After Kang He and Fan Jing got together, they were practically inseparable every day.
Every day when Fan Jing went to work, Kang He would see him off in the morning and pick him up in the evening, keeping things deliberately low-key and avoiding any showiness. Making the two trips every day, it wasn’t long before everyone at the club got to know Kang He.
He was a smooth talker and had treated the club staff to meals twice already. Almost every time, he would also bring milk tea to the two young ladies at the front desk whom he often met. Everyone liked him quite a bit.
“Brother Kang’s usually pretty busy with work, yet he keeps such a close eye on Coach Fan?”
“Though many trainees come because of Coach Fan, he doesn’t respond to any of that. Brother Kang can be totally trusted.”
Kang He always arrived early to pick up Fan Jing, never letting him wait.
Every time in the lobby, the girls at the front desk would come over to pour him a glass of water and tease him a little.
Kang He didn’t get upset at their teasing; on the contrary, it made him secretly happy.
He would chat with the girls for quite a while, but as soon as he saw Fan Jing come out slinging his big bag over one shoulder, no matter how lively the conversation had been, he would immediately stop talking and go over to take his things.
He’d inevitably ask if Fan Jing was tired or if the class had gone smoothly.
Fan Jing, always calm and composed, would answer him sentence by sentence.
They would walk out together, sometimes even holding hands briefly just before reaching the car door.
If they got home early and Kang He didn’t have any unfinished work, they would stop by the supermarket together to pick up fresh vegetables, meat, and some wine, then cook dinner at home.
When Kang He had time to cook, Fan Jing would take the opportunity to buy more groceries, cooking extra at night so they could bring leftovers to the office the next day.
Since being with Kang He, Fan Jing hardly cooked anymore.
During the day, they were both busy with their own work and hardly saw each other. After work, their time belonged entirely to just the two of them.
Sometimes they would go for a walk around the neighborhood, holding hands in quieter spots and enjoying the evening breeze.
Other times, they would drive to a more distant location to sit at an open-air bar, listen to music, and have a few drinks.
Or they’d just stay home, close the curtains, and spend the night together.
“Living here now is fine, anywhere is fine, but it’s just a bit far from the river and the park. The neighborhood’s small, so walking isn’t all that enjoyable.”
After showering, the two lay side by side on the bed.
Kang He held Fan Jing’s hand: “And it’s not exactly close to your workplace either.”
Fan Jing draped his leg over Kang He’s: “Rent’s cheap here. Back when we had no money, we lived here. Later, we got used to it, so we didn’t move.”
Kang He turned over to look at Fan Jing: “So, do you have a preferred area or neighborhood you like?”
Fan Jing replied: “Never really paid attention.”
Kang He exhaled softly. He sensed Fan Jing wasn’t particularly focused on such things.
Actually, he himself wasn’t overly concerned either, but thinking about how good a person Fan Jing was and that he’d chosen to be with him, Kang He always wanted to give him a better life experience and dreamed of having a home together.
Kang He was quite obsessed with the idea of home; if it weren’t for this obsession, he probably wouldn’t have even signed up for a matchmaking platform in the first place.
Seeing Kang He fall silent, Fan Jing thought he’d dampened his mood.
He reached out to stroke Kang He’s chin: “I just think that as long as we live together, it doesn’t matter where.”
Kang He smiled at that, turning over to hug Fan Jing closely. “I know that as long as you want to be with me, that’s enough.”
……
They didn’t always stay in the city. Fan Jing went to the countryside with Kang He many times, watching him record videos, live stream, and accompanying him to offline events.
Life in the countryside felt more tangible to Fan Jing, closer to the life he’d known before.
During holidays, Fan Jing loved staying in the countryside and helped Kang He film videos.
They shuttled back and forth between city and countryside without complaint, feeling very content.
“This video really blew up.”
Kang He was sitting in the studio checking the backend data when he heard the door open. Looking up, he saw Fan Jing freshly showered and couldn’t help but happily speak.
“The one about making the bow and arrow?”
“Yeah.”
Fan Jing’s hair was still wet, and he was only wearing knee-length shorts. Late autumn in the countryside was already quite chilly.
Kang He stood up to get a blower, leading Fan Jing over to the sofa and covering him with a thin blanket to dry his hair.
“You focus on your work, I’ll take care of this.”
Fan Jing tried to refuse, but Kang He wouldn’t let him use the blower himself: “You’ve finished your work, I’ll dry it for you. You never dry it properly, and now that it’s cold, the countryside’s even colder than the city at night. Going to bed with wet hair makes it easy to catch a cold.”
Seeing this, Fan Jing didn’t argue further.
Sitting together on the sofa, Fan Jing rested in Kang He’s lap, letting him dry his hair.
In the quiet moment, Fan Jing took out his phone and opened Kang He’s page on the short video platform.
The latest video had been uploaded two days ago, and its likes far outpaced the previous four videos, nearly hitting a million!
He glanced at the comment section.
Shaobing: “Where did you find that arrow-making craftsman? So ridiculously handsome!”
Big Watermelon: “Am I the only one who doesn’t know who to envy more between the two of them?”
All the Hundred Schools of Thought!
Fan Jing scrolled through the comments, noticing that discussions about him were quite lively. The top comment asking for his Douyin ID had over 100,000 likes.
He’d appeared in the video for less than four minutes and only showed his face twice.
Kang He leaned over from behind his neck and looked at the flood of praise in the comments. “I knew they’d all be chasing after you like this.”
