CTS extra 2

There was a photo tucked inside the wallet.

The person in the picture still looked like a student. His bangs were cut very short, revealing a smooth forehead and bright eyes. His lips were lightly pressed together, giving him a rather serious expression.

Shen Mo remembered it well. This was the photo he took back in college, the one he used for job applications. He had no idea where Ji Mingxuan had found it, or why he carried it around in his wallet every day. Shen Mo examined it from different angles, still thinking it wasn’t a particularly good photo. Just as he was about to take it out of the wallet, he heard movement from the bed.

He quickly stuffed the wallet back into Ji Mingxuan’s coat and quietly slipped back under the covers.

Ji Mingxuan turned over, draping an arm around his waist. His eyes remained closed as he nuzzled Shen Mo’s neck with his chin and asked, “Where did you go just now?”

The ticklish touch made Shen Mo squirm. “Just the bathroom,” he replied, scooting away a little.

And also took a peek at your wallet.

That part, of course, he kept to himself.

Ji Mingxuan pulled him in close. “I have the day off. Let’s sleep in a bit.”

Shen Mo had noticed how much Ji Mingxuan enjoyed holding him in bed, even after waking up. He always lingered, reluctant to get up. But a man with a child had no real holidays. Shen Mo reminded him, “Xiao Ning will be up soon.”

Ji Mingxuan gave a sleepy grunt, then suddenly opened his eyes. He looked at Shen Mo for a moment, then grabbed his chin and kissed him hard. Only after thoroughly satisfying himself did he let go and start getting dressed.

Shen Mo lay on the bed, still breathless from the kiss, when he heard knocking from outside.

“Daddy!” came the first call.

A moment later, it changed to, “Uncle!”

The knocking continued, loud and persistent, as if he wouldn’t stop until someone opened the door.

By the time Ji Mingxuan finished washing up, he looked completely refreshed. He went to open the door and scooped Ji Ning into his arms. “Come on, let’s have breakfast.”

Ji Ning waved his little arms. “Where’s Uncle?”

Shen Mo heard Ji Mingxuan reply, “Uncle was really tired last night. Be good and let him rest.”

If you knew I was tired, why did you keep going until I was dead exhausted?

Wrapped up in the blanket, Shen Mo didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh. He wasn’t someone who could sit idle, even on days off. Soon after, he got out of bed, planning to wipe the windows since the weather was nice.

But right after lunch, Ji Mingxuan gave him a task: to accompany him to buy cufflinks.

It had actually been Shen Mo who brought it up. Ji Mingxuan really liked the pair Shen Mo had chosen before, but wearing the same set every day wasn’t very suitable. Ji Mingxuan was quick to agree and insisted they go buy new ones together, on the condition that Shen Mo would come help him pick them out.

Since they both had time today, Shen Mo had no reason to refuse. That afternoon, once Ji Ning was sound asleep, the two of them went out.

Ever since Ji Ning returned from overseas, their lives had been centered around the child. It had been a long time since they went out alone. On the way, Ji Mingxuan said, “Let’s have dinner out tonight.”

Shen Mo replied, “But what about Xiao Ning…”

“Chen-jie is watching Ji Ning. He’ll be fine. You don’t need to spoil him so much.”

“He’s still adjusting to a new environment. It’ll take time.”

Ji Mingxuan glanced at him and let out a quiet snort. “You’re spending way too much time on him.”

Was he seriously jealous of a child?

Shen Mo couldn’t help but laugh. “Xiao Ning looks a lot like you.”

Ji Mingxuan snorted again but said nothing more. Shen Mo stole a glance at his expression and thought his mood seemed decent.

They didn’t go anywhere fancy to shop. Just walked around a mall downtown. Shen Mo had no clue how to choose cufflinks. After browsing for a while and still undecided, he asked Ji Mingxuan what kind he preferred.

Ji Mingxuan immediately held up his left hand and pointed to the ring on his finger. “Anything that matches this.”

As he spoke, he deliberately turned the ring to make it catch the light, like he was hoping to blind someone with the sparkle.

Shen Mo felt a bit embarrassed, but he still followed the suggestion. He didn’t expect to run into someone they knew. Coincidentally, it was the same person they had seen the last time they went cufflink shopping.

