VFGRC Chapter 57

The handsome and noble appearance of Ji Rongyu was slightly tinged with a hint of exhaustion between his eyebrows, but his slender, elongated eyes shone astonishingly.

Yu Bai was stunned, “You… weren’t you supposed to go back to your hometown with your uncle and aunt for the New Year?”

It was only just past twelve o’clock, how could Ji Rongyu appear in his residential area?

Ji Rongyu replied, “Because…”

He had bought a plane ticket and returned from the capital city to J city, all because he wanted to see Yu Bai.

He missed Yu Bai.

“I’ve missed you.”

Unconsciously, Ji Rongyu slowed down his deep voice, as if he was coaxing, just like he usually did in front of Yu Bai.

Yu Bai had long gotten used to this; he thought it was just an excuse Ji Rongyu casually came up with.

Yu Bai laughed, “Is that true? Don’t we practically see each other every day? What’s there to miss? It’s too cheesy.”

Late at night. The hustle and bustle of the streets and alleys had long disappeared, replaced by tranquility.

Under the dim streetlamp, Ji Rongyu’s expression was obscure. He slightly lowered his eyelids, and the smile at the corners of his lips faded a bit.

Yu Bai took his lies as truth but treated his truths as lies.

This feeling… was truly uncomfortable.

A gust of cold wind swept by.

Yu Bai’s upper body trembled slightly.

Before coming down to set off the fireworks with Xing Xing, Yu Bai had taken a shortcut.

He hadn’t put on a down jacket; he just wore a vest over his sweater and came downstairs.

Yu Bai felt that bringing Xing Xing to set off fireworks wouldn’t take too much time either way.

Unexpectedly, without realizing it, he had been downstairs for over an hour and still hadn’t gone back up.

After being blown by the cold wind for a while, Yu Bai’s body felt chilly.

Every move Yu Bai made fell into Ji Rongyu’s eyes.

“Put this on.”

Ji Rongyu’s voice sounded.

Yu Bai asked, “But what about you…”

“I have a thick sweater inside; I’m not afraid of the cold.”

Immediately after, a coat with a faint hint of mint fragrance draped over Yu Bai’s shoulders.

The coat still retained Ji Rongyu’s body heat. When it enveloped Yu Bai, it gave him a sensation –

As if Ji Rongyu had opened his arms and tightly embraced him, then warmed his body…

Yu Bai’s white and jade-like earlobes turned slightly rosy, luckily the sky was too dark for Ji Rongyu behind him to see.

“Thank you.” Yu Bai adjusted Ji Rongyu’s coat, “It’s too cold, let’s…”

Yu Bai’s fingertips brushed against Ji Rongyu’s warm and hot palm.

Unexplainably, Yu Bai’s earlobes turned a shade redder.

Ji Rongyu didn’t notice Yu Bai’s anomaly; his attention was solely on the somewhat chilly tips of Yu Bai’s fingers.

Ji Rongyu  furrowed his brows, “Let me warm your hands…”

Before Ji Rongyu’s hands could reach Yu Bai’s, an annoyingly delightful snowball in shades of white squeezed itself between them.

“Daddy, let me warm your hands!”

With twinkling eyes and quick hands, he grasped both of Yu Bai’s hands.

Xing Xing was wearing more clothes, and after being active for so long, his small body was like a little furnace, radiating warmth.

Xing Xing’s warm little hands were gentle and soft, nestled in Yu Bai’s palms; the comfort was beyond words!

“Oops! Daddy, why are your hands so cold!” Xing Xing’s tiny eyebrows furrowed, “You told me earlier to wear more clothes to avoid catching a cold. But why did you wear so little and come downstairs? You might catch a cold too!”

Catching a cold could lead to a fever, and with a fever comes painful shots and bitter medicines. Plus, you can’t eat delicious food, only bland and tasteless meals three times a day…

After a dreadful experience of being sick, Xing Xing took extra care of his body. He didn’t want to get sick again and worry his dad like before.

But…

“Daddy, if you catch a cold and get sick, I’ll worry about you too! When I worry about you, I can’t eat or drink properly, and my chubby little face will turn thin like bones!” Xing Xing touched his own cheek, earnestly saying, “So Daddy, you need to take care of yourself too!”

Watching his little one chattering away like an old man, lecturing him about taking care of his health and wearing warm clothes, Yu Bai’s heart grew warmer and warmer.

It wasn’t until Yu Bai kept repeating, “I know, I know,” that Xing Xing finally stopped babbling.

Xing Xing then stuffed his warm little hands back into Yu Bai’s palms.

After sitting like this for a little while, Yu Bai’s body gradually transitioned from cold to warm.

“Daddy, let’s go back home soon!” Xing Xing said, “It’s warmer at home. Even though we’re wearing thick clothes, sitting here for too long can still make us catch a cold.”

“Alright, let’s go back up now.”

With slightly heated fingertips, Yu Bai affectionately brushed against Xing Xing’s small nose.

Yu Bai turned to Ji Rongyu, “And you…”

Would you like to come up and sit for a while?

“I rushed out and forgot to bring my house keys,” Ji Rongyu blinked, “My parents won’t be back until the third day of the new year. So, I…”

Yu Bai understood Ji Rongyu’s implication, “Then you can stay at my place for these few days.”

