Translator's note: Hello, everyone! Only one chapter left for the main story! Yay! There are 11 extra chapters, though. It's so good. I got to top up and buy the raws, thanks to all the ko-fi support. Thank you so much, guys! Let's continue reading. 💓 To my generous ko-fi givers, I'll send you the link to the bonus chapters in ko-fi if you can't provide me an email. Please check your messages. Hehe~ Have a great day everyone!
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Chapter 56
These three words, were they written by Yan Shiting later, or before?
Yu Li pressed his lips together, his hand holding the photo slightly trembling.
After a long time, he silently put all the photos back in place, arranged Yuanyuan's gifts, and then stood up and left the study.
Walking out of the room, just as he was about to open the door, it was opened from the inside.
Yan Shiting frowned, standing behind the door, a trace of imperceptible nervousness in his eyes.
He had accidentally gotten a bit drunk at night and told Yu Li about that cabinet.
The photos were still in that cabinet.
Did Yu Li see them?
Seeing Yu Li, Yan Shiting paused for a moment, then casually asked, "Did you put everything away?"
Yu Li kept looking at Yan Shiting's face, replying, "Yes, I did."
Putting them away means he saw the photos.
Yan Shiting's hand gripping the doorknob tightened slightly.
He swallowed, saying, "Come in first."
Yu Li nodded and walked into the room.
His expression remained calm, with no visible emotion.
After seeing those photos, no reaction?
Yan Shiting pressed his lips tightly, closing the door.
Can he just pretend this didn't happen?
He was about to speak, trying to change the subject and not bring up the photos, but suddenly he was hugged from behind by Yu Li.
"Brother, don't try to confuse the past," Yu Li's muffled voice came from behind: "I saw all the photos in the cabinet, I want to know when you put them in there?"
Perhaps Yu Li thought that knowing when the photos were put in would allow him to know when Yan Shiting started having feelings for him.
At this point, Yan Shiting understood he could no longer hide it.
Yan Shiting frowned, staring at the door in front of him.
"The photos all have dates on the back, the earliest one is when I started putting the photos in."
That was the year in college when they, the four roommates, went out to dinner together.
"But even before that, I've already had different thoughts about you."
Yu Li paused, his arms around Yan Shiting loosening a bit.
Yan Shiting took the opportunity to pull his arms apart, turning around and looking steadily at Yu Li.
Yu Li murmured, "When was it?"
Yan Shiting said, "Four years ago, on my birthday."
-
His birthday party was always held the day before his actual birthday.
By the time the party ended, it was already very late. After handing over the task of sending off the guests to Butler He, Yan Shiting came to the plum grove in the manor again.
What many people didn't know was that the day Yan Shiting and Yan Sui's mother passed away was actually Yan Shiting's birthday.
So every year after the birthday party, he would come to the plum grove to briefly pay tribute to his own thoughts.
That night, close to midnight, Yu Li was strolling in the manor and entered the plum grove.
Yan Shiting remembered him.
On the day he sent Yan Sui to report to Y University, he saw this handsome young man waking up from a nap, climbing down the stairs sleepily, his T-shirt sliding up to reveal a stretch of pale waist.
He didn't know why, but Yan Shiting just kept him in mind.
And this handsome young man, when he saw Yan Shiting in the plum grove, was first a little surprised, then seemed to sense Yan Shiting's unhappiness, and intentionally chatted with him for a while. Then he dug out a round hard candy from his coat and said to him:
"Brother, happy birthday."
It had just turned midnight, his birthday. Coincidentally, the snow on the plum tree fell onto his shoulder.
He ultimately didn't take the candy, just politely thanked him, then left first, as if escaping.
Afterwards, however, he began to unconsciously pay attention to Yu Li's movements.
After seeing the group photo posted by Yan Sui on Moments, Yan Shiting saved it and personally developed the photo and enclosed it.
It was only when he held that photo that he realized his abnormality.
But emotions are like bullets fired, impossible to take back.
The photos in the cabinet kept increasing.
Yan Shiting regretted not taking the candy that Yu Li had given him, otherwise he wouldn't have gone crazy collecting every photo with Yu Li in it, since he didn't have a single thing related to Yu Li.
On the back of each photo, he recorded the date and wrote down what Yu Li was doing at the time.
Later, he had the only one group photo with Yu Li.
When he was about to write the date on the developed photo, he suddenly stopped.
After thinking for a long time, he carefully wrote down three words that expressed his feelings.
"I like you."
No subject, because the only one who could see that photo was himself, he was the subject of that sentence.
-
Four years ago on Yan Shiting's birthday, that was when Yu Li had just realized his liking for Yan Sui.
It turned out that while he was secretly pining for Yan Sui, someone was liking him.
Thinking about this, Yu Li said, "No wonder you always frowned and warned me to stay away from Yan Sui."
Yan Shiting stroked his face, "I admit, my warning for you to stay away from Yan Sui was indeed out of my own selfish motives."
On one hand, it was because he knew Yan Sui would never like men, and he didn't want Yu Li to get hurt. On the other hand, it was because of his unmentionable feelings.
He lowered his voice and continued, "Do you still remember the Qingming festival three years ago, when you went on a spring outing and suddenly encountered a heavy rainstorm on Yueshan?"
Yu Li nodded, "I remember."
Yueshan was located in the suburbs of Y City, named because its peak resembled a crescent moon.
