Chapter 46 Call Me Brother
Unlike Ji Shi, who would shout and yell when drunk, Chu Jianshan was quiet and just sat there blankly, seemingly looking at something, and his replies were slow to come.
Cheng Yuan gently poked him, and it took him a while to react. He blinked at Cheng Yuan in confusion and asked, "What are you doing?"
Cheng Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly: "Drunk?"
Chu Jianshan scoffed: "How could I possibly be drunk?"
"How many is this?" Cheng Yuan held up one finger.
Chu Jianshan raised his hand to grasp his fingers, but it took him several tries to get them. He frowned and said, "Don't wave your hand around, I can't see clearly."
Cheng Yuan lowered his head, suppressing a laugh. There was no need to test it; he was truly drunk.
Chu Jianshan sensed something was wrong and tilted his head to look at him: "Are you laughing at me?"
Cheng Yuan sat up straight, his face serious: "No."
"They're laughing at me!" Chu Jianshan was drunk, but he wasn't stupid; he could still tell whether someone was laughing at him or not.
He struggled forward, but lost his balance and fell into Cheng Yuan's arms. Cheng Yuan scooped him up, saying, "Alright, alright, it's my fault. I shouldn't have laughed at you."
Chu Jianshan glared at him, then turned back and stood there motionless.
Perhaps due to being drunk, Chu Jianshan's cheeks and the corners of his eyes were flushed, and there was still some wine on his lips, which glistened in the candlelight. The fine, sweaty hairs at his temples clung to his face, and Cheng Yuan couldn't help but gently brush them away.
Feeling someone touch him, Chu Jianshan turned around in a daze. When he saw it was him again, he frowned to show his displeasure.
Cheng Yuan swallowed hard, his mind filled with only three words: he wanted to kiss him.
Bai Qianfan was chasing after Ji Shi, who was drunk and running around aimlessly. When he looked back at the two of them, he was stunned again. But he didn't have time to pay attention to them now, because Ji Shi was about to get onto the roof.
"Ancestors!! Get down here!" Bai Qianfan shouted from under the eaves.
Ji Shi stumbled a couple of steps on the roof, startling Bai Qianfan so much that she almost reached out to catch him.
Cheng Yuan led the stunned Chu Jianshan outside to see what was going on. They saw Ji Shi waving his nameless sword on the roof, shouting something, and several tiles fell off as he stepped on them.
Once he had finally calmed down, Cheng Yuan dared to approach and called out to Ji Shi, "It's dangerous up there, come down first!"
Ji Shi ignored him and remained sitting on the rooftop with her head down, muttering as if she had been wronged, "You all don't understand..."
No one understood what he was trying to say. Then he continued, "I... I've been stupid since I was a child. I couldn't learn anything. When I was eleven, the sect leader took me in. I thought I could finally stand up and stop being looked down upon by others."
“But…” Ji Shi looked up at Cheng Yuan, her eyes full of envy: “But then I ran into you. You learn everything faster than me. You can watch the same move twice and you can do it perfectly, but it takes me several days to practice.”
He lowered his head and said with a self-deprecating laugh, "I know I'm not cut out for this, but I happen to be the senior disciple, the role model for all the other disciples..."
“Actually, I know even if you don’t say it. Many people openly or secretly mock me for not being worthy of being the sect leader’s disciple. Even my master didn’t place high hopes on me. He values you more. I understand all of this. I don’t want to compete with you for anything, but…”
"I just wanted to prove myself."
After he finished speaking, all around fell silent, with only the occasional whistling of the wind.
Cheng Yuan looked at him, unsure of what to think. He used to think that Ji Shi was carefree and easygoing, but he didn't know that he had also endured so much.
"It's okay!" Ji Shi suddenly stood up again, as if he had comforted himself.
"One day, I will show you all my strength! I will be like that...that guy!"
Bai Qianfan reminded him, "Zhao Yi?"
“Yes!” Ji Shi raised his chin: “I will be like him, a great hero whose name will be remembered for all time! When that time comes, everyone will know the name of my sword!”
With reddened eyes, he looked at the myriad lights of the distant city, raised his hand, and shouted, "I will definitely—become a great hero—!!"
The echoes lingered and reached his ears, finally bringing the boy's unrestrained and arrogant words to everyone's ears, making him smile with relief.
Perhaps the chilly wind sobered Chu Jianshan up a bit. He looked at the audacious fool on the rooftop and suddenly felt a sense of familiarity. It seemed that many years ago, there was also a person like this, standing at the highest point of a mountain, shouting loudly:
"I want to be famous throughout the world—"
But the farce always comes to an end. Ji Shi was dragged down by Bai Qianfan and the others, who also explicitly forbade him from ever going up on the roof again.
Chu Jianshan was also pulled back to his room by Cheng Yuan. Fearing that he would feel unwell from being drunk, Cheng Yuan poured him a lot of water until he turned his head and said he couldn't drink anymore.
After coaxing him to sleep and covering him with a blanket, Cheng Yuan turned to leave, but was unexpectedly stopped by a warm hand. Cheng Yuan turned around and saw Chu Jianshan staring blankly at him.
Cheng Yuan turned around and squatted down, gently stroking his hand, and asked softly, "Can't sleep?"
Chu Jianshan didn't speak, he just stared at him, and then asked, "Aren't you going to warm my bed tonight?"
Cheng Yuan raised the corners of his mouth and put his hand back under the blanket: "Here, why wouldn't I give it to you?"
After saying that, he lifted the quilt and lay down, holding Chu Jianshan tightly in his arms. Their hands were clasped together, and Cheng Yuan gently patted them one after another.
He knew Chu Jianshan; the reason he was asked to stay tonight with such a lame excuse couldn't possibly be just because he was drunk. But he wanted Chu Jianshan to say it himself.
