TLDMDTBS Chapter 2

Gu Xiuyi had always been busy and mostly lived in the apartment closest to the company. If it weren’t for Ji Ruan, he wouldn’t step into this villa for ten days or even half a month.

The only purpose for coming here today was to see his future partner in person and take him to get the marriage certificate.

He clearly knew this person named Ji Ruan, yet he still called his name with a questioning tone, as if confirming a fact rather than greeting him:

You are sure you want to marry me?

But the young man in front of him seemed still dazed, staring at him with wide eyes, his hands frozen on the edge of the bed.

Gu Xiuyi waited for a while, and not even a “mm-hmm” was heard. He frowned and reached out to tap the young man’s shoulder: “Ji Ruan?”

The shoulder beneath his fingers trembled slightly, and Ji Ruan seemed to snap back to reality. He picked up a small black device from the table and put it on, pressing his lips together as he lowered his eyelashes to feel it for a moment before finally looking up at him with much clearer eyes.

Gu Xiuyi was taken aback; he had never directly interacted with a hearing-impaired person before, and Ji Ruan seemed too normal on the surface, momentarily making him forget that Ji Ruan’s lack of a response might be due to not hearing well.

His expression softened a bit as he leaned down to shorten the distance between them, reaching out to brush aside the stray hair by Ji Ruan’s ear. He didn’t have the time to see it clearly before the hair slipped through his fingers.

The young man leaned back slightly, unabashedly meeting his gaze: “I can hear you now.”

His voice was a bit hoarse, like coarse sand mixed into soft warm water, much calmer than his striking appearance.

Gu Xiuyi was slightly surprised but didn’t show it on his face. He straightened up: “Good, do you have all the documents?”

“… I brought my ID and household registration book.”

Gu Xiuyi nodded and looked directly at Ji Ruan: “I’ll confirm once again, you are willing to marry me, right?”

Due to his upbringing, Gu Xiuyi had an innate oppressive aura about him, making it hard for others to feel at ease, even when he spoke politely.

Ji Ruan held his gaze, feeling a little sweaty in the palms: “As long as Mr. Gu fully fulfills the contract, there won’t be a problem.”

Although it was difficult to gauge Gu Xiuyi’s emotions from his expression, Ji Ruan keenly sensed that he seemed quite satisfied with his response.

The man in front of him checked his watch with his hand and spoke in a slightly gentler tone: “It’s getting late, let’s go eat first and get the marriage certificate tomorrow morning.”

His tone was casual, as if he were merely instructing a secretary about work, perhaps in his eyes, getting the marriage certificate really was no different from completing an ordinary task.

“… Okay, but,” Ji Ruan tugged at his collar, “can I change into something else first?”

He was wearing a pure cotton, off-white pajama set, chosen for comfort and a larger size, making the neckline loose and exposing a significant amount of collarbone.

Gu Xiuyi’s gaze lingered on the young man’s fair skin for a moment before he quickly nodded and turned to leave, even kindly closing the door behind him.

The evening light spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and once Gu Xiuyi left, the whole room fell silent. Ji Ruan released the pressure he had been placing against the bed, his back slightly arched, and he could feel cold sweat forming at his temples.

From the moment he set eyes on Gu Xiuyi, a memory that didn’t belong to him filled his mind, as if he were supplementing the worldview of this book.

He had indeed seen Gu Xiuyi before!

A big capitalist like Gu Xiuyi, aside from work, was fervent about charity. Ji Ruan was one of the individuals supported by him; it was because of Gu Xiuyi that he could survive, complete high school, and be admitted to the best university.

A year ago, Gu Xiuyi returned to give a speech at his high school, and Ji Ruan had seen him from afar while sitting in the audience. Since then, he had been smitten.

The terrifying part was that in Gu Xiuyi’s memory, there had never been anyone like him.

This mixed feeling of gratitude and infatuation sent chills down Ji Ruan’s back.

He finally understood why the resilient main character, who never let poverty dampen his spirit, would agree to enter a contractual marriage with Gu Xiuyi.

Because his heart had been captured first!

In ancient traumatic stories, there was an unchanging law: whoever falls in love first will suffer.

According to his cousin’s words, this book was only sweet at the beginning; Gu Xiuyi’s polite and gentlemanly demeanor would gradually entrap him, and once the “white moonlight” returned, he would be tortured inside and out, mentally and physically.

He would simultaneously hope for Gu Xiuyi to have some genuine feelings for him while also feeling insecure, ultimately amassing the trilogy of kidnapping, car accident, and amnesia before finally achieving a happy ending.

Ji Ruan didn’t know the specific details, but he would always remember his cousin’s final assessment: the reason this book could have a happy ending was likely that if it didn’t conclude soon, even a medical miracle couldn’t save the suffering protagonist.

