As soon as Zhong Qianyan touched the doorknob, she felt something wasn’t right. She had already thought of more than a dozen possible scenarios that would challenge her perception, but before she could turn the doorknob, the door was opened from the inside.
“Mom?” Wang Dian looked at her with an innocent expression.
Zhong Qianyan glanced at Liang Ye who was sitting on the bed playing with the breathing apparatus, then grabbed Wang Dian out and closed the door tightly.
Wang Dian leaned against the wall with a calm expression, lowering his head to smooth out the wrinkles on his clothes.
Zhong Qianyan was not at all fooled by his composed appearance and said seriously, “When your father and I left, it was to make you feel at ease, not to give you the freedom to do whatever you want without restraint, understand?”
“I have never done anything illegal or improper.” Wang Dian smiled and said, “Mom, you should try to trust me.”
Zhong Qianyan frowned as she looked at him, pinching his face, “If our leaving made you anxious, we can come back. You’ve been playing too wildly these past few months, and we don’t want you to hurt yourself.”
Wang Dian lowered his eyes, “I understand.”
Zhong Qianyan sighed with lingering fear, “I believe you.”
They had spent so much energy and effort on this son and had raised him to be sufficiently excellent. They tried to learn to love him, to communicate with him, to respect his own choices, but they could never truly be close to him.
A child who was overly intelligent with an obsessive personality and naturally cold demeanor.
“I’ve already made an appointment with a new therapist for you. Whether you go or not is your decision,” Zhong Qianyan said. “When your father arrives, we’ll listen to your explanation about Liang Ye.”
Wang Dian casually adjusted his cufflinks, “Mom, if one day I suddenly disappeared, would you blame me?”
Zhong Qianyan was silent for a long time before finally saying, “If this is a choice you’ve made after careful consideration, we would respect your decision. But Wang Dian, as a mother, I can’t calmly face such a thing. I would rather you live a healthy and happy life.”
Wang Dian smiled and reached out to give her a hug, “I understand.”
Zhong Qianyan ruffled his hair, “You little debt collector.”
Wang Huainan pushed open the door, covered in dust from his journey, and immediately saw Liang Ye in a hospital gown. He exclaimed in shock, “Son, when did you grow a long hair? Is your chuunibyou acting up again?”
Liang Ye held a cup of water as he sized up this man who didn’t look particularly old. Although he was reluctant to admit it, this person resembled him and Wang Dian with about sixty to seventy percent similarity. He looked decent, especially with his scholarly and easy-going demeanor that made it difficult for people to dislike him.
But that didn’t stop Liang Ye from disliking him.
“Dad.” Wang Dian came out of the kitchen carrying a cup of water. As Liang Ye turned to take it, Wang Dian’s attention immediately shifted completely to Liang Ye, using a towel to wipe his hands. “It’s warm, with a bit of honey added. It might be a bit sweet, drink it slowly.”
Wang Huainan, who had raised his son for over twenty years, realized for the first time that Wang Dian could be this gentle and considerate. But he was more shocked by Liang Ye’s face, which was identical to his son’s. He exclaimed with distress, “Son, current cloning technology isn’t mature enough yet.”
“……” Wang Dian twitched the corner of his mouth, “Dad, if I could clone a living person this big, textbooks would have to write a full page about me making me world-famous.”
Wang Huainan couldn’t help but give him a thumbs up, “I’m more worried about you being thrown in jail before becoming world-famous.”
Half an hour later.
Zhong Qianyan and Wang Huainan sat on the sofa with solemn expressions, looking at Wang Dian and Liang Ye sitting opposite them like twins, and the ambiguous yet intimate atmosphere floating between them. Their eyes hurt, and so did their heads.
Click.
Zhong Qianyan put the coffee cup on the table, twisting the ring on her finger, “Son, I know you want to prove the rationality of his existence, but isn’t time travel a bit too bizarre? And during the two times you were hospitalized unconscious, your father and I were always by your side. If you really went to ancient times, did only your soul go? But that contradicts the fact that you came back injured.”
“This is indeed difficult to explain.” Wang Dian frowned, then paused and asked, “You and Dad were both there when I was hospitalized and unconscious?”
Zhong Qianyan was taken aback and turned to look at Wang Huainan.
“It’s like this, Classmate Wang,” Wang Huainan cleared his throat and said, “We did promise not to interfere in any of your affairs, but that doesn’t include things that endanger your life safety. Son, please try to understand the hearts of parents. We couldn’t just watch you alone in the hospital, suffering and without care. And to be honest, you don’t need to work so hard. Our family’s money is enough for you to squander for several lifetimes. You could learn from other people your age about how to enjoy life.”
“Or learn from your dad,” Zhong Qianyan said. “He’s been obsessed with buying castles lately.”
