Chapter 75: Extra – Little Ji and Big Ji

Ning Shuang had already eaten at school, and Ji Huaizhi had handled his own dinner at home, so preparing just a single serving was quick work.

He set the steaming bowl of tomato and egg noodles on the desk in front of Ji Yao, then tugged Ji Huaizhi down onto the sofa across from him. “Give it a taste?”

Ji Yao set aside the remote control and picked up the bowl from the desk. “Thanks.”

Ning Shuang let out a couple of amused chuckles. “Dig in. Finish up and get some early sleep.”

Ji Yao glanced up at him. “Are you going to send me away the moment I wake up?”

Ning Shuang had no idea why he’d ask such a thing. “Didn’t we say we’d take you back to your family tomorrow?”

Ji Yao shook his head. “I don’t want to go back just yet.”

Ning Shuang shot a troubled look at Ji Huaizhi, only to find him staring coldly at Ji Yao. His eyes were dark and inscrutable, brimming with complicated emotions. After what felt like a couple of minutes, Ji Huaizhi reached out, took Ning Shuang’s hand, and said to him, “Let him stay here for now. He’ll leave on his own when the time comes.”

For some reason, the man who hadn’t seemed all that fond of Ji Yao moments ago was now the one suggesting they keep him around. Ning Shuang replied gently, “I don’t have any objections…”

The sudden appearance of this “little Ji Huaizhi” was strange enough as it was. Ji Huaizhi seemed to have pieced something together—or perhaps he had considerations of his own. Ning Shuang wasn’t about to pry. Besides, Ji Yao was just a kid at the end of the day. One more pair of chopsticks around the house for a few days wouldn’t exactly break the bank.

“Ji Yao, so you’re staying?” Ning Shuang asked. “We’ve got an extra room upstairs. You can crash there.”

In the brief span of time it had taken to say that, Ji Yao had already polished off most of the bowl. “Sure.”

Ning Shuang reached down and patted Ning Dundun by his feet. “Not full? We can whip up more if you want.”

“No need,” Ji Yao said flatly.

Ji Huaizhi’s brow furrowed slightly. He turned his head toward Ning Shuang. “Senior, why don’t you head upstairs, freshen up, and turn in early? I’ll handle him and tidy up downstairs.”

“I’m not sleepy yet,” Ning Shuang replied, “and tomorrow’s the weekend—no harm in staying up late tonight.” He paused, then grinned. “Besides, I’ve got to get a good look at you at fourteen, right?”

His gaze settled on Ji Yao’s face as he studied it intently. Sure enough, it was like a miniature version of Ji Huaizhi—the eyes, the demeanor, even the little mannerisms were spot-on replicas.

“I’m finished.” Ning Shuang was still peering closely when Ji Yao abruptly set down his chopsticks and bowl. He lifted his eyes to the two of them on the sofa.

Ning Shuang felt inexplicably cheerful for no particular reason. “Feeling sleepy now? I’ll show you to bed.”

“Okay,” Ji Yao agreed without hesitation.

He betrayed none of the wariness one might expect in an unfamiliar place.

“Honey, mind clearing the table? I’ll take him upstairs to sleep.” Ning Shuang rose to his feet.

Ji Huaizhi nodded. “Mm.”

Ning Shuang led Ji Yao upstairs.

No matter how mature a fourteen-year-old might appear, a child’s nature was still there beneath the surface. As they walked, Ji Yao took in his surroundings. He could tell that the man who’d brought him home tonight and the guy downstairs—who looked just like him—must be deeply in love.

The house was filled with traces of their shared life, after all.

“You’ll sleep here tonight,” Ning Shuang said as he flicked on the light and ushered Ji Yao inside. “It used to be my boyfriend’s room before he moved in with me.”

Ji Yao gave the room a quick once-over, curiosity lighting his eyes. “So when he first moved in, you two weren’t together yet?”

Ning Shuang nodded. “Yep. If you had to pin it on someone, I was the one doing the chasing.”

“Oh.” Ji Yao’s response was cool and measured. Then he added, “Why didn’t he chase you?”

Ning Shuang mulled it over. “Does it really matter? He’d liked me for a while by then anyway. We went through quite a lot together…”

As he trailed off, he noticed Ji Yao staring right at him. Ning Shuang reached out and gently pinched the boy’s cheek. “What’s a kid like you so curious about grown-up business for?”