Zhao Yi.

Shen Mo remembered he had been popular for a while but had since disappeared from the screen. He wasn’t sure if Zhao Yi had retired or something else happened. Shen Mo almost didn’t recognize him.

One side of his face was swollen, and he was missing a shoe on his left foot, limping around with one bare foot.

Despite how miserable he looked, Zhao Yi still carried himself with grace. He ignored the surprised stares around him and walked straight up to a sales associate to ask for a pair of shoes.

Then he sat down to try them on, moving with the kind of poise that looked like he was still in front of a camera. A few of the staff kept sneaking glances at him, and when he lifted his head and gave a small smile, one of the young women blushed bright red.

Shen Mo was just about to watch more when Ji Mingxuan turned his head away. “Focus on your task.”

Shen Mo had never really understood what kind of relationship Ji Mingxuan had with Zhao Yi. And after so many years, it felt awkward to ask. So he said nothing, simply concentrated on choosing the cufflinks. Eventually, he picked out a dark red pair that matched Ji Mingxuan’s ring fairly well.

Ji Mingxuan glanced at them and nodded with approval.

Shen Mo went to the register to pay.

By then, Zhao Yi had put on his new shoes and walked over to greet Ji Mingxuan.

Ji Mingxuan looked at his bruised face and said, “Things don’t seem to be going well for you.”

Zhao Yi gave a low chuckle and lifted his chin. “It’s the path I chose.”

He didn’t look the least bit regretful.

Ji Mingxuan said nothing more.

Zhao Yi glanced over at Shen Mo, who was swiping his card, and asked, “Why is Mr. Shen paying?”

“Of course he is,” Ji Mingxuan replied with pride. “He’s the one supporting me now.”

Zhao Yi paused, looking surprised. After a moment, he muttered, “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have been so quick to move on. Maybe if I’d kept chasing after you, I’d be the one standing over there now.”

Ji Mingxuan let out a small laugh but kept his eyes on Shen Mo. “You never would have caught me.”

Zhao Yi let out a sigh and said, “I figured as much.” There was still a trace of disappointment in his tone.

Ji Mingxuan didn’t respond. Shen Mo returned after paying, and when he saw Zhao Yi standing nearby, he wasn’t sure whether to greet him.

Zhao Yi, however, greeted him openly. “Mr. Shen, long time no see.”

Shen Mo exchanged a few polite words.
But before they got far, Ji Mingxuan cast a sharp glance in their direction. Shen Mo caught on immediately and quickly pulled out the newly purchased cufflinks to put them on for him.

Zhao Yi, clearly unable to stand the sight, said goodbye and left with a casual wave.

Ji Mingxuan compared the cufflinks to his ring, and the faint curve of his lips revealed just how pleased he was.

It was getting late, so the two of them found a nearby restaurant for dinner. Shen Mo already had a good sense of Ji Mingxuan’s tastes and ordered all his favorite dishes.

Halfway through the meal, Ji Mingxuan suddenly asked, “Aren’t you curious about my relationship with Zhao Yi?”

Shen Mo let out a calm “Oh” and asked, “What relationship?”

Ji Mingxuan replied, “We had a few meals together because of work. That’s all.”

Shen Mo simply responded, “Oh.”

Even if something had happened between them, it would have been years ago. There was no point in being jealous over ancient history. Still, Ji Mingxuan clearly wasn’t satisfied with that reaction, and he wore a long face for the rest of the meal.

Shen Mo thought his temperamental mood swings were getting more and more like Ji Ning’s.

Toward the end of dinner, Aunt Chen called to report that Ji Ning was refusing to eat. The two of them quickly headed back home.

Ji Ning had been sulking all afternoon. Not only did he refuse to eat, but he also burst into tears, his cheeks streaked with wet trails. Shen Mo’s heart ached seeing him like that. He coaxed and comforted him for a while, then finally handed over his phone and let him play a game. Ji Ning eventually stopped crying and started to smile again.

Aunt Chen reheated the cold food. Ji Ning obediently ate half a bowl, then curled up on the sofa next to Shen Mo, continuing to play on the phone.

