Chapter 17 – Start of The School Year
“What’s wrong?” Qiao Huaiyao sensed that something was off and slowed down his steps as he went downstairs.
He could see a hint of a narrow smile in Bai Jinyan’s eyes, which made Qiao Huaiyao even more puzzled.
He thought about what he had just heard, Bai Jinyan’s unclear words, and couldn’t help but ask, “What child? Taking him to school… Do you have a child coming over to your place?”
Bai Jinyan shook his head with a smile and said, “No, I’m preparing lunch. I’ll take you to school later.”
Qiao Huaiyao was puzzled, “?”
He felt even more strange now.
Seeing Bai Jinyan bringing out breakfast, Qiao Huaiyao went into the kitchen to get two sets of bowls and chopsticks.
His phone was placed in the kitchen, so he brought it along as well.
As the viewers in the live stream saw Qiao Huaiyao taking out his phone, the barrage quickly flooded the screen.
[“Ah ah ah, can this child come with me and leave your brother?”]
[“Spread the word, Bai Jinyan said Qiao Huaiyao is a child.”]
[“Received, Bai Jinyan said he wants to have a child with Qiao Huaiyao! Three years and two children.”]
[“Dmn! Bai Jinyan doesn’t deserve to have my sweet wife, okay?”]
…
Qiao Huaiyao: “???”
The more he read the barrage, the more confused he became.
Qiao Huaiyao flipped through the live stream chat with one hand, trying to see what had been said before.
When he reached the top, he paused as he noticed the task the production team had prepared for today.
Just then, a hand reached over and took away his phone.
Bai Jinyan placed the phone upside down on the table and said, “Finish your meal before playing with your phone.”
Qiao Huaiyao had read most of the barrage by now, and even if he was slow to react, he understood that Bai Jinyan’s earlier words when he went downstairs were directed at him.
He coughed lightly and smiled playfully, “You’re only three years older than me. If I’m a child going to school, what about you?”
Qiao Huaiyao raised an eyebrow and said slowly, “A kindergarten graduate from the senior class?”
Bai Jinyan remained composed and sipped his tea before responding, “Senior kindergarten class, a bit more mature.”
Seeing his serious analysis, Qiao Huaiyao couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Barrage: [“Senior Kindergarten Graduate”]
[“One child and one senior kindergarten graduate, that’s so cute.”]
[“Sob sob sob… Bai Jinyan, you’re really good at coaxing Qiao Qiao, no wonder you have a wife!”]
[“Why didn’t I realize how good Bai Jinyan is before!”]
[“A senior kindergarten kid dares to compete with you, a big brother, for a drink and call you a brother?”]
[“Teasing his wife on one side and coaxing him on the other, Bai Jinyan, you’re amazing!”]
Bai Jinyan booked a noon flight for him.
There was still plenty of time, and even if there was traffic on the way, it wouldn’t delay their trip.
After breakfast, Qiao Huaiyao checked his luggage again to make sure he had everything Bai Jinyan prepared for him.
Seeing Bai Jinyan changing into different clothes to go downstairs, Qiao Huaiyao was surprised, “Are you going out?”
Bai Jinyan said, “I’m taking you to school.”
Qiao Huaiyao thought Bai Jinyan’s earlier words were just a joke, so he quickly said, “No need, I can go by myself. There’s a driver to take me.”
Bai Jinyan replied, “It’s not because of the live stream.” He handed him a coat and said, “Put this on.”
Qiao Huaiyao was stunned but then understood. He smiled, accepting the coat.
Barrage: [“Who cares about the live stream, sending his wife to the airport is the real deal!”]
[“These tricks to please his wife, hmph, I’m not jealous at all that he can coax my wife, not at all!”]
…
Bai Jinyan didn’t have many cars parked here, and the four suitcases were quite large, so the trunk of the car wasn’t enough.
He asked the driver to bring another car from the villa.
The four suitcases fit perfectly when placed horizontally.
Qiao Huaiyao sat in the backseat, and the photographer sent by the production team took a quick glance before heading to the front passenger seat with the equipment.
Bai Jinyan got in a bit later and handed over a large bag of snacks.
Qiao Huaiyao took the bag, and it mostly contained dried fruits and snacks. “Why did you buy so many?”
Bai Jinyan closed the car door and said, “You don’t like airplane meals, so take these for the flight.”
After a three-hour flight, they arrived in the afternoon.
Qiao Huaiyao didn’t like the airplane meals, and he might not eat anything at all if he didn’t bring some snacks in advance.
Barrage: [“Help— I’m on the same flight as my brother. I don’t eat airplane meals, and my brother will just tell me to starve.”]
[“Hey, you can’t beat me in this. My brother will definitely say, ‘If you don’t eat, I’ll eat for you.'”]
[“…Isn’t this a pure brotherly love?”]
[“Hey, wait a minute. Bai Jinyan has been in the industry for so many years, and he’s driving this lousy SUV? It’s a brand I’ve never even heard of. Weren’t the PR articles saying that Bai Jinyan’s family is quite wealthy? Is this it?”]
[“??? Lousy? Don’t you recognize license plates? At least recognize the logo, right?”]
[“This car is worth at least two houses in the capital. With that money, you dare call it a lousy SUV?!”]
[“You can question Brother Bai’s appearance, but you can’t question Brother Bai’s net worth, understand?”]
…
Unlike the heated discussion in the live chat room, the atmosphere in the car was calm, accompanied by soft and melodious instrumental music.
