Chapter 51 – Stick Stick
The sobering tea tastes good, and Qiao Huaiyao poured himself a cup as well. He didn’t touch those dishes but did eat some desserts that Bai Jinyan had packed for him. The strawberries on the cake didn’t taste as good as the ones at the farmhouse in the variety show. Another strawberry pastry with flaky crust tasted good, but the crust kept falling off when picked up.
“Brother, try this,” Qiao Huaiyao only had a piece and handed another piece to Bai Jinyan, “It’s delicious, not too sweet.”
“Okay,” Bai Jinyan tasted the flaky crust that had fallen into the box, not the fresh piece. After trying it, he sent the dessert back to Qiao Huaiyao, “Next time, ask Lu to buy more of this.”
Qiao Huaiyao didn’t eat much and put down his chopsticks, holding the sobering tea slowly. Perhaps because of the addition of fruit, it wasn’t too sweet; instead, it had a slightly sour taste, like unsweetened lemon water. But after drinking it, there was a lingering sweetness. He didn’t know how effective it was for sobering up, but it was definitely more enjoyable than lemon water.
Qiao Huaiyao didn’t leave the table after finishing his meal. He stayed with Bai Jinyan, occasionally picking dishes for him and putting deboned fish meat in his bowl. After finishing the sobering tea, Qiao Huaiyao got up, took Bai Jinyan’s cup, and poured two more cups. He added two pieces of fruit to the cups; they could be eaten, but the fruit flavor wasn’t as fresh as when eaten plain, it was quite mild with little taste.
“Let’s rest after eating breakfast,” Qiao Huaiyao looked at the time, and it was already past one o’clock after all the back and forth.
Celebration dinner was also tiring, and Bai Jinyan had some drinks again. Bai Jinyan drank the sobering tea and said, “Hmm.”
…
The next day.
Bai Jinyan finally had a day off and no work scheduled. Qiao Huaiyao’s flight was in the evening. There was no need to pack anything; the school had it all. He wouldn’t even have to bring a suitcase; he could just board the plane directly.
These past few days were too busy, and on the last day of the break, Qiao Huaiyao suddenly had some free time and felt a bit empty. He didn’t want to go out and preferred staying at home.
Bai Jinyan heated a cup of milk for Qiao Huaiyao and placed it on the bedside table. After his morning run, he changed into pajamas and lay down beside him. Holding Qiao Huaiyao, he asked, “What time is your flight?”
“Sometime after nine,” Qiao Huaiyao said. Since he had a single room, he didn’t have to worry about disturbing other roommates.
Bai Jinyan reminded him, “Make sure to contact the driver.”
Qiao Huaiyao nodded, “Okay.”
Bai Jinyan added, “I’ll come over after I sort things out here.”
Qiao Huaiyao smiled, “No rush.”
Seeing this, Bai Jinyan chuckled and pulled Qiao Huaiyao closer to his chest.
In the quiet room, there were only the two of them. Despite the sun shining outside, the curtains in the room were still closed, allowing only a sliver of sunlight to reach the foot of the bed.
Qiao Huaiyao couldn’t move as he was held by Bai Jinyan. He couldn’t help but think of Bai Jinyan’s appearance after he got drunk last night.
Bai Jinyan leaned in close to his ear, lips almost touching his earlobe, and asked, “What are you smiling about?”
Qiao Huaiyao smiled and said, “Nothing, just thinking about you from yesterday.”
The warmth near his ear made Qiao Huaiyao subconsciously shrink back a bit. But before he could do much, Bai Jinyan hugged him back around the waist.
Qiao Huaiyao raised his hand to touch Bai Jinyan’s shoulder, about to say something, when he felt a light bite on his earlobe.
It was gentle, more like a kiss. Qiao Huaiyao suddenly widened his eyes, “Mm…”
As he raised his hand to cover his ear, the touch of his fingertips on his earlobe, already slightly cold, made the warmth of his earlobe more distinct.
Bai Jinyan placed his hand over Qiao Huaiyao’s, looking down at the person in his arms and smiled, “Your face is so red.”
After speaking, the person in his arms nestled even deeper.
