AD Chapter 102

Translator: Lynn

This is the last chapter, thus I bring you this bonus chapter. Thank you for reading!

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“I don’t need you to pick me up,” Jiang Yuduo yawned over the phone. “I’ll manage my own way back.”

“It’s so convenient for me to drive to the airport and pick you up,” Cheng Ke said, lying on the bed. He picked up the cat from his pillow and tossed it onto Jiang Yuduo’s pillow. “No need to take a taxi or wait for a bus.”

“Aren’t you quite busy these days, Mr. Cheng?” Jiang Yuduo teased. “Don’t run away from your work.”

“Are you holding a grudge against me?” Cheng Ke playfully clicked his tongue.

Jiang Yuduo visited Dr. Li twice a year, and each time Cheng Ke would make time to accompany him. However, this year, with the recent opening of their fourth restaurant, Jiang Yuduo didn’t ask Cheng Ke to accompany him and went alone.

Cheng Ke wasn’t particularly worried. Jiang Yuduo had been in good health overall, with occasional minor fluctuations that could usually be stabilized within a few days with some adjustments. So, it wasn’t a major issue for him to go alone.

However, hearing Jiang Yuduo’s tone now, Cheng Ke couldn’t help feeling a bit uneasy.

“No grudges here,” Jiang Yuduo replied. “You’re a busy boss. Should I expect you to come and pick me up?”

“Enough of your nonsense,” Cheng Ke chuckled. “I’ll be waiting for you at the exit.”

“Alright, since you’re so sincere, then fine,” Jiang Yuduo agreed. Then, after a moment of thought, he asked, “Have you had any trouble while I’ve been away these past few days?”

“What kind of trouble could there be?” Cheng Ke replied with a smile.

“Didn’t you mention that Cheng Yi is back?” Jiang Yuduo inquired. “Knowing him, he’d probably want to visit every restaurant and boast about how much he cares for his brother.”

“I haven’t heard from him, and he hasn’t reached out to me either,” Cheng Ke explained. “We haven’t been in contact for several years, so I don’t see a reason for him to bother me now.”

“Well, when you pick me up tomorrow,” Jiang Yuduo said, “bring a bouquet of flowers.”

“… Flowers?” Cheng Ke was surprised.

“Aren’t you planning to give me flowers on our anniversary?” Jiang Yuduo reminded him.

Cheng Ke was caught off guard. “I do know about our anniversary…”

“Flowers,” Jiang Yuduo insisted.

“Alright, flowers it is,” Cheng Ke agreed.

Tomorrow marks the sixth anniversary of their meeting and the anniversary of their very first argument.

This anniversary was something Cheng Ke had casually mentioned when they first got together. However, Jiang Yuduo took it quite seriously, and three years had passed since then.

But it was their first time celebrating it together.

Originally, Cheng Ke had planned to give him some lottery tickets he had saved up. Unlike birthdays, Jiang Yuduo had never asked for anniversary gifts. Typically, they would just share a meal. It was only this year that he requested something different, and Cheng Ke wasn’t sure if it was influenced by some romance novel he had been reading.

The request itself was rather simple – a bouquet of flowers. But Jiang Yuduo’s intention was clear: he wanted Cheng Ke to hold the flowers at the airport exit and greet him with them when he arrived.

Imagining himself, now in his thirties, holding a bouquet of flowers and waiting for for someone like an old man, Cheng Ke couldn’t help but find it amusing as he lay in bed.

It was strange how, with age, he had become more attached to such sentimental gestures. In the past, he had been carefree and didn’t pay much attention to these things. But now, he could actually visualize the scene in his mind.

“I find your San-ge quite something,” Cheng Ke said as he turned over and gently touched Meow’s nose. “He asks for flowers, and suddenly it feels like we’re back to those silly days ten years ago.”

Meow remained indifferent to his musings.

“It’s rather nice,” Cheng Ke continued. “I haven’t felt like this in a long time.”

Jiang Yuduo’s flight was scheduled to arrive at eleven o’clock. Cheng Ke woke up at eight, first buying some lottery tickets, and then heading next door to the florist to purchase a bouquet of roses.

