DMPSA CH 19

Chapter 19: Qixi Festival

Ever since Yue Qi got the watch named “Friendship,” he started frequenting the tea house even more.

Whenever he had free time, he would spend it at the tea house. Yue Qi had two designated spots there—one at the bar counter and the other in the bookshelf lounge area. If Su Qing was busy at the bar, Yue Qi would sit there and chat with him. If Su Qing was worried that Yue Qi might get bored, he would usher him to the lounge area to read.

Su Qing was a mystery enthusiast and had a deep interest in books about thieves, criminal investigations, and psychological crimes. This aligned perfectly with Yue Qi’s tastes. On quiet late nights at the tea house, the two of them would each occupy one end of the sofa, cuddling a cat or two, discussing the plots of the books. Occasionally, Da Wang would join them, holding little Taxue in his arms.

Yue Qi was often amazed by Su Qing’s unique perspectives. More than the suspense and puzzles in the stories, Su Qing was captivated by the characterization and emotional undertones. He referred to this as the “breath of the story,” which essentially meant exploring human nature. Su Qing always sought to understand the good and evil embedded in human emotions.

Unlike most people who feel a sense of satisfaction when witnessing karmic justice, Su Qing often felt regret and sorrow when encountering acts of unavoidable malice.

“Am I too soft-hearted or hypocritical?” Su Qing once asked, somewhat embarrassed.

Da Wang rolled his eyes and accused him of having a “Saint complex.”

Yue Qi shook his head. In that moment, he thought he might understand why Su Qing wasn’t angry at Qin Yang. Su Qing had expressed his gratitude for Qin Yang’s companionship. Perhaps, in trying to understand Qin Yang, Su Qing even believed that he himself had been at fault.

Yue Qi found this aspect of Su Qing heart-wrenching, yet incredibly endearing.

On the last day of July, Yue Qi entered the tea house and was greeted by a romantic pink decor. Fresh flowers adorned the tables, candles were lit, and Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao were dressed in frilly, girly skirts. They cheerfully greeted every customer who walked in with, “Welcome! Happy Valentine’s Day!”

One of the Qiao sisters guided Yue Qi to his reserved seat at the bar counter, placing a flower-shaped glass candleholder with a pink-scented candle in front of him. Su Qing looked at him with a helpless expression and remarked, “He’s a single dog—there’s no need to light a candle for him!”

“…” Yue Qi, who initially found the situation baffling, couldn’t help but protest after hearing Su Qing’s comment. “Hey, are you discriminating against singles? Light the candle for me.”

“Fine, light it up. To avoid discrimination, I’ll even give you a Valentine’s Day special. Today’s special is ‘Courtesan’s Spaghetti.’ Want it or not?” Su Qing asked with a teasing smirk.

“Bring it on! I’ll take the Valentine’s special.” Yue Qi shot him a challenging look. Annoyed by Yue Qi’s antics, Su Qing turned away to focus on his work, ignoring the bored lunatic at the counter.

“Hey, isn’t Valentine’s Day on February 14? It’s almost August now—why are you still celebrating it?” Yue Qi whispered to one of the Qiao sisters when Su Qing stepped away from the bar.

“It’s Qixi Festival today! After celebrating Western Valentine’s Day, of course, we have to celebrate Qixi too.^[1] Look, isn’t the flower decor adorable?” She picked up Hua Dian, the passing cat, and showed Yue Qi the frilly pink skirt on it. “It matches ours!”

“Isn’t Hua Dian a male cat?” Yue Qi said, torn between amusement and disbelief. “Why didn’t you dress Jasmine instead?”

“They all refused! Da Huang couldn’t fit into it, and little Taxue tore one apart.” She patted Hua Dian’s head affectionately. “Only our sweet Hua Dian cooperates.”

“Meow…” From the cat’s tone, Yue Qi could almost hear a million reluctant complaints.

“All right, I’ve got work to do.” The Qiao sister put Hua Dian down and went to attend to some new customers.

The tea house was bustling tonight. Even though it was already late, the cheerful atmosphere showed no signs of fading. At Table 1, closest to the bar, sat a group of young women who had been chatting nonstop all evening. They huddled together, watching something on a tablet.

