RIACMET chapter 253

 

Ever since Jiang Nian found out that Tang Ji had feelings for Chu Yi, he had been planning to find a chance to test the waters and figure out how Chu Yi felt. However, when he was face-to-face with Chu Yi, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

They walked out of the leadership office together. Jiang Nian tried to take advantage of the opportunity to ask Chu Yi about his feelings, but after chatting for quite a while, they never got to the main point. In the end, he gave up.

When Chu Yi wasn’t cracking jokes, he exuded a strong leadership presence that made people feel intimidated. It was difficult to bring up such a topic without the right moment.

By coincidence, they bumped into Tang Ji at the cafeteria.

After exchanging greetings, they sat down to eat together. Cheng Jing sent a message to his parents to let them know that he wouldn’t be coming home for dinner.

As they ate and chatted, Jiang Nian also kept an eye on Tang Ji’s reactions. If he hadn’t heard it with his own ears, he never would have guessed that Tang Ji liked Chu Yi. With his cool, aloof demeanor, Tang Ji was remarkably good at controlling his expressions.

After dinner, Tang Ji and Chu Yi headed back to their dorm in Laboratory Building No. 3 together.

Watching them leave, Jiang Nian could only silently hope that Tang Ji would get what he wanted.

On the way from the cafeteria to the dorms, Tang Ji talked with Chu Yi about everything that had happened at the base lately.

Chu Yi listened carefully and shared what he’d seen and heard at Base S.

The mood was pretty good until they stepped into the dorm and closed the door. That’s when Tang Ji felt something subtle shift inside him, especially when Chu Yi thanked him for tidying up the room. For some reason, it made him feel guilty.

After all, he had been sleeping in Chu Yi’s room for the past month or two. A few days ago, knowing that Chu Yi would be returning soon, he washed all the bedding. However, he couldn’t help but sleep in the room again afterwards.

As he wondered whether Chu Yi would notice, Chu Yi walked out of the bedroom holding a small, palm-sized notepad.

“Xiao Ji, is this your daily planner?”

“…”

Tang Ji clearly felt a boom go off in his head. After a long pause, he opened his mouth and gave a dry response:

“Maybe…maybe I dropped it when I went into your room to look for something. I was wondering why I couldn’t find it…”

He couldn’t think of a better excuse because that was the truth. He wrote in the notebook every night before bed and read it again when he woke up. He also liked to jot down daily summaries after work and usually kept the notebook on the nightstand or under his pillow.

He’d had this habit since his sister was alive. Back in school, the siblings would use sticky notes to plan their day or leave each other messages. Their parents were often away on business, so it was their way of encouraging one another.

Even though these notes weren’t that important after his sister died, he kept writing them to comfort himself in a small way.

Chu Yi knew about this habit.

If the note had contained something normal, this excuse might have worked, and it wouldn’t have been a big deal. But…

“…”

Faced with Tang Ji’s obvious guilt and fluster, Chu Yi said nothing. He placed the note back into the man’s hands, which had turned red, then walked into the bathroom to change his clothes.

When he came out after showering, Tang Ji was already holed up in the bedroom like an ostrich, staring at the final line of the note:

“Drink wine and confess to Brother Chu”—followed by three exclamation points, full of determination.

He was completely exposed in front of the person he liked without even a chance to play dumb.

When he found out last night that Chu Yi would be returning today, he got flustered and, of course, made a mistake. Just then, there was a knock at the door, followed by Chu Yi’s voice:

“Xiao Ji, I’m here to help you finish that last item on your to-do list. Can I come in?”

“…”

Hearing those words, Tang Ji, who had been sitting on the edge of the bed, suddenly stood up, still holding the crumpled note in his hand. He stared blankly at the door, his heart pounding wildly.

The plan he’d so carefully prepared had been thrown into chaos by an accident—but in a strange way, it felt like a hidden blessing.

The door opened, and Chu Yi stepped in with a few strides. His expression remained calm, but there was a softness in his eyes that Tang Ji had never seen before.

“Good. Looks like we’re on the same page. Tang Ji, I like you. Will you be my boyfriend?”

Chu Yi wrapped his arms tightly around Tang Ji, looking nervous. His words weren’t flowery or dramatic, but they were direct and clear enough for someone like Tang Ji to understand.

Back when they were on the phone, Chu Yi had already guessed how Tang Ji felt. He had no intention of letting him stew in uncertainty. He just felt that things like this should be said face-to-face; ambiguity only made things uncomfortable.

“Brother Chu…”

Tang Ji slowly calmed down, taking in the scent of soap mixed with freshly sun-dried clothes.

He reached out and hugged him back. The crumpled note fell to the ground. His eyes burned, and he nodded after taking a breath. “I like you, too, and I want to be your boyfriend.”

He had clearly prepared all kinds of thoughts and strategies, but they all dissolved in this warm, solid embrace. Even his insecurity and fear faded away. It felt like no effort was needed at all.

Once the wild beating of his heart had settled and he was certain that he had gotten what he wished for, half an hour had passed.

Chu Yi received a phone call and left again. Tang Ji didn’t take Jiang Nian’s advice — striking while the iron is hot.

“…”

The day after their relationship was confirmed, Chu Yi reported it to Minister Wang. Tang Ji quietly followed along.

It was also the first time he realized that he needed to report his relationship to his boss. Did the leader have to check his identity and background? Once the report was made, however, their relationship became public, and everyone was shocked before offering their congratulations.

Jian Cheng, Tang Yi, and Zhou Rongbin admired how bold and quick he had been. Tang Yi, in particular, looked a little conflicted. He remembered the last time Tang Ji got injured and called him. He advised his brother not to be too polite to Chu Yi—after all, they were family.

But this guy really went straight for it!

Still, it was a good thing. Tang Ji went out of his way to thank Jiang Nian. However, once Jiang Nian saw how the new couple acted together, he knew they would have worked out even without his help.

Chu Yi was extremely busy in the following days, and there wasn’t much “progress” in their relationship. They didn’t interact much differently than before.

But Tang Ji wasn’t afraid of losing anything. He calmed his nerves and worked diligently. There was no need to rush because they still had a long road ahead.