Chapter 179 Night Talk
It was two in the morning, and the desk lamp in the study was still on. Lin Yan sat at his desk, his fingertips hovering over his phone screen. He had dialed Lan Wangji's number three times, only to hang up at the last second each time.
The touch of the ruler on Sizhui's back still lingered in his palm, and the suppressed groan was like a thorn, piercing his heart. He knew he was in the right, but looking at the faint light peeking through the crack of the guest room door - Sizhui was probably still awake - he couldn't help but want to find someone to "confess".
Finally, the call was made.
"Hello." Lan Wangji's voice was hoarse from waking up, but still steady.
Lin Yan took a deep breath, his fingertips clenched until they turned white. "Uncle Lan, it's me. Si Zhui... was punished by me."
He didn't explain the reason or the process, simply stating the story in a straightforward manner, as if he were reporting a perfectly ordinary incident. There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, followed by Wei Wuxian's vague mumbling, presumably having been woken.
“Yeah.” Lan Wangji’s voice faded a little, as if he was covering the microphone. He came back after a while, “What’s going on?”
Lin Yan recounted the entire incident at the bar, from Jin Ling's invitation to him, to the scene when he found him, to the punishment with the ruler. He left no secrets. At the end, his voice trailed off, "I attacked him without even listening to his explanation, and even locked him in the guest room... Uncle Lan, I was too impatient. Please punish me."
There was another silence on the other end of the line, so long that Lin Yan thought the signal was gone. His hand, gripping the phone, was sweating, and the clothes on his back were sticking to him.
"You did the right thing." Lan Wangji's voice finally came, calm and without a ripple. "Si Zhui did deserve to be punished. You defended his bottom line. There was nothing wrong with that."
Lin Yan was stunned, his hand holding the phone trembling slightly: "But... I hit him."
"If you do something wrong, you should be punished." Lan Wangji's voice was filled with unquestionable certainty. "But after the punishment, make sure he understands why. Since you've already taken action, you should make sure he remembers this lesson."
"I understand." Lin Yan replied in a low voice. The stone in his heart fell to the ground, but a new uneasiness arose. "He seems to be very afraid of me now."
“Only when you’re afraid will you remember.” Lan Wangji paused and added, “But don’t let him feel disappointed.”
These words were like a feather brushing against the tip of Lin Yan's heart. Suddenly, his eyes felt warm. "I understand, Uncle Lan."
After hanging up the phone, silence returned to the study. Lin Yan walked to the window and looked towards the guest room. The light had gone out at some point. He hesitated for a moment, then gently pushed open the study door and walked over.
The door to the guest room was unlocked. He pushed it open, and moonlight fell on the bed, illuminating Lan Sizhui's curled-up figure. The child, perhaps tired from crying, had a frown on his face, tears still lingering at the corners of his eyes, and tiny teardrops stained his eyelashes, like a layer of frost.
Lin Yan walked to the bedside, squatted down, and looked at him in the moonlight. Si Zhui's school uniform jacket was thrown beside the bed, revealing the white T-shirt underneath. A faint red mark could be seen on his back - the mark left by the ruler.
He reached out his hand, wanting to cover him with the quilt that had been kicked aside. As soon as his fingertips touched the corner of the quilt, Sizhui unconsciously grabbed it. The child's hand was very hot, with a slight feverish temperature, and he murmured, "Don't leave me..."
Lin Yan's heart suddenly tightened, as if something was gripping him. He clasped the burning little hand tightly with his backhand and whispered, "I won't throw you away. It's right here."
Si Zhui seemed to understand, his brows gradually relaxed, but he didn't loosen his grip on his hand. Instead, he held it even tighter, as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw.
Lin Yan didn't move, just remained in a half-squatting position, letting him hold her. The moonlight outside the window moved slowly, drawing long shadows on the floor. He looked at Si Zhui's sleeping face, feeling a mixture of emotions.
He knew better than anyone that this child, though seemingly docile, was actually quite stubborn. If he didn't punish him harshly today, he might waver again the next time he encountered a more tempting trap. But looking at the dark circles under his eyes and the indelible tear marks, he couldn't help but blame himself - had he really been too harsh?
After an unknown amount of time, the sky outside the window began to turn pale. Sizhui's grip gradually loosened, and his breathing became steady. Lin Yan gently withdrew his hand, stood up, walked to the bathroom, wrung out a warm towel, and returned to wipe his face.
Si Zhui's eyelashes trembled when the towel touched his cheek, but he didn't wake up. Lin Yan's movements were extremely gentle, his fingertips avoiding the tear mole at the corner of his eye, and he wiped away the tear traces bit by bit. He tucked in the corner of the quilt for him and turned up the air conditioner temperature by two degrees.
After doing all this, he walked to the chair beside the bed and sat down. Morning light filtered through the gaps in the curtains, falling on him and outlining the boy's tense profile. He sat there, motionless, like a silent statue, watching over the person in bed until the sky was completely bright.
At six in the morning, before the alarm clock rang, Lan Sizhui woke up first.
The pain in his back was more pronounced than last night, like countless needles pricking him. He moved and found himself lying flat on his back, the quilt covering him tightly, and a hint of warmth still lingered on his palm.
He suddenly opened his eyes and saw Lin Yan sitting beside the bed.
The young man was wearing yesterday's clothes, his hair a little disheveled, and a faint dark shadow under his eyes, clearly having not slept all night. He was staring out the window, his profile looking particularly cold and hard in the morning light, a stark contrast to the usual Lin Yan who would smile and hand out candy.
Sizhui's heart sank, the warmth that had just risen in his heart vanishing without a trace. He thought of last night's punishment, the cold "Go to bed," and the hand that was shaken away, and his eyes began to heat up again.
Lin Yan seemed to realize that he had woken up. He turned his head and his eyes fell on his face. There was no warmth or emotion in his eyes, as if he was looking at a stranger.
"Awake?" His voice was calm, without any emotion. "Get up and wash up. I'll take you home."
After saying that, he stood up, turned around and walked out without pausing for a moment, as if staying even a second longer would be a burden.
Si Zhui watched his back disappear through the doorway, tears finally falling. He had clearly felt it all just now: the hand holding his, the gentle touch wiping his face, the figure that had remained motionless by the bedside all night... Was it all a dream?
He slowly sat up, gasping for air from the pain in his back. On the bed lay a set of clean clothes, Lin Yan's, neatly folded. Next to it was a thermos. He opened it and saw warm honey water, a sweet aroma wafting out.
Si Zhui held the thermos cup and cried even harder.
He seemed to understand a little, but also seemed even more confused. Is this Brother Lin cold or hot?
In the living room, Lin Yan stood in the hallway, changing his shoes, his car keys gripped between his fingertips, his knuckles white. He could hear suppressed sobs in the guest room, and his heart felt like it was being cut by a blunt knife.
He knew he should soften, explain, and rub his hair like he used to and say, "Don't cry." But Lan Wangji's words were still ringing in his ears - "Don't let him feel disappointed, but don't let him forget the pain."
Some tenderness must be hidden in a cold shell so that the mark of the ruler can be truly engraved into the bones.
He took a deep breath and pushed open the door. The cold morning wind rushed in, making him shiver.
After sending Si Zhui back, and until he truly understands the weight of rejection, I will slowly tell him about my protection last night.
Now is not the time.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
