KM: Chapter 16

You Chen didn't specify what exactly to prepare for. Was it to mentally prepare himself, or to tidy himself up? Ji An looked at himself in the mirror, seriously wondering for the first time if he was good-looking enough. Did he have anything that could attract You Chen? With so many people on the street, would You Chen find someone much more attractive than him?

Ji An spent a long time choosing his clothes, but he found it all in vain. He never paid much attention to dressing up. His wardrobe was filled with white clothes, each one not much different from the other, leaving him with no real choice.

After rummaging through his options, Ji An finally put on a not-so-ordinary white hoodie and, with a nervous heart, went to the appointment.

You Chen was waiting for him at the bus stop, leaning slightly against the signpost. He was so tall, so handsome, standing out in the crowd.

Ji An suddenly wanted to run away.

Would this be a date? He felt like a stray cat on the street, dirty and disheveled. If You Chen picked him up, he would dirty his clothes.

His vision started to blur.

On the other side, You Chen checked his watch, feeling that Ji An shouldn't be late, yet he hadn't seen him.

As if sensing something, You Chen turned around and looked steadily in Ji An's direction. Ji An, standing frozen in the distance, fell right into his gaze. He frowned and began walking towards Ji An, step by step.

The closer You Chen got, the more Ji An wanted to escape.

But for some reason, Ji An couldn't move at all. He could only stand there stiffly, watching You Chen stride over, encircle his wrist, and ask, "You saw me, so why didn't you come over?"

Ji An didn't know how to answer, so he chose to remain silent.

Sensing Ji An's mood was off, You Chen also remained silent, pulling him into his embrace. They waited for a less crowded bus and chose a seat in the last row, where it was quiet. In this tranquil atmosphere, You Chen asked, "What's wrong? Why didn't you come over? Why are you unhappy?"

Ji An sniffled, lowered his head, and softly said, "You… really… look… good."

You Chen understood. He said, "You look good too. In my heart, you're the most beautiful."

He was trying to comfort him but ended up making him cry.

Ji An's shoulders shook, tears falling in a string onto the back of his hand, each drop as big as a bean. You Chen reached out to gently wipe them away, asking, "What are you worried about? Do you think you're not worthy of me? Hmm?"

"…Hmm."

You Chen looked up; fortunately, the few people on the bus had all gotten off, leaving just the two of them.

In this sour and helpless moment, it seemed that everything was helping him.

You Chen lowered his head again, hooked Ji An's chin, and said, "Ji An, I know I'm good-looking, so I wouldn't like someone who isn't."

He kissed him lightly.

"I only like the most beautiful person."

Ji An's tears flowed even more, streaming down his face, his heart feeling like it was being squeezed, squeezing out too much grievance. You Chen pinched his cheek and said, "I wore a new coat today just for this date with you, and here you are crying, wanting me to use my new clothes to wipe your tears?"

Ji An shook his head, sniffling and shrugging his shoulders. He took out a tissue from the pocket of his hoodie and obediently unfolded it for You Chen to see. You Chen couldn't help but laugh, took the tissue, and helped him wipe away all his tears.

Ji An glanced at him, then shifted his gaze to the driver in front, then looked out the window, and asked with a nasal tone, "Where… are we… going… on our… date?"

"To the amusement park."

After saying that, You Chen frowned, wiping Ji An's nose with the tissue, and continued, "Is it too cliché? I haven't been on a date before, no experience. Xu Ren suggested either going to the amusement park or watching a movie. I thought we'd go to the amusement park this time, and the next time we can watch a movie."

Talking about this, You Chen became happy again, his brows relaxing.

"We can go to a private cinema, just the two of us. We can do whatever we want."

Ji An, still with a soft crying voice and blushing, followed up, "It's… what… you… want… to… do."

You Chen chuckled, patting his face, "Only what I want? You don't want anything?"

"I… don't… want."

"Really?"

You Chen lowered his head, brushing Ji An's lips, and Ji An instinctively tilted his head up to kiss him. He smirked, asking, "Do you really not want anything?"

Ji An's face turned even redder, trying hard to lean closer, saying, "I… want…"

"Want what?"

"A… kiss."

You Chen lightly touched his lips again, watching him droop his brows in grievance, comforting him, "The bus is about to stop, let's talk after we get off."

The bus stopped, and You Chen led Ji An off. Ji An followed the sound of the bus door closing, softly asking, "In your… heart… am I… really… the most… beautiful?"

A light response drifted over from the front, hmm.

You Chen turned back to look at him.

"You are the most beautiful."

—

At the amusement park, You Chen didn't go to the place Xu Ren had mentioned first.

With Ji An, he couldn't give him the sweet stuff right away.

You Chen held Ji An's hand as they walked for a while, finally setting his sights on a less crowded haunted house. Ji An followed his gaze and immediately shook his head.

"No… go."

You Chen laughed and gave him a gentle push, "Let's go."

Ji An shrank into his arms, being held as they walked forward, shaking his head vigorously, "I… don't… go. Scared…"

"With me by your side, what is there to be scared of?"

Seeing they were about to reach the entrance, You Chen's hand was already reaching out to buy tickets when Ji An grabbed it, pulling him back.

Ji An lowered his voice, pleading with him.

"No… go… okay?"

You Chen looked down, seeing Ji An's shoulders trembling, very weakly, almost imperceptibly. He frowned, reached out to cover Ji An's eyes, and hugged him as they retreated.

"Alright, we won't go."

Ji An clung to his arm, but the tremor in his fingers was clear. He held Ji An as they walked far away before releasing him. Ji An opened his eyes and found himself facing the Ferris Wheel.

He was stunned for a moment, saying nothing. You Chen ruffled his hair from behind and said, "I'll go buy you a drink. Wait for me here."

Ji An immediately turned around, wanting to go with You Chen.

"I'll… go… with… you."

"No need," You Chen coaxed him, "Be good, wait here for me. I'll be back soon."

That deep-seated fear surged again, leaving Ji An speechless, his mouth half-open, watching You Chen turn around. His mind was filled with the memory of when he was a child, just before someone covered his mouth from behind, he shouted for his mom.

A hopeless cry for help. A shadow he could never erase.

Would he be forgotten again?

At this moment, Ji An was no longer just like. He was that stray kitten, longing to be picked up yet terrified of being abandoned, his body shaking uncontrollably.

"Baby, let's go play that, okay?"

The affectionate words of a couple nearby caught Ji An's attention. He turned his head to look, seeing the boy holding milk tea, coaxing his girlfriend.

He watched them, inexplicably calming down, until his body stopped trembling.

Someone's hand reached over from behind, resting on his shoulder, circling him, and brought the straw of the milk tea to his mouth.

"What are you looking at, hmm?"

You Chen lowered his head, pressing his cheek against Ji An's.

"Your boyfriend is right behind you, why are you staring at someone else's boyfriend?"