Chapter 25: Ji Yunzhang Really Stayed Over

The next day, Jing Li stepped out of the bedroom and saw Ji Yunzhang preparing breakfast in the kitchen. He froze for a moment before remembering that he had been the one to invite him to stay the night before.

“Morning, Teacher Ji,” he said in greeting.

Ji Yunzhang looked up and replied mildly, “Morning.”

Jing Li hadn’t washed up yet. His soft hair was a tousled mess from sleep, and he was wearing an oversized T-shirt that had slipped off one shoulder, exposing the pale, glowing skin of his shoulder blade and collarbone.

Ji Yunzhang’s gaze lingered there for an instant before he lowered his head. “Go wash up. Breakfast is ready.”

Jing Li nodded and patted Custard Bun, who had wandered over to his side, before heading to the bathroom.

When he returned to the living room, Ji Yunzhang was feeding Custard Bun its breakfast.

After their few interactions, Custard Bun had grown familiar with him and treated him like a second owner. At that moment, it was clinging to his leg, rubbing its head against his palm and begging for pets.

A faint smile played at the corners of Ji Yunzhang’s mouth. He looked utterly relaxed, his eyes lowered as he idly stroked the top of its head.

Jing Li stood there watching for a while and suddenly found the scene beautiful. He darted to the sofa nearby, grabbed his phone, and snapped a photo.

As if sensing something, Ji Yunzhang looked up just in time to catch him holding up his phone with the lens trained on them. He arched a brow lightly. “Taking my picture?”

He’d already done it and been caught red-handed, so there was no point denying it. Jing Li admitted frankly, waving his phone. “It’s really nice. Don’t worry.”

Ji Yunzhang chuckled softly and crooked a finger at him. “Let me see.”

Jing Li padded over in his slippers and handed him the phone. He looked up with wide eyes, utterly sincere. “I’m not lying.”

The photo really was excellent—the lighting, the composition, and the warm interaction between him and the mongrel dog all came through beautifully, even on the screen.

“Post it on Weibo,” Ji Yunzhang said.

Jing Li was surprised at first, but he quickly realized why. It was for the benefit of their CP fans—to give them some fan service. In the end, Ji Yunzhang was doing it for him, helping him gain some exposure.

Warmth enveloped his heart. Jing Li let out a soft breath, then squatted down. He crossed his arms over his knees and met Ji Yunzhang’s eyes directly. “Can I say ‘thank you’ just once?”

Ji Yunzhang gazed back at him. “No.”

“Teacher Ji.” His tone softened into a coquettish whine.

It was like a cat’s paw had lightly scratched at his heart. Ji Yunzhang’s eyes darkened a shade. He held Jing Li’s gaze, still firm. “I don’t like it.”

Jing Li sighed.

Custard Bun trotted over and licked his hand. Jing Li scooped it up for a cuddle, only to feel a gentle ruffling atop his head. He looked up to find Ji Yunzhang’s hand there. He tilted his head back to meet his eyes.

“If you really want to thank me, then work hard as an actor and win over more fans.”

Ji Yunzhang’s voice was rich with amusement, his eyes glinting with mischief. He added, “You’re the only artist I’ve signed. I don’t mind making more money.”

“…”

Jing Li burst out laughing. His eyes curved into slender crescent moons—prettier than the moon itself. “I will. I definitely won’t let Teacher Ji take a loss.”