Yan Sui's photography club organized a spring outing, and club members could bring friends, so Yan Sui brought Yu Li along.
After arriving at Yueshan, the group finished their photography and could freely move around, as long as they gathered for the group meal at the farmhouse at 3 p.m.
Yan Sui, being daring, had dragged Yu Li and a few other club members to climb to the ridge connected to Yueshan, wanting to take a photo of Yueshan's crescent-shaped peak from that angle.
Just as they finished taking photos and were about to descend, the sky suddenly poured down a heavy rain.
The mountain roads had been muddy for the past few days, and after this heavy rain, the soil became unstable.
Yan Sui was leading the way in front, accidentally slipped and rolled down the slope, injuring his right leg on a rock and ended up lying in a gully at the bottom unable to move.
Some club members hurriedly called the police, and others took a detour to the farmhouse to seek help.
Seeing Yan Sui at the bottom of the slope, Yu Li was anxious.
He saw that the trees on the slope had exposed roots, worried about the risk of a landslide, so he prepared to go down and bring Yan Sui up.
*
That day, Yan Shiting happened to be at that farmhouse.
Seeing the dark clouds gathering in the sky, he had brought an umbrella and gone up the mountain to pick up Yan Sui.
But he didn't expect that as soon as he reached the middle of the mountain, he heard a club member's cry for help.
He hurriedly followed the person to the place where Yan Sui had the accident, just in time to see Yu Li preparing to go down.
Yan Shiting was startled, his mind blank, quickly stepping forward to stop him: "Yu Li, don't be rash! The rescue team will be here soon."
But Yu Li shook his head, "It's too late, there are already signs of a minor landslide here, if the heavy rain continues, Yan Sui will be buried underneath!"
Grabbing Yan Shiting's arm, in the pouring rain, only his eyes shining with urgency and worry were bright.
His tone was resolute, "I'm confident I can bring him up, Brother, trust me!"
Yan Shiting's heart seemed to be stabbed by a knife.
Looking into Yu Li's eyes, he was rooted to the spot.
His hand grasping Yu Li was pried open, and then Yu Li resolutely turned and slid down the slope to Yan Sui's side.
He was a little shorter and thinner than Yan Sui, but he hoisted Yan Sui onto his back, using a belt and the sleeve of his jacket to secure him, stepping on the more stable spots to climb back up.
During this process, his hands and body were scratched by the rocks and tree roots on the slope, but he paid no attention, his mind focused solely on getting Yan Sui up.
Yan Shiting held the umbrella, watching him risk his life, watching Yan Sui receive his love, his body frozen in place, his throat seemingly blocked.
So there could be someone who would throw everything aside like this to love someone.
*
Yan Shiting's eyes reddened, he stared at Yu Li for a long time, speaking slowly: "At that moment, I was so jealous of Yan Sui, jealous to the point of madness."
He was not as calm and collected as Yu Li had imagined.
After returning from Yueshan, when Yu Li came to visit the injured Yan Sui, he had reminded Yu Li to stay away from Yan Sui.
Later, behind every one of his reminders, was the jealousy hidden in his heart.
"Little fish," Yan Shiting closed his eyes, and when he spoke again, his tone was calm: "After knowing my true thoughts, are you scared?"
Yu Li felt his heart being slowly squeezed.
He hugged Yan Shiting and shook his head, "No. Having such thoughts is only normal, isn't it?"
Whether it's love or jealousy, aren't they all human emotions?
Yu Li paused, then said, "Brother, I'm grateful that you were willing to tell me."
"This makes me feel like I understand you better."
Yan Shiting hugged him back, "Even knowing that I used your pregnancy to marry you, you're not afraid?"
Yu Li's eyes were moist, but he still shook his head, comforting, "No. Agreeing to marry was my own decision. Brother, you've never coerced me or hurt me, so don't be so self-blaming."
He continued, "Brother, I'm sorry, it's only now that I'm responding to your feelings of so many years."
His tone was firm as he reiterated, "Now and in the future, I love you."
The heart that had been held up for so long finally settled down.
Yan Shiting's arms tightened, burying his face in Yu Li's shoulder, muffled, "Thank you, little fish, I love you too."
The room fell silent, the two of them quietly embracing by the door for a long time.
Until the sound of Yuanyuan's cries came from the small bed, Yu Li finally released Yan Shiting.
He looked at Yan Shiting, "Brother, I'll go soothe Yuanyuan, you go take a shower."
He had drunk quite a bit with Mr. Lu tonight, so Yan Shiting had a hint of alcohol on him.
He nodded at Yu Li.
After Yan Shiting went into the bathroom, Yu Li quickly walked to Yuanyuan's crib, placing the fish-shaped pillow next to him and gently rocking the crib.
Soon, Yuanyuan fell back into a deep sleep.
The sound of water in the bathroom had also stopped.
Yan Shiting walked to the crib, looking at the sleeping Yuanyuan, and hugged Yu Li from behind, sighing contentedly, "It's like a dream."
Yu Li chuckled lightly, leaning his head to rub against Yan Shiting's face.
He recalled that a month ago, he had been curious about when Yan Shiting started having feelings for him.
Now he had the answer.
It turned out that it was not a gradual falling in love, Yan Shiting's feelings for him had been harbored for a long time.
And for him and Yan Shiting, their future was bright.
I’m not crying, you are!
ReplyDeleteSo cute, so much fluff
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