KM: Chapter 7

"Hmm, don't let there be a next time." "No… there won't be… I know, I was… wrong." Ji An trembled violently in You Chen's arms. You Chen held him tightly, removed Ji An's shirt, bent down to pick up the showerhead from the floor, put it back, adjusted the hot water, and gently rubbed Ji An's head. "Take a shower yourself." After leaving, You Chen came back, knocked on the door, and asked Ji An to wash his underwear and hand it out. Ji An blushed deeply and heard You Chen chuckle when he handed it out. You Chen dried the underwear for him and brought him one of his own white T-shirts. It was large and long, and Ji An, being small, didn't need to wear pants. So You Chen didn't bring him any pants. But he didn't have a chance to tease him further. When Ji An came out after the shower, he was still trembling badly. Realizing he might have gone too far, You Chen quickly tucked Ji An into the blanket, wrapping him tightly, leaving only half of his face exposed. Ji An half-closed his eyes and looked at him, his pupils moist and bright. You Chen leaned over and kissed Ji An's forehead, relieved to find it wasn't hot. He remembered he needed to inform Ji An's family and gently coaxed him, "Call your mom and tell her you're sleeping over at a classmate's house, okay?" Ji An nodded. You Chen took his phone from his backpack, unlocked it, found Ji An's mom in the contacts, and called her. He pulled the blanket down a bit, revealing the lower half of Ji An's face. Ji An's sharp little chin rested on the blanket. His face was as white as milk jade, both beautiful and obedient. You Chen held the phone to his ear, and when the call connected, Ji An's eyes curved with a soft nasal tone as he said, "Mom." "I'm staying… at a classmate's house tonight, okay?" "Yes, I… understand…" "Okay. Good night, Mom." Watching this, You Chen felt his heart melt completely. He didn't know anyone could be so powerful, using just subtle expressions and a soft nasal tone, like a coquettish upward inflection, effortlessly softening and soothing a person's heart. You Chen thought that if he were to confront Ji An, the other side would collapse without a fight. After hanging up, he couldn't help but lean in to kiss Ji An. Ji An's lips were soft, just like his speaking tone. "Then sleep," You Chen said. "I'll take a shower. You go ahead and sleep. It's Saturday tomorrow; you don't need to get up early. Have a good rest." Ji An obediently nodded. You Chen reached out to pinch his face and pulled the blanket up again. When You Chen came out after his shower, Ji An was already asleep, looking even more well-behaved, especially well-behaved. You Chen carefully lifted the blanket to kiss Ji An's face a few times, then kissed his lips a few times before gently getting into bed, pulling Ji An into his arms, and covering him with the blanket, leaving only his head exposed. Ji An woke up groggily, tugging at his clothes, saying, "Don't… don't ignore me." You Chen nodded, "Hmm, I won't, sleep." "Good night." "Good night." The next morning, Ji An still had a fever. You Chen went downstairs to buy congee and found some fever-reducing medicine at home. He coaxed Ji An to drink some congee and fed him the medicine while holding him in his arms. Ji An's cheeks were flushed as if he was very uncomfortable, softly whimpering in his arms. Ji An said he felt dizzy, so You Chen held him on the bed, wrapping a blanket around him from behind. Ji An was so small, curled up sideways in his arms, his feet resting on You Chen's thighs, also small. You Chen held him tightly, feeling a layer of sweat on him, reached out to squeeze his feet, and rubbed the soles. "Why are they so hot?" Ji An shrank his feet, shaking his head and whining, "No… don't… rub there…" You Chen pulled him closer, "Be good, rubbing the soles will help the fever go down faster." "It tickles…" Hearing this, You Chen chuckled, pulled the blanket open a bit for him to see, and asked why his feet were so small. Ji An looked down, seeing his feet in You Chen's palms. He was very pale, much paler than You Chen. You Chen's arm pressed against his calf, the smooth muscle lines contrasting with his soft flesh. You Chen squeezed his calf again. The difference in skin tone created a strong visual impact, inexplicably making the atmosphere very ambiguous, with a hint of desire in the air. Ji An let out a small hum. You Chen kissed his cheek, tightened the blanket around him, and continued rubbing his soles. He didn't dodge, his toes curling up, the arch of his foot tensed. After rubbing both feet in turn, Ji An was panting, his face flushed. You Chen kissed his forehead again; it wasn't as hot anymore. He asked, "Do you have a cold constitution?" "…Yes." "Why didn't you say anything?" You Chen rubbed his head, "I thought you just had a poor stomach." Ji An buried his face in his arms, saying, "I'm sleepy." "Alright, then sleep a bit more." Ji An opened his eyes and looked up to see only You Chen's chin. You Chen had him lying on top, arms around him, holding a phone and playing a game, wearing an earphone in his left ear. Ji An groggily called out, "You… Chen…" You Chen responded, pulling off the earphone and sitting up with him in his arms. "Awake? Hungry? Let's eat something." You Chen hadn't turned off the microphone, and on the other side, Xu Ren was already dumbfounded, calling out to You-ge a few times without response, silently quitting the game, and sending You Chen a question mark. You Chen still ignored him. You Chen went downstairs to buy food, leaving his phone behind. Ji An didn't dare to look at it, leaving Xu Ren to go crazy on his own. When You Chen returned with the food, he didn't let Ji An get out of bed, found a small table, let Ji An sit on the bed to eat, and watched for a while. He really liked watching Ji An eat. It was much later when he picked up his phone again. Xu Ren had sent a bunch of messages, the last one being: "Best wishes, hope for a lasting relationship." You Chen couldn't help but laugh, replying: "I told you I was serious." Xu Ren immediately replied: "I can't see through you anymore, You-ge." You Chen: "Do you dislike Ji An that much?" Xu Ren: "Haven't you heard anything about Ji An at school, You-ge?" You Chen: "None of it is true." Xu Ren: "Are you so sure?" You Chen: "He cries when we kiss, doesn't understand anything at all. Do you think I'd believe those rumors?" Xu Ren: "?" Xu Ren: "You two have kissed?" You Chen: "Many times." Xu Ren didn't reply after that. You Chen laughed for a while, then turned to look at Ji An, who was still eating. He frowned and asked, "Why haven't you finished eating yet?" You Chen reached out to touch the food container; it was almost cold. Ji An blinked at him, slowly chewing. He sighed and asked, "No appetite?" Ji An nodded. "Then don't eat anymore." You Chen took the food container and chopsticks from Ji An's hands and naturally started eating. Ji An watched him, stunned, and stammered, "I… already ate." You Chen flipped through the food, calmly responding, "Hmm, can't I eat it?" Ji An didn't know whether to say yes or no, and in the end, could only reach out to grab You Chen's wrist, timidly staring at him. You Chen glanced at him, smiled, and lowered his head to say, "It's fine, we've kissed so many times, sharing food isn't a big deal." Ji An blushed again. After finishing the meal, You Chen lay with Ji An for a while, waiting until Ji An had mostly recovered before sending him home. Before parting, he said something ambiguous, "Remember what you promised me."