The call was from Gu Tingshen.
After falling into a deep sleep, in Jing Li’s impression, it had only been a couple of days, but when he saw the caller ID, he suddenly felt as if it had been a long time since he last contacted Gu Tingshen.
Especially since the last time they spoke, the other’s attitude was so cold.
Now, seeing Gu Tingshen taking the initiative to call, a gentle smile unconsciously graced his lips.
Seeing this expression, the old man promptly stood up, bowed to him, and said, “Since Mr. Jing has business, we shall not disturb you further. If you need anything, simply send for us.”
“Thank you, that would be great, old sir.” Jing Li, preoccupied with the phone, only politely responded before dismissing them.
The old man smiled, nodded at Hu Li, then turned to leave, taking the two plant spirits1The Feng in Jin Weifeng’s name means maple. with him.
Hu Li watched them leave, glanced at the absent-minded Jing Li, and said, “I’ll pour you some water,” before heading towards the coffee table.
Jing Li didn’t look at him, only giving a casual response, then sat up eagerly and answered the call, “Shen-ge? Are you done with your work?”
As if realizing his words sounded too eager, as if he had been waiting for the other’s contact, he paused and added, “I mean, you said you were busy before, how is it going now?”
“Yeah, more or less.” Gu Tingshen didn’t seem to notice his attitude.
During these few days of recuperation at home, he had been resisting contacting Jing Li, but now, hearing his voice, the suppressed emotions surged uncontrollably, making his voice a few shades huskier and inadvertently more seductive.
Jing Li felt a sudden tingle in his ear, as if an electric current struck his heart directly from the receiver, numbing half his body.
This strange sensation made his eyelashes flutter, and his mind went blank for a moment, forgetting what to say next.
The air grew still for a second, filled only with their breathing and the sound of their quickening heartbeats.
After a while, Gu Tingshen spoke again, “Are you at home? Last time I saw you, you were in such a hurry we didn’t get to talk. I’m free tonight, how about I come over?”
“…I’m not at home.” Jing Li hesitated, considering whether he could rush back without much delay, but after assessing his weakness, he could only decline regretfully, “I’ve been out playing with Hu Li since I’ve had nothing going on recently.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Tingshen paused, his emotions instantly interrupted, then his mind recalled the comments he had seen online urging Hu Li and Jing Li to get together.
Being paired online was one thing, but why were they hanging out privately too?!
I haven’t even had the chance to go out with you alone!
Gu Tingshen pursed his lips, the smile in his eyes fading.
Despite knowing it was inappropriate, he couldn’t help but ask, “Then should I come and pick you up now?”
Preferably right now, immediately!
Hearing his rather assertive question, Jing Li’s heart skipped a beat, followed by a strange sense of elation and anticipation. Far from being uncomfortable, it even carried a hint of sweetness(?).
Jing Li felt like he must have gone insane.
However, he had some self-awareness of his current state and did not dare agree. “No need, we’ll probably be staying here for a few more days.”
He paused, as if worried Gu Tingshen would be unhappy, then added, “How about this, when I get back, I’ll call you, and I’ll personally cook for you?”
Staying together for a few more days?!
Are they planning to spend another year together?!
Gu Tingshen’s eyes narrowed slightly, the smile completely gone from his eyes, and the pressure around him instantly dropped by several degrees.
But towards Jing Li, he could never bring himself to be angry, especially after the scenes that had replayed in his mind these past few days, which only made him feel more tender towards him.
“Then come back soon,” he said softly, his tone sounding a bit aggrieved.
However, even though unhappy, he did not linger on the matter, only reminding Jing Li to take care of himself before forcing himself to hang up.
After ending the call, he had no desire to do anything else. Instead, he opened his chat with Jing Li, staring at the radiant smile in his profile picture, lost in thought.
Ever since passing out from the bone-gnawing pain of being struck by lightning, he had been recuperating at home these past few days.
The family doctor had visited and, apart from feeling weak and looking a bit pale, everything seemed normal with his body. Even after a full physical examination, all indicators showed no abnormalities.
The doctor presumed he was overworked and prescribed some tonics, advising him to rest at home for a few days.
But Gu Tingshen knew his condition was not right, and since the doctor found nothing, he considered other possibilities.
Suddenly, he realized he could no longer see the mist on others’ bodies. A flash of realization hit him as he recalled the chaotic mist hovering around Jing Li’s head before returning home and the necklace he impulsively gifted him.
“Could it be related to that necklace?”
Gu Tingshen froze, recalling the lightning strike he witnessed at the film studio, and a guess suddenly formed in his mind.
Before he could dwell on it further, the gradually resurfacing memories provided the answers.
In these memories, it seemed he had known Jing Li for a long time, since he was a little fish, albeit one-sidedly.
In one scene, by a small stream, a young Jing Li sat disheveled in the rippling water, weakly gasping for breath, his long fish tail hanging limply to the side, bleeding from various wounds that tinted the stream red.
Vicious winds whipped leaves and branches around him, the sky dark and punctuated with purple lightning, just like at the film studio.
Then, a deafening boom shook the sky as a bolt of lightning as thick as an arm struck Jing Li’s back, instantly charring his fair skin black as he lurched forward, coughing up blood.
But the lightning did not stop, instead growing more excited, rumbling as it struck again and again.
After an unknown amount of time, Jing Li’s body was completely blackened, his body swaying as if about to collapse to the ground.
