At four in the morning, the sky was just beginning to lighten.

Li Wenshui lay with his head resting on Liang Jin’s arm, his face buried against Liang Jin’s chest. His body stirred slightly, showing signs of waking. Slowly, his messy-haired head peeked out from under the blanket. With his eyes still closed, his eyelashes fluttered faintly, and his head swayed slightly, seemingly unaccustomed to the brightness outside the covers. A pale arm stretched out to block the light from his eyes before he retreated back under the blanket, leaving only half of his head exposed—his actions reminiscent of a sleepy kitten.

He didn’t want to wake up. After being thoroughly exhausted by Liang Jin the previous night with all kinds of embarrassing positions, his waist was sore, his legs ached, and his whole body felt fatigued. But since today he wasn’t scheduled to work at the hotpot restaurant, he needed to visit his younger sister. Plus, he had promised the kids he’d bring them some cookies.

After a brief internal struggle, Li Wenshui sat up and opened his tired eyes. He lowered his head, staring at Liang Jin’s handsome face for a while before letting his gaze wander over Liang Jin’s toned chest and well-defined abs. What a perfect body, he thought enviously, comparing it to his own, which was as flat as a plain. His gaze returned to Liang Jin’s abdomen, then slid further down.

Li Wenshui’s face flushed red as heat crept over his cheeks. He needed to get out of bed quickly—once Liang Jin woke up, he’d be stuck here again. His lower back was still sore, and he couldn’t afford another round!

He grabbed his clothes and quickly got dressed. The air conditioning in the room was chilly, but out of habit from caring for his sister, he covered Liang Jin with the blanket and tucked his exposed arm back under the covers. Liang Jin furrowed his brows slightly in his sleep.

Noticing something unusual about Liang Jin’s wrist, Li Wenshui lifted it closer to examine it in the dim light filtering through the window. The wrist was unusually swollen and red. Pressing gently with his thumb, he saw Liang Jin frown again. Based on his experience with massages, it was clear that Liang Jin had a severe sprain in his right wrist. Such an injury would take a while to heal.

He suddenly recalled the faint sound he’d heard when Liang Jin stopped the electric tricycle yesterday. It wasn’t his imagination after all. The force Liang Jin had used to stop the heavy tricycle must have caused the injury. No wonder Liang Jin had refused to help carry the seedlings later and had used only his left hand last night while holding and touching him.

Li Wenshui felt a mix of emotions. Why didn’t he say anything about being injured? If he’d known, he wouldn’t have been so annoyed about carrying all those seedlings by himself.

Hurriedly, Wenshui got out of bed, went to the butler to borrow a bottle of Yunnan Baiyao spray^[1]Yunnan Baiyao (YNB) is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine that is used to treat a variety of conditions, and returned to carefully apply the medicine to Liang Jin’s wrist. He massaged it gently, placed the medicine bottle where Liang Jin could see it, and finally left after cooking breakfast.

By 5:30 a.m., the sun had fully risen. The air in the fields was fresh and vibrant with life. It had rained lightly the previous evening, leaving the soil moist and perfect for planting.

Rolling up his sleeves, Wenshui got to work. After all, Liang Jin’s wrist injury was indirectly his fault. He couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. Plus, the kids were waiting for him. He wouldn’t let them down. It’s for the kids and my peace of mind—not because of Liang Jin, he convinced himself.

Familiar with gardening thanks to the vegetable patch at home, he expertly tilled the soil, scattered seeds, dug holes, and planted seedlings. When he got tired, he sat on the ground for a bit and scrolled through his phone.

As he browsed through his friends’ vibrant social media posts—high school classmates working white-collar jobs, college acquaintances traveling abroad, and coworkers enjoying company retreats—he couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy. It seemed everyone else was living a colorful and effortless life, while his was mundane and full of struggle.

Looking at his calloused, dirt-streaked hands, he sighed. Only he was stuck in a life of drudgery.

Still, he posted a video of the old family estate to his social media. As usual, he hid it from his sister and Luo Jianan. Liang Jin wasn’t on the restricted list—after all, Liang Jin never looked at social media.

He didn’t care if his remaining friends recognized the place. He just wanted to let them guess.

While watering the seedlings, his phone rang—it was a call from Lin Yumo. Holding the phone to his ear, he continued working.

“Wenshui, where’s that video you just posted? It looks so fancy!” Lin Yumo asked excitedly.

After a moment’s hesitation, Wenshui replied, “My boyfriend’s house.”

“New boyfriend? He looks like a rich guy at first glance!”

Li Wenshui noticed a tomato seedling with yellowing leaves. Plucking off the yellow leaves, he asked curiously, “Yumo, why do you always believe what I say? Aren’t you afraid I might lie to you?”

