On the kitchen counter lay vegetables and meat taken from the refrigerator, still wrapped in plastic film.
Jiang Jue glanced at them discreetly—they were barely edible, far from fresh.
He sighed softly in his heart and shook his head.
How could he expect a child to take good care of himself? Just surviving was impressive enough.
In the end, it was all his fault for leaving the child alone in this world.
Jiang Jue had overheard every word of Jing Nian and Xiao Tu’s discussion about the apron. With a smile in his eyes, he looked at Jing Nian and asked, “I’ll cook. Does A’nian have an apron at home?”
At that moment, Jing Nian deeply regretted not buying an apron earlier.
“No,” Jing Nian mumbled unhappily, his fingers itching as he poked the meticulously tied tie on the man’s chest. “If it gets dirty, I’ll wash it for you.”
That is, if he didn’t mind his five-figure shirt turning into a crumpled mess.
Jing Nian’s fluffy hair swayed before his eyes. Though the poking was light, the subtle touch only made his heart itch even more.
He grabbed Jing Nian’s restless fingers, his gaze deepening. “Be good, A’nian. Don’t mess around.”
Unaware of the danger behind the man’s words, Jing Nian obediently withdrew his hand, let out an “oh,” and quietly sat down at the dining table to wait for the meal.
His little appearance melted hearts.
In the past, when Jing Nian frequented entertainment houses, he had picked up some bad habits from his surroundings.
He loved to hook the man’s belt with his little finger the moment Jiang Jue stepped through the door, or burrow into his arms, idly fiddling with the neatly layered collar.
Within just a few moments, Jiang Jue would be stirred up by this little creature.
Usually, at times like these, Jiang Jue would say nothing, scoop the boy up, stride into the bedroom, press him firmly onto the bed, and eagerly nibble on those red, soft lips.
“Where did A’nian learn to tease me like this?”
Back then, the child was still quite bold, wrapping his arms around Jiang Jue’s neck and planting several quick kisses, full of provocation. “Hurry up! Can you do it or not?”
Then it would be Jiang Jue’s turn to prove whether he could or not.
After a few rounds, Jing Nian would cry until his voice grew hoarse, crawling forward with hands and feet, only to be dragged back each time by the man’s strong grip on his ankle.
Until finally, he couldn’t even cry anymore.
…
Unfamiliar chopping sounds echoed from the kitchen. Xiao Tu, who had been hiding in the bedroom playing on his phone, perked up his sensitive little ears and darted off the bed.
He peeked his little head out from behind the door, eyes wide as he watched the busy figure in the kitchen.
The sky had fallen—this was the first time the kitchen knife in their home was being used properly.
Jing Nian lay bored on the dining table for a while. When the aroma wafted from the kitchen, he suddenly appeared behind Jiang Jue, tilting his head to watch the pot of bubbling meat porridge.
He kept sniffing, looking up at Jiang Jue, then back at the pot, his wide eyes glistening wetly.
Like a little cat signaling it was time to eat.
“It’ll be ready soon,” Jiang Jue turned his head and coaxed with a helpless smile.
Disappointed that he couldn’t eat immediately, Jing Nian retreated and sat back down to continue scrolling through his phone.
A notification popped up on his phone—a friend request. The sender’s note read: “Li He’an.”
He grew wary—could this be another one of Qiu Huai’s tricks?
Jiang Jue seemed entirely focused on the pot of porridge, but in the moment he turned around, he had already taken in every detail of that message.
“My phone number seems to have been leaked,” Jing Nian mused, staring at the various apps Little Rabbit had installed for watching cartoons and playing games. He fell into deep thought.
He really couldn’t let Little Rabbit touch his phone anymore.
“Don’t respond to messages from strangers. It’s easy to fall for scams,” Jiang Jue remarked casually as he turned off the stove.
“You know about telecom fraud?” Jing Nian gazed longingly at the steaming bowl of porridge being brought over. “I thought you were an old relic who just emerged.”
Jiang Jue gently placed the hot porridge in front of Jing Nian and lowered his gaze, momentarily at a loss for how to respond.
However, many years Jing Nian had spent in the underworld, Jiang Jue had spent the same number of years in the celestial prison.
No matter how he calculated it, he regretted it, but he could only blame himself.
“I’m slowly adapting to life now.”
Jing Nian nodded in understanding and took a sip of the freshly cooked meat porridge. The steaming temperature was just right for him.
The delicious flavor burst on his tongue, and his eyes sparkled as they darted around. “If there’s anything you don’t understand, I can teach you.”
“Do I need to pay tuition?” Jiang Jue could tell from his expression that this kid was already scheming something.
Jing Nian lifted his head proudly. “I like the food you make!”
