Chapter 16: I Like You!

【016】

But only for a second.

“Yes, I like you.”

Lu Jue replied.

His arms, holding Yu Ting, tightened at the same time.

The green numbers on the crosswalk signal counted down. Pedestrians hurried past the two of them. The crossing time must have been short; some people were even jogging across.

After a few seconds of silence with no response, Lu Jue started walking. His canvas shoes stepped onto the crosswalk at a steady, unhurried pace. His dark eyes gazed at the flashing neon signs of the shops across the street, his lips pressed into a slightly straight line that betrayed no emotion.

A few more seconds passed. There was still no movement from his shoulder.

Yu Ting hadn’t responded, nor had he moved. Only the occasional shallow, warm breath brushed against Lu Jue’s skin.

The signal counted down, block by block: 29, 28, 27, 26…

These were, in Lu Jue’s life so far, the longest few seconds he had ever experienced.

The last time had been the first time he saw Yu Ting.

That morning, he was almost at the gate.

Suddenly, a car drove past and stopped in the distance. And like a miracle, Yu Ting appeared right before his eyes.

There was some distance between them. Everything else was a blur, yet every single detail of Yu Ting was carved into his soul with perfect clarity.

A white T-shirt, black wide-leg shorts, beach sandals.

His thick, fluffy black hair caught the sunlight, showing faint golden highlights. His eyelids were thin, with prominent double eyelids. His irises nearly filled his entire eye sockets, like two crystalline amber gems. He probably hadn’t slept well the night before; there were two faint bluish bags under his eyes.

But that was also because Yu Ting’s skin was too fair, unable to hide a single flaw. Standing under the scorching sun, he seemed to glow white. Beneath his skin, his veins were clearly visible, cold blue lines creeping from his wrist up into his sleeve, disappearing from view.

His lips were also on the thin side, with a beautiful shape, a natural pale pink, perfectly suited for—

Kissing!

For the first time in his life, a filthy, uncontrollable desire surged within him. He wanted to fiercely kiss those two soft lips, to bite them until they bled, to fuse that warm blood into his own body, to merge with him entirely, completely.

This wild, madly growing desire peaked when he saw Yu Ting moving the flowers.

The young man was carrying two large flower pots, his arms tensing into two arcs full of vitality. His snow-white skin continuously rubbed against the cheap, rough, worn-out pots, easily leaving pale pink friction marks that grew redder under the blazing sun.

And he—

had a reaction. Just like that.

He stood completely still, quietly hidden in the deep shade of the trees, watching Yu Ting without blinking until the boy finished his work.

His boiling blood finally calmed down. He turned around and voluntarily went back into that piece-of-shit house and contacted his butler.

“Do you really get blue rain here? For real?”

He had rehearsed this moment a thousand times, but the instant Yu Ting looked up, he still lost control.

Must possess him.

Stop at nothing. Possess Yu Ting.

The green pedestrian signal started flashing.

10, 9, 8…

3, 2.

1.

On the crosswalk, only Lu Jue remained, carrying Yu Ting on his back. In the last second before the traffic started flowing again, Lu Jue stepped onto the curb. He turned his head, and amidst the crisscrossing headlights, the corner of his mouth curled into a smirk.

“Liked you from the very first glance.”

On Lu Jue’s right shoulder, Yu Ting slept quietly. Half his face rested on the shoulder, his chin tucked into the collarbone, revealing only a small portion of his face. His long eyelashes were a chestnut brown, casting a soft, fan-shaped shadow beneath his eyelids.

At some point, he had fallen asleep.

Lu Jue was speechless for a moment. “…”.

After a few seconds of frozen time, Lu Jue let out a silent, soft laugh and turned to find his way.

This time, he chose an even quieter path.

It was past midnight by the time they returned to Lu Yan’s house.

Lu Jue lightly kicked open the ajar courtyard gate with his foot. Steadying Yu Ting on his back, just as he was about to reach the front door, he saw Guan Ning sitting on the steps, dozing off.

