CH 53

November 6, 2021kaychandra

Chapter 53: Gifts

“I really didn’t expect that you would have such a high level of attainment in calligraphy and painting,” Xi Qing said as they finished their lunch. He sipped his digestive tea with some appreciation and emotion in his expression. “Every time I see you, I feel like you’re even better than I imagined.”

“Isn’t that the most basic quality of being an idol?” Gongxi Qiao said jokingly, “Otherwise, how can I get more fans.”

“There are a lot of young people who like you now.” Xi Qing put down his cup of tea, watching the steam on the surface of the tea cup. The hesitation in his heart inexplicably gained courage. “I wonder how many people will want to pursue you now.”

“Huh?” Gongxi Qiao gave Xi Qing a suspicious look. Seeing that he seemed to just be mentioning it casually, he laughed. “The ones who like me now are the ones who like the big star Gongxi Qiao. I have a whole lot of flaws in my personality. There probably aren’t many people who can really accept these flaws.”

Xi Qing’s hand holding the teacup tightened, “You’re very good.”

“Haha, thank you for the compliment,” Gongxi Qiao smiled brightly and looked at his watch. “It’s almost two o’clock in the afternoon. Isn’t your company busy?”

“I have nothing happening this afternoon.” Xi Qing put down his cup of tea. “Xue Chong is having a birthday banquet tonight. If you’re not busy, why don’t you come along and join the fun? If you can go, he’ll definitely be very happy.”

“Isn’t that an exaggeration?” Gongxi Qiao thought that Xi Qing was just exaggerating the truth. He smiled and said, “Xue Shao doesn’t seem like such a calm person.[1]” Fortunately, today he brought with him the gifts that he bought abroad. He had planned to have Xi Qing bring them to Xu Shaoxuan and Xue Chong, but now he would send them himself. At least he wasn’t going empty-handed.

“You’ll know when you see him,” Xi Qing said. “I think there’s a movie theater nearby. It’s still early, so why don’t we go see a movie first to pass the time?”

Gongxi Qiao’s eyebrows moved slightly. He was faintly smiling as he looked at the cup of tea in front of Xi Qing. It had been picked up several times by the owner, but the amount of tea hadn’t decreased. “Okay, ah, I heard that ‘National Industry’ hasn’t been removed from theaters yet, so why don’t we go and re-watch it again? At the premiere, I couldn’t even appreciate the movie properly because Mi Yue kept crying.”

‘National Industry’ was highly acclaimed. The thematic stance was certainly part of the reason for it. However, if it wasn’t excellent enough, with the picky taste of movie fans, they definitely wouldn’t be merciful. For example, a certain movie that was once also made in the name of a national gift was criticized after it was released. So, he should watch this movie carefully once. It would also be beneficial in improving his acting skills.

Xi Qing didn’t have a problem with Gongxi Qiao’s suggestion. The two of them lined up to buy their tickets just like ordinary movie fans and went into the screening room.

Before the movie officially started, there were commercials for other movies on the big screen. Gongxi Qiao took off his hat and glasses, which were used as a disguise. He shoved the popcorn he bought in the movie theater into Xi Qing’s hands, taking the potato chips for himself.

Not long after, the movie started. The attendance of the entire screening room was probably around 60 percent. ‘National Industry’ had been in theaters for a long time, and right now it was the time people were at school and work, so it was very rare to have such a high attendance.

Gongxi Qiao’s role as Admiral Zheng was an important one, he didn’t have a lot of scenes, so when he watched the movie as a viewer, he could really appreciate the charm of the movie.

The damage caused by war was irreparable. He had seen too many tragedies on the battlefield in his previous life, so he had a deep understanding of the war scenes in this movie.

Less than halfway through the movie, he heard several audience members sniffling, and even Xi Qing beside him looked grave.

“I brought these documents back from abroad.” The youth brought out several crumpled notebooks from the box, and took out several sheets of paper with structural diagrams from his jacket pocket. He looked a little sad. “There’s only a little information related to the schematic that was torched before I left, but I have all of those in my head.”

