Time flies, seasons change, and the leaves of the plane trees on both sides of the road turn yellow and fall.
Back then, Yan Qing had a flourishing career and love life, becoming a top-tier celebrity in the entertainment industry. Today was supposed to be a celebration arranged by the company for Yan Qing, but he arrived to find an empty place with only a message on his phone.
Seems like the main character didn’t show up, leaving them wondering what to do. But considering Yan Qing’s contributions to the company this year, they decided to let him be.
In a dark car on the street, Yan Qing is surprised to find his partner, Wen Jueli, returning unexpectedly. Wen Jueli, with his distant demeanor, reassures Yan Qing that he can make it to the online event after returning home.
Yan Qing is both amused and annoyed by Wen Jueli’s unexpected return, but it turns out he came back because he missed Yan Qing.
As Yan Qing contemplates a gift for Wen Jueli, he stumbles upon some unconventional items online. The realization hits him that despite their closeness, they haven’t taken their relationship to the next level.
As Yan Qing thinks about it, he gathers the courage to ask Wen Jueli if they can share a bed tonight. However, when they finally get into bed, nothing happens.
Yan Qing, after some thought, turned over and nestled into Wen Jueli’s embrace. Looking at the colorful starry sky and moon outside the window, he raised his face and said earnestly, “I meant just sleeping, you know.”
“We’re already married. You like me, and I like you. We lie in bed together, and you don’t have any thoughts about me?”
Wen Jueli, who usually answered Yan Qing’s questions promptly, fell into an unusual silence.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Is it that I’m not attractive to you?”
Wen Jueli really considered covering Yan Qing’s mouth. What had he seen online to come up with such thoughts?
Luckily, it was dark, and Yan Qing couldn’t see Wen Jueli’s reddening ears.
After a moment of contemplation, Wen Jueli said, “No, it’s just not the right time.”
“What do you mean?” Yan Qing asked, puzzled.
Wen Jueli calmly explained, “Because you’re not clear about what happened before. Our separation had reasons, and blindly advancing our relationship now would be irresponsible.”
Confused, Yan Qing asked, “What happened? Will it be responsible after I recover my memories?”
Wen Jueli straightened his lips, “Not exactly, it’s just not the right time.”
Yan Qing quipped, “Is it something serious and strange that happened before? So, are we being responsible now and planning to be even more responsible later after recovering my memories?”
Wen Jueli’s lips tightened at Yan Qing’s words.
Yan Qing was right; this relationship was originally based on deception.
Feeling the unusual atmosphere behind him, Yan Qing raised his face and asked, “What’s wrong? Don’t be so serious; I was just joking. Even if we had arguments before, it’s okay. I’m a big person, and I won’t hold grudges!”
“And whatever serious things you’ve done to me, how serious can they be? Did you bankrupt my family or something?”
“Alright, let’s sleep. I’m tired too.”
Grabbing Wen Jueli’s hand, Yan Qing said, “I suddenly feel like I said something weird earlier. Don’t take it too seriously. I don’t insist on us taking our relationship to the next level; I was just wondering if there’s an issue on your end. If there is, we can see a doctor together. And I like you; I’ll accept all your flaws.”
Wen Jueli remained silent.
“Give it a try.”
“Really?”
In no time, Yan Qing felt like he had fallen into an unexpected situation. It wasn’t the passionate encounter he imagined. He just needed to lie on the bed, gaze low, and watch the person in front of him show an absurdly submissive side like never before.
Wen Jueli went abroad again for filming, and due to time zones and work issues, they could only communicate through messages.
On the way home, Kan Hai suddenly said, “What’s happening up ahead? It looks so lively.”
The driver replied, “Seems like someone is proposing.”
Proposing?
As the car drove a bit further, Yan Qing pulled back the curtain and could see a lively scene where a group of people surrounded a couple in a starry and romantic setting.
It really was a proposal.
Yan Qing couldn’t help but watch for a while, thinking, ‘Proposals are nice. If I regain my memory, maybe I’ll remember how Wen Jueli proposed to me.’
Wait, according to his personality and the original intention of their arranged marriage agreement, they should have gone straight to register their marriage. Nevertheless, it didn’t matter. With such a handsome and gentle husband, what more did he need?
