Chapter 59 Wang Feifei

Yin Xian bought a car.

Ever since he bought it, he and Wang Jiexiang had been discussing where to go on a road trip during their time off.

Initially, they planned to visit some nearby mountains, but Wang Jiexiang wasn’t too keen.

“No mountain in the world is more beautiful than the ones in my hometown.”

When asked where she wanted to go, she said she wanted to see the sea.

So they agreed—when they had time, he would drive and they would go to the beach together.

As for the last time Yin Xian came home late, he never explained, and Wang Jiexiang never asked again.

But after that, whenever Yin Xian went out for social events, he never forgot to take his phone.

Likewise, Wang Jiexiang didn’t act like last time—frantically calling when he didn’t come home, waiting outside the residential community gate.

Yin Xian becoming a supervisor and gaining access to the company’s network was a good thing for him. Once Wang Jiexiang came to terms with that, she calmed down a lot. While he was busy with his career, she was willing to be his supporter, to offer understanding and care, instead of demanding things from him and adding to his burden.

When Yin Xian came home late from social events, she always left the lights on for him, ate by herself, and went to bed on her own.

Of course, this thoughtful Wang Jiexiang wasn’t really the “Wang Jiexiang” everyone knew.

All that talk about being understanding, being over it—she could force herself to eat, but she couldn’t force herself to sleep.

She figured Yin Xian probably found their current way of interacting easier. By keeping her mouth shut, she saved him time—the time he’d spend explaining, reading her messages, talking with her.

But the worry couldn’t be avoided. When Yin Xian wasn’t home, she simply couldn’t sleep.

She would lie in bed, counting the hours, waiting to hear the sound of the door opening before she could rest. Just like with the daily texts—she still wanted to talk to him, to know what he was doing. The only reason she didn’t text him was because she forced herself not to.

Wang Jiexiang understood she should trust Yin Xian.

He had boundaries.

Though he came home late, he didn’t drink often, and he had never drunk to the point of passing out.

She had only seen him truly drunk once.

People said drunk men babble, hit people, cry and laugh all at once. Yin Xian did none of that.

That night, she waited for him until 2 a.m. The front door opened from the outside.

Wang Jiexiang listened to the sound of him entering. She had left him dinner but wasn’t sure if he would want to eat. She figured if he headed for the shower, it meant he wasn’t eating, and she’d have to get up to put the food in the fridge.

Unexpectedly, Yin Xian didn’t go to the dining room or the bathroom—he went straight to the bedroom.

As the door opened, Wang Jiexiang shut her eyes and pretended to sleep.

Yin Xian stopped by the bed, on the side where she slept. The bedside lamp turned on, and he softly called her name.

His voice was too low to really wake her. What was he doing?

Wang Jiexiang wondered if she should pretend to be woken up. The next moment, she felt him touching her hair.

He gently smoothed her bangs, tucked the strands falling by her cheeks behind her ear. Then, he pinched a small lock of her long hair and began to toy with the ends.

It tickled, and Wang Jiexiang couldn’t hold it in. She opened her eyes and looked at Yin Xian.

He was hunched over, quietly squatting by the bed, a man his size crammed into such a small corner.

Both hands held her strand of hair, his movements slow and delicate, like a child fully absorbed in a string game.

“Yin Xian?” Wang Jiexiang called out, puzzled.

He didn’t seem to hear her.

She pulled her hair out of his hands. Only then did he look at her.

His eyes looked a little wet. She sat up, and he tilted his head back, eyes never leaving her.

Wang Jiexiang sensed he had something to say.

She could smell the alcohol on him—stronger than usual.

There was something unusual in his eyes: damp, glistening, soft.

Staring at her face, he asked,

“Little girl, when did your hair get so long?”

“It’s been growing, hasn’t it?” Wang Jiexiang sighed. “All these years, you’ve watched it grow.”

Yin Xian nodded, then said,

“It hasn’t been easy. You’ve finally gained some weight.”

She knew he was drunk. Normally, he’d never say something like that to her.

She knew she shouldn’t argue with him, but she couldn’t help snapping back.

“Rubbish, what weight? I’m not fat.”

He reached out and touched her face.

His hand was cold, her face was warm. His palm grazed along her cheek from the edge of her chin.

Wang Jiexiang had to admit part of it: “Okay, maybe my face. But that’s not fat—it’s baby fat.”

Yin Xian laughed.

“Mm. Feifei. You’re Feifei.”

He latched onto that word, repeating it several times with ease and affection.

Hands on her hips, Wang Jiexiang sternly corrected him.

“What do you mean fat? Yin Xian, I’m warning you, don’t call me that.”

“Fei… fei…”

His tone was like teasing a child, drawing out the syllables with tenderness and intimacy.

Wang Jiexiang threw off the blanket, raised her fists in mock anger. “You’re the Feifei! I don’t want that nickname. If you’re going to give me one, call me Xiang Baobao, Xianxian, Meimei.”

Yin Xian shook his head.

“Feifei is you. You’re Feifei. Wang Feifei.”

Now he’s even added the surname? Wang Jiexiang pushed him aside, put on her slippers, and walked out of the room, planning to make him some hangover relief.

He followed right behind her, all the way to the kitchen.

Wang Jiexiang held back her anger and poured water into the pot. Yin Xian still didn’t know when to quit, sticking close to her.

“Feifei, why are you ignoring me? Feifei, what are you doing? Feifei, why won’t you let me call you Feifei?”

That barrage of “Fei”s finally pushed Wang Jiexiang over the edge.

