CHAPTER 26: CHAPTER 25: BIRTHDAY PARTY (PART 1)

At this moment.

Xiang Qichen felt that all the embarrassing moments of his life might have happened on this day.

He clenched his fist, gritted his teeth for a moment, his breathing fluctuated, and he rubbed his forehead helplessly.

What to do? He couldn’t just let her hold it in, could he?

So, Mr. Xiang, as if facing a great ordeal, closed his eyes and said, "Just go ahead and pee."

Huaiyi paused for a second, righteously declared, "I absolutely won’t peek!"

Xiang Qichen: "..."

...

After using the bathroom, Huaiyi stood at the bathroom door, face red and ears burning like they were about to bleed.

She slightly opened her mouth, breathing heavily with unstable emotions, using one hand to fan her face.

The... of Mr. Xiang...

So... so embarrassing!

——

Just as the phone call ended, Kang Xuan had finished changing and came out of the bathroom. She stood at the end of the bed tying her hair and looked at Huaiyi, who was still standing motionless with his back to her. She rolled her eyes disdainfully and said, "You can turn around now, obediently."

Xiang Qichen was stunned for a moment, then slowly turned his head. Seeing she was dressed, he felt relieved and asked, "Where do you want to go shopping?"

Kang Xuan, applying sunscreen, furrowed her brows in confusion: "Didn’t you say yesterday you would take me to Sihe Square and Taikoo Li? Huaiyi, did you sleep your brain silly? You’ve been acting odd since you got up this morning."

Xiang Qichen sheepishly touched his nose, and said with faux bravado, "I remember, just asking if there’s anywhere else you want to go..."

"If you mean right now..." Kang Xuan puckered her lips thoughtfully, "I want hot pot."

Xiang Qichen raised an eyebrow and agreed readily, "Sure."

Kang Xuan looked him up and down curiously, mumbling under her breath, "Looks like Huaiyi alright... why so strange today..."

She screwed the lid back on the sunscreen, glanced at Huaiyi in the full-length mirror, and asked, "Old Zhou, aren’t you putting on makeup?"

Xiang Qichen’s expression drifted, "Not today..."

Kang Xuan paused her eyebrow-drawing, lifted the makeup bag from the vanity, and asked inexplicably, "If not, why are you carrying such a big bag, just for show?"

Xiang Qichen feigned calm, "Today’s skin isn’t in good condition..."

In reality, he had no idea how to apply it...

Kang Xuan shrugged wordlessly and continued to apply eyeshadow.

By the time they left, it was past noon, the hottest time of the day.

Kang Xuan put away the room card, zipped her bag, and glanced up at Huaiyi: "Where are we eating hot pot?"

Xiang Qichen pressed the elevator button to go down, opened his phone and said, "Let’s go to one near Taikoo Li, I’ll call a cab."

Kang Xuan nodded agreeably, then, as her eyes inadvertently caught a glimpse of Huaiyi’s phone, she suddenly stopped: "Where’s your phone case?"

Xiang Qichen instinctively tightened his grip on the phone, his mind blanked for a few seconds, and then belatedly said, "Oh... it felt uncomfortable, so I took it off."

"Uncomfortable?" Kang Xuan was shocked, "That was your Xiang Qichen merchandise case you waited a month for! You said you’d never take it off!"

Xiang Qichen’s thoughts flashed by, he chuckled nonchalantly and entered the elevator, "Oh, I actually gave it to Xiang Qichen earlier."

Kang Xuan: "!!! You’re that incredible?"

Xiang Qichen: "Yeah, not too bad."

Kang Xuan: "..."

——

After eating, Huaiyi, utterly bored, squatted at Xiang Qichen’s place waiting until she almost fell asleep...

Until the sound of a door opening "click" startled her awake, straightening her back on the sofa.

Yang Li walked in and saw Xiang Qichen sitting alone blankly on the sofa, the TV off. Walking over, he took a curious look at him, "Qi Chen, are you meditating? Not moving at all."

Huaiyi lowered her eyes, not daring to directly meet his gaze, speaking haltingly, "I... I was waiting for you... hahaha..."

Yang Li thought nothing of it and smiled, "You’re all ready, huh?"

Huaiyi nodded: "Yeah!"

Yang Li scratched his head, seemingly surprised, "You’re quite quick today... No more checking yourself in the mirror?"

Huaiyi looked herself over in confusion, "Does this outfit look bad?"

Yang Li hastily waved his hand, "Looks great, just that it’s rare you’re not fussing today, I’m a bit surprised."

Huaiyi tremulously turned her head, brushed her bangs aside, covering up, "I got up early today, so I fussed over it already..."

Yang Li: "Then let’s go."

,

In the hot pot restaurant.

Kang Xuan stared in shock at the menu where Huaiyi ordered a spicy pot, "Huaiyi, are you out of your mind? Eating extremely spicy?"

Xiang Qichen drank water calmly, "Just a change of taste occasionally."

Kang Xuan: "You usually can’t handle any spice!"

Xiang Qichen: "Today, I’ll challenge myself, you should join too."

Kang Xuan looked as if she’d lost hope, "... I’d have to have a death wish to go crazy with you..."

The hot pot restaurant, packed to the brim, was noisy. Having swapped identities with Huaiyi, Xiang Qichen found himself a bit unaccustomed. Whenever people occasionally passed by, he instinctively wanted to put on a hat to hide his face from the crowd, but then he remembered, he was wearing someone else’s face and could face everyone fearlessly.

He shook his head with a smile.

Maybe it’s been too long since he’d lived such an ordinary and peaceful life.

Kang Xuan munched on a piece of beef fresh from the pot and saw Huaiyi suddenly smiling to himself. She asked casually, "What are you laughing at?"

Xiang Qichen suddenly felt his mood lighten, and he smiled at Kang Xuan, "Hmm... nothing."

"..."

Kang Xuan: Why do I suddenly feel a little charmed...