The young man, who was only in his twenties, had extraordinarily determined eyes.

On the screen, Xi Qing watched the young man who was refined from head to toe pulling out confidential information from the soles of his shoes. It was obvious how much effort he had put in to bring back this information. He couldn’t help but look sideways at Gongxi Qiao sitting beside him. It was obviously the same face, but the feeling was so different.

“Want to eat some?” Discovering that Xi Qing was looking at him, Gongxi Qiao handed his potato chips to Xi Qing, “It seems to be barbecue flavored. It’s not bad tasting.”

Xi Qing casually took two chips into his mouth, casually chewed a few times and then swallowed. His brain was in a trance. He didn’t even know what it tasted like, and didn’t know what to say.

At the end of the movie, the war was over. Everyone had peace again, and the country rejoiced. The final shot fell on the martyrs’ monument, where there were countless names and ages of martyrs and their troops.

Behind the nation’s greatness and happiness lay the blood of countless people.

This was a righteous drama that moved people from beginning to end. Gongxi Qiao listened to the low sobs all around and suddenly remembered his past life. After the Lord ascended to the throne, he killed many meritorious ministers. However, he was still honored as a wise emperor by later generations. Perhaps he brought stability to the people.

The two of them walked out of the cinema at 5 P.M. Gongxi Qiao got into Xi Qing’s car, looked at the bodyguard sitting in the driver’s seat and said to Xi Qing, “The movie is over. Why do you still have such a serious expression?”

“The movie was good.” When Xi Qing finished this sentence, his phone rang. It was Xue Chong who called to tell him to hurry up.

On the other end of the phone, Xue Chong heard that Gongxi Qiao was also coming over. He swallowed back the words to hurry up that he hadn’t said yet. He told Xi Qing to take good care of Gongxi Qiao along the way before hanging up.

Gongxi Qiao and Xi Qing were sitting very close to each other, so when Xue Chong said something, he could hear it clearly. When Xi Qing hung up the phone, he smiled and said, “It seems you weren’t joking when you said just now that Xue Shao likes my work.”

“I wouldn’t lie to you.” Xi Qing put the phone down and said this in a soft voice.

Gongxi Qiao hooked up the corners of his mouth and chuckled, but didn’t say anything.

Feng Xiang Lou was an old restaurant that had been passed down for hundreds of years in the Imperial Capital. Since its inception, it was a restaurant that dignitaries and VIPs liked to go to. Even now, its overall expense level wasn’t something that ordinary people could afford. Therefore, there were often netizens showing off their wealth with photos of meals at Feng Xiang Lou. It was evident that eating there had become a symbol of wealth and status.

Xue Chong, as the host of today’s birthday banquet, gathered all his friends to be lively. Whether they were truly close or fake friends, they all gave him face and actively came to support him.

As the heir of a prestigious family, Xue Chong had already celebrated his birthday once at noon within his family. This meal was to gather with the younger generation in the Imperial Capital, to liaise a little.

Those who could come to this birthday dinner were all well-known young adults in the Imperial Capital, so the birthday gifts were generous. Some cars, watches, and precious gems were given to Xue Chong, who didn’t care much about the gifts.

“Xue Shao, you look distracted. Are you waiting for the appearance of a beautiful woman?” Someone in the audience saw Xue Chong looking towards the door from time to time, and immediately laughed and said, “Wait for us to enjoy the beauty.”

“You people are so vulgar. Am I, Xue Chong, that kind of person?” Xue Chong raised his eyebrows proudly, “Later, Brother Xi will bring my idol to celebrate my birthday. How could I not be happy?”

Once they heard the name “Brother Xi”, most of the young men and women on the scene were a bit frightened. You should know that “Xi Qing” was the “other family’s child” in their circle. Their parents had used him as a benchmark since childhood. Now he was already the head of the Xi family and they were still idle heirs. The difference between them wasn’t just a little bit.

