The moment Xu Chenghao saw Li Nian’s expression, he had a bad feeling. He suddenly remembered something, glanced at Jing Yicheng, and asked, “Right, I still haven’t asked how much Li Nian spent on the trip.”
Jing Yicheng replied, “The assistant handled that, I didn’t ask.”
Xu Chenghao schemed a bit. “Why don’t you ask later? If he spent too much, I’ll make him work overtime to pay it back.”
Jing Yicheng chuckled, “It’s fine. He took care of you while I wasn’t around, so I should be the one paying for it.”
Xu Chenghao agreed, “That’s true… But I didn’t expect you to bring this up on your own. Does this mean you’re no longer upset?”
Jing Yicheng’s smile faded. “No, I’m just addressing the matter at hand.”
That’s right. To this day, he still couldn’t stand the two “black months” after he left. He always felt that the two months he had lost were the most despised part of his life. But no matter how much he hated it, he couldn’t erase the existence of those months, nor could he deny the contributions of others during that time. So, he could only treat it as a reminder to himself, ensuring that such a situation would never happen again. Only then could he find some peace of mind.
As for those who dared to make a move back then, their punishment wasn’t over yet.
Just as Jing Yicheng’s expression shifted, Xu Chenghao lifted his chin and gave him a comforting kiss, saying, “Don’t overthink it.”
Jing Yicheng’s mood instantly shifted from icy cold to the warmth of spring. He grabbed the back of Xu Chenghao’s head and kissed him back, reluctantly letting him go after a long moment. “As long as you’re here, I won’t overthink things.”
Xu Chenghao stroked his face gently. “I’m here.”
Just as Jing Yicheng was about to smile, a thought crossed his mind, and his expression fell. “But your parents don’t like me…”
This was a truly frustrating situation. Originally, they had planned to officially visit Xu Chenghao’s family during the Ruan family’s full-month celebration as a way to make their relationship known. But things didn’t go according to plan—they were discovered too early, and Jing Yicheng’s performance had been terrible, leading to an outright rejection.
Although Xu Chenghao reassured him that it didn’t matter and that their visit plan would remain unchanged, Jing Yicheng was already aware of Xu Chenghao’s parents’ stance, which only made him more worried about how things would go when they actually visited.
What worried him the most, though, was Xu Chenghao’s attitude. Jing Yicheng was deeply concerned that Xu Chenghao might be pressured by his family into breaking up with him or, worse, end up marrying someone else under their arrangement. After all, that’s how things always played out in TV dramas. Jing Yicheng firmly believed that art imitates life, so he was convinced this was a real possibility.
After hearing all of Jing Yicheng’s concerns, Xu Chenghao nearly burst out laughing. “Enough! What on earth are you thinking? All that nonsense… I’m independent and responsible, and my parents are open-minded—they would never force me to act out of some misguided sense of filial duty. Where did you even get that idea?”
Jing Yicheng remained serious. “Just because they haven’t before doesn’t mean they won’t in the future. You never know.”
Xu Chenghao said, “Then I promise you, something like that will never happen. Do you trust me?”
Jing Yicheng replied, “I trust you.”
“Exactly. Since you trust me, stop scaring yourself,” Xu Chenghao reassured him.
Jing Yicheng had nothing to say, so he silently lowered his head and focused on his work. Though he still felt uneasy, Xu Chenghao’s promise had calmed him down a bit.
But just as his mood settled, Xu Chenghao’s phone started ringing. A quick glance showed that it was Mother Xu calling!
Jing Yicheng immediately tensed up. Even when Xu Chenghao got up to answer the call by the floor-to-ceiling window, Jing Yicheng followed closely behind, not letting his guard down.
Xu Chenghao gave him a helpless glance and answered the call, “Mom.”
Jing Yicheng couldn’t make out the voice on the other end, so he kept his eyes fixed on Xu Chenghao’s expression, determined not to miss any changes.
Xu Chenghao’s expression remained calm throughout the conversation, but his replies were all just “mm-hmm, okay, alright,” which naturally led Jing Yicheng to worry if he was holding back from saying more.
