Before heading to his next work location, just as Wei Jiayi stepped through the boarding gate, he received the lawyers’ resumes and documents from Secretary Wu.
Once he found his seat, he opened the files and skimmed through them quickly. He couldn’t tell which lawyer was better than the others; all he could see was that the lawyers Zhao Jing had chosen for him were all top professionals.
Originally, Zhao Jing and Wei Jiayi worked in two of the most unrelated industries in the world. Although Wei Jiayi had worked hard to earn a scholarship and achieve top grades back in the day, the academic knowledge had long since slipped out of his brain. Now, if given a choice between attending a lecture on finance and law or spending three days and nights in the darkroom at school, immersed in the work of a master, he would choose the latter without hesitation.
He looked through the profiles again and decided to follow Zhao Jing’s advice. He casually selected the lawyer who seemed the most approachable, Lawyer Lin, and informed Secretary Wu of his decision.
The plane soon took off. With a long cross-ocean flight ahead, Wei Jiayi opened his laptop and continued working on the photos he needed to send to the mayor of Buderus Island. After connecting to the Wi-Fi, he sent Zhao Jing a message: “I’ve chosen a lawyer.”
He sat by the window. The clouds outside were thick and white, completely hiding the ocean and the waves below. As he worked, his hands slowed, and his thoughts drifted back to a distant childhood that felt like it belonged to another lifetime.
He remembered the time when he and his father had suddenly moved away from their original city and country, and he lived in a small bedroom at his stepmother’s house. Lacking common knowledge and feeling deeply lonely, he became a child who loved studying clouds. He dreamed that above the clouds, there were gods who knew him or deceased relatives gathered together to watch over him, observing his life and chatting—applauding his good grades or his sprint across a finish line. Wei Jiayi would always pick the biggest cloud, imagining it carried the most souls who cared for him. Even rainy days no longer felt so unpleasant.
After marrying Zhao Jing in a daze, he felt as though he had entered a whole new chapter of his life, a new reality. The fantasy world above the clouds no longer existed for him, because tens of thousands of feet below the clouds, in the land that was drawing ever closer, was Zhao Jing—the home that would never push him away.
Sometimes, Wei Jiayi’s mind wandered; other times, he focused deeply. But he didn’t sleep. He spent several hours processing and organizing the remaining photos, preparing to send them to the mayor upon landing. Once he was done, he sent Zhao Jing a new message to share the good news.
Not long after, Zhao Jing replied: “I’m awake.”
Then, Zhao Jing evaluated: “I saw it, Lawyer Lin. Wei Jiayi, you have a good eye.”
He responded to the good news as well: “I’ve already asked my secretary to get in touch with them. I’ll fund the establishment of the memorial.”
Finally, Zhao Jing asked: “You didn’t sleep the whole time?”
“Mm.” Wei Jiayi replied: “I couldn’t sleep.”
Zhao Jing typed for a long time, but his reply was only one word: “Why?”
Wei Jiayi immediately knew what Zhao Jing was thinking. He could almost imagine his expression and found himself smiling. The truth was, he couldn’t sleep simply because he couldn’t sleep. Wei Jiayi decided to reply with what Zhao Jing wanted to hear: “Maybe because I’ve been thinking about you.”
Zhao Jing immediately called him via video. Wei Jiayi answered.
The wireless signal was poor in this area, and the video kept freezing to a black screen. Eventually, it switched to a voice call, but Zhao Jing’s voice was still choppy. Wei Jiayi could hear him say, “I miss you too, but I slept fine.”
Most of the people around him were probably asleep, so Wei Jiayi didn’t want to talk too much. He texted instead: “I’ll be back the day after tomorrow. If you’re busy, I’ll just wait for you at home.”
“Good.” Zhao Jing said something else, but Wei Jiayi couldn’t make out a single word. He replied: “Maybe we should just stick to texting.”
Reluctantly, Zhao Jing said something, and this time Wei Jiayi could hear it—it was a complaint about the poor signal on commercial flights. After ending the voice call, Zhao Jing sent a text: “Before we draft the postnuptial agreement, you need to provide an asset statement. Just get it ready and give it to Lawyer Lin.”
Wei Jiayi hadn’t expected that a hasty marriage would come with so many complicated follow-up tasks, especially involving financial matters. He really didn’t want to deal with it and couldn’t help but ask Zhao Jing: “Can’t the lawyer just draft it and I’ll sign it?”
“Do you like me so much you’re ready to sign a contract selling yourself?” Zhao Jing immediately replied.
Wei Jiayi was left speechless, unsure how to respond. Zhao Jing put an end to it with a firm: “No.” Wei Jiayi could only reply with “Okay.”
A while later, Zhao Jing suddenly sent a long message: “I’m going to be accepting an in-depth media interview today to respond to some of the doubts as part of my public relations efforts. I’ll be wearing my wedding ring, so it’ll definitely come up that I’m married. I’ll also clarify that there’s a postnuptial agreement in place, which excludes any claim you might have on the company’s shares, in order to avoid triggering any disclosure requirements.”
Wei Jiayi read the message but only half understood it. Feeling it was better to ask Zhao Jing directly than to keep it bottled up, he paused for a moment before replying: “What does avoiding disclosure requirements mean?”
“It means your name won’t need to be made public.” Generally speaking, Zhao Jing was more patient when explaining things that Wei Jiayi didn’t understand and kept it simple. “This will help avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble in your personal life, and it’ll also reduce the impact my marital status has on the company.”
