The fever-reducing medicine took effect during a deep sleep, and when Chen Xu woke up the next morning, he felt much better. His temperature had returned to normal, leaving only a slight post-illness fatigue.
He shifted slightly, and the movement was noticed by Ji Chunxiao lying beside him. The hand around his waist tightened, and his head buried itself into Chen Xu’s neck, nuzzling messily.
Chen Xu blinked, momentarily unable to grasp the situation.
This scene was all too familiar; it had played out every morning over the past five years.
So much so that Chen Xu almost thought his rebirth after the car accident was just a bizarre dream.
But the single bed of their university dorm and the sheets bearing the school’s emblem quickly pulled him back to reality.
It wasn’t a dream.
He checked the time; it was just past six o’clock. With the early sunrise of summer, it was already bright outside, and getting up for breakfast now would mean he wouldn’t be late for the morning self-study session.
His ex-boyfriend and current roommate, Ji Chunxiao, who had climbed into his bed last night, was still asleep. Chen Xu gently tapped his face, “Ji Chunxiao? Get up, or we’ll be late.”
“…So sleepy.”
Master Ji had stayed up too late last night, hugging Chen Xu’s arm, drowsy, “I don’t want to go to work today.”
“Alright, President Ji.”
Chen Xu chuckled, “But we still have to attend class.”
After Chen Xu finished washing up and returned to the dorm, he noticed the thermos placed neatly on the desk.
He paused for a moment, guessing what was inside, and opened the lid. The fragrant aroma of lily and date soup flowed out.
So, Ji Chunxiao really did make him soup last night?
Chen Xu couldn’t quite describe his feelings.
From a young age, he had believed that making demands wasn’t his right; he could only tolerate and accommodate others.
But that didn’t mean he had no such desires.
Burdened by accumulating emotions day after day, he tried to take the first step, even preparing himself for potential rejection with thoughts of what to say.
Like, “Right, it’s too late now.”
Or, “Don’t bother, I’ll buy some myself tomorrow.”
He had quietly rehearsed these lines in his mind, but he hadn’t needed to use any of them.
Because Ji Chunxiao had said nothing, responding instead with actions that gave him extraordinarily positive feedback.
Ji Chunxiao was telling him that it was okay to make demands, to be willful, even if he wanted soup in the dead of night; someone would fulfill his requests without question.
The thermos was still effective, and the soup was warm. After washing up, Ji Chunxiao came over and immediately smelled the sweet scent.
His hair damp from washing, he pushed it all back, revealing a face still bearing traces of youthfulness.
Stirring the soup with a spoon, he turned to Chen Xu, “Do you want more? I can have someone make it fresh.”
“No, this is fine.”
Chen Xu shook his head and hesitated before speaking, “…Serve it for me.”
Master Ji probably wasn’t used to such tasks, but he only looked slightly surprised, and then smiled.
“Sure.”
A whipped man who doesn’t serve his wife isn’t a qualified whipped man!
He served the lily soup into a small bowl, holding onto the bowl and spoon without letting go until Chen Xu gave him a puzzled look. Then he asked with a smile, “Do you need me to feed you?”
“…No need!”
Chen Xu grabbed the spoon and started sipping the soup, his face reddening.
It was a good start, and Chen Xu felt that his nature of unconditional giving might be changing. He was becoming someone who could balance giving and taking.
He had always worried that if he no longer acted so considerate, would he still be loved?
But now, it seemed, he didn’t need to worry.
During this time, he tried to be a bit more willful in front of Ji Chunxiao, or rather, not as attentive, even making some excessive demands at times, but Ji Chunxiao didn’t show any signs of irritation or impatience.
The haughty young master would obediently cook for him, fetch water, peel apples, and even bend down to tie his shoes because of a few words from him.
It was an unmasked care and favoritism.
These were things Ji Chunxiao had never done before, but he was learning. They were both changing themselves, each eager to love the other better.
Their third year in high school had no summer break, just endless quizzes and exams. The stifling heat of midsummer made it hard to breathe.
During the evening self-study, the teacher left a math test paper, and Chen Xu concentrated on calculating on his draft paper. Although Ji Chunxiao’s grades had improved slightly under his wife’s tutelage, he only completed the multiple-choice and first few big questions on the paper, leaving the rest blank.
