Jing Mian lowered his gaze.
At this moment, he realized that perhaps Mr. Ren’s changes… were not entirely a bad thing.
For instance, he had grown up, yet the man still held him steadily as before, his strong arms wrapping around his waist, lifting him up. Jing Mian caught a whiff of the familiar faint fragrance, causing his mind to become a bit muddled.
Mr. Ren did not stop there; instead, he went downstairs, walked to the entrance, pressed the intercom button, and said, “Leave it at the door.”
In a brief moment of confusion, Jing Mian realized that the man was speaking to someone waiting outside.
An inexplicable feeling arose in his heart. Mr. Ren must have sensed his distraction, so even while holding back, he went downstairs to resolve it for him.
However, the rustling sound of the night wind outside the courtyard felt somewhat noisy, and amidst the stuttering responses, Jing Mian was pressed against the entrance, not daring to make a sound.
“……”
After a moment of silence, Mr. Ren seemed to lose his patience for waiting. The man leaned down, kissing his neck, one hand sliding under the hem of his shirt at the back.
Jing Mian slightly squinted his eyes, remaining still, obediently allowing Mr. Ren to kiss him.
The secretive warmth of intimacy was maddeningly ambiguous.
It was even more breathless than before.
Just then, the noisy wind ceased, and the audio from the video intercom gradually became clearer. It was the voice of the tailor from earlier: “Mr. Ren, please inform Mr. Jing that since the wedding is in five days, the wedding dress should not be wrinkled or stained, and it’s best to store it in the dress box…”
Jing Mian was taken aback.
He almost forgot that he was currently wearing the wedding attire.
Moreover, the tailor reminded him that the wedding was in five days.
It seemed to remind Mr. Ren as well.
Despite his heart racing, reason returned somewhat, and Jing Mian softly said, “Mr. Ren.”
This call seemed to have an effect.
Jing Mian felt the warmth in his ears fade slightly, at least no longer burning to an unbearable degree.
He noticed that under the chandelier, the once faintly bright pupils in Mr. Ren’s eyes seemed much clearer now, returning to normal.
The wedding attire on Jing Mian was taken off, neatly folded by Mr. Ren, and placed into a spacious box.
Jing Mian was momentarily stunned, thinking,
Although Mr. Ren was marrying into his family, and despite the power and interests being a climb for the Jing family, Mr. Ren had never shown such thoughts; on the contrary, he was quite respectful towards him.
He was handsome enough to unify national aesthetics, yet capable and virtuous, able to cook and fold clothes, able to lift him with one hand, yet would listen to his softest words.
He was simply an unparalleled good husband.
Suddenly, he became curious about what Mr. Ren would look like in a wedding dress.
It was rare to welcome the weekend.
Jing Mian had stayed up late last night, rushing his project assignment, and after submitting it, he collapsed into bed.
So much so that when dawn broke, he turned over and couldn’t resist falling back asleep.
In a daze, it seemed someone had walked to the bedside and slightly leaned down.
Relying on a faint and familiar fragrance, Jing Mian realized it was his roommate, Mr. Ren.
“I have a full schedule today and will be back late,” Mr. Ren said.
Jing Mian’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he responded with a soft “Mm.”
Ren Xingwan added, “The food is in the fridge; just heat it up, and it’s ready to eat.”
Jing Mian was clearly digesting the meaning of this statement, softly replying, “Okay.”
“Are you going to the club today?”
Struggling against drowsiness for a while, Jing Mian slightly parted his lips, responding to Mr. Ren with a hint of nasal tone, “No, I need to go home today… there’s a family gathering.”
The surroundings quieted down.
He didn’t know how long it had been, long enough that Jing Mian even thought Mr. Ren had left, but suddenly he felt warmth on his forehead.
Mr. Ren kissed his forehead.
The slightly soft touch was just a brief moment, so fleeting that Jing Mian even thought it was an illusion from his dream.
When he opened his eyes again, the sky was much brighter.
Jing Mian rubbed his eyes and sat up, only to find he was alone in the bedroom.
The young man was momentarily confused, so he rolled out of bed and discovered Mr. Ren was not home. He went downstairs first and opened the fridge.
Inside were bowls wrapped in plastic wrap, and there were also fresh dishes on the dining table, all ready to be heated and eaten.
It seemed that earlier was not a dream.
Moreover, with Mr. Ren’s personality, he even reported his schedule to him one by one.
He had even prepared meals in advance, reminding him to heat them up.
Jing Mian suddenly felt his face heat up.
It felt… just like a newlywed couple.
Mr. Ren seemed to have no concept of leaving sticky notes. On the dining table, Jing Mian found a piece of A4 paper cut into quarters, with a “Good Morning” written on it.
Then, he found in the second layer of the fridge, covered with plastic wrap, “Lunch” and “Dinner.”
Jing Mian couldn’t help but smile.
He had to admit, he was charmed by Mr. Ren.
He suddenly became curious about where the last quarter of the A4 paper had gone.
Jing Mian searched around, glanced at the trash can, and even went upstairs to check the study, but he couldn’t find the last piece of A4 paper.
Returning to the sofa empty-handed, he found a warm custard bun in his hand, and on the coffee table were milk and a bacon egg sandwich. He realized that people really shouldn’t be too idle; was it that his husband’s breakfast was not tasty, or was his phone not interesting?
Jing Mian turned on the TV, and with the warm and lively background noise, he felt more at ease playing on his phone.
However, when he logged into WeChat, he suddenly noticed a message he hadn’t had time to check in the morning.
From Dr. Pei.
