Chapter 349

Chapter 349

◎Puppy Blues◎

Mom Ji caught a vague sight of someone tugging at her son’s sleeve outside the store, worried that her handsome boy might be harassed. She abandoned helping Mrs. Ding shop and rushed out immediately.

As soon as she stepped outside and saw it was Xiao Ye, she relaxed: “Xiao Ye, you’re here shopping too?”

Xiao Ye stood up the moment he heard Mom Ji’s voice: “Aunt Yun, I came with a classmate to buy something and just happened to run into Nanxing.”

Mom Ji glanced sideways, recalling briefly: “Zhang Yuan? The one whose dad is a police officer?”

Zhang Yuan smiled: “Yes, that’s me. Auntie, your memory is amazing.”

Mom Ji chuckled. It wasn’t that her memory was particularly good—it was more that Zhang Yuan always sat behind her precious son and Xiao Ye in class. A few times, his father had come to parent-teacher meetings, once still wearing his uniform because he hadn’t had time to change. That kind of thing naturally stuck in people’s minds.

Seeing two such strapping young lads, Mom Ji grabbed one hand in each and pulled them into the store: “Auntie’s treating! Pick whatever you like—New Year gifts on me!”

Xiao Ye gave an awkward smile: “No need, Aunt Yun. We’ve already bought everything we came for. We should head back now.”

Mom Ji wouldn’t hear of it: “Back where? Since you’re here, stay!”

She picked up a long coat and held it against Xiao Ye: “I just bought one for Xiao Bao (Nanxing’s nickname). How about getting you the same one? You can each wear a different brooch. Your builds are different, so they’ll look totally different on you anyway.”

Hearing it was the same as Ji Nanxing’s, Xiao Ye found it hard to refuse outright.

That hesitant yet longing glance he kept shooting toward her beloved son didn’t escape Mom Ji’s notice. Without hesitation, she took off Xiao Ye’s jacket and made him try on the coat to check the fit. Then she selected a short wool coat for Zhang Yuan.

Zhang Yuan tried to decline while shooting Ji Nanxing frantic looks, silently begging him to rein in his mom. Suddenly being gifted clothes was way too overwhelming—he’d never encountered a parent like this before and had no idea how to refuse.

Mom Ji wasn’t about to let anyone refuse. Playfully forcing Zhang Yuan to try on the coat to confirm the size, she figured the rest could just be grabbed in similar sizes.

Seeing Zhang Yuan completely overwhelmed by his surrogate mom’s enthusiasm, Ji Nanxing finally stepped in to rescue him: “Any more and they won’t be able to carry it all. This is enough.”

Zhang Yuan shot Ji Nanxing a desperate look—*Forget "enough," I don’t want any of it!* He’d seen the price tag earlier: a plain white T-shirt cost 8,000! A simple, patternless white shirt for 8,000?! That was highway robbery!

He didn’t even dare check the tags on the thicker clothes. There was no way he could accept these.

Ji Nanxing smiled at Zhang Yuan: “It’s no big deal—just take the rest. Think of it as my mom’s New Year gift.”

Zhang Yuan shook his head wildly: “Too expensive. No way, no way.”

Mom Ji handed the already bagged items to Zhang Yuan: “Drop by our place more often with Nanxing, okay? Auntie has some amazing chefs at home—they make the most delicious food.”

The two couldn’t resist Mom Ji’s relentless generosity. They’d gone in empty-handed and were now coming out piled high with bags.

Ji Nanxing: “I’ll go home after finishing some shopping with my mom. You guys go ahead.”

Zhang Yuan held out the armful of bags toward Ji Nanxing: “You really should return these. They’re way too expensive.”

Ji Nanxing: “If you don’t take them, my mom will overthink it. She’s always worried I’ll get bullied at school or have no friends. Just clothes—keep them. Later, I’ll pick out some gifts for Chen Shiyi and Jiang Tangtang too, so you all get New Year presents.”

Xiao Ye chimed in: “Just accept them. It’s just Auntie being sweet.”

Then he turned to Ji Nanxing and whispered: “So… you’re not mad at me anymore, right? I just overthought things earlier.”

Ji Nanxing teased: “What if I *did* lie to you on purpose?”

Xiao Ye looked down sadly: “Then it must be because I did something wrong. If there’s anything about me that makes you uncomfortable, just tell me. I’ll fix it.”

Ji Nanxing straightened his crooked collar and said with a smile, "Silly, go on home."

Xiao Ye couldn't help but confirm again, "So you're really not mad anymore?"

Ji Nanxing: "Nope, not anymore."

Xiao Ye immediately beamed with joy. From a distance, Mrs. Ji secretly watched the exchange—so this was how her son got along with Xiao Ye. She had thought her son preferred someone stronger, but it turned out he liked this sunny, golden-retriever type.

Still, someone like Xiao Ye was good too—always eager to please, at least he wouldn’t let Xiao Bao get hurt.

Mrs. Ding, who had witnessed the whole scene, noticed Mrs. Ji’s knowing smile and asked curiously, "Is that Nanxing's classmate?"

Why did Mrs. Ji have that matchmaking look? It was odd.

Mrs. Ji: "Yes, my son’s high school friend. They’re very close. Friendships formed in high school can last a lifetime. It’s rare to meet one or two true friends in life."

Su Zhe, standing beside Mrs. Ding, stayed quiet but glanced at the items in the boys’ hands. Relationships bought with money—how real could they be?

Thinking this, his gaze unconsciously shifted to his aunt. Recalling their own relationship, Su Zhe smirked mockingly. Bonds built on money—how genuine could they be?

