“After you stole my life, how could I ever let you go?” That was what Ouyang said to him when he left Hong Kong.
In truth, everything had changed. Unknowingly, both men had worked hard to let go of their pride, to reshape their lives for each other, overcoming countless obstacles.
Since Ouyang Jinghui returned to S City, every night before bed, he would call and tease Jiang Yi. Now, he was the one more anxious about Jiang Yi—after all, he was the one waiting for an answer.
“Next Wednesday is the groundbreaking ceremony for Yunxi Phase II. Can you make it back? I hope you’ll be there.” He often used such roundabout ways to coax his lover home.
“I’ll be here for another two weeks. There’s a cultural exchange at the convention center, and I’m the artistic director.”
“Can’t you stop being so busy and learn to take a break when you should?”
“You should say that to yourself.”
Sometimes it was all just idle chatter, but the two of them never tired of it. But there was one thing Ouyang never brought up—whether Jiang Yi’s sudden departure had a hidden reason. He didn’t ask, because he wanted to wait until Jiang Yi was ready to talk.
Finally, on the fifth day, Jiang Yi began to explain: “You must have wondered why I left without a word that day.”
“Yes, that move really caught me off guard.”
“Hearing you say that makes me feel even more certain I did the right thing.”
Ouyang felt a headache coming on—clearly, this was his most enduring rival for the future.
“I went to Colorado to visit someone.” Jiang Yi began, and Ouyang didn’t interrupt. “It was Ms. Chen. She’s elderly now, but still works at the International Chinese Children’s Service Center, the world’s largest nonprofit for Chinese child adoption.” Ouyang realized this connected to Jiang Yi’s past. “Ms. Chen once worked as a deputy at the domestic children’s welfare association. My biological father was a felon, my mother abandoned me, and Ms. Chen took me in for two years. She taught me to read, music, and crafts, and later entrusted me to my adoptive parents. I was seven then—old enough to understand, but rarely happy. I’d never had a birthday before. When I left China, Ms. Chen threw me my first birthday party, put a handmade paper crown on my head, and told me, ‘You will be happy.’ I’ve been grateful to her ever since. Without her, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”
Ouyang felt a sudden pang in his heart, glad Jiang Yi couldn’t see his sadness. How strong did Jiang Yi have to be to admit his past so calmly? “You’d been searching for her, and when you finally got news, you couldn’t wait to see her.”
“Yes. She married an American Chinese man and changed her last name, so I couldn’t find her for a long time. This time, I asked for help from domestic agencies and learned she was in Denver.”
“You didn’t just go to see her, did you?”
“No. I set up a children’s charity fund in Ms. Chen’s name, so I stayed there for a while.”
“Your birthday is a week apart from mine.”
“You noticed?”
“Of course—I peeked at your passport.”
Jiang Yi burst out laughing, surprised Ouyang would do something like that.
“Jiang Yi,” Ouyang called softly.
“Yeah?”
“Are you happy?”
Jiang Yi laughed. “You mean in the past or now?”
“Now.”
“I’m a content person.” His lover was as sly as ever. “Why don’t you seem surprised by my story?”
Ouyang felt a little guilty, knowing he was too calm. “Should I be?”
“Did you have someone investigate me?”
Ouyang could almost see Jiang Yi, standing by the hotel window, phone in hand, eyes narrowed, ready to strike at any moment. Ouyang warned himself never to cross him for no reason.
Jiang Yi finished his work at the convention center and returned to S City in the height of summer. The sun was blazing as he left the airport wearing sunglasses. He didn’t call anyone to pick him up, just took a cab straight to Xiaozhu Courtyard.
Ali and the others had moved back to the original studio since work on Yunxi Phase II began, so the house was empty during the day. Returning to the familiar place, Jiang Yi felt a surge of emotion. He patted his head, amused at how sentimental he’d become.
The room was exactly as he’d left it, his favorite decorations and wine still in their places. He grabbed a drink from the fridge, put his luggage upstairs, then took a shower. On his way through the hall, he stopped by the attic to look at the airplane model, then went to the king-size bed in the bedroom and slept for four hours, waking up at dusk.
Why had he rushed back? Of course, he had a reason—today was Ouyang Jinghui’s birthday. He couldn’t miss the chance for everyone at Longtai to show their appreciation. Ouyang forbade staff from giving him gifts, but the secretaries still vied to present him with fancy fragrance sets. No wonder Ouyang said his solar birthday wasn’t really his own.
