Chapter 15

The news of Jing Li picking up Ji Yunzhang at the airport began fermenting across various platforms that very evening.

Fermenting right alongside it was a post that had appeared in the Anonymous Section that afternoon.

The original poster was one of the fans who had gone to greet him at the airport. She had noticed the smile that naturally curved across Ji Yunzhang’s face the instant he spotted Jing Li.

She felt uneasy about it but didn’t want to mention it to her companions, so she started her own thread as a personal vent space, mumbling to herself.

Posts without any arguments usually sank quietly into oblivion, and this one was no exception. It only got unearthed after the buzz around Jing Li’s airport pickup heated up that evening.

Before long, the post shot to hot status and racked up page after page of replies.

【Successfully decoded, so does LZ think Teacher Ji is dating?】

【Based on LZ’s description, I think they are. Wanting to smile at you the second he sees you—aww, so sweet!】

【I think so too. That’s Ji Yunzhang we’re talking about. If they weren’t involved, would Jing Li keep riding his coattails like that, over and over? He must have tacit approval.】

【Ji Yunzhang’s thirty-two already. If he doesn’t start dating soon, he’ll really be too old. Let him date.】

【Let him date +1. Teacher Ji has the works, the talent, the awards. He’s established his career—time to start a family.】

【Everywhere else is a mess, like a demon horde running wild. Here in the shadows, I’ll whisper it: they look so good together. Us shallow types who only care about faces hope they end up as a couple!】

【Perfect faces +1.】

【Anyone shipping them? We’re a small crowd, but we’ve got a Bigshot Fan. Text and art, top-tier editing skills—super impressive.】

……

The online frenzy didn’t spill over into real life.

After dinner, Jing Li accepted Ji Yunzhang’s invitation to visit his home.

Ji Yunzhang’s house was in the heart of the city, where every inch of land cost a fortune. It sat right next to a wetland park and the museum—pristine environment, fresh air, stunning views. It was hard to find a single flaw.

As the car pulled into the neighborhood, Jing Li found himself captivated by the surroundings and felt a powerful temptation stir within him. But then he looked up the real-time housing prices online and immediately lost his nerve.

This was no place for him to even dream about!

Ji Yunzhang’s unit was on the top floor, offering spectacular views with no buildings blocking the way ahead. Standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows and gazing into the distance put the entire bustling city center on display.

Ji Yunzhang lived alone. He didn’t keep a live-in housekeeper, just had Uncle Wang bring in the cleaning team for a deep clean once a week. Uncle Wang had come early today with his crew; the place was immaculate, and the fridge was fully stocked. Ji Yunzhang washed some fruit and set out drinks in front of Jing Li.

“Have a seat. I’m going to take a shower.”

Jing Li knew he’d been on a flight for over ten hours and needed a good wash to shake off the exhaustion.

He nodded. “Take your time.”

While Ji Yunzhang showered, Jing Li wandered over to the floor-to-ceiling windows, bored.

The city’s nightscape was breathtaking, lights blazing everywhere. The brilliant glow wove through the darkness, stretching all the way to the distant horizon. From afar, it looked like stars had tumbled upside down from the heavens, forming a starry river right here on earth.

Jing Li stood there admiring it for a moment when his phone pinged with a message notification.

He pulled it out and saw that Le Xiaoxiao had shared a post with him.

Unaware of the online drama, Jing Li replied with a question mark. Le Xiaoxiao followed up with a string of voice messages, laying out the whole story.

After listening, Jing Li let out an “oh” and sank back onto the sofa. He closed the chat with Le Xiaoxiao, browsed around the various platforms for a bit, and finally clicked into the post he’d shared.

Compared to the chaotic free-for-alls on the other sites, this thread—five pages long—was remarkably civil overall, with only a handful of people endlessly griping.

Things got even better once the OP started plugging the ship on the second page, drawing a bunch of others to join in the fun.

Curious, Jing Li clicked the link to the Bigshot Fan’s homepage.

One look, and he was hooked.

This Bigshot Fan really lived up to the name.

The three fanfics weren’t long—none exceeding ten thousand words—but each offered a different flavor of sweetness, with polished writing to match. The illustrations were tailored to the stories: three fics, three pieces of art. One ancient-style spring outing illustration had already gone viral, racking up over a hundred thousand likes.

She’d edited only one video. It paired Jing Li’s character from Isolated Island with Ji Yunzhang’s from Out of Sight, built around the utterly clichéd theme of mutual redemption—two boys leaning on each other, coming to know one another deeply, making solemn promises, and finally breaking free from the darkness together to step into the sunlight.

Clichéd as it was, Jing Li watched with rapt attention.