“Hey, when is the Valentine’s special for the top eight going to start airing?”

“Two more minutes. I heard they’ve planned some fun games this time. I can’t wait! Yao Yao looks so athletic; he’ll definitely win at games.”

“Ah, it’s starting! Pin Ge came out first. He’s so handsome!”

“Those muscles—I’m in. Hubby…”

“He’s my hubby!”

“Fine, fine, I’ll let you have him. Ah, my Yang Yang is coming out!”

“Did you see that? Yang Yang almost tripped when he came out, and Pin Ge immediately reached out to steady him!”

“OMG, that’s hilarious! Qin Yang even blushed—look at how red his face is! He’s way too cute!”

“Shh! Be quiet—the interview is starting.”

Sitting nearby, Yue Qi couldn’t help but overhear their conversation. When he caught the name “Qin Yang,” he paid extra attention. It seemed that the singing competition show had created a Valentine’s Day special for promotion. The top eight contestants were gathered for interviews and games to boost the show’s popularity.

“Here’s your Valentine’s special,” Su Qing said, bringing over two large plates of Courtesan’s Spaghetti and setting them in front of Yue Qi.

“…?” Yue Qi looked at him suspiciously. “Did you bring an extra plate by mistake?”

“Nope. The Valentine’s special is, of course, a meal for two.” Su Qing shrugged with a mischievous smile that practically screamed, Go celebrate Valentine’s, you fool. “Happy Valentine’s Day.” With that, he turned to leave.

“Hey, hey, come back here.” Yue Qi tugged on Su Qing’s sleeve and pulled him back. “This is way too much food. I can’t finish it all. Help me eat one plate.” Yue Qi shamelessly insisted, “You ordered it for me, so you’re responsible for eating half. Now sit down and eat with me.”

“…” Su Qing glanced at the dining area. Though the place was packed, most customers had finished their meals and were now snacking, chatting, or playing with the cats. The two Qiao sisters seemed more than capable of handling things. As the boss, Su Qing figured he could slack off a bit.

Suppressing a smile, he sat back behind the bar, pulled one of the plates toward himself, and began eating heartily. Seeing him start, Yue Qi quickly dug into his own plate while it was still hot.

“This Courtesan’s Spaghetti is authentic. It tastes just like the kind I had in Italy.” Yue Qi gave a thumbs-up in approval.

“Our Da Wang’s cooking is top-notch.” Su Qing’s confidence in Da Wang’s culinary skills was unshakable.

As the two of them ate in focused silence, the women at Table 1 started chattering again.

“See? I told you. Yang Yang is so innocent—there’s no way he’s ever been in a relationship. He just confirmed it himself!”

Yue Qi, with his back to Table 1, suddenly froze mid-bite. His thoughts churned with irritation: This Qin Yang not only broke up with someone but is now outright denying he’s ever been in a relationship? He understood that idols often avoided admitting to dating for the sake of their careers, but he couldn’t help worrying that Su Qing might feel hurt hearing Qin Yang completely deny their past.

Did he hear it? Yue Qi cautiously glanced at Su Qing, only to see him happily polishing off most of his plate. Noticing Yue Qi’s pause, Su Qing even urged him to hurry up and eat.

“But I heard that he and the boss here were a couple,” one of the girls at Table 1 said hesitantly. “He used to work here as a waiter, and they were really close.”

“No way. If they were really close, why was that poster we brought last time taken down after just a few days?” another girl retorted bluntly.

“True.”

“And look at the boss—he’s having dinner with someone else on Valentine’s Day. Isn’t this basically a date? If he were really Yang Yang’s boyfriend, I’d be the first to object,” someone whispered, though Yue Qi could still hear it clearly.

“Exactly! Those rumors about Yang Yang having a boyfriend were probably just a cover-up. Too many people want to date him.”

Su Qing quickly finished his meal. “I’ll clean up the table. Sit tight, and I’ll bring you some tea later.” He gathered the plates and disappeared into the kitchen.

Yue Qi waited a long time, but Su Qing never returned. Even the after-meal tea was delivered by one of the Qiao sisters.

He must have heard it.

(To Be Continued…)

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