The next day, Xiang Weishi slept like the dead, and everyone tacitly agreed not to disturb him.
It wasn’t until dusk that he suddenly woke up. The room was completely dark, and a wave of loneliness washed over him. His head was still groggy; after a moment, he fumbled for his phone.
The screen showed a notification, Wen Qi had tagged him in the group chat.
[Xiang Weishi, are you awake? We’re going out for dinner, want to come along?]
The message had been sent five minutes ago.
Good timing, he thought. He didn’t feel like staying alone in the room anyway, so he immediately threw off the covers and got up to wash up.
[I’m coming. Give me ten minutes.]
Ten minutes later, the group was waiting for him downstairs as usual. This time, Xiang Weishi hadn’t bothered with any flashy outfits—just a simple black T-shirt and pants.
Wen Qi teased, “Skipping the shower today?”
Xiang Weishi let out a laugh. “If I made you wait another half hour, you guys would definitely curse me out.”
“Good that you know,” Xie Hejing said.
Xiang Weishi hadn’t eaten all day, and after last night’s hangover, he was starving. “Let’s go. Dinner’s on me. Thanks for hauling me back last night.”
At that, Nan Xu pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh. Before long, Wen Qi and Wei Qingxuan were stifling their laughter too.
Xiang Weishi looked completely puzzled, while Xie Hejing’s expression darkened.
Last night, Xiang Weishi had been completely wasted. Xie Hejing was supporting him, and the whole time he kept calling out a name: “Jiangjiang.”
Nan Xu guessed it was probably the girl who had dumped him.
But Xiang Weishi was clearly mistaking someone for her. In the beginning, when Xie Hejing was helping him into the car, it was still manageable.
But halfway through the ride, it was as if something suddenly came back to him, he started crying and shouting “Jiangjiang.”
Hearing that made Xie Hejing frown. Still, he could only swallow his irritation and help the guy back to the hotel.
Just as they were about to reach the hotel entrance, Xiang Weishi turned his head and glanced at Xie Hejing.
Xie Hejing couldn’t be bothered to figure out what he was looking at; he just wanted to get him to his room as quickly as possible.
But unexpectedly, Xiang Weishi looked straight at him and shouted, “Jiangjiang!”
Both Wen Qi and Nan Xu heard it clearly.
Xiang Weishi was so drunk his eyes were barely open, and seeing his “Jiangjiang” right in front of him but ignoring him made him anxious.
“Jiangjiang, you came to see me? But… why won’t you talk to me?”
Xie Hejing: “…”
He restrained the very real urge to knock Xiang Weishi out with a punch and ground out between clenched teeth, “Watch where you’re going.”
Xiang Weishi grinned. “Jiangjiang, why does your voice sound different…? But you still care about me. Come on, give me a hug.”
As he spoke, he leaned in, reeking of alcohol, trying to throw himself onto Xie Hejing.
Xiang Weishi’s movements were a bit ridiculous. He couldn’t stand straight, wobbled everywhere, and with Xie Hejing holding him down with one hand, he kept trying to lean on him—his whole posture twisted and unstable.
Xie Hejing shot him a cold look. “Get lost. Xiang Weishi, if you come any closer, you’re dead.”
But Xiang Weishi only looked more confused. “Jiangjiang, why do you sound like a man? And kind of like that cold-faced Xie Hejing. Don’t be like that, you’ll give me nightmares.”
Xie Hejing: “…”
He really wanted to knock him out right then.
Wen Qi and Nan Xu couldn’t hold back anymore and burst into laughter.
Nan Xu added, “Xie Hejing, are you seriously that scary? Just hearing your voice is enough to give him nightmares?”
Wen Qi laughed too. “What do you think would happen if Xiang Weishi suddenly hugged you and recognized who you were? Would he sober up instantly from the shock?”
Xiang Weishi clearly wasn’t paying attention to their conversation. He took a deep breath, sounding pitiful and aggrieved. “Jiangjiang, I miss you so much. I want to hold you.”
Xie Hejing couldn’t take it anymore. He had zero interest in running an experiment. Aside from Nan Xu, no one was allowed to get that close to him, much less hug him.
Especially not a drunk like Xiang Weishi.
He frowned. “Wei Qingxuan, get over here and pull him away.”
