Translator: Lynn
Therefore, Teacher Ji, still masquerading as a “strong and muscular young migrant worker,” continued to be doted on by the overbearing president in the sunny days that followed.
Sometimes, he would imagine strange scenarios and short stories. For instance, a real bricklayer who wins a wealthy boyfriend through his kindness (and large chest), simplicity (and nice buttocks), and other attributes. He would work during the day and after work, climb into the boss’s top-of-the-line modified Land Rover, driving away while his colleagues stared in amazement. This felt ten thousand times more thrilling than the plot of being an associate professor at the university.
It snowed every day during the Chinese New Year holiday. Li Weidu deviated from his usual routine, cozying up in a small house with Ji Kai and the hedgehog, becoming unexpectedly warm and hospitable. He hosted several parties in the small villa, bought all sorts of delicious food and fun things, rearranged the house, installed an expensive stereo, and invited friends from both sides over to have fun.
This novel behavior made it difficult for Ji Kai to adapt—did Weidu actually like being lively? But that wasn’t right. At every party, he never seemed to have fun with everyone. He was always busy making all kinds of delicious food and then tired from washing the dishes and cleaning up afterward.
“Actually, it’s because I’m busier in the last few months of every year. Not to mention working overtime, sometimes I even go on business trips abroad like before. So, I want to enjoy the time now and play while I can.”
But the problem is, you’re not even playing!
“Well, the main thing I’m thinking about is…asking everyone to come over frequently and keep in touch. This way, when I’m busy and away from home in the future, I can ask them to take care of you.”
Ji Kai was stunned.
He was in a daze, his eyes slowly shifting from Li Weidu’s serious face to the door. On the inside of the door handle hung a holly leaf garland, decorated with small bells and red fruits. Ji Kai didn’t tell Li Weidu that he had an identical one at his home two years ago, bought during Christmas out of boredom.
For three years, Zhu Ling couldn’t come home every Christmas and New Year. As a rising star in the entertainment industry, he was always busy with various stages and celebration programs, unable to be with his family on such days. Every Christmas and New Year, the festive street decorations, melodious lights, music, and couples snuggling up had nothing to do with Ji Kai. He would buy a garland and a small cake, return to his empty home, and deal with it himself, feeling it was nothing.
As a mature, steady, strong-minded man, he understood Zhu Ling’s career demands and was even proud of him at one time. He loved and supported him like a biological father, believing that a good partner like himself was rare in the world.
Until now, he met Li Weidu.
Only then did he realize there are people in the world who, no matter how busy they are, always think of you. Once separated, even for just a few hours, they send you frequent messages to remind you that they’re thinking of you. You’re used to being strong and lonely, but they’re not willing to let you be strong or see you lonely. Even though they know you have armor, they’re still very careful and gentle, fearing you might get hurt or feel lonely.
Ji Kai tried to suppress the lump in his throat, feeling a bit scared.
He was really afraid that if things continued like this, he would transform from a wild bear into a pet bear in Mr. Li’s greenhouse, unable to live without his warmth and care.
…
At the party, all kinds of chaos were unfolding, but Qi Yang was inexplicably unhappy, sitting on the sofa with a dejected look. Ji Kai sat next to him, and Qi Yang immediately leaned over, sobbing: “Brother Kai, I’ve been dumped!”
Ji Kai was surprised. Didn’t you say you would only sleep around and not fall in love? Didn’t you vow your shoes would never get wet amidst thousands of flowers? Who in the world could possibly dump Qi Yang?
“The dream is completely shattered! Ouch! ‘Miss Konan’ is actually a boy, a boy! She has deceived me for so many years! Where is the young girl cartoonist we promised?! I really liked her picture book ‘Sheep Forest’! I’ve always wanted to marry such a gentle and lovely girl, so I asked my senior to introduce us!”
Ji Kai was speechless and turned to look at the cartoonist “Miss Konan.”
Lei Nanyu was sitting on the sofa, watching the ghostly roars of “I’ll Love You Even If You Die” while engrossed in eating off-season watermelon.
“However, even though he is a man, he is quite handsome.” Qi Yang glanced over a few times, “His legs are long too, but unfortunately, his chest isn’t as good as Brother Kai’s… Ah, I almost forgot that I cater to both men and women! Well, even if he has legs, he can’t be as comprehensive as you, Brother Kai.”
