The Ex's Tears Are So Hot - Chapter 31

Xie Zhixin Fumbles to Wipe Away His Tears

They didn’t receive a livestream notice the next day.

The evening gala would still go on as scheduled, so Guan Jinnian pulled Xie Zhixin along to rehearse with Lu Yue and the others in town all day.

Guan Jinnian tried multiple methods during vocal practice—his throat was nearly scorched by the end of it.

On the way back in the evening, Xie Zhixin remained unusually quiet, clearly not his usual self.

Guan Jinnian crunched the throat lozenge in his mouth and took a sip of water before asking, “What’s wrong? What are you thinking about?”

Inside the dim car, Xie Zhixin kept his head down. Occasionally, the neon lights outside would flash across his face through the window, obscuring his expression.

When he heard Guan Jinnian’s slightly hoarse voice, his eyes dimmed. His fists clenched slowly at his sides.

“I just…” Xie Zhixin started, then faltered—too much he wanted to say, but no idea where to begin.

Truthfully, he wasn’t thinking about anything specific—he’d just belatedly come to realize the real problem was himself.

“Even just singing a song together, you have to adjust to me. Being with me must really be exhausting.”

Guan Jinnian felt the words were too harsh and instinctively tried to refute them. “That’s hardly a big deal—”

“See? Even now, you’re the one trying to consider my feelings.” Xie Zhixin finally lifted his head, his eyes clouded and murky.

But he didn’t look at Guan Jinnian—not sure if he didn’t dare to, or if he could no longer face him with a calm heart.

Guan Jinnian froze for a moment as a complex rush of emotions surged up—so tangled, it felt like it was choking his throat.

He wanted to comfort Xie Zhixin but couldn’t find the words.

Silence gradually filled the space between them.

After a long while, Xie Zhixin, still wrapped in his own emotions, suddenly realized Guan Jinnian hadn’t spoken for a while.

He turned his head and saw Guan Jinnian leaning against the window, eyes rimmed red, with a hint of long-suppressed sorrow finally breaking through.

Xie Zhixin’s heart twisted in pain.

“Jinnian…” He shifted closer, trying to take his hand.

But Guan Jinnian pulled away.

A second later, he lifted his hand and covered his eyes with the back of it.

Years of suppressed emotions surged forward like a tidal wave, consuming him all at once.

If Xie Zhixin hadn’t said those things, Guan Jinnian might have been able to keep lying to himself—plug his ears, shut his eyes, and pretend everything was fine.

But he had said it. He had realized it.

And now, all that accumulated disappointment and grievance could no longer be hidden.

Guan Jinnian could no longer pretend to be the mature, understanding one. He was just like anyone else—longing for a partner who was attentive and emotionally present.

Tears slid down from the corners of his eyes and landed on Xie Zhixin’s arm. Though the tears were cold, they burned so hot that Xie Zhixin’s hands trembled twice.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t do well enough. I made you sad…” Xie Zhixin cupped Guan Jinnian’s face, fumbling to wipe away his tears.

It was the first time he had ever seen Guan Jinnian so dejected. He pulled him into a tight embrace, gently stroking his hair.

“I’m sorry. Please don’t cry. I’ll learn how to treat you better, I swear I will. I won’t let you feel wronged again…”

As he spoke, he couldn’t hold back his own tears either. He choked up, sobbing uncontrollably, all while awkwardly trying to comfort Guan Jinnian.

Guan Jinnian reached out, wrapping his arms around Xie Zhixin’s waist, burying his face in his chest, finally allowing himself to release all the emotion.

Neither of them spoke again—they just held each other tightly, as if trying to merge into one body.

It wasn’t until the phone dinged with a message that they finally pulled apart.

“Who’s it from? The production crew?” Xie Zhixin asked, his voice still thick with tears.

“Yeah. They said we’ll resume streaming tomorrow. Rehearsal at noon, and the gala starts in the evening,” Guan Jinnian said after glancing at his phone.

