Chapter 26: You Always Lie to Me
Even though Cheng Ge emphasized “we,” Wen Ling still thought in the most extreme, negative direction.
“Why go back to school? Isn’t it good to stay here with me forever? You want to leave again?”
“No, no!” Cheng Ge hurriedly explained. Although Wen Ling’s tone was fairly normal, he sensed the little lunatic was about to go crazy. “Not leaving. I’m going back to school with you. We definitely have to go to school; we can’t stay here forever, right?”
“Why can’t we stay here forever? Isn’t it good with just me and you?”
Wen Ling sounded like a tongue twister, constantly asking “Why.” But could Cheng Ge tell him why?
Because it was too stifling now, because the little lunatic’s thinking was problematic to begin with, because Wen Ling himself was being unreasonable. For various reasons, Cheng Ge couldn’t give a proper answer.
It was really tiring and helpless; he could never explain things clearly to someone as stubborn as Wen Ling.
“It is good,” Cheng Ge said. The little lunatic could still control his emotions. He didn’t want to anger Wen Ling and planned to discuss it at length later. Finally, he sighed silently in his heart and spoke, “It’s okay, I just asked casually. Staying here is also quite good. Don’t overthink it.”
Cheng Ge picked up some food with his chopsticks and buried his head to eat, completely failing to notice that Wen Ling was staring at him expressionlessly, eyes dark, the emotions hidden within obscure and unclear.
After dinner, Wen Ling remained very silent. Cheng Ge didn’t pay much attention; since the conquest value didn’t drop, it meant the problem wasn’t big.
When Cheng Ge came out of the bathroom after washing up, he saw Wen Ling sitting on the bed playing Happy Match, no different from usual.
Cheng Ge habitually poured a glass of water on the bedside table. Just as he prepared to drink a couple of sips to quench his thirst, he keenly sensed a gaze falling on him.
Pausing only for a brief moment, Cheng Ge still drank a small sip, then turned to look at Wen Ling. But the little lunatic had already withdrawn his gaze.
Cheng Ge returned to the bathroom, spit out the water in his mouth, rinsed, washed his hands, wiped his face, and returned to the room with a calm expression.
“I’ll play games with you for a while.” Cheng Ge looked at Wen Ling for a moment, then leaned close to his side.
“Okay.” Wen Ling placed the tablet between them. Cheng Ge swiped once, Wen Ling swiped once.
“Amazing!”
“Good!”
“Unbelievable!”
After three rounds, Wen Ling yawned. The corners of his eyes were slightly tinged with red, his eyelashes damp with moisture. He looked at Cheng Ge with half-lidded eyes.
“Sleepy?” Cheng Ge lightly wiped the corner of Wen Ling’s eye.
Wen Ling took the opportunity to bury himself in Cheng Ge’s arms, hugging Cheng Ge’s waist, sniffing the refreshing scent on Cheng Ge’s body. He nodded slightly, his voice muffled. “Mn…”
“Then sleep.” Cheng Ge rubbed Wen Ling’s head, thinking inopportunely that the little lunatic’s hair grew so fast; it had already covered his eyes two weeks ago.
Click. The room plunged into dimness, with only the bedside nightlight emitting a faint warm yellow glow.
Cheng Ge had never used a nightlight when he was little; sleeping at night was always pitch black. When he first transmigrated, he couldn’t sleep well because of the bedside nightlight.
One night, Cheng Ge couldn’t take it anymore and turned off the nightlight. After Wen Ling found out, he threw a tantrum and the conquest value dropped by 1%, which pained Cheng Ge terribly.
Secretly complaining that the little lunatic needed a light on to sleep.
But he refused to repent, and the next time he couldn’t sleep, he would still click turn off the nightlight.
Who knew that after turning off the nightlight, Wen Ling would have nightmares in the middle of the night, shrinking into a ball? It took Cheng Ge a long time rubbing his back to make him better.
At first, Cheng Ge didn’t know it was because of the light. Later, after risking verification multiple times, he confirmed the fact that without the nightlight, the little lunatic would have nightmares.
