Chapter 23: Falling off the Horse (Second Update)

Jian Mingzhou almost suffocated! His brain went blank.

—Xie Jing!

Why is he here!?

In the flowing scene, only their place seemed to be frozen. The fanzines in his hand were still quite eye-catching.

The two stood in silence for several seconds.

The person in front spoke first: “Uncle.”

The frozen thoughts were recovered in an instant! Jian Mingzhou calmly interrupted, “Do you know what a proxy purchase is…”

Xie Jing reminded her in a low voice, “The to-sign is about to fall out.”

Jian Mingzhou, “…”

Jian Mingzhou: “Oh, thanks.”

Damn! He lowered his head, pretending to be calm, and stuffed the half-fallen signature paper back, reconcealing the bright and dazzling two characters “Mingzhou” above.

His face was calm, but his heart was almost about to burst open!

Ah ah ah ah ah!!!!

Save him, save him, save him!

Can he bury his head in the bag and travel to another world now? Is there a time machine for sale at Booth A?

The demon’s whisper echoed in his mind again: Don’t end up bringing back a bag of explosive BL18x and bumping into him head-on, then you’ll really have no way to explain…

What a jinx — Xia Ye!

Jian Mingzhou’s fingers holding the to-sign curled up.

When Xie Jing looked over, he saw the person tilting his head slightly, and although he still maintained a calm expression on his face, the ears exposed from the hair were completely red.

Just standing in the midst of the flowing crowd at the Doujinshi exhibition, they suddenly attracted the attention of the surrounding onlookers.

Xie Jing’s fingertips moved slightly, and suddenly, a hat fell onto Jian Mingzhou’s head, covering the remaining half of his face.

“…”

Jian Mingzhou’s heart skipped a beat, and he looked up through the remaining slit. He saw Xie Jing’s hand pressing on his head, and as soon as he saw the other party’s throat move, his head was pressed down.

It seemed like Xie Jing brought him forward a bit, and a low voice came down:

“Have you finished buying everything?”

Jian Mingzhou’s heart heated up, and he nodded.

Xie Jing just turned his head, leading him towards the exit. “Let’s go back.”

The two people’s footsteps were intertwined.

But they walked side by side in the same direction.

The crowds around and the seemingly invisible glances all became blurry in the peripheral vision.

Xie Jing looked ahead and thought, So Uncle really wants to see BL.

BL refers to the kind where two men kiss.

A faint layer of paper covering his heart was punctured with a “chirp,” and something broke through.

Blood flowed, causing the heartbeat to echo in his ears.

The surrounding noise gradually faded away. Xie Jing glanced at the quietly reddening earlobes below and then escorted him through the crowd, a smile playing on his lips.

…

They exited the venue, and the crowd dispersed.

The wind blew against them, dispersing the stagnation and heat.

Jian Mingzhou felt a bit calmer now, wondering if Xie Jing’s hat had given him a protective shell. At least, his thoughts seemed to be moving again.

“You…” The first word he uttered still sounded a bit ethereal. He pulled his soul back into his body.

“How did you come?” Xie Jing said. “He Yi and Zhou Xuyang pulled me over. Coincidentally, there was something to do in this area, so I came.”

He Yi and Zhou Xuyang. Jian Mingzhou closed his eyes in miscalculation:…Xiaoyu!

He composed himself again. “Did you finish your business?”

“I didn’t go.” Xie Jing curled his lips and pressed his hat. “Next time, let’s go home first.”

A taxi arrived quickly.

In the car, Jian Mingzhou leaned against the window, cradling the bag of BL18x in his arms.

In the enclosed compartment, it felt a bit awkward not to say something. Fortunately, the topic had returned to normal, and now it was just a matter of chatting naturally…

However, someone else seemed to have the same idea.

Before Jian Mingzhou could speak, the driver in the front started chatting cheerfully. “There are so many people here today. Is there an event?”

A sudden silence filled the car.

Jian Mingzhou met the driver’s eyes through the rearview mirror; both of them were so good at chatting…

The driver seemed oblivious. “Did you also come out after participating in an event?”

Jian Mingzhou’s throat moved as he looked out the window. “Yes, an art exhibition.”

It seemed like a glance drifted toward him from the side.

The driver suddenly became excited and slapped the steering wheel. “An art exhibition! Everyone coming here must be artists!”

“…” Jian Mingzhou shivered in his breath. “Yes.”

The driver asked, “What kind of art is it?”

“Humanities.”

Finally, a stifled laugh came from beside him.

Jian Mingzhou’s gaze turned sharply! Xie Jing turned his head to look out of the window, pretending nothing had happened.

The driver, ignited by the soul of art, had already started singing to himself. The melodious voice floated from his throat, and his fingers were tapping the steering wheel in rhythm.

“Oh… People’s art~ists, my dearest people…”

“…” Jian Mingzhou closed his eyes.

Isn’t this the tune of “Father”? And he even changed the lyrics!

The pocket in his hand was pinched with a “clatter.” In the suffocating atmosphere, suddenly Xie Jing laughed and interrupted, “Master.”

The singing came to a sudden stop. “…Huh?”

He said, “I get carsick and want to sleep for a while.”

Soon, the car transformed into a soothing lullaby.

Jian Mingzhou breathed a sigh of relief and wearily looked out the window.

Segments of the cityscape retreated before his eyes. After an unknown amount of time, he belatedly realized, in the gentle melody:

Xie Jing followed him, so now it would be He Yi and Zhou Xuyang lining up for doujinshi.

…Are they okay?

–

They returned home while immersed in the lullaby.

When Jian Mingzhou got out of the car, his mindset had become much calmer: consider it a dream.

The two entered the apartment building.

Now that there was no one around, he took off the hat and returned it to Xie Jing. “Thank you.”

Xie Jing glanced at it and took it back to put it on his own head.

Bringing the topic back, Jian Mingzhou asked, “What’s the plan for tonight?”

As soon as he opened his mouth, he almost swallowed his tongue. Xie Jing seemed oblivious to his embarrassment.

“How about curry?” Xie Jing suggested. “Is that okay?”

“…” It’s okay, as long as he’s not embarrassed. “Yes.”

They arrived at the doorstep in a few steps. Xie Jing took out the keys, opened the door with a clatter, and considerately said, “I’ll cook; you go tidy up the surroundings and the to-sign.”

Jian Mingzhou:!!

The door closed, and Xie Jing went to the kitchen.

Jian Mingzhou walked back to the study with a calm expression. Once the door was closed, he threw himself onto the lazy sofa.

Ah ah ah ah ah!!!!!

At this moment, his phone vibrated.

Jian Mingzhou turned his head, and it was from Xia Ye.

【Editor-in-chief】: How did it go? Did you finish queuing?

【Editor-in-chief】: Remember not to bring back a bag of BL18x and bump into your little one at home, hahaha!

“…”

Hahaha.

【Editor-in-chief】: But it shouldn’t be that unlucky. [Red exclamation mark]

【Editor-in-chief】: ? [Red exclamation mark]

【Editor-in-chief】: ? ?  ?  ?  ?  [Red exclamation mark]

The last seal was probably too weak.

Jian Mingzhou put down the phone expressionlessly. He decided to break off contact with Xia Ye for a weekend.

…

Dinner was quickly prepared, and Xie Jing called him from outside:

“Uncle, it’s time to eat.”

Jian Mingzhou went to the dining room, and two plates of clear yellow curry rice were already on the table.

Xie Jing said, “If it’s not enough, I can add more. There’s still some in the pot.”

Now, he was a bit averse to the word “rice.” He pulled out a chair and sat down across from Xie Jing. “It’s more than enough.”

The two sat face-to-face, eating their meal.

Xie Jing’s phone, lying on the table, kept vibrating.

Jian Mingzhou took a glance: last time, not responding to messages was because of family matters… He remembered that Xie Jing had come over today for a reason, but due to the encounter with him, it was delayed. So he asked,

“Was there something that held you up?”

Xie Jing ate while holding the bowl and didn’t even move his eyes. “Nothing; He Yi and Zhou Xuyang are scolding me.”

 Jian Mingzhou: “…”

Feeling relieved, he casually asked, “So, how did you explain it?”

Xie Jing smiled, very understanding. “Don’t worry, I didn’t mention it to Xiaoyu. I found someone else to blame.”

Jian Mingzhou: “?”

Who was the unfortunate person who took the blame for him?

Seeing that Xie Jing didn’t say anything more, he didn’t press for details.

After finishing dinner, Xie Jing turned to wash the dishes and tidy up.

His tall and steady figure, with calm and unhurried movements, showed no signs of impatience.

Jian Mingzhou looked at him and thought about the revelation of his BL hobby:

He was partly embarrassed and partly afraid that Xie Jing would judge him. After all, for a straight guy, not accepting BL was normal. But now, seeing that Xie Jing’s attitude was normal, he felt half relieved.

The remaining half was pure embarrassment.

Jian Mingzhou stood up and went to the study. He had only half-organized the things he brought back from the doujinshi exhibition, and now they were scattered on the floor.

He decided to let go since everything was already exposed; there was no point in hiding anything.

While tidying up, he brought out all the manga and doujinshi he had hidden before.

Stacks of manga on the floor: [Rose Garden—Forbidden! ], [Eternal Fallen Angel], [After School, Him and Him…], [Beloved Office]

…

Jian Mingzhou caused quite a commotion in the study.

The noise reached outside, and Xie Jing walked over and leaned against the door, looking at the chaotic yet rich study.

After a moment of consideration, he politely asked, “Uncle, may I enter your forbidden territory?”

Jian Mingzhou numbly thought: You’ve already glimpsed my absolute domain; what’s a forbidden territory?

He gathered the books and said, “Come in.”

Xie Jing walked in and crouched down beside him.

His tall figure squatting next to him exuded a strong presence. Jian Mingzhou was initially calm, but when Xie Jing leaned over, his heart suddenly raced.

He forced himself to concentrate and organized the books.

Xie Jing squatted beside him and said, “Uncle, do you need help organizing these?”

Jian Mingzhou’s fingertips trembled. “No… you don’t know how to categorize them.”

“You can tell by reading the introductions and content.”

“…” You still want to read introductions and content!

He stacked the books and said, “It’s faster if I do it myself.”

“Okay.” Xie Jing didn’t say anything more.

After a few seconds, it seemed that the attention beside him had shifted.

Xie Jing took out his phone and scrolled through it. Jian Mingzhou, seeing his attention elsewhere, breathed a sigh of relief.

Indeed, he wasn’t interested in these things.

As he continued to tidy up, he suddenly heard someone speak, “Uncle, which ones among these are mine?”

Jian Mingzhou turned his head and said, “? ? ? ?”

What do you mean, which ones are yours? Did he accidentally skip a portion of his life during the taxi ride?

He inquired, “Based on what?”

Xie Jing showed him the chat record on his phone and pointed to a sentence that stood out:

It’s nothing; I brought back some stuff for you. -^0^-

Jian Mingzhou froze, his gaze fixed.

Xie Jing leaned against his knee, lips curving, looking surprisingly similar to that [Big Dog Squatting].

“Aren’t these for me? Let me take a look.”