After that incident, Ji Zhilin had absolutely no desire to go to Ning Sui’s dorm room to look for him.
Wouldn’t that just be asking for humiliation?
It hadn’t even been half a month yet. Ning Sui definitely wouldn’t have changed so quickly. He must still be angry at him.
Ning Yuanming knew that Ji Zhilin was embarrassed so he didn’t let Ji Zhilin check the trash for reminders, but instead cleverly shifted the topic, suggesting they sit at the café.
Ji Zhilin carried the potted plant without a word.
Originally, he had held Ning Yuanming in his heart. They had known each other for more than a decade, and Ning Yuanming carried countless memories from his youth. Memories of the past were always filtered through nostalgia.
A few years ago, abroad, he had even impulsively suggested to Ning Yuanming, “Why don’t we get engaged?”
Had Ning Yuanming agreed back then, Ning Sui might not even be in the picture now.
But Ning Yuanming had pretended not to hear Ji Zhilin as he has convinced himself that he could eventually reach Ji Yucheng. According to him, he deserve to be at higher position.
Ji Zhilin had been crushed at the time. He never brought it up again, continuing to treat Ning Yuanming well but that moment became a thorn in his heart.
Three years ago, when he returned to the country, there was a school sponsorship project. That’s when Ji Zhilin first met Ning Sui.
Ning Sui had been too kind, far too kind. He said he wanted maple syrup, and Ning Sui never sent brown sugar by mistake.
He frowned, and Ning Sui avoided contact with other boys.
Ji Zhilin felt his heart being slowly warmed by Ning Sui, little by little.
Because he believed Ning Sui was utterly devoted to him like a person who never turns back without hitting the wall.
He didn’t even hesitate when choosing who between Ning Sui and Ning Yuanming, who should marry Ji Yucheng. He immediately picked Ning Sui.
As for his “White moonlight”, he always desired him to remain flawless, untouched by shadow.
But Ning Sui was different. He could be hurt as Ji Zhilin knew that he wouldn’t truly blame him.
Moreover, marrying Ji Yucheng wasn’t a huge deal, he was a vegetable; he might never wake up in this lifetime.
The only harm Ning Sui would face was a little gossip in the circle. Ji Zhilin would make sure he compensated for that.
Yet now, he felt a twinge of regret and a touch of resentment toward Ning Yuanming.
If not for Ning Yuanming, how many times would he have been turned away by Ning Sui?
These complicated emotions made Ji Zhilin’s face pale and flushed intermittently. Still, he said nothing, following Ning Yuanming inside the café.
As Ji Zhilin was thinking this, the shop owner lady walked over and noticed that the person Ji Zhilin had brought had changed. She gave him a strange look.
Muttering to herself, she said, “Did the last one break up?”
Ji Zhilin ignored her entirely. Ning Yuanming, however, felt slightly awkward and simply nodded to the owner lady.
They sat down, and Ji Zhilin ordered a maple coffee.
Ning Yuanming glanced at the distracted way he stirred it. “I remember you never drank this before.”
Ji Zhilin remained silent which made Ning Yuanming frowned.
The café sign outside was still last week’s sign. Ji Zhilin recalled being here just last week, having hired a violinist to convey his words to Ning Sui.It had been raining that day.
Ning Sui’s umbrella had flipped in the wind. Ji Zhilin almost jumped up to chase him.
Ning Sui’s lashes were wet, and he looked like he might cry at any moment.Recalling that scene calmed Ji Zhilin’s inner panic somewhat.
Seeing Ji Zhilin so distracted, Ning Yuanming felt a little uncomfortable himself.
Had Ji Zhilin spent too long in domestic campus life and forgotten that Ning Sui and they were not even from the same class of people? Why was he so fixated?
Whenever he and Ning Sui did things they(Ning Yuanming and Ji Zhilin) used to do abroad, he could clearly see Ning Sui’s awkwardness.
Riding horses, racing cars, golfing, Ning Sui had never been exposed to any of these activities from childhood.
The things Ning Sui was bad at were exactly the things most likely to make him look ridiculous.
Ning Yuanming said coolly, “If you really care, why not ask Ning Sui out? Next week there’s an Electronics & Art Expo. He’ll definitely go. If that doesn’t work, you can have someone professional invite him out under the pretext of celebrating the marriage. You show up as a surprise. Next week’s beach car race planning might be perfect for this.”