With that thought, Jing Yicheng’s heart sank. He stepped forward, hugged Xu Chenghao tightly, and buried his face in Xu Chenghao’s shoulder, refusing to let go.
Xu Chenghao, slightly distracted, patted Jing Yicheng’s head while continuing to respond to the call, his voice steady. “Okay, I got it.”
“Alright, bye.”
“……”
After hanging up the phone, Xu Chenghao put it away and was about to turn around to check Jing Yicheng’s expression, but he was suddenly hugged so tightly that he couldn’t move. “Jing Yicheng?”
“Mm,” Jing Yicheng responded softly.
Xu Chenghao patted his head. “Are you scared?”
Jing Yicheng didn’t reply, continuing to hold him tightly.
Xu Chenghao dropped his playful tone and said helplessly, “I told you to trust me. Do I really give you so little sense of security?”
After a long silence, Jing Yicheng nearly whispered, “But… I’m not worthy of you.”
“?”
Xu Chenghao was stunned, wanting to turn around and see his expression, but Jing Yicheng held onto him even tighter, not allowing him to move. Jing Yicheng’s voice was low, almost trembling as he continued, “Haohao, that’s what everyone thinks, and it’s how I feel too. That’s why I’m so uneasy, so afraid… because I don’t deserve you, yet I can’t bear to let you go.”
Xu Chenghao didn’t need to turn around to reach Jing Yicheng’s ear. He tugged at it playfully and pretended to scold, “Are you doubting my judgment?”
Jing Yicheng was startled. “What?”
Xu Chenghao said, “If you weren’t exceptional, why would I choose you as my boyfriend? I even introduced you to my family with plans to marry. Do you think I’m a fool or blind?”
Jing Yicheng muttered softly, “You’re a little fool.”
“Then you’re a big fool,” Xu Chenghao retorted, tugging on Jing Yicheng’s ear with mock annoyance. “Let go. Are you planning to strangle me?”
Jing Yicheng silently released Xu Chenghao, and when the person in his arms turned around to face him, he quickly wrapped his arms around his waist again.
Xu Chenghao leaned in, glanced at him closely, and teased, “Look at you, making progress. At least you didn’t cry this time.”
Jing Yicheng lowered his head, resting his forehead against Xu Chenghao’s. “You didn’t see it… I already cried earlier.”
Xu Chenghao scoffed, “Yeah, right. I don’t believe for a second that one phone call scared you this much. But don’t worry, my mom only called to tell me they’re back home, that’s it. Nothing else.”
Jing Yicheng frowned. “Nothing else? Isn’t that worse?”
Xu Chenghao sighed helplessly, “Fine, fine. If you need something said, then yes, she said something.”
Jing Yicheng immediately perked up. “What did she say?”
Xu Chenghao paused, then deadpanned, “She said you should visit me at home less often.”
Jing Yicheng: “…”
Xu Chenghao added, “You asked for it.”
Jing Yicheng had no comeback.
Seeing him go quiet, Xu Chenghao softened and reassured him, “My parents’ impression of you is still based on how things were in the past, so it’s normal for them to be cautious about your character and personality during the first meeting. Did you forget how, back when we first started working together, we were practically at each other’s throats?”
Jing Yicheng’s expression softened as he remembered something. “Back then, you used to knock on my head all the time.”
Xu Chenghao replied, “That’s only because you were so annoying.”
Jing Yicheng countered, “No, it was because you looked so cute when you were mad. I couldn’t resist teasing you.”
Xu Chenghao chuckled, “You even cried once, remember…”
As they continued chatting, they began playfully roasting each other, dragging out embarrassing memories until they both realized just how remarkable their relationship history was. From being rivals and enemies, they had somehow transformed into lovers—it was quite the journey.
With the conversation drifting into their shared past, Jing Yicheng quickly forgot his earlier anxiety, losing himself in the beauty of their love story. As Xu Chenghao had said, they were already legendary—would parental disapproval really be enough to stop their relationship from soaring?
Absolutely not!
So, as long as Jing Yicheng put in the effort, he was sure he could erase the “villain” image in the eyes of the Xu parents and replace it with that of a reliable and caring partner. He would make sure they trusted him enough to fully entrust Xu Chenghao to him!