“Xue Shao has prestige. Even Brother Xi is coming.” After everyone regained their senses, everyone praised Xue Chong and Xi Qing with good words. Everybody in this circle knew that Xi Qing didn’t like this kind of lively event, but the Xue family had been relying on the Xi family over the years, and was deeply trusted by the Xi family. The relationship between Xue Chong and Xi Qing in this generation was even better, so he had more status in front of Xi Qing than the rest of them.

Some people were sincere in their compliments, some were deliberately sowing discord, but Xue Chong’s baby face was happy from the beginning to the end, as if he couldn’t hear the provocation in some people’s words.

Bai Qi, who came to the birthday party on behalf of the Bai family, was Bai Zhong’s cousin. Unlike Bai Zhong, who acted tough and brazen, Bai Qi acted in a gentle and low-key manner. His face always carried a gentle smile, which easily gave people the sense of a spring breeze.

There were rumors that Bai Zhong and this cousin didn’t have a good relationship, but no one had seen it with their own eyes. Therefore, there was some private discussion, but no one would reveal it on the surface.

Hearing everyone teasing Xue Chong, Bai Qi quietly listened and laughed without saying a word. Only after waiting for everyone to finish talking did he open his mouth and say, “I wonder how outstanding the person who can be idolized by Xue Shao is.”

Xue Chong looked at Bai Qi and was about to speak when he suddenly heard a man shout, “Brother Xi is here.” He instantly stood up and walked towards the door.

Xu Shaoxuan looked at Bai Qi with a smirk and said slowly, “Bai Shao is quite concerned about Brother Xi.”

Bai Qi returned a smile. “Everyone has curiosity.”

“Oh?” Xu Shaoxuan raised an eyebrow, not denying it.

“Brother Xi.”

“Brother Xi.”

The gentlemen and ladies who were still sitting in their chairs playing with their cell phones and chatting got up one after another and greeted Xi Qing who entered the door.

“Sorry, we’re late.” Xi Qing entered the room and nodded at the crowd.

When they heard him say “we” instead of “I”, they looked at Gongxi Qiao beside Xi Qing. When they did, many of them felt that he looked familiar. The gentlemen who had already seen Gongxi Qiao in the Golden House last time had the good sense to take the initiative to greet him, “Qiao Shao, you just returned from abroad?”

“Originally, I was ready to return with the national delegation a few days ago, but some things delayed me until today.” Gongxi Qiao smiled and looked at Xue Chong. “The birthday boy looks more handsome than ever today. First, happy birthday. I didn’t know it was your birthday before, and I didn’t prepare a present for you properly. I’m really sorry.” After saying that, he handed the gift box in his hand to Xue Chong. “This is the gift I brought back for you from abroad. If you don’t like it, I don’t mind.”

“You could come, so you’re giving me respect.” Xue Chong joyfully took the gift box and said with a smile, “I would be even happier if you could write some calligraphy for me later.”

“Since Xue Shao has said so, how could I refuse?” Gongxi Qiao smiled and exchanged a few pleasantries with Xue Chong. When he saw that Xue Chong had to greet others, he found an excuse to walk away.

Xu Shaoxuan looked at the gift box handed to him and said thanks with a smile on his face, “The exchange conference was very successful, congratulations.”

“Thank you.” Gongxi Qiao’s seat was arranged between Xi Qing and Xu Shaoxuan. Judging from this arrangement, Xue Chong was really very arbitrary.

Xi Qing’s eyes fell on Xu Shaoxuan’s gift box many times. He pursed his lips and sulked without saying anything. However, he always looked expressionless, so no one saw anything wrong.

The other people focused more on Gongxi Qiao. They knew for a long time that Xi Qing had a good relationship with a certain artist, and some time ago even let this artist meet with the younger generation of the Xi family’s faction. Originally, they thought that Xi Qing had a certain kind of intention towards this artist, but now it didn’t look like it. Nobody would bring a plaything to this occasion in a serious manner.

Also, looking at Xue Chong and Xu Shaoxuan’s attitude, they seemed to be closer to Gongxi Qiao, which wasn’t like their attitude towards ordinary artists.

