Ji Kai had a good relationship with his Muay Thai coach at the gym and had learned quite a few grappling techniques.
So, dealing with Zhu Ling, who had no proper fighting skills, was effortless. He swiftly twisted Zhu Ling’s wrist and pushed him away in one smooth motion, without any extra moves or much strength.
At the same time, he took half a step back, completely widening the safe distance between them.
The man in front of him, dressed in black, looked somewhat frail in the rain. He staggered to a stop, his dazed and confused gaze felt oddly real, reminding Ji Kai of many scenes from old movies.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t a tragic story but merely a farce, with such a dramatic backdrop going to waste.
Ji Kai sighed softly.
Perhaps everyone who has given their heart, only to be hurt or betrayed, has fantasized about this moment—
One day, the ex-lover who left them for someone strange and undesirable, forsaking the handsome, charming, kind, and lovable person you are, would suddenly realize their mistake. Then, riding on rainbow-colored clouds, they’d return to you, bawling like a dog, begging for forgiveness, and in that moment, your revenge would be complete.
In essence, Ji Kai was just a regular person.
Before he lived blissfully with President Li and the hedgehog family of three, he too had secretly rehearsed this scene in his mind many times.
He even guessed correctly that it would happen on a gloomy, slightly chilly rainy day, near the ivy-covered wall by his office. Zhu Ling would still have something shiny on him, his hair would be a bit messy, his body swaying, and his eyes bloodshot.
Ji Kai had prepared himself to face another round of accusations and pitiful acts, another award-winning performance from this drama king, and a barrage of twisted logic and excuses.
After all, it was no longer unfamiliar. After two confrontations at the amusement park and supermarket, as a mild-mannered empiricist, Ji Kai had mastered the routine—
It was simple: calmly expose the lies, firmly refuse, and then show off his happiness, highlighting just how content he was. Basically, an upgraded version of the supermarket encounter but with even less mercy.
But he never expected this.
Once again, Zhu Ling broke all the rules.
…
Later, Ji Kai thought carefully and realized that Zhu Ling had never followed any rules. He always managed to give “surprising twists.”
For instance, when you thought he cared deeply and loved you, he spectacularly cheated; and when you thought the other person was his “true love” and planned to let him go, he cried and begged for mercy.
Right after the divorce, when all of their friends thought he must be heartbroken, reflecting on his mistakes, and waiting for the dramatic pursuit of Ji Kai, he chose to go abroad and disappear. By the time the dust had settled, he had come back, pestering and blaming Ji Kai for everything.
From Zhu Ling’s behavior after returning, Ji Kai could almost be certain.
The person he had once loved no longer existed.
This Zhu Ling, possessed by who knows what was arrogant and filled with resentment, trampling on everything they once shared without a second thought. His repeated harassment wasn’t out of love but rather dissatisfaction and refusal to accept reality.
Yet, in this moment, under the light drizzle—
The soaked man didn’t move. He just stood there, staring blankly with a gaze that seemed almost foolish.
His eyes gradually changed. When he had first looked up from the steps, there had been anger, resentment, and complexity, but in the extended silence, his expression softened, becoming almost innocent and clear. It was as if an old oil painting buried in the ground for years had been cleansed by the rain, finally revealing its original colors.
It was a strange transformation.
A fierce wind swept by, rustling the ivy on the wall. Amidst the dampness, the faint scent of CK One Summer wafted through the air, making Ji Kai shudder. A malicious voice whispered in his ear, “Look, hasn’t he come back?”
The young man you once loved seems to have returned, doesn’t he?
…
…
Zhu Ling, full of lies and wearing a false mask, had always been easy to deal with.
But suddenly, the scene of “a former true love suddenly returning” was too overwhelming to handle. Then, Zhu Ling’s voice returned as well, hoarse and rough amidst the rain.
“Brother Kai, it’s my fault. It’s all my fault.”
“I knew it… No wonder you lost so much weight. Something must have happened.”
