Chapter 21 Part 2

Pressure crashed over Jing Chi like a mountain. Father Feng’s stare bored into him, sending shivers down his spine. Talk about rotten luck—he never should have gotten playful.

“Hi, Uncle,” Jing Chi managed awkwardly.

Father Feng swept his eyes over them, lingering on Jing Chi like a blade, and snorted. “What kind of display is this? Get inside before you make fools of yourselves.”

Jing Chi trailed obediently after Feng Qinghan into the Feng Family’s Old Mansion.

Once indoors, Father Feng claimed the sofa in the living room.

Jing Chi offered a stiff smile as he set the gift on the table. “Uncle, it’s nothing much—just a little token for my first visit.”

Father Feng’s eyes flicked to it, gleaming for a split second before he schooled his features into indifference. “I’ve seen it all when it comes to presents.”

The air turned thick.

Feng Qinghan looked up at his father and spoke evenly. “Dad, don’t overdo it.”

Jing Chi braced for an explosion.

Instead, Father Feng’s face split into a wide grin the moment the words landed.

“Hey now, Jing Chi, right? No need for gifts—you shouldn’t have! I was just pulling your leg back there. Didn’t think you’d spook so easy, haha.”

He clapped Jing Chi on the shoulder.

Jing Chi glanced from Feng Qinghan’s exasperated expression to Father Feng’s sudden benevolence, too stunned by the about-face to do anything but chuckle dryly along with him.

“Alright, why don’t you two stay here this year and keep this old man company for the New Year?” Father Feng said with a smile. Suddenly, a shadow of sorrow flickered in his eyes as something occurred to him. “Ever since Qinghan’s mother passed away, it’s just been the two of us for every New Year. This year, we’re finally back to three.”

Father Feng let out a sigh, and Feng Qinghan lowered his gaze.

“Enough of that. You’ve only just gotten back—head upstairs and get some rest.”

With a wave of his hand, Father Feng took his leave first.

Feng Qinghan watched his father’s retreating figure, struck by the realization that so many years had slipped by unnoticed.

Jing Chi wrapped his arms around Feng Qinghan, nestling his head into the crook of his shoulder. In a soft whisper, he said, “Brother, from now on, I’ll spend every Spring Festival with you.”

At least in this lifetime, he wouldn’t miss a single New Year’s Eve at his side.

~~~

Jing Chi and Feng Qinghan stayed with Father Feng until the third day of the New Year before finally departing—practically shooed out by the old man himself.

“Young folks ought to be doing young folks’ things. What’s the point of lounging around the Old Residence all day, sipping tea with me? Off with you—don’t disturb my quiet life alone.”

Over the past few days, Jing Chi had grown completely at ease, dropping the “Uncle” in favor of calling him “Dad” outright.

“Dad, Qinghan and I will come visit you often,” Jing Chi said, flashing a radiant smile brimming with the vibrant energy of youth. It was impossible not to like him.

Father Feng chuckled and clapped Jing Chi on the shoulder before turning his gaze to Feng Qinghan.

Jing Chi gave his hand a gentle squeeze, and only then did the man nod. “Mm.”

On the drive back, they bypassed the villa entirely, heading straight for a nearby movie theater instead.

Jing Chi pulled into the parking lot and turned to Feng Qinghan. “Brother, let me treat you to a movie today.”

He took the man’s hand and led him to their pre-booked seats.

The auditorium was already filling up with people. For the sake of privacy, Jing Chi had selected a somewhat secluded spot, but the view of the screen was still excellent.

The lights dimmed, and the suspense thriller began without delay.

It opened with the grisly discovery of a corpse, drawing startled gasps from the more faint-hearted in the audience.

Feng Qinghan watched the film with rapt attention, but Jing Chi’s eyes were fixed solely on him.

With his gaze, he traced the man’s features stroke by stroke—from his brows and eyes down to his lips.

“You think the killer is…”

Feng Qinghan turned his head but trailed off, words failing him.

Darkness made for the perfect veil.

Jing Chi’s warm fingertips brushed against Feng Qinghan’s lips, caressing them softly before he leaned in and kissed him.

The film’s tense sound effects hummed in their ears amid the subtle shifts and murmurs from the crowd around them. They could only kiss in utter silence amid the shadows—a thrill far more electric than any public display.

Feng Qinghan held his breath. Little by little, the surrounding clamor faded into oblivion, leaving only one sensation: the youth’s searing heat upon his lips.

After that, neither cared a whit for the film’s second half or the killer’s identity.

Their sole memory, etched deepest in their minds, was the yielding softness of each other’s lips.