She angrily cupped some tap water in her hands and splashed it right on Yin Xian’s face.

He got drenched. His movements and voice froze.

“……”

That splash seemed to clear the fog in his eyes.

Wang Jiexiang felt a bit guilty and tried to sneak away.

But his arm shot out, blocking her path, trapping her in the corner of the kitchen.

Yin Xian leaned toward her, eyes fixed steadily on hers.

Wang Jiexiang was actually a little scared when he looked at her like that.

“You—it’s your fault for giving me a terrible nickname!”

She tiptoed, trying to make herself look more imposing.

Yin Xian’s face was expressionless. Wang Jiexiang lowered her heels immediately and gave him a sheepish smile.

“Okay okay, how about I wipe you off?”

She grabbed the rag from the edge of the sink and started wiping his face, chatting as she worked.

“See? I’m drying you off, aren’t I?”

Yin Xian smiled slightly and thanked her.

“Thanks. You’re really good at this…”

“Haha, no need, no need.”

Wang Jiexiang wiped enthusiastically, laughing out loud at his thanks.

“Alright, I think that’s enough—Feifei.”

She froze and stared at him in dismay. “You’re still calling me Feifei?”

“I’m going to shower. You should sleep early.”

With that, Yin Xian turned and left, leaving Wang Jiexiang standing there, confused.

“Hey!”

She shouted at his back.

“You remember everything when you’re drunk? Wait—Yin Xian, are you even really sober?”

The next day.

Wang Jiexiang went to bed still wondering.

When she was woken up, she got her answer.

“Time to get up, Feifei.”

Yin Xian went to bed later than her and got up earlier, and he had already made breakfast.

Wang Jiexiang had just woken up, her head still groggy, and responded to him with a dazed “Oh.”

She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and sat at the dining table.

Seeing Yin Xian’s face, she suddenly snapped out of her daze.

“Did you call me Feifei this morning?!”

He calmly gave a casual “Mm.”

“Stop it right now!”

Wang Jiexiang slapped the table and shouted with full force.

“Don’t call me that! I don’t like it!”

He snorted. “I’m going to call you that.”

She reached across the table to grab him.

Yin Xian dodged lazily, swaying like a roly-poly toy.

And just like that, they were once again bickering from time to time, just like the old days.

Wang Jiexiang didn’t like the nickname “Feifei” at all, and every time Yin Xian called her that, it sparked a fierce protest from her.

In the past, they quarreled over the trivial matters of daily life.

Now, arguing about those things felt too exhausting.

If it required long debates or days of cold war, they didn’t even have the energy to make up afterward.

Because Wang Jiexiang worked at the department store, their weekly days off rarely aligned.

In the mornings, if their schedules matched, they’d eat together. But both were in a rush, and they barely exchanged two or three sentences over breakfast.

In the evenings, if she got off work and he wasn’t networking or working overtime, they could sit down for dinner; if they were in the mood, they’d talk a bit before bed.

When he had networking events, he’d come home late, and they’d try to sleep early so it wouldn’t affect the next day.

Yin Xian was too busy.

He’d had the car for half a year, always saying they’d go on a road trip together, but they still hadn’t found the time.

Another year was almost over.

Wang Jiexiang took the initiative to bring it up: “You haven’t used your annual leave this year. You need to take it before the end of the year, or it’ll be wasted. We’re in the off-season at the department store too, so I can take leave as well. That way, we can rest together. Even if we don’t travel, we can relax at home.”

What she said made sense, so Yin Xian agreed and applied for his annual leave at work.

His leave was quickly approved.

When he got home and told Wang Jiexiang the good news, she was overjoyed, flinging herself at him and planting two big kisses on his face.

“Let’s go see the sea,” Yin Xian said to her.

“Okay!”

Once the excitement wore off, Wang Jiexiang started to worry. “I’ll go apply for my leave too. Once the schedule’s set, I can’t change it. You won’t suddenly have something come up, like a business trip or an emergency, and back out last minute, right?”

Yin Xian assured her, “I won’t.”

She cheered and started planning the trip.

He saw her rummaging through boxes and asked what she was doing. Wang Jiexiang replied, “I already bought swimsuits, goggles, and swim caps for both of us. I put them in the closet earlier—I need to find them.”

“When did you buy those? How come I didn’t know?”

“During the seasonal sale at the department store! I bought them secretly. I didn’t tell you because I was afraid you’d think I was too eager to go on a trip.”

As she spoke, she pulled out the swimming gear from deep in the closet.

Wang Jiexiang really was eager to go out and have fun.

Before adulthood, she’d never been out of the mountains, always staying in the village. Since coming to the city, she had buried herself in work and had never gone anywhere for fun.

Travel—something so ordinary for city folks—would be a first in her life.

She found her floral two-piece swimsuit, changed into it with excitement, and began posing in front of Yin Xian, preening like a little show-off.

“Feifei…” the nickname popped into his head.

Wang Jiexiang was in such a good mood that even when Yin Xian called her that, she responded happily.

“Do you know how to swim?” he asked.

“There was a little stream in the mountains. My mom used to take me to play by the water. I’d splash around sometimes… I’m not very good at it, which is why I got this!”

Wang Jiexiang pulled an uninflated swim ring out of her swim gear bag and started blowing it up right in front of Yin Xian.

After putting on the swimsuit and the swim ring, she waved her arms in the air seriously, pretending to swim.

She was so happy—it was as if they were already at the beach, hearing the crashing waves and breathing in the freedom of the sea breeze.