CTS 61

Ji Mingxuan’s gaze shifted slightly. He didn’t respond right away. His Adam’s apple bobbed once before he finally spoke.

“Yes. That did happen.”

“So, Mr. Ji is agreeing to it?”

“Of course.”

Shen Mo let out a breath of relief, his back damp with sweat. He had feared Ji Mingxuan would say he didn’t remember, or claim the past should be left behind, effectively sentencing him without appeal.

Now it felt like he had escaped death and was granted a little more time to live.

The meal dragged on for quite a while. Both Ji Mingxuan and Shen Mo were lost in their own thoughts, and conversation dwindled. Ji Ning, who had long finished eating, kept himself busy fiddling with his spoon, poking around here and there out of boredom. He’d played too hard during the day, and soon started yawning, head nodding as if sleep could take him at any moment.

Ji Mingxuan held his tiny arm and thought how easy it would be to get him to sleep tonight.

After dinner, they parted at the restaurant entrance, agreeing that Ji Mingxuan would come to Shen Mo’s room once Ji Ning had fallen asleep.

Ji Mingxuan carried Ji Ning with one arm and headed back. At first, he walked at a normal pace, but before long, his steps quickened. In just a few strides, they were back in the room.

Aunt Chen had already finished her dinner and was waiting in the living room. Ji Mingxuan told her to help Ji Ning wash up, then personally changed him into his pajamas and tucked him into bed.

Ji Ning had been dozing earlier, but once he was in bed, he refused to sleep. He insisted that Ji Mingxuan tell him a bedtime story, specifically asking for the one about the big grey wolf and the little white rabbit.

Ji Mingxuan had no choice but to sit at his bedside and begin.

“Once upon a time, there was a little white rabbit…”

His voice was low and deep, unusually soothing in the quiet of the night.

“In the end, the big grey wolf and the little white rabbit became good friends and lived happily ever after.”

Curled under the blanket, Ji Ning blinked and said, “That’s not how it ended last time…”

“This is how it ends,” Ji Mingxuan said softly, his eyes dark and calm. “The big grey wolf and the little white rabbit loved each other and stayed together forever.”

He finished the story and gently stroked Ji Ning’s cheek. “Be good. Time to sleep.”

Ji Ning had always been a little afraid of him, so he obediently shut his eyes, though his lips still pouted a bit.

Ji Mingxuan tucked the blanket around him, turned off the lights, and stepped out of the room.

It was just past eight o’clock.

He returned to his own room and changed clothes, then opened a drawer to find a pair of cufflinks. After putting them on with care, he headed out to find Shen Mo.

The door to Shen Mo’s room was slightly ajar. Ji Mingxuan knocked twice, then pushed it open.

Inside, Shen Mo was packing. A large suitcase sat on the floor, already filled to the brim, clearly ready to go.

Ji Mingxuan took it in and asked calmly, “Leaving soon?”

“Yes. I’ve been here for several days. It feels like it’s time to go.”

Shen Mo folded the last piece of clothing, then turned around and said, “Please, have a seat, Mr. Ji.”

Shen Mo’s room didn’t have a balcony, only a large floor-to-ceiling window that looked out over the sea. By the window were two chairs. Ji Mingxuan chose one and sat down.

Shen Mo poured him a glass of water and said, “I’m sorry to take up your time like this.”

“It’s fine.” Ji Mingxuan rested his hands loosely on his lap. “Will half an hour be enough?”

“It’s more than enough,” Shen Mo answered immediately.

His easel stood in the center of the room. Brushes and paint were scattered messily around it. He dug through the pile for the colors he needed, squeezed out some paint, and lowered his head to mix them carefully.

Ji Mingxuan glanced at him, then turned to look out the window. “When did your hand recover?”

“It hasn’t. I’m using my left hand to paint now.”

“But the injury should have healed a long time ago.”

“It has. The doctor said it’s psychological.”

“Then it’s something you’ll have to overcome yourself. No one else can help with that.”

Someone could, Shen Mo thought. One person could.

Once the colors were ready, he tested them on a scrap of paper. He was satisfied with the result. Although he usually held his brush with his left hand, after a moment’s hesitation, he switched it to his right.

His hand trembled slightly.

He forced himself to ignore the discomfort, holding the brush firmly as he walked over to Ji Mingxuan and sat in the chair across from him.

Ji Mingxuan looked at him in surprise. “I thought you were going to paint.”

“I am,” Shen Mo said, suddenly smiling.

He reached out and gently took Ji Mingxuan’s left hand.

Ji Mingxuan’s hands were beautiful, with long, slender fingers, pale and elegant. On his ring finger, there was a faint mark where a ring had once been worn. Shen Mo’s brush trembled at the tip, and the very first stroke landed right on that spot.

Ji Mingxuan froze, instinctively twitching his fingers.

But Shen Mo, from somewhere, found the strength to press his hand down firmly. “Please don’t move.”

“Shen Mo…”

“The paint will wash off by morning. I’ve already booked my return ticket. I’ll be leaving tomorrow. I won’t disturb your life again. Just tonight, just this once…” His voice dropped so low it was almost a whisper, nearly a plea. “Let me finish this painting.”

Ji Mingxuan fell silent.

Shen Mo continued.

He was so tense that a light sweat formed on the tip of his nose, but he didn’t notice. He was entirely focused on painting the outline around Ji Mingxuan’s ring finger.

He worked with meticulous care. Ji Mingxuan finally looked down and realized what he was painting.

It was a ring.

As he drew, Shen Mo spoke softly. “I heard someone say that wedding rings are worn on the left hand because it’s closest to the heart.”

He switched to the purest red, and in the center of the ring, he added a single drop. The pigment slowly spread, forming the shape of a heart.

Still holding Ji Mingxuan’s hand, Shen Mo looked up and met his eyes.

“My heart is here,” he said. It was probably the only time in his life he would ever have the chance to say this, so he spoke each word with deliberate weight. “It’s been here since seven years ago, and it never moved.”