CH 73

Ji Ning’s expression darkened as Ozer walked into his bedroom. He pushed against the boy’s shoulders, trying to force him back out.

But just like he’d been overpowered by Ozer in the fighting class, he was once again no match for Ozer’s strength. When he saw that he hadn’t moved Ozer an inch, a trace of annoyance appeared on his face and he gave up, asking bluntly, “What are you here for?” v4qKzS

“I heard that you weren’t feeling well, so I came to see you.” Ozer put the presents he’d brought onto a table and looked back at Ji Ning, “How are you?”

“It’s none of your business, just get out.” Ji Ning didn’t even pretend to listen to him.

Chrysanthemum Garden.

“If you’re still not feeling well, I’ll take you to the infirmary.” Ozer touched his face to check his temperature, looking down at him in concern, “It looks like you’ve lost weight.”

Ji Ning slapped his hand away, an embarrassed blush rising on his face, “Don’t be stupid, it’s obvious I’m not sick, I’m just avoiding you! You’re the one that needs to see a doctor, there must be something wrong with you to be able to say something like that…” Y9dmP8

“To say what?” Ozer asked, the corners of his lips twitching.

“It’s not, it’s just…” Ji Ning’s voice trailed off and his eyes darted away from Ozer, “You said you liked me…”

Ozer’s smile widened, “Well, I do like you.”

“Ah, ah, stop talking!” Ji Ning desperately clamped his hands over his ears, showing a pained expression, “You actually like me, you should see a doctor!”

bUt7S0

“Why can’t I like you?” Ozer asked, “Don’t tell me you’re a terrible person?”

“Of course I’m not!”

“You’re right.” Ozer laughed, “You’re so good, how could I not like you?”

“…” woU0FP

Ji Ning’s eyes widened in disbelief. For a long time Ozer’s words left him speechless before he finally said, “…get out. I don’t want to look at your face.”

Ozer didn’t want to annoy him too much, so he said, “I’m relieved that you’re not sick. Please rest well, I’ll visit again tomorrow.”

“Don’t come here!” Ji Ning said quickly.

“I’ll be worried that you’ll hide in your bedroom and refuse to come out.” Ozer teased, “I just want to see you to check you’re alright.” 580dNd

“I’m going to class tomorrow, don’t come here.” Ji Ning waved his hands around.

Ozer stopped bullying him and said, “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow-” Ji Ning wanted to answer, but suddenly stopped, “Why would I see you, we don’t have class together tomorrow.”

“We’ll meet.” IrjLGg

Ozer smiled slightly, his lake green eyes glittering, “I will pursue you until you promise to be with me, so I will go to see you tomorrow.”

Ji Ning looked scandalised by his words and stood frozen for several seconds without responding. Ozer rubbed his dark hair, feeling pleased with himself, before turning to leave Ji Ning’s bedroom. He waited outside the door for a few seconds to listen and heard several loud banging noises, as if a heavy object had been thrown against the bedroom wall.

Chrysanthemum Garden.

The eyes of the other students in the dormitory turned to Ozer in curiosity, desperate to know what had happened between them. But as they didn’t dare ask questions, Ozer walked calmly past them as if he couldn’t feel their eyes following him.

For Ji Ning he would do anything. 5tszKG

He wouldn’t lose him again.

Since the day of his public confession, Ozer began to openly pursue Ji Ning. Soon, everyone in the school knew that Ozer loved Ji Ning. Even though the aristocratic students mocked his attempts, he remained indifferent to their derision, as if Ji Ning was the only person he allowed to enter his eyes.

Eventually, the noble students were unable to continue ridiculing Ozer, because no matter how many times Ji Ning rejected or avoided him, he kept persisting. Before long, they started wondering when Ji Ning would accept Ozer’s advances and unconsciously changed their attitudes towards him.

In response to this situation, the teachers of the academy had a vaguely acquiescent attitude and in private, they even celebrated it. Because of Ozer’s relentless pursuit of Ji Ning, the students from the two classes no longer fought like they used to and instead kept a strange truce. Random brawls had all but disappeared from the academy. j09sNt

“Don’t come in again!”

Ji Ning was entering his bedroom when he noticed Ozer was following closely behind him. He desperately tried to slam the door shut.