Neither of them mentioned what had just happened. When they got out of the car, aside from slightly red eyes, they looked completely normal—like nothing had happened at all.

Back at the house, they had dinner, showered, and went to bed.

It was a dreamless night.

The next morning, Guan Jinnian was awakened by the sound of the stage crew testing audio equipment nearby.

He woke Xie Zhixin, and the two of them got up and dressed carefully before heading over to the stage.

When they arrived, they saw that Lu Yue and the others were already there.

“Why is everyone here so early today?” Guan Jinnian asked as he approached.

Qi Ming had already resigned himself. “Try getting woken up by roosters at four in the morning every day. You’d be up earlier than me too.”

Wu Yi poked at the dark circles under his eyes. “That’s what you get for forgetting earplugs. You know you’re a light sleeper!”

Guan Jinnian turned to Lu Yue, who had a miserable expression on her face. She was clutching Qin Jin’s sleeve, wrinkling it. “I was too nervous—I barely slept last night…”

“Actually, I’m a little nervous too,” Xie Zhixin whispered into Guan Jinnian’s ear.

Guan Jinnian shot him a glance and didn’t reply.

He didn’t even need to think to know this guy had no serious follow-up.

Sure enough—

“But if you kissed me, I’d probably feel a lot better.”

He looked at Guan Jinnian with wide, hopeful eyes.

“…”

Guan Jinnian pinched his arm hard, warning him not to push his luck.

Xie Zhixin gasped dramatically, then mimed zipping his lips shut.

“Teachers, please head to breakfast first. After that, we’ll do a walkthrough onstage,” the stage manager told them. “We’ll run a full rehearsal at noon.”

They agreed, ate breakfast together, and returned to find quite a crowd already gathering around.

That CP fan, Xiaoshi, had arrived early too.

“Mr. Guan! Mr. Xie!” Xiaoshi waved enthusiastically at them. “Ahhh, you both look so handsome today!”

“We weren’t handsome before?” Guan Jinnian laughed.

“You were! But someone never puts in the effort—wasting that handsome face!” Xiaoshi’s eyes drifted to Xie Zhixin, clearly implying something.

As they were chatting, the livestream finally turned on.

Viewers who clicked in were greeted with that exact sentence.

And they saw Xie Zhixin, standing close beside Guan Jinnian, looking completely unbothered—not even blinking.

【Hey hey hey, that welder guy over there—she’s talking about you, don’t pretend you didn’t hear it!】
【Finally made an effort to dress up today, huh? Better keep it up.】
【Tonight I will witness the one-night-only appearance of your fashion sense! /angry】

“How’s your singing coming along, Mr. Xie?” Xiaoshi asked casually.

“…Let’s make up for that photo we missed last time,” Xie Zhixin said stiffly, clearly dodging the question.

At the mention of the photo, Guan Jinnian couldn’t help flashing back to yesterday evening—the moment he cried in the car while Xie Zhixin held him. His expression flickered briefly with discomfort.

Xiaoshi didn’t notice and let Xie Zhixin pull her into a selfie with them.

“Want an autograph?” Xie Zhixin didn’t wait for a reply—he scribbled his name and sneakily added a heart at the end.

“You sign too—right here.” He tapped the blank space after the heart.

Guan Jinnian, caught off guard by the stunt, had no energy to be embarrassed. Resigned, he signed his name, fulfilling someone’s little selfish wish.

【LOL, first time seeing a celebrity chasing down fans for photos and autographs.】
【Jinnian, you might as well just spoil him endlessly. Ugh… /facepalm】
【Is it just me, or does Jinnian seem a little off today? /thinking】
【Not just him—something’s weird between them. Like that awkward energy right after two people start dating…】
【OMG that’s exactly it! I feel it too now!】
【Something definitely happened yesterday that we don’t know about.】
【Damn that Lin Qi! As if being a scumbag wasn’t enough, he had to ruin my livestream sugar rush too!!】

The stage manager came over to call them for the walkthrough. Guan Jinnian reminded Xiaoshi to stay safe and followed the others to the stage.