At that time, Ji Ruan had just been making a sarcastic remark. Why did a paper-thin character have to stir trouble when it was good enough to live well, instead of exchanging health for melodramatic love stories?

Now, as the protagonist himself, Ji Ruan’s heart raced, and he had to take several deep breaths to calm down.

Upon careful reflection, everything began with the protagonist’s premature infatuation, but now that the protagonist was Ji Ruan, and he had no feelings for Gu Xiuyi, wasn’t that cutting off the prerequisite for a traumatic romance?

Ji Ruan slowly stood up, changing his clothes while pondering. As long as he didn’t get emotionally involved, his relationship with Gu Xiuyi would remain a simple monetary transaction. When the true love returns, he would take the money and leave, and everyone could have their happy ending.

He had already died once, and no longer had a need for emotional attachments. As long as he didn’t face the despair of near-death again, nothing else mattered.

With this realization, Ji Ruan completely relaxed, pulled on his pants, and walked downstairs.

When the three-year contract expired, he would take the money and run, without looking back.

The dining room chandelier emitted a subtle, brilliant light, and Gu Xiuyi was already seated at the table. Seeing Ji Ruan approach, Gu Xiuyi even stood up to pull out the chair opposite him.

He was very gentlemanly, but this kind of polite, distant behavior—could it really make the protagonist fall head over heels as the plot intended?

Ji Ruan was conflicted and couldn’t quite understand it.

He thanked Gu Xiuyi politely and sat down across from him.

Assistant Song had left at some point, and Aunt Zhao was nowhere to be seen. It was just the two of them in the quiet dining room, where the only sounds were the clinking of utensils.

On the table were three simple Chinese dishes and a soup, enough for the two of them to finish.

The heat had gotten to Ji Ruan in recent days, and his appetite hadn’t been great. He ate half-heartedly, and Gu Xiuyi remained silent, which suited him just fine.

He didn’t care about the man across from him, but the man across from him was blatantly observing him.

Gu Xiuyi only needed a legal partner to get a marriage certificate and wasn’t genuinely invested in the marriage. As long as Ji Ruan didn’t cause trouble, Gu Xiuyi had no intention of spending extra energy on understanding him.

However, now that the previously unseen marriage partner was sitting before him, curiosity—driven by instinct—naturally arose.

To his surprise, Ji Ruan had impeccable table manners. His posture was upright but relaxed, and he ate without making any noise. He seemed like a well-educated child from a scholarly family.

As Song Ling had mentioned, Ji Ruan used a napkin, folding it in half and gently wiping from the left side of his mouth to the right.

Gu Xiuyi watched casually and noticed that Song Ling had missed one detail—Ji Ruan would press down lightly on his lip through the napkin at the end, as if completing a ritual.

These small, subconscious habits might go unnoticed by most people, but to someone like Gu Xiuyi, who had a meticulous eye for detail, they were significant in determining his level of satisfaction.

It might even indirectly influence the entire secretary team’s end-of-month bonuses.

After a few bites, Ji Ruan set down his chopsticks and accidentally met Gu Xiuyi’s gaze. He froze for a moment, but the other man spoke naturally, “Aunt Zhao mentioned you don’t eat much. Are the dishes not to your taste?”

“…No,” Ji Ruan licked his lips. “I’ve always eaten lightly.”

Not wanting to engage in more conversation, Ji Ruan tossed his napkin into the trash and hesitated before saying, “May I return to my room, Mr. Gu?”

Gu Xiuyi glanced at the barely touched dishes on the table, paused for two seconds, and then nodded. “Go ahead.”

As if remembering something, he added, “I won’t come by often. You don’t have to be so reserved. There aren’t that many rules here.”

Ji Ruan, who didn’t think he was being reserved: “…”

“Alright… Thank you, Mr. Gu.”

·

After dinner, Ji Ruan lay back on his bed, continuing to feed himself cherries with the clawless fortune cat. It wasn’t that he was particularly lazy.

It was just that he was incredibly bored.

His only task in this house was to marry Gu Xiuyi. He had initially thought the matter would be handled the same day, but it turned out that Mr. Gu was busy, and Ji Ruan had waited three days.

In the past, when he was gravely ill, Ji Ruan had been forced to stay in a tiny hospital room. Now, even though he could walk and move around, going out was still difficult. The moment he tried to step outside, the scorching heat made him retreat.

So, while waiting for Gu Xiuyi to return, all Ji Ruan could do was eat, sleep, and occasionally switch to a different bed.

After eating a few cherries, Ji Ruan remembered that he should finish watching the show he had started earlier. As he reached for the remote, he was startled by the shadow of a large cat near the door.

Xiao An was crouching there, staring at him.

