[Picking Boat and Accompanying the Moon] We Will Meet Again Later - Chapter 31

Ning Xu thought about the apartment Jiang Feng had just bought in Yanlin. It was new, yes, but it still lacked many things. Furnishing it would take a lot of effort.

Right now, he was managing the experience center while also assisting Ning Xu with her painting. If he had to go back to that new apartment too, running between three places would leave him even less time to decorate.

Plus, with the New Year approaching, was he really going to spend such a festive, family-oriented holiday alone in that empty, cold apartment?

After thinking it over, Ning Xu figured: they’d known each other for so many years, and now they were dating—wasn’t it perfectly normal to live together?

Besides, her place was right above the studio, which was very convenient.

With timing, location, and circumstances all aligned, Ning Xu proposed the idea to Jiang Feng, “Why don’t you come live with me?”

Jiang Feng had never refused any of her requests, and this was no exception.

As he packed his things in his room, Gao Jinfei remarked drily from the side, “So our Young Master Jiang is about to start living off his girlfriend, huh.”

“I’m suited for living off my girlfriend,” Jiang Feng said calmly. “You’re suited for begging on the streets.”

Implying that the former at least had looks to rely on, while the latter had neither looks nor ability.

“…”

“Also, about my matters—don’t go telling them everything, alright?”

Gao Jinfei glared. “When have I ever told them everything? Whose side I’m on, don’t you know?”

“It’s best if you don’t,” Jiang Feng said, folding his clothes into the suitcase.

“What about this apartment? Keeping it?”

Jiang Feng placed his prosthetic eye case into another suitcase. “I’ll keep it. Three bedrooms, two living rooms—you can stay here when you’re in town. No need to book a hotel. I’ll hire a cleaner to come regularly.”

Gao Jinfei shrugged. “Fine by me.”

He lay back and watched Jiang Feng pack slowly, then stared at the ceiling and suddenly said seriously, “Since you’ve decided to give this a try, don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

“Mm.”

“No one really sees you as a burden, so stop fucking adding drama to your own life.”

Jiang Feng paused mid-action.

Gao Jinfei always gave off the vibe of not taking anything seriously, and he truly didn’t care about many things. For him, nuanced, deeply felt emotions were just a headache.

When someone like that suddenly said something like this, it inevitably touched a place in one’s heart.

Gao Jinfei truly saw Jiang Feng as family.

“I know,” Jiang Feng said.

Ning Xu rarely felt this happy while driving—it was a feeling of returning home fully laden. Even though there wasn’t much in the car, what she was bringing back was Jiang Feng, coming home with her.

The last time she’d been this happy driving was when she’d just gotten her license and bought her new car.

Gao Jinfei hadn’t come. He’d originally wanted to say, “As long as someone’s by your side, it’s fine,” but he couldn’t bring himself to say something so sentimental. In the end, he just put on a tough face and said, “Afraid of losing face. Big bro isn’t going to watch you live off your girlfriend.”

Jiang Feng retorted, “That’s fine. I’d rather not run into you begging on the streets either.”

And so the two men parted ways over the matter of “meals.”

As Ning Xu started the car, she saw Gao Jinfei’s almost fatherly expression in the rearview mirror, his figure gradually receding as he stood by the roadside.

“…”

Why did she have the strange feeling that she’d driven into a village and married off someone else’s cherished daughter?

Anyway, the weather was good today, and Ning Xu’s mood was even better.

While waiting at a red light, she even picked up her phone to text Shan Yuqing: In light of the outstanding performance of a certain male employee, the boss has decided to take him home and appoint him as the boss’s husband, aiming to reduce costs and increase efficiency.

Shan Yuqing, probably on her phone at that moment, replied quickly: Sis, wake up. Are you driving right now? Don’t drink and drive.

Ning Xu: …No one understands me.

“Jiang Feng, I’m so happy.”

After going through so many experiences and being tempered by society for years, it’s natural to have reservations about many things. True emotions must be hidden, and the words one wants to say often need to be disguised.

Yet when facing Jiang Feng, she found herself increasingly returning to how she used to be—expressing genuine emotions and saying exactly what was on her mind.

A smile also touched Jiang Feng’s lips. “That’s good.”

They parked the car in the underground parking lot, moved the belongings into the elevator, and rode up together.

Once inside the apartment, Ning Xu led Jiang Feng to the room next to hers.

The room was clean and tidy, having been cleaned by the housekeeper. The pillows, blankets, and bed were already made.

Ning Xu asked, “Do you need to go to the experience center today?”

“I’ll unpack first,” Jiang Feng said, closing the door behind him.

Ning Xu knew she couldn’t help with this. Jiang Feng had just arrived at an unfamiliar place and needed time to gradually familiarize himself—moving around to adapt to the room’s layout, then placing his belongings in convenient locations and memorizing them.

She recalled the black door at the experience center. Being in an unfamiliar place without sight, his nerves and muscles had remained tense and alert for over an hour. Once he stepped out through the black door, the fatigue from that intense tension followed by relaxation was palpable.

So, she didn’t disturb Jiang Feng now, letting him adapt at his own pace.

During the day, she bought plenty of groceries. That evening, during her live stream, regular viewers quickly noticed her elevated mood:
[Did something good happen? Share it so we can be happy too!]
[Tell us, tell us!]
[Front-row sales of peanuts, melon seeds, and drinks! Waiting for the story!]

Ning Xu didn’t keep it a secret this time. She cleared her throat lightly and said casually, “It’s nothing much, really. I just started seeing someone.”

The chat was flooded with messages like “Congratulations,” “A hundred years of happiness,” “Long-lasting love,” and even “May you have a child soon.”

[Is it Jiang Feng?]

Ning Xu laughed. “Mhmm.”