But Ozer was used to it now and smoothly blocked the door, entering the bedroom casually. He even took two teacups from the cupboard and asked Ji Ning dotingly, “What would you like to drink? Is it the white coffee?”

Ji Ning glared at him without saying a word. Ozer knew by now that this meant he wanted the coffee, so made him a cup and handed it to him, “Be careful, it’s hot.” IY7wR1

“…Don’t think that doing this will make me fall in love with you.” Ji Ning took the teacup with a gloomy expression.

“I just wanted to do something for you.” Ozer smiled, “You don’t need to give me a response.”

“…” Ji Ning watched Ozer for a long time, before lowering his head. “You’ve been bothering me for so long, aren’t you bored yet?”

“I’m serious about you Ji Ning.” hSpzgl

Ozer put his teacup down, his playful expression turning slightly solemn. “I’m pursuing you sincerely because I have fallen in love and won’t look at any other for the rest of my life. If you want, I hope we can spend the rest of our lives together…”

“Stop, stop, stop talking!”

Al Rlcu’r ojmf tfjafv ja tlr kbgvr jcv tf aegcfv tlr tfjv jkjs ab tlvf tlr fzqgfrrlbc. Vfflcu bcis atf alqr bo tlr gfv fjgr, Yhfg ijeutfv lc j ibk nblmf. Llr mtfra nlygjafv rilutais jr tf kgjqqfv tlr jgwr jgbecv Al Rlcu, ktlrqfglcu lcab tlr fjg.

“Kfii wf, sbe’gf cba mbwqifafis lcvloofgfca ab wf, jgf sbe?” rHaBFz

“Don’t be stupid, what are you talking about? Let go…”

Ji Ning struggled in his arms so Ozer obediently let him go. However the next second, he spun the boy around and held him so they were facing each other. He pressed his forehead against Ji Ning’s, looking into his beautiful eyes as he coaxed him.

Chrysanthemum Garden.

“Maybe you don’t hate me doing this anymore…”

His warm breath tickled Ji Ning’s face, a fiery heat in his eyes. He watched as the person in his arms gradually stopped struggling, then slowly lowered his head to kiss the boy he longed for, when the communicator Ji Ning had abandoned on the table suddenly rang. NSbZGw

“Get off, someone’s looking for me.” Ji Ning seemed to awake from his daze with a start and his struggles became violent again as he pushed against Ozer’s chest.

Although he felt regretful, Ozer released him. In the process of pursuing Ji Ning he’d learned to read when the boy seriously wanted him to stop. If he pushed him too hard, it would only be counterproductive.

He wanted Ji Ning to slowly lower his bottom line for him, until it was too late for him to escape.

Ji Ning angrily patted his flushed face and picked up his communicator, connecting the call. MpJsj1

“Hello Mr Ji Ning, do you remember me? I’m Ao Feo.”

On the other end of the communicator came a girl’s graceful voice, clarifying her identity, “We met at a cocktail party a few months ago and exchanged contact information. Sorry to contact you so abruptly, is this a convenient time?”

It was her.

Hearing that girl’s voice, Ozer’s expression suddenly darkened, his lake green eyes covered by a layer of frost. LgDbdv

“Hello Miss Feo.” Ji Ning didn’t seem to notice his expression, responding to the girl, “Yes, I’m free now. What’s the problem?”

“Well, I heard you were a student at the Imperial Military Academy. I’m going to be studying there next year, so I wanted to ask you some questions…”

The girl’s voice sounded too happy. It was obvious she wasn’t interested in the academy but wanted an excuse to contact Ji Ning. However, Ji Ning was still patiently responding to her, making Ozer’s mood turn even more dark and violent. He felt like he was hanging off a cliff, about to fall into an endless abyss.

Stop talking to her. zPDN9u

Please…just stop talking to her!

The girl’s engagement to Ji Ning in his last life, as well as her informing which led to Ji Ning’s death, repeatedly flashed through Ozer’s head, sending his emotions spiralling. The spiritual energy that had been so docile for the last few months felt like boiling water in his body.

Bang.