~~~

Jing Chi’s film finally hit theaters, predictably earning rave reviews across the board.

To celebrate surpassing two billion at the box office, he launched a special live stream fan perk from home.

“Hi everyone, it’s Jing Chi. Long time no see—miss me?”

Jing Chi grinned as he greeted his fans.

[Aaaah, Jing Bao, look over here! Mommy loves you!]

[Jing Bao, Mommy’s good boy, can you stop being so lazy and show up in front of us more often? Pretty please?]

In the lead-up to the film’s release, Jing Chi had only shot a handful of ads, vanishing from the public eye otherwise.

He glanced at the comments and smiled without a trace of guilt.

Shifting to other topics, he kept the chat flowing.

But fans soon zeroed in on the room behind him.

[That background looks like a bedroom.]

[Why do I think I see two pillows?]

[No way…]

[Two pillows? So what—I sleep with three.]

Just then, a voice as clear and cool as jade filtered through the microphone into the stream:

“Jing Chi, why is the bath towel missing from the bathroom?”

Feng Qinghan’s tone carried genuine puzzlement.

The problem was, it wasn’t Jing Chi’s voice. It belonged to the other person in the house.

The chat stalled for a full minute before erupting in chaos.

[Holy shit, what is this? Am I hearing things?]

[Mommy! I just witnessed a celebrity romance blowing up in real time.]

[Oh my god, my blood pressure’s spiking—oh no!]

Jing Chi chuckled to himself, ignoring the scrolling barrage of comments in the live stream chat. He said calmly, “I’ll step away for a moment.”

With that, Jing Chi vanished from the live stream frame, leaving his fans in a whirlwind of confusion.

[Thank goodness I’m a mama fan. Yep, that’s great. Now I’m curious what the daughter-in-law looks like.]

[No way, upstairs—could be a son-in-law instead.]

That comment instantly derailed the conversation.

Everyone suddenly realized: right, as mama fans, they should be thrilled that their “son” was getting married.

[Judging by the daughter-in-law’s voice, she’s got to be a cool beauty.]

[Slurp slurp, what kind of stunner sets her sights on our family’s big lazybones?]

[Well, at least Jing Chi’s a handsome lazybones.]

Of course, there were a few negative comments, but they were utterly drowned out by the mama fan horde.

In the bathroom.

“So, spill it—where’d all the bath towels go?”

Feng Qinghan crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze filled with suspicion as he eyed Jing Chi’s ingratiating smile. A bad feeling stirred in his gut.

“Hey, Brother, how’d you figure it out so fast?”

Jing Chi scratched his head, then laid it all out.

That’s right—it had all been Jing Chi’s scheme.

He hadn’t breathed a word to Feng Qinghan about the live stream that evening. Instead, he’d timed it perfectly for when Feng went to shower, set up in the bedroom, and swiped every last bath towel.

The goal? Go public. And things had gone off without a hitch. Jing Chi couldn’t have been more pleased.

Feng Qinghan: “……”

It wasn’t necessary. Truly, it wasn’t.

When Jing Chi returned to the live stream, the chat was flooded with questions about the daughter-in-law.

He really hadn’t expected his fans to fixate on the same odd details as he did.

Grinning ear to ear, he said, “Of course, in my eyes, he’s the best there is.”

[Hiss, just look at that dopey, lovesick grin.]

