TAO | Chapter 86

Jiang Zhan was super curious about the accounting notebook, and squeezed in next to Wei Xiaochi to look through it.

“What does this ‘Y hui R ru’ mean?” he asked.

Wei Xiaochi hadn’t just encrypted the numbers—even the words were heavily coded in case anyone else ever saw it.

“‘Y hui’ means ‘date,’ and ‘R ru’ stands for income. So this part means: date income, total of 123.”

“This is the income we’ve made from selling recyclables these past ten days. At this rate, we can save over 300 yuan in a month.”

“If we go on four dates a month, that’s over 90 yuan per date. That’s enough for a proper meal at KFC.”

“But if we only go on two dates a month, we’ll have 180 yuan left. That’s not just KFC—you could even catch a movie.”

In City A, the cost of living was high. Two movie tickets would run you 70 or 80 yuan. In Wei Xiaochi’s eyes, this kind of date already felt luxurious—way better than the early days of just wandering around aimlessly with no money.

He thought Jiang Zhan would be pleased. But when he looked up, Jiang Zhan had a long face and didn’t look very happy.

“You’re saying… we can only go on four dates a month?” Jiang Zhan asked, his tone laced with unmistakable complaint.

Alphas always focused on the weirdest things. Wei Xiaochi hadn’t expected him to care about the number of dates.

But the reduced frequency was because the quality had improved—this was the most romantic kind of date a science-minded guy could think of: eat well and catch a movie.

Wei Xiaochi opened his mouth, about to explain, then froze under Jiang Zhan’s resentful gaze. In a moment of inspiration, he blurted, “Those are the dates I plan to ask you on—you can turn around and ask me out four times too.”

Still not satisfied, Jiang Zhan’s face stayed moody. “That’s only eight times a month.”

Wei Xiaochi was speechless. After a long pause, he finally managed, “Honestly… I think we’re basically dating every day.”

Every day after school, they’d head to the recycling station together, selling bottles and paper. Then they’d find a quiet spot to sit, sometimes with a cold drink, sometimes a popsicle.

And if no one was around, Jiang Zhan would grab his hand or sneak a kiss.

If that didn’t count as dating, then Wei Xiaochi didn’t know what did.

To him, this was the ideal date—earn money together, spend a little on something nice, enjoy the time shared.

Jiang Zhan visibly perked up, hummed smugly twice, and tugged the notebook over to keep reading.

Wei Xiaochi had no idea what just lifted his mood, honestly. This guy was like a kid—stormy one second, sunny the next, completely unpredictable.

But hey, as long as he wasn’t throwing a tantrum, it was a win. Wei Xiaochi finally relaxed a bit.

Jiang Zhan pointed to another line in the notebook. “Then what’s this ‘Y ji S ru’ supposed to mean?”

Wei Xiaochi looked down and patiently explained, going over every detail with him.

Over the years, Wei Xiaochi had been saving up tuition for J University. His goal was to cover all three years of tuition and dorm fees in advance.

Unlike other schools, J University charged over 8,000 yuan a year. Dorm fees were another 900. So for three years, the total came to around 26,000 yuan.

He’d already saved up over 22,000. With two more summer breaks and one winter break before college, he figured he could hit his target.

Then, once he was in college, he’d work part-time during junior year to earn his senior-year tuition and living expenses.

But then Jiang Zhan suddenly threw a wrench in the plan—talking about living together off-campus. That changed everything. Wei Xiaochi had to rework his entire budget.

Given their financial gap, rent was a huge burden for him. He couldn’t afford it and didn’t pretend otherwise.

So Jiang Zhan would cover rent. He’d cover groceries and meals.

This way, he’d save 900 yuan on dorm fees—but his living expenses would increase.

Planning ahead gave Wei Xiaochi a sense of control and security. He needed it.

That 149 yuan he budgeted for Jiang Zhan’s birthday gift? It came from his calculations: savings + projected income – necessary expenses – future expenses = exactly 149 left. That’s what he set aside for the gift.

Jiang Zhan was asking about the projected income. Based on his past experience with summer and winter break jobs, Wei Xiaochi estimated he could make around 12,000 yuan total.