One of the teacups placed on the table made a loud noise as it shattered into pieces. The communicator’s signal was blocked and the call interrupted. Startled, Ji Ning turned to Ozer, a look of astonishment in his eyes.“You…” Ydj39U

Ji Ning started, but before he could say anything, Ozer suddenly stood up and left the room, saying in a low voice.

“I’m sorry.”

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It could be dangerous for Ji Ning if he stayed, so he had to leave.

He never wanted to hurt Ji Ning, but his emotions couldn’t simply be controlled by reason. Hearing that woman’s voice triggered memories of how she’d ultimately caused Ji Ning’s death and he was unable to keep his calm. He wished he could strangle that woman to death, then break her into a thousand pieces so she could never speak another word to Ji Ning. o1DSLU

More than that, he was aware that his heart was in a very uneasy state. He had no way to ensure that Ji Ning belonged to him. Even if this woman didn’t steal him away, he had the right to fall in love with anyone in the world.

He really wished he could lock Ji Ning up, so that the only person he could look at was Ozer. He wanted the two of them to fall inside the abyss together, forever isolated from the rest of the world.

But he knew he couldn’t do this. If he gave in to his violent desires, he would only end up repeating the same mistakes, and then Ji Ning would do everything he could to escape from him. If he acted irrationally, he would really lose Ji Ning forever.

He had to hold back and hope that one day Ji Ning would truly fall in love with him. Z4bVKD

But if anyone tried to get in his way…

Ozer lowered his head, his cold eyes filled with dark promises.

He would definitely kill them.

Once he regained control of his emotions, Ozer quickly returned to his usual temperament and continued to pester Ji Ning, pretending that the incident that day never happened. Ji Ning seemed to be aware of why he had been angry but didn’t ask him anything about it and the two of them returned to their previous relationship of cat and mouse. yLSNZI

Fortunately Ozer never saw Ji Ning and Miss Feo contact each other again. He didn’t know whether they stopped speaking, or if Ji Ning avoided him when they spoke, but Ozer didn’t lose control of his emotions again.

In the blink of an eye, it was new year’s eve.

The school year had come to an end and the students of the Imperial Military Academy had gone home for the winter vacation. The whole city was filled with a strong festive atmosphere, including Ozer’s own home.

After celebrating the holiday festival with a large group of relatives, Ozer looked for a reason to leave early. Although he didn’t dislike the activities, it felt unfamiliar to him, and he would prefer to be alone. a3HYdy

He walked outside the house. The air outside was very cold, snow floating through the night sky.

The snowfall wasn’t natural but an artificial snow specially created in order to enhance the festive atmosphere. Simple adjustments to the weather were easy due to the advanced technology of the Mo Ling Empire and the artificial snow was indistinguishable from natural weather.

Watching the snowflakes swirl across the night, Ozer thought about Ji Ning. He wanted to know what the boy was doing, so turned on his communicator and sent him a message.

It had been a while since he got Ji Ning’s contact information. He often sent Ji Ning messages but didn’t receive many replies. This time he wasn’t sure if Ji Ning would respond to him, but he decided that he would keep sending messages until he got a reply. 2bOc1u

However, this time Ji Ning quickly responded to him with a string of question marks. Reading this message, Ozer couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face, because the message he’d just sent was:

「Ozer: Where do you live, I want to see you.」

Chrysanthemum Garden.

「Ji Ning: ??????????」

「Ji Ning: What do you want?」 SuL7OC

Ozer thought for a bit, finding a random excuse,「My adoptive father runs a winery. I have two bottles of fine wine that I want to give to you as a new year’s gift.」

It wasn’t a lie. He had received two bottles of wine and although he’d planned to give them to Ji Ning when they returned to the academy, he suddenly wished he could give them to him now.

