By the time they left the pet store, it was already dark outside.
At some point, a light snow had begun to fall, and the glass windows were fogged over. As soon as the door opened, the sudden temperature drop made Jing Nian exhale a breath that turned into a puff of white mist.
Thinking back to what had happened in the changing room earlier, his face still felt warm.
He lowered his head and rubbed his cheeks, then shot Jiang Jue a glare that he thought was fierce but actually came off more like a pout. Jiang Jue walked beside him, acting as if nothing had happened.
Hypocrite! Wolf in sheep’s clothing! A refined scoundrel!
Older people really were no good.
But considering he had worn the apron for him, Jing Nian decided to let it slide this time.
The car was parked across the street. While waiting for the traffic light, Jing Nian sniffed the air and caught the crisp scent of sandalwood. “You’re wearing that perfume again.”
Jiang Jue, caught off guard, replied, “It’s not perfume. I have a habit of burning incense.”
A long time ago, he had spent so much time on the battlefield that he was stained with a lingering scent of blood. Back then, alone and unattached, he hadn’t cared much about it. But later, after Jing Nian came into his life, he always worried that his unpleasant odor might disturb the soft, fragile infant in his arms.
It was from that time on that he developed the habit of burning incense daily.
This morning before leaving, he had lit incense again because his wound had reopened. He didn’t want Jing Nian to notice any trace of it.
The person beside him fell silent for a long while. Jiang Jue glanced over and saw Jing Nian staring straight at him, his gaze making Jiang Jue’s heart skip a beat.
Damn it, he had said too much.
Fortunately, Jing Nian didn’t dwell on it too deeply. He soon looked away and muttered softly, “My father also liked burning incense. If you two could meet, you’d probably have a lot to talk about.”
Jiang Jue struggled to find words. Just then, the pedestrian light turned green, and Jing Nian pulled his hand out from his down jacket to tug at Jiang Jue’s sleeve.
“Let’s go.”
In winter, it got dark quickly, and this time of day coincided with school dismissal.
There was an elementary school on the street in front of the pet store. A mother and daughter walked hand in hand, passing by Jing Nian and Jiang Jue.
The little girl looked up excitedly at her mother, chattering about the fun things that had happened at school.
“Mom, the teacher said today is the winter solstice, and we should go home to eat dumplings.”
The winter solstice…
Jiang Jue lowered his gaze. “A’Nian, do you want dumplings tonight?”
“There are frozen ones in the fridge.”
Probably put there about half a year ago.
Jiang Jue chuckled. “Frozen ones are nowhere near as good as the ones I make by hand. I’ll make dumplings for you when we get home.”
Jing Nian shook his head, not forgetting to remind him, “Then remember to save me a piece of dough to play with.”
The little rabbit, annoyed by how slow the two were, had already run ahead to the car.
A thin layer of snow covered the car, dotted with a few crooked little rabbit paw prints. The rabbit stood in front of the windshield, holding a traffic ticket in its paw.
Jing Nian snatched it and glanced at it. “Tsk, Jiang Jue, you parked illegally.”
There was such a big “No Parking” sign on the roadside, yet this guy acted like he had presbyopia and just didn’t see it.
Jiang Jue once again encountered something he couldn’t quite understand. “When I parked, there was a whole line of cars here.”
How come when the ticket was issued, he was the only one left?
“Traffic police have scheduled patrol times. Don’t follow others and park illegally in the future.”
This fine could buy so many McDonald’s meals!
Jing Nian slapped the traffic ticket onto Jiang Jue’s chest, and the latter promptly caught his fingers in his palm.
Jiang Jue held them for just a moment, claiming he wanted to warm his hands, and let go before Jing Nian could show his claws.
The car sped along the road. Jing Nian sat in the passenger seat, his head tilted against the window, silently watching the city lights glittering under the night sky.
“Jiang Jue,” he suddenly spoke up.
“What’s wrong?” Jiang Jue glanced sideways slightly.
Jing Nian hemmed and hawed for a while without saying anything. “Um… nothing, I just wanted to call your name.”
Actually, he wanted to tell Jiang Jue that perhaps their relationship could take a step further.
And after resigning soon, he planned to take Little Rabbit on a trip and wanted to ask if Jiang Jue would be willing to go with him.
But he didn’t know how to bring it up.
So, procrastination kicked in. Wait a little longer, just a little longer.
Jiang Jue drove, eyes fixed ahead, yet carefully taking in every subtle expression on Jing Nian’s face.
This kid clearly had something to say to him but, for some reason, held it back.
Jiang Jue never pressed Jing Nian about things he didn’t want to talk about.
