The car became even quieter. Bai Mu Ning twisted his fingers nervously. His heartbeat thudded chaotically in his chest, as if it were about to jump out.
He didn’t dare to look at Wen Jing, afraid that one glance would blow his cover as a spy.
Bai Mu Ning had played Who’s the Spy before. In the game, whenever he drew the spy card, he could hide it well and last until the final round to win.
But real life was far tougher than any game. There were too many uncertainties, and it was more grueling than the game.
He had been hiding well until Jiang Qingci suddenly showed up, throwing everything into chaos.
Inwardly, he cursed Jiang Qingci as a green tea bitch. If you really know something, just say it outright. Why are you being so cryptic and dramatic?
Otherwise, maybe it’d be better to just confess now! At least it’d be less torturous than the anxiety. Who knew what Jiang Qingci was really planning?
Bai Mu Ning was a mess inside, running through every possible outcome. At worst, he’d get beaten up and thrown out of the car; nothing too scary.
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Kkydt Ckdtnk pllxle zkjl bl oydvle vs pyu xsal, cwv Eld Ck nwv bkx sqq yde nbydtle vbl pwcflnv.
Gqvla y vld-xkdwvl eakhl, vblu yaakhle yv vbl elpvkdyvksd bsvlz. Xdnl Eld Ck yde Kkydt Ckdtnk tsv swv sq vbl nya, Jyk Yw Lkdt qlzv vbl yvxsprblal kdpkel kdpvydvzu zktbvld. Ohld vbl yka pllxle pollvla.
Bai Mu Ning thought: The ticking time bombs are finally gone. Now this feels comfortable.
On the way back, Wen Jing asked Bai Mu Ning where he was going.
Bai Mu Ning understood what he meant. Wen Jing wanted him to come home with him, but he didn’t say it directly, giving Bai Mu Ning the chance to choose.
If nothing had happened, Bai Mu Ning would definitely have gone to Wen Jing’s place.
The dorm only had him now. Li Anche had been gone for a while for reasons unknown, and staying alone was boring. At least at Wen Jing’s place, he had someone to talk to, and the bed was really comfy.
But after everything that had just happened, how could Bai Mu Ning dare to be alone with Wen Jing?
Right now, all he wanted was to ask Mr. Zhou to cancel the job and break up with Wen Jing.
Bai Mu Ning composed himself and said, “Jing-ge, I want to go back to the dorm. A friend of mine’s going through something, and I want to keep him company for a while.”
He figured this didn’t really count as lying. Li Anche did have something going on. He planned to check in with him later and see what was going on and why he hadn’t contacted him lately.
“Need any help?”
Bai Mu Ning quickly waved his hands. “No need. He just got dumped, that’s all.”
Wen Jing let out a soft “Mm” and said nothing more.
When they reached the school gates, Wen Jing parked the car, but stopped Bai Mu Ning from getting out.
Bai Mu Ning felt a bit uneasy. Confused, he asked, “Jing-ge, what is it?”
“There’s something I want to tell you.”
Wen Jing suddenly pulling something like this made Bai Mu Ning’s heart jump into his throat. Don’t tell me he’s suspicious already?
Bai Mu Ning nervously swallowed. “W-What… what is it?”
Wen Jing took his hand and used a tissue to wipe the sweat from his palm. “Why are you sweating so much today? What are you nervous about?”
Bai Mu Ning pulled his hand back, refusing to let Wen Jing hold it. Wen Jing practiced traditional Chinese medicine and could take pulses. Just feeling his pulse could reveal so much. Bai Mu Ning was terrified that Wen Jing would find out he was lying.
“How could I not be nervous?” A faint blush climbed up Bai Mu Ning’s cheeks. He tried to sound casual. “You’re always like that, Jing-ge. I have a kidney deficiency, seriously. I really have a kidney deficiency.”
This was the first time Bai Mu Ning admitted to having a kidney deficiency on his own, completely discarding his pride.
He still remembered the first time he met Wen Jing and was diagnosed with kidney deficiency. Back then, Bai Mu Ning would rather die than admit it.
But it had only been two months, and he could no longer keep up the act.
What’s the point of pride for a man? Having a kidney deficiency isn’t shameful. It’s better than being played to death.
“What is it you wanted to tell me?”
Wen Jing turned off the engine and shifted to face him. “There are some things I can tell you now.”
Bai Mu Ning listened quietly without interrupting, but his heart was already in a panic.
“It was Wen Qi who called me on New Year’s Day. He couldn’t find Jiang Qingci and asked me to look into it. At first, I didn’t want to get involved, but he kept pestering me.”
“I didn’t tell you before because it was their business, and I didn’t want to meddle.”
“But now it involves me too, so I need to tell you.”
That word “involves” made Bai Mu Ning uneasy. Alarms started blaring in his mind. “What do you mean?”
“Wen Qi and Jiang Qingci are planning to move abroad. Jiang Qingci’s documents are with his brother, and they want my help getting new documents and helping them leave the country.”
“You two were scheming that in the study today?” Bai Mu Ning let out a small breath of relief. As long as they weren’t talking behind his back.