“Where are you hurt? Is it serious? Brother Kai, I—I was such a bastard, heh… How could I have left? I should have stayed by your side. You almost died, and I didn’t even know. I didn’t know!”
“Brother Kai, I didn’t know. I didn’t know.”
Back then, Ji Kai had sold his house, giving all the money to the record production company. He recalled that day it was also raining, so much so that this current scene seemed like an exact repetition.
At that time, Zhu Ling was still wearing cheap foreign-trade clothes, looking much less stylish than now. Wiping his face with his sleeve, he had that expression of almost crying, almost laughing, which made Ji Kai, for a fleeting moment, feel that not only selling the house and car, but even giving up the rest of his life wouldn’t have been too much if it was for him.
Now, coming back to the present, the stark contrast was almost unbearably tragic—because reason had emerged, coldly and carefully observing everything.
What was it judging? It was trying hard to assess whether all of this was yet another brilliant performance by this drama king.
Once, even when confronted by the boyfriend of the third party, Ji Kai would never have doubted Zhu Ling. But now, in front of him, Zhu Ling had not an ounce of “credibility” left.
Professor Ji quickly came to terms with this, his eyes dimming as he maintained his stiff, indifferent persona—the one who only smiled with new lovers, never cried for old ones—and laughed heartlessly.
“It’s fine. Back then, there was someone with me, taking care of me.”
Facing Zhu Ling’s almost suffocating sadness, Ji Kai felt helpless, but at the same time, all he could offer was helpless regret.
Whether it was an act or not, whether Zhu Ling’s feelings were sincere or not, it no longer mattered.
It was too late, Zhu Ling. Everything is already too late.
…
The rain kept falling, heavier than before, yet Ji Kai didn’t feel cold at all.
Recently, it had always been like this—whenever he thought of someone, his whole heart would be warm, burning even. That little something inside him kept leaping, and Ji Kai knew very well for whom it was leaping and burning.
Looking again at the figure shivering in the cold rain, Ji Kai closed his eyes slightly.
“…Zhu Ling. I’m sorry, but don’t come looking for me anymore. I’ve fallen in love with someone else, and I don’t want him to misunderstand, truly.”
It was the absolute truth.
The way he looks at me makes me want to give him all my tenderness, to spoil him and him alone—all the tenderness, including what I once gave you. As for this “sorry,” consider it the last bit of kindness for the person I once loved.
“We’re impossible, forever impossible.”
Even without him, it would still never be possible.
…
Ji Kai hadn’t lost his memory, nor would he ever forget the past.
From the moment the doorbell was pressed to the dramatic scene at the dinner table when a knife was slammed down, the entire intense process—he remembered it all. The first time, when Zhu Ling explained it was all a misunderstanding, Ji Kai believed him. The second time, Zhu Ling used their child as a means to appeal to family ties, and Ji Kai let it go. But the third time, on that noisy rainy night, everything finally came crashing down.
The words on the torn page from the book, “What’s broken is broken. I’d rather remember it at its best than spend my life staring at the cracks,” were not just empty words.
Of course, Ji Kai could bring up the past, recounting Zhu Ling’s countless wrongdoings again and again.
Even if he were to make harsh, sarcastic comments, it wouldn’t be as cruel as the hurtful words Zhu Ling had thrown at him during his most heartless moments.
But Ji Kai truly didn’t harbor that much resentment or bitterness for revenge.
“Life is short. Everyone has moments of regret, resentment, and dissatisfaction, but time never moves backward.”
“The only choice is to accept reality and do your best to move forward.”
When Ji Kai was a child, Uncle Zhou, the neighbor, would often work on wood while smoking, always tapping away. One day, Ji Kai saw him pick up a piece of a shattered beer bottle and start grinding it down on the woodworking tools.
“Uncle, what are you doing?”
“Making a glass ball for you kids to play with. See, even a sharp, broken beer bottle can be smoothed out into something comfortable and beautiful to hold after it’s been ground down. Life is the same.”
