On Thursday, Bai Mu Ning woke up early. Today was the day he was accompanying Li Li to finalize her divorce, and he couldn’t be late.
Turning off his alarm, he reluctantly got out of bed. Bai Mu Ning felt his head ached, and he was utterly drained.
He sat there for a moment before starting to change out of his pajamas.
As he stepped off the bed using the ladder, his foot suddenly slipped, and with a loud thud, he crashed onto the cold tiled floor.
His butt hit the ground first, followed by his entire body slamming down in an awkward sprawl. With a muffled groan, Bai Mu Ning lay in that position for a while.
Li Anche had been sleeping soundly, only to be jolted awake by Bai Mu Ning’s loud thud. He shot up in bed, panicked. “What happened? An earthquake?”
Looking around and confirming that the bed wasn’t shaking, he let out a breath of relief before his gaze landed on Bai Mu Ning, who was lying peacefully on the floor.
Bai Mu Ning had his hands neatly folded over his stomach, lying in such an orderly manner that he looked as if he were peacefully asleep.
If it wasn’t for the fact that his eyes were still open, Li Anche might’ve started preparing for a farewell ceremony.
“Ning ah, why aren’t you getting up? Are you planning to just sleep there?”
Bai Mu Ning took a moment before replying, “Classmate An An, haven’t you ever heard the saying? ‘Where you fall is where you should lie for a while.’”
“Well, I’ve heard it now.” Li Anche climbed down from his bed and crouched beside him. “Ning ah, are you unable to get up?”
Worthy of being his bro for more than two years. He could easily see through Bai Mu Ning’s little mind—of course, he couldn’t get up.
That fall had nearly cost this old man his 20 years of life.
Now, not only did his head hurt, but his butt ached too. The fall killed him.
Holding onto Li Anche’s hand, he used the momentum to pull himself up. The moment he stood, Bai Mu Ning felt even dizzier.
Li Anche let go of his hand and reached up to touch his forehead. “Ning, you have a fever.”
Bai Mu Ning, now paralyzed in a chair uncomfortably, gasped for breath. Hearing Li Anche’s words, he also touched his own forehead.
It was indeed quite hot, but that was no big deal.
Bai Mu Ning said indifferently, “It’s fine, just a minor issue.”
He took a sip of water to ease his dry throat, then got up, grabbed his toiletries, and prepared to wash up and head out.
Seeing Bai Mu Ning stubbornly insist on going out despite being sick, Li Anche blocked his way. “You’re already sick, and you still want to go out? Let’s go to the campus infirmary.”
Li Anche was a little angry, feeling that Bai Mu Ning didn’t take care of himself at all, falling ill yet still pushing himself.
“I still have things to do today. I need to leave soon. I’ll go to the infirmary when I get back.”
“No, what could possibly be so urgent that you have to go out?”
Bai Mu Ning puffed up his chest, carrying his washbasin and toiletries with an air of determination. “I can’t help it. My five elements are lacking in money, I don’t deserve rest. An An, don’t stop me. I have to work hard, I have to strive.”
Li Anche knew Bai Mu Ning had it rough—he had to earn his own living expenses and tuition without any support from home.
But he was pushing himself way too hard.
Frustrated, Li Anche let go of Bai Mu Ning and coldly snorted. “You’re going to drown yourself in money one day. Take the medicine before you go.”
Saying that, he walked over to his desk to find some fever medicine for Bai Mu Ning.
After taking the medicine, Bai Mu Ning felt much better. Once he stepped outside and the cold wind hit him, even his face didn’t feel hot anymore.
The appointment with Li Li was at 9 AM. Bai Mu Ning was reluctant to take a taxi, he took the subway instead.
The meeting place was right outside the Civil Affairs Bureau. Li Li had just arrived as well, and they ran into each other at the entrance.
Her ex-husband showed up a few minutes late. Without exchanging a single word, the two of them went inside, took a number, and waited for their turn to finalize the divorce.
Today was Thursday and not knowing what kind of holiday it was—whether for marriages or divorces—the office was packed today. Who knew how long they’d have to wait?
While waiting in line, Bai Mu Ning made sure to throw plenty of sarcastic remarks at the ex-husband. It was Li Li’s special request—her ex-husband couldn’t be allowed to leave this marriage comfortably; he had to be thoroughly suffocated.
Bai Mu Ning was a professional when it came to verbal attacks. Watching the ex-husband turn red in the face, his neck stiff with anger yet unable to refute a single word, Li Li felt utterly satisfied.