「Ozer: Are you at home?」

「Ji Ning: Not home!」 iRM3F0

「Ozer: Really, you’re not? What a shame, I’ll have to enjoy the wine by myself. Have a happy new year.」

「Ji Ning: …」

「Ji Ning: Can’t you send me a bottle? I’ll give you money for it.」

「Ozer: The wine’s not for sale, it comes as a package deal with me. You can only have the wine if you let me in as well.」 wrnAvS

「Ji Ning: …I’m really not at home, I’m staying in a villa. Come and find me, I’ll send you the address.」

「Ozer: You didn’t spend the holidays with your family?」

「Ji Ning: They’ve all gone to different planets to celebrate. I didn’t want to go, so I escaped.」

「Ozer: You’re by yourself?」 MKsykd

「Ji Ning: Who else would be here?」

「Ozer: No one, I just think that’s good.」

「Ji Ning: ??? Don’t have messy thoughts!」

Ozer couldn’t help laughing at Ji Ning’s message. The corners of his lips curled up as he replied,「Can you guess my thoughts?」 9tnKaP

「…」Ji Ning didn’t respond for a few minutes.「I’ve sent you my address. Once you’ve delivered the wine, leave.」

Ozer smiled again and looked at the address sent by Ji Ning. Although it wasn’t that close, he could reach his location in about an hour.

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He told his adoptive father where he was going, then packed the wines into the family’s private car and asked their driver to take them to Ji Ning’s address. When they arrived, he told the driver he could leave for the evening, assuming he would be staying for the night.

He walked up to the door and rang the bell. pTVqyt

It wasn’t long after that the door opened, revealing Ji Ning.

It was much warmer inside the villa and Ji Ning wore loose home clothes. When the icy wind blew through the door, he shivered, stepping aside to let Ozer come inside.

“Happy new year.”

Ozer took his jacket off in the entryway, patting the thin layer of snow from his blond hair. His handsome face was paler than usual due to the cold, but for some reason he looked more gentle than Ji Ning had ever seen him as he looked at the boy with a slight smile. gQoqLv

“Happy new year…”

Ji Ning helped him put away his coat and took the wine, glancing at him with a complicated expression. “The snow is so heavy outside, I didn’t expect you would actually come.”

“It’s because I really wanted to see you.”

Ozer raised his hand and lightly touched Ji Ning’s face. 3tBg70

“Don’t touch me.” Ji Ning slapped his hand away, “You’re too cold.”

“Sorry.” Ozer smiled, “Can I come in for a bit? I’m really cold.”

“Go in then, I didn’t say I was going to kick you out.” Ji Ning mumbled softly.

Ozer turned back to look at him, “But you said before that I should leave as soon as the wine was delivered.” 7KA5xk

Ji Ning froze for a moment, then quickly looked away, “If you want to leave, I won’t stop you.”

Ozer didn’t say anything else and went into the living room to sit down. Ji Ning sat opposite him and opened the wine box. He pulled out one of the bottles, its long ribbon trailing to the floor as he observed its colour underneath the light.

“This is called ‘lovers wine’. As the name suggests, it’s a wine that lovers drink together. It tastes a little sweet but has a lot of stamina.” Ozer considerately explained it to him.

Hearing the name of the wine, Ji Ning looked a little uncomfortable and said petulantly, “And you wanted to give it to me?” 9fGtsg

“Can’t I give it to you?” Ozer replied easily.

“…” Ji Ning opened his mouth, but in the end he didn’t say anything. He grabbed a bottle opener from the cabinet to pop the cork off and poured himself a glass. Afterwards, he pushed the bottle over to Ozer, “You can pour your own.”

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Ozer nodded and poured himself a glass, but instead of drinking it right away, he asked, “How have you been these days, are you alright?”

“I haven’t seen you because it’s the holidays, so of course I’m happy…” rtl1OC

Ji Ning said unceremoniously as he drank more of the wine, unashamed even after accepting Ozer’s gift. Ozer wasn’t upset by his shamelessness, instead he laughed softly and continued chatting with Ji Ning.

They drank most of the bottle of wine in a blink of an eye, although Ji Ning had drunk more than half. The blush on his face grew deeper and he slowly sunk into the sofa, a sleepy expression on his face.

“Are you going to sleep?”

Ozer leaned over him and whispered in his ear. IRTCLE

The hot breath he exhaled when he spoke made Ji Ning’s ears twitch. A shiver trembled through his body as he pushed against Ozer, “Get off stupid…”

“I told you the wine was strong, you shouldn’t drink so much.”

Ozer sat beside him, stroking his heated cheeks. His fingertips lingered on the soft skin for a while before they brushed against his lips.

