“My honor belongs to him.”

“My achievements, from the past and for the future, belong to her.”

These two sentences quickly set the internet ablaze.

“Dong-ge is simply too swoon-worthy! Every time Zhou Yining speaks her mind, his response is even stronger. This is how a man answers his woman, with so much indulgence!”

“He doesn’t usually say sweet things, but when he does, it’s absolutely charming. My heart hurts.”

“Yining deserves this. Given the situation he was in, making the relationship public wasn’t exactly beneficial for her. Remember Shen Qing? Rumor has it they were together six years ago. After his scandal broke, she dumped him. She was probably afraid of it affecting her career.”

“I just love Zhou Yining’s personality. Domineering! And Dong-ge’s response was even more domineering. I’m officially a fan of this couple!”

After the awards ceremony, headlines everywhere were dominated by Zhou Yining and Ji Dongyang. The speech Zhou Yining gave on the podium won her many fans. Netizens felt she was incredibly bold, unafraid of offending the judges, and vocal about the committee’s unfairness. Many began to side with Ji Dongyang. Even Liao Yi, who had just won Best Actor, was overshadowed by the public’s focus. Many expressed regret that Ji Dongyang hadn’t taken the trophy.

Was it a regret? Ji Dongyang didn’t think so. The words Zhou Yining spoke on stage made it worth more to him than receiving the award himself. If her honor belonged to him, was the reverse not also true?

At the banquet, Zhou Yining entered on Ji Dongyang’s arm. As this year’s Best Actress winner, there were too many people eager to strike up a conversation. After making the rounds, she found an excuse to slip away to the restroom for a breather. As she exited, she ran into Shen Qing near the back door of the banquet hall.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds. Zhou Yining gave a faint smile and moved to walk past her.

Shen Qing turned. “Wait a moment.”

Zhou Yining looked back. “Is something wrong, Sister Qing?”

Shen Qing looked at her. “Shall we… talk?”

“About what?”

“Ji Dongyang.”

Zhou Yining laughed. “Talk about him? I know him better than you do, so there is no need.”

With that, she turned and walked back into the hall.

Shen Qing’s face darkened. Watching Zhou Yining’s proud back, she felt a trace of indignation, but also envy. She envied her lack of fear and her total commitment, qualities that had ultimately won over Ji Dongyang.

Shen Qing stood there in a daze for a moment. After a while, she walked to a corner of the corridor to smoke a cigarette.

As fate would have it, she had only walked a few steps when she encountered Ji Dongyang. His assistant, A Ming, was following behind him. Their eyes met. Ji Dongyang’s gaze was calm as he gave her a nod and prepared to keep walking. Feeling awkward, Shen Qing couldn’t help but call out, “Dongyang.”

Ji Dongyang looked back. “Yes?”

Shen Qing looked at her surroundings, then at A Ming. “Can we speak for a moment? It won’t take much of your time, just a few minutes.”

Ji Dongyang stood still. “Go ahead,” he said simply.

Seeing the situation, A Ming had no choice but to say, “Dong-ge, I’ll wait for you inside.”

Ji Dongyang nodded, and A Ming left quickly.

As he neared the door, A Ming glanced back. Should I tell the little demon?

Shen Qing looked at him, finding it difficult to speak. Yet, if she didn’t ask, her heart would never find peace. She took a deep breath. “If, and I’m only saying if, I had stayed by your side back then as fearlessly as Zhou Yining did, would we still…”

Ji Dongyang interrupted her. “There are no ‘ifs’ regarding this matter.”

Shen Qing’s face turned pale as she stared at him.

“She is not like you,” Ji Dongyang continued. “If this is what you wanted to say, then it isn’t necessary. I’ll be going now.”

Shen Qing stood rooted to the spot. It took a long while for her to regain her train of thought.

After the banquet, Zhou Yining and Ji Dongyang did not return to the hotel. There were too many reporters there. Zhou Yining had A Ming drive them back to her place instead. At the entrance of the complex, they found reporters lying in wait. Fortunately, the security didn’t let them through, and they returned home smoothly.

Zhou Yining placed the trophy on the table. She suddenly turned and asked, “Where do you keep your trophies?”

Ji Dongyang had been acting for over a decade, and he had quite a collection of awards, both large and small. Zhou Yining had only been to two of his residences, and she hadn’t seen any of them.

