Disciplinary Code

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For Ji Yao, starting a family from scratch was a very unfamiliar thing.

Fortunately, Jiang Heng gave him a good start. He handed over half of the decision-making power for this “home” to Ji Yao, along with the responsibilities and freedom that came with it.

Perhaps because Jiang Heng had already briefed the designer, Han, she asked very detailed questions. She systematically broke down all the aspects of interior decoration, asking Ji Yao for his opinions step by step.

Window curtain colors, sofa styles, and dining table materials were all things that didn’t need to be decided right away, but Han still asked about them meticulously.

Sometimes Ji Yao’s opinions would deviate slightly from Jiang Heng’s presets, but because Jiang Heng had given prior instructions, Han tended to lean towards Ji Yao’s suggestions.

It seemed that Jiang Heng was using this method to gradually let Ji Yao take the initiative and gain a sense of security.

“What should be done with this area?” Han pointed to a small room on the floor plan.

Jiang Heng didn’t want a guest room, but the vacant space needed to be filled. Ji Yao lacked imagination for this, and after racking his brain for a while, he couldn’t think of any other use for it apart from a storage room.

“Perhaps you can think of common hobbies between the two of you,” Han suggested with a smile. “Do you both like playing games? How about a gaming room?”

“Unfortunately we don’t share that hobby,” Ji Yao thought for a moment and made a disapproving noise. “How about a media room? Specifically for watching movies.”

“A projection screen room?” Han lowered her head to look at the blueprint, made a few quick calculations, and then nodded. “We can create a small one, but won’t this overlap with the TV in the living room?”

“Jiang Heng likes some obscure old movies,” Ji Yao explained. “But both of us are busy with work, and we rarely have time to go to vintage movie theaters. It would be more convenient to have it at home.”

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Three years ago, when they were still in the passionate stage of their relationship, there was a time when a cinema was screening classic old films. They were going to watch Titanic, which had been restored and re-released. Jiang Heng really wanted to see it, but Ji Yao was busy with work, and Jiang Heng couldn’t break free either. Additionally, the screenings for vintage films were limited, so they missed the opportunity.

During the period right after they broke up, Ji Yao often thought about the times when he stood Jiang Heng up, and the more he thought about it, the more guilty he felt. Now that he had the chance, he wanted to pick up where they had left off.

“That sounds good,” Han nodded in understanding. “We can make it separate from the living room by using an independent design for the small media room. We can also select professional projection equipment on top of double soundproofing.”

Professional designers had more experience in this area than Ji Yao, so he nodded and approved of her plan.

Han noted down Ji Yao’s opinions one by one, filling up an entire page in her notebook. Ji Yao watched as the little squares on the notepad turned into his sense of belonging, and he willingly accepted these constraints.

It was interesting, Ji Yao thought. It seemed like since he had taken that step, the stormy abyss he had once feared had disappeared. But he knew deep down that the things he had feared and worried about hadn’t disappeared; it was just that he couldn’t see them anymore because Jiang Heng was on the other side of the abyss.

Ji Yao’s lunch break was only an hour and a half, so many things could only be discussed briefly. As the end of his workday approached, Han took a look at her watch and politely suggested ending the meeting.

“That’s all for today,” Han closed her notebook and said, “I’ll create a preliminary design plan, and we can make modifications based on that later.”

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“Wait a moment,” Ji Yao pointed to a corner of the blueprint, asking, “What about this area?”

He was referring to a small room on the floor plan, located near the entrance on the ground floor. It wasn’t very large and appeared to be a pre-existing storage room.

Han had asked for Ji Yao’s input on all other matters, but she had skipped over this small room. Ji Yao didn’t have strong control issues, but since she had made a note of it on the floor plan, he couldn’t help but be curious.

“Aaah this?” Han put away the other sample catalogs into her bag, smiled, and said, “This part was intentionally left by Mr. Jiang. He said he wants to design it himself and keep it a secret from you for now.”

If Han hadn’t mentioned this, Ji Yao might not have thought much about it. However, now that she had, Ji Yao couldn’t help but wonder about Jiang Heng’s intentions.

