Chapter 287 - I Hate You...

"I hate you...! I really do...!" Zhihao continued to cry as he exclaimed, making sure that Li Ling could hear him loud and clear. 

"I heard that it's been three years," Li Ling muttered softly with his dry voice. 

"Yeah... It's been three years you damn bastard!" Zhihao certainly didn't sound too happy as he confirmed it. 

Li Ling chuckled softly as he heard the man's angry voice and commented, "You've changed A-Zhi." 

Zhihao's voice got choked up and he no longer had any energy to shout again so he nodded his head and responded in a mutter, "Of course, I have." 

"Those three years must have been long for you," Li Ling added and Zhihao immediately realized that the man was trying to calm him down by trying to start a casual conversation. 

"They were long..." Zhihao gulped as he nodded his head and replied. 

"Were you bored?" Li Ling asked. 

"I was busy." 

"Busy hating me?" Li Ling asked with a small chuckle as he patted Zhihao's back in a comforting manner. 

Zhihao took a moment to respond this time as he shook his head and honestly spoke, "I was busy regretting." 

"Regretting what?" 

"I regretted loving you." 

"..." 

"Because in those three years, I realized that I loved you more than I thought I did," Zhihao added and Li Ling immediately felt his heart hurt a little as he heard this. 

Zhihao, "So I regretted it. I really regretted loving you so much... And then I decided to hate you." 

Li Ling silently patted the man's back as he kept listening to him and simply comforted Zhihao as he let the man talk. 

"I decided to hate you and I thought that if I hated you enough, I might stop loving you. I thought I would be able to move on," Zhihao sniffled as he spoke, pouring out his heart and soul into every word he spoke, "My love for you was torture for me and it hurt... Really badly." 

Li Ling felt tears trail down his cheeks as he heard this and he could feel that Zhihao was certainly not lying as he spoke. 

"I seriously hate you for making me love you," Zhihao added as he hugged the man even more tightly. 

A few minutes of silence passed and these few minutes were like comfort to both of them who were coiled together in an affectionate hug. 

"Thank you..." Li Ling muttered as he took in the scent of Zhihao's new shampoo, "For loving me even when it hurt you." 

It was so foreign to him and yet so familiar.

Li Ling felt as if he had missed out on a lot. 

In these three years, Zhihao had certainly changed, and Li Ling was disappointed by the fact that he was never there by his side to support him in these three years. 

He knew that no matter how hard he tried, he would never be able to truly understand the amount of torment that he had put Zhihao through, and for that... Li Ling truly felt guilty. 

"You should have just given up," Li Ling muttered softly and the tears never stopped. 

Zhihao didn't know why but he wanted to laugh as he heard this, "Give up? If it was you, would you have given up?" 

Li Ling didn't even need to think about the answer as he shook his head and answered honestly, "Never." 

"Then how can you expect me to give up?" Zhihao pulled away from the hug and met the man's moist eyes as he asked. 

Li Ling looked down and stared at his hands as he spoke, "But it hurt you, didn't it...? I hurt you..." 

Zhihao nodded his head as he heard this and it seemed that having a proper conversation really helped calm the man down a bit. 

"You never hurt me," Zhihao sighed as he replied, "I was the only one hurting myself." 

Li Ling looked to be confused and stunned as he heard this and so he waited for the man to explain further. 

"It was my choice to love you and it was also my choice to feel worried for you," Zhihao explained his words as he grabbed Li Ling's hand and gently squeezed them, "You only gave me a reason to love you. You never gave me a reason to give up on you." 

Li Ling chuckled as he heard this and commented, "That has to be the most cheesy line I have ever heard in my life." 

Zhihao had a small smile on his face as he heard this, "You can say that I learned a lot in these three years." 

Li Ling's eyes narrowed down on the man as he heard this and he responded, questioning, "I hope you didn't practice it on people...?" 

Zhihao chuckled as he heard this but gave no response and it didn't look like Li Ling was waiting for a response as the man sighed. 

"Even if you did, I don't think I have a right to say anything about it." 

Zhihao frowned as he heard this but decided that it was best if he said nothing to that. 

His hands reached up to touch Li Ling's face and Zhihao softly placed a kiss on Li Ling's forehead. 

Actions spoke louder than words and that saying certainly seemed to have been perfectly exemplified in this touching scene. 

A single tear trailed down Li Ling's right eye and the man finally stopped crying as he looked at Zhihao's face. 

"How have you been?" Zhihao let out a soft chuckle as he asked the man. 

Li Ling pursed his lips into a thin line and looked at Zhihao with a look that couldn't be easily deciphered. 

"I missed you..." Li Ling muttered as he took a sharp breath in and pulled the man closer till their lips clashed together. 

Zhihao didn't bother thinking about anything at the moment as he simply followed Li Ling and responded back to the kiss. 

This was certainly not the first time he was kissing the man, but it was definitely the first time they shared such a kiss that was filled with conflicting emotions that they could not find a way to properly display. 

It had been three years... Three years since Zhihao had last felt the taste of these lips. 

Three years was a long time and he was once afraid that he might have forgotten this feeling and taste of pure love that was ready to overflow. 

However, it was the same... 

No... That was wrong. It was not the same. 

This feeling was familiar, and yet, a bit too strong this time. 

Somewhere deep in Zhihao's heart, he felt as if he got back his love and at the same time, he also felt as if he was holding onto something fragile that may leave him once again. It was an uneasy feeling that made him realize just how much his love for Li Ling had grown in these three years. 

He tried to hate him in order to let go of him but he only ended up loving him even more. 

Just when he thought he couldn't love the man more than he already did, his own heart and body would come up with surprises like these for him. 

Their breaths mingled with one another and it was warm. 

It was warm and comforting... 

Zhihao pulled away for a second as he caught his breath and muttered, "I love you..." 

Was it the first time that he had said these three magical words? 

There was no way it was the first time, but somehow it still felt as if it was the first time he was confessing his feelings like this. 

Li Ling chuckled softly as he heard the man, "I love you too, A-Zhi... I think I always have..." 

Zhihao's fingers laced with the hair on the back of Li Ling's head as he pulled the man closer and once again rejoined their lips in another passionate moment of trying to close the gap of loneliness that these previous three years had caused. 

However, it would have been a miracle if someone had not interrupted them at this moment and it seemed that Li Ling waking up was going to be the only miracle that happened today. 

"Ling Gege!!" It was the familiar voice of a girl who had opened the door and entered without permission. 

Li Ling had just woken up after three years of hibernation but seeing as how he was able to immediately push Zhihao away, it looked as if the man was filled with all the energy that he had been collecting in these three years. 

Zhihao who suddenly felt his butt hit the floor had nothing to say as he lifted his head and glared at the girl who had interrupted them. 

Li Ying's face was red and it seemed that she had started crying even before she entered the room. Her eyes were puffy and to put it plainly, she looked like a mess. 

As soon as her eyes laid on Li Ling, the girl immediately rushed towards him and engulfed him in a tight hug.

"I hate you!!" The girl cried out, making Li Ling and Zhihao share a look of surprise and amusement. 

"It seems that everyone who loves me really likes to tell me they hate me," Li Ling sighed as he commented, "I'm covered with Tsunderes."