He didn’t know how to do them, nor did he waste time; he set the paper aside and took out a small fan to fan Chen Xu.
A distant rumble of thunder rolled across the sky, perhaps heralding a heavy rain.
With only ten minutes left until class ended, the classroom was already buzzing with chatter. After finishing the last big question, Chen Xu let out a breath and shook his sore wrist. Immediately, someone under the table grabbed his hand and began to rub it seriously.
Ji Chunxiao was very earnest in this task, as if his wife’s hand was some precious artifact.
Chen Xu looked over, seeing only his long eyelashes hanging down.
Chen Xu suddenly wanted to ask Ji Chunxiao a question, even though they both knew the answer.
He lowered his voice, blending with the sounds of the wind and thunder outside and the whispers of classmates inside, yet it was very clear. He said, “Ji Chunxiao, do you still like me?”
The hand massaging his wrist froze, and Ji Chunxiao looked up at him, unusually flustered.
He opened his mouth to say something, but after several attempts, he couldn’t speak. The tips of his ears turned noticeably red, and he awkwardly muttered, “Don’t you know?”
In his past and current lives combined, Master Ji had never said things like “I love you” or “I like you.” It was always others who chased after him, the proud young master, who would never confess first.
Previously, Chen Xu had indulged him, thinking it didn’t matter if he didn’t say it, as he could just say it more himself.
But now, Chen Xu didn’t want to let it pass so vaguely, insisting, “I don’t know, Ji Chunxiao, I need you to say it.”
“…It’s not just still liking you.”
Master Ji’s face also began to redden, his gaze flickering briefly before he forced himself to meet his wife’s eyes, trying to express his first confession more eloquently.
He said, “I’ve always liked you, in the last life, this life, and the next.”
“Ji Chunxiao will always like Chen Xu, it’s a law.”
After he spoke, Chen Xu blinked, feeling a warmth in his eyes. He asked softly,
“So, even if I’m not so humble in loving you, enduring and accommodating you, you’ll still like me?”
Ji Chunxiao hadn’t expected him to say that. He froze for a moment, then explained earnestly with a furrowed brow,
“Little Chen Xu, it’s because I love you that I’m inevitably pleased and proud when you treat me well. It’s not because you treat me well that I love you.”
“As long as you are Chen Xu, no matter what you do, or even do nothing, I will always like you.”
“I don’t need you to treat me well, I just need you to love me.”
As he spoke, Ji Chunxiao’s voice was soft, but every word resonated deeply within Chen Xu.
It turned out that the unconditional favoritism he had never dared to hope for had been in Ji Chunxiao’s hands from the very beginning.
The wind outside grew fiercer, and the lush trees began to rustle loudly.
The lights in the school corridor flickered with the thunder, and a torrential downpour arrived, plunging the entire building into darkness when the next thunderstorm hit.
A moment of silence ensued, then suddenly burst into a frenzy of cheers with shouts of “Power outage!” “Back to the dorms!” Amidst this, Chen Xu felt Ji Chunxiao embrace him and gently kiss the tears on his face.
As if the sounds of the storm and cheers were in another world, their heartbeats thundered in the darkness, the salty tears blending with the lips pressed close.
Such heavy rain was rare, occurring only once in the past five years.
Ji Chunxiao and Chen Xu both remembered what day it was.
Their fifth anniversary, or rather, the day they got together in their previous life.
In two starkly different times, this time there were no mistakes, no humble sycophants. They were both different from before but still attracted to each other like magnets, drawn together by an irresistible force.
They still kissed on this day.
In their past life together, Master Ji had held Chen Xu by the collar, arrogant, “Little whipped dog, I’ll reluctantly give you a chance.”
This time, in the empty classroom after everyone had left, Ji Chunxiao held Chen Xu’s face, tender and devout in his kiss,
“Chen Xu, can I reluctantly ask for another chance?”
Chen Xu couldn’t refuse; no matter what, he was bound to fall for Ji Chunxiao.
Just as Ji Chunxiao had said, it was a law.
So, he leaned in to kiss him back, mumbling, “Then let’s do it again.”
Revisiting old dreams wouldn’t lead them astray but instead corrected their course, seeking clarity. With countless lessons learned from the past, they both changed, all for the better, all for the sake of love.