But since this summer was close to the college entrance exams, school might resume early, so he conservatively wrote down 9,000.

When he explained that, Jiang Zhan picked up a pen and crossed out the 9,000.

Wei Xiaochi blinked. “Huh?”

Then Jiang Zhan rewrote the number above it. “We’ll work together. So that’s 18,000 for the both of us.”

Hearing Jiang Zhan say that so matter-of-factly, Wei Xiaochi felt a rush of warmth swell in his chest—like something soft and hot was flowing through all his limbs.

He gave a quiet “Mm.”

—

By the time they finished going over the notebook, ten-plus minutes had passed. Jiang Zhan hadn’t finished his practice problems yet, so he stopped wasting time and got back to it.

Wei Xiaochi stuck to the usual plan for tutoring. They finished twenty minutes later than usual, leaving the school grounds at 7:15 PM.

The sky glowed with blood-red hues, the clouds spread like watercolor at the horizon.

Jiang Zhan walked Wei Xiaochi home. They wandered through tree-lined side streets, fingers interlocked the whole time.

Right before reaching the apartment complex, Wei Xiaochi pulled his hand away in case anyone saw them.

Jiang Zhan didn’t say anything—he was still basking in the joy of their “date.”

He loved being alone with Wei Xiaochi. Even if the world was noisy and chaotic, as long as he was by his side, everything felt clean and bright.

Just before arriving, Wei Xiaochi slowed down. “Let’s go see a movie after tutoring this Saturday. My treat.”

Even if Han Ziyang hadn’t mentioned it was Jiang Zhan’s birthday next Tuesday, even if Jiang Zhan hadn’t talked about working together during school breaks—Wei Xiaochi had already planned to invite him to a movie this weekend.

Studying needed balance. Wei Xiaochi could endure endless problem sets, but Jiang Zhan wasn’t like him.

So he decided to skip one tutoring session this weekend and go out instead.

Jiang Zhan had only invited him out twice: once to the amusement park, which ended badly, and once to the movies—but he bailed to earn money, leaving Wei Xiaochi waiting alone.

That was on purpose. Jiang Zhan had guessed Wei Xiaochi would be working, so he invited him out and then made excuses to keep him there.

Both attempts had been flops for different reasons.

Jiang Zhan’s eyes sparkled, but he tried to play it cool. “What movie are we seeing?”

“There’s a new sci-fi blockbuster,” Wei Xiaochi said. “You like that kind of thing?”

“It’s alright,” Jiang Zhan replied, lips curling up with a smile he couldn’t quite hide. “Then it’s a date. No backing out.”

Seeing how happy he looked, Wei Xiaochi’s heart felt extra light. “Mm.”

—

Maybe it was because of that movie invite, but Jiang Zhan was in a great mood for days afterward.

Watching the high-on-life alpha, Han Ziyang just gave him a hopeless expression.

At this point, he didn’t even want to comment. He just prayed the two of them would stay stuck together like glue until graduation—no dramatic breakups, please.

The sweeter they were now, the uglier it would be if they ever broke up. And he’d be the one caught in the fallout.

Just thinking about it made Han Ziyang shiver. He immediately spat three times to ward off bad luck, made the sign of a cross over his chest, and silently chanted “Amitabha” twice with his palms together.

May they be locked in for life. Amen. Buddha bless.

—

Saturday morning, as usual, Wei Xiaochi and Jiang Zhan handed out flyers for over two hours.

After lunch at Jiang’s place, they squeezed in forty minutes of math review.

They’d booked the 4:10 PM movie slot. After the movie, they could grab dinner. Wei Xiaochi had already told Fang Yuan he’d be home late.

This movie had killer promo—an international director, known for big-budget blockbusters that always crushed at the box office.

It was your classic Hollywood action flick: the protagonist leveled up, beat the bad guys, saved the world from aliens, and got the girl.

Cliché? Totally. But with a snappy pace, hot A and pretty O leads, and explosive action scenes—it was still wildly entertaining.

The theater was packed. It was Wei Xiaochi’s first time buying tickets on an app, and thanks to his social anxiety, he’d picked a super secluded corner.

