Chapter 42: Qixi Night Plans

Chapter 42: Qixi Night Plans

"Xiao Yezi, press the light switch again."

Shen Junlan climbed to the head of the bed and pressed it once more. The light softened to a warm, amber glow. He still held the phone above his head, his eyes fixed intently on Huo Yanchi.

"Huo Yanchi, are you very tired?"

His eyes were half-closed, and even through the screen, his exhaustion was palpable.

Huo Yanchi responded with a tired hum, sitting up from the hotel's large bed. He tugged at the tie cinched around his neck, every movement slow and deliberate, radiating a captivating sensuality.

The slower his actions, the more nervous Shen Junlan became. His pupils dilated, his hand pressed against his pounding heart, and he stared without blinking.

Huo Yanchi's taut abs were briefly revealed before he quickly covered them again. As he turned slightly, a glimpse appeared, half-hidden, making Shen Junlan swallow hard.

"Xiao Yezi, if you want to say something, just say it. There's no need to be shy with me."

"Well, I want to see your abs. They seem different."

Huo Yanchi generously revealed them, his veiny hand sliding from his V-line to his abs, giving an unintentional squeeze.

"Hmm? Really?"

Shen Junlan made an appreciative sound, shifting to lie on his stomach on the bed. His fair, straight legs crossed and uncrossed, his shirt slipping to his waist. The thin strap swayed with his movements, as if about to fall off at any moment.

Huo Yanchi brought the phone closer, his handsome face magnified. He closed his eyes briefly. What was this? He and Shen Junlan were teasing each other.

Unable to touch, it was driving him crazy.

"Brother, when are you coming back tomorrow? Xiao Que said Qixi night is the most fun."

Huo Yanchi maintained a neutral expression, inwardly regretting having consulted Xiao Que earlier. His Xiao Yezi didn’t even understand why the night was interesting.

"Tomorrow at six by car. I’ll be home by seven-thirty."

Shen Junlan calculated the time—it was completely doable.

"Okay, I’ll make steak for you tonight. We’ll have a candlelit dinner. Our first Qixi, we should celebrate properly."

Huo Yanchi pulled his clothes back on and grunted in response. This wasn’t just teasing Xiao Yezi; it was torturing himself.

"Master, I didn’t really understand what Xiao Que taught me. I just really enjoy video calling you. And there’s this indescribable feeling too. You’ve been gone for over a day, and I’ve missed you so much I’m wilting."

"I didn’t go to the flower shop today either. I just couldn’t muster the energy. It’s different from when I’m alone at the shop—I know you’ll come after work, but if I went to the shop, I’d still come back to a cold, empty house alone."

"I miss you so, so, so much. I wish I had gained my spiritual power earlier so I could be with you all the time. Grandpa Tree said there used to be little spirits who could achieve immortality."

That was thousands of years ago. He only knew Grandpa Tree was about three thousand years old. Back in the era when gods, demons, and spirits coexisted, he was just a sapling and didn’t know much about those times.

"What about you, Xiao Yezi? Will you suddenly ascend one day?"

Huo Yanchi felt his blood run cold in terror. If Xiao Yezi really ascended, he would never see him again in this lifetime.

"No, even if I could, I wouldn’t ascend. I can’t bear to leave you. Huo Yanchi, without you, I would die."

The words, almost a confession, came calmly from Shen Junlan’s mouth. He said it as casually as if they were having an ordinary conversation, never imagining the storm it stirred in Huo Yanchi’s heart—a tempest that took root deep within.

"Silly Leaf, don’t say that word. Let’s just stay together forever."

"Okay, okay."

Huo Yanchi’s eyes were slightly red. He gripped the phone tightly, calming his emotions, and said softly, "Xiao Yezi, it’s getting late. Time to sleep."

"Goodnight, goodnight. I’ll wait for you to come back."

"Mwah mwah."

He learned it online—it meant kisses.

The video call ended. Huo Yanchi checked the time: 9:47 PM.