However, at that moment, the communicator Ji Ning had thrown on the table suddenly rang. Ji Ning reached for the communicator with half lidded eyes. When he struggled to grab it, Ozer picked up the communicator and handed it to him, but when he saw the caller’s identity, his expression turned cold. TJ2 pk

“Ah, it’s Miss Feo…happy new year.”

Ji Ning held the communicator to his ear. His voice was very soft, obviously drunk.

Miss Feo’s voice was still sweet as she politely wished him happy new year. Although there was no hint of intimacy between them, Ozer’s eyes still turned darker and darker, until he finally snatched Ji Ning’s communicator from his hands. He hung up the call, turned off the communicator and threw it to the side.

“What are you doing…” vIiM20

Ji Ning’s response was very slow, it was only after a few seconds passed that he realised his hand was empty. He squinted at Ozer in anger, but his eyes were wide and soft, like melted honey, and Ozer’s heart softened instantly.

No matter what, he was the person Ji Ning was with at the moment, and he was closer to the boy than that woman was.

“Don’t talk to her anymore, okay?”

He lay next to Ji Ning on the sofa, gently wrapping his arms around Ji Ning’s waist as he whispered, “You shouldn’t have such a close relationship.” YHtlJe

“We’re just ordinary friends.” Ji Ning murmured in response. He shook his head slightly, “But this doesn’t have anything to do with you…and you don’t think anyone should have a close relationship with me, right?”

“Yes.” Ozer agreed, with a small smile, “No one except me.”

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“You are so annoying.”

Ji Ning frowned and abruptly stood up from the sofa. Ozer tried to get up too, but Ji Ning pushed him back down and threatened, “Don’t move!” wWgx7y

Over the last few months, Ozer had developed an infinite tolerance and patience towards Ji Ning. As long as no one tried to take Ji Ning from him, he would almost always obey Ji Ning’s every demand. Ji Ning said not to move, so he didn’t move, but when he saw what Ji Ning was doing, he raised his eyebrow and asked, “What are you doing?”

“Tying you up, why do you always bother me so much?”

Ji Ning pulled the ribbon off the wine bottle. He tried to put the bottle back on the table, but it slipped from his grasp, the red wine spilling across the both of them. A sweet aroma filled the room, bringing with it a hazy intoxication.

“Really…” 1tmJE9

Ji Ning patted at his clothes angrily, the dark wine that stained his pale skin giving him a charming appearance. The warm temperature of the room seemed to grow hotter from the alcohol, creating an ambiguous atmosphere.

He settled on top of Ozer’s body, raising his hands above his head to slowly tie them together with the ribbon.

The ribbon was loose around his wrists and Ozer could easily break free, but he didn’t even try to move, letting Ji Ning do as he wanted. He watched the boy’s movements silently, his throat rolling as he waited for Ji Ning’s next decision.

Ji Ning sat up straight and looked down at Ozer beneath him. He pressed hard on Ozer’s chest and frowned, his thoughts unreadable as he didn’t speak for several seconds. Then without warning, he leaned down and pressed a forceful kiss to Ozer’s lips. RmUCSe

His movements were too impulsive and he tore Ozer’s lip. The faint taste of blood mixed into the kiss, combining with the wine’s aroma to further arouse Ozer’s restless nerves.

Ozer’s eyes darkened and he raised his jaw, responding enthusiastically. Ji Ning was quickly overwhelmed, unable to resist him, but he refused to admit defeat. Even though he was out of breath when they finished, he gave Ozer a fierce expression and said.

“You’re so annoying…isn’t this what you wanted?” He wiped the blood from his lips and glared at Ozer, “Can’t you be satisfied?”

“I’m too greedy, it isn’t enough.” 6BUZd9

Ozer laughed. His spiritual power suddenly surged, overpowering Ji Ning and causing him to fall on top of him, into his arms. He looked at Ji Ning, his dark eyes filled with love and lust as he whispered raggedly into his ear.

“You have to give me all of yourself.”

Readers, for 72 chapters I have not once put Ozer in my sight, but…why is he so attractive in this chapter?? He’s confident in his pursuit, knows when to appropriately back away – he’s funny, he’s flirty and he even got our tsundere Ningning to respond to him…why is my heart fluttering?!?