The Ex's Tears Are So Hot - Chapter 20
Xie Zhixin was burning with jealousy. He wrapped his arms around Guan Jinnian and clung to him like a giant, sticky dog. He wasn’t letting go until he’d wiped away everyone else’s scent.
This clingy guy was heavy and persistent, like someone glued himself on. Guan Jinnian’s face was so red it looked like it might start boiling, but no matter how he struggled, he couldn’t shake him off.
“Seriously? I’m straight, bro!”
Qi Ming shouted his innocence and dramatically leaned toward Wu Yi for protection.
“Hahaha, I’d heard the rumors, but I didn’t believe them until now.”
Lu Yue burst into laughter, nearly falling out of her chair, only saved by a quick hand from Qin Jin.
“Thanks,” she said politely.
“No problem,” Qin Jin replied, equally formal.
【LMAO these two are so stiff—are they acting??】
【Someone tell President Qin to take notes from a certain shameless guy clinging to his ‘wife.’ Now is not the time to be saving face!】
“Let’s interview the victim here!”
Lu Yue mimicked holding a microphone and brought her hand up to Guan Jinnian’s mouth.
“Tell us, has Teacher Xie always been this… contrasting?”
Guan Jinnian couldn’t hold back a laugh. He ruthlessly exposed him: “Yeah. Not long after we got together, he started crying over everything.”
【I’M DEAD HAAHAHAHA】
【Help, does he know we’ve been memeing this?! What if he’s seen it?!】
【Direct from the source! I’m screen-recording this moment, I swear.】
“What happened? Can you share?” Wu Yi asked, curious.
“Nothing serious. I once told him ‘bye’ and left, and he thought I didn’t seem reluctant to part. He felt hurt and cried.”
“Pfft—!”
Qi Ming nearly choked, about to spit his food out.
【HAHAHAHA what kind of reason is that?! Crying over that?!】
【Certified tear machine, he lives up to the name.】
【Bro… just… sigh…】
Xie Zhixin clearly felt a little embarrassed himself. He buried his head into Guan Jinnian’s neck, absolutely refusing to lift it.
“What’s so funny? Crying on command is a talent, okay? I bet he never struggles with tear scenes,” Wu Yi teased with a laugh.
“Alright, alright, enough roasting him—Guan Jinnian’s about to get strangled!” Lu Yue reined it in.
The conversation shifted, laughter filling the room. The atmosphere was so cheerful that even netizens who’d come because of the Lin Qi and He Chengcheng drama stuck around for the good vibes.
The dinner ended, and everyone returned to their rooms.
After showering, it was already past 9 p.m.
“That’s all for today. Goodnight, everyone,” Guan Jinnian smiled warmly and waved at the camera in their room.
Xie Zhixin stood beside him, waving too, a rare and unmistakable joy on his face—he was clearly very happy.
【Goodnight, Jinnian-wife. That guy next to you? Irrelevant.】
【Nooo don’t turn the camera off—I’m not even an outsider anymore, come on! Let us watch you sleep!】
【Why’s that guy grinning like that? He can’t even hide it anymore! /suspicious】
【He’s about to sleep with his wife, wouldn’t you be thrilled?!】
【Vitamin goodnight. I want more—boo hoo…】
Unfortunately for fans, Guan Jinnian couldn’t see the comments. He turned off the camera.
Suddenly, the room fell quiet.
This was their first night alone together since the breakup.
Even though things had gone smoothly during the day, Guan Jinnian still felt uneasy now that they were alone at night.
Xie Zhixin, however, seemed completely fine—or maybe he just always had that kind of emotional dullness. As long as he could be with Guan Jinnian, everything else didn’t matter to him.
“Long day. Let’s wash up and get some rest.”
Unlike him, Guan Jinnian couldn’t play it cool. He muttered something quickly and dashed into the bathroom. When he came out after washing up, he didn’t look at Xie Zhixin, just climbed into bed and lay down.
“Don’t forget to turn off the lights,” he reminded softly before shutting his eyes.
Xie Zhixin responded and went to wash up too.
With his eyes closed, Guan Jinnian listened to the water running in the bathroom, completely unable to fall asleep.
Eventually, the sound stopped. Xie Zhixin came out, and with a soft click, the room light turned off.
Even with his eyes closed, Guan Jinnian could feel Xie Zhixin approaching. He heard the rustling of fabric—Xie Zhixin getting into bed.
For some reason, Guan Jinnian’s heartbeat suddenly accelerated, pounding louder and faster, so loud he thought maybe Xie Zhixin could even hear it.
He couldn’t sleep at all.
Just as he was desperately trying to summon drowsiness, Xie Zhixin’s voice suddenly broke the silence.
“Jinnian, were you happy today?”
The question came out of nowhere. Guan Jinnian didn’t get what he meant. “It was fine. Why?”
Xie Zhixin was lying just a short distance away on the other bed. But instead of answering right away, he stayed quiet for a long moment, and then spoke softly.
“It’s just… I feel like I figured something out tonight.”
