Tuan Tuan plopped down with a thud, sprawling flat on the ground and refusing to budge.
Jiang Jue had initially intended to pretend he didn’t notice and continue dragging Tuan Tuan along. However, Jing Nian sensed something was off and turned around, his gaze shifting between Jiang Jue and the dog. “What’s wrong?”
Jiang Jue feigned nonchalance as he walked over to coax the dog. “Probably throwing a tantrum because we’re walking too slowly.”
“Small in size, big on drama.”
Jing Nian continued scrolling through his phone, locating a nearby restaurant. With a hint of excitement, he suggested, “Jiang Jue, let’s have hotpot! My treat!”
The one who objected before Jiang Jue could was Little Rabbit.
He looked up, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear. “Your treat? Have you gone on a spending spree, or did you get food poisoning from some cheap meal?”
“Nian Nian, remember, you’re broke. Shouldn’t you milk this big ATM for all it’s worth?”
Jing Nian tilted his head and blew a gentle puff of air toward the tuft of rabbit fur, making Little Rabbit squint.
“Ill-mannered, foolish rabbit! Mind your own business!”
When Jiang Jue heard Jing Nian’s offer to treat him, he was momentarily stunned before realizing one thing: he needed to learn to accept the child’s kindness.
A single meal wouldn’t cost much, but the fact that A’Nian took the initiative to offer meant he had put thought into it and that made all the difference.
After all, if the child ran out of money later, he would inevitably come to Jiang Jue for help. Then, Jiang Jue could find an excuse to quietly slip him some money in return.
He still remembered a long time ago when Jing Nian, bored at home, suddenly decided to set up a street stall to sell things. He stubbornly refused Jiang Jue’s help, insisting on doing everything himself.
It happened to be the Flower Festival at the time, and the streets were crowded. Jing Nian managed to earn a small profit. Of course, Jiang Jue never told him that half of the customers at his stall that day were people he had secretly sent to cheer the child on.
The first pot of gold in life always held special meaning. Jing Nian took that money and excitedly rushed to a jade shop, carefully selecting a jade pendant after much deliberation. He then presented it to Jiang Jue with both hands.
To this day, Jiang Jue remembered that scene vividly: the child, beaming with joy, holding out the brocade box, his big eyes sparkling and his little mouth as sweet as honey.
“Father, this gift is for you!”
Jiang Jue had seen countless rare treasures in the world, but none were as precious as the rough, slightly cheap-looking jade pendant the child had given him.
In his heart, no matter what the gift was, as long as the child had put his heart into it, that was enough.
Yet, that was also the first time he truly understood what it meant not to spend a poor person’s money.
Not long after the jade pendant was gifted, Jing Nian dragged him to the riverside. Pointing at the beautiful flower boat floating on the water, the child sighed dramatically.
“The flower boat is so pretty. I was planning to buy one, but I spent all the money I earned on your gift.”
Jiang Jue: “…”
What else was there to say? Buy it!
Jiang Jue bought Jing Nian a flower boat. Even though the two were already together at the time, Jing Nian would pester him every few days to reenact a confession scene on the boat.
Accepted confessions, rejected confessions, and even forced confessions—the scenarios were endless.
…
Jiang Jue half-heartedly tried to coax Tuan Tuan for a while, but it had no effect. In the end, he simply bent down and scooped the dog up.
That was the advantage of small dogs: no matter how much they refused to walk, once picked up, they’d behave.
He carried Tuan Tuan over to Jing Nian, his tall figure nearly enveloping the other entirely in shadow. Taking advantage of his height, he casually reached out and ruffled Jing Nian’s hair, his voice gentle and amused. “Alright, thank you, A’Nian.”
Jing Nian rarely had such frequent intimate contact with others, yet Jiang Jue repeatedly barged into his world like a bandit, always finding reasons and moments to touch him in the most unexpected ways.
Not only had Jing Nian grown desensitized to it, but Xiao Tu had as well.
Xiao Tu slumped back into Jing Nian’s pocket, listless and sighing internally… This must just be his unique way of greeting, right…
Once inside the hotpot restaurant, Jing Nian scanned the group purchase code, and as luck would have it, the set meal included a serving of lettuce.
As Xiao Tu nibbled on a lettuce leaf, he watched Jiang Jue attend to Jing Nian with a level of care that was practically ancestral.
The water pitcher was right there—did Nian Nian not have hands of his own that someone else had to pour it into his cup for him?
Wait, no—this wasn’t even about pouring water anymore. He was being hand-fed to drink, too!
The reason for the hand-feeding was that Jing Nian had ordered a spicy broth and had choked on the chili, coughing several times with red-rimmed eyes.
Frowning, Jiang Jue waved over a server and asked for an empty bowl, which he filled with clean water. Then, one by one, he carefully rinsed each piece of cooked food in the water to wash off the chili before placing it in Jing Nian’s bowl.
Xiao Tu stared in disbelief, even forgetting to chew his lettuce leaf.
What was even the point of eating spicy hotpot like this?! This was a profound disrespect to the very essence of spicy broth!
Jing Nian felt a bit embarrassed too, the tips of his ears tinged with red. “There’s no need… I just ate too quickly earlier.”
A nearby server, noticing their intimate behavior, assumed they were a couple and approached to promote an event.
“Excuse me, gentlemen. Our restaurant currently has a couples’ check-in event. If you take a photo together for check-in, you’ll receive a complimentary plate of fatty beef rolls. Would you two be interested?”
