IF Extra 【3】: Jiang Yan Meets Little Wen Ran
“Ran Ran? Ran Ran?”
Wen Ran was so lost in thought that he didn’t even hear Jiang Yan calling him.
“Hm? Yeah?”
“Where did I leave off?”
Wen Ran lowered his head guiltily. “I…”
“You weren’t listening, were you?”
Wen Ran kept his head down and didn’t speak, which was as good as a confession.
“Are you too tired from school these past few days?”
Wen Ran thought to himself, It’s not because of that. It’s because you’re right next to me, making me so restless.
But he didn’t want Jiang Yan to know that, so he could only give a vague excuse to brush it off.
“Then we’ll continue tomorrow,” Jiang Yan said. “Get some good rest tonight.”
As Jiang Yan spoke, he leaned in close to Wen Ran’s ear. The proximity made Wen Ran’s heart hammer against his ribs, and he couldn’t help but push Jiang Yan away.
“I’m going to sleep then. You go out.”
They had long since moved out of their original place. Jiang Yan had taken him to a much better apartment near the school.
Jiang Yan didn’t see anything wrong with it. He gently patted Wen Ran’s head. “Goodnight, Ran Ran.”
High school evening self-study ended late. Wen Ran walked out with his female seatmate.
“Wen Ran, I heard from my best friend that a boy in her class formed a team for the High School Tournament, and they just got their fourth win in a row.” The seatmate excitedly shared the gossip. “Wen Ran, do you play Lingxiao?”
Wen Ran’s relationship with his classmates was only average. After all, he was a transfer student who had joined mid-term; many people weren’t familiar with him. Moreover, he wasn’t like the transfer students in novels—a top student who mastered everything. In the beginning, his grades were in the lower-middle range of the class, though they were gradually improving now.
Since starting school, Wen Ran had hardly touched the game. Hearing someone mention Lingxiao made him feel a brief sense of displacement.
“I’ve played it,” Wen Ran said succinctly. “It’s alright.”
After all, he had almost become a professional player.
“It’s okay,” the seatmate said, assuming Wen Ran was too embarrassed to talk because he was bad at the game. She comforted him, “Every profession has its masters. Games are for entertainment anyway; as long as you’re having fun, that’s what matters.”
Though Wen Ran felt her words were a bit odd, he didn’t ask further.
Suddenly, Wen Ran heard someone call his name.
“Ran Ran.”
He looked through the flow of traffic. On the other side of the road, Jiang Yan stood with his hands in his pockets, looking at him with a beaming smile.
Why is he here?
Wen Ran felt a mixture of shock and joy. His gait turned a bit stiff. It wasn’t until he had crossed to the other side that he asked awkwardly, “Why did you come over?”
“To pick you up from school, of course, you little heartless brat.” Jiang Yan patted his head as if no one else were around. “Why didn’t you even say hello when you saw your Gege?”
Wen Ran thought to himself, How am I supposed to say hello? Am I supposed to grab a megaphone and shout ‘Jiang Yan, Jiang Yan, Jiang Yan, I’m over here!’?
“I’m already an adult. I don’t need you to pick me up.”
Jiang Yan thought to himself, He really hasn’t changed at all. He’s been a tsundere since he was a kid.
“But I couldn’t wait to see you.” Like a magician, Jiang Yan pulled a stick of candied haws from his pocket and held it out to Wen Ran. “Here, for you.”
“What is this? I don’t want it.” Wen Ran looked at the candied haws with a hint of disdain. He thought, Does he really see me as a child!
He wasn’t going to fall for such a trick used to fool kids.
And yet, his body was very honest as he took the stick. “I’m only taking it because I don’t want you to be embarrassed.”
Jiang Yan laughed and reached out to hold his hand. “Mm-hmm. Our Ran Ran is so considerate.”
Jiang Yan’s palm was very warm. Wen Ran, feeling a bit lost, let his hand go rigid as he allowed the man to lead him home.
