CH 89

After returning from Hokkaido, Jiang Heng was surprised to find that the potted jasmine plant in their home had silently sprouted while they were away.

They had only been away for a week, but the tender shoots in the pot had grown to be about half a palm’s height. The lush green leaves stretched out, swaying gently in the balcony breeze.

Jiang Heng curiously picked up a small water spray bottle nearby and sprayed it a few times. The water mist settled on the leaves and quickly formed into droplets.

“Is it sprouting?” Ji Yao, who had changed his clothes, came over from behind and squatted down next to Jiang Heng. He looked at the small thing in the pot, skeptical, and asked, “Could it be weeds?”

It wasn’t surprising that Ji Yao had doubts, considering that he had taken care of this little plant diligently for such a long time without any signs of growth. Yet, as soon as he and Jiang Heng left, it decided to sprout.

“It can’t be.” Jiang Heng said, “This soil has been sifted. How could there be weed seeds?”

Jiang Heng took out his phone without further ado and snapped a photo, sending it to the florist with a message: “Can you tell me what this is?”

The response from the florist came quickly. Jiang Heng quickly scanned through the instructions and then handed the phone to Ji Yao, unable to help but laugh.

“It’s a purple jasmine,” Jiang Heng explained. “Not the regular jasmine.”

Purple jasmine and regular jasmine were different species with different growth methods. One was grown from seeds, and the other from cuttings. Purple jasmine was not cold-resistant and would only sprout at temperatures above 18 degrees Celsius. In the past few months, the temperature in Shanghai had been low, so the flower seeds remained dormant. It was probably due to their trip coinciding with the warming of Shanghai in the spring that the seeds finally sprouted.

Jiang Heng had made a small mistake, and as a result, their pre-arranged bet for the “sprouting anniversary” had failed to happen. They could only squat by the flowerpot and exchange glances.

“If only we had installed a surveillance camera at home,” Ji Yao muttered. “Now it has grown this tall, and we don’t even know which day it sprouted.”

“Really?” Jiang Heng sat down on the ground, his legs crossed and his arms resting on them. He smiled and asked, “Is your competitive spirit that strong?”

“Of course,” Ji Yao said. He had lost a bet twice to Jiang Heng in Hokkaido, and now it was time to regain his confidence. Grinding his teeth, he said, “I had a hunch that I would win this time.”

Ji Yao had an unreasonable confidence in his gambling luck, and Jiang Heng had become used to it. Hearing this, he narrowed his eyes and suddenly laughed.

“Well, then,” Jiang Heng said. “Since the purple jasmine takes only a few months from sprouting to flowering, why don’t we make a bet on its flowering?”

“Sure,” Ji Yao agreed.

The flowering period for Purple Jasmine was about three to six months. During this time, Shanghai experienced its last wave of late spring cold before smoothly transitioning into summer.

………………….

Li Linghua’s anti-medical disturbance fund had taken shape, and Ji Yao had received recognition within the hospital. As for Jiang Heng, due to his appearance in a high-profile public opinion case, he had gained significant attention in the legal field, and his former university even awarded him the title of “Outstanding Alumnus.”

It seemed that their lives had suddenly crossed a certain threshold, becoming orderly and stable. By the time they realized it, everything had settled, and they had entered a new phase of their lives. The wandering and uncertain days of the past seemed like a distant memory.

However, the potted jasmine in their home appeared to have been forgotten by time. Its growth was slow, steady, and unhurried. By the time it formed flower buds, Jiang Heng’s new home had been renovated and they were ready to move in.

Jiang Heng was a perfectionist when it came to his home, striving for excellence in every detail. The interior design had been redone twice, and the completion date kept getting pushed back. It wasn’t until the tail end of summer that he finally gave the green light.

On the day of the inspection, Ji Yao happened to be at work, so Jiang Heng went alone and sent Ji Yao a short video showcasing their new home.

Ji Yao was itching with curiosity after watching the video that lasted just over a minute. He immediately initiated a video call. They discussed and made decisions through the video call.

“What about that small room?” Ji Yao pointed to the door that had flashed by in the video and said, “Open it and show me what’s inside.”

When they were designing the interior, that mysterious room had piqued Ji Yao’s curiosity. Now that the renovation was finally complete, his curiosity had been reignited.

Unfortunately, Jiang Heng had control of the camera during the video call. He turned the camera around, smiled at it, and said, “Curious, huh? You can check it out yourself when you get here later.”

Ji Yao’s curiosity reached its peak, and it felt like a small cat was scratching at his heart. He continued to coax Jiang Heng with soft words and pleas, but the iron-willed lawyer refused to show him.