The nearest flight from here to the airport was at 11 PM. It would take half an hour to reach the capital, twenty minutes to get home. He could leave at 6:40 the next morning and still make it to the 9 AM meeting.

"Hey, Zhao Qi, I’m heading back to the capital. Pick me up at the airport tomorrow morning at eight."

"What?" Zhao Qi was so shocked he jumped out of bed, thinking something major had happened, his heart pounding.

"Sorry, Mr. Huo, is there a problem with the company? I’ll go back with you."

"No, Xiao Yezi said he misses me."

An awkward silence fell on the other end of the line. A few seconds later, Zhao Qi let out an embarrassed laugh.

Wow.

This wasn’t his Mr. Huo—this was Huo Yanchi, consumed by love.

"Mr. Huo, you’ve been going non-stop all day without rest. Since we’re returning tomorrow anyway, how about we start at seven tomorrow morning and take the earliest flight back in the afternoon?"

There were rustling noises from the phone, indicating he was packing. Zhao Qi fell silent.

Huo Yanchi had always been by-the-book all these years, like an emotionless work machine. Every moment of his life was dedicated to the company, to work.

Zhao Qi had been with him for eight years and had never once seen him prioritize personal matters over work. Now that Mr. Huo finally wanted to live for himself, as his assistant, he had no reason to stop him.

Huo Yanchi was too mature, steady, and experienced. Zhao Qi had almost forgotten that Huo Yanchi was only 28.

"Mr. Huo, I’ve called a car to take you to the airport later."

"Okay."

***

Click.

The bedroom door made a soft sound as Huo Yanchi tiptoed to the bedside.

Xiao Yezi was still wearing his shirt, his chin buried in the pillow, the blanket wrapped tightly around him. Even in sleep, his furrowed brow showed he was restless.

Huo Yanchi gently massaged Xiao Yezi’s forehead, his fingers tenderly brushing through the hair on his head.

"Goodnight, Xiao Yezi."

The night was still.

Shen Junlan’s nose twitched. He seemed to smell Huo Yanchi’s scent, the fragrance spreading through the bedroom, much stronger than on his shirt.

In the hazy moonlight, Shen Junlan turned over, drowsily opening his eyes. Lying straight beside him was Huo Yanchi, breathing evenly, fast asleep.

Shen Junlan’s heart felt like it was about to leap out of his chest. He pinched his own cheek, afraid he was dreaming, until the pain confirmed it was real.

Following that came an overwhelming worry that threatened to overflow his chest. Huo Yanchi was so exhausted, yet he rushed back overnight.

Shen Junlan rubbed his red-rimmed eyes, blaming himself for being thoughtless and saying things that made Huo Yanchi worry. He did miss him, but he never expected him to rush back in the middle of the night.

Tears pattered down silently. Shen Junlan dared not make a sound, afraid of waking Huo Yanchi.

He forced his tired, aching eyes to stay open, staring fixedly at Huo Yanchi.

What if he'd fallen asleep and Huo Yanchi got up and disappeared? Then it would be as if they hadn’t seen each other at all.

If he hadn’t woken up in the middle of the night, he might have even doubted whether Huo Yanchi had returned at all. The lingering scent enveloping him could easily be explained away by Huo Yanchi as nothing.

Huo Yanchi was a rather unexpressive person. He didn’t understand romance, yet every time he did something, it felt incredibly romantic to Shen Junlan.

The sky began to lighten with the first light of dawn.

Huo Yanchi’s biological clock woke him instinctively. He lifted his wrist, and at the same time, Shen Junlan’s voice sounded by his ear.

“It’s six o’clock.”

“Xiao Yezi,” Huo Yanchi spoke in a low, raspy voice.

In an instant, Shen Junlan collapsed onto Huo Yanchi, holding him tightly with such force that Huo Yanchi could barely breathe.

“You jerk, Huo Yanchi! How could you come back like this? You don’t take care of yourself at all. Do you know how worried I was?”