Wen Ran’s mind was a mess of thoughts the entire way, but he never could bring himself to let go of Jiang Yan’s hand.
When they pushed open the door to the apartment, Jiang Yan suddenly covered his eyes.
Wen Ran: “?”
Jiang Yan’s warm breath brushed against his ear. “Ran Ran, I have a surprise for you.”
“Keep walking forward.”
Because his eyes were covered, Wen Ran walked very slowly. He could feel Jiang Yan practically pressed against his back. It felt as though the man were embracing him.
The thought made Wen Ran’s heart skip a beat. Fortunately, the distance wasn’t far. Once Wen Ran had felt his way into his room, Jiang Yan began the countdown.
“Three, two, one. Ran Ran, open your eyes.”
As the hand was removed, Wen Ran slowly opened his eyes and found a brand-new computer sitting in his room.
The keyboard was an expensive mechanical one, and there were also a headset and a mouse. Almost every piece of hardware and peripheral he could possibly need was perfectly arranged.
“Well? Do you like it?”
Looking at the computer, Wen Ran felt a flood of mixed emotions. He used to play games at internet cafes because he never had the money to buy decent equipment.
The price of a computer was simply too high for him.
Later, after Jiang Yan had helped him get his ID back and return to school, Wen Ran had stopped touching the game.
But now, Jiang Yan had given him a computer.
Why was he being so good to him?
“When did I ever say I wanted one?” Wen Ran was moved to his core, but he felt an ache for Jiang Yan. “Are you really that rich?”
Jiang Yan laughed and pinched his cheek. “Let’s just say… I don’t have three houses yet, but raising a ‘you’ is no problem at all.”
Wen Ran’s entire attention was focused on that word “raising.” Why did Jiang Yan use that word so casually?!
Did he even know what it meant?
Wen Ran wanted to ask, but he didn’t dare.
What if Jiang Yan was just teasing him?
“Want to go test it out with a game?”
In truth, Wen Ran did miss Lingxiao. Besides, what boy could resist top-tier electronic equipment? Before he knew it, he was already sitting in the chair.
“You play for a bit then. I’m going to go stew some pears for you,” Jiang Yan said. “Your voice sounds a bit raspy.”
Lingxiao had already entered a new season. Since Wen Ran hadn’t played in a while, his rank had dropped significantly; he was currently in Diamond.
The moment he logged on, he received a private message from “Lemon Black Tea”: “Wen Ran, want to play together?”
Looking at the note, he realized it was his seatmate.
Wen Ran replied with a “Mm,” and she immediately invited him into a room.
The seatmate’s rank was higher than his. She chose her best hero, having secretly decided to carry Wen Ran.
“Can you open your mic?”
“I can.”
“Wen Ran, was that friend of yours the one who picked you up tonight?” The seatmate’s voice was filled with delight. “He’s so handsome!”
It really wasn’t her fault for being such a fan-girl. Jiang Yan’s looks were far too outstanding to be ignored in a crowd. At the very least, he was a “School Hunk” level beauty, not at all inferior to certain celebrities.
“Which school is he from?”
“Does he have a girlfriend?”
“If I can carry you to a win this round, could you give me his WeChat? Sob, it’s been so long since I’ve seen such a top-tier handsome guy!”
“I could even study hard just to get into the same university as him!”
Wen Ran felt a wave of irritation. “It’s nighttime. Stop daydreaming.”
Seatmate: “Huh?”
Wen Ran: “Carry me to a win first.”
“Got it!” The seatmate was full of energy, determined to carry Wen Ran. However, once the match started, she discovered that before she could even farm, Wen Ran had already secured three kills.
And every one of Wen Ran’s subsequent plays left her jaw-droppingly stunned. So that was how the game could be played.
By the time the Crystal was destroyed, she didn’t feel as though she had contributed anything at all.
When the settlement screen popped up, sure enough, her kill participation was only 25%, and she had only dealt 17% of the damage. Her stats were abysmal, while Wen Ran was the MVP in almost every category.
