When it came to anger and emotional management, Zhao Jing’s parents had taught him: having the power to act does not mean acting recklessly. Precisely because you can easily inflict irreversible harm, you must exercise greater restraint.
Following this code of conduct instilled by his family, Zhao Jing always made an effort to separate personal feelings from his actions, ensuring he avoided causing harm to individuals.
On the way to the airport, Zhao Jing instructed his secretary to make several calls on his behalf. The recipients seemed surprised but promptly got to work. Once on the plane, he initially fell asleep, but the thought of Wei Jiayi’s voice and scent made him open his eyes again.
During last night’s video call, Wei Jiayi had placed his phone on the bed to answer the door. The moment Zhao Jing heard the voices, he already guessed who it was.
To maintain his image as someone who kept his word, Zhao Jing held back and stayed silent. When he sensed something was amiss, he called out Wei Jiayi’s name, but neither Wei Jiayi nor the other person responded. That was when Zhao Jing realized he had likely been muted. There wasn’t even time to feel upset about Wei Jiayi’s decision; he was too shocked by the sheer shamelessness of the other person’s words.
The phone’s screen showed only the ceiling of Wei Jiayi’s room, outlined by the edges of a white blanket. Zhao Jing had to turn the volume to its maximum to catch the conversation, which was filled with nothing but malicious insults and psychological abuse.
Wei Jiayi’s voice sounded fearful and confused. The conversation had not yet ended when Zhao Jing was already in the car.
The car sped along the empty highway. It was rare for Zhao Jing to be out so late. At eleven at night, the road was far quieter than during the day. Wearing his headphones, he heard the sound of the door closing in Wei Jiayi’s room.
After waiting a little longer, Zhao Jing finally saw the airport building in the distance. That was when a hand appeared on the screen. Wei Jiayi picked up the phone, flipped it face down onto the bed, and the screen went black. Seconds later, the call ended.
That same hand had brushed against Zhao Jing’s face not long ago, stealthily and with faint intent, now carrying a quiet sadness.
Zhao Jing had never experienced emotions like this before: both intense and calm at the same time. It had nothing to do with work, yet he was sharply aware of what he needed to do in the next ten hours—where he needed to be and how he needed to stay by Wei Jiayi’s side. It wasn’t just anger or pure heartache.
When the person who had said over the phone, “Because Zhao Jing is different, I want to take things slowly,” was now being subjected to such harm, Zhao Jing realized with startling clarity that his principles and morals no longer mattered.
At first, they stayed on the phone. Wei Jiayi said he would try to sleep, but he remained silent the entire time. When the plane took off and the call dropped, Zhao Jing assumed he had fallen asleep and decided not to call back, not wanting to wake him.
Zhao Jing knew Wei Jiayi’s schedule inside and out. The hotel was located beside a crescent-shaped bay. There was another show to film in the afternoon and a departure scheduled for noon the next day, making it easy to plan ahead. When the plane landed at 4 AM local time, the sky was still gray as Zhao Jing arrived at the hotel. Just as Wei Jiayi had described, the city was hotter and drier than Buderus Island. Skyscrapers towered on all sides, their lights blazing as if night never truly came.
His secretary had already arranged a room card for him. Zhao Jing sent Wei Jiayi a message: “Let me know when you’re awake.”
Wei Jiayi lay in his room with his eyes open. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to sleep—he simply couldn’t.
He couldn’t understand what kind of misfortune had led him to like someone like Pan Yifei. He had never wronged him. Knowing Pan Yifei was straight, Wei Jiayi had kept his distance both in life and work, never crossing the line. He had endured countless attacks for his sake, yet Pan Yifei had never once defended him. Thinking back, all he felt was confusion and disgust.
It wasn’t until he received Zhao Jing’s message that Wei Jiayi realized he had been zoning out for most of the night. The sky was already beginning to brighten. Unsure if Zhao Jing had landed yet, he replied: “I haven’t slept.”
