Chapter 19: Xi Xingling
For a full month without seeing Li Dong, Xi Xingling sent him one text a day.
Sometimes it was a simple greeting, sometimes it was a long essay with sl*tty selfies, describing what he’d done that day, what kind of mood and thoughts he had, and so on and so forth.
For the entire month, Li Dong gave him the cold shoulder.
The cold-shoulder punishment worked. Xi Xingling learned in his bones that Li Dong meant what he said and could be ruthless about it.
He no longer believed Li Dong had a gentle temper, and he no longer dared to carpet-bomb him with messages, even though he missed him so badly it hurt.
All month long, aside from focusing on work, he kept repeating Li Dong’s rules to himself.
Can’t be cheap, can’t act sl*tty, can’t fantasize in his heart about things he shouldn’t think about, can’t do this or that. He recited it ten thousand times a day in his mind.
Bzzz… bzzz…
The phone with its pretty case vibrated against his pillow. An unfamiliar entry flashed on the screen, but the number felt painfully familiar.
He had deleted Han Tianlin’s contact, but that string of digits was etched into his brain.
Three years of dialing by heart does that. Even if the number burned to ash, he would still recognize it.
Once upon a time, if this call had come, he would have run downstairs to buy a lottery ticket. Now the same call felt like a demon at his door. He wanted to throw the phone away.
Should he answer?
What if it was about Second Young Master?
“Hello? Young Master?” He picked up. He forced his voice into a neutral tone, as if he were answering a coworker. “It’s late. What’s the matter?”
“Sassy little sl*t.” Han Tianlin’s voice dripped with the same disgust as always. “The person Yubai likes has come back. Stop clinging to him and get lost. The farther the better. Quit being an eyesore.”
“…” Xi Xingling was speechless for a moment because he was too shocked. Second Young Master’s white moonlight had returned? It took him a long while to come to his senses, then he said rather aggrieved, “Oh. Then I’ll ask Second Young Master whether he still wants me…”
“I told you to stop clinging to him. What is there to ask? Do you not understand human speech?” Han snapped. He already regretted shoving this huge headache at his brother. Had he known Gu Xichen would divorce and come back, he never would have done it.
“I’ll listen to Second Young Master,” Xi Xingling said, unexpectedly bold. “Hanging up now. I have work tomorrow.”
Han never imagined he would one day be hung up on by Xi Xingling. “That little sl*t!”
The moment he ended the call, that “little vixen” fired off a report to Li Dong: “Second Young Master, First Young Master just called and said your beloved has come back. He told me to stop clinging to you. [pitiful]”
A second message followed: “I did not listen to him. He doesn’t get to decide whether I cling to you or not. I refused and hung up on him. [laugh-cry] Now I am kind of scared. What should I do?”
For a month, Li Dong had not replied, but he had still kept up with Xi Xingling’s life through those daily confessions.
He was moderately satisfied with the month’s performance. Tonight he was very satisfied.
“What are you afraid of? He is not going to eat you.” After a moment’s thought, Li Dong chose to call instead.
The call made Xi Xingling bolt upright on the bed. “Second Young Master? You are finally talking to me again?” He hugged the blanket, voice bursting with joy.
Did this mean Han Yubai still allowed him to stay by his side? Even if there was… someone else in his heart…
“I only saw the person I used to like today,” Li Dong said, his tone a little awkward. He had never liked Gu Xichen and never would, not that type. “He called you that fast?”
“Mhm…” Xi Xingling clutched the phone and waited.
“But I discovered you are actually more likable.”
“!!!!!” Should have recorded it. Tragic!
Five exclamation marks were not enough. He was so happy he could faint. Was he dreaming? Hallucinating?
How could this be real?
“Only when you are not being cheap,” Li Dong added. “You did well this past month. Keep it up.”
“Ahhh! I will do whatever you say!” Ecstatic did not cover it. His heart was blooming. He was giddy. He wanted nothing more than to be tossed onto Li Dong’s bed and ravished.
“The day after tomorrow, one o’clock. Come to the airport and pick me up,” Li Dong instructed.
“Yes, Second Young Master.” Tears pricked his eyes. “I will be there for sure. I will head over in the morning and wait.”
“…” This behavior was really very stalker-like.
Li Dong had nothing else to say. He hung up with a speechless little huff.
“Yes!” Xi Xingling flopped onto the bed and rolled around until he nearly fell off.
Too excited to sleep, he jumped up and began planning the outfit for the big day like clothes, shoes, scarf, the works.
Thanks to Li Dong’s generosity, the spree last time had given him enough pieces to mix and match all winter.
He was still a regular salaryman. He did not dare swan into the office decked out in luxury labels every day. That would be asking for trouble. He could only wear them in private and savor it.
Li Dong was right. What he needed now was not shallow vanity but a full heart.
With a full heart, anything you wear looks good.
But if you can wear the pricey stuff, of course that is best. He still adored those painfully expensive brands.
He swore he would become a top-tier jewelry designer. Then he could wear luxury openly and show off without guilt.