When their number was finally called, the two of them went in to complete the divorce paperwork. After filling out the necessary forms, they were required to wait out a 30-day cooling-off period before the divorce could be finalized.
The ex-husband stormed off in a huff, while Li Li beamed with joy. She even tipped Bai Mu Ning generously and scheduled their next verbal stand-in session.
Li Li had arrived by taxi, so after finishing their conversation, she hailed another one and left.
Bai Mu Ning was someone who lived frugally and wouldn’t consider taking a taxi. He opened his map app and searched for his destination—Sanwen Hall, quickly finding the best public transportation route.
His plan to win over Wen Jing had been making no progress, he needed to show up in front of his target more often to brush up on his presence.
He had already thought of a reason for going. His medication for kidney deficiency was running out, so he needed a follow-up appointment.
However, what he didn’t expect was to run into Wen Jing at the Civil Affairs Bureau. Even more surprising, Wen Jing was standing in line for marriage registration.
Bai Mu Ning frowned and looked over, wondering—who was Wen Jing marrying?
A short distance away, Wen Jing was gripping the wrist of an extremely cool-looking girl, his expression dark and menacing—like a parent scolding a rebellious child.
Bai Mu Ning’s gaze shifted to the girl. She looked about the same age as him, dressed in a way that prioritized fashion over warmth—short skirt, knee-high boots, and a leather jacket.
Moreover, the diamonds on her nose and lip were both eye-catching.
“Sun Jin, have you had enough? Go back with me,” Wen Jing’s voice was low as if he was suppressing some strong emotion, teetering on the edge of an outburst.
Bai Mu Ning felt that his judgment of Wen Jing had been quite accurate—this guy was a smiling tiger, calm on the surface but terrifying when angered.
“What right do you have to control me? So what if I’m getting married today? I’m marrying my boyfriend. I’m not breaking up with him.”
Her family had always disapproved of this boyfriend, especially Wen Jing, who constantly called her to demand she break up.
“My boyfriend and I are true love.”
Wen Jing shot the boy beside Sun Jin a single glance. Sensing the danger, the boy immediately stammered and waved his hands, “Sun Jin, I’m not marrying you anymore. You should find someone else.”
When the words fell, he ran away, fearing that Wen Jing would beat him to death if he stayed a second longer.
Bai Mu Ning stood to the side, watching the show unfold, thinking: Dr. Wen, you’re so fierce oh! See? You scared people away.
But what was Sun Jin’s relationship with Wen Jing? Why was he interfering in other people’s marriages?
Then, Bai Mu Ning suddenly recalled what the receptionist had mentioned before—Dr. Wen didn’t have a brother, only a very cute younger sister.
Could this be Wen Jing’s younger sister? But if they were siblings, why didn’t they have the same surname?
Bai Mu Ning could only think of one possibility—one took their mother’s surname, and the other took their father’s.
As the two continued arguing, a staff member nearby also tried to mediate. “Miss, why don’t you go home with your brother first? We won’t be able to process your request today.”
Sun Jin grew even angrier, feeling as if the entire world was against her, especially her impressive-looking but useless boyfriend, who had run off way too fast.
“Why can’t I register? You’re treating me unfairly. I want to file a complaint.”
The staff member handed her back her documents and said, “You’re not old enough ah! Come back in a couple of years.”
According to the country’s marriage laws, women could only get legally married at the age of 20. So Wen Jing’s younger sister was only 18—no wonder she was throwing such a fit.
Sun Jin stubbornly refused to take her documents back. Wen Jing, however, took it for her, thanked the staff, and then dragged his disobedient little sister out of the office.
“Stop causing trouble and come home with me.”
Sun Jin continued to struggle. “I don’t want to go back. Leave me alone.”
Since Wen Jing was busy with family matters today, Bai Mu Ning knew better than to approach him now. Instead, he quickly slipped away, planning to ambush Wen Jing at Sanwen Hall..
However, just as he stepped out the door and started down the stairs, a black figure suddenly rushed out from behind and slammed into him.
Caught off guard, Bai Mu Ning lost his balance, misstepped, and tumbled down the stairs—landing hard on the cold pavement.
This was the second time he had fallen on his ass today. His tailbone felt like it was going to shatter.
The person who hit him was none other than Wen Jing’s little sister Sun Jin. As she scrambled into a car, she shouted back at him, “Sorry! I didn’t mean to. Let my brother compensate you.”