After some thought, Wei Jiayi began to feel guilty again. He thought that if he had refused Zhao Jing a few more times, Zhao Jing wouldn’t have made the trip. While he had been overwhelmed with fear earlier, he had since calmed down. During his bout of zoning out, he had blocked all of Pan Yifei’s contacts, logged into every social media platform he used, and systematically erased anything related to him.
Zhao Jing was incredibly busy with work, and his leg hadn’t fully healed. There was no need for him to travel so far over such a trivial matter. Wei Jiayi also felt deeply embarrassed. It was one thing to get caught sneaking touches with Zhao Jing, but they had already agreed over the phone to take things slowly and meet again after returning on the 16th. Now, by sheer bad luck, Zhao Jing had witnessed his confrontation with Pan Yifei, leaving Wei Jiayi emotionally shattered and prompting Zhao Jing to rush over.
Clearly, between the two of them, Wei Jiayi was supposed to be the one better at taking care of others. If he couldn’t even provide emotional support for Zhao Jing, it felt as if he had nothing to offer in this relationship.
“Where are you now?” Wei Jiayi sent another message to Zhao Jing.
Just as the message went through, the doorbell rang. Wei Jiayi walked over and opened the door. Zhao Jing stood there in a cozy tracksuit, showing no signs of the long flight he had just taken. He carried the familiar scent Wei Jiayi knew so well, his tall frame blocking the hallway light.
The hotel was eerily quiet as if they were the only two awake. Zhao Jing glanced down at him, nudged the door, and chided, “Why haven’t you learned to lock the door when you’re inside?”
“Sorry, I forgot. I’ll remember next time for sure.” Wei Jiayi stepped back to let him in.
Zhao Jing entered the room with the ease of someone walking into their own home. Holding a crutch in one hand like it was nothing more than an umbrella, he surveyed the room before offering a dissatisfied critique. “It didn’t show on video, but why is this room so small? I’ll have my secretary get you a suite instead.”
His matter-of-fact demeanor felt like an anti-depression spray, dispersing all of Wei Jiayi’s guilt. All Wei Jiayi could do was hurriedly decline. “No, it’s okay. I’m leaving tomorrow anyway.”
When he saw Zhao Jing sitting in the armchair by the window, with slight dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn’t gotten enough sleep—a rare occurrence—Wei Jiayi asked with concern, “Did you not sleep well? Why don’t you take a nap?”
Zhao Jing clearly misunderstood. He lifted his head with an incredulous expression. “Wei Jiayi, you’re really going too far. I literally just sat down, and you’re already kicking me out?”
Wei Jiayi froze momentarily. What he had meant was for Zhao Jing to sleep in his bed, but when Zhao Jing said this, he wasn’t sure how to explain without coming across as lacking boundaries. Stepping closer, he tried to reassure him gently. “No, I’m just worried you might be tired.”
Zhao Jing shot him a glance and let out a cold huff, looking like he was too angry to respond. Wei Jiayi could only be honest. “I haven’t used the bed. I was actually thinking you could sleep there. But would you find it too small?”
Zhao Jing’s expression changed instantly, his earlier unhappiness vanishing. He replied nonchalantly, “The bed size is fine.” He added that he needed to take a shower before sleeping, then casually walked into the bathroom. Moments later, the sound of running water filled the room.
Whenever Wei Jiayi spent time with Zhao Jing, he couldn’t help but feel both amused and at ease. His bad mood from earlier had dissipated significantly. Feeling bored, he walked over and picked up Zhao Jing’s crutch to examine it.
The crutch appeared to be made of some kind of metal—sturdy but surprisingly light. It didn’t seem to have been used recently as the base was spotless. Just as he was inspecting it, the shower turned off.
Wei Jiayi quickly set the crutch back down, a sudden wave of nervousness washing over him. Rationally, he knew Zhao Jing probably didn’t mean anything more—when he said he was going to sleep, he meant purely sleeping. But Wei Jiayi, being a normal person, couldn’t help but find it strange.
After a brief pause, the bathroom door opened, and Zhao Jing walked out in a bathrobe. He sat down on the bed and reached over to turn off the light, plunging the room into darkness. Turning his head slightly, he asked with pure innocence, “Are you going to sleep? You still have a few hours before work. Your schedule says you won’t meet up until nine.”
