When Xiao Cheng heard those words, he was momentarily stunned, then felt a surge of warmth and gratitude.
In this world, he didn’t have many true friends; aside from the Xiao family, only Jiang Zihe genuinely cared for him.
Bai Yiheng was incredibly thoughtful.
“Mr. Bai…” Xiao Cheng had so much he wanted to say, but it felt too sentimental to say it out loud, so he swallowed his words, turning instead to talk about what had just happened.
Bai Yiheng listened quietly, only asking, “Xiao Ziyue wasn’t hurt, was she?” once Xiao Cheng had finished speaking.
“She’s fine, just her friend’s leg got injured.”
Bai Yiheng sighed softly, “She’s a brave girl.”
“So are you.”
Xiao Cheng’s face grew warm. “I didn’t do anything worth calling brave.”
Bai Yiheng chuckled, “Handling everything so calmly and keeping everyone reassured—how is that not brave?”
Xiao Cheng opened his mouth, thinking it was only right to handle things as her big brother. After all, he couldn’t let his younger sister take care of it all.
There was a sound of typing and a faint clink of ceramic from Bai Yiheng’s side. “Xiao Cheng, you’re only just eighteen,” he said gently. “You’re still a kid.”
Xiao Cheng rubbed his slightly stiff face. Compared to Bai Yiheng, he certainly did feel like a kid. Luckily, Mr. Bai didn’t mind his immaturity.
“Why is Mr. Bai still working so late?”
He didn’t know how to respond to Bai Yiheng’s words, so he awkwardly shifted the topic.
Bai Yiheng leaned back in his chair, rubbing his head, a little weary. “Just a few more reports to review.”
In fact, he was supposed to fly to Paris for a business trip today, but the schedule was changed to the day after tomorrow.
“Well, I won’t keep you any longer. Get back to work, and try to rest once you’re done,” Xiao Cheng said, preparing to end the call when Bai Yiheng suddenly called out to him.
“Hmm?” Xiao Cheng instinctively held the phone to his ear, his peripheral vision catching a glimpse of a figure around the corner.
He looked over, but no one was there.
“I may be older than you, but I’d like to think I can still fit into your world,” Bai Yiheng said with a smile. “You don’t need to be so formal with me.”
Xiao Cheng coughed, feeling amused and flustered by Bai Yiheng’s gentle insistence.
Bai Yiheng’s voice was unexpectedly playful. Xiao Cheng found it oddly charming; perhaps it was the contrast.
“All right, Mr. Bai, get back to work—I’ll be heading home too.”
After hanging up, Xiao Cheng turned off his phone. In its dark reflection, he noticed the faint smile he hadn’t realized was on his face.
Talking to Bai Yiheng always seemed to recharge him. Bai Yiheng’s warm, steady voice was calming, making Xiao Cheng feel at ease.
He thought back to the shadow he thought he’d seen earlier and walked toward the corner but found only nurses and patients passing by.
Maybe he was just seeing things.
Outside the hospital, Luo Jingshu looked up at the distant hospital building, his expression unreadable.
Fu Ju’s voice echoed in his ear, “Why are you suddenly asking me this?”
Luo Jingshu looked away and walked toward the hospital entrance. “Just tell me what you know.”
Fu Ju clicked his tongue, “Never seen you ask for help like this.”
“There aren’t many in the Xiao family with the surname Bai, and you should know who it is,” Fu Ju continued.
Bai Yiheng.
Luo Jingshu silently mouthed the name. He had, of course, guessed it was probably him. That’s why it felt so complicated.
“You don’t have any direct dealings with Bai Yiheng, right?” Fu Ju thought back to everything Luo Jingshu had done since taking over the Luo family; there was no connection to Bai Yiheng.
They had two projects involving the Xiao family, but none were managed by Bai Yiheng.
“You really are in deep this time, aren’t you?” Fu Ju mused. “The two Xiao family projects don’t even make money. When we signed the contracts, the Xiao family looked at us like we were crazy,” he laughed.
They’d approached those contracts as if they were giving money away. Even the Xiao family representatives couldn’t believe it. When they finally signed, they still looked at them with disbelief.