Ji Mingxuan reminded them, “Don’t strain your eyes,” before heading into the room to catch up on work.

Even with a day off, he still had a pile of tasks waiting for him. Not long after, Ji Ning called out from the living room.

“Dad, Dad! Come quick! Hurry!”

Ji Mingxuan rubbed his temples and put down the documents, stepping out of the room.

Ji Ning and Shen Mo were laughing over something on the phone. Ji Ning waved him over.

“Dad, come see!”

Ji Mingxuan walked over and looked at the phone. The selfie camera was on, capturing all three of their faces in the frame. Just then, Shen Mo quickly hit the shutter button.

Click.

The flash lit up, and the image froze in time.

The photo showed Ji Ning and Shen Mo grinning happily, while Ji Mingxuan wore a faint frown. The three of them looked incredibly close.

Shen Mo glanced at the screen and said, “You look too serious, Mr. Ji.”

“Let me see! Let me see!” Ji Ning shouted.

The two began to chat excitedly.

“That turned out well. Let’s get it printed in a few days. I’ll keep one in my wallet.”

“I want one too!”

“But you don’t have a wallet. Where would you keep it?”

“Hmm…” Ji Ning gave it serious thought. “I’ll put it with my red packet money.”

“All right.”

Ji Ning cheered loudly, then looked over his shoulder at Ji Mingxuan still standing nearby and waved him off. “Dad, you can go now.”

Shen Mo added, “Mr. Ji, you should get back to work.”

As if they were just done using him.

Ji Mingxuan had nothing to say. He stood silently for a moment, then turned and returned to his study.

That night, Shen Mo was thoroughly tormented again. By the next day, he could hardly get out of bed, but he still went to the studio in the afternoon to oversee things and asked Yang Yue to help print the photo.

Yang Yue had already met Ji Mingxuan. When she first learned he was the “future wife,” her stunned expression looked like a magnitude-ten earthquake. Still, she quickly accepted the fact and even praised Shen Mo’s taste, calling Mr. Ji ridiculously handsome. Since then, she stopped calling him “Boss Lady” and started addressing him respectfully as “Mr. Ji.”

Shen Mo was mildly disappointed.

At least Yang Yue was efficient. Within two days, the photos were ready. Shen Mo thought they turned out great. Not only did he slip one into his own wallet, he also replaced the faded photo in Ji Mingxuan’s.

Mr. Ji had objected at first, but his weak resistance was quickly crushed. He barely managed to save the old, yellowed photo. Who knows where he ended up hiding it.

One photo remained for Ji Ning, though the little guy had already lost interest. He glanced at it briefly to confirm that both Dad and Uncle were in it, then ran off to play with a new toy.

Still, Shen Mo remembered their promise. He placed the photo alongside Ji Ning’s red packet money. Though he was young, Ji Ning had already saved quite a bit. His bankbook was stored in the drawer of their bedroom nightstand.

Shen Mo went into the room and opened the drawer. He pulled too hard and ended up dislodging the entire thing. As he fit it back in, he discovered a small velvet box tucked beneath.

It looked familiar. Square and velvet-covered, the kind of box often seen at the end of a romance drama.

Shen Mo’s heart skipped a beat. He reached out and opened it.

Inside lay a pair of rings.

They were identical to the design he had once drawn and painted on Ji Mingxuan’s hand, but these were more refined. Each one had a diamond set into the band, gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight.

So Mr. Ji had been planning it as well. Only Shen Mo had gotten there first.

It was an unspoken confession.

Shen Mo’s chest ached. He nearly teared up.

He ran his fingers lightly over the rings. It was hard to say how long he sat there before he heard Ji Ning call from outside, “Uncle, come play with me!”

Snapping out of it, Shen Mo gathered his emotions and placed the box back into its hiding spot, carefully replacing the drawer as though nothing had happened.

In the living room, Ji Ning was gleefully playing with his new toys. Ji Mingxuan was nearby reading a document. When Shen Mo came out, Ji Mingxuan looked up with a glance that seemed casual.

He always liked to say that Shen Mo had been the one to pursue him.

Well, Shen Mo thought, maybe that was true.

As for Mr. Ji’s little secret, he would let it stay a secret forever.