YPHC Chapter 79

Yan Jie’s breath caught, and he almost thought he had misheard:

 

“You…”

 

“Don’t you want to?” Jiang Nan’an’s voice lifted slightly at the end, like an unintentional tease.

 

“Of course…” Yan Jie kissed his ear and whispered beside it:

 

“Do you know what you’re saying?”

 

“Of course.” Jiang Nan’an mimicked his answer, paused, and remembering what he had said before, added:

 

“It’s not an exchange. It’s…”

 

His voice stopped, and Jiang Nan’an hesitated, not knowing how to continue expressing himself.

 

“It’s that you want to do it with me,” Yan Jie softly helped him answer:

 

“You like me, want to be closer to me, want to take another step forward with me, right?”

 

Jiang Nan’an didn’t know.

 

He only knew that in Yan Jie he had found feelings he had never experienced in his previous twenty-three years. He only knew that seeing Yan Jie seemed to make him forget many messy things. He only knew that being with Yan Jie made him feel secure. He only knew that he wanted to be close to Yan Jie, a little closer, even closer, more intimate.

 

So he lies in his arms, so he wants to kiss him, wants to caress him, but now discovers that doing these things still doesn’t seem enough.

 

He wants to be even more intimate, just a little bit more intimate.

 

For this, he can give him everything he owns.

 

Everything, all for him.

 

Jiang Nan’an didn’t answer, just closed his eyes and kissed Yan Jie’s lips again.

 

This kiss made Yan Jie completely lose his composure, his heart feeling like it might jump out of his body.

 

He held Jiang Nan’an tightly, his thumb pressing heavily over those scars on his waist that felt slightly different from the rest of his skin.

 

Moonlight spilled through the floor-to-ceiling curtains, casting a deep blue stillness throughout the room.

 

Jiang Nan’an gripped the corner of the pillow, his finger joints turning white from the force, then relaxing after a moment, flushing pink again.

 

He seemed to hear something, so he released the fabric of the pillow, reached out, and his fingertips sank into Yan Jie’s soft hair:

 

“The doorbell…”

 

Yan Jie didn’t respond immediately, and only after a moment did he raise his head, his Adam’s apple rolling slightly as he wiped the corner of his mouth and walked out.

 

The feeling of being led by Yan Jie hadn’t yet faded, and Jiang Nan’an’s breathing was a bit heavy, his gaze toward the ceiling slightly unfocused, until Yan Jie returned carrying something, until the other’s presence and scent enveloped him again.

 

The reading lamp by the bed was turned on again, and having been in darkness for so long, this sudden light became somewhat dazzling.

 

Jiang Nan’an narrowed his eyes, raising his hand to block the light, but his fingers were caught.

 

Yan Jie placed something in his palm, his voice hoarse as he said softly:

 

“Put it on for me, Nan Nan.”

 

…

 

Jiang Nan’an had always felt that Yan Jie was like a red rose, with intense color, bright and eye-catching, cheerful, attractive, even his scent was similar.

 

His slender, fair fingertips trembled imperceptibly. Soon, Yan Jie took his hand, placing his palm against his own heart.

 

Jiang Nan’an felt Yan Jie’s strong heartbeat.

 

“Do you love me?”

 

Yan Jie’s voice carried a heavy, bewitching quality. Jiang Nan’an opened his eyes slightly to look at him, but pressed his lips together without answering.

 

“It’s okay.”

 

Yan Jie leaned down to kiss him:

 

“I love you.”

 

…

 

The restless atmosphere in the room maintained its boiling point for a long time before finally calming down.

 

Jiang Nan’an lay on the bed as if drained of strength, his temples damp with sweat, allowing Yan Jie to wipe his body with tissues.

 

The pillow had been pushed somewhere unknown, and Jiang Nan’an had no energy to look for it. Yan Jie, seeing him lying uncomfortably, found the pillow to prop him up, then came over to hold him in his arms, letting him rest on his arm.

 

“Does anything hurt?”

