Chapter 104: I Don’t Want to Hear This
Xu Qing shuffled out of the bathroom, not sensing anything unusual.
"I'm done. You should go wash up soon," he said.
Hearing him co out, Jiang He instinctively glanced at his lips before quickly turning her head back to the computer. "I'll go later."
"Alright."
Xu Qing grabbed the hairdryer. His freshly cut hair required minimal drying, and a few quick blasts of air sufficed. With nothing else to do, he lounged on the couch, tapping away at his keyboard, scrolling through videos at 8x speed to gather material.
In his usual routine, he’d either be out drinking and playing cards with friends or curled up in bed watching dramas or gaming.
Glancing at Jiang He, he couldn’t help marveling at how fate worked.
Even novels wouldn’t dare write this kind of scenario.
"I’m not washing my hair tonight," Jiang He suddenly announced.
"Got it," Xu Qing replied, still absorbed in his video editing.
Occasional bursts of firecracker noise filtered in from outside. Though it was only the 27th day of the lunar month, so people couldn’t resist sneaking in so early celebrations.
Winter lon, curled up in its cozy spot, stayed still and quiet, only glancing toward the window when the sounds ca. It was perfectly content to stay out of the cold.
The wind howled outside. Xu Qing finished clipping usable scenes from the videos and decided to stop for the night. Shutting his laptop with a yawn, he asked, "Still not going to wash?"
"In a bit."
"Okay, I’m heading to bed. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
Once he’d closed his bedroom door, Jiang He visibly relaxed, slumping over the chair back. After a mont of silence, she stood and walked to the window, peering outside.
The deep night revealed little but the faint glow of streetlights, another building nearby with so lit windows, and further out, the neon signs of skyscrapers beyond the residential complex, twinkling in the night sky.
Opening the window a crack, the cold wind imdiately rushed in, and she quickly shut it again. Wrapping herself in her clothes, she turned back toward the living room.
The TV, the cat's bed, the coat rack, the shoe cabinet, the dining table, and the clothes drying on the balcony—all of it felt similar to Xu Qing’s parents’ ho.
Even the ginger plant by the TV was identical to the one she'd seen in their kitchen.
Was this what living together ant?
Jiang He glanced at Xu Qing’s bedroom door, feeling a vague sense of loss.
Sothing seed to be missing...
Oh, right. He hadn’t even held her hand tonight before going to bed.
"Hey, what are you standing there for?"
Xu Qing reerged, kettle in hand, to pour himself so hot water.
"I was looking outside." Jiang He sat back down, wrapping her clothes tighter around her as she perched cross-legged on the chair.
"What’s there to see at night?" Xu Qing asked, casting a doubtful glance out the window before heading back to his room with his cup.
"I’m going to wash my hair."
"Huh?"
"Right now."
"Huh."
"Huh what?" Jiang He asked, annoyed.
"Huh... Go ahead, wash it," Xu Qing said, thinking aloud. "Want to dry it for you afterward?"
"No need."
Irritated for reasons she couldn’t quite grasp, Jiang He turned and grabbed her pajamas before heading to the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.
Xu Qing, still holding his cup, stood in the living room, lost in thought. When she erged with her clothes and shut the bathroom door, he shook his head and returned to his room.
After a while, he figured she’d be finishing up soon, so he brought out the hairdryer and waited for her. Drying her hair might be a good opportunity to get closer. He was even considering watching a few romantic films after the New Year, preferably the kind with kissing scenes, to give Jiang He so ideas...
After all, spending ti together eating, shopping, and holding hands wouldn’t be enough without official recognition of their relationship.
...
Jiang He ca out of the bathroom in her pajamas, towel-drying her hair. Seeing Xu Qing waiting with the hairdryer, she hesitated briefly before quietly sitting beside him, turning her back toward him.
The loud hum of the hairdryer filled the quiet living room, annoying Winter lon into flicking its tail in its bed.
"Why aren’t you saying anything?" Jiang He asked after a long silence.
"Hmm? Say what?" Xu Qing was baffled.
"…You usually keep talking."
"That’s only when there’s sothing to talk about. There’s nothing right now," he said simply.
"..."
"By the way, if you wanted to dry your hair, you could’ve just said so. How would I know otherwise? You said no before, and now you’re letting . You need to be clear, or how would I know?"
Jiang He had been irritated before, but now his explanation only made it worse.
"Right? If I misunderstood and waited here for nothing, it’d be a waste of ti. Just say you want to help—what’s so embarrassing about that?"
A strange, simring frustration built up inside Jiang He, rising with every word he spoke. She suddenly felt the urge to knock him on the head.
Was this what she wanted to hear?
"See, freshly cut hair looks so nice," Xu Qing said, finally changing the subject. He moved to blow-dry her bangs but noticed she was glaring at him, teeth clenched.
"…What’s wrong?" Xu Qing was puzzled. Trying to guess, he asked cautiously, "You… feeling unwell?"
"I feel perfectly fine."
Jiang He bit her lip, trying to calm down.
He’ll trick again eventually—no need to rush. Stay calm.
"Perfectly fine?"
"Yes."
"Then stay fine. This hairdryer cost over 300 yuan—ionic, no static..." Xu Qing rambled on about the benefits of ionic technology as he dried her hair. When he finished, he packed up the hairdryer, said goodnight, and went back to bed.
At the door to his room, he paused, glancing back at her. He suddenly rembered he hadn’t explained to Jiang He yet that the Earth was round. He made a ntal note to find the right ti; her surprised reaction would surely be entertaining.
As Xu Qing disappeared into his room, Jiang He ran her fingers through her now-smooth black hair and sat back at the computer.
The faint sound of firecrackers drifted in again. She leaned against her chair, staring at the ginger plant in front of the TV, lost in thought.
...
The next day.
By midday, light snow began to fall, blanketing the streets in a thin layer of white.
The fish they'd been keeping alive for several days finally t its end. Jiang He stunned it with two swift chops, then scraped off the scales and gutted it. Following the recipe instructions, she added scallions, ginger, and garlic before steaming it.
"I think I’m a modern person now," Jiang He declared from the kitchen doorway.
"And why do you think that?" Xu Qing asked.
"Yesterday at your mom’s house, no one could tell I was different. As long as I keep learning slowly, I can blend in."
"Blend in?" Xu Qing frowned, sensing sothing off. "What are you planning?"
"Nothing. I just think... your family is really nice."
"Nice how?"
"Just… nice." Jiang He’s gaze wandered. "I really enjoy eating with your family. The four of us—it feels... good."
"If you like it, we’ll visit more often," Xu Qing said, narrowing his eyes. "Don’t even think about sneaking out. It’s freezing outside; you’ll catch a cold."
"I wasn’t planning to."
"Did my mom say sothing to you yesterday?" Xu Qing asked, finding her behavior odd.
"She told to hit you," Jiang He replied, deadpan. "But I won’t."
???
Why would his own mom sabotage him like this?
Xu Qing felt a chill run down his spine.
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