Chapter 52 I Miss You So Much

The room was stuffy from the heating. Jiang Chuan had been drinking and was covered in a thin layer of sweat, with fine beads of sweat on the tip of his nose, but he was more sober than ever before.

“Auntie, my parents passed away in an accident years ago, and I only have my grandmother left, who lives in a nursing home.” His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, and the faint bitterness at the corner of his lips was perfectly controlled. “I visited her before I came, and she seemed to be in good spirits.”

Lin Yu stared at Jiang Chuan's fingers holding the cup, inwardly cursing his superb acting skills. He felt that if Jiang Chuan were to jump into the Huangpu River right now, all of Shanghai would be able to drink green tea.

What was he planning? Why did he have to put on this worldly-wise expression in front of his elders? She knew Lin Min was most susceptible to this act; every word he said was precisely aimed at bringing tears to her mother's eyes.

Sure enough, Lin Min's eyes reddened, and she awkwardly rubbed her fingers together, giving Lin Yu a reproachful glare. Her gaze clearly scolded her daughter for being heartless. "Xiao Jiang, don't go anywhere tonight. Stay at Auntie's house; it'll be more lively with more people."

The mother's voice softened involuntarily. "Cancel the hotel reservation. Spend the evening talking to your uncle. I can't keep up with his usual lofty discussions, but now that you're here, you can discuss things with him."

"What?! Why are you staying at our house? We don't have room!" Lin Yu jumped up from his chair excitedly, looking at them in disbelief. "Just let him stay in a hotel. He's a germaphobe and doesn't like staying at home!"

“Banban, there’s no reason to kick someone out just because there’s a grudge.” Liu Wenbin, who always goes along with his wife, also put on a stern face and put his arm around his wife’s shoulder.

“It’s too lonely for Xiao Jiang to stay alone in the hotel, so he should stay at home!” She pointed to the second floor. “You stay in the small room tonight, and leave the master bedroom empty for Xiao Jiang. He’s tall, and the room is too small for him to stretch his legs.”

Lin Yu was stunned by his parents' betrayal. He pointed upstairs, then at himself, and finally could only leave angrily amidst Jiang Chuan's smug smile. Behind him, he heard his parents' enthusiastic calls. "Little Jiang, some more turtle soup..."

Although Liu Wenbin's old duplex house is large, its layout is somewhat awkward. Downstairs there are two bedrooms, one is where Lin Min and her husband live, and the other is filled with clutter.

Upstairs, there is an open-plan study and a strangely designed suite with two bedrooms, one large and one small, each with its own external door facing the staircase. However, each bedroom also has a separate door leading to the same bathroom.

Normally only Lin Min and Liu Wenbin live there, so the house is quite spacious. When Lin Yu comes back, he naturally stays in the empty suite on the second floor.

When she was alone, she didn't feel any inconvenience, but tonight, suddenly having to share the suite with Jiang Chuan, Lin Yu immediately felt uncomfortable.

She secretly calculated that since each bathroom door had its own entrance, she could simply lock Jiang Chuan's door twice before taking a shower, and he wouldn't dare to break in in front of Lin Min and Liu Wenbin.

While her family was making dumplings, Lin Yu went upstairs to pack her things. She stuffed all her clothes and personal belongings into the small room to make room for Jiang Chuan, the unexpected guest.

As Lin Yu bent down to tidy the bedding, she heard a dull thud from the wooden staircase behind her. Turning around, she saw Jiang Chuan standing in the doorway, carrying his luggage in one hand and casually resting his other hand on the stair railing.

The warm yellow light from the corridor lamp shone from behind him, elongating his tall shadow and casting it against the white wall. He stood there outside the open doorway, his gaze fixed directly on her.

Just as Lin Yu was about to question why he hadn't refused his elders' offer to stay, Jiang Chuan suddenly grabbed the back of his collar and ripped the sweater off his head.

