WBAI Chapter 78

The cover of the latest issue of 《Charm》 truly made Xie An’yu famous, spreading from online to offline. Just a few days after the magazine’s release, Xie An’yu was recognized by passersby when he went to the woodcarving studio, and every day when he entered, people would secretly glance at him.

Xie An’yu didn’t browse the internet much, had few friends, and was quite out of touch with news. He didn’t know the follow-up situation of the magazine’s release and didn’t pay attention to it. Last time, he only heard Yu Feng mention it briefly but didn’t ask for details.

He really didn’t care about these things, but he couldn’t help noticing the stares from strangers these past few days.

There was a water dispenser in the rest area on the first floor of the woodcarving studio. While Xie An’yu was filling his cup with water, he heard someone greet him from behind: “Hi.”

Xie An’yu turned around, and the person stared at his face for a while before asking boldly, “Are you a celebrity, little brother?”

Xie An’yu said, “No.”

The other person didn’t believe him: “I think I’ve seen you in a magazine.”

“You’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

“Can’t be—” The person took out their phone.

“Really, you’ve mistaken me.” Xie An’yu didn’t wait for them to finish speaking and walked out with his cup.

Xie An’yu’s rented workspace was on the second floor. He went upstairs, entered the room, and closed the door. His phone on the corner of the desk lit up, and he walked over to take a look.

Yu Feng: 【I’ll pick you up at five. Professor Shi is treating us to dinner today】

Xie An’yu picked up his phone and typed: 【Okay】

Yu Feng: 【Replying so quickly?】

Yu Feng: 【Is it really you?】

Xie An’yu: 【*.*】

Xie An’yu now replied to messages quite promptly, except when he was carving wood. If he didn’t take breaks, he could go a whole day without looking at his phone.

Yu Feng arrived at the studio at 4:50. When he entered, a staff member asked him, “Have you made a reservation on the app?”

“I’m waiting for someone,” Yu Feng said.

The first floor was a public area where many people sat together carving wood. Yu Feng glanced around but didn’t see Xie An’yu.

The staff member pointed to the sofa by the floor-to-ceiling window and said, “You can sit over there.”

Yu Feng nodded and said, “Thank you.” He asked the staff member, “Are there people upstairs too?”

“Yes, the upstairs is private workspaces, separated from the area down here.”

It was mealtime, and many people in the studio were packing up to go home for dinner. Yu Feng sat on the sofa looking at his phone. He was tall and stood out as soon as he entered. Now, sitting there silently by himself, handsome yet aloof, people passing by on their way out couldn’t help glancing at him.

Two girls were talking at the studio entrance, occasionally looking up toward the second floor as they spoke.

“Hey, why hasn’t he come down yet…”

“Are you sure it’s him?”

“Definitely, absolutely, and positively sure.”

“Then why didn’t he admit it when you asked him earlier?”

“Probably doesn’t want to be recognized by strangers.”

“Then what’s the point of us waiting here?”

“I just want to see him one more time. I saw him up close in the rest area earlier—he’s really handsome.”

“I feel like the real person is so different from the magazine. In the magazine, he looks very mature, but in person, he seems quite young.”

“I’m telling you, the face is definitely the same. I just saw him—the nose, eyes, and mouth are unmistakable. It’s definitely the same person.”

The two girls were talking about Xie An’yu; Yu Feng realized this as he listened. Then, a figure suddenly appeared in his peripheral vision. Xie An’yu had somehow walked up to him and softly called out, “Brother.”

Xie An’yu was fully armed, with both his hat and mask on. Yu Feng stood up and gently tapped the brim of his hat, saying, “What are we going to do with you being so thin-skinned?”

While his face could be covered, his clothes and figure couldn’t. The two girls glanced over in their direction, staring straight at them.

Xie An’yu had covered his face so thoroughly that his intention was clear—he didn’t want to be recognized or disturbed. The two young girls had enough sense to understand this. They exchanged a knowing look, their faces lit with excitement, and quietly left.

Yu Feng’s car was parked in the shade of a tree by the roadside, with no one around. Xie An’yu turned and leaned against Yu Feng’s shoulder, burying his face in the crook of his neck.

Yu Feng gently stroked his head. “Were you recognized?”

Xie An’yu sounded a bit dejected, his voice muffled. “Mm.”

“It’s fine. It’ll pass in a while. The hype will die down.”