 

Yan Jie had been very careful with him and knew how to make him comfortable. With everything done properly, it was difficult for him to get hurt, and even the pain he had anticipated wasn’t much.

 

“No, it’s fine.”

 

“Then shall we take a shower?” Yan Jie lowered his head to kiss Jiang Nan’an’s hair.

 

“In a bit,”

 

Jiang Nan’an closed his eyes:

 

“Let me rest a little…”

 

“Okay.”

 

All of Yan Jie’s fatigue from running around all day had disappeared, and now he was extremely energized. After scrolling through his phone for a while, finding it boring, he looked down at Jiang Nan’an and discovered he was truly exhausted, having fallen asleep in this short time.

 

Yan Jie thought for a moment and couldn’t bear to wake him up for a shower now, so he gently placed him on the pillow, got up and found some clothes to put on, and quietly walked out, closing the bedroom door on his way.

 

He had been very careful, both his movements and the sounds he made were extremely light, but Jiang Nan’an was still startled from his light sleep.

 

After Yan Jie left, the room was terribly quiet, not even the slightest sound could be heard, the only noise being his own shallow breathing.

 

Jiang Nan’an curled up a bit, tucking himself further into the blanket, but didn’t close his eyes again, just staring blankly ahead.

 

After a moment, as if unable to bear this quiet, solitary atmosphere, he reached for his phone on the bedside table and skillfully found the contact to make a call.

 

Before the call connected, even his breathing had a hint of tension, his fingers pinching the soft edge of the blanket, until Yan Jie’s voice appeared in the receiver:

 

“What is it, baby?”

 

“…Where did you go?”

 

“Me? I’m smoking on the balcony.”

 

Only then did Jiang Nan’an’s hand gripping the corner of the blanket slightly relax.

 

He lowered his eyes:

 

“Oh…”

 

Yan Jie leaned on the balcony feeling the cool breeze, detecting something unusual in Jiang Nan’an’s “oh.”

 

He raised an eyebrow slightly, extinguished the unfinished cigarette in his hand, and opened the balcony door to enter the house:

 

“You’re awake? If you’re awake, I’ll come back.”

 

Yan Jie hung up the phone, first removed his smoke-scented shirt and threw it into the laundry basket in the bathroom, then rinsed his mouth with mouthwash, before returning to Jiang Nan’an’s side, giving him a kiss that tasted of peach mouthwash, and lying down to hold him in his arms:

 

“Why were you looking for me?”

 

“No reason.”

 

“You have more and more thoughts every day, you’re not afraid I’d pull up my pants and run, are you?” Yan Jie chuckled:

 

“I was just too excited, needed a smoke. The person I’ve worked so hard to win over-even as a ghost, I’d haunt you forever. You can’t escape.”

 

Jiang Nan’an kept his eyes lowered, neither confirming nor denying, only laughing softly with an ambiguous meaning:

 

“Were you like this before too?”

 

“Hmm?” Yan Jie didn’t understand:

 

“What do you mean ‘before’?”

 

“Before, after being with others, would you also get so excited that you needed to smoke?”

 

Jiang Nan’an asked casually, his tone flat and natural.

 

“?”

 

But this made Yan Jie’s brain crash.

 

“? Wait, what?”

 

Yan Jie was confused for a long time before realizing what Jiang Nan’an had said.

 

He pointed at himself:

 

“Me?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

 

“I’ve slept with others?”

 

“Mm.”

 

“Who have I slept with?”

 

Is he asking me?

 

Jiang Nan’an was a bit confused.

 

Who else could it be?

 

“Previous boyfriends, girlfriends?”

 

“?” Yan Jie had been careless.

 

His lifetime of good reputation, yet in Jiang Nan’an’s mind, he’d been subjectively ruined.

 

He sighed:

 

“I’ve never been with anyone else.”

 

“?” This time it was Jiang Nan’an’s turn to be surprised.

 

“Really, before you I’ve never dated anyone.”

