Chapter 452: Day 17 into the Farming Story

Chapter 452: Day 17 in the Farming Story

Once the name left his lips, Di Qingji felt that peculiar sensation in his heart melt away, replaced by a warmer, more familiar kind of joy.

It was as if the polite, distant veil between them had been completely swept away by this back-and-forth of names.

"An Yi, besides reading and tasting tea, do you have any other hobbies?" Di Qingji smoothly changed the subject, as if that little pause had never happened.

"I see that flower bed in your yard is sitting unused, the dirt all packed down. If you like messing around with plants, next time I get back from a run down south, I could bring you some flower seeds from down there? It's warm and damp down there, with all kinds of plants—some are pretty rare up here, with weird colors and shapes."

An Yi smiled too: "I'll just plant whatever, no need to go out of your way. With plants, I just let things do their thing."

"What's the big deal? It's just for fun." Di Qingji laughed, his tone light: "Whether they live or what they bloom into is all up to fate. I've been all over—I won't brag, but I've seen a lot of weird stuff. Next time I see something that fits, something you might like, I'll bring it back for you, like..."

He paused, turning to look at An Yi, his eyes bright and his smile carrying delight: "You know, just a normal thing between good friends—when you see something cool, you think of grabbing one for the other, right?" He put a little extra weight on "good friends," with a natural, easy intimacy.

An Yi couldn't help but smile at that: "Then thanks in advance, good friend."

Di Qingji blinked, then burst out laughing. He lifted his hand like he was going to pat An Yi's shoulder, but stopped halfway and rubbed the back of his neck instead:

"Hahaha, that's right! Good friend!"

They strolled a bit longer, chatting about nothing important—from the fall weather to the new theater troupe in town, from the short escort job Di Qingji had coming up to some random book An Yi had been reading.

Before they knew it, it was time to say goodbye.

"Let's stop here." An Yi spoke, his voice gentle: "I should head back."

Di Qingji pushed down the little ache in his chest and nodded: "Alright, then... I'll get going. An Yi, you should head home and rest too."

"Alright." An Yi replied, giving him a slight smile: "Goodbye."

Di Qingji gave An Yi a long look, then cupped his fists, turned, and walked off quickly toward the escort agency.

A few steps later, he couldn't help glancing back.

An Yi seemed to feel his eyes on him and turned too, nodding at him, that soft smile still at the corner of his mouth.

Di Qingji's heart felt like something had knocked into it—soft and aching.

He waved hard, then finally turned all the way around, didn't look back, and sped up as he left.

Di Qingji walked, thinking.

He figured he probably... really did like being around An Yi.

It wasn't just because An Yi was drop-dead gorgeous and had that otherworldly air that could make anyone do a double take.

It was also that weird vibe that made him feel so happy and calm.

An Yi was like a deep, still lake—calm on the surface, reflecting the sky and clouds, clear to the bottom, but impossible to fathom.

And he was like a creek that never stopped rushing, cutting through rocks and rapids, carrying all the dust and noise of the road.

Being near An Yi, it felt like all the restlessness, wariness, and tiredness in his soul could finally settle and wash clean.

This urge to get closer, to know him more, to spend more time with him, even... to keep this peace and specialness all to himself—it was so unfamiliar, yet so sharp and strong as it hit his heart.

Di Qingji thought... This must be what a soulmate is!

A slow smile spread across Di Qingji's lips. He looked up at the sky—time to head back to the agency. Master Yang and the guys were probably still waiting for him to check in about the iron goods.

Maybe... as he walked toward the agency, his mind was already spinning.

Maybe he should think hard about what excuse—something that wouldn't seem too forced or random—he could use to come see An Yi again.

Di Qingji's steps got lighter and lighter as he started seriously mulling over this "reason to meet again" with a kind of sweet, worried feeling.

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Autumn—time itself seemed to catch the season's laziness, moving extra slow.

The old tree in the yard had fewer leaves than a few days ago, drifting onto the stone path, piling up in a thin layer.

An Yi put down the book in his hand, walked to the tree, bent down, and picked up a leaf that was still in good shape.

The edges of the leaf were already a brilliant gold, with a little green still left near the stem.

Sunlight shone through the leaf's thin skin, almost showing its fine veins.

He ran his fingertip over the crisscrossing veins—cool and dry to the touch.

He went back to the bamboo chair by the window and tucked the fresh leaf into the book he'd been reading, then shut it.

Then he picked up another travel book from the little side table, one he hadn't finished yesterday.

When he opened it, a dried ginkgo leaf was tucked between the pages as a bookmark.

He sat in the bamboo chair and opened the book on his lap.

Sunlight came through the window paper, through the diamond lattice, dancing across the words.

Comment section:

"Hahahaha, I'm dead! Liu Geer called Fu Cong a dummy and he turned into a total idiot!"

"Liu Geer: Dummy~ Fu Cong: soul leaves body.jpg"

"Ooh! Is this what flirting looks like?"

"The strongest memory I have of the 'dummy' nickname is this: (pointy-faced monkey cheeks, thunder-god face, fat head with big ears.jpg)"

"Don't kill the vibe!"

"Whoa! Fu Cong walked in on Liu Geer bathing! (so exciting.jpg)"

"What's wrong with you? Huh? Fu Cong! Are you really a decent guy? You catch a guy bathing, your face goes red, you stutter an apology but you just won't leave, huh?"

"He did turn around, didn't he?! (smirk.jpg)"

"Fu Cong, your future wife is something else! So bold! Just standing up like that!"

"A good man doesn't cheat! A good guy doesn't either!"

"Hahahaha, Liu Geer chucked his towel and it landed right on Fu Cong's head!"

"Fu Cong: What hit him first wasn't the water—it was Liu Geer's scent!"

"Liu Geer actually kissed Fu Cong's cheek!"

"Oh my god! Things are moving that fast?!"

【Fu Cong, that idiot, can only say "No, no, that's not proper..." but his hands aren't pushing Liu Geer away.】

"He's all talk—his mouth says no, but his body's saying yes! Classic hypocrite!"

"Oh, Fu Cong proposed, alright then."

"The mood's totally there, but no steamy scene? @Author, you're dropping the ball!"

"@Author, you're dropping the ball!"

"It's fine, even without the steamy scene, I enjoyed it... Keep it up, big bro writer (?)"

"..."