“I’ll take you there next time we go back,” he replied.

Zhou Yining pursed her lips. “Just how many places do you have?”

Ji Dongyang smiled. “Five.”

“…Alright then.”

Seeing her still staring at the trophy in a daze, Ji Dongyang hugged her from behind. “What are you thinking?”

“If you had won tonight as well, it would have been perfect,” she said honestly.

“Didn’t we agree not to talk about this?”

“Mm, I’m done.” Zhou Yining turned in his arms, lifting her chin. “Tell me what Shen Qing said to you.”

A Ming really talks too much.

Ji Dongyang looked at her. He couldn’t lie to her, so he told her everything.

Zhou Yining bit her lip, reaching out to hook her arms around his neck. “And did you answer?”

“I said there are no ‘ifs’.”

“What if there were?”

Sometimes, when a woman decided to be difficult, no one could withstand it.

Before she asked the question, Ji Dongyang really hadn’t considered such a scenario. He hadn’t been with Shen Qing for long back then, and their relationship was still in the adjustment phase. However, he didn’t deny his serious attitude toward relationships. When Shen Qing wanted to break up, he respected her choice and didn’t try to make her stay. He understood that in her situation at the time, her career was more important than love.

Ji Dongyang was silent for a moment. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “You are different from her. There is no comparison.”

“How am I different?” she pressed.

“You need me.”

Shen Qing could discard him easily because he wasn’t important enough. At the very least, he couldn’t compete with her career back then, and she didn’t need him.

Zhou Yining was different. She needed him, couldn’t bear to be without him, and she loved him.

“And what else?” she continued relentlessly.

Ji Dongyang gave a helpless smile and finally relented. “I need you too.”

Zhou Yining’s lips curled into a smile as she broke free from his embrace. “I’m going to remove my makeup and shower.”

Late at night, the two slept in each other’s arms. Zhou Yining lay on his chest, whispering, “I’m sorry. The things I said on stage today were a bit ill-considered. What if it affects you…”

Ji Dongyang looked down at her. “You don’t need to apologize to me.”

Zhou Yining looked up. “It won’t have any impact,” he said. “Don’t worry.”

Zhou Yining rubbed her head against his chest once, then lowered it again. “Mm.”

The next evening, Zhou Yining and Zhou Lihui met for dinner. They chose the same restaurant they used to frequent.

Zhou Lihui arrived more than half an hour early. By the time Zhou Yining and Ji Dongyang arrived, he had been waiting for quite some time. He stood up, smiling at Zhou Yining. “You’re here. I ordered your favorite dishes. Ji…”

“Hello, Uncle,” Ji Dongyang interrupted. “Please, just call me by my name.”

“Alright.” Zhou Lihui smiled. “Dongyang, if there is anything you like, please order more.”

The waitress hadn’t expected to run into the stars of the headlines, Zhou Yining and Ji Dongyang. The young girl blushed as she looked at Ji Dongyang, handing over the menu.

Ji Dongyang added two dishes and handed the menu back. “That’s all. Thank you.”

The waitress hugged the menu and walked out with a red face, barely suppressing a scream. Dong-ge’s voice is so charming! Is he meeting Yining’s father? Is he going to get married? Ah, my heart hurts!

Zhou Lihui studied Ji Dongyang. “Father,” Zhou Yining called out.

Zhou Lihui looked at her. “When are you going back?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

“Will your work be very busy soon? Don’t overwork yourself.”

“It won’t be too busy. I’ll be resting for a while.”

“Are you still going back to the UK?”

“In a few days.”

Zhou Lihui suddenly didn’t know what to ask next. After a moment, he asked, “Are you going back alone?”

Ji Dongyang answered for her. “I’ll be accompanying her.”

Zhou Lihui froze, then smiled. “That is good then.”

Zhou Lihui didn’t ask about Ji Dongyang’s family matters, and there was no need to ask about his work. He was Zhou JiaHui’s favorite actor. Since she was little, she would constantly chatter in his ear about how “Dong-ge” was this or that. Sometimes, when she saw Zhou Yining there, she would talk even more enthusiastically.

At Zhou JiaHui’s eighteenth birthday party, he had even asked Lu Xiao to invite Ji Dongyang just to make her happy.

