Chapter 186 No More Secretly Suffering
He really had no intention of sharing with her; he cleaned the plate spotlessly, not even letting her see a single crumb.
If you're going to bake it yourself, then bake it yourself. It's not like Meng Jiuyi doesn't have hands.
On the plate next to her were marinated lamb skewers and various vegetables. She picked some out and put them on the grill, busying herself without exchanging any words with him.
The aroma of sesame seeds wafted out as soon as they were sprinkled on the plate, but he snatched them away as soon as they were baked and placed on the plate.
Tan Yuchen was so shameless that he took everything, even using chopsticks to grab the half-eaten leaf that was still on the plate.
Thanks.
Meng Jiuyi turned to look at him, her clear, moon-colored eyes filled with obvious self-reproach.
"This eggplant is still a little undercooked."
He showed no remorse whatsoever, and commented in a pretentious manner, "I like my food crispy; remember to grill it for two more minutes next time."
Meng Jiuyi: "..."
There were still lamb skewers on the grill, so let him have some.
However, none of the food that was grilled ended up in Meng Jiuyi's stomach. She wasn't good at snatching food, and besides, she just silently endured it because she didn't want to pay attention to her.
At first, the man reached into the plate, then into her hand, and finally into his stomach the food that was still medium-rare on the grill.
She worked for more than ten minutes but didn't get to eat anything.
"You've gone too far!" Meng Jiuyi said righteously.
“I baked these for myself, and you took them all.”
This was the first time in so many days that she had expressed her emotions. It only took a few seconds for the tip of her nose and cheeks to turn from white to red, and her eyes instantly filled with tears.
Tan Yuchen panicked instantly, "Don't cry, my ancestor, I'll bake it again for you."
"I want to bake it myself. There are so many left over, why do you have to take them from me? Even you are bullying me."
She seemed to have suffered a great injustice, and as a sob escaped her lips, tears rolled down her chin like golden beans. "And you didn't even share with me just now, so why should I eat mine?"
"Here, here, here! All of these are yours." Tan Yuchen coaxed her while frantically processing all the ingredients.
She said fiercely, "I want what's mine!"
"Then what should we do? Maybe we should call the police and have me arrested."
His hands were oily, so he could only use a tissue to wipe her tears. Her face was red from crying, and her eyelashes were wet. She looked at him through the mist in her eyes.
Tan Yuchen's lips curved into a smile, his dark eyes, like brown gemstones, fixed on her.
It's like coaxing a child.
Meng Jiuyi felt very embarrassed by the stares and turned to leave.
But with half of her body held in his arms, she couldn't move on his lap.
"Don't move, be careful of oil splashing."
A violent impulse surged within Tan Yuchen; he wanted to cup her face and kiss her forcefully, to experience her vibrant life in the most direct way.
In the end, he just took her hand and kissed it.
His breath was hot and he lingered there, making her hastily glance away.
Everything was baked, and I even cut it into small pieces so that it could be skewered with a toothpick.
Meng Jiuyi didn't eat anything, as if she had just been arguing with him. When she was about to go back to her room, she saw Tan Yuchen holding a helmet and preparing to leave.
"It's the middle of the night," Meng Jiuyi asked.
Where are you going?
Tan Yuchen raised his hand to look at his watch. "I can't sleep. It's the perfect time to go chase the sunrise."
He glanced at the uncollected leftovers in the yard, his tone utterly shameless.
"If you don't like it when you get up in the morning, you can tidy this up while you're at it. Thanks."
Meng Jiuyi: "..."
She can get trapped in her own world and constantly find things to vent, but she is still rebellious at heart.
"Dream on."
As Tan Yuchen mounted the motorcycle, a slight smile played on his lips as he turned to look at her.
"Or I can have Jiang Zhou collect it. It's almost dawn anyway. Do you want to come with me? If you do, go back inside and put on a warm coat."
The helmet he was holding was specially prepared for her. He leaned back on the motorcycle, waiting patiently for her to make a decision.
Meng Jiuyi stood there for a while, then went back inside and put on an even thicker down jacket.
In the early morning, even the neon lights on the streets were gone, and motorcycles sped by, sweeping up fallen leaves.
Meng Jiuyi wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his back. With his chest and helmet protecting her, not a wisp of cold wind could reach her.
The scattered lights floating in the dark world, stretched into a galaxy by the speed of the motorcycle, swirled and flickered before her eyes.
It turns out it can be this bright at night.
When we arrived at the foot of the mountain, it was still dark. Zhou Mountain is about 500 meters above sea level, and the journey took more than two hours.
She followed quietly behind him, and when she couldn't walk anymore or the path was too steep, he would pull her along.
