Chapter 185: Extra — Li Ji’s Story (Part 2)

“Are you for real? Giving a necklace as a gift and getting it thrown right back at you?”

After returning to the main palace following the banquet, Song Jin teased with a chuckle, “In your thirties and you’ve really never been in a relationship before, huh?”

Li Ji sat alone in a single armchair, resting his chin on his hand as he stared silently in frustration at the Sun God pendant in his palm.

Li Xiao took off his formal suit jacket, loosened his tie, and rolled up his sleeves as he brewed coffee, casually asking, “Who did you give the necklace to? Xi Lan?”

Li Ji replied, “No.”

“He just got dumped, so stop poking at his sore spots,” Song Jin sat down on the long sofa nearby, a wicked smile playing on his lips. “Which Omega has the nerve to throw away a gift given directly by the King himself?”

Setting aside the profound symbolic meaning of this pendant, its inherent value alone was astronomically high. To throw it around so casually showed just how remarkably ignorant that Omega must be.

Anyone eligible to attend today’s banquet wouldn’t come from a low background. Taking a step back, even if they truly didn’t understand the significance of the pendant, they shouldn’t have tossed aside something gifted by the King so carelessly.

Seeing Li Ji looking somewhat downcast, Li Xiao offered some comfort, “Perhaps it wasn’t tossed out intentionally, but lost by accident. You should have someone confirm it with him.”

Li Ji: “…It probably wasn’t lost.”

“Then that’s even stranger,” Song Jin accepted the dessert handed to him by Old Liu and took a bite. “You didn’t happen to set your eyes on some rebellious military student, attempting to rob the cradle, only to get kicked to the curb, did you?”

Li Ji: “…”

Clearly, it was the old bull who got kicked by the fresh grass.

Li Xiao placed the freshly brewed coffee in front of them himself. “How did you give it to him? Did you make yourself clear?”

Li Ji’s face darkened in displeasure. “I made it very clear.”

Noticing the shift in Li Ji’s expression, and knowing how tsundere and proud his older brother could be, Song Jin let out a smirk. “Your delivery method was definitely the problem.”

Li Xiao nodded in agreement.

Virtually all those Omegas had come with ulterior motives that night. Anyone who managed to receive his brother’s Sun God pendant should have been thrilled out of their minds!

With both of them pointing it out, Li Ji began to doubt whether he was indeed the problem.

But he had stated it so clearly, and Qing-ge knew exactly what giving that pendant meant. Returning it was a crystal-clear rejection, wasn’t it?

“Want me to teach you a few moves?” Song Jin asked.

Li Ji was puzzled. “Teach me what?”

“How to romance someone, of course.”

Song Jin smiled with supreme confidence. “I’ll give you a masterclass tutorial. Even if the Almighty Himself came down, you’d still be able to woo them with a one-hundred-percent success rate.”

Li Ji: “…”

Sounds completely unreliable.

Li Xiao: “…”

With your level of experience, you dare offer romance tutorials to others?

Song Jin patted the spot beside him and said to Li Xiao, “Tool-person, in position.”

“…” Li Xiao sat down beside Song Jin, wanting to see what absurd show he was going to put on.

Song Jin looked at Li Ji with utter seriousness. “Tomorrow, you ask them out. As soon as you step into the room, pin them against the wall and overwhelm them with your Alpha presence first.”

Li Ji: “…”

Li Xiao: “…”

Standing by as a spectator, Old Liu’s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm as he munched on the drama.

Song Jin dropped to one knee on the sofa, leaning over the back cushion as he cupped Li Xiao’s chin, looking down at him from above. “Then bring out your most dominant side. Remember, your eyes must look fierce, or else you won’t be able to intimidate an Omega brave enough to throw away your pendant. Once they’re thoroughly awed by you, you can deliver your lines.”

Li Ji listened in absolute bewilderment. “What lines?”

Song Jin gazed at Li Xiao, his eyes narrowing slightly as he instantly switched into predator mode.

“You teasing little vixen, do you have any idea you’re playing with fire? Being favored by me is your good fortune—and yet you dare to throw away a gift I gave you, hmm?”

Li Ji: “…”

Old Liu: “…”

Li Xiao: “…”

What kind of trashy literature did this kid sneakily read this time?

