CH 80

the chain reaction caused by that bouquet of flowers was even greater than ji yao had expected. jiang heng was not only happy for many days, but he also specially bought vases, divided the bouquet into several vases, and carefully nurtured them.

however, fresh flowers could only last for about eight or nine days at most. over time, the petals inevitably withered. ji yao was afraid that jiang heng would be reluctant to let them go, so he bought another bouquet of flowers for him.

“can your salary handle such expenses?” jiang heng chuckled and said “be careful not to overspend, or you’ll be drinking plain water and eating steamed buns by the end of the month.”

“then what should i do?” ji yao leaned back on the sofa, lazily holding a tablet while looking at some information. hearing this, he lowered the tablet, revealing his eyes and teasing, “some people carry a small spray bottle every day and water their flowers like they’re their babies. i’m not afraid the flowers will wither; i’m more concerned about someone feeling bad secretly.”

ji yao rarely found an opportunity to tease jiang heng, so jiang heng couldn’t refute ji yao’s words and he could only shake his head helplessly and admit defeat.

“or……?” ji yao turned over and let the tablet slide down from his chest. he leaned against the back of the sofa, propping up his head, and smiled at jiang heng. “how about you open a flower shop? we invest and profit together. you can’t accuse me of wasting money then.”

“give me a break.” jiang heng couldn’t help but laugh. “i don’t have that kind of talent.”

if they followed ji yao’s “investment plan” where he came up with ideas and they implemented them, jiang heng suspected that within five years, they would both fall from the middle class back to the working class.

“well, you think of something then,” ji yao said as he unlocked his tablet and confidently added, “until you come up with a solution, i’ll keep buying them for you.”

ji yao had a subconscious desire to compensate jiang heng, perhaps stemming from jiang heng’s imperfect childhood or their previous failed relationship, but whichever it was, ji yao didn’t think it was a bad attitude. when he was younger and less mature, he was easily deceived by jiang heng’s “mature and elite” facade, so now that he had finally discovered his “true self,” he was willing to seize the opportunity to make jiang heng happier.

although jiang heng enjoyed these small and continuous surprises, he was a little wary of ji yao’s monthly salary. so, after thinking hard for a week, just before the second bouquet of flowers withered, he brought home an empty flower pot.

that day, ji yao happened to have a day off. when jiang heng entered the house, ji yao had just finished pouring water from the kitchen and was coming out. he was startled by the sight, thinking that jiang heng had lost his mind and wanted to replant the bouquet of flowers.

“just a friendly reminder,” ji yao said cautiously, “cut flowers don’t have roots.”

“this is a jasmine plant.” jiang heng placed the flowerpot on the sunny balcony, stood up straight, and clapped his hands. “consistency is key. let’s go with this one from now on.”

ji yao walked over with a glass of water and noticed a small card leaning beside the flowerpot with the number “1” written on it.

jiang heng knelt down on one knee, touched the card, and smiled, “how about we make a bet?”

“a bet on what?” ji yao asked.

“a bet on when it will sprout,” jiang heng said with a smile. “if it sprouts on an odd-numbered day, you win, and i’ll fulfill one of your wishes. if it sprouts on an even-numbered day, i win, and you fulfill one of my wishes.”

ji yao teased him for being childish, but he couldn’t help but crouch down and consider the situation of when the plant would sprout and the wishes they would have to fulfill.

knowing jiang heng’s personality, he would definitely prepare some commemorative surprises during the days when this plant sprouted and bloomed. it might be a candlelit dinner, a newly opened bottle of wine, or tickets to see two obscure movies.

this anticipation was quietly hidden in the unknown days ahead, like a small treasure scattered in the river of time, making ji yao eager to explore it early while also waiting for the slow and steady flow.

“let’s raise it as our child,” jiang heng suggested, “should we give it a name?”

ji yao gave jiang heng a disdainful look, stood up, and walked away with his glass, as if he found him childish.

jiang heng raised an eyebrow, said nothing, and used the excuse of needing to work to enter the bedroom. when he came out three hours later, someone had secretly written a name on the blank name card next to the flowerpot.

jiang heng stood by the flowerpot, looking at the two words, “heng heng,” written on it, feeling both amused and exasperated.

the germination period for jasmine seeds was seven to ten days, but this particular jasmine seemed to be taking its time. ji yao watered it regularly at the same time every day, but after more than half a month, there was still no sign of it sprouting.