Lu Jue had no intention of acknowledging Guan Ning. He walked straight up the steps to the door.

He adjusted his arms, using one hand to hold Yu Ting steady while freeing the other. Just as he was about to unlock the door, a voice suddenly burst out from behind him, “I know why you were sent to the countryside!”

Lu Jue frowned, immediately turning his head to glare down at Guan Ning. He held up his index finger and shook it twice, signaling him to shut up.

Standing on the steps, Guan Ning’s eyes were slightly red. He stared at Yu Ting, fast asleep on Lu Jue’s back. For the first time, he didn’t obey and shut up. “You’re a homosexual! You like this country bumpkin!”

Lu Jue instantly looked back at Yu Ting.

Yu Ting was still in the same position, not even an eyelash fluttering.

Seeing how much Lu Jue cared about Yu Ting, Guan Ning exploded even more. Tears streaming down his face, he jumped and shouted hysterically, “What’s so good about him? What makes him so great? That you’d be gentle for him, that you’d bend over for him!”

Lu Jue was unmoved. He just coldly uttered a single word, “Leave.”

Guan Ning wiped his eyes and slammed the takeout bag he was carrying onto the ground. Cold food spilled everywhere. His voice weakened a bit. “I’m going to tell Uncle Lu! He will never allow you to be with a country bumpkin like Yu Ting!”

Afraid Lu Jue would hit him, Guan Ning ran off as soon as he finished speaking.

Lu Jue didn’t bother with him at all. He simply glanced at Yu Ting again. Confirming Yu Ting still hadn’t woken up, he turned, opened the door, and went inside.

He went straight to the first-floor guest room. Without turning on the light, using the illumination filtering in from outside, Lu Jue bent over and gently laid Yu Ting on the bed.

He settled Yu Ting’s head onto a pillow, then crouched down and carefully untied Yu Ting’s shoelaces. He slowly removed both shoes and placed them neatly side-by-side on the floor.

He got up, went to the bathroom, and wrung out a hot towel. Returning, he meticulously wiped Yu Ting’s face clean. Leaning his upper body over, he pulled a thin summer blanket up to cover Yu Ting, then suddenly stopped.

A sliver of light from outside grazed Yu Ting’s cheek. His lips seemed drunk, several shades redder than usual, moist and glistening just a few centimeters from Lu Jue’s face.

Warm breath puffed against Lu Jue’s nose. If he just lowered his head a little, he could seize the lips he dreamed of day and night.

And Yu Ting wouldn’t even know.

Lu Jue’s breathing grew heavier. He stared at the defenseless sleeping face for a moment, then let out an incredulous laugh. He reached out, ruffled Yu Ting’s hair, and leaned down to whisper beside the ear with the red mole, “Good night, Lele.”

After checking the blanket once more, Lu Jue took out a string of beads. He slipped it onto Yu Ting’s wrist before finally leaving.

He closed the door and hurriedly rushed up to the second floor.

……

In a half-asleep daze, Yu Ting intermittently heard the pitter-patter of water.

His eyelids twitched, then snapped open.

His sight was pitch black. Yu Ting sat up, took a few seconds to clear his head, got out of bed, and pulled back the curtains.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, it was broad daylight. A fine drizzle was falling. The China roses were washed even more tender pink by the rain, their leaves gleaming a vibrant green.

So it was raining.

Yu Ting rubbed his temples. A whole night had passed, but his memory was still stuck on yesterday, when he had eaten a piece of liqueur chocolate.

Clearly, he had been drunk yesterday.

Guan Ning wasn’t the type to bring him back. Did Lu Jue go to pick him up?

As he was thinking, he suddenly felt a cool sensation on his wrist.

He raised his hand to look and froze.

What had he done after getting drunk yesterday? How had this string of beads appeared on his hand?

Yu Ting took off the beads. There were 21 beads in total, varying in shade from a rich yellowish-brown to a pale yellowish-white. The surface was marked with grain-like spots, the texture was oily and smooth, and there was a very sweet fragrance, like both honey and flowers.

