Work Text:
My Dear Beautiful Angels,
Lonely on Christmas? I decided to brighten your days with a special advent calendar of my own ✨
I shall pick twelve of you to take out on your dream date. Rules are simple, describe your dream date in a comment below and small detail about you, something that you love about yourselves. The second part is an absolute necessity, I may treat you like queens for one night but you should love your beautiful selves every day 😉
Post your comments within 24h. I promise to read all of them carefully and pay attention to each one of them since I know well you all deserve it.
I hope I warmed your hearts with hope and love on this cold winter day. 🎄❤️🔥
Ho Ho and Merry Christmas!
Always Yours,
Pei Ming 🎅
Xie Lian did his best not to cringe as he read the post. He still cringed in the end. Just a little. He quickly feigned a smile and gave the phone back to his friend. Hua Cheng behind him chuckled, very amused by Pei Ming’s dilemma, and rested his chin on Xie Lian’s shoulder.
“Your agent really didn’t let you post it? How outrageous,” he commented, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
“He says the producer of the movie that is coming out soon will not allow it,” Pei Ming sighed heavily. He leaned to the side, putting his elbow on the armrest and cupping his cheek. “He seems to be very much against any kind of behavior that goes against the role I play. As if my dearest angels in the fandom didn’t already know what kind of person I am.”
“Remind me, who are you playing this time?” Xie Lian asked, pouring them all more tea from the pot.
“A catholic priest,” Pei Ming shrugged.
Hua Cheng cackled loudly, not even pretending that he didn’t find it funny. Somewhere on the side their black cat E-Ming jumped on the shelf and assessed the living room with a cold glare, his eyes stopping for a moment at Xie Lian, his favorite person in the room. He meowed loudly and jumped off, only to rub himself against Xie Lian’s legs. The young man smiled and picked the cat up, putting him in his lap and caressing him gently.
“So what? You’ve been going to church every Sunday?” Hua Cheng asked. He straightened his back and put an arm over Xie Lian’s shoulder. He brought him closer against his chest. This time it was Pei Ming who smirked.
“It’s almost funny how you get jealous over your own cat, Hua Cheng,” he mocked. “And I had to go to church when ‘I prepared to immerse myself in the movie’, they even made me post it on Instagram.”
“Maybe you should change the agent or quit that movie, it doesn’t seem that you’re true to yourself on social media,” Xie Lian advised.
“Exactly! And when I try to post the one thing that would be true to me they won’t allow it! I wish I knew closely one of the higher-ups in the producing company, that would make things easier.”
“Weren’t you close with Xuan Ji a while ago?” Xie Lian asked.
“That ship has sunk, now she’s my psychotic ex, I’m honestly considering filing up a restraining order,” Pei Ming sighed. “Such a beauty with such a weak mind. What a waste.”
“Hm,” Hua Cheng smirked. “Shame. Gege, didn’t you pick a package for our neighbors today? Maybe you should ask them to come over and pick it up?”
“Oh?” Pei Ming grinned, already taking notice of the scheme that was unveiling before his very eyes.
“Do you think I should do it now?” Xie Lian raised his eyebrows.
“I think it may be a good idea. There is a chance it will help the advent calendar and make twelve girls very happy.”
Xie Lian’s eyes moved between Hua Cheng and Pei Ming, pondering. After a thought, he smiled and agreed. “Fine, it’s what they want after all.”
He took out his phone and typed a short message to his close friend.
Xie Lian
Good afternoon 😊
Are you maybe home already? I wanted to give you the package
Could you perhaps get your husband to pick it up with you? We want to show him something.
Shen Qiao
Thank you again for keeping the package safe for those few hours
To be honest, the package is Yan Wushi’s and I have no idea what’s inside, I hope it wasn’t too huge, odd, or smelling strange, he orders online all sorts of things
I’m still at work but he should be home already, I’ll tell him to go to your place
But if you want him to do something for you, you should ask me first, he’s a hard man to convince.
Xie Lian
Oh no, it’s fine, we want his honest opinion
Thank you!
The package is rather large but it’s also quite light so he should have no issue picking it up by himself 😊
Shen Qiao
He will be there in a few minutes
And I should be the one thanking you, please come over this weekend, I’ll treat you to tea and cake.
Xie Lian
There’s no need for special treatment, it’s just a small favor, I have no doubt you’d do the same for us
But I look forward to having tea with you!
“Gege?” Hua Cheng asked when Xie Lian put down his phone.
“He’s going to come over in a moment.”
“Your neighbor is someone important?” Pei Ming smirked. “As expected of a power couple, you have connections all over the place.”