“…Mm.” Wei Jiayi couldn’t hold back anymore. He wondered how someone could be this oblivious. Walking to the other side of the bed, he lifted the blanket. “Then I’ll sleep for a bit too.”
Once Zhao Jing lay down, he quickly stopped moving.
The other side of the mattress sank deeper, the blanket rose higher, and the sudden increase in heat made it impossible for Wei Jiayi to ignore the presence of another person in bed with him. He couldn’t fall asleep at all, lying there in disbelief. Was Zhao Jing really asleep already?
How could someone like this exist? Rushing out in the middle of the night, flying to a place with a four-hour time difference, and now sleeping so peacefully on someone else’s hotel bed.
Unable to endure it any longer, Wei Jiayi turned toward Zhao Jing, only to realize he was closer than expected.
Even lying down, Zhao Jing seemed taller and broader, pressing the mattress into a gentle slope as he breathed steadily. For no apparent reason, Wei Jiayi found himself staring at him. Somehow, Zhao Jing’s presence brought him such a sense of safety that drowsiness began to creep in. He edged closer, soaking in the warmth radiating from the blanket. The restlessness and pain that had weighed on him all night began to fade. Following Zhao Jing’s lead, he finally sank into a deep sleep.
In his dreams, Wei Jiayi initially felt like he was descending, sinking into a warm body of water. The water transformed into a pair of giant hands that cupped his cheeks, muffling the surrounding noise. It was soothing, bringing him comfort.
When the alarm went off, Wei Jiayi had only slept for three hours, but the quality of his sleep was so high that he didn’t feel tired at all.
Zhao Jing stirred beside him as morning light filtered through the curtains. Seeing Zhao Jing furrow his brows, Wei Jiayi immediately turned off the alarm. He leaned over, placing a hand on Zhao Jing’s shoulder, and told him that he had to head to work.
Zhao Jing opened his eyes, his gaze initially dazed. He gave an “Mm,” and then called Wei Jiayi’s name.
“What’s wrong?” Wei Jiayi asked.
“I took care of everything after you fell asleep,” Zhao Jing said, sitting up. “You won’t be seeing him again.”
There was something unclear about Zhao Jing’s expression. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Wei Jiayi felt that he seemed different than usual.
However, Wei Jiayi still needed to go to work. Though he had questions, he didn’t probe further. After a quick wash and change of clothes, he noticed Zhao Jing was already awake and busy with work on his laptop. Wei Jiayi handed him a room card before leaving.
In the lobby, Wei Jiayi met up with Xiao Chi and the assistant photographer to check their equipment. Together, they took a car to another hotel to meet a client.
The client was someone he had worked with several times before and was quite familiar with. She was still getting her makeup done when they arrived, so Wei Jiayi took a few preliminary shots. The client kept glancing at her phone and replying to messages, her expression betraying her surprise. Something seemed to be happening. Even the makeup artist couldn’t resist asking, “What’s the gossip?”
At first, the client held back but eventually couldn’t keep it to herself. Once the others had stepped outside to adjust the lighting, leaving only three people in the room, she finally blurted out, “Do you guys know? Pan Yifei, who was supposed to attend this afternoon’s show, suddenly flew back to China this morning. Apparently, his scandal is spiraling out of control, and advertisers are already demanding to terminate contracts and ask for compensation.”
“What scandal?” The makeup artist’s eyes widened.
The client curled her lips, gesturing for Wei Jiayi and the makeup artist to come closer. She held up her phone. Wei Jiayi glanced at the screen, stunned to see a long list filled with videos, images, and recordings. The client added, “It seems the material was directly sent to all major media outlets and sponsors. Who could he have offended?”
Just then, Wei Jiayi’s phone buzzed. It wasn’t proper to check messages while working, but he took a quick look anyway.
The client didn’t care and joked, “Jiayi, don’t tell me you get gossip video notifications too?”
But the message was from Zhao Jing, written with an extremely calm attitude. It felt as if Wei Jiayi could hear his voice: “Can’t think of a reason, but today I want to keep sleeping in your room.”
