Chapter 103 Update

Chapter 103 Update

Xie Qingfeng was clearly taken aback by this unexpected gesture, nearly overwhelmed by the heavy bouquet in the dimly lit room. He could hardly see clearly in the sudden darkness, but he could still make out the figure standing close by, eyes shining with mirth, completely focused on him.

Xie Qingfeng felt a tickle in his throat, the scent of the petals filling his nostrils.

The silence around them amplified every sound. He could hear Jing Xi's heartbeat close by, his slightly heavy breathing, and amidst all this, he realized the other sound was his own racing heart.

Thump, thump, thump – each beat followed quickly, picking up pace...

“Achoo!” Suddenly, Xie Qingfeng couldn’t hold back and turned to sneeze, dissipating the room's previously romantic air.

“Qingfeng?” Jing Xi moved closer, trying to discern his condition, “Are you sick?” His voice was a bit muffled but filled with undeniable concern.

Just as Xie Qingfeng was about to speak, he sneezed again, belatedly realizing the cause. He promptly pushed the bouquet back into Jing Xi's arms, reaching to turn on the light but hesitating upon seeing the lit candles in the living room.

Xie Qingfeng ultimately didn’t turn on the lights, rubbing his now slightly better nose, staying away from the bouquet. He looked up to meet Jing Xi’s woeful eyes, resembling a forsaken puppy. Was he really drunk, holding such a big bouquet, his face expressing everything as if to say: “Don’t you like it? I can bring something else next time.”

Feeling the intensity of Jing Xi’s gaze, Xie Qingfeng’s ears warmed up. His voice, steady in the dark, said, “It’s too fragrant.” He paused, then added, “Not that I don’t like it.”

Instantly, Jing Xi’s eyes brightened: “Then I’ll bring something else next time.” He glanced disdainfully at the bouquet, resolving not to bring such fragrant flowers again. He remembered that the national master preferred real flowers.

Last time in the car, he had said he liked real flowers; no wonder Jing Xi was surprised when Xie Qingfeng returned them.

Xie Qingfeng felt the atmosphere between them was odd, certainly different from what he had expected. To break this weird tension, he simply walked towards the table laden with food, feeling genuinely hungry after not eating for hours.

Jing Xi followed closely, cautious after the sneeze incident, leaving the bouquet in the hallway. He caught up with Xie Qingfeng, his approach more tentative than usual, repeatedly asking if Qingfeng was hungry.

"Qingfeng, take a look, this is what I had prepared. Does it suit your taste?"

"And there's wine too, but the candlelight is dim, hardly bright enough to see your face clearly."

Xie Qingfeng, surrounded by what seemed like 360° of ambient sound, turned his head reluctantly to look.

Jing Xi, about to utter another word, was taken aback by the sight of Xie Qingfeng turning around. His gaze, especially the quiet one fixed on him, prompted Jing Xi to promptly close his mouth, swiftly pull out a chair for Xie Qingfeng, and then sit opposite him.

Xie Qingfeng looked at the chair being pulled out, his brow twitching. Where had he learned this from? He surely wasn’t applying all the tricks of courting a girlfriend on him, was he?

After all, everything present – candlelit dinner, bouquet… surely he wouldn’t pull out a ring and propose next?

Stunned by this thought, Xie Qingfeng quickly shook off the image from his mind, rationalizing that it couldn’t be so absurd.

But it was clear to him what this table setup implied. He finally sat down and glanced across the long table at Jing Xi: “Can we eat now?”

Jing Xi nodded eagerly: “Yes, yes, yes. It’s all prepared for you.”

Though there wasn’t much time for preparation, everything was surprisingly well-arranged. The food was still warm, arriving back just in time. The only downside was the overly ceremonial feel – the table was too long, and the decorative vase in the middle, filled with flowers, obstructed his view of the National Teacher.

Xie Qingfeng could feel Jing Xi’s gaze on him, making him increasingly uneasy. Hungry, he focused his attention on eating.