In the end, it was Wei Qingxuan who saved Xie Hejing from “his suffering,” though Xie Hejing still followed along to make sure they got him safely back to his room.
He simply had to pretend he didn’t hear Xiang Weishi’s heartfelt confessions to “Jiangjiang.”
. . . . .
“Why aren’t you moving? Weren’t we going to eat?” Xiang Weishi looked at the group’s various expressions, puzzled.
Wen Qi stepped forward. “Xiang Weishi, didn’t expect you to be such a smooth talker. Is this ‘Jiangjiang’ really that beautiful?”
Xiang Weishi’s heart tightened. “How do you know her nickname?”
He thought for a moment, could it be because of last night?
He immediately asked, “What did I say last night?”
Wen Qi glanced at Xie Hejing. “Ask him. He should remember exactly what you said to Jiangjiang.”
Xie Hejing had no intention of helping Xiang Weishi recall. He carried Nan Xu’s bag in his left hand and drew the giggling Nan Xu into his arms with his right.
Leaning close to her ear, he murmured, “Is it that funny?”
His tone was dangerous, Nan Xu quickly shook her head.
Xie Hejing continued, “If anyone else touches you, I’ll make sure you’re ‘washed’ clean.”
Sensing that “washed” wasn’t literal, Nan Xu instinctively asked, “How do you mean, ‘wash’?”
Xie Hejing’s hand on her waist tightened a fraction. “What do you think?”
Nan Xu hurried to change the subject. “Let’s go, I’m starving.” She turned her head and said to Xie Hejing, “I’m hungry.”
Reluctantly Xie Hejing dropped the topic. The group picked a specialty restaurant on a market street. The place even offered outdoor seating in a small garden, where someone played the zither nearby—comfortably pleasant.
When they arrived, three of the four tables in the little garden outside were already occupied. Fortunately, they had made a reservation early.
Seeing the full house, Wen Qi sighed, “This place is packed. It must be really good.”
Xiang Weishi sat down in a hurry and called everyone over. “Come on, hurry and order. Ah, I’m starving.”
Wen Qi gave him a look of disdain. “Can’t you be a little more graceful? Look at how nice the ambiance is.”
“What’s the point of being graceful? Eating is what matters.” Xiang Weishi grabbed the menu and started looking through it. “An Nian, what do you want? I’ll order for you.”
An Nian, being well-behaved, said, “Let everyone else order first.”
“No need for rules like that with us,” Xiang Weishi said, pushing the menu toward her. “You order first.”
Wen Qi added, “Go ahead. Since your brother’s treating us, remember to pick the expensive stuff.”
“Ha, expensive is fine, I’ll pay. An Nian, order whatever you like.” Xiang Weishi waved generously.
“Oh? Feeling generous today?” Wen Qi teased.
The table was lively, everyone talking over one another. The cheerful atmosphere completely washed away the loneliness that had lingered around Xiang Weishi.
Nan Xu leaned toward Xie Hejing and whispered, “I’m going to the restroom.”
“I’ll go with you,” Xie Hejing said, already starting to stand.
Nan Xu pressed him down. “No need. I’ll be quick.”
The restaurant didn’t have a restroom of its own, so Nan Xu asked a passing server. Thankfully, it wasn’t far—just a five-minute walk.
The food still hadn’t arrived, and the table was as lively as ever. They were talking about all sorts of things—like how they should handle the door-blocking games when Nan Xu and Xie Hejing held their wedding…
Wen Qi mentally took notes, already planning how she would block the door.
Then the conversation shifted to An Nian, who had just finished her college entrance exams—what university she wanted to attend. And then to when Wen Qi and Wei Qingxuan would finally get their marriage certificate…
In the middle of their lively chatter, a young girl carrying a flower basket suddenly approached.
She walked straight toward the most animated person at the table, Xiang Weishi.
“Gege, this is for you,” she said.
Xiang Weishi froze for a moment, stunned. “But I didn’t buy anything.”
“It’s a gift,” the little girl said with a sweet smile. “I’m not taking your money.”
A gift?
The corners of Xiang Weishi’s mouth shot up instantly, and he grinned smugly. He turned to the group. “See that? My charm is so good that even little kids give me flowers for free.”
He accepted the flower and pulled out his phone. “Then how about gege buys your whole basket, okay?”
But the little girl shook her head. “No. The rest are already bought by someone else.”
