Translator: Lynn
Ji Kai’s roar brought immediate compliance from Mr. Li’s hands and feet.
In the now-silent darkness, the only audible sounds were the relentless crashing of waves against the ship’s hull.
“…” Ji Kai silently contemplated whether his forceful and loud voice had frightened others.
The man in his arms not only remained still but his breathing was barely audible. He was already stiff, but now he seemed to have become rigid. What was happening?
Well, it seems a bit unclear. Not “that” hard.
It’s more like the stiffness of his entire body and limbs. If holding Li Weidu felt like holding a zombie before, the current sensation was akin to holding a stone statue.
Ji Kai couldn’t comprehend it. Wasn’t it uncomfortable for Mr. Li to lie upright in that way, resembling a dried salted fish?
Attempting to exert some force, Ji Kai tried to pull Mr. Li’s waist forward, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Mr. Li, just don’t grab me. I didn’t say you couldn’t move!” he quipped.
As he spoke, their insteps rubbed against each other. Oops, is it the second-best thing to being frozen? It’s been so long, and Mr. Li hasn’t thawed yet?
“…” Li Weidu was utterly perplexed.
He didn’t want to be stiff or unyielding, but he couldn’t control any of it!
Wrapped in a tight embrace, his forehead pressed against the other person’s shoulder. With every exhaled breath, he was enveloped in the scent and warmth belonging to “Ji Kai,” spreading throughout the entire dark night, creating a sense of unease.
Li Weidu pondered; he had just eaten fish soup, so he shouldn’t be hungry. Yet, for some reason, a hint of milky sweetness emanated from Ji Kai, and he struggled to suppress the urge to pounce and take a bite.
However, he couldn’t pounce, and biting others was out of the question. So, deep in his heart, a swarm of tiny ants nibbled at him with care and density.
…
Warm palms traversed along the arms and waistline.
Li Weidu felt stirred—wait, wasn’t he explicitly told not to touch? What exactly was Ji Kai planning?
The slender thighs were captured.
Li Weidu was so devastated that, at that moment, he was mentally prepared to feel like a sheep in a tiger’s mouth.
Haha… no point arguing; just acknowledge being the sheep. Confronted with an undeniably super carnivorous wild animal, proclaiming to be a pure attacker with superior physical strength and not a shivering sheep, is that even useful?!
As a result, the wild animal calmly picked up a leg of lamb and threw it at itself.
The boat continued to sway.
On the ground lay a thick, soft plastic sheet, impervious but snug. Li Weidu rested one thigh on his waist, relishing the smooth texture.
Beneath the thorny, torn blanket, all the places where Ji Kai had rubbed were filled with a comforting warmth as if they were ablaze. As expected, he was still the softest, warmest, and most elastic…
Unable to resist, Li Weidu put his cold arms around him, and Ji Kai said nothing.
His fingertips lightly rested on his back. He wanted to poke, but if he did, he’d surely get yelled at again, right?
Li Weidu could guarantee that the urge to “poke” wasn’t rooted in any erotic thoughts! He just simply… wanted to poke! Then he quietly wondered if he was going crazy.
Suddenly, Ji Kai chuckled, “You don’t have much meat on your legs.”
“~~~”
“~~~~~~”
“~~~~~~~~~” Who said not to pinch! What are you pinching there?
His thin lips began to uncontrollably tremble, but he couldn’t speak.
The group of tiny ants, realizing an evolution beyond the species, began to form cocoons, emerge, and turned into little butterflies fluttering around.
“Mr. Li, honestly, I’ve had dinner with you twice before. Considering your appetite… all the cats I fed in the past ate more than you. If you eat less meat in the future, Auntie will be very worried about your health.”
“Cat…” Li Weidu couldn’t think normally anymore.
There was a strong illusion that when he opened his mouth now, he’d probably emit a meow like a kitten instead of the magnetic low-pitched voice of a normal human male. This was too much. Not only was it not good, but the dignity of men had been baptized with blood. He was about to cry!
But he still spoke, and the voice that came out, with all his strength, was a bit weak but at least low and rough.
“You… clothes.”
Ji Kai was puzzled, “What clothes?”
Mr. Li seemed to have trouble breathing. He held it for a while before continuing, “I think you… in fact, everything else is pretty good. That is, I, the clothes I bought for you will be worn more often in the future! For things like these close-fitting vests, one Qi Yang is enough!”
Ji Kai thought, right?
From the first time until now, you disliked my clothes. Are you really unable to get past this threshold?
Little did he know that Mr. Li wasn’t focused on “clothing” at this moment—not at all!
All Mr. Li could think about was one word… meat!
It was Ji Kai who squeezed his legs so tightly that he leaned to the side. The large area of exposed muscles was crushed to pieces by his fragile little heart! Only some residual wailing remained in the last bit of sanity…
Did you do it on purpose? Why not wear a shirt with a bit more fabric? Why dress like this?