Wen Jing raised an eyebrow, questioning the word Bai Mu Ning had used. “Scheming?”
“If you won’t let me hear it, then it’s scheming.”
Bai Mu Ning didn’t know exactly what they needed Wen Jing to do, but the only thing he could think of was forging documents. “Ge, making fake IDs is illegal.”
Wen Jing couldn’t help but laugh. He ruffled Bai Mu Ning’s hair and said, “What are you thinking? I don’t do illegal things.”
“I just have some connections, so I can help them get it done.”
That didn’t sound like something a Dr. would say at all. Bai Mu Ning grew even more curious about Wen Jing’s identity. “Jing-ge, are you really a Dr.?”
“What else would I be?”
Bai Mu Ning looked at Wen Jing. Their eyes met, but he quickly looked away again.
He thought: Whether Wen Jing is a Dr. or not has nothing to do with me. We’re breaking up anyway, no need to get to the bottom of it.
“Honestly, I don’t really want to help them. That Jiang Qingci doesn’t seem like a simple person. Xiao Qi might not really understand him.”
Bai Mu Ning didn’t respond, but he agreed with Wen Jing’s view.
Maybe that’s also why Pei Shuchen never liked Jiang Qingci!
Everyone could tell Jiang Qingci wasn’t as innocent as he looked, except Wen Qi.
—
Back at the dorm, Bai Mu Ning sat in his chair and went over everything from the beginning. His chaotic situation gradually became clearer.
He now had two steps to take:
First, cancel the job and get his money back, then cut ties with Mr. Zhou.
Second, break up with Wen Jing. This relationship couldn’t go on any longer.
Once he sorted it out, Bai Mu Ning picked up his phone, contacted Mr. Zhou, and brought up the cancellation of the job. He also returned the payment he had received.
Over the past two months, he had saved up some money, including the 20,000 yuan compensation he got from the thief last time.
He had also taken on quite a few odd jobs here and there. After repaying the fee to Mr. Zhou and setting aside over 10,000 yuan for living expenses, he still had a fair amount left.
With another paycheck expected before the New Year, Bai Mu Ning’s life was already improving.
Mr. Zhou replied after quite some time, asking for the reason.
Bai Mu Ning only said there was a family matter, and he wouldn’t be doing it anymore. He didn’t reveal the real reason.
This matter had nothing to do with Wen Jing, and Bai Mu Ning didn’t want to drag him into it. The simpler the resolution, the better.
Mr. Zhou accepted the money and said no more. The conversation ended there.
It was so easily settled that Bai Mu Ning let out a sigh of relief. He thought it would’ve taken more effort.
Next was breaking up with Wen Jing.
Bai Mu Ning thought it over and figured it was best to just go straight to the point. Once Wen Jing agreed, he’d immediately resign and disappear, never showing up in Jingnan again.
With that thought, Bai Mu Ning decided to break up with Wen Jing at work the next day.
—
That night, Bai Mu Ning kept trying to contact Li Anche. He wasn’t replying on WeChat, and his phone was off. Bai Mu Ning had no idea what was going on.
It was rare for Li Anche to vanish like this, and Bai Mu Ning couldn’t help but grow worried.
He was about to leave, and Li Anche was his only friend in Jingnan. He wanted to say goodbye before going.
With that in mind, Bai Mu Ning went to visit Li Anche’s home early the next morning.
He took the elevator up, only to find a court seal posted on Li Anche’s door. Bai Mu Ning stood outside for a while, and at that moment, he could be sure that Li Anche was really in trouble.
With heavy thoughts on his mind, Bai Mu Ning headed to Sanwen Hall, never giving up on trying to contact Li Anche.
It wasn’t until noon that Li Anche finally called him back.
“Ning, I’m out of town right now looking for someone. It’s not convenient to keep my phone on. Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.” Li Anche’s tone was light, and if Bai Mu Ning hadn’t gone to his place himself, he might have actually believed him.
Finally getting through to him, Bai Mu Ning asked anxiously, “Li Anche, what’s going on with you? Are we even real bros or not? Something happened to your family, and you didn’t even tell me?”
Li Anche was stunned for a second, and his voice grew somber. “How did you know?”
“I went to your place to look for you.”
There was a long silence on the other end before Li Anche said, “Ning, I’ll be back tomorrow. I’ll contact you then.”
“Okay. If you need any help, don’t hold back.”
After hanging up, Bai Mu Ning grew even more troubled. Whatever happened to Li Anche’s family definitely wasn’t something minor. But how could he possibly help?
—
After work that evening, Bai Mu Ning went straight to Wen Jing’s place. Wen Jing had taken the day off, saying something had happened with Jiang Qingci and Wen Qi had called him over.
He’d been gone all day, and Bai Mu Ning didn’t know if things were resolved yet. With a heavy heart, he didn’t contact Wen Jing. Instead, he decided to go directly to his home and wait.
Standing at Wen Jing’s door, Bai Mu Ning rang the doorbell. It rang for a long time, but there was no response from inside.
He still wasn’t back.
Bai Mu Ning squatted at the door, deciding to wait there.