“Oh.” Ji Yao calmly brushed his hand away. He glanced around the bare room again. “Am I sleeping alone?”

Ning Shuang hesitated. “Well… Ning Dundun could keep you company?”

“I don’t want it. You sleep with me.” Ji Yao grabbed hold of Ning Shuang’s hand.

It was a simple request, born of vigilance in a strange environment. He was bone-tired and needed sleep right now. And for reasons he couldn’t quite name, he trusted Ning Shuang—which was why he’d flagged him down and agreed to come home in the first place.

“Me, sleep with you?” Ning Shuang pointed at himself, then at Ji Yao. “How old are you? You still need someone to tuck you in?”

“Oh. All right, then.” Ji Yao didn’t push it.

Ning Shuang smiled reassuringly. “Relax. I’m right next door. Just come get me if you need anything.”

Ji Yao shrugged off his thin jacket. “Where’s the shower?”

Ning Shuang showed him to the adjoining bathroom and demonstrated the water heater. “This is body wash. This is shampoo.”

“Got it. Thanks,” Ji Yao said once more.

Ning Shuang stepped out, rummaged in his room for a set of his smaller long-sleeved pajamas—casual loungewear, nothing too heavy. With the floor heating and air conditioning, thin fabric wouldn’t be an issue.

He carried them to the bathroom door. “Ji Yao.”

“I’ve got some clean clothes for you.”

“Oh, come on in. I’m not naked.” Ji Yao had just retied the drawstring on his pants.

Ning Shuang pushed the door open and went inside. Ji Yao had stripped off his top, revealing a gaunt frame that was practically skin and bones. Ning Shuang’s eyes landed on the patchwork of scars, large and small, crisscrossing his body.

Whip marks, plain as day.

“Did your dad do this to you?” Ning Shuang asked.

Ji Yao shrugged. “I made a mistake, that’s all.”

Ning Shuang frowned deeply. “No mistake warrants beating you like this. What does he think you are?”

“…”

Ji Yao fell unusually silent, as if he’d never given the matter a second thought before. “Dunno.”

“Not a son, that’s for sure,” he tacked on offhandedly.

Ning Shuang studied him for a moment, then figured the boy might miss some of those wounds while washing on his own. “Let me help you wash up. Then we’ll put some medicine on them.”

“Senior.” A cold voice cut in from the doorway. “What are you two doing?”

The sudden sound made Ning Shuang jump.

Ji Yao turned his head toward the door as well.

“You finished up down there?” Ning Shuang hung the pajamas on a nearby hook and walked over to Ji Huaizhi.

Ji Huaizhi nodded.

Ning Shuang explained, “I brought him some pajamas. Saw he’s covered in wounds—thought I’d apply some medicine later.”

Ji Huaizhi lifted his gaze to Ji Yao, who met his eyes. Their stares locked for a beat, and Ji Huaizhi took in the marks on the boy’s body. He paused, then lowered his head to Ning Shuang. “I’ll go grab the medicine.”

“Sure thing.” Ning Shuang smiled warmly.

Ji Huaizhi turned and left the bathroom. Ning Shuang had just pivoted back when Ji Yao appeared at the door. Without a word, he reached out and gently pushed Ning Shuang out. “I can wash myself.”

The door shut in Ning Shuang’s face.

“Take it easy on those wounds while you’re washing—don’t want them getting infected,” Ning Shuang called through the door. He wasn’t about to force the issue.

The sound of running water soon followed from inside.

Ning Shuang stretched lazily and headed next door to make up the bed for Ji Yao.

Ji Huaizhi returned shortly with the first-aid kit.

“Senior, I brought the kit up.” Ning Shuang had just finished smoothing out the sheets when Ji Huaizhi walked in carrying it.

“Thanks for the trouble.” Ning Shuang turned, planted a quick kiss on his cheek, and set the kit on the nightstand.

Ji Huaizhi shook his head. “I’ll handle applying it later. You should get some rest.”

“It’s fine—we can do it together.” Ning Shuang tilted his head. “Did you have scars like these when you were his age?”

“I don’t remember.” Ji Huaizhi thought back briefly. “That was so long ago… But yeah, mistakes meant this kind of punishment.”