[We’re doomed—he wasn’t the sharpest to begin with, and now he’s even dumber?]

[Oh man, he’s head over heels, and his IQ’s in the gutter.]

Jing Chi broke into a sweat: “……”

Thanks a lot, everyone.

Jiang Yi hadn’t expected Jing Chi to be quite so bold, but with Young President Feng having his back, she stayed perfectly composed.

She just hadn’t anticipated how well the fans would take it.

That very night, news of Jing Chi’s relationship rocketed to the top of the hot searches. Far from tanking the box office, it gave it a healthy boost.

Later on, the film was entered into the Golden Phoenix Awards. Jing Chi earned a nomination for Best Male Lead.

He didn’t take home Best Male Protagonist, but for him, it was the ultimate validation of his talent.

And wouldn’t you know it—the nomination announcement landed right on Qixi Festival.

Fans soon noticed that someone who never posted had updated his Weibo.

Verified Jing Chi: [Double joy today! @Feng]

The attached photo showed a hand wearing a ring.

Father Feng reposted it immediately from his official account.

At first, everyone fixated on this guy flaunting his romance.

Then they spotted the business tycoon who’d shared it.

With the matching “Feng” handles, speculation erupted: could Jing Chi’s partner be the young heir of Feng Corporation?

Jing Chi’s eagle-eyed fans pieced together the clues in no time.

[Oh no, my big boy married into a chaebol. With how lazy he is, will we ever see him in public again?]

[Upstairs +1]

[+10010]

Sure enough, they nailed it. In the years that followed, Jing Chi rarely showed his face, sticking to one film a year.

Three years later, he finally claimed the title of Film Emperor.

The only place fans caught regular glimpses of him? His Weibo—stuffed to the brim with lovey-dovey posts.

Pfft. Talk about a downer.

Who was jealous? No fan would ever cop to it.

.

Lu Shichen couldn’t understand it. He just liked one person—wanted to have him. What was so wrong with that?

“You unfilial wretch!” Father Lu jabbed a trembling finger at him. He never imagined the Lu Corporation empire crumbling in his son’s hands.

In a surge of agitation, blood rushed to Father Lu’s head, and he collapsed in a faint.

The Lu family descended into pandemonium. The illegitimate son made off with a chunk of the family fortune and fled overseas.

All that remained for Lu Shichen were crushing debts and his bedridden father.

He tracked down Gu Bai once more, his voice laced with desperation. “Gu Bai, you’re all I’ve got left. Please don’t leave me.”

Gu Bai turned him down gently. “I’m not like you. If you really care about me, stay away. You don’t want to drag me down too, do you, Shichen?”

Gu Bai offered a soft smile, but his eyes were distant—cold, even.

In that instant, Lu Shichen realized this wasn’t the Gu Bai etched in his memories.

All his efforts had been in vain.

How laughable.

The System, vacationing with Jing Chi, suddenly sensed a massive surge of energy pouring in from all directions. Its dull gray exterior seemed to brighten just a touch—not very noticeably, but the System was thrilled nonetheless.

【Ding! Congratulations, Host. The salvation task for this world has been completed.】

“Don’t bother me right now,” Jing Chi said irritably. “It’ll make me go limp, you know.”

Feng Qinghan suddenly felt Jing Chi’s movements come to a halt. He looked up, gazing at him in confusion, and asked hesitantly, “Are you tired?”

Jing Chi laughed in exasperation at Feng Qinghan’s words. He bit down hard on the man’s lip and arched an eyebrow. “Whether I’m tired or not, you’ll have to test it out yourself, Brother.”

“No,” the man refused, frowning.

Because he knew that once this guy got started, he’d be the one in trouble.

But his refusal in that moment only acted like a catalyst for Jing Chi.

Unsteady gasps echoed from inside the room, while outside the sun shone brightly, the rippling water light swaying gently in the breeze.

I don’t know why I came here, but from the moment I met you, I knew… I was probably here for you…

This world complete.