Finally, Cheng Ge compromised.
He thought, he couldn’t just coax him every time he turned off the light, right? Wouldn’t that still mean sleeping poorly? And… he didn’t want the little lunatic to always have nightmares.
Wen Ling somehow discovered that the nightlight made it easy for Cheng Ge to have insomnia and hard to fall asleep, so he bought a smaller, dimmer nightlight online.
It counted as both of them taking a step back, and they both gradually adapted to the faint light shining in the room now.
Cheng Ge thought, if Wen Ling was willing to give way in other aspects, consider others’ thoughts, and be willing to grind edges with others, it would be great.
The room was quiet, with only the sounds of their nearly synchronized breathing, and perhaps heartbeats.
But Cheng Ge knew Wen Ling wasn’t asleep yet. He found a random topic and asked, “Is your hair getting a bit long?”
“Hm?” Wen Ling’s voice paused for a moment before replying, “Seems a bit.”
“Want to cut it tomorrow?”
“You cut it for me again?”
Cheng Ge suddenly smiled, thinking of Wen Ling with the bowl cut. “Otherwise, will you cut it yourself?”
“You know how?”
“I don’t know how.” Wen Ling hugged Cheng Ge tighter, speaking self-righteously.
“Doesn’t matter,” Cheng Ge rubbed Wen Ling’s head a few more times, his voice very soft. “As long as I know how.”
“Mn…”
Wen Ling gradually fell asleep. Cheng Ge also closed his eyes, but his brain remained awake.
Deep into the night, probably around early morning, the room was quiet as could be. Wen Ling was still sleeping soundly. Cheng Ge thought everything was just his imagination, that he was being overly sensitive.
He also hoped it was so.
Cheng Ge closed his eyes, his breathing becoming slower and lighter.
Clink clink. Two sounds instantly suspended Cheng Ge’s not-quite-settled heart again.
Wen Ling immediately pressed stop on the phone alarm, released his arms circling Cheng Ge, and pressed a switch on the headboard beside the bed. Wen Ling took out a bundle of things from inside.
Cheng Ge heard the familiar and terrifying sound of iron chains. The sound wasn’t loud, but every clink struck Cheng Ge’s taut heartstrings.
Wen Ling reached out to circle Cheng Ge’s ankle. Just as the cold iron ring was about to touch Cheng Ge, Cheng Ge suddenly retracted his foot, sat up, and pinned Wen Ling down.
Wen Ling wanted to resist but was firmly pinned by Cheng Ge. For a moment, rapid breathing, the clashing of iron chains, and the sound of the bed board being pressed intertwined.
Unknown due to what factors, neither spoke.
“Wen Ling.” Finally, it was Cheng Ge who spoke first. The tone wasn’t exactly blaming, just helpless, and mostly confused. “What are you doing?”
But the facts were right in front of him. If he couldn’t see the little lunatic was trying to imprison him again, he would be stupid. He added, “Why?”
Wen Ling relaxed his strength, letting Cheng Ge pin him down, locking eyes with Cheng Ge in the dim night. A moment later, Wen Ling spoke, very certain: “You want to go.”
“You want to leave.” Wen Ling’s voice carried a crying tone.
Cheng Ge was truly suffering in silence like a mute eating yellow lotus. He really didn’t know why this little lunatic Wen Ling always thought in the direction of him leaving. Even if he wanted to leave, he wouldn’t leave now!
“Not leaving,” Cheng Ge’s tone was very sincere. “Don’t always think like that.”
“You’re lying,” Wen Ling’s tone carried a faint choking sound. “You always lie to me.”
Not always, right!? Cheng Ge really felt he was wronged. “No.”
“You do!” Wen Ling’s emotions suddenly became agitated. His body, which had just relaxed, suddenly tensed up. Wen Ling’s warm and cool hand touched the back of Cheng Ge’s neck, and pressing against the side of Cheng Ge’s neck was a colder, sharper small needle.
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