The lottery station owner mentioned that he would be returning to his hometown next month and closing the store. Cheng Ke had initially planned to give Jiang Yuduo the lottery tickets he had saved up for their anniversary, and then find another lottery station.

However, being in this store, which had been there for so many years, and hearing the owner talk about the regular customers and their family affairs, it brought a sense of nostalgia. Life had a way of passing by unnoticed.

Sometimes, changes happen so subtly, and you don’t realize when you’ve become accustomed to them. Cheng Ke had always been somewhat reluctant to share his space with others, but he couldn’t pinpoint when Jiang Yuduo had appeared in his life and how he had grown so accustomed to it.

Not only had he grown accustomed, but he had also come to enjoy it.

Despite their occasional arguments, Jiang Yuduo was truly a remarkable person. Spending time with him had made Cheng Ke less prone to quarrels, as they would often cut right to the chase.

As Cheng Ke maneuvered the car out of a side street, he found himself briefly stopped at an intersection by a van.

He recognized the license plate instantly. It belonged to Jiang Yuduo and Chen Qing’s car, the one they used to transport goods for Miao Milk Tea. Usually, it was Chen Qing who did the driving.

Currently, the car was parked quite aggressively in his parking spot, leaving only a one-meter gap from the side of the road.

Cheng Ke honked the horn to signal his displeasure.

After about a minute, Chen Qing emerged from a nearby small supermarket with an impatient expression on his face.

“Damn,” Chen Qing exclaimed in surprise when he saw his car and approached Cheng Ke. “What’s with this parking job?”

“I’m heading to the airport,” Cheng Ke replied. “Move this car out of the way.”

“That’s my brother’s car as well,” Chen Qing clarified. “You’re picking up my brother?”

“Yeah,” Cheng Ke confirmed.

“Wait, I’ll move it forward,” Chen Qing said and swiftly headed towards the van, muttering as he walked, “If I tell those two to move it, they won’t budge. Now we’ve got it crammed here. Look at the road; I can’t even get another car through…”

The van inched forward slightly and stopped along the sidewalk.

Cheng Ke drove his car closer and lowered the window as he passed by Chen Qing. “Join us for dinner tonight.”

“Is it your anniversary of kicking out the trash?” Chen Qing asked.

“Yes,” Cheng Ke replied. “And bring Xiaosun along.”

“Sure thing,” Chen Qing agreed happily.

Miao Milk Tea was thriving, with a constant stream of customers on both the first and second floors. However, Jiang Yuduo had no interest in expanding the business or getting overly involved, so it had remained relatively unchanged for the past few years. Chen Qing had no objections to his brother’s decision; he knew that Jiang Yuduo had his reasons.

The only change at the store was the addition of a few more waitstaff. This allowed Jiang Yuduo, Chen Qing, and Sun Qinqin to have some free time, especially for Chen Qing and Sun Qinqin to nurture their budding romance.

Cheng Ke thought this arrangement was excellent. Jiang Yuduo found comfort in familiarity, and it was his sense of security. That’s why they had stayed in Lucy’s old house for so many years. When the time came for Jiang Yuduo to consider moving, they would do it together.

Upon arriving at the airport and opening the trunk to retrieve the bouquet of roses, Cheng Ke suddenly felt somewhat self-conscious.

In all his years, he had never bought roses, let alone given them to someone.

As he stood near the exit, he sensed that he had become the center of attention.

“Waiting for his girlfriend,” an elderly lady nearby whispered to her companion, a smile playing on her lips.

Waiting for a girlfriend?

Don’t be shocked when the “girlfriend” emerges in a while.

The “girlfriend” in question was the boss of several streets, a towering figure at over 1.8 meters with a tough visage and facial scars.

But most of the time, ‘she’ was quite endearing, still displaying a childish charm, and hadn’t matured much despite the years.

Cheng Ke stole a glance at the glass door in front of him, observing his reflection.

…Much to his surprise, his face displayed a faint grin, and he wasn’t even aware of it.