Ji Zhilin didn’t probe Ning Yuanming’s intentions further. He only noticed the hint of displeasure in Ning Yuanming’s tone.
He straightened his neck proudly and said, “It’s over. He’s my elder brother’s person now. What he does has nothing to do with me.”
Ning Yuanming joked, “Then why do you look so forlorn just because you realized the ‘Cactus Palm’ wasn’t from him?”
“I didn’t,” Ji Zhilin said. “I was worried he might cling on to me. Now, I’m actually hoping he focuses all his attention on my elder brother.”
Ning Yuanming studied Ji Zhilin: “Really?”
Ji Zhilin, annoyed, waved him off: “Stop overthinking.”
After that, he didn’t bother with his coffee. Claiming he had things to do back at the department, he grabbed his coat and left.
At thirteen, during a routine blood test, he discovered he wasn’t actually a biological member of the Ning family. If the Ning family ever found out, they’d bring back the real heir, and he’d be exposed.
So, as a child, he secretly swapped the test results.
From then on, he lived under constant fear, always wary of being discovered, thrown out, or disgraced in the social circle.
He was desperate to find a safety net, a stronghold he could rely on even if the Ning family abandoned him, someone whose favor would guarantee his status as the young master.
At first, it was the admired “mountain flower” that everyone looked up to: Ji Yucheng.
But Ji Yucheng was cold and indifferent. He had been to the Ji house dozens of times, yet Ji Yucheng didn’t even remember his name.
Now it was Ji Zhilin. Ning Yuanming knew he had to save face.
Once he left, Ning Yuanming’s eyes fell on Ji Zhilin’s chair and he realized that Ji Zhilin had even forgotten to take the potted plant with him.
“…”
It was as if the cactus itself jabbed him straight in the chest, amplifying his discomfort a hundredfold.
Ning Yuanming did harbor some feelings for Ji Zhilin, but those feelings were far less important than his own survival.
Seeing how much weight Ning Sui carried in Ji Zhilin’s heart, made Ning Yuanming realize it was far more than he had imagined.
Ning Sui… Ning Sui…
He lowered his gaze to his coffee, face neutral, but his fingertips were digging into his palms.
This wouldn’t do.
He needed to prepare a second option.
After a moment of thought, Ning Yuanming sent a message to Xu Tianxing:
“Last time you said you could get that person’s contact info, was that for real?”
Xu Tianxing was the tall silver-haired guy from the hallway who had clashed with Ning Sui before. He’d been Ning Yuanming’s childhood best friend and most loyal supporter.
Compared to other friends, his family wasn’t rich, just moderately well-off. His dad ran a small chip company, which had recently been snapped up by a rapidly rising tech company.
Xu Tianxing was obsessed with biotech and somewhat idolized the boss behind that company, trying all sorts of ways to persuade his dad to get the other side’s business card.
The reply came quickly:“How did you know? Just got it.”…
Ning Sui had taken some time off and went to hos company.
Though everyone except Grandpa Ji made jokes or lamented that he was merely a “lucky charm” for the marriage, Ning Sui was thrilled with it.
He even bought some wedding candies for himself.
The company was a biotech firm located in the heart of the CBD. Small in size, certainly no match for the century-old Ji conglomerate, yet it had earned the title of one of the fastest-growing, most commercially promising businesses in Jiangcheng for two consecutive years.
The media dubbed it a “new business elite.”
For two years, no journalist had managed to uncover any personal background about the company’s owner. He never attended parties or social gatherings, leaving everything to his right-hand man, Lin Man.
The only photo ever captured was a blurry silhouette, barely enough to tell it was a young person.
But how could such a young person have enough capital early on to fund research, make investments, and even donate to orphanages? Was it foreign capital?
This air of mystery had made the company more attention-grabbing than even the Ji family.Of course, from Ning Sui’s perspective, all the rumors were overblown. He had initially invested just to help his old orphanage friend, Lin Man.
Who knew the company would skyrocket in just three years, and that his own shares would bring increasing profits? Ning Sui was delighted.He went to Lin Man’s office, handing him some wedding candies.
Lin Man, busy with a project, had no time to chat with his young boss/friend. He just said, “Check your phone.”System: “Pfft.”
Ning Sui: “…………”
He had two phones: a personal one and a work phone. As the owner of a tech company, he needed the work phone to communicate with partners both domestic and international.
He rarely used the work phone himself, often leaving it with Lin Man to handle messages.
