Chapter 54: His Wish
In the yard, the cherry tree was in full bloom with white flowers at the onset of early spring.
Perhaps sensing a familiar scent, the little stray cat would come to this cherry tree every day and frolic underneath it.
Every time Xie Yang came to water the cherry tree, he would see the ground covered with fallen white petals.
He could only catch the little cat and repeatedly give it moral education lectures.
Because Xie Yang liked flowers, during his days at home, Qi Xu had people deliver various types of flower seedlings. They planted these flowers and plants together every day.
It served as a distraction for Xie Yang and shifted his attention.
After Xie Yang had just dewormed the roses, he pointed to a bare patch of ground nearby and said, “It would be nice to plant a patch of daisies here. In the summer, you’ll see a whole field of daisies swaying in the wind, very beautiful. And they are quite resilient; just scatter some seeds and they’ll grow into a large field of daisies.”
Qi Xu carefully washed the dirt off his hands with a hose and said, “I’ll have the seeds delivered tomorrow. Is there anything else you’d like to plant?”
Xie Yang shook his head, “We’ve planted quite a lot of flowers already. By this time next year, the whole yard will be full of flowers, it will definitely be very beautiful.”
Next year seemed distant, but he was already looking forward to it.
Since the day he finished his call with his father, his phone had been off, and he felt much calmer overall.
Being with Qi Xu meant he didn’t have to stare at his phone all day; he never felt bored.
During these days, he spent most of his time taking care of plants in the yard, feeding the fish, playing chess with Qi Xu when bored, or practicing calligraphy quietly.
There was a small movie theater at home, and Auntie would thoughtfully bring him many snacks, various fruits that couldn’t be finished.
There was also a game room, with games like the ones Xie Yang had mentioned before, like 4399 games, Golden Miner, Super Mario, Bomberman, etc. He played them with Qi Xu.
He was very happy living at Qi Xu’s house, especially suitable for him, a social phobia.
Playing at home every day, he didn’t have to go out.
But Qi Xu didn’t want him to stay at home all the time, and there were a few days left until the holiday when Qi Xu took him out to change his phone card.
Originally, he had promised his mother that he would go back to the city to have a meal with her, so he simply made an appointment for the same day.
After changing the phone card, Qi Xu sent him to the restaurant where he had arranged to meet his mother.
The car stopped in the underground garage, and the car was silent.
Xie Yang coaxed the unhappy man sitting in the driver’s seat, with a sweet smile on his lips, pleasingly saying, “I’ll call you to pick me up as soon as we’re done eating, it won’t take long.”
With the matter settled, and his mother having something to do this afternoon, they had scheduled to meet only for lunch.
So after lunch, he could go home.
Qi Xu had not said a word, but Xie Yang could feel his unhappiness.
It was as if when Qi Xu wasn’t around him, he would feel lonely and lost.
But Qi Xu’s situation seemed a bit worse.
Xie Yang could feel that Qi Xu had a slight separation anxiety. Once he left Qi Xu’s sight, it would make Qi Xu feel anxious and uneasy.
Observing this situation for a while, it seemed that it hadn’t improved, but had become more serious.
So every time Xie Yang went out alone, he would coax him for a long time and keep in touch with him.
Qi Xu tightly held his hand, in the dim light, Xie Yang couldn’t see his face clearly.
But because of this, Xie Yang inexplicably imagined his pitiful appearance.
After thinking about it, he held his hand back, soothing his emotions, “How about you come with me? After all, Mom has seen you before, it’s okay. Do you want to come with me?”
Qi Xu: “Can I come?”
His voice faintly carried a hint of surprise.
It made Xie Yang feel a bit sorry for him.
He confidently replied, “Of course you can. Let’s hurry, so Mom won’t have to wait long.”
The restaurant was chosen by Xie Yang and served his favorite Thai cuisine.
Rong Man wasn’t picky about food, and basically left the arrangements to Xie Yang. She was never disappointed; she agreed to whichever restaurant Xie Yang chose.
She had ordered several dishes in advance, and estimated the time, knowing Xie Yang would be arriving soon.
After waiting a few more minutes, she saw Xie Yang entering the restaurant hand in hand with Qi Xu. She was slightly surprised but quickly adjusted her expression, refocusing her attention on Xie Yang. She scrutinized him for a while and suddenly smiled, “Have you gained a bit of weight recently?”
Before, she hadn’t taken good care of Xie Yang, busy with work and showing little concern for him. She had thought Xie Yang didn’t like to eat and was tired from studying, hence why he was so thin.
Since their meeting at the end of last year, she noticed Xie Yang gradually improving.
Not only in appearance but also in character, he had become much more cheerful.
A lover can be like a gardener; his little boyfriend took good care of him.
Now Xie Yang looked healthy, fair-skinned and tender, clearly someone who had been cherished and cared for with great care.
Just from this, Rong Man was very satisfied with Qi Xu as her son-in-law.
Upon hearing the word “fatter,” Xie Yang remembered how Qi Xu would hug him every day to check his weight. He had weighed himself this morning before leaving and had already reached 106 pounds.
If he hadn’t gone to tidy up the garden as a gardener a few days ago, he wouldn’t have realized how much he had gained.
Originally, he thought it was easy to get dirty with flowers and plants. Though Qi Xu had bought him clothes that didn’t show their brand, he could tell from the fabric that it was of high quality, well-made and possibly custom-made.
