This chapter is 3x the normal length, so I cut it into 3 parts.
After Jiang Wang received the contract, he negotiated with the leadership of Swift Express for a long time and finally decided to rejoin the Yuhan branch as a core board member. The terms regarding profit sharing and work flexibility were highly favorable.
In no time, he found himself juggling multiple roles, with endless phone calls even at home, and gradually fewer opportunities to pick Peng Xingwang up from school.
Peng Xingwang completely understood that adults were busy with work. Sometimes, when he went home alone after school, he would even take the initiative to send a message to report his whereabouts. Though he hadn’t been at the experimental elementary school for long, he had already become the kind of well-behaved child that many parents in the class admired and praised.
It was the golden autumn season, and the school started sending out permission slips for their autumn excursion. The plan was to organize outdoor team-building activities, but parents needed to fill out the necessary information and sign off for activity insurance.
When Peng Xingwang got home, Jiang Wang was sitting with his back to him, quickly responding to emails. The clattering of the keyboard sounded like beans being shaken in a pod.
The boy walked over and poked him.
“Brother, the school is going on an autumn excursion. I need your ID number to fill out the insurance form.”
Jiang Wang, with half a hawthorn stick in his mouth, glanced back at him, ruffled his hair, and continued typing. “My wallet’s on the dining table. Just grab it and fill it out yourself. Make sure to put it back afterward.”
“Oh, got it!”
Peng Xingwang found the wallet and noticed his brother had switched to a new one.
Silver-gray, leather texture, and it felt very nice to the touch.
Peng Xingwang stroked it a few times like he was petting a dog, feeling a bit emotional.
…So, there really are people who have so many bank cards that they need to change wallets, just like the male leads in TV dramas.
The new wallet had a section for cash on the outer layer and a slot for cards like bus passes and membership cards on the front. The cards were of various colors and shapes, making it a bit confusing to find what he needed. Finally, he discovered a zippered inner compartment.
Oh, here it is!
Without a second thought, Peng Xingwang unzipped it and pulled out the ID card inside.
“I found it!”
Jiang Wang responded with a distracted hum, still focused on his work.
Wait a minute—something about this card’s pattern didn’t look the same as before.
And the design was completely different.
Peng Xingwang suddenly became alert, racking his brain for his fragmented memories.
The ID cards he had seen before had the photo in the upper-left corner, with a red seal under the photo and a background of ripple-like waves around the national emblem.
But on this card, the national emblem wasn’t centered, and the validity period was…
[2021.08.02–2031.08.02]
The boy’s eyes widened in shock, and for a moment, he froze in place.
How could it say 2021??
The ID card’s validity period was from 2021 to 2031, but it was clearly only 2007 now!
He flipped it over and clearly saw his brother’s birthdate and a young, stern-faced Jiang Wang in his twenties.
‘My brother’s birthdate… how could it be exactly the same as mine?’
Peng Xingwang’s heart raced. He held his breath, quickly glanced at Jiang Wang, who was still working, and then repeatedly examined the card. After calming himself down, he carefully put the card back in the zippered compartment, zipped it up, and found the current ID card among a stack of supermarket and shopping cards to copy down the number.
He tried hard to make sense of it all.
His brother… his brother actually had a fake ID!
Why would he need a fake ID? Could it be that his brother was short on money for his business and had used a fake ID to take out high-interest loans?
Peng Xingwang spent half a day stewing over the thought, working himself into such a state of anxiety that his face turned bright red from lack of oxygen. He finally took a deep breath and glanced over at Jiang Wang.
Jiang Wang happened to look back at him. “Why is it taking you so long?”
“…I couldn’t find it earlier,” the boy tried his best to make it seem like he wasn’t lying. “I opened the section where you stuff all the red bills. I thought you’d put it there.”
“How could it be? It’s in the right-hand side,” Jiang Wang said casually. “If you’re low on pocket money, just take some. You’re keeping track in the account book, right?”
“I am, and I’ve got enough,” Peng Xingwang put the wallet back where he found it and said nervously, “I-I’ll go do my homework now. There’s a lot today.”
Jiang Wang didn’t think much of it, simply acknowledging with a hum before returning to his work.
He typed a few more lines and paused, wondering if he might be putting too much academic pressure on the boy—why did his face look so off today?
Meanwhile, Peng Xingwang returned to his room, shut the door, and immediately started breathing heavily, as if he had uncovered some massive secret.
Could it be that his brother was borrowing money from loan sharks?
With such a big house, hiring all those amazing teachers for tutoring, and even traveling to Beijing recently—was it to hide from debt collectors?
The boy wore an expression of extreme worry, a mix of frustration and helplessness.
He had already thought of Jiang Wang as his real brother. Even if his brother went bankrupt, he would unhesitatingly pick up trash with him to pay off the debt.
‘But… but having a fake ID is illegal!!
And, Brother, if you’re going to make a fake ID, at least make it realistic! You didn’t even get the design for the right year!’
Peng Xingwang’s first instinct was to persuade his brother to turn himself in at the police station and destroy the fake ID under their supervision.
But then he thought about it again and realized he was just a kid. He might not be able to convince him. He’d have to get Brother Linqiu involved.
But… would Brother Linqiu and Brother end up fighting?
If they really argued, who should he side with?
What if they got so mad they decided to split up—would he still be able to see Linqiu Ge?
The child’s brain ran wild like a speeding train, twisting through endless loops. After a long sigh, he muttered to himself:
“Big Brother… can’t you be more careful?!”