Every time the effects cranked up, the room echoed with gasps.

Watching a movie in a packed theater amplified the experience—it pulled everyone into the story.

Last time, Jiang Zhan had never shown up, and Wei Xiaochi had spent the whole movie distracted. Today, despite the crowd, he slowly eased into the film.

As the humans battled the alien invaders, with friends dying left and right, the leads—lost and shaken—finally gave in to their feelings and kissed passionately in the ruins of a shattered city.

Western kiss scenes were bold. The theater was filled with soft, wet sounds.

It went on for two whole minutes.

Wei Xiaochi turned his head awkwardly, reaching for his drink—only to bump into Jiang Zhan’s fingers.

He instinctively pulled back—but the next second, Jiang Zhan’s hand clamped around his.

He couldn’t escape.

His heart thundered in his chest. He stayed frozen.

The characters on screen were still kissing, and the intense sound made Wei Xiaochi’s face burn even hotter.

Jiang Zhan had kissed him like that before, but not with this kind of heat.

Emotionally, Jiang Zhan was pretty innocent—not much more experienced than Wei Xiaochi.

Back when they’d made up, Wei Xiaochi had spent the night at his place during a sensitive time. That night, Jiang Zhan had asked him to open his mouth during a kiss—

Then just lightly licked his teeth a few times. That was it. Nothing like the passionate, cinematic make-out scene.

Jiang Zhan held his hand the entire time.

Even with the AC on full blast, his palm felt like a hot iron, heating Wei Xiaochi’s to a sweaty mess.

The kissing scene finally ended, but Jiang Zhan didn’t let go. Even after the credits rolled, he was still holding on.

Wei Xiaochi barely remembered the rest of the movie.

As the crowd filed out, Jiang Zhan pulled him along out of the theater.

The moment they stepped outside, a hot, damp wind smacked Wei Xiaochi in the face like a soaked towel. He felt like he couldn’t breathe.

Once he adjusted, he asked, “What should we eat for dinner?”

“My treat,” Jiang Zhan said, dragging him down the steps. “Just this once, okay?”

Wei Xiaochi nodded. “Okay.”

—

Jiang Zhan took him to a beautifully decorated Japanese restaurant.

Wei Xiaochi hadn’t really eaten Japanese food before—only sushi.

But instinctively, he figured he wouldn’t like it much. He wasn’t into raw stuff, so all those famous sashimi and sweet shrimp dishes didn’t appeal to him.

Jiang Zhan hadn’t splurged in a while. This was a rare occasion, and Wei Xiaochi didn’t object. He followed him obediently into a private room.

It was full of Japanese flair: sliding doors, tatami mats, a soft sakura-patterned screen.

Jiang Zhan only ordered one sashimi platter—the rest were all cooked dishes, plus a sukiyaki pot.

Wei Xiaochi was already starving. He bit into a tempura shrimp so big and juicy it burned his mouth. He inhaled twice, then swallowed it whole.

Jiang Zhan watched that little red tongue flash out. His throat bobbed silently.

Just as Wei Xiaochi was about to pick up more food, Jiang Zhan tugged on his wrist.

He looked over in confusion, but Jiang Zhan said nothing. Just stared at him with puppy eyes—like a kid begging for candy.

Wei Xiaochi’s breath caught. He ducked his head and slowly brought another piece of tempura to his mouth.

Before he could take a bite, Jiang Zhan tugged his hand again.

Wei Xiaochi licked his lips, eyes darting to Jiang Zhan’s fingers. His cheeks got hotter.

He kind of knew what Jiang Zhan wanted, but had no idea how to respond.

His brain short-circuited.

Seeing Jiang Zhan’s shadow lean in from across the screen, Wei Xiaochi clutched his chopsticks, put the tempura down—

And slowly looked up.

Jiang Zhan kissed him.

Wei Xiaochi’s ears roared. He grabbed Jiang Zhan’s arm—and opened his mouth.

—

Author’s Note:

Yes, there’s a second update today.
And the next chapter is exactly what y’all love.

Stop thinking dirty thoughts, okay—it’s proper plot stuff.

You’ll love it. Properly. 😏