 

“You… a thirty-year-old man, have never dated anyone?”

 

Jiang Nan’an found this fact quite incomprehensible when applied to a human male whose various attributes and functions were not only normal but excellent, and who was also very popular.

 

Especially Yan Jie, who looked like he’d dated an entire legion.

 

“.” Yan Jie felt offended.

 

But it was okay.

 

He sighed softly:

 

“Yeah, I’ve only dated you, only liked you, what about it?”

 

“…” Jiang Nan’an was silent for a moment:

 

“There must be many people who like you.”

 

“So what, I don’t like them. I only like you.” Yan Jie emphasized again:

 

“This is my family’s motto, never mess around. My father has only ever loved my mother his whole life, and my mother is the same. I’m the culmination of their purely devoted genes. Since I was little, I’ve had principles about this. I believe that dating should be with the right person, the kind where it’s impossible without them, where you want to be good to them for a lifetime. So I’ve been very cautious about choosing a partner, because for me, this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing… So when will this image of me as an experienced player who’s dated countless people be cleared from your mind, Teacher Jiang?”

 

Hearing his words, Jiang Nan’an couldn’t help but laugh softly:

 

“But you do give people that impression easily.”

 

“Oh? Why?”

 

“You’re too good at it.”

 

“Well, can’t help it, train a thousand days, use in one moment.”

 

Jiang Nan’an didn’t respond further.

 

After a moment of silence, he asked:

 

“So, you’re sure about me?”

 

“Yeah, what else? We’ve made love, Little Spring is your person now.”

 

Yan Jie nuzzled him with the tip of his nose, showing off his sweet talk:

 

“Husband.”

 

“…” Jiang Nan’an was silenced by the word “husband,” and only after a moment did he find his original thought:

 

“But you still don’t know me. If you find your choice was wrong…”

 

“It won’t be.”

 

Yan Jie gently interrupted him, seriously telling him again:

 

“I love you, before, now, and in the future, I’ll only love you. If you make mistakes, as long as they’re not hopeless major problems, I’ll be understanding. If you’ve been hurt, don’t worry that I’ll look down on you, because seeing those things only makes my heart ache. This is love, Nan Nan, trust me.”

 

Jiang Nan’an listened quietly to his words, seemingly a little moved, but in the end, he still said softly:

 

“You don’t understand…”

 

“Mm-hmm, I don’t understand.” Yan Jie didn’t mind at all, lowering his head to kiss the top of Jiang Nan’an’s head:

 

“Little Spring only understands loving his husband.”

 

With that, he picked Jiang Nan’an up directly:

 

“Let’s go baby, shower and sleep.”

 

–

 

The two had stayed up too late the previous night. The next day, Yan Jie woke up on time, but Jiang Nan’an really couldn’t get up.

 

Yan Jie coaxed and dragged him out of bed to brush his teeth and fed him some breakfast. He was truly exhausted, eating breakfast with his eyes closed. After swallowing the last bite of bread, he groggily wandered back to the bedroom to continue sleeping.

 

Yan Jie didn’t bother him, just closed his bedroom door, put the dirty clothes and bedding in the washing machine, hand-washed their underwear and hung them up to dry, and even ran on the treadmill for a while.

 

After finishing all these tasks, Jiang Nan’an was still not awake, so Yan Jie changed clothes, planning to go downstairs to tidy up the studio.

 

Passing by the mirror, he noticed two red marks on his collarbone, probably scratches from when he had hurt Jiang Nan’an last night, and a small red mark on the side of his neck.

 

But since he was just going downstairs and no one else would see, Yan Jie didn’t bother to cover them up, wearing his home clothes and slippers as he left.

 

But just after going out, he remembered how Jiang Nan’an had called him last night when he couldn’t find him.

 

Did Jiang Nan’an dislike him leaving quietly and not being able to find him?

 

Yan Jie wasn’t sure, but he went back and wrote a note, sticking it on Jiang Nan’an’s phone screen, telling him he was just going to the studio downstairs and would be back soon.

