Chapter 83: March in Spring (Part 1/2)
Min Zhi returned home, still calling Xi Leng “baby” to his face, a perfect example of “if I’m not embarrassed, then the embarrassed one is you.”
And this “you” was Xi Leng.
He couldn’t argue with Min Zhi, so he resorted to his usual tactic, silence, becoming instantly deaf whenever the nauseating “baby” was uttered.
Min Zhi naturally wasn’t happy, arguing with him, “You chose ‘baby’ yourself, going back on your word now? How can you be like this?”
Xi Leng let out a soft “ah,” his face unchanged, “I didn’t hear you.”
Min Zhi: “Heh, really?”
“…” Xi Leng was silent for a moment, then said honestly, “It’s too cheesy, I can’t quite accept it, it’s okay when you type it occasionally.”
“Not used to it? It’s fine, I’ll call you that until you get used to it, this is much easier than overcoming PTSD.” Min Zhi became excited again, his twisted logic continuing, even claiming to be making a huge sacrifice, “If you can’t adapt, I’m the one who suffers, besides, who told you to have a name that’s so difficult to come up with nicknames for? Look at your didi, fans call him Xingxing, Yi Yi, and I can only call you Leng Leng. Cold and distant, bleak and miserable, it’s supposed to be a nickname, but it makes us seem like strangers.”
So someone with a two-character name was now discriminating against other two-character names.
Xi Leng couldn’t help but laugh, saying helplessly: “Fine.”
Min Zhi was satisfied: “Mm-hmm, good boy.”
“…”
The reason he couldn’t adapt was definitely because this person wouldn’t just call him “baby.”
Learning a nickname from others and taking it to the extreme, was that it?
They seemed to be getting along well, but Min Zhi was still troubled.
He was a man of action, doing whatever he thought of, but now he was experiencing the strongest urge of his life, yet forced to suppress it because Xi Leng wasn’t cooperating.
He had said it many times already, he wanted to marry Xi Leng, he always meant what he said.
Although Qiao Yusen’s suggestion wasn’t very helpful, Xi Leng was indeed the type who responded better to kindness. The little artist’s romantic side was also evident, like going to the beach alone in the middle of the night, drinking and waiting for the sunrise.
Sometimes, it was hard to tell the difference between a romantic and a wild animal.
Romantic, unique…
Min Zhi had been thinking about this these past few days.
Then he went to a tattoo parlor.
The “keep silent” on his finger was relatively simple, easy enough to tattoo himself with his right hand, just like the piercing on his earlobe, it was his own handiwork.
But today—
The tattoo artist was covered in tattoos, a pattern of black and blue spreading from his collar to his ear, his face, however, looking quite young, he wasn’t fazed by the celebrity, saying with a smile, “What do you want to get? Need any recommendations?”
Min Zhi said: “I want to get a French phrase tattooed.”
He then took out his phone, thought for a moment, and typed out the French phrase he had seen on Xi Leng’s shirt, showing it to the tattoo artist, “Make sure it’s accurate, don’t make any mistakes.”
Then he gestured at his neck, the area below his Adam’s apple, a length of about five or six centimeters, “Here, dark red, the letters close together, preferably make it look…”
“Like a scar.”
The rumors about Min Zhi’s relationship had already spread like wildfire, and the tattoo artist instantly understood, smiling knowingly, “Something to do with your boyfriend?”
A celebrity’s love life presented right before him, not taking advantage of it would be un-Chinese.
Min Zhi, appearing slightly aloof, simply hummed in agreement.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t pry any further.
The tattoo artist scratched his head, looking at the French phrase on his phone, asking curiously, “Hey, by the way, what does this mean?”
Le sort je ne m’y soumets pas
He didn’t even know how to pronounce it, confirming each letter.
Fate cannot make me submit.
Min Zhi had already memorized the meaning of this French phrase.
He looked up, however, and said to the tattoo artist, “Fate cannot make him submit.”
Min Zhi emerged from the tattoo parlor, the skin around the dark red tattoo still slightly red and swollen. He impatiently took out his phone, took a selfie, and posted it on Weibo.
@MinZhiV: Couple tattoo [Picture]
Fans were no longer surprised but weren’t as unfazed as his manager.