Once Xiao Ye was gone, Ji Nanxing shopped for some gifts for Chen Shiyi and the others. Clothes were fine for Chen Shiyi, but giving clothes to girls wasn’t quite appropriate.

Fortunately, Mrs. Ji understood girls well. After asking her son about their preferences, she picked out accessories and pens for them, and even bought each a 10,000 yuan blind box trading card, letting them open the blind boxes themselves for fun.

Ji Nanxing looked at the card in his hand, then at his stepmother, teasing, "Wow, stepmom’s hip now? Even knows about blind boxes!"

He’d only learned about these things after meeting Jiang Tangtang in high school—she’d talked about them constantly.

Mrs. Ji proudly said, "I’ve even been into celebrity fandom recently. There’s a young actor named He Wan—two years older than you but looks a bit like you. I became an instant fan at first sight."

Ji Nanxing didn’t know how to respond, only asking, "Does Dad know?"

Mrs. Ji lightly tapped his forehead: "No need to tell him about such things. No point making him feel old around all these lively young people."

Her husband, the so-called “old man,” happily scrolled through the stream of card transaction notifications before cheerfully going to ask his eldest son for more money.

Eldest Ji was puzzled: "Mom never restricted your spending. Why hide private savings?"

Ji’s father replied knowingly, "Secret money always spends sweeter."

Without being hidden, swiping the card probably wouldn’t be as fun.

The practical-minded Eldest Ji didn’t get it—Dad’s money was saved just for Mom to spend, and Mom knew it too. Wasn’t this just redundant?

Oh well, as long as they were happy.

As New Year’s approached, things got busier. The Ji family was large, and with Mrs. Ji’s relatives added in, there were many children to prepare lucky money red envelopes for and visiting schedules to arrange. Last year’s New Year’s Eve reunion dinner was held at the Ji family home, so this year it would be at the Yun family’s.

Amid the bustle, Ji Nanxing suddenly noticed Xiao Ye’s messages had become weirdly quiet. Though never overwhelming, Xiao Ye usually shared everything he did. These past two days had been unusually silent—the last message was a pic of his breakfast three hours ago. Unusual.

Ji Nanxing called Zhang Yuan: "Did you all head straight home after that day?"

Zhang Yuan: "Pretty much. Why?"

Ji Nanxing: "Just feels like he’s been off lately."

Zhang Yuan chuckled: "Probably soul-searching."

Ji Nanxing was puzzled: "Soul-searching over what?"

Zhang Yuan: "He started reflecting when he thought you were lying to him—he wondered if he had been too clingy, making it hard for you to turn down his advances without deceiving him. Nanxing, do you think he crossed a line?"

Ji Nanxing's eyes curved into a smile: "No."

Zhang Yuan exhaled in relief: "That’s good. Truth is, he's actually quite insecure. He seems like he's always had a lot growing up, but most of it wasn't really what he wanted. You know how people are—we always want what we can’t get. The rich chase love, and those with love chase money. His parents love him, but they're hardly ever home. Just how much affection can they really give? When he was little, he looked up to his brother so much—idolized him, clung to him. But then his brother fell in love, got married… and stopped being just his brother."

From a more sentimental perspective, Xiao Ye has been losing things all along.

As he grew older, his parents believed he could take care of himself, so they fully devoted themselves to their careers, often not seeing him for months at a time. He had to accept that he came second to his parents’ passion for work.

His grandmother’s death made him realize that his grandfather wasn’t only a grandfather—he was also her husband, and one day, like her, he would leave too.

As the years passed, his brother built his own family, no longer simply his sibling, but someone else’s spouse, and someday a parent. Though they remained one family by blood, they had become two separate households.

In truth, Xiao Ye's family life was rather blessed. Although his parents were busy working, he had his grandparents’ love during childhood and an older brother who protected him. He never lacked affection, which is why he turned out so bright and confident.

But life isn’t always sunny. At times, when he returned home to an empty house, or when his parents missed his birthday because of work, or when they sent the housekeeper to attend parent-teacher conferences instead—those moments gave rise to small waves of loneliness.

Zhang Yuan: "I wouldn’t have noticed this quiet sensitivity of his if I hadn’t known him as long as I have."

This subtle vulnerability makes up only a tiny part of Xiao Ye’s personality—one so minor that it doesn’t interfere with friendships at all. He knows even the closest friends have their own lives, so he learned early on how to keep the right distance.

But Ji Nanxing is different. Ji Nanxing is the one Xiao Ye wants to hold close, the one he never wants to lose—the one he hopes to tie his future to. That’s why he doesn’t know how to set boundaries anymore.

With Ji Nanxing’s quiet acceptance, he’s been inching closer. But with their relationship undefined, fear of loss creeps in, prompting Xiao Ye to constantly test and confirm—making sure Ji Nanxing is still there, making sure he remains the most important person in his life.

Ji Nanxing ended the call, looking around as staff bustled about the house, hanging festive decorations for the New Year. He snapped a photo and sent it to Xiao Ye.

Xiao Ye replied almost instantly with a picture of the coastline taken from inside his room, followed quickly by another of some food.

Xiao Ye: "There's this amazing coconut chicken place here—it's better than eighty percent of the ones you find out there. I've had it two days in a row already! Once I’ve eaten enough to figure out the secret recipe, I’ll come back and cook it for you!"

Ji Nanxing laughed as he typed back: "Then be careful while you're 'stealing' the recipe—not want the owner catching you."

Xiao Ye: "Relax, I’m fast. The owner won’t even get close enough to touch a single hair on my head."

Chatting with him, Ji Nanxing opened an app and booked a plane ticket. A sensitive puppy might be feeling down—but that just meant it was time to go comfort him.