Song Jin lightly stroked Li Xiao’s jawline, his expression cold and stern. “If throwing away the pendant was meant to catch my attention, then let me tell you—you’ve succeeded.”

“You will never find an Alpha more exceptional than me. Got it?”

Song Jin leaned in close to Li Xiao’s ear, lowering his voice, “No one dares to refuse me. Tell me, what is it that you want?”

Li Ji: “…”

Even if the Almighty Himself came down, He’d be disgusted enough to lose His appetite for three days.

Old Liu bit his lower lip, trying with all his might to keep a straight face and not burst out laughing.

How on earth could the Consort deliver these lines with a straight face without breaking character?

Li Xiao: “…”

The dialogue is cringe-inducing, but coming out of this little lion’s mouth, it’s dangerously cute.

Just as Song Jin was about to turn around to lecture Li Ji, a soft chuckle reached his ears from Li Xiao.

Li Xiao reached out, resting his hand against the back of Song Jin’s neck. Leaning into his ear, he answered in an equally deep, deadpan tone, “I want you.”

“See? Wooing someone is as easy as pie,” Song Jin hummed triumphantly, turning to Li Ji. “Using my method, you’ll tame them into submission in no time—”

Before he could finish his sentence, Song Jin was suddenly pinned down and kissed by Li Xiao.

Li Xiao knew his sensitive spots all too well. Song Jin let out a muffled groan as his entire body melted under the kiss. Once he snapped back to his senses, he launched a furious counterattack.

Li Ji, who had been watching Song Jin’s “tutorial” as a comedy show: “…”

Sensing the sudden drop in air pressure around the room, Old Liu stole a glance at Li Ji.

Having just been dumped, only to get hit right in the face with a PDA display by a young couple… His Majesty is truly miserable.

Seeing the young couple kissing as if no one else existed, with zero intention of stopping, Li Ji pocketed the pendant, stood up, and walked away. In that moment, he felt the deep, agonizing truth of the saying: If you want something done right, do it yourself.

The day after the banquet, at noon, Yan Qing finished processing all return procedures and went back to his temporary quarters to confirm the status of the students with the class instructors.

Before departure, palace attendants arrived to deliver return gifts from the victory banquet to the teachers and students.

“Director Yan, this one is yours.”

Da Xi handed the bag into Yan Qing’s hands, saying with a bright smile, “Thank you for your hard work.”

Yan Qing smiled gently. “It was my duty. Thank you for the trouble.”

His schedule was so packed that right up until boarding the transport ship back to the military academy, Yan Qing never found an opportunity to apologize to Li Ji.

Given his current status, it was already difficult for him to come into contact with the King. Yesterday had merely been an exception.

After boarding the transport, Yan Qing personally verified every student’s situation before finally returning to his rest cabin.

Three other Omega teachers were sitting in the lounge area, eating snacks and chatting. Seeing Yan Qing walk in, a teaching assistant wearing round glasses smiled and said, “Director, the desserts sent by the palace this time are delicious.”

“There are even desserts?”

Yan Qing let out a soft laugh. He retrieved his own portion, sat among them, and casually opened it. Sure enough, besides the usual items, there were six individually wrapped pastries that looked exquisite.

“Huh? The Director’s portion looks different from ours,” the assistant with round glasses leaned in for a closer look.

The other two teachers leaned over to inspect the four boxes as well.

“It really is! Maybe it’s distributed according to rank?”

“What’s that pure black one? The box looks so high-end—it must taste amazing.”

The desserts everyone else received were in transparent packaging, but inside Yan Qing’s box, there was one item packed in a black velvet box.

Under the eager encouragement of the three teachers, Yan Qing picked up that specific box first and opened it.

Lying inside was no delicious dessert, but rather the dazzling, eye-blinding Sun God pendant.

Yan Qing’s brow twitched violently as he slammed the lid shut.

The three other teachers only caught a brief flash of something gold and shining before the box was snapped shut before they could make it out. Seeing Yan Qing looking so flustered, they were thoroughly baffled.

“W-What is it?”

“Is it alive?”

“It’s not some biting pet like a crab, is it?”

“It says inside that no one other than myself is allowed to see it,” Yan Qing put the box back into his bag. “Apologies, I’ll have to enjoy this one alone at home.”

