaahhh… The song’s playing in my mind now: I Wanna Grow Old With You – Westlife.

List of Idiom in Chapter 63

一擲千金 (yī zhì qiān jīn): lit. stake a thousand pieces of gold on one throw (idiom); to throw away money recklessly; to spend money like water; to be extravagant; spend money lavishly; throw away money like dirt; squander a fortune; spend extravagantly; throw money around; waste money recklessly; spending money without a care in the world; spending a large sum of money at a time.

白頭到老 (bái tóu dào lǎo): (to live together until the) white hairs of old age (idiom); to live to a ripe old age in conjugal bliss; until death do us part; (of husband and wife) live together for an entire lifetime; synonym of 白頭偕老 (bái tóu xié lǎo), to live together till old age; to live to a ripe old age in conjugal bliss (until death do us part); to remain happily married to a ripe old age.

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  T/N: Around 265 USD