Chapter 107: A Grand Dream
When Ji Shuohan stood in the house that felt both strange and familiar, he looked around the Shouling-fu. Before he could make sense of it, a sudden noise came from upstairs. A youth came rushing down the stairs in a hurry and threw himself into Ji Shuohan’s arms.
“Daren…” Ye Zhile choked out, burying his face in Ji Shuohan’s chest. “You’re finally back. I missed you so much…”
Ji Shuohan pushed him back slightly to look at the youth’s moist eyes. His heart trembled as he wiped away the tears. “Don’t cry. I’m back.”
“Wuu…” The youth couldn’t stop his tears and leaned back into his embrace. “You don’t know how worried I was. I was so afraid you’d never come back.”
“I’ll always come back,” Ji Shuohan said.
Xiao Yuanqing had said this was his Omega, his spouse. Ji Shuohan held him, allowing the youth to vent his emotions in his arms.
“But you’re going to leave again.” The youth looked up, his eyes shimmering with tears. “Can you please not go?”
Ji Shuohan was confused. “Where am I going?”
“I don’t know.” The youth shook his head. “But no matter how I call you, you can’t hear me. You were bleeding so much… it was all over my hands…”
Ji Shuohan didn’t understand what Ye Zhile was talking about; a look of doubt crossed his brow. He could only comfort the youth. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m right here, with you.”
Hearing this, the youth became very happy. His eyes curved into crescents as he looked at Ji Shuohan and corrected him, “Not just with me. With Dudu and me. Do you not want your son anymore?”
Ah, right. He had a son named Dudu, whose formal name was Ye Yunchu.
Ji Shuohan felt as if he were experiencing everything clearly from a first-person perspective. His eyes were like tracking devices, following Ye Zhile’s every move. He watched Ye Zhile hold Dudu and tease him, saying to the child: This is your Father.
Ji Shuohan held Dudu, and the little fellow cooed in his arms. Ye Zhile leaned against his shoulder. Everything seemed so happy and beautiful.
“Daren, try the pineapple shortcakes I made.” Ye Zhile brought the snacks into the study for him to taste. Ji Shuohan picked one up; it was a bit sweet, but seeing Ye Zhile’s expectant gaze, he said, “It’s delicious.”
“Hmph. Someone once said they didn’t like sweets.” Ye Zhile picked one up for himself. “Finish them and bring the plate down for me, okay?”
Ji Shuohan looked at the seven or eight shortcakes on the plate, then at the youth’s bossy and pampered face. He felt a sense of helpless indulgence and ate every single pineapple shortcake without a word.
When it was time to sleep at night, Ji Shuohan went back to the master bedroom, but he waited for a long time without seeing the youth’s figure. He went to the nursery but didn’t find him there either. Finally, he went to the guest bedroom just as Ye Zhile was coming out of the bathroom after a shower.
“You’re sleeping here?” Ji Shuohan asked, puzzled.
Ye Zhile gave a light hmph. “Someone said they weren’t used to sleeping with others. So, I can only sleep by myself.”
For some reason, hearing these words made Ji Shuohan’s heart ache inexplicably. He watched as the youth dried his own hair, climbed into bed, and prepared to sleep under the covers.
Without thinking, Ji Shuohan’s body moved uncontrollably. He lifted the covers and slid in. Ye Zhile glared at him. “What are you doing?”
“Sleeping.” As he spoke, Ji Shuohan pulled the person into his arms. Strangely, the person in his embrace didn’t struggle. He stared at Ji Shuohan with wide eyes. “I said I forgive you… did you hear me?”
“What?” Ji Shuohan felt Ye Zhile was talking strangely, his words not quite making sense, but he followed along with the Omega’s words. “Yes, I heard you.”
Ye Zhile’s eyes curved into a smile as he burrowed into his chest and said brightly, “Goodnight, Daren!”
“Goodnight, Baby,” Ji Shuohan replied instinctively.