The first dish tasted good, and Xie Qingfeng started eating non-stop. After finishing most of the meal, he realized something was off – it was too quiet around. Although he didn’t expect Jing Xi to keep talking endlessly, complete silence didn’t seem like him either.

Xie Qingfeng looked up, and this glance only added to his headache.

Jing Xi was just taking a sip of red wine. It seemed tasty, as he poured himself another glass, only to find it half-filled – the bottle was empty.

Xie Qingfeng: “…”

He glanced at his own untouched glass and the full bottle next to it, a bad feeling dawning on him. Had Jing Xi drunk his entire bottle?

Indeed, Jing Xi had finished it. Initially, he just casually sipped from the glass next to him, finding it quite enjoyable. As he sneakily observed the person opposite, feeling nervous, he ended up drinking glass after glass, unknowingly finishing the whole bottle.

Realizing Xie Qingfeng was looking, Jing Xi smiled at him: “It’s good.”

Xie Qingfeng: …

Watching Jing Xi’s dazed yet eager eyes trying to focus on him, Xie Qingfeng wasn’t sure if it was intentional or just an act – great, he had gotten himself drunk again.

Sighing, Xie Qingfeng decided to ignore it. Since he was drunk anyway, let it be.

He continued eating, finishing the food in front of him, and took a sip of the red wine. Indeed, it tasted good.

But with one person already drunk in the room, he stopped after just one sip.

Jing Xi's tolerance for alcohol was known to be low from last time. Fortunately, he wasn't as drunk as before and managed to eat, though his movements seemed exceedingly slow to Xie Qingfeng, trying to pick up a piece with his chopsticks but ending up with nothing, essentially putting air into his mouth.

Jing Xi grimaced slightly, finding the taste mediocre and unappetizing, flavorless.

"Maybe I didn't taste it right. I'll try another bite."

Xie Qingfeng watched with mixed emotions as Jing Xi tried again, successfully picking up something this time, but it fell midway. The dim lighting, combined with his half-drunk, half-sober state, meant he couldn't see clearly and didn’t notice, continuing to eat.

Jing Xi bit his lip, feeling he still couldn't taste it, and looked up at Xie Qingfeng with a hint of dependency and grievance in his eyes, "It's tasteless. Did I get ripped off?"

Xie Qingfeng seriously looked at him, teasingly responding, "How could that be? It looks quite delicious to me."

"Really?" Jing Xi looked down carefully and tasted again, trusting Xie Qingfeng's words without doubt, "But I've tried twice and couldn't taste anything."

Xie Qingfeng suggested, "Then why don't you try again?"

Jing Xi earnestly nodded and picked up something else, choosing a dish with a milder flavor this time, and successfully tasting it, his eyes lighting up, "It seems a bit sweet."

Uncertain, he decided to try something else.

And yet again, he ended up with nothing.

A smile crept into Xie Qingfeng's eyes unknowingly, and he simply propped his face with one hand, watching intently. Fearing that Jing Xi might continue eating till tomorrow, he finally decided to intervene.

He walked over and replaced Jing Xi's chopsticks with a soup spoon, "Use this, eat quickly before it gets cold."

Jing Xi scooped a spoonful and this time successfully got it into his mouth.

Xie Qingfeng watched as Jing Xi sat upright, quietly eating his meal. This sight made him lower his eyes, his fingers on the table twitching with the urge to feed him.

In the end, Xie Qingfeng did nothing, just sitting and watching Jing Xi finish his meal, one seated and the other standing.

Once the meal was nearly done and seeing it was getting late, Xie Qingfeng decided to end the "candlelight dinner" and stood up to turn on the light. After ensuring Jing Xi went to rest, he returned to his own room to sleep.

As Xie Qingfeng moved to turn on the light, he sensed something off behind him. Turning around unexpectedly, he found Jing Xi, who hadn’t realized it yet, bumping into him.

Jing Xi, with his head down, collided directly into Xie Qingfeng’s embrace. Xie Qingfeng instinctively stepped back, but a short cabinet behind him caused him to almost fall backward. His elbow propped on the table to balance himself, and as he moved down, Jing Xi tripped and fell into his arms.