Yu Ting quickly washed up, changed his clothes, and went out to find Lu Jue.

No one was in the living room. There was a sound from the kitchen.

Yu Ting found the kitchen. Lu Jue was at the stove, flustered, holding up his phone and adding fruit to a pot.

Yu Ting called out to him, “Lu Jue.”

Lu Jue immediately turned his head. He scrutinized Yu Ting’s expression—calm and composed as always. The corners of his eyes lifted slightly. “Finally awake. The hangover soup is almost ready.”

He then found it amusing. “Getting drunk on liqueur chocolate. You should just apply for a world record.”

Yu Ting didn’t feel embarrassed. One drop or one glass, the difference wasn’t that big.

He stepped forward and glanced at the pot. Apple and orange. Pulling his gaze back, he asked, “Did you bring me back?”

Lu Jue’s expression didn’t change. “Forgot everything?”

Yu Ting shook his head. “Remember a few words.”

“Words?”

“Never mind.”

Lu Jue turned off the heat. “Yeah, I picked you up.”

Yu Ting breathed a sigh of relief. “Sorry, I’m a bad drunk. Did I cause you any trouble?”

Lu Jue ladled a bowl of hangover soup. “Nope.” He carried the soup to the refrigerator, pulled open the freezer compartment, and placed it inside for quick cooling. Only then did he turn his head to look at Yu Ting, a faint smirk on his face. “Your drinking behavior couldn’t have been better.”

“…”

Yu Ting composed his words, then spread his palm. “Is this your bracelet?”

Lu Jue glanced at it. “Oh, bought it at a tourist spot. Just a wooden string of beads. Wear it for fun. Toss it if you get tired of it.”

Yu Ting had a strong intuition it wasn’t that simple. They were wooden beads, but not ordinary ones. It was just his first time seeing them; he had no clue what made them so special.

But Lu Jue had said so, and compared to a phone worth over five thousand, a wooden bracelet seemed less unacceptable. After thinking it over for a moment, Yu Ting still put it back on his wrist.

After drinking the hangover soup with added honey, Yu Ting felt much better. His bus ticket back to Lingjiang was for ten o’clock tonight. He still hadn’t bought gifts. He ate a little more breakfast and went out again.

He didn’t ask Lu Jue to come; he went out alone.

After his outing with Guan Ning yesterday, he had faced the disparity in spending power between him and Lu Jue for the first time.

It would be a lie to say he didn’t have some thoughts about it.

At seventeen or eighteen, a young man’s self-esteem is at its peak, and Yu Ting was no exception.

He searched for an affordable shopping mall. For Zhao Rufei and Zhang Minhua, he chose silk scarves of the same style but different colors.

Picking a gift for Li Chengxi took a bit more effort: a latest-model gaming mouse.

300 yuan. All the money he could currently spare.

He touched the oily, smooth wooden beads on his wrist. A return gift for Lu Jue would have to wait until next time.

At ten in the evening, the bus back to Lingjiang departed on time. Early the next morning, as the sky was just beginning to brighten, it pulled into the Lingjiang bus station.

Both Yu Ting and Lu Jue had slept on the bus. Getting off, they breathed in the fresh air, ate breakfast at a small shop near the station, and then went their separate ways home to get ready.

“See you at school.” Lu Jue got into a taxi.

There was still time before morning self-study. Yu Ting, as usual, took the public bus. Getting off at his stop, he carried his luggage home. Just as he entered the courtyard gate, he saw a familiar figure sitting on the steps.

A spark of a cigarette glowed between the young man’s fingers.

Seeing Yu Ting suddenly return, Li Chengxi hastily stubbed out the cigarette and stood up with a smile.

The irritation on his face vanished instantly. He raised his right hand, holding a very pretty paper bag.

The English logo read—Caramel Egg Tart.

Li Chengxi hooked his finger, swinging the paper bag.

In one large stride, he was right in front of Yu Ting, flashing a wide grin.

“Brother Ting, I’m back!”