Ch49 - Congrats

Once everything was organized, the six members left the arena with their shimei group and returned to their respective rooms.

After a while, Ji Jie sent a message in their group chat, telling everyone to go downstairs for dinner. He said that he’s already asked their shimei group to tag along.

While everyone else replied “see you in a bit,” only Xie Zhuxing sent “You guys go ahead, us two won’t go.”

Ji Jie: “It’s fine if the Captain doesn’t come, but how come you aren’t coming either?”

Xie Zhuxing: “Us two wanted to go out for a bit.”

The group suddenly exploded with messages. “Only you two? We want to go too!” was the main complaint.

Xie Zhuxing had thought that everyone would be rather tired after the performance and would want to rest after dinner. He had not expected them to want to go outside with them, and for a moment, he couldn’t come up with a proper reason to reject them.

Wang Chao was rummaging through his suitcase for clothes to wear later when he heard the constant notifications from his phone. “What are they talking about again in the groupchat?” He asked.

Xie Zhuxing explained: “They are calling us to go have dinner with them. I said that we want to go outside for a bit, and they said they wanted to go too.”

Wang Chao became instantly reluctant when he heard that. He stood up by his bedside, picked up his own phone, and opened the group chat.

The newest message came from Cheng Yao: “Yeah! Why didn’t you ask us if we wanted to go too?”

Based on what reason should he have asked you? Captain, who’s never spoken once in the group chat, pressed and held the audio option and recorded: “Xiao Xie and I are in a relationship, won’t you feel like a thirdwheel there?”

Xie Zhuxing: “…”

Wang Chao sent the message as soon as he finished speaking.

The group chat fell into instant silence. Even a pin drop could be heard.

Wang Chao was quite proud of himself after boasting about his new relationship. Yet, he was displeased once he noticed Xie Zhuxing’s expression: “What? You don’t want us to be public?”

It’s not that Xie Zhuxing didn’t want to. He just didn’t want it to be so sudden. Yet, the cat’s been let out of the bag, so he could only sigh and respond: “You’ve already said it, what I want doesn’t matter anymore.”

Wang Chao began to scowl: “Do you not want others to know that we are in a relationship? Is being in a relationship with me a shame to you?”

Xie Zhuxing frowned: “Nonsense, that’s not what I meant at all.”

Wang Chao was unsatisfied: “Then what do you want? If you don’t want them to know, I will tell them now that I was only joking.”

He reached for his phone again.

Xie Zhuxing was afraid that he’d speak even more nonsense and rushed over to grab his phone. “Stop it.” He said.

Wang Chao glared at him: “Stop what?”

Xie Zhuxing reasoned with him: “If you had wanted to publicize our relationship, then shouldn’t you have discussed that with me first?”

Wang Chao, however, is both unreasonable and often commits logical fallacies. “What’s there to discuss? A discussion would change the reality that we are in a relationship?”

Xie Zhuxing: “…Yeah, yeah, yeah. Everything you said is right.”

He squatted down to organize the suitcase that Wang Chao had rummaged through.

Sitting by his bedside, Wang Chao kicked the other man’s back with his barefoot and pressed on angrily: “What do you mean, everything I said is right?”

Since he couldn’t get through to him anyways, Xie Zhuxing stopped altogether. “Drop it. Do you want to go out still?” He said.

Wang Chao, however, thought that he was threatening him with their upcoming date and spat back at him immediately as if he had occupied the moral high ground: “No!”

Xie Zhuxing: “…”

Ever since they had gotten together, he felt that his own temper had worsened. He had thought that since they had finally confirmed their relationship, his temper would improve – well, it didn’t. While before, he had wanted to beat his Captain up every day, now he wants to beat his wife up every day.

Without speaking another word, he took off the coat that he had just put on, changed into slippers, and went to his suitcase to find clean underwear for a shower.

Wang Chao regretted it immediately. They really won’t go out then? He really wanted to – what can he do now?

His pride only lasted for three seconds before he softened his voice and called: “Xiao Xie.”

Xiao Xie didn’t respond.

He called him again: “Best Xiao Xie.”

Best Xiao Xie was about to step into the bathroom for a shower in the next second.

He hastily jumped to his feet and rushed to the bathroom door, spreading his arms to block the entrance.

Xie Zhuxing: “…Go away, I need to shower.”

Wang Chao shamelessly pretended that he had lost his memory: “What shower? We promised to go out.”

Xie Zhuxing asked: “Didn’t you say not anymore?”

Wang Chao admitted in honesty: “I was only joking. I really, really want to go out.”

Xie Zhuxing denied him on purpose: “Then go by yourself.”

Wang Chao wrapped his arms around him and swayed. “But I want to go out with you.” He crooned.

Xie Zhuxing was amused by the swaying and asked him: “Then if something happens in the future, are you going to discuss with me?”

Wang Chao thought dismissively – what else could possibly happen? Yet, his response was as sweet as honey: “Definitely, I will definitely discuss everything with you.”

Of course, Xie Zhuxing could tell that his response was halfhearted. But being willing to listen is at least better than being blindly argumentative.

The two changed back into outside clothes. Each wearing a black baseball cap of the same style, they headed out.

Since they had to return to Beijing the next day, they obviously had no time to visit the Oriental Pearl Tower. They were too late: the Pearl Tower had closed already.

The two then pivoted to The Bund instead. Shrouded by the night sky, they checked out Lujiazui and the World Architecture Expo. Then, shoulder to shoulder, they strolled along the sidewalk from The Bund to the Huangpu River. The river at night seemed particularly gentle.

The two posed for a selfie on the Waibaidu Bridge since only a few tourists were there.

Facing toward the darkened oriental pearl tower, with the illuminated Suzhou river as a backdrop and the best partner right beside him.