In an instant, Jing Yicheng snapped out of his previous insecurity, now brimming with confidence. When he left the office, his new aura startled Li Nian, who thought for a second that Jing Yicheng was coming to beat him up—especially since he’d spent a hefty sum on lunch earlier.
After Jing Yicheng left, Li Nian lowered the documents in his hand and asked, “Is President Jing upset about something? He looked a bit different than usual.”
Xu Chenghao, surprised, replied, “What do you mean upset? He was clearly in a great mood.”
Li Nian exclaimed, “That was him happy???”
Xu Chenghao, completely assured, replied, “Yep, that’s what he looks like when he’s happy.”
Li Nian glanced again at the office door, still unable to reconcile the image of Jing Yicheng leaving with a stern face and an intense aura with the idea of “happy.” Was this just how people in love saw the world, filtering everything through rose-colored glasses?
Unable to understand it and not wanting to overthink, Li Nian shifted gears after discussing work. Casually, he asked, “So, how’s the family meeting prep going?”
Xu Chenghao twirled his pen. “Don’t even bring it up. Life’s unpredictable—plans never keep up with changes.”
Li Nian ventured a guess, “Did you guys get caught… living together?”
Xu Chenghao nodded deeply, twice.
Li Nian’s eyes widened. “Whoa… was it one of those scenes where your mom is sitting in the living room, and you two come out in towels?”
Xu Chenghao scoffed, “What do you think this is, a TV drama? No, we bumped into them when we came back home from outside…”
Xu Chenghao described the entire awkward encounter, and Li Nian struggled to hold back laughter. Since he’d just had a free lunch on Xu Chenghao’s dime, he restrained himself. After a moment, he finally said, “Poor President Jing.”
Just imagining the scene was cringe-worthy, especially given that Jing Yicheng had social anxiety, which made interacting with people hard enough as it was. The whole situation sounded like the kind of embarrassment that just reached peak awkwardness.
“But, hey, meeting the parents early isn’t that bad. Sooner or later, there’s bound to be some awkwardness—it just happened sooner rather than later,” Li Nian comforted. “Even if your parents aren’t on board right away, I’m sure it’s only temporary. They’re probably just stuck on Jing Yicheng’s old image. Give it some time, and they’ll come around.”
Xu Chenghao nodded. “That’s what I think too.”
Li Nian asked, “So, has he ever mentioned taking you to meet his family?”
Xu Chenghao hesitated. “He… hasn’t had a family since he was very young.”
Li Nian was shocked. “That bad?”
It was worse than that. In the original plot, the villain’s family situation was a complete mess. His father, in a drunken rage, accidentally killed his mother and then fled, abandoning his son. The young villain was kicked out by relatives and left to wander the streets for about two years before the police caught his father, and he was finally found and sent to an orphanage. The reason he entered the research institute was because he volunteered for an experiment.
Thinking about it, Xu Chenghao felt a pang of sympathy, but he knew he wasn’t supposed to have any knowledge of these details. Suppressing his emotions, he tried to sound calm. “I’m not entirely sure about the specifics.”
Li Nian pondered aloud, “Unfortunate family background, secretive work, social anxiety… Xu Chenghao, I have to remind you, even now you don’t really know much about him. If he disappears like last time, you still won’t have a way to find him.”
Xu Chenghao murmured, “He promised it wouldn’t happen again…”
Li Nian scoffed, “You’re a guy. Don’t you know how unreliable a man’s promises can be?”
Xu Chenghao replied, “I don’t know about other men, but I trust him.”
Li Nian sighed, “I hope he’s worthy of that trust, or else you’ll be the one crying in the end.”
Xu Chenghao scolded, “After the big meal you had this morning, is this how you repay me? Forgot who picked up the tab, did you?”
Li Nian retorted stubbornly, “I’m just looking out for you!”
Just as the words left his mouth, the office door swung open. Jing Yicheng strode in, glancing around the room. Li Nian immediately lowered his head and, in an overly serious tone, said, “President Xu, as you can see, this document outlines the company’s recent…”
T/N: Nian-ge, one day your mouth will send you to the grave ahahaha.
It just hit me Haohao really does love Cheng-ge…sob*
