Want to Have a Relationship with You | Chapter 32 | Dinner at the Wens | Novela.app

Su Jingming had agreed to meet at Wen Yan’s house at five o'clock. He left his home at three in the afternoon, stopped by a mall to pick up some gifts, and arrived at the base of Wen Yan’s apartment building by four-thirty. He waited downstairs for a while, only messaging Wen Yan to say he had arrived at four-fifty. He was the type who always arrived early, preferring to wait on others rather than be late himself. When Wen Yan came downstairs, Su Jingming’s eyes shifted slightly. "You..." Su Jingming’s Adam's apple bobbed. The Wen Yan standing before him seemed different from usual, though he couldn't quite put his finger on why. Wen Yan raised an eyebrow. "What about me?" He glanced down at the various bags Su Jingming was carrying. "So polite? It looks like my mom is going to insist you stay for a few more meals." Su Jingming shook his head quickly. "It’s no trouble, just the proper thing to do." One couldn't exactly show up empty-handed to someone’s home for a meal during the Lunar New Year. Wen Yan took the bags from him, and the two rode the elevator in silence. Su Jingming kept stealing glances at Wen Yan out of the corner of his eye. After a long moment of observation, he finally identified the issue. "Your hair... why does it look like it hasn't been combed straight?" "..." Wen Yan coughed awkwardly. Fortunately, they were the only two in the elevator. A rare look of self-consciousness crossed his face as he said, "I used some hairspray." Su Jingming nodded. So the guy had actually styled his hair. Usually, Wen Yan’s hair was kept neat and conventional, but today it was tousled and voluminous, giving him a bit of a "pretty boy" idol vibe. He clicked his tongue inwardly. As expected, when someone was that handsome, they could pull off any hairstyle. While Su Jingming was admiring the hair, a herd of metaphorical alpacas was stampeding through Wen Yan’s mind. *Did I use too much spray? Do I look like some tacky punk?* Wen Yan, who usually never spent much time on his appearance, had uncharacteristically broken out his "ancestral" hairspray to fuss over himself in his room. He’d thought he looked pretty good, but in front of Su Jingming, he suddenly felt like a total idiot. Wen Yan never doubted himself—not in his studies, nor in his character. This was the first time he’d ever felt such insecurity, and it was a complicated feeling. With this heavy heart, and with Su Jingming still fixated on his hair, they entered the Wen household. This wasn't Su Jingming’s first time at the Wen residence, but on his previous visits, Wen Yan’s parents hadn't been home, so he hadn't felt so constrained. The moment they stepped through the door, Mr. and Mrs. Wen were there, beaming at the young man. Su Jingming’s mind went blank for a few seconds. Wen Yan naturally set the gifts on the cabinet by the entryway. "Su Jingming brought these." "It’s enough that you came; there was no need for all this," Mrs. Wen said warmly. "You're Su Jingming, right? Is it alright if we call you Xiao Su?" "...Yes, that’s fine." Su Jingming rarely experienced such scenes. Faced with the parents' enthusiasm, he felt completely out of his element. Wen Yan, acting with easy grace, took Su Jingming by the wrist and led him to the sofa. Mr. Wen didn't see anything amiss and asked, "Xiao Su, is it true you’re a 'one-glass-knockout' when it comes to drinking?" "Yes, Uncle." Mr. Wen looked disappointed. Mrs. Wen, who had just entered the kitchen, poked her head back out upon hearing this. "I told you not to try and make the kids drink. You just won't listen! If you want to drink, drink by yourself!" "What’s the fun in drinking alone?" Mr. Wen didn't dare look her way, laughing instead. "It’s fine. If you’re a one-glass-knockout, then so be it. At worst, you’ll just have to stay the night here." "???" Surprise flashed in Su Jingming’s eyes, while Wen Miao nearly spat out the water she was drinking. *Has Dad really not noticed that Brother is still gripping Su Jingming’s wrist and hasn't let go?* Wen Yan chuckled softly, showing no intention of speaking up to clear the air. Mr. Wen continued his persuasion: "If you can't handle the hard stuff, you can have some fruit wine. Surely you won't pass out after one glass of that." Su Jingming felt conflicted. When he got drunk, he tended to act out and then black out afterward; he only knew about his behavior because others had told him. "No, Uncle, I... I think I’d better not." Seeing his hesitation, Mr. Wen didn't push further. Mrs. Wen brought out the final dish and called the children to the table. Su Jingming sat gingerly between Wen Yan and Wen Miao. Across from him sat Mr. and Mrs. Wen, wearing identical expressions of benevolent, loving smiles. He could roughly understand why Wen Yan had the personality he did. A child raised in a family like this couldn't possibly turn out bad. Mr. Wen still couldn't resist his craving. He poured fruit wine for Su Jingming and Wen Miao, and white