Lin Yumo replied confidently, “You’re so good-looking—better looking than all of us. It wouldn’t be hard for you to find a rich boyfriend. Don’t you remember? That time you accompanied me to the fortune-teller, the master also read your fortune and said you’re destined to be wealthy and successful, likely with an incredibly rich partner.”

Li Wenshui straightened a leaning eggplant seedling and said, “I’m not really one to believe in those things.”

“This master is really accurate! He said I’d have romantic luck in May, and that’s when I met my current boyfriend!”

Li Wenshui pursed his lips. “Well, let’s hope he’s right. I really hope so.”

“By the way, is your boyfriend good to you? Since he’s so rich, does he spoil you with lots of gifts? I saw Suge showing off that his boyfriend gave him a car!”

Li Wenshui fell silent. Apart from a skirt that catered to Liang Jin’s questionable sense of humor and a few pieces of cake, Liang Jin hadn’t given him anything. Last night’s so-called “reward” wasn’t what he wanted either. After being worn out all day, he still had to endure Liang Jin’s antics at night. That man really has no conscience!

“Wenshui? Wenshui? Are you listening?”

Snapping back to reality, Li Wenshui raised his voice to sound confident. “Of course! He’s given me so much—clothes, shoes, and even a credit card with no spending limit. I told him I’m not with him for his money and didn’t need these things, but he insisted.”

Lin Yumo sighed enviously. “That’s amazing! Your boyfriend really pampers you. Unlike mine, who eats my food, drinks my drinks, and still gets mad at me.”

In truth, Li Wenshui thought Lin Yumo’s boyfriend wasn’t bad at all. He was only a first-year college student with a limited allowance, yet he always managed to give thoughtful gifts on special occasions. No matter how busy he was, he’d drop everything to answer Lin Yumo’s calls and always replied to messages instantly.

Everyone seemed to have a better life than he did and still weren’t satisfied.

But in reality, Li Wenshui wasn’t satisfied either. He wasn’t content. He wanted to climb higher, to give his sister a better life, and to find their mother. As long as his sister was around, he had to be strong. He had to show off, to appear as though he was living a better life than those who once looked down on him. He wanted to work hard, save money, and live a good life.

But if it weren’t for Li Wenqing, how he lived—whether good or bad—wouldn’t matter to him. Perhaps, without her, there wouldn’t even be a Li Wenshui in this world.

By nine in the morning, he had finished everything. Sweaty and covered in dirt, he wiped himself off, stretched his sore back, and admired the results of his labor. The seedlings swayed gently in the breeze, brimming with vitality.

On his way back to the ancestral hall, he noticed some withered potted flowers stacked near a courtyard. He asked the helper moving them, “Are these flowers being thrown out?”

“Yes, they’re nearly dead and can’t be saved. Mr. Liang said to toss them.”

What a shame, thought Li Wenshui. They’re such beautiful flowers.

“Can I take them?” he asked.

“You think you can save them?” an elderly man said with a chuckle, stepping out with a string of prayer beads in his hand.

This must be Liang Jin’s grandfather, the most authoritative figure in the Liang family. Li Wenshui had expected him to be stern and imposing, but he seemed kind and gentle.

“I’d like to try. I used to work in a flower shop, so I know a bit about reviving plants.”

The old man scrutinized Li Wenshui, who was still dirty from his work, and said kindly, “You must be the new cleaner at the ancestral hall, right? Go ahead and take them. If you manage to save them, I have a few more plants that could use your help.”

With a glance at the butler, the old man returned indoors. The butler quickly approached Li Wenshui. “No need for you to carry them. I’ll have someone deliver them to you.”

Li Wenshui thanked him and turned to leave, only to see Liang Jin walking toward him, accompanied by a gentle and beautiful young woman about their age.

Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, Li Wenshui turned his head and walked past Liang Jin. But before he could get far, his arm was grabbed.

“Why are you pretending not to know me?” Liang Jin asked.

“In front of others, don’t you deny it?”

“I said not to admit our relationship in front of others, not to pretend we don’t know each other. If we were strangers,” Liang Jin smirked ambiguously and teased, “I would’ve ignored you at the last birthday party, leaving you embarrassed and in tears.”

Li Wenshui thought to himself, As if you haven’t humiliated me enough already.

Noticing the dirt on Li Wenshui’s clothes and his face smeared like a little muddy cat, Liang Jin asked, “Where have you been?”

“I planted all the seedlings we bought yesterday. Considering you injured your hand while saving me and for the sake of the kids, you can take care of watering and weeding occasionally, right?”

