Chapter 112: Childhood
The sky was still somewhat dim when the two of them arrived. Cheng Ge wiped clean the chairs they were to sit on and the railing, then waited as the sky turned the color of a fish’s belly.
Cheng Ge watched the changes in the sky and took a few photos, occasionally checking to see if Wen Ling had fallen asleep.
Wen Ling leaned on Cheng Geās shoulder, his head tilted back, watching Cheng Geās movements.
The color of the horizon gradually transformed from pale white to light yellow, then orange, and finally orange-red. Layers of clouds turned into orange-red pigments, turning the mountains and sky before the sunrise into an oil painting.
“The sunrise.” Cheng Ge poked Wen Lingās face, telling him to look.
The sun was half-hidden behind the mountain, and its light was already shining directly on Cheng Ge and Wen Ling.
The surroundings were quiet, without the clamor of the world, nor the sounds of insects or birds. There were only the two of them, witnessing the sun transform from orange-red to red, and then to golden-yellow, watching it hang completely in the sky.
The sunlight enveloped them, plating both of their faces with a warm glow. Cheng Ge tilted his head to look at Wen Lingās profile for a good while before turning his head back to look at the sunrise.
Wen Ling was the same; his eyes would be fixed on the other person for a long time before he was willing to glance at the scenery. Cheng Ge was already his sun.
“Xiao Wen.”
“Hmm?”
Into Cheng Geās lens, a little golden elf suddenly intruded. At first, his gaze was dazed as he looked at the lens. Once he realized what was happening, he smiled at the camera. Those glassy eyes were clear and bright, glowing with light.
At this moment, in Wen Lingās eyes, Cheng Ge was simply too handsome. His features were impeccable, his hair glowed to the point of being translucent, and most importantly, his eyes only reflected Wen Ling. Looking at him made Wen Lingās heart feel warm and full.
“Make a peace sign, Xiao Wen.”
Wen Ling blinked and made a peace sign against his face. Cheng Ge provided the sound effect for him.
“Yay.”
Recently, Cheng Ge had really loved taking photos of Wen Ling, and he also loved taking selfies and videos of the two of them to record these times.
After taking the photos and their video, Cheng Ge and Wen Ling huddled together to look at the results.
Cheng Geās hand on Wen Lingās shoulder moved, half-encircling Wen Lingās neck. He lightly stroked Wen Lingās Adam’s apple a couple of times, his voice lazy and carrying a bit of a roguish air: “Comrade Xiao Wen.”
Wen Lingās Adam’s apple rolled. He looked at Cheng Ge, and a thin layer of mist gradually covered his eyes.
“Let’s have a kiss.”
As the words fell, Cheng Ge leaned down and kissed him. His hand reached in to stroke the hair on the back of Wen Lingās neck.
Wen Ling grabbed Cheng Geās clothes, suppressing his excitement, and kissed Cheng Ge obediently. He wanted the kiss to last longer.
Because as soon as he gasped for breath or couldn’t catch it, Cheng Ge would stop or slow down. But he wanted Cheng Ge to kiss him longerāfor his invasive sense to be stronger. Ideally, he wanted Cheng Ge to possess him.
Recently, Cheng Ge had also become fond of taking the initiativeāproactive hugs, proactive kisses.
Just as Cheng Ge had said that night, it was true that he “couldn’t leave him.” It was true that Cheng Ge couldn’t be without Wen Ling.
Once the kiss ended, Wen Ling buried himself in Cheng Geās embrace to adjust his excited breathing. He held the other and hummed softly. He didn’t say anything specific; he just liked humming and then letting Cheng Ge stroke his head, back, and neck to comfort him.
Cheng Ge lowered his head, kissing the side of Wen Lingās ear. He whispered his confession in a husky voice: “I like you.”
Wen Ling tilted his head up to kiss his Adam’s apple. “I like you too. I like you so much.”
The current Cheng Ge was not at all stingy with saying he liked him. He firmly confessed to Wen Ling over and over again, tirelessly telling Wen Ling of his love, wanting Wen Ling to stop being uneasy, letting him know that he was loved, and letting him firmly believe in the fact that “Cheng Ge likes Wen Ling.”
When the sun was high in the sky and the heat on their skin became stinging, Cheng Ge and Wen Ling went down the mountain together and ate a portion of fresh shrimp wontons at the cafeteria.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the two strolled back to the dorm, changed clothes, and caught up on sleep together.
