Mother Jiang was set to drop by on Saturday, so Jiang Qi did not feel too worried as he had enough time to prepare for this visit.
Upon returning home, he finished his meal, then read for a while. He soon grew a little bored of reading, and after taking a hot shower, immediately went to bed.
As he burrowed deeper into the blankets, he uncontrollably shivered. It had been getting quite cold recently, and without Ke Yan here to help warm the sheets before bed, they really were icy-cold.
He rubbed his feet together and pulled the covers closer around himself. He rolled about in bed, and without Ke Yan, the bed felt exceptionally large, perhaps even too large for him. Usually, Ke Yan would be in bed with him, but now all on his own, he felt it really was too big for him.
Jiang Qi could not shake the feeling that a cold wind was blowing across his neck, and he pulled the covers higher up, wrapping them around himself.
Haih, Ke Yan hurry up and come home...
The next day Jiang Qi got up really early, and just a few minutes after he woke up, Ke Yan called him.
“Are you up?”
“Mmm, I just got up. It must be dawn for you there, why are you up so early?”
“I didn’t sleep the entire night. I thought you might be up now, so I called you.” Ke Yan wearily rubbed the corners of his eyes.
“You’re so busy? Be careful, your body might not be able to take the strain.” Jiang Qi said as his heart ached for the other.
“Don’t worry, I should be able to come back by next Monday… Is it cold for you when you sleep at night?”
“Ït’s not cold, not in the least.”
“Huh, have you learned to lie to me?”
“No.” Jiang Qi’s voice instantly grew softer, ending in a whisper.
“When you go to work today, wear thicker clothes. It’s pretty cold out there today.” Ke Yan reminded him.
“How would you know that the weather is cold today?”Jiang Qi asked with curiosity.
“I checked the weather forecast of course. I guessed that you would not have checked it today, and I was worried that you might wear something thin to work today. And if you did so, you might have gotten sick, then what?”
Jiang Qi felt a gush of warmth fill his heart as he heard this, “I know, I know. Alright, you have to take care of yourself too you know! Make sure you wear thicker clothes and don’t overwork yourself. Remember to have your meals, and don’t drink too much liquor. Most of all, don’t flirt with any women!”
Ke Yan was extremely amused by Jiang Qi’s last words, and the two continued to chat for a while before reluctantly ending the call.
“Manager Jiang? You’re unusually late today.” He bumped into Sun Nian Qing in the elevator, and she greeted Jiang Qi with a smile.
Jiang Qi nodded in reply, but he felt a tiny sense of confusion, why was it that every time he met Sun Nian Qing, she had a smile on her face?
Once the elevator arrived at the right floor, Jiang Qi made his way to his office. Glancing at the table with documents strewn all over it, he felt a headache begin to form. It seemed like he had been getting a bit lazy recently, and he self-deprecatingly laughed as he thought to himself he probably needed to retire earlier.
Truthfully speaking, Jiang Qi was quite accurate, he would indeed retire years before his time, the only thing was that he would continue to accompany Ke Yan whenever he left home, and the two would return together.
Whenever Ke Yan was out on business trips, Jiang Qi would bemoan just how slowly time seemed to pass. However, even as time ticked past like a snail, Thursday finally came round, but Jiang Qi had this nagging thought that he seemed to have forgotten something.
After work, as usual, he prepared to return home for dinner, but was soon stopped by Jiang Lu who said, “Ge, on the day after tomorrow, can Mum and I visit your the new place you’re renting?
“Hmm?” Jiang Qi seemed to still be in a daze.
“Ge, you didn’t forget, did you? I thought Mum already told you that we’re coming over to your place on Saturday?”
“Oh, that’s right!” Jiang Qi was filled with surprise as he finally remembered this.
“Who would’ve guessed that your memory would be so faulty, Ge~”
Jiang Qi randomly nodded a few times before quickly walking off.
Looking at Jiang Qi’s receding back, Jiang Lu could not help but think to herself, why was he so flustered? Could there be some unspeakable secret that he has hidden at home?
It must be said that Jiang Lu’s words were right on the dot.
Jiang Qi returned home and looked at the large house. He had no idea where to start tidying things up, so he decided on keeping the photographs of Ke Yan and himself. Then he separated the matching couple-pajamas and other clothes before moving to tidy up the guest bedroom. He shoved most of his own clothes into the closet inside the guest bedroom, then moved some more of his own belongings inside. After this, he sat wearily on the bed inside the guest bedroom, thinking to himself, why must he wear himself out like this? He might as well just come clean to Mother Jiang, but then again, Ke Yan was not around.
In Jiang Qi’s heart, if they had to face parents, then it would be much better to do so together, as a couple.
And this was because the two of them would be preparing to spend the rest of their lives together, and that was the reason for meeting each other’s parents. Regardless of whether or not their own parents found this relationship satisfactory, they would have to bear the consequences together.
Jiang Qi was also aware that not every sense of emotional attachment would bear fruit into a lifelong relationship, but he was positive that he and Ke Yan could make it.