Wei Jiayi suddenly came to a realization. He finally understood Zhao Jing’s intentions and agreed that the agreement was indeed necessary—there was no time to waste. “I’ll prepare my asset documentation right away so we can sign it as soon as possible.”
Zhao Jing remarked that Wei Jiayi’s decisions could change as quickly as a child’s, but he put up with it.
Upon arrival, Lawyer Lin contacted Wei Jiayi, sending him a template list. Some of the required files were back at Wei Jiayi’s home. He made a quick call to his studio’s finance department and then got back to work, leaving the matter for later.
When his workday ended, it was already 11 PM. Back in his room, Wei Jiayi showered and lay on the bed. He thought Zhao Jing should already be asleep. He didn’t want to wake him, but he was also afraid that Zhao Jing might be upset if he woke up to no message. He hesitated, unable to decide whether to send one or not.
With no work scheduled for the next two days, Wei Jiayi’s team had planned a shopping trip, with a few members heading back to the city together the following afternoon. Once they returned, Wei Jiayi would finally be able to spend more time with Zhao Jing—and be hugged tightly. This time, it wasn’t about bracing for separation at any moment; it was about committing to a relationship with legal proof. The thought made Wei Jiayi’s heart race. He remembered Zhao Jing’s words before his departure, feeling a mix of anticipation and nervousness, even though he had prepared everything.
Wei Jiayi lay awake until 12:30, unable to hold back any longer. His thoughts screamed at him, angrily reprimanding, “This is a huge mistake!” However, his brain couldn’t control his hands. Within five minutes, he booked a flight, informed Xiao Chi, and packed his luggage faster than ever before. Calling for a car, he headed straight to the airport, determined to return home early.
Surprisingly, Xiao Chi was still awake. Perhaps imagining some dramatic scenario, Xiao Chi replied: “Jiayi-ge, go for it! I wish you happiness! We’ll make sure to bring back the equipment safely!”
Wei Jiayi had no way to explain his actions, so he simply wrote back: “Thank you.”
On the plane, Wei Jiayi managed to sleep for a few hours, but perhaps because his rational mind strongly disapproved of his recent behavior, he dreamed of clouds. In the dream, countless hazy figures floated within the clouds, discussing various aspects of his life and offering opinions. Many of them were highly emotional, vehemently criticizing his actions: “Impulsiveness will only harm Zhao Jing’s love for you.” “Feelings need to be nurtured slowly.” “What is easily obtained will not be cherished.” “You changed your flight just to arrive ten hours earlier?” “Have you forgotten what happened the last time you took a night flight home?”
A single gentle female voice defended his decision, saying, “If you want to do it, just go ahead.” Wei Jiayi woke up deeply moved by the dream. The voice lingered in his memory, but he began to question whether it was just his dwindling self-esteem trying to protect him.
He landed at 6 AM, and the sky was still dark. The pale, cold lights of the airport exit illuminated a gray-blue expanse outside the glass doors. The city felt half-asleep. Fellow passengers scattered in different directions, each seemingly with more purpose than Wei Jiayi.
Physically exhausted, he walked forward in a daze, only wanting to get home and rest. After a short distance, it occurred to him that he needed to call a cab or find a taxi stand. His mind moved sluggishly, and when he heard Zhao Jing’s voice, he thought it was just his imagination and didn’t pay attention. As he continued searching for a taxi stand, someone suddenly grabbed his arm.
Startled, Wei Jiayi let go of his suitcase as he was pulled into a solid embrace. His face pressed against the shoulder and neck of someone tall, the warmth making him dizzy. Zhao Jing’s grip was so tight that it felt like he was being crushed into his chest, leaving no room to lift his head and see his face.
“Sneaking back early, huh?” Zhao Jing’s voice was smug in his ear.
Wei Jiayi, still pressed against him, took a moment to gather himself before finally admitting, “I missed you too much. What else could I do?”
Zhao Jing hugged him even tighter.
Wei Jiayi felt like he was being smothered and asked Zhao Jing to loosen his grip. Zhao Jing finally eased up, then, sounding quite pleased with himself, said, “I woke up at 4:30, noticed you hadn’t texted me, and couldn’t get through on the phone. I knew something was up, so I checked the flights for the early morning and came straight here to wait for you.”
“Huh?” Wei Jiayi assumed Zhao Jing must have asked someone about it, but it turned out he had acted on a whim. Wei Jiayi was inevitably taken aback. “What if my phone had just died?”
Zhao Jing finally let go of him. Wei Jiayi lifted his head and caught a rare flicker of guilt on Zhao Jing’s face. Zhao Jing quickly looked away and said, “I had Wu Rui contact your agent, who then got in touch with your assistant to confirm it for me.”
“…”
“They should have been awake by five, right?” Zhao Jing’s momentary guilt faded almost immediately. When he saw Wei Jiayi rendered speechless, his self-righteousness returned. “Just give them a bonus. And why don’t they know we’re married? Do you think I’m that embarrassing?”
“… No, I just don’t know how to explain it. I’ve been thinking about it all the time.” Wei Jiayi used the last bit of his consciousness to come up with an excuse.
“Wei Jiayi, what would you do without me?” Zhao Jing seemed to think Wei Jiayi was being silly. He sighed softly, then gently kissed Wei Jiayi’s hair and assured him, “Don’t worry about it. I’ve already told them.”
Author’s note:
A hopeless romantic and a complete blabbermouth.