The three teachers naturally didn’t believe him, assuming he was just joking and teasing them.

Late at night, inside the military academy’s faculty dormitory.

Yan Qing was curled up on the sofa, staring intently at the Sun God pendant in his hand.

The first time could be excused as an intentional act of anger, but what about this time?

No matter how reckless Li Ji could be, he wouldn’t give something like this away at random. Was he confident because he believed Yan Qing wouldn’t dispose of the pendant carelessly?

Or was it because Yan Qing had only sent the special assistant to return it without offering a personal apology, leading Li Ji to pout and stubbornly dig his heels in?

After pondering it all night without an answer, Yan Qing downed the remaining half-glass of wine in one gulp, set the glass down, and returned to his bedroom.

As the Director of Academic Affairs, teaching made up only a small fraction of Yan Qing’s daily workload—at most three classes a week.

On Tuesday afternoon after class ended, Yan Qing called out to Jiang Hao, and the two walked out together. “Are you going home this week?”

Jiang Hao nodded. “Yes.”

Yan Qing motioned for Jiang Hao to get into his car, pulled the small black box from the storage compartment, and handed it over. “This is something His Majesty lost. I didn’t get a chance to return it to him at the banquet last time. Please hand it to your father and ask him to help bring it into the palace.”

Jiang Hao accepted it. “Okay.”

Capital Planet.

On Monday, Li Ji summoned a group of ministers for a routine meeting.

After the meeting, the Director of the Intelligence Bureau, Yi Anhe, visited the King’s office to report on confidential intelligence. Once finished, he handed the black box over to Old Liu, looked at Li Ji, and said respectfully, “This was handed to me by Director Yan Qing of the military academy to pass along to you.”

Old Liu’s eyelid twitched. Seeing Li Ji’s face darken out of the corner of his eye, he instantly felt a surge of foreboding.

“Understood.”

Li Ji kept his head down, looking at his documents with a lukewarm tone. “Leave it there.”

Yi Anhe nodded, turning to leave.

“Did he say anything?” Li Ji asked without even raising his head.

Yi Anhe replied, “My youngest child only mentioned that it was something you had lost.”

Old Liu observed Li Ji’s expression, cautiously opening the box to steal a peek. Sure enough, it was the Sun God pendant. He let out a deep sigh in his heart.

Old Yan, oh Old Yan… who are you trying to torture here?

Once Yi Anhe left, Old Liu built up his psychological resolve, offering a polite smile to Li Ji, “Your Majesty, the pendant happens to be due for maintenance. I’ll send it right over—”

“Maintain what?”

Li Ji let out a cold snort. “It’s an unwanted piece of trash. Just throw it away and be done with it.”

Old Liu: “…”

Li Ji was so angry he refused to wear it again. Old Liu was anxious, but there was nothing he could do.

On Wednesday morning, Old Liu gave his routine report to Li Ji regarding the upcoming schedule.

“On Friday evening at seven, there is a cocktail party at the Xilu Ancient Castle—”

The moment he heard “cocktail party,” Li Ji’s head began to throb again. The thought of dealing with another crowd of Omegas made him raise his hand to interrupt Old Liu, “Where’s the pendant? Is the maintenance finished?”

“The maintenance is already complete,” Old Liu’s eyes flickered.

Had His Majesty come to his senses? Was he preparing to shake off his heartbreak and throw himself back into the matchmaking mission?

Li Ji ordered, “Have an agent from the Intelligence Bureau deliver it to Yan Qing.”

Old Liu: “…Ah?”

Li Ji: “Deliver it until he accepts it.”

Old Liu: “…”

You really are something else.

Friday, First Military Academy.

Yan Qing finished his remaining work and packed his things to head off duty.

A knock sounded at the door. Yan Qing casually called out, “Come in.”

The beta teaching assistant with round glasses walked into the office, placing a gift box on Yan Qing’s desk. “Director, here’s a package for you. It was delivered by drone.”

Yan Qing glanced at the packaging. Recognizing it as coming from Tianjiang-zuo, he assumed it was historical data sent by the principal of Imperial University, and casually unpacked it.

Inside the box was another small box, and inside that small box was an even smaller box.

