Chapter 58 A Forced Kiss to Reconcile (Part Two) A New Beginning Amidst the Ruins…
The erratic breathing, sometimes deep, sometimes shallow, echoed between the rocks like the ebb and flow of the tide.
Behind the curtains at the back of Class A's classroom, on the rooftop of Nanzhong at dusk, in the steamy dormitory bathroom... In the past, they often kissed like this.
Seven years have passed since then.
Seven years is enough time for the human body to replace all its cells. But—
Yan Quan's eyelashes fluttered as she brushed against the air currents, and a soft breath escaped from between her lips...
Yan Ceyan pressed his palm against that slender nape, embracing it tighter and tighter, the instinctive pleasure surging through his body seemingly unchanged.
The scent of mint at dusk, sunset, oranges, and... a torrential downpour. It seems like nothing has changed.
"call."
After they parted, Yan Quan's lips were still covered with a layer of clear, moist film, and her clear, dreamy eyes stared straight at Yan Ceyan.
Yan Ceyan felt a burning sensation in his throat from being stared at, and his already deep voice became even lower and hoarseer.
"Yan Quan, what do you mean by this?"
"Didn't you say it yourself..." Yan Quan's warm, intimate breath brushed against Yan Ceyan's lips, again and again, hooking at his heart like a tantalizing hook: "I'll repay you in the way I owe you."
Thinking of this, Yan Quan suddenly glanced at her and smiled slightly: "So this is what it feels like."
"So this is what it feels like to forcefully kiss someone."
...Yan Ceyan finally came to his senses. Yan Quan was "returning the favor" on Yan Ceyan's actions seven years ago when he "confessed" in the abandoned school building of Nanzhong.
His ears were still burning, and a faint citrus scent lingered between his lips and teeth. Yan Ceyan's stern expression softened slightly.
It was returned in the literal sense, "exactly the same".
"So, Yan Quan?" After calming his racing heart slightly, Yan Ceyan continued to press:
"Do you just kiss an Alpha like that?"
"What do you think our relationship is right now?"
Seven years ago, in a cramped storage room, Yan Quan asked Yan Ceyan a similar question.
The balance of power shifted, and Yan Quan became the one who needed a "proper title."
"Yan Ceyan." Yan Quan squinted slightly, his fingers around Yan Ceyan's neck tightening gently.
"I used to think that dating was just so-so."
In a zero-sum game where two people plunder each other, whoever gains the upper hand will be in a superior position.
Only those fools who are being manipulated will expose all their vulnerabilities when courting, bowing down and surrendering all sovereignty in a self-degrading manner.
Manipulated and shackled... a free hyena was tamed into an obedient, docile, and begging domestic dog.
In the past, Yan Quan would never allow himself to become that kind of "hyena." He would never allow himself to expose his weakness. He vowed that he would never fall in love with anyone in his life.
But then... Yan Ceyan's unexpected appearance occurred.
Yan Ceyan's repeated "compromises and concessions" completely shattered Yan Quan's unwavering belief in this set of values.
Even though Yan Quan refused to admit it, closed his eyes, covered his ears, and stubbornly resisted to escape, after many years of wandering, he discovered...
There's no escaping it.
If this is fate, then Yan Quan accepts it.
"Yan Ceyan." Her warm, intimate breath brushed against Yan Ceyan's lips, again and again, hooking at his heart like a tantalizing hook: "I won't kiss you for nothing."
"To treat a person and a relationship with complete honesty and sincerity. I never thought of that before. And I did a terrible job of it."
"But Yan Ceyan, please give me another chance, let me try again, okay?"
"Yan Quan." Yan Ceyan's heart rate had soared to its peak; he tried his best to calm himself down.
Do you want to get back together with me now?
"..." Yan Quan nodded: "Yes."
"Reconciliation..." Yan Ceyan pursed his lips, swallowed hard, and then slowly said, "Then this is the third time."
Yan Quan's heart sank, and he looked at Yan Ceyan.
Under intense scrutiny, Yan Ceyan met his gaze in the same way and took a deep breath:
In their tangled and complicated past, they always broke up hastily, only to get back together again...
In truth, each breakup and reunion eroded Yan Ceyan's trust and sense of security in his relationship with Yan Quan. Each time, Yan Ceyan cursed himself inwardly, thinking, "I'm utterly despicable."
But in the end, Yan Ceyan would still go to Yan Quan.
Yan Ceyan had tried, forcing himself to completely detach himself and never "think" about it again. Or he had tried to "hate" Yan Quan, to completely "despise" him.
