Chapter 72: “Like Him.”

After entering the house, everything was quiet.

When Jiang Yao was home alone, it was hard for him not to create various lively noises, whether playing games, watching videos, or listening to music.

Just half an hour ago, Jiang Yao had sent him a message saying they should go out for a walk together when he got back. Therefore, Duan Zhuxian had specifically declined a dinner invitation from his business partner and rushed home as quickly as possible.

Duan Zhuxian placed the cake on the coffee table in the living room. He first searched around the places Jiang Yao usually stayed on the first floor but didn’t see him. Then he went upstairs.

As he approached the bedroom door, he saw Jiang Yao leaning against the wardrobe, facing away from the door and looking down at his phone. There was an unusual quietness filled the room.

Duan Zhuxian slowed his steps and gently knocked on the door frame, “I’m back.”

Jiang Yao’s stiff back visibly shivered, as if he had been startled. However, the only response he got was silence.

Duan Zhuxian paused for a moment and asked, “What are you doing?”

Jiang Yao replied, “Buying a plane ticket.”

His voice was as cold as the February springs.

Duan Zhuxian was taken aback, “Is there an urgent matter in Lingbei?”

“Yes, a major life event,” Jiang Yao slowly turned around. “I’ve checked, the civil affairs bureau opens on the seventh, which is tomorrow. Quite a lucky day.”

Meeting Jiang Yao’s cold gaze, Duan Zhuxian finally noticed the bed was covered with clothes taken out of the wardrobe, and a half-packed suitcase was wide open beside the bed.

After realizing what Jiang Yao intended to do, Duan Zhuxian felt as if someone had gripped his heart.

He furrowed his brow, and the gentle expression on his face fading away entirely. Just as he was about to step into the bedroom, Jiang Yao blocked his way.

In the next second, Duan Zhuxian was unceremoniously shut out, followed by the sound of the door locking.

As the door closed, he saw an orange notebook fall from Jiang Yao’s arms to the floor.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke, separated by the door.

Jiang Yao, leaning against the door, broke the silence first: “On New Year’s Eve, I asked you if you had liked anyone before me. You denied it, but in your schedule book, you wrote that you spent a week trying not to like someone and ultimately failed.”

His tone was calm throughout, even more measured and stable than his usual arrogant and confident manner of speaking.

But if one listened carefully, they could detect the slight tremor he was trying hard to conceal, like tiny cracks spreading on the surface of ice, ready to collapse at the slightest touch.

It was as if he feared losing control. Before Duan Zhuxian could speak, Jiang Yao seized the initiative and continued, “Duan Zhuxian, I have a question to ask you.”

“Ask away.”

Duan Zhuxian’s voice came from outside the door.

Just two words, not too light nor too heavy, with a slight hoarseness, as if squeezed out of his throat after much internal struggle.

So, even someone as calm as Duan Zhuxian would instinctively panic when caught lying.

Jiang Yao let out a cold laugh, not asking why Duan Zhuxian lied to him, but instead, “Are you still not over this person?”

That was always his concern. After all, if it was someone he had long stopped liking, like Shen Tang was to him, with Duan Zhuxian’s character, there would be no need to deny the person’s existence repeatedly.

A few seconds later, Jiang Yao heard Duan Zhuxian’s response, “Yes.”

He secretly sniffed, “Alright, I understand.”

Then he looked down at the flight ticket interface on his phone, but he was unable to press the “submit order” button.

He thought that with his hot temper, which couldn’t tolerate any deceit, he would definitely end up beating Duan Zhuxian when he saw him.

But he didn’t.

He had overestimated his own anger.

In fact, just now, when he finally heard Duan Zhuxian admit to having a “white moonlight,” even the impulse to buy a return ticket disappeared.

It’s just an old love from ten years ago, right?

Since Duan Zhuxian chose to marry him, confessed his feelings, and did so many romantic things with him, it proves that Duan Zhuxian and his “white moonlight” were ultimately not meant to be. What he couldn’t let go of was just an obsession.

Besides, if things continued to develop this way, as long as he became a good lover and loved Duan Zhuxian more, that lingering affection would eventually become a thing of the past.

If it really came down to a contest, it seemed that his chances of winning were greater.

And he rarely failed to get what he wanted.

After thinking of this, Jiang Yao’s mind cleared, and he suddenly clenched his fist tightly.

This sudden thought truly startled him.

