RIACMET chapter 188

 

“…”

Frustration, confusion, guilt, and self-blame flashed across Cheng Jing’s face. Despite Jiang Nian’s glare, he admitted it openly:

“Well, I was pretending. I just wanted you to persuade me. After all, I was the one who got dumped. If you had called me a few more times, I would’ve forgiven you.”

That’s what was going through his mind:

If you’ve already been dumped, you should act a little reserved. Otherwise, it would seem petty to coax someone back after just one phone call.

“…”

Jiang Nian felt a bad premonition in his heart. He pursed his lips and asked again.

“What if I hadn’t called you back? What would you have done?”

If he hadn’t been reborn, he never would’ve had the nerve to be that shameless.

“I would’ve come to see you in person.”

Cheng Jing answered without hesitation. Then, he added with a faint smile:

“There’s always a price to pay for pretending too much.”

He had wanted to put on a front first and then decide on his next step. If it didn’t work out, so be it—what mattered was getting the person back.

“…”

Jiang Nian imagined someone acting indifferent on the phone while getting dressed up nervously and excitedly to meet him.

They hung up calmly and then anxiously waited for the next call.

It sounded kind of funny. But as he laughed, his heart ached. He stepped forward and hugged the person in front of him tightly.

“If I had known I’d see you at the station, I would’ve run over and hugged you!”

Then he wouldn’t have had to endure so much. After his mother’s tragic death, he was clearly grieving. However, he forced himself to appear calm and composed, not daring to show any negative emotions in front of his ex.

Cheng Jing gently smoothed the messy hair off his forehead and softly said,

“I would’ve caught you—no matter how hard you tried to pretend.”

“Back then, neither of them really understood what the other was thinking. He stayed quiet because of his pride after being dumped. If someone had run over and hugged him, things might have turned out differently.

Fortunately, the misunderstanding was cleared up quickly. He hadn’t said anything hurtful or done anything excessive, nor had he been stingy with money.

Otherwise, he would’ve hated himself if he thought back on it now.

“…”

Another old account had been settled. Cheng Jing had originally worried that Jiang Nian would be upset. However, when he saw that Jiang Nian didn’t care at all, he felt at peace.

They had their own thoughts and reasons back then, and they all made sense. But now, he still regretted it.

After hugging and cuddling for a while, the two of them packed up their things and headed out.

His parents and younger brother lived in another dorm building next door, also on the third floor, but their apartment was bigger.

They chatted about family matters as they walked.

Jiang Nian suddenly remembered something:

“Come to think of it, Xiao Lei and Brother Zhao have the same name.”

Cheng Jing nodded.

“Yeah. My dad’s surname is Cheng, and my mom’s is Lei. Originally, he was named Cheng Lei[mfn](程雷)[/mfn], but a fortune teller said the horoscope wasn’t good, so they changed the character Lei[mfn](磊)[/mfn] instead.”

“Oh… there are rules like that? So your name too?”

Jiang Nian looked a little surprised.

Cheng Jing shrugged.

“Kind of. My mom said that, out of all the homophones, the character ‘Jing’ suited me best. Who knows? It was their decision.”

Then, he casually added,

“Speaking of names, Tang Ji and Tang Yi’s names are also pretty similar, and they’re actually connected.”

Jiang Nian lit up.

“What a coincidence! Tell me what happened. Their names sound like brothers. Haha…”

Too many people had died, and the survivors had come together from all over. If you survived, your chances of running into someone you knew increased significantly.

When a large group of people gathered, it wasn’t unusual to have the same last name, or even the same first name—let alone a similar one.

In high school, he saw three students in different classes with the same exact full name, which made the teacher laugh.

“Tang Yi was an orphan. He grew up with government assistance and food from multiple families. However, since his parents had a bad reputation, people didn’t like him much…”

The two of them walked side by side down the stairs. Cheng Jing thought about Tang Yi’s situation for a moment before answering.

“His original name was Tang Yao. In their dialect, ‘Yao’ means early death. The people who disliked his family gave him that name, hoping he’d die young. The folks in the village called him ‘Yao’er. Later, a kindhearted person sponsored his schooling and suggested his name be changed to ‘Yi,’ which was more fitting for a boy.”

“Was that kindhearted person Tang Ji’s parent?”

Jiang Nian asked curiously. He knew that Tang Yi had been following Brother Jing for a long time and had essentially taken over the company. Even though it was a special situation, Jiang Nian still felt upset hearing about it. “Yao” could also mean prosperity, but clearly, Tang Yi hadn’t been expected to prosper.

A loved child wouldn’t be given the name “Yao.” It must have been painful for a powerless child to be called “Yao’er.” Despite it all, it was rare that Tang Yi had such a cheerful and upbeat personality.

Moreover, even while working, he still made time to volunteer at orphanages and shelters. He and his teammates sponsored children in poor areas so they could attend school.

Cheng Jing said with a bit of hesitation:

“Just as we now sponsor others, Tang Yi never met his sponsor. They only communicated through a third-party crowdfunding platform. They only knew that they shared the same surname and didn’t know each other personally.”

“But when the sponsor helped name him to encourage him, they mentioned the names of their own children. Their daughter was named Tang Miao and their son Tang Ji—those names left a deep impression on him.”

“Oh…”

Jiang Nian nodded in understanding.

“That could be it. Tang Ji’s parents ran a business. It’s pretty normal for wealthy people to do charity work. Sometimes names just happen to match. It’s not that big of a coincidence.”

Cheng Jing smiled.

“Yeah, so when Tang Yi later found out about Tang Ji’s name and background, everything made sense.”

“…”

As they chatted, they arrived at the bottom of the dorm building where his parents lived. Climbing the stairs, Jiang Nian began to feel nervous again.

Outside the door, Cheng Jing stood in front and Jiang Nian stood behind him, holding something. After mentally preparing himself, he nudged Cheng Jing’s back with his finger.

“All right, Brother Jing, knock on the door.”

Cheng Jing smiled silently, but just as he lifted his hand, the door opened.

A young man with a similar appearance and temperament stepped out. He had tightly shut white teeth and a grin that revealed them. He greeted them warmly:

“Brother Nian! I heard something at the door and figured it was you guys. Come on in…”

They had already greeted each other via video call when Jiang Nian was still in Qingyun City. Moreover, Cheng Lei was the same age as Jiang Nian and had a cheerful, outgoing personality. After exchanging a few friendly greetings, Jiang Nian relaxed, and his awkwardness faded.

Cheng’s parents had been waiting in the living room. When they saw them come in, they stood up to welcome them.

Cheng Jing pulled Jiang Nian forward and introduced them carefully:

“Niannian, this is our dad and mom.”

Then he smiled at his parents and said,

“Mom, Dad, this is Jiang Nian.”

“Dad…Mom.”

Jiang Nian followed his lead and greeted them politely, a little shyly.

“Oh, no need to be so reserved. We’re all family now…”

Mrs. Cheng smiled warmly as she spoke. She took the items from his hands and invited them to sit down. Jiang Nian nodded and thanked her softly, then followed Cheng Jing’s lead in everything.

The two elders were kind and talkative. Cheng Lei helped out by pouring tea and water. Thanks to Cheng Jing’s subtle guidance, Jiang Nian’s nervousness quickly melted away.

The parents were loving, the siblings were warm, and the younger brother was respectful. He wasn’t self-important and quickly took the initiative to join the conversation, blending into the warm family atmosphere.