Ji Nian realized he hadn’t gone far yet. Catching her breath, she saw Lu Jinghuai turn and run toward her.
The two met at the gate, and without wasting time, Ji Nian pulled Lu Jinghuai’s hand and led him inside under the bewildered gaze of the security guard.
[If I remember correctly, there’s a path here leading to the greenhouse.]
Of course, she couldn’t go that far—there wasn’t enough time.
But the path to the greenhouse was lush with plants, enveloped by flowers and greenery.
Ji Nian tugged Lu Jinghuai around a bend, finding a natural hiding spot where no one passing by could see them.
"Come here."
She unhesitatingly opened her arms and hugged him.
"This is a hug to send you off."
She patted his back.
Lu Jinghuai’s eyes widened slightly, as if surprised by her action.
But he quickly snapped out of it, tightening his arms around her and burying his face weakly against her. "What am I supposed to do with you like this?"
Every smile and frown from Ji Nian directly swayed his emotions. Each time she drew near and then pulled away, it felt like riding a rollercoaster through the clouds.
Lu Jinghuai finally understood why his father had always orbited around his mother.
When he was younger, he’d thought it was pathetic.
But now…
He couldn’t even relate to his younger self anymore.
Pressing his lips together, he murmured, "I don’t want you to leave."
If Ji Nian had just walked away earlier, he could’ve mustered the dignity to send her a polite "Have a safe flight" text before boarding.
But she had to run back, drag him into this secluded spot, and hold him—now Lu Jinghuai just wanted to discard all rationality and do everything in his power to make her stay, to keep her by his side.
Just like the past few days.
"Don’t think I’m clingy. I like you more every day—I can’t help it."
He nuzzled his cheek against her, his voice low.
Ji Nian couldn’t help but laugh, running her fingers through his hair, now dyed back to blond.
She was starting to see the fun in dating. She’d thought it would be the same as before, just with a bit more intimacy, but now her perspective had changed.
It wasn’t until she came back and hugged Lu Jinghuai that she realized—she didn’t want to part with him either.
These past few days of being inseparable had shown her a completely different side of Lu Jinghuai.
Unlike the flawless image she’d glimpsed before, he wasn’t just cool in private—he had a childish side too, and Ji Nian couldn’t resist teasing him, curious to see what else she could uncover.
"Alright, I’ll call you when I get back."
"Finish your business quickly so we can meet again."
"Besides, your priority now is spending time with your parents. I’m sure you have a lot to say to them."
She stroked his back and gave him a reassuring pat.
"Mm."
Lu Jinghuai responded weakly.
When he walked her out again, he made one request: he didn’t want Wei Junze getting too close to Ji Nian.
And by "close," he meant it literally.
He didn’t want him near her, didn’t want her to carry someone else’s scent.
Ji Nian smirked. "That’s it? I thought you’d say you didn’t want me to see Wei Junze at all."
Lu Jinghuai poked her cheek. "Of course not."
"I’m not trying to control who you socialize with."
"Then will your room be covered in my photos?"
Why were they back to this question?
Lu Jinghuai’s eyes held a hint of resignation as he replied offhandedly, "Yeah, sure."
Ji Nian tugged him down, whispering in his ear, "You little creep."
Then she burst out laughing and ran off, waving at him over her shoulder.
What Ji Nian didn’t know was that Lu Jinghuai’s half-hearted response was actually true.
His room really did have an entire wall dedicated to her.
Watching her retreating figure, Lu Jinghuai casually tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, his gray eyes still warm with lingering amusement as he murmured, "But…"
"I really am a creep."
...
"Wei Yang, do you want some shrimp crackers?"
Wei Yang snorted and turned away, refusing to look at her.
Ji Nian chuckled awkwardly and called his name again.
Ji Tingzhou, watching from the side, couldn’t take it anymore and motioned for Ji Nian to come over, ignoring Wei Yang.
"Midlife crisis. Who knows what’s gotten into him."
Ji Nian guiltily lowered her eyes.
Wei Yang pouted. How he wanted to stand up and yell at Ji Tingzhou: Do you know our kid got snatched by some blond punk!? Do you even know!?!
But he’d promised Ji Nian to keep it a secret, so he could only swallow his outburst, choking on his own frustration.
It was driving him insane.
This was their kid—
The one they’d raised since she was a little dumpling, a genius toxicologist and pharmacist, smart and kind and beautiful… and now some blond punk had tricked her into dating him!
"IT HURTS!!!!!!!!"
Wei Yang suddenly howled at the ceiling.
Ji Tingzhou, sitting on the couch reading a magazine, nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Did you get rabies or something?"
Wei Yang growled incoherently, shaking his head as if to say, "You wouldn’t understand."
Ji Nian guiltily looked down again.
...
Back home, Ji Nian immediately sent a message in the group chat.
Everyone was thrilled.
She’d been away in Country O for so long, and they’d all missed her.
Gu Xiuyuan called to ask for details.
The news from Country O had been pretty big, so they’d all heard about it and had even asked Ji Nian how Lu Jinghuai was doing.
Ji Nian assured them everything was fine and recounted what had happened.
Gu Xiuyuan had actually wanted to fly over to find them, but Ji Nian had refused—things had been dangerous at the time.
There’d been multiple assassination attempts, and Wei Yang had barely gotten any rest. There’d even been poisonings, but to Ji Nian, those were child’s play, so none had succeeded.
Hearing that Lu Jinghuai was doing well and would return once he finished his business, Gu Xiuyuan relaxed.
As soon as she hung up, Shen Qingtang called, and Ji Nian repeated the story.
After that call, as expected, He Xiang was next.
Ji Nian answered and, before he could ask, told him Lu Jinghuai was fine and recounted the events again. Then she said, "He Xiang."
"Are you free tomorrow?"
Instinctively, He Xiang’s hand went to the small box in his pocket. "Yes."
"I’d like to see you. Is that okay?"
Ji Nian agreed.
They’d talked about this before—she had something to say to him.
Before hanging up, He Xiang suddenly added, "Don’t feel burdened."
"Whatever you say, I’ll accept it."
It could only be a rejection. He Xiang lowered his thick lashes, shadows pooling in his eyes.
The reason he’d confessed his feelings…
Was because after agreeing to Ji Tingzhou’s condition, he knew he’d lost his chance. But he still wanted Ji Nian to know, so she wouldn’t let her guard down around him anymore.
A sword had no right to stand beside its master.
That was the unspoken meaning behind Ji Tingzhou’s words.
