Chapter 197: You Are My Medicine (22)
The warm, humid sea breeze brushed against Chen Yinnian’s face. He gazed at Xiao Ji under the moonlight, his dark eyes sparkling.
Seeing that Xiao Ji hadn’t responded for a while after his speech, he rubbed his nose. “Was I being a bit too melodramatic?”
Xiao Ji tilted his head. “No.”
Chen Yinnian set down his wine glass and arched an eyebrow. “Then why are you staring at me like that?”
Xiao Ji remained silent, simply tapping his own lips with his index finger.
Chen Yinnian spat out a “bah” and cursed him. “Pervert.”
There was a smile in Xiao Ji’s eyes, but he still didn’t speak. Feeling his skin crawl under that gaze, Chen Yinnian simply leaned over and kissed him.
The taste of coconut wine spread across Xiao Ji’s tongue. He gripped Chen Yinnian’s waist, signaling for him to come closer.
Chen Yinnian wasn’t shy; receiving the signal, he simply flipped over and sat on Xiao Ji’s lap.
The privacy of the hotel balcony was excellent. Although it was open to the sky, there were fences on both sides, and directly ahead, only the bright moon rose over the sea.
Xiao Ji’s slightly cool hand slipped under the hem of Chen Yinnian’s shirt. Chen Yinnian shivered, then reached back, pulled the shirt off, and tossed it aside.
On the sea surface beneath the balcony boards, a large sea turtle swam by quietly, looked up for a moment, and then tucked its head back into the water.
During his depressive phases, Chen Yinnian was often exhausted, and Xiao Ji never troubled him during those times. For months, the most they had done was embrace. Even a forceful kiss would leave Chen Yinnian drained.
Now, even though he was much better, his stamina was nowhere near what it was during a manic phase. Before long, he started whining that he couldn’t go on.
Xiao Ji was never a “kind-hearted” person in this regard. He knew where Chen Yinnian’s limits were better than the boy did himself.
At first, Chen Yinnian cursed him, saying he had bad intentions—that he had spent so much money to bring him here just for this, so that there would be no one to hear his cries for help.
Xiao Ji covered his mouth, so Chen Yinnian tried to bite his hand. Xiao Ji stopped then, preparing to withdraw.
Annoyed by his “stopping whenever he said so” attitude, Chen Yinnian hugged his neck and looked at him with a suspicious gaze. “That’s it? You’re done? You can’t handle it?”
In the end, Chen Yinnian really couldn’t handle it. He tried to scramble away repeatedly, only to be dragged back by his ankle.
The lights on the ceiling swayed back and forth relentlessly.
As his vision blurred, Chen Yinnian clung to Xiao Ji’s neck, sobbing intermittently, “I love you… Xiao Ji… don’t leave me…”
What Xiao Ji gave in response was never a flowery or elaborate vow. Only a single word, spoken without hesitation and never to be broken:
“Okay.”
Life on the island couldn’t last forever. Even if Xiao Ji wanted to be an absentee boss, he eventually had to go back and check on things.
A month later, when Chen Yinnian’s condition had basically stabilized, the two finally set off on their journey home.
As Chen Yinnian stepped off the plane and was once again enveloped by the bustle and prosperity of Jinsha, he couldn’t help but sigh. “I’ve never been away for so long. I actually missed home a little.”
Xiao Ji had been gone for nearly half a year. Now that he was back in Jinsha, there were many things to handle. This included the plot of land the Chen family had secured; the permits were through, and construction was proceeding at full speed. Xiao Ji had to deal with the immediate matters.
“It might be hard on you, having to accompany me to work for a while,” Xiao Ji said to Chen Yinnian.
Chen Yinnian never found accompanying Xiao Ji to work to be a tedious or difficult task. But he had another idea.
“Brother, can I go back to Hong Kong for a few days? My parents have been asking about me a lot lately; they probably miss me.”
Xiao Ji hesitated.
If Chen Yinnian were completely healthy, Xiao Ji would respect his wishes regardless of what he wanted to do. After all, Xiao Ji wasn’t naturally clingy. His clinginess was always a reflection of Chen Yinnian’s needs.
But although Chen Yinnian looked much better and hadn’t shown signs of an episode for a long time, Xiao Ji still couldn’t completely put his heart at ease. He frowned and didn’t speak.
Knowing his concern, Chen Yinnian laughed and gave him a loud, resonant kiss on the cheek. “Just one week. I know you’ll miss me, that you can’t bear to be without me, that you’re clingy… but I haven’t talked to my parents like this, in such a good state, for a very long time.”
“Please? Brother, I’m begging you.”
Xiao Ji wavered for a moment. “You can’t go out alone. You have to call me at a set time every day.”
Chen Yinnian agreed readily. Furthermore, he wasn’t just going back to visit. He wanted to talk to his parents about his relationship with Xiao Ji. The two of them couldn’t go on like this forever.
Even if it wasn’t recognized by law, Chen Yinnian wanted to make his relationship with Xiao Ji official—at least, so they could stand openly before their families.
It was already late when they reached Jinsha. Traveling further to Hong Kong would mean Xiao Ji wouldn’t get back until god-knows-when.
Chen Yinnian obediently followed Xiao Ji back to his house. After a day of travel, he packed a few things and was quickly overcome by exhaustion. Before he could even put his suitcase away, he fell asleep on the bed.
In his half-asleep state, he heard Xiao Ji on the phone, explaining his current condition and telling the person on the other end that they must take good care of him.
Chen Yinnian assumed it was Chen Ni. But he was too tired to open his eyes and ask.
The next morning, after waking up on time, Xiao Ji personally drove him back to Hong Kong. He gave Chen Ni a brief greeting, spoke a few words of caution to Chen Yinnian, and then departed.
After Xiao Ji left, Chen Ni watched Chen Yinnian as he stared at Xiao Ji’s car disappearing down the road, looking like he still hadn’t recovered. He let out a “tsk.”
“Show some restraint, Chen Yinnian.”
Chen Yinnian snapped out of it and glared at Chen Ni. “What do you know? Why should I restrain myself?”
Chen Ni let out a “hey.” “You little brat, you weren’t like this in front of Xiao Ji just now. Who’s your actual brother here?”
Chen Yinnian grinned. “You’re my biological brother. He’s my lover brother (情哥哥).”
Chen Ni wasn’t surprised. He had a fair understanding of who Xiao Ji was. The man had taken Chen Yinnian away for nearly half a year, living and eating together. Every photo Chen Yinnian sent back showed a peace and happiness rarely seen in his past.
Chen Ni couldn’t have missed the clues. But he had his own worries. Hearing this, his face hardened. “Don’t say anything in front of Mom and Dad yet. I need to have a talk with you later.”
Before he could finish, a woman’s voice came from behind them.
“Xiao Nian is back? How was the trip? Come here, let Mama look at you.”
Mother Chen walked quickly to Chen Yinnian, cradling his face and examining him carefully. “You look like you’ve put on weight. Quick, get inside, your father is waiting.”
Mother Chen held Chen Yinnian’s hand as they walked in. She suddenly turned back to Chen Ni. “What were you saying about not telling us? What do you need to talk to your brother about?”
Chen Ni was about to say it was nothing, but before the words could leave his throat, Chen Yinnian performed a “zero-frame start” (spoke without a second of hesitation):
“Xiao Ji and I are together.”
Translator’s Note: “Qing Gege” (情哥哥) literally means “Affectionate/Lover Brother.” It’s a sweet, slightly old-fashioned way to refer to a male lover. And “zero-frame start” (0帧起手) is a gaming term used here to describe how Chen Yinnian just blurted it out instantly without any buildup!
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