“……” Wang Dian twitched the corner of his mouth.
His father’s hobbies were as modest as ever.
Liang Ye was engrossed in playing with the small gadget called a mobile phone in his hands. His fingerprints were identical to Wang Dian’s, making it effortless to unlock various encrypted photos and files. While Wang Dian was explaining the situation to his parents, he had already mastered the basic operations of the phone, looked through the thousands of photos in Wang Dian’s phone, and used the fingerprint to unlock a document named “2.”
The photos inside made him raise his eyebrows as he turned to look at Wang Dian.
“What’s wrong?” Wang Dian asked with concern, “Had enough playing?”
Liang Ye turned off the screen, his Adam’s apple moving slightly as he shook his head in a righteous and obedient manner, appearing completely dependent on Wang Dian.
Although Wang Dian knew he was pretending, it didn’t prevent him from feeling pleased. He looked at Liang Ye with undisguised desire and said, “We’ll go home in a bit.”
The expressions of Zhong Qianyan and Wang Huainan across from them immediately became even more grave.
“Liang Ye, do you want to go home with Wang Dian?” Wang Huainan asked tentatively, looking at Liang Ye as if he were a poor little thing who had fallen into the tiger’s mouth.
“Yes,” Liang Ye said seriously. “I came here to find him, to marry him.”
Wang Huainan never thought that one day he would hear from a living person that they were willing to marry his son. Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he maintained a composed expression and said, “There’s no rush to get married. The two of you can get to know each other for a while first. What do you think, Qianyan?”
Zhong Qianyan looked at the two people sitting close together, “Marriage is a major life event that requires thorough preparation… How about this, you two stay here and recuperate, and your father and I will go back to arrange Xiao Liang’s identity.”
“No need, Mom. I’ve already prepared all his identity documents,” Wang Dian smiled slightly. “It’s not unheard of for people who look exactly alike but have no blood relation. It’s not that complicated.”
Zhong Qianyan and Wang Huainan exchanged glances, both with expressions that seemed to say “as expected.” Wang Huainan pulled Zhong Qianyan up, “Then your mother and I will head back first.”
Wang Dian nodded, “I’ll see you out.”
“No need, you should rest,” Zhong Qianyan held him back, then looked at Liang Ye again. “Xiao Liang, take care of your injuries too.”
Strangely, Liang Ye saw a hint of guilt and regret in her eyes.
He couldn’t help but become curious about what Wang Dian had done to make them so cautious yet indulgent. When they heard he was willing to marry Wang Dian, their attitude changed suddenly, and they no longer pursued his origins or the holes in Wang Dian’s explanation.
Wang Dian had mentioned very little about his past. Even Liang Ye only knew that he was an ordinary businessman from a somewhat wealthy family.
He looked around disdainfully at the surroundings, thinking about those plainly dressed servants and doctors. He affectionately ruffled Wang Dian’s hair, “You have so many names. Which one is your courtesy name, Xiao Dian or Classmate?”
Wang Dian was taken aback. After the hospital room door closed, he said quietly, “People here don’t have courtesy names. My parents just like to call me that.”
“Wang Xiao Dian,” Liang Ye called him while leaning on the sofa.
Wang Dian stared at him with an indiscernible expression, “You’d better not call me that.”
“Hmm?” Liang Ye leaned back on the sofa and waved the phone. The screen showed a half-naked photo. Water droplets falling from the foggy mirror made the lens a bit blurry. The beautiful abdominal V-line was smooth and distinct. “Who is this?”
“Can’t you tell who it is?” Wang Dian calmly began to unbutton his shirt, kneeling with one leg on the sofa, looking down at him, “If you like looking, why not look at the real person carefully?”
“Who drew it?” Liang Ye’s gaze followed the movement of his hands, gladly sticking to the lines in the photo.
“I took it myself,” Wang Dian gripped his chin, his other hand grabbing his long hair, smiling grimly. “Your Majesty, you can continue to greet Wang Xiao Dian now.”
Liang Ye grabbed his waist, pulling him close.
The venetian blinds revealed the dim sunlight outside, the snow on the windowsill was melting slightly, and the flowers in front of the hospital bed were blooming perfectly. In the warm room, only unsteady breathing remained.
Liang Ye’s lips were sensually red as he relaxed on the sofa. His long hair fell to the carpet as he lazily enjoyed Wang Dian’s reciprocation. However, at a certain moment, he suddenly narrowed his eyes and tried to sit up, “Wang Dian?”
Wang Dian pressed a hand against his forehead. Liang Ye, not yet accustomed to the overly soft sofa, was pushed back. The discomfort made him frown, and immediately Wang Dian’s apologetic kiss landed on the corner of his lips, politely apologizing as if he were such a righteous person, “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.”
