KM: Chapter 10

Ji An winced in pain, shrinking into You Chen's embrace, trying to hide from him. Listening to his words, he felt aggrieved, wanting to explain but fearing that his stutter would anger him. He could only make incoherent sounds like a child.

You Chen pulled him out of his embrace, holding his neck to make him face him. With his other hand, he rubbed Ji An's already swollen lips. As he withdrew his hand, he said sternly, "I really will get angry, Ji An."

"I am angry now."

A wave of acidity filled Ji An's nose, and he blinked at him, his eyes brimming with tears that dared not fall. For a moment, he didn't know what to do.

You Chen added, "Don't cry. You're not the only one who's aggrieved."

Ji An stepped forward, reaching out to hug him, but You Chen raised his arm to block him, pushing Ji An back. He took a step back and turned to leave. Ji An let out a terrified whimper, lunging from behind to hug him, clutching his front tightly as if afraid he'd push him away again, crying and incoherently calling his name.

"You! You… Chen, You, Chen… Chen…"

The two words tangled into a chaotic mess, anxious and aggrieved.

You Chen sighed, unable to harden his heart. He could only turn around, take off his jacket, and cover Ji An's head, bending down to scoop him up. His gaze casually swept around. It was almost time for school to end. He needed to find a more secluded place, so others wouldn't see Ji An in this pitiful state.

You Chen carried Ji An downstairs to the school's back garden. Under the locust tree, there was a patch of grass. He set Ji An down and sat beside him, propping his chin as he watched Ji An eagerly pull off the jacket.

Ji An looked at him, and he patted his leg, saying, "Sit here."

Ji An's ears, which had just calmed down from the redness, turned red again.

He hung his head, unmoving. You Chen had plenty of ways to handle him. Casually propping his hand behind him, he began to count down aloud, "3, 2…"

Sure enough, Ji An was so frightened that he crawled over, straddling his legs, half-supporting himself, not daring to sit down completely.

You Chen tilted his head with a smile, bending his knee to press against the soft flesh, forcing Ji An to slide down, panting urgently as he propped himself on You Chen's shoulder.

It's strange, such a thin person, yet that part was so soft and fleshy. Even a light pat could feel the soft flesh trembling slightly. This feeling of being wrapped by soft flesh with just a knee was truly wonderful.

Watching Ji An pant harder and his face grow redder, You Chen teased him with a laugh, "Why so shy? It's just sitting on my lap."

Ji An only lowered his head more forcefully.

He reached out to brush away Ji An's sweat-dampened hair sticking to his temple, continuing, "If you're shy about this, what will you do when we lie in bed later, hmm?"

Ji An was so embarrassed that his shoulders shook, his face steaming, and his thighs trembling slightly. You Chen beckoned with his finger, and Ji An obediently leaned over to let You Chen kiss him, even opening his mouth to let him bite his tongue.

You Chen was not the least bit polite, biting until Ji An kept humming.

"Didn't wait for me this morning, did you want to see me angry and drag you to the bathroom for a kiss? Ji An, things aren't as simple as you think. I always have to push you, force you—do you think that's fun? Hmm? Do you enjoy it, Ji An?"

"Have you thought about whether I enjoy it? Have you, Ji An? You're always so pitiful, but actually, you're the one bullying me."

You Chen pinched Ji An's face, forcing him to look into his eyes.

"Isn't that right, Ji An?"

Ji An, pained by his pinch, let his tears flow freely. Instead of wiping his own tears, he reached to touch You Chen's head, gingerly brushing the hair at his forehead.

"I'm sorry…"

Ji An spoke so little that he naturally couldn't comfort people. Neither he nor You Chen were good at comforting others. Now he realized that he was even worse at it than You Chen.

He knew that You Chen seemed harsh to him but had secretly done a lot. He knew that his protective circle was built by You Chen, who scolded him while helping him. You Chen's harsh words and kind words were mixed equally. You Chen would say he was good, say he looked nice, coax him to take medicine, and help wipe his tears. This was all of You Chen's good temper.

He actually knew it all; he just lacked security and refused to see things clearly.

Now, hearing You Chen talk about feeling aggrieved, he finally decided to take a proper look.

Looking up at You Chen's slightly helpless yet full of hostility eyes, Ji An could only stammer, "Li… ke, you."

"Like… you."

As if practicing, he repeated it many times, trembling from exertion, finally managing to say it slowly and fluently.

"Li, ke, you."

Not good at comforting, but the best at melting hearts—that's Ji An.

You Chen sighed, resignedly rubbing Ji An's waist while gently wiping away his tears.

"Don't cry anymore, okay? My sleeve doesn't have a clean spot left to wipe you."

Hearing this, Ji An quickly hugged his arm tightly, not letting him wipe.

You Chen clicked his tongue, capturing Ji An's wrists with a twist of his hand, using the other hand to wipe again.

"Just teasing you a bit, and you took it seriously. Isn't there still a left hand?"

Ji An blinked, softly saying, "Kiss, kiss, me."

As You Chen wiped his tears, he lowered his head to kiss him, speaking as he did, "You want to test me, but I want to teach you a lesson. Do you dare to test me, Ji An? What are you testing, whether I like you or hate you?"

He laughed, his tone like dealing with a child throwing a tantrum.

"I think I've spoiled you, Ji An. Do you know what my temper is like with others? If it were anyone else, and I warned them three times and they still didn't wait for me, do you think they could still walk into the classroom that day? Don't even mention three times, others wouldn't even get a second chance."

"I know I have a bad temper, but do you think I'm also bad to you? You test me, what am I supposed to think? What do you take me for, Ji An? A stone that doesn't feel sad?"

Ji An willingly lifted his head to kiss him. This time, You Chen didn't avoid it, enjoying Ji An's comfort and placation with peace of mind.

"I, kno… w, wrong, don't… be sad, okay… okay?"

Ji An grew anxious towards the end, the words tumbling out in a string, unable to control his stutter, inexplicably cute. You Chen chuckled, shaking his leg twice, making Ji An sway in the air.

Ji An clung to his shoulders in a panic, looking at him with wide, slightly aggrieved eyes. He silently savored the comfort of those two soft mounds bouncing on his leg, resisting the urge to reach out.

"Then kiss me, until I'm satisfied. From now on, when we kiss, you must first say, 'You Chen kiss me.'"

Ji An nodded, hugging his neck and kissing him.

"You, Chen… kiss, me."

Hmm, learning quickly, You Chen smiled with satisfaction, wrapping his left arm around Ji An's slender waist, his right hand pinching Ji An's ear.

"Good, kiss you."

"Kiss you, don't cry anymore."