Xie Lian blushed but Hua Cheng seemed to appreciate being called a ‘power couple’. He smiled with satisfaction and pressed a kiss against his boyfriend’s cheek.
Indeed, in less than five minutes, the doorbell rang and Hua Cheng left to let their guest in. The two that remained in the living room heard the front door open and a short greetings exchange.
“Good afternoon, dear neighbor,” Hua Cheng said.
“Hello, little ghost, I heard you’re keeping hostage the new yoga mat I ordered for my dearest husband?”
“That’s exactly how it is. We need you to take a look at something. Please come in.”
Pei Ming momentarily stiffened when he recognized the voice. Soon a wide beam appeared on his face.
“Your neighbor is Yan Wushi?” he whispered. “You two really do have friends in high places, I’m impressed. I expected you to know a manager, not an executive.”
“It’s a coincidence, really we just happened to live next door,” Xie Lian explained with a bit of embarrassment in his voice. “Although his husband is a wonderful person and I am happy to think that he maybe considers me a friend.”
“You’re too humble, Xie Lian,” Pei Ming scolded him. He wanted to say something more but he changed his mind abruptly when he saw Yan Wushi and Hua Cheng enter the room.
It was his first time seeing Yan Wushi dressed casually and he couldn’t help to feel respect toward the man who proved not only to be rocking three-piece suits at work but also purple sweatpants and a white V-neck t-shirt at home. He always had deep respect toward him and his no excuse attitude but he only seemed to gain more of it with each meeting.
Xie Lian quickly grabbed one more cup and poured tea for their guest who took a seat on their couch as if he owned the place.
“Pei Ming, I didn’t expect to see you here,” Yan Wushi said.
“Neither did I expect to see you, to be honest. But this is a pleasant surprise.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, I haven’t decided if I approve of your presence here yet.”
As they were exchanging those questionable pleasantries, Hua Cheng disappeared for a moment only to return with a huge cylinder-shaped package. He placed it on the floor in front of Yan Wushi but just outside of his arm's reach, presenting ‘the hostage’. Xie Lian sighed, stood up, and picked up the package.
“Here, your new yoga mat,” he said, handing it to his neighbor.
The older man accepted it with a disappointed sigh. “You’re even worse than my A-Qiao, I cannot believe it. Why the hell would you give up leverage just like that?”
“I would rather you help us voluntarily,” Xie Lian asked with a radiant smile. “Could you please?”
“You’re lucky my husband likes you. What do you want?”
Hua Cheng and Xie Lian turned their eyes to Pei Ming and Yan Wushi’s were quick to follow. The actor confidently unlocked his phone and passed it to the CEO of the producing company he was currently bound to.
“I would like to post and execute this,” he explained. “My agent and the producer won’t let me but I think it’s important to boost ladies' self-esteem before the end of the year.”
They all stared in silent tension as Yan Wushi read the draft. To Pei Ming’s relief, the executive burst laughing, clearly finding the post amusing. Xie Lian’s face revealed mixed feelings and Hua Cheng seemed to be more invested in analyzing Xie Lian’s reaction than anything else.
“You’re playing the priest in our movie that is coming out in a month, aren’t you? To be honest, I always thought the idea of keeping you prude on social media before the premiere was foolish, everybody knows you’re a playboy,” Yan Wushi said harshly. “It seems fun, I can give you the approval but I have several conditions, two professional ones and two for my personal pleasure,” he agreed, giving the phone back, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
“Of course,” Pei Ming consented. “What may they be?”
“First, formalities. Add a sentence about not accepting minors. Moreover, all the winners will need to sign an NDA, make sure of that.”
Pei Ming nodded with understanding.
“That’s very reasonable. What are your personal conditions?”
“This little project seems amusing enough, I want to be kept updated. Create a group chat with myself and those too and let us know how each of the dates goes.”
“I am not that interested, feel free to keep me out,” Hua Cheng announced.
“Dear friend, I can’t create a chat with just a half of Hualian it would be a blasphemy,” Pei Ming announced solemnly.
“Gege?” Hua Cheng turned his head waiting to hear Xie Lian’s opinion.
The other young man suddenly became a little flustered. “I... I kind of want to find out how it goes.”
“Fine, if gege want to be in the chat, you can add us. I’ll just mute it,” Hua Cheng shrugged.
“Thank you, San Lang,” Xie Lian smiled and placed a short kiss on his boyfriend’s lips.