Lin Yu instinctively closed his eyes, almost screaming out in shock. Taking off his clothes in broad daylight—this was utterly shameless and morally bankrupt! But when he opened his eyes again, he noticed that the man was wearing a black short-sleeved shirt underneath, the fabric clinging tightly to his shoulders and back, outlining his clearly defined muscles.

"It's too hot in your house." Jiang Chuan casually tossed his sweater onto the bed, pulled his clothes down a bit, raised an eyebrow at Lin Yu who had her arms crossed as if facing a formidable enemy, and gently flicked the tip of her nose. "Why are you closing your eyes? Did you think I was going to run around naked?"

His gaze shifted downwards, landing on the pink four-piece bedding set in her arms. He reached out, took it, and unfolded it, revealing a grinning Pikachu in the center of the sheets. "This isn't the one you used in middle school, is it?"

Lin Yu thought he was complaining about the pattern on the bed sheets, after all, this noble lawyer Jiang only used black, white and gray as the main colors in his daily life.

But this was the newest set she could find after rummaging through her drawers and cabinets. If it weren't for his damned germaphobia, she wouldn't even bother to change it for him.

Thinking about how sweaty and disheveled she'd been rummaging through the closet, she was instantly furious and shoved the sheets into his arms. "Use it or not, take it or leave it. If you don't like the hotel bedding..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Chuan suddenly grabbed Lin Yu's wrist and pulled her into his arms.

His arms tightened like iron hoops, completely enveloping her. Lin Yu was caught off guard and bumped into his chest, the unfinished sarcasm stuck in her throat, her nose instantly filled with the crisp scent of white pine foliage emanating from him.

She stood frozen, her ears burning, worried that Lin Min might suddenly come upstairs, but she didn't reach out to push him away. She felt Jiang Chuan turn his head close to her ear, his hot breath making her earlobe tingle, as he spoke enticingly, word by word.

I miss you so much, Banban!

Lin Yu's body trembled involuntarily, and a sudden soreness rose in her throat. The questions she had prepared silently melted away between her lips; she suddenly couldn't bear to ask him why he had appeared before her at this moment.

He traveled such a long way, asking from house to house, before finally finding her. He must have suffered a lot along the way. He has no relatives, and if it weren't for their shelter, he would have spent the night very lonely.

This sudden pang of heartache is like the first crack in the ice of spring; it may seem insignificant, but it can make the entire frozen river begin to surge.

At that time, Lin Yu didn't know that pitying a man was often the beginning of love.

As she thought about it, a small part of her heart slowly melted and collapsed. She gently raised her hands to hug Jiang Chuan back and softly asked, "Shall we go set off fireworks?"

Unconsciously, her hand touched the scar on his arm. The new skin where the scab had fallen off was a faint pink, like a timeline witnessing the qualitative change in their relationship.

After tidying up the room, Lin Yu wrapped herself in a thick down jacket and, like herding ducks, directed Jiang Chuan to bring the firecrackers by the door. After greeting Lin Min and Liu Wenbin, who were busy in the kitchen, she dragged him by the arm and ran outside.

Their home was located in the center of the county town, which Lin Yu often jokingly called the county's CBD, a transportation hub, and a city fortress. Across the street was the government building, and the open square in front of it was already bustling with activity.

The children, mostly teenagers, huddled together in small groups, making Lin Yu and Jiang Chuan stand out conspicuously. The children screamed loudly as they surrounded the sparkling sparks that spun around on the ground, leaving brief golden trails in their wake.

With a deafening bang, a magnificent golden peony burst open in the dark blue sky, eliciting brief gasps and cheers from the square. The smell of sulfur mingled with the cold air, filling the nostrils yet inexplicably exciting everyone.

Lin Yu exhaled white breath as he took out two giant cake-shaped fireworks from a plastic bag and placed them on the open space in the square.

A sudden burst of fireworks in the distance illuminated her timid yet excited eyes. She winked mischievously, shoved the lighter into Jiang Chuan's hand, and looked at him pleadingly. "You light it!"

