SITS CH46

Chapter 46: Happy New Year’s Day

After finishing the instant-boiled mutton, they felt thoroughly comfortable from head to toe.

Returning to the homestay, Shen Man stood by the window gazing into the snow outside.

Xu Zhouye asked what he was looking at. Shen Man said, “It never snows where we live. When I was a kid, every winter I’d spend every day wishing for it…” But snow in the south and north was entirely different, especially in urban areas; even if flakes drifted down in the south, they melted the instant they touched the ground.

Seeing a sky filled with dancing snow now, across so many passing years, his feelings were no longer what they used to be.

Longing to buy sweet osmanthus and load wine aboard, yet it is never like the wanderings of our youth.

“It snows heavily every year back in my hometown.” Xu Zhouye brought up his own home, a city in the north. “Summer isn’t hot either. Honestly, I was terrified by the weather at our base this summer.”

Shen Man: “Terrified?”

Xu Zhouye said, “Whose summer stays at forty degrees for half a month straight…”

Shen Man smiled: “Then how come I never heard you complain about it?”

Xu Zhouye said, “Mm… figured since I’m going to stay for a long time, I’d better just get used to it myself.” He was rather pragmatic.

Although the tournament had wrapped up, the two decided to stay through New Year’s Day before heading back.

In truth, whether it was New Year’s Day or the Spring Festival, neither carried any special significance for Shen Man. Having no family around at least had one perk: he didn’t have to waste time visiting relatives.

On the morning of New Year’s Day, Xu Zhouye wasn’t in the room when Shen Man woke up. Lazing in bed for a while, he pushed open the window and spotted Xu Zhouye down in the homestay’s courtyard.

He was huffing and puffing, rolling a massive snowball. Watching for a moment, Shen Man realized Xu Zhouye was building a snowman.

After hesitating for two minutes, Shen Man drifted down to the courtyard as well.

“What are you doing?” Shen Man asked him.

“Building a snowman to spend New Year’s Day with us,” Xu Zhouye said.

Shen Man glanced at his gloves.

Xu Zhouye said, “Head back inside, it’s cold.”

Shen Man didn’t move. After standing for a bit, he crouched down and scooped up a handful of snow. Unlike the wet texture he had imagined, this snow was powdery and dry; only when pressed firmly did it stick together… pretty fun.

Xu Zhouye walked over holding snow, gently nudging Shen Man with his body: “Hey, the hand injury hasn’t fully healed yet, hurry back inside.”

Shen Man looked up at Xu Zhouye, not budging.

Xu Zhouye said, “Weren’t you afraid of the cold? Why are you reluctant to go in now?”

Shen Man said, “Going in right now.”

Xu Zhouye nodded. Just as he turned around, the crouching Shen Man suddenly sprang up, laughing loudly as he shoved the handful of snow straight down his collar—

“Fuck!” Xu Zhouye shuddered from the icy shock, yelling, “Shen Man, you have no martial virtue!”

Shen Man laughed wildly: “It’s called striking first to seize the upper hand!”

Before he could laugh for two minutes, he saw Xu Zhouye charging at him clutching a clump of snow.

Shen Man turned to flee, but Xu Zhouye seized his hand and yanked him back. The snow was slick; Shen Man lost his footing and tumbled straight onto the snowy ground.

This time it was Xu Zhouye’s turn to burst into hearty laughter. Watching Shen Man’s disheveled state, he reached his red-frozen hand down toward Shen Man’s collar.

“!!” The freezing hand made Shen Man shrink his neck in terror, but Xu Zhouye was tall and strong, pressing down on him like a mountain and pinning him completely. His left wrist was held down firmly above his head by Xu Zhouye, while his right hand weakly pushed against him…

“Ah!” With hands roaming brazenly over his neck and popping a few collar buttons loose, Shen Man went limp, gritting his teeth: “Xu Zhouye, you fucking let go… who plays like this…”

Looking down at the breathless Shen Man lying on the ground, Xu Zhouye lowered his eyes and said, “Not letting go.”

Shen Man: “…”

Xu Zhouye suddenly leaned in, their faces dangerously close. Reflexively, Shen Man closed his eyes. Then, he felt a warm, tender touch brush across his eyelashes… it was Xu Zhouye’s lips.

Xu Zhouye’s breathing grew heavy, as though fighting for restraint.

Just when Shen Man thought he was going to kiss his lips, the weight on him suddenly lifted. Beside his ear came Xu Zhouye’s feigned-casual voice: “Why are you closing your eyes? You didn’t think I was going to kiss you, did you?”

Shen Man opened his eyes, meeting Xu Zhouye’s forced smile.

He didn’t speak, gazing quietly into Xu Zhouye’s eyes.

For the first time, Xu Zhouye lost in a staring contest with Shen Man. He looked away unnaturally, slowly clambering up from the snow and holding out a hand to Shen Man: “Hurry and get up, the ground is cold.”