Back then, Luo Jingshu was underage and unable to handle many tasks officially, so Fu Ju acted as the public representative, although Luo Jingshu made all the decisions behind the scenes.
Luo Jingshu ignored him. “Do you know where Bai Yiheng lives?”
“Why would I even know that?” Fu Ju responded, his tone laced with sarcasm. After a few seconds, he suddenly exclaimed again.
“I actually do know.”
It was something his lover at the time had casually mentioned during a date.
Fu Ju didn’t like playing the “sugar daddy” role; he was genuinely dating each of his partners. He just got bored quickly, so his relationships never lasted long.
That lover, who had mentioned where Bai Yiheng lived, came from a family background similar to his own and thus had access to that kind of information.
They had parted on bad terms, with Fu Ju taking a hit. Thinking back, it was a painful memory.
Although his former lover didn’t give a specific address, they mentioned a general area, which Fu Ju then passed along to Luo Jingshu.
“What do you need that for?” Fu Ju asked offhandedly, but there was silence on Luo Jingshu’s end. A thought flashed in his mind, and he suddenly realized.
“Don’t tell me… your little canary’s new owner is Bai Yiheng.”
Luo Jingshu replied quickly, “He isn’t.”
Fu Ju was about to breathe a sigh of relief, ready to say that if it were Bai Yiheng, his rival would be way too formidable.
Then he heard Luo Jingshu add, “He isn’t my canary.”
He’s the person I like.
There was a hint of displeasure in Luo Jingshu’s tone, clearly aimed at Fu Ju’s comment.
Fu Ju: …
Fuck.
Now he was upset with him?
Hadn’t Luo Jingshu said that himself before?
What had he done wrong? He was just repeating what Luo Jingshu had told him.
Unbelievable.
Fu Ju felt unjustly accused, yet at the same time, he found it amusing.
Last time, he advised Luo Jingshu to pursue the person he liked instead of hiding his feelings.
Luo Jingshu had insisted it was only a “canary,” not someone he liked.
Yeah, right.
Serves him right.
Fu Ju chuckled, “Getting mad at me won’t help; you should think about how to deal with your rival.”
Luo Jingshu fell silent again. Fu Ju worried he might have pushed him too hard, and was about to offer some kind words when Luo Jingshu suddenly said:
“Brother Cheng probably likes him.”
His voice was soft, and if it weren’t so quiet around Fu Ju, he might not have heard him.
“How do you know that?” Fu Ju asked.
Xiao Cheng was likely irritated with Luo Jingshu at this point, so he probably wouldn’t tell him something like that.
Luo Jingshu stopped, standing alone on the street, drawing curious glances from passersby because of his striking looks—and the bandages on his hand, faintly stained with blood from reopened wounds.
He thought back to the scene he’d just witnessed. He only wanted to catch another glimpse of Xiao Cheng, with no intention of approaching him.
But then he saw Xiao Cheng on the phone.
He was smiling sweetly, with genuine happiness in his eyes and on his face.
Who was this person who could make Xiao Cheng smile so freely just by talking?
Leaning against the wall, Luo Jingshu had heard Xiao Cheng call the other person “Mr. Bai.”
Even after they had broken up, Luo Jingshu had kept tabs on Xiao Cheng. He knew Xiao Cheng’s social circle was small; he rarely went out with friends and seldom attended parties.
There was no other likely way he could have met someone named Bai.
And he called him Mr. Bai.
Luo Jingshu could only think of Bai Yiheng, a senior figure in the company.
Would Brother Cheng fall for Bai Yiheng?
Luo Jingshu wasn’t sure.
Fu Ju was saying something again, but Luo Jingshu wasn’t paying attention. After a moment of silence from the other end, Luo Jingshu finally spoke up, “Can you help me arrange a meeting with Xiao Yu?”
“Xiao Cheng’s dad?”
Luo Jingshu hummed in acknowledgment. “My public identity is only as the youngest son of the Luo family, and I’ve had a falling out with Brother Cheng. He probably won’t want to see me.”
Despite Xiao Yu’s serious appearance, he cared deeply about his family, and after Luo Jingshu argued with Xiao Cheng, he likely resented him.
“What do you need to see him for?” Fu Ju asked, though he agreed to help. “I’ll let you know when it’s arranged.”