“No, no, no!” Ji Kai quickly dissuaded him, “I already have a master.”
“It doesn’t matter. Although the prized flower has an owner, I’m just going to loosen the soil!”
“You should think carefully! His boyfriend pursued him for twenty years before succeeding. He’s a perverted surgeon in a white coat. Sinister, vicious, and a professional killer.”
“…”
Qi Yang instantly retreated back to the sofa. This challenge was a bit too difficult. I’m really scared; I’d better just keep my head down. Huh? It’s rare to see him take the initiative to talk to someone. He awkwardly approached Mr. Lei, the famous picture book cartoonist.
“If you were to draw me, what would I look like?”
Lei Nanyu looked up, not understanding what he meant at all. Li Weidu blushed and repeated stiffly, “Aren’t you a painter of animal picture books? What do I look like?”
A few days later, when Lei Nanyu brought an electronic color picture of a little puppet holding a cute bear, Ji Kai was overwhelmed with emotions.
This little bear… is exactly like the one on his old profile picture.
After changing the avatar, he had no choice but to hide it in the corner of his phone’s photo album. Not long ago, Li Weidu found it and deleted it completely, which still made Ji Kai a little sad.
“How could you just delete my stuff without asking me?”
Li Weidu responded, “Why can’t I delete the bear that Zhu Ling asked someone to draw for you?”
“No, it doesn’t matter who sent it to me,” Ji Kai tried to explain, “Mainly, I have feelings for that little bear!”
He couldn’t describe the feeling—it really had nothing to do with Zhu Ling. The cute little bear had been his phone’s screen saver, wallpaper, and avatar for two or three years. To Ji Kai, it was already a living little cute thing. When it was suddenly and completely deleted by Li Weidu, it felt like a little thing had been murdered by him, which was completely unacceptable.
…However, he forgot that the original author, Lei Nanyu, still had the manuscript.
It was the same little bear, now held in the arms of a raggedy doll. Uh, was it a doll or a scarecrow? Anyway, the bear was hugged tightly, and the doll’s arms were nestled in the bear’s soft fur, giving off a cozy feeling.
As for the doll’s face, it definitely looked like a famous cartoonist! That awkward expression was just like Weidu’s!
Lei Nanyu said, “It’s not a scarecrow, it’s a doll! A male doll!”
“…”
“Angry!”
“You said it looked like a scarecrow, Li Mingxin said it looked like a puppet, but what I drew was clearly a ‘doll dancing with a bear’!”
No way. Ji Kai looked again and saw that the doll still had patches on its face and body! Even if you ask someone else, no one would think it’s a doll, okay?
“But why did you draw us? We’re not going to be prototypes for a new picture book, right?”
“It was your family who asked me to draw it. He said you couldn’t bear to part with that little bear picture, so he asked me to draw another one for you as a new avatar. But I had to draw him too, so I drew you both together. I went home and found the original manuscript and added to it.”
[So you still have feelings for it, huh?]
[No, Weidu, but you really shouldn’t delete my stuff so casually!]
[After all, it means that ‘the little bear Zhu Ling gave you’ is very important. No one can touch it or delete it, otherwise you’ll get upset, right?]
That day, a simple conversation escalated into their first official quarrel since they started dating.
When Ji Kai was in love and floating on a pink cloud every day, Zuo Yan reminded him: “You guys are sweet every day and never argue, right? Be careful. Couples need to argue sometimes to fully understand each other.”
Ji Kai didn’t believe it then.
But it turns out the golden lawyer was right.
Mr. Li, who was super gentle, considerate, and dreamy, went crazy after their quarrel—he actually! Actually! Made a vegan feast for dinner that night?!
Purely vegan, without even a hint of minced meat!
Ji Kai was silently in despair. Li Weidu’s cooking was incredibly delicious, but no matter how good it is, purely vegetarian… it’s like Leonardo da Vinci painting on toilet paper. No matter how good the painting is, what’s the use?!
“Don’t you like to eat? If you don’t like it, you can leave.” Li Weidu said with a gloomy face at the dinner table.
“No, no, no,” Ji Kai surrendered instantly, “You worked so hard to make this delicious food, how can I not eat it? I’ll eat, I’ll eat!” He swallowed tears and wolfed down the meal.