Hearing that, Xiang Weishi could only put his phone away. “Alright then. Thank you for the flower.”
“You’re welcome,” she chirped.
Then she stepped around him and handed another flower to An Nian, who was sitting beside him.
“Jiejie, this is for you.”
An Nian looked a little bewildered and glanced at Xiang Weishi.
Xiang Weishi had no idea what was going on, but he signaled for An Nian to accept the flower. Worst case, he could slip the little girl some cash later when she wasn’t looking.
An Nian accepted her flower, then Wen Qi, then Wei Qingxuan…
Everyone received one flower.
At last, only Xie Hejing was left. The little girl looked him up and down, confirming he matched the description whispered to her earlier.
She walked up to him, pushed the entire flower basket into his hands, and said, “A jiejie named Nan Xu asked me to give these to you. There are 52 flowers in here, they’re all for you.”
Fifty-two.
From Nan Xu!!!
Xie Hejing’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately felt the flowers looked much better. He accepted the flowers and thanked her, “Thank you.”
Once the little girl spoke, everyone instantly understood why she had come.
Wei Qingxuan glanced at the 52 flowers in Xie Hejing’s arms, his eyes darkening slightly. He looked over at Wen Qi, clearly wishing Wen Qi would give him flowers too.
The others, even though they only received one, were all quite happy. Especially Xiang Weishi, he didn’t care who sent it; the important thing was that he got a flower.
When Nan Xu came out of the restroom, her phone lit up with a flood of notifications.
[Safe Haven] Group Chat
[An Nian: Thank you for the flowers, Sister Nan Xu. I’m going to put mine safely in my suitcase.]
[Wen Qi: @Nanxu A kiss from me for the pretty girl who sends flowers.]
Seeing that message, Wei Qingxuan tightened his grip on his phone. He wanted to give Wen Qi a hundred flowers—no, a thousand—and have Wen Qi kiss him a thousand times.
In the group chat, he simply wrote: [Thank you. I really like the flower.]
Xiang Weishi, on the other hand, was the complete opposite of Wei Qingxuan. His excitement was practically vibrating off the screen.
[Nan Xu, you’re the first person to give me flowers this year, hahaha! I’m so happy! I’m going to post on Moments later and show off—tell everyone a pretty girl gave me a flower!]
Xie Hejing replied to Xiang Weishi: [Get lost.]
Xiang Weishi looked up at Xie Hejing and directly asked, “Your possessiveness is that strong? I can’t even mention it?”
Still hugging the bouquet tightly, Xie Hejing didn’t even bother lifting his eyes when he answered, “No.”
Xiang Weishi: “…”
He was honestly speechless.
Nan Xu put her phone away.
On her way to the restroom, she had run into a little girl selling flowers to people passing by.
But there were plenty of flower shops along that street, so very few people stopped for the little girl’s flowers.
Nan Xu had gone over to her on her own, bought the entire basket, and pointed the girl in the right direction so she could deliver them to Xie Hejing and the others. She even added a special instruction:
[Give all the remaining flowers to the guy in the gray long-sleeve with the cold expression.]
When Nan Xu returned to the table, she was greeted with a wave of compliments.
Xiang Weishi even said, “Xie Hejing won’t let me mention you, so I can only say I received a flower tonight.”
“It’s fine.”
Nan Xu sat down and opened Moments, giving Xiang Weishi’s post a like.
She had barely put down her phone when she heard Xie Hejing’s voice in her ear.
“Alright, tell me. What do you want me to do?”
Nan Xu blinked, confused. “Huh? What?”
“It’s not a special day or anything. What made you think of sending me flowers?” Xie Hejing leaned in slightly, the fragrance of the bouquet lingering around him. His brow lifted. “What is it you want from me?”
Nan Xu: “…”
She pursed her lips. “Does ‘wanting to make you happy’ count?”
The curve of his thin lips deepened, and his Adam’s apple bobbed more than once.
“It counts.”
Nan Xu took a sip of her juice and continued, “Besides, who says today isn’t a special day?”
“What day is it?”
Xie Hejing mentally sifted through every holiday and anniversary he could think of, but nothing about today stood out as meaningful.
“My point is,” Nan Xu said calmly, “every day with you is a special day.”
She said it so matter-of-factly, but it was exactly the kind of line that hit Xie Hejing straight in the heart.