Since his first day here, Ji Ruan had sensed that Gu Xiuyi was a particularly picky and uncompromising person. In the large villa, every piece of furniture, every painting, and every decorative object was arranged meticulously. Despite having such a large, long-haired cat, the floors were spotless, always shining.

Just like now, Xiao An was sitting by the door—well-groomed, with its large tail elegantly spread out, like a work of art in an oil painting. Except, its eyes carried a trace of wariness.

Ji Ruan set down the remote, pushed aside the fortune cat, and considered going over to pet Xiao An.

But before he could, Xiao An suddenly arched its back, raised its tail, yowled, and dashed away in less than a second.

Ji Ruan sat frozen on the bed, feeling the wind from the cat’s tail sweep across his legs.

After a moment, he stiffly turned his head and realized that the thing that had scared Xiao An might have been the fortune cat with its missing claws.

“…”

Could this dumb cat have mistaken the fortune cat for another cat?

Surely it didn’t think Ji Ruan was going to take its claws too, right?

Shocked, Ji Ruan slipped on his slippers and left the room. As expected, Xiao An was hiding at the end of the hallway. He muttered under his breath, “How did someone like Gu Xiuyi end up with such a timid cat?”

He took a couple of steps closer, and the skittish cat immediately jumped onto the hallway railing.

The movement made Ji Ruan’s heart skip a beat.

The second floor was high, and while cats were known for their agility, Xiao An’s size didn’t inspire confidence that it would land lightly if it jumped.

Gu Xiuyi was just a few meters away in his study, in the middle of a video conference. Ji Ruan didn’t want to cause a scene.

In this house, Xiao An was the original resident, and he was just a guest. If anything happened, there would surely be a lot of trouble. Ji Ruan could already feel the headache coming on.

After a moment’s thought, Ji Ruan decisively fetched a can of Xiao An’s favorite cat food.

At first, Xiao An was still a bit wary, but once it smelled the food, all its caution went out the window, and it began eating with gusto.

By the end, Ji Ruan was even able to pet its head.

Ji Ruan couldn’t help but laugh.

How could someone like Gu Xiuyi end up with such an easily pleased cat?

Xiao An ate happily and enjoyed being petted, and when Ji Ruan finally took away the empty can, he received a loving hug from Xiao An.

Just like when Gu Xiuyi comes home, Xiao An would gleefully leap onto him, this time, Ji Ruan was the one pounced on.

But Ji Ruan was completely unprepared and, unlike Gu Xiuyi, didn’t have the physical strength to handle it.

“Thud—!”

A loud crash echoed through the room.

The large cat, weighing dozens of pounds, descended from the sky, effortlessly pinning Ji Ruan to the ground, scattering a flurry of cat fur everywhere.

The moment his back hit the ground, Ji Ruan felt a dull thud resonate through his body, reverberating in his bones, as if his soul was about to be knocked loose. His ribs ached painfully.

For a few seconds, Ji Ruan’s mind went blank, leaving only one thought—thankfully, thankfully, they didn’t topple over the railing.

Xiao An was still enthusiastically licking Ji Ruan’s neck, while Ji Ruan, pinned beneath the large cat, found himself unable to breathe properly, his breath caught in his throat. He couldn’t even cry out. He tried to push the big cat off, but Xiao An wouldn’t budge!

Ji Ruan was on the verge of tears.

Just when he was at his wits’ end, the pressure on his chest suddenly lightened as someone seemed to have picked Xiao An up and set him aside.

Ji Ruan blinked, trying to regain clarity. Fresh air rushed into his lungs, causing him to cough violently as he lay on the floor.

Gu Xiuyi, who had just finished his meeting, heard the sudden clatter from outside and immediately sensed something was wrong. When he came out to check, he was greeted by the sight of both human and cat sprawled across the floor.

Ji Ruan was red-faced from being squashed, and to make matters worse, Gu Xiuyi’s silly cat kept trying to snuggle up to him.

Gu Xiuyi picked up Xiao An by the scruff of his neck and carried the big cat to the side for a timeout. He then turned to see Ji Ruan, still lying on the floor, coughing pitifully, and felt a dilemma creeping in.

Gu Xiuyi didn’t like physical contact with people. In all his years, he had only ever picked up cats, never humans.

He stared at Ji Ruan’s back for a while, then instinctively reached out to the back of his neck, intending to pull him up from the floor.

But the moment his hand touched the smooth nape of Ji Ruan’s neck, Ji Ruan jerked his head up, eyes wide in alarm, coughing while staring at Gu Xiuyi as if he were some sort of villain taking advantage of the situation.

Gu Xiuyi froze, hand still mid-air, then slowly straightened up and took two steps back.

Amid the air filled with floating cat fur, the two of them engaged in a silent standoff.