After opening seven nested boxes in a row, the watching assistant’s eyelids twitched violently.

“Is someone playing a prank on you?”

Unpacking to the very end, sure enough, it was that familiar black box.

Yan Qing: “…”

Since Jiang Hao went home every week, Yan Qing simply had him take the pendant back once again.

On Wednesday, while Yan Qing was walking down the path with a few students asking him questions, a drone descended in front of him. A line of text popped up on its virtual screen:

【Mr. Yan Qing, you have a package that requires your personal signature.】

The drone’s hatch opened, extending a small black box.

Yan Qing: “…”

In the second week, on Thursday, Yan Qing opened his car door after work to head to the dining hall, only to spot a black box resting right beside the gear stick.

Yan Qing: “…”

In the third week, on Friday, Yan Qing’s noon meeting ran late. He asked his assistant to order a bento for him and sat down with a group of teachers. Opening the lid, he saw a black box resting right in the compartment meant for after-dinner dessert.

Yan Qing: “…”

He’s really digging his heels in this time.

That night, after finishing his lesson plans, Yan Qing picked up the black box and studied it for a long while.

“If it manages to find its way back to me next time…”

However, after sending it back this time, two whole weeks passed without any movement. Yan Qing couldn’t tell whether he felt relieved, disappointed, or a mix of both.

The realization that he had unconsciously begun to long for something that shouldn’t belong to him filled him with helpless resignation.

It’s just returning to how life used to be. In a few days, this restless emotion will settle down.

Capital Planet, Danse Palace.

Having received the Sun God pendant back yet again, Li Ji was too furious to speak. He cleared his weekend schedule, instructed Old Liu to cancel this week’s matchmaking party, and arranged a transport ship to leave the palace.

Seeing Li Ji in such a terrible mood, Old Liu offered comforting words, “Going out to clear your head is good too. Is there anywhere you’d like to go?”

Li Ji said with a sour face, “To the military academy, to settle accounts with Yan Qing.”

Old Liu: “…”

There was a time difference between District 1 of Capital Planet and the Military Academy. When Li Ji arrived at the military academy, it was four o’clock on Friday afternoon, and some students had not yet been dismissed.

Li Ji traveled in plain clothes without a large retinue. After stepping off the transport ship, he headed straight toward the Academic Affairs Department.

Old Liu parked the car in the lot beside the Academic Affairs Department. From a distance, he saw Yan Qing emerging from the entrance alongside another Alpha.

The Alpha was around the same age as Yan Qing, slightly taller, with a gentle and upright face. He was considered handsome among ordinary people. Both were dressed in the military uniforms of the teaching faculty, looking surprisingly well-matched as they walked together.

Old Liu’s scalp went numb. He stole a glance in the rearview mirror—sure enough, Li Ji in the back seat was staring in that direction, his expression completely dark.

Having an heirloom repeatedly returned, only to see him laughing and talking with some random Alpha—who wouldn’t get furious over that?

Over on the walkway, Yan Qing walked beneath the garden arcade alongside his colleague.

This Alpha was the new Director of Academic Affairs who had replaced Xiang Hong. Although he had been in the role for a year, he still required guidance from Yan Qing regarding certain administrative duties. Fortunately, the Alpha was humble enough, performing well in all aspects of his work.

After wrapping up official matters, the Alpha said with a bit of embarrassment, “I’m always causing trouble for you.”

Yan Qing replied, “It’s what I should do.”

Recalling the rumors that Yan Qing was looking for a partner, the Alpha plucked up his courage to ask, “I heard from the students that Restaurant No. 99 released some new dishes that are pretty good. Would you like to grab a meal together?”

Alarm bells rang in Yan Qing’s heart.

Here it comes.

An invitation with “ulterior motives” like this was extremely easy to see through.

If it were merely to thank him with a meal, he wouldn’t act so fidgety and nervous.

Yan Qing wasn’t particularly averse to socializing, but he preferred to pass on invitations with clear underlying motives.

“I already have dinner plans with some students,” Yan Qing responded with a polite smile.

The Alpha looked somewhat disappointed, forcing a slight smile. “Then are you free tonight? How about playing a game of tennis together?”

Aside from working overtime, Yan Qing basically spent a few hours exercising every day, getting along well with the instructor group.