He hadn’t realized he liked Duan Zhuxian this much, enough to break his innate pride and compete for Duan Zhuxian’s heart against a “white moonlight” he didn’t even know.

He felt like he was in trouble.

At this moment, he heard Duan Zhuxian’s voice from outside the door, “Yao Yao, look further in that schedule book.”

Jiang Yao refused, “No.”

He didn’t want to see Duan Zhuxian’s deep-rooted feelings for someone else.

Duan Zhuxian: “Just take a look, please?”

Perhaps Duan Zhuxian’s coaxing voice was too persuasive, and Jiang Yao had never been able to resist it. He stood rigidly for a long time, then suddenly, as if defeated, he bent down, picked up the fallen schedule book, and squatted down to open it to the page he had seen before, the summary for the fourth week.

Moving forward, it was the fifth week.

The last sentence of the schedule was, once again, a statement that starkly contrasted with the otherwise rigid records—

[This time I scored higher than him in the finals. I love seeing his unwilling expression.]

Jiang Yao froze, and a storm was brewing in his mind.

Back in school, the only one who could score higher than Duan Zhuxian was him. Who else would Duan Zhuxian refer to with the word “surpass”?

He couldn’t help but turn another page.

The sixth week—

[Winter break, I controlled myself not to check his updates for a week.]

The seventh week—

[Miss him.]

The eighth week—

[Finally, the break is over.]

The ninth week—

[He told me he likes someone, but he once said he’d never date in high school. Little liar.]

Holding his breath as he read up to this point, Jiang Yao suddenly exhaled a deep breath as if he’d found his breath again. His fingertips brushed the date column in the upper right corner, confirming the dates once more.

Duan Zhuxian’s seventeenth birthday was during that week.

He remembered that night, he called Duan Zhuxian to wish his most outstanding rival a happy birthday.

Then, he shared his secret crush on Shen Tang with Duan Zhuxian as a birthday gift, showing his trust and considering Duan Zhuxian as one of his own.

And indeed, earlier, he had expressed to Duan Zhuxian his aversion to early romance, especially when he suspected Duan Zhuxian of having such inclinations and tried to prevent him from going astray.

No wonder Duan Zhuxian called him a liar.

He had indeed broken his own words, allowing himself to be free while not giving Duan Zhuxian the same liberty.

He continued to flip through the pages.

The records that followed were in the same format.

Regarding this ever-growing affection, only a brief sentence was written in the weekly summaries. It was very restrained, unlike a diary that freely expressed emotions. Clearly, Duan Zhuxian was trying hard to contain his continuous feelings of liking, but with little success.

As Jiang Yao browsed through page after page, he reached the twelfth week—

[I received the crystal ball he gave me, it’s beautiful.]

Crystal ball?

His fingers trembled while holding the page. A memory flashed in Jiang Yao’s mind of the crystal ball in Duan Zhuxian’s wardrobe, placed prominently in the center of the watch cabinet, and Duan Zhuxian’s WeChat profile picture, which had always been a crystal ball.

Then, an almost forgotten memory drifted back into his mind.

It was during their monthly break. Jiang Yao and Duan Zhuxian played a game of basketball. In the evening, as they were leaving, Jiang Yao mentioned that he had a dinner date with Shen Tang.

Duan Zhuxian, unusually, suggested joining them. Jiang Yao didn’t refuse but made an agreement with Duan Zhuxian that after dinner, he would leave the two of them alone for their private time. Duan Zhuxian agreed.

While they were waiting for Shen Tang at the intersection, Jiang Yao noticed a claw machine by the roadside. Feeling bored, he bought a few coins and, after several failed attempts, finally managed to grab a silver snow globe.

He asked Duan Zhuxian, “Do you like silver?”

Duan Zhuxian nodded.

Jiang Yao handed him the snow globe, “Then it’s yours. I’ll try to get a purple one for Shen Tang; he likes purple.”

However, as if his luck had run out, he was never able to get the second snow globe.

Then, Shen Tang had to cancel at the last minute due to an unexpected matter, so in the end, Jiang Yao and Duan Zhuxian had dinner together.

After confirming his romantic relationship with Duan Zhuxian, Jiang Yao intentionally tried to learn more about Duan Zhuxian’s preferences and discovered that Duan Zhuxian wasn’t particularly fond of silver…

In an instant, Jiang Yao felt a lump in his throat, as if the light notebook had been soaked in the passage of time, becoming so heavy that he could barely hold it up.

