Chapter 33
In the afternoon, Long Yu had to go to work. Fang Jing Yao walked him downstairs. Zhuo Yifan’s room door was tightly closed; there was no response at all.
Once downstairs, Fang Jing Yao noticed Long Yu had switched to a Porsche coupe. He glanced at it. “Really? You borrow a car just to come to my place?”
Long Yu smiled.
“My dad left it at the hospital. I went to get a gift, didn’t bother switching it back.”
Fang Jing Yao was curious.
“Your uncle works at the municipal hospital too?”
Long Yu smiled faintly.
“Used to, now retired. Occasionally comes for consultations. Most of the last six months he’s been working out of town. Haven’t seen him in a while either.”
Fang Jing Yao nodded. He wasn’t very familiar with Long Yu’s family, only having met his mother, who was very warm and seemed well-maintained, looking like she was in her thirties or forties—smart, capable, a strong woman type.
Long Yu asked, “Where are you headed? I can give you a ride.”
Fang Jing Yao thought for a moment.
“No, I’ll go home. Out of your way.”
Long Yu noticed he said “home”—their shared place—and smiled, brushing a tuft of hair up on his head.
“Be careful on the way, let me know when you get there.”
While Fang Jing Yao spoke, he heard someone call him from behind—a familiar voice that made him startle. Turning, he saw Luo Yi.
Luo Yi looked much more haggard than a few days ago, trying to maintain composure, but still worse than usual. His lips moved slightly.
“Jing Yao, I’ve been waiting for you a long time.”
Long Yu stood by the car, expression cold. Fang Jing Yao braced himself.
“Why are you here?”
Luo Yi forced a smile.
“Forgot? The address you gave me before the New Year.”
Fang Jing Yao felt slightly awkward. He remembered—he’d foolishly thought there was a chance with Luo Yi and had invited him home. But soon after, a string of conflicts erupted. The last hope he had for Luo Yi shattered completely. Add to that Zhuo Yifan’s situation, and he had decisively withdrawn, never contacting him again.
Luo Yi stood there, wryly smiling. A year ago, he wouldn’t have imagined having this conversation. Back then, the project was just starting, and he desperately wanted someone to share his success with. Fang Jing Yao’s attitude had been the best he’d seen in years, and he had noticed Fang Jing Yao’s feelings for him; even a casual word from him could brighten his day.
If they had come here together before the New Year, Fang Jing Yao probably wouldn’t have resisted giving him a hug. Now, not even standing next to each other, there was half a meter between them—awkward and distant.
Luo Yi said, “Can we talk?”
Fang Jing Yao glanced at Long Yu. The doctor’s face was already dark; Fang Jing Yao straightened.
“No, I have to go home—really pressed for time.”
Luo Yi seemed not to hear, looking up at the building.
“You don’t live here?” He shook his head, smiling wryly.
“I knew Zhuo Yifan was lying to me. If you lived here, you wouldn’t refuse to meet me.”
Fang Jing Yao said, “Meeting would be awkward. We already cleared things up last time. Let’s not see each other again.”
Luo Yi looked at him.
“Impossible. We’re in the same circle. Can’t avoid each other—there’ll be parties at year-end. Don’t go to the party? I’ll see you at the awards. Or do you lack confidence in me?”
He respected Luo Yi’s abilities. Luo Yi had a long-term vision and solid fan base—he could succeed if he really tried. Fang Jing Yao might normally admire that confidence, but now he didn’t know how to respond. He could only show loyalty in front of Long Yu.
“I don’t have any works this year; I probably won’t go.”
Luo Yi persisted.
“Can you walk with me a bit? Just around this community. A few steps, a few minutes. Okay?”
Fang Jing Yao looked at Long Yu, awaiting his “boss’s” instruction.
Luo Yi noticed and politely asked Long Yu,
“I just want to say a few words to Jing Yao. You don’t mind, right?”
Long Yu flatly rejected him.
“Yes, I mind.”
Luo Yi was stunned, like he hadn’t heard.
Long Yu’s expression darkened further.
“Sorry, there are guests at home, not convenient to invite you upstairs. Jing Yao and I have things to do. We’ll leave first.”
He opened the car door. Fang Jing Yao immediately got in, and Long Yu’s expression relaxed slightly.
Luo Yi’s face darkened, humiliated by the rebuff. He gritted his teeth, still looking at Fang Jing Yao. Though he wasn’t ready to give up, he knew he couldn’t push too hard.
“By the way, Jing Yao, you left some things at the studio. I brought them along. When are you free to pick them up? If not, I can bring them in a couple of days.”
Fang Jing Yao refused.
“No, leave them. They’re not important anyway.”
Luo Yi looked at him and asked suddenly, “You’re sure?”
Fang Jing Yao waved him off and walked away with Long Yu, carefree.
Long Yu drove silently for a while, then asked, somewhat regretful, “Were they important? I can go with you to get them if you want.”
Fang Jing Yao froze for a moment before realizing what Long Yu had said. He rested his arm behind his head and said, “It’s nothing much, really. All things you can buy—I can just get another one myself.”
Long Yu thought for a moment, nodded in agreement, then took a card from his wallet and handed it to him.
“Look around and see if there’s anything else you want. We can get it together.”
Fang Jing Yao glanced at the card. It looked familiar. Holding it in his hand, he nearly knelt down.
“Holy… Long Yu, what the hell kind of thing is this you gave me?!”
Long Yu said calmly, “A credit card. What’s wrong?”
Fang Jing Yao: “…Nothing. I’ve only seen a card like this in comics.” He remembered it because he’d drawn it in a comic once to make the protagonist look flashy. The intricate patterns on the card stuck in his mind—it was called a Centurion Card, commonly known as a Black Card.
