The Ranking of Love

The car cut through the pitch-black night as the cool summer breeze brushed across the earth.

"Lift your foot." Jiang Wenzhe's voice came through the wind, a little hoarse.

Lin Sangyu lifted her foot slightly, and Jiang Wenzhe's hand reached down, cradling her calf and setting it on his thigh. His fingers traced over the top of her foot as he bent his head silently, untying the buckle on her high heel. She asked, "What's wrong?"

A flicker of emotion passed through his eyes, but Jiang Wenzhe didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "Are your feet sore?"

Lin Sangyu pressed her thumb and index finger together. "A little, but I didn't walk much."

"Don't wear these anymore. I didn't think about that earlier."

The heel slipped off completely, revealing small, rounded toes with clean, neatly trimmed nails. Jiang Wenzhe's large palm pressed against the sole of her foot.

Startled, Lin Sangyu instinctively curled her toes and tried to pull her foot away, but the next second, his grip tightened. His gaze darkened. "Don't move."

"I can do it myself," Lin Sangyu said.

"Not as well as I can."

Jiang Wenzhe's palm was warm and full of strength. His fingertips kneaded the tense tendons on the top of her foot, avoiding sensitive spots, pressing in slow circles with just the right amount of pressure.

Lin Sangyu felt the temperature in the back seat rising, making her uncomfortable. She said, "Jiang Wenzhe, let's take a walk outside. I don't want to go home so early. The party was so stuffy, and I need some fresh air."

"Alright, where do you want to go?" Jiang Wenzhe asked, still massaging her foot seriously.

"I want to climb the mountain behind the villa."

Behind the villa was a developed mountain with a winding asphalt road, serving as a back-mountain park. In the evening, as the sun set, people often came for walks.

But Jiang Wenzhe refused immediately. "It's too late, not safe. Besides, you're in heels—didn't your feet just hurt?"

Lin Sangyu put on a fawning smile. "With you here, what's not safe? As for the shoes, can't you just carry me on your back?"

"You're not embarrassed, are you?" Jiang Wenzhe said.

Lin Sangyu thought for a moment and offered a solution: "If you think I'm too heavy, I can turn into a sugar glider and change back once we reach the top."

"Lin Sangyu," Jiang Wenzhe's tone suddenly turned cold and hard. "Are you joking? Do you mean after you change back, you'll have to get dressed in public?"

"It's on the mountain, I can hide behind a tree. What's the big deal?" Lin Sangyu said dismissively.

"..." His temples throbbed, his jaw clenched. Jiang Wenzhe said, "No. Way."

"Fine, fine. Being human is troublesome. I miss the feeling of not wearing clothes," Lin Sangyu said, and her eyes lit up. "Seriously, wearing no clothes feels amazing!"

If only humans could be like animals and walk around bare without any clothes.

And on top of that, they could grow fluffy fur to keep warm in winter.

"But you're a human now. If you ran around naked, I might have to bail you out of the police station," Jiang Wenzhe said. "Let's go home first to change into proper shoes and clothes before going for a walk. There are lots of mosquitoes on the mountain, and it's colder up there."

Back home, Jiang Wenzhe found a long-sleeved athletic outfit for Lin Sangyu. Lin Sangyu complained that it would be hot to wear in summer, but she couldn't argue with Jiang Wenzhe's firmness. Before they left, he sprayed her with mosquito repellent, making her cough uncomfortably.

"That smells awful." Lin Sangyu waved her hand in front of her nose, her face scrunched up.

"I know, the smell will fade soon." Jiang Wenzhe casually slipped the mosquito repellent into his pocket.

Lin Sangyu's sharp eyes caught it, and she complained, "Hey, are you going to spray me again later?"

Jiang Wenzhe said expressionlessly, "Just in case."

Closing the villa's front door, Jiang Wenzhe crouched down, his broad shoulders sinking slightly. "Get on."

Lin Sangyu looked down at the sneakers Jiang Wenzhe had put on her just now and murmured, "Can you carry me even with these sneakers on?"

Jiang Wenzhe turned his head to look at her. "Why not? Get on."

A delighted smile spread across Lin Sangyu's face as she immediately leaned onto his shoulder. Jiang Wenzhe's shoulders were broad, like a steady, warm hill, firm but not bony, giving a sense of security. She asked, "Am I heavy?"

He felt no significant weight on his back, like carrying a backpack. Jiang Wenzhe carried her steadily. "If you were heavy, would you get down and walk yourself?"

Lin Sangyu shook her head, pouting like a child. "No."

"That settles it. Hold on tight, don't fall."

It had rained all night yesterday, but even though the day had been sunny, the soil still gave off a faint, moist scent of fresh grass, like clear springs moistening the lungs—pleasant and comfortable.

When they first entered the mountain, it was still quiet, with only the occasional croak of frogs. But with some unknown breeze or a heavier step of theirs, the mountain suddenly came alive with the clamor of birdsong.

Lin Sangyu asked abruptly, "Jiang Wenzhe, do the birds sing nicely, or do I?"

She heard a breathy chuckle first, then Jiang Wenzhe said, "Both are pretty bad."

She was annoyed, and her lips pressed into a pout. "Jiang Wenzhe, you really have a sharp tongue."

"I'll cover your ears for you later, so you don't have to listen," Jiang Wenzhe said helpfully.