During Wen Jueli’s absence, Yan Qing was truly bored. Fortunately, the company had arranged a few weeks of vacation for him to rest at home. On the way home, he lazily scrolled through his phone, and when the driver dropped him off at the entrance of the residential area, Yan Qing suddenly came across a hot search—saying that the headquarters was starting to crack down on marketing accounts.
Out of boredom, he decided to check it out and discovered some surprising comments:
[Help! Why do I see the paparazzi who once claimed that Wen Jueli actively pursued Yan Qing in trouble too!]
[What does this mean? Are they being banned because they were fake? Was it all just a marketing stunt claiming that Mr. Wen pursued someone?]
[Are the two of them just in a contractual relationship???]
[What are you all talking about? I can’t figure it out.]
[Sisters, I figured it out. Those banned accounts were all popular entertainment influencers who gained fame by kissing the couple! This means that Mr. Wen may not have actively pursued Yan Qing, and those alleged love diaries were probably fake. They might have been in a contractual relationship.”]
[Exactly! I always found it strange. Why was there no gossip before, but suddenly after confirming their relationship, a bunch of ‘evidence’ about their love life was released? Were they all just made up by marketing accounts??]
The news protagonist, Yan Qing, was left confused by these discussions. What did they mean by Wen Jueli not actively pursuing him being fake?
Moreover, Yan Qing even found the love nest of the couple in the banned marketing accounts.
Yan Qing: “…”
His brain was overloaded, and he felt the need to digest all this information at home. Walking quickly to his apartment, he was about to open the door when someone called, “Wait, don’t close the door yet.”
Turning around, Yan Qing saw a vaguely familiar face, someone he might have encountered in the neighborhood before. Thinking it was a neighbor from the same building, he held the door for him.
“Thank you so much.”
“No problem…”
Yan Qing reminded, “The elevator is out of order. We’ll have to climb to the third floor. The property said it would be fixed tomorrow morning. We can take the stairs for now.”
“…” The person replied, “Sure, thank you!”
With his mind occupied, Yan Qing wasn’t in the mood for more conversation. He nodded and intended to climb the stairs.
In a daze, he climbed one step when—
Click!
The sound of a camera shutter.
Yan Qing looked down and saw the person from before holding a camera, pointing it at him.
It was then that he truly saw the person’s face and realized he seemed to be… Wen Jueli’s paparazzi?
Upon being discovered, the investigator angrily put down the camera, walked up briskly, and shouted, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Please don’t call the police!”
Confused and startled, Yan Qing hurriedly ran forward, but he missed a step, and everything went black in front of him.
“Yan Qing, Yan Qing.”
Yan Qing felt a headache coming on. When he woke up, he saw Kan Hai anxiously calling his name.
Seeing that Yan Qing was truly awake, the doctor arrived at the right time to conduct an examination. After confirming there were no major issues, Kan Hai breathed a sigh of relief.
But looking at Yan Qing’s bewildered expression, Kan Hai couldn’t help but ask, “Do you remember what happened?”
There was a dull pain at the back of Yan Qing’s head. Something felt off, like there was a missing piece in his mind. After gathering his thoughts, he shook his head and said, “Not clear… It seems like someone chased me up the stairs.”
Kan Hai sighed in relief, remembering was good; at least, he didn’t lose his memory like last time.
He said, “Last night, you were chased by a paparazzi. It’s said that you stepped on an empty space and fell down the stairs. Originally, that guy wanted to escape, but luckily, other neighbors saw it. It’s damn annoying. What kind of property security allows even paparazzi to enter the building?”
Paparazzi?
“As long as you’re okay. You really scared me…”
Yan Qing weakly leaned on the bed, feeling like he had seen this scene somewhere, but he couldn’t recall.
At this moment, another person walked in. Kan Hai immediately stood up, “Mr. Wen.”
Wen Jueli rushed from the airport, with disheveled hair flying behind him. His usual cold expression now carried a trace of concern.
Concern?
Yan Qing doubted he had misunderstood. Seeing Wen Jueli here, he was shocked, “Wen, Wen Jueli? Why are you here?”