“Next,” Yan Wushi continued, ignoring them. “I own a large package of mistletoe temporary tattoos. I used only one, my husband refused to respect the law of the mistletoe kiss and told me to throw them all out. I want you to use them so I can prove to my A-Qiao that they do work and can be fun.”
“Am I becoming a piece in your domestic dispute? I am usually the one to fight for love, not to sabotage it.”
“Don’t worry,” Yan Wushi waved his hand dismissively. “We have this type of marriage where we constantly challenge other person world views. Keeps things interesting. I just need proof that mistletoe tattoos can be romantic and sexy because A-Qiao believes they are neither. Do you agree to test the theory with me?”
“Gladly,” Pei Ming replied with a toothy grin, straight as if from a toothpaste commercial.
“Perfect. Send the draft of the post to me for approval, put your agent and producer in copy.”
***
<new group: Merry Christmas>
Pei Ming
Ho ho
Xie Lian
🎅
Pei Ming
I am slightly disappointed by the standards of my potential dates
Most of them want a simple dinner date
I blame all the other males in society for lowering their expectations
Of course, not you, my gay gentlemen
I meant heterosexual males who took my ladies out on boring dates
Yan Wushi
I have just liked one girl’s comment, pick that one
Pei Ming
Oh, couple’s spa & massage, can do palm reading? Sexy. Thanks.
Xie Lian
I like the one who said that wrote about her depression and how she’s proud to find the strenght to keep on living every day
Pei Ming
Sounds gloomy and angsty but that’s what my delightful company is there for after all 😉
Oh, but she wants to volunteer at a pet shelter together, that’s cute
She’s definitely passing
Hua Chengzu, do you have a pick?
Hua Cheng
I’ll pass, follow your heart and horniness
Yan Wushi
The girl who wants to go ice skating
The girl who wants to sketch you naked
Take them
Xie Lian
There’s one who wants to go on a walk to the park where her ex-husband used to take her on dates. She says that this way she may be able to finally stop thinking about him whenever she passes by it, this is touching.
Yan Wushi
OMG look at the cougar who wants to take you to the amusement park
Pei Ming
Gentlemen, we’re halfway through, only six spots left
Five actually, I’m going horse riding with the blond darling with an adorable beauty mark
Xie Lian
Maybe be fair about it? Just add random numbers to acceptable girls and throw a dice
Pei Ming
Nice idea!
After all, all the beauties should get a fair chance~!
***
Yan Wushi
Pei Ming, I realized four days had already passed
Where are the updates
Pei Ming
Please excuse this delay, I have been extremely busy with my dates
I went ice skating, to a cosplay convent, I LARPed, and today I went horse riding
All the ladies turned out to be extremely pleasant companions, all were great fans of mine, all signed NDA
Ice skating girl didn’t like the temporary tattoo, however, it made a great addition to my cosplay and LARP outfit.
Horse riding girl loved the mistletoe and was eager to show how much
Xie Lian
Oh, you went cosplaying?
Who did you cosplay?
Pei Ming
It’s Christmas, Santa Claus obviously
The otakus were a bit confused about it and I don’t think I matched the crowd
But I know I looked good and the girl was happy so that’s enough
<Yan Wushi added Shen Qiao to the chat>
Yan Wushi
Scroll up, mistletoe is fine, you’re just too prude, A-Qiao
Hua Cheng
It’s not about prudery, it’s just about esthetic
I would never want gege to wear a temporary tattoo of a mistletoe, anywhere, he’s skin is too perfect as it is
Xie Lian
And I would love you no matter what kind of tattoos you’d have, San Lang
Yan Wushi
God. Don’t make a big love confession of it, we all already know.
He already has a simp king tattoo your name on his forearm in his own nasty handwriting
And I bet he has a tramp stamp butterfly tattoo somewhere too
We all know you would love Hua Cheng with whatever tattoo he would get at this point mistletoe would make little difference
Hua Cheng
Don’t you dare diss on my butterflies
Shen Qiao
Yan Wushi, can you please just stop ordering temporary tattoos from aliexpress?
Please.
Yan Wushi
Dearest A-Qiao
No. I can’t.
Shen Qiao
T_T
But the ice skating girl didn’t like it
Doesn’t it prove that it is disturbing?
