Jing Li hadn’t specially told Ji Yunzhang that his birthday had arrived. Nor did he plan any extravagant celebrations. Like every year before, he intended to simply cook himself a bowl of longevity noodles, add two boiled eggs, eat them, and call it a day.
But when he got up that morning, Ji Yunzhang was already in the kitchen, seriously kneading dough. Eggs tumbled in a pot, bubbling amid the boiling water.
“Teacher Ji?” Jing Li stood frozen in the kitchen doorway.
Ji Yunzhang glanced back. “Good morning.”
“Happy 23rd birthday.” He smiled. “I’m making longevity noodles. From what I hear, the custom where you’re from calls for handmade noodles with two boiled eggs, right?”
His low, gentle voice drifted into Jing Li’s ears and settled deep in his heart.
In that instant, Jing Li’s heart softened beyond belief. His breathing grew shallow. The soft light in Ji Yunzhang’s eyes gleamed crystal-clear in the sunlight, the gentle curve of his lips utterly tender. Jing Li felt his heartstrings thrumming endlessly, longing to lose himself in that gaze.
It took him a long moment to recover his voice, but even then it came out slightly off-pitch, trembling at the end. “…Yeah, that’s right.”
The corners of Ji Yunzhang’s mouth curved up. He murmured in acknowledgment and turned back to the dough, kneading it with somewhat clumsy motions. “There’s milk over there. I warmed it for you. Have a cup first. The noodles will take about twenty more minutes.”
Jing Li took the milk and sipped it but didn’t leave. He nursed the glass slowly, finally reining in his wildly racing heart. A smile lingered at the corners of his eyes, impossible to suppress.
He felt as if the wind had lifted him, sending him floating high in the air. Every sight before him was breathtakingly beautiful, his entire body brimming with satisfaction, delight, and joy.
After rinsing the cup, Jing Li sidled up beside Ji Yunzhang, beaming as he watched him work on the noodles.
“Teacher Ji, you vanished for an hour yesterday afternoon. Were you learning to make noodles from the chef?”
They had returned to the Ji Family yesterday. While he and Grandpa Ji played chess that afternoon, Ji Yunzhang had been gone for ages before returning—with a dusting of flour on his cuffs. Jing Li had wondered about it at the time.
Ji Yunzhang finished kneading the dough and took up the rolling pin, steadily flattening it out. A smile played in his eyes. “I’ve never made noodles from scratch before. I didn’t want to mess it up, so I crammed a quick lesson.”
Jing Li replied, “Regular store-bought noodles would have been fine. No need for all this trouble.”
Customs were just customs; they didn’t have to be followed to the letter. He’d always used packaged noodles whenever he made them for himself… Truth be told, in all his years, no one had ever put this much care into making him a bowl of longevity noodles.
Ji Yunzhang kept his head down, rolling out the dough with focused intensity. “It’s no trouble at all.”
Jing Li’s lips quirked up slyly. “Teacher Ji, keep this up, and I’ll start getting greedy.”
Ji Yunzhang’s gaze deepened as he listened. He turned, fixing his eyes on Jing Li’s face, though his tone stayed casually offhand. “Will you now?”
“Absolutely. No one could turn down being cherished like this.” Fingers curling at his side, Jing Li tested the waters with a joking lilt. “What if, when our two years are up, I just refuse to leave?”
Ji Yunzhang laughed softly. His gaze traced the exquisite lines of Jing Li’s features like a painter’s brush, finally locking onto his eyes. “Then don’t.”
Jing Li went still.
They held each other’s gaze in silence.
Sunlight poured in from the window, bathing them both. A subtle, charged tension unfurled in the bright light, spreading soundlessly from the space between them to fill every corner.
High up in the building, with its impeccable soundproofing, the silence was profound. Jing Li could almost hear his own heartbeat—pounding relentlessly, thump-thump-thump, growing louder with every beat.
He licked his lips and took an impulsive step forward. “Teacher Ji, you…” — Do you mean it? The words nearly escaped, only to be cut short by the doorbell.
Jing Li snapped back to reality, mortified at what he’d almost said. He bolted for the door without a backward glance. “I’ll get it.”
Standing outside was Uncle Wang, the steward from the Ji Residence.