Jing Nian spoke sweetly, telling Jiang Jue that he could come to him anytime for help with anything he didn’t understand. In reality, he just casually searched for a few posts about trending internet memes online, forwarded them, and then washed his hands of the matter.
On the other hand, Jiang Jue had to come over every few days to cook, do laundry, and clean for him, essentially being treated like a nanny.
For over half a month, Jing Nian not only had someone drive him to and from work, but he also came home to hot meals and could even pre-order what he wanted for breakfast the next day before bed.
He usually didn’t have the habit of eating breakfast. If Chi happened to be diligent and on duty the same day, he would bring him a meal.
But for several days in a row, Jing Nian had eaten breakfast at home before coming in, which left Chi utterly baffled.
“Nian Nian, are you in a relationship?”
“No… I don’t think so.” Jing Nian furrowed his brows, seriously pondering the question.
Probably not. At least so far, he hadn’t received any confession from Jiang Jue, nor had he ever agreed to anything.
Little Rabbit huddled on the desk, its bottom tucked into its nest, with only its head poking out. “Nian Nian isn’t in a relationship, but he’s keeping a wild man at home… Ouch!”
Before it could finish, Little Rabbit’s head got a light smack.
Jing Nian emphasized again, “No, there’s nothing between us. We’re completely innocent.”
Little Rabbit snorted in disbelief.
The next day was a day off. Jiang Jue offered to come over and help with a deep clean of his apartment. Jing Nian agreed without a second thought and even told him he wanted corn and pork rib soup.
While the soup simmered gently on the stove, Jiang Jue helped tidy up the storage room that hadn’t been touched since Jing Nian moved in. Jing Nian, meanwhile, lay on the sofa, playing on his phone without a care in the world.
Tuan Tuan trotted over excitedly with a toy ball in its mouth, wagging its tail to signal Jing Nian to play with it.
Jing Nian kept his eyes fixed on the screen, pretending not to see anything.
However, Tuan Tuan was an energetic and extremely clingy puppy who would not give up until he achieved his goal. Driven to his wit’s end, Jing Nian finally reached over, grabbed the toy ball, and threw it accurately toward the storage room.
Tuan Tuan let out a happy bark and sprinted after the flying toy ball, diving headfirst into the storage room to pester Jiang Jue instead.
A flicker of disdain crossed Jing Nian’s eyes.
Tch, that dumb dog is just as easy to fool as that dumb rabbit.
Suddenly, his phone received another friend request.
This time, it wasn’t from a tea seller, nor was it from Li He’an—it was from Yi Xiaofeng.
The troublemaking intern assistant who always followed Qiu Huai around.
He slowly tapped “Accept,” and within half a minute, Yi Xiaofeng’s message eagerly popped up.
Yi Xiaofeng: [Master Jing, please take good care of me! I’ll be working under you from now on! ❤️]
Jing Nian: [?]
Jing Nian: [Aren’t you Qiu Huai’s assistant? I’m about to resign, and I don’t take interns.]
Yi Xiaofeng: [I’ve been transferred to the underworld division. Boss Qiu wants me to learn from you and temporarily fill your position after you leave.]
Yi Xiaofeng: [Didn’t Boss Qiu mention it to you that day? He even told us to get along well!]
A question mark slowly appeared above Jing Nian’s head.
Wait…?
Something didn’t seem right. Who said he had to get along well with Yi Xiaofeng?!
This kid was notoriously incompetent and always caused trouble!
The person he and Qiu Huai had discussed that day should have been Jiang Jue!
Jing Nian had a gut feeling that with Yi Xiaofeng involved, the next half-month would be extremely difficult, and it was highly likely to delay his resignation.
His fist clenched involuntarily. With his strength, crushing a phone wouldn’t be difficult, but just a second later, Jing Nian immediately put it down and turned to punch the cushion on the sofa instead.
Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!!
If he broke his phone, he couldn’t afford a new one, but if he fluffed up the cushion, he could still hug it to sleep at night.
He couldn’t blame Qiu Huai for setting him up this time—it was his own stupidity for jumping into the trap willingly.
In the storage room, Jiang Jue, completely unaware, was tidying up the clutter piled all over the room while also having to stay alert to Tuan Tuan’s mischief nearby.
Every time Tuan Tuan came over, Jiang Jue would throw the toy ball under the pitch-black bed, making the puppy crawl under to find it, buying himself some time before being bothered again.
Just as he finished organizing a box of Jing Nian’s old, unused items, Tuan Tuan crawled out from under the bed with something in his mouth.
This time, however, it wasn’t the toy ball but a worn, dilapidated wooden box that looked quite old.
Jiang Jue reached out and patted Tuan Tuan’s head. The wooden box crumbled at the touch, and by the time he took it, the lid had already fallen halfway off.
Inside the broken box lay a dusty thumb ring.
Jiang Jue’s pupils slightly contracted. “This is…”