When Ji Linqiu came home late that evening, he looked a little tired after a full day of teaching. Once he got back, he collapsed onto the sofa and rested for a while before checking the time—it was already 8:50 PM.
He rubbed his temples, feeling the unsettling quietness of the house.
“Where’s Xingwang? Is he out playing with classmates?”
Jiang Wang had just finished his work, shutting his laptop and stretching.
“He said he had a lot of homework, locked himself in his room as soon as he got back,” Jiang Wang replied, glancing at the time with some surprise. “He didn’t even come out to watch Iron Kid tonight. Could something have happened?”
“Let’s observe for a bit longer. It could be something else,” Ji Linqiu replied lazily, letting Jiang Wang lean against him. Propped against Jiang Wang’s shoulder, he added, “Oh, there’s one more thing I need to tell you—about the staffing changes in the middle school department. You weren’t there for the meeting this afternoon.”
His once-cool voice now carried a hint of hoarseness, making it even more captivating.
Jiang Wang quietly listened to Ji Linqiu speak. After a while, his mind began to drift, his thoughts meandering before eventually returning to his work. Only to stray again. This cycle repeated itself.
Jiang Wang used to think that love was a one-time event.
Two people confess, say “I love you,” share a kiss, and then life moves forward as usual.
But the reality was that establishing a relationship was merely the start of all the romance.
It turned out that red wine and roses weren’t romantic, nor were candlelit dinners.
Letting someone lean on your shoulder, listening to them talk at length, with the soft patter of autumn rain outside the window—that was the epitome of tenderness and beauty.
How could he be holding someone in his arms and still feel the endless wonder of love, with so many nuances left to savor?
Ji Linqiu spoke methodically, mentally organizing his thoughts into a structured list, explaining things step by step: which teacher got promoted, which one made a minor mistake and was now under observation.
As he spoke, Jiang Wang’s fingers brushed the edge of Ji Linqiu’s cashmere sleeve, the calloused pads of his fingers pressing gently against Ji Linqiu’s wrist, like warm amber.
Ji Linqiu froze for a moment but continued softly discussing the promotions and minor infractions.
Jiang Wang occasionally murmured in agreement, but his fingers moved inch by inch up Ji Linqiu’s wrist, as if caressing a precious hidden treasure.
Ji Linqiu found himself distracted, almost forgetting where he’d left off. Every nerve ending seemed to focus on whether Jiang Wang would reach his elbow, wondering if this motion was an attempt to consume him bit by bit.
Several times, he paused, unconsciously leaning further into Jiang Wang’s embrace, his breathing uneven.
“…It’s a minor issue, but smoking in front of students is inappropriate.”
Jiang Wang’s fingers momentarily eased, but just when Ji Linqiu thought he was about to withdraw, they returned, brushing against his skin like a soft kiss.
Ji Linqiu, teased into a mix of frustration and fluster, stopped talking entirely.
Jiang Wang turned to look at him. “Why did you stop?”
As if he had no idea what was happening.
Ji Linqiu felt even more exasperated but couldn’t find the words to express it. Instead, he grabbed Jiang Wang’s collar and kissed him deeply.
He tangled his arms around Jiang Wang’s neck, licking and nibbling at his lips in retaliation, even biting down slightly.
Jiang Wang held him on his lap, thoroughly enjoying the kiss, and chuckled mid-way through.
“Don’t laugh!” Ji Linqiu scolded, face flushing.
“I apologize,” Jiang Wang said hoarsely, coaxing him, “I’m sorry, your boyfriend’s a pervert everyday.”
Ji Linqiu’s cheeks burned even hotter. He leaned down to kiss Jiang Wang’s forehead and, still unwilling to relent, left several more kisses before mumbling, “Don’t apologize.”
‘I really like… this side of you.
Don’t apologize.’
After their playful antics, they realized Peng Xingwang still hadn’t come downstairs. Normally, he would have been bounding around to ask for hugs and attention by this hour—it was unusual.
Ji Linqiu stood up from Jiang Wang’s lap, about to check on him, when the doorbell rang, followed by a timid voice.
“Brother, are you home?”
“It’s Changxia,” Ji Linqiu said, surprised. “Why’s she here at this hour?”
Ji Changxia lived in Hongshan District, which was fairly close to Luhu District. Since their conversation in the study during Chinese New Year, the siblings had grown closer, often cooking together on weekends.
She seemed uneasy about showing up unannounced tonight and had brought a plastic bag full of bananas and pears.
“No need to be so formal,” Jiang Wang said, taking the bag and inviting her inside. “Come in, come in. I’ll make some tea, give me a moment.”
After Jiang Wang left to make tea, Ji Changxia looked at Ji Linqiu and hesitated.
“Brother, why’s your face so red?”
“I just got back from a night run, still sweating a bit. Are you okay?” Ji Linqiu touched his face and realized it was indeed warm. He smiled and added, “If the sweat smells too strong, I’ll go change before coming back down.”
“No, no, you smell nice,” Ji Changxia hurriedly denied, sitting awkwardly on the sofa. “I came over because there’s a small issue at home…”
“Mom told me not to bother you about it, but I really can’t help her on my own. This problem has been troubling our family for years…”
Jiang Wang returned with the teapot, pouring her a cup of hot tea. Then, sensing the private nature of the conversation, he offered, “Should I head upstairs to help the kid with his homework?”
“No need, no need. Please stay,” Ji Changxia steadied herself before starting.
“Brother Wang, when you came to Zhou Town for New Year’s, do you remember the garbage dump diagonally across from our house?”
Oh no, what’s now? OAO
Thank You for the new chapter (｢･ω･)｢❤