If this continues, if it continues like this…
Ji Kai: “Mr. Li, have you read “Human Plants” by Mr. Wang Zengqi?”
“No. I only know about meat, not books!”
“It’s a collection of essays about the world’s common customs, customs, flowers, birds, and vegetation. Mr. Wang’s writing is excellent. There’s a sentence in it that I still find quite classic. I’ll recite it to you.”
“Gardenia flowers are thick and big, so fragrant that they can’t be brushed away. Elegant people don’t take them because they think they are of low moral character. Gardenia said, ‘Forget it! I just want to smell like this. It will make me happy. Who the hell do you care!’”
Li Weidu: “…”
Li Weidu: “…”
His intelligence quotient has plummeted, rendering him unable to counter! What’s even more alarming is that not only can he not provide a rebuttal, but he also completely succumbs to the essence of those few sentences!
It’s as if he’s witnessing a meadow of flowers with a gardenia tree swaying in the breeze. Even the moist and chilly sea air is saturated with fragrance, igniting a vivid, opulent atmosphere permeated by the scent of gardenias.
…
Li Weidu had no intention of sleeping that night.
After all, his sleep quality had always been terrible. Suffering from chronic neurasthenia, he not only relied on alcohol and sleeping pills to survive but also had to wear earplugs and blindfolds, counting sheep one by one in complete darkness and silence.
The sound of the wind outside the window or even the breath of the person next to his pillow could wake him up, preventing him from returning to sleep.
Now, he was on a broken ship rocking in the wind and rain, entangled hand and foot with a man he wasn’t very familiar with.
Surprisingly, he fell asleep quickly this time.
He also had a very strange dream, a truly bizarre dream.
In his dream, he attended a wedding banquet from his childhood at the best Shangri-La Hotel in the city over 20 years ago. Looking at it from today’s perspective, the furnishings seemed rustic.
At that time, he was as high as the table. The bride and groom, wearing red wedding clothes on the stage, rang something in their arms amid the guests’ excitement.
Mobile phones were as big as bricks back then. He picked up the phone and heard an anxious and familiar female voice from the other side.
“Weiwei, it’s me, I finally contacted you! It’s mom! Where are you? Is dad with you?”
Mom?
Li Weidu was a little stunned and turned back to look at the stage. That beautiful, light woman bowing was his father’s newly married Aunt Bai, the gentle and kind person who later raised him. Could she be his “mother”?
“Weiwei, where are you? Why is there so much noise next to you?”
“I… I’m…” So, who is calling me “Weiwei”?
[Let us give our most sincere blessings to the newlyweds with applause. Now let’s invite the bride and groom to cut the cake!]
“Weiwei, are you at the wedding? Whose wedding?”
Dad’s wedding.
“Weiwei, listen to mother…”
But isn’t there no mother anymore? Blood flowed all over the floor. After the ambulance left, his mother never came back. Everyone said his mother was dead.
“Weidu, Weidu! Weidu, why are you crying?”
The scene changed; the mobile phone disappeared, and so did the guests. Suddenly, he looked up and saw little Ye Yin standing in front of the bed.
“Weidu, don’t feel bad. The new aunt is different. She won’t beat you like the last one. Don’t cry; I will always accompany you. I love you! I will stay with you forever. If no one loves you, I will love you on their behalf.”
Li Weidu knew very well from beginning to end that he was in a dream.
He wanted to wake up, but he couldn’t. What was even more frightening was that he couldn’t tell whether what he saw before him was the reality of what happened before – did a woman really call him at his father and Aunt Bai’s wedding?
And at that time, did Ye Yin really say that he would stay with him and love him for the rest of his life?
…
Ji Kai was awakened by faint sobbing.
Realizing it was Li Weidu who was crying, he groaned a few times, then reached for the phone beside him to light up the screen, only to find Mr. Li in his arms with closed eyes, frowning, biting his pale lips, and still in a deep slumber.
It must be such a sad dream to cry like this. Ji Kai recalled his aunt’s words about Li Weidu’s difficult childhood, feeling sympathy and the desire to hold him tightly. However, he heard a murmur, “Xiao Yin.” Damn it.
! I can’t sleep at all now!
“Hey!” “Hey!” A few simple and rough shakes brought Mr. Li back to wakefulness.
“I’m sorry for disturbing your nightmare!”
During the morning fishing trip with Qi Yang, Ji Kai had already heard numerous complaints. How good was Li Weidu to the little goblin before? They spent money to support him, let him do whatever he pleased, cooked various nutritious meals, and showered him with gifts and attention. A twenty-four filial boyfriend, nothing more.