But... Yan Ceyan can't do either of these things.
Even just now, when Yan Quan blurted out the word "yes," Yan Ceyan's heart still skipped a beat.
Perhaps, as my father said, there is always something that can subdue another.
If Yan Quan was destined to be Yan Ceyan's nemesis...
Yan Ceyan accepted it; it was the innate instinct imprinted in his genes.
As Yan Quan's eyes gradually brightened, Yan Ceyan's inner turmoil was far from the calm that appeared on his face: "Then let's get back together."
"Things shouldn't happen more than three times, Yan Quan."
"After this, you either have to stay with me forever, or..."
"It's over completely, we'll never see each other again."
“…Okay.” Yan Quan blinked, then looked up and firmly kissed Yan Ceyan’s lips again.
"Yan Ceyan, I promise, I will choose you in the end."
Just like that letter Yan Quan wrote that night and sent to Yan Ceyan's mailbox.
To Yan Ceyan:
"Whether it's investing in Yan's company or making a strategic investment, I have never used you as a tool to settle for second best."
"Believe it or not, you are actually my only first choice."
*
Yan Quan and Yan Ceyan sat side by side, back to back against the stone wall, their shoulders touching. They listened as the pattering rain outside the cave gradually subsided…
Yan Ceyan stared at the flickering sparks and suddenly realized something.
"Why is there fire?"
Yan Ceyan did not believe that Yan Quan could successfully start a fire by rubbing sticks together under such conditions.
“Because…” Yan Quan’s tone suddenly dropped several degrees as he said this: “a lighter.”
"Carry a lighter with you at all times."
Yan Ceyan turned his head to the side, staring at Yan Quan, "You smoked again?"
Ever since catching Yan Quan secretly smoking on the dormitory balcony in high school, Yan Ceyan has forced Yan Quan to quit smoking.
The withdrawal method was extremely simple and brutal: every time Yan Quan smoked, Yan Ceyan would kiss him. With a mint in his mouth, he would press Yan Quan down and kiss him until he could barely breathe.
Finally, a man surnamed Yan swore in front of Yan Ceyan that he would maintain a healthy lifestyle, quit smoking for life, and never relapse.
"I know smoking is bad. Actually, I smoke very little now, I haven't even smoked on TV shows..." Yan Quan's voice trailed off, "Carrying a lighter is just a habit..."
"When did it start..." Yan Ceyan's expression turned serious, and he sighed silently: "Started smoking again?"
"I promise, I really had quit..." Yan Quan subtly pinched his fingertips, "If I relapsed, it would probably be at the end of 2019."
That was the worst time; Yan Quan could smoke two whole packs a day.
Nicotine, on certain nights, is truly a lifesaver. Sometimes, Yan Quan could only hallucinate things that couldn't possibly exist through the swirling smoke.
At the end of 2019, that was six years ago... Yan Ceyan's eyes darkened: It was the year Yan Quan delayed his university registration and took a gap year.
That was the year Yan Ceyan used all his contacts and connections but couldn't find a single trace of Yan Quan.
It was also the year that Yan Quan underwent the surgery to remove the permanent mark on his body.
"You started smoking again...is it because of him?" Yan Ceyan stared at Yan Quan with deep eyes.
Yan Quan was stunned for a while before he realized who Yan Ceyan was talking about.
“…He wasn’t the direct cause.” Yan Quan lowered his eyelashes.
Then there's still a connection. Yan Ceyan felt a sudden pang of heartache gradually spreading through his chest.
"He...abandoned you?" Yan Ceyan deliberately avoided words like "abandoned." Perhaps, subconsciously, Yan Ceyan felt that Yan Quan shouldn't be treated so "roughly."
"He's been very good to me." Yan Quan paused, "He hasn't neglected me either."
"We...broke up normally."
After telling this lie, Yan Quan lowered his head—in that instant, Yan Quan suddenly felt extremely, very, very fortunate.
Fortunately, Yan Ceyan forgot.
Even though he still remembers most of the things, fortunately, Yan Ceyan has forgotten the most crucial parts.
Such tragic memories... what's the point of remembering them? It's nothing more than "mutual indebtedness," tearing everything apart and making it even more rusty.
"Yan Ceyan, can we turn the page?" After a long silence, Yan Quan finally raised his head again and looked intently into the deep, dark eyes in front of him: "It's all in the past."
"It doesn't matter who he is anymore."
"You're the one who's with me now."
