KM: Chapter 26

Ji An couldn't help but shiver again as his mind suddenly recalled You Chen's cold and distant gaze from earlier. His heartbeat inexplicably began to calm down. It's okay. You Chen has already forgotten him. It's okay. Ji An continuously consoled himself, forcing himself to look up and slowly gaze at You Chen. However, You Chen's eyes were not as they were before; instead, they held a hint of amusement, with thick desire not concealed at all. Ji An's pupils shrank suddenly, and his heartbeat became faster and more intense in an instant. He wanted to run away, the farther the better. The current You Chen made him fearful, a single glance was enough to send chills down his spine, as if he might be devoured at any moment. Did You Chen hate him, and was he here to take revenge? Ji An couldn't help but take a step back. You Chen leisurely withdrew his gaze, bent over to look at the camera, and adjusted it.

"Reach out your hand. Don't shake."

Ji An, like a marionette, found You Chen's words very compelling. Whatever You Chen said, he did.

"Pick up the necklace, bite it, turn your face to the side."

"Okay, now turn back, look at me."

"Lower your chin."

You Chen squinted slightly at Ji An through the lens, a satisfied smile curling at his lips. Only he knew which angle of Ji An's face was the most beautiful, which curve was the most perfect, and which expression was the most captivating. The youthful arc of his cheek was both obedient and pitiful, the beautiful lip pearl pressed against the full lower lip, the upturned eye corners and clear pupils always glistening with tears, the gaze naïve yet appearing deliberately seductive due to the redness at the corners of his eyes. Ji An's features were not particularly exquisite, but combined they were surprisingly beautiful, childlike, yet always exuding a hint of allure in the exchange of glances. This natural and pure beauty, Ji An himself hadn't realized, nor had others. Only he had discovered it. Apart from him, no one could tap into Ji An's potential value.

You Chen saved the photos, not looking at Ji An, and turned directly to the brand representative to show them the photos. The brand representative glanced at them and showed a surprised yet delighted expression, clearly very satisfied with both the photographer and the model, and a spontaneous admiration arose. These two seemed like a highly compatible pair.

"Hmm, if possible, we might collaborate again tomorrow."

Hearing this, You Chen merely glanced at Ji An, who had quietly stepped back. Following his gaze, the brand representative looked over, nodded with a smile, and said, "Let's keep the model as him." Only then did You Chen nod.

Ji An shrank to the side to remove his makeup, unaware of their conversation, only wanting to leave quickly. After removing his makeup, he looked back and, seeing that no one was paying attention, immediately grabbed his bag and ran. Let them scold him if they wanted, he just wanted to leave quickly.

You Chen was organizing the photos, and on instinct, glanced in that direction, indeed seeing Ji An's fleeing figure. He frowned, handed the camera to his assistant, and said, "I have something to do. Discuss with the brand which ones to keep and which to discard. I'll come back for them later."

"Okay."

You Chen turned and quickly left. He saw Ji An get into a taxi and drove to follow. Fortunately, there were many cars at this time, so Ji An wouldn't notice him following. After driving for a while, Ji An got out of the taxi and hurriedly turned into an alley. You Chen frowned, afraid of being discovered by Ji An, took a hat from the side, put it on, and followed quietly. Ji An was so foolish, running so fast without looking back, unaware that he was right behind him.

You Chen watched as Ji An ran into the stairwell, lowered the brim of his hat, waited a few seconds, and then quickly slipped into the stairwell. Hearing Ji An's footsteps grow distant, he followed upstairs, glancing up to see Ji An already on the third floor. The stairwell was very empty, the footsteps echoing, exceptionally clear. You Chen withdrew his gaze, slowly walked up, counting Ji An's footsteps in his mind, calculating the number of steps Ji An had climbed. When the footsteps stopped and the sound of a door opening was heard, he looked again at the stairs, counting each step.

Fifth floor.

You Chen smiled, looked up one last time, and turned to leave.

After Ji An closed the door, he could no longer hold on, sliding down to sit on the ground, gasping for breath. He didn't know if it was his imagination, but he always felt like someone was following him. His intuition told him that this person was You Chen. Ji An felt a tingling sensation on his scalp, his whole body trembling, not daring to breathe loudly. He bit his lip and breathed slowly, listening cautiously for any movement outside the door. Fortunately, after waiting a long time, he didn't hear any sound, so he slowly calmed down, curling up into a ball, burying his face in his knees.

Why… why did he want to cry so much? You Chen didn't follow him up. Was he relieved, or was he sad? Ji An rubbed his eyes, but couldn't hold back and cried out loud. Why did he run so far away and still encounter You Chen? Why did You Chen, surrounded by admiration, have to meet with someone as wretched as him? Why did You Chen look at him with that kind of gaze? Why?

Ji An cried for a long time, his head dizzy, and his ears started ringing again. He could only grit his teeth, get up, wash his face in the bathroom, and then crawl into bed, curling up under the covers.

Around ten o'clock at night, Ji An groggily woke up, but his whole body was weak. He knew he had to eat, so he had no choice but to order some congee on his phone. For some reason, the delivery person insisted that he go downstairs to pick it up. Ji An climbed out of bed, put on his shoes, and went downstairs.

At the empty intersection, the dim yellow streetlight, due to years of disrepair, flickered occasionally. Ji An didn't see the delivery person; instead, in his line of sight, a tall figure leaned against a car, the brim of the hat pressed low, revealing only the chin. But even if it was just the chin, Ji An could recognize it.

Hearing the footsteps suddenly stop, You Chen's mouth slowly curved upward. He raised his hand to push the brim of his hat, removed the hat, and slowly lifted his head. He smiled, raised the bag in his hand, and asked, "Is this your delivery?"

Ji An's pupils dilated continuously, the fear almost overflowing, scaring him into taking a step back. His foot accidentally hit the step, and he fell heavily. You Chen raised an eyebrow and took a step forward.

"Be careful."

Ji An watched him approach bit by bit, terrified, reaching out to grip the stair railing tightly, quickly getting up and running upstairs. You Chen didn't immediately chase after him. Instead, he smiled and stepped onto the stairs one by one. The chaotic footsteps indicated the owner's panic. He was in no hurry, walking up to the fifth floor, then approaching that door. He raised his hand and knocked lightly twice, softly saying, "Ji An, open the door."

There was no movement inside. He smiled and repeated, "Ji An, I'm saying it a second time, open the door."

You Chen waited silently for a while. Ji An didn't obey. He lowered his eyes, twisted the doorknob, and then kicked the door forcefully. The old door shook violently, teetering on the edge of collapse.

"Ji An, do you think this door can withstand a few kicks from me?"

As his words fell, he finally saw the door open a crack, Ji An revealing half his face, looking at him with red eyes. He didn't soften at all, reaching out to grip the door frame, intending to push it open.

Ji An screamed, "Please… please!"

You Chen stopped his actions, looked at Ji An, and asked, "Don't want me to come in? Fine, then come out yourself."

Ji An didn't move. You Chen chuckled, exerted force, and the door swung wide open. Ji An cried in fear, releasing his grip and stepping out a bit. You Chen reached out, pulled him out, and then pressed him forcefully against the wall, leaning down to his ear.

"You're too foolish, Ji An, how could you have the guts to think of running away from me?"