She had meant to carry him, but it was a miracle she hadn’t been reported for feeding.
It was strange. How could Wen Ran be this good?
Feeling a bit embarrassed, the seatmate said, “I thought you didn’t really know how to play. I didn’t expect you to be so amazing.”
Wen Ran spoke up abruptly. “I can’t give you his WeChat.”
The seatmate didn’t react immediately. “What?”
Wen Ran emphasized again, ” I said, I can’t give you his WeChat.”
“Oh, oh. Right. A bet is a bet.” Anyway, she was just talking.
A guy of that caliber would never be interested in her, and besides, his relationship with Wen Ran clearly wasn’t ordinary.
She had only wanted to see if Wen Ran would get jealous. Well, she had plenty of material for her stories tonight.
The seatmate said her goodbyes and logged off, but her words remained in Wen Ran’s heart like a thorn, making him feel awkward and miserable.
“Ran Ran?” Jiang Yan walked in carrying a bowl of stewed pears and placed it on the desk. “Are you finished? Come have some.”
Looking at the steaming pears, Wen Ran finally couldn’t help but ask, “Jiang Yan… do you have someone you like?”
Jiang Yan was startled for a moment, then gave a soft laugh. “I do.”
Wen Ran hadn’t expected such a direct answer. A sour, bitter feeling surged in his heart.
He actually had someone he liked?
But why had he never heard him mention it?
What kind of person would they be?
“Think about it. With my looks, it would be strange if I didn’t have a partner, wouldn’t it?” Jiang Yan followed up. “What, do you want to hear your Gege’s love story?”
Wen Ran naturally didn’t want to admit his own insecurity. He feigned calm and said, “Stop being so full of yourself. I just wanted to know what kind of unfortunate person would be liked by you.”
He expected Jiang Yan to argue, but the man only gave a very tender smile. “Him? He’s fierce and loves to curse people. He’s like a little firecracker—one touch and he goes off. And if things don’t go his way, he insists on being my ‘Father’.”
“The number of people he’s flamed in the Lingxiao Gorge could probably form an entire legion.”
Though he spoke that way, Jiang Yan’s tone carried no hint of disdain. On the contrary, he sounded incredibly happy.
Perhaps he really did love his partner very much.
Honestly, he couldn’t understand why Jiang Yan would like a flamer.
Wen Ran felt a bit indignant, but there was nothing he could do.
To put it bluntly, even though he had known Jiang Yan for so long, he felt he didn’t really know the man at all. Aside from that sense of intimate trust, he had nothing.
“Why are you asking about this today?” Jiang Yan asked, doing his best to remain calm. “Are you having relationship troubles?”
Ran Ran was so cute, and now that he was around people his own age, it was only normal for people to like him. He wasn’t about to get jealous over a few kids.
“No!” Wen Ran turned his head to dodge Jiang Yan’s hand. “Stop touching my hair. You’re messing it up.”
“Alright, alright. I won’t touch it,” Jiang Yan coaxed him patiently. “Now eat your pears.”
Wen Ran was brooding, but Jiang Yan had worked hard to stew those pears. There was a limit to how much of a tantrum he could throw.
This only made Wen Ran feel more smothered—a mixture of sourness and bitterness. Even though the pears were stewed until they were soft and sweet, they tasted heavy in his mouth.
He clearly had a partner, so why was he still being so good to him?
Did he just see him as a younger brother?
The realization only made Wen Ran more depressed. I like men, you know!
Wen Ran’s mind was in a whirl. That night, his dreams were filled with Jiang Yan.
He even dreamed of Jiang Yan holding his hand, patting his head, embracing him, and even kissing him.
The man’s long fingers rubbed against the soft flesh of his waist, treating him with nothing but tenderness.
When Wen Ran woke up, he discovered to his absolute misery that his sheets were soiled.
He didn’t know what Jiang Yan felt for him, but his own feelings for Jiang Yan had long since stopped being pure.
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