Chapter 25: Maybe We Can Have a Two-Way Street?
After the family finished dinner, the rain outside showed no signs of stopping. Instead, it was coming down even harder. The dense curtain of rain isolated the world outside, leaving only the warm lights and the faint clinking of dishes inside the house.
Su Lin looked out the window at the blurred scenery, his eyes somewhat distant.
Jiang Qing walked over carrying two cups of warm honey milk and naturally handed one to him.
Su Lin froze for a moment, softly murmured a “thank you,” and took the cup. Warmth spread through his fingertips. But he quickly turned his head back to continue looking out the window, his side profile appearing somewhat aloof under the light.
Jiang Qing leaned against the window frame beside him and followed his gaze outside. There was nothing but rain.
He raised an eyebrow, took a sip from his own cup of milk, and turned his head, asking with a smile:
“What are you looking at? Could the outside possibly be better looking than me?”
This statement was so narcissistic and self-righteous that it forced Su Lin to withdraw his gaze and look at him.
Jiang Qing was looking at him with a beaming smile.
Su Lin looked at him silently for two seconds, then lowered his head and took a sip of the honey milk.
The warm sweetness slid down his throat.
Actually, just as they had said, Su Lin really did like eating sweet things too.
Jiang Qing’s eyes curved. He swirled the cup in his hand: “The rain is so heavy, don’t leave tonight. The guest room has always been kept clean.” He paused and added:
“It’s not like you’re an outsider anyway.” He said the last few words very lightly.
Holding the warm cup, Su Lin took another look at the torrential rain outside that showed no signs of weakening, and nodded.
“…Okay.”
Jiang Qing, however, didn’t stop there. He took a half-step closer.
“By the way,” Jiang Qing lowered his voice slightly, his gaze locking firmly onto Su Lin’s eyes, “don’t you think it’s such a coincidence?”
Jiang Qing began counting them off:
“The first time was at… Cloud Night? You were a waiter.”
“The second time was at ‘Zero Six’. You were a bartender.”
“The third time… you became my younger brother.”
He leaned in slightly: “Su Lin. Tell me… Hmm? How could there be such a coincidence in the world?”
Su Lin lifted his eyes to meet his gaze, which was just inches away.
“What does Second Young Master Jiang think?”
Jiang Qing let out a light chuckle: “I think… maybe it’s… destiny?”
“We were fated to meet each other.”
Just when Jiang Qing thought he would continue to respond with silence, Su Lin softly gave a sound of agreement:
“En.”
Jiang Qing’s pupils contracted slightly. He hadn’t expected Su Lin to admit it so directly, with no evasion, no denial. This actually caused the follow-up words he had prepared to get stuck in his throat.
But he quickly adjusted.
“So you also think it’s destiny?”
Su Lin quietly looked at Jiang Qing. In those eyes, the warm indoor lighting was reflected, as was Jiang Qing’s current expression.
“In probability theory, a small probability event does not equal an impossible event.” He paused for a moment. “But three consecutive times, in completely different settings and identities… it indeed exceeds the norm.”
“Does this mean every one of our encounters was just to create a possibility for a small probability event?”
Jiang Qing tilted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping past Su Lin’s side profile to land on the hand holding the cup.
“So, Teacher Su is admitting that these three ‘exceeding the norm’ encounters… are actually some kind of active experiment? What is the purpose of the experiment? To verify the conditions under which ‘small probability events’ occur? Or…”
“…To observe a specific subject’s reaction under continuous ‘unexpected’ stimuli?”
“Any experiment requires a control group and repeatability. The current data is insufficient to draw a conclusion.”
“Is that so?” Jiang Qing chuckled lightly. He suddenly reached his hand past Su Lin, pressing his fingertips against the window glass behind him, perfectly blocking Su Lin’s potential retreat of leaning back—even though Su Lin hadn’t moved.
“Then do you want to conduct another experiment?”
