Chapter 146: Disappearance
A while ago, Cheng Ge had asked Wen Ling if he wanted to raise a puppy or a kitten.
Wen Ling had said no, and after Cheng Ge said okay, he never brought it up again.
But regarding the matter of taking in Xiaodong, Cheng Ge brought it up multiple times. He hinted at it constantly, wearing him down patiently, using a soft kind of persistence.
Wen Ling never thought of agreeing. His world only needed Cheng Ge; he didn’t want anyone else disturbing him and Cheng Ge, nor did he want anyone else splitting Cheng Ge’s attention.
Both of them were extremely unwilling to make the other do something they didn’t want to do.
They tacitly remained in a deadlock like this for two days.
Ultimately, Wen Ling agreed.
The day he agreed was also the day Cheng Ge had decided to give up.
That day, Cheng Ge had stopped bringing the matter up to Wen Ling. At night, he held Wen Ling, burying his face in the crook of his neck to kiss him, kissing and gently biting him.
Afterward, Cheng Ge quietly hugged Wen Ling, hugging him very tightly.
After a long, long time, Wen Ling felt his neck get a little wet and hot.
It seemed to be more than just the heat exhaled from his breath.
Wen Ling asked Cheng Ge if he felt stuffy, but Cheng Ge shook his head without making a sound.
After another long while, Wen Ling heard Cheng Ge speak.
Cheng Ge said he was actually a little afraid.
Wen Ling froze completely.
In the past, it was always Wen Ling who spoke of being afraid.
He used to be afraid that Cheng Ge would leave, afraid that Cheng Ge wouldn’t want him. Later, he was afraid that Cheng Ge would hurt, afraid that Cheng Ge would be sad.
But Cheng Ge had always been fearless. He had only ever acted as a solid backing, only ever telling him not to be afraid, that he was here.
But that night, Cheng Ge told Wen Ling he was a little afraid.
Was it a little, or a lot?
Wen Ling suddenly felt very uneasy. He wanted to see Cheng Ge’s face, but Cheng Ge simply refused to lift his head.
“What is Cheng Ge afraid of?”
“Nothing, I was joking.”
“You’re lying…”
“Why would I lie to you? I’m a dignified, full-grown man; what the hell would I be afraid of?”
Wen Ling fell silent, not even uttering a single hmph.
After a good while, Cheng Ge’s head emerged from Wen Ling’s embrace, affectionately pressing his forehead against Wen Ling’s.
“What are you doing? Why are you ignoring me?”
Cheng Ge was clearly smiling, but Wen Ling saw that the rims of his eyes were tinged with red.
Wen Ling suddenly realized that Cheng Ge’s dark circles were very heavy.
He also suddenly noticed how haggard Cheng Ge looked.
Did Cheng Ge suddenly become like this, or had he been so stubborn and angry with Cheng Ge these past few days that he hadn’t noticed anything at all?
Wen Ling cupped Cheng Ge’s face, lifting his head to kiss him, his voice thick with tears: “What’s wrong with you?”
“…Are you keeping something from me?”
Lately, Cheng Ge always seemed to stop himself right before saying something.
“What’s wrong, what’s wrong? Why is our Little Wen crying?” Cheng Ge used his thumb to wipe away Wen Ling’s tears. “What could possibly be wrong with me? Does missing you every day so much that I can’t sleep count?”
Cheng Ge tickled Wen Ling, making him cry and laugh at the same time.
Wen Ling wasn’t as strong as Cheng Ge and couldn’t break free. In the end, he could only beg for mercy, not forgetting to say he hated Cheng Ge while doing so.
Afterward, both of them calmed down and looked at each other.
Cheng Ge wanted to say, Forget it, let’s leave it to the police to handle, I won’t force you. Wen Ling wanted to say, I just don’t want anyone to disturb us.
But what Wen Ling ended up saying was, “If he disobeys, I’ll spank him.”
Cheng Ge was momentarily stunned, then suddenly laughed, biting the tip of Wen Ling’s ear, his voice muffled: “Why is our Little Wen so good?”
The matter of temporarily taking Xiaodong in was thus settled.
Initially, Wen Ling worried that Cheng Ge’s attention would be stolen and that he would be neglected—something he hated and feared the most.
But that didn’t happen at all.
Cheng Ge’s clinginess escalated to a whole new level; it reached a point where even Wen Ling felt Cheng Ge was being too clingy.
Cheng Ge’s favorite thing to do now was to pull Wen Ling to sleep.