He played along with the joke.

~~~

The photo quickly sparked a flurry of discussion once it went up on Weibo.

The CP fans flooded the front row with a wall of “AHHHHHHHs.” It took scrolling to the next page for the comments to calm down.

【Is this the joy of shipping a real CP?】

【So heartwarming.】

【Isn’t this the stray dog Teacher Ji and Jing Li rescued together last time? Wow, what a handsome boy.】

【Thank you, Jing Li! We finally got a daily pic of Teacher Ji!】

【Viewing this photo with very complicated emotions… Anyway, Jing Li, please give us more everyday shots like this! And have Teacher Ji post more too—his feed has three meters of grass growing on it!】

【Nonsense, he totally posted yesterday!】

【That wasn’t posting. That was an official announcement.】

【Hehe, morning candy to start the day. Gonna be sweet all day long.】

Jing Li posted it, glanced at the comments, and saw no early-morning hate. Satisfied, he closed the app and opened WeChat to reply to his friends’ messages one by one.

Ji Yunzhang hadn’t returned his phone all day yesterday—not until bedtime. When he finally logged into Weibo, all his DMs had been cleared.

Ji Yunzhang told him Le Xiaoxiao had done it.

Le Xiaoxiao had been busy too. He and An Jiaming had handled the PR together, but while working, he’d also turned into a pea shooter, trading blows with the extreme Ji Fans in three hundred heated rounds.

His keyboard had nearly caught fire.

By evening, he’d been about to call Jing Li when An Jiaming told him the phone was with Ji Yunzhang and wouldn’t connect.

So he’d sent a WeChat message instead, reminding Jing Li to reply when he saw it.

Besides Le Xiaoxiao, there were messages from Wen Yang, Xu Daye, Mu Ge, classmates, people he’d met on set, and others—even Yun Qingzhuo sent him a simple [Congratulations].

Jing Li sat down at the dining table, elbows propped on the surface, the corners of his mouth curving up as he replied to everyone with a lighthearted expression.

[Le Xiaoxiao]: Doing okay? Not too affected? I just logged into your account and cleared out the DMs.

[Jing Li]: I’m good, don’t worry.

[Wen Yang]: !!! You didn’t tell me! Next time we meet, three cups of cola as punishment first!

[Wen Yang]: Be happy.

[Jing Li]: Make it Sprite! Yeah, I will.

[Xu Daye]: You hid it well. I’m back in A City—let’s meet up with him. I’ll vet the guy for you.

[Jing Li]: What kind of vetting from a single guy like you? Just admit you want to meet your idol and snag a signature. Gimme a sec to check with Teacher Ji on timing, then I’ll hit you up.

[Mu Ge]: Congratulations.

[Yun Qingzhuo]: Congratulations.

Jing Li sent them both the same reply: Thanks.

To the rest—classmates, old roommates, folks from the set—he fired off a quick “Thanks” to each.

Ji Yunzhang set breakfast down on the table. Seeing Jing Li glued to his phone like some internet-addicted teen, he lightly rapped the tabletop and called out in a warm voice, “Jing Li.”

“Okay, okay, last one’s done.” With that, his fingers flew across the screen, tapping out a flurry on the keypad before he set the phone aside and sat up straight, looking obediently at Ji Yunzhang.

Ji Yunzhang’s lips curved in a faint smile. “Dig in before it gets cold.”

After breakfast, Ji Yunzhang got ready to head out, and Jing Li was about to take Custard Bun for a walk anyway, so they went downstairs together.

In the elevator, Custard Bun sat obediently at Jing Li’s side. Jing Li held the leash taut and glanced sideways at Ji Yunzhang, bringing up Xu Daye’s invitation. “You free anytime?”

Ji Yunzhang did a quick mental check of his schedule. “Tomorrow evening after work?”

He followed up: “Your friend got any food preferences?”

Jing Li hadn’t been pinning much hope on it—just tossing the question out there—but Ji Yunzhang not only agreed but asked with genuine seriousness. He couldn’t help grinning, his eyes lighting up bright. “He’s from Sichuan Province—heavy flavors are his thing.”

Ji Yunzhang, one hand tucked in his pocket, gave a nod. “Got it.”

The doors slid open onto the first-floor lobby. Jing Li led Custard Bun out, while Ji Yunzhang headed down to the parking garage. He held the doors open and called after him.

“I’ve sorted out the toy room for Custard Bun. Get your stuff together over the next few days and move on in.”

Ever since getting their marriage certificate, Jing Li had been prepared to move into Ji Yunzhang’s place and start living together. No hesitation now. “Sounds good.” He paused, thinking. “After tomorrow, then? I’ll handle the move during the day, and we can head out for the meetup that evening.”

“Works for me.” Ji Yunzhang added, “I’ve got work tomorrow and the day after. Didn’t get your fingerprints set up last time—I’ll have Le Xiaoxiao drop the keys off with you tomorrow.”

Jing Li said, “Sure,” and waved. “Catch you after tomorrow.”