He looked at Qiao Huaiyao, wanting to kiss him everywhere.
Bai Jinyan held his hand and brought it down, lightly rubbing the earlobe he had just kissed. “Feeling stuffy?”
Qiao Huaiyao pulled the blanket up a bit, covering half of his face.
Bai Jinyan directly pulled the blanket up, covering both of them entirely.
Qiao Huaiyao: “??!”
In the instant when the edge of the blanket fell from the top of their heads, Qiao Huaiyao’s eyes were full of surprise. He wanted to say something, but his words were dispersed in a kiss.
“Brother… Mm!”
…
When the thin blanket was lifted, Qiao Huaiyao rested on Bai Jinyan’s arm. The redness on his face extended down to his neck, disappearing into the collar of his pajamas.
Qiao Huaiyao’s view was obscured by steam. As he tried to calm the stinging on his lips caused by their contact, he paused, slowing down his breathing.
Bai Jinyan noticed this small movement and could sense a bit of vulnerability for no reason.
Bai Jinyan remembered there was ointment in the bedside table. He stood up to get it.
As he made a move, Qiao Huaiyao immediately pulled the thin blanket to cover half of his face, leaving only his eyes staring at Bai Jinyan without blinking.
Realizing what Qiao Huaiyao was thinking, Bai Jinyan laughed.
Hearing this laughter, Qiao Huaiyao’s already red face became even hotter.
He pretended not to have heard, turning away from Bai Jinyan.
Seeing this, Bai Jinyan blushed behind Qiao Huaiyao.
“It’s not for you, look at this.” He picked up a small box from the bedside table, leaning over from behind and hugging him.
Qiao Huaiyao turned his head to look, and Bai Jinyan took the opportunity to give him a quick kiss on the lips.
“…Brother!”
Bai Jinyan opened the small box and took out a thin piece. “I won’t tease you. Put this on.”
The thin layer melted instantly upon approaching the lips.
Qiao Huaiyao felt a slight coolness and licked his lips. “Mint?”
It felt somewhat like a mint candy.
“Yeah,” Bai Jinyan replied, not bothering to put the small box back in the bedside table. He lay by the pillow, continuing to hold Qiao Huaiyao.
Qiao Huaiyao leaned against Bai Jinyan, reaching for the phone on the bedside table. “The first episode of the variety show seems to be out.”
Zhao Jiamo had sent him quite a few messages.
One day for the trailer, one day for the official release of the first episode, plus the preview for the second episode.
Popularity came and went quickly. Shortly after the awards ceremony, the attention naturally shifted. The longer the time, the fewer people would be interested.
Zhao Jiamo probably didn’t put much effort into editing.
With nothing else to do, Qiao Huaiyao played the video. “Shall we watch?”
Bai Jinyan nodded, pulling out the hidden phone stand from the bedside and placing Qiao Huaiyao’s phone on it.
You don’t need to sit up, and you can just lie on your side to watch. Qiao Huaiyao’s hands were free, and then Bai Jinyan held his hand in front of him, casually playing with his fingertips.
The first episode of the variety show was a mix of all the guests, skipping the part where they packed their luggage earlier. It started directly from the main footage. Many scenes were unedited and shown as is, including the scene where Qiao Huaiyao fed the barbecue.
Qiao Huaiyao: “…”
Should’ve expected this.
As they continued watching, there was also a scene of Bai Jinyan hiding snacks. At that time, Qiao Huaiyao was outside and hadn’t noticed when Bai Jinyan hid the snacks. This scene was undoubtedly omitted in the program.
Later, a few big characters were added here: [The director was dumbfounded when he saw this.]
The flying barrage was filled with happy expressions.
[“Hilarious, who would have thought that Bai Jinyan would actually hide snacks?!”]
[“Bai Jinyan and Zhao Jiamo, a total of 800 schemes, Bai Jinyan 801, Zhao Jiamo -1.”]
[“Haha! This teacher’s withdrawal from the literary world back then, I disagreed.”]
[“I showed this to my brother, and he told me not to daydream during the day.”]