Jiang Yi just wanted to wish Ouyang a happy birthday before midnight, and this time, he’d brought a gift—a limited edition Parker pen, at least something Ouyang could use every day for signing documents.
By 11:15, Ouyang still hadn’t come home. Jiang Yi guessed he’d been held up, and finally couldn’t resist calling.
But the cell phone rang downstairs. Jiang Yi grabbed the phone and rushed down, just as Ouyang Jinghui came in the door. Ouyang looked up at the staircase, seeing Jiang Yi standing there, looking fresh and bright. Ouyang’s heart pounded, his face lighting up with surprise and joy, as if afraid Jiang Yi would disappear. He laughed, pressed the answer button, and said:
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back?”
“Happy birthday.”
“I’ve heard that so many times today my ears are numb.”
“May every month have a day like this, and every year a day like today.”
“Where’d you learn such corny lines?”
“What do you really want to hear?”
“You know what I want to hear.”
They drew closer, until only a single step separated them.
Jiang Yi lowered his head and said softly, “Jinghui, I love you.” Then he gently kissed the phone. Somehow, when Jiang Yi said things like that and did things like that, it never felt fake—if anything, it tugged at the heartstrings. Ouyang’s chest filled with heat, and he hung up, pulling the man who drove him crazy into a tight embrace. Kissing, they tumbled upstairs together…
That week flew by. With all their reservations cast aside, Ouyang Jinghui and Jiang Yi were deep in the throes of love, showing every sign of a passionate romance. The two men, once so rational, were now completely lost in their so-called “sea of love,” and becoming more and more domestic by the day.
Everyone at Ivan Studio noticed the change. A strong, explosive signal was flashing—“The boss is in love!” It was Carrie who broke the news, having noticed that since Jiang Yi’s return from this trip, his mood had been fantastic. He almost never worked late anymore, and at dinnertime, he was nowhere to be found. Yesterday, someone saw Jiang Yi’s car outside a luxury restaurant. They didn’t have the nerve to go in and check, but it was clear Jiang Yi was busy dating.
Once the rumor started, it broke a few hearts and sparked a new topic—who was the lucky person dating Boss Jiang?
“Today the boss is wearing something totally not his style,” Xiao Le said, puzzled by Jiang Yi’s dark, patterned shirt.
“I think it looks great,” Mira chimed in with a laugh. “Tsk tsk! Up close, it’s even more impressive—a classic new Versace. Looks like his mysterious girlfriend isn’t just thoughtful and stylish, but also loaded.”
“Didn’t you notice Jiang Yi started wearing a watch two days ago?” Clearly, it wasn’t something he bought himself.
Carrie hesitated, prompting protests from the others, until she finally blushed and confessed, “Yesterday, Jiang Yi had a hickey on his neck. I asked him about it, but he wouldn’t admit it.”
Wow! That intense?!” Ali shook his head in disbelief. “You’d never guess it—really, you’d never guess it! The boss’s new life is so full of flavor.”
Jiang Yi had no idea that occasionally mixing in Ouyang’s clothes would lead to such an explosive chain of conclusions.
In reality, the team at Ivan Studio wasn’t especially gossipy; it was just that everyone was close, and no topic was off-limits. At lunch, they liked to joke around, sometimes even teasing Jiang Yi right to his face. This time, though, things were just too strange—even Mira, who rarely joined in the banter, couldn’t help but speak up. Clearly, Jiang Yi’s new interests had become the hot topic of the whole studio. The once-transparent man had suddenly become mysterious, and naturally, he became the center of everyone’s attention.
Everyone agreed that Jiang Yi had become even more likable since falling in love. When he relaxed, he truly relaxed, no longer keeping himself in constant “battle mode.” Now he would laugh out loud, daydream, and show a more “human” side—making him even more lovable.
Another person who picked up on the strong signals was his old friend Fang Yuming, the only one who actually knew Jiang Yi had a lover. The trouble was, he still didn’t know who that earth-shattering “he” was. From their last conversation, Fang Yuming guessed that the other guy had the upper hand and that Jiang Yi had fallen hard. He’d always thought Jiang Yi would break up with that person, but recent rumors proved otherwise—the tables had turned, and they’d gotten back together.