“You never intended to hold back…” Liang Ye snorted with a laugh, his arms tightly encircling Wang Dian’s waist. His eyebrows knitted, “Premeditated.”
“Mmm, you figured it out,” Wang Dian raised his head and gave him an ambiguous and mischievous smile. “What are you plotting now? Or do you feel sorry for me?”
Liang Ye stared at him, taking a breath, his voice deepening, “Why would Zhen feel sorry… for you?”
“Sympathy,” Wang Dian pulled him up and pressed him against the sofa, affectionately kissing his earlobe, changing his words, “You sympathize with me.”
Liang Ye let out a cold laugh, “What am I sympathizing with you for? Why didn’t you sympathize with me when you died in my arms?”
Wang Dian’s breathing suddenly tightened as he bit down hard on his molars. He was in the wrong about this matter and could only respond with increasingly fierce actions.
Outside, the sky changed from white to black. The hospital room door rang several times but failed to make the occupant open it. Liang Ye was carefully and thoroughly introduced to the use of the mobile phone and the importance of passwords and fingerprints by Wang Dian, who also helped him appreciate hundreds of scattered, excessively intimate photos.
Hot sweat slid down his chin and fell onto the phone screen. Wang Dian laughed softly in his ear, “…I took them just to see if the wound was still there, to know if you were just a figment of my imagination…..too tight, Ziyu.”
The flowers at the bedside were crushed into petals all over the bed. The bed, caught on its wheels, was forced to slide sideways a bit.
Liang Ye half-lay on the bed with a tense jaw, gave Wang Dian a fierce glare. He habitually bit down on his shoulder, immediately tasting blood.
Wang Dian instantly sucked in a cold breath of pain. He pinched a flower petal and rubbed it on the back of Liang Ye’s neck, holding him tightly in his arms, his voice trembling slightly, “I missed you so much, Liang Ye.”
Liang Ye buried his head in the crook of Wang Dian’s neck, kissing his sweat-dampened collarbone, “So Zhen came to find you.”
Wang Dian suddenly smelled the rich scent of begonia from his neck, his gaze instantly focusing.
………..
While bathing, Liang Ye played with the faucet and shower with great interest and showed extreme curiosity toward the clear mirror. Soaking in the bathtub, he kicked at Wang Dian who was showering nearby, hitting him right in the lower back, half disgusted and half aggrieved, “The rooms here are really narrow and low. Zhen can’t even turn around. Wang Dian, Wang Dian, Wang Dian, talk to Zhen.”
“I’m brushing my teeth,” Wang Dian spat out the foam in his mouth, turned around and grabbed his ankle, staring at him with deep eyes, “Don’t provoke me. Look at the sky outside, is this appropriate?”
Liang Ye leaned back in the bathtub, lazily propping up his head, lifting his foot to hook around Wang Dian’s waist, enthusiastically saying, “Let Zhen do it.”
Wang Dian looked at the brightening sky and rationally said, “Excessive indulgence is not good for the body.”
“Zhen’s body is very good,” Liang Ye supported himself on the bathtub as he stood up, licking the foam at the corner of Wang Dian’s mouth, wincing at the spicy taste.
Wang Dian laughed and patted his waist, “You just said your waist hurt.”
“It won’t hurt if you rub it,” Liang Ye pulled him into his arms, complaining, “This bathtub is not even as big as a wooden bucket compared to the imperial bath.”
Wang Dian choked on the toothpaste foam, his bathrobe soaked with warm water and sticking to his body. Before he could express his opinion on Liang Ye’s statement, Liang Ye’s fingers were already in his mouth.
“This thing called toothpaste is very cool and a bit spicy,” Liang Ye tasted it and gave Wang Dian an eager expression. “Can we squeeze some to use?”
Wang Dian looked at him in shock, “No, wait, this is not okay—Liang Ye, damn you!”
A hand with distinct knuckles gripped the porcelain edge, making it hard to tell which color was brighter. The refreshing mint scent gradually spread in the warm water. The warm water entering his nose and mouth brought a momentary suffocation, followed by breathing in cool air the next second. The water vapor around them rose slowly, making their figures gradually blur.
He missed Liang Ye so much, and Liang Ye missed him no less. Overly sincere and honest words were too pale at this moment, so they could only frantically and desperately feel each other’s existence, telling each other that this was not just another beautiful dream, but a reality that could be touched through sweat with their fingertips.
In the rising mist, warm water mixed with the faint scent of mint, spilled all over the floor.
Through the wet mist, Wang Dian met Liang Ye’s red, tearful eyes.
Just like the countless times before when facing mirrors and illusions, he broke through the water’s surface, struggling to rise, tentatively yet desperately leaning forward.
Liang Ye’s lips were soft, moist, and burning hot.
Real.
“Kissed.”