Fang Jing Yao had always thought Long Yu was handsome, but today the aura of wealth surrounding him was blinding. He recalled the one time he himself had splurged—it had been at a manga magazine’s annual party, when they went to Tengchong. His friends were excitedly gambling for jade, and he picked a stone worth over three thousand yuan. From it came a small piece of good-quality jade. He had carved a Guanyin for his mother and made a ring from the remaining jade…
Suddenly, Fang Jing Yao’s heart skipped a beat. The ring… hadn’t he given that ring to Luo Yi? At that time, Luo Yi had been unlucky and in a bad mood with him, so Fang Jing Yao gave him the ring, saying he wanted to share his good luck.
Fang Jing Yao’s forehead was sweating. That ring… could it be that the one Luo Yi is returning today is that jade ring?
He grew nervous and spent the whole way there unsure how to bring it up with Long Yu. Just as he was about to try, Long Yu’s car arrived at the hospital entrance. He handed the keys to Fang Jing Yao: “You drive home. I’ll buy groceries tonight and cook something nice for you.”
Fang Jing Yao opened his mouth: “Oh, right, Long Yu, I…”
Long Yu kissed his forehead and glanced at his watch, smiling.
“It’s a bit late today. We’ll make up for it when we get home.”
…Seriously? At this point, he’s still thinking about a farewell kiss!
Fang Jing Yao watched Long Yu walk away with a bit of frustration, deciding he’d figure out later how to tell him. Long Yu’s possessiveness would probably give him a black face when he found out.
Fang Jing Yao spent the entire afternoon agonizing and still couldn’t bring himself to speak when Long Yu returned that evening. Several times, he tried steering the conversation toward the ring, but whenever Long Yu saw him point, he’d pause, then smile and change the topic—seeming to have a small secret of his own.
The more Fang Jing Yao thought about Long Yu, the more cautious he became. Long Yu was reserved, busy with work, and their only entertainment was a brief chat at night. Missing a day meant several days lost, and Fang Jing Yao never said the words he wanted.
After a few days, he thought maybe he was overthinking and gradually forgot about it.
But forgetting didn’t mean everyone else had.
When Luo Yi appeared downstairs at the apartment, Fang Jing Yao happened to be taking out the trash.
Luo Yi looked even worse than before, as if he hadn’t rested for days. Dark circles under his eyes were heavy. Fang Jing Yao was shocked.
“How did you find this place? Who told you?”
Luo Yi looked at him.
“If you’re determined, it just takes a few days to find someone.”
Fang Jing Yao felt uneasy. Luo Yi’s persistence crossed a line, especially since this wasn’t even his place—Long Yu lived here too. It felt like harassment. Fang Jing Yao was usually careful about separating feelings; if there was no possibility, there really wasn’t.
Luo Yi glanced at Fang Jing Yao’s hands—slender, clean, no jewelry—and asked suddenly:
“You and that person… are you happy together?”
Fang Jing Yao said, “You mean Long Yu? We’re good. I like him very much.”
Luo Yi forced a smile.
“At the start of the year, you asked if I wanted to visit your home. Back then, things between us were good. Do you remember what gift you gave me?”
Fang Jing Yao was silent for a moment, frowning.
“It’s been so long… I don’t remember.”
Luo Yi ignored him and continued:
“I remember. I gave you a flower. You nurtured it for half a year, then returned a bouquet of roses at Christmas. And you said something too… that you wished my studio would grow, that you’d draw comics with me for life.”
Fang Jing Yao frowned.
“Luo Yi, don’t do this…”
Luo Yi stopped, looking at him.
“Jing Yao, can you come back to the studio with me? We were together six or seven years. Suddenly separated like this… I can’t handle it.”
Fang Jing Yao shook his head.
“Our stories are different, directions are different. Let’s just leave it.”
Luo Yi looked up at him, voice low:
“You don’t want the story… what about me?”
Fang Jing Yao looked at him. Luo Yi stood stubbornly, eyes fixed on him, refusing to move. They were so close, nowhere to avoid.
Fang Jing Yao shook his head.
“It’s all in the past.”
Luo Yi’s eyes reddened.
“But I can’t move on!” He stepped forward, grabbing Fang Jing Yao’s arm. His palm was slightly sweaty. He forced a smile and pleaded: “Jing Yao, can you give me one more chance? The question you asked last time… I’ve thought about it for so long. Only when you left did I realize my answer…”
Fang Jing Yao tried to pry his hand away, frowning.
“Luo Yi, saying this now is meaningless.”
Luo Yi grabbed tighter.
“You can’t do this! You said it first… how could you leave me like this? Jing Yao, come back with me. I can give you anything—really, anything!”
Fang Jing Yao had no sympathy left for this persistence. He pried his hand away.
“Luo Yi, stop. There’s really no chance for us. I’m getting married. Let go.”
Luo Yi’s voice surged.
“Married? To that matchmaker’s pick? You barely know each other! Jing Yao, how can you just casually live your life like that? Are you sure he’s the one you really want?”
Fang Jing Yao frowned.
“I know he’s not you.”
Luo Yi suddenly quieted, throat moving.
“I’ve thought about it these days. If that thing stays with me, I might misunderstand your meaning… think we still have hope.”
Fang Jing Yao paused, then said:
“That jade ring? You still kept it? Throw it away. I don’t need it.”
Luo Yi looked at his hands, expression dark.
“It’s too valuable. I dare not throw it.”
Fang Jing Yao:
“Then give it to someone else…”
Luo Yi pulled a small square box from his pocket and handed it back to Fang Jing Yao.
“Don’t say it so definitively. This is the ring you gave me before. Think carefully, then give it to the right person.”
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