There were people who were familiar with Gongxi Qiao. They remembered the “Miraculous Hands Growing Flowers” and “Palace Banquet” that were being celebrated by major media outlets recently. Someone who could win glory for the country at that kind of international occasion couldn’t be an ordinary entertainer. Although they were naturally arrogant in their nature, they still held a lot of respect for people with real talent.

So even though Gongxi Qiao came from a nouveau riche family, he was a self-made man with outstanding talent and temperament. It was no wonder that people like Xi Qing would make friends with him.

After the banquet started, everyone moved around and exchanged toasts, making the scene very lively. Gongxi Qiao, as a newcomer to this circle, was also toasted many times. If he hadn’t filled up his stomach a little since he got to the table, he would have been drunk by now.

Halfway through the meal, Xue Chong was still thinking about Gongxi Qiao’s calligraphy. He saw that his men had already found a brush, ink, paper, and ink stone, so he immediately asked someone to set it up. On the basis of his status as the birthday boy, he had to ask Gongxi Qiao to write a couple characters before saying, “In case you get drunk later, who am I going to find to do calligraphy?”

Gongxi Qiao had to put down the chopsticks and choose a suitable brush from among a row of brushes. After thinking about it, he smoothly wrote down eight characters that read, “Happy Birthday, Peace and Happiness”.

Seeing those eight words, everyone marveled. A wandering dragon and phoenix[2], with majestic momentum. It was really spectacular.

“Good calligraphy, good calligraphy. Strong and vigorous, soaring and spirited. As expected of a master.” Xue Chong was so excited that he was blushing. After Gongxi Qiao signed the paper, he couldn’t wait for the ink to dry, so he asked his men to help him carry the calligraphy away along with the table, as if he was afraid that others would steal it.

When Gongxi Qiao showed this skill, it appeased many people. There were even a few people who had the cheek to ask him for calligraphy. In the face of these people’s requests, Gongxi Qiao just smiled, but didn’t say yes or no.

“The soup is getting cold.” Xi Qing saw everyone still surrounding Gongxi Qiao and said, “Xiao Qiao, come over and have some soup.”

Seeing that Xi Qing had made a statement, the crowd that was still surrounding Gongxi Qiao was embarrassed to continue to brazenly surround Gongxi Qiao and had to slowly disperse. Several of them were really tempted to beg for calligraphy.

Gongxi Qiao was now known as a rising star in the world of painting and calligraphy. Some of the old men and women in their families liked it. If they could bring a piece back, it would please them.

“You don’t need to pay attention to those people.” Xi Qing handed a bowl of soup to Gongxi Qiao and said softly, “some of them are second-generations of side branches. They don’t have enough status to ask you to make a special trip to write calligraphy for them.”

“In your eyes, I’m of such high status?” Amused by Xi Qing’s remark, after he picked up his bowl, Gongxi Qiao laughed so hard that he almost spilled his soup. “If the others heard that, they would be angry with you.”

“What do they matter?” Xi Qing reached out to hold his bowl so that the soup wouldn’t spill on his hands. “Even if they’re angry, there’s nothing they can do about it. What’s more, you’re better than them.” His fingertips accidentally touched the back of the other party’s warm hand. His heart jumped, but he steadily endured it.

“I didn’t expect that you would enjoy watching others who are obviously angry but can’t do anything to you.” Gongxi Qiao brought the bowl to his mouth and took a few sips, not too fast but not too slow. “The soup from this old restaurant really tastes authentic.”

“Yeah, this soup is the best in the Imperial City along with Bai Wei Xuan,” Xi Qing withdrew his hand. He unnaturally scratched the palm of his hand with the fingers that touched the back of Gongxi Qiao’s hand. “If you like it, we can come back next time.”

Xu Shaoxuan, who was sitting next to Gongxi Qiao, looked at the two of them talking happily to each other. He thought about it and said, “I heard that this family’s ancestral craft was passed down from the imperial chef. Their dim sum is also very elaborate. Our old lady likes this family’s dim sum the most.”

