Chapter 204 - Li Ling Is Being Indirectly Attacked.

Li Ling took a deep breath in as he calmed himself down and smiled thinly as he looked over at Zhihao, "Don't ruin the mood, okay?" 

Zhihao chuckled as he heard the frustrated tone of the man. 

Li Ling went forward near the lake and Zhihao was a bit slower as he took in the whole atmosphere since it was the first time in his life he was seeing such a thing. 

The branches which hung from the centuries-old tree were glittering due to the tiny butterflies which were attached to it. The light was reflected on the lake, making it seem like they were covered in its embrace. 

Anyone who saw this sight would only be able to utter a single word; breathtaking. 

This looked much alike the fairytale dating places, people dreamt of going to. 

Li Ling knelt down on the shore of the lake and immediately called out to Zhihao excitedly like a kid who had found something good in a toy store. 

"A-Zhi, come here and see this!~" 

Zhihao smiled brightly as he heard the man and walked closer to him. 

"Look at that!" Li Ling pointed at a glowing flower floating just below the surface of the water. It looked a lot like a jellyfish, and like every other normal person driven by beauty and desire, Li Ling was compelled to touch it. 

The moment he touched it, the flower moved away and seemed to have been frightened as it swam deeper into the lake, away from the two humans who had destroyed its peace. 

"Looks like it really was a jellyfish," Zhihao chuckled as he saw the speechlessness in Li Ling's eyes. 

Li Ling was just a bit taken back for a second but when the shock had sunk in, he eventually broke out into a warm smile. 

Zhihao didn't take his eyes off of Li Ling's face. That blinding smile would always manage to mesmerize him and capture him in this daze from which he didn't wanna wake up. 

The lake had its own lights pop up beneath the surface of the water like flowers that seemed to be alive. Some were pink and some were white or golden. 

Li Ling was mesmerized at the sight of the beautiful flowers that were moving away from them and Zhihao was mesmerized by the sincere smile that was evident on Li Ling's face. 

"You know, when I first met you, I think I was instantly attracted to you," Zhihao spoke up, grabbing Li Ling's attention. 

Li Ling squinted at the man as he didn't look to have believed Zhihao, "Are you sure about that?" 

Zhihao chuckled lightly as he heard this question and nodded in turn, "It's true. When we first met, even though you were just trying to help me pick up trash, you looked much like an innocent angel and I had never seen a person look that pure in my life." 

Li Ling didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry as he heard this, "A-Zhi, you think I'm innocent and pure?" 

Li Ling had a small smirk on his face as he questioned but Zhihao only laughed as he immediately shook his head. 

"Not anymore." 

Li Ling frowned as he heard Zhihao's straightforward answer but before he could say anything more, Zhihao spoke up first as he continued. 

"I think it was that beauty spot under your eye that captured my attention first. For a minute, I couldn't even believe my eyes. I really thought you were nothing more than my imagination." Zhihao suddenly laughed at himself as he thought back to it, "You looked so ethereal that I was sure no such person could possibly exist in this world. On top of that, it was pretty ridiculous that such a man came over to help me pick up trash. It's not every day that you see something like that happening." 

Li Ling's frown deepened as he suspiciously squinted at the man and questioned, "So you liked me just because of my face?" 

Zhihao once again shook his head as he responded, "Your face certainly caught my interest but it was your smile that really managed to capture me completely. Whenever you looked at me and smiled, I could see the sincerity in your smile. It was like you were the happiest man on earth and it was so genuine that it managed to make me feel the same happiness that you were feeling." 

"So you like my smile?" Li Ling questioned again but Zhihao once again shook his head as he denied it. 

"That's not it," Zhihao answered as he sat down next to Li Ling and met the man's eyes that seemed to be looking back at him with unhidden curiosity, "It was your sincerity and your honesty that made me like you. You loved me for me, you had no other reason to be with me, and even when I was interested in the gamemaster, you put my happiness above yours and encouraged me to go after him." 

Li Ling pursed his lips and smiled thinly as he heard this, trying his best to look happy with it but deep inside, only he knew how guilty he felt. 

Oh dear A-Zhi... If only you knew... 

Every sentence was like an arrow that pierced right through Li Ling's chest and by the end of it, he could only smile while his eyes started tearing up due to his guilt and pain. 

Zhihao's eyes immediately widened as he saw Li Ling's moist eyes, "What happened? Why are you crying?" 

Zhihao panicked as he grabbed Li Ling's face and asked him in a worried tone. 

Li Ling shook his head as he wiped the tears away, "These are just tears of happiness." 

He defended himself and although Zhihao didn't look to have believed it, he still didn't bother questioning it. 

Li Ling took a deep breath in as he pushed all his tears back and looked deeply into Zhihao's eyes as he spoke up, "A-Zhi, the past is in the past. Let's forget it. You must never let your past affect your current decisions. Let's forget everything and start off fresh, okay? Forget it all and make new memories together." 

"Eh? Why?" Zhihao asked with a confused expression plastered on his face. 

Li Ling squeezed Zhihao's hand as if he was trying to reassure him and at the same time, stopping him from asking any more questions, "Let's just start fresh. You don't need to question why. Just stop talking about the past. It's already done and over with." 

Zhihao was silent for a minute before he broke out laughing and when he saw the confusion in Li Ling's eyes, he spoke up, "Is it because you're embarrassed? I never knew you were such a shy man, Gege." 

Zhihao was clearly mocking him and teasing but although Zhihao's guess was completely incorrect while being somewhat correct at the same time, Li Ling ended up nodding his head as he simply decided it was best to let Zhihao think whatever he wanted to think. 

"A-Zhi, don't tease me like that. It really is embarrassing. I never want to remember it again," Li Ling activated his natural acting skills and tried to gain some sympathy points. 

Zhihao laughed as he patted Li Ling's head, "Okay, then. I'll listen to you and stop teasing anymore. Forgetting might be hard for me since I love the memory so much but I'll definitely try my best to not bring it up again." 

"A-Zhi, you're the best. Remember not to let our past affect our future, okay?" Li Ling immediately responded enthusiastically with a pleasant and relieved smile on his face. 

Zhihao chuckled as he nodded and agreed. 

Li Ling smiled happily and just as he did, water droplets splashed on his face. 

He immediately closed his eyes and turned away before peaking at Zhihao in disbelief as he asked, "Are you serious?" 

Zhihao simply chuckled as he dipped his hand in the water again and splashed it onto Li Ling who was forced to do the same thing back to Zhihao. 

"A-Zhi, this is childish!" Li Ling tried to reason with the man, all the while playing along with him as well. 

The water war continued for a while and their clothes started to get completely wet which made them eventually stop. 

"When I was in high school, the other kids used to play with water a lot," Zhihao suddenly spoke up, "I always thought they were crazy and choose to avoid them but deep inside, I always wanted to know what was the fun in splashing water at each other. 

Li Ling frowned as he wiped the water away from his face, "And the only way for you to find out was by throwing it on me?!" 

Zhihao chuckled as he nodded without any hesitation, "It's actually fun. It's pointless but still fun." 

"But I didn't enjoy it!" Li Ling snapped playfully as he rubbed his head. 

Zhihao chuckled as he pointed out, "And yet, you were still laughing." 

"..." 

Li Ling was shocked at himself and he had no response to that.