CH 4

cos0 – Chapter 4 – That Was a Lie

By the time they arrived home, it was almost 9 pm. Xu Ji had just parked the car when a cab pulled up and Li Ting got out.

The two met each other in silence and entered the house, one after the other.

The arrangements inside the house were just as he had left, nothing had been moved. In fact, it was even cleaner and tidy. It was evident that Li Ting had been cleaning up.

Xu Ji’s tightly furrowed brows relaxed a bit, then he went straight to his room without lingering.

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Li Ting said, “I just changed the beddings this morning, you can sleep in it right away.”

“Who said you could enter my room?” Xu Zhi instinctively retorted.

When Xu Ji realized what he had said, he paused. Li Ting didn’t know his habits and had only meant well.

Xu Ji’s arm tensed as he held onto the door handle, and his protruding veins indicated the force he was using. He said stiffly, “Thank you, but don’t enter my room again.”

He has a strong sense of personal territory, which can be seen even from the fact that Ji Fangchi was only allowed to sit in the back seat of his car after knowing him for a year.

The feeling of being able to relax after entering his room every time he felt exhausted from work or encountered something annoying, disappeared. Because someone had already stepped foot in here, it was no longer his exclusive space.

In Ji Chi’s words, he was a person with all kinds of issues.

Xu Ji opened his eyes, as if he could see Li Ting using his hand to brush over the newly changed beddings.

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After a moment of silence, he opened the bedside drawer that had a total of five layers, and everything inside had been rearranged. In the bathroom, all the bottles and containers had been rearranged according to height. He opened the closet, and all the shirts were ironed and hung up, even the underwear were neatly folded in its compartment.

With a glance, he even saw the box of c0nd0ms he bought two years ago being placed brazenly on the washbasin.

Xu Ji took a deep breath.

So, everything in this room, from things as big as the bed to as small as the dust, everything he had had been thoroughly seen by that person.

After realizing this, Xu Ji really wanted to go out and fight someone again. With this thought in mind, he rushed out and made a loud noise.

Then he saw Li Ting standing in the kitchen wearing an apron and cooking noodles. Li Ting was biting his chopsticks and looked surprised when he looked up. Then he looked back at the noodles in the pot and said, “… what’s wrong? I’m making food for you, can’t wait?”

The warm yellow light, the caring words, the sound of boiling water, and the rising steam that blurred the beauty’s face.

The man seemed very fickle. With another “bang”, he closed the door so hard that it made Li Ting’s heart tremble.

Xu Ji frustratedly suppressed his anger, that situation earlier made it impossible for him to get mad at Li Ting.

After a while, Li Ting came to knock on the door and said softly, “Are you there? The noodles are ready. It’s tomato-based with meat sauce, come out to eat.”

Xu Ji was so angry that his heart ached, “I’m not eating.”

Everything about Li Ting was complete and impenetrable, as if there were no gaps or leaks. Despite the fact that Xu Ji had treated him poorly, Li Ting wasn’t angry. “Is it inconvenient for you right now? Should I leave it for you? Or should I bring it to you?” he offered.

It was clearly because of that person’s behavior that he was angry, yet that person not only did not notice, but also kept coming closer. Xu Ji felt like he was punching eighteen layers of cotton, he said angrily, “I’m not eating!”

There was no more sound outside the door, Li Ting must have left.

Xu Ji took out his suitcase and randomly stuffed a few pieces of clothing and his daily necessities inside. Then, he picked up the suitcase and walked out of the room, coming face to face with Li Ting, who was slurping noodles in the living room.

Li Ting didn’t expect that the other person would leave the room at this point. He stopped slurping halfway, not knowing whether to swallow it or spit it out.

The scene was awkward for a moment.

After a long time, Li Ting bit the noodles and stood up. His expression didn’t change as he said, “I only made enough for one person. I didn’t want to waste food if you weren’t going to eat it… Do you want to eat it now? I can make another portion.”

“No.” Xu Ji replied coldly as he locked the door of his room with his key.

Li Ting only then noticed that Xu Ji was carrying a suitcase. He asked, “You’re leaving right now?”

Mn.” Xu Ji responded indifferently.

Li Ting didn’t stop him and waited for Xu Ji to finish putting on his shoes before speaking, “I’m curious, why do you hate me so much?”

Xu Ji turned around and silently met his gaze.

Li Ting remained seated on the chair and let out a slight laugh, “Is it because of what I said? That I like you?”

Xu Ji felt that the laughter was full of mockery and he didn’t have the patience to waste any more time with him. He grasped the door handle.

Li Ting suddenly felt a bit impulsive. He tilted his head slightly and his long hair slid out like a fine black satin ribbon. He laughed softly, “Then how about I tell you a secret?”

