CH 71

Jiang Heng reluctantly uttered these words, but in reality, his whole demeanor became more lively. Ji Yao keenly noticed that his hand behind his back was moving up and down unconsciously, absentmindedly flipping the lollipop.

Ji Yao pursed his lips, chuckled softly, and turned his face towards the crowd without exposing Jiang Heng’s small gesture.

Amber and the others quickly emerged from the crowd. She held an ice cream in her hand, bouncing over to Jiang Heng. Before she could say anything, she noticed the candy behind him.

“Wow!” Amber’s eyes lit up, and she said, “Can I have a bite?”

Colorful candies have a fatal attraction to children. Normally, Jiang Heng wouldn’t mind such a small thing, but this time he didn’t offer it generously. Instead, he shook his head.

“No, you can’t,” Jiang Heng bent down, looking at her with a smiling face, and whispered while tilting his head, “This is a gift to me from your sister-in-law.”

“Ah…” Amber seemed somewhat disappointed and whispered, “Can I trade my ice cream with your candy, then?”

“That’s not possible either,” Jiang Heng said seriously. “The things you have were bought by the people who love you to make you happy, and mine are the same. They love us, so they are generous like this. So it’s not just food; it can’t be used for trading.”

This topic seemed a bit too deep for Amber, and she made a single syllable sound, looking down at her ice cream.

Young children might not understand, but adults quickly realized what was happening. Charles and Xiaotong exchanged a glance, both somewhat regretful.

“Do you want ice cream too?” Xiaotong hesitated and said, “should I go…”

“Mom,” Jiang Heng interrupted her softly, “the past is in the past. You don’t have to be so cautious.”

He smiled and bent his eyes, showing off his “candy” with a sense of pride. “Besides, I have my own life now.”

Xiaotong had been feeling guilty, and Jiang Heng knew that, but he wasn’t good at dealing with this kind of guilt. He didn’t know how to dispel this well-intentioned awkwardness.

For a long time, Jiang Heng had been in a state of conflict. He didn’t want his relationship with Xiaotong to continue in a state of guilt and self-blame, but subconsciously, he found it hard to convince himself to withdraw from her life.

These conflicting thoughts made it difficult for Jiang Heng to interact naturally with Xiaotong until Ji Yao returned to his side. Jiang Heng then realized another way out on his own.

“Are you happy with your life now?” Jiang Heng suddenly asked.

“Very happy,” Xiaotong answered instinctively. “There’s not much financial pressure, Charles is also a good person, so I’m doing fine.”

“Same here,” Jiang Heng sighed deeply. He took a step forward, somewhat awkwardly wrapping his arm around Xiaotong’s shoulder, allowing her to lean on him.

“I’m doing well too,” Jiang Heng tilted his head back, saying softly, “I have my own career, and my love life is not bad either. Although Yao can be like a child sometimes, he has a good heart and is brave. After our reunion, I have confidence in walking together with him.”

Xiaotong’s eyes welled up with tears, and she leaned on her son’s shoulder, making a soft sound of agreement.

“We are both doing fine, so that’s good,” Jiang Heng said. “We should always look forward.”

“I’m sorry,” Xiaotong said softly. “When you were young, I neglected you.”

This sentence had been weighing on Xiaotong’s heart for a long time. She had wanted to say it but didn’t have the courage. It was as if as long as this layer of window paper wasn’t pierced, she wouldn’t have to face this painful reality. But keeping the wound covered would only cause it to worsen. Her efforts to compensate and her guilt were of no use, only dragging her and Jiang Heng into a more misplaced love.

It wasn’t until now, reading between the lines of Jiang Heng’s words, that she sensed some kind of signal, allowing her to finally speak these words aloud.

“It’s okay,” Jiang Heng responded without offering comforting words this time. He simply accepted her apology with a smile and said, “I forgive you. It was your first time being a mother.”

Xiaotong turned around and hugged Jiang Heng tightly.

Jiang Heng patted her back and whispered in her ear, “Get on good terms with Charles. Maybe someday I’ll have a wedding in France.”

“Sure,” Xiaotong said in a hushed voice. “When the time comes, let me know in advance. I’ll trade his little treasury and use it as your wedding fund.”

This joke dispelled the previously heavy and stifling atmosphere. Xiaotong let go of Jiang Heng, her eyes red from crying but smiling.

“You’re a good son, Xiaoheng,” Xiaotong said.

She patted Jiang Heng’s shoulder and brushed away the nonexistent dust on it, looking at him with a grateful yet reluctant expression, as if she were watching a child leave home, full of both joy and sadness.

“It will be even better in the future,” Xiaotong said.

Jiang Heng nodded and then held her hand, walking back into the crowd.

In the afternoon, there was a float parade, and Amber was excited to watch it. Charles and Xiaotong led her a little ahead, while Ji Yao slowed down and walked alongside Jiang Heng.

