CH 53

Compared to a “villa,” XiaoTong’s house looked more like a small mansion, with a total of three floors, plus an additional basement and a small attic.

Ji Yao initially thought her house would be in the suburbs, but to his surprise, it wasn’t far from the city center; it was hidden in a private community on the outskirts of the old city area with a pleasant environment.

Looking out from the balcony on the second floor, you could see a clear, shallow river.

“My dad left me this house,” XiaoTong said when she noticed Ji Yao glancing around. She smiled and continued, “It’s been around for a while, but I’ve lived here since I was a child, so I have a certain attachment to it.”

“I can tell,” Ji Yao replied. “It’s very well-maintained.”

XiaoTong had been abroad for several years, but the house didn’t give off a sense of long abandonment. The interior still had the appearance of an old Western-style house, but the furnishings had been completely transformed. Sets of tables and chairs were adorned with floral patterns, while the decorations on the dining table leaned more towards European styles. Soft cushions with cute cartoon patterns were placed on the fabric sofas.

Christmas was approaching at the end of the month, so the interior had been decorated in advance. A Christmas tree stood quietly in one corner of the living room, and the string lights hung high in the entrance hallway had yet to be turned on.

This clearly wasn’t the decoration XiaoTong had done before going abroad. Ji Yao realized that it was probably done by Jiang Heng.

Ji Yao couldn’t help but look at him, feeling puzzled.

Does he have forty-eight hours in a day? Ji Yao couldn’t help but wonder. How can he effortlessly remember everyone’s preferences and handle everything so perfectly?

“Ji Yao, why don’t you stay upstairs with Xiaoheng?” XiaoTong, without any reservations, held onto Ji Yao’s arm and smiled, pointing to the layout of the house. “My room is on the first floor, and there’s also a dining room there. If you ever feel like having a snack at night, just come down here.”

Ji Yao felt a bit amused but refrained from saying that he was almost thirty years old and didn’t need to sneak out for late-night snacks. However, when XiaoTong enthusiastically showed him around the house and shared some of its quirky secrets, Ji Yao decided not to voice that thought.

“The backyard is also part of our home,” XiaoTong said. “If you want to take a walk, you can go directly to the riverside through the back door.”

“Got it, Mom,” Jiang Heng, after a final check of the water, electricity, and gas in the room, came over and rescued Ji Yao. “Let him go upstairs and put away his luggage.”

“Oh, right, right,” XiaoTong waved to him and said, “Go ahead, hurry up, and come down after you’ve put your luggage away.”

Ji Yao nodded and was about to go grab the suitcase he had hastily packed, but Jiang Heng had already picked it up and headed upstairs ahead of him.

The layout upstairs was similar to the one downstairs. Near the balcony, there was a small living room, and opposite that were two bedrooms of approximately the same size. The bedroom doors were wide open, revealing identical sets of bedding inside.

“Which room are you staying in?” Jiang Heng asked.

With his mom’s presence no longer there, Ji Yao gained a bit more courage. He smiled and playfully asked, “Aren’t you staying with me?”

“So soon,” Jiang Heng didn’t directly answer and took the initiative to push Ji Yao’s suitcase into the room next to the stairs.

Then he clapped his hands and turned to Ji Yao, approaching him leisurely.

“Why do you think my mom invited you here?” Jiang Heng asked.

“Why?” Ji Yao blinked and jokingly said, “Is it to lure me in and then kill me?”

“She does like to create dramas, but she’s not foolish,” Jiang Heng said, his arms enclosing Ji Yao as he leaned closer. “She just wants to see how we get along.”

Jiang Heng had impeccable control of this distance. He enclosed Ji Yao as if he were holding him in his arms, but there was no actual contact. It appeared affectionate yet distant, with only their warm breaths mingling.

Ji Yao tilted back slightly, pondered for a moment, and then smiled, saying, “So do I need to be extra nice to you? What if your mom doesn’t approve of me after her assessment, and then she persuades you to break up with me?”

“Break up?” Jiang Heng touched on that word with a hint of interest, clicking his tongue lightly and pretending to be troubled. “Are we in a real relationship already?”

“Soon,” Ji Yao responded, quite unhappy with his calculated behavior. He sighed softly and added, “Very soon, alright?”

Jiang Heng chuckled in a somewhat sulky manner. Ji Yao only realized something was off when he reacted and got annoyed. He clicked his tongue in frustration and suddenly regained his composure.

“Wait, aren’t we ‘pretending’ right now?” Ji Yao’s voice was low, with a hint of gritted teeth. “Aren’t we still acting? Can’t you maintain a bit of professionalism?”

As Ji Yao spoke, as if unwilling to be deceived by Jiang Heng again, he attempted to move closer to kiss the corner of his lips.

However, Jiang Heng took advantage of the situation, stood upright, slightly turned his head, and evaded the kiss.

“Alright, alright, alright,” Jiang Heng quickly gave in. “You win, okay?”

Before they could finish their conversation, XiaoTong had already changed into a new outfit, standing at the foot of the stairs and calling out their names.