Kan Hai thought Yan Qing was surprised by his appearance and explained, “Mr. Wen knew you were hospitalized, so he rushed back by plane overnight. Mr. Wen, rest assured, Yan Qing is fine. The doctor said he just needs more rest.”
Yan Qing, however, was bewildered by this unexpected encounter. He looked at Kan Hai anxiously, as if not understanding what he was saying. Just as he was lost in confusion, Wen Jueli unexpectedly said, “Kan Hai, could you step out for a moment? I’d like to talk to Yan Qing alone.”
Kan Hai was perceptive and quickly left, closing the door behind him.
Once Yan Qing saw Kan Hai leave, he sighed in relief and looked at Wen Jueli with a puzzled expression, “I thought we agreed not to reveal our connection or engagement. Why are you here now? Are you afraid of Kan Hai… Wait, how does he even know you?”
Wen Jueli, with a complex look in his eyes, pondered for a while before saying, “You’ve really regained your memory?”
“What are you talking about?”
If someone suddenly told you that you had traveled back in time, nine months ahead, what would your reaction be?
The former Yan Qing would have thought the person asking this question was exceptionally clever, as there was no such thing as time travel in real life. Until he witnessed his old, worn-out phone being replaced with a new one worth almost five figures and checked the date on the calendar, he reluctantly accepted this reality.
No, more precisely, he had lost all memories of the past nine months.
Originally, Wen Jueli was the person who knew best what had happened during those nine months. However, Yan Qing had suffered too much shock and only remembered having an argument with Wen Jueli a few days ago. How could he bring himself to ask him?
After chasing everyone away, he didn’t hide anything and directly told Kan Hai about his amnesia.
Kan Hai’s face looked like he had constipation.
Ah, how did he lose his memory again?
So, he had no choice but to explain everything he knew to Yan Qing. After being bombarded with a bunch of information, Yan Qing felt terrified. He and Wen Jueli were on a dating variety show and had become somewhat famous?
If you hadn’t experienced it yourself, you would find it unbelievable.
People are somewhat superstitious. Yan Qing desperately tried to remember something, but every time he attempted to think, his head would ache, so he had no choice but to stop and lie in the hospital for a few days.
On the day of his discharge, Kan Hai came to pick him up.
Since the news hadn’t leaked yet, Yan Qing was fully armed when leaving the hospital, seated in a luxurious car he had never dared to dream of before.
After his family went bankrupt, he hadn’t sat in such a car. He couldn’t get used to it, “Where are we going?”
Kan Hai: “Home.”
Yan Qing: “Oh… Wait, whose home are we going to?”
Kan Hai: “Of course, it’s your home. Mr. Wen told me he had something to do and couldn’t come to pick you up.”
Yan Qing: “… My home with Wen Jueli?”
Despite the disdain from everyone for the lovey-dovey version of himself and Wen Jueli during his memory loss, once he returned home, Yan Qing inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity. Everywhere in the house, there were traces of his life with someone else.
Whether it was shoes, cushions, tableware, or group photos… They all told Yan Qing how happy he had been with Wen Jueli.
But this didn’t affect Yan Qing’s desire to move. In his eyes, just a few days ago, he had a heated argument with Wen Jueli. Moreover, the person who had ignored him for so many years, how could he suddenly fall in love with him?
Yet, upon returning home, Yan Qing surprisingly felt a bit emotional and sensed that something was missing.
Yan Qing pondered and consoled himself, “It must be because of money… Living with Wen Jueli, canceling the previous rented house, how can I still find such a cheap and affordable place now…”
But then he suddenly remembered that he was a top-tier celebrity now. Yan Qing hurried to the bank to check his balance, and when he looked at it, he nearly rolled his eyes.
With this amount in his savings, he wouldn’t have to worry about staying in a five-star hotel for the rest of his life!
This substantial savings made Yan Qing, for the first time, feel that there might be some good aspects to losing his memory.
So, Yan Qing moved into a five-star hotel in the afternoon after just moving to a new house in the morning.