~~~

This move was way simpler than the last one. Plenty of the packed boxes were still sealed, so there wasn’t much unpacking to do.

Custard Bun picked up on the fact that Jing Li was moving and paced anxiously around the apartment before finally burying itself completely in his arms, as if that was the only thing giving it any sense of security.

While they waited for the movers Le Xiaoxiao had called, he plopped down next to Jing Li. Watching him gently soothe the dog, Le Xiaoxiao sighed. “It’s pretty lucky, you know.”

Jing Li glanced over with a puzzled “Hm?”

“Stray or not, it found you—and you took it in.” Le Xiaoxiao gave its chubby belly a pat. “Look at it now, living the good life.”

Jing Li smiled and ruffled his dog son’s ears.

He figured he was pretty lucky himself. Lucky to have crossed paths with Ji Yunzhang.

The wait dragged on a bit, so Le Xiaoxiao made small talk. “Not thinking about buying your own place? Two years from now, you could head back to it.”

“Not right now. We gotta live together for those two years—Teacher Ji and me. Property like that racks up management fees every year, adds up quick. Stick fifty million in a fixed deposit at the bank instead? Interest alone’s over a million annually. Money making money, no spending required!” Jing Li’s eyes gleamed with visions of cash.

Le Xiaoxiao went quiet. Damn, that actually made sense. He had no comeback.

Over a million bucks, after all!

They chatted a little more about the Ding Yixiang drama Jing Li was guesting on next, and right on cue, the movers showed up.

By four in the afternoon, Jing Li had everything sorted. He headed downstairs to check on Custard Bun.

Le Xiaoxiao was watching over it, and the pup had shed all its initial stiffness in the new digs. It was tearing around the toy room Ji Yunzhang had set up special-like a total husky.

Jing Li’s worries eased.

He pulled out his phone to check the time, then geared up to go pick up Ji Yunzhang. Le Xiaoxiao tagged along as they headed out.

Ji Yunzhang was shooting a promo video at Wanyi Hotel.

The Wanyi Hotel stood in the heart of the city center, where land was worth its weight in gold, catering to a boutique high-end clientele. By the time Jing Li arrived, Ji Yunzhang was still shooting by the poolside.

The set had been cleared of all unrelated personnel, leaving only the staff and Jiang Mengshan behind.

She spotted him from afar and waved him over with a smile.

Jing Li walked up to her and switched to a more familiar term of address. “Sister-in-Law.”

Jiang Mengshan’s face lit up with delight. She instructed her assistant to bring over another chair, then patted the seat beside her, inviting him to sit. “We’ve still got a few shots left—should be about half an hour more.”

Jing Li shook his head. “No rush at all.”

The half hour flew by in no time.

With all the footage wrapped up, Ji Yunzhang slipped on his bathrobe and politely thanked the staff.

Jing Li rose naturally to his feet and headed toward him.

The promotional shoot had left the floor around Ji Yunzhang soaked, turning it treacherously slick. Jing Li didn’t notice and suddenly slipped, his body pitching forward toward the pool.

Amid startled gasps, he inwardly cursed his luck—but at least splashing into the water wouldn’t hurt too badly. Resigned, he squeezed his eyes shut.

In the next instant, a strong arm hooked around his waist, hoisting him right off his feet.

Once he was steady on solid ground again, Jing Li opened his eyes. He tilted his face up and met Ji Yunzhang’s gaze, which looked down at him with a mix of helpless fondness. “You really are just a kid. Watch where you’re going next time.”