Chapter 30
Long Yu hadn’t finalized the dates for his business trip yet, but Fang Jingyao had already started preparing in advance. Taking advantage of some free time, he bought Long Yu a suitcase, pairing it with the one he himself usually used.
To make them easy to distinguish, Fang Jingyao hand-painted a small Western fire-breathing dragon in the upper right corner of Long Yu’s suitcase. The design was only palm-sized, delicate and unique. On his own suitcase, in the corresponding position, he painted a three-legged fire crow, using the same color scheme—clearly a matching set at a glance.
Whenever Fang Jingyao was in high spirits, he liked adding little touches of romance like this. Humming a tune, he finished the painting and sealed it with a layer of acrylic.
Long Yu watched him doodling on the suitcase, a smile in his eyes. Yet his gaze drifted again and again to Fang Jingyao’s fingers holding the brush—long and slender, but bare, as if something was missing.
He couldn’t help looking a few more times, the corner of his lips lifting slightly.
That night, while chatting with Fang Jingyao, he found himself distracted more than once. Fang Jingyao noticed and asked, “What’s wrong? Been especially tired from work lately?”
Long Yu shook his head. “Nothing. Just thinking about something.”
Fang Jingyao teased him, leaning in a little. “Thinking about what? Can you tell me?”
Long Yu only smiled at him without answering, then leaned over to kiss his forehead and softly said, “Good night.”
Doctor Long’s gaze was as gentle as ever, but Fang Jingyao didn’t feel as happy as before. Long Yu treated him very well—too well, in fact—and that made him uneasy. Sometimes, when Long Yu looked at him, it felt as if he were looking at someone else… If he hadn’t learned from Han Qiaoye that Long Yu had been single all these years, he might have thought the doctor had always been in love with someone who just happened to share his name.
Fang Jingyao had trouble sleeping. He knew he might just be overthinking, but he couldn’t stop himself.
They had only just met. The years they had missed left him faintly uneasy.
Long Yu, however, showed no change. He continued, according to the terms of their agreement, to claim his “benefits”—a good morning kiss before leaving for work, and a good night kiss before bed. His smiles seemed more frequent than when they had first met.
Fang Jingyao felt like there was something he ought to remember, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t recall it. Several times he felt a flash of insight, only to fall just short. Frustrated, he decided to relax a bit—once Long Yu left for work, he went home to spend time with his apprentice and the orange cat.
Zhuo Yifan was startled at first when he saw his master, but quickly welcomed him in. As he closed the door, he glanced down the hallway. Not seeing that familiar, annoying figure, he let out a quiet sigh of relief and shut the door quickly. Then he chatted casually, “Master, what brings you here today? Not busy anymore?”
Huang Bao’er rubbed against Fang Jingyao’s pant leg, generously shedding orange fluff all over him. Fang Jingyao tried to dodge, but the cat simply went limp, flopped onto his shoes, rolled over to show its belly, and let out a soft “meow.”
Fang Jingyao couldn’t move anymore. He squatted down and started petting the cat, chatting idly with Zhuo Yifan. “Came to see how you and Huang Bao are doing. You two haven’t been fighting, right?”
Zhuo Yifan walked to the living room window and glanced outside again. “No, we’re fine. It just won’t let me into your study. If I go even a little inside, it scratches me. So I’ve been working in the living room with my laptop.”
Fang Jingyao chuckled and scratched the cat under the chin. “Little thing knows how to guard its territory. Didn’t raise you for nothing.” He looked up at Zhuo Yifan, frowning. “What are you doing over there? What are you looking at?”
Update Posting Schedule: Starting next chapter, posting schedule change from posting every day to 3 chapters every Monday~