During his days in the hospital, he had thought about some things, but due to medical advice, he couldn’t access electronic devices and couldn’t get information from the outside world. Therefore, the first thing Yan Qing did after arriving at the hotel was to open his phone and research what had happened during his memory loss.
He first watched the official edited version of the reality show.
Because it was the first variety show where he and Wen Jueli publicly “teamed up,” he wanted to see what tricks Wen Jueli had played during his memory loss, leading him to be deceived and brought home, turning into some kind of model national couple…
Opening the program, everything seemed fine.
Yan Qing occasionally felt excited about cooperating with his idol as a guest, but when he saw himself and Wen Jueli in the frame together, his big smiling face collapsed.
What’s going on?
Why… was he so devoted to Wen Jueli? Huh?
Yan Qing’s current state was in the process of recovering memories but not fully restored. Four days had passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, Wen Jueli had sent him messages and calls, but he ignored them all, just because his performance on the show was too embarrassing!
Although he avoided it on the first day, he couldn’t avoid it on the second. Yan Qing received a notice that the reality show was starting early.
The boss was still as cunning as a businessman. Even though he knew Yan Qing had lost his memory, he still smilingly asked him to fulfill the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for sweet couple interaction.
Yan Qing: “…”
A burst of birdsong and floral fragrance.
Making Yan Qing act like a loving husband with Wen Jueli was somewhat challenging for him. Especially when the guests on the show kept cueing them.
Fortunately, Wen Jueli would help answer those questions at the right time. So, even though their physical interactions were reduced, overall, they wouldn’t be noticed too much.
It was a competitive variety show, and Yan Qing had never participated in such a program before, so he felt awkward and at a loss. Especially when the only person he recognized, Wen Jueli, was assigned to the opposing team.
Surprisingly, Wen Jueli’s luck was excellent, and they won all the way. In the later competitive projects, Yan Qing tried his best to avoid facing Wen Jueli. However, when they finally encountered each other, Wen Jueli… unexpectedly went easy on him.
Why did it feel different?
Wen Jueli’s changes weren’t limited to this. Yan Qing also noticed that recently, the snacks he liked had been delivered to him on set, with his name written on the packages. Occasionally, Wen Jueli even sent him a prepared lunch box. At first, Yan Qing could refuse, but after coincidentally taking a bite one day, he couldn’t stop eating…
It was really strange.
In these days, two versions of Wen Jueli were constantly fighting in Yan Qing’s mind.
One was the Wen Jueli who was indifferent to him and allowed his family to mistreat him. The other was the gentle, considerate, and skilled cook who sent love-packed lunch boxes.
This made him genuinely miserable. Taking advantage of the opportunity when Wen Jueli sent another loving lunch box, he directly called him to meet.
Between him and Wen Jueli, there wasn’t much of a grievance.
When they obtained the marriage certificate, Yan Qing knew it was for business interests. Although he didn’t know where the benefit came from after the bankruptcy of the Yan family, he truly lacked emotions. Therefore, Wen Jueli had always been cold to him, and he never said anything. Until last month, or the early birthday banquet this year, he personally heard about the behind-the-scenes manipulation that suppressed him in acting…
“I had someone suppress your acting, all for you. You like filming and staying outside all the time, and you both haven’t come home for two months or half a year. What’s the point of your marriage? As long as we suppress his acting, let him know he doesn’t have the talent to earn a living from it.”
After meeting with Wen Jueli.
Yan Qing directly brought up this matter. Wen Jueli’s face didn’t show any surprise.
“You’ve known about this for a long time, right? Why have you never told me? Are you silently consenting to what your grandfather did?”
Yan Qing felt like he had written “The Wen family is heartless” all over his face.
“No, I only found out about it at that time too.” Wen Jueli’s gaze remained locked with Yan Qing’s, his tone soft, with a hint of grievance.
Yan Qing squinted, not falling for the act of innocence.
Perhaps knowing Yan Qing wouldn’t believe him, Wen Jueli slowly opened the long-unused recording on his phone. In the recording, there was a gentle sound of a door opening, followed by the voice of an elderly person, “You’re here?”
“Today, I overheard you talking on the phone, saying that all the scenes Yan Qing filmed were suppressed by you?”