Deep within the dense shade of the trees, she and he, who were hiking, were enveloped. Along the way, they encountered many hiking enthusiasts, all of whom had come to see the sunrise because of the good weather these past two days.
Some elderly men were carrying very heavy loads and taking a break along the way, wearing short sleeves even though it was the dead of winter.
After resting for a while, he tried to pick it up again, but it was like trying to do something twice and then giving up three times. When he got up, he even staggered backward. Luckily, Tan Yuchen pushed him, otherwise he would have definitely rolled down the steps.
The old man said, "Thank you, young man. Are you here to climb the mountain too?"
Tan Yuchen hummed in agreement, his tone casual, "My girlfriend and I haven't watched the sunset together yet."
Meng Jiuyi blinked, bewildered by the mention of his girlfriend, and then asked the old man what he was doing with all those things.
"It's full of steamed buns and mantou, which I made in the early morning. There are many tourists on the mountaintop, and I can earn quite a bit from these."
This is all hard labor, with no profit at all. Tan Yuchen asked about his family.
“My wife passed away last year, and my only son went to prison for committing a crime. He also has a lot of debts. I thought I still had the strength to help pay them off.”
His face was deeply lined with wrinkles, a testament to the hardships of ordinary people living in this world.
When Tan Yuchen wanted to buy the breakfast from his basket, his eyes instantly crinkled with a smile. Despite the hardships, the unexpected joy halfway up the mountain brought a smile to his face before dawn.
Suddenly, Meng Jiuyi felt as if her heart had been stabbed.
The man bought so many steamed buns, soy milk, and eggs; a small portion of them ended up with Meng Jiuyi, but it was enough for at least a week.
Meng Jiuyi pursed her lips. "I definitely can't finish it."
Tan Yuchen casually said, "Feed the leftovers to Jiang Zhou."
Meng Jiuyi: "..." His tone made it sound as if Jiang Zhou was a little puppy.
...
It wasn't even seven o'clock when they reached the top of the mountain, but there were already quite a few people standing around the railing, some even with cameras set up. Tan Yuchen found a spot near the railing at the top, put his arm around the railing, and cleared out a space for her to move around.
A pile of cold steamed buns hung on the railing next to them, seemingly intended for Jiang Zhou.
Meng Jiuyi's back was pressed against his chest, broad and thick, with a constant flow of heat coming from it, and his breath was also spreading around her ear.
Tan Yuchen held her hand. "Are you cold?"
Meng Jiuyi shook his head, suddenly feeling a lump in his throat.
She knew he wasn't having trouble sleeping; he just wanted to take her out.
Suddenly someone exclaimed, and the crowd erupted in commotion and amazement. Meng Jiuyi turned his head and saw that the sun had risen—a red crescent moon appeared on the horizon, the surroundings instantly turning from pitch black to deep blue, the sky above was a half-light, and below was a vast sea of clouds.
Meng Jiuyi watched as the golden light shone on the rolling mountains, on her upturned profile, and on every inch of the world.
She murmured, "Tan Yuchen, the sun is out."
"I saw Meng Jiuyi."
Tan Yuchen hugged her tightly and whispered in her ear, "A new day has come, and we are the first to see it."
A faint mist welled up in Meng Jiuyi's eyes.
"Do you think they can see it?"
"Yes, you've forgotten the law of conservation of energy you mentioned last time?"
Tan Yuchen's dark eyes gazed into the distance, guiding her to look, "They may have become a cloud halfway up the mountain, a newly sprouted seedling in the forest, or water vapor, just waiting for a rain to return to the earth."
"No matter what it becomes, it is not the end we imagine. A hundred years from now, we will meet them again in another form. Perhaps at that time, she will smile and tell us that she has been waiting for us for a long time."
The sunlight was so warm, outlining the man's deep, dark silhouette, and his eyes shimmered like the reflection of a lake.
No one could hold back their tears under such a magnificent sunrise.
Tears welled in Meng Jiuyi's eyes as she asked, "Back then, did you comfort yourself in the same way?"
She asked about the time when his mother and sister passed away. Meng Jiuyi didn't know everything, only that it seemed his maternal grandfather had also been involved in an accident.
These were his scars, but she dared not ask.
At this moment, an impulse arose, and he must have broken down after losing so many loved ones.
There was a moment of silence behind her, and then Tan Yuchen's lips landed on her ear with a hot kiss.
“I wasn’t so lucky back then. I drove away all the people I was close to, and no one has ever told me any of this.”
His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was hoarse. "But now it's all good. God sent you to me. Tan Yuchen will never have to suffer in secret again."
His slightly hoarse voice was like a soft but sharp sword, instantly piercing her heart.
Meng Jiuyi buried herself in his arms, her eyes completely wet with tears.
--
One last big dot left, goodnight.
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