Jiang Heng was skilled in love; he was good at managing relationships and setting the pace. As long as he wanted to, he could keep someone immersed in happiness at all times.

Ji Yao had been in a relationship with him for several years, and Jiang Heng’s inspiration for romance seemed endless. He would occasionally surprise Ji Yao in ways he couldn’t have imagined.

Having someone like that in his life was a source of happiness. Jiang Heng was adept at this art, and he always managed to touch Ji Yao’s heart.

In this regard, Ji Yao had been somewhat spoiled by Jiang Heng, to the point where he had just noticed a hint of something and couldn’t help but anticipate what was to come.

On the way back to the hospital, Ji Yao couldn’t help but think about it. The more he thought, the more he felt like there were cat’s claws scratching at his heart. After hesitating for a while, he couldn’t resist calling Jiang Heng.

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Although Jiang Heng was impartial, he definitely wouldn’t reveal the answer in advance. But perhaps he could unintentionally leak a hint and satisfy Ji Yao’s curiosity.

Walking into the hospital with his phone in hand, Ji Yao pressed the elevator button out of habit and listened to the standby tone on the phone.

The elevator arrived quickly, and the metal doors slid open. At the same time, the call on the phone was finally picked up. Ji Yao stepped into the elevator, motioned for the person behind him to enter first, and then turned to enter the stairwell.

“Hello—”

“Ji Yao?” XiaoTong’s voice came quickly from the phone. “Is something wrong? Are you looking for Xiaoheng?”

Due to his job’s nature, Jiang Heng always had his phone with him, so Ji Yao was a bit surprised and hesitated for a moment. He glanced at the phone screen to make sure he had dialed the correct number before asking, “Auntie? Why is it you?”

“Xiaoheng and I were just about to pick up Amber and her dad,” XiaoTong explained. “Xiaoheng left his phone in the car, and when I saw the incoming call was from you, I was afraid something had happened, so I answered it.”

“Ah, It’s nothing important,” Ji Yao said somewhat embarrassed. He couldn’t deny that he had called out of impatience to hear about a potential “surprise.” He touched the back of his neck and changed the subject in a low voice, “So, are Amber and her dad going to live with us after this?”

“Yes, that’s the plan,” XiaoTong replied enthusiastically. “Xiaoheng said it would be more festive to spend Christmas together, so he booked a room at the Disneyland hotel. We’re planning to have a weekend getaway there. Oh, and he also booked a ticket for you.”

“Okay…” Ji Yao said, “What about him?”

“He’s gone upstairs to get something,” XiaoTong said, looking out of the car window at the nearby high-rise building. She then glanced at the building in front of her and said, “We happened to pass by his neighborhood, and he said he had forgotten something, so he went back to retrieve it.”

“What did he forget?” Ji Yao wondered.

Recently, Jiang Heng hadn’t been working, and his personal belongings had all been brought to XiaoTong’s villa. Ji Yao couldn’t imagine what Jiang Heng would need to go back home specifically to get.

“I’m not sure about that,” XiaoTong said. “Do you want him to call you when he gets back?”

“No need for that; it’s not something important,” Ji Yao said. He had considered asking for Jiang Heng to call him but decided against it. After all, it wasn’t a matter of great significance. “Auntie, I’ll be heading back to work now?”

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“Alright,” XiaoTong encouraged him with a smile. “Good luck at work!”

Ji Yao also smiled and replied with an “Okay” before ending the call.

Ji Yao hadn’t thought much of this small incident, but it wasn’t until he got off work in the evening that he realized what Jiang Heng had gone back home to retrieve.

At exactly 6:00 PM, Jiang Heng came to the hospital as usual to pick him up. Ji Yao opened the passenger door and got into the car. Before he even had a chance to sit down properly, he noticed that there was something different about Jiang Heng’s car key.

Ji Yao only glanced at it for a moment, but he couldn’t help but reach into the key holder box and pull out Jiang Heng’s car key. He saw that the odd round keyring had a new pendant on it. A small fox mask dangled in the air, its eyes reflecting a beautiful glimmer.

“…You went home to get this?”