Chapter 7 Lan saw two overlapping figures.

The two of them fell into an unprecedented cold war.

Surprisingly, even though they were under the same roof, they ignored each other.

Lan vaguely knew what had happened; to be precise, he had "seen" some scenes.

The moment I reached out and touched the wound on the young man's lip, I saw towering trees reaching into the clouds, their branches and leaves obscuring the view—

Lan saw two overlapping figures.

The boy lay prostrate on top, his light gray hair cascading down like a spider web, intertwining with the young man's loose, jet-black hair.

The two were so close, their clothes touching, their lips almost touching.

The vibrant red spread with each kiss, like a fire in the wilderness, instantly revealing the precious fruit hidden within...

Warm and soft, it exudes a sweet aroma that beckons you to explore further...

My fingertips were gently grasped.

"orchid?"

Lan looked up and met Shangshan Ling's questioning gaze, only then realizing that she seemed to have been lost in thought.

He then gave a perfectly timed apologetic smile.

"Feel sorry."

The child lowered his eyes, and a deep sense of guilt, beyond his years, appeared on his innocent face; few people could possibly be moved by it.

"I don't know why, but I've suddenly started feeling sleepy again lately."

Lan has indeed been more sleepy lately than before, though I can't quite put my finger on why.

Even though the weather is getting warmer day by day, and summer is approaching—a time when everything should be vibrant and lush—he seems to be about to fall into hibernation...

"Lan is a child, and she needs a lot of energy to grow, so it's natural for her to feel tired."

The young man answered Lan's question in this way.

After thinking for a moment, he pulled the child up and gestured with his hand to the child's forehead and his own chest.

"Look, we're already here. We were here before."

He then gestured to his waist.

Lan's gaze followed the movement of the other person's hand closely, feeling the soft breath brushing against her cheek, and she silently slowed her breathing.

The young man is right.

But more than how much taller he had grown, Lan was more concerned about the other person's unconscious closeness at this moment—he liked these intimate moments, almost obsessively so.

Unfortunately, the young people didn't seem to feel the same way.

He didn't seem to mind Lan's approach, but he rarely took the initiative to get close to her.

Therefore, Lan cherishes every such moment.

And I always pray silently in my heart that time can slow down, slow down even more... preferably stop forever in this moment.

This quiet companionship was all Lan had ever wanted.

However, this time, as Lan gazed at the young man's calmly smiling face, what flashed before her eyes was... his expression of endurance, his brows furrowed as he turned his head amidst the swaying shadows of the trees.

Why should we endure it?

It would have been fine if you had just pushed it away.

Lan didn't understand, but she was deeply fascinated by the young man's fresh appearance... It was a beautiful sight that even Xiao, who was burying his head and biting the young man's neck, had never seen.

Lan was very interested.

He wanted to touch those red marks again.

It's not just the corners of the mouth, but also the wrists, the inside of the arms that are covered up, the shoulders, the back of the neck, and below the collarbone...

Lan clearly remembered the number of marks, the location of each one, and its size and shape...

The young man would show a curious expression when another person touched those places with their lips, teeth, or tongue.

Lan wanted to see that captivating expression on the other person's face again, but not under someone else.

"Did I hurt you?" Lan asked softly.

The young man thought for a moment before realizing that the other person was referring to the moment when the other person reached out and touched the corner of his mouth.

“It’s okay,” he said.

Then he noticed the self-reproach welling up in the child's eyes, mixed with a look of pity, and he couldn't help but pause slightly.

"Can Lan help you apply the medicine?"

The child's voice became even softer, as if he were ashamed.

The words of refusal were pressed against the tip of the tongue, turning into a sigh-like "hmm".

Lan's eyes lit up instantly, just like the clear sky in the distance.

"Really...can this really be done?!"

Feeling that genuine joy... and mixed with a certain cautiousness, the young man suddenly wondered if he had been too strict with himself in the past.

No matter what, Lan Du is just a child.

Because of his selfishness, his fate was completely rewritten, yet he was still completely unaware and treated him as a benefactor, a teacher, or even a family member...

“Of course it’s true,” he said.

Even if no additional treatment is needed—

The young man bent down and let the child apply the ointment to the corner of his lips with his fingertips.

--pain.

The pain, mixed with a cool bitterness, made the young man frown slightly.

They're still kids, and no matter how reliable they seem, they can be reckless at times.

He remained silent, not wanting to offend the other party's goodwill.

Fortunately, the process didn't last long... Lan fell asleep again.

Her small hands hung limply at her sides, her head tilted and rested on the young man's shoulder, a gesture of complete trust.

The young man carefully picked up the child and gently placed him back on the other person's bed.

Recalling the child's forced gaze at her, mumbling incoherently, "I'm sorry... Ran seems... seems sleepy again..."

—I'm the one who should be apologizing.

He gazed at the sleeping child's face for a moment, and thought to himself.

A sliver of light peeked in through a small window on the side of the wooden house.

It wasn't particularly bright, but it was something I had never experienced before in my youth.

The fog on the mountain was getting thinner.

He could clearly hear the sound of drums coming from the village below.

It was just like the vivid, throbbing feeling he had heard in the boy's chest back then... a feeling he himself had never experienced.

He knew that a festival was about to begin.