“…Hiss.” Xie Hejing narrowed his eyes. “Since when did you get so good at saying sweet things?”
That counted as a sweet line?
Nan Xu thought it over.
It actually did.
With complete seriousness, she said, “If there’s love behind it, then whatever you say counts as sweet.”
This version of Nan Xu made Xie Hejing love her beyond reason. Even on the way back to the hotel, he was still carrying all those roses.
Watching Xie Hejing repeatedly compare the sizes of the suitcases, Nan Xu asked, “Are you planning to bring them back to Zhi’an?”
“Mhm. I want to put them in a vase at home.”
Nan Xu added, “But they’ll probably be dried by then.”
“Then I’ll keep them dried.”
Nan Xu didn’t object. “Mm, that works too.”
Suddenly her eyes brightened. “Actually… why don’t I just give you a flower every single day?”
Xie Hejing pulled her straight into his arms, burying his face against her neck.
Nan Xu was still applying her skincare. “What’s wrong?”
“I just like you too much,” Xie Hejing murmured.
Nan Xu turned her head with a playful pout. “As you should. Keep it up.”
“So full of yourself.” He pinched her nose.
Nan Xu swatted away his mischievous hand. “Nope. Don’t want to be humble.”
“Fine.”
He set the flowers carefully on the hotel’s desk for now. By the time he came back to the bed, Nan Xu had finished her skincare routine and was already chatting with someone.
“Who are you talking to?”
Nan Xu lay back on the bed. “Qiqi.”
Wen Qi was messaging her about the wedding-door games she overheard the boys discussing at dinner.
“What are you talking about?” Xie Hejing asked again.
“Mm…” Nan Xu quickly flipped her phone face-down. “Can’t tell you.”
Xie Hejing paused mid-movement. “Can’t tell me?”
“Nan Xu, what scheme are you plotting?”
He pulled her into his lap, fingers playing with the hem of her shirt in a light, threatening tease.
Thinking about the messages on her phone, Nan Xu held firm. “Just, can’t tell you.”
Still can’t say it?
Xie Hejing raised a brow. His fingers slid away from the hem of her clothes and slipped underneath instead.
He asked again, “You’re sure you’re not going to tell me?”
“Mm.” Nan Xu bit her lip.
“Then we’ll continue.”
Xie Hejing lowered his gaze, fully focused on what his hand was doing. His palm traced along the curve of her waist, fingertips brushing over her soft skin.
Nan Xu pressed down on his hand through the fabric. “Stop, why are you like this again?”
“Like what?”
He knew perfectly well she wouldn’t be able to say it out loud.
Sure enough, Nan Xu bit her lip and fell silent.
The air in the room grew warmer, tension thick with something intimate.
“You really… can’t stay still for even a moment, can you?”
Xie Hejing rubbed the back of his neck, then shifted Nan Xu so she was facing him directly.
His voice turned low and hoarse, restrained but turbulent. His nose brushed against her flushed ear.
“Sweetheart, an adult’s desire isn’t something you can just turn off.”
His straightforward words made Nan Xu’s cheeks burn. She turned her face away, unable to meet his eyes, mumbling softly, “After the first time… you haven’t exactly been holding back either.”
It seemed the Xie Hejing who could hold himself back, with eyes completely red from restraint yet still not touching her, was gone forever.
Nan Xu shook her head with a touch of pity, realizing only now that back then, she was truly fearless and secure.
Xie Hejing pulled back just a little, his other slender, well-defined hand sliding into her hair as he tilted her head up, then traced a trail of light, lingering kisses down.
“You don’t want it?”
Xie Hejing’s familiarity with Nan Xu’s body was so precise it was almost outrageous, even when his touch was just a gentle brush.
Nan Xu’s breathing was already somewhat erratic.
But hearing Xie Hejing say that, Nan Xu didn’t want to admit defeat. She turned her head, swallowed the sigh that wouldn’t form into a syllable, and said firmly, “No.”
“Don’t speak too soon.”
Xie Hejing’s hand traced Nan Xu’s spine, exploring deeper.
“How about we bet on how long you can hold out?”
“Will it be after I’ve kissed your lower abdomen, or licked your…”
His voice trailed off, lost in a wet, hot gasp.
Xie Hejing’s palm pressed against Nan Xu’s skin, and he asked her, his voice muffled yet full of aggression:
“Will you beg me?”