Difficult To Raise Chapter 23

Chapter 23 Drunk. Jiang Ran wanted to properly…

Jiang Ran wanted to talk things out properly with Jiang Jin, but when Jiang Jin actually gave him the chance, he didn’t know where to start. He could only stammer, “About what happened back then, I’m sorry. I was…”

“What about back then? Do you want to say you had difficulties, or that you were forced?” Jiang Ran had barely started when Jiang Jin impatiently cut him off. “If you stopped me just to say that, then let me tell you, I don’t care for your apology.”

He stared coldly at Jiang Ran. “There was never any misunderstanding between us. I told you back then that no matter how hard things got, I was willing to face it with you. You were the one who didn’t want me.”

“You were the one who let go of my hand first, so decisively, without leaving any room for sentiment. I cried and begged you, did you even look at me? Why are you looking for me now? Do you expect a few soft words to make everything go back to how it was?”

An unspeakable silence enveloped the two of them. A dense, needle-like pain spread through Jiang Ran’s heart. He felt terrible. Jiang Jin had never spoken to him like this before. He forced a bitter smile. “…I just wanted to ask you, have you been well all these years?”

“Well? Why wouldn’t I be? My dad is a famous entrepreneur, didn’t you know? In any case, it’s much better than following a pauper like you. The clothes I wear and the things I use now are things you couldn’t afford in this lifetime.”

At this, Jiang Jin suddenly straightened up. He was now much taller than Jiang Ran and had to look down slightly to see him, which made Jiang Ran feel unaccustomed and subconsciously frown.

He looked at the familiar face before him, his emotions exceptionally complicated. After a moment, he spoke with a hint of mockery, “Are you satisfied with that answer?”

“Little Jin, don’t be like this.” Jiang Ran lowered his eyes. He didn’t know how to communicate with the current Jiang Jin. He was like someone covered in thorns; no matter what Jiang Ran said or did, it was wrong.

“Like what?” Jiang Jin sneered. “If you don’t want to hear it, then don’t stop me. Do you think I’m still that idiot from before? Someone you can summon and dismiss at will?”

“No, you’re not.” Hearing him say that, Jiang Ran finally felt a surge of anger. “You weren’t an idiot before, you were clearly…”

Clearly very likable.

“Ha?” Jiang Jin observed him for a while, then suddenly laughed as if he had discovered something novel. “So you liked the idiot from before. Too bad…”

He leaned down and whispered cruelly into Jiang Ran’s ear, “You threw him away with your own hands. He’s never coming back.”

“Don’t come looking for me again. Seeing you is annoying.”

He turned to walk away, but his stomach suddenly churned. A wave of nausea rushed up, and he quickly found a nearby trash can, leaning against a tree trunk to vomit.

Jiang Jin hadn’t eaten anything tonight, just drinking heavily to drown his sorrows. His stomach was empty now, and after retching for a long time, he could only bring up some sour bile.

He felt terribly uncomfortable, leaning on the tree and panting heavily.

Jiang Ran quickly stepped forward and patted his back, then took water from his bag for him to rinse his mouth. He asked worriedly, “Are you okay? Why did you drink so much?”

Jiang Jin tried to push him away, but his body was weak and lacked strength. He couldn’t push him off and instead stumbled, nearly falling to the ground.

Jiang Ran quickly supported him, lifting his arm and draping it over his shoulder, holding him up.

But Jiang Jin was too tall and much heavier now; he was no longer the thin teenager from before. Jiang Ran’s body swayed, and he almost lost his footing.

“Do you have somewhere to stay? Or should I take you back to school?” Jiang Ran asked, tilting his head.

Jiang Jin lifted his eyelids and glanced at him. The sharpness and disgust in his eyes had almost vanished, leaving only confusion. He probably didn’t even recognize who Jiang Ran was.

Jiang Ran sighed, reaching into Jiang Jin’s pocket to find his phone. When he pulled it out, he saw it was dead.

He felt a headache coming on, so he simply found a hotel nearby and booked a room. By the time he helped Jiang Jin onto the hotel bed, he was exhausted and collapsed there, resting for a good while.

Jiang Jin lay beside him, eyes closed quietly, but his brows were tightly furrowed, clearly indicating discomfort. Jiang Ran watched him for a while. Only now could he finally calm down and examine the other person.

Four years apart, Jiang Jin had changed a lot. His facial features were more defined, the boyish immaturity hidden beneath his brow, starting to show a hint of adulthood. His personality and voice were also different from before.

Now that he was drunk, his hair was slightly messy, his cheeks were flushed, and his lips had more color. He carried a completely different demeanor than when he was sober—both charming and sensual.

However, in Jiang Ran’s eyes, only compliance remained. He reached out and stroked Jiang Jin’s hair, planning to get up and use a towel to wipe his face.

But the moment he moved, a hand reached over from the side and forcefully pulled him into an embrace.

“Don’t go,” Jiang Jin mumbled unconsciously. “Don’t leave me.”

Jiang Ran froze for a moment and gently tried to push him away. “I’m not leaving, I’m just going to wipe your face. You’ll feel uncomfortable like this.”

Jiang Jin tightened his grip, burying his face in Jiang Ran’s neck, whimpering like a small animal, and commanding possessively, “No. Stay right here.”

“You’re not going anywhere. You have to stay by my side.”

“Alright, alright.”

Jiang Ran felt helpless. There was no reasoning with a drunk person, so he let him be.

After a while, seeing that Jiang Jin was completely unresponsive, he carefully got up to take off his clothes. But when he started unbuttoning the shirt, Jiang Jin suddenly reached out and clamped down on his hand with a strong grip, making Jiang Ran hiss in pain.

Jiang Jin’s eyes slightly opened, staring at him blankly.

Jiang Ran quickly said, “Little Jin, let go of me.”

Jiang Jin held his hand, still not moving. His eyes, dark and deep like an unmixed ink, held a hint of intoxication and clearly reflected Jiang Ran’s figure, as if trying to suck him in completely.

“You’re hurting my hand.” Jiang Ran knew he wasn’t rational right now, so he softened his tone, coaxing him, “Can you let go first, okay?”

Jiang Jin lowered his eyelids, his gaze falling on Jiang Ran’s reddened eye corners. He frowned, watching him without saying yes or no.

Jiang Ran sighed