Shen Man didn’t move.

“Ge.” A pleading note crept into his voice, Xu Zhouye’s expression shadowed by a flicker of gloom.

He was terrified. Terrified that his crossing of boundaries just now had crossed Shen Man’s line.

Having spent so much time together, he knew intimately how ruthless Shen Man could be toward people he disliked. The mere thought of Shen Man looking at him with the cold, utterly indifferent gaze he gave Qin Yixing caused a dull, throbbing ache in Xu Zhouye’s chest.

Would Shen Man still be willing to reach out?

Xu Zhouye wasn’t sure.

Shen Man lay on the snowy ground, looking at Xu Zhouye silhouetted against the open sky.

Xu Zhouye looked down at him, his breath turning to white mist, softening the lines of his face. He extended his hand toward Shen Man with a stubborn insistence… Shen Man could tell that the kid was deeply unsettled, needing confirmation.

He didn’t feel repulsed at all; on the contrary, he found it… remarkably adorable.

Quickly confirming his feelings, Shen Man lifted his arm, placing his hand into Xu Zhouye’s palm, allowing him to grip his wrist with shackle-like strength, pulling him up from the frigid snow.

Northern snow was different from the south—dry and powdery. With a casual brush, it drifted off like salt.

After that brief tussle, Shen Man’s face was pale from the cold, the tip of his nose pink. The unease in Xu Zhouye’s heart hadn’t completely settled. Dusting snow off his chest, he said, “Ge, hurry inside. Look how frozen you are.”

Shen Man didn’t answer, turning to inspect the snowman Xu Zhouye had started: “What are we using for the eyes and nose?”

Xu Zhouye scratched his head: “Didn’t we bring back a bag of groceries yesterday? We’ll rummage through it in a bit…”

Shen Man said, “I’ll go.”

Before Xu Zhouye could answer, he turned and went inside.

Watching his retreating back, Xu Zhouye exhaled a breath of profound relief. He had never imagined the phrase overcome by passion would happen to him.

Lying on the snow laughing freely, Shen Man had been too mesmerizing. In that moment, he seemed to drop all defenses, revealing his softest core.

Xu Zhouye had been completely captivated in a split second; by the time he came to his senses, his lips had already landed on Shen Man’s eyes. He wanted to savor Shen Man’s taste, his star-like eyes, his fluttering butterfly-wing lashes…

Yet if the price of touching was to be reviled, the loss would be catastrophic.

Xu Zhouye blew warm breath into his red-frozen palms.

A hunting hound stalking prey took three hours—during those three hours, it trailed the quarry like a shadow until the prey was exhausted and helpless.

But the actual strike took only a single minute.

A single sprint was enough to snap the prey’s neck, pin it down, gnaw, and savor the glorious taste of the prize.

Xu Zhouye lowered his eyes and chuckled softly, grateful for the patience he had been praised for since childhood.

Shen Man emerged from the room again, holding a carrot and two grapes.

Xu Zhouye had just finished sculpting the snowman’s head, placing it atop the body.

Shen Man walked over, stuck the grapes and carrot onto the head, looked left and right, and felt something was missing. Finally, his gaze landed on Xu Zhouye…

Before Xu Zhouye could ask what he was looking at, Shen Man reached out and untied the scarf around his neck.

Thus, the adorable little snowman had a scarf of its own, while Xu Zhouye bared his teeth against the freezing wind howling down his collar.

“Snowman’s finished, let’s hurry inside,” Xu Zhouye glanced at Shen Man. Shen Man had only worn a sweater when coming out; Xu Zhouye was genuinely afraid he’d catch a cold.

“Mm,” Shen Man said. “What are we having tonight…”

Xu Zhouye followed behind him: “It’s New Year’s Day, let’s eat something good. Bought flour… I’ll make dumplings for you.”

Shen Man said, “You know how to wrap dumplings?”

Xu Zhouye said, “I know how to do lots of things.”

Unlike Shen Man, Xu Zhouye was a northern native; dumplings, buns, even noodles were second nature to him.

Shen Man wasn’t good at it. Originally wanting to help mince the meat, Xu Zhouye stopped him out of concern for his hand injury.

So he grabbed a few garlic bulbs, silently peeling them on the side while watching Xu Zhouye skillfully knead the dough and pinch it into small dough balls.

Lacking a rolling pin, Xu Zhouye sourced a glass bottle from who knew where, rolling wrappers with even thickness and proper form.

Shen Man picked up a wrapper and wrapped the first one.

Then both fell silent looking at the dumpling that couldn’t even stand upright on the table.

Shen Man looked at Xu Zhouye: “Actually, it’s not bad, right?”

The look resembled a kid seeking approval from an adult. Xu Zhouye wanted to laugh but felt it improper, holding it in: “It’s great. Let me handle it, go play on your phone.”

Shen Man: “…”

Some things truly couldn’t be forced.