Wen Ling was perfectly willing to keep him company, but the more Cheng Ge slept, the darker his eye circles became instead of fading. It worried Wen Ling to death.
Nowadays, Cheng Ge constantly asked Wen Ling to hug him, and one hug would last a long time. If Wen Ling didn’t need to use the bathroom, Cheng Ge wouldn’t even let go.
They had to do everything together, to the point where Cheng Ge even had to squeeze in and join the fun when Wen Ling was taking a shower.
In short, all of Cheng Ge’s time was spent on Wen Ling; he barely had any free time to spare for anyone or anything else.
Actually, looking back, there had been clues all along.
But Cheng Ge treated Wen Ling too well. He steeped him in honey, making him so dizzy with sweetness that he couldn’t think deeply about anything.
The thing Cheng Ge spent the most time doing today was holding Wen Ling while he slept, and aside from that, holding Wen Ling while spacing out.
Cheng Ge whispered in Wen Ling’s ear, “I love you very much.”
He said it many times.
Wen Ling said, “I know,” and then added, “I know, I love you too.”
Cheng Ge’s hand gently stroked Wen Ling’s hair. He said, “If…” but then looked at Wen Ling without finishing the sentence.
Later, Cheng Ge said, “Never mind.”
Wen Ling wanted to ask what he meant by “never mind,” but Cheng Ge suddenly changed the subject, asking Wen Ling: “Have you finally figured out how to make egg and vegetable noodle soup?”
How could Cheng Ge pick a fight like this? This was a surprise attack.
Wen Ling’s eyes darted around. “It’s alright, I kind of know how.”
Cheng Ge smiled and peppered kisses all over the corners of Wen Ling’s eyes and under his eyes, changing the subject again, “Ah, I really like you so much.”
Wen Ling was completely defenseless against a Cheng Ge like this. His heart was stuffed completely full, unable to think of anything else.
In reality, he should have realized it much earlier.
That night, Wen Ling had a dream. In the dream, Cheng Ge’s eyes were so red, the corners filled with tears.
Cheng Ge was crying.
Cheng Ge had their fingers interlocked with one hand, while his other hand pried open Wen Ling’s fingers and shoved a phone into his hand.
Wen Ling felt so sad. Why was Cheng Ge crying?
Wen Ling wanted to tell Cheng Ge to stop crying; he wanted to kiss Cheng Ge. But he found he couldn’t open his mouth or lift his head.
He could only lie on the bed like an idiot.
That’s how dreams were.
Cheng Ge told Wen Ling to wait for him, told him to eat well, sleep well, and take good care of himself.
In his heart, Wen Ling kept saying, “No,” and asking, “Cheng Ge, what are you doing?” But Cheng Ge seemed deaf to it all, staring at him stubbornly.
Cheng Ge’s tears fell into Wen Ling’s eyes, mixing with Wen Ling’s own tears.
Wen Ling’s vision blurred completely.
And then, Cheng Ge left.
Cheng Ge suddenly disappeared.
Wen Ling’s arms embraced empty air, and immediately after, he plunged into another dark and silent dream.
That must have been a dream just now, right?
Otherwise, how could a living, breathing person suddenly disappear?
Wen Ling searched every corner of the house, but there was no trace of Cheng Ge.
Wen Ling stood barefoot on the smooth tiles. For a moment, he couldn’t tell if his feet or his heart was colder.
A bone-piercing cold, a cold that hurt.
…Why did it turn out like this?
“…Cheng Ge,” Wen Ling squatted on the floor in a breakdown, his voice choked with sobs, squeezing the words from his throat. “My feet are so cold…”
Wen Ling thought he would never get a response again.
But suddenly, he felt a furry touch by his feet.
Wen Ling heard a young voice call him “Brother Xiao Wen,” and say, “You need to put your shoes on.”
Wen Ling hugged himself tighter, hugging so hard it hurt, desperately suppressing his sobs.
It wasn’t Cheng Ge. If it were Cheng Ge, he would have picked him up, put him on the bed, put socks on him, scolded him for not wearing shoes again, and threatened him with bitter medicine.
“Brother Xiao Wen, lift your foot.”
“Go away.”
Wen Ling didn’t want anyone else; he only wanted Cheng Ge.
Xiaodong couldn’t clearly hear Wen Ling’s muffled words and asked what the usually quiet older brother had said.
Wen Ling wanted to tell him to scram, wanted to shove the annoying kid squatting beside him away.
But before he could do anything, his vision went black, and he lost consciousness.
Recommended Reads
