Chapter 114#

Main story complete.

The day construction began on the research institute building at the old Ji family estate site, Ji Yang was preparing to set off abroad.

Yiyuan’s newly relocated office was in the industrial park east of Jianyuan.

Two rows of ginkgo trees were planted at the entrance, just sprouting clusters of fresh green leaves this time of year.

The team walked out the gate together with him.

“Young Boss Ji, where’s your luggage?” a colleague asked.

Ji Yang: “I already had someone send it directly to the airport.”

“Then take a taxi?” The colleague looked around the roadside. “It’s hard to get one around here during rush hour, isn’t it?”

Ji Yang was about to say he had a driver.

For Ji Yang’s convenience in traveling, Nie Xu had directly assigned Jianyuan’s original driver to him, on the name of a private hire.

But before Ji Yang could get the words out, a group watched as a high-end black business van pulled up, parking right in front of everyone.

The car window slid down. It was the driver sent to pick up Ji Yang.

Ji Yang was surprised. “New car?”

Then the rear window slid down, and Nie Xu, sitting in the back seat, turned his head outward to look.

The colleagues were each reserved and composed.

“President Nie? Morning.”

“Hello, President Nie.”

“You’re here to see off Young Boss Ji, have you had breakfast yet?”

Ji Yang struggled hard to suppress his laughter on the side.

Ever since Nie Xu’s identity as the behind-the-scenes boss of Jianyuan was discovered, the people at Yiyuan had automatically classified him as the boss above their boss. Nie Xu’s impression was not one of approachability, and even bearing the tacitly acknowledged title of Ji Yang’s boyfriend had failed to redeem the stereotypical image of him having overnight become a capitalist big shot from being one of the working cattle.

Nie Xu opened the car door and stepped out. “Mm. Here to pick him up.”

As he spoke, he gestured for Ji Yang to get in.

Ji Yang got in the car, watching his colleagues on the roadside point at Nie Xu, then wink and make faces at him. Ji Yang smiled.

As the car drove off, Nie Xu asked him, “What were you about to say earlier?”

“You mean about my colleagues?” Ji Yang said.

Nie Xu: “Yes.”

The moment Ji Yang got in the car, he immediately lay down, knocking his head against Nie Xu’s knee, looking up from below and saying, “Nothing much. Didn’t Jianyuan just announce joint operations and long-term leasing with overseas ports? Yiyuan entering the cross-border web platform is a new venture. My colleagues want me to sell myself for gain—ride the east wind of Jianyuan and the new chamber of commerce to do some business of my own.”

Nie Xu looked down at him. “Sell yourself for gain? Are you selling?”

Ji Yang’s fingers hooked the button at Nie Xu’s waist. “Shouldn’t I ask President Nie first whether you’re willing to give me the opportunity?”

“Yiyuan did quite well on the bidding projects before,” Nie Xu caught his hand, pinching his fingertips. “Just maintain what you have now. Within three years, your development will definitely reach a new level.”

Ji Yang: “I know, but before it was mostly forced by circumstances. Besides, I’ve already pocketed quite a sum, so that’s enough. I still prefer my old line of work.”

Nie Xu: “Your old line of work?”

Ji Yang climbed up from Nie Xu’s lap. “Yiyuan only handles front-end operations, content, traffic, and brand management.”

Nie Xu looked at him. “These past few months, you haven’t missed a single lesson on compliance bottom lines and authorization management systems. Looks like it wasn’t for nothing.”

Ji Yang raised an eyebrow, playfully. “You know about that too?”

Nie Xu laughed in exasperation. “If you didn’t always schedule your online classes right before bedtime every single time, I probably wouldn’t know it so clearly.”

Ji Yang: “That’s called planning ahead.”

Nie Xu glanced sideways at him. “You’re so sure I’ll agree?”

Ji Yang simply lay back down again, looking at him. “You will.”

Nie Xu lowered his eyes to meet his gaze.

Ji Yang had him completely figured out.

He was sure that no matter whether he stopped or kept moving forward, this person would stand behind him without condition.

It wasn’t the certainty of someone who knew they were pampered.

It was because they had known each other far, far too early, had been through far too much together. It was instinct—born of being well enough acquainted, and trusting each other with absolute faith.

The early morning car wove through the morning rush-hour traffic.

On the road to the airport, some cars drove parallel the whole way, others raced in the opposite direction toward their own destinies.

And Ji Yang’s life—impossibly real, lived in the flesh—was right here, right now.

Nie Xu’s work phone rang nonstop in the early morning.

Ji Yang lay on his lap playing on his phone.

Lin Yue, as his personal assistant, had already officially begun participating in the new planned work for Yiyuan. Ji Yang’s account had returned to his own hands once again, and for the most part he controlled it himself.

