KM: Chapter 20

"Baby, come to the front."

While speaking, You Chen lowered his head and kissed Ji An's ear. Ji An responded softly, maneuvering his game character forward, following You Chen's instructions, and successfully acquiring his own little sprite.

You Chen smiled and asked him, "So, do you like it?"

"Yes, I like it."

When You Chen asked if he liked the sprite, Ji An nodded and said he did, but in truth, he meant he liked You Chen.

The two of them enthusiastically played for a while, then switched to another game, taking turns playing several. The last one, chosen by Ji An, was called 'Bring the Little Sheep Home.'

You Chen found it hilarious, making Ji An feel embarrassed and stammering that he didn't want to play anymore.

"No way, baby, if you want to play, then play. Why can't I laugh? You laughed at me just now."

"Just… don't laugh."

"Alright, alright, I won't laugh."

You Chen suppressed his laughter and seriously accompanied Ji An in playing for a while. The game became increasingly difficult as they progressed, and they were stuck on a level for a long time.

"How do we get through this? If you go up first, I can't get up, and if I go up first, you can't."

Ji An chuckled, "I'll go home first."

"What about me?"

"You, guard the door."

You Chen was amused by him, pretending to be angry and pinching Ji An's waist.

"I've discovered that you're really spoiled, Ji An, even daring to make me guard the door."

Ji An, bent over to dodge the pinch, pulled back his hand to grab You Chen's wrist. With his other hand, You Chen quickly manipulated the keyboard, controlling both his own little sheep and Ji An's, ultimately sending Ji An's little sheep home while his own stood at the door.

"Alright, you go home, I'll guard the door."

You Chen laughed. Ji An looked up at the screen, stunned.

You go home, I'll guard the door.

Ji An found it hard to describe how he felt hearing those words.

He would probably remember this sentence for a long, long time.

—

During physical education class, You Chen didn't play basketball with the others, insisting on trying badminton instead, and dragged Ji An to the equipment room.

The others, understanding what was going on, walked away, bouncing their basketballs with a sense of resignation.

Ji An obediently followed, worried about the broken lock on the equipment room door, and asked You Chen, "Will… anyone… see us?"

You Chen assured him no, saying only their class was having PE at this time.

Ji An turned back to look at the door with suspicion, and You Chen simply pressed his shoulder, turning his face to push him against the door for a kiss.

Ji An, unprepared, let out a sound as You Chen bit him, his legs quickly going weak. He clung to You Chen's arm, begging for mercy. You Chen bent down, hooking his knee to lift him up, kissing him while walking, and placed him on the table.

"The table's dirty."

Ji An was always easily deceived when kissed. You Chen, with his lips against Ji An's, said there was a lot of dust on the table, then supported Ji An's soft flesh with his palm, making Ji An sit on his hand.

"Ugh…"

At first, Ji An only felt hot and confused, but after You Chen maliciously kneaded him twice, he realized what was happening and tried to wriggle away, only to end up seeming to rub himself against You Chen's palm.

You Chen chuckled, biting him and saying, "Don't move, baby, my hand hurts."

Hearing that You Chen was in pain, Ji An immediately stopped moving, pitifully allowing himself to be bullied, until tears welled up in his eyes, his waist going limp as he lay in You Chen's arms, his mouth half-open and unable to resist, his lips swollen from the biting.

You Chen turned his head to kiss his ear, causing Ji An's shoulders to tremble finely, the string of kisses falling continuously on his neck.

"Baby, hold me."

Ji An obediently reached out to hug You Chen's shoulders, tilting his head to expose his neck to You Chen, tears blurring his eyes. In the fuzzy vision, the broken door let in a bit of light.

Fear spread through his body in an instant, Ji An's trembling hands pushed You Chen away in a panic.

"There's… someone."

At Ji An's words, You Chen instinctively pressed Ji An into his arms, shielding him completely before turning to look at the door.

Seeing no one, You Chen breathed a sigh of relief, turning back to comfort Ji An.

"No one, baby, the door's just broken."

Ji An shrank in his arms, softly asking, "Really, really?"

"Yes, I didn't see anyone. Only our class is outside at this time, and even if they saw, they wouldn't say anything. Don't be afraid."

You Chen stroked Ji An's head, seeing how scared he was, he didn't continue, lightly pecking Ji An's lips a few times to reassure him.

Ji An responded shallowly, then buried his face in You Chen's chest, saying, "Let's… not… here… anymore, okay?"

"Okay."

You Chen held him in his arms, soothing him again. Once Ji An calmed down, he led him away. They didn't play badminton either, heading straight back to the classroom.

Back in the classroom, Ji An was still anxious, staring at a problem for a long time without writing anything.

He had a very strong premonition, and the events he foresaw seemed to lead to a terrible outcome.

Sweat formed in Ji An's palms as he stiffly turned his head to look at You Chen. You Chen was asleep on the desk, his peaceful slumber reducing much of his aggressiveness.

Ji An suddenly felt very sad, extremely sad, as if this was the last time he would see You Chen, so he had to capture every detail, meticulously etching it in his heart, so he would never forget, so he would always remember.

—

Ji An hung his head, slowly walking towards the office. The English teacher had asked him to help find some test papers.

Before he left, You Chen hooked his pinky, telling him to walk slowly, saying he would take a bathroom break and help him with the papers later.

So Ji An deliberately walked slowly, the quiet corridor only echoing his footsteps. Lost in thought, he didn't notice another set of footsteps until someone blocked his path, and he dumbly looked up.

The face was vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite recall.

He had always been bad at remembering faces, remembering very few people, probably a skill developed from experiencing violence, a skill that significantly reduced his suffering.

Therefore, the person in front of him must have been someone who had harmed him before, or else his brain wouldn't have actively deleted the memory.

But why, when You Chen bullied him, did he only remember every detail of You Chen's face more clearly?

The mole at the end of You Chen's brow, the faint scar on his temple, the not-so-obvious dimples when he smiled.

"Tsk."

Zhou Yin was displeased with Ji An's daze and distraction, a kind of neglect that made people uncomfortable. Impatiently, he reached out and slapped Ji An, not too hard, but not lightly either.

Ji An's eyes widened slightly, his brows furrowing as he stared fixedly into Zhou Yin's eyes. In the past, he might have retreated, shown weakness, apologized, but You Chen had emboldened him.

Receiving Ji An's angry gaze, Zhou Yin felt a bit more satisfied, then half-mockingly said, "Oh, the little wretch dares to glare at me now?"

Ji An remained silent, he remembered now.

It was the person who had called him a wretch in the gymnasium last time.

Ji An withdrew his gaze, sidestepping Zhou Yin to continue forward, while Zhou Yin leaned in, speaking into his ear.

"Little wretch, did you enjoy kissing You Chen in the equipment room? You sounded so nice."

Ji An halted, his body as if filled with cement in that moment, every movement becoming heavy, every breath, heartbeat, about to stop.