“Mr. Li, can’t you forget the little goblin? Do you want Brother Kai to share some life principles with you?”
Li Weidu was stunned for a moment and shook his head.
During the day, Ji Kai finished speaking. Qi Yang cried, “Thanks to Brother Kai for curing the brain damage that we have had for many years!”
This was completely in vain!
Treating the symptoms but not the root cause, is the goblin virus making a comeback?
“I can’t forget him… it’s not what you think.”
In the darkness, Li Weidu’s voice was very low. “After you told me those words in the hospital that day, I thought about it for a day. I was very resistant at first, but later, I gradually realized that I no longer love him, and you are right.”
“But, there are some things… I still can’t figure out.”
Ji Kai didn’t say much, waiting for Mr. Li to continue speaking with his unusual logic.
“Perhaps it’s all because I… was kind to him without a bottom line and spoiled him rotten. My mother once advised me that no matter who you are, you will be spoiled if you spoil him like that. Then what if, all this, was originally my fault? In the end, not only did I not love him anymore, but I even blamed him a little as you said. Then I…”
“Mr. Li, Mr. Li, Mr. Li!” Ji Kai finally understood and made an impulse, directly covering the person in his arms. “Believe me! Some people can’t be spoiled. ‘Being spoiled’ is definitely his own responsibility, huh… You are really a masochist, how can you feel that it is your responsibility?”
…It turns out that there really are such stubborn people.
Having been heartbroken by one person, but still thinking that they are the most innocent person in the world. Are you stupid? No wonder Qi Yang was so angry and called him “brainless.”
Mr. Li bumped his head against the man’s chest, and the bridge of his nose hurt. Unable to bear the pain, he raised his head and asked, “Then… have you ever seen someone who is not spoiled?”
This question was difficult for Ji Kai to answer.
After all, he seemed to have spoiled someone, but in order to firm up his position, he still said sternly: “It doesn’t matter whether you have seen it or not!”
“Anyway, I will meet someone I like next time. People still have to be pampered how they want! I will be very good to him. If he doesn’t know how to cherish me, it is also his loss! I am mature, stable, and in good shape. He is not satisfied with being pampered like thisand he still wants to find someone. What kind of thing does he want? A fairy?”
“Similarly, someone like you, Mr. Li, who is handsome, devoted, and good at cooking, is definitely the ultimate ideal type for a large number of single young people of the right age. It is definitely the little goblin’s loss if he doesn’t know how to cherish you! There are better men than him everywhere. Just grab one and take it home. Stop thinking about things that are there or not!”
“…” Li Weidu actually still had a lot to say.
He knew that Ye Yin didn’t love him because he was a little afraid of him – after all, his mother had a mental illness, and others said it would be hereditary. What’s more, as one of the people who knew the secrets of the Li family’s mansion, Ye Yin knew very well that he was also the son of a violent murderer of his wife.
However, Ji Kai’s words about “the ideal type of a large number of single young people of the right age” still made him smile a little.
Fortunately, with him, things were much better.
Li Weidu suddenly realized that having this person by his side always made him feel that everything wasn’t so bad.
Reflecting on Ji Kai’s earlier words, “I will still love someone again when I meet someone I like,” for some reason, he silently began to envy that person.
He wondered what kind of person that individual would be—undoubtedly more handsome and superior to Zhu Ling. The thoughts lingered on the potential personality traits, contemplating whether the person would be stingy or jealous.
Because if, one day, that person learned that there had been a day before his arrival. On a small boat. On a rainy night, under a tattered blanket, someone experienced the warm embrace of his lover and heard tender and comforting words.
Ha, haha, he feared he might be so infuriated that he’d lose his composure.
Ha, hahaha…
Haha, why did the person in the fantasy suddenly seem more detestable than Zhu Ling?
The trembling fingertips moved.
This time, it wasn’t a mischievous desire to poke. It was something else, an irritating urge to be touched from the depths of his heart. Li Weidu’s eyes were dim, and he couldn’t comprehend what it was.
It wasn’t until much later, when Ji Kai and he were traveling in the United States, passing by a bookstall in a small town, that they randomly bought a book. Opening the train window, a sentence caught his eye –
“Some people think that the moment you know you fall in love with someone, it should be an intense love at first sight.”
“Or maybe you want to marry him and have children, the urge to spend a lifetime together is a kiss at six o’clock in the morning, the happiness that makes you want to smile when you see his side face. Maybe it is like this. But do you know what I think?”
“I feel that knowing that I have fallen in love with someone is the moment I want to touch him but then tremble and withdraw my hand.”
The cabin was quiet and filled with warmth.
Li Weidu counted the sound of his heartbeat and slowly fell into sleep again. When he woke up once more, the sun was shining, Ji Kai was steering the helm handsomely, and the coastline was in front of them.
Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.
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