PTCQT Chapter 22

When coming out to his friends, Xie Baiyuan had only been a little nervous, but the thought of facing Shen Chun’s parents made him feel as though he couldn’t breathe, the pressure almost suffocating.

Although Shen Chun had already told him he’d come out to his family, liking men didn’t necessarily mean they would approve of him. And love that faced parental opposition sometimes didn’t last.

“President, relax.” Shen Chun wrapped his arms around his waist from behind. “When I came out before, I already showed them your photo. My mom really likes you, she definitely won’t object. My dad used to be a little rigid in his thinking, but he’s not unreasonable. Our family doesn’t care about status or background. My parents just want me to be with someone serious, not fool around all the time. So, don’t be nervous.”

His voice was incredibly gentle, and it eased Xie Baiyuan’s tense nerves. “I’m older than you, this should’ve been my responsibility to take on. It couldn’t have been easy convincing your parents, right?”

“It wasn’t that hard,” Shen Chun replied with a smile. “And if it had been, I would’ve just played the pity card. My mom’s got my back anyway.”

Xie Baiyuan couldn’t help but let a smile creep into his eyes. This man was a master at acting spoiled and shameless when he wanted to, he could picture the whole scene. Even so, he still felt deeply grateful. “Thank you.”

All of this was for him.

“So what? Whatever other couples have, my partner should have too. And even if other couples don’t have it, mine still should.” Shen Chun said it casually, as if it were nothing, but it filled Xie Baiyuan’s heart with a gentle warmth.

His partner was truly, wholeheartedly in love with him.

Xie Baiyuan’s expression wasn’t as cold as it was with others. Being able to melt that layer of ice, it was something incredibly beautiful and deeply fulfilling.

A person’s most passionate love is usually their first, when they give everything without holding back. Xie Baiyuan was willing to give his all, so naturally, Shen Chun wanted to put his heart at ease. The man in his arms had a life so fleeting, and all Shen Chun could offer was his own, so giving him everything that should rightfully belong to a lover, and seeing him happy because of it, why wouldn’t he?

“Is this really your first relationship?” Xie Baiyuan asked, glancing sideways at him.

How was it that Shen Chun could always say things that struck straight to the heart, and not only say them so easily, but follow through so perfectly, too?

“Really.” Shen Chun smiled and kissed his cheek. “But speaking of which, when will I get to meet your family?”

Xie Baiyuan’s lips pressed into a thin line, his smile fading slightly. Since starting university, he had only gone back home during Qingming Festival and on his grandparents’ death anniversaries. The rest of the time, he stayed in this city.

His parents were alive, but their relationship with him was distant. They never involved themselves in his decisions, nor did he need them to. Not having a healthy, loving family was something that made him feel inferior when facing Shen Chun. In fact, he didn’t really consider himself as having “parents” in the traditional sense, and he didn’t want Shen Chun to meet them at all.

His situation had spread around campus, some people pitied him, others called him cold-hearted. He didn’t care. After all, no one gets to choose the family they’re born into or the kind of home they grow up in. So he paid no mind to how others saw him. But he did care how Shen Chun and Shen Chun’s parents saw him.

“If you’d like,” Xie Baiyuan said, “I can take you to see my grandparents.”

To visit their graves, to tell them that he had found someone he loved, and that person loved him back. It was a vision of the future he used to dream about.

“Alright,” Shen Chun said with a smile. “Then I’d better dress properly.”

He didn’t ask why Xie Baiyuan wasn’t taking him to see his parents. Even if Xie Baiyuan acted indifferent, past wounds were like holes left behind by nails, driven in, pulled out, but never leaving the surface unscarred. No matter how much someone pretends nothing happened, they can’t return to being completely unharmed. Naturally, Shen Chun had no intention of poking at those wounds.

“Whatever you wear will be fine,” Xie Baiyuan replied gently, especially when he spoke of his grandmother. “She used to love pretty children.”

“So that means the president’s love of good looks is inherited, it’s not your fault,” Shen Chun murmured near his ear. “I’ve wronged you.”

“I…” Xie Baiyuan’s words caught in his throat, the tips of his ears flushing red. But he couldn’t come up with a single rebuttal.

He did judge by appearances at first, but the way his feelings for this person kept deepening had long since moved beyond just looks. Somewhere along the way, without even realizing it, he had sunk in too deep to climb back out.

This person had taken root in his heart, and to cut him out now would be no different from cutting flesh from bone.

Shen Chun had more exams than most, and his schedule ended later. With winter break approaching, students were practically dragging their suitcases off campus the moment their tests ended. The biting cold wind couldn’t dampen the laughter and excitement.

The bell rang, and the tense atmosphere in Shen Chun’s exam room instantly relaxed. As the papers were handed in, a sudden wave of cheers broke out.

“We’re finally done!!!”

“What time’s your train this afternoon?”

“Let’s go together…”

“Bro, let’s check our answers,” Wang Zhuo said as he packed up his things, walking beside Shen Chun. “I feel like I totally bombed this one!”

“If we go over them now, I’m afraid you won’t enjoy your New Year,” Shen Chun said, looking at him. “Still want to check?”

“Nope,” Wang Zhuo coughed. “Not anymore.”

The group walked out laughing and chatting. When Shen Chun saw Xie Baiyuan waiting at the door, clearly having stood there for a while, he called out, “President? What a coincidence. Looking for someone?”