Xu Ji stopped, his face expressionless but his eyebrow raised slightly, cool and handsome, as if taunting Li Ting to “cut the crap and spit it out.”

There are several bright small pendant lights installed above the dining table, and the light shone on Li Ting’s three-dimensional face, making the contrast between light and shadow even more distinct, so beautiful that it hurts the eye. He raised a finger and placed it in front of his lips, “Actually, that… was a lie.”

Xu Ji thought it was going to be some earth-shattering secret, but after waiting for so long to hear this crap, he felt like he was being played. He sneered, “I know.”

Nonsense.

Anyone with eyes could tell, but at the time there were only six people present, four of whom were blind. Upon hearing that confession, the parents of the both families were about to immediately set off firecrackers, only the two people involved remained calm like statues.

Now this, Li Ting was really somewhat surprised about. His eyebrows copied Xu Ji’s and lifted slightly, “Why do you say that?”

Xu Ji didn’t know why, but he was convinced that the sentence was a lie. Perhaps it was because Li Ting’s expression was too disgusting and his tone was overly cheesy, or perhaps it was just a man’s sixth sense.

Li Ting couldn’t help but smile a little, his eyes full of affection as he looked at Xu Ji, his voice as light as a feather, “But now I really do like you, in every way.”

Xu Ji’s temple twitched slightly, and he nimbly opened the door and left.”

He left so coldly, yet on the road, he remembered that he had forgotten the company documents needed for tomorrow’s meeting. Xu Ji’s expression was priceless, he was so angry that he completely forgot the purpose of this trip home.

He could only go back for them tomorrow, or else it would be like admitting defeat, how shameful would that be.

Xu Ji felt that encountering Li Ting was never a good thing. First, there was the marriage, then it was a torpedo crashing into him, and now his memory was declining.

The next day, a client came to discuss business. Xu Ji dressed slightly more formally, with a little hair gel applied, revealing a smooth forehead. He wore a dark gray designer suit that was well-tailored, with sharp shoulder lines that complement the toned and slender physique resulting from regular exercise. The close-fitting design perfectly outlined his waist and those straight long legs below.

Many companies try to locate themselves as close to the city center as possible, after all, when people ask, it is so much more impressive to say that you’re located next to a city landmark.

But Xu Ji chose differently, he ran to the suburbs and directly took over one-third of an innovation park

“Oh my,” Chu Qi trotted over and exaggeratedly patted Xu Ji’s shoulder. “our boss is getting more handsome every day.”

After spending a lot of time together, Xu Ji was now able to calmly face the aesthetic choices of this art director, who wore a small ponytail on top of his head, a deep purple laser jacket, tight lime green leggings layered under a pair of jeans, and his recent most beloved black boots.

Secretary Chen walked over from the other side in high-heels, making a “dadada” sound as she approached, she said, “The person in charge from Zheng Nian has arrived, shall we head over first?”

Xu Ji nodded.

After signing the contract, Xu Ji ordered coffee for everyone and asked Secretary Chen to fetch it while he went to take a leak.

“Hey, say, our boss is the only heir of Wanyue Group, why did he still start his own company?”

“What do you know? Rich people just want to experience life.”

Xu Ji walked out from the corner without changing his expression. The two employees who were gossiping immediately fell silent, apologized and hurried away with a red face.

Perhaps due to being the only child, Xu Ji’s parents had a strong desire for control, and he had to follow the path they set for him, or else there would be no peace at home.

However, Xu Ji had a rebellious personality. The more he was told to go east, the more he wanted to go west and even excelled at it.

During his university years, he went against his parents’ objections and chose to major in new media. In his junior year, he decided to start his own business.

The studio, called Will, stands for “Free Will” and is a cultural communication company. Simply put, it collaborates with artists and brand partners to shoot music videos and advertisements.

As of now, the studio has grown in size and has gained a reputation in the industry. According to incomplete statistics, it shot 21 music videos and over 200 ads in the past five years and has collaborated with 232 artists, including many top names.

Most importantly, this profession is relatively free and well-suited for Xu Ji.

He ordered a cup of lite-sweetened coconut latte, glanced at the clock hanging on the wall, and saw that the hour hand was about to reach 5.

Today, Li Ting’s phone call came a little early. “Hello?… Are you coming home tonight? So I’ll know how much rice to cook.”

Xu Ji wondered if the other person didn’t even have a job, “Yeah.”

There was silence on the other end, and after a while, the person repeated skeptically, “Yeah?”

“Mn, I’m coming home,” a few strands of hair fell from Xu Ji’s forehead, and the white steam rising from the hot latte made the black mole on his nose bridge faintly visible, “but you don’t have to cook for me.”