“Whenever you need me, or even if you don’t, A’Nian, you can always call my name.”
Jing Nian’s breath hitched.
He was a person with strong dependency, a trait that could be traced back to Gu Yehan raising him too well. The most bitter thing he had ever tasted in his life was probably the handful of bitter almonds he was tricked into eating as a child.
After leaving the man who had spoiled him since childhood, giving him stars and moons on demand, he had toughed it out alone for so many years. Suddenly, this “substitute” who cared for and indulged him, almost as well as Gu Yehan, had barged into his life.
And Jiang Jue, fully aware that he was a “replacement,” was still willing to indulge his unreasonable whims. Jing Nian really couldn’t bear to let go.
He had no choice but to confront his feelings for Jiang Jue.
Back at home, Jiang Jue went into the kitchen, busy kneading dough and chopping filling for dumplings.
Jing Nian followed him around like a little clingy shadow, trailing him wherever he went.
Jiang Jue pinched off a piece of dough and placed it in his hand, coaxing him like a child. “Be good, go play with this.”
Jing Nian squeezed it with his other hand, messing up the smooth dough. “If… I say if…”
“If I turned into a lump of dough, would you still love me?”
Jiang Jue was amused by his adorable antics. “What silly talk is that?”
He wanted to reach out and ruffle Jing Nian’s hair, but his hands were covered in flour. So, he lowered his head and gently bumped his forehead against the boy’s.
“A’Nian, I’ve liked you since the first moment I saw you. No matter what you become, I’ll love you.”
Jing Nian instantly turned as red as a boiled shrimp.
Was this a confession? Why did it have to be in such an informal setting?
This is the kitchen! No romance allowed!!
While Jing Nian was still frozen in shock, Jiang Jue calmly took the dough back from his hand, shaped it into a little cat’s head, and returned it to him.
After forcing a reboot, Jing Nian deliberately put on a fierce expression. “You mean it, right? No take-backs!”
“If you don’t keep your word, you’ll end up like this!”
With a thud, he punched the cat-head dough flat.
The poor lump of dough was eventually tossed into the pot by Jiang Jue along with the dumplings and ended up in Jing Nian’s stomach, dipped in vinegar.
After dinner, Jiang Jue tried to push his luck a bit further, riding on the warmth from earlier. He lingered by the entrance, dragging his feet.
“It’s already very late.”
“Yeah.” Jing Nian curled up on the sofa without even looking up.
“Driving on the road might not be safe…”
“I’ll call your driver to come pick you up.”
“…”
Jiang Jue fell silent.
Seeing how hard he was to get rid of, Jing Nian climbed off the sofa with an impatient expression, stood in front of the man, opened his arms, and gave him a perfunctory hug.
Then he pushed him out the door. “Go on, go on! No overnight guests allowed!”
With a bang, he closed the door and finally let out a sigh of relief.
Good thing he managed to shoo him away. People always pay the price for impulsive decisions.
He hadn’t agreed to Jiang Jue’s confession—Jiang Jue still had to keep chasing him!
Returning to the sofa, Jing Nian frowned thoughtfully as he grilled some skewers. “Does Jiang Jue seem a bit too old? Maybe he’s not good enough for me…”
Little Rabbit, with its butt in the air, was poking at Jing Nian’s phone and replied without turning around, “He’s okay, but he does look like he’s in his thirties.”
“But I’m one thousand three hundred and thirty-three…”
Little Rabbit wagged an almost invisible finger. “Nonono, Nian Nian, don’t forget, your ID was just updated this year—you’re only eighteen.”
That made sense.
Old is old—there’s no way he could be younger than me.
“Little Rabbit, do you think what I’m doing is betraying Father? Maybe it’s not good.”
Finally, Little Rabbit rolled over and sat up. “Weren’t you the one cursing him earlier? Whether it’s good or not, we’ll talk about it when he can make a comeback.”
Little Rabbit was Jing Nian’s strategist. Whenever Jing Nian was confused, a few words of advice would clear things up.
So Jing Nian felt justified.
What could Jing Nian possibly have done wrong?
Little Rabbit held the phone up to Jing Nian. “Nian Nian, cancel the flight tickets to the seaside. I think this group deal is a better bargain.”
Jing Nian glanced at it—it was a very famous resort island abroad. He fell silent for a second. “How can something like this be on a group deal?”
Maybe someday he could even list tickets to the underworld as a group deal.
“It’s specially prepared for poor ghosts like you.” Little Rabbit’s tone was somewhere between comforting and mocking.