While Yu Bai’s place was small, they could manage to accommodate three people. It was still better than Ji Rongyu staying in a budget hotel outside.

After all… Ji Rongyu’s family wasn’t well off.

Seeing Ji Rongyu hastily return from his hometown to J city on New Year’s Eve, without even bringing his house keys, Yu Bai felt like he had somewhat figured out the reason for Ji Rongyu’s sudden return.

The clock on the wall indicated it was already two in the morning.

After a simple wash-up, Xing Xing collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep. He didn’t react at all when Yu Bai left the bedroom and closed the door.

This was the first time Yu Bai had seen Xing Xing sleep so soundly. Clearly, today’s activities had worn Xing Xing out.

Holding a bundle of blankets and a pillow, Yu Bai walked to the living room.

He placed the blankets and pillow on the sofa and automatically arranged them for Ji Rongyu.

With a dry towel in hand, Ji Rongyu approached Yu Bai while drying his damp hair.

Yu Bai said, “Did you come back suddenly because you had a disagreement with your parents or relatives?”

Ji Rongyu’s motion of drying his hair paused for a moment.

He countered, “How did you know?”

Yu Bai smiled, “You have a good temper, and you usually handle things maturely…”

Hearing Yu Bai’s words, Ji Rongyu couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt.

Ji Rongyu, whether in front of family, subordinates, or competitors, always carried an air of arrogance, rarely smiled, and maintained a certain distance from others.

Except for Yu Bai.

Only when facing Yu Bai did Ji Rongyu reveal a different facet of his personality.

“So, very few things can actually rattle you, unless… let me guess,” Yu Bai raised an eyebrow slightly, “I remember you’re a bit older than me, right? Could it be… you’re getting pressured to get married?”

Forgive Yu Bai, who was a loner in his past life and was solely taken care of by his grandmother in this life.

Yu Bai’s grandmother was someone who didn’t hold onto her seniority, casually meddling in the lives of her grandchildren.

So, don’t even mention pressuring him to get married; Yu Bai hadn’t even experienced pressure to study.

Of course, Yu Bai also had his own sense of responsibility for his studies.

Although Yu Bai hadn’t experienced it himself, he had come across numerous stories online about unfortunate souls pestered by friends and family while trying to focus on their studies or personal lives.

And the topic of getting pressured to marry was one of the most common ones, especially for young single men and women of marriageable age.

Having spent so much time with Ji Rongyu, Yu Bai also knew that Ji Rongyu who was older than him, had never been married, and had a blank slate in terms of romantic experiences.

So, it was inevitable that Ji Rongyu would face pressure to get married.

Listening to Yu Bai’s guess, a hint of surprise appeared in Ji Rongyu’s expression.

Indeed, Ji Rongyu had left his home in a hurry not only because he wanted to see Yu Bai, but also to avoid being dragged into arranged meetings by his parents.

As the sole unmarried senior male of the Ji family, “arranged meetings” were a perennial topic during every family gathering he attended.

However, in Ji Rongyu’s view, liking someone required fate.

If fate didn’t align, even if he went on countless arranged meetings, it would all be in vain.

He might as well… stay with Yu Bai. He could enjoy the delicious dishes Yu Bai cooked every day, engage in intellectual battles with Yu Bai’s little one, and feel completely at ease.

“That’s about right.”

“I knew it,” Yu Bai sat down on the bed after arranging the blankets, “But you’re indeed not that young anymore. Haven’t you considered what you’ll do in the future?”

Regarding the future… Ji Rongyu hadn’t really thought about it a year ago.

In the past, he was a person with extremely low desires.

Wealth, power, fame – he already had them all.

Ji Rongyu, a long time ago, didn’t have anything particularly desired.

Only… Ji Rongyu’s sensitive, capable-of-savoring-all-flavors tongue brought a slight fluctuation to his otherwise bland life.

The delightful flavors of food blossoming on his taste buds would grant Ji Rongyu an uncommon, tiny bit of pleasure.

Turning his interests into work, Ji Rongyu had become an unwavering “workaholic.”

As for those emotions that required time and were overwhelmingly troublesome, Ji Rongyu was reluctant to get involved.

Ji Rongyu had two older brothers and two older sisters, and each of his siblings had a bunch of children…

On ordinary days, just dealing with his siblings and nieces and nephews was already exhausting all his energy. How could Ji Rongyu have the energy to engage in a time-consuming and draining romance?

He could hardly catch up with the youngsters; how could he even think about marriage and having children?

However… just when Ji Rongyu thought he would persist in a solitary life until old age, his life unconsciously reached a turning point.

“As for the future? I’ve been considering it lately,” Ji Rongyu lowered his gaze, “I want to find someone I love and marry, have children…”

These days, as he interacted with Yu Bai and his son, he couldn’t help but notice the constant and undeniable display of affection between the father and son.

They cared for each other, cherished each other, and their eyes held nothing but each other.

If Yu Bai’s wife hadn’t met with an unfortunate incident, perhaps the completeness of Yu Bai’s family would have been even warmer and more harmonious…

Whenever he thought about this, Ji Rongyu’s heart would inexplicably be filled with mixed emotions.

He felt both envious and jealous.