Qiao Huaiyao opened a small bag of nuts, a mix of nuts and dried fruits.
Looking at Bai Jinyan beside him, engrossed in reading the script, he thought for a moment, put the snacks aside, and leaned over to ask, “Brother, have you sorted out your upcoming work arrangements? Have you made your itinerary?”
“Yeah.”
Since Qiao Huaiyao asked, he certainly didn’t just want a simple confirmation. Bai Jinyan casually flipped a page of the script and said, “I’ll send you a copy later.”
“Great!”
Qiao Huaiyao had heard that some artists would publish their itineraries on Weibo, so he went to check, but Bai Jinyan’s studio had never made their itinerary public.
Perhaps some artists cared about the airport reception arrangements, so they announced their schedules in advance to allow their fan clubs to prepare. However, Bai Jinyan had never cared about these things.
The road to the airport was smooth all the way.
There was a dedicated lounge for first-class passengers, but they could only enter after obtaining their boarding passes.
Qiao Huaiyao’s ticket information was on Bai Jinyan’s phone, so when it was time to get the boarding passes, Bai Jinyan went to get them with Qiao Huaiyao’s ID.
As he sat there watching the luggage, Qiao Huaiyao was surprised to find that Bai Jinyan had brought back two boarding passes!
Qiao Huaiyao was stunned, “Brother, you…”
Bai Jinyan handed him one of the boarding passes, teasing, “Buy two tickets, get a discount.”
Qiao Huaiyao’s expression froze, “???”
Huh?
At most, airplane tickets might be discounted for red-eye flights or if booked in advance. But buying two tickets to get a discount? That made no sense!
Bai Jinyan reached over to ruffle his hair. “These few days, I don’t have much going on.”
This was the first time he was going to a place so far away on his own, and even freshmen starting college would find it unfamiliar. Having someone familiar accompany him would help him adapt.
His words were so ordinary, yet they exuded a warmth that made Qiao Huaiyao feel both comforted and unsure.
At that moment, Qiao Huaiyao finally realized that Bai Jinyan had been saying, “I’ll take you to school,” not “I’ll take you to the airport.”
He hadn’t expected Bai Jinyan to accompany him to Tsinghua University because Bai Jinyan was always busy, so he had always assumed Bai Jinyan meant the latter.
Given Bai Jinyan’s fame, even his sleep time was precisely scheduled on his itinerary.
Accompanying him to school for a day would likely postpone many of his commitments, and he would have to work extra hours and nights to make up for the lost time.
Qiao Huaiyao’s fingers curled slightly on top of the suitcase, his heart beating with a mixture of warmth and confusion.
He thought for a moment, hesitated for a while, and finally stood up and hugged Bai Jinyan.
Wrapping his arms around Bai Jinyan’s waist, he let out a long sigh.
He felt like he should say something, but he didn’t know what to say.
So, he just hugged him, burying his face in Bai Jinyan’s shoulder without saying a word.
When the photographer got clearance from the director via phone and came to the waiting area, they saw the two embracing outside the gate.
The photographer stopped in his tracks, focused his camera, and took a high-definition shot.
The live chat exploded with comments, and even through the screen, one could feel the heart-wrenching emotion.
[“Ah ah ah! How did they end up hugging?! Did I miss something?!”]
[“The director is so unreliable! Can’t he prepare the process in advance?! Ah!”]
[“Help—This makes me more uncomfortable than eating instant noodles without seasoning.”]
[“Sob sob sob, let go, let go of my wife, no waist-hugging, no!”]
…
Qiao Huaiyao was about to say something when he noticed the photographer holding his camera not far away, filming them directly.
He stiffened instantly, not knowing what to do with his hand on Bai Jinyan’s waist.
Bai Jinyan remained composed. He patted Qiao Huaiyao’s back and said, “Let’s go to the waiting area.”
Qiao Huaiyao nodded, dragging the two suitcases as he followed behind Bai Jinyan.
There weren’t many people in the first-class lounge.
Only a few scattered people came in as the boarding time approached.
The flight attendants led the way and then left after leading them into the first-class cabin.
Then, they were served hot mineral water.
The photographer also got on the plane after buying a ticket, and he happened to be sitting in the row behind Qiao Huaiyao and Bai Jinyan. However, he didn’t continue the live stream.
Although this flight was equipped with wireless internet, which most domestic flights didn’t have, it was still prone to lagging. Broadcasting live would put too much strain on the network.
They could do the live stream after landing.
After takeoff and when the plane stabilized, Bai Jinyan reclined his seat. “I’m going to sleep for a while.”
“Okay.” Qiao Huaiyao pressed a button by his side and asked a flight attendant for a blanket
…
By the time the plane was over halfway through the flight, Qiao Huaiyao wasn’t feeling sleepy at all.
The last time he went to school, his mind was filled with a jumble of complicated and intertwined thoughts as he traveled alone to an entirely unfamiliar place.
And this time…
Qiao Huaiyao lowered his head and looked at the sleeping Bai Jinyan beside him, his gaze slowly and leisurely tracing Bai Jinyan’s features.
A smile unconsciously formed on his face. He pursed his lips and suppressed the smile, not letting it escape.
Afraid of disturbing Bai Jinyan’s rest, Qiao Huaiyao turned his head to look out the window.
He stared fixedly at the seemingly reachable clouds outside.
At that moment, a familiar voice came from behind him, “What are you smiling about?”
The warmth close to his ear made Qiao Huaiyao’s eyes widen suddenly.