The bean sprouts were delicious, the spinach was tasty, the celery tasted like lamb, and the tofu tasted like pork belly. He finished two big bowls of rice.
Thinking he had already shown enough respect, he took the initiative to kiss and hug Weidu in the evening, but it wasn’t until noon the next day that he realized it was still vegetarian!
Ji Kai thought, Mr. Li, you are cruel. The next night, when Mr. Li came home after working overtime, Ji Kai prepared a dinner with good meat and vegetables, although it wasn’t as delicious as Weidu’s cooking, hung up his coat, and prepared the bath water with a diligent look on his face.
He was all smiles: “Weidu, you’ve been writing code all day, aren’t you exhausted? Come here, I’ll massage your shoulders.”
“…”
“…”
The programmer who had been writing code all day immediately softened.
In the end, of course, they reconciled, and it concluded with Ji Kai surrendering and making concessions—Weidu could look at his phone as he pleased, delete things as he wished, and Ji Kai wanted to eat meat.
At that time, the same old self-hypnosis was in play—just go, go, go. Really, nobody’s perfect. You already know he has insecurities. Even if he’s showered with affection in various ways, he’s still seriously “I don’t feel comfortable if I’m not watching you.” You have to understand! Be tolerant of others’ only shortcomings!
…
During the Chinese New Year, Li Weidu’s mother, Aunt Bai, was brought from City A to stay in a small villa with them.
Since the time Ji Kai was hospitalized, Aunt Bai had become quite familiar with Ji Kai’s group of friends. These days, she seemed to be enjoying herself even more, mingling with various 1.8-meter-plus strong men, gossiping, singing, and laughing every day.
But Ji Kai sensed something off about her, as if she was forcing a smile. He didn’t dare to ask directly, so he made sure to be attentive and considerate every day. He got up early to make her loving breakfasts and, when Li Weidu worked overtime, went shopping with her, carrying bags and catering to her every need. Where once she looked at him with starry eyes, now she saw him as a god.
“Ji Kai, you are so kind. You are really… special, special!” Aunt Bai would say. “Oh, why are there people like you in this world? Weidu, I told you, didn’t I? You two will definitely be very happy together! He is so good to you, you must cherish him!”
“Oh, but having said that, I’m not worried about Weidu. I’ve known from a young age that he is serious and kind. If there is anyone in the world who will never let others down, it’s Weidu.”
“It’s great that both of you take each other into your hearts and cherish and care for each other. It’s really rare. It’s really not easy to find someone who likes and cherishes you in a lifetime. Like me, haha, I wasn’t so lucky to meet a prodigal son like Weidu’s father who couldn’t settle down…”
As she spoke, her eyes turned red: “Actually, Weidu, I’ve never told you this. Your father called me a while ago… and said he wanted to go through with the divorce procedures.”
She wiped her eyes and shook her head: “Really, why should I cry? It’s good. We’ve been separated for so long, we should have divorced a long time ago. He gave me the house in City A and will provide me with monthly living expenses so that I have enough to live on. He also promised to cover all the expenses for Tingting’s study abroad. In fact, even if he doesn’t care about me, Tingting is still his daughter, so he will definitely take care of her to the end.”
“After completing the formalities, I will finally be free. I won’t have to bear a false name anymore, and maybe I can find a second chance at love… wu… wuwu…”
That night, Li Weidu lay in Ji Kai’s arms, pressing his forehead tightly against his chest. Ji Kai tightened his arms and hugged his stooped body closely.
“Aunt Bai… she should still love your father.”
“She is too foolish,” Li Weidu said in a muffled voice, “That person is not worth it at all.”
“After so many years, he’s lost so much. In his second marriage, my mother didn’t care about his external problems, so she wouldn’t suddenly get divorced with him for no reason. This time, he either met a woman who really knew how to handle him, or… he found a new child outside for me, more brothers and sisters.”
“I don’t know where some ignorant girl fell into his trap again. If she only cares about his money, forget it.”
“Don’t be sad, don’t be sad,” Ji Kai coaxed softly.
“I’m not sad. What he does has nothing to do with me.”
Ji Kai murmured an agreement and leaned down to kiss the top of his head: “Weidu, don’t worry, I’m here. I’ll always be with you.”
“Yeah.”
“As long as you are here, I’m not afraid of anything.”
Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.
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