The first time they met, if Liu Minghua hadn’t pointed it out, Mo Junyi probably wouldn’t have recognized the person in front of him as a popular big star. Therefore, Su Xingting’s words were well-founded.
After hearing this, Mo Junyi nodded and explained, “I didn’t use to follow such things, but recently I’ve seen some posts on Weibo and gained a certain understanding of the industry.”
The implication was that he hadn’t cared before, but because of certain recent events, he had developed an interest.
Su Xingting was not made of wood; he naturally understood the subtext immediately. His face, buried beneath his scarf, flushed instantly. As if he had been burned, he hurriedly withdrew his gaze, not daring to look at Mo Junyi again.
The surroundings were extremely noisy. In such a lively atmosphere, Su Xingting felt awkward letting the air between them grow cold. Blushing, he searched for a topic: “Um, Weibo is indeed quite lively. But some content is just for show; you shouldn’t take it seriously.”
Hearing this, Mo Junyi spoke with a rare touch of playfulness: “Even what the person himself said shouldn’t be taken seriously?”
Su Xingting froze for a moment before realizing Mo Junyi was referring to the Weibo post he had made a few days ago. Thinking of the content he had modified at three in the morning, his already red face turned as hot as if it were being steamed. He was so embarrassed he wished he could wrap his entire face in his scarf.
Knowing when to stop, Mo Junyi pushed the shopping cart forward. It wasn’t until they reached the tanks in the fresh seafood section that he asked, “What do you want to eat?”
Su Xingting hadn’t yet recovered from the previous exchange. His mind was filled with the details of that Weibo post. If Mo Junyi weren’t standing right next to him, he probably would have pulled out his phone to check the content again.
Hearing Mo Junyi’s question, he blinked and looked at the display tanks. Inside, everything from lobsters to various fish was available, even different types of crabs and shellfish.
For someone controlling their weight, fish and appropriate amounts of seafood were indeed the best choices.
Su Xingting silently pursed his lips, constantly telling himself not to be over-sentimental, yet he couldn’t help but speak up: “Fish, then. It’s delicious and easy to cook.”
Mo Junyi asked again, “What kind of fish?”
Su Xingting hesitated. He was a bit afraid that Mo Junyi would laugh at him, but in the end, he spoke honestly: “…Anything is fine. I don’t know much about this.”
Mo Junyi nodded and led him over to a staff member. “Hello, do you have any leopard coral grouper?”
The staff member was a young girl. Hearing this, she hurriedly said, “Yes, we do. How big would you like?”
Mo Junyi pointed to Su Xingting beside him and then to himself: “It’s just the two of us. You pick a suitable size.”
The girl let out an expression of sudden realization: “You and your husband are going home to celebrate the festival, right? Then two or three pounds should be enough. Please wait a moment.”
With that, she turned to make the selection, missing the hesitant look on Su Xingting’s face behind her.
He stole a glance at Mo Junyi, only to find that he had no reaction to the girl’s words. His composed manner made it seem as though he hadn’t taken her words to heart at all.
Seeing him so open and calm, Su Xingting found it difficult to have a big reaction. Sometimes, speaking up to deny something only made one look more guilty.
The girl quickly picked out a fish. Holding the lively leopard coral grouper, she walked to the scale, set it down, and wiped her forehead. “Two pounds and four ounces. Perfect for two people. How does that look?”
Mo Junyi nodded: “Mm, this one is fine.”
“Alright,” the girl replied, then asked, “Do you need it cleaned and prepped?”
Mo Junyi shook his head: “No need. I’ll handle it myself when I get back.”
Hearing this, the girl shot him a surprised look, then glanced at Su Xingting. “True. Your husband is so handsome; he doesn’t look like someone who belongs in a kitchen. It’s only right that you pamper him.”
As a celebrity, Su Xingting had heard all kinds of flattery, but at this moment, he lowered his eyes slightly because of the girl’s single remark.
Mo Junyi gave the person beside him a subtle look, then let out a soft “mm.”
The girl was oblivious to the undercurrents between the two. Young girls always liked looking at beautiful people. After handing the fish to Mo Junyi, she smiled and said, “Your husband is really good-looking. He looks just like an idol my younger sister likes… You two are such a perfect match.”
Su Xingting hurriedly raised his hand to clutch his scarf. Because he was afraid she would recognize him, he didn’t dare speak up to deny it, fearing she would recognize his voice.
Seeing this, Mo Junyi took the fish, pulled a piece of candy from his coat pocket, and handed it to her: “Thank you. Happy New Year.”
The girl took the candy in surprise, immediately tossing her sister’s idol to the back of her mind: “Thank you! I wish you both a Happy New Year and a long, happy marriage!”
Su Xingting could hardly stand to stay there any longer. He reached out and tugged Mo Junyi’s sleeve: “…Let’s go. There are other groceries we haven’t bought yet.”
Mo Junyi actually intended to tease him further, but he maintained his calm expression. Seeing Su Xingting’s request, he stopped while he was ahead and said, “Mm, let’s go.”