“Xiaoheng, Yao Yao!” XiaoTong asked. “Are you ready yet? Are you coming down?”

Ji Yao dared to flirt with Jiang Heng but not in front of the parents. Subconsciously, he distanced himself from Jiang Heng and discreetly straightened his clothes while giving a vague response.

“Come down quickly,” XiaoTong urged. “Let’s go shopping!”

Shopping seemed to be an eternal topic for women of all ages. XiaoTong was in her middle age, and she had just taken a long international flight, but she showed no signs of fatigue. She was even more energetic than the two young men.

XiaoTong hadn’t been back to China for several years, and she was excited to see everything as if it were a long-awaited reunion. Luckily, Jiang Heng managed to persuade her, or she might have bought a cape for Amber at the pet store.

“Such a pity,” Xiao Tong lamented. “That panda cape was so cute.”

“But it’s too cartoonish,” Jiang Heng said without changing his expression. “And it’s too thin; it’s not suitable for winter. I think the lion dance coat she wore when you returned to China is nice. You can get that one.”

After a moment’s thought, XiaoTong was easily convinced.

“That makes sense,” XiaoTong said. “Then let’s go pick out a tie for Ji Yao as well.”

XiaoTong’s shopping desire was quite unpredictable. She bought Ji Yao two sets of clothes, a bottle of perfume, and even picked up a jade pendant while casually shopping. Ji Yao felt hesitant to accept it, but XiaoTong insisted, so he had no choice but to take it.

Before leaving, Ji Yao initially thought that with his experience in the operating room over the past few years, he would have no trouble shopping at a mall. However, Xiaotong’s shopping stamina exceeded his expectations. After going up and down several floors, Ji Yao felt like his legs were turning into noodles.

Even though Jiang Heng was like a human AI with three heads and six arms, shopping for too long seemed to wear him out as well. They intuitively slowed down their pace and trailed behind XiaoTong as she explored the mall, ready to help her with her shopping bags.

“Was your mom like this before?” Ji Yao cautiously whispered to Jiang Heng, “I can see that she’s much fitter than you.”

“What’s wrong with my physical fitness?” Jiang Heng wasn’t too pleased and retorted, “I do regular workouts.”

“Then how did you end up in the emergency room?” Ji Yao pointed out mercilessly.

Jiang Heng opened his mouth as if he wanted to explain something, but he was interrupted by XiaoTong’s call. Thus, he could only let it go.

Approaching the end of the year, various parts of the mall were hosting events. There was a small carnival set up on the ground floor, and one of the activities was a music and score recognition game, with a lottery ticket as the prize.

XiaoTong was interested in this game, as she had learned to play the piano when she was younger. She decided to give it a try and effortlessly identified the sheet music.

The carnival was crowded, and Jiang Heng and Ji Yao didn’t want to squeeze into the group of teenagers. They stood on the outskirts of the crowd and chatted, but soon, they saw XiaoTong walking out of the crowd with a smile, holding a box of chocolate with crushed nuts.

“Ji Yao,” XiaoTong handed the chocolates to him and smiled, saying, “This is for you.”

“Huh?” Ji Yao was momentarily stunned. “For me?”

“Take it,” Jiang Heng, hooking the corner of his lips, teased, “Only kids eat snacks.”

Ji Yao: “…”

“Don’t be jealous!” XiaoTong said quickly. “Wait, Mom will go win one for you too!”

Her words were barely out when she rushed back into the carnival venue, leaving Jiang Heng and Ji Yao behind. Jiang Heng shook his head and laughed helplessly.

However, Ji Yao lowered his head and looked at the box of childishly packaged chocolates in his hand. He fell into an inexplicable silence for a moment.

After a while, he tore open the wrapping paper and took a piece, then put it in his mouth.

Clearly, those chocolates were intended for children. They were excessively sweet and sugary and had a strong milky chocolate flavor that could be tasted with just a slight lick.

Ji Yao’s expression gradually calmed down, and he licked his lips while contemplating for a moment. Then, he picked out a piece of chocolate and touched it to Jiang Heng’s lips.

“Eat one,” Ji Yao said. “It’s very sweet.”

Childish as it may seem, at this moment, Ji Yao was suddenly overwhelmed by an inexplicable feeling—a concept that was very mysterious, as if it blended freedom, love, and warmth, something he had never experienced in his own family.

If he had grown up in a family like this, Ji Yao couldn’t help but think, perhaps he wouldn’t have become the hesitant and indecisive person he was now. Maybe he would have had more courage when facing everything.

Jiang Heng blinked, observed Ji Yao’s expression, and for some reason, he didn’t reject him this time. Instead, he slightly opened his mouth and took the chocolate inside.

“Jiang Heng—”

“Ji Yao—”

After a while, both of them suddenly called out each other’s names at the same time, and then they stopped.

“You go first,” Jiang Heng said.

“I just wanted to ask you something,” Ji Yao licked his lips, speaking softly, “If I could hand over the other end of the chain to you, would you consider getting back together with me?”