“That’s true. My mother also likes the dim sum here. My father often tries to bring it to her, but unfortunately, the dim sum here is in limited supply. Many times my father and I can’t order it even with money.” Gongxi Qiao knew that his family’s status wasn’t as good as these people in front of him. It was normal that they had to wait in line to order dim sum, unlike these people who had it delivered personally to their door. Instead of feeling inferior because of this, he acted very open and generous and said, “In the future, I’ll use your status to order dim sum from here, so I won’t have to worry about having money and no place to spend it.”

“With your current status, who wouldn’t treat you respectfully,” Xu Shaoxuan now looked at Gongxi Qiao more favorably, smiling, “Why don’t we make a bet to see who dares not to treat you respectfully?”

“I won’t take this bet. Everyone knows that I’m with you guys, so naturally they will be respectful, though who they are respecting, I can’t say.” Gongxi Qiao laughed and shook his head. “So don’t tease me, Brother Xu.”

“Since Auntie[3] likes it, we’ll ask them to send two portions over to Auntie later.” Xi Qing looked at the sumptuous dishes on the table and picked a few of Gongxi Qiao’s favorite foods up with the communal chopsticks and put them into his bowl. “Eat some more. I see you haven’t eaten anything tonight because you were harassed by them.”

Xu Chao raised his eyebrows when he saw this action.

Sitting opposite the three, Bai Qi silently watched the interaction between them. The gaze hidden behind the glasses fell on Gongxi Qiao for a long time before retracting.

Both the guests and hosts thoroughly enjoyed the banquet. Afterward, Gongxi Qiao’s cheeks were slightly flushed from drinking. After saying goodbye to the crowd, he got into Xi Qing’s car.

“Brother Xi, are you sending Xiao Qiao home?” Seeing this scene, Xu Shaoxuan went up and said, “If it’s inconvenient for you, it’s okay for me to go drop him off.”

“No, I’m very familiar with his house.” Xi Qing followed him into the car and sat down next to Gongxi Qiao. “You’ve had a lot to drink tonight. Go home early and rest and don’t mind us.”

Watching the low-profile black car slowly leave, Xu Shaoxuan smiled. He didn’t expect the workaholic to take the initiative to drop someone off at home one day.

He took Gongxi Qiao to the front of his house. Gongxi Qiao was about to get out of the car when he suddenly remembered the small bag he had thrown into the back seat. He said, “Where’s my bag?”

“Here it is.” Xi Qing saw that he was awake but a little flushed, so he couldn’t help but say, “I’ll take you to your room to rest first.”

“It’s okay,” Gongxi Qiao rubbed his face, which was a little hot, and put a delicate box into Xi Qing’s palm. He smiled with arched eyebrows, “This is a gift for you.” After that, he waved his hand at him. “It’s late. Go home early. I’m going to bed. Goodnight.”

Xi Qing put the gift box on the back seat of the car and got out of the car. He accompanied Gongxi Qiao through the door and chatted with Aunt Luo again, explaining how much Gongxi Qiao had drunk, before leaving Gongxi Qiao’s villa.

“Qiao Shao, this friend of yours is quite kind-hearted,” Aunt Luo said with emotion as she looked at the closed door. To be able to care so much about Qiao Shao’s health, he must be an attentive person.

Gongxi Qiao smiled and said after a moment of silence, “Mm-hmm, he’s very good.”

The sapphire blue box was opened and inside lay a very beautiful watch.

Xi Qing quietly gazed at this beautifully crafted watch. He took off his own wrist watch and replaced it with this one.

The platinum watch band, accompanied by white shirt sleeves, was exceptionally good-looking.

“Boss, are we going back now?” the bodyguard driving the car asked in a low voice.

Xi Qing looked up in the direction of the window of Gongxi Qiao’s room. He waited in silence for about ten minutes or so until the lights in the room came on, then he rolled up the car window. Looking at his left wrist where he was wearing his watch, he slowly said, “Go back.”

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