This meant the WeChat on his work phone was a mess, full of business contacts and random peripheral people, models, and others he didn’t know.
“What’s up?” Ning Sui knew Lin Man must have a reason.
“Just look for yourself,” Lin Man mumbled, unsure how to explain.
Ning Sui opened the work phone and discovered a friend request had been accepted half an hour ago. Clearly, Lin Man had approved it.
The profile picture was a blue sky with a little deer. After adding, there was no message.
But something about the avatar seemed familiar. Where had he seen it before?
He opened his personal phone and found the same avatar.
Wait could it be Ning Yuanming?
Ning Yuanming’s WeChat had been added three years ago when Ning Sui first entered the Ning family, hoping to truly become part of the family.
He had even added Ning Chen too. Later, they had mutually blocked each other.
Ning Sui clicked on the profile to check the bio and indeed, it was Ning Yuanming.
Ning Sui: ???
His head buzzed. “Why would he add me?”
“I don’t know either, that’s why I told you to check,” Lin Man said, pressing his forehead. “He probably doesn’t know the person behind our company is you.”
Lin Man had grown up with Ning Sui and little Yu, so he knew all about Ning Sui. Recently, he had almost stormed to the Ning family to ask about the forced marriage.
But Ning Sui stopped him. Not only did he stopped him, Ning Sui seeming genuinely happy about marrying a vegetable
As soon as those words left his mouth, they both noticed Ning Yuanming had changed the avatar from the blue sky and little deer to a photo of himself riding a horse in a white sweater.
Not gonna lie, Ning Yuanming was indeed good-looking, raised as a Ning family noble, with that clean young master aura.
The photo was well-chosen, instantly attractive.
Right after changing the avatar, Ning Yuanming sent a greeting to Ning Sui’s work WeChat:
“Hello [cute]! I have some questions regarding biotech issues. Could I possibly consult you?”
Lin Man: “……”
Ning Sui: “……”
Holding the phone, he felt like he was clutching a hot potato, completely at a loss.
“Stop laughing. What’s so funny?” Ning Sui snapped, though he was a little embarrassed.
Despite having done things like groping Ji Yucheng’s chest in the dead of night, he still had a thin face and slight blush.
He wanted to throw the phone back at Lin Man, but Lin Man was a mischievous type.
If he said anything to Ning Yuanming to defend himself, it could turn into chaos.
So Ning Sui tucked the phone away and left as if fleeing:
“I’ll keep this phone for now.”
He hadn’t decided how to handle the matter. Deleting Ning Yuanming immediately would be odd, so he chose to ignore it for the time being.
Since returning to the Ning family, Ning Yuanming had been sneaking little moves behind the scenes but Ning Sui didn’t care.
Actually, it was more than not caring: he simply looked down on Ning Yuanming’s petty tricks.
His mind was focused entirely on making money; who had time for little games of gaining favor?
In the afternoon class, sitting in a corner of the lecture hall and munching on candy, Ning Sui couldn’t resist opening his laptop to search for Ji Yucheng online.
Thanks to Ji Zhilin’s blunder yesterday, Ning Sui’s “experience bar” had dropped significantly. He had to spend last night physically interacting with Ji Yucheng for a long time to make up the loss.
Ning Sui swore to himself: never again get near Ji Zhilin.
Now he had to figure out how to recover the lost points.
Aside from physical contact, “information contact” and “emotional contact” also earned money.
“Emotional contact” meant mutual love which obviously was not applicable. His vegetable husband had no consciousness.
“Information contact” meant accessing private information about the vegetable husband.
For example, checking his measurements last night would have yielded a lot of points.
Too bad Ning Sui was too modest… sighing at his own innocence.
He scrolled through every bit of information on Baidu about Ji Yucheng, marveling at how much of a loss to the Ji family it was that he had become a vegetable.
In just a few years, he had set countless new records, with abilities so impressive even passing ants would marvel.
Marrying him was definitely a win, Ning Sui thought happily.
As he cataloged the information, he asked the system:
“Ah Tong, did my experience increase?”
System: “Nope. All this information is public knowledge; it doesn’t count as private info.”
Private info…
Childhood experiences?
But Ji Yucheng was a vegetable now. Who could Ning Sui even ask about that? Ji Zhilin? He definitely didn’t want to interact.
Grandpa Ji…?