At the time, little Ji Kai took the finished glass ball from Uncle Zhou and gazed at the radiant colors reflecting in the sunlight, not understanding what any of it had to do with “life.”
Now, he finally understood a little.
During those tumultuous years with Zhu Ling, yes, Zhu Ling made mistakes, but Ji Kai wasn’t perfect either.
All those days of disappointment and struggle, in some sense, had smoothed Ji Kai’s rough edges. As painful as it was, it had its benefits—because when he later met someone incredibly fragile, he knew how to care for and cherish them.
…
The rain poured harder, and on Zhu Ling’s bewildered face, it was impossible to tell if it was water or tears.
He lowered his head, wiping his face as if crying, yet also laughing. He mumbled, “Impossible… yes, impossible. It’s all because of me, it’s all my fault.”
“We used to be so good together, so happy as a family, but I made mistakes… Brother Kai, tell me, why am I like this? Always messing up, always unclear, only bringing harm to those around me.”
“…”
“If only I hadn’t gone to South America back then, wouldn’t that have been better?”
“If I could’ve been like Li Weidu, staying by your side when you were at your weakest—if I had stayed with you, maybe everything could have been fixed!”
“No… it’s too late for that now.”
“I know, I know. Brother Kai, should I—should I leave too?”
As he spoke, Zhu Ling stumbled, then suddenly lurched forward, rushing toward Ji Kai. But instead of grabbing Ji Kai by the collar, he just stood there, head bowed, muttering to himself over and over again.
“Brother Kai, I-I’m not trying to badmouth Li Weidu, really, not this time… I’m not jealous of him, I swear.”
“It’s just that when you’re with other people, I feel more at ease—whether it’s Jiang Xiaobai, Zuo Yan, or even Qi Yang. Honestly, Qi Yang isn’t that bad either. Really. But Li Weidu, he… he’s not right in the head, and I can’t stop worrying. What if he ends up hurting you…?”
Ji Kai: “He won’t hurt me.”
“No, Brother Kai, you don’t understand. There’s something genuinely wrong with him, he…”
“He’s not sick! Zhu Ling, I love him. To me, he’s the best person in the world. If you keep talking about him like this, don’t blame me if I stop being polite!”
“Alright, alright,” Zhu Ling forced a bitter smile, nodding. “Brother Kai, but… if you ever feel like he’s not good for you one day, come find me. I-I’ll always be…”
“Do you remember that ring you gave to Ye Yin?” Ji Kai interrupted.
Zhu Ling froze, his face turning pale. He didn’t understand why Ji Kai brought it up, and he quickly tried to explain, “I returned that ring later, Brother Kai, that ring wasn’t what you think…”
“FOREVER, ‘forever,’ that’s a very heavy promise.”
“I’ve thought about it a lot since then. Is there really such a thing as ‘forever’ in this world?”
“There is…” Zhu Ling’s lips trembled, but he immediately corrected himself, “No, no there isn’t!”
“I think there is.”
“For instance, we’ll ‘forever’ never be together again.”
“…”
“Don’t start crying again, I’m not saying this to hurt you on purpose. I just want you to see reality clearly and stop holding onto any expectations of me.”
“Look on the bright side. Honestly, I’m just an ordinary person, nothing special at all. With your qualifications, you can definitely find someone better than me. As long as you’re sincere.”
“Just like I told you when we first split—Zhu Ling, I hope you’ll have a good life in the future. Go home, take a hot shower, and get some sleep. Maybe when you wake up tomorrow, you’ll walk out and meet someone better than me.”
“When you find true happiness, I’ll genuinely wish you well.”
———
Back in the office, Ji Kai was changing out of his soaking wet clothes, feeling like he’d just been hit by karma for his self-righteousness.
What was the point of standing in the rain for so long and wasting so many words?
Damn, his phone got waterlogged and the screen went black!
If Weidu sends a message and I can’t see it, he’ll get anxious and overthink things. What am I going to do now?
Luckily, there was a hairdryer in the office. Professor Ji grabbed it and started blowing it over the phone while silently praying that the CEO was too busy working overtime to wait for his message.
