Chapter 51
Jiang Chaochao rejected Xiang Ye’s invitation to shower together.
Firstly, he wasn’t ready for that level of intimacy, he was still shy. Secondly, he wanted to lie down for a bit longer.
It was a bit too intense, in every aspect.
Xiang Ye initially lay down with him, but he was clearly very sleepy. After Jiang Chaochao recovered a bit, he urged him to shower and go to sleep.
Xiang Ye was indeed very sleepy. After showering, although he continued hugging Jiang Chaochao, he fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes.
He slept soundly, leaving Jiang Chaochao wide awake, especially after having showered.
Since he couldn’t sleep anyway, Jiang Chaochao snuggled closer to Xiang Ye.
He smelled so good.
Damn, so blissful.
Jiang Chaochao closed his eyes and nestled in Xiang Ye’s arms, but after five minutes, he still couldn’t sleep, his mind wandering.
He turned over and reached for his phone on the nightstand.
Many new messages.
First, private messages from Shici, several in a row.
Shici: “Xuechang!”
Shici: “Laoshi!”
Shici: “Danger! Danger! Danger!”
Shici: “Your cover’s blown!”
Shici: “Laoshi, are you there? Laoshi, laoshi.”
Shici: “My uncle isn’t replying to my messages, come to the group chat ASAP!”
Then from Xiuxiu, who was much calmer.
Xiuxiu: “Teacher Bianbian, your cover seems to be blown.”
Xiuxiu: “The group is discussing it now.”
Xiuxiu: “Come take a look when you’re free, Teacher Bianbian.”
Xiuxiu: “(If it’s really you, Teacher Bianbian, you’re so handsome, aaaaaa)”
Jiang Chaochao replied to both of them with an “I’m coming,” then went to the group chat.
There were already 99+ messages. Jiang Chaochao had read some earlier, so he scrolled to the top and continued reading.
To recap, there were four groups of people in the group chat: those who knew everything, those who knew something, those who knew half of it, and those who knew nothing.
Since everyone knew Jiang Chaochao’s Weibo account, their guessing game couldn’t last long. Soon they found Xiang Ye in Jiang Chaochao’s latest following list.
Almost all the online group members went to check it out, and all discovered that their IP addresses were the same yesterday, and also the same today.
Both in Dali, both posting pictures of the same scenery from the same angle, and they also discovered that Xiang Ye’s latest Weibo posts were almost all about another handsome guy.
Some of the group members were still following Coke Bottle’s lead, only suspecting that this might be Teacher Bianbian, while others directly took Coke Bottle’s suspicion as a conclusion, directly treating the handsome guy on Weibo as Jiang Chaochao, and started showering him with compliments.
Group member: “What, what, what? Is this Teacher Bianbian?? This handsome guy is Teacher Bianbian?”
Group member: “Damn, I’m so excited, I knew Teacher Bianbian must be a super handsome guy.”
Group member: “I thought Teacher Bianbian was handsome, but I didn’t expect him to be this handsome!”
Group member: “As expected of our Teacher Bianbian! Teacher Bianbian aaaaaa!”
Group member: “I’m so excited! Who understands, aaaaaa, my favorite artist is actually a super handsome guy!”
Group member: “Teacher Bianbian, you’re so handsome, you, you, you, hiding so deep!”
Group member: “Teacher Bianbian, you kept us in the dark for so long!”
Group member: “Teacher Bianbian, get ready to debut!”
Group member: “The circle is too small, I feel powerless not knowing who to share this with, aaaaa, Teacher Bianbian is so handsome, so handsome.”
…
Several pages in a row, besides “aaaaaa,” the compliments were almost all different.
As this wave gradually subsided, a group member suddenly asked: “So, this Hefeng, is he the handsome guy Teacher Bianbian was talking about?”
Group member: “Definitely!”
Group member: “Definitely, Teacher Bianbian is so handsome himself, how could an ordinary handsome guy catch his eye?”
Group member: “I just came back from the handsome guy’s friend’s Weibo, the handsome guy is indeed handsome. Teacher Bianbian has good taste.”
Group member: “So that means, Teacher Bianbian and the handsome guy are together?”
Group member: “No way, no way!”
Group member: “Damn, I’m so excited, so much information today.”
Group member: “Usually this group chat is only this lively when Teacher Bianbian posts a new drawing.”
Group member: “Then I have another question, since the handsome guy and Teacher Bianbian are following each other, doesn’t the handsome guy also know that Teacher Bianbian is…?”
Group member: “Holy shit, holy shit, you’re right!”
