Chapter 169

Chapter 169

Morning wasn’t the right time for bedroom activities. Though Tian Ruan had used intimacy to jog Yu Jingmo’s memory, he wasn’t ready to fully surrender himself to the bed just yet.

He bolted upright and scrambled to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

Yu Jingmo, who’d been holding warmth in his arms moments ago but now found the bed empty, had little choice but to follow.

"Seems you’ve gotten used to having me around," Yu Jingmo remarked. The master bathroom had double sinks—built with the idea that this home had two masters.

Had Yu Jingmo been there for the remodel, he might’ve nixed the second sink, forcing Tian Ruan to share one with him now.

"What?" Tian Ruan didn’t catch his drift.

"You’re used to my size," Yu Jingmo said.

"..." Way too forward.

The electric toothbrush buzzed to life as Tian Ruan scrubbed hard at his teeth, determined to ignore the question.

Yu Jingmo pushed on: "How often were we at it before? Three times a week?"

Tian Ruan’s mouth foamed with toothpaste, the lemon scent sharp. "Uh... pretty much, when I wasn’t in school."

"And during school?"

"Once a week."

"Too little."

"..." Figures. Even with amnesia, Yu Jingmo was still a beast.

"At least twice on weekends," Yu Jingmo said, "plus whenever you finish class early. Getting busy is good for your health."

Tian Ruan spat out the foam. "That’s not what you were saying last night..."

"What’d I say?" Yu Jingmo took his sweet time brushing, turning the mundane into something elegant.

"You said too much indulgence is bad."

Yu Jingmo remembered saying that—right before indulging again. "Sometimes words and actions don’t align. Perfectly normal."

"..." Tian Ruan wasn’t buying it. The man had clearly gotten hooked.

After thirty minutes of primping, they descended the stairs looking put together.

The staff didn’t know about Yu Jingmo’s amnesia—only that he’d had the bad luck to be in a car accident. Liu Ma fretted over a pot of chicken soup: "You need to build your strength back up, sir. You’ve lost weight."

Yu Jingmo: "Got plenty of... nourishment last night."

Liu Ma: "Nourishment? There was no soup yesterday."

Yu Jingmo glanced at Tian Ruan.

Tian Ruan: "..." Hell yeah it was nourishing—enough to make the normally stoic Yu Jingmo come out with lines like that.

Yu Jingmo: "There was soup."

Tian Ruan: "Pity that soup didn’t do shit for Mr. Yu’s brain."

Here’s the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

Liu Ma grew even more confused and could only guess that Mr. Yu and his wife had secretly ordered takeout in the middle of the night and drank chicken soup! Boo-hoo... Liu Ma ran off crying.

Tian Ruan: "?"

The butler: "Liu Ma is at that age and tends to be overly sentimental. Please don’t take it to heart, Mr. and Mrs. Yu."

Tian Ruan quickly scooped a bowl of chicken soup and called out loudly, "Liu Ma! The chicken soup you made is absolute perfection! Truly unmatched in this world!"

Liu Ma came running back, her face lit up, "Really? Does Mrs. Yu truly like the chicken soup I made? Not some takeout chicken?"

Tian Ruan: "? I’ve never had takeout chicken soup."

Liu Ma: "Then what chicken soup did Mr. Yu drink last night?"

Tian Ruan: "...You’d have to ask Uncle Wang about that."

Liu Ma immediately turned to him, "Old Wang, was it you who secretly ordered chicken soup for Mr. and Mrs. Yu last night? I knew it! You’ve always been against me. From now on, no duck, goose, or tomato egg soup for you either!"

The butler: "...Liu Ma, you’ve misunderstood."

Liu Ma: "I haven’t misunderstood. I was wrong about you, Old Wang. Hmph!"

The butler, completely baffled, pleaded, "Mr. and Mrs. Yu, you must stand up for me."

Tian Ruan remained silent.

Yu Jingmo took a sip of chicken soup, drank it slowly, and said calmly, "As long as you praise Liu Ma more, once she gets her fill of meat, she’ll eventually let you have some soup."

That afternoon, a bejeweled woman arrived in person and introduced herself to Tian Ruan as a designer for a certain jewelry brand, employed by a jewelry company under the Holly Group, and the head designer of this year's top-selling jewelry line.

"President Yu, as per your request, I’ve worked tirelessly over the past month to design and craft a one-of-a-kind piece for Mrs. Yu—the 'Auspicious Twin Serpents' bracelet!" The designer confidently pulled out a large red velvet box.

Tian Ruan eagerly opened it, "Wow, are these all diamonds?"

The designer said with enthusiasm, "Yes, Mrs. Yu. President Yu personally instructed us to use more diamonds and gold, symbolizing love as strong as gold—truly touching. Look at these entwined serpents, inseparable in their embrace, the diamond-crafted scales on their bodies, and these soulful yet determined yellow gemstone eyes. It’s nothing short of a masterpiece crafted by divine hands."