He was unwilling to get his clothes dirty, thinking he would change into the old ones he bought himself, only to find they no longer fit.
The loose pants were now tighter, making him realize how much weight he had gained.
He was also a little relieved that at least he hadn’t developed a beer belly; it seemed like he had gained weight evenly.
Even his face had plumped up a bit; he used to feel like his cheeks were sunken, but now they felt chubby when touched.
Seeing Xie Yang’s shy smile, Rong Man was genuinely pleased, “You were too thin before. You look so much better now. Another ten pounds or so, and you’ll be just right.”
Ten pounds more?
Xie Yang widened his eyes.
How could that be?
He secretly decided that he would control his diet after returning home.
During the Spring Festival period, Auntie in Qi Xu’s house always liked to feed him various afternoon tea snacks. On normal days, there were never any shortages of fruits and milk.
They even had stewed soup at night, as Qi Xu’s mother ordered the kitchen to nourish him.
They all said he was too thin and needed to be supplemented.
No wonder he had gained so much weight.
Although Qi Xu had previously mentioned that he was light, he still worried that if he gained more weight, Qi Xu might not be able to lift him anymore.
Qi Xu seemed to guess what he was thinking and chuckled softly in his ear, “I work out every day. How can you think that with your weight, I wouldn’t be able to lift you?”
Xie Yang’s thoughts were seen through by him. Feeling guilty, he glanced at him and whispered softly, “That’s not what I meant.”
Qi Xu snorted lightly, “Do you want me to hold you tonight…”
Xie Yang panicked and covered his mouth to stop him from saying any more, glaring fiercely at him.
“Mom is still here, what if she hears!”
Rong Man watched them play-fight and chuckled softly.
Suddenly, she remembered a few days ago when Xie Chuan called her, brazenly asking about the property certificate. They had a lot of grievances between them, and even though they hadn’t been in contact for over a decade, they argued fiercely after just a few sentences on the phone, ending the call without reconciling.
Rong Man didn’t care. She had never expected to get that money anyway, but now that it had fallen into her pocket, she had no intention of letting Xie Chuan have a share. Finally, after so many years, she could finally hold her head high in front of Xie Chuan.
After insulting him for a while, Rong Man felt much more comfortable this year.
Especially when she found out about Xie Chuan’s company going bankrupt, she laughed even more wantonly.
The year she married Xie Chuan, she met a friend near Liuli Village, who had been in intermittent contact for many years. That friend worked in the company of the woman with whom Xie Chuan had an affair. Suddenly, a few days ago, the friend contacted her, saying that Xie Chuan’s company was facing bankruptcy and closure due to the economic downturn in recent years. They had been struggling financially for a while, and despite having a large order lined up by year-end, the collaborating company unexpectedly terminated their relationship, refusing even to compensate them for the deposit.
These deposits couldn’t cover the materials purchased from the collaborating company, and the debt owed to them was substantial.
Normally, delaying the final payment wasn’t a big deal; they could have managed it by next spring when the funds came in.
They had operated like this for many years.
But for some reason, this time the collaborating company pressed particularly hard, initiating legal proceedings within days without giving Xie Chuan a chance to breathe.
His company also attempted to sell products at a loss to other clients, even halving prices compared to competitors, but no one wanted to cooperate.
The friend worked in the finance department and knew a lot about the company’s affairs. She quietly told Rong Man that the company had offended someone powerful, which explained why all their business partners suddenly cut ties. A senior boss who had been their long-time collaborator revealed at a dinner that the company had indeed angered someone influential. If even he couldn’t help Xie Chuan, no one else would lend a hand either.
Xie Chuan continued to inquire, but the senior boss could only say vaguely that he didn’t know whom they had offended, despite asking around extensively.
Upon hearing the news about the land sale in Liuli Village, Xie Chuan couldn’t wait to find Xie Yang and retrieve the property certificate, aiming to get the demolition compensation. He urgently wanted to use this fund as a buffer. That’s why he was so eager, even resorting to trying to coax Xie Yang into handing over the property certificate, but it turned out to be all in vain.
Thinking of this, Rong Man glanced at Qi Xu, who was meticulously removing fish bones for Xie Yang.
Xie Chuan might not know, but Rong Man couldn’t possibly be unaware that the actions didn’t stray far from the young man before her eyes.
Though still somewhat immature, given time, he would definitely stand atop S City’s pyramid.
With such a family background and character, he was not to be underestimated.
Perhaps in this bankruptcy of Xie Chuan’s company, he had merely lifted a finger to help Xie Yang vent his frustration.
Maybe even Xie Yang himself wasn’t aware of what the young man had done behind the scenes.
And the young man wouldn’t tell him.
Originally, she had intended to remind Xie Yang about the dinner they were supposed to have today and incidentally inform him about what had happened to Xie Chuan’s company.
She hadn’t expected his boyfriend to tag along, making her reluctant to broach the subject.
Now it seemed unnecessary to tell Xie Yang about it.
Since the young man wanted to keep it quiet, she would go along with it.
Some things were better left unknown to Xie Yang. His gentle nature and kind heart would burden him even if Xie Chuan treated him poorly.
This wasn’t the outcome she and the young man hoped for.
Rong Man felt this arrangement was ideal. Under the young man’s wings, Xie Yang could live carefree.
That’s what they wanted to see.