Chapter 9
But Jiang Chaochao’s courage didn’t last long.
Almost in the next second, he immediately pressed and held the comment.
But before he could select delete, a WeChat message popped up on his screen.
XY: “Jiang xuechang.”
Jiang Chaochao instantly panicked.
He hadn’t even finished dealing with the Weibo comment before he clicked on XY’s message.
Jiang Chaochao, past eleven at night, wouldn’t reply to messages unless they were important or from someone he was close to.
It was currently twelve thirty-six AM Beijing time.
Jiang Chaochao: “What’s up?”
XY: “Not sleeping yet?”
Jiang Chaochao: “Not yet.”
Jiang Chaochao knew why Xiang Ye was messaging him. As soon as he got home, he took a picture of the store name on the brooch box and even confirmed it was on the second floor using a map app.
Then why didn’t he tell Xiang Ye at that time?
Good question!
So now, Jiang Chaochao opened his photo album.
Great, it was full of Xiang Ye’s pictures.
And this person was currently chatting with him.
How impactful, how contradictory.
He sent the picture of the box, and Jiang Chaochao added: “It’s on the second floor.”
XY: “Okay, thanks.”
Jiang Chaochao: “You’re welcome.”
A short exchange, simple and efficient, only taking up one screen.
How funny, Jiang Chaochao’s heart was beating so fast.
Jiang xuechang.
He was following Xiang Shici’s way of addressing him.
Okay.
What else?
After staring at the chat for a while, Jiang Chaochao pursed his lips and exited.
And this person, who was currently messaging him…
“Hey Uncle,” Xiang Shici looked at the thing in her uncle’s hand. “This looks like my xuechang’s brooch.”
Xiang Ye lowered his phone slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips. He fiddled with the little duck’s feet, as if he didn’t understand, or as if he was intrigued: “Your xuechang?”
Xiang Shici said “oh”: “You know, the friend of your friend, the one we saw tonight.”
The two were currently in the living room, drinking chicken soup made by Xiang Shici’s grandmother, also known as Xiang Ye’s mother.
The chicken soup had herbs in it; it wasn’t very tasty.
“Uncle, didn’t you say you were busy tonight?” While drinking, Xiang Shici suddenly thought of this. “Why are you here?”
Her uncle said: “Guess.”
Xiang Shici was confused: “Huh?”
Her uncle was acting a bit strange today.
Guess? Guess what?
“I came after work,” Xiang Ye said.
Xiang Shici said “oh.”
Xiang Ye picked up the brooch again and asked Xiang Shici: “Do you recognize this?”
Xiang Shici nodded: “I know it, it’s called Poupou, it’s quite popular. There’s a store on the second floor of World City.”
Xiang Ye: “Do you like it?”
Xiang Shici: “It’s alright, pretty cute.”
Xiang Ye put down the brooch: “What kind of xuechang is he to you?”
“He was also from Fuzhong, but he had already graduated by the time I started high school,” Xiang Shici said, as if recommending him. “He’s really amazing, he participated in competitions in high school and won some impressive awards. Then he got into W City Conservatory of Music. I think he graduated with a master’s degree this year. Very high caliber, a prominent figure in our school. He’s also really good at violin. When I was at school, his stage photos were still displayed in the music classroom. A few of my classmates called him their ‘male god.’ He had good grades, and…”
Xiang Shici urgently withdrew a word.
Fortunately, her uncle didn’t notice.
Seeing that Xiang Ye didn’t seem very interested, Xiang Shici stopped there and continued drinking her soup.
But just as the soup reached her mouth, Xiang Ye asked Xiang Shici, “Does he know you?”
Xiang Shici thought for a moment: “He should know me. His teacher and Teacher Chen are friends. We met once last year, at the…”
Where was it again?
“Provincial competition,” Xiang Ye said.
“Oh right,” Xiang Shici was puzzled, “How did you know?”
Xiang Ye: “I took you there.”
Xiang Shici nodded, and also remembered: “Right, the provincial competition. That was when my classmates started calling him ‘male god.’ He’s much more handsome in person than in photos.” Xiang Shici finished her soup and added, “But I heard he’s a man of few words, very aloof.”
Xiang Ye repeated: “Aloof.”
Xiang Shici nodded: “Aloof.”
Xiang Ye scrolled through his phone and gave a light, seemingly agreeable “mm-hmm.”
Xiang Shici continued: “He never gives out his WeChat easily. Not only did he turn off adding friends from group chats, but he also turned off adding by WeChat ID.”
Xiang Ye asked: “Have you tried adding him?”
“I haven’t,” Xiang Shici shook her head. “A few of my classmates tried.”
After Xiang Shici said this, Xiang Ye brought his phone over, the screen facing her.
She didn’t know what he meant, but Xiang Shici still leaned in to look.
