CH 31

Lin Qingyan absentmindedly followed behind Gu Fei. His mind was in turmoil, filled with many thoughts. So much so that, when turning a corner, he bumped into a pillar, making a dull “thud” sound.

“…”

When Gu Fei turned around, he saw Lin Qingyan standing in front of the pillar, raising his hand to cover his forehead. He blinked in a somewhat dazed manner, then furrowed his brows slightly.

Although he couldn’t feel any pain, he still had his pride.

He heard the mocking laughter from the pedestrians passing by, and their laughter was so loud that it truly bothered his ears.

Gu Fei, thinking that Lin Qingyan was in pain, quickly walked up to him. “Does it hurt?” As he spoke, he removed the hand covering the youth’s forehead and immediately saw a distinct red mark on the fair skin, slightly swollen.

Gu Fei: “…”

He was both surprised and amused, feeling like one of those onlookers enjoying a spectacle. How could someone walk and end up colliding with a pillar? In the end, he pursed his lips, holding back laughter, and asked, “Does it hurt?”

“It’s fine, let’s keep going,” Lin Qingyan replied.

Feeling extremely embarrassed, Lin Qingyan wanted to find a hole to hide in. After saying that, he quickly grabbed the man’s wrist and walked forward quickly. It was only when they were far away that he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, he accidently noticed that he was still holding Gu Fei’s wrist and immediately let go in reflex.

Gu Fei didn’t say anything, his gaze shifting from his own wrist to Lin Qingyan’s face, there were some unclear expression in his eyes. This look made Lin Qingyan stutter in his words again, “Um, let’s go…. back now?”

Gu Fei made a sound of agreement and naturally held the young man’s slender wrist. As they walked towards the direction of the elevator, while the young man’s body stiffened, Gu Fei explained, “To prevent you from absentmindedly bumping into pillars again.”

Lin Qingyan: “…”

Not sure if he was imagining it, but he heard a hint of smile in the man’s tone, and it was a mocking smile.

As they approached the elevator, undoubtedly attracting the admiring and curious gazes of many pedestrians, Lin Qingyan instinctively wanted to lower his head, avoiding those eyes.

It felt like there was a transparent cover surrounding him. Although it was not suffocating, it was very stuffy and making him feel a sense panic.

However, at this moment, a comforting voice reached his ears, “Don’t be afraid.” At the same time, his wrist was held even more firmly, and the warm palm seemed to transmit energy through the contact with his skin.

Gu Fei said, “I’m here, don’t be afraid, just raise your head.”

Although his tone was so clam, Lin Qingyan felt like a fire was burning in his heart, that was so intense and scorching, It instantly burned the transparent cover that was around him.

He actually lifted his head, straightened his posture, and even met the onlookers’ gaze without a trace of fear or unease. One passerby even smiled at him, a purely kind smile.

After getting off the elevator and sitting in the passenger seat, Lin Qingyan  was still in a state of contemplation and remained silent.

Gu Fei glanced at him, the bump on the young man’s forehead seemed to be more swollen. The bruise on his arm from last night hadn’t faded yet, and now he had a new bump. This kid was really…….

As the car slowly left the parking lot, Lin Qingyan stared at the cityscape flashing by outside the car window. The beautiful neon lights reflected in the young man’s eyes through the windshield.

watching the man beside him, focused on driving, Lin Qingyan’s clear eyes became increasingly bright.

It was the first time he heard the young man call him by his full name. Gu Fei looked at him somewhat surprised, “Hmm?”

Lin Qingyan said, “I won’t be afraid anymore.”

Is this the feeling the same from memories before dying in my previous life?

He decided he would find an opportunity to touch it in the future.

While making such calculations in his mind, Gu Fei suddenly extended his hand in front of him. Lin Qingyan, feeling a bit guilty, was slightly startled. To his surprise, there was a preserved plum candy in the palm of Gu Fei’s hand, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

Gu Fei asked if he wanted to eat it.

Lin Qingyan calmed down, took the candy, thanked him, and unwrapped it. He placed the candy in his mouth, savoring the sweet and sour taste spreading in his mouth.

As the candy shifted from the left side to the right and then back to the left in his mouth, Lin Qingyan hesitated for a while. Eventually, he couldn’t resist asking, “Do you really like these preserved plum candies?”

Gu Fei nodded, “Yes.”

Although they hadn’t been together for long, Lin Qingyan deeply realized how taciturn this man was. He thought that Gu Fei would just answer with a hum, but he did not expect that Gu Fei paused for two seconds and added:

“Used to have a kid around who really liked these, so I started carrying them around. It became a habit.”

Lin Qingyan clearly didn’t anticipate this kind of response. He noticed that when Gu Fei spoke about it, his tone unconsciously softened. Presumably, the “kid” he mentioned was someone very important to him.

Lin Qingyan opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.

Suddenly feeling a bit envious of that kid, he realized that even the preserved plum candy in his mouth wasn’t sweet anymore when thinking about it.

As he tasted this somewhat unpleasant preserved plum candy, Lin Qingyan’s memories drifted away with it.

This preserved plum candy was Lin Qingyan’s only “sweet” memory from his childhood.

His family’s situation had always been tough, with no delicious snacks, no fun toys, and even no pocket money.

Every child had a sweet tooth. Seeing other classmates enjoying snacks made him particularly envious. However, he didn’t dare ask his parents for money. Even when he needed money for school supplies and workbooks, his mother reluctantly provided it nagging for a long time with a dark face.

Lin Qingyan’s childhood wish was to have candy every day.

So much so that even as he grew up, dropped out of school, started working, and even debuted, living in a big house, he couldn’t forget the taste of “sweetness” from his childhood. He always carried this kind of preserved plum candy with him.

In the midst of many bitter and harsh memories of childhood, full of scolding’s and tears, this bit of sweetness was precious to him at that time.

No one understood, and no one would give him candy.

No, Gu Fei would.