TAO | Chapter 114

Jiang Zhan being this understanding? Honestly, it caught Wei Xiaochi off guard.

Wei Dongjia didn’t call again. Wei Xiaochi glanced down at his phone.

He had such complicated feelings toward his overbearing father. He used to crave his affection, then came the disappointment, and now… he’d gotten used to the absence.

These past months, only Fang Yuan had been calling him. He’d never taken the initiative to contact anyone at home.

Living away from that house had brought a strange kind of peace. He did think about them sometimes, but never once thought of going back.

He’d lived there over ten years—of course he had some feelings. That phone call, though, had still shaken him, disturbing the calm he’d built.

Wei Xiaochi clenched the phone in his hand. After a long pause, under Jiang Zhan’s gaze, he called Wei Dongjia back.

Jiang Zhan suddenly said, “Put it on speaker. I want to hear.”

Jiang Tang had told him to respect Wei Xiaochi’s choices, to not butt into family matters—but Jiang Zhan couldn’t do it. He didn’t want him getting hurt again.

Wei Xiaochi didn’t respond, just tapped the speaker icon and set the phone on the desk.

It didn’t ring long. The other side picked up quickly.

Then came a full seven or eight seconds of silence, before Wei Dongjia finally spoke, voice stiff and unfamiliar: “Next Saturday is your birthday. Are you coming home?”

Wei Xiaochi’s throat suddenly felt scorched, like someone had stuffed a burning coal in there. His lips moved, but no sound came out.

All these years, Wei Dongjia had always been “too busy” to care. This was the first time he’d ever mentioned his birthday.

Watching him suffer, Jiang Zhan was seething inside.

This was why he hated Wei Dongjia so much—because he always made Wei Xiaochi look like that: hurt, vulnerable, trying so hard to pretend everything was okay.

Jiang Zhan moved in behind him, wrapping him in a tight hug, gently stroking his hair, awkward but silent in his attempt to comfort his Omega.

That wide chest made Wei Xiaochi feel warm and safe. He found his voice again and told Wei Dongjia, “No, I have school on Saturday.”

In senior year, they had classes six days a week. Only Sundays were free.

Hearing his refusal, Wei Dongjia didn’t get angry like he usually would. He just went quiet again.

After a while, he said, “Come home if you have time. Your grandma went back to the village.”

“Mm.”

Wei Dongjia didn’t know what else to say. “Well… study hard, then.”

Right after the call ended, Wei Xiaochi received a 50,000 RMB WeChat transfer—the daily limit.

The sender was Fang Yuan, but it had to be from Wei Dongjia, since he didn’t have Wei Xiaochi on WeChat.

Staring at the notification, Wei Xiaochi hesitated, his thumb hovering over the “Accept” button.

Jiang Zhan reached out and pressed the lock screen button. “After we finish the college entrance exam, we’ll go get jobs. We’ll make 50k in no time.”
As if we need his damn money.

He didn’t say the last part out loud, but Wei Xiaochi understood perfectly. He nodded slowly.

Seeing his expression still so low, Jiang Zhan grabbed him by the shoulders, dropping light kisses on his face, his voice low and tight with emotion. “Don’t be sad.”

The last time Jiang Zhan spoke in that voice was when Wei Dongjia had thrown Wei Xiaochi out. Back then, he’d been lost, scared, not knowing what the future would hold.

But not anymore.

Wei Xiaochi forced a pale smile. “I’m not sad.”

He pressed his lips together and looked at Jiang Zhan seriously. “I won’t be sad anymore.”

The only thing that had stung earlier… was the image of his twelve- or thirteen-year-old self. Back in the village, getting yelled at by Madam Wei, hiding behind the wardrobe, praying Wei Dongjia would take him home.

But now, he was older. It was time to say goodbye to that past self.

⸻

On his birthday that Saturday, Wei Xiaochi didn’t go home.

That night, he celebrated quietly with Jiang Zhan at the villa. Just the two of them.

Jiang Zhan had bought a tiny cake from a bakery. It was so small, it could only fit six candles.

He turned off the lights in the living room, and in the soft candle glow, sang a birthday song just for Wei Xiaochi.

