When Zhang Jing walked back into the living room, his entire face was pale and uneasy.
Doggo stuffed the box of ice cream into his arms and tried to pull him away from his thoughts. “Jingjing, can you put this in the fridge? I want it to s- s- solidify since it’s melting.”
Once Zhang Jing placed the ice cream into the refrigerator, he walked to the sofa and sat on it stiffly. His phone rang numerous times, but not once did he pick up any of the calls. Doggo looked back at him and airily informed, “Your phone.”
Zhang Jing took a quick glance at it—it was a call from Josh. Seeing the name, he immediately silenced his phone.
Doggo asked, “What- what happened?”
Zhang Jing hesitated over whether or not he should tell Doggo about Ji Dongxun, so he cautiously asked, “Doggo, earlier when I walked out of the room…did you hear me calling someone?”
Doggo confirmed, “Yeah, I did. I heard you say that you’re Zhang Jing.”
“Then…” His eyelashes lowered, fingernails sinking into his knuckles. “Did you hear my phone go off?”
“Uh,” Doggo pointed at Zhang Jing’s silenced phone. “Wasn’t your phone vibrating just now?”
“I’m not talking about that. I meant earlier, right before I went out.”
Doggo blinked confusingly a couple times, then his eyes lit up when he remembered what Zhang Jing was referring to. He said honestly, “Yes, I heard it.”
Zhang Jing slowly nodded, still processing the information. All the while, Doggo stared at him and concluded that he didn’t want to continue the conversation, so Doggo silently turned back around and returned to his game.
When Josh called a third time, he finally picked up even though his brain remained in its foggy state. Josh said “Hello?” about two or three times before he realized that it was his turn to speak.
“Can you hear me?” Josh patiently greeted him once more.
Zhang Jing coughed twice and replied, “Yes, I can hear you.”
“What are you doing right now?” Even the voice seemed to carry Josh’s signature smile. “You took quite a while to answer the call.”
Josh’s voice really held the ability to sooth his nerves down, but Zhang Jing could only replay the faint snippets of the deep voice from the previous call. At such a state, he didn’t know how to converse with anyone else besides Ji Dongxun. “Oh, sorry. I was busy.”
“How about now?” Josh asked tenderly. “Are you free now?”
Zhang Jing thought about it for a slight second and responded, “Maybe later?”
Hearing his response, Josh didn’t pursue the conversation any longer and ended the call. Zhang Jing squeezed the phone in his hands and continued slipping into his thoughts. He did not feel like talking to anyone, especially with his suitor Josh.
He was appallingly confused by Ji Dongxun’s intentions and the meaning behind his words; he’s still unable to believe that the phone call was actually real. “Maybe it’s another illusion,” he tried to convince himself.
For Zhang Jing, he was so familiar with Ji Dongxun that their memories carved themselves into his bones. The carvings, however, seemed to have eroded over time.
The next day, he showed up to work with heavy eye bags. Bai Qi asked concernedly, “Didn’t sleep well last night?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Nah, I slept pretty well.” Zhang Jing seized the pocket mirror from Lingling’s desk and continued, “I mean, I look pretty handsome right now, right?”
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Bai Qi laughed uncontrollably. “Okay, okay, okay. From now on, you can be the Mei in our studio.”
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Every dream featured the same person who intermittently appeared, only to disappear like he never showed up in the first place.
The company they collaborated with a few days ago finished piecing the electric scooter commercial altogether, so they sent Zhang Jing the file. The footage was raw, lacking in visual effects and appropriate background music. Zhang Jing skimmed through the video file—the outcome was horrendous.
He started, the heavy frown on his face so apparent in his tone, “This is definitely our worst commercial this year.”
Bai Qi was also speechless. “I also watched it; I can’t believe our studio is associated with this. If this is actually shown to the public, many people would be criticizing the advertisement! She looks as if she’s posing on steel wires rather than riding an actual scooter.”
“You’re lucky you weren’t on-site that day.” Even thinking about the events that occurred that day evoked irritable feelings within Zhang Jing. “She only knows how to pose and find her pretty angles. Why are girls nowadays unwilling to sacrifice ‘beauty’ for acting that suits the context?”