Yan Wushi
The majority still loves it, I win
Hua Cheng
It’s actually a match
3 girls, Yan Wushi and Pei Ming
Against 1 girl, gege, myself, Shen Qiao, and He Xuan because I’ve just asked his opinion and he fucking hates it
Pei Ming
Well then
Time to bring the Christmas spirit to more women and find out what they think
Ho Ho~
***
Pei Ming
Unfortunately, the ballerina girl threw her drink at me when she saw a mistletoe on my chest
Yan Wushi
Damn
***
Pei Ming
The spa was wonderful, you should go there too
I’ll send you the link
They have an offer for couple’s weekend it sounds just perfect for you four
I recommend gemstone massage, that was something very special
FYI the mistletoe washed off because of all the lotions I didn’t have a chance to show it off
***
Pei Ming
The mistletoe on my dick shall be forever preserved as a form of art since a certain artist most of today sketching me naked, paying attention even to the smallest details
She said she wants to hang it in her bedroom and I not only gave her my consent, I helped her put it up on her wall
Hua Cheng
Stop the description right here
I don’t need to hear about those details and neither does gege
Yan Wushi
But is she for or against?
Pei Ming
She would rather it was a different tattoo and a permanent instead of temporary one but she wasn’t against it figuratively, only in the literal sense 😏
Yan Wushi
Thank you for your devotion to resolving my domestic dispute
Pei Ming
Ho Ho~ 🎅
***
Shen Qiao
A proof that I do care about this marriage and what my husband wants
<a picture of a mistletoe hanging in the doorway>
Now my husband should pray I get stuck under it with him not someone else
Yan Wushi
Thank you
But we’ve been through this so many times
Pray for yourself, A-Qiao
Shen Qiao
Must you? always? 🙄
Yan Wushi
Yes, you should absolutely never count on me, I will not be someone you can count on
I value your own independence far too much
Also, for safety measures, move the mistletoe to the bedroom door
Shen Qiao
-_-
Yan Wushi, did you really just text your sons not to come out of their rooms before I move it?
What about me facing the threats on my own?
Yan Wushi
I may tell you to pray for yourself but I do care about your purity and safety at home, dearest <3
But don’t think I’ll protect you outside, my A-Qiao needs to be strong and fight off the dangers on his own
Shen Qiao
-_-
Yan Wushi
But I appreciate your effort and I’ll make use of that mistletoe as soon as I get home
Pei Ming
You two are so romantic in a very strange, peculiar way
I’m positively flabbergasted
Hua Cheng
I’m always puzzled how this marriage even works
Xie Lian
I think it’s love and mutual respect
Hua Cheng
Isn’t it mostly because Yan Wushi is a DILF?
Shen Qiao
Love and mutual respect is definitely the correct answer.
I think there are more reasons too but I doubt my husband wishes to share them, they show off his soft and vulnerable side and he likes to pretend it doesn’t exist in front of other people
Yan Wushi
See? Perfect mutual love, understanding, acceptance, and respect
Pei Ming, you’re back already from your date? Or haven’t left yet?
Pei Ming
I’m already back, the girl number eight doesn’t exist
it was a fake account made by my psychotic ex
Hua Cheng
My condolences
What a tragedy
Send mine and gege’s regards to Xuan Ji if she’s still lurking around the corner
Pei Ming
I would resent her if she was, that would be pathetic, I wouldn’t want her to hurt her own dignity even more
Actually, it’s not that bad that the date didn’t work out, I might have caught a cold from posing naked for so long yesterday
I’ll wrap myself in blankets, drink a pot of this great tea that Xie Lian gave me, and tomorrow I shall be ready as new for the next date
Xie Lian
I hope you’ll get better soon!
Yan Wushi
Even if he gets better I doubt he’ll be able to get it up if drinks the whole pot, assuming it’s the same tea A-Qiao gave me that I know you two bought together
Careful, it’s estrogen rich, there’s lemon balm and a ton of stuff that makes you relaxed but flaccid
It’s a tea A-Qiao brews for me to show that he’s upset
Not that it ever actually affected me but who knows what could happen if you drink the whole pot
Xie Lian
Oh no, really?
I didn’t know, I’m sorry!
I bought it because it smelled nice.
Shen Qiao
My husband is just bullying you all, please ignore him
He just doesn’t like how the tea tastes so he started making those crazy theories about the ingredients
But actually, it all comes down to the fact that teasing people is his hobby
Yan Wushi
Shen Qiao, why would you go out of your way to disprove what I say?
Oh right, I almost forgot how righteous you can be
I have to say
Whenever anyone else sabotages my ploys, I want to make them suffer
But when you do it it’s just sexy, you are forgiven.
Hua Cheng
Oh stop it or move it to a private chat
Pei Ming
I think it’s adorable
You and Xie Lian could be more forward about your affection too here, I wouldn’t mind
Love is beautiful and I’m glad you all found each other
And now I’m off to chatting with tomorrow’s girl to give my love somewhere else
Ho Ho~
***
Pei Ming
Gentlemen, I went to a cooking class
Please assure me that my masculinity didn’t suffer because of it
Hua Cheng
Wow. And here I thought you are a glorified manwhore, not a misogynic normie.