These words were so bittersweet, like unripe green plums. And he accidentally bit into one, and the juice trickled down his throat, leaving his chest burning with a dull ache.

He took a deep breath, and was afraid to continue flipping through the pages.

The 13th week—

[Researched ways to suppress feelings of liking someone.]

The 14th week—

[Failed to suppress the feelings.]

The 15th week—

[Still like him.]

The 16th week—

[Still like him.]

The 17th week—

[Like him.]

…

Every word on the paper felt like a heavy heartbeat, piercing through countless time and space, striking his chest.

From start to finish, no names appeared, using only “he” throughout.

But who this “he” referred to was unmistakably clear from the second mention.

Yet, all of this was simply too unbelievable for Jiang Yao.

Even though he already knew that Duan Zhuxian never liked Shen Tang, he had never imagined that Duan Zhuxian had secretly liked him since their student days.

From his perspective, Duan Zhuxian had always regarded him as a rival, never giving in, occasionally clashing with him, always opposing him, and playing the role of the “archenemy” flawlessly, thus managing to challenge his competitive nature for over a decade.

Duan Zhuxian had hidden it too well.

And he had hidden it for too long.

After he lost in a dream-like reality, Jiang Yao unconsciously rubbed the schedule book and suddenly noticed the back cover was slightly bulging.

He opened the last page and pulled out a few pieces of paper from the cover.

They were movie tickets, with key information traced over in pen to prevent fading.

Jiang Yao was very familiar with these movies; they were the ones he had watched with Shen Tang during high school.

Back then, after developing feelings for Shen Tang, he had emulated Chen Yiqi’s methods of pursuing someone and invited Shen Tang to the movies for a while.

Before buying tickets, he would consult Duan Zhuxian about Shen Tang’s preferences and then choose the appropriate films.

Suddenly, he thought of something and pulled out his phone, scrolling to his posts from ten years ago.

He had a habit of posting on social media after watching each movie to document it.

And the viewing times on these ticket stubs almost perfectly matched the times he watched the movies back then, only in different theaters.

In other words, whenever he watched a movie with Shen Tang, Duan Zhuxian would watch the same movie at the same time but in a different theater.

As if doing so would allow him to integrate into Jiang Yao’s life as much as possible.

This was so unlike Duan Zhuxian.

In his impression, the slender, tall youth was aloof, strong-willed, rational, and unwavering. He was someone who walked his own path, unaffected by anyone else’s will, and never accommodating anyone, whether it was a rival or a friend.

Jiang Yao blinked hard to clear his blurred vision and carefully tucked the ticket stubs back into the cover before closing the schedule book.

He was already very confused.

Reading any further, he felt like his entire world might fall into chaos.

Inside the room, the air remained quiet throughout, but outside, Duan Zhuxian’s heartbeat was noisy and restless.

He stood there for a long time.

Like a teenager who had mustered the courage to confess and was now silently waiting for a response, he forced himself to stay calm, with sweaty hands.

He didn’t know if Jiang Yao had looked further into the book or if he had seen enough and was now too shocked by the intense yet suppressed affection to speak.

Jiang Yao had always had a low tolerance for the extremes of love. Like a fox just emerging from its den, appearing smart and proud on the surface, yet easily scared off by the slightest disturbance.

Duan Zhuxian had learned this the hard way before.

He actually had a key to the door in front of him, right in his pocket, which he could use to unlock it even if it was bolted. But he wanted to wait for Jiang Yao to react on his own.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Jiang Yao’s voice finally came from behind the door.

“So, the person you liked in high school was me.”

It was a statement, not a question.

Clearly, he had found his answer.

“Yes.” Duan Zhuxian’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. “I originally planned to tell you while watching the sunrise, but unfortunately, we’ve missed it for several days.”

The person inside suddenly began to breathe rapidly. “So, if I kept staying in bed, you would have never planned to tell me?”

Duan Zhuxian replied, “No, I would have found another opportunity.”

After having bottled up these feelings for so many years, he needed a formal occasion and a solemn method to express them.

To avoid ending up in a passive situation like now, where he hadn’t even thought about how to embrace his beloved and was stuck outside, unable to touch him.

Jiang Yao fell silent again.

But Duan Zhuxian chuckled bitterly, “Sorry, for keeping it from you all this time.”

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a click.

Then, the door opened from the inside.

Jiang Yao stood in the doorway while holding the orange schedule book in hand, and glaring at him with gritted teeth.

His eyes were wet, and the tip of his nose was red.