By the time they finished grocery shopping, both of them were somewhat distracted. By the time they reached the checkout, Su Xingting couldn’t even remember what they had bought besides that grouper, yet Mo Junyi’s hands were already full of bags.
Seeing Mo Junyi about to reach for his phone to scan a code for payment, Su Xingting stepped forward and handed his card to the cashier first.
In this day and age, it was rare to see someone using a card instead of mobile payment. Because of this, the cashier took an extra look at Su Xingting after taking the card.
With just that one look, he said in surprise: “Aren’t you—”
Mo Junyi interrupted: “If you don’t support card payments, I’ll use my phone instead.”
The cashier snapped back to reality. Seeing how heavily Su Xingting was bundled up, he immediately understood: “We support it, we support it. Please wait a moment.”
The checkout process ended without further incident. When they stepped out of the supermarket into the biting cold wind, Su Xingting let out a silent sigh of relief. His forehead was damp with a thin layer of sweat from the excitement, and combined with his visible breath in the cold air, he looked somewhat moist and glistening.
They drove back home. After Mo Junyi placed the groceries by the door, he went inside to change his clothes. At that exact moment, a video call suddenly came through on his phone.
Su Xingting was busy unwinding his scarf. Seeing the call, he quickly hung the scarf on the rack, took the phone, and walked to the door of Mo Junyi’s bedroom: “Team Leader Mo, someone is looking for you.”
As he spoke, his eyes swept over the caller’s name: Fenglustar-Clear-Sorrow. This was clearly a woman’s name, and he couldn’t help but pause.
Mo Junyi’s voice came from inside the room: “Please answer it for me first.”
Logically, Su Xingting should have told him it was a video call and that it was inconvenient for him to answer, but he didn’t reply. Instead, as if possessed, he pressed the accept button.
Immediately, a middle-aged woman with a graceful aura appeared on the screen: “Junyi, it’s the New Year and you didn’t even… hiss, wait, this handsome young man, you are…?”
Su Xingting had never regretted anything so much. He desperately wanted to go back to one minute ago and do everything possible to stop himself from touching someone else’s phone.
However, the die was cast. After staring at the woman in the video for three seconds, he replied quickly: “Hello, Auntie. I am your nephew’s… friend.”
He couldn’t continue the sentence halfway through, so he decisively pushed open Mo Junyi’s bedroom door.
Mo Junyi was walking toward the door while buttoning his pajamas. Su Xingting’s sudden push almost caused him to collide with Mo Junyi. Mo Junyi was quick and steady, catching him by the arm: “What’s wrong? Why the rush?”
Su Xingting hurriedly stuffed the phone into his arms as if it were a hot potato.
“An elder is looking for you.” After saying that, Su Xingting fled to the door, grabbed the groceries they had just bought, and headed into the kitchen.
After a momentary daze, Mo Junyi looked at the phone and met his aunt’s meaningful gaze.
“I was wondering why you didn’t even call home for the New Year. Turns out there’s a situation,” Mo Qinglian teased.
Mo Junyi had a bit of a headache. Before he could respond, a man wearing an apron squeezed into the frame: “What situation?”
Mo Qinglian pushed him away impatiently: “Ugh, go back to your cooking. You’re blocking my view.”
Mo Junyi said helplessly: “Aunt, Uncle, Happy New Year.”
“Good, good, good,” Qin Hongzhao laughed. “If you really have a ‘friend,’ remember to bring him back for your uncle to see.”
Mo Junyi grew up in his aunt’s house. Because of some things in her youth, Mo Qinglian was unable to have children, so Mo Junyi was practically her and Qin Hongzhao’s son. In his heart, Mo Junyi considered them his parents, but due to some past events, he hadn’t been able to cross that mental hurdle, so he never changed how he addressed them.
“Uncle, instead of catching shadows here, you should go check if the pot in the kitchen is boiling over. I hear a sound that doesn’t seem quite right.” Facing his true family, Mo Junyi appeared much more relaxed.
Qin Hongzhao listened carefully, his expression changing instantly: “Oh no, my chicken soup!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and left the frame. Mo Qinglian snorted and leaned back against the sofa: “Finally gone. Some peace at last.”
Mo Junyi found it a bit funny: “You’ve only been retired from the second line for a few years, and already you’re finding my uncle annoying.”
“You’ve got that wrong,” Mo Qinglian said, picking up a piece of sliced apple and popping it into her mouth. “I found him annoying even before I retired. It’s been decades, and he still clings to me every day; he never gets bored of it.”
Hearing this kind of “complaint” that was actually a boast, Mo Junyi smiled: “If it’s annoying, why not divorce?”
“Sigh, it’s been decades. If he left me, he’d end up sleeping on the streets. Forget it, I’ll just make do.” Mo Qinglian took another bite of the apple, then curled her lips. “By the way, who was that handsome guy just now? He’s incredibly good-looking, but why does he look so familiar to me?