Those words brushed lightly against Ji Yanzhi's eardrums like a feather soaked in rice broth. What he had swallowed was clearly warm syrup, yet he gave a bitter smile.
Much as he hated to admit it, Shen Mu Lan really had been right.
"What is it? What are you smiling about?"
Ji Yanzhi raised his eyebrows and exhaled. "I used to think I had a few good qualities. I'm fairly good-looking, for instance, and I have money and ambition. My temperament has become a lot more stable since we got together, too. Surely those count as points in my favor as a partner?"
Although Ji Ting did not understand why he was suddenly saying this, he still murmured his agreement. "They do."
"But the longer I'm with you, the more I feel that us being together has nothing to do with those points in my favor. At its core, this relationship exists because you're willing to meet me at a lower level."
Ji Ting's brow shifted slightly, showing both confusion and disagreement. "I'm not accommodating a lower level, and you aren't beneath me. We're equals in this relationship."
"You love and respect me from the heart, so of course you'd think that." The words filled Ji Yanzhi with sweetness, but he continued, "Yet your intelligence, abilities, and knowledge far surpass mine. Even so, you've never corrected or contradicted me from a position of superiority. You've only influenced me subtly, and, more than anything, patiently accepted me."
At that, he gave a very soft laugh. "Tell me yourself, isn't that meeting me at a lower level?"
Ji Ting had never known Ji Yanzhi thought so highly of him, but those words seemed somewhat one-sided. He felt they were unfair to Ji Yanzhi.
He pressed his lips together and thought for a