Chapter 19

If it were any other day, Jiang Chu Ting would have agreed, but today was different.

Recalling what Pei Jing said before he left, he felt uneasy and reached out to stop Lin Zhi from opening the wine jar. “Wait.”

Lin Zhi paused and looked at him, asking, “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Chu Ting withdrew his hand and said softly, “I can’t drink today. And…”

Lin Zhi smiled calmly and continued, “And if nothing else happens, you’ll be leaving early tomorrow morning, right?”

Although he didn’t want to upset him, Jiang Chu Ting helplessly said, “Not tomorrow morning. I’ll have to leave after sitting for a while.”

Leaving so soon? In the past, he would at least stay the night. Lin Zhi didn’t say anything, just stared at him with a look of grievance and resentment.

Jiang Chu Ting’s gaze was gentle, and he said softly, “Because it concerns my family’s safety, I have to rush back.” He couldn’t explain too much, so he paused and added warmly, “Save the wine. I’ll drink with you next time.”

“Can I say no?” Lin Zhi pouted, moved the wine jar aside, and said in a slightly drawn-out tone, “Besides waiting obediently for you, I have no other choice.”

His dejected yet understanding demeanor made Jiang Chu Ting smile. He wanted to reach out and pat his head, but he only thought about it.

Suddenly, Lin Zhi said, “Chu Ran, give me your left hand.”

Although Jiang Chu Ting didn’t understand, he still extended his left hand to him. Lin Zhi took out a string of bright red beads, which seemed to be the thing he was staring at in a daze at the door earlier.

Jiang Chu Ting looked closely and asked uncertainly, “Is this… lovesick beans?”

Lin Zhi nodded, “I picked them myself and strung them together. It’s for you.” The string was a bit long, wrapping around three times, fitting perfectly on Jiang Chu Ting’s slightly slender wrist. The red lovesick beans were bright and shiny, strung together with a thin red thread, with two beads hanging at the end, looking very delicate and clearly made with care.

But that’s not the point.

Lovesick beans naturally represent longing.

Jiang Chu Ting examined it for a moment, thought briefly, and smiled, asking him, “It’s beautiful, but Lin Zhi, why are you giving me this?”

“I just think it’s pretty. Every time I wait for you and miss you, I string a few beads to keep myself busy.” Lin Zhi blinked lightly and said, “Especially since you were late this time. To punish you, you can’t take it off.”

Just as Jiang Chu Ting was about to say something, Lin Zhi leaned forward slightly, his black eyes moist and hopeful, “What’s wrong? Don’t you like it? If you don’t, I can give you something else.” He said this, but his face was full of hope, as if he would burst into tears if he refused.

Jiang Chu Ting lowered his eyes and smiled gently, “I like it very much.” He looked at the bracelet for a moment, then raised his eyes and said, “Thank you. I’ll wear it every day.” It was just that he was overthinking because of Pei Jing’s words. Lin Zhi always liked to mix words and didn’t care about the literal meaning. Giving him the bracelet was probably just a simple gesture.

Lin Zhi beamed with a smile, got up, squeezed next to him, and hugged his arm tightly, resting his head on his shoulder.

Lin Zhi said longingly, “Chu Ran, I wish I knew magic.”

“Why?”

“That way, I could turn into a bracelet and be with you all the time, seeing you, hearing you. Wouldn’t that be great?”

Jiang Chu Ting glanced at him sideways and couldn’t help but reach out to ruffle his hair.

This time, when he left, Lin Zhi didn’t bite his hand, just made him promise to think of him whenever he saw the bracelet. Jiang Chu Ting agreed.

Even though Jiang Chu Ting rushed back to Nine Heavens as fast as he could, it was already late at night. As he climbed the stairs, he saw two people sitting in the candle-lit front hall of the wooden house: Pei Jing and Wei Jia.

Wei Jia was the kind of kid who slept the most. Every night, before Jiang Chu Ting even went to bed, he would already be dreaming. There was no reason for him to still be awake at this hour, and his eyes were wide open like copper bells, looking ready for anything.

“Master, you’re finally back!” Wei Jia got up, wanting to rush to Jiang Chu Ting, who appeared at the door, but Pei Jing pulled him back to sit down. However, he wasn’t angry and excitedly said to Jiang Chu Ting, “I bet with my junior brother that I wouldn’t sleep while waiting for you. If you came back any later, I’d have lost fifty plates of pastries!!”