Clearing his throat, he suppressed the smile and checked the time.

The plane had been delayed by 20 minutes, and when Jiang Yuduo called, Cheng Ke answered almost immediately.

“I see someone coming out, is that your group?” he inquired.

“No,” Jiang Yuduo’s voice quivered, indicating he was in a hurry. “I’m dashing out right now, I’ll be out soon.”

Cheng Ke grinned, “Alright, I’ll be waiting by the exit. I’ll stand on the side near the glass wall. I’m wearing…”

“Where’s your face?” Jiang Yuduo interrupted, “I still can’t recognize you!”

“…Then hurry up and come out,” Cheng Ke chuckled.

“I told you to bring flowers, did you bring them?” Jiang Yuduo asked as he ran.

“I brought them,” Cheng Ke confirmed.

“What kind of flowers?” Jiang Yuduo continued, “Carnations or roses?”

“What do you care about carnations? Are you my mother? It’s roses…” Cheng Ke hesitated for a moment after saying those two words, “Wait, you…you do want roses, right?”

“You bought roses?” Jiang Yuduo’s voice brightened as he ran, “You really got roses?”

“Of course, what else would I bring when you specifically asked for flowers?” Cheng Ke replied.

“Well, they’re actually red roses,” Jiang Yuduo happily disclosed as he continued running.

“You really need to learn to be more subtle,” Cheng Ke grumbled in a hushed tone.

“Cheng Ke!” Jiang Yuduo shouted.

Cheng Ke felt like his eardrums were about to burst. “What’s going on?”

“Look at me! I’m out!” Jiang Yuduo roared again.

This time, Cheng Ke heard his voice in both ears and quickly looked inside the exit.

Jiang Yuduo ran out, waving his arms.

Cheng Ke locked his gaze on Jiang Yuduo, and from the corner of his eye, he noticed a bunch of people waiting to pick him up. The elderly lady who had assumed he was picking up his girlfriend had her eyes wide in amazement.

“Did you miss me?” Jiang Yuduo rushed over and hugged him, roses included.

“I did,” Cheng Ke responded, sensing the roses getting slightly crushed, “Very much.”

“Me too.” Jiang Yuduo released the hug and took the rose from Cheng Ke’s hand. “The discounted flowers you bought are all squashed.”

“Well, they’ll get even more flattened if you squeeze them harder,” Cheng Ke remarked, slightly exasperated.

Jiang Yuduo sported a very contented smile. “This is the first time I’ve received roses.”

“Same here,” Cheng Ke admitted. “I’ve never gifted roses before.”

“Really?” Jiang Yuduo scrutinized him, then said, “You’re not very romantic, huh?”

“I guess I’m not one for grand gestures,” Cheng Ke confessed.

Jiang Yuduo burst into laughter, glanced around while chuckling, then suddenly dropped his smile. “Damn, everyone’s staring at us.”

“Let them look,” Cheng Ke said casually, “We’re not an eyesore.”

“Let’s get going,” Jiang Yuduo said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“I called Chen Qing over for dinner tonight,” Cheng Ke mentioned as he opened the trunk and placed Jiang Yuduo’s bag inside. “Did they have a fight last week?”

“Xiao Sun scratched Chen Qing’s face,” Jiang Yuduo replied, his face partially buried in the flowers.

“Really? I met Chen Qing briefly when I was on my way,” Cheng Ke recalled, “I didn’t pay much attention… I don’t think I looked at his face.”

“Just look at mine,” Jiang Yuduo suggested as he opened the driver’s side door, “I’ll drive.”

Cheng Ke took the passenger seat. “Why not enjoy the ride? I offered to buy you one, but you declined.”

“I’m not interested in luxury like you,” Jiang Yuduo stated, “The van can carry both goods and people, and it’s not a hassle to drive anywhere.”

“Then why bother driving?” Cheng Ke questioned, eying him.

“Shut up,” Jiang Yuduo quipped before starting the car.

“San-ge is quite impressive,” Cheng Ke remarked with a smile.