Jing Mian paused, opened the chat box, and saw that Dr. Pei had sent two messages.
He simply asked if Jing Mian had time recently, as he would be on duty this weekend and could come by to check.
Jing Mian hesitated for a few seconds and typed in the input box: “Okay, can I come in the morning?”
The other side quickly replied: [Sure.]
[Call me when you arrive.]
The Jing family’s family gathering was in the evening, and Jing Mian calculated the time; he still had plenty of time, so he didn’t refuse.
After finishing his breakfast, he changed his clothes, turned off the TV, and went out.
He had been to Dr. Pei’s place many times. As soon as he arrived downstairs, he called in advance, took the elevator to the tenth floor, and found Dr. Pei’s office easily, knocking on the door.
“Come in.”
Jing Mian walked in, slightly bowing, “Hello, Dr. Pei.”
“Xiao Jing, long time no see.”
Dr. Pei quickly stood up, smiled, and gestured for Jing Mian to sit down.
“You look good,” Dr. Pei said naturally, getting up to fill a paper cup with hot water from the water dispenser and handing it to Jing Mian. On his desk was a small woven basket filled with many lemon-flavored candies.
Dr. Pei said, “No classes today?”
“Mm.” Jing Mian replied, “Even though I’m a sophomore, I generally don’t have classes on weekends.”
Dr. Pei nodded knowingly and sat down across from Jing Mian.
Like old friends, Dr. Pei passed the candy basket towards Jing Mian, who naturally took one.
However, Dr. Pei’s gaze fell on Jing Mian’s left hand, pausing for a moment.
He saw the light-colored ring on his ring finger sparkling.
A look of surprise appeared on the man’s face as he asked, “Xiao Jing, are you married?”
Jing Mian was taken aback, suddenly realizing, feeling a bit embarrassed inside, and said, “Yes, it was a few days ago; I haven’t had the chance to share it with you.”
“It’s okay.”
Dr. Pei concealed his surprise and sincerely said, “Congratulations, happy wedding.”
Jing Mian lightly touched the ring with his right hand, feeling inexplicably good, and said, “Thank you.”
Dr. Pei found it somewhat unbelievable and sighed, “I can’t believe you’ve reached the age of marriage. You should only be… twenty this year? I still always think of you as a child.”
Jing Mian didn’t speak.
He could particularly understand Dr. Pei’s feelings; even the person involved was only gradually adapting to the fact of being married.
Dr. Pei suddenly remembered, “Is he the one you mentioned before, the one from the family marriage?”
Jing Mian nodded, “Yes.”
After all, getting married at twenty through free love is indeed not very realistic in modern society.
Dr. Pei’s lips revealed a smile, “It seems the other party is not disappointing.”
Jing Mian blinked and nodded.
The young man seemed to pause for a moment, softly speaking, “He is my brother.”
Dr. Pei was taken aback, processing for two seconds, and suddenly his expression changed to one of astonishment as he asked, “Your brother from childhood?”
Jing Mian affirmed with a sound.
“What a coincidence…” Dr. Pei leaned back in his chair, seemingly savoring this news, and said, “Based on your description, he was so beautiful as a child; he must be a great beauty now.”
Jing Mian: “……”
For the first time, Jing Mian fell into a prolonged silence.
“No wonder you seem to be in good spirits.” Dr. Pei said with satisfaction, taking out a record book and pulling a pen from the collar of his white coat, gently saying, “I’ll just jot down some notes, Xiao Jing, relax as much as you can.”
Jing Mian nodded.
“Have you been having flashbacks recently?”
Jing Mian was startled and said, “I haven’t had them in a long time.”
Dr. Pei lowered his gaze, the pen tip touching the medical record book, asking, “How’s your sleep? Do you still have nightmares frequently?”
Jing Mian replied, “I do have nightmares, but the frequency is much less.”
Dr. Pei asked, “Once a week?”
Jing Mian said, “No, probably… once a month.”
Dr. Pei smiled, “That’s indeed much better than before.”
“How long has it been since you stopped taking the medication?”
Jing Mian thought for a moment, “A year.”
Dr. Pei said with relief, “You’re recovering well. From now on, we can change your follow-up from three months to six months; that’s enough.”
Jing Mian replied, “Okay.”
Dr. Pei seemed to pause for a moment before speaking, “This early check-up is mainly because two weeks ago today was your mother’s…”
“Mm.”
Jing Mian lowered his gaze, his voice a bit small: “Death anniversary.”
Dr. Pei pressed his lips together, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
Not for any other reason, but purely because of the expression on this child’s face… it was too obedient.
Even when facing a doctor, he was still like this.
“I know you’ve been fearful of socializing since then.” Dr. Pei interlocked his hands, remaining silent for a moment before gently saying, “But my hope is that even if you have to force yourself, don’t disconnect from society.”
“For example, your live streaming is great; it’s very helpful for your mood.” Dr. Pei smiled and said, “Having fans means you’ll receive a lot of love.”
Jing Mian pressed his lips together, smiling faintly, “Mm.”
Jing Mian said, “I have friends now, several of them.”
Dr. Pei smiled, feeling a bittersweet sense of relief.
“If necessary, if you have any thoughts, you can also share them with your partner.” Dr. Pei put away his pen, smiling, “After all, being married means you’re not alone anymore, right?”
Jing Mian was clearly taken aback.
It seemed he had never thought about this question.
Dr. Pei noticed the subtle change in the young man’s expression, slightly furrowing his brows. He straightened up from the edge of his chair and suddenly asked:
“Xiao Jing, do you like your husband?”