Chapter 156 Wen Chuan Extra: Christmas Eve (Part 1)
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White is the only color in Boros’s winter.
Jian Chi finished his evening work, leaving the cafe and turning the wooden sign on the glass door with the word ‘open’ in the opposite direction. Lights spilled out from the shops on the street, illuminating the path underfoot. Red and green ribbons and colorful balls adorned the roadside pine trees. Jian Chi walked down the street towards his apartment, feeling a sudden chill on his nose as snow began to fall unexpectedly. This was his first winter in Boros, and the long period of rainy and snowy weather had gradually become routine for Jian Chi, who was accustomed to the southern climate.
“You’re back. How was your day?”
Entering the heated apartment, Jian Chi’s roommate, engrossed in a game in the living room, didn’t look back. His curly hair bobbed with the movements of the controller, appearing comical on his freckled face. Jian Chi, as usual, shared stories about the customers at the cafe. Losing in the game, the roommate let out a frustrated cry, threw the controller away, and flopped onto the couch, turning his head to look at Jian Chi.
“I’ve been saying, the manager only puts you on the night shift because of your Asian face. After the holidays, you should find a new job. A bubble tea shop would be nice; I see countless of them on George Street. I tried it once, and the little balls inside felt like chewing on leather shoes.”
Jian Chi didn’t feel like explaining the process of making bubble tea to his foreign roommate. It would be troublesome, and the roommate seemed to be just casually mentioning it. After six months of living together, Jian Chi had come to understand his roommate’s quirky personality. He took a sip of water, moistening his throat, “I volunteered for the night shift this week, and the manager offered higher pay than usual.”
“Christmas is approaching, and nobody wants to work. Speaking of that, you really don’t plan to attend the Christmas party?” the roommate asked. “Parties are fun; you’ll know once you go. It’s definitely more enjoyable than those books full of strange symbols. They make you feel the holiday spirit.”
“I’d rather not,” Jian Chi replied without telling him that he had experienced many parties and dances during his high school days, leaving some not-so-pleasant memories. He declined politely, “I have plans.”
“Wow,” the roommate exclaimed exaggeratedly, with a hint of playfulness, “Is it the guy who plays music, or the tall one who grabbed my collar the first time we met?”
Jian Chi chose to answer him by closing the bedroom door.
Ten months ago, when university started, after a month-long trip, Jian Chi began to worry about accommodation. For Shao Hang and Wen Chuan, it seemed not to be a tricky matter. They could easily rent a spacious villa or apartment in the prime location near the university based on their preferences. Jian Chi had much more to consider: rent, roommates, transportation, location, etc. During the time he was searching for a new place to live, he briefly stayed at Ji Huaisi’s house for a week. It was during this week that Jian Chi’s determination to live alone or find a new roommate became even stronger.
He didn’t want to experience the awkwardness and suffocation of waking up between two people again.
Apart from making noise during games and cracking some obscure jokes, Abe was a perfect roommate. Like Jian Chi, he was a freshman at Boros University, majoring in civil engineering. When Jian Chi moved into the apartment, Shao Hang and Wen Chuan also came along. Upon their first meeting, Abe warmly embraced Jian Chi to show friendliness, only to be pulled away by Shao Hang, grabbing him by the collar. Although Abe was a native of Boros, his height of only 1.7 meters was his biggest drawback.
The next afternoon, Ji Huaisi also came with a black case on his back. Later, Abe would affectionately refer to him as the ‘guy who plays music,’ sounding like a cool band member, a far cry from the image of Ji Huaisi. Shen Shuting also visited twice, looking disdainful of the apartment. He never crossed paths with Abe. Jian Chi didn’t intend to offer unnecessary introductions; after all, the first three had bombarded Abe with questions for a whole week. He didn’t know how to describe the relationship between them and gave up explaining with a straightforward “I understand everything” look from Abe.
It’s hard to imagine that he has been living in this country for almost a year. During this time, he encountered academic challenges, met some strange people, like the homeless man always accompanied by a golden retriever at the coffee shop’s entrance. However, more than anything, there were beautiful memories. He has gradually adapted to the slow pace of life here.