The training hall was always crowded, so it wouldn’t turn into a private two-person date.

To refuse again would be too obvious. Just as Yan Qing was deliberating whether to accept, he caught sight of a tall Alpha walking toward them from further up the arcade out of the corner of his eye. He couldn’t help but look twice—unprepared to find that it was actually Li Ji.

The man wore a long black trench coat, devoid of his usual luxurious accessories, retaining only a unique row of ear studs on his ears.

Without accessories to distract attention, his naturally gorgeous looks became the absolute focal point.

Yan Qing hadn’t seen Li Ji in casual clothes for many years, leaving him briefly dazed.

In the blink of an eye, over a decade had passed. The cheerful boy from his memories had weathered countless massive changes, growing into an emperor taller and far more mature than himself.

“Playing tennis, huh?”

Li Ji walked up to them, speaking in a lukewarm tone. “I happen to like playing tennis too. It just so happens I haven’t exercised in a while. Mind if I join?”

Yan Qing: “…”

The Alpha was terrified the moment he recognized Li Ji.

“Y-Your Majesty, joining us?”

The Alpha looked at Li Ji, then at Yan Qing, thoroughly bewildered.

Why would His Majesty suddenly appear, and why on earth would he want to play tennis with him?! Is he hallucinating from sheer nerves?!

“It’s only four o’clock, too early for dinner. Let’s play a match first,” Li Ji looked at the Alpha. “You and I play, he referee.”

Alpha: “…???”

What is going on?!

The moment the teachers and students inside the training hall realized Li Ji had arrived, news spread like wildfire across various group chats.

“What?! His Majesty came to our military academy to play tennis?!”

“I’m on my way! Which training hall is it? I’m skipping class just to watch!”

“FG866K Zone Tennis Hall! His Majesty versus the First-Year Academic Director—it’s starting right now!”

Not long after Li Ji and the other two arrived, all eight floors of the venue were packed with spectating teachers and students.

The scene was genuinely overwhelming. The First-Year Academic Director was sweating profusely from anxiety. Taking advantage of the brief prep time, he whispered secretly to Yan Qing, “Director Yan, do you think I should let His Majesty win?”

Suddenly thrown into a match against the King without any mental preparation—if he actually won, would his career come to a sudden end?

Yan Qing looked over at Li Ji, who was glaring in his direction, and said softly, “I strongly advise you not to.”

The First-Year Director pressed in confusion, “Why? Wouldn’t winning offend His Majesty?”

Yan Qing offered a gentle smile. “No, it won’t. Just play at your normal level.”

Watching the two of them whisper to each other, Li Ji felt increasingly annoyed. Taking off his trench coat, he had originally intended to hand it to Old Liu, but shifted his hand at the last second to throw it to Yan Qing instead. “Hold this for me.”

Yan Qing caught it. Because his sense of smell was extraordinarily keen, he was instantly enveloped by the pheromones clinging to the fabric, causing his heart to skip a beat against his control.

The First-Year Director stepped onto the court with a hardened heart, quickly realizing what Yan Qing meant by “just play at your normal level.”

Forget holding back—he couldn’t even beat Li Ji while playing at full capacity!

He couldn’t return the serves at all. Not a single ball!

Half an hour later, the First-Year Director stepped off the court with a completely shattered mindset. He couldn’t tell if it was just his imagination, but he felt a strange, inexplicable hostility directed at him from His Majesty.

Was he about to lose his job?!

Half an hour wasn’t even enough for Li Ji to warm up properly. Handing his tennis racket to Old Liu, he took his trench coat back from Yan Qing. “Let’s go. Time to eat.”

Yan Qing turned to nod a polite farewell to the First-Year Director before following behind Li Ji.

He left the First-Year Director standing alone on the court, thoroughly questioning his life choices.

Zhao De from the instructor team walked over, patted his shoulder, and offered words of comfort, “Losing to His Majesty is only natural.”

The First-Year Director looked ready to burst into tears. “…Is His Majesty really that strong?”

Zhao De rubbed his chin and said seriously, “His Majesty was an all-around decathlon champion during his student days. From enrollment to graduation, he never encountered a worthy rival.”