Jiang Qi truly did believe so.
His thoughts still in a muddle, Jiang Qi laid down on the guest bedroom’s bed, and after pulling the covers over himself, fell asleep.
The next day, when Jiang Qi woke up in the morning, he was quite surprised. Dazed, he thought, where is this? However, he soon remembered and realized that he must have fallen asleep in the guest bedroom last night.
“Huu, I need to get out of bed and go to work.” Jiang Qi thought as he stared at the ceiling from the bed. After a few moments he then got of bed, as he did, he grumbled about the difficulty of leaving bed during the winter.
He went over to the master bedroom to grab some clothes, then took a shower and had breakfast before heading out to work.
Battling a yawn, he thought it’s quite uncomfortable to sleep in the guest bedroom huh...
Saturday soon came by, and Jiang Qi did not bother to continue tidying up the night before. This was because he felt that he only needed to clear up the things that might show any form of affection between himself and Ke Yan.
Mother Jiang would definitely believe that Jiang Qi was staying in such a big house by himself, so Jiang Qi had decided to lie to her and pretend that he was renting this place with someone else.
Luckily Ke Yan was only due to return on Monday, otherwise, if he caught sight of Mother Jiang at home, he would probably jump in fright.
As he walked out the door to receive Mother Jiang, a final glance around the house served to reassure him that everything was probably alright.
Upon seeing Mother Jiang, he saw that Jiang Lu too had tagged along.
The three of them walked into the private area, and Jiang Lu earnestly began looking around, “Wow, Second Brother, how can you afford to live in such an exclusive area? I thought they didn’t rent out the units here, and it probably costs a bomb to buy one of these.”
“Really?” Jiang Qi had forgotten about this problem, and hastily scrambled to explain, “Er, this is my friend’s house, I pay him rent monthly.”
“Oh really? Then Second Brother, your friend must be really rich.”
“It’s alright if you live somewhere nice… This place looks quite secure too.” Mother Jiang nodded approvingly.
“We’ve reached, come on in.” Jiang Qi opened the door and let Mother Jiang, as well as Jiang Lu, enter.
“Wow, it’s so big.” This was Jiang Lu’s first reaction after seeing the inside of the house.
“Woah, this must cost you a lot to rent every month…” Mother Jiang commented as she surveyed the big house.
“Mmm, not too much, because we’re friends, so he only charges me 2000RMB a month.”
“How come I never heard of this friend of yours?” Mother Jiang asked Jiang Qi.
“Oh, is it? Perhaps I forgot to mention him before…” Jiang Qi said this with a twinge of self-consciousness.
“This house really does look good.” Mother Jiang and Jiang Lu sat down on the sofar, and Jiang Qi poured them each a glass of water.
“Plus it has also been tidied quite neatly, I had almost thought that today’s visit would require us to do some large-scale cleaning…”
Mother Jiang nodded, she too, had not expected the house to be this clean.
“I told you didn’t I, I can take care of myself.”
“Mmm, mmmm? Wait, what’s this?” Mother Jiang felt something poking at her from underneath the pillow and lifted up the pillow to take a look. Underneath, there was a box, and upon closer look the box was...
By now, Jiang Qi had also caught sight of that familiar box in his mother’s hands and his heart cried out in surprise. Instantly he said, “Don’t open it!”
Alas, it was too late, and Mother Jiang had already opened it.
Inside his heart, Jiang Qi whispered to himself, I’m screwed, how could I have forgotten that?!
Mother Jiang and Jiang Lu both looked at the condoms inside the box and instantly froze.
Jiang Qi too was speechless, but that was because he truly did not know what to say now.
Why on earth would something like this be here? Was it because of last time? When the two of them had been lounging on the sofa, and suddenly found themselves entangled with each other? That moment of passion resulted in Ke Yan holding Jiang Qi hostage against the sofa as they did that… Jiang Qi had been worried about staining the sofa, so he made Ke Yan wear a condom, but after they had finished, neither of them had remembered to clear it away.
It was all Ke Yan’s fault, he was the one who had wanted to do it on the sofa, and now they were screwed.
Jiang Qi seemed to have forgotten, how he had been the one, to demand that Ke Yan wear a condom.
“Erm, excuse me, this isn’t mine.” Jiang Qi mumbled out.
“Who does this box belong to?”
“That’s my friend’s, yep, it’s his. I guess~cough~, he must have forgotten to keep them.
“Are you telling the truth?”
“That’s right ah~ He’s the one using them.” Jiang Qi was telling the truth, after all, was Ke Yan not the only one using them?
“Oh, still, Xiao Qi ah~, if you have a girlfriend just tell me, mum won’t object to it.”
“I know, but still, I don’t have a girlfriend right now.”
“Second brother, bring us to your room!” Jiang Lü suggested.
“Alright.”
Jiang Qi led the two of them upstairs, inside, he was so relieved, thank god that went well.
End of Chapter