I Still Don't Agree to Breaking Up!

"Ah! Anyway, I'm sorry, Brother Jing."

Jiang Nian apologized in a choked voice, lowering his head and rubbing his face against the throw pillow before getting up and walking into the bathroom. Looking at his reddened eyes in the mirror, he sighed helplessly.

He had already gone over these words in his head many times on the way here and had done his best to say them calmly. But as he spoke, his throat had tightened and tears had begun to fall.

A heartache mixed with regret and helplessness surged through his chest, impossible to suppress. If he had another chance, he would never do that again.

Cheng Jing came over. Jiang Nian didn't want him to see him in such a sorry state, so he reached out to turn off the light, lowered his head, and turned on the faucet to wash his face. Bracing both hands on the sink, he cleared his throat:

"I don't mean anything else by saying this. I just wanted you to know what I was really thinking back then. I know things between us are already over, and it was my fault... Don't worry, I won't bother you unless it's a matter of life and death, and I won't say anything inappropriate in front of your boyfriend."

He wasn't that low. He knew he didn't deserve it anymore. They had been broken up for two years, and as the one at fault, he didn't even deserve to ask for forgiveness. Cheng Jing had already been good enough to him.

Coming here, and everything he had planned, were all his own one-sided efforts to survive the apocalypse. He had nothing to resent. All he needed now was money to prepare for its arrival!

"He isn't."

Cheng Jing walked in and closed the bathroom door behind him, shutting out more of the light.

The bathroom grew dark again. Jiang Nian's heart skipped a beat, and he turned to look at him:

"Wh-what isn't?"

"Yang Kai and I aren't really a couple."

The confidentiality agreement for wrapping up the operation had been lifted. As Cheng Jing spoke, he stepped forward, pulled Jiang Nian into his arms, and explained softly in his ear:

"He's someone my company was assigned to protect, and he works for the authorities. We only pretended to be a couple as a cover so he could complete his mission. We finished the final handover today."

"..."

Jiang Nian said nothing, but he understood what Cheng Jing meant. His heart was racing wildly, and an indescribable secret joy filled his chest. It was as if his throat were clogged with hot air, making his eyes sting and swell.

"There's no one else between us, so I still don't agree to breaking up."

Cheng Jing added, tightening his arms around him:

"I'm sorry I couldn't stay by your side when things were hardest for you."

It wasn't a misunderstanding over any fundamental principle, and they still had feelings for each other. Jiang Nian had even come looking for him, so there was no need to put on airs and humiliate the man he loved when he was at his lowest.

That so-called mix of pampering and torment wouldn't do. If he truly cherished him, how could he bear to torment him?

"..."

Jiang Nian finally broke down and hugged him back:

"Brother Jing... I was wrong... I should have told you, sob..."

Perhaps it was because he had died with such deep regret in his previous life that heaven had given him another chance.

Cheng Jing patted his back gently:

"You weren't wrong either, Jiang Nian. Let's start over."

It was a statement that left no room for doubt. Jiang Nian rubbed his face against Cheng Jing's shoulder and nodded:

"Mm."

"..."

His phone rang again at an inopportune moment. Cheng Jing let go of him and went out to answer it.

Jiang Nian took a deep breath and reined in his emotions, his sorrow turning to joy. He turned on the light, washed his face clean, and smiled through his tears, feeling as relieved as if a roller coaster had finally pulled into the station.

A little while later, Jiang Nian emerged from the bathroom with his emotions under control. Seeing that Cheng Jing had hung up, he steered the conversation back on track:

"So, Brother Jing, could you lend me some money?"

Now that they had made up, he could borrow a little more, right?

Cheng Jing looked at him with a half-smile:

"No. My money is for supporting my wife."

He had believed that ever since they got together. Someone who had pursued him so determinedly was someone he couldn't let down...

"Huh?"

Jiang Nian was startled at first, then shamelessly moved closer:

"Well, what a coincidence. Your wife is seriously short on cash right now."

It was just his pride. He could throw it away! How could pride compare to a man? After two years apart, his "ex" had gotten smoother and smoother.

Cheng Jing had the urge to pin him down and devour him with kisses, but he held back. He couldn't stay tonight, and acting like a lecher right after they made up would be a bit much.

So he took a bank card from his wallet and handed it over:

"This is one of my personal cards. Sometimes I have to advance money for missions, and the earmarked funds from headquarters haven't come through yet, so there's only a little over 900,000 in it. Use it for now. The password is the same as before: our birthdays, yours first and mine second."

That was how they had set the bank card password when they were together, and he had never changed it.

"Thanks, Brother Jing. I haven't changed my bank card password either."

Jiang Nian accepted the card with a money-grubbing look and kissed it.

Cheng Jing thought for a moment, then added:

"Actually, I don't think you need to rent another place when school starts in half a month. Once the semester begins, my place won't be within the safe house's security perimeter anymore. You can move in then, and stay here until that happens."

Jiang Nian held the card against his chin:

"But I've already paid, so I'll rent it for a month first. That way, I can get my money back if I stop renting after that. But I really do need to stay here for the next few days."

He had previously planned to find a cheap hotel and make do for a few days. After all, they had broken up, and letting his ex-boyfriend pay for him to stay at a five-star hotel was a little hard to justify.

But things were different now. Since Cheng Jing was still his boyfriend, he could let him take care of him without a guilty conscience. Mainly, he was too poor to muster any pride and was suited to living off a man.

Cheng Jing nodded:

"All right. I'm going on a business trip tomorrow, so use your own judgment."

Holding the card, Jiang Nian said cautiously:

"Um, Brother Jing, I'll probably spend a lot of money..."

"..."

Cheng Jing thought for a moment and asked:

"Is it illegal?"

As long as it wasn't illegal, it was normal to spend money on things.

Jiang Nian waved his hand:

"No, it's not illegal, not at all. Trust me! And you'll see that the money I spend is worth it. I'll explain when you get back."

Tomorrow was the sixteenth, and a week from then would be the twenty-third or twenty-fourth. By then, he should be nearly done preparing, and one way or another, he could tell him a little.

According to the statistics released by the authorities after the apocalypse in his previous life, the first group of people had awakened abilities before the poisonous rain. It was just that the mainstream media hadn't reported on it at the time, treating it as sensational entertainment news meant to attract attention.

When Cheng Jing returned from his business trip, he could warn him under the pretext of having had a dream and looking through those news stories.

Cheng Jing watched him steadily for a moment. He knew Jiang Nian's behavior was a little strange, but he didn't ask any more questions and chose to trust him:

"Okay. If you don't have enough, tell me."

A little over 900,000 wasn't a small sum for ordinary expenses, but if Jiang Nian bought something expensive, such as luxury goods, it wouldn't be much.

Other people spent hundreds of thousands or even millions keeping a lover. This little bit was nothing to quibble over when it came to supporting his wife. Jiang Nian had suffered a lot during their two years apart, so he could consider it a little compensation.

Jiang Nian nodded like a chick pecking at grain:

"That should be enough... It should be enough... Thanks, Brother Jing!"

A little over 900,000 worth of supplies was about right for one person to gather. After all, if there were too many, he might not be able to take them all with him when the time came.

Unless he could find a way to convince Cheng Jing when the time drew near, and the two of them could go bigger together!