Then, Xiang Shici watched as Xiang Ye clicked on a contact with a light blue profile picture, named “Sunzz,” and changed the contact name to Jiang Chaochao.
Xiang Shici’s eyes widened, and she slowly turned to look at Xiang Ye.
“Huh?”
Xiang Ye calmly put away his phone.
“Shici, you still have so much soup left, and you’re still talking,” Xiang Shici’s grandmother suddenly appeared behind her. “The soup is going to get cold.”
Xiang Shici wanted to retort, but she glanced at her uncle’s empty soup bowl and swallowed her words.
Why did she feel a sense of betrayal?
Xiang Shici took a sip of soup.
How did her uncle get xuechang’s WeChat?
Xiang Shici took another sip of soup.
It was normal, they were her uncle’s friends, after all.
While Xiang Shici was busy drinking her soup, the person beside her took a close-up picture of the little duck brooch.
This close-up picture whooshed across the city and landed in another person’s phone.
This other person was spacing out when XY’s green message box popped up on his screen.
Jiang Chaochao immediately clicked on it.
Seeing what it was, Jiang Chaochao: “Hey?!”
XY: “Hey?!”
Jiang Chaochao pursed his lips, because Xiang Ye had sent the exact same message as him.
Hey?!
Jiang Chaochao: “You found it?”
XY: “Yes.”
Jiang Chaochao: “Where did I drop it?”
XY: “Under the chair you were sitting on.”
Jiang Chaochao: “Oh.”
XY: “Oh.”
Jiang Chaochao laughed again.
XY: “How should I give it to you?”
Jiang Chaochao started thinking.
What was he mainly thinking about?
Could he use this opportunity to meet?
Could they even have a meal together?!
Could they perhaps even watch a movie!
Couldn’t they even hold hands then?
Could they just start dating already!
Happily ever after!
Yay!
Sorry, it was just late at night.
And, he was indeed a bit crazy.
After going through these thoughts, Jiang Chaochao typed on his phone: “Where will you be tomorrow? I can send a courier, or I can pick it up myself. Sorry to trouble you.”
After sending the message, Jiang Chaochao placed his phone face down on his stomach and let out a soft “heh.”
It was quite funny.
Picking up his phone again, Xiang Ye had already replied.
XY: “I plan to buy some little ducks tomorrow.”
XY: “Shici’s birthday is in a few days.”
Jiang Chaochao opened the keyboard.
So that’s it.
Then, what should he reply?
He didn’t have to think, Xiang Ye had already completed this task for him.
XY: “8 PM, at World City.”
XY: “Are you free?”
The nervousness that Jiang Chaochao had finally managed to suppress instantly resurfaced.
Jiang Chaochao: “Yes.”
He clearly knew that Xiang Ye was simply stating, I’ll be at World City at 8 PM tomorrow, you can decide whether to come yourself or send a courier.
People who couldn’t control their emotions were really annoying.
He was so happy.
Soon, Xiang Ye sent another message.
XY: “Okay, see you tomorrow.”
Jiang Chaochao: “See you tomorrow.”
After ending the conversation, Jiang Chaochao placed his phone on his stomach again.
After a few minutes of seemingly deep thought, but actually with a blank mind, Jiang Chaochao couldn’t help but laugh.
But then he stopped laughing.
But then he laughed again.
But then he coughed twice.
He quickly took a screenshot of the chat with Xiang Ye, cropped it, and quickly sent it to Xu Hengzhi.
Betting that Xu Hengzhi wasn’t asleep yet.
The cropped screenshot only had two sentences.
“XY: ‘Okay, see you tomorrow.’
Jiang Chaochao: ‘See you tomorrow.’”
Xu Hengzhi was indeed not asleep, he immediately replied.
Xu Hengzhi: “??? Who is this? Xiang Ye?”
Jiang Chaochao: “Yep.”
Xu Hengzhi: “??????? You’re going on a date already?”
Jiang Chaochao pressed the voice message button and explained about Xiang Ye finding his brooch, Shici’s upcoming birthday, and that he was just going to pick up the brooch tomorrow.
After listening, Xu Hengzhi: “I see, so he was the one who found it.”
Xu Hengzhi: “See, I told you, aren’t you two fated!”
Jiang Chaochao: “I guess.”
Xu Hengzhi: “So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?”
Jiang Chaochao: “To pick up the brooch, what else?”
Xu Hengzhi: “Damn, such a good opportunity! You can browse the store with him. You know that store so well, after browsing, ask him out to dinner!”
Jiang Chaochao: “8 PM, dinner?”
Xu Hengzhi: “Then supper.”
Jiang Chaochao: “Forcing it a bit, aren’t we?”
Xu Hengzhi: “Hahaha, it is a bit forced.”
Xu Hengzhi: “But not really. You don’t have to have dinner or supper, just casually stroll around, eat something, have some fun.”