He cradled a bouquet of flowers in one arm, a small cart beside him bearing a cake and several wrapped gifts.
Uncle Wang handed the fresh blooms to Jing Li. “The Old Madam picked these for you herself this morning. And these gifts are from everyone back home. They asked me to pass along their birthday wishes.”
Jing Li accepted the flowers and eyed the gifts, his smile radiant. “Thank you.”
Uncle Wang’s expression was warm and paternal. “No thanks needed between family.” He’d only come to deliver the items and had no intention of lingering. “I’ll be off, then.”
“Won’t you come in for a bit?”
Uncle Wang’s gaze slid past him, landing on Ji Yunzhang who had come up behind. His smile deepened. “I won’t disturb you.”
After Uncle Wang left, Jing Li clutched the flowers and tugged the cart full of gifts along as he turned, meeting Ji Yunzhang’s eyes. The faint, inexplicable intimacy from moments ago suddenly flooded back. He cleared his throat lightly and looked away.
“I’ll go make a call first—to let Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, and Mom know.”
Ji Yunzhang knew he’d overstepped with his words earlier and likely startled Jing Li, so he didn’t press the issue. “Sure. I’ll call you when the longevity noodles are ready.”
Jing Li murmured his agreement, set the bouquet down, and dashed upstairs in his cotton slippers.
~~~
Today wasn’t a weekend, so both Ji Huahong and Qin Zhiyun were at work. Jing Li ended up making three calls in succession.
By the time he finished, his emotions had settled.
Perfect timing—Ji Yunzhang called up from downstairs.
Jing Li headed back down, his natural cheer restored. He bounded over to the dining table and eyed the steaming bowl of noodles before looking up at Ji Yunzhang. “Teacher Ji, can I snap a photo and post it on Weibo?”
He still wanted to show it off.
Ji Yunzhang had no objection. He untied his apron and nodded with a smile.
Jing Li snapped away happily, then grabbed shots of the flowers and gifts too—just enough for a perfect nine-grid post. He uploaded them all to Weibo at once.
He even shared a version to Moments.
Jing Li hadn’t had many fans before; the automated birthday post from the system at midnight usually garnered only a handful of likes and comments. But ever since going public with Ji Yunzhang, his follower count had skyrocketed.
The comments on that system post were now packed with birthday wishes.
His new Weibo post set off an even bigger frenzy.
【Happy birthday!!!】
【That bowl looks like the real deal—Teacher Ji really put his heart into it!】
【Hand-pulled noodles at first glance, wuwuwu, my CP is perfection!】
【Teacher Ji is so whipped!】
【Teacher Ji’s family is the best. Jing Li and Teacher Ji are living the dream!】
【My CP is peak sweetness today. Wishing Jing Li endless joy, harmony with Teacher Ji forever, and a lifetime of happiness!】
Satisfied with the flood of blessings, Jing Li pocketed his phone, grabbed his chopsticks, and dug in.
“Not bad?” Ji Yunzhang asked.
Jing Li’s eyes crinkled with delight as he flashed a thumbs-up. “Amazing.”
Ji Yunzhang’s lips quirked. “Glad to hear it.”
Once the noodles were gone, Ji Yunzhang fetched his own gift from his room and handed it over. He sat beside Jing Li, and they arranged the flowers together.
Su Manzhi’s bouquet was massive, bursting with fresh, vibrant varieties. Jing Li planned to split it up—some for the dining table, some for the bedrooms.
He snipped stems with the scissors while his phone kept buzzing with birthday messages.
Jing Li juggled replies and flower-arranging, thoroughly occupied.
Ji Yunzhang watched for a moment before chuckling and taking the scissors and flowers. “Here, let me. You focus on the messages.”
Jing Li had just responded to Wen Yang and Le Xiaoxiao when WeChat pinged again—this time from Xu Daye. He nodded helplessly. “Okay.”
[Xu Daye]: Happy birthday.
[Xu Daye]: Send me your address. I’ll courier the gift—you’re definitely not heading out today.
They swapped small gifts every year, simple tokens of friendship. Xu Daye knew all about Jing Li’s rocky family ties, so he always treated him to dinner and made his birthday special.
No need for formalities with a close friend. Jing Li fired off the address and typed back: 【Who said I’m staying in?】
[Xu Daye]: Planning to?