Thinking of Grandpa Ji’s imposing yet calm face, Ning Sui shuddered.
Then he remembered the Ji family’s internal website, which had a hidden page only accessible by family accounts.
Centuries-old families like this always had records, genealogies, and albums. Grandpa Ji, to show trust, had handed Ning Sui Ji Yucheng’s personal account yesterday.
Ning Sui licked his lips and excitedly logged in.
…
Though Ji Zhilin had said in front of Ning Yuanming that he didn’t care, deep down he did.
He just wanted to understand Ning Sui: how could he throw all his belongings into the trash so carelessly?
That afternoon, the finance class was happening, but Ji Zhilin couldn’t focus. He checked the university forum for computer science class schedules and located Ning Sui’s lecture hall.
Putting on a brave face, despite having not slept all night, he acted indifferent, pretending it was he who had dumped Ning Sui, not the other way around.
He came to class in a black hoodie, sitting at the back with his hood up and a mask.
When Ning Sui opened his laptop, Ji Zhilin’s gaze locked onto him, trying to find even a trace of sadness or exhaustion.
But Ning Sui didn’t look sad at all. He even peeled several candies, happily munching away.
The more Ji Zhilin watched, the more forlorn he felt.
After a while, he noticed Ning Sui seemed to have opened a Ji family page…
Other students nearby might not understand what it was, but Ji Zhilin, as a member of the Ji family, was well-acquainted with the internal genealogical pages.
Squinting, he tried to see exactly what Ning Sui was looking at with such focus.
But the distance was too far, and sunlight reflected off the laptop screen.
Whatever Ning Sui was viewing on the Ji family internal page, it surely wasn’t about Grandpa Ji or Ji Yucheng, right?
Ji Yucheng was a vegetable! And Ning Sui had only been married for one night!
Of course, Ji Zhilin assumed Ning Sui wanted to see childhood photos of himself.
He remembered Ning Sui asking him for them before, back when he didn’t like him so much, and he had refused but now he felt a bit of regret.
Thinking this, the storm cloud in Ji Zhilin’s heart dissipated somewhat.
Ning Sui, though outwardly cold, must be tossing and turning at night just like him, right? But why was he looking for so long, even taking notes?
Ji Zhilin felt like a cat scratching his heart. If he didn’t figure out what Ning Sui was looking at, he wouldn’t sleep tonight.
Taking advantage of the teacher facing the board, he glanced around and noticed a male student in the third row near Ning Sui, a teammate from his basketball team.
He sent him a WeChat: “Do me a favor.”
Ji family old mansion.
After the doctor left in the morning, Ji Yucheng began another long day as a vegetable.
The mansion was extremely quiet, perfect for recovery, yet the silence made every minute feel more unbearable.
Compared to this, the late-night antics of a little wife were almost tolerable.
Until two seconds ago, 009 suddenly alerted: “Your Ji account has been logged into.”
Ji Yucheng, unamused, said: “Finally, Grandpa is planning to find a replacement?”
“No,” 009 said, “It’s Ning Sui.”
Even with closed eyes, Ji Yucheng knew what Ning Sui was doing.
“Wants to see Ji Zhilin’s childhood photos, right?” he said coldly.
Though he didn’t care about being used as a tool or as a substitute for some foolish younger brother, anyone would be annoyed at this.
And now Ning Sui was using his account to check on his ex! Had he forgotten who he married?
…
After a long, agonizing wait, Ji Zhilin finally received photos from his basketball teammate.
The photos were of Ning Sui’s laptop screen, extremely blurry due to backlight.
Ji Zhilin had no choice but to zoom in and it was all Ji Yucheng’s page.
???
Ji Zhilin wondered if his eyes were malfunctioning.
The page contained Ji Yucheng’s preferences, temperament, projects he had saved from disaster, places he had been in specific years, and even his metabolism…
Ji Zhilin: “…Though unclear, every Ji family member has their own page. Since Ning Sui opened Ji Yucheng’s, it couldn’t be anyone else.”
Ji Zhilin was stunned, as if all the air had been sucked out. He couldn’t breathe.
He texted his teammate: “Take another photo.”
Teammate: “Why? Ning Sui’s screen has been like that for half an hour.”
The teammate glanced at Ning Sui’s notebook: “Looks like he’s copying it down.”
Ji Zhilin: “……”
Seeing no reply for a while, the teammate looked at Ji Zhilin sitting in the back who seemed to be trembling.