Jiang Chaochao: “No, thanks.”
Jiang Chaochao: “I don’t have any plans, just wanted to tell you about it.”
Xu Hengzhi: “You, you, you!”
Xu Hengzhi: “Ahhhh!”
Jiang Chaochao: “What?”
Xu Hengzhi: “Nothing.”
Xu Hengzhi: “If you like him, go for it, what are you hesitating for?”
Jiang Chaochao started typing, then deleting.
When he wasn’t overthinking it, he could do whatever he wanted without burden. Now that Xu Hengzhi had pointed it out, Jiang Chaochao suddenly felt very self-conscious.
He wasn’t, he didn’t, couldn’t he simply admire a handsome guy? Who didn’t like handsome guys?
Jiang Chaochao then: “Go for it my ass.”
Jiang Chaochao: “Just like you.”
Xu Hengzhi: “Hahaha, I don’t do that, I’m pretty good.”
Jiang Chaochao: “Really?”
Xu Hengzhi: “That was when I was young and naive.”
Xu Hengzhi: “But honestly, dating is really great.”
Jiang Chaochao: “Okay, okay.”
Jiang Chaochao: “Okay, okay.”
Xu Hengzhi: “Ah, forget it, I’m going to sleep.”
This guy said he was going to sleep one second, and sent Jiang Chaochao a link the next.
Xu Hengzhi: “My colleague just sent this to me, I haven’t watched it yet, you watch it for me.”
Xu Hengzhi: “So sleepy, have to get up early tomorrow, really going to sleep now.”
Jiang Chaochao: “Go to sleep.”
Having received these surprised reactions from Xu Hengzhi, Jiang Chaochao felt satisfied.
As for the link Xu Hengzhi sent…
The link only had the name of a company, but Jiang Chaochao recognized it at a glance. It was Xiang Ye’s company.
He immediately clicked on it, and immediately understood why Xu Hengzhi had sent him this link.
There was a video in the link. The main content of the video was a product introduction. And who was giving the product introduction?
The first few seconds were unremarkable, but at the fifth second, the camera focused on Xiang Ye, and the whole video became sophisticated.
Jiang Chaochao expanded the video and played it in full screen.
Xiang Ye was wearing a suit, looking very formal, but also not entirely formal. He held a pen between his index and middle fingers, clicking on the screen and explaining.
The video was five minutes long, and Xiang Ye appeared for a full four minutes. Jiang Chaochao paused it from beginning to end, only one sentence in his mind, “What is he talking about?”
Thankfully, the camera didn’t zoom in on Xiang Ye’s face.
Okay, watch it again.
This wasn’t enough. Jiang Chaochao followed the official account to Xiang Ye’s company’s page.
Then he scrolled through the posts one by one, clicking on anything with Xiang Ye in it.
Time passed bit by bit, and the night deepened.
It made him sigh, people really knew how to find things to do when they were bored.
Jiang Chaochao felt like he was being a bit creepy.
But then he thought, this information was all available online, what was wrong with him looking?
What was wrong!
Go to sleep, go to sleep, he was starting to get delirious.
Jiang Chaochao stopped scrolling. He put down his phone, fighting off immense drowsiness, and lay down.
Then turned over.
Then turned off the bedside lamp.
“Click.”
It was dark.
“Click.”
It was light again.
Jiang Chaochao picked up his phone again and opened Weibo.
Almost forgot.
In the online world, Jiang Chaochao had two Weibo accounts. One was created at the same time as Teacher Bianbian, his main account, “My Duck Isn’t This Flat.”
This account was registered under Xiuxiu’s encouragement. She told him to promote himself, but he hadn’t logged in many times.
He was usually busy after finishing his drawings, so he would usually post them in the group chat first. Then, Xiuxiu would post them on Weibo.
So now, if people wanted to see Bianbian’s drawings, they would go to Xiuxiu’s Weibo. He would occasionally repost them when he remembered.
The other one, which could be considered his secondary account, was for his personal use. He couldn’t remember what it was called before, but it was now called “Another Bian.”
This secondary account wasn’t entirely secret. Xiuxiu and some of the veteran members of the group chat knew about it. He would sometimes post interesting things on this account and interact with the group members.
It was also the account he logged into most often.
Jiang Chaochao stared at the screen, staring at the comment he had just posted.
“Another Bian: Husband, you know, I’ve never had a husband since I was young.”
He did want to delete it just now, but now…
Since this secondary account didn’t have many followers or fans…
Then why not…
Jiang Chaochao hesitated for only three seconds, then his hand slipped, and he exited Weibo.
He wouldn’t delete it.
Who in Bianbian’s world would know about Xiang Ye?
And everyone could call him “husband,” why couldn’t he? Besides, calling someone “husband” online was so common these days.
He would call him that, he would.