Jing Li glanced up at Ji Yunzhang and caved.
[Jing Li]: No.
[Xu Daye]: Told you.
[Xu Daye]: Fine, enjoy your cozy twosome with Ji Yunzhang. Saw your Moments—he’s got the touch. Have a blast on your birthday.
Jing Li thought: Yeah, today had been incredible.
~~~
Romantic Journey’s fourth filming location brought the program team south at last, to a seaside village in H Province.
Like the previous sites, it was chosen for its seclusion to minimize disruption for the locals—few tourists in sight.
The heat here dwarfed A City’s, full summer swelter.
They arrived at one in the afternoon; the brutal sun kept everyone holed up in the villa until nearly five before venturing out.
The sunset over the sea was stunning.
Sparkling waves mirrored the vast expanse of fiery clouds stretching across the sky, all bathed in red.
Chen Xiaohan’s eyes lit up. An inland city girl at heart, she’d always adored the ocean. No matter how many beach trips she’d taken, its beauty never failed to captivate her.
She couldn’t wait to hit the sand and dragged Zhou Shi along with her.
Behind them, Shen Ru and Yu Jiayuan, Lang Yan and Yu Miyue, Yang Yi and Zhou Yan all headed toward the beach.
Noticing that Jing Li and Ji Yunzhang hadn’t followed, Zhou Yan glanced back. “You two aren’t coming?”
Jing Li replied, “We’re going to buy some coconuts.”
He remembered seeing vendors selling them along the road on the way here.
Chen Xiaohan, who was in the lead, overheard and turned around. “Could you grab one for us?” She gestured toward herself and Zhou Shi.
“Sure.”
Jing Li asked the others, “Anyone else?”
“Yes, please.” Shen Ru nodded with a smile. “Thanks.”
Jing Li turned to Yu Jiayuan. “What about you, Brother Yu?”
“Yeah, I’ll take one. Thanks.”
Yu Miyue chimed in, “Lang Yan and I want one too.”
Jing Li’s gaze shifted to Yang Yi and Zhou Yan. Yang Yi suggested, “Why don’t we tag along? We can pick up some other things while we’re at it. How about a barbecue tonight?”
Chen Xiaohan lit up at the idea. “That’s brilliant!”
Zhou Shi nodded eagerly. “Count me in—both hands up.”
Neither of them could cook worth a damn; they were the sort who hitched rides with the real chefs for a share of the meat. Everyone burst out laughing, tossing playful jabs back and forth before nodding in agreement with Yang Yi’s plan.
Yu Jiayuan thought it over and said, “I’ll come along too, then.”
Zhou Shi, hoping to slack off, grinned. “I’ll stay here and play photographer for the ladies.”
Chen Xiaohan gave him a swift kick. “Go help out. We don’t need you hanging around.”
The group dissolved into laughter again.
~~~
By six o’clock, the six of them had returned to the villa with everything in hand. The four girls who’d been playing on the beach spotted them and came back to help prep the ingredients.
Dusk settled in, and the lights the program team had set up beforehand flickered on, bathing the courtyard in a warm glow. Waves crashed rhythmically against the shore just beyond, while the sea breeze swept away the day’s lingering heat, ushering in a cool evening.
Jing Li had slipped a light blue shirt over his short-sleeved tee. He carried a plate of skewered beef over to the grill. The coals blazed hot, and he soon had the first batch ready. He dashed over to Ji Yunzhang. “Teacher Ji, here you go.”
Ji Yunzhang tugged him down to sit. “Let’s eat together.”
Jing Li had planned to grill some pork belly next, but he looked up to find Yang Yi had claimed the spot. He settled obediently beside Ji Yunzhang instead, picking up the half-drunk coconut from earlier to take another sip.
He put the straw to his lips and sucked—but nothing came out.
Jing Li: “???”
Where had all his coconut water gone?
A soft chuckle came from Ji Yunzhang. Jing Li turned and met his eyes, brimming with mirth. “You grabbed the wrong one. That’s mine.”
Jing Li: “…”
He glanced down. Sure enough, the straw in this coconut was blue.
His was pink.
In that instant, the phrase “indirect kiss” flooded Jing Li’s mind, and his ears burned without warning.