After being offline for several months, he posted an update.

A candid shot taken through the car window of fish-scale clouds, tinted golden-red and pink-purple by the sunrise. The city’s high-rise buildings were half-submerged in advection fog, like standing at the edge of a sea of clouds.

Then the caption was an airplane emoji, just two words: Setting off.

The comments piled up quickly.

【Welcome back?】

【Reply above, does the young master even need to “come back”? He’s been spotted by people for months—hasn’t the news ever stopped?】

【True, last time someone saw him on the roadside mediating a fight between two cats, and the time before that he bought all the fruit from the old grandma at the overpass. Passersby said a lot of the fruit underneath was rotten, but he didn’t believe them, nearly made me die laughing.】

【That’s what happens when you’re too famous.】

【Isn’t it more like he’s too idle?】

【Something feels off—did he break up? Wasn’t he photographed with someone before? Haven’t seen anything in months.】

【The other party’s identity was never revealed anyway. The romance stuff was all speculation without evidence.】

Ji Yang didn’t see any of it.

The drive was an hour and a half to the airport.

Ji Yang got out of the car and didn’t see the colleagues who were supposed to be traveling with him. He stood at the airport entrance making a phone call.

Nie Xu got out as well.

Ji Yang held his phone, looked at him, and said, “This is far enough. You can head back.”

Then he leaned in and gave Nie Xu a peck on the lips, with complete naturalness.

Just then the call connected. The colleague said, “Young Boss Ji? We’re already on the plane… Right, haven’t taken off yet. Different flight—we didn’t have first class available on our flight…”

Nie Xu: “What’s wrong?”

Ji Yang hung up. “My flight was changed.” He noticed the driver had already gone to park the car, and asked Nie Xu, “Are you coming in with me?”

“Let’s go.” Nie Xu took his hand.

Then the netizen who had just been speculating whether Ji Yang had broken up received a new video.

In the warming weather, the young master wore a white drop-shoulder relaxed-fit hoodie, straight-leg jeans, and sneakers, sitting on his suitcase, doing two spins in the vast airport hall before gliding a long distance across the floor.

Then, apparently seeing something, he burst into a wide grin and glided straight over in that direction.

Then thump—he bumped straight into the legs of the man standing ahead.

The man wore a black T-shirt. His low-key everyday travel outfit wasn’t eye-catching, but the details revealed his identity was no ordinary one. He caught the suitcase handle in one hand, seemingly muttering something in a low reprimand.

Once he held on, his hand never let go.

He pushed the suitcase directly toward the boarding gate.

The young master sat on the suitcase, pulled the hoodie’s hood over his head. The naturally easy details of their interaction set the internet ablaze.

【Same person as the one photographed before, right? It’s been so long—hasn’t his identity been dug up yet?】

【Didn’t someone say before that the young master had something unclear with Jianyuan’s boss? Who is this then?】

【I told you the rumors about him and Jianyuan’s boss were unreliable. Anyone who follows economic news knows Jianyuan single-handedly facilitated the new chamber of commerce situation—it’s a critical period. Though their businesses do overlap, the rumored grudges and entanglements of the previous generation are extremely complex. Saying they were “unclear”—isn’t that pure fantasy?】

【Looking at it this way, the young master is quite faithful. If I looked like that, I’d date ten or eight of them, one every day.】

【Playing around like that when the man looks like someone you absolutely should not mess with? The young master can barely walk without tripping—I don’t think he’d dare.】

This time Ji Yang saw the comments.

He scrolled through his phone, rolled his eyes.

Grabbed his main account and retorted: “Whether I dare—do I need your say?”

Netizen: 【Hahaha, triggered.】

【If you’re lazy, just say so.】

Ji Yang: “What lazy? Weak legs are a real thing.”

【So will you answer straight—is that really the young master’s husband?】

Ji Yang: “Can you netizens be a bit more subtle?”

Ji Yang: “Also, who exactly took that? [smile]”

At that moment, Ji Yang was sitting on his suitcase and accidentally bumped forward into Nie Xu’s waist.

Nie Xu picked up the documents from the service counter, glanced over. “Why that expression?”

“Got photographed again.” Ji Yang looked up.

Nie Xu, calmly: “It’s fine.”

Ji Yang didn’t care to dwell on it right then. He looked around in surprise. “How come you came in with me?” He glanced at what was in Nie Xu’s hands—not only Ji Yang’s own documents. It clicked. “You’re going out too?”

“Mm.” Nie Xu took hold of the suitcase handle again.

Ji Yang was speechless. “…So why didn’t you tell me earlier?” He grabbed Nie Xu’s arm with both hands, letting himself be pulled along with the suitcase toward the gate, and asked again: “What are you going for this time? Where? Is anything wrong with Jianyuan if you leave?”