Gu Xiuyi quickly regained his composure, falling back into his usual demeanor. Without looking at Ji Ruan’s face, he grabbed him by the arm and, as if hauling a sack of rice, effortlessly carried him downstairs.

By the time Ji Ruan was placed on the couch, he was still a bit dazed. It took several sips of water from Aunt Zhao, who had rushed over in concern, for him to finally come to his senses.

Pressing his hand against his chest, Ji Ruan coughed twice and glanced at Gu Xiuyi.

Gu Xiuyi sat beside him, legs crossed, maintaining a polite distance—just enough space for a third person to sit between them.

Ji Ruan: “…”

For some reason, Ji Ruan got the impression that Gu Xiuyi was issuing a silent, domineering protest about what had just happened.

A cool sensation on the back of his hand caught Ji Ruan’s attention. Xiao An, who had been sent to “reflect” in the corner by Gu Xiuyi, had somehow managed to sneak back and was now licking his hand affectionately.

Ji Ruan, exasperated, ruffled Xiao An’s head and then lifted the cat’s paw, weighing it in his hand.

Gu Xiuyi, watching from the side, felt like this young man was unusually concerned with his cat’s weight.

“Ahem,” Gu Xiuyi cleared his throat and said matter-of-factly, “Last time we weighed him, he was exactly twenty pounds. He might have gained a bit recently.”

Ji Ruan’s hand paused mid-pet.

He slowly raised his head and looked at Gu Xiuyi, asking in disbelief, “What… what did you say?”

It seemed like he hadn’t heard clearly.

Gu Xiuyi’s expression shifted slightly, becoming more complex.

Without another word, he reached over and pushed back the hair covering Ji Ruan’s right ear. As expected, the small device he always wore behind his ear was missing.

Aunt Zhao noticed as well and exclaimed in alarm, “Oh dear, what happened?”

Gu Xiuyi glanced at Ji Ruan’s furrowed brow and calmly said to Aunt Zhao, “Do you know what the cochlear implant device he usually wears looks like?”

Aunt Zhao nodded quickly, “Yes, I’ve seen Xiao Ruan wear it before.”

Gu Xiuyi nodded back, “Good, it must have fallen off earlier. Aunt Zhao, could you check the stairs for it? And please hurry.”

“I’ll go right away!” Aunt Zhao answered, moving swiftly.

Ji Ruan’s fingers were tightly intertwined, and he sat hunched over, occupying only a small portion of the couch. His posture revealed a carefully restrained sense of anxiety.

He wasn’t one to outwardly express his emotions, his eyes devoid of the typical youthful exuberance expected from an eighteen-year-old, making him appear especially quiet and reserved. This was one of the traits Gu Xiuyi found most agreeable.

Even when he had turned back to look at Gu Xiuyi in the hallway, the fear in his eyes had lasted only a brief moment. So this lingering, subdued anxiety now seemed particularly out of place.

Before dinner, Ji Ruan had changed into a black T-shirt, revealing his slender arms and pale fingers, which were now covered in Xiao An’s fur, making him appear slightly disheveled.

Gu Xiuyi couldn’t stand disorder, and unable to resist, he reached out and picked off the cat fur clinging to Ji Ruan’s clothes.

After all, he was just a recently-turned adult, his frame still thin, his shoulders and back slight to an almost fragile degree. Showing a bit of emotion was understandable for someone his age, Gu Xiuyi reasoned.

Thinking this over, he lightly patted Ji Ruan’s back and said, “It’s alright, just wait a little while.”

Ji Ruan paused for a moment but didn’t respond. Gu Xiuyi then remembered that Ji Ruan likely hadn’t heard him clearly and was momentarily speechless, deciding not to speak further.

Aunt Zhao, acting efficiently, soon returned with Ji Ruan’s external cochlear device in hand. “I found it! It must have slipped through the gap in the railing and landed downstairs. I hope it’s not damaged.”

Aunt Zhao spoke quickly, and Ji Ruan didn’t quite catch everything she said, but he smiled gratefully as he took the device back.

Gu Xiuyi watched as Ji Ruan’s eyes lit up the moment he received it.

Ji Ruan carefully wiped the device’s outer casing and then gently placed it behind his ear, pursing his lips as though trying to sense if it was working properly.

Time seemed to slow as Gu Xiuyi observed Ji Ruan’s trembling eyelashes, feeling a slight tension in the air as he watched the boy’s focused expression.

After a while, Ji Ruan looked up at Gu Xiuyi, his eyes shimmering with moisture. His reddened eyes from earlier, due to the coughing, had yet to fully fade, making his current expression appear sorrowful.

A wave of unease rose in Gu Xiuyi’s chest.

In the next second, the boy’s hoarse voice, tinged with surprise, broke the silence: “Is it broken?”