“Thanks,” Luo Jingshu said, looking up at the dark night sky. “I appreciate it.”
Fu Ju, a bit taken aback by his gratitude, felt a touch of sympathy for him.
Although he was several years older than Luo Jingshu, he often thought of him as a kid who had yet to fully grow up.
While Luo Jingshu’s business acumen was impressive, he was clueless about matters of the heart.
At his age, one should be passionate and open-hearted about love, ready to go all out for it.
Yet Luo Jingshu was so stubborn, only admitting his feelings after facing heartache.
With a long sigh, Fu Ju said, “I’ll say it again: if you really like him, go and win him back properly. Stop messing around.”
This time, Luo Jingshu didn’t put up his usual front. He answered softly, “Yeah, I know.”
Fu Ju vaguely felt that Luo Jingshu had made some important decision; his voice even sounded a bit relieved.
The obsession and madness he’d had before seemed to vanish suddenly.
Fu Ju didn’t know why, but he felt even more worried.
“Don’t do anything stupid.”
Luo Jingshu chuckled, “I know.”
“I’m a law-abiding citizen.”
Fu Ju: …
Alright, then.
—
Xiao Cheng said goodbye to Xie Zhao at the hospital entrance and took a taxi to his apartment.
It was too late, and he didn’t want to disturb He An and Xiao Yu, so he let Xiao Ziyue stay at his place for the night.
He An had messaged him about half an hour ago, concerned. Xiao Ziyue hadn’t told her what happened tonight to keep her from worrying.
Once He An heard Xiao Cheng was there, she was reassured.
It was Xiao Ziyue’s first time here, and she was full of curiosity about everything.
“Brother, has anyone stayed in the guest room before?”
The sheets and covers were fresh, but everything else was already in place, so it didn’t look unused.
“Yeah,” Xiao Cheng replied as he turned toward the kitchen.
Initially, the guest room had only a bed, nothing else.
When Luo Jingshu stayed over for two nights, Xiao Cheng bought everything that was needed, and after Luo Jingshu left, he simply replaced it all with new items.
Seeing his reaction, Xiao Ziyue held back from asking more and followed him into the kitchen, “Are you going to cook?”
“Hungry?” Xiao Cheng was only planning to make some ginger tea. He remembered he still had ginger left and picked up a bottle of cola on the way home.
“Not really.” She’d eaten a bit earlier, and after everything that had happened, she just wanted to relax, wash up, and rest.
“Then go ahead and wash up. I’ll make some ginger tea, and you can drink it when you’re done.”
Xiao Cheng poured the cola and ginger into a pot to simmer, then took his sister to the guest room. “There are new towels in the cabinet, and the toothbrush and cup are also new.”
Xiao Ziyue observed his expression carefully, “Alright, I got it.”
Xiao Cheng guessed what she wanted to ask, but he didn’t feel like explaining now. He just ruffled her hair. “Go on.”
Once she was in the bathroom, Xiao Cheng finally breathed a sigh of relief. He sat down by the floor-to-ceiling window, staring out at the night for a while.
With his head resting on his hand, he looked dazed. Clearly, his mind wasn’t focused on the view—his thoughts were elsewhere.
A quiet place like this only made his thoughts wander more, especially here, where everything was so familiar. Xiao Cheng shook his head, trying to clear away the tangled images.
Some things weren’t worth thinking about. He couldn’t let one person keep him from ever setting foot here again.
Xiao Cheng stood up, rubbing his temples, intending to check on the ginger tea. As he pushed himself up, he felt something under his hand.
Sitting back down, he looked closely. His hand had only brushed against the soft carpet.
It seemed like whatever it was was under the rug.
Lifting the rug, Xiao Cheng’s expression shifted to one of brief confusion as he saw what was beneath it.
It was a necklace.
When he’d been looking for a gift to apologize to Luo Jingshu, Xiao Cheng had spent a long time browsing the display counters, yet nothing had felt right.
Back then, while he looked at the necklaces in the store, a vague image popped into his mind.
At the time, he’d thought this was the exact necklace he wanted to give to Luo Jingshu.
He’d described it to the store clerk, but they didn’t know which brand had made that design.