Wen Jing had already entered his fingerprint into the lock system. All he had to do was press his finger, and the door would open. But in this moment, Bai Mu Ning suddenly felt a sense of boundary.
He shouldn’t go in anymore. They were about to be nothing to each other. What right did he have to enter someone else’s home?
For some reason, just thinking about breaking up with Wen Jing made Bai Mu Ning feel suffocated, like a heavy stone was pressing on his chest; it was deeply uncomfortable.
He squatted there, his mind replaying all the moments he’d spent with Wen Jing lately.
They’d been happy together. They had a lot of fun.
His eyes suddenly turned damp, his vision blurring.
The sudden wave of sadness startled Bai Mu Ning. It’s just a breakup. What am I getting emotional about?
Am I scared Wen Jing will beat me up?
Maybe that was part of it.
He quickly wiped his tears away and started scrolling through his phone to distract himself. After a few moments of laughing mindlessly at random content, the inexplicable sadness was chased away.
Around 7 p.m., Wen Jing finally returned.
He stood in front of Bai Mu Ning and frowned. “Why didn’t you go inside?”
Bai Mu Ning turned off his phone and stood up with a smile. “I wanted to wait for you.”
“You could’ve called me.”
Bai Mu Ning followed Wen Jing into the apartment. The lights flicked on as they entered, and Bai Mu Ning glanced around. “I was afraid I’d disturb you.”
Wen Jing took off his coat, turned around, and looked at him seriously. “You’re allowed to disturb me.”
Bai Mu Ning felt a warmth rise in his chest. The emotions he’d pushed down were beginning to stir again.
“Jing-ge, I want to—”
Wen Jing was already changing his shoes and walking deeper into the apartment. “Hold on. Let me take a shower first.”
“…?”
The courage Bai Mu Ning had painstakingly built up was suddenly put on hold.
“Oh, I’ll wait for you.”
Bai Mu Ning sat down obediently on the couch. He didn’t even touch his phone. He just sat there, anxiously waiting for Wen Jing for ten full minutes.
The bathroom door opened, and Wen Jing came out with only a towel wrapped around his waist, his upper body completely bare.
He was drying his hair with a towel as he glanced at Bai Mu Ning and asked, “What did you want to tell me?”
There was no denying that Wen Jing had a great body. His muscles were firm and taut, giving him a powerful look.
But Bai Mu Ning had no mood to admire it now. His entire attention was drawn to the tattoo on Wen Jing’s left shoulder and arm.
A dark green-black dragon coiled along his shoulder and arm, looking lifelike and terrifying to look at.
Bai Mu Ning was immediately scared silly and forgot what he was going to say.
Noticing where Bai Mu Ning was staring, Wen Jing casually covered it with the towel. “I’ll go get dressed.”
Once Wen Jing was out of sight, Bai Mu Ning snapped back to himself. He hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath. His face flushed red, and he started gasping for air to calm his pounding heart.
Clutching his chest, he thought: Is Wen Jing… part of the underworld?
Thinking back to what Chen Haonan had told him and everything Wen Jing had said recently, he wondered:
What kind of person can pull strings like that? He definitely isn’t squeaky clean.
That thought only made Bai Mu Ning more nervous. If he dumped Wen Jing now, would Wen Jing take revenge on him?
His mind spiraled with scenes from gangster movies, and Bai Mu Ning thought that he might not be able to keep his legs.
Before long, Wen Jing returned, fully dressed. He reached out and poked Bai Mu Ning on the forehead. “What are you thinking about?”
“No… Nothing.” His hands were trembling badly, like he had Parkinson’s disease. Bai Mu Ning quickly hid them behind his back so Wen Jing wouldn’t see.
He really wanted to curse himself: What was he so scared of? Just go for it!
Bro, be bold and ask for a breakup. There’s nothing to be afraid of.
“Jing-ge, I want to…?”
The words break up were stuck in his throat. Bai Mu Ning stared at Wen Jing, struggling to summon the courage.
“What do you want?”
His gaze fell once more on the left shoulder. Though it was now covered by clothes, Bai Mu Ning was still a little scared.
The breakup words swirled in his throat again and again, and in the end, he chickened out and blurted, “I want… I want to eat your below.”
Bai Mu Ning didn’t even register what he had just said, but Wen Jing’s surprised look made him realize that he had made a fool of himself again.
Flustered, he slapped his own unruly mouth and said, “No… no, that’s not what I meant. I meant I’m hungry and I want to eat the noodles you made, no, I mean instant noodles.”1Bai Mu Ning first said 下面 which could mean below or boil noodles. Then, he said 下的面 which was his noodles. He then corrected it to 泡面, which means instant noodles.
Finally managing to get the wording right, Bai Mu Ning let out a sigh of relief.
Wen Jing looked at him for a moment. He found Bai Mu Ning unusually strange today, but didn’t ask. Instead, he got up and went to the kitchen to make noodles.
Once Wen Jing was out of sight, Bai Mu Ning flopped onto the couch and pounded the couch cushion hard.
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!!!
Why did he chicken out at the crucial moment?
So embarrassing.
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