“!!”
Following Xie Li’s voice, Yu Rui came back to his senses and reached out to push him hard.
Xie Li was neither surprised nor resistant, he took two steps back in response to Yu Rui’s push. Then, he half lowered his head and looked at the young man who was leaning against the wall, panting, and laughed in disbelief.
At this moment, Yu Rui seemed to be forced to hold his breath until he almost choked. After suddenly pulling away he leaned in slightly and his chest rose and fell so much that even his collarbone and neck were covered with a faint blush.
… It was the closest.
The most intimate distance.
He had never allowed anyone to get this close before, every inch was torture, and he choked until he almost lost his breath.
And Xie Li…
Yu Rui looked at him in annoyance. Although he tried to keep the expression from his face, the red, watery eyes and the agitated breathing still exposed the uneasiness in his heart.
The apology dissolved, leaving only discomfort, “Xie Li, don’t overstep.”
Yu Rui’s voice steadied a little.
After the last word, everything that happened simply didn’t seem to affect him much, and his eyes regained their normal apathetic and alienating state.
Yu Rui finally looked at Xie Li coldly and turned to walk up the stairs.
He kept walking, turning beyond the first floor and disappearing from the man’s sight. Yu Rui walked faster and faster, taking two or even three steps at a time, until his breathing, which finally calmed enough, rose and fell again.
Yu Rui suddenly halted.
The sound of footsteps behind him was still distant, and the nonchalance heard in this walk was the same as the man’s usual laziness and indifference.
Yu Rui clenched his fists and, after a few seconds, could not help but raise his hand and press it gently against his carotid artery.
In the extreme silence of the approaching night and the pulse under his fingers, his heartbeat pounded violently in the emptiness that only he can hear.
Boom-boom, boom-boom.
“!!”
Yu Rui’s fingers quickly pulled away as if burned by the temperature of his neck.
Pausing in place for a few more seconds, Yu Rui frowned and pursed his lips before he began to walk again.
… It was an illusion.
At that moment, he should have had no other feelings.
Yu Li waited anxiously all afternoon at home and finally waited for Yu Rui to return.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Lfjglcu atf rbecv bo atf vbbg bqfclcu, Te Ol ifoa atf gbbw jcv gjc bea. Vtf rabqqfv lc ogbca bo Te Eel ja atf vbbg, rtbeafv “Dgbatfg” jcv atfc rabbv bc tfg alqabfr ab ibbx yftlcv tlw.
“Ktfgf kjr jc jmmlvfca atlr joafgcbbc, rb P’w rbggs ab xffq sbe kjlalcu.”
When Yu Rui finished speaking, he noticed Yu Li’s expression. He finally remembered what he had neglected for half an afternoon: the question of how Xie Li could have found him was resolved at this moment.
Yu Rui bowed helplessly and asked, “Xiao Li, was it you who told Xie Li where the interview was?”
Yu Li blushed, and seeing Yu Rui’s disapproval, she lowered her head, “I was afraid that something would happen to you… and Brother Xie Li had said earlier that he would take care of you. He told me if anything happened, to call him.”
Yu Rui was stunned, “He said he would take care of me?”
“Yes!” Yu Rui nodded her head vigorously.
Yu Rui stiffened up, laughing a little.
Since the age of sixteen for as long as he could remember, he was always the only one who took care of others, no one has ever said they would take care of him.
… psycho.
Yu Rui reached out and patted Yu Li’s head, “Didn’t I teach you before that you can’t talk to strangers about family matters?”
Yu Li justified, “Brother Xie Li no longer counts as a stranger.”
Yu Rui sighed, “You will ignore me in the future.”
“No way, I like my brother more!”
“Is that so? As a reward, go back to your room and change, I’ll take you out for dinner.”
“Can we still go out?” Yu Li’s eyes lit up.
“As promised, brother won’t break his promise.”
“Good!”
Looking at Yu Li´s back who couldn’t hide her joy, Yu Rui flashed a faint smile.
There was movement outside the half-open door behind him, followed by a strange sound behind him.
Yu Rui’s smile faded and he looked back.
Xie Li was walking up the stairs stepping on his shadow, that strange sound came when the tennis ball he was playing with under his hand hit the ground.
The yellow ball with a slightly furry texture fell from Xie Li’s careless handling, fell back down, and bounced up again… and again.
As he walked up the steps, the ball was caught by Xie Li, but he did not throw it. He pocketed the ball and squinted lazily.
Yu Rui stopped as their eyes met.
He remembered the ball Xie Li had thrown against the classroom wall when he got angry earlier.
