Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"......"

Cheng Jing held his gaze for a long moment before suddenly smiling, raising a hand to caress the back of his neck:

"I was worried you’d think I’m getting handsy so soon after we got back together… And besides, I can’t stay."

"Not at all—it’s clearly me trying to take advantage of Brother Jing."

Jiang Nian finished with a playful smile and leaned in to give his lips a playful bite, his voice trembling slightly:

"It’s fine if I can’t stay, but give me something first… Brother Jing, I’ve missed you so much."

Two lifetimes’ worth of baggage couldn’t be soothed by just a few words or a hug.

Noticing his unease, Cheng Jing kissed his cheek and asked:

"Want to have a drink?"

Jiang Nian chuckled softly:

"No need. Earlier, I wanted to steel my nerves with alcohol to ask you for money, but now I don’t… Without it, I’ll still lose my head."

Though the long separation had made him hesitant at first, they were clicking again now.

"Mhm."

Foreheads touching, Cheng Jing held him close and warned:

"Jiang Nian, now that you’re back, stay with me properly. If you run away again, I’ll break your legs and cage you up!"

Jiang Nian snorted:

"I won’t run. In this lifetime, I’ll cling to you even if I die."

"Good."

Satisfied, Cheng Jing gently kissed his ring finger, already thinking of getting a ring to claim him as his own.

With their mission wrapped up, they could even make it official.

Being in a relationship too long without tying the knot was just leading each other on.

……

Cheng Jing only left after Jiang Nian had fallen asleep, leaving the car and keys behind and letting the hotel know.

By the time he got home, it was past two in the morning. Yang Kai was still awake, slouched on the couch, watching TV through a haze of smoke. His gaze shifted to Cheng Jing with a slightly probing look:

"Where'd you go tonight, Brother Cheng?"

"Still up this late? Ease up on the smokes while you're still young."

Cheng Jing didn’t answer, turning on another air purifier instead. The guy had reeked up the whole place with smoke during the few months he’d been staying here.

Thankfully, he’d flat-out banned Yang Kai from entering his room—otherwise, Jiang Nian would’ve thrown a fit when he came over.

"I waited up for you. Even though the mission’s done, I get antsy when you’re out this late, you know."

Yang Kai crushed his cigarette in the ashtray, looked up, his expression shifting after a beat:

"That hotel shampoo smell—you just came from a hotel?"

Cheng Jing sat down across from him:

"With all your drinking and smoking, your nose is still sharp. You UC guys are something else."

"Cheng-ge."

Yang Kai stared straight at him and asked again:

"So where'd you go?"

Cheng Jing frowned:

"You already sniffed it out, didn’t you? A hotel. After completing a mission, I'm entitled to unwind."

Yang Kai pursed his lips, his voice tinged with jealousy:

"With that hometown buddy of yours?"

That cop instinct kicking in.

"......"

Cheng Jing didn’t answer. Unless necessary, he didn’t like people around him—especially someone like Yang Kai—knowing about Jiang Nian. But since the other had guessed, he wasn't about to deny it either.

He was riding high on getting back together with Jiang Nian.

Yang Kai knew he nailed it and got weirdly pissed. Unable to help himself, he lit another cigarette, took a deep drag, and vented:

"Jiang Nian, right? You’ve been acting off ever since you saw him today... I thought you two had a past, but turns out you’re still going at it. Though his reaction to me wasn’t exactly wifely... Some side action?"

Jiang Nian’s reaction had been too natural. Even with his sharp eyes, Yang Kai couldn’t detect the slightest hint of anything unusual from him.

Cheng Jing denied it:

"We never broke up... He was just playing along for the op. He’s the main partner—I don’t keep side pieces."

If he could keep side pieces, he wouldn’t have been pining for that little troublemaker all this time.

Yang Kai understood:

"But I heard from Huang Qian-jie that you have a white moonlight... Someone who left you grieving like a widower, and you still can’t let go even now."

Cheng Jing nodded:

"Yeah. My ‘late’ husband came back to life."

Just earlier, he updated his file to "married." Now let's see who laughs!

"Huh?"

Yang Kai was stunned for a moment before it clicked:

"So that’s how it is... It’s him, then. I was wondering..."

Then he gave Cheng Jing a look.

"Cheng, I like you—you probably already know that. But during the mission we each had our roles to play. Now it's over… do I still have a chance?"

Jiang Nian’s most striking feature was his eyes—always seeming to smile, with a gentle gaze that gave him the look of someone who could charm anyone effortlessly. He really did seem like the carefree type who could string someone along without trying. Who would’ve thought Cheng Jing would fall for this kind of guy? He was a goner.