Ji Yang’s rapid-fire questions were silenced when Nie Xu pressed down on his head.

They found seats in the rest area.

Someone from Jianyuan’s secretarial office seemingly appeared out of nowhere, handed Nie Xu a cup of coffee, and gave Ji Yang a hot cocoa.

The secretary was quite enthusiastic and said everything on Nie Xu’s behalf. “Everything updates and iterates so fast these days. This time we’re going to negotiate cooperation for industrial diversification. I heard you and Young Boss Ji are going to the same city—quite the coincidence.”

Quite the coincidence indeed.

Ji Yang looked at Nie Xu.

Ji Yang asked the secretary: “How long?”

The secretary: “About half a month, though we might need to visit neighboring countries afterward as well.”

After speaking, the secretary very tactfully moved to the side, not interrupting the two of them.

Ji Yang regarded the person with a laptop on his knee suspiciously. “Really just a coincidence?”

“There’s no such thing as that many coincidences.” Nie Xu glanced at him, reached out and pushed his leaning head away a little. “There was just this opportunity. It’s your first time—I couldn’t be at ease.”

Ji Yang immediately broke into a smile.

“You don’t actually need to come with me,” Ji Yang said. “It’s not like I’m the only one going.”

Nie Xu closed his laptop and looked over. “I wanted to.”

Ji Yang fell silent.

Nie Xu looked at him: “You’re very smart. You have your own ideas, and the Execution ability to carry them out. I once told you that in this world, apart from yourself, no one can save you. Now I take those words back. I’ll be that ‘someone’—valid at any time.”

The words came suddenly, yet from his lips, they sounded perfectly ordinary.

Ji Yang paused, then folded his legs up onto the rest chair, propped his chin on one hand, and tilted his head to look at him.

His eyes curved. “Okay.”

Ji Yang never believed in promises.

But he knew that words spoken from Nie Xu’s lips were true.

Ji Yang gently moved past the topic, because letting go is an important lesson in life, and they had already learned it deeply enough.

Ji Yang: “Then you don’t need to be my top donor anymore. You’re right here in person—I can’t let the sugar daddy spend his money.”

Nie Xu: “Sure about that?”

Ji Yang nodded. “Absolutely. So back to the original question—selling myself for gain is really out of the question?”

Nie Xu turned his head toward him. “That depends on how hard you work.”

Ji Yang: “As long as you act like a human being, I’ll work hard.”

“Good,” Nie Xu agreed. “I’ll remember to inspect the results.”

Ji Yang’s jaw tightened.

The airport announcement formally began broadcasting.

The crowd surged toward the boarding gate.

Ji Yang sat there without moving, taking his time.

He complained: “A bit sleepy.”

“Sleep on the plane.” Nie Xu cupped the back of his neck. “You can adjust your jet lag right away. Otherwise you won’t be able to adapt.”

Ji Yang: “When I come back, will it be just in time for summer?”

“About right,” Nie Xu said. “Yu Qin has been stuck there these past few months for work. We can swing by to visit your grandparents then.”

Ji Yang: “That works.”

Ji Yang: “Brother Xu.”

Nie Xu: “Hm?”

Ji Yang: “I heard your old training base isn’t far from there. Can I go see it?”

Nie Xu: “That place has turned into wilderness now. Poisonous insects and wild animals.”

Ji Yang: “Didn’t you have those when you trained?”

Nie Xu: “We did. But we didn’t usually throw ourselves at them as dessert like you do.”

Ji Yang smiled. “…I’ll just count that as you complimenting me for being sweet.”

The secretary walking behind them laughed so hard his shoulders shook.

Around them, voices were a noisy din. The broadcast voice over the loudspeakers was standard and repetitive.

Small children ran around here and there. Some held phones shouting into calls. Impatient people checked their watches over and over and glanced at the scrolling screens above the airport hall.

Footsteps, rolling wheels, the voices of ground crew directing security—all mixed together, indistinct.

Some people set off from here. Some parted. And some traveled together for a stretch.

Ji Yang blended in with the crowd, tugging at the hem of the person ahead of him, turning his head to whisper with the secretary, chattering away without end.

Nie Xu silently caught his hand. Ji Yang didn’t look back and squeezed it tight.

They walked past the lingering chill of early spring.

Spring arrived, the scenery bright and clear, the sky’s light rippling calm and still.

But in this world, there must always be one hand held, one person by your side.

Happiness need not be too full. Promises need not be too heavy.

For all the years to come, it will still always be you—only you.

That’s more than enough.

【Author’s Note】

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, friends! I hope everything works out perfectly for you, and that your lives are full of joy.

The main story ends here. I will write extras. I probably won’t release them one by one, so there’s no need to wait—I’ll post them once they’re written.