“maybe it just won’t sprout at all?” ji yao squatted by the flowerpot, touched the card on top, and said suspiciously, “jiang heng, could you have been scammed?”

jiang heng obviously couldn’t accept such baseless speculative accusations. he closed the packed suitcase, zipped it up, took a few steps in this direction, and bent over to pick up ji yao.

“you have to give it some time,” jiang heng smiled and said, “coming into this world is an important decision; you have to let it think it over.”

jiang heng said this as he put his hand on ji yao’s shoulder, turned him around, and pushed him into the bedroom.

“change your clothes,” jiang heng urged, “hurry or we’ll miss the flight.”

because ji yao’s vacation was only for a week, their schedule was tight. they were heading to hokkaido that afternoon. there was only one direct flight from shanghai to tokyo each day, and if they missed it, they would have to delay until the next day during the layover.

ji yao was pushed into the bedroom, and only then did he realize that jiang heng had already packed his clothes, neatly laid out on the bed.

ji yao didn’t hesitate to ask jiang heng to leave the room. he took off his home clothes and tossed them aside, then bent down to pick up the sweater.

jiang heng was half-leaning, looking at the second suitcase, wondering if there was anything missing. he happened to notice ji yao changing clothes in his peripheral vision, so he couldn’t help but turn around and give him a quick glance.

ji yao immediately sensed the gaze behind him. he continued to change his clothes, then turned to look at jiang heng, raising an eyebrow.

“what are you looking at?” ji yao asked.

“i’m looking at how sexy you are,” jiang heng quickly replied.

a smile tugged at the corner of ji yao’s lips, but he quickly suppressed it and said seriously, “you’ve seen me plenty of times before.”

jiang heng stood up and walked toward him, wrapping his arms around ji yao from behind, his hands on ji yao’s waist, and he reached into the sweater for a moment.

“what are you implying?” jiang heng asked with a sly smile, “don’t you want to hear some sweet words from me?”

ji yao was pressed forward by his weight, and he reached out to grab the bedside table to steady himself. his neck tingled where jiang heng touched, and he couldn’t help but arch his back. little did he know, jiang heng continued to be affectionate, resting his chin on ji yao’s neck and licking his earlobe.

this was ji yao’s sensitive spot, and he let out a soft gasp, trying to gently push jiang heng away.

“you’ll always be sexy to me,” jiang heng whispered softly, gently nibbling ji yao’s earlobe with his teeth. he said in a low voice, “worth admiring multiple times.”

ji yao didn’t know if he was affected by jiang heng’s actions or words, but he felt his ears burning and blushing, even without looking in the mirror.

“okay, but i have to get ready jiang heng ?” ji yao said in irritation, giving jiang heng a gentle nudge. “or else we’ll miss the flight.”

jiang heng chuckled softly, maintaining his posture, and reached forward, opening the bedside drawer and fumbling around for a bit before holding a small acrylic box in his hand.

ji yao was held in his arms and could see what was in his hand when he lowered his head – the coin that had once determined their “fate” lay quietly in the box, trembling slightly with jiang heng’s movements.

this coin was originally placed on jiang heng’s bedside table, but when ji yao saw it, it made his neck tingle, and he couldn’t help but stuff it back deep into a drawer.

“i almost forgot,” jiang heng said, finally releasing ji yao and smiling. “i need to bring it with me.”

since they had reconciled up to now, jiang heng hadn’t told ji yao that he had secretly booked the same guesthouse they had visited six years ago. the guesthouse was still under the same owner, without any renovations, and everything looked almost the same as it did six years ago.

ji yao felt as if he had been burned when he saw the coin and quickly averted his gaze, clearing his throat a couple of times to cover it up, then pushed away jiang heng’s arms and went to change his clothes.

jiang heng watched him with interest for a while but couldn’t resist tossing the small box containing the coin into the air and catching it again. he then placed it in the suitcase.

ji yao had sharp eyes and couldn’t help but take a peek into the suitcase as jiang heng put it away. he saw that next to the acrylic box, there was also a box of condoms, the brand they both used to like.

ji yao’s gaze lingered on that small side pocket for a moment, but the next second, his vision was abruptly cut off—the suitcase lid was closed by jiang heng.