Suddenly, Jiang Yuduo turned off the engine and faced him.

“What’s wrong? Are you going to fight?” Cheng Ke joked.

“Kiss.” Jiang Yuduo grabbed Cheng Ke’s collar and leaned in, planting a passionate kiss on his lips.

They only broke apart when a car nearby honked, and someone approached. Jiang Yuduo wiped his mouth and restarted the engine.

“Did Dr. Li have anything to say?” Cheng Ke inquired.

“He mentioned that it’s relatively stable,” Jiang Yuduo replied, “but he suggested I see a local psychiatrist.”

“Did you decline?” Cheng Ke asked.

“No, I just… suggested we meet and talk first,” Jiang Yuduo explained, “I’m skeptical, but I’m willing to meet. Dr. Li mentioned that this psychiatrist has more experience with cases like mine and has treated similar patients.”

“Alright,” Cheng Ke touched his face, “Let’s make an appointment to see him.”

“You’ll come with me, right?” Jiang Yuduo requested.

“Of course,” Cheng Ke assured him.

“Do you find it bothersome?” Jiang Yuduo questioned, “It’s been like this all my life. It’s manageable when it’s stable, but I never know when it will…”

“It’s alright,” Cheng Ke reassured, “It can be frustrating at times, but it’s not unbearable. I mean, it’s not as if you’ve never had an episode, and my primary emotion is concern, not annoyance.”

“True,” Jiang Yuduo conceded, stealing a glance at him.

“Actually, you mentioned that no one goes through life without experiencing something. Isn’t it similar to catching a fever or a cold?” Cheng Ke offered. “We go through it together.”

“You’ve never been sick before,” Jiang Yuduo pointed out.

“I’ve played my hand; you’ll have to anticipate my illness,” Cheng Ke quipped with a smile. “I’m not incapable of cooperation…”

“No, you absolutely must not cooperate,” Jiang Yuduo insisted, his brow furrowing.

“Will you take care of me when I’m unwell?” Cheng Ke inquired with a playful smile, looking directly at him.

“Ridiculous,” Jiang Yuduo scoffed, “What kind of nonsense are you talking about?”

“Then don’t ask me in the future if I find it bothersome,” Cheng Ke chuckled, “It’s almost as nonsensical.”

“…Oh,” Jiang Yuduo responded with a smile and playfully squeezed his chin.

“Watch the road!” Cheng Ke rubbed his chin in response.

In the evening, there was an anniversary celebration planned, so they didn’t intend to have a heavy lunch. They stopped at a small noodle shop before heading home.

As Meow grew older, it became increasingly dog-like and had been glued to Jiang Yuduo’s side since they entered the house. It meowed and rubbed against his legs, and once Jiang Yuduo sat on the sofa, it promptly climbed onto his shoulders, rubbing its head against his face and nearly wagging its tail.

“Hey,” Jiang Yuduo gently pulled it down and placed it on his lap, “Brother Ke, I wish you were half as affectionate.”

Cheng Ke entered the bedroom, retrieved a box from the cabinet, and placed it on the coffee table. Then he sat beside Jiang Yuduo, snuggled close, and playfully touched his clothes a few times. “Is this affectionate enough?”

“Not quite,” Jiang Yuduo teased with a smile.

Cheng Ke pushed him down onto the sofa, leaned in closer, and whispered, “How about this?”

“Is that enough?” Jiang Yuduo replied, turning his head and nibbling on Cheng Ke’s ear.

Their playful intimacy, a mischievous routine they had engaged in for years, always seemed fresh and exciting to Meow, who would watch with keen interest each time.

Once the playful activity was finished, Meow would disdainfully depart.

“Damn,” Cheng Ke exclaimed, sitting up and watching Meow’s retreating figure as it headed for the kitchen. “Why is this cat so interested in this kind of thing?”

“Because I’ve always been single,” Jiang Yuduo quipped, tugging at his pants and glancing at the box on the coffee table. “What’s that?”

“It’s our anniversary gift,” Cheng Ke replied.