 

The studio downstairs was still as it had been when he first bought the house and started setting it up. After that, Jiang Nan’an had joined a production to film, and he had no reason to stay in Shanghai, so he returned to Beijing without having time to tidy up this place. So it was still the same as when he left.

 

Yan Jie arrived at the battlefield, rolled up his sleeves, and started working, but before he could open the first cardboard box, the doorbell suddenly rang.

 

Yan Jie naturally thought it was Jiang Nan’an who had woken up, found him missing, and come down to find him.

 

Ah, what a clingy little demon, a sweet burden-

 

“Let’s see who’s here-”

 

Yan Jie was secretly delighted as he went to open the door, but when it opened, it wasn’t Jiang Nan’an standing outside.

 

It was the smiling faces of…

 

Qin Xueru and Yan Rulü.

 

“Mom, Dad?!”

 

Yan Jie was shocked:

 

“Why are you two here?”

 

“What, why can’t we come?”

 

Qin Xueru adjusted her jade earrings, pushed past Yan Jie and walked in, quite satisfied with her plan of action:

 

“If your father and I didn’t take the initiative, how much longer were you planning to hide my daughter-in-law without letting us meet?”

 

Qin Xueru looked around, originally wanting to find the beauty Yan Jie was hiding, but upon entering, she first came face to face with a pile of broken cardboard boxes and dust-covered ruins.

 

She immediately pinched her nose:

 

“Oh my goodness, is this a place for humans to live? How did you make the house like this?”

 

“Well, this is my studio…”

 

“Then where does my daughter-in-law live??”

 

“He, he doesn’t live here…”

 

This attack was indeed too sudden, and Yan Jie was overwhelmed:

 

“You two elderly people came to Shanghai without telling me a word, I haven’t prepared anything at all!”

 

“What preparations do we need? What preparations do we need to see our son and daughter-in-law?”

 

Yan Rulü walked around with his hands behind his back, furrowed his brows, then looked at Yan Jie, his gaze immediately falling on the few ambiguous marks on his neck.

 

Yan’s father’s face instantly darkened like the bottom of a pot:

 

“Having a proper relationship but hiding it from everyone? Yan Jie, you’re not messing around out there, are you?”

 

“Oh, come on! Really, I’m not! What preparations… I need mental preparation! Before I talk to you two, I should lay some groundwork, right? I should give you two some warning shots, right? I should let you two slowly accept him, right? You being so sudden is really not good for anyone. Listen to me, go back first!”

 

Qin Xueru didn’t understand Yan Jie’s meaning:

 

“You’re dating a proper girl, why do we need any warning shots? Is her family background not good? What does that matter? Our family isn’t short of money! Do your father and I look like difficult in-laws? Let me tell you, Yan Jie, you’re really breaking your parents’ hearts! Would we bully your girlfriend? I, your mother, have even prepared a meeting gift!”

 

As she spoke, Qin Xueru showed Yan Jie the imperial green bracelet on her wrist that she was ready to remove and stuff into her daughter-in-law’s arms at any moment.

 

“Tsk… he doesn’t need these things!” Yan Jie painfully pinched the bridge of his nose.

 

“How could she not need them? Girls all love these things. Even if she doesn’t wear it, keeping it in a box is still reassuring!”

 

Seeing that his parents wouldn’t give up today without an answer and meeting the person, Yan Jie gritted his teeth, steeled his heart, and simply laid his cards on the table:

 

“Because my partner is a man!”

 

Yan Jie closed his eyes, and before the two could react, he opened his mouth and spilled everything:

 

“I’m gay! I’m homosexual! My partner isn’t a female celebrity but a male celebrity, six years younger than me, very handsome. I love him, seriously, I’ve fallen for him for life. Even drinking Chinese medicine won’t straighten me out. You two can kill me or skin me as you please! But let me say in advance, after scolding me, you can’t scold him!”

 

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 (advanced chapters available on kofi)