Su Pu had walked for a long time.
So long that Li Jichuan had finished his work, even looked up Pavlov’s dogs and their conditioned responses.
cough cough, he wasn’t a dog!
But thinking of Su Pu still made him genuinely happy.
The competition had officially ended. The organizers cleared the venue, and Li Jichuan and Anderson had to move toward the main exit.
Night had fully fallen. Stars glimmered on the horizon, slowly drifting above them.
Anderson, tired, pouted. “You think we’re being played? Su Pu’s already won second place in this huge competition… he could totally ditch you now!”
Li Jichuan chuckled lightly, agreeing, “Could be…”
Then he shook his head, correcting himself, “But Su Pu wouldn’t do that.”
Anderson shivered, “Shut up!”
Li Jichuan stared at the bracelet on his wrist.
Su Pu will come back—he always comes back.
Finally, footsteps echoed across the empty parking lot. Su Pu, carried by the autumn wind, strode straight toward them.
“Slow down, what’s the rush?”
Li Jichuan maneuvered the wheelchair, closing the distance between them.
Anderson felt completely left out, his envy visible in the set of his shoulders.
Su Pu had run a long way, cheeks flushed, sweat evaporating in the cool night like wisps of steam.
At last, they met in the middle of the empty lot. Su Pu wanted to type, but his hands and arms felt weak.
Instead, he plopped down in front of Li Jichuan’s wheelchair.
Seeing him so exhausted for the first time, Li Jichuan was struck—more than surprise, it was concern. He quickly reached out, wiping the sweat from Su Pu’s brow.
After a long moment, Su Pu finally typed:
[Traffic in the city was terrible. I couldn’t get a car. I took the subway nearby and rushed to meet you.]
Li Jichuan frowned. “Why the rush? Why not just go home first?”
Su Pu shook his head, wiping sweat from his forehead and his damp hands on his clothes.
Then, with solemn devotion, he pulled a flat box from his backpack.
Li Jichuan’s mind stirred. “This is…?”
Su Pu opened the box. Inside lay a jade bracelet.
Expensive, high-quality jade—genuine without doubt.
He smiled, a youthful, fearless grin, and without hesitation, slid the bracelet onto Li Jichuan’s wrist.
Every second felt urgent, as if the night itself were too slow.
For the person he loved, he wanted to give the truest, the best in the world… Though he couldn’t afford the store’s most expensive piece, this was the utmost of his ability.
“Your prize money…” Li Jichuan slowly realized what had happened.
After all the effort preparing for the competition, after winning, he had taken his prize and bought this for him?
Was he crazy?
“You already gave me a bracelet, didn’t you?” Li Jichuan shook the other bracelet on his wrist. “Wasn’t that from your mother?”
Su Pu shook his head, smiling sheepishly, and typed:
[That one was fake. This one is real.]
“Who cares if it’s real or fake?” Li Jichuan said, slightly flustered. He didn’t care about the object itself.
What mattered was that Su Pu had given him the keepsake his mother left him. Its value was incomparable.
[You must wear it well!]
Su Pu looked completely earnest.
[My husband deserves the best!]
…Even if this wasn’t technically the “best,” the little mute pouted indignantly.
Seeing the words “my husband”, Li Jichuan immediately stopped arguing.
Fine. If he was now “the husband,” he should wear the gift, whatever it was.
Seeing him accept it, Su Pu relaxed, then got up to remove the fake bracelet.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
Li Jichuan pulled back slightly. “It’s someone else’s… you want it back?”
Su Pu hurriedly shook his head: [It’s fake!]
Li Jichuan looked at him. Didn’t he get it? True or false didn’t matter. What was given was real.
“Then I’ll keep it too…” Li Jichuan hid the bracelet behind his back, pressed it against the wheelchair’s backrest—no matter how Su Pu tugged, he couldn’t retrieve it.
“Did you spend all your prize money on this?”
Li Jichuan examined the bracelet. Judging by its quality, it was worth more than thirty thousand yuan…
Su Pu nodded.
Fifteen thousand came from the prize, and he had added fifty thousand from his savings.
Before moving into Li Jichuan’s apartment, he had endured living alone in a small cramped room, scrimping to save enough for his own small place.
Now, with a warm home and loving people around him, there was nowhere he felt more at home.
So, using his “little home fund” to buy a bracelet for the person he loved, and earn his genuine smile—why not?
This had been part of the reason Su Pu had agreed to enter the competition. He initially aimed for a store voucher for participation, which could get a 5% discount on the bracelet.
But in the end, he won second place, exceeding expectations, and could afford a better gift.
So many good things had happened in one day!
Li Jichuan stared at the bracelet, a pang of emotion stirring.
Su Pu was so thoughtful, so devoted—if his awful father had married him off to someone else, would he treat that “husband” so well?
Impossible!
Jealousy flared up inside him, hot and uncontrollable.
He wanted to monopolize Su Pu—his cuteness, earnestness, purity, obsession, and clumsiness.
Including everything he had been and would be, the voice he lost, the pain he swallowed, the loneliness he endured, the sleepless nights.
Li Jichuan wanted to become an impenetrable dome, shielding Su Pu inside, giving him warm sun, cloudless skies, and a rose field that would never fade…
As long as Su Pu never left his side.
Anderson stepped forward cautiously, interrupting the moment.
“Uh… you two can talk at home, right? No need to do it here—like you’ll share the same blanket tonight or something…”
Su Pu blushed furiously, stood, and typed:
[Can I go to the bathroom for a moment, sorry…]
Anderson chuckled. “Don’t be so formal, go ahead—we’ll wait here.”
Given permission, Su Pu dashed off to the bathroom.
“Slow down, I’m waiting…” Li Jichuan’s voice followed his retreating figure.
After he left, the parking lot fell quiet.
Anderson deliberately didn’t speak; he didn’t want to hear Li Jichuan say anything sweet or teasing.
“…Actually…” Li Jichuan spoke anyway.
“What?” Anderson hadn’t reacted in time.
Li Jichuan toyed with the new bracelet on his wrist—it fit perfectly. He probably measured Su Pu’s wrist secretly.
Exhaling slowly, Li Jichuan spoke in a low voice:
“You ask if I’m serious about Su Pu? No.”
Anderson tilted his head. “Huh?”
“I wasn’t becoming serious with him. From the very beginning, I never intended to be careless with him. I was serious from the start…”
“Maybe, from the moment that fake bracelet was on my wrist, everything became real.”
“I’ve always been serious.”
Li Jichuan finally faced his own heart.
Su Pu loved him—so what? He wanted Su Pu to love him, but feared he wouldn’t.
A truth he should have realized long ago only became clear now.
Who was the foolish one—him, or Su Pu?
“So, what now? Planning to chase him?” Anderson asked.
Li Jichuan nodded, adding, “I’m not worthy to pursue him yet. He… he’s too good…”
“I need to work harder, give him every reason to notice me, to fall in love with me.”
Su Pu was the best person in the world; he deserved the best love in the world.
Li Jichuan could only strive to be that for him.