“A couples’ event?” Jiang Jue couldn’t help but frown slightly. He was very mindful of Jing Nian’s feelings, and having their relationship labeled as a couple so directly worried him. He feared the other might find it offensive.
Just as he was about to decline, Jing Nian beat him to it.
“We’ll take it!”
“Why turn down something free?”
He was already quite practiced at this routine, especially around Valentine’s Day when groups would form to find partners and pretend to be couples for discounts—men with men, women with women, men with women, you name it.
Jing Nian swiftly raised his phone and took a photo together, handed it to the server to complete the process, and received a plate of fatty beef rolls.
Jiang Jue gazed longingly at Jing Nian’s phone. The photo on the screen made his heart itch, and he was already scheming about what excuse he could use to get a copy.
As luck would have it, while dipping his food in the sauce, Jing Nian splattered a drop onto his phone screen.
Jiang Jue moved quickly, taking the phone before Jing Nian could lock the screen. “Keep eating, I’ll wipe it for you.”
Then, with a very casual and “accidental” slip of his finger, he “inadvertently” sent that photo to his own chat.
Jing Nian felt speechless and couldn’t even be bothered to call him out on it.
Forget it, forget it. He’s already this old—just let him have this one.
Jing Nian had never felt comfortable asking exactly how old Jiang Jue was, but the man always dressed in formal attire, exuding a mature and seasoned aura. In comparison, Jing Nian felt even more like a child beside him.
After finishing the meal, Jiang Jue asked the waiter for another warm, damp towel. He took Jing Nian’s hand and carefully wiped it clean, speaking gently, “The movie is about to start. Let’s go.”
Jing Nian, feeling comfortably pampered, looked much more pleasant than usual and nodded obediently, “Alright.”
Little Rabbit swore that before meeting Jing Nian and Jiang Jue, he had always thought dates were supposed to involve watching romantic love stories.
On the massive movie screen, ghostly faces occasionally lunged forward, accompanied by the booming 3D surround sound, making it feel as if they were right there in the scene.
Little Rabbit pressed his tiny paws tightly over his ears, curling himself into a round, fluffy ball as he trembled in Jing Nian’s arms.
Who in their right mind watches horror movies on a date?!
Jiang Jue had also taken Qiu Huai’s advice. Since Jing Nian wasn’t afraid of ghosts, watching romantic movies would likely put him to sleep, so something more thrilling was a better choice.
Jing Nian truly wasn’t afraid of ghosts, but at this moment, his mind was nowhere near the screen.
He fiddled anxiously with his phone, and amidst the eerie wails of countless ghosts, Jing Nian sent a message to Qiu Huai, his heart full of thoughts.
Jing Nian: Qiu Huai, I think he’s actually quite nice. We’re getting along really well.
On the other end, Qiu Huai had just sent away the intern assistant, grinning from ear to ear.
Seeing Jing Nian’s message, he let out a surprised “Oh!” He hadn’t expected the intern to act so quickly, already earning a positive review from Jing Nian.
Qiu Huai: I knew assigning him to you was the right move! You two must get along well!
Jing Nian: Okay.
Closing his phone, Jing Nian let out a soft, satisfied hum. At least that old ghost had some conscience, sending him a reliable person.
Jiang Jue opened the freshly ordered hot milk tea and brought it to Jing Nian’s lips. Jing Nian took a sip from his hand.
Horror movies already had a small audience, and with it being a weekday, the massive screening hall was nearly empty. The two of them sat right in the center, giving off an inexplicable feeling of having the whole theater to themselves.
In the final scene of the movie, the protagonist finally escaped the clutches of the vengeful ghost. But just as darkness loomed behind, a ghostly face flashed silently and swiftly across the screen before it went completely black. A soothing end-credits song began to play softly.
Little Rabbit was practically scared out of his wits. Trembling, he tugged at Jing Nian’s sleeve and whimpered softly, “Nian Nian… let’s go home… sob…”
Jing Nian gave Little Rabbit a look of disdain before turning to Jiang Jue. “Little Rabbit is scared. Let’s go.”
Jiang Jue glanced at the trembling kiwi fruit-like creature in Jing Nian’s arms, then looked down at Tuan Tuan, who was sound asleep.
Hmm, it seemed being too spiritually sensitive wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
He couldn’t help but wonder how such a timid rabbit managed to accompany Jing Nian while working in the underworld.
After leaving the cinema, Jiang Jue had the driver take them all the way to Jing Nian’s building. Just as he was about to leave after getting into the car, he saw Jing Nian leaning against the lowered car window, his eyes sparkling as he looked at him with an irresistible softness. “Since you’re already here, why not come up for a bit?”
For a moment, Jiang Jue almost imagined a little cat’s tail raised high behind him, swaying proudly.
It seemed he had truly managed to smooth the little cat’s fur today.
So much so that he was willing to invite him into his nest.
Happiness came so suddenly. A flicker of pleasantly surprised delight flashed in Jiang Jue’s eyes as he smiled and nodded. “Alright, then I’ll trouble you, A’Nian.”
The kitten held its head high and puffed out its chest, proudly carrying the prey it had hunted today as it strode majestically upstairs.
While waiting for the elevator, Jiang Jue lowered his gaze and spoke cautiously, “Does A’Nian usually live alone? Last time, I heard you mention your father…”
At the mention of that person, the kitten tail behind Jing Nian, which had been held high just moments ago, instantly drooped. Her eyes also turned fierce in an instant.
“That rotten man! He abandoned me a long time ago. I hate him to death!”