At Ji family House..
009:“No, your husband has never seen your stupid brother. After logging in, he went straight to your page and browsed for a full half hour. He also downloaded a lot of your photos and saved them
Ji Yucheng:?
✦ ✧ ✦
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
The Realm is pleased. The translator would be even more pleased with coffee.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · The WeddingChapter 2 · New Target!Chapter 3 · Moved OnChapter 4 · Personal Information of Ji YuchengChapter 5 · Liked Ji Yucheng for 3 Years?!Chapter 6 · Love Rival?!Chapter 7 · Domineering PossessivenessChapter 8 · Obviously Very CuteChapter 9 Part 1 · Can’t be SeperatedChapter 9 Part 2 · Can’t be SeperatedChapter 10 · A blonde Guy…Chapter 11 · Dangerously Close to love?Chapter 12 · Confrontation with Ji ZhilinChapter 13 · Accidental DiscoveryChapter 14 · System 009 upgradedChapter 15 · Battery charging!Chapter 16 · Young Master was MiserableChapter 17 · Did Ning Sui treat you like this before?Chapter 18 · Was this what happened last night before you went to bed?Chapter 19 · He really got to the bottom of thisChapter 20 Part 1 · Don’t look at him, he was shocked too!Chapter 20 Part 2 · Don’t look at him, he was shocked too!Chapter 21 · Because I like it so muchChapter 22 Part 1 · Pull up your pantsChapter 22 Part 2 · Pull up your pantsChapter 23 · Why does it sound like he’s jealousChapter 24 Part 1 · I will protect himChapter 24 Part 2 · I will protect himChapter 25 · He’s quite gentleChapter 26 · Young Master Ji suddenly started to stutterChapter 27 · Ning Sui’s timeChapter 28 Part 1 · They ran away as soon as they were scaredChapter 28 Part 2 · They ran away as soon as they were scaredChapter 29 Part 1 · Are you looking for death?Chapter 29 Part 2 · Are you looking for death?Chapter 30 · Hurry up and say your last wordsChapter 31 · Ji Yucheng collapsed into his armsChapter 32 · Mr. Ji, I never expected you to be such a good person.Chapter 33 · He’s so well-behaved when He sleeps…Chapter 34 · His expression was incredibly varied in an instantChapter 35 · How could it be Ning Sui?Chapter 36 · Does the young wife only like people in a vegetative state?Chapter 37 · State-based controlChapter 38 · The young master was so happy he dropped his phoneChapter 39 · You were 37 minutes lateChapter 40 · I don’t plan to get a divorce.Chapter 41 · Otherwise, would it be your turn?Chapter 42 · Both perverted and cuteChapter 43 · If they sneak away again, I’ll hold them even tighterChapter 44 · I sprained my ankle tooChapter 45 · A cat jumping on a lion’s head to play with fire.Chapter 46 · Your young master has fainted!Chapter 47 · Sui Sui, come downChapter 48 · Are you going to lock me in there?Chapter 49 Part 1 · I love you, Ning SuiChapter 49 Part 2 · I love you, Ning SuiChapter 50 · Give the snowman a heartChapter 51 · Miss you.Chapter 52 · To hold in one’s mouthChapter 53 · You are in the cloudsChapter 54 · Ning Sui hugged him for the first timeChapter 55 · Can you sit on my lap?Chapter 56 · It’s either you or it’s not.Chapter 57 · From this moment on, I am your vegetableChapter 58 · Young Ji YuchengChapter 59 · They kiss tirelessly.Chapter 60 · RipplingChapter 61 · You want to compare this?!Chapter 62 · It’s 001!Chapter 63 · I like everything about it.Chapter 64 · It seems to have been filled up a little more.Chapter 65 · Wedding rings should be exchanged between the couple.Chapter 66 · Love-struckChapter 67 · Why can’t we even be apart for a day?Chapter 68 · PerfectChapter 69 · A lifelong contract was madeChapter 70 · Extra 1Chapter 71 · Extra 2Chapter 72 · Extra 3Chapter 73 · Extra 4Chapter 74 · Extra 5Chapter 75 · Extra 6Chapter 76 · Extra 7Chapter 77 · Extra 8Chapter 78 · Extra 9Chapter 79 · Extra 10Chapter 80 · Extra 11Chapter 81 · Extra 12Chapter 82 · Extra 13Chapter 83 · Extra 14