Wen Ling slept until noon. He woke up to the aroma of food, sitting on the bed with sleepy eyes.
Before Wen Ling could even get out of bed to find him, Cheng Ge saw that Wen Ling was awake and came over with a glass of warm water. He kissed Wen Lingās eyelids and asked, “Awake?” before telling him to drink some water first.
During this period, Cheng Ge was very fond of kissing Wen Lingās eyes. Heād kiss his eyelids while Wen Lingās eyes were closed, and when Wen Lingās eyes curved, heād kiss the corners.
Cheng Ge would always look into Wen Lingās eyes and say, “What beautiful eyes,” praising them for being round and bright.
Even in bed, Cheng Ge would rarely say something scandalous, asking Comrade Xiao Wen if he was trying to seduce him by staring at him with those big eyes without blinking.
Because Cheng Ge seemed to particularly like his eyes, Wen Ling had also started to like his own eyes a bit now.
After eating, Cheng Ge pulled Wen Ling around the room to walk and help with digestion. Only after they had exercised enough did he let him lie on the sofa.
The two of them sat quietly on the sofa, Wen Ling leaning on Cheng Geās shoulder, staring blankly.
“Back then, Mother locked me in a box,” Wen Ling suddenly said.
“She promised me she would never abandon me for a lifetime.”
Lately, when the two of them were staring blankly, Wen Ling would suddenly blurt out some words. Most of them were about his past, scattered and fragmented.
Combined with the previous times, it was likely that Wen Lingās father had cheated. Originally, for the sake of the child, his mother hadn’t divorced, swallowing her anger.
The turning point was when one of the mistresses turned out to be a pedophileāwhich was the time Cheng Ge had entered the dream. Once Wen Lingās mother found out, this mother, who had endured grievances for her child, went mad for the child. During a dispute with the mistress, she accidentally killed the mistress and Wen Lingās father.
At that time, Wen Lingās motherās mind had completely failed. She locked Wen Ling away, telling him that mother and son would accompany each other for a lifetime. But before long, Wen Lingās mother committed suicide, leaving Wen Ling alone in the world.
Cheng Ge guessed that a large part of Wen Lingās obsessive ideas came from his mother. Those words like “lifetime” and “forever” were likely learned from her.
Cheng Ge also realized in hindsight. Back when they had just come to the school, he had asked Wen Ling, “Why do you always think Iām going to leave?” Wen Lingās answer had been, “You are all like that.” At the time, he couldn’t ask who “all” referred to, but it turned out it included Wen Lingās mother.
“But Mother broke her word.”
“Still, I don’t want to blame her. I don’t know who to blame.”
Wen Ling spoke calmly, yet Cheng Ge knew what was going through his mind.
Maybe I should be blamed? But why?
Cheng Ge suddenly pulled Wen Ling onto his lap and held him. It gave Wen Ling a fright, his eyelashes trembling. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing,” Cheng Ge stroked Wen Lingās hair and the back of his neck with a reassuring sense. “Anyway, no matter who is to be blamed, it can’t be blamed on you.”
He added, “It’s fine. Keep talking. I’m listening.”
Wen Ling loved being held like this the most. He took the opportunity to hug Cheng Ge, resting his chin on Cheng Geās shoulder. “I don’t have anything more I want to say. I just thought of some things and wanted to tell Cheng Ge.”
Cheng Ge wanted to ask about what happened nextāhow Wen Ling had grown up alone, if it had been very hardābut he couldn’t bear to make Wen Ling recall it, and his own heart throbbed with pain as he listened.
“Did you have money for food back then?” Cheng Ge asked him.
“Yes. Mother left money for me. She wanted me to live.”
“Good.”
Some things are very difficult to judge or explain. Wen Lingās mother had killed two people, which sounded irredeemable. However, the root of the matter lay with that man and the mistress. It was obvious who the truly evil ones were.
Cheng Ge didn’t want to judge or think about how the wrongs therein should be categorized. He only knew that she was a person who wanted the best for Wen Ling. If he could speak to her, he would probably say thank you.
Translator’s Note: The “color of a fish’s belly” (éčē½) is a Chinese idiom for the first light of dawn. The backstory of Wen Ling’s mother is so tragic. It explains why Wen Ling is so clingy and obsessed with “forever”āit was the last thing his mother told him before she left him forever.
Recommended Reads
![[ABO] After Accidental Marking, I Became Everyone’s Darling](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ABO-225x300.jpeg)