“…Alright,” Jiang Heng said, stepping into the corridor. He smiled at the camera and asked, “Shall I pick you up now? Should we have dinner first or go straight home later?”

“Let’s go straight home,” Ji Yao said. He had an unusual curiosity about uncharted territory and raised an eyebrow with a smile. “I don’t believe you can stop me from entering the room when we get back.”

Their new home had just been tidied up, but they hadn’t moved in everything yet, so the entire place looked a bit empty.

Therefore, when Jiang Heng picked up Ji Yao from work, he made a detour to buy a bouquet of flowers along the way.

The bouquet was a delicate ice-blue, consisting of nineteen flowers, just enough to fill a vase. Jiang Heng unwrapped the flowers and, out of the corner of his eye, noticed Ji Yao peering curiously at the door of the mysterious room.

Paying no attention to Ji Yao’s curiosity, he smiled and used scissors to trim a piece of stem before placing it in the vase with water.

Ji Yao wandered around outside the room for about three minutes, unable to find the key to unlock it. Eventually, he gave up and went back to Jiang Heng, hugging him from behind.

“Are you hiding something inside?” Ji Yao pouted. “Is there something I’m not allowed to see?”

Jiang Heng just smiled without answering. He pursed his lips, tilted his head, and pointed to his left pocket, indicating that the key was there.

Following Jiang Heng’s gesture, Ji Yao reached into his pocket and retrieved a jingling silver keychain. All the keys on the chain looked similar in size and color except for one key, which was smaller and had a different color.

Ji Yao held up the unique key and asked, “is it this one?”

“I’ll give you a hint,” Jiang Heng said, his voice low. “Bluebeard’s wife opened a forbidden door, and from then on, she was trapped in the castle.”

Ji Yao wasn’t easily frightened by such stories. He shook the keychain, creating a cacophony of clinking sounds, and responded with a playful challenge, “Not a chance. I’ll even risk breaking the law for this.”

Jiang Heng chuckled at his response. He put down the bouquet of flowers and wiped the water droplets from his hands with a tissue before approaching Ji Yao.

“If you really want to see, then come on,” Jiang Heng said. He wrapped his arms around Ji Yao’s waist and led him to the room’s entrance. With Ji Yao in his arm, he unlocked the door.

Before today, Ji Yao had often wondered about the room’s interior. Maybe Jiang Heng had developed some strange tastes over the years and needed a place to store them. Or perhaps it was just an ordinary closet. Then again, there might be nothing special inside, and this could be another one of Jiang Heng’s playful tricks to pique his curiosity.

But as soon as the door swung open, Ji Yao realized that none of his speculations had come true. The room had a side wall with a small window, a light green loveseat beneath it, a light yellow carpet on the floor, and a small succulent plant on a white coffee table in front of the loveseat.

The room seemed no different from any other small sitting room in the world. Ji Yao was momentarily taken aback, wondering why Jiang Heng had locked this place.

His gaze wandered around the room before he noticed two metal shelves against the other two walls.

On the shelf directly facing the door, there was a small wooden box about the size of a palm. Ji Yao’s eyes traveled upward, and suddenly, he froze.

Inside the open box was a starry watch.

Jiang Heng had a watch of the same design that Ji Yao had seen him wear a few times, but this one was obviously different. It appeared newer and brighter, with a different strap.

Ji Yao was initially stunned, but then a suspicion emerged deep within him. He couldn’t help taking a few steps closer to the box and picking up the watch.

Due to a lack of winding and maintenance over time, the watch had stopped. Its face displayed a specific moment in time. Ji Yao absentmindedly rubbed the watch and discovered a note hidden underneath.

“This was your Christmas gift that year,” Jiang Heng suddenly said.

He leaned against a nearby shelf but didn’t enter the room. Instead, he smiled at Ji Yao. “However, for certain reasons we both know, you never received it.”

Jiang Heng had rehearsed several lines before saying this. It was clear that this moment could easily hurt Ji Yao, but in the end, he thought that these were the most straightforward words.

While renovating this room, Jiang Heng had considered many things—about their relationship, their future, and the long life they would have together. They were both still young, and he wanted to ensure a secure and thoughtful path to a lasting commitment.

People don’t easily forget the past, and for Jiang Heng, there were things he couldn’t erase. He wanted both him and Ji Yao to remember the lessons of the past, as only through that could they make more cautious choices in the future.

Jiang Heng reached into his pocket, retrieved the retired red fox pendant, and placed it beside the watch.