Later, he’d searched online based on his memory but couldn’t find anything similar.
But now, here it was, right in front of him.
Xiao Cheng picked up the necklace, feeling an increasing sense of familiarity. This was the exact piece he’d pictured. Perhaps its former owner had once bought it, which was why it had lingered in his mind.
He carefully examined the necklace in his hands; something about this design struck him.
The more he looked at it, the deeper his frown grew.
That strange feeling of familiarity came over him again. The more he stared, the more familiar this necklace seemed.
It wasn’t the kind of familiarity that came from having seen it before, but a sense that he could even understand the designer’s thoughts.
It was as though he knew exactly what the designer had in mind when creating this piece.
Some details might have been easy to guess, but others didn’t make sense—unique elements of the designer’s style that he inexplicably understood at a glance.
As he looked closer, Xiao Cheng noticed two small symbols in one spot on the necklace.
They looked like two lowercase “n”s, or maybe a single one.
Xiao Cheng pursed his lips and took a photo of the necklace, trying to identify the brand, but he still could not find anything.
His expression grew more serious. He decided to submit the photo to a well-known jewelry expert online, hoping they might know the brand behind this necklace.
When the other party didn’t reply, Xiao Cheng suppressed his doubts and put the necklace away.
That most unlikely suspicion surfaced in his mind again.
Xiao Cheng had guessed before that he and the original owner might actually be the same person; the original owner’s little habits matched his exactly, and many of their thoughts coincided.
But he was sure that his transmigration into this story was real.
Xiao Cheng rubbed his temples, thinking he needed to go back and ask He An about it. Maybe she’d know something about the necklace.
He was very curious about those two letters—was it someone’s initials or just a decorative design?
The moment he saw those two letters, a name immediately popped into his mind: Nian Nian.
He even suspected that he might have designed this necklace at some point, had it custom-made, and engraved Luo Jingshu’s nickname on it to give to him.
That was probably the only way to explain it, but Xiao Cheng clearly knew nothing like that had happened!
Were those letters really “Nian Nian”?
If this necklace, found in the original owner’s home, truly had Luo Jingshu’s nickname on it…
Then something was definitely wrong in this world.
Could it be that the original owner actually knew Luo Jingshu?!
Xiao Cheng frowned and thought it over for a while before realizing that his ginger tea was still simmering on the stove. He pushed aside his wild guesses and quickly walked to the kitchen.
Luckily, he hadn’t turned the heat up too high, and the cola in the pot hadn’t boiled dry.
As Xiao Cheng poured the ginger tea into a bowl, Xiao Ziyue appeared, wrapped in a towel.
“Brother,” Xiao Ziyue yawned, “do you have a clean towel?”
Her wet hair was draped over her shoulders, dripping water.
“Yes, check in the cupboard.”
Xiao Cheng, carrying the ginger tea to the dining room, winced as his fingertips turned red from the heat. He rubbed his ear and told Xiao Ziyue, “It’s in the same cabinet you were just at.”
Since Luo Jingshu had only stayed here for a couple of nights, many things were still unused, and Xiao Cheng hadn’t replaced them, so they were all stored in the cabinet.
Xiao Ziyue rummaged through the cabinet and found a towel, but she also discovered a box inside.
Xiao Ziyue was startled, “Brother, I found something here.”
Xiao Cheng was cleaning the used dishes in the kitchen and replied casually, “Take a look.”
It was clearly a gift box, and Xiao Ziyue hesitated, unsure if she should open it. “It’s a box. Can I open it?”
Xiao Cheng hadn’t spent many nights here himself, but he’d tidied up the guest room, so there shouldn’t be anything too personal inside.
“Go ahead.”
Xiao Ziyue opened the gift box, only to find a smaller box inside and a letter.
She picked up the letter, and upon seeing the handwriting, her eyes widened with surprise and disbelief.
The letter was from Luo Jingshu.
On it, in beautiful script, was a single sentence: “Happy New Year, Brother Cheng~”
Happy New Year?!
Xiao Ziyue was puzzled. She turned the letter over, finding two more lines on the back.
“A New Year’s gift for you. I can’t wait to see you wearing it.”
“To me, you are the best New Year’s gift.”
Xiao Ziyue: ???