Yet Shen Man didn’t go play on his phone either; watching Xu Zhouye labor away while he slacked off felt wrong.

So Shen Man sat at the table, propping his chin on his arms, lying prone while watching Xu Zhouye wrap dumplings.

The room was so warm, smelling of flour and savory filling; in a fleeting instant, he felt as though he had returned to his most cherished childhood days.

Sitting at the table doing homework, while his waipo silently wrapped dumplings beside him.

When the dumplings boiled, a new year arrived once more.

On New Year’s Day evening, Shen Man ate pork and cabbage dumplings. Xu Zhouye truly hadn’t bragged; his culinary skills were exceptional, almost every dumpling looking pristine… except for the lone ugly duckling.

That ugly one was Shen Man’s handiwork. Shen Man had expected it to burst, but tumbling through the boiling pot, it miraculously held together without muddying the broth.

Shen Man had intended to eat it himself, but Xu Zhouye scooped the ugly duckling into his own bowl first.

“Let me taste your handiwork,” Xu Zhouye grinned.

Watching the ugly thing in Xu Zhouye’s bowl, Shen Man felt an inexplicable prickle of embarrassment. Before he could speak, Xu Zhouye popped it into his mouth.

Chewing vaguely, he grinned at Shen Man: “Actually, pretty good.”

Shen Man: “…Fine.”

Shen Man hadn’t broadcast that he accompanied Xu Zhouye to the tournament, but vanishing for several days naturally raised eyebrows.

Zhao Rui texted asking where he was, and Shen Man replied that he went back to his hometown to get married.

Zhao Rui: “…” Listen to your bullshit.

Zhao Rui was intensely gossipy; through the security guard, he soon learned that Xu Zhouye and Shen Man had left the base with luggage. Connecting the dots to Xu Zhouye’s destination, he instantly realized Shen Man had gone along to watch Xu Zhouye play.

The news shocked all of ACE.

The most shocked was the team boss, who bombarded Shen Man with dozens of messages asking what bribe Xu Zhouye had offered him to make him step out of the ACE base.

You couldn’t blame her for such a dramatic reaction; Shen Man’s contract had no commercial tie-ins, meaning no one could force him when he refused endorsements. Big sponsors couldn’t reach Shen Man directly, but they reached the boss, giving her perpetual headaches trying to coax Shen Man out for work.

— Man-man, tell me honestly: someone offered seven figures and you wouldn’t fly out for three days of work. What kind of love potion did Xu Zhouye slip you?

Shen Man replied with a period.

— Do you know the silent treatment is a form of domestic violence?

Shen Man replied with “1”, indicating message received.

— AAAAAH, I’m going to kill you!

Shen Man didn’t reply.

The boss started losing her mind. Since she couldn’t kill Shen Man, she switched angles:

— I’m going to kill myself!!!

This time Shen Man finally deigned to reply:

— Then I’ll remind Qin Yixing to sweep your grave every year.

— ????

— Given his confidence, he’ll probably think his departure drove you to death.

A terrifying thought. What was most terrifying was that it made absolute logical sense.

Conjuring the mental image of Qin Yixing laying white chrysanthemums before her grave every year, weeping: “Boss, I wronged you, it was me who killed you”—the boss instantly rekindled her will to live.

— When are you coming back? You’re not spending Spring Festival over there, are you?

— In a couple of days.

— When is ‘in a couple of days’?

— Why aren’t you replying again?

— Man-man? Where are you?

— Fuck, next year I’m writing ‘forbidden from ignoring the boss’s messages’ into your contract!!!

— Forget it, Happy New Year’s Day!

— Happy New Year’s Day, Boss.

Happy New Year’s Day.

Fully sated, Shen Man lay on the sofa watching the New Year’s Gala with Xu Zhouye. His head rested on the sofa’s armrest, his feet extended toward Xu Zhouye’s end.

Both were tall, and the sofa wasn’t large; as time passed, his feet somehow ended up resting on Xu Zhouye’s lap.

The room was heavily heated, lulling Shen Man into drowsiness.

“Should I turn off the TV?” someone asked softly by his ear.

Feeling a bit chilly, Shen Man curled toward the warmth.

“Go sleep in bed,” the gentle voice murmured.

“Mm…” Shen Man answered, but didn’t open his eyes.

His body suddenly felt weightless as he was lifted into someone’s arms. Half-opening his closed eyes, seeing the person carrying him was Xu Zhouye, he closed them again in peace, even nuzzling his head against Xu Zhouye’s chest… like a spoiled cat.

Xu Zhouye had worried Shen Man would dislike being picked up, but relaxed completely now.

Shen Man was even lighter than he imagined, holding him carrying virtually no weight. Carefully setting him onto the bed, Xu Zhouye looked at his sleeping face, whispering softly: “Happy New Year’s Day.”

Hope I can say this to you every year from now on.