“Yeah, I need to talk to you,” Xie Baiyuan said seriously.

Their exchange was perfectly natural, prompting Wang Zhuo to say right away, “Alright then, you handle your business with the president. We’ll head out first.”

“Alright,” Shen Chun replied.

Most of the students had already left, and the hallway was nearly empty. Dropping the polite tone he’d used earlier, Shen Chun lowered his voice and asked, “What’s the urgent matter, President? How long have you been waiting?”

“Not long,” Xie Baiyuan said, standing in front of him. “Let’s go.”

“Okay,” Shen Chun nodded.

“Put your coat on properly,” Xie Baiyuan added, glancing at the jacket in Shen Chun’s hands.

“It’s warm right now, I’ll put it on when we get to the entrance,” Shen Chun said.

“It’ll be cold by then,” Xie Baiyuan replied, stopping in his tracks. He took the coat from Shen Chun’s arm, unfolded it, and said, “Arms out.”

“The president is so thoughtful,” Shen Chun chuckled and obediently slipped his arms into the sleeves.

As he shifted the bag from one hand to the other, Xie Baiyuan took a quick glance around, then reached up to fasten the buttons one by one, all the way to the top. Finally, he wrapped the scarf snugly around Shen Chun’s neck, “All set.”

“Thanks, President,” Shen Chun said with a smile.

“Let’s go,” Xie Baiyuan replied, giving his arm a light pat.

The two rarely showed affection in public. To others, they just seemed close, nothing more. Helping button up a coat wasn’t anything unusual, and even if someone saw, it wouldn’t matter.

But that simple scene gave Xu Ze pause. He hadn’t turned in his paper late, he just didn’t feel like squeezing out with the crowd, so he’d stayed back for a bit. He hadn’t expected to see that.

The two boys, both tall, handsome, and striking, stood side by side. Even in the dim hallway, they looked like a scene from a painting. They weren’t doing anything particularly intimate, yet Xu Ze couldn’t help but feel that there was a certain atmosphere between them, one that no one else could step into. It made him hesitate, even to say hello.

Were they really just ordinary friends?

With winter break arriving, most students had already left, but some, due to special circumstances, had applied to stay on campus. Xie Baiyuan was one of them. He hadn’t found a new place yet and couldn’t move out, and he also had to come back to school from time to time. Shen Chun, on the other hand, didn’t need to stay. He barely had anything to pack, he could leave right after his exam.

Xie Baiyuan had originally planned to see Shen Chun off at the school gate. But midway, Shen Chun took a phone call, and ended up walking with him toward the dormitory instead.

“The driver’s waiting downstairs at the dorm,” Shen Chun said after hanging up.

Winter break wasn’t as strict as usual; once registered, vehicles were allowed on campus. And the dorms were indeed closer to the exam building.

Xie Baiyuan didn’t suspect anything, until they reached the dormitory building and he came to a halt at the sight of the car parked out front: an impossibly vivid, striking red.

The person inside seemed to have spotted them too. The driver’s side door opened, and a tall, graceful figure stepped out. She removed her sunglasses with a smooth motion that, paired with her stunning appearance, was impossible to ignore.

What stood out most, she looked incredibly young.

Before Xie Baiyuan could react, the woman had already walked up and pulled Shen Chun into an enthusiastic hug.

“My son is so handsome!” she exclaimed warmly.

As those words left her mouth, Xie Baiyuan’s nerves eased for just a moment, only to tighten again even more. In his mind, meeting Shen Chun’s parents was something to be done formally: a proper visit, with carefully chosen gifts to show sincerity. But now… it was happening like this. Thankfully, he had always been composed and didn’t do anything impulsive.

“Thanks, Mom. You look especially pretty today,” Shen Chun said with a smile.

“Well, I had to dress up, I’m meeting someone,” his mother replied with a light laugh. Then, turning to Xie Baiyuan, her eyes lit up. “You must be the president. Shen Chun talks about you all the time.”

“Hello, Auntie. Just call me Xiao Xie,” Xie Baiyuan said, taking a deep breath. He composed himself with the seriousness he usually reserved for national competitions.

“Don’t be so nervous,” Shen Chun’s mother said, smiling. “Shen Chun didn’t want me to come today, but I was too eager to meet my daughter-in-law, ahem, I mean, I just had to come.” She looked at Xie Baiyuan with clear admiration. “Such a handsome young man.”

“…Thank you, Auntie,” Xie Baiyuan replied, feeling like even his usual composure was on the verge of collapse. “You’re very beautiful yourself.”

“A good-looking boy with such a sweet mouth,” Shen Chun’s mother said with growing delight. “My son really has good taste.”

Thanks to Shen Chun’s constant praise of Xie Baiyuan in daily life, his mother was clearly, and thoroughly, brainwashed.

After a round of pleasantries, Shen Chun’s mother got back into the car but didn’t forget to remind him, “Remember to come to our place for the New Year holiday!”

“Of course. I definitely will,” Xie Baiyuan replied. He could feel her warmth, genuine and unfeigned, the kind that was… truly hard to turn down.

As the car window closed, Xie Baiyuan let out a quiet breath of relief, then shot a glance at Shen Chun.

Shen Chun chuckled softly. “Love for good looks? I inherited those too.”

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