When Huang Qian was rambling earlier, Cheng Jing had already braced himself for Yang Kai to lay everything out in the open. So he wasn’t surprised, nor did he show much emotional reaction. Meeting Yang Kai’s gaze steadily, he answered seriously:

“Yang Kai, we’re teammates. If a person only gets one real shot at love in their life, then my heart is already taken. Honestly, I don’t like men—at all. Except for him. No one else could.”

Did Jiang Nian make him gay?

Of course not. After all, something like that only works if both sides are into it. It’s just that he’d always been more on the passive side:

When Jiang Nian pursued him, he couldn’t resist. When that brat dumped him, he was helpless. And when the little punk came back, he couldn’t even stay mad—the moment Jiang Nian shed a tear, all he wanted was to kiss, cuddle, and spoil him endlessly.

It was like an instinctive habit, reserved solely for Jiang Nian.

“…”

Yang Kai watched him quietly for a moment before suddenly laughing.

“Alright, got it. Pleasure working with you—and congratulations on getting back together.”

“Thanks. Pleasure working with you too.”

Cheng Jing nodded, picked up the remote to turn off the TV, then went back to their respective rooms.

Lying in bed, Cheng Jing couldn’t sleep. He took out his phone and scrolled through their texts—there weren’t many, but he couldn’t help rereading them over and over.

The next day, Cheng Jing and Yang Kai headed north. Meanwhile, Jiang Nian, aching all over, stayed in the hotel room and went on a wild online shopping binge, timing deliveries carefully based on his schedule.

Just to be safe, he split the orders—half sent to package lockers near the neighborhood with Cheng Jing’s phone number, the other half delivered directly to his own number. He also made sure to use couriers located far from the area.

He didn’t head out until sunset to case nearby supermarkets.

There was a lot to buy, both online and offline, and frequenting the same places would draw attention.

Even though when the apocalypse hit, delivery workers—those constantly on the move—would likely suffer the highest death tolls, caution never hurt.

Survival meant one thing: outlasting the rest. He had to hold on till the end.

On top of that, he bought several high-capacity external hard drives and tablets, downloading all sorts of movies, variety shows, survival guides covering every aspect of daily life, and even apocalypse prep manuals.

Many authoritative disaster survival guides included worst-case scenarios.

Having lived through the apocalypse once, he merged hands-on experience with research to prepare as thoroughly as possible.

There was no end to what needed buying—it was simply impossible to get everything done. Spending his boyfriend’s money and driving his boyfriend’s car, mooching off him had never been sweeter!

Since he’d already given a spare key to the door and window renovation crew the day before, he didn’t need to visit the rental place for three days. He’d just go back on the third day to inspect the work and pay the final fee.

Three days passed quickly. On the evening of August 18th, Jiang Nian inspected the safety room’s modified doors and windows. Once he confirmed everything met his requirements, he paid the remaining balance and covered the workers’ taxi fares.

Then, at a premium price, he hired a locksmith from dozens of kilometers away to install a top-tier deadbolt. In his mind, mechanical locks were unbeatable!

Once everything was settled, the next day—August 19th—he began hoarding supplies, buying from supermarkets while also receiving online deliveries, running around nonstop in Cheng Jing’s Hummer.

Occasionally, when buying in bulk at larger stores, he had items dropped off at the basement elevator entrance. As long as he kept it low-key, it wouldn’t attract attention.

Meanwhile, Cheng Jing, far away in the northern city, stared at the text alerts about the money being deducted and the car’s trajectory tracking system, deep in thought.

Apart from various supermarkets, shopping malls, and delivery stations, there were also pharmacies and farmers’ markets—Jiang Nian was really buying things, and it was clear that he was purchasing a wide variety of items.

The next few days followed the same pattern. He figured the daily spending matched how much Jiang Nian could physically carry—stopping when exhausted, then starting again the next day.

Cheng Jing wasn’t worried about the money—in fact, he even transferred an additional 500,000 from another card, since goods at supermarkets weren’t cheap either. Payment failures due to excessive spending would be embarrassing.

But he was genuinely curious about what Jiang Nian was buying. Judging by the car’s route, he hadn’t gone to any luxury stores. Buying that many everyday items could practically supply a small convenience store…

By August 22nd, Cheng Jing couldn’t hold back any longer. He called Huang Qian, the person he trusted most, and asked her to discreetly check on Jiang Nian.