Jiang Chuan saw Lin Yu's timid and cautious appearance and a hint of a smile flashed in his eyes. He strode forward, took the lighter from Lin Yu's hand, and without saying a word, bent down to light it. The fuse ignited instantly, and sparks flew everywhere.

Lin Yu screamed, covered her ears, and turned to run, cursing as she ran. "Jiang Chuan, how could you be so mean? I haven't even gone far!"

Jiang Chuan laughed so hard his shoulders shook, and the curve of his lips looked especially beautiful against the backdrop of the distant, rising and falling fireworks.

Amidst the sounds of fireworks exploding, Jiang Chuan strode towards Lin Yu. The moment the first firework burst into the darkness, he instinctively reached out and grabbed Lin Yu's wrist.

Before she could react, she was spun around and her back bumped into his burning hot embrace.

A broad arm stood between her and the fireworks, like a barrier separating her from the exploding flames. It possessed a natural, powerful strength, yet was also incredibly gentle and languid.

Lin Yu's heart pounded, and she could feel the warmth of his chest seeping through the thick fabric of his clothes. She remained motionless, letting Jiang Chuan embrace her from behind, resting his chin on the top of her head, as they looked up at the sky together.

The night sky was ignited by large fireworks, with countless golden lines bursting forth and blooming one after another dozens of meters high, exploding into dazzling fireworks.

Then, like weeping willows, the waterfall cascaded down, dazzling and bright, illuminating the entire square as if it were daytime. A halo of fiery light surrounded them.

Spots of light danced on Jiang Chuan's sharply defined profile. He turned his head to look at her. At that moment, Lin Yu's eyes were also strikingly bright, and Jiang Chuan admired the blazing fire he had ignited through the light and shadow dancing in her clear gaze.

Lin Yu's face flickered in and out of light under the constantly exploding fireworks, and that light seemed to fall into his heart, igniting something even hotter.

Cheers rose and fell in the distance, mingling with the sounds of fireworks exploding. Lin Yu could smell Jiang Chuan's unique scent, clean and crisp, standing out vividly in the smoke-filled air.

"Banban!" He suddenly leaned closer to him, his voice soft but clear enough to reach Lin Yu's ears.

"Happy New Year!"

The crackling of sparks created a small world for them. Lin Yu turned her head to meet his gaze; they were so close, their breaths mingling. In a daze, she suddenly realized that this was the second major holiday they had spent together. She looked into Jiang Chuan's exceptionally focused eyes, filled with anticipation and invitation for the future.

"Jiang Chuan." Lin Yu's eyes crinkled into a smile. "I wish you the same joy and happiness in the new year! May everything go smoothly and you enjoy good health!"

The light gradually dimmed, the last few strands of silver reluctantly drooping, and the surrounding light instantly dimmed again. But Jiang Chuan's gaze was even more piercing than the brightest fireworks, and the air was filled with a palpable tension.

Lin Yu felt flustered under their gaze and awkwardly turned his face away, pointing exaggeratedly at the long-extinguished fireworks. "One hundred and forty-nine! That's truly money to burn!"

"If you like it, we can buy it tomorrow," Jiang Chuan said with a smile.

“If something is too easy to get, it won’t be amazing,” Lin Yu shook his head. “Besides, I’m going to my dad’s house to pay New Year’s respects tomorrow.”

Lin Yu nimbly slipped out of Jiang Chuan's arms like a fish, jogged to get the remaining fireworks, and waved back at him. "Let's finish setting these off first!"

Later, Lin Yu completely forgot her fear and even took the waterfall fireworks that Jiang Chuan lit. Blue flames gushed out and bloomed wildly in her hands, and a large bag of fireworks was empty in no time.

Lin Yu casually stuffed the remaining two boxes of firecrackers into his coat pocket, cleaned up the firework debris scattered all over the ground, opened the last box of sparklers, lit it with a lighter, and walked towards home.