Otherwise, it would be a disaster.
He glanced at the clock on the wall; it was just 10 a.m.
He must’ve had breakfast too early because he was already feeling a bit hungry. Thinking about how Weidu would come to pick him up at 11, he felt a secret surge of excitement. No classes in the afternoon meant they could snuggle up at home and make delicious food together, and then… heh heh… a rainy afternoon, cozy in bed—the atmosphere would be perfect.
However, I feel a bit heartbroken that Weidu has been getting up so early every day lately. Otherwise, after coming home for a meal, should I just pin him down and hug him to sleep? Just to force him to catch up on some sleep.
This semester, Ji Kai has several classes at 7:30 in the morning.
The villa area is nearly an hour’s drive from the city, so he has to get up around six. Every time he gets up, Li Weidu follows him out of bed.
Even though he looks like a little kitten that can’t open its eyes from sleepiness, he still tries hard to cook breakfast on the small iron plate in the kitchen. The toast is toasted to a golden brown, and the fried eggs are shaped into flowers or hearts using molds.
Every day, it’s the same loving breakfast. Ji Kai often persuades him to go back to bed, but Li Weidu would rather sit at the dining table, nearly dozing off into his plate, than give up on “sending his darling to work.”
In the car, he doesn’t doze off. Usually, the moment they step outside and feel the wind, he wakes right up.
Plus, with endless chatting during the drive, they always have so much to talk about, which keeps him energized.
Ji Kai thought about it; he seemed to be acting like an idiot today—when they reached the school gate, he leaned in for a reluctant goodbye kiss, only to forget to unbuckle his seatbelt and ended up bumping into the door.
His chest almost got scraped, and his ribs were pressed so hard it hurt like hell, nearly making him cry. He doubled back, laughing at his own foolishness, almost gasping for air. Then the other person gently rubbed the sore spots with his long fingers, complaining a bit, and then turned to press down, comforting him with soft kisses.
Recently, the toothpaste at home has been orange-flavored.
So every kiss carries that sweet scent. Ji Kai has picked up a not-so-good habit lately—he enjoys stealing glances while kissing because Weidu is simply too beautiful. When his dark eyes droop slightly, he becomes even more enchanting.
Then, he would sneak a playful bite. Seeing those colorless lips faintly redden, and then bringing that blush to the office, Professor Ji feels a wicked sense of accomplishment.
My Weidu is stunning, both for admiration and playful teasing—a true gem of this world.
Every day spent with him feels like time has grown tender.
Wrapped in this warm atmosphere, he increasingly feels that he may have lost the fierce temperament he once had, always ready to draw a knife and confront anyone. Instead, he has become more serene, seeing the world as a place where spring blooms and birds sing everywhere.
So, it’s not just about Zhu Ling; even if a pure white lotus appeared before him, he probably wouldn’t be able to be as fierce as he used to be.
…
The phone finally turned on.
But the screen was really hard to swipe, and after several tries, it didn’t respond. Just as luck would have it, Li Weidu called. Watching him hold on, Ji Kai finally hung up helplessly, his heart aching as he did.
A new text came in: “I came early and am waiting for you in the parking lot.”
Teacher Ji sprang up with a “whoosh” and dashed out.
“You’re completely soaked! What happened?”
“Sorry,” he scrambled into the car, honestly confessing like a little bear, “Zhu Ling came to find me earlier.”
“…” Li Weidu squinted his eyes.
“And I forgot about the promise I made to you before. I didn’t remember to call you.” Sweat.
“But, I definitely won’t forget next time! This time, just… do as you wish? No, no, what I mean is there won’t be a next time! He promised me he wouldn’t come looking for me again, really.”
Li Weidu only glanced at him, turned his head away, and started the car.
Oh no, oh no, oh no! Is the “do as you wish” line no longer useful? Dear guest, Li Weidu! Really, it’s fine in any position!