His voice was low, like he was talking to himself. If the room weren’t so quiet, Guan Jinnian might not have heard it at all.
“I used to not understand why you felt tired.”
“Mhm. So what did you realize?” Guan Jinnian’s voice softened, almost instinctively.
“When you were talking to Yue-jie and the others tonight… you looked really relaxed. I haven’t seen you smile like that in a long time.”
There was a bit of sadness in Xie Zhixin’s voice.
Guan Jinnian opened his eyes and turned his head, locking eyes with Xie Zhixin in the dark—only to see a pair of guilt-ridden eyes staring right back at him.
His heart clenched sharply, then settled into a dull ache.
He didn’t say anything.
Xie Zhixin didn’t seem to expect a response, though. He just wanted to express how he felt.
“I thought that if I just tried harder, paid more attention to you… we could go back to how we were.”
He spoke slowly, on his own.
“But I realized today, it doesn’t work like that. I always say nice things, but do too little. I’ve been selfish.”
Guan Jinnian couldn’t bear to hear more. He tried to comfort him. “You don’t have to beat yourself up like that. Take it slow.”
Xie Zhixin was quiet for a few seconds, then suddenly got out of bed and knelt beside Guan Jinnian’s.
“Will you give me another chance?”
He rested his forehead on the back of Guan Jinnian’s hand, voice trembling, as if he were scared any louder would shatter the fragile warmth Guan Jinnian had just given him.
Guan Jinnian didn’t reply right away. He stared up at the ceiling light, his gaze unfocused.
It felt like a long time passed—or maybe just a few breaths—before he finally let out a sigh.
“Actually… I still really like you. If I could, I wouldn’t want to break up either, but…”
Before he could finish, Xie Zhixin tackled him, wrapping him up in a tight embrace.
“I knew you still liked me. I’m so happy…”
All the emotions that had been bottled up since the breakup burst out at once with Guan Jinnian’s single sentence: I don’t want to break up.
“I was so scared you really didn’t want me anymore. I… I’ve been… every day I…”
He couldn’t even finish his sentence. He broke down crying into Guan Jinnian’s neck.
The tears made Guan Jinnian’s own nose sting. He raised a hand and gently stroked Xie Zhixin’s messy hair.
“Don’t cry. I said a lot of harsh things before… I’m sorry.”
Xie Zhixin shook his head hard, his voice hiccuping. “You don’t need to apologize. You’re the best. I’m the one who messed up and made you sad.”
“Shh.” Guan Jinnian gently patted his back, trying to soothe him.
“I’ll really reflect on myself. I’ll do better! You can take your time and test me. If I pass… can we get back together?”
“Okay.”
This time, Guan Jinnian didn’t hesitate. He gave a clear answer.
“Thank you. I really, really like you…”
His voice trembled again like he might cry.
“I like you too. Don’t cry anymore, alright?”
“Okay, I won’t cry…” Xie Zhixin’s voice was muffled, sounding pitiful and small.
Guan Jinnian gently rubbed his back, and after a long while, he finally heard Xie Zhixin’s breathing become slow and steady.
He let out a sigh of relief. He’d finally coaxed this crybaby to sleep.
Not wanting to wake him, he didn’t move. He just stayed in that position, closed his eyes, and slowly drifted off as well.
The next morning, the cameras turned on right on time.
As soon as the live feed lit up, fans who had been camping out overnight started screaming in the chat.
Both single beds were in view—one was messy but empty.
On the other bed, Guan Jinnian and Xie Zhixin were curled up together, fast asleep.
Xie Zhixin was nestled into Guan Jinnian’s chest, face buried in his collarbone, arms wrapped tightly around his waist—even in sleep, his grip was possessive.
【WHAT DID I JUST SEE OMG】
【Early birds really do get the worm! This is the reward we office slaves deserve!】
【Thank you for reminding me—I’ll be tuning in early again tomorrow.】
【How did they end up sleeping together?! What happened?! I need to know!!】
【Hehehe little lovebirds are too sweet hehehe…】
【First time watching, not sure—are they a couple in the honeymoon phase? /curious】
【Rename the show already! “The Romantic Getaway of Two Lovebirds” LMAO】
Guan Jinnian stirred, eyelids fluttering open.
The first thing he saw was the blinking red light of the camera.
He looked down at Xie Zhixin in his arms, then quickly peeked at the camera.
Still groggy, his brain jolted fully awake in an instant.
A bit resigned, he sighed and nudged Xie Zhixin. “Wake up. Time to get up.”
He sat up and gently pulled Xie Zhixin with him, forcing him to start the day.
Xie Zhixin’s eyes were swollen beyond recognition. He barely managed to crack them open and immediately noticed something.
“…Why are your ears so red?”
Still half-asleep, he blurted it out without thinking.
Guan Jinnian: “…”
He closed his eyes, clearly on the verge of mental collapse.
【HAHAHAHA so you can get flustered! I thought you were immune!】
【Bless Xie Zhixin for pointing it out—we wouldn’t have caught such a precious detail without him.】
【Someone’s gonna get kicked out of bed by his ‘wife’ real soon~】