Bai Qi shrugged—he couldn’t formulate an explanation either. “Send it to the client; he was the one who agreed to proceed with this model. If he says he’s unsatisfied with the results, tell him to contact another studio. That way, we don’t have to follow through with the post-production.”
“Okay, that does seem like the best solution. If they contact us for more projects in the future, we are definitely rejecting them instantly. Please block both the client and the director.”
Bai Qi chuckled and nodded indulgently, “Of course, of course. We’ll listen to our Mei.”
Zhang Jing pulled out the contract with the client and lightly skimmed through it. Soon after, he collapsed on the table to catch up on sleep. Because he was living with Doggo, he was forced to eat breakfast every morning. The food was either bread and warm milk or porridge and boiled eggs, with Doggo occasionally whipping up soup noodles. Despite dreading the same foods everyday, at least his stomach pain didn’t return for a while.
During lunch, Zhang Jing prodded atBai Qi and finally said after much hesitation, “I want to tell you something.”
Bai Qi, still focused on his food, responded, “You’re so formal. What is it? You can say whatever you want.”
Zhang Jing reluctantly continued, an embarrassed smile emerging on his face, “Well, do you remember the classmate you introduced me to? Josh?”
Bai Qi nodded. “Mhm.”
“I feel kinda bad for saying this, but I don’t feel attracted to him.” Zhang Jing scratched his fingers out of habit. “I’m just a straightforward and heartless person. I don’t see our relationship developing any further, but leaving him hanging isn’t right either…”
“I thought you were going to tell me something more serious.” Bai Qi placed a chicken wing in Zhang Jing’s bowl. “Don’t worry, I didn’t expect you guys to actually form a relationship. I simply thought that since your life was all over the place, and maybe having a close friend could help you recover.”
“Yeah. I’m the one who initiated the friendship, and it’s me who ends up cutting it as well. I’m such a scumbag.”
Bai Qi chortled, “Weren’t you always a scumbag? It’s fine, don’t overthink it. Did you tell him yet?”
“Not yet. I plan on telling him the next time we hang out.”
“Okay. You should tell him as early as possible, just so that he doesn’t waste more time.”
After he finished his lunch, Zhang Jing retreated to his cubicle and texted Josh. [Wanna have dinner together this Friday?] He felt apologetic for wasting Josh’s time, especially since Josh was extremely kind towards him. For a moment, he wished that Josh was of the same: heartless and undeniably insincere.
—He was the source of the problems.
Josh responded almost immediately. [Sure.]
Zhang Jing felt even worse, as if a burden was weighing heavily on his conscience
After work, Zhang Jing planned on going home directly because Doggo was probably waiting for him. However, as he walked closer and closer to his motorcycle, he noticed a distinct figure leaning against his vehicle.
He was stunned.
Ji Dongxun directly stared at him, and waved his hand.
His nose and forehead scrunched together, his eyebrow raised even higher. After a few seconds, he cautiously trudged towards Ji Dongxun, and didn’t dare utter a word.
Ji Dongxun’s lips involuntary curled up, and he said, “Hello, Mr. Zhang. May I ask if you are free tonight?”
Zhang Jing stared at him, confused. “What do you mean?”
Ji Dongxun responded with a sparkle in his eyes, “Would you give me the honor of dining with you?”
Zhang Jing pursed his lips and forcefully suppressed the nervousness in his gestures and tone. “No thanks; I’m busy.”
Ji Dongxun continued smiling guilelessly and asked, “Where are you heading to? Can you string me along? Calling a taxi is difficult during the rush hour…”
Zhang Jing’s face fell even more. “I only have one helmet.”
Hearing his excuse, Ji Dongxun innocuously beamed as he opened the door of the neighboring car and picked up a brand new helmet laying innocently on the passenger seat.