The chat went wild. One moment it was all celebrations, the next filled with envy and tears, but mostly heartbreak over “losing their love.”

Ning Xu was thoroughly amused.

Shan Yuqing, who was assisting nearby, was also surprised. Why did every seemingly drunken nonsense statement Ning Xu made turn out to be true?

While Ning Xu was preparing the final dish, Jiang Feng returned.

Due to the new store’s opening and operations, there were many details he needed to oversee. He was naturally familiar with the process, but he didn’t guide guests through the experience—the only person he had ever guided was Ning Xu.

They served the dishes and sat down to eat. During the meal, the camera inevitably captured Jiang Feng’s hands again.

The recently stimulated chat went into a frenzy once more:
[The CP I ship is real, the sugar I crave is real!]
[They’ve known each other since childhood? So sweet!]
[I almost started believing in love again, wuuu.]

Ning Xu browsed the chat delightedly and continued streaming a while longer after the meal.

That evening, when she went upstairs to rest, Ning Xu washed up and lay in bed, tossing and turning. The thought that Jiang Feng was right next door set her heart ablaze; she felt like barging into his room like a bandit.

Even as a child, she had never been particularly reserved around the little blind boy, and now she found it even harder to restrain herself.

But today definitely wasn’t the right time. She’d give him a couple more days to adjust.

But she was determined to eventually lure him into her bed—that was the end goal.

Of course, she didn’t actually give him two full days. The very next evening, she brought him to her own bed.

Ning Xu patted the pillow, signaling she wanted to chat for a while before sleep.

“Why did you suddenly think of opening an experience center?”

Jiang Feng leaned back comfortably and said, “Actually, I’ve already opened two in Haiyou City.”

Ning Xu understood that his intention was similar to promoting activities for the blind—to encourage more blind people to step outside, to overcome the barriers in their hearts, and to help more people understand and interact with the visually impaired.

It wasn’t about achieving specific goals or results; even subtly changing or influencing one person was worthwhile.

His heart was too gentle and clear.

Ning Xu really liked him.

After everything she had been through, she knew meeting someone like him was rare.

“Jiang Feng.”

“Mm.”

“I really, really like you.”

Ning Xu settled into his embrace, feeling his warmth and scent, and felt completely content.

She had always struggled with sleep—either finding it hard to fall asleep or frequently plagued by nightmares.

Fortunately, Jiang Feng had a mysterious ability to calm her mind. Every night, as long as she slept in his arms, she could fall asleep smoothly and dreamlessly.

A long-standing pain was easily resolved. Waking up refreshed every morning and seeing his face filled Ning Xu with a sense of happiness.

She wished life could continue like this.

But life doesn’t always go as planned.

As time passed, Ning Xu increasingly noticed something off about Jiang Feng. The anomalies she had initially overlooked in her joy became clearer.

She thought it was because the experience center had just opened, that Jiang Feng was too busy and had too much on his mind.

She also thought he needed time to adapt to the new living environment before he could relax.

Until one night, Ning Xu woke up to find him gone. Thinking he had just gotten up for a usual nighttime break, she waited, but he didn’t return for a long time.

In the faint light of early dawn, Jiang Feng came back and quietly lay down beside her. He waited for his body to warm up before reaching out to hold her.

He couldn’t see, so Ning Xu didn’t need to close her eyes and pretend to sleep, though she kept still. She turned her eyes to look at him—his brow was tightly furrowed.

After that, for a period of time, Ning Xu avoided falling deeply asleep at night. She discovered Jiang Feng going out to the balcony and silently followed him.

She saw him take out a lighter and a cigarette case. Lowering his head slightly, the flame leaped up, lighting the cigarette in his mouth and briefly illuminating his face.

With the lights off, the distant glow faintly outlined his silhouette.

He smoked one cigarette after another, silently.

Then, he waited a long time for the biting cold night wind to disperse the smell of smoke.

Ning Xu returned to bed and closed her eyes, but her mind was filled with the image of Jiang Feng from moments before.

When had he learned to smoke?

His expression and movements revealed anxiety. Ning Xu had been through similar phases—once when Ning Liangqing was injured on the construction site and hospitalized, and another time when she quit her first job after university without a backup plan, deciding to focus fully on food content creation.

Back then, she was so anxious she often woke up in the middle of the night, sat in front of the fridge, and stuffed food into her mouth, binge-eating excessively. Even though she knew it was wrong and her body felt terrible, the mental pressure had no outlet.

It was as if an invisible barrier enclosed her, reducing her empathy for the outside world while her own emotions consumed her.

But the question was, where was the pressure grinding on Jiang Feng’s nerves coming from? Was it the newly opened experience center? But he had already opened two before—the pressure shouldn’t be this intense.

Was it because of her?

Ning Xu spent a sleepless night.

As dawn approached, the bed dipped beside her—Jiang Feng had returned.

The smell of smoke on him was completely gone, leaving only the chill of the night.

Ning Xu closed her eyes, her nose tingling with unshed tears.

Days passed, and the New Year drew closer.

“Where will you spend the New Year this year?” Ning Xu asked, looking at Jiang Feng seated on the opposite sofa.

Jiang Feng said, “Here.”

Ning Xu suddenly tossed a pack of cigarettes and a lighter in front of him. “Smoke?”

Jiang Feng was silent for a moment, then lit a cigarette and held it between his lips, his movements smooth and familiar.

Ning Xu stood up, took a cigarette for herself, and then straddled him, sitting on his lap in a dominant posture. Leaning down, she used his cigarette to light her own.

White smoke intertwined, much like their entangled selves.

Holding her cigarette in one hand, Ning Xu cupped the side of his face with the other and whispered in his ear like a lover:

“Are you really sure you have nothing to say to me?”