As expected, after being comforted for a while, Chu Jianshan hesitated before speaking: "Actually... I used to be just as foolish as Ji Shi."
“Really?” Cheng Yuan kissed his hair. “You never told me this before.”
Chu Jianshan smiled and said, "I already told you I'm stupid, how could I possibly tell you?"
Cheng Yuan then asked, "How exactly is he stupid?"
Chu Jianshan recalled, "Back then, I also wanted to be a great hero and become famous, but things didn't go as planned. I couldn't do anything and ended up getting hurt myself."
Cheng Yuan pointed out: "For example, your spirit core?"
Chu Jianshan froze for a moment, then nodded after a long pause: "How did you guess?"
Cheng Yuan said, "When Lin Mumu was healing you, she didn't go into details, but I guessed a bit about it. Your moves are not bad, but you have no spiritual power, so there must be a problem with your spiritual core."
He buried his head in Chu Jianshan's neck and mumbled, "Who hurt you?"
Chu Jianshan felt a lump in his throat, his voice tightening and unable to come out. It was as if a child who had been abandoned for a long time was finally being stood up for, and years of pent-up grievances were about to burst forth. But he couldn't say it, at least not now. He just wanted to let this warmth continue, even if it was a lie.
He turned over, curled up in Cheng Yuan's arms, and trembled slightly.
Cheng Yuan sensed his unusual behavior, hugged him tighter, and patted him gently to comfort him, saying, "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future."
“A-Yuan…” Chu Jianshan looked up at him.
"Hmm?" Cheng Yuan responded, "Why are you suddenly calling me that?"
"Don't hate me." Chu Jianshan suddenly said this without any apparent reason.
"What?" Before Cheng Yuan could react, Chu Jianshan sealed his lips with a kiss.
This time he was unusually proactive, holding Cheng Yuan's neck tightly and refusing to let go, as if the horn of attack had been sounded. Chu Jianshan kept advancing, even domineeringly not allowing Cheng Yuan to retreat.
Cheng Yuan was completely bewildered, but he let Chu Jianshan do as he pleased, supporting himself on the bed with his right hand and wrapping his left arm around Chu Jianshan's waist.
Chu Jianshan knelt on Cheng Yuan's lap, his gaze slightly higher than Cheng Yuan's. He looked down into Cheng Yuan's eyes, and their breaths mingled, carrying a faint scent of wine.
Cheng Yuan thought he must be drunk too.
Although he didn't understand Chu Jianshan's purpose in doing this, he couldn't help but launch a counterattack. His strength was so great that it seemed like he wanted to devour Chu Jianshan. Chu Jianshan was no match for him and took a step back, only to be attacked and his lips were scraped and bloody.
But amidst the smell of blood, Cheng Yuan also tasted a different kind of saltiness. He opened his eyes, and Chu Jianshan's tears were sliding down his cheeks.
He hurriedly stopped, wiped away Chu Jianshan's tears, and asked in a trembling voice, "What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"
Chu Jianshan turned his head away: "Just kiss me, don't ask anything else."
Cheng Yuan smiled helplessly: "Why are you so domineering?"
Chu Jianshan said firmly, "That's just how I am, whether you like it or not, it'll be too late to regret it!"
"No regrets," Cheng Yuan kissed the corner of his eye, taking away the remaining tears: "Never regrets."
The campfire, which was on the verge of dying out, reignited. The dry wood burned fiercely, making people's faces flush and their hearts pound. Their limbs intertwined, making it impossible for them to separate.
They were so close that even the most secluded places felt completely intimate, and every slight change was palpable. But unlike the last time by the lake, Cheng Yuan made no attempt to hide anything this time; instead, he eagerly wanted Chu Jianshan to feel his presence.
Unfortunately, Chu Jianshan was still not very good at kissing, and soon he couldn't hold on any longer, pushing Cheng Yuan away and saying that he couldn't breathe.
Cheng Yuan restrained his desire and stopped, allowing Chu Jianshan to catch his breath.
"I'm not kissing you anymore." Chu Jianshan suddenly changed his expression and turned to run away.
"Hey, you?" Cheng Yuan was stunned and suddenly pulled him back: "What do you mean? You're turning your back on me after you've put your pants on?"
Chu Jianshan chose his words carefully: "She hasn't taken her clothes off yet."
"Then take it off now."
Cheng Yuan was a man of action, and he immediately took action, trying to grab Chu Jianshan's clothes.
Chu Jianshan panicked instantly: "Ah? No, no, wait a minute!"
He reached out and grabbed his pants tightly, only to find that Cheng Yuan wasn't aiming for them at all, but instead turned around and started tickling his waist.
Chu Jianshan's body was extremely sensitive, and he couldn't stand it and tried to run away, but Cheng Yuan held him tightly and tickled him.
"Hahahaha... I was wrong, so wrong! No, no... Don't come anymore... Hahahaha."
Cheng Yuan pressed his advantage: "Really wrong? Then call me 'brother' and let me hear it?"
"Don't even think about it!" Chu Jianshan raised his head: "I'm so much older than you, don't treat your elders like that!"
Cheng Yuan raised an eyebrow: "Really not going to call out?"
"I won't call out!"
"Then don't blame me for being impolite."
Cheng Yuan increased his strength, and Chu Jianshan was tickled so much that he thrashed all over the bed, looking like a big carp that had been caught and pulled ashore.
After all that commotion, the two of them were exhausted and lay side by side on the bed, panting heavily.
"Are you feeling better now?" Cheng Yuan suddenly asked.
Chu Jianshan was stunned for a moment before realizing that the farce just now was to make him happy, and he couldn't help but feel a warmth in his heart.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