“A box of roses? Didn’t you send a big bouquet?” Jiang Yuduo inquired as he sat up, picked up the box, and placed it on his lap.

“The bouquet is for the flowers you desire,” Cheng Ke explained. “This is a gift from me.”

“You’ve prepared a gift for me?” Jiang Yuduo’s excitement grew. He tapped on the box lid and asked, “Is it flowers?”

“Can’t you exercise a little imagination?” Cheng Ke sighed.

“No,” Jiang Yuduo responded matter-of-factly, picking up the box’s handle and shaking it lightly. “What is it? It feels so light. Is it Meow’s fur?”

“I implore you to open it right away,” Cheng Ke urged.

“And there’s not even a bow,” Jiang Yuduo remarked with a smile as he opened the lid. “And you claim I’m not romantic… a lottery ticket?”

“Yes,” Cheng Ke confirmed, looking at him. “Lottery tickets.”

“You…” Jiang Yuduo was utterly surprised and probed around inside the box a few times. “Are they all lottery tickets? You bought hundreds of lottery tickets and gave them to me? Damn, did the lottery station let you buy them all? Are you running out of money? Spendthrift…can you actually win the lottery?”

“I didn’t buy them all at once,” Cheng Ke explained, watching his reaction. “I’ve been saving them over the years.”

Jiang Yuduo continued to stare at him in disbelief.

“I don’t buy them every day, sometimes I forget, but… I haven’t counted, but they’ve piled up,” Cheng Ke admitted. “There must be hundreds, maybe even thousands of tickets in there.”

“Have you ever won a prize?” Jiang Yuduo inquired, wide-eyed.

“…No,” Cheng Ke confessed.

“Not even five yuan?” Jiang Yuduo was incredulous.

“No,” Cheng Ke chuckled. “I seem to be a bit unlucky.”

“Stop understating it. A ‘bit unlucky’ is an understatement,” Jiang Yuduo quipped.

“Get out,” Cheng Ke retorted.

“Why… why did you give these to me? Are you trying to get reimbursed?” Jiang Yuduo questioned.

“They have dates on them. I wanted to sort them by date,” Cheng Ke explained, “but I’m too lazy to do it. There are too many, and I can’t find the time to do it.”

“Well, let me sort them. Why should you do it?” Jiang Yuduo suggested, looking at him.

“These tickets… represent time,” Cheng Ke replied.

Jiang Yuduo remained silent but continued to gaze at Cheng Ke.

“This represents the time we’ve spent together,” Cheng Ke explained as he retrieved a lottery ticket. “See, I marked the backs of some of them. I initially intended to write something, but it became too bothersome, so I used symbols instead. A checkmark signifies the day we went out to eat, a circle denotes when we were in particularly high spirits, a fork means we had an argument, and two forks indicate a fight…”

Jiang Yuduo lowered his head and began to slowly retrieve lottery tickets one by one from the box, inspecting and occasionally sniffing them.

“One ticket for one day, although a few are missing, most of them are here,” Cheng Ke continued. “They represent your days, my days, and our days, every single day, really.”

Jiang Yuduo raised his head.

“Do you like it?” Cheng Ke inquired.

“I love it,” Jiang Yuduo replied, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably.

“The ones with triangles are from the days you cried,” Cheng Ke mentioned, retrieving a lottery ticket he had purchased today from his pocket and drawing a triangle on the back with a pen. “Honestly, there are quite a few triangles. For a boss and manager, this frequency is a bit high.”

“That’s none of your business,” Jiang Yuduo retorted.

“Let it flow,” Cheng Ke encouraged.

“I’m happy,” Jiang Yuduo replied.

“Yeah,” Cheng Ke agreed with a nod.

“Will you continue to buy them in the future?” Jiang Yuduo asked, nonchalantly wiping his face.

“I will,” Cheng Ke affirmed. “The days are still ahead of us.”

“In the future, I’ll mark them too,” Jiang Yuduo declared.

“Okay,” Cheng Ke replied with a smile.

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Translator’s Notes:
Thanks for reading guys! It’s completed way ahead of schedule~
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