“In fact, I should have placed that tie here too,” Jiang Heng suddenly said. “I didn’t take it with me at the time. For a long time after, I was uneasy because I kept instinctively searching through my luggage. It took me a while to remember that I hadn’t taken it with me.”

Jiang Heng’s favorite necktie had been a gift from Ji Yao. He couldn’t explain whether it was because it was given by Ji Yao or if it had some special meaning, but he felt that the fabric of the tie was soft yet firm, and it was the perfect length. It was comfortable to wear, and he regretted losing it after they separated.

It took Jiang Heng a long time to get used to not constantly reminiscing about the comfort of that tie. However, whenever he wore an uncomfortable tie, he still felt regret, wondering why he hadn’t taken it with him in the first place.

Ji Yao’s gaze followed Jiang Heng’s movements, and he seemed a bit reluctant at first. However, he quickly understood Jiang Heng’s intention.

The past couldn’t be erased, and wounds couldn’t be simply covered up and ignored like frosting on a cake. Time flowed swiftly, and people had to gain growth through their experiences.

“So… is this the ‘cooling-off room’?” Ji Yao asked.

“Sort of, but the conditions are quite good,” Jiang Heng chuckled, gesturing to the nearby sofa. “When you need to cool off, there’s a sunny sofa, blankets, and even coffee.”

After a light-hearted joke, Jiang Heng’s tone became calm again. He embraced Ji Yao and gently moved the fox pendant on the shelf.

“In the future, if we have a heated argument that we can’t resolve, we can come in here and sit down,” Jiang Heng softly said. “If the argument is really intense, we can put something on this shelf and then sit here and think about whether we want to add more items to this shelf.”

Ji Yao considered his words for a moment and suddenly felt a shiver. He said with a hint of lingering fear, “I don’t want to add anything right now.”

Once regrets and mistakes became irreversible, their severity would only increase exponentially. Ji Yao understood Jiang Heng’s intention and why he had put so much thought into this.

Jiang Heng was not only warning Ji Yao but also himself—endless compromises were not a good sign. He had to learn to express his thoughts, even if it led to arguments. At least, it would provide them with an opportunity for reflection.

Ji Yao touched the watch box and then turned around, kissing Jiang Heng.

“I love you,” Jiang Heng said.

“I love you too,” Ji Yao replied. “More than ever before.”

Jiang Heng found Ji Yao’s words amusing and pushed his shoulder, gesturing for him to look at the door.

When Ji Yao had entered earlier, he had left the door open. It was only at this moment that he noticed there was a small whiteboard hanging on the door of this “cooling-off room.”

On the whiteboard, Jiang Heng had written, “partnership Discipline Guidelines,” followed by the three rules they had agreed upon.

“Partnership Discipline Guidelines,” Jiang Heng whispered to Ji Yao, “Remember to follow them. There will be consequences for breaking the rules.”

“What kind of consequences?” Ji Yao couldn’t help but ask.

“That’s not fixed,” Jiang Heng said with a nibble on Ji Yao’s earlobe, smiling. “Minor mistakes, minor penalties; major mistakes, it depends on the situation.”

Ji Yao sensually tilted his head, then turned around and hugged Jiang Heng’s neck.

He looked serious and gazed at Jiang Heng for a while before suddenly making a move, pushing Jiang Heng onto the sofa.

Jiang Heng stumbled and sat down, only to see Ji Yao straddle him.

“Alright,” Ji Yao said softly.

As soon as he finished speaking, he leaned down and kissed Jiang Heng. The mood between them was clearly not as calm as it seemed on the surface. Jiang Heng’s chest heaved heavily, and he used his hand to press down on Ji Yao’s back.

The kiss was passionate and intense. Jiang Heng’s left hand reached up to the nearby shelf, relying on memory to fumble around for a moment before he took out the watch from its box.

Ji Yao closed his eyes as they kissed, not knowing how long it lasted. Suddenly, he felt a cold sensation on his right wrist, as if something had been fastened to it.

He opened his eyes and realized it was the starry watch.

Ji Yao was momentarily stunned, looking at Jiang Heng with surprise. He had just started to ask “Why,” but Jiang Heng’s index finger sealed his lips.

“You’re only allowed to wear it in this room,” Jiang Heng whispered.

“… Why?” Ji Yao asked in confusion.

“Because we need to practice its other function,” Jiang Heng said, kissing Ji Yao’s neck gently. He pressed Ji Yao down on himself more firmly and used his fingertips to hook the watch strap, slowly gripping Ji Yao’s wrist bone.

“… After we cool off in here, we have to make love.”

——End of the main text.