Shen Junlan sniffed, then angrily bit Huo Yanchi’s neck twice, leaving two clear red marks.

“Xiao Yezi, I missed you too.”

He missed him so much that even if they were thousands of miles apart, he had to come back.

Those words doused all Shen Junlan’s anger.

He traced the dark circles under Huo Yanchi’s eyes, then leaned down and kissed them tenderly.

“Huo Yanchi, you can’t do this again. You were supposed to come back this afternoon anyway. Business trips tire you out so much. Next time, can I shrink down to doll-size and go with you? You shouldn’t be running back and forth like this.”

“Mmm.”

Huo Yanchi silenced Shen Junlan’s nonstop talking with a brief, brushing kiss.

“Huo Yanchi, I’m being serious here.”

Another kiss followed.

That big meanie didn’t want to admit his mistake and was trying to control him with kisses.

Well, it worked.

“Xiao Yezi, anything else you want to say?”

“N-no, nothing.”

Shen Junlan rolled away from Huo Yanchi and touched his lips with his fingertips. Kissing elsewhere was different from kissing the lips.

His whole body felt feverish, with no outlet for this feverish feeling. He just stared at Huo Yanchi, looking like a bullied young wife.

“Xiao Yezi, did you stay up all night?”

And he dared to criticize him—his own eyes were barely open.

“I was afraid if I fell asleep, you’d leave. Then your coming back would’ve been pointless.”

“Huo Yanchi, I’m really, really, really happy. I love that you came back for me. But let this be the last time, okay?”

Shen Junlan tugged on Huo Yanchi’s sleeve, blinking his dark eyes.

“Okay, okay, last time. It won’t happen again. Xiao Yezi, get some sleep. I’m leaving.”

“There’s milk and bread. Take some with you.”

Shen Junlan ran barefoot to the bathroom door, worried that Huo Yanchi might upset his stomach again.

“It’s fine. There’s food on the plane. Xiao Yezi, I’m going.”

After changing his clothes, Huo Yanchi didn’t forget to pull Shen Junlan close by the neck and give him another kiss.

“Xiao Yezi, happy Qixi Festival. I’ll bring you a gift when I come back tonight.”

Huo Yanchi left in a hurry, just as he had when he returned.

Shen Junlan lay by the bed, watching his car drive away before finally turning away. He yawned and collapsed onto the bed.

Heh heh, Huo Yanchi smelled amazing. The room was filled with his scent. Shen Junlan loved it, loved it so much.

By the time Shen Junlan woke up, the sun was high in the sky.

Xiao Que fluttered his wings, chirping angrily, looking completely pissed off.

Feeling pretty guilty, Shen Junlan ran to the window to let Xiao Que in. They had agreed to fix up the place together, but he had slept so soundly that he hadn’t gotten up at all.

“Sorry, Xiao Que, I overslept. It wasn’t on purpose. Huo Yanchi suddenly came back last night, all the way from so far away. I couldn’t bear to sleep, so I kept watching him. I only fell asleep after he left.”

Wow.

Xiao Que admiringly nuzzled Shen Junlan’s cheek, generously saying it was okay.

This must be love!

“Jun Lan, is the feng shui in your house not good? No offense, but it’s either single men or lifelong bachelors around here. Even the sparrows with families don’t live nearby. The one nesting next to me is a bachelor sparrow too—he’s never even snuggled with a female sparrow.”

“Back when I was at my old home, at least the owner had some conscience and found me a mate. But she was a purebred sparrow and looked down on me.”

“That’s not the point. The point is, since I came here, there hasn’t been a single sparrow I can snuggle with. How am I supposed to live like this?”

Shen Junlan scratched his head. He didn’t know much about feng shui.

“Xiao Que, I picked up an old turtle who understands feng shui and fortune-telling. Should I ask him to see if there’s a sparrow willing to be with you?”

“Yes, yes! I want a wife, kids, and a warm nest too.”

Hmm, Xiao Que had big dreams. Shen Junlan heard him dreaming of building a three-story nest for his future wife and children.