With no one else around, Jing Li gradually lost his upright posture as he sat. He lazily sprawled halfway across the sofa, propping his elbow on the armrest while watching the video and murmuring to himself: These plot threads actually connect like that? Impressive; Huh?? Can this shot really be twisted into something steamy—and it looks pretty convincing too; Holy crap, what kind of tech wizardry is this? How did he and Ji Yunzhang end up in the same frame…

Jing Li was completely engrossed.

Suddenly.

“What are you watching?”

Ji Yunzhang appeared behind him, carrying a glass of warm water.

At the sound of his voice, Jing Li finally snapped back to reality. He looked up. Ji Yunzhang had finished his shower, the exhaustion from the long flight seemingly vanished. He was back to his dazzling, starlit self—handsome enough to make anyone’s legs buckle.

“The edit,” he said with a grin, “of the two of us.”

Ji Yunzhang settled into the single-seater sofa beside him. “Good?”

“Pretty good.” Jing Li spoke honestly.

He turned the screen toward Ji Yunzhang, rewound to the beginning, and waited until Ji Yunzhang had finished watching before closing the video and sitting up straight again. “Is this Bigshot Fan someone you found?”

“Not on purpose. She’s from the studio—you’ve met her.”

Jing Li tilted his head. “Hm?”

“The girl with the boyfriend.” Ji Yunzhang gazed at him with a smile.

Jing Li had a sharp memory and quickly pulled the memory from his mind. He knew exactly who Ji Yunzhang meant—and that he was teasing him again. Meeting Ji Yunzhang’s eyes head-on, he said, “Teacher Ji, you’re being naughty again.”

Ji Yunzhang let out an ambiguous chuckle and explained about the girl. “After she met you last time, she got hooked on shipping us. When I asked An Jiaming to find someone earlier, she volunteered herself.”

Jing Li praised her sincerely. “She’s really talented.”

Letting the topic drop, Ji Yunzhang asked him warmly, “Want to take a tour? You’ll be living here from now on, so this is a chance to get familiar with the place ahead of time.”

Jing Li considered it for a moment and didn’t refuse.

So Ji Yunzhang led him around.

“The first floor has the kitchen, dining room, living room, study, and a room for the live-in housekeeper. No one’s been staying in that room. In a few days, I’ll have the furniture cleared out and turn it into a playroom for Custard Bun.”

Jing Li blinked in surprise, then smiled. “Custard Bun’s going to love that.”

Ji Yunzhang’s lips curved as he watched Jing Li’s smile.

They ascended the spiral staircase to the second floor. Ji Yunzhang pushed open the nearest door and introduced the room to Jing Li. “This is the guest bedroom—you’ll stay here from now on. It comes with its own bathroom and a small study. The walk-in closet is next door; we’ll share it.”

Jing Li followed Ji Yunzhang inside and took a quick look around.

Ji Yunzhang asked, “Like it?”

“Yeah! I love it.” What he loved most was the little balcony attached to the room. He could already picture himself lounging on a deck chair during a sunny afternoon, basking lazily in the warmth.

Ji Yunzhang couldn’t help laughing at the sparkle in his eyes. “Let’s keep going.”

Jing Li nodded and followed along.

The master bedroom was right next to the guest room. Ji Yunzhang opened the door and invited Jing Li to take a look inside, but Jing Li only poked his head through the doorway without stepping in.

Ji Yunzhang smiled, didn’t press, and led Jing Li to the walk-in closet instead.

The closet was enormous. Ji Yunzhang’s clothes hung neatly, arranged by color from dark to light, formals separated from casuals, and accessories all tidily organized. It was incredibly soothing to the eye.

Ji Yunzhang said, “I’ll clear out some space for you later.”

Jing Li murmured his agreement, then added, “I don’t have many clothes. I won’t need much room.”

“No problem—you’ll build up a collection over time.” With that, Ji Yunzhang took him to the home theater.

The theater was roughly the size of the master bedroom. Floor-to-ceiling built-in cabinets held neat stacks of discs from around the world. A plush beige sofa sat in the center, atop a thick, soft carpet. A metallic screen hung from the front wall, dominating the entire space.

Jing Li let out an awed “Wow.” “Teacher Ji, have you watched all these discs?”

Bathed in Jing Li’s starry-eyed gaze, a deep amusement welled up in Ji Yunzhang’s eyes. “No, just about half.”

“That’s still a ton.” Jing Li sighed in admiration.

“Do you like movies?”

Jing Li’s eyes crinkled with delight. “Love them.”

Ji Yunzhang’s gaze, steady and tender, locked onto his. “Let’s watch together from now on.”

Jing Li tilted his head up slightly, their eyes meeting. His curved smile mirrored tonight’s moon—yet shone even more captivatingly. “Sounds good.”