Fan Jing put down his phone, glanced at the slightly sulky Kang He, and gave him a quick kiss.
“You’re not upset anymore?”
Kang He hummed twice and kissed Fan Jing again.
He was just a little jealous, but not the kind to sulk halfheartedly.
“Since it’s doing so well, why don’t you register an account? Post some work videos sometimes. When you promote yourself, it’ll be easier to recruit students.”
“I don’t know how to do that.”
He’d known Kang He’s intentions from their previous video shoots.
Kang He said, “I’ll manage it for you. If I pick you up early sometimes, we can even film some material then.”
Fan Jing replied, “You’re already busy driving me back and forth and handling your own work. You’re tired enough.”
“Just a few times when time’s tight.”
Kang He paused and said, “How about this: I’ll buy you a car. When I’m too busy, you can drive yourself. Plus, it’ll be more convenient to come from the city.”
Fan Jing thought it would indeed be more convenient to have a car now.
He had a driver’s license but rarely went out when alone, so it hadn’t mattered much before.
“That’s fine. But I can afford to buy one myself. You don’t have to.”
The club paid quite well for coaches.
He only sent a bit more money home each month, so he didn’t spend much on himself.
“What’s yours is mine, and mine is all yours.”
Kang He wasn’t the generous type who threw money around easily; he guarded what he earned with care.
Since he started earning, his parents had grown very affectionate again.
But he hadn’t forgotten how they had kicked him around like a ball after the divorce, leaving him no choice but to drop out before graduating high school and fend for himself.
Back when he was so poor he couldn’t even afford meals, they hadn’t once cared.
Now that he was doing better, they suddenly remembered they had a son. But there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
He ignored their sob stories and pleas.
But Fan Jing was different—he treated Fan Jing as his closest person.
He was only willing to spend money on him and only wanted to spend money on him.
Holding Fan Jing close, he asked, “How much money do you still have? You’ve spent a lot on gifts in my livestream. That ID called ‘Fumanman’—I saw you buying things on your phone last night.”
Over forty thousand spent in half a month. Really foolish.
Fan Jing didn’t deny Kang He’s accusations with a stiff neck; he just kept quiet.
“Be honest with me. Have you given any money to other livestreamers?”
Fan Jing glanced at him, thinking: He doesn’t even know those people. Why would he give them money?
Besides, if it weren’t for Kang He’s work, he wouldn’t even have downloaded the short video app.
“Since you’re so good at investigating, you figure it out yourself.”
Kang He nuzzled Fan Jing’s cheek. “You’re not really angry, I was just teasing.”
The two of them played around on the sofa for a while.
A few days later, Kang He went to pick up a brand-new car worth over a hundred thousand yuan.
He wanted to buy Fan Jing a better car but thought since Fan Jing was new to driving, it’d be better to start with something more modest. Too fancy a car would make him nervous; it was better to practice with this one first and then upgrade in a couple of years.
He even set aside a day to help Fan Jing get familiar with driving, but surprisingly, Fan Jing caught on quickly, making Kang He a bit regretful for not buying a nicer car right away.
Still, Fan Jing was very satisfied. Though he didn’t say it, he used to prefer the subway because driving was prone to traffic jams. Now he happily drove himself and took good care of the car, washing it every five days without fail.
Kang He happily let him take the wheel sometimes when attending offline events or filming on location.
Life felt good, and time flew by. It seemed like nothing much had happened, yet the two had already been together for over a year.
One day, Kang He drove off with Fan Jing mysteriously, saying he wanted to take him somewhere.
Fan Jing didn’t know what Kang He was up to but got in the car anyway.
The car headed into the city center and turned into a high-end residential complex.
Fan Jing looked out the window and saw a new development, seemingly among the top five most expensive neighborhoods in the city.
He rarely came to this area and didn’t know much about it, but overheard so much chatter about property prices that he caught a bit of it.
He recalled Kang He had mentioned wanting to buy a house before and asked for his opinion, but since he didn’t really know, Kang He hadn’t brought it up again. Naturally, he hadn’t asked either.
He had thought Kang He wanted him to come see it, but instead, the car went into the garage, and they took the elevator all the way up.
When the keys were handed to him, he was still a little stunned.
“Open it and take a look.”
Kang He smiled and placed the keys heavily in his palm, giving a tangible sense of reality.
Fan Jing furrowed his brow but opened the door as Kang He suggested.
The sight before him was a huge floor-to-ceiling window, with the river and park visible outside—a rare view.
The house was already renovated, with a simple modern style, but the furnishings were warm and cozy.
“The place is pretty spacious, over a hundred square meters. There are two bedrooms—one for us to live in, and the other for when friends come over for a night.
I also reserved a room for your archery gear so you can practice at home, and next door is my workspace.”
Fan Jing followed Kang He around the house, clearly feeling that this home had been designed with both of them in mind.
He suddenly remembered the gift Kang He had prepared for his fortieth birthday.
“How is it? Do you like it?”
Kang He saw that Fan Jing hadn’t said much and worried he might not like it.
“I wanted to discuss it with you before, but since you don’t really care about this stuff, I just went ahead and decided myself.”
Snapping back to reality, Fan Jing nodded softly: “I like it.”
He looked at Kang He with gentle eyes, feeling that no matter the past life or this one, Kang He’s heart remained so sincere.
Seeing this, Kang He finally relaxed. He took Fan Jing’s hand. “The name’s up to us. From now on, we have a home!”