The car pulled up to the office building, and Ji Kai was dragged inside to change clothes and dry off, feeling as if he had just been washed at a pet shop by a quick-handed shopkeeper.
“Just because you’re usually healthy, you think you won’t catch a cold? Who was it last month that got greedy for the cool weather, changed their comforter, and ended up with bronchitis, nearly getting pneumonia?”
He still remembered the rainy days when he helped Li Weidu dry his hair. Now, since they had a hairdryer in the office, Li Weidu would use it, casually tousling Ji Kai’s hair. The gentle caresses of his fingertips on Ji Kai’s scalp sparked little sensations all over.
Ji Kai comfortably squinted his eyes while reminiscing about those days when he was sick and coughing, and how Li Weidu made him sweet, soft millet porridge with love.
“Look at your office; it’s so bare and cold. Why don’t you call a home decoration company to give it a design makeover?”
Speaking of which, Li Weidu has been busy with renovations every day lately—
The location is a small community next to X University, where he bought a fully furnished empty apartment. He felt sorry that Ji Kai had to commute so far for work, so he decided to stay here during weekdays and return to the villa on weekends.
He was deeply involved with the decoration company, personally overseeing every detail and inspecting the materials, ensuring nothing was overlooked. It was to the point that even someone with a serious perfectionist streak would be moved to tears.
“That’s going to be our home for a lifetime; of course, we need to consider the most eco-friendly materials!”
However, Li Weidu didn’t voice the second part of his statement— the more eco-friendly the materials, the uglier they were! For a lifetime of living, he wanted it to be beautiful so they could enjoy their time there.
So lately, every day has been particularly tangled, as he researched home decoration books trying to find ideas, leaving no time to care about Zhu Ling’s appearance… It simply wasn’t as important as decorating their nest!
“Let’s let this slide this time. I trust you handled it well,” Ji Kai said, half-convinced as he raised his eyes. Why are you suddenly so generous? It’s making me uncomfortable!
Li Weidu basked in the surprised looks around him, feeling secretly proud. Ever since he overheard their conversation at the supermarket, Ji Kai had been incredibly heartwarming and capable of managing everything on his own. Consequently, his inherited controlling tendencies had diminished considerably. Moreover, he had read quite a few self-improvement books recently, so…
“Ding-dong.” The phone rang.
It was the director from that light luxury clothing brand, sending over the finalized advertisement images.
In an instant, he felt like he was going crazy! All his possessive and controlling urges surged back!
The photos taken that day… A wet white shirt, lazily posed from the front, provocatively from the side, lying on the ground… and even one where his hand was in the shot, giving an ambiguous gesture that seemed to indicate licking.
Just thinking about how they might use one of those photos was already frustrating enough, but what on earth? The finalized version included a long sequence of sexy shots! All the hottest ones, including the one that looked like he was licking his hand, made the cut!
Are you… kidding me?
“Ji Kai, by the way, your school probably doesn’t allow teachers to have side jobs, right?”
Ji Kai shook his head. “If it’s a part-time job as an independent director for a listed company, it has to be reported. Otherwise, as long as it’s legal, I can do whatever I want. I specifically asked the dean about it.”
“But you are a teacher; many university students, cough, haven’t fully formed their basic views on life and the world yet. It would be fine if you took other part-time jobs, but doing ads with such revealing shots, I’m worried it might attract unnecessary criticism…”
As he spoke, he looked particularly serious and selfless. “Of course, this is not me having any objections. I think the photos turned out really nice; they are indeed beautiful. I’m mainly concerned about your work being affected.”
Ji Kai wanted to laugh but tried hard to hold it back. “No, no. Our school actually has quite a few notable figures. There’s a beautiful female teacher who appears on a very popular matchmaking show. Every time she’s on, she wears tight, short skirts and high heels, and once she even wore sheer lace, but no one says anything about her.”
Li Weidu: “…”
The image of being a boyfriend who doesn’t get jealous that he just built up was in danger of collapsing too soon. What should he do?
Translator: Lynn
Translations are not 100% correct. Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.
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