After finishing his morning routine, Jian Chi pulled the curtains behind his desk, taking one last glance at the colorful lights on the streets outside. In Boros, Christmas is as significant as Chinese New Years, and decorations have filled the streets a month ago, saturating every corner of life with a strong Christmas atmosphere.
Actually, Jian Chi lied just now. He didn’t have plans with anyone; he said that just to avoid the party.
However, this lie wasn’t entirely false. Shao Hang had been inviting him to watch the Christmas Eve fireworks for a week, and Ji Huaishi wanted to have a two-person date. The emphasis on two people was because past dates were always interrupted by others for various reasons.
Jian Chi didn’t know which invitation to accept, especially since Shen Shuting also asked him to free up some time. One evening seemed to need to be divided into three parts. Only Wen Chuan informed him in advance that he had no time on Christmas day, and the gift would be given the next day. Jian Chi didn’t care much about the gift, but he knew that even if he said he didn’t need it, Wen Chuan wouldn’t listen.
Feeling too troubled, Jian Chi decided not to dwell on it and volunteered to take the night shift at the coffee shop for the week leading up to Christmas.
On Christmas Eve, notices of temporary closure gradually appeared in the shop windows, and Jian Chi was informed he could leave work early. Changing out of his work uniform and standing on the festive street, his phone suddenly rang. Through the fuzzy electrical noise, Wen Chuan asked, “Aren’t you working today?”
“I got off early today. I just left the shop and haven’t decided where to go yet,” the call came at a very opportune time, almost as soon as Jian Chi stood firmly.
“No plans?”
Except for Wen Chuan, everyone else extended invitations for Christmas. Jian Chi didn’t accept any of them, considering the question, “I guess not.”
Jian Chi wasn’t sure if Wen Chuan chuckled, but after a brief pause, he said, “Turn around.”
In the bustling street, under the bare pine trees pressed by snow, a man leaning against a motorcycle, holding a phone in the same way, looked in Jian Chi’s direction. His low-key black clothes seamlessly blended with the motorcycle. This was the new means of transportation Wen Chuan bought last month, a style chosen by Jian Chi and him together. Across the distant road, Jian Chi recognized it at a glance.
“How did you get here?”
Jian Chi quickly crossed the road, finally confirming that he wasn’t mistaken, holding the phone still in the call, “Didn’t you say you have class today?”
Wen Chuan’s long hair, trimmed just past his shoulders, hung behind him, making his exotic face particularly eye-catching on the streets of Boros. He placed the helmet on Jian Chi’s head and fastened it for him, “Seeing you is a good reason to skip class. Ready to go?”
The indifferent tone carried a familiar gentleness, and Jian Chi couldn’t help but smile, holding onto the helmet, “Do you already know where you want to go?”
“Yeah.”
Wen Chuan mounted the motorcycle, turning back, “Get on.”
Having learned from the lessons of the previous few times, Jian Chi hugged Wen Chuan’s waist as he got on. The roaring wind blended with the Christmas songs in the air, and the wind slapped against the glass in front of the helmet as they rode through the festive street. Jian Chi said, “When you were standing on the other side of the street, many people were looking at you. Did you notice?”
From this angle, Jian Chi couldn’t see Wen Chuan’s face clearly, but through the motorcycle’s rearview mirror, he could glimpse a slender jaw under the helmet. Wen Chuan’s reply came, “I was looking at you.”
Looking at you, so I didn’t pay attention to others’ gazes.
In the whistling wind, mixed with other pleasant sounds, Jian Chi continued, “Don’t you think what’s happening now is somewhat familiar? It’s like the night of the graduation ball when you came to pick me up.” Memories from a year ago surfaced in Jian Chi’s mind, he was surprised that he remembered so vividly, including their conversation that night and the heartbeat frequency that didn’t belong to him when Wen Chuan hugged him from behind.
Wen Chuan said, “Today is different from that time.”
It was a childish conversation, but Jian Chi couldn’t help but ask, “How is it different?”
“Last time was to prevent you from being taken away by someone else.”
Wen Chuan paused after saying that.
“Today is our date.”
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Thank You for the new chapter ( ˘ ³˘)♥
Tysm for the new chapters! So happy to read the extras translated instead of giving myself a headache with mlting the raws lol. :D