CTS 16

Ji Mingxuan’s illness had come quickly and gone just as fast. By the next day, his fever had already broken, and he was sitting up in bed handling company affairs.

Ji An’an still had not come home, so Shen Mo simply took another day off to stay with him.

Ji Mingxuan made full use of him, ordering him around without restraint. Before lunch, he even rattled off a whole list of dishes he wanted. Luckily, Shen Mo was a decent cook. He picked a few to make, managing to barely satisfy Mr. Ji’s picky taste.

In the afternoon, Shen Mo went out to do some shopping. When he came back, he noticed that a few of his clothes and personal toiletries had been moved into Ji Mingxuan’s room.

When Shen Mo brought it up, Ji Mingxuan was busy typing an email on his laptop.
Without even looking up, he said, “You’re supposed to be taking care of me these days, aren’t you? It’s more convenient if you sleep here.”

“I thought you were already better.”

Ji Mingxuan coughed lightly at just the right moment and said “Not fully recovered yet.”

Shen Mo could only ask, “When is Miss Ji coming back?”

“An’an went on a trip. She won’t be back until next week.”

“She went alone?”

Ji Mingxuan lifted his eyes and gave Shen Mo a look. “Do you think that’s possible?”

Shen Mo immediately understood. “She went with Zhou Yang?”

Ji Mingxuan nodded. “They left on the twelfth.”

The twelfth.
The day it snowed.

That was the day Zhou Yang said he wanted to meet him at the place of their first date.
The day Shen Mo didn’t go.

When Zhou Yang waited but could not find him, he turned around and left with Ji An’an.

What would have happened if he had gone?

Shen Mo looked out at the blinding sunlight outside and forced himself not to think about it.

Ji Mingxuan stayed home for another two days before finally returning to the office.

Shen Mo also went back to work, resuming his dull and lonely routine. His colleagues were still cold toward him.
Nothing much had changed.

The only change was Ji Mingxuan.

In the past, he had been constantly busy, buried in work and endless social engagements, often coming home at three or four in the morning, sometimes not coming home at all. But lately, he seemed like a different person, going to and from the office on time every day, always coming home for dinner. Every afternoon, he would even send Shen Mo the menu for the evening meal.

Even Old Zhang, the driver, said,
“Mr. Ji has finally settled down. I don’t have to drive him around at night anymore. It is such a relief.”

Shen Mo said,
“Doesn’t that mean you’ll be getting less overtime pay?”

Old Zhang laughed and said,
“I’d rather have more time to spend with my wife and kids.”

No one knew why Ji Mingxuan had suddenly decided to slow down his lifestyle.

Given Ji Mingxuan’s unpredictable personality, Shen Mo dared not make any guesses. If he guessed wrong, it would be too awkward to face him.

Shen Mo had planned to move back to his own room once Ji Mingxuan recovered.
But somehow, he never found the chance.
Every night when it was time to sleep, Ji Mingxuan would call him back to the bedroom, and no matter how carefully Shen Mo stayed on the edge of the bed, he would always wake up wrapped tightly in Ji Mingxuan’s arms, sweating from the heat.

Shen Mo tried protesting several times, but Ji Mingxuan brushed him off every time.

At the end of the week, Ji An’an finally came home.

She had gone to a famous island resort in the Pacific. Her skin was a little sun-kissed, and she wore a trendy new outfit. Her eyes were as soft and clear as the ocean.

As soon as she walked through the door, she pulled out a gift for Shen Mo, smiling as she said, “Too bad Zhou Yang had something come up at home. We had to rush back, otherwise I would have bought even more.”

“You already brought plenty,” Shen Mo said.
“Was it fun over there?”

“Of course. The ocean was unbelievably blue. We took a boat out every day and only came back in the evening. At night, we would walk hand in hand along the beach.
The sand under the moonlight looked even more magical than during the day. I almost didn’t want to come back.”

Ji Mingxuan said lightly, “But it seems like you came back with your heart a little too wild.”

Ji An’an turned and hugged his arm. “Thank you for the plane tickets, big brother. Next time you should go with Brother Shen.”

Shen Mo glanced up at Ji Mingxuan and asked, “Mr. Ji arranged the trip for you?”

Their eyes met.

Ji Mingxuan answered calmly, “Yes.”

Ji An’an said, “I was so surprised when he handed me the tickets. Everything was so last-minute that we didn’t even have time to pack properly.”

“That is what makes it a real surprise,” Ji Mingxuan said.

“It really was a wonderful trip. And Zhou Yang…” Ji An’an suddenly blushed, then stopped speaking and looked seriously at her brother. “Big brother, I have something I need to tell you.”

Shen Mo was sensible enough to excuse himself immediately. “I will go start dinner.”

He left the two siblings in the living room and walked into the kitchen.

It was already time for dinner. The scent of food was wafting through the window.

There were fresh ingredients ready.
Shen Mo opened the fridge and took out a few vegetables to wash.

As he worked, he thought back to the twelfth. The day Zhou Yang had asked to meet him at their old place. The same day Ji Mingxuan gave Ji An’an plane tickets.

Could it really have been just a coincidence?

What would have happened if he had gone to the meeting that day?

Maybe he would have stood there alone again, waiting until nightfall in the heavy snow.

The water was too cold.
Shen Mo’s hand trembled, a chill sinking deep into his bones. He quickly turned off the tap, just as Ji Mingxuan came in from outside.

“Need a hand?” Ji Mingxuan asked.

“No, no, it’s almost done,” Shen Mo said quickly. “Is Miss Ji hungry?”

“She was too tired from the trip and went straight to her room to rest.”

After saying that, Ji Mingxuan did not leave.
He just leaned casually against the doorway, watching Shen Mo work.

Shen Mo finished washing the vegetables, then started peeling a few potatoes. As he peeled, he debated whether to make them braised or curry style.

He was just about to ask Ji Mingxuan when Ji Mingxuan spoke first.

“An’an just told me,” he said, “Zhou Yang proposed to her.”