Not wanting to keep Yu Li waiting, Yu Rui asked, “What are you doing with a tennis ball?”
The corner of Xie Li’s mouth twitched while his gaze looked towards the backlit figure of the young man, moving down from his neck and collarbone. His voice was hoarse, “…play.”
“Play with the ball?”
“Yes.”
“Strange hobby.”
Xie Li chuckled under his breath, raising his wolf-mouth dark eyes to look at Yu Rui. Smiling as if it had a deep meaning, “I’ve always been sick, don’t you know?”
Yu Rui frowned.
At the same instant, Yu Li’s bedroom door opened again, and the girl quickly walked out.
Seeing Xie Li’s figure outside the door, Yu Li’s eyes lit up, “Brother Xie Li!”
“Xiao Li, good evening.” Xie Li held back those emotions and lowered his gaze to look at the girl, “It’s been a few days since I’ve seen you. Xiao Li has become more beautiful.”
“Not at all.” Despite saying this, Yu Li happily smiled.
Xie Li shot a glance at Yu Rui, who was standing in front of the door, “Are you getting ready to go out for dinner?”
Yu Rui looked at him, his eyes and tone were clear, “Do you have another suggestion?”
Xie Li lamented, “I still prefer your cooking.”
Yu Rui: “….”
Yu Rui pretended not to hear the ambiguity of these words. He turned around and took Yu Li’s hand, “Let’s go, Xiao Li.”
“Brother Xie Li is coming with us?”
“Yes.”
“That’s great!”
“….”
Yu Rui looked down helplessly.
A certain person sensed his complicated mood and muffled a laugh beside him.
Yu Rui ignored him.
Two blocks away from Yu Rui’s house, there was a small family restaurant that had been open for several years. The restaurant was quiet and affordable, the tables and chairs were always clean and tidy, and the dishes served were simple but were made with great care on the owner’s part.
Occasionally, when Yu Rui had time, he would bring Yu Li in as a “reward”.
As time went by, and as the two siblings became regulars, the owner of the restaurant got to know them well.
As soon as he entered, the owner greeted Yu Rui: “Xiao Yu, have you brought your sister for dinner? It’s been a while since you’ve been here.”
“I have been very busy with the new semester.” Yu Rui slightly smiled.
“I can see that, coming in so late.” The store owner came out with a smile and took a clean cloth to wipe the adjoining table, “Sit down quick-”
The words stopped and the store owner unexpectedly looked at the handsome boy who came in behind the curtain.
Yu Rui explained, “My friend came with me tonight.”
“Oh, what do you want to have today then?”
Yu Rui smiled, “What do you have?”.
“Is there any taboo for your friend?”
Yu Rui looked at Xie Li again.
Xie Li paused and shook his head, “No.”
“Good, then sit for a while and wait.”
“No hurry, take your time.”
The owner’s hands were quick and keen, and the three of them didn’t have to wait long before they were brought three steaming bowls of wonton noodles with a few side dishes.
The chopsticks were in a corner of the store, so Yu Rui went to wash his hands and took some chopsticks before returning to the table.
When he came back, he heard the store owner talking nonstop with Xie Li about the recipe and techniques of this wonton noodle dish and the other dishes.
Yu Rui was used to seeing Xie Li’s indifferent attitude toward people at school, but at this moment, he listened attentively and occasionally asked and answered questions: he was giving him face.
Yu Rui’s heart fluttered slightly, but he showed no emotion. He returned to the table and handed the chopsticks over.
The owner’s words were about to stop, and when he saw Yu Rui return, he smiled, “Xiao Yu, this friend of yours is a nice person, and he is also very knowledgeable. You need to socialize more with him and bring him over more often in the future.”
Yu Rui looked at Xie Li and nodded, with a very faint smile, “Okay.”
The owner hadn’t finished yet, “Strange to say, this is the first time I’ve seen Little Yu bring a friend, what is the relationship between the two of you?”
“….”
Xie Li stopped his chopsticks and raised his eyes, looking at Yu Rui with a smirk.
Yeah, what is your relationship? 🤭
Thanks for the chapters! <3
I love this so much. I swear one day Yu Rui’s just going to turn around, grab Xie Li by the collar and snog him one.
haha, right?
He is slowly falling for him! His heart starts to flutter omfg. It’s going to happen soon I can feel it 🥹
WHAT RELATIONSHIP U HAVE?!!! 😏🤭
Thanks for the chapter ❤️❤️
hah! when am i going to see them in bed! >”<
thank you for your great translation! 🙂 btw
🤭🤭
Xie Li is going to be mistaken for a good kid if he doesn’t answer with something completely inappropriate right now.