In reality, Xiao Que’s current nest was pretty rough, weathered by wind and rain, looking miserable. He spent winters in their house. Xiao Que was shy, too shy to move in directly, so he was just crashing for the winter.

“Jun Lan, how did you want to decorate?”

“I’m not sure, that’s why I called you.”

Shen Junlan smiled somewhat bashfully; he could only really ask Xiao Que for help like this.

"Come on, no worries. Just open your phone and search for 'Qixi Festival room decoration recommendations.'"

Each suggestion was a bit different, but they all had one thing in common—the bed was particularly special.

"Xiao Que, I don’t like having other flowers in my home, but all their beds have petals, even rose petals."

Only Huo Yanchi’s "flower" (Shen Junlan) was allowed; no others were permitted in this house.

"That’s easy. Just open a food delivery app now and order balloons, colored paper petals, ribbons, and some scented incense for a romantic dinner."

Incense was different from candles. Xiao Que picked a scent called "Alluring," which had rave reviews.

It had to be said, decorating the house was really tiring.

Especially inflating the balloons—Shen Junlan couldn’t quite get the hang of it. They either popped or weren't full enough.

It took him two whole hours to blow up balloons for half the room. Luckily, since he wasn’t human, he didn’t feel too tired.

"Xiao Que, can I just scatter the petals directly?"

"Yes, go ahead and scatter them freely. Then arrange the ones in the middle into a heart shape."

Xiao Que used his tiny wings to help Shen Junlan trace the shape. All Shen Junlan had to do was sprinkle the petals evenly.

Xiao Que flew up to hang the ribbons, making the entire setup both lovely and warm.

"Jun Lan, snap a picture to commemorate this. In the future, you and Huo Yanchi can take photos for every holiday you celebrate. It’ll be nice to look back on the memories through photos."

Shen Junlan snapped a bunch of pictures. Finally, he took one sitting on the bed and gestured for Xiao Que to perch on his shoulder for a few joint shots.

"Thank you so much, Xiao Que. I don’t even know what to say. I bought some kingfisher-friendly bird food—try it and see if you like it."

Xiao Que had tried all kinds of gourmet food, so he could accept any kind of food.

"It’s pretty good. Alright, I’ll leave it on the windowsill in the storage room. I’ve left the door open for you—just push it open and come in. You can visit even when we’re not home."

Shen Junlan led Xiao Que to the storage room, where a spacious birdcage and several wooden perch stands were set up.

"It’s been really hot lately, and we have air conditioning at home. I know you’re worried about disturbing me and Huo Yanchi, so this spot won’t bother us. What do you think?"

Xiao Que tweeted twice, as if he’d suddenly found a home again.

Shen Junlan gently held Xiao Que, gently stroking his smooth feathers. "Xiao Que, you’re the most beautiful bird in the world. Huo Yanchi and I both adore you just as you are. You don’t need to change for anyone."

"Mm-hmm, thank you, Jun Lan."

Shen Junlan poured some water for Xiao Que, and the two of them spent time at the windowsill, enjoying the breeze and lost in thought.

What a wonderful day.

***

7:30 p.m.

Huo Yanchi arrived home right on time.

The moment he pushed the door open, a confetti popper burst with a bang.

Petals of various colors fluttered down as Shen Junlan exclaimed, "Surprise!"

His pronunciation was perfect—his Xiao Yezi must have practiced secretly for a long time.

"Huo Yanchi, happy Qixi Festival!"

Huo Yanchi responded by embracing Shen Junlan tightly.

Shen Junlan buried his face in Huo Yanchi’s neck, listening to his pounding heartbeat, and felt his own mood lift.

"Guai Yezi, guess what I brought you as a gift."

The gift box Huo Yanchi held wasn’t large—perhaps a small piece of jewelry.

"Is it a brooch? Because I was admiring yours before, and you said you’d give me one next time."

"Yeah, what else?"