First-Year Director: “…”

Zhao De added, “By the way, His Majesty enrolled at sixteen, graduated at eighteen to inherit the throne, and went on study tours abroad in between. He was actually on campus for only one year total.”

First-Year Director: “…”

Li Ji hadn’t planned any itinerary. Stepping out of the training hall, he originally intended to find a nearby restaurant to eat, but seeing crowd after crowd of spectating students everywhere, he motioned for Old Liu to contact the academy to clear out a restaurant.

Yan Qing spoke up to stop him, “It’s not very polite to kick out students who are halfway through their meal.”

Li Ji looked over at him. “Then we eat outside?”

“If it causes a commotion outside, that wouldn’t be good either. How about…” Yan Qing asked tentatively, “we go to my place, and I’ll cook for you?”

Hearing the first half of the sentence, Li Ji had knit his brows in displeasure, but upon hearing the second half, his furrowed brow subtly relaxed.

“Where is your place?”

“Not far. Let’s go,” Yan Qing led them toward the parking lot.

Taking two steps forward, Li Ji shot a glare at Old Liu from an angle Yan Qing couldn’t see.

Old Liu froze, catching the hint instantly. He said to Yan Qing, “Director Yan, I still have work assigned by His Majesty to handle. I’ll leave His Majesty in your care.”

Yan Qing nodded. “Go ahead and attend to your work.”

Getting into Yan Qing’s car, Li Ji buckled his seatbelt in the passenger seat and asked offhandedly, “You don’t usually live in the faculty dormitory?”

The housing conditions provided by the military academy for teachers were excellent. A Director-level faculty member like Yan Qing could live in a private villa.

Yan Qing started the vehicle and drove out. “I live in the dorms, I don’t come back here often.”

Since Yan Qing lived alone, it made no difference where he stayed. In the past, however, to investigate the Meng family’s affairs, he had specifically bought an apartment outside to prevent his movements from being tracked by Meng family members hiding in the shadows.

The apartment wasn’t large—four bedrooms and two living rooms. The interior design was extremely minimalistic, so spotless that it lacked any trace of lived-in warmth.

Li Ji looked around the space, coming to understand what Yan Qing meant by “don’t come back here often.” The house was cleaner than if it had been swept clean by thieves.

With Li Ji present, Yan Qing chose to order groceries online. “What do you want to eat?”

Li Ji walked over to the wall lined with bookshelves, his gaze rapidly scanning the rows of worn reference books. He pulled one out at random to flip through. “I’ll eat whatever you know how to make.”

Yan Qing let out a soft laugh, quickly checking off items on the ordering app. “You sure are easy to feed.”

Li Ji remarked, “Since I’m so easy to feed, why didn’t you want me?”

The smile on Yan Qing’s lips froze.

“What do you mean, didn’t want you?”

Li Ji flipped through the book with an air of indifference. “Compared to me, do you prefer that kind of greasy middle-aged man? Where did your taste in people go?”

Yan Qing: “…”

Greasy middle-aged man.

The groceries were delivered swiftly by drone.

Li Ji sat on the sofa in front of the bookshelf, but his gaze remained glued to Yan Qing, who was busy working in the kitchen. He hadn’t turned a single page of the book in his hands for a long time.

This utterly ordinary, everyday scene made him involuntarily recall all the beautiful memories of his youth.

Both parents had been alive and well, his younger brother would adorably follow him around, and that gorgeous, learned Omega brother who stood beside his father managed everything flawlessly. There was never anything for Li Ji to worry about; they had endless topics to talk about, as if any problem could find an answer from him.

He had once believed those days would last forever.

Even though there were only two people eating, Yan Qing prepared a full table of dishes.

Li Ji was somewhat surprised, pulling out a dining chair to sit down. “Don’t tell me you usually cook like this when you’re alone.”

Yan Qing poured him a cup of clear sake. “I never cook when I’m alone.”

Li Ji took a sip from his cup. “Plum blossom wine?”

Yan Qing replied, “Mm, I brewed it myself. How is it?”

Li Ji remarked, “The taste is very crisp, but the alcohol content isn’t low. Trying to get me drunk?”

Yan Qing let out a soft laugh. “Are you scared?”

Li Ji asked, “So you really want to get me drunk?”