Dudu was learning to walk. Clinging to the sofa, he moved step by step toward Ye Zhile. Ji Shuohan sat to the side and clapped his hands at Dudu, but the little guy acted like he couldn’t hear him and walked straight to Ye Zhile instead.
Ji Shuohan paused. Just as he was about to ask Dudu what was wrong, he turned to see Ye Zhile sitting blankly on the sofa. His eyes were red and swollen, and he looked as if his soul had been sucked out of him.
“Mama…” Dudu leaned against his legs. Ye Zhile snapped out of it, looking at Dudu’s features, which increasingly resembled Ji Shuohan’s. His tears began to fall, and then they became uncontrollable.
“Zhile?” Ji Shuohan sat over, wanting to hold Ye Zhile and comfort him, but his hands passed right through the other’s body. Ji Shuohan looked at his own hands in shock, unable to process it for a long time.
Ye Zhile covered his face and wailed, “Daren…”
“Zhile, I’m here,” Ji Shuohan said. He tried to grab Ye Zhile’s hand, but it was the same; he passed right through. He couldn’t catch him at all.
“Madam…” Xiao-ru walked over. She hugged Ye Zhile and couldn’t help but shed tears as well. “Please stop crying. Daren would be sad if he knew.”
“Wuu…” The suppression in Ye Zhile’s heart was too heavy. He wished he could drain all his tears until he could cry no more.
Am I gone?
Ji Shuohan reached this conclusion. As if giving up the struggle, he sat back on the sofa, watching the weeping Ye Zhile. He took a deep breath, his heart throbbing in pain along with the sound of Ye Zhile’s cries.
Ye Zhile became like a walking corpse, listless in everything he did. He sat in the bedroom they had shared, staring at a spot, thinking of who-knows-what.
Ji Shuohan sat by his side, accompanying the youth in silence for a while. Suddenly, he saw Zhile take a box from a drawer. He took out a pair of rings and put the smaller one on his own ring finger.
Ji Shuohan looked down at his own ring finger. The ring was still there, a pair with Ye Zhile’s…
The youth looked at the ring, and without realizing it, his tears began to fall again…
On New Year’s Day, Ye Zhile went back to his Papa and Father’s house for the holiday. The family had two new members, Xiao Yuanqing and Leng Xingtu. It was as lively as ever, yet a sense of sadness invisibly loomed over Ye Zhile.
After the New Year’s Eve dinner, the family went outside to set off fireworks. Ji Shuohan watched the starlight in Ye Zhile’s eyes. He watched the youth make a pious wish, then turn to him with sparkling eyes. “Happy New Year, Daren!”
Ji Shuohan was pleasantly surprised. Could Zhile see him?
“Happy New Year,” Ji Shuohan chuckled. Seeing the youth reach out his hand, Ji Shuohan feigned ignorance to tease him. “What is it?”
Ye Zhile tilted his head back and smiled foolishly. “Happy New Year, Hu-laogong. Where is my Hongbao?”
Ji Shuohan felt that all of this was so familiar, as if it had happened in his memory before. Every word was the happiness and sweetness the youth had brought him. He wanted to pull the youth into his arms, but found he simply couldn’t touch him. Ye Zhile hadn’t actually said “Happy New Year” to him.
Ye Zhile had been staring up at the fireworks in the sky the whole time. Tears slid down from the corners of his eyes, his gaze filled with endless sorrow.
Only then did Ji Shuohan give a self-deprecating laugh. He stood beside the youth, accompanying him to watch the fireworks.
The fireworks blossomed in his pupils, and the sound of the youth’s sobbing rang in his ears. Ji Shuohan suddenly snapped back to reality.
No… how could he die?! If he died, what would happen to Ye Zhile?!
This was just a dream… he wasn’t dead…
He clearly heard the youth whispering in his ear. He felt the youth holding his hand and pressing it against a cheek. It was warm and soft…
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