I am so disappointed.
Pei Ming
Thank you for assuring me this theory was absurd, Hua Cheng
You see, a woman turned me down
I was wondering if it was because I cooked since it rarely happens to me and I also rarely cook for myself
But clearly, that was absurd
Xie Lian
What happened?
Pei Ming
She told me that if it’s just one single date she would rather we remain platonic
I respected her boundaries, of course, however, my manly pride was a little bit disappointed by this development
But she had the right to say no
Still, we shared a fabulous time together during the cooking class and she fed me her soup
Xie Lian
I’m glad to hear that it all ended well and you got soup out of it 🥰
Hua Cheng
Gege, she turned him down, it didn’t end well for him
Xie Lian
Shh, I know 🤫
***
Pei Ming
Bad news, Yan Wushi, the opera lover disapproved of the mistletoe
She said whoever bought it and forced me to put it on myself should burn in hell
Yan Wushi
What is wrong with all those people
Shen Qiao
What is wrong with you
***
Pei Ming
Number 11 is a peculiar case
She likes the mistletoe
She’s my new lesbian bestie
We just went to a bar together and flirted the hell out of every beautiful lady we’ve met
I hardly see how can this be considered a date
However, I must say – one of the best dates of my life
Xie Lian
That sounds wonderful, congrats!
Hua Cheng
Shame that you won’t ever be able to score that date since it would most likely be rape
Xie Lian
San Lang ( p_q)
Hua Cheng
Congrats on the best platonic date of your manwhore life 🥰
Pei Ming
Xie Lian, what is wrong with him? He’s even meaner than usual, that little devil
Yan Wushi
I blocked his song from getting released since it was too sappy to see the light of the Internet
Ignore him
Xie Lian
Don’t worry, San Lang, you can still sing just for me 💗
Hua Cheng
It was always just for you, gege
Yan Wushi
I don’t care how much you two love each other, there is a certain level of sappiness I can tolerate at my company
The song remains blocked.
Pei Ming
You can still send it to me, I’m a great fan of Hualian 😏
Hua Cheng
No. Since it won’t be public it can as well be private, this song is for gege’s and my ears only.
Pei Ming
Ha ha, I thought you might say that but still was worth a try!
***
Xie Lian
Today is the last day, how are you spending it?
Pei Ming
I already had a date, we walked dogs from the shelter in the morning, made a snowman, and went for a lunch
It was very pleasant and warm, had a lot of Christmas spirit
@Yan Wushi she laughed at the mistletoe so I count it as our win
Although I decided to use a few of them this time and she’s seen only the one on my neck and chest
Xie Lian
This was the girl with mental struggles, right?
Maybe this whole advent calendar and mistletoes were actually a good idea if, in the end, it made her smile
Pei Ming
It’s not only about her, I’ve made many girls happy during those two weeks
And those were not only good deeds but also great pleasure on my part
I would like to thank the man who made this possible
Thank you, @Yan Wushi
...
Okay, where is YanShen?
Xie Lian
I think they might have left already
Shen Qiao told me that always around this time of the year they go to Yan Wushi’s cabin in the mountains, they bring a bunch of books, blankets, and a weiqi set and they turn off the Internet for a week
Pei Ming
How romantic!
Well, he will be happy to know that the final score is 8:7 for the mistletoe temporary tattoo! 🔥🎄🔥
By the way, I have to say – ever since I put the first one on my body I feel positively boosting with festive spirit!
Xie Lian
It’s still quite early, how do you plan to spend Christmas Eve? Did you prepare some great finale?
Pei Ming
As much as the post and those dates were important and I do plan to post a few pictures tonight
I feel that there are things even more important in life that’s why I’m spending the evening with Shi Wudu and Ling Wen as always.
Special times require special people, after all. And even though all my lady fans are all special in their own way, there is no one more special for a person than their closest friends.
So I wouldn’t want to spend this evening with anyone else but with Ling Wen and Shi Wudu.
Xie Lian
That was beautifully said!
Pei Ming
I assume you’re spending the evening with your boyfriend?
Xie Lian
Yes, I am, San Lang is taking me out somewhere and he won’t tell me where
Pei Ming
He’s probably busy preparing something epic right now 😏
Ho Ho and Merry Christmas, Xie Lian!
Xie Lian
Merry Christmas, Pei Ming!