***

Shi Wuyang had reserved a private room at a garden-themed restaurant, which had an elegant and refined atmosphere. Zhou Yi had just arrived when Yu Feng and the others showed up shortly after. Their car was parked in the lot outside the garden, and a hostess led them inside.

Shi Wuyang, who had arrived early, was already seated in the room, sipping tea.

Zhou Yi walked in and remarked, “So classy, inviting us to such a sophisticated place for a meal.”

Shi Wuyang looked up, set down his teacup, and smiled. “How could I lose face when treating you all to a meal?”

He turned to the server and said, “Everyone’s here. You can start serving the dishes.”

“Of course.”

Shi Wuyang stood up. “Take a seat, everyone. The food here is quite good.” He glanced at Zhou Yi. “You, as a foodie, can give your expert opinion later.”

Zhou Yi chuckled. “You flatter me, Professor Shi.”

“Care for a drink?” Shi Wuyang asked.

“Are you drinking? If you are, I’ll join you.”

“Of course I am,” Shi Wuyang replied with a smile. “I’m a bit of a drinker, as you know.”

Shi Wuyang had brought his own alcohol and asked the server to open the bottle.

Xie An’yu took off his hat, and Shi Wuyang looked at him. “You got a haircut.”

Xie An’yu gave a quiet ‘Mm’.

Shi Wuyang poured some wine into Zhou Yi’s glass and asked Xie An’yu, “Xiao Xie, are you a model?”

Xie An’yu replied, “Not exactly.”

Zhou Yi glanced at Shi Wuyang. “You’ve seen the magazine he was in?”

“Just caught a glimpse.”

Zhou Yi laughed. “What do you mean, ‘caught a glimpse’?”

“I went to my younger brother’s place the other day. He had a student over for tutoring, and the student brought a magazine that my brother confiscated. It was left on the table, and I happened to see it.”

Zhou Yi was taken aback. “Your brother is a teacher too?”

“Mm, a high school teacher.”

Zhou Yi looked surprised. “How is your whole family made up of teachers?”

Shi Wuyang raised an eyebrow playfully. “Got a problem with that?”

“No,” Zhou Yi said, amused. “Are your parents teachers too?”

Shi Wuyang feigned mystery. “Guess.”

“I’m not guessing,” Zhou Yi retorted with a touch of pride. “Suit yourself.”

Shi Wuyang returned to the earlier topic and said to Xie An’yu, “That cover was really well done.”

“Of course it was. Teacher Yu took the photos himself,” Zhou Yi added.

Shi Wuyang paused, his gaze shifting to Yu Feng. “You took them?”

Yu Feng nodded: “Mm.”

Shi Wuyang was a bit surprised. He knew Yu Feng was a photographer, but he hadn’t expected him to produce work in that style, especially with Xie An’yu as the subject.

Shi Wuyang smiled and said, “You let Xiao Xie get that close to another woman. Weren’t you jealous?”

Zhou Yi thought for a moment he was misremembering—he was certain he’d never mentioned Yu Feng and Xie An’yu’s relationship to Shi Wuyang.

“You…” Zhou Yi stared at Shi Wuyang, his mind a muddled mess. “Did I ever mention this to you?”

Shi Wuyang took a sip of wine and said, “No, but I’m not blind.”

Yu Feng looked at Shi Wuyang. “The alcohol from lunch hasn’t worn off yet, has it?”

Shi Wuyang grinned at him and let out an ‘Ah’. “You caught me.”

If he weren’t a little tipsy, Shi Wuyang wouldn’t have spoken so bluntly—it wasn’t like him at all.

Zhou Yi slapped the back of his neck. “You were drinking at noon too?”

“My schedule’s packed. What can I do?”

Zhou Yi chuckled and pinched the nape of his neck. “Busy with affairs of state, huh? You think you’re the Prime Minister or something? ‘Schedule’s packed’…”

Zhou Yi was also curious about the question Shi Wuyang had asked. He’d seen that magazine issue too—it was unavoidable, displayed right at the entrance of the bookstore. He’d gone to see Yue Lai, spotted it as soon as he walked in, and bought a copy on impulse to boost Xiao Xie’s sales.

The inside pages were far more exciting than the cover. There were even photos of Xie An’yu lifting his shirt with someone pressed against his chest. Hard to say whether Yu Feng was being professional or just remarkably composed.

Zhou Yi looked at Yu Feng. “Interview question for Teacher Yu: What were you feeling when you took those shots?”

What could Yu Feng possibly have been feeling? Tang Shu was a lesbian with a girlfriend—there was no reason for him to feel jealous.

“Nothing much. I was just admiring my boyfriend’s beauty,” Yu Feng said.

Xie An’yu glanced at him, while Zhou Yi and Shi Wuyang burst out laughing simultaneously.

Zhou Yi said, “I don’t believe you felt nothing at all. Too embarrassed to admit it in front of the kid? Trying to act reserved?”

Yu Feng took a bite of food and said, “I never act reserved in front of him.”

Xie An’yu chuckled softly and looked down. Zhou Yi glanced at him and laughed. “What are you laughing at?”

Xie An’yu was the more reserved one. He immediately suppressed his smile and said, “Nothing.”

Zhou Yi sighed. “You two quiet eggs[mfn]悶蛋 (mèn dàn): lit. stuffy eggs; braised eggs; a classic home-style dish made with eggs and chopped green onions as the core ingredients; dull; boring; nerd; geek; country bumpkin.[/mfn]—do you even have anything to talk about when you’re together?”

Yu Feng shot him a look. “We quiet eggs generally don’t talk much with explosive eggs[mfn]炸蛋 (zhà dàn): lit. fried eggs; fried foods made from eggs. T/N: I think this is just YF retort because ZY called them ‘quiet eggs’ which is also a kind of egg dishes.[/mfn] like you.”

Shi Wuyang couldn’t stop laughing. “I’ve realized you’re both hilarious—a pair of hidden talents.”

The private room had its own restroom. Xie An’yu went inside to wash his face, patting his cheeks in the mirror to ease the soreness from smiling too much.

He couldn’t laugh so freely in front of others—such was his reserved nature.

When Xie An’yu came out, he noticed Yu Feng wasn’t at the table. He asked Zhou Yi, “Where’s Brother Yu?”

“He went out to take a call.”

Yu Feng’s call was taking a while—almost ten minutes. Without Yu Feng nearby, Xie An’yu felt less relaxed. He wasn’t sure what to talk about with Zhou Yi and Shi Wuyang, so he stood up: “I’ll go check on him.”

Zhou Yi laughed. “Look at you two, stuck together like glue since you started dating.”

Xie An’yu stepped outside and looked around. There was a bamboo grove nearby, and Yu Feng was standing there, having just finished his call. He turned and walked toward Xie An’yu.

“Looking for me?”

“Mm, looking for you.”

Yu Feng pulled Xie An’yu into a corner and asked quietly, “What did you need me for?”

“Nothing, really.”

“You heard me earlier—I don’t pretend to be reserved in front of you.”

Xie An’yu nodded: “That’s true.”

Yu Feng grabbed Xie An’yu’s wrist. “You know I don’t pretend to be reserved in front of you, yet you still came looking for me.”

Artificial rockeries and bamboo groves surrounded them, with colorful low lights interspersed among the shrubs, casting a dim glow.

They stood in a secluded corner, with a wall behind them and a small stream in front.

“I just wanted to find you.” Xie An’yu leaned in and brushed his lips against Yu Feng’s.

Neither of them particularly cared for pretending to be reserved.

[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Chapter 78″]
日理萬機 (rì lǐ wàn jī): to deal with numerous matters daily; to be very busy; attend to numerous affairs everyday; handle numerous affairs of state every day; manage a multitude of tasks daily; deal with a myriad of matters; be extremely busy with administrative work.

臥龍鳳雛 (wò lóng fèng chú): lit. Crouching Dragon and Phoenix Chick; (figurative) two brilliant individuals in hiding; (Internet slang, sarcastic) a pair of idiots. Originally from the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it refers to the talented strategists Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong, both of whom embody loyalty and wisdom and are representative figures of traditional Chinese culture. The nicknames are said to have been given by the hermit scholar Pang Degong (龐德公). 臥龍 (Wòlóng, literally “Crouching Dragon”) refers to the brilliant strategist Zhuge Liang (諸葛亮), and 鳳雛 (Fèngchú, literally “Fledgling Phoenix”) refers to the equally brilliant strategist Pang Tong (龐統), who was Pang Degong’s nephew. However, it has now been extended by online streamers to describe teammates who perform poorly. With the advent of the live streaming era and the tightening of policies and platform regulations, swearing will be punished by the live streaming platform. As a result, they call teammates they think are playing poorly “Sleeping Dragon and Young Phoenix”. For a time, “Sleeping Dragon and Young Phoenix” replaced words such as “noob” and “actor” and became the words to describe teammates who performed poorly.
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