Liang Jin’s eyes flashed with surprise, and then a smug grin tugged at his lips. Leaning close to whisper in Li Wenshui’s ear, he said, “Good job, baby. You’ve worked hard. I’ll reward you tonight.”

Li Wenshui: “… No need. I’m not a greedy person; I can do without a reward.”

“Not even a tangible gift? It’s very expensive.”

“Re-really?”

Liang Jin nodded, his expression serious enough to be believable. “How about choosing one out of three?”

Li Wenshui’s eyes lit up, curving into crescents with excitement. “Okay, but this time, no tricks.”

“No tricks.” Liang Jin patted his round little butt and walked back into the mansion.

In a good mood, Li Wenshui headed home. Suddenly, a motorcycle came speeding toward him, nearly hitting him. The wind blew through his hair as it passed, leaving him frozen in place.

That person… the fierce, arrogant gaze—it was his high school bully.

Liang Xuxing. A student with the worst grades in the class, known for fighting, skipping school, and hanging out with delinquents. Once, during an exam, Liang Xuxing demanded to copy his answers. When Li Wenshui refused, Liang Xuxing beat him up after the test. Reporting him to the teacher only made things worse. From then on, Liang Xuxing escalated the bullying—tearing his workbooks, mocking him, isolating him.

Even now, Li Wenshui couldn’t understand why someone so young could be so cruel.

His heart raced, and his palms grew sweaty. The pain of those childhood scars was hard to forget, even though he had changed. He wasn’t easy to bully anymore and had learned to stand up for himself.

But when it came to Liang Xuxing, he remembered. And he was still afraid.

Leaving the Liang household, the blazing sun finally warmed his icy body. When he returned home and saw Li Wenqing sitting by the fan eating an ice pop, he finally felt at peace.

That afternoon, Li Wenshui baked extra cookies and delivered them to the orphanage. On his way out, he spotted a freezer discarded beside a trash bin. Without hesitation, he loaded it onto his tricycle.

—

Later that evening, after cooking dinner and waiting for Liang Jin to finish eating, Li Wenshui rested his chin on his hands, staring expectantly at him.

Of course, Liang Jin knew what he was waiting for.

“Kiss me first,” Liang Jin said, leaning his face closer.

Obediently, Li Wenshui wrapped his arms around Liang Jin, giving him a kiss on the cheek, then on the lips. Growing impatient, he asked, “Where’s my gift?”

Liang Jin placed three gift boxes in front of him. “Which one do you want?”

“Can I see them all?” Li Wenshui wasn’t sure what was inside, and he couldn’t guarantee that Liang Jin wouldn’t pull any tricks.

“Sure,” Liang Jin replied.

Li Wenshui immediately opened the first gift box… Black lace lingerie. He opened the second gift box… Red bondage ropes. When he opened the third box, Li Wenshui was noticeably more forceful. Inside was a cat tail.

Li Wenshui didn’t say a word, and there was no smile on his face.

“Didn’t I tell you? Tangible gifts, very expensive, pick one,” Liang Jin said.

Li Wenshui bit his lip, stood up, and started walking away. He shouldn’t have trusted Liang Jin.

Liang Jin grabbed his wrist and saw the hurt in Li Wenshui’s eyes, which were red from holding back tears. He pulled him into an embrace, gently soothing his back. “Alright, I’m not teasing you anymore.”

Liang Jin picked Li Wenshui up and sat him on the bed, then pulled a shoebox from under the bed and placed it on his lap. He spoke softly, “Open it and see.”

As soon as Li Wenshui opened the box, all the grievance in his eyes vanished. He recognized the shoes immediately. They had been trending recently, and now they were being resold for fifty thousand a pair.

“Throw away those broken shoes with peeling soles. You’re staying in the old house. If anyone doesn’t know better, they’d think I’m cutting corners on the staff,” Liang Jin said, bending over to look at Li Wenshui’s face. “Are you happy now? Don’t feel like crying anymore?”

Li Wenshui turned his head, “I wasn’t planning to cry in the first place.”

“Alright,” Liang Jin said, lifting Li Wenshui and placing him back in front of the table. “Now, can we do the three choices?”

Li Wenshui frowned and looked at Liang Jin with pleading eyes, “Can I not choose?”

Liang Jin shook his head slightly, pinching Li Wenshui’s chest, “No, it’s your turn to give me a gift.”

Li Wenshui was silent for a moment, then hesitantly reached for the box with the cat tail inside.

Liang Jin kissed his lips and smiled, “You’re quite good at picking, it suits you.”

Li Wenshui sighed, “I regret it. Can I choose something else?”

Liang Jin undid the belt on Li Wenshui’s waist, “No.”