“Is that a problem? It’s for the best, isn’t it?”
The rest of the recording matched what Yan Qing had heard.
Yan Qing was momentarily speechless. “If you had a recording, why didn’t you let me listen to it?”
“But back then, you didn’t want to hear my explanation…”
Wen Jueli even started to play the pitiful card.
This made Yan Qing feel like he was dealing with someone unreasonable. He said sternly, “But even if you didn’t know, what difference does it make? In the end, it was still because your grandfather wanted me to stay by your side. He wasted so much of my effort and sacrifice. I originally didn’t need to live such a strenuous life.”
Facing the familiar yet unfamiliar Wen Jueli, Yan Qing didn’t know how to handle this situation. He wearily touched the back of his neck and said, “Forget it. Forget it. I won’t argue with you, but I haven’t figured out how to face you. For now, don’t come to me or talk to me.”
Leaving these words behind, Yan Qing left in a carefree manner.
However, solving this issue that had been bothering him for so long seemed too simple. It felt a bit surreal.
Watching Yan Qing’s figure leave casually, Wen Jueli silently put his phone back into his pocket.
He still hasn’t been forgiven.
If he had disclosed the truth from the beginning, perhaps many unnecessary troubles could have been avoided.
“Sorry.”
After all, they were currently in a public relationship; it wasn’t possible to avoid cooperating.
Today, Yan Qing and Wen Jueli were scheduled to participate in charity work at an orphanage. If he truly resisted, it wouldn’t be too severe. Given that the issue of suppressing acting had been resolved, Yan Qing’s impression of Wen Jueli was still quite good, especially after watching the later episodes of the edited reality show, he couldn’t help but fall into it.
During the charity event, Yan Qing found himself inevitably drawn to Wen Jueli’s eyes.
He knew about Wen Jueli’s background. In the following events, Yan Qing saw Wen Jueli interact friendly with the children. He seemed to have changed a lot from Yan Qing’s memory, appearing even gentler and softer, without the previous aloofness.
After the activity, a few days later, Yan Qing rewatched the edited reality show.
Since it wasn’t a 24-hour broadcast, the program only included the sweetest and most tension-filled shots of the guest couple, so Yan Qing felt that he and Wen Jueli surprisingly looked very compatible…
Ding dong —
Yan Qing pressed the doorbell of Wen Jueli’s house.
Wen Jueli looked surprised. “Why are you here?”
Before coming, Yan Qing drank a bottle of fruit wine to boost his courage. “Can’t I be here? Why haven’t you come to find me?”
Wen Jueli let Yan Qing in, and Yan Qing, without thinking, naturally sat on the sofa.
He said, “Didn’t you tell me not to come and find you?”
Yan Qing replied, “You really follow orders well.”
With a smile on his face, Yan Qing felt somewhat angry in his heart. He didn’t know why he was upset, but he sat on the sofa, hugging a pillow he hadn’t hugged before but was familiar with. Especially when Wen Jueli went to the refrigerator and brought out pre-cut fruits, as if he anticipated Yan Qing would come to find him.
Yan Qing looked at him. “Wen Jueli, do you really not like me? If you don’t like me, why do you treat me so well? Obviously, there are no live cameras on your face now. Why still act this way?”
“Don’t spout nonsense about liking me. If you really like me, during interviews and such, why is it always me actively talking and seeking interaction?”
Yes, Yan Qing was complaining, complaining about his past behavior of being a sycophant!
Unexpectedly, Wen Jueli’s answer was more straightforward and sincere than he imagined. “Because I didn’t like you very much back then. Sometimes, I also didn’t understand why you cooperated so much and pretended to like me.”
Yan Qing: “…”
“It’s not that I didn’t like the me back then, but I don’t like the me now.”
Wen Jueli: “No, I like you.”
“Sorry for making your past few years unpleasant due to my grandfather. I’ll…”
“Never mind. I’ve actually stopped caring about those things a long time ago.” Looking at the man in front of him, Yan Qing got a bit bold. “Anyway, both of them are me.”
And he leaned in for a kiss.