When they met at the crack of dawn the next day for the flight, every teammate – except for Wang Chao – seemed really awkward.

Wang Chao wasn’t entirely awake. He hadn’t washed his face nor brushed his teeth; instead, he put on a pair of sunglasses that was large enough to cover half of his face. As soon as he got in the car to the airport, he began to sleep again.

The teammates were silent throughout the entire ride. There weren’t even any mumbled conversations.

Their shimeis didn’t know what happened amongst the shixiongs. Yet, they could feel that their vibe was completely different than that of yesterday and based on that observation, decided to keep mum.

Once they arrived at the airport, the two groups of people separated. They all had first-class tickets, but the boys’ and girls’ groups had different flights at different terminals.

Wang Chao staggered alongside his teammates through security and into the VIP waiting room. Finally, he woke up a bit more and could recall what had happened last night. He looked around at his teammates – everyone’s expression was solemn.

What’s there to be solemn about?

Since there was no one else around them, Wang Chao asked: “Hey, you guys, aren’t you going to congratulate me?”

Teammates: “…”

Xie Zhuxing was a bit embarrassed and said: “I had planned to tell you guys about this later.”

His teammates exchanged a look, and Ji Jie said with a torn expression: “The main thing is, this is so sudden.”

Xie Zhuxing nodded: “Yeah, it is a bid sudden.”

Wang Chao countered: “What’s sudden about this?”

Gao Siyuan asked: “How long…have you guys been together?”

Xie Zhuxing said: “Since a few days ago.”

Cheng Yao suddenly realized: “When the Captain said he wanted to quit the group?”

Xie Zhuxing said: “Yeah.”

Ji Jie also remembered and said: “When he said at the bar that he was going to hook up with someone, that person was really a guy?”

Wang Chao hurriedly explained: “That hookup didn’t happen?”

Yang Xiaomu also asked: “Then what will you guys do later? You won’t get married? You won’t have children?”

Xie Zhuxing said: “Should be.”

Wang Chao was already mad when no one bothered to reply to his (many) words. Once he heard this, his temper flared even more: “What do you mean, “should”? You want to keep a Plan B without me?”

Xie Zhuxing: “…”

Wang Chao turned toward his teammates and said: “What kind of questions did you ask? How is it sudden? He and I spent whole days hanging out and sleeping together – how is it sudden that we developed a relationship after all those time? I didn’t hook up with anyone, I’ve stopped it a long time ago! The last time was only a misunderstanding, I won’t ever hook up with anyone else again. Also, I am not going to get married nor have children; whether or not other people get married or have children is none of my business.” His words were beginning to be pointed. Even now, he can still remember Xiao Xie’s tone when the latter said that he wanted to get married and have children.

Their teammates looked at Xie Zhuxing. Xie Zhuxing flashed them a smile in return.

The ambiguity of his answer to Yang Xiaomu’s question was genuine – he truly was uncertain. Not about himself, but about Wang Chao’s attitude.

They have never discussed the future.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought of it, but Wang Chao truly has a childish temper: he muddies through his days and has no sense of responsibility. It’s tough to even discuss plans for tomorrow with him – not to mention plans for the rest of their lives. The fact that he didn’t want to get married or have children wasn’t due to Xie Zhuxing, but purely because he didn’t want the family responsibility. Having a wife and child is tiresome – his life would be much more comfortable by himself.

Yet marrying a woman has no fundamental difference from spending the rest of his life with a man.

Ji Jie folded his arms and said seriously: “Since you two have decided to be together, I have nothing to say. I wish you all the best…” He thought for a long time but could not come up with the right words: “Just congrats, I guess.”

Cheng Yao chimed in: “Congrats from me, too.”

Yang Xiaomu said: “Me too.”

Gao Siyuan whispered: “I only have one question. What if your relationship gets exposed to the public? Would that be the end for our group?”

Xie Zhuxing responded: “I will be careful. This won’t affect us as a group.”

Wang Chao was displeased: “How much more careful could we be? We don’t even have any cp fans.”

Ji Jie asked again: “Then do you need to tell Kun Ge about this?”

Before Xie Zhuxing even got the chance to speak, Wang Chao has already replied: “No, 1000 times no. He always feeds information to my eldest brother.”

Xie Zhuxing: “…” Fuck, if Duan Yikun is the messenger, then what kind of image would Wang Chao’s eldest brother have of him?

He didn’t know that his image had already undergone transformative changes in the eyes of his teammates.

Immediately after Captain sent that voice message in their group chat, the other four members gathered together for an impromptu meeting. Once they convinced each other to accept this reality, they then engaged in some *intense* gossip.

When they had just debuted, they were surprised even by the rumor that Liang Xi may be into men. Yet, times have changed – there are many talented individuals amongst their fans who create fanfictions and fanarts for cps within the group. They’ve seen hardcore smut and even gender-bender content of themselves. The previously innocent youths have one by one become used to the creations of the fandom.

They concluded from their discussion that even though Captain had a weaker physique, given his “history”, he should be quite skilled. Moreover, he doesn’t have a submissive temper either. On the other hand, their steady, reliable, mellow, and proper Xiao Xie Ge is clearly a wife-type bottom, for sure.

Back to Beijing.

To celebrate the successful conclusion of their fan meets, their company held a banquet for them and even invited the media to the event. Obviously, their shimei group and a couple of new artists from the company also attended to leverage id’s popularity to exposure for themselves.

One particular new artist seemed familiar. That keyboard player in the accompanying band from their Guangzhou fan meet.

Translator’s note: Sorry about the late update! Graduation week is busier than I thought. I will make up for the missing update after my post-grad trip with my roommates, likely the week after next.