“……”
Ji Dongxun chuckled to himself; but on the outside, he shrugged and explained, “Oh, don’t be mistaken. My driver drove me here—maybe he forgot to lock the car. I don’t have the car keys on me, so I can’t drive.” He then hopped onto the back of Zhang Jing’s motorcycle and simultaneously buckled on the new helmet. Acknowledging the bewildered look on Zhang Jing’s face, he pointed at the space in the front with his head.
Zhang Jing didn’t know what proper reaction and facial expression he should create at the moment. So at last, he sighed, fastened his own helmet, and took the seat before Ji Dongxun.
As soon as Zhang Jing pressed the “Start Engine” button, his entire body suddenly quivered.
—Ji Dongxun wrapped his arms around my waist?!
Zhang Jing clearly felt the warmth surge to his palms. Every inch of his waist in contact with Ji Dongxun got goosebumps. Even his hands trembled as he started the engine; he took in a sharp inhale to calm himself down.
When they rode out of the parking lot, Ji Dongxun unabashedly hunched over Zhang Jing’s back and whispered into his ears, “Take a left.”
But Zhang Jing’s house required a right turn.
When he realized that, he had already made a left turn and drove in that direction for over a mile.
For the entire ride, Ji Dongxun embraced his waist rather tightly, both arms encompassing him. Zhang Jing was a melted plushie in his arms, hating the domestic warmth yet unwittingly longing for it. This hug, this warmth, this touch—everything felt the same as before.
“Turn right.”
“Go past this light.”
“Turn right.”
“Keep going straight.”
“…”
As Ji Dongxun continued outputting directions, Zhang Jing decided to follow since putting up a pretentious rebellion seemed unnecessary. Might as well listen from beginning up until the end.
Due to the hands on his waist, Zhang Jing couldn’t regulate his breathing. Even so, he had to admit, Ji Dongxun’s spontaneous action gave him a sense of belonging—as if the tense nerves immediately pacified under his touch, as if an out-of-place satellite finally returned to its home.
He felt ridiculous thinking about that—was he really that desperate for a companion?
“Slow down after passing the red light… There’s a coffee shop to your right, so find a place to park.”
The wind whirled persistently during the ride, and both of them were wearing helmets. But for some reason—maybe because of their close proximity—he could clearly hear every single word coming from Ji Dongxun.
The coffee shop had four floors. Zhang Jing followed Ji Dongxun to the second floor, and they were guided to a window seat reserved by Ji Dongxun.
When Zhang Jing sat down, he remembered a lonely Doggo sitting by the dinner table, diligently waiting for the house owner to return. To this, he reached for the phone in his pocket and sent Doggo a message. [Don’t wait for me for dinner.]
A thin layer of frost appeared in Ji Dongxun’s eyes. He asked, “Did no one tell you that being on your phone while eating with someone is impolite?”
Zhang Jing’s texting fingers abruptly paused in mid-air.
A plethora of memories, all composed of Ji Dongxun grabbing the phone out of his hands, flashed before his eyes. Every time he reached for his phone during a meal, Ji Dongxun would immediately steal it away and feign a tough tone to convince him to eat first.
Zhang Jing blinked away the dazedness in his vision and smiled awkwardly. He quickly finished typing the last two words, pressed “send,” and slipped the phone back into his pocket.
He said, “Mr. Ji, if you have something to say, please say it now. I have to head home soon.”
Ji Dongxun maintained eye contact with him. “Why?”
Zhang Jing took a sip from the lemon water by his side of the table and answered, “Someone’s waiting for me at home.”
“Your boyfriend?”
Zhang Jing lowered his head, unable to continue the eye contact. “Yes.”
Stop the push and pull and get back together alreadyyy
Factss!
Because of those past ‘illusion’ incidents I repeatedly told myself not to be happy because this is all fake to avoid getting disappointed. Now, I’m just sad because I didn’t get to enjoy their moment together riding the motorbike. 🫠
I’m starting to question reality after reading this novel.
Thank you for your hard work and no worries about one chapter per week release. We’re grateful enough to be able to read this (I read your announcement) 💕
Time to reread the cute moment of them riding the motorcycle together!
And thank you for your patience and understanding💕 I’ll be sure to make up those chapters in September!
Thank you dear translator 😊