liquor for Wen Yan. He ignored the glare Mrs. Wen shot his way. Mr. Wen was the first to raise his glass. "Xiao Su, I heard you often look after these two siblings. Your Auntie and I are very grateful to you. They are truly lucky to have a friend like you." Su Jingming held his glass with both hands, lowering it respectfully to clink against Mr. Wen’s. "You're too kind, Uncle." *I'm the lucky one,* he thought. Mrs. Wen kept piling food onto Su Jingming’s plate. "We thought about going out to eat, but then we figured not many good restaurants would be open during the New Year, so we decided to just have a casual meal at home." Su Jingming shook his head. "Thank you for the trouble, Auntie." He looked down at the spread on the table. The food was perfect in color, aroma, and taste, with a wide variety of dishes. It was clear a lot of effort had gone into it. Wen Miao was unusually quiet today. She picked at her rice, her gaze constantly darting between Su Jingming and Wen Yan. Wen Yan was naturally placing food in Su Jingming’s bowl, causing Su Jingming to look at him with wide, shocked eyes. Wen Yan curled his lips into a smile and raised the glass by his hand. "Want a sip?" Wen Miao couldn't figure out how her brother managed to be so blatant right in front of their parents. And yet, the parents hadn't noticed even a hint of anything unusual. When you can't figure something out, you share it with others so you can figure it out together. Wen Miao quietly pulled out her phone and messaged Song Yifei. After their recent interactions, Wen Miao had already categorized Song Yifei as one of the "sisters." *It’s Miao Miao:* My brother is putting food in Jingming-ge’s bowl right in front of our parents. *S:* Standard procedure, don't hype it. I’ll only think your brother is a real man if he dares to kiss Su Jingming in front of them. *It’s Miao Miao:* Let’s not. I’m still a minor. *S:* True. Song Yifei’s reaction was so nonchalant that Wen Miao felt a sense of defeat. *Am I the one making a big deal out of nothing?* By the end of the meal, Su Jingming didn't know how much fruit wine he had been coaxed into drinking by Mr. Wen and Wen Yan. The tips of his ears were slightly red, and though his mind was barely holding onto clarity, he was trying his best to maintain an upright, proper sitting posture. Seeing him like this, Wen Yan suppressed a laugh and quietly slid the unfinished fruit wine in front of Su Jingming toward himself. Mrs. Wen didn't notice this. She continued the previous topic: "Look at how much trouble you’ve caused Xiao Su. He took care of you for a whole day when you were sick during training, and he stayed up all night with you that other time too." Wen Yan nodded. "Yes, it was my fault." Mrs. Wen continued, "Only a kind-hearted child like Xiao Su would be willing to help. Otherwise, with that temper of yours, who would be willing to put up with you?" Wen Yan raised an eyebrow at the already tipsy Su Jingming. He let out a soft, helpless laugh. "Yes, he’s the only one willing to put up with me." "..." Wen Miao’s chicken feet-gnawing came to a halt. *Why did that sound so suggestive?* "Xiao Su’s grades are so good, you should learn from him. If he puts in a little effort, he’ll overtake you. You should reflect on yourself." Mrs. Wen’s words were mostly in a half-joking tone. Su Jingming, who had been sitting quietly and obediently in his chair, looked up upon hearing this. "Auntie!" His voice was suddenly several decibels louder. "Yes?" Mrs. Wen responded. "Wen Yan... Wen Yan gave up first place to me on purpose!" Su Jingming let out a wine-scented hiccup. "He’s... he’s amazing." Mrs. Wen stared at Su Jingming for a long moment, then shifted her gaze to the glass in front of him. She pointed and asked, "Wen Yan, isn't that the glass you were just using for the liquor?!" Wen Yan looked down. At some point, Su Jingming had grabbed the wrong glass and finished off the remaining white liquor. Wen Miao’s eyes went wide. *Is it starting?* *Is this man about to transform again?* Without a second thought, Wen Miao wiped her hands with a tissue and frantically messaged Song Yifei: *He’s about to transform! Do you want to see?!!* Song Yifei frowned and typed back: *What are you talking about?* Wen Miao then remembered that Song Yifei had no idea what had happened after he and Su Jingming got drunk last time. With a flick of her finger, she sent the video of the drunken incident to Song Yifei. Half a minute later, Song Yifei began bombarding Wen Miao with messages. *S:* Little girl, take my advice. Delete that video. It’s better for everyone’s health. *It’s Miao Miao:* Didn't you think Jingming-ge was pretty badass? This is just fulfilling your request. *S:* A young girl shouldn't use such language. Careful, or I’ll tell your brother. *S:* Be good. Delete the video. Before Wen Miao could reply, the person sitting next to her stood up from his chair, his body swaying unsteadily. Su Jingming blinked, turned his head toward Wen Yan, and declared: "There is light in this world!!!"