Yan Qing said, “I’ll tell you after you’re drunk.”

Li Ji: “…”

Yan Qing didn’t know if Li Ji’s tastes had changed over time, worrying that he might not enjoy the food. In the end, Li Ji devoured three whole bowls of rice, only setting down his chopsticks reluctantly after Yan Qing stepped in to stop him.

Li Ji sipped his tea to cleanse his palate. “Make less next time.”

Next time…

Yan Qing stole a subtle glance at him.

Did that phrasing mean he intended to visit again in the future?

Li Ji originally wanted to help Yan Qing clean up, but Old Liu sent a communication with terrible timing, stating that there were several urgent approval documents requiring his attention.

Yan Qing said, “It’s just a few plates, I can handle it. The study is on the left.”

Seeing that the documents pertained to the investigation of modified humans, Li Ji had no choice but to head into the study.

Once in work mode, Li Ji became completely immersed.

He habitually picked up the teacup to take a sip, only realizing the difference after tasting it.

It wasn’t the brand he usually drank, but it was a flavor he loved.

Ever since the old days, he had always felt that staying by Yan Qing’s side was like soaking in warm water—deeply comforting, allowing him to relax completely.

By the time he finished processing the last piece of work, Li Ji glanced at the time to find it was already past eleven at night. Standing up to walk out, he saw Yan Qing working at a desk on one side of the small hall.

Hearing footsteps, Yan Qing turned his head. “Finished?”

Li Ji replied, “Mm. Sorry for hogging your study.”

“It doesn’t matter, I didn’t have anything urgent anyway,” Yan Qing looked at the time. “It’s getting late. Where are you staying tonight? Should I drive you over?”

Li Ji lied with a straight face, “No arrangements made.”

Yan Qing rested his chin on his hand, looking at him. “Do you want to stay at my place?”

Li Ji feigned indifference. “Either way works.”

Yan Qing stood up. “Then go take a shower first. I’ll go make the bed.”

Li Ji’s heart fluttered, his steps practically floating on air. During his shower, his mind was racing with all sorts of wild thoughts.

Ten minutes later, he found himself lying alone on the guest bedroom bed, staring lonely at the ceiling, utterly disappointed.

Sleeping in the guest room…

And what is with this lethally cold room temperature? It’s freezing.

Li Ji huddled beneath the thin blanket, shivering uncontrollably. Unable to bear it any longer, he got up to inspect the indoor climate control panel. The temperature display read 5°C, and the touch panel was completely unresponsive—whether it was broken or locked, it didn’t react at all.

“Just how long has this gone unused…”

Li Ji switched to the system’s backend, intending to check the cause of the glitch. Suddenly, his fingers paused, a thoughtful look dawning on his face.

The living hall was plunged in darkness, save for two breathing nightlights in the corner blinking slowly.

Li Ji crossed the living room to the master bedroom door, finding it standing half-ajar. He raised his hand and knocked three times. “Qing-ge, are you asleep?”

Silence reigned both inside and outside the room; no one answered.

Li Ji pushed the door open and stepped inside. Yan Qing was lying on his side on the large bed with his back turned toward the door, appearing to be fast asleep.

“Qing-ge?”

Li Ji walked to the bedside, leaning down to pat Yan Qing gently. “Asleep?”

The only response he received was the sound of steady, even breathing.

Li Ji lowered his voice, “If you don’t wake up, I’m going to proceed according to my own intentions, alright?”

Yan Qing maintained his breathing pattern, continuing to feign sleep. He could feel the person behind him standing extremely close, catching the scent of Li Ji’s distinct pheromones with every breath, making his heart race uncontrollably.

Soon, he felt the blanket being lifted. He quietly tightened his grip on the edge of the blanket, feeling a sudden surge of nervousness.

In the next moment, the entire blanket was dragged away by Li Ji.

Yan Qing: “…”

Li Ji, feeling immensely thoughtful, adjusted the master bedroom’s temperature to 5°C, hugging the stolen blanket as he left with deep satisfaction.

Listening to the fading footsteps, Yan Qing opened his eyes. Sitting up from the unbearable cold, he glanced at the climate control screen and let out a soft curse under his breath.

That brat… he’s still as childish as he used to be. Hasn’t changed one bit.