Group member: “Holy shit, holy shit, could the handsome guy have already seen Teacher Bianbian’s drawings?!”
Group member: “Holy shit, holy shit, so exciting.”
Group member: “Uh, oh no, I just had some dirty thoughts.”
Group member: “Oh no, don’t say it, I’m also having dirty thoughts now.”
Group member: “Damn, I hate that I understood immediately.”
Group member: “What’s going on? How do I also know what you guys are talking about?”
Group member: “Ahh I’m not pure anymore!”
Group member: “Don’t, don’t, that’s our beloved Teacher Bianbian!”
…
Jiang Chaochao had naturally anticipated what these people would say. Ever since Coke Bottle slightly revealed his identity at noon, he had already been prepared.
Same as always, what decent people could there be, nurtured by his explicit drawings?
However, they still loved Teacher Bianbian, and they were also afraid of him, because look, they had been discussing this topic for so long, and no one dared to tag him.
This teasing didn’t last long, and the group members went to look for more clues.
Unfortunately, there were very few pictures of Jiang Chaochao on Weibo. Besides this time, it was just those pictures Fu Jing posted last time.
Jiang Chaochao thought for a moment and then appeared in the group chat.
Bianbian: “Good afternoon, everyone.”
The group chat, which had gradually quieted down, became lively again, everyone saying “Good afternoon, Teacher Bianbian!”, “Teacher Bianbian, you’re here!”, “Teacher Bianbian…”
No one asked about the pictures on Weibo, as if the earlier heated discussion never happened.
So Bianbian said: “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving.”
Group member: “Ahhh Don’t go.”
Group member: “There’s something, laoshi, don’t go.”
Group member: “Don’t go, laoshi, we have something to ask.”
Group member: “Just ask already!”
Finally, Coke Bottle, who started it all, took on this important task.
Coke Bottle: “Um, that is, sorry to bother you, laoshi, we just want to know, is the handsome guy you recently followed the one you fell for at first sight?”
Silence filled the group chat.
Bianbian first sent: “Well…”
Then: “Yes.”
The group chat exploded with “Ahhh” again. With Coke Bottle’s first question and Teacher Bianbian’s answer, everyone suddenly became bolder.
Group member: “Teacher Bianbian, the handsome guy’s new photos today, is that you?”
Bianbian: “Yes.”
The group chat exploded again. Jiang Chaochao smiled, perhaps the movement of his body disturbed Xiang Ye, who stirred.
Jiang Chaochao immediately stopped smiling and carefully observed Xiang Ye. He only moved his head slightly, then hugged Jiang Chaochao tighter.
Jiang Chaochao returned to the group chat. They were excitedly discussing again, and Jiang Chaochao felt it was a bit strange that everyone was calling Xiang Ye “that handsome guy.”
Since that was the case…
Bianbian: “Let’s give the handsome guy a codename.”
A group of children: “Okay, okay.”
Jiang Chaochao felt like, might as well say it all.
Bianbian: “Actually, you’ve already called him that.”
Bianbian: “You can continue following Shici and call him ‘Uncle.’”
For the next half a minute, the screen was filled with: “???”
Let your CPUs burn.
For some reason, Jiang Chaochao felt a sense of satisfaction seeing everyone’s reaction.
And at this moment, she wasn’t the only one feeling satisfied. A thousand kilometers away, Shici was kicking her legs excitedly in bed.
After lurking for so long, she finally dared to appear, “Yes, my xuechang is my laoshi who later became my aunt (uncle’s wife).”
The almost-disappearing question marks, because of Shici’s sentence, returned with a vengeance: “???”
This time, it lasted for two minutes.
They didn’t dare to question Teacher Bianbian, but they dared to question Shici?!
After the question marks, Shici was frantically tagged. Almost everyone, every sentence, tagged her.
“What do you mean, when did you find out?”
“You knew about this and didn’t tell us?”
“No wonder you disappeared for so long and didn’t reply no matter how much we called you.”
“Confess everything, honesty is the best policy!”
“Too much, too much! Are we still friends?!”
…
“Mm…” Xiang Ye stirred again.
Jiang Chaochao immediately put away his phone and saw Xiang Ye opening his eyes blearily, “What time is it?”
Jiang Chaochao said: “Six o’clock.”
Xiang Ye gave an “mm-hmm”: “Hungry?”
Jiang Chaochao: “No.”
Xiang Ye gave another “mm-hmm.”
Jiang Chaochao didn’t have time to look at his phone anymore, because Xiang Ye hugged him again.
Hugs while sleeping and hugs after waking up were different. Jiang Chaochao, now awake, could feel Xiang Ye’s soft embrace.
Also very warm.
This person must have slept well. As he hugged him, his hands started wandering.
Then Jiang Chaochao’s clothes were taken off again, his phone also thrown aside.
Xiang Ye said, “I’m hungry.”
…
It was already eight o’clock in the evening when they finally left the apartment. This time, Jiang Chaochao was truly hungry.
It should be mentioned that they were having hot pot at the restaurant recommended by Coke Bottle.
Speaking of Coke Bottle, Jiang Chaochao naturally checked the group chat.
He saw that Shici was being repeatedly questioned, asking when she found out, why she didn’t tell them, if she had deliberately avoided the group chat these past few days…
“Your niece is being interrogated,” Jiang Chaochao said to Xiang Ye in the car.
Xiang Ye: “What’s wrong?”
Jiang Chaochao then told Xiang Ye everything that happened in the group chat today.
Jiang Chaochao: “The sentence Shici’s been saying the most in the group chat now is, ‘Stop scolding me, stop scolding me.’”
Xiang Ye: “Just that?”
Jiang Chaochao understood what he meant, “What else do you want to hear?”
Xiang Ye chuckled first, “Didn’t anyone say we look good together?”
Jiang Chaochao: “You’re really saying anything and everything now.”
Xiang Ye even said smugly, “This is nothing.”
Jiang Chaochao: “They did, they did, they praised my good taste, praised your handsomeness, satisfied?”
Xiang Ye pinched Jiang Chaochao’s cheek.
Scrolling further down, Shici had sent a red envelope in the group chat, finally putting an end to the war.
Of course, they couldn’t let Shici take the brunt of it. Jiang Chaochao also clicked on the red envelope and sent five more.
Bianbian: “Thank you, everyone.”
After dinner, it was still early. Xiang Ye asked Jiang Chaochao, “Want to go to a bar?”
Even though he was mentally prepared for this trip to be casual, Jiang Chaochao still felt it was a bit sudden: “A bar?” But he didn’t hesitate for long, “Sure.”
Jiang Chaochao had figured it out. His role in this trip, in terms of sightseeing, was to answer “yes” or “no” to Xiang Ye’s suggestions.
And usually, as long as Xiang Ye suggested it, he would agree.
So, ten minutes after dinner, they were at a bar.
This bar was located in an alley, half outdoors, half indoors. Arriving at the VIP area on the second floor, Jiang Chaochao realized he had seen this place online before, but those pictures were all taken from the alley.
The event had already started. After the DJ’s set, the host came on stage.
Xiang Ye ordered two drinks, and they sat back comfortably.
The host was very humorous and witty, making the audience laugh within five minutes. Next was the interactive segment, where the host randomly chose three couples to answer questions, and if they answered correctly, they would get a prize.
Naturally, they weren’t chosen, but because of this segment, the atmosphere shifted from the quiet hot pot restaurant to the lively bar, and Jiang Chaochao’s body also started to sway to the music.
Just then, Jiang Chaochao’s phone vibrated. He took it out and saw that it was a call from his mother.
Jiang Chaochao gave Xiang Ye a look and went inside to find a quiet place to answer.
But it was still quite noisy, so as soon as she answered, his mother asked, “Where are you?”
Jiang Chaochao said: “Out having fun.”
Mom: “I’m going to A City tomorrow, are you free? Let’s have dinner.”
Jiang Chaochao gave an “oh”: “I’m in Yunnan.”
“In Yunnan for vacation?” His mother asked, “When are you coming back?”
Jiang Chaochao: “Haven’t decided yet.”
Usually, their calls would end here, but his mother seemed to be thinking about something.
Jiang Chaochao was curious, “Anything else?”
Mom thought for a moment, “I don’t know if it counts as something.”
Jiang Chaochao rarely heard his mother say that: “What’s wrong?”
Mom sighed: “Are you seeing anyone?”
Jiang Chaochao hesitated: “Why?”
His mother was silent for a few seconds: “I have a friend’s daughter, very outstanding, also an art student…”
“No need,” Jiang Chaochao interrupted his mother.
Mom: “Okay.”
Jiang Chaochao: “Mm-hmm.”
Mom: “Then that’s all, have fun.”
Jiang Chaochao: “Okay.”
Mom: “Let me know when you’re back, I’ll be in A City for a while this time.”
Jiang Chaochao gave an “mm-hmm,” and they hung up.
After he returned, Xiang Ye seemed to notice something was wrong with his expression, “What’s wrong?”
Jiang Chaochao thought for a moment and said, “My mom suddenly tried to set me up.”