“You’ve made progress,” Ji Yao said with a meaningful look. “I thought you and Aunt Xiaotong would continue to be lukewarm toward each other.”

“Close call,” Jiang Heng replied with a half-smile and a glance at Ji Yao. He said casually, “Someone deserves credit for this. When I get back, I’ll reward you very well.”

Perhaps moments of enlightenment were just like this, Jiang Heng thought. Even though nothing had changed in his life, having Ji Yao made him feel like he had regained the ability to interact with Xiaotong. It was as if a certain frozen switch had been turned on.

Perhaps breaking free from one’s constraints was sometimes just that simple because when you had an extra piece of candy in your pocket, you were willing to share the one you had before.

“Really?” Ji Yao cleared his throat and hinted, “Do the privileges also include going to see the puppet dance?”

Jiang Heng keenly understood Ji Yao’s suggestion, so he smiled and, amid the bustling crowd, took Ji Yao’s hand.

“Sure, let’s go,” Jiang Heng said. “Let’s elope and ride the roller coaster.”

Ji Yao wasn’t interested in activities for younger children, so he readily agreed and followed Jiang Heng as they went against the flow of people. Ahead, Amber seemed to sense something. She had just turned her head to find her brother but was turned back around by Xiaotong.

“They are having some alone time,” Xiaotong said. “Kids shouldn’t meddle.”

Ji Yao and Jiang Heng spent the entire afternoon together. Ji Yao wasn’t initially interested in the amusement park, but after riding the extreme light wheel a couple of times, it seemed to open up his senses. He enthusiastically led Jiang Heng to several more rides and only rushed back to the castle with him just before the fireworks display.

They had initially wanted to call Xiaotong and the others to meet up, but for some reason, the calls couldn’t get through due to the noise. So they gave up on the idea and decided to enjoy the park separately.

The best viewing spots around the castle were already occupied by people, so Jiang Heng and Ji Yao settled for a spot on the outer ring.

Christmas attracted quite a crowd, and more and more people were arriving. Jiang Heng was squeezed by the crowd closer to Ji Yao, extending his arm and resting it on Ji Yao’s shoulder.

As the time for the fireworks drew near, during the last minute countdown, Jiang Heng and Ji Yao suddenly called each other’s names simultaneously.

“You go first,” Jiang Heng smiled.

Ji Yao’s gaze flickered for a moment. He didn’t look at Jiang Heng but reached into his pocket, took something out, and pressed it into Jiang Heng’s hand.

It was cold, hard, and had distinct edges.

Jiang Heng touched it with his fingertips and found it to be a brand-new house key.

“Isn’t your place under renovation?” Ji Yao said. “I’ll take you in in the meantime.”

Jiang Heng chuckled.

Ji Yao knew that this reason sounded rather awkward. Given Jiang Heng’s financial status, he had a thousand ways to find a place to stay, and it wouldn’t leave him homeless just because of renovation. But after several attempts to draft a natural opening line, it had ended up as it was now.

“In fact, I know I’m not a perfect boyfriend,” Ji Yao said. “Thank you for waiting for me all these years.”

“You don’t have to be perfect,” Jiang Heng reached out to touch his cheek and smiled.

“Isn’t life about bettering each other and growing together?” Jiang Heng said.

As he spoke, Ji Yao’s phone suddenly rang abruptly. Ji Yao instinctively looked down and realized he had received a timed email.

“As adults, we can’t go back on our promises,” Jiang Heng smiled. “So, you have to be with me for a lifetime.”

The email contained only one photo. In the photo, there was a wide-open box containing two sets of very new documents. One was the Guardianship Agreement Ji Yao had given to Jiang Heng earlier, and the other, similar in content but different in form, was a Guardianship Authorization signed by Jiang Heng himself.

In the “Authorized Person” section, Ji Yao’s full name was written. Both documents were neatly arranged at the bottom of the box, and a handwritten note was stuck inside the top cover of the box, reading “partnership Documents Storage” in large letters.

—It was clearly Jiang Heng’s handwriting.

Ji Yao felt like crying and laughing at the same time. Just as he was about to say something, fireworks suddenly erupted nearby.

Immediately, the people around them exclaimed, and Ji Yao heard someone shouting, ” I want to Successfully pass the postgraduate entrance exam,” while others were making wishes for “smooth love,” and some even directly yelled, “I want to get rich next year.”

The blazing fireworks lit up the sky, and the fiery light reflected in Ji Yao’s pupils, leaving a trail of fine sparks.

The next moment, Jiang Heng gently lowered his head and kissed him. In the surging crowd, amidst the devout and pure wishes, Jiang Heng affectionately and tenderly pressed his lips against Ji Yao’s, murmuring “Happy birthday.”

Underneath the fireworks, they embraced, kissed amidst the dazzling and slightly cool lights, as the radiant and colorful lights fell on them, just like that night when they fell in love at first sight.