Why did that message sound so strange?
A New Year’s gift from Luo Jingshu to her brother—why was it here?
Xiao Ziyue recalled the odd atmosphere between them and suddenly had a bold thought.
Her hands trembled as she opened the small box beside the letter, only to shut it again quickly.
Just then, Xiao Cheng walked in, holding a tissue and wiping away water from the dishes.
“What is it?”
Xiao Ziyue looked up at him with a complicated expression. “Bro, you better look for yourself.”
Xiao Cheng’s puzzled expression slowly turned distant. He tossed the letter aside, picked up the small box, and opened it.
Inside were two rings.
Xiao Cheng took one look before closing the box and placing it back next to the letter.
Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, Xiao Ziyue asked, “Bro, you and he… are you two…”
Xiao Cheng grabbed a towel and placed it on Xiao Ziyue’s head, gently drying her hair.
“Mm.”
It’s true!
Xiao Ziyue wanted to look up at his face, but with Xiao Cheng drying her hair, she obediently stayed seated.
“You guys broke up?”
She regretted it the moment she asked, remembering she had asked Xiao Cheng the same question not too long ago. At the time, Xiao Cheng had said he didn’t have a partner.
She was simply too shocked and failed to connect the dots.
“You two weren’t together for long, right?”
There’s no way they’d have spent New Year’s together.
But then why did Luo Jingshu leave a New Year’s gift here?
Xiao Cheng wanted to know why, too. He’d given Luo Jingshu the chance to pack his things, so if this had been here since before, why didn’t he take it with him?
When he read the words in that letter, all he felt was irony.
If they hadn’t gone through everything they did, or if he hadn’t discovered the real Luo Jingshu, maybe he would’ve felt moved to receive this gift.
Since Luo Jingshu didn’t like him, why write those words and even want to give him rings?
“I don’t know.”
Surely her brother wouldn’t hold on to things from his ex after a breakup; this gift must’ve been hidden by Luo Jingshu, intending to give it on New Year’s.
Xiao Ziyue guessed.
But who knew—they broke up before New Year’s even came around.
“So, what are you going to do with these?” Xiao Ziyue glanced downward, feeling a strange mix of emotions.
She wanted to ask why Xiao Cheng broke up with Luo Jingshu, but sensing it might be painful for him, she stifled her curiosity.
“I’ll give it back.”
If Luo Jingshu didn’t want it, he’d throw it away.
Xiao Cheng wanted to toss it right then, figuring that if Luo Jingshu didn’t take it, it wouldn’t mean much to him, and there would be no point in keeping it.
But since it wasn’t technically his, Xiao Cheng decided to ask Luo Jingshu out of courtesy.
After drying Xiao Ziyue’s hair and telling her to rest, Xiao Cheng took the gift back to his room.
After washing up, he sat on the bed with damp hair.
He took a picture of the gift, sent it to a friend, and clicked on a familiar avatar, typing, [Do you still want this? If not, I’ll toss it.]
After hitting send, he set the phone down and continued drying his hair.
A moment later, the person replied. Xiao Cheng glanced over.
Three question marks appeared on his screen.
Xiao Cheng frowned. What was Luo Jingshu playing at? This was his stuff; did he not recognize it?
Luo Jingshu hadn’t sent anything else besides the three question marks.
Xiao Cheng ignored him and continued drying his hair. After a while, he put the towel down.
He looked at the phone screen again, but there was still no response.
As he was getting impatient, he looked at the chat history and realized something was wrong.
Why was this Bai Yiheng?!
Xiao Cheng couldn’t believe it; he exited the chat, realizing that Bai Yiheng had somehow changed his avatar to a purple ball, resembling a grape from a distance.
His eyes had been wet and partially blocked by his hair, so he hadn’t clearly seen the avatar and had just clicked on a familiar-looking one, thinking it was Luo Jingshu.
Because in his mind, only Luo Jingshu’s avatar looked like a grape.
Xiao Cheng: …
This was a huge misunderstanding.
As he stared at the screen, Bai Yiheng finally sent a second message after the question marks.
[Mr. Bai: At least let me know what it is so I can decide if I want it or not.]
Xiao Cheng covered his face.
This was so embarrassing!