A pang of heartache hit Ning Shuang. “Did it hurt?”

Ji Huaizhi shook his head.

Ning Shuang reached up to smooth his hair, then leaned in for a soft kiss on the lips. “No more dwelling on that. Things will be better from here on out.”

“Being with you now makes me happy already.” Ji Huaizhi clasped his hand and nuzzled his cheek affectionately against it.

Ji Yao emerged from the shower not long after.

Together, Ning Shuang and Ji Huaizhi helped him change the dressings on his wounds.

“Next time your dad tries to hit you, just run,” Ning Shuang advised earnestly. “Run far away and come find me.” He’d only gotten a vague sense of it in the bathroom earlier, but up close now, Ji Yao’s body was a map of all sorts of scars—faintly grotesque in the harsh light. “You’ve got such a nice back. It’s a shame to mar it with all these.”

Ji Yao kept his head bowed low.

He had never enjoyed such warmth before. He had never believed that warmth and happiness would ever come to him.

But he had seen happiness in this person who looked so strikingly similar to himself.

So, would he one day be this happy too?

“Is it that bad?” Ji Yao asked.

“Yeah,” Ning Shuang replied. “So don’t get hurt again.”

Ji Yao fell silent.

Ji Huaizhi cooperated with Ning Shuang as they applied medicine to Ji Yao’s wounds. He didn’t say much—Ji Huaizhi wasn’t one for words anyway. If Ji Yao hadn’t looked exactly like him as a child, he probably wouldn’t have spared the boy a single glance.

Once the medicine was changed, Ning Shuang checked the room’s doors and windows again before returning to the bedside. “I’m heading back to bed,” he told Ji Yao. “If you need anything tonight, come find me next door.”

“Oh,” Ji Yao said. He lay in bed with only his head poking out. Ning Shuang had tucked the blanket around him tightly, not letting even a whisper of air slip through.

“Thanks,” he added.

Ning Shuang just smiled at him, then switched off the light and pulled Ji Huaizhi out of the room.

~~~

The room lights clicked off.

On the bed, the two men lay facing each other. In the faint glow of the bedside lamp, Ning Shuang reached out and took Ji Huaizhi’s hand. “Honey,” he said, “don’t you feel like we’ve got ourselves a kid now?”

“Do you like him that much?” Ji Huaizhi asked.

“What else? He’s the spitting image of you, and only fourteen. Maybe it’s my bias, but I think he’s pretty cute.” Ning Shuang chuckled.

Ji Huaizhi frowned. “What’s cute about him…”

“If I could have kids, I doubt I’d ever produce one that looks as much like you as he does,” Ning Shuang teased.

Ji Huaizhi pondered this seriously for a moment. “Actually, our clan records mention a gu poison that lets men give birth…”

Ning Shuang swatted his waist. “I was joking—can’t you tell?”

“Oh.” Ji Huaizhi snuggled deeper into Ning Shuang’s arms. “Anyway, he’ll leave on his own eventually. You don’t need to get too attached.”

“How could I not? He’s staying in our house, so of course we should treat him well. Besides, isn’t he just your mini-me? Don’t you ever feel like raising your younger self all over again?”

Ji Huaizhi thought it over, then shook his head firmly. “If I were raising a kid, I’d only want to raise the you from back then.”

“Well, we’re on the same page there,” Ning Shuang said with a grin. “I’d rather raise little you than little me.”

Ji Huaizhi tilted his head up and pressed a kiss to Ning Shuang’s neck. “No.”

“Huh?”

“Raise the current me.” His voice was soft.

Ning Shuang burst out laughing and patted his back like he was soothing a child. “Alright, alright.”

After a while, Ning Shuang spoke again. “How about we take him out to play tomorrow?”

“He doesn’t seem like he’s had much chance to goof around outside.”

Ji Huaizhi’s arm around Ning Shuang’s waist tightened slightly. “Where to?”

“An amusement park? And the mall after—to buy him some clothes. Our stuff won’t fit him right.”

Ji Huaizhi nodded. “Fine. Whatever you say.”

“Great. Let’s sleep then. Tomorrow we’ll take Dundun along—a family of four out for the day.” Ning Shuang’s tone was playful.

“Okay.” Ji Huaizhi nuzzled against Ning Shuang’s chest, murmuring his agreement in a warm voice.