Pei Jing’s eyes were shadowed, and he curled his lips, his gaze as sharp as a sword, directly aimed at Jiang Chu Ting. He added nonchalantly, “Yes, not only would the pastries be gone, but you’d also sleep forever.”

Jiang Chu Ting walked in, and upon hearing this, his heart skipped a beat, and he paused. Pei Jing raised an eyebrow at him.

Wei Jia yawned widely, and Jiang Chu Ting said to him in a deep voice, “Wei Jia, go to sleep first.”

Wei Jia, oblivious, rubbed his eyes and said, “Master, junior brother, I’m going to sleep now.” He got up and ran back to his room.

As soon as Wei Jia left, Pei Jing suddenly stood up, walked around the table, and strode to Jiang Chu Ting, grabbing his arms. He scrutinized him with a devouring and probing gaze, as if checking for any clues or marks.

Jiang Chu Ting looked at the air with a cold expression.

Pei Jing said viciously, “You came back just in time. If you were any later, I would have snapped his neck!”

His once young and handsome face was now overshadowed by hostility, looking grim and terrifying. Jiang Chu Ting understood that Pei Jing wasn’t just trying to scare anyone.

From the moment he arrived at Nine Heavens, Pei Jing had shown a disregard for human life. Even though this person posed no threat to him and had lived with him for over two months, if he was unhappy, he would kill.

Jiang Chu Ting used his internal strength to shake off his hands, took a step back, and turned slightly, not looking at him. He said, “If I don’t comply with your wishes, who will you target next? My senior brother? Or the disciples of Nine Heavens? Are you going to kill them one by one to show me?”

Pei Jing approached him and said, “I can spare them and not force you, as long as you stay by my side and don’t see anyone else.”

Jiang Chu Ting couldn’t help but chuckle softly at his words, turning his eyes to look at him, “As long as I stay by your side and don’t see anyone else, isn’t that still forcing me?”

Pei Jing’s lips curled coldly, and he didn’t respond. Jiang Chu Ting remained calm, never shouting or being aggressive. He leisurely turned to the bookshelf, took out a book, and retrieved a folded piece of white paper from inside, then sat down at the wooden table.

This was the gift Pei Jing had given him when he became his master, saying it was a promise.

Jiang Chu Ting said, “Xiao Jiu, Master believes you still remember what this is, right?”

Pei Jing saw him unfold the white paper, his lips twitching hard. Before Jiang Chu Ting could roll up his sleeves and start writing, Pei Jing sneered, “Of course I remember, but don’t forget, Master, I said I’d agree to what I can do.” He emphasized each word, “But if you write that you want me to let you go, I absolutely can’t do it.”

Jiang Chu Ting knew his nature was so stubborn and obsessive, and he never hoped for these things from the start. In essence, this wasn’t a negotiation or bargaining; it was just about how far Pei Jing was willing to back down. If Pei Jing refused to agree to anything, he was powerless.

He simply wrote on the paper: Our matters should never involve others.

Pei Jing stepped closer, staring at the line of words, his expression changing unpredictably. Suddenly, he said, “The others you’re most worried about aren’t your senior brother, Wei Jia, or the disciples of Nine Heavens, but the person you went to see last night, right?”

Jiang Chu Ting knew he had taken Lin Zhi’s previous teasing words seriously. He put down the brush and sighed lightly, “He’s just like you, a child in my eyes. I have no emotional attachments, so you really don’t need to overthink.”

Since he said so, Pei Jing decisively said, “Fine, I promise you, I won’t involve others.” Then he added, his low voice carrying a strong sense of pressure, “But if you ever have anything with him, it means you broke the promise first. Then what I promised today won’t count.”

Pei Jing hadn’t paid any attention to the man Jiang Chu Ting met at the teahouse, but he couldn’t resist his hostility and vigilance towards Lin Zhi.

He could temporarily ignore others, but this person, he needed assurance to feel at ease.

Jiang Chu Ting believed he would never have anything with Lin Zhi, but he worried Pei Jing might use it as an excuse, so he didn’t speak for a moment.

Seeing this, Pei Jing walked over, knelt on one knee beside him, and softened his tone, “Master, as long as you can guarantee that you won’t develop feelings for your old friend’s son or be with him, then I will never break my word.”

The candlelight flickered, casting a gentle glow on Jiang Chu Ting’s face like warm jade. He pondered for a moment, then looked at Pei Jing and said, “Alright, I promise you.”