His gaze swept over Su Lin’s tightly pursed lip line, then returned to his eyes.
“For example, to verify whether, under ‘non-work settings’, ‘non-essential identities’, and excluding the variable of ‘being forced by life circumstances’…”
“…will there be a new… ‘small probability event’ between us? After all, only then can I confirm if you truly are the person destined for me.”
Su Lin’s body stiffened for a moment.
Jiang Qing straightened up, putting some distance between them.
“Looks like the rain won’t stop for a while.” He seamlessly changed the subject with a relaxed tone, “The guest room is at the corner of the second floor. There are fresh towels and a bathrobe in the bathroom. Just let me know if you need anything.”
Su Lin watched his fluid, practiced movements. The fingers gripping the cup tightened slightly. The warm surface of the cup suddenly felt a bit scorching to the touch.
“…Thank you.” That was all he ultimately whispered.
Jiang Qing smiled, turned his back to Su Lin, and waved his hand: “Rest early, little brother. Just tell the auntie at home what you want for breakfast tomorrow.”
“Next time you want to randomly bump into your older brother, just tell your older brother directly. No need to go through so much trouble. Maybe we can have a two-way street?”
As if anticipating Su Lin’s reaction, Jiang Qing turned his head back and smiled at him: “But I’m strictly talking about randomly bumping into each other.”
Su Lin stood in place, watching Jiang Qing’s back disappear at the top of the stairs, then turned to look out the window at the world completely blurred by rain.
He lowered his head and slowly finished the remaining honey milk in his cup.
——————————————————
These past few days, Jiang Yu’s surveillance over him had leveled up significantly. Knowing better, Jiang Qing tactfully stayed in his own room.
Ever since their “four-person kneeling” performance last time, Shen Zhize and Song Lingchen had been staying as far away from his brother as humanly possible.
[Group Chat: Chi Shen Song Jiang][A Pure Young Boy’s Day as a CEO: @Ordinary and Simple is True, When is your brother not home]
[A Pure Young Boy’s Day as a CEO: I want to play I want to play I want to play I want to play]
[My Daily Trouble is Having Too Much Money: Then go play.]
[A Pure Young Boy’s Day as a CEO: You don’t understand. Going out to play with Qingqing is the only fun way to play.]
[My Daily Trouble is Having Too Much Money: I understand.]
[A Pure Young Boy’s Day as a CEO: Why do you get to understand?]
[My Daily Trouble is Having Too Much Money: ……..]
[Being a Boss is So Tiring: What are you guys talking about. No wait, what exactly happened when you guys escorted Jiang Qing back last time? Why are none of you saying anything.]
[Being a Boss is So Tiring: Surely he didn’t just make you guys stand there for a time-out? No, Big Brother Jiang probably wouldn’t punish you that lightly.]
[A Pure Young Boy’s Day as a CEO: …….Handsome guys’ business is none of your concern.][Ordinary and Simple is True: Nothing much. Just made us kneel there for half an hour.]
[My Daily Trouble is Having Too Much Money: …….]
[A Pure Young Boy’s Day as a CEO: ……..]
[Being a Boss is So Tiring: No way hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha I’m dying of laughter hahahahaha]
[Being a Boss is So Tiring: You three “honored gentlemen” hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha]
[Ordinary and Simple is True: More than that. Jiang Linmu was there too.]
[A Pure Young Boy’s Day as a CEO: Is that the main point?]
Translator’s Note:
- Chi Shen Song Jiang (遲嬸送姜): The group chat name is an incredible Chinese pun! It literally means “Auntie Chi delivers ginger,” but the characters are homophones for the members’ surnames: Chi (遲 = Chi Jiong), Shen (嬸 = Shen Zhize), Song (送 = Song Lingchen), Jiang (姜 = Jiang Qing).
- Honored gentlemen (貴人 – Gui ren): Chi Jiong is making a pun on “Kneeling” (跪 – Gui) by calling them “Gui ren” (Honored/Noble people).
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