CH 97

Chapter 97: New Year’s Eve

With Xi Qing’s status, it was easy to get backstage, and a staff member was even kind enough to guide him all the way to Gongxi Qiao’s dressing room.

There were several make-up artists around Gongxi Qiao in the makeup room applying makeup wipes. Some people noticed Xi Qing standing at the door. Although they didn’t know him, they saw that he had a good temperament, and there were staff members from the station guiding him, so they guessed that his identity wasn’t simple. No one dared to say anything about expelling him.

Listening to Gongxi Qiao’s witty interruption of the makeup artist’s intentional or unintentional flirtation, Xi Qing couldn’t help but reveal a smile. He nodded to Xiao Yao and the others who had already seen him, and then sat down on the side to wait for Gongxi Qiao to have his makeup removed.

“Mr. Xi, Qiao Shao will be ready in a moment.” Chen Ke walked up to Xi Qing and saw that he was dressed in a tailored black suit. Perhaps because of the festive occasion, he was also wearing a red tie on purpose. He looked much gentler as a whole.

“It’s okay, it’s still early.” Xi Qing looked at his watch. It wasn’t even nine o’clock yet, so there was still time to get to Uncle and Auntie’s place for the New Year’s Eve dinner.

Chen Ke stopped talking when he saw the situation, but there was some doubt in his heart. Looking at the situation, were the two of them planning to spend New Year’s Eve together? But what about …… Qiao Shao’s parents?

It couldn’t be that Master Xi would go to Gongxi Qiao’s parents’ place and spend New Year’s Eve with them?

Shocked by his own magical imagination, Chen Ke coughed dryly and tried to keep a proper expression on his face so as not to let Xi Qing see anything.

After Gongxi Qiao finished removing his makeup, he let Chen Ke and the others go home. This was a family reunion day. If he still made people run around after him, he would feel sorry for them.

Before Chen Ke left, he took a few more glances at Xi Qing and Gongxi Qiao. When he saw them get into the car together, he sighed and got into his car.

When the two returned to the Gongxi family villa, the time wasn’t yet ten o’clock. Since they couldn’t set off firecrackers, the family had hung a pair of big red lanterns at the front door in order to have a grand New Year atmosphere.

“Dad, Mom,” Gongxi Qiao said as he walked into the house. He breathed a long, comfortable sigh of relief as he walked from the cold outdoors into the warmth of the house.

Xi Qing hung his coat and scarf on the nearby coat rack, changed into furry cartoon slippers with Gongxi Qiao, and walked to the kitchen to help.

“You’re finally back,” Qiao Lanfen said. She smiled at Xi Qing as she came out of the kitchen with the food. “We were worried you’d be stuck in traffic tonight, but it seems you were lucky.”

“Yes, the traffic wasn’t too bad,” Xi Qing said. He walked into the kitchen and saw Gongxi Xiong pouring sauce on a steamed fish, so he rolled up his shirt sleeves and said, “Uncle, is there anything I can help you with?”

“The food is ready, just bring it out.” Gongxi Xiong put down the big spoon. “We were just waiting for you to come back for dinner.”

The family of four had a table full of food. Xi Qing looked at the red fortune knots hanging on the wall and cut paper decorations on the windows, and smiled faintly at Gongxi Qiao.

Wherever this man was, that was where he belonged.

After 12 A.M., Gongxi Qiao walked to the courtyard holding a box of fireworks. He beckoned to Xi Qing at the door and said in a low voice, “Da Xi, come over and accompany me to light the sparklers.”

Although they couldn’t set off firecrackers, they could still set off something like sparklers.

“It’s cold outside.” Xi Qing put on his coat and scarf, and then said curiously, “When did you buy these sparklers?”

“A friend of my dad who owns a fireworks factory gave them to me.” Gongxi Qiao lit one with a lighter and handed it to Xi Qing. “It’s the New Year.”

Xi Qing looked at the sparkler in his hand, which he hadn’t played with in years, and looked at the flushed faces of the people around him, and smiled. “Yeah. I’ll do this with you every year from now on.”

Gongxi Qiao, who was lighting sparklers, smiled and kissed him on the cheek. “Good, you stay with me and I’ll stay with you.”

On the second floor, Gongxi Xiong and Qiao Lanfen stood in front of the window, looking at the two young people playing with sparklers in the yard, with a little bit of complexity in their pleasant expressions.

“I haven’t seen Xiao Qiao playing with these things for many years.” The couple was especially careful to lift only one corner of the curtain in order to avoid their child finding them peeking. “I just didn’t expect that Xi Qing would accompany him to play with them.”

“Otherwise, how else could the two of them get together?” Gongxi Xiong pulled the curtain down and stopped looking at the two young men. “There have been many men and women around Xiao Qiao over the years, but the only one he really put into his heart was this one.”

In their opinion, apart from the fact that Xi Qing’s gender wasn’t particularly satisfactory, there was nothing else to criticize. Even the Gongxi couple, who favored their own child, had to admit that when these two people got together, it was Xi Qing who spent more time taking care of Xiao Qiao.

“Youngsters will do all right on their own. As long as the two of them can live a good life, it doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl.” Qiao Lanfen was very open-minded. “Anyway, I can see that our son loves Xi Qing, loves him like crazy.”

Gongxi Xiong raised his eyebrows. “That’s an exaggeration.”

“You still don’t believe me?” Qiao Lanfen lightly snorted. “And Xi Qing, too. I see that he really treats our son like the apple of his eye. Even I, as a mother, feel like he spoils Xiao Qiao too much.”

Gongxi Xiong couldn’t refute her words, so he silently pulled his wife under the covers to sleep.

“It’s snowing?” The two were having fun when Gongxi Qiao suddenly noticed something cold falling on the back of his hand. When he looked up, a few snowflakes floated onto his face.

“Yeah.” Xi Qing took his hand and said in a warm voice, “Let’s go back and rest.”

Gongxi Qiao looked at the remaining half box of sparklers and obediently allowed Xi Qing to lead him back inside.

After returning to his room, the two took a shower and then found two large red envelopes under the pillow, one with his name on it and one with Xi Qing’s name on it.

“Happy New Year.” Gongxi Qiao handed the red envelopes to Xi Qing. “It seems my parents have taken you as their own son.”

“Happy New Year.” Xi Qing took the red envelopes and solemnly put them away in the drawer, then said, “So, if I call them Mom and Dad tomorrow, will they respond to me?”

Gongxi Qiao stroked his chin and smiled, “How about …… you try it tomorrow morning?”

“Okay.” Xi Qing smiled and took him into his arms. “To me, your parents are my parents.”

Listening to the other man’s heartbeat, Gongxi Qiao had a big smile on his face.