Ji Dongyang wasn’t exactly a stranger to Zhou Lihui, but he hadn’t expected that after all these years, he would end up with his daughter.

He could see that the man was steady and reliable.

Once the food arrived, both men placed food on Zhou Yining’s plate. She glanced at them, said nothing, and lowered her head to eat.

She never had much to say to Zhou Lihui anyway. The relationship between father and daughter had always been thin, and after what happened with Zhou JiaHui, it had grown even thinner.

As for Zhou Lihui? When his daughter was young and needed him, he hadn’t been there for her.

Now that she was grown, with her own career and someone she loved, he had no right to interfere in her life other than his title as her father. He was in no position to pass judgment. The things he could give her, she no longer needed.

A profound sense of sorrow filled his heart. He never thought that a mistake made in his youth would be something he’d have to pay for in his old age.

After the meal, Ji Dongyang went to pay the bill.

Zhou Lihui looked at the woman across from him. “I can see that Ji Dongyang treats you very well.”

“Mm,” Zhou Yining replied.

Zhou Lihui sighed. “I even tried to force you into an engagement with Yanjun. It was my fault.”

Zhou Yining didn’t speak. Zhou Lihui continued to talk to himself. “I didn’t expect my daughter to become a Best Actress. This is quite good. In the future, if I want to see you, I can see you on television. If you come back here in the future, will you still have a meal with me?”

Zhou Yining looked at him. In just a few months, his hair had turned much whiter. He hadn’t bothered to dye it, making him look much older. He seemed more approachable now, unlike the majestic chairman he used to be.

He looked like a father.

Her heart remained calm. For her, a father’s love had transformed from a childhood craving into something optional.

Ji Dongyang entered the room, and Zhou Yining stood up. “Alright.”

She looked at Zhou Lihui, her gaze warm but distant. “Father, we’ll be leaving now.”

Zhou Lihui’s heart sank heavily. “Alright,” he said, his voice hoarse.

Ji Dongyang nodded politely. “Uncle, we’ll see you next time.”

Zhou Lihui watched his daughter leave while leaning on Ji Dongyang’s arm. It finally dawned on him that he had made too many mistakes over the years.

In the car, Ji Dongyang stroked her long hair. Zhou Yining laughed. “Look at how lucky you are. You passed the test with my parents so easily.”

Ji Dongyang smiled. “Very lucky indeed.”

Zhou Yining laughed at his response. After a while, she turned to look at him. “Then… should I meet your parents?”

Ji Dongyang was silent for a few seconds before driving out. “Maybe later. They only recently came out of rehab. Their tempers are still very volatile. They might get angry at you.”

He didn’t want that.

Besides, they had never cared about his affairs. There was no need for her to go back and deal with their attitudes.

Zhou Yining looked at him. “Ji Dongyang, will we have children in the future?”

Ji Dongyang’s hand on the steering wheel tightened. He looked ahead. “If you want them, we will.”

“What if I don’t like them?”

“Then we’ll just raise a cat,” he replied.

“…”

Can a cat be compared to a child?

Early the next morning, the two left S City.

A large crowd of fans met them at the airport, along with reporters trailing them.

It took a great deal of effort to break through the crowd and leave the airport. Ji Dongyang drove personally, leading the paparazzi through several detours before finally shaking them off.

Ji Dongyang parked the car in the courtyard of a villa. Zhou Yining blinked, carrying her trophy out of the car. she looked at the three-story villa, then at Ji Dongyang, who was taking the luggage. “Ji Dongyang, you even have a house this big?”

Ji Dongyang glanced at her. “Mm. When I bought it, the prices hadn’t risen yet.”

Zhou Yining was surprised. Lu Xiao had complained that Ji Dongyang had no business sense and couldn’t be bothered with investments. Aside from a few properties, he had no other side businesses. Lu Xiao had even said proudly, “If I hadn’t borrowed money from him and then suggested he invest with me once I made it, how could he have any side businesses or collect dividends every year?”

“You actually have quite the eye for this.”

This location had more than tripled in value by now.

“Yang Xun’s suggestion,” Ji Dongyang admitted honestly.

Ji Dongyang walked ahead with the luggage, and Zhou Yining followed.

“Why did you buy such a big house?”

“To raise cats.”

“…”

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