Li Dong’s return landed on a weekend. From the night before, Xi Xingling started slathering on face masks. He used another right before leaving, the “boyfriend-special” mask his best friend had recommended.
Murmuring the word boyfriend under his breath, he could not stop smiling. His whole face was honey-sweet.
La-la-la… He hummed as he put himself together.
A sweater with pale blue slim jeans, a tailored coat on top, and soft lambskin ankle boots that were warm and sharp.
Because Li Dong disliked perfume, he skipped his favorite flirting weapon.
He wrapped a scarf, grabbed a black tassel bag, and headed out.
He reached the airport at eleven. The plane would not land for at least two hours.
He did not mind. He sat near the exit, happy as could be, and waited. Two hours passed without a flicker of impatience.
He actually enjoyed the waiting. There was a tart sweetness in his chest.
If he had to put it into one word, it was love.
The joy at the corners of his eyes could not be hidden. His feelings overflowed easily onto the surface. Thrilled, he pulled out his pocket sketchbook and pencil and started drafting designs in the middle of the bustling terminal.
“I wonder if Second Young Master eats airplane food?” Around noon, his stomach began to grumble, but he did not want to eat alone. He wanted to have lunch with Li Dong.
“Fine, I will grab a snack…” He muttered, tucking away the sketchbook. As he stood, he noticed a few girls nearby watching him.
Even though he was the bendiest of the bend, attention from pretty girls still felt nice. People look because you are nice to look at.
“It is already one…” He stood outside a convenience store, nibbling a rice ball and checking the time as he walked.
He did not know the exact landing time. After one o’clock, he waited another half hour.
Half his bottle of water was gone when another wave of passengers streamed out.
Li Dong was among them. He dressed low-key in a baseball cap and mask, but with his height and aura he still stood out like a crane among chickens. Anyone who knew him would spot him instantly.
“Second Young Master… Second Young Master!” Xi Xingling was wildly happy. He ran over all the way, rushing into the crowd against the flow.
This was very inconsiderate. Li Dong felt embarrassed and wanted to say something to him.
He had just pulled down his mask when Xi Xingling pounced at him like a little wolf dog.
“I missed you so much…” With arms locked around his neck and a voice already breaking into a sob, whatever stern lecture Li Dong had queued up stuck in his throat.
“Do not cry. You will ruin your eyeliner.” Li Dong hesitated, then used his hand to support Xi Xingling’s behind to prevent this guy from falling.
“Nonsense. I am not wearing any…” Xi tipped his face up and kissed him right on the mouth. “Mwah~”
He stared at Li Dong in a daze for a while before realizing that Li Dong was walking while carrying him, one arm around him and the other dragging his suitcase.
“You are so manly,” Xi sighed. He loved him to death. Every shou’s dream man.
No, no, no, he tightened his hold possessively. This was his dream man. Other little sl*ts shouldn’t even think about touching him.
“Where did you go this past month? Did any little vixens seduce you?” he asked, half teasing, half sulky.
Li Dong set him down. “I am exhausted. Walk.” Only then did he answer, “I went traveling. As for little vixens…” He gave a wicked smile and pinched Xi’s backside. “What do you think? The thing this world lacks least is little sl*tty bottoms.”
“Are any as shameless as me?” Xi pouted, his soft face scrunching, perfectly groomed brows tilting.
He clung to Li Dong’s arm, glued to him.
“Not really.” Li Dong took a closer look and had to admit he found this face very easy to like. “Even if they were as sltty as you, they’re not as cutely sltty as you.”
Xi’s grin bloomed at once. To him, that was the ultimate compliment.
He was absurdly easy to please. When he was not acting out, he was genuinely likable.
Li Dong took pity and pecked him on the lips, then saw his big smile again.
All of Xi Xingling’s reactions were amplified several times. Being with him required the least brainpower. At most, sometimes certain perceptions would be refreshed, but once you got used to it, it was actually fine.
Compared to Gu Xichen, Li Dong preferred Xi Xingling’s purity and shamelessness, straight-up and honest.
“Can you walk properly?” He glanced at the young man hanging on his arm.
“No. My legs go weak when I see you.” Xi stated it like a fact, but he sneaked a glance at Li Dong’s mouth to check his mood. Was a joke allowed?
Seeing the curve at the corner of Li Dong’s lips, he nearly burst with happiness.
Bantering with Second Young Master like this, he had never had it this easy before.
Did it mean he had done well this month? That Li Dong was pleased? The thought made him run through what he had done these past four weeks.
The biggest thing was discipline: one text per day, never more, and then behave and wait until the next day.
He had also kept his head down at work: no spiraling, no drowning in romance, no self-pity.
Why had he failed to do that the last three years?
Why had he been so lonely, so empty, so cold, so desperate for a man he could hardly stand it?
Pressed close to Li Dong, Xi thought it through. Back then he had no pillar to lean on and no hope for the future. So he clung to his hopeless crush, stewed in loneliness, and lived in a loop he could not break.
Then Second Young Master picked him up and chewed him out, and suddenly he had a pillar. Change naturally became easier.
So as long as Second Young Master did not toss him aside, as long as he was willing to keep being that pillar, the world would stay bright and warm.
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