This was something Fang Yuming’s brain just couldn’t process—how could two men…? To adjust his mindset, he made a ridiculous hypothesis: if Jiang Yi confessed to him, would he sternly refuse and call it absurd? The answer was a disaster—Fang Yuming realized he had no real reason to say no… If it were Jiang Yi, maybe he really would be tempted… Oh no, oh no! Fang Yuming blushed just thinking about it and almost started to resent Jiang Yi for being so handsome and charismatic. What was his problem, being so dangerously attractive? Truly, a blue-faced disaster.
Fang Yuming made up his mind to throw Jiang Yi a birthday party. He gathered the familiar faces at Ivan Studio to plan it together. Everyone knew Yuming was a fun-loving guy, one of Jiang Yi’s few truly “interesting” friends, so they all enthusiastically joined in.
With a little prodding from Carrie and Ali, they learned that Jiang Yi didn’t care much for birthdays and would never want a big fuss. So, following Fang Yuming’s suggestion, they decided to hold the party at Xiaozhu Courtyard. That way, it would be safe and private, and they could be sure Jiang Yi wouldn’t stay out too late. At worst, they’d just have to wait for him to come home.
On the day of the party, Ali used the emergency spare key to get into what was now a private residence, not a studio. No one dared go overboard, so they just decorated the first-floor living room for the celebration. Fang Yuming even came by at noon to check on the preparations and hired a top chef to prepare a lavish buffet dinner for everyone.
Jiang Yi and Ouyang never imagined they’d get caught in such a situation.
At Jiang Yi’s suggestion, they went to the supermarket to buy ingredients, planning to cook at home. Ouyang wanted to give him a special gift after dinner—a paper crown and two round-trip tickets to Scandinavia, hoping they could finally take a real vacation together. Work would never be finished, after all. He’d thought about giving a ring, but worried it would be too abrupt. Some things are best left natural; both of them were easygoing, but also responsible, and once their hearts were in sync, everything moved forward effortlessly.
It was funny, really—after their trip to the supermarket, Jiang Yi carried the groceries in his right hand, Ouyang held some daily necessities in his left, and the two of them walked through the garden hand in hand, their fingers intertwined. Jiang Yi took out the key and opened the door, Ouyang reached to turn on the light, and, out of habit, they started kissing as soon as they walked in.
And then—the unexpected happened. The whole living room lit up, confetti shot through the air, and a group of people jumped out. They were supposed to shout, “Big surprise! Happy birthday!” but the two groups had zero coordination, and the result was a tragic, irretrievable standoff—everyone froze, forming a bizarre tableau.
Every eye was glued to the two handsome men, just caught in a passionate kiss and now looking utterly stunned. Before anyone could react, faces turned red and hearts raced, no one knowing what to do next. The culprit, Fang Yuming, should have taken the lead, but he’d already shrunk into a corner, his spirit shaken to the core. He never expected the secret would be revealed like this—much less that the other person would be… Ouyang Jinghui!
Ali, shameless as ever, flopped to the floor in shock. Carrie, panicking, rushed to revive him. Mira’s glasses slipped halfway down her nose, her mouth open wide enough to fit an ostrich egg. Anda dropped the party streamer he was about to pull, his face as red as a boiled lobster. Xiao Le and the new guy, Amin, had to hold each other up just to keep from collapsing.
Fang Yuming sighed—today was clearly cursed. What a disaster! Now the entire Ivan Studio knew the truth. Judging by Jiang Yi’s face, things were not looking good. Fang Yuming feared he’d be blacklisted by Jiang Yi starting tomorrow.
Scratching his head and bracing himself, Fang Yuming bit the bullet and stepped forward, offering himself as a scapegoat: “Jiang Yi, everyone’s been waiting for you!”
That one sentence seemed to save everyone. The whole group snapped out of their trance and came back to life. Their smiles were a little stiff, but their attitudes were natural enough. Clearly, everyone felt a pang of regret—two of the city’s most eligible bachelors were now off the market, meaning the world had lost two golden opportunities.
Having stumbled upon such a deeply private secret, everyone felt a mix of excitement and thrill. Human beings really are complicated creatures.
Ouyang and Jiang Yi exchanged a glance and sighed together. Things were going to get chaotic from now on… But even so, this was happiness.
End
Chapter 15
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