“So…”
Jing Nian counted the six-digit price on the group deal and pointed at it, asking Little Rabbit, “Do I call this number when I get there?”
“Little Rabbit wants to go~” Little Rabbit blinked its watery eyes, acting cute. “Everyone says it’s super fun there.”
“No money.”
“No money, then earn it!”
“I’d rather die than earn that much.” Jing Nian flopped down in defeat. “And you should spend less time online too. Be careful of becoming an internet-addicted rabbit with nearsightedness.”
Little Rabbit clung to the phone, refusing to exit the group deal page, clearly bewitched by the seller’s marketing.
“Looking won’t help. If you can actually make the payment, I’ll admit defeat.”
Jing Nian was confident—he knew exactly how much was in his bank account.
But with a flurry of taps from Little Rabbit’s tiny paws, the words “Purchase Successful” flashed across Jing Nian’s face.
Jing Nian: …?
Little Rabbit grinned. “Buy now, pay later!”
That actually worked?
Jing Nian’s eyes widened as he tried to snatch the phone. Little Rabbit held it protectively, refusing to let go. In the chaos, someone’s paw accidentally swiped the screen, redirecting the group deal to a short video platform.
A very familiar figure appeared on the screen.
Jing Nian swatted Little Rabbit away. “Isn’t that me?”
He furrowed his brows tightly as he stared at the screen. The video showed the scene from this afternoon at the pet store, where he was surrounded by people taking photos together. A few seconds later, Jiang Jue appeared in the frame, seamlessly pushing through the crowd to shield him from behind.
Below the video was a caption:
“No wonder I can’t find a handsome man. They’re all being taken by other men.”
Opening the comments section, it was filled with people swooning over the moment.
In the living room, apart from the cheerful music of the short video, there was a deathly silence.
Jing Nian watched the skyrocketing number of likes, realizing the situation was spiraling out of control.
“Who filmed this? They made me look so ugly!”
Xiao Tu glanced at the screen, then at Jing Nian, scratching his head in confusion. “You don’t look ugly at all.”
…
On the other side, Jiang Jue was still driving when Qiu Huai frantically called him.
“Jiang Jue, you’ve got some skills! You’ve already won over Nian Nian so quickly!”
Jiang Jue put the call on speakerphone, his suspicions growing. “How do you know about that?”
Earlier, only Jing Nian, him, a rabbit, and a dog were at home. Unless Jing Nian had told Qiu Huai himself, he couldn’t think of any other reasonable explanation—especially since this involved whether Jing Nian might be living under someone’s surveillance.
Fortunately, Qiu Huai’s next words confirmed they weren’t talking about the same thing.
“Take a look at the video I just shared with you. The whole internet is swooning over you two!”
Jiang Jue pulled the car over to the side of the road and opened the video.
Watching the slightly blurry footage, the corners of his lips unconsciously curved into a smile. Through the phone, he reached out as if to touch Jing Nian’s face.
Jing Nian was still so beautiful, so young, while he himself had truly grown old.
He spoke into the phone, “I confessed to A’Nian tonight. He didn’t reject me, but he didn’t clearly agree either.”
Qiu Huai grumbled in dissatisfaction, “That’s way too slow. Jing Nian is about to resign. I think you should take this chance to settle your marriage!”
Qiu Huai’s mission was to bring the two together, no matter the means.
But Jiang Jue felt it was inappropriate. “A’Nian doesn’t like being forced.”
“This isn’t forcing!” Qiu Huai emphasized. “Do you dare say Nian Nian doesn’t like you?”
Jiang Jue fell silent for a moment.
He was certain Jing Nian liked him, but rushing things felt too hasty.
Back when he and Jing Nian were together, it had taken a full eighteen years. Now, he didn’t have that much time to waste.
Even if he did, Jing Nian wouldn’t have the patience for it.
Hearing his hesitation, Qiu Huai said, “If not marriage, then an engagement will do. But think carefully—opportunities like this don’t come twice. There are plenty of people chasing after Nian Nian.”
“Just look at the comments under the video. Who doesn’t like Nian Nian? Jiang Jue, I’m telling you, strike first and gain the upper hand; hesitate and you’ll suffer! Feelings can be nurtured over time, but if Nian Nian gets snatched away by someone else, it’ll be too late!”
For some reason, Jiang Jue immediately thought of Li He’an from earlier that day.
In the shadows where sunlight couldn’t reach, who knew how many things were coveting his A’Nian…
But right now, he didn’t even have a legitimate identity to stand in their way.
“…Alright, I’ll follow your plan.”
“But one condition: don’t make A’Nian angry.”