Half of it was flattery, but it didn’t matter—Tian Ruan loved these unique pieces. He said, "I quite like it."

The designer was deeply moved, "Mrs. Yu, you truly have exquisite taste."

Only after the designer left did Yu Jingmo pick up the twin-serpent bracelet to examine it, his expression indifferent. "I had this custom-made for you?"

"Yes," Tian Ruan said cheerfully. "Mr. Yu, you give me gifts every month."

"This one is just average. I'll have another one made for you," Yu Jingmo said.

"?" Tian Ruan was puzzled. "I think this one is quite nice—unique and stylish."

"It’s not good," Yu Jingmo said. "It seems my past self was blinded to think this bracelet was beautiful. I’ll have another one made—more classic in style and more valuable."

Tian Ruan grew even more confused, but as he studied Yu Jingmo’s indifferent expression, a sudden realization dawned on him. He looked at Yu Jingmo seriously and asked, "Mr. Yu... could it be that you’re... jealous of your past self?"

Yu Jingmo: "..."

Tian Ruan couldn't help laughing.

Yu Jingmo lowered his Phoenix Eyes, placed the bracelet back into the box, and snapped it shut. He then asked, "So, who do you think is better—the me from before, or the me now?" Tian Ruan: "How could I possibly choose? You're the same person."

"You have to choose one—which one?"

Tian Ruan shook his head. "I can't choose. You're still you—the past you, the future you, and the present you. No matter how much you change, you will always be you."

Yu Jingmo pondered for a moment. "That's profound."

Tian Ruan didn't see himself as a philosopher. "I just know there is only one Yu Jingmo."

"What if the old me never returns?"

"Then it's simply part of the cycle. Eventually, you'll return to being the Yu Jingmo I know."

Although Tian Ruan said this, he was confident Yu Jingmo's memories would come back. At most, it would take a month before the plot forced the protagonist's cheat ability to activate—otherwise, he'd be stuck working with no time to relax, study, or date.

Sure enough—while Yu Jingmo was out of it, Tian Ruan barely saw Yu Shang.

On Monday at school, he checked Yu Shang's seat—empty again.

Lu Qiuyan, sitting behind him, asked absentmindedly, "What's Yu Shang been up to lately? Haven't seen him around."

Tian Ruan sighed. "Buried in family business."

"He wasn't this busy before. What's going on?"

Since it was Lu Qiuyan (the story's romantic lead), Tian Ruan figured it wouldn't hurt to share. He lowered his voice. "Mr. Yu has amnesia."

Lu Qiuyan: "??"

"The accident erased almost a year of his memories. That's why Yu Shang is so overwhelmed."

Lu Qiuyan focused on the wrong detail. "So he forgot everything about your sweet moments too?"

"...Yeah."

"Tough break."

"Feelings can restart, but the work never ends."

Finally, Lu Qiuyan asked the right question. "When will he regain his memory?"

Tian Ruan shook his head. "Who knows? The doctors say days, maybe months."

"...Months of this? Yu Shang's going to die from exhaustion."

"Yep. Feeling a little sorry for him?"

"Screw you."

Tian Ruan chuckled. "Relax, Yu Shang's tough."

Lu Qiuyan rolled his eyes. "Tough doesn't mean unbreakable."

"Then help him out."

"How?"

"Simple. Shower him with love—it's fuel for his grind."

"..." Lu Qiuyan gave up on this crazy rabbit.

Here’s the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

The weather was gradually getting hotter. With ten days left until the end of June, Deyin went on full break to prepare for the anniversary celebration, which would be followed directly by final exams.

When the homeroom teacher announced the news, the entire class went wild.

Tian Ruan couldn’t believe his ears—how many days? Ten?!

Apart from the two-and-a-half days for final exams, the rest of the time would be spent preparing for the anniversary celebration. That’s how elite schools roll—money to burn.

Tian Ruan zoned out. He’d gladly skip the anniversary celebration altogether if he could, focusing only on studying for finals…

But then Principal Li summoned him and said, "This is Deyin’s 30th anniversary celebration. Mr. Yu will definitely attend."

"...Understood, Principal. I’ll start preparing."

Principal Li smiled and nodded. "You know what he likes. If there’s anything you need, just ask."

Seizing such a great opportunity, Tian Ruan immediately said, "Mr. Yu likes fireworks. I’d like to purchase some—would that be possible?"

Principal Li promptly cut him a check for 50,000 yuan. "Spare no expense. This celebration is meant to please the shareholders and give the students a chance to relax."

Tian Ruan nodded and left the principal’s office, a scheme taking shape in his mind. If even intimacy couldn’t trigger Yu Jingmo’s memory recovery, then he’d have to try something even more intense.

For example, taking advantage of the anniversary celebration to have a secret rendezvous at Deyin… Just imagining the thrill of it gave Tian Ruan goosebumps. But it was now or never!