He and Xie Zhixin went through their marks and gave the lighting crew time to adjust to their positions for the evening performance.

Since their part was just singing, things went quickly. But Lu Yue and the others had a dance number that required a lot of position shifts, so they rehearsed until almost noon.

After lunch, they ran through it one more time, then rushed off to get their hair and makeup done.

As they got ready, the sky gradually darkened.

People began arriving with invitations in hand.

Several cars also pulled up at the village entrance—local leaders and officials. The director and producer personally welcomed them and escorted them to their seats.

At 7:30 PM, the gala officially began.

The stage was decorated in soft greens, and the massive LED screen showed real-time footage of misty hot springs.

Host Wang Yue stepped onstage in a custom-tailored suit. Once the thunderous applause subsided, he gave a polite bow.

“Thank you to all the leaders, partners, and guests for attending the tourism promotion gala in Zhaonan Village!”

“Not only do we have wonderful performances tonight, but we’ve also filmed a beautiful promotional video for the village. Let us witness the birth of ‘New Spring, Fresh Meaning’!”

The camera panned to where Guan Jinnian and the others sat. Seeing the lens sweep across, they all smiled and waved.

Guan Jinnian’s hair had a light wave today, and he wore a pale blue shirt under a cream knit cardigan—graceful and refined, his smile like a gentle breeze.

The comment feed went silent for a second—then erupted.

【Wife—no, husband! Jinnian looks too damn good today…】
【HUSBAND VIBES!!! I’m screaming!!】
【He looks like that perfect guy who reminds you to rest and rolls up his sleeves to wash fruit for you.】

Xie Zhixin wore a matching white shirt and pale blue jacket, seated right beside him. His cold and refined aura had fully returned.

【He’s back! Our boy is BACK!!】
【Xie Zhixin is too handsome tonight!!】
【He looks so good I might cry!!】
【Okay fine, he’s so handsome I’ll give up my wife role to him!】

They sat close. Guan Jinnian leaned over to say something, his lips brushing Xie Zhixin’s ear—nearly kissing him.

The comment section lost it.

“Next, please enjoy our special project!”

The big screen shifted. Wang Yue stepped aside and introduced: “Up first, starring Wu Yi and Qi Ming—Spring Dance Through the Ages!”

The lights dimmed and the LED screen lit up.

The promo video began: a drone shot soared over Zhaonan Village’s lush forested hills, descending on the misty mountain hot springs.

Wu Yi, in flowing pale-blue sleeves, leapt gracefully into frame. Qi Ming followed in a dark martial costume. The two performed a mesmerizing duet by the spring.

Her sleeves swirled like waves, almost conjuring the mist itself.

A solemn voiceover intoned: “A thousand-year spring nourishes all life; Zhaonan’s secret awaits your arrival.”

The final frame showed them stepping into the hot spring side by side. A line of promo text slowly appeared, then faded away. The video ended.

Thunderous applause erupted.

【Wu Yi is STUNNING—the dancing is phenomenal!! Truly worthy of a national troupe lead!】
【It was so moving to see them dance together again—what a masterpiece!】
【Even the cinematography made the village look magical!】

“Looks like everyone loved their promo video,” Wang Yue said cheerfully. “The next pair has a lot to live up to! Mr. Xie, Mr. Guan—ready?”

Guan Jinnian nodded with a smile. Xie Zhixin also looked unfazed.

“They seem very confident! Alright, let’s take a look!”

The vlog-style video began. Its tone was more muted than the previous one—like a sky drained of color.

The whole frame was tinged with a cold, melancholic blue.

Guan Jinnian stepped into view holding the camera, dragging Xie Zhixin into the shot.

“This is our last trip before breaking up.”

“In three days, we’ll be completely over.”

Though Guan Jinnian said it with a smile, sorrow was written all over his face.

Xie Zhixin, too, seemed to be drawing from genuine emotion. He awkwardly turned his head away and scoffed, but his eyes were slowly turning red.