Wei Xiaochi had barely celebrated his birthday before. His was close to the twins’, so every year it got lumped together—but it was always more about the twins. Even the candles, they blew out.

After the song, Wei Xiaochi closed his eyes and made a wish.

When he opened his eyes and blew out the candles, Jiang Zhan didn’t get up to turn on the lights. Instead, he asked, “What did you wish for?”

Wei Xiaochi replied, “They say if you say it out loud, it won’t come true.”

Jiang Zhan almost rolled his eyes. What kind of nonsense is that?
But since it was Wei Xiaochi’s birthday, he held back and asked instead, “Does it have to do with me?”

Knowing just how clingy Jiang Zhan could be, Wei Xiaochi gave him a hint: “Mm. It has to do with both of us.”

He hoped that both of them could do well on the college entrance exam—he wanted to get into J University, and for Jiang Zhan to perform well and get into a solid second-tier university. First-tier, even better.

But of course, Jiang Zhan instantly overthought it. In his head, Wei Xiaochi had definitely wished for them to be together forever.

Jiang Zhan leaned over and kissed the corner of his lips, then got up humming a tune and turned on the lights.

Seeing him in such a good mood, Wei Xiaochi felt energized too. As long as they worked hard together, Gaokao would be no big deal.

⸻

Whether it was because of that birthday wish or not, Jiang Zhan’s grades started steadily climbing.

In the midterm mock exams, he shot up to the top 250 in the grade. He was now this close to the promise he made to the principal.

Even Wei Minzhen couldn’t help but be impressed. Now when he scolded students, Jiang Zhan’s name came up all the time.

“Jiang Zhan grew his hair out and still looked stylish and cool. You? With that mop, you look like a stranded fisherman. Wake up—handsome guys have short hair now. You wanna be outdated?”

“And don’t bring up Jiang Zhan’s dating again. You wanna date? Fine! I’ll call your parents right now. If they agree, I won’t say a word.”

“Besides, his boyfriend’s top three in the grade. You? Who even is that person you’re dating?”

“But even if it’s a top-three student dating Jiang Zhan, who was practically a delinquent—don’t think that’s not still early dating. You see them holding hands on school grounds? I’ll bust them myself!”

Wei Xiaochi and Jiang Zhan happened to walk in right as Wei Minzhen was going off on someone.

Catching them in the corner of his eye, he rolled up his newspaper into a baton and pointed at them. “You two! Keep your distance. Farther. Farther.”

“If it’s not study time, don’t get too close. Got it?”

Wei Xiaochi was, at heart, still that model student. He nodded like a woodpecker. “Got it.”

Wei Minzhen turned his sharp gaze on the cocky alpha. “And you? Speak!”

Jiang Zhan wasn’t the same as before. Now that Wei Xiaochi was basically his moral leash, he gave a deadpan reply, “Got it.”

Having killed two birds with one stone, Wei Minzhen spun around to face a row of scruffy delinquents and resumed his role as Chief Discipline Officer.

Wei Xiaochi shot Jiang Zhan a look and quickly darted off toward the academic building. Once they were out of earshot, he let out a long breath.

Jiang Zhan didn’t look too happy. Wei Xiaochi nudged his hand and said, “It’s a special period right now. Let’s just lay low. Once we’re in college, everything will be fine.”

To Jiang Zhan, “college” basically meant “living together.” So the moment he heard that word, his mood instantly lifted.

Wei Xiaochi didn’t know the real reason. But after realizing that college was like a carrot dangling in front of a mule—able to boost Jiang Zhan’s motivation and his happiness—he’d taken to mentioning it often.

As expected, Jiang Zhan’s lips curved ever so slightly. “College, college… all you ever think about is college.”

He turned away dramatically and left Wei Xiaochi behind as he walked into the building.

Wei Xiaochi had once desperately yearned for college life—because it meant he could finally move out. But now… it wasn’t that urgent. Only when Jiang Zhan was stressed and studying hard did he feel that need to get through this phase faster.

Still, college meant more freedom. And more time to work and earn money.

Thinking about it like that, the sooner, the better.

⸻

Author’s Note:

Who’s the one who keeps saying “can’t wait to go to college” all day, huh?

This is what it’s like when two people’s brains run on completely different channels. 😂