CH 68

jiang heng glanced at the keychain in ji yao’s hand and nodded.

the red fox mask had faded slightly at the edges, with a few faint scratches running horizontally across it. when you lightly touched it with your fingertip, you could still feel the prominent edges.

this fox mask pendant was a gift ji yao had bought for jiang heng during their trip to hokkaido. after returning from their vacation, jiang heng had attached it to his keys as a keychain, and it had been there for over two years without being taken off.

the trip to hokkaido held significant meaning for both ji yao and jiang heng. it was during that time that they had let their guards down in a foreign land for the first time, drawn instinctively closer to each other, holding hands, hugging, making love without any reservations, as if all the inhibitions in the world were kept at bay by their impulsive actions.

it was also during that time that ji yao had mustered the courage to pursue jiang heng, seeing him as a potential companion on the journey of life. unfortunately, they had eventually gone their separate ways, and ji yao had rarely thought about those memories since then.

after six years, seeing this pendant on jiang heng again stirred a complex mix of emotions in ji yao—sourness, sweetness, and everything in between.

“you still kept it?” ji yao unconsciously tightened his grip on the pendant and tried to sound casual. “when you left, you said you didn’t take anything with you. i thought you had also thrown this away, that you didn’t want it anymore.”

“at that time, i was too angry to want anything,” jiang heng shook his head, smiling with a touch of helplessness. “this was with me just because i had it on my keys, and i forgot about it.”

when ji yao and jiang heng were living together in their rented apartment, they had exchanged many gifts and created a home together. however, when they separated, jiang heng was in turmoil, wanting a fresh start and not wanting anything to do with ji yao. so, he made up his mind and left everything behind.

but he had forgotten about this fox pendant that was on his keychain at the time. it was only later when he found it among his keys, and by then, he was no longer so furious, so he decided to keep it.

but he couldn’t bear to keep it with him, so he carefully stored it away in a corner of his luggage.

“is this the only thing you’ve kept?” ji yao asked.

“what else could there be?” jiang heng wondered.

“but i saw the coin on your bedside table, the day i took you home” ji yao raised an eyebrow and asked.

jiang heng was momentarily surprised but quickly realized what ji yao was referring to. he pursed his lips and smiled.

“yes, you want it?” jiang heng intentionally misinterpreted ji yao’s meaning, knowingly asking, “or should i put it on a string and hang it as a car pendant?”

ji yao, “…”

ji yao vividly remembered the purpose of that coin, and just thinking about it made his cheeks flush. he couldn’t help but pat jiang heng’s hand with a touch of embarrassment.

“just hang it by your bedside,” ji yao said, “as a charm.”

“okay,” jiang heng said with a smile. “in terms of practicality, it’s better that way.”

jiang heng continued. “it has been my lucky charm all this time, so in terms of ownership, it should be mine.”

ji yao, somewhat unable to argue with jiang heng, pursed his lips and finally laughed.

the sudden recollection of the past had faded somewhat due to jiang heng’s lightheartedness. ji yao breathed a sigh of relief and put the key back into its holder.

leaning back in his seat, ji yao gazed outside the window at the bustling traffic. neon lights cast a familiar glow on him through the glass, bringing back memories of another time.

the smile on ji yao’s face gradually faded, and he unconsciously rubbed his knuckles. after a moment of silence, he suddenly spoke up, “how about going there again?”

“where?” jiang heng asked.

“go to hokkaido again,” ji yao said. “i want to go.”

during rush hour, the traffic ahead came to a standstill at a traffic intersection, and the traffic light warning sign in the distance had just turned from green to red. jiang heng applied the brakes and casually pressed the parking brake button.

“what a coincidence,” jiang heng said. “i’ve been thinking the same thing.”

jiang heng’s words had just fallen when ji yao felt a shadow cover his vision. jiang heng had unfastened his seatbelt at some point, leaned over, and held ji yao’s chin, kissing him.

except for specific circumstances, jiang heng’s kisses were much like his personality, gentle and restrained, with a hint of irresistible charm.

jiang heng’s slightly cool fingertips brushed ji yao’s cheek, then gently circled around his neck, pulling him forward softly.

then, he pried open ji yao’s lips and skillfully sucked on ji yao’s tongue.

ji yao lifted his head slightly and kissed him back. his right hand rested on the car seat, unconsciously tightening his fingers, gripping the soft cushion beneath him.

in his haste, he grabbed a handful of soft fluff, picking off a small piece of decoration from the cushion.

“since the day we got back together, i’ve been thinking…” jiang heng’s voice, a mix of whisper and sigh, was trapped between their lips.

“i’ve been thinking, when you fall, you should get back up from where you fell,” jiang heng said.

ji yao imagined the scene of “falling” based on jiang heng’s words and couldn’t help but find it amusing.

“but isn’t that too doomy?” ji yao softly said with his eyes lowered.

“i thought so too,” jiang heng said, “so how about starting anew?”

“i want to start over with you,” jiang heng said.

their relationship had begun at that hot spring inn in hokkaido. restarting from there, jiang heng wanted to use it as a starting point.

jiang heng was someone who valued symbolism. in his mind, the beginning and end of a relationship should be marked in some way. it was as if he naturally needed these “beacons” to anchor his emotions and expectations. ji yao had been with him for a long time, and he had been influenced to some extent by jiang heng’s personality. he started to care about these seemingly insignificant “little secrets.”

“sounds good,” ji yao smiled at him and said, “this pendant is old; i’ll get you a new one when we get there.”

jiang heng agreed.

as they spoke, the traffic lights in front of them turned from red to green, and the congested traffic began to move slowly. jiang heng glanced at the road through the corner of his eye. reluctantly, he sat back down.

a small injury, caused by either of them biting each other’s lips, could be seen on jiang heng’s lips. he touched it and felt a slight burning sensation.

using his tongue, ji yao removed a trace of rust-like taste from the corner of jiang heng’s lips, then slowly reached out his hand, tentatively crossing the cup holder towards jiang heng’s side.

jiang heng didn’t look away but quickly caught his hand, gently pinching his fingertips.

“let’s make two rules,” jiang heng suddenly said.

“what?” ji yao asked.

“mutual trust, complete honesty,” jiang heng said, “if any problems arise next time, we should never hide them from each other.”

life was long, and there was a long journey ahead for ji yao and jiang heng. in that long journey, they might encounter numerous obstacles and challenges, as well as many unavoidable hardships.

because of a lack of trust and openness, they had missed each other once before. if it happened again, they needed to remember this lesson.

ji yao nodded in agreement and said seriously, “okay.”

“then it’s settled,” jiang heng suddenly smiled, took ji yao’s hand, and leaned in to whisper into his ear, half-serious and half-teasing, “i’ll print these rules and hang them on the front door of our home when we get back.”

the words “our home” lightly touched ji yao’s heart, but this time, he didn’t resist or reject it. instead, he genuinely felt a sense of hidden anticipation for what those two words represented.

however, jiang heng’s words also reminded him of the “secret room” that he had forgotten, making him feel a tingling sensation in his heart.

“if we’re really not going to hide anything from each other,” ji yao tentatively asked, “how about telling me now what room you have at home?”

“oh,” jiang heng teased when he sensed ji yao’s curiosity. “so, you’ve been waiting for me to mention it?”

ji yao raised an eyebrow, swayed his ankles together, and looked at him triumphantly.

“well,” jiang heng glanced at him mischievously, “that room… it’s for punishing you.”