Sun Jin ran off, and Bai Mu Ning thought: What the hell just happened ah?
“Are you alright!”
Wen Jing’s hand reached out toward him. Bai Mu Ning looked up, momentarily stunned.
He thought to himself: Today’s wasn’t too unlucky. At least Wen Jing took the initiative to talk to him.
Bai Mu Ning was just about to say I’m fine. He even wanted to brag a little—See? I’m tough as hell. I can fall like this and still be totally okay.
But just as the words I’m fine were about to leave his lips, he abruptly changed his words as if he had bit his tongue. “N-no… I think I sprained my left foot.”
To sell the act, he even reached down to rub his foot, pretending to be in pain.
He was actually fine. But this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him to take advantage of the chance to touch porcelain and get closer to Wen Jing.
He couldn’t let such an opportunity slip through his fingers, so he had to fake a sprained foot.
He had carefully considered his choice of injury. A sprained foot meant difficulty moving, which meant physical contact.
And men, they were easily swayed by close contact.
Grabbing onto Wen Jing’s outstretched hand, Bai Mu Ning used his strength to stand up, then said pitifully, “Dr. Wen, you have to take responsibility for me.”
Wen Jing’s scrutinizing gaze swept over him. Feeling guilty, Bai Mu Ning quickly explained, “I mean, your little sister knocked me over and sprained my foot. You can’t just leave me like this!”
Wen Jing remained silent, simply staring at him, as if analyzing the truthfulness of his words.
Having been stared at, Bai Mu Ning was even more nervous. This was also his first time touching porcelain. He had zero experience.
“That, actually, you don’t have to take responsibility. I can go back by myself.” His voice grew smaller and smaller, until the last few words practically vanished in his throat.
His heart panicked even more. What does Wen Jing mean by being like this ah?
Wen Jing let go of his hand and said calmly, “Didn’t you say it was your right foot?”
As he spoke, his gaze dropped to Bai Mu Ning’s right foot, which was currently bearing all his weight, while his left foot barely touched the ground.
Bai Mu Ning froze. Wasn’t it his left foot? When did it become the right foot?
He swore he had said left, but with Wen Jing questioning him so confidently, combined with his own guilt and panic, Bai Mu Ning suddenly wasn’t sure anymore.
As the doctor, Bai Mu Ning chose to believe Wen Jing. So, he followed his words and said, “It was indeed the right foot.”
He lifted his right foot and shifted his weight to the left, putting on a pained expression. “See? It hurts so much I can’t even tell left from right. Dr. Wen, you’re so attentive.”
Wen Jing let out a quiet “Oh,” then casually remarked, “You did say it was your left foot earlier. It was me who must’ve remembered wrong.”
Bai Mu Ning, who had already shifted his right foot: “…?”
You bad man, so devious.
Since his little trick had been mercilessly exposed, Bai Mu Ning decided to just drop the act. He stomped his feet twice and said, “All good now. Doesn’t hurt anymore. See you later.”
After saying this, he bolted toward the subway station without looking back.
Wen Jing was on a whole different level. The difficulty of this mission had just skyrocketed. If he actually managed to succeed in the future, he definitely needed to ask his employer for a raise.
Not long after, the sound of a car honking sounded beside him. Bai Mu Ning thought to himself: Who the hell keeps honking? So annoying.
He turned his head and saw Wen Jing looking at him with the window rolled down.
“Get in.”
“…?”
Bai Mu Ning said blankly, “Where to?”
If he remembered correctly, his plan to touch porcelain failed.
“Didn’t you say I had to take responsibility?” Wen Jing sounded a little impatient. “Get in the car. I’ll take responsibility.”
“…?”
Bai Mu Ning was momentarily stunned—then, deep inside, he laughed. Men are nothing more than this.
Got him.
Author’s Note:
Made up a set of Bai Mu Ning’s scolding but didn’t use them: “Do you think you’re calcium carbonate, or maybe you fancy yourself a diamond? In fact, you’re just ozone—no, sulfur dioxide is your true calling. Foul-smelling and poisonous.”
Translator notes:
That full-on Science jargon made my head hurt. Had to get help for this one–anyway, what this says was: You think you’re a diamond, or at least a somewhat useful (calcium carbonate)? But in reality, you’re just an unpleasant gas (ozone), no–worse. You’re sulfur dioxide, stinky and poisonous.
Let me know if this is correct XD