The mountain path turned, and amid the lush greenery, a pavilion emerged, its upturned eaves peeking out in the distance.

Lin Sangyu pointed toward the pavilion and said, "Let's sit there for a bit. We've walked so long; you must be tired too."

Entering the pavilion, Jiang Wenzhe set Lin Sangyu down. He took two packs of tissues from his pocket, wiping the bench with a wet wipe first, then drying it with a dry tissue, before letting her sit.

With his hands propped behind him, Jiang Wenzhe said, "Go ahead. You've been wanting to ask something but kept changing the subject. Ask whatever you want."

Lin Sangyu averted her eyes, scratching her face awkwardly. "Is it that obvious?"

"You want to ask about my parents, right?" He pressed his thin lips together, his tone flat and unreadable.

After a moment of silence, Lin Sangyu struggled to speak. "Yeah... I just feel..."

Jiang Wenzhe saw her brows tightly knit, so he reached up and gently smoothed them with his thumb, speaking softly. "You think we don't get along, right?"

"Mm, it's just a feeling. I didn't mean anything by it."

"It's true we don't get along. Many kids don't have great relationships with their parents; it's nothing special." Jiang Wenzhe shrugged as if it didn't matter, having long since let it go.

"Why?" Lin Sangyu was genuinely puzzled.

Weren't Jiang Wenzhe's parents supposed to have only him? Then why were they so awful to him?

Jiang Wenzhe's silhouette blended into the boundless night. All sounds faded, and even the birds fell silent again, as if they were the only two beings in the world.

"Because my birth was a misfortune to them, I guess."

"Huh?"

"Did you notice my father's wheelchair?"

"Was he injured before?"

"Yes, a car accident."

Jiang Wenzhe's dark eyes gradually dimmed. Lin Sangyu could feel the air around them turning heavy and thick. The painful years of the past surged like tidal waves, crashing down unexpectedly, suffocating.

"I was born the day my father got into a car accident on his way to the hospital."

It was a heavy blow.

For someone like Jiang Yaoting, born with a silver spoon and always looking down on everyone, losing his legs in an accident meant spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair. The horror of that news needed no elaboration.

He would be frantic, furious, screaming with hysteria. All his resentment and helplessness fermented and expanded inside him, crushing the last shred of reason, and finally descended with world-destroying fury upon the newborn baby.

He believed in fate and karma, obstinately convinced that all blessings and misfortunes had a source. So he placed the blame for his sudden calamity squarely on the just-born Jiang Wenzhe, without a hint of guilt.

When a person's beliefs crumble completely, hating someone, blaming someone, can give them a focal point to hold on to and keep living.

That was Jiang Yaoting.

Though it made no sense, whenever he saw photos of his former spirited self or watched healthy pedestrians walking on the street, he felt powerless envy and bitter regret.

But you couldn't blame a disabled man who'd gone mad from losing his legs; that wouldn't be right, because if you walked in his shoes, you might become even more desperate, even more insane.

The father and son were two ends of the same knot of fate—unable to untie it, and unable to avoid it. Because what stood between them was Jiang Yaoting's longing for the vibrant man he used to be.

Lin Sangyu's eyes turned red, and her voice choked. "So he blamed all his misfortunes on you?"

Jiang Wenzhe said in a calm, measured tone, as if he were an outsider: "More or less. Actually, whether he blamed me or not, the result would be the same. My mother and father never truly loved each other; they were just bound together by mutual benefit."

"But people who don't love each other can still get married and live together?"

"Sure. The civil affairs bureau doesn't require love to issue a marriage license," Jiang Wenzhe said.

Lin Sangyu asked, "Did they ever abuse you when you were little?"

Jiang Wenzhe thought for a moment and replied, "No, they just didn't bother with me much."

For example, when he came home from school, holding his report card.

If he did well, Jiang Yaoting would see it and sign it quickly.

If he did poorly, Jiang Yaoting would see it and sign it quickly too.

The three members of the family never communicated, never opened up, never showed warmth.

"Jiang Wenzhe, can I hug you?" Lin Sangyu looked at him earnestly.

Jiang Wenzhe raised an eyebrow, tilting his head casually. "Lin Sangyu, are you pitying me?"

"No," Lin Sangyu answered firmly. "I feel sorry for you."

"Alright, then I'll reluctantly let you hug me."

Jiang Wenzhe opened his arms and pulled her into an embrace.

"There's nothing to feel sorry about. On the contrary, I'm very lucky—I got power, money, and status. So not getting a bit of family love is really nothing. Probably only you would feel sorry for me."

"Besides, for people like me and Tang Lin, being raised without affection is for the best. Someone indecisive and overly sentimental rarely lasts long in the business world."

"Really? But I think love should come first." Lin Sangyu still felt a dull ache in her chest. She didn't know why, but she sensed a bitter kinship with his pain.

"Depends on the person. Some people put love above all; others are different and value material things more. After all, without money and material resources, you can't get anywhere in this society," Jiang Wenzhe said.

Lin Sangyu looked up, asking urgently, "Then what about you? Would you put love first in your life?"

"Guess."

Lin Sangyu lowered her head again, nestling back into Jiang Wenzhe's arms. "You definitely don't."

Jiang Wenzhe leaned down, pressing his forehead against hers. "Then you guessed wrong."