Since then, Yan Qing sometimes couldn’t understand how he suddenly started liking Wen Jueli. It was strange, but on second thought, not that surprising. After all, the guy was handsome, caring, a good cook, quick to apologize, and surprisingly romantic.
He thought life could continue peacefully like this until one day, Yan Qing lost his memory again.
Lying in the familiar hospital, looking at a familiar face, he asked, “Who are you?”
Wen Jueli: “…”
Yan Qing: “Oh, my husband.”
Oh, it wasn’t amnesia; instead, he had regained all his memories.
This time, the accident occurred when he fainted on the set and miraculously recovered all his memories after waking up. The doctor diagnosed it as low blood sugar, giving Yan Qing the chance to take it easy in the hospital, sleeping and playing with his phone.
While playing with his phone, he suddenly remembered the incident with the marketing account “last night.” Because his memories had just returned and were a bit unfamiliar, it took him about half an hour to recall the whole story. He immediately searched the internet and, unsurprisingly, found that the entertainment account that had initially promoted Wen Jueli’s active pursuit of him had been banned. This meant that from the beginning, the beginning of this relationship was all his self-hype, the marketing account’s imagination… and he could still see black fans mocking him for this.
Yan Qing: Can I find a place to hang myself now?
In the evening, Yan Qing decided to come clean.
At that moment, he felt complicated and confused. He felt that he had really fallen into Wen Jueli’s hands in his life, whether it was his 1.0 version or 2.0 version, both liked him. But mainly, he couldn’t get over the fact that he had deceived himself.
He directly asked, “When did you fall in love with me?”
Wen Jueli: “During the show.”
Yan Qing sneered, realizing it was different from what the marketing account said. Thinking about it, he also remembered his own daydreams during the show, feeling awkward to the point that he might as well dig a hole.
Yan Qing took a sip of white wine. “Too bad, I don’t like you at all now.”
“Because our relationship started from a misunderstanding and mistake. Since the misunderstanding and mistake were fake, our relationship shouldn’t have happened! Well, I’ve already asked for leave from the company and plan to go to the Maldives for a few months. Don’t come looking for me.”
Wen Jueli didn’t say anything.
Yan Qing, holding his packed luggage, said, “I’m leaving.”
When he reached the door, he found Wen Jueli still sitting on the sofa, motionless. He frowned. Why isn’t he stopping me?
He said again, “I’m really leaving!”
This time, Wen Jueli finally acted, grabbing Yan Qing’s hand and asking, “Everything you said was fake. What do you mean?”
Yan Qing’s heart was beating rapidly. How could he say it?
Pretending to be indifferent, he said, “Of course, it’s because you don’t love me. Since you never loved me, and I mistook it for love, I should leave now.”
Wen Jueli: “So, you don’t love me now?”
This question was quite tricky.
Yan Qing knew he was just trying to test the waters, easing the excessive brain imagining he did back then.
Wen Jueli: “Actually, I liked you a long time ago.”
“You didn’t know me then. I could see you even on the bus… and I also saw you on stage during a theater performance.”
Yan Qing was stunned, his heart skipping a beat. How could Wen Jueli have known him back then? He had no idea.
“Cough, okay, fine. I actually like you too. But I’m leaving not because I don’t like you anymore, but because I don’t want to hurt your feelings.” He tried to stay tough.
“What feelings?”
“Down there.”
-End-
Epilogue:
After everything was settled, Yan Qing remembered how embarrassing he was when he was entangled with Wen Jueli’s identity. However, at that time, there was already a foundation of affection between them. Wen Jueli’s calm and composed response made Yan Qing think he lacked charm, so he deliberately teased him. Little did he know that he had actually scored…1TL: We have finally reached the end of [ALHM] YQ and WJL’s story T^T Thank you for reading my Translation and please support the OG Author on jjwxc in any form of support for making this wonderful novel. Although we know the ending was quite rushed, the story was still lovely and fun to read. Anyways, I love you all guys 💜 Have a nice day everyday! 😘 2TL: P.S. I have uploaded this translation originally from another site but decided to transfer it here on KnoxT. So, that’s why I’ve done my best to upload this novel manually every chapter within the day 😆 Anyway, thank you for reading^ 💜