Shen Junlan couldn’t think of anything else; there was nothing else he particularly wanted.

"Xiao Yezi, close your eyes."

Shen Junlan’s eyelids fluttered slightly as he listened to the sound of Huo Yanchi unwrapping the box, holding his breath in anticipation.

Something cool fastened around his neck—Huo Yanchi had clasped a necklace for him.

"Alright, Xiao Yezi, see if you like it."

The pendant was a leaf that looked just like him—more precisely, identical to his young leaf form.

"I had it custom-made as your Qixi gift. There are also brooches and cufflinks—you can mix and match them."

Every design was something he adored. Shen Junlan’s eyes sparkled as he looked from one to another.

It suddenly hit him—he’d been so focused on decorating the house that he’d forgotten to buy a gift for Huo Yanchi.

"What should I do, gege? I forgot to get you a gift."

Huo Yanchi swept Xiao Yezi up in a spin and said casually, "You are the best gift. Besides, my Xiao Yezi prepared a candlelit dinner for me—that’s more than enough."

Shen Junlan nodded emphatically. He lit the candles and the "Alluring" incense.

"Gege, wait just a moment. I’ll be ready soon."

He didn’t know how to marinate steak, so he’d bought pre-seasoned ones that only needed frying.

Shen Junlan didn’t recognize wine brands, so he randomly picked a bottle of red wine from Huo Yanchi’s wine cellar.

The internet said red wine was romantic—something about "romantic," or so they say.

"Ta-da! The steak is here. Huo Yanchi, try it and see if it’s good."

Huo Yanchi was at a loss for words. His Xiao Yezi was so earnest—four large steaks with a side of pasta, really concerned he might go hungry.

"It smells amazing. Xiao Yezi, want a drink?"

"Yes."

With a gentle pop, Huo Yanchi opened the wine bottle, filled their glasses, and toasted each other in the dim candlelight.

"Xiao Yezi, this is my first Qixi, and it's our Qixi together. We'll spend every one from now on together."

"Okay, happy Qixi Festival."

Shen Junlan tentatively sipped the wine, and when he didn't feel any discomfort, he swallowed it with relief.

The room seemed to be getting hotter. Shen Junlan gazed dazedly at Huo Yanchi, tugged at his collar, revealing a flushed neck glistening with perspiration.

The clinking of knives and forks faded into the background. Huo Yanchi was more practical—he'd eaten all four steaks, not wanting Xiao Yezi's efforts to go to waste.

When the heat surged through him, Huo Yanchi's eyes went straight to the incense. This wasn’t the ordinary kind—it was infused with a mild aphrodisiac.

Gulp.

Huo Yanchi took another mouthful of wine and swallowed. He nudged Xiao Yezi with his foot and, as expected, heard a soft moan.

His Xiao Yezi always kept him on his toes.

The bottle of wine was nearly empty. Shen Junlan, not wanting to waste it, downed the last drop straight from the bottle.

"Huo Yanchi, I set up the bedroom. Carry me to see it—I don’t want to walk."

His head was spinning, and he didn’t feel like moving.

Shen Junlan stumbled into Huo Yanchi’s arms, automatically wrapping his arms around his neck, his hot breath brushing against Huo Yanchi’s skin.

His rationality was nearly gone.

When the bedroom door opened, the giant heart shape made Huo Yanchi’s heart flutter. Holding Shen Junlan carefully, he walked over and whispered, "Xiao Yezi, do you know what this means?"

"Mhm, it's for a date."

Huo Yanchi let out a low chuckle. A date that led to the bedroom—his Xiao Yezi likely still didn't realize what was supposed to happen next.

He laid Xiao Yezi down on the heart shape, arms braced on either side of his head, closing the distance slowly.

"Xiao Yezi, do you know what happens on Qixi night?"

Shen Junlan shook his head, then nodded. Xiao Que had said they had to do something—he didn’t know what, but Xiao Que told him to listen to Huo Yanchi.

"Huo Yanchi, do whatever you want."