"..." Yan Ceyan stared at Yan Quan in silence for a long time before gently placing his hand on the back of Yan Quan's neck and uttering a heavy sentence: "Okay."
"It's all in the past."
The warmth emanating from the back of her neck, like threads of flame, seeped into her heart. Yan Quan thought:
If that distorted relationship seven years ago was wrong from the start, then let's start "correcting" it now.
A fresh start amidst the ruins.
*
As the downpour gradually subsided, Yan Quan, with her eyes half-closed, vaguely heard the approaching footsteps—the rescue team must have arrived.
After emerging from the cave with his back slightly bent, Yan Quan was placed on a stretcher. After his lower legs were carefully secured, the rescue team began their descent down the rugged mountain path.
At the safety base at the foot of the mountain, the blue light of an ambulance pierced the night, and the other members of the program waited anxiously beside the ambulance.
Upon seeing Yan Quan, a figure suddenly emerged from the overlapping mass of black people. It was Lin Mo.
"I...I'm sorry." Lin Mo gasped, his voice broken and nasal, as he saw the blood-soaked bandages on Yan Quan's calf.
"I'm so sorry for the misunderstanding and the things I said to you before. I was just saying them in anger..."
"Actually...actually, from the first moment I saw you, I thought you were wonderful..." Lin Mo bent down and hugged Yan Quan's neck tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks and onto Yan Quan's face. "Yes, I've always cared about you because I wanted to be your friend..."
"If anything happens to you... I'll feel so guilty..."
"I'm fine..." The warm liquid made Yan Quan feel a little helpless: "It's just that you're holding me so tightly right now, I can hardly breathe."
[Crying like this, who would believe he used to hate Yan Quan? (A wry smile)]
[A hater has become a true fan; this is...]
It's hard to say. I feel like Lin Mo always had a dark side, and finding himself again is...
[The main reason is Yan Quan's heroic rescue; who wouldn't fall for him? I'd even want to repay him with my life.]
"Hmph, since Lin Mo has apologized, I'll reluctantly forgive him for what he did to Yan Quan before."
"Don't block the way, unauthorized personnel. The injured should be taken to the hospital immediately."
The medical staff quickly took over from Lin Mo, carrying Yan Quan on a stretcher to the ambulance, casually saying, "A family member is coming to accompany her into the ambulance."
"Holy crap—"
Lin Mo and the crowd surrounding the ambulance all shouted in unison.
Wearing a raincoat, Shan Haotian was the first to step onto the edge of the ambulance. "I'll go. I've saved up more energy. You guys must be tired."
"I'm not tired." Murong Yuan kicked Shan Haotian's foot down.
"It's inconvenient to have someone of the opposite sex accompany me, so I, being a fellow omega, will go instead." Ji Yao took the opportunity to squeeze in.
"Now you've remembered you're a gay man?" Shan Haotian and Murong Yuan turned around simultaneously.
“…Wow. Yan Quan was injured because of me.” Lin Mo pushed through the crowd and forcefully joined in: “Besides, I’m an omega too, so it’ll be easier for me to accompany him for the checkup.”
The ambulance lights flashed, casting the shadows of four people jostling and pushing each other in a crowded and chaotic scene.
[It's time for the much-anticipated chaotic battle scene again!]
[This is the first time I've seen an ambulance escort cause such a huge argument (laughs and cries)]
[They're probably all focused on running around the hospital, showing concern and care, and trying to win over the patients.]
Even Lin Mo has joined the fray... Now, there's no one on this show who doesn't like Yan Quan.
[Regardless of age or gender, appealing to both A and B—this outrageous situation actually makes some sense when it comes to Yan Quan.]
After all, falling in love with Yan Quan is only natural.
In my opinion, this show should just be renamed "Yan Quan and His Suitors"...
"Alright!" the loud-voiced medic yelled at the top of his lungs, "Let the injured person choose!"
The medical worker then looked at Yan Quan, who was lying on the stretcher, and said, "Name a person."
[Haha, medical staff, you know how to solve problems!]
Help! I'm really imagining myself as the emperor choosing concubines in a palace drama!
When will I be able to choose one of four options like this?
Some sisters, some. Doing math multiple-choice questions.
[When doing English exercises, you can even choose five out of seven...]
Now, everyone's eyes were once again focused on Yan Quan.
Lying flat on his back, staring at the lights on the top of the ambulance, Yan Quan took a deep breath and, with a slightly dry throat, called out, "Yan Ceyan."
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