Seeing another bolt descending, Gu Tingshen could no longer bear it and rushed towards the young man, shielding him and taking the remaining lightning strikes.
However, for some reason, he didn’t intend to let the other party see his face, so he wore a silver mask in the scene.
“…Who?!” The wary youth glared defiantly despite his hazy state upon sensing someone’s approach, but ultimately slumped weakly into Gu Tingshen’s arms, lacking the strength to resist.
After the lightning tribulation passed, he helped the young man sit up steadily, only releasing his grip on the young man’s shoulders once he had recovered.
“Thank you for saving me.” The young man, refined by the lightning tribulation, looked even more delicate and beautiful, his large, doe-like eyes gazing up at him, his voice soft and tender.
Upon seeing him, the young man tilted his head in confusion and asked, “But why are you wearing a mask? Don’t you want me to see your face?”
Watching the young man’s innocent and soft demeanor, he couldn’t help but smile and tease, “Why can’t I be a demon afraid of you seeing my true face?”
“Impossible, demons wouldn’t be so kind as to save me!” The young man puffed his cheeks, clearly displeased at being compared to a demon. However, meeting Gu Tingshen’s arched brow, he hesitated, leaned in to sniff cautiously, and asked uncertainly, “Are you a demon?”
Gu Tingshen just smiled and did not answer.
At that moment, the jade slip in the young man’s arms glowed, a man’s urgent voice telling him to return quickly.
The young man responded softly, then stood up to bid farewell, “My senior brother is looking for me, I must go now.”
He had just nodded with a smile when the young man leaped onto a white cloud and left.
He raised an eyebrow and also concealed his presence, preparing to leave.
However, at that moment, the young man returned, pausing upon finding the stream empty before calling out, “Hey, are you still there?”
Before Gu Tingshen could respond, the jade slip glowed again with the same man’s voice, even more urgent this time.
Left with no choice, the young man responded vaguely, took out a seashell from his robe, and left it by the stream, grumbling with puffed cheeks, “You run so fast, are you a rabbit spirit?”
Then he shouted loudly into the empty space, “My name is Jing Li, I’m a junior disciple of the Tianling Sect’s leader. This is my favorite seashell bed. If you’re ever in trouble, bring it to find me, and I’ll do everything I can to help you.”
He paused, then added, “Even if you’re a demon, as long as you don’t violate moral principles, I’ll still help you.”
With that, he reluctantly stroked the seashell, then turned and walked away with backward glances.
Once the young man was far away, Gu Tingshen reappeared, gazing at the seashell for a long while.
Remembering the young man’s cute, puffed cheeks, he couldn’t help but smile again before pocketing the seashell and leaving too.
The memory ended abruptly there, but the vivid scenes felt so real, as if they had just occurred yesterday, especially little Jing Li’s lively charm.
Upon recollecting the entire memory, Gu Tingshen froze in astonishment.
He had once fantasized that he and Jing Li were fated across lifetimes, but it was mostly just an obsession he had left for himself. However, this memory seemed so real.
Especially that seashell…
Thinking about that seashell he had cherished since childhood on the small island, Gu Tingshen became excitedly breathless.
Considering the seashell, the island’s mysterious dense fog, and everything happening to him, he suddenly had a bold speculation.
Could it be that his connection with Jing Li was not a matter of past and present lives, but rather that he had followed Jing Li here?
Otherwise, how could that seashell appear on the island?
And Jing Li’s reaction upon seeing it. Before, Gu Tingshen thought Jing Li simply liked that seashell, but now, thinking about it more carefully, wasn’t it more shock and surprise?
…Did Jing Li recognize that seashell too?
Or could it be that he also came from that place?
Gu Tingshen’s mind raced, gradually recalling many details that had previously puzzled him.
Jing Li’s sudden personality change, his completely different way of doing things, how others treated him differently, and the magical scene he witnessed of Jing Li controlling water to attack monsters…
And all the mysterious actions before, if explained by the fact that the other party had crossed over from another world, seemed to make sense again.
Moreover, if his memory was correct and Jing Li was indeed the koi from his dreams, using water to launch attacks would also be more reasonable.
“Xiao Jing…”
The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. In that moment, Gu Tingshen could barely resist the urge to immediately call Jing Li and confirm the truth.
He didn’t feel panicked; on the contrary, he was delighted by such a turn of fate.
Ultimately, considering his current physical condition, he barely managed to suppress the restlessness in his heart and forced himself to calm down.
And if Jing Li truly was his little fish, having just endured that lightning tribulation, he had probably already noticed something was wrong with him.
With this thought, Gu Tingshen worried Jing Li might overthink and become concerned, so despite his fatigue, he sent him a message.
Gu Tingshen was lost in thought as he caressed the photo, but eventually, he convinced himself to calm down.
He and Hu Li were not the same.
He and his little fish had a long future ahead of them.
*
Jing Li, unaware of Gu Tingshen’s thoughts after hanging up, felt much better hearing Gu Tingshen speak to him as usual, especially his obvious reluctance at the end.
It seemed he had indeed overthought it earlier, and the other was simply busy.
With this in mind, he couldn’t help but smile, starting to plan how to invite Gu Tingshen over as soon as possible.
Lost in thought, he was suddenly heard Hu Li next to him ask, “Do you like Gu Tingshen?”
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