【?????????】
【Ge, this really isn’t a dating app…】
【Couple tattoo?? Does that mean his boyfriend also has the same tattoo??】
【Holy shit? Are these netizens even trying? They still can’t figure it out?】
【What does it even say? It’s all bunched together, I can’t see clearly. Looks more like a scar than a tattoo】
【Urgent, urgent, urgent, does anyone have a similar couple tattoo???】
【Getting it tattooed on the neck is a bit too obvious, right? This is practically an official announcement…】
“Air Conditioner CP” fans naturally wouldn’t miss this obvious hint.
Xi Leng didn’t wear a scarf during the filming of “Unlimited Escape Room,” explaining the concealer patch on his neck as “seasonal allergies,” and when autumn and winter arrived, him wearing turtlenecks and scarves was normal.
However, netizens were sharp-eyed, no hidden clues could escape their notice.
Almost every day, someone would curiously ask him why he always wore turtlenecks, whether he had some chronic illness, if his throat was sensitive to the cold, etc. These were also out of concern for him.
And also thanks to Min Zhi, the self-loathing he felt because of the scar had gradually dissipated.
Min Zhi suddenly getting a “couple tattoo” so publicly, the CP fans’ speculations and discussions intensified, some saying that perhaps Xi Leng also had a tattoo on his neck, then refuted because he was wearing a scarf in the official photos, he and Min Zhi probably weren’t close then.
Almost no one guessed that it was a scar. A wound or scar on the throat was probably beyond their imagination.
Min Zhi, with his brand-new tattoo, returned home and immediately showed it off to Xi Leng, tilting his head.
The swelling hadn’t completely subsided yet. Xi Leng reached out and touched the reddish area, saying softly, “It must have hurt a lot, getting it tattooed here.”
Min Zhi naturally wasn’t fazed: “Not as much as you.”
Xi Leng was exasperated by him.
“Don’t worry,” Min Zhi said again, “They won’t guess about the scar on your neck. Even if they do, no one will believe it.”
His seriousness only lasted for two seconds, “If you get another tattoo somewhere else, a real couple tattoo, believe it or not, no one will care about your neck anymore, you can wear all the pretty little scarves you want.”
Shamelessly pushing his own agenda.
Xi Leng couldn’t help but smile, but as always, he didn’t indulge this shameless person, “I don’t want a tattoo.”
Min Zhi: “Fine.”
“But…” Xi Leng suddenly changed the subject, “I want to get my ears pierced, you do it for me.”
Seeing Min Zhi freeze, not responding, Xi Leng urged him, “Didn’t you keep suggesting it? Saying it would suit me?”
“Mm-hmm.” Min Zhi smiled. “Couple piercings, that’s not bad either.”
Min Zhi had a work trip the day after tomorrow, he would be away for two days, They had been living together in the apartment with the studio, to take care of Ban Li, who had trouble adapting to new environments, and also for Xi Leng’s convenience in painting.
—But the two apartments were only a few steps away, it was hard to say how inconvenient it was to live separately.
But Min Zhi had practically moved all his belongings over.
Xi Leng couldn’t unpack everything in a short time, and also worried about being seen by netizens, so he went to Rong Xingyi’s room downstairs. It had been empty for a while, clean and spacious,
He sat down, holding Ban Li, opening his laptop and struggling with the unfamiliar live stream function, After finally managing to turn it on, he didn’t know how to notify his fans,
But within a minute,
a group of fans who were closely following his every move rushed in, filling the screen with exclamation points, then spreading the news, tens of thousands of fans pouring in, the live stream lagging for a few seconds.
The number of online viewers kept increasing, jumping by tens and hundreds.
Even Xi Leng, who had prepared himself, couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. This was his first live stream.
Thankfully, he had Ban Li.
After their initial excitement, the fans in the live stream asked about the new piercing on his right ear, and the familiar silver hoop earring.
【!!!!! Is the earring Min-ge’s? It is, isn’t it!?】
【Leng Leng, why did you get a piercing? If it has nothing to do with Min-ge, I refuse to believe it】
Xi Leng thought, it was this person who pierced it for him.
【I knew it!! The hair tie Min-shen always wears belongs to you, right?!】
【Even sharing earrings? You two…】
【I knew there was a reason why Leng Leng suddenly started a live stream, shoving this dog food down our throats】
【Delicious, I’ll take more】
Seeing the comments spiraling out of control,
“The earring isn’t his, probably just the same style.” Xi Leng replied honestly in a slightly uncertain tone, to avoid further misunderstandings.
【Aaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!】
【You even know it’s the same style? Yo, yo, yo~】
【We’ve seen the couple earrings, are couple tattoos next?】
【I suspect Leng Bao’s tattoo is somewhere hidden, that’s why Min-shen was showing off so brazenly】
Xi Leng: “…”
Unfortunately, he was very inexperienced in dealing with netizens, not realizing that some questions shouldn’t be answered, once he responded, there was no end to it.
The comment section was flooded with Min Zhi’s name, so he, following the usual procedure, introduced Ban Li in his arms, who wasn’t very cooperative.
“This is my cat, Ban Li. A calico I found, a girl, almost a year old…” The colorful, rapidly refreshing comments made his eyes spin, and he continued, petting the cat, “She was… placed outside our door by a neighbor, and Xiao Yi found her. But I’m the one taking care of her, so she’s closer to me…”
He noticed a comment as he was speaking.
Why was it still related to Min Zhi?
【Min-ge: You ungrateful cat! Let go of that man! Let me have him!!】
Xi Leng smiled.
He was momentarily distracted, and Ban Li, taking the opportunity, squirmed free, the black, yellow, and white blur escaping from his arms, uncooperative as always.
Then Xi Leng also left the frame, returning after some effort, covered in cat fur.
The comment section was filled with schadenfreude, hahahahahaha.
Xi Leng facepalmed helplessly. Ban Li’s personality was truly strange and aloof, not only avoiding strangers but also inexplicably resistant to phones and cameras.
Thankfully, it had nothing to do with Ban Li from now on, and there were things he needed to face alone.
He deliberately didn’t wear a turtleneck today, wearing a scarf instead.
The fans’ attention was relentless, many asking why he was wearing a scarf even at home.
Unexpectedly, Xi Leng actually answered this question, saying directly: “Because I have a scar on my neck.”
And at this moment, in the studio, Zhu Minglang rushed towards Min Zhi with his phone, exclaiming, “Boss!!!”
He specifically chose a day when Min Zhi wasn’t home, worried that Min Zhi would try to stop him.
Revealing his past wounds and making them public was completely unnecessary, those who truly cared about him would feel sorry for him, those who didn’t would only accuse him of playing the victim card, and he would be hurt again in the process.
He naturally understood this very well, otherwise he wouldn’t have hidden it for so long, and wouldn’t have reacted so strongly when Min Zhi discovered it.
But Min Zhi liked it, Min Zhi liked everything about him, cherishing that ugly scar, caressing it, kissing it.
Xi Leng removed his scarf, a faint smile on his face as he looked up at his image on the screen, muttering to himself, “Hmm, it doesn’t seem that ugly?”
【So it was a scar on his neck?】
【Aaaaah, of course it’s not ugly!!】
【Baby, you’re the most beautiful!!!】
【Sob, sob, sob, my heart aches for baby…】
【Such a large scar on his neck? So terrifying… I’m still scared…】
【Was it that bastard ***? Is he even human??】
【That’s attempted murder…】
【Hugs for Xiao Leng baby】
【Baby, you’re the most beautiful! And the strongest! We’ll always love and support you!!!】
Xi Leng was stunned for a while.
The fans’ reactions were unexpected, genuine sympathy and care.
The past was in the past, there was no need to make those who cared about him worry, he smiled slightly and said lightly, “It’s fine now, I just started this live stream to tell you guys. The seasonal allergies thing was an excuse.”
This insignificant excuse, his fans naturally didn’t mind, showering him with compliments, making him feel like he didn’t even know himself.
And the absent Min Zhi, his presence still impossible to ignore.
【So, it was a scar on Leng Leng’s neck, nothing to do with Min-shen’s couple tattoo?】
【Aaaaah, I didn’t know, I’m sorry, Leng Bao, I won’t ship you guys anymore, sob…】
Hm? Not shipping anymore?
Xi Leng: “…”
This development was unexpected.
Even under the fierce attacks from Min Zhi’s solo fans, these CP fans remained steadfast, but because of today’s revelation, they all came to apologize, thinking they had been rubbing salt in his wounds by shipping them.
This was a huge misunderstanding, and Xi Leng’s communication skills were questionable,
He wanted to explain, but hesitated,
Just then, a distinguished black-gold VIP user entered his live stream, first sending a few thousand-yuan gifts to announce his arrival,
Audience: 【?????】
The new top contributor, with a gleaming username, Min Zhi.
Without a word, just sending gifts, actions speaking louder than words, proving the CP fans weren’t delusional.
Xi Leng: “…”