[“He can make candy, hide snacks, and his whole heart is filled with Qiao Huaiyao. Haha, you guys are better at being a real CP than the entertainment industry.”]
…
The first episode’s popularity was high. The barrage had already broken the limit by now, and if you went full screen, you probably wouldn’t see the whole screen. Perhaps due to the length of the show, the first episode didn’t edit the rapid-fire questions and answers of the guests. Unknowingly, it reached the end.
In the end, Zhao Jiamo also put out an Easter egg.
—[Risking my life to keep these shots for you, there are too many details, I recommend downloading and watching repeatedly.]
Qiao Huaiyao raised an eyebrow, curious about this detail shot. So he didn’t rush to close the variety show.
And then, when the progress bar reached that point, the blackened screen reappeared with color.
Qiao Huaiyao squinted, this shot…
It seemed to be after the rapid-fire questions and answers when they returned to the room, and his brother gave him warm milk.
Because they had changed their place of residence since that day.
Qiao Huaiyao already realized what this was.
And then he heard a clear voice, “Little friend…”
Qiao Huaiyao: “…”
Why was this part also fully edited and removed?
Zhao Jiamo was really… not editing at all. Instead of including it in the variety show, he deliberately put it in the program’s end credits.
Half of the screen barrage was already so dense that the original words were barely visible.
The barrage quickly scrolled:
[“Ah, ah, little friend! I love it. When Brother Bai calls Qiao Qiao ‘little friend’, it feels so doting.”]
[“Thank you, I’ve become a crazy fan.”]
[“Hahaha, Director: I really admire you.”]
[“I feel like a dog lying on the side of the road got kicked for no reason.”]
[“Ah, excited, I picked up the dog on the bed and danced with it.”]
…
Qiao Huaiyao couldn’t see a single word in the barrage. But after processing the audio, when Bai Jinyan’s voice saying “little friend” played again, Qiao Huaiyao couldn’t help but close his eyes. The warmth that had gradually faded from his face between his slightly pursed lips suddenly rekindled with signs of a counterattack.
Bai Jinyan closed the variety show’s autoplay, and upon seeing this, he couldn’t help but tease, “Is my little friend feeling shy?”
Qiao Huaiyao, blushing and annoyed, raised his gaze, “Brother!”
Bai Jinyan laughed and pulled him closer, kissing him gently, comforting him, “Alright, alright, I won’t tease you anymore.”
The milk on the bedside was already cold, and Bai Jinyan asked him, “Are you hungry?”
Qiao Huaiyao shook his head.
Bai Jinyan, upon hearing this, didn’t rush to get up and held Qiao Huaiyao, saying, “Then let’s lie down again.”
“Okay.”
…
In the evening, Bai Jinyan had an unexpected matter to attend to at work. Seeing that the time was almost up, Qiao Huaiyao accompanied him outside and then headed directly to the airport.
Walking out of the building entrance, Qiao Huaiyao stretched lazily, breathing in the fresh air outside, feeling that sometimes doing nothing and just staying at home with his brother was quite nice.
Bai Jinyan held his hand as they walked along the path. The weather was getting colder, and the trees were bare without leaves.
Instead of having the driver bring the car in, they had the driver stop at the entrance. Qiao Huaiyao and Bai Jinyan walked slowly from the residential area to the entrance.
Hand in hand, they strolled slowly, like taking a leisurely walk, until they reached the entrance of the residential area.
Bai Jinyan escorted him into the car and reminded him, “Send me a message when your plane lands.”
“Okay.” Qiao Huaiyao hugged him and said, “I’m leaving.”
As he said that, he turned to get into the car, but Bai Jinyan, holding his hand, didn’t let go for a while.
Qiao Huaiyao was taken aback, “Brother?”
Bai Jinyan softly said, “Give me a kiss.”
Qiao Huaiyao subconsciously looked around at the words, finding no one, he sighed in relief.
Bai Jinyan embraced his waist, turned to the side, shielding Qiao Huaiyao, and bent down to plant a gentle kiss.
Qiao Huaiyao blinked lightly, knowing that they might not see each other for a few days after this. His lips moved slightly, giving him a faint response.