Returning to China (1)
@CanLittleLinBeEuropeanEmperorToday: Qi Qi, my child, I think I saw you online. Don’t pay attention to the sarcasm, but look at the ones praising you.
@CanLittleLinBeEuropeanEmperorToday: F**k! F**k! Qi Qi has replied to me!
Other netizens also reacted immediately, piling up long discussions under this comment.
[Sister, haven’t you become a European emperor* now?]
*European emperor (欧皇): Internet term for online games, referring to an extremely lucky player.
[F**k! The one Bai Qi Qi replied to you is actually a high-resolution picture of Xi-laoshi!]
Bai Qi sent the picture he took to reply to the discussion.
Everyone who clicked on it could clearly see that Xi-laoshi in the photo was standing in front of a Chinese-style cupboard, which looked like an old Chinese rosewood.
On the cabinet was a lacquered tray with Chinese-Western snacks, including tea and milk.
Xi-laoshi had his shirt sleeves rolled up, and he was standing tall and elegantly, holding a table knife as he unhurriedly cut the fruits on the plate into smaller pieces.
When the photo was taken, he slightly raised his eyes and looked towards the person taking the photo. His expression was calm, but the bottom of his eyes seemed full of light.
In the other corner of the photo, another person showed a bit of a side profile, which could be vaguely determined from the figure reflected on the wall. It was a foreign maid with an apron.
If you looked a little more closely.
Then you could probably see in the background that antique paintings and calligraphy were hanging on the wall, like an ancient copy of Wang Xizhi’s cursive script.
[There’s really an air of wealth coming through the cracks.]
[Is this the uncle’s house?]
[Xi-laoshi looks so gentle. I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s even more gentle than how he looks on camera.]
[Hahaha, is Qi Qi trying to say that not only do I not have to serve tea and water, but I can even lie down and enjoy Xi-ge personally cutting fruits for me? Excellent. A picture is better than words.]
[No, how does the previous sister know he’s lying down?]
[Looking at the angle of the photo, Bai Qi should be lying comfortably right now.]
Bai Qi unconsciously sat up straight.
‘How did you guys find this out?’
‘Contemporary netizens are all Sherlock Holmes; I can’t deceive them!’
Bai Qi roughly scrolled through the comments and realized they were really good at picking up on things and could decipher a lot of information from a single photo.
At that moment, Xi Chengyun came over with fruits.
The sofa beneath Bai Qi sank downward, and Xi Chengyun sat beside him.
“Took a picture of Xi-laoshi and posted it.” Bai Qi self-consciously explained, “ Uh, will it affect you?”
He hadn’t thought much about it, but after posting it, he remembered that Xi-laoshi was a public figure who had to deliberate and reconsider every word and action.
“Let me see.” Xi Chengyun held out his hand.
Bai Qi hurriedly handed him his phone.
Xi Chengyun roughly flipped through it, smiled, and said, “Mm, Qi Qi isn’t very good at taking pictures.”
Bai Qi sat up straight. “Mm? Did I not take a good enough picture of Xi-laoshi?” ‘This is an insult to my photography skills!’
Xi Chengyun responded carelessly, “Mm.”
He swiftly raised his arm and clasped Bai Qi’s shoulder, gently bringing him in his direction. Just as Bai Qi felt Xi Chengyun’s breath falling on his ear, he heard a soft “click.”
Xi Chengyun took a picture of the fruit plate on the table.
After taking the picture, Xi Chengyun used Bai Qi’s WeChat to send it to himself.
Then he took out his cell phone and logged into an account he hadn’t logged into in a long time. Again, there was no need to add too much text; just posting a photo.
Bai Qi:?
‘What? Is this one any different? Isn’t it just a fruit plate shot?’
“Want to watch a movie?” Xi Chengyun asked.
Bai Qi had to put aside his doubts about the photo for the moment, nodded, and watched the movie with Xi Chengyun.
By the time the movie was over, it was two hours later.
Bai Qi got up and stretched, walking slowly to his room, intending to have a bath and rest first.
As he walked, he looked down at his phone.
It’s on the Weibo Hot Search again???
#Xi-laoshi_sprinkling_sugar#
*Sprinkle sugar (撒糖): Internet term for showing affection between two people.
‘Because of the photo? Aren’t I the one who sprinkled it? Why is it Xi-laoshi?’
Bai Qi was unconvinced as he clicked on it and found that what was on the Hot Search was really Xi Chengyun’s mediocre photo of a fruit plate.
But when he clicked into the comments section, the netizens had nearly been knocked unconscious.
[Sisters, don’t look at the fruit plate; look at the silhouette! Look at the silhouette!]
The netizens in the comment section roared at the top of their lungs.
Bai Qi took a closer look.
Man!
Worthy of being Xi-laoshi, just like when he took a picture of the ring, he showed the public what they wanted to see in a non-traceable manner.
In this photo, the light shone from behind, and his figure, wrapped in Xi-laoshi’s arms, was clearly reflected on the coffee table and the floor.
From the shape of the head’s shadow, it was even roughly possible to tell that, at the time, Xi-laoshi was looking at him sideways while he was looking at the fruit plate.
It was a photo that needed the netizens to pick out the sugar and process the silhouette imaginatively.
‘You’re on a higher level!’
‘I’m done learning! I’m done learning!’
Bai Qi put away his phone and continued to walk forward, but after taking no more than two steps, he couldn’t help but take it out and look at it again.
It was clearly just a shadow.
But he always felt that when Xi-laoshi looked at him sideways, it was as if he was pouring out infinite tenderness, and even the light became soft and still—time seemed frozen at this moment.
He thought, ‘I like this photo.’
The next morning, Aunty made a special trip home to have breakfast with them.
She embarrassedly said, “It’ll take about three days to find out what you want.”
Xi Chengyun smiled. “Mm, there’s no rush.”
It wasn’t long before Uncle Xi suddenly returned as well.
He had changed his outfit.
A white shirt, blue striped tie, vest of the same color, and a gray tweed jacket on the outside, perfectly wrapped around the waistline silhouette.
Underneath were high-waisted, neatly cut cavalry twill pants, refined and sharp.
He looked like an elegant yet sharp old-school gentleman.
Today’s outfit resulted from Rebellious Uncle’s three back-and-forth arguments with Bai Qi over the messaging app.
He felt that it was clearly Xi Chengyun’s style.
He even thought Bai Qi was blind at one point.
[You can’t think this is the most handsome side of a man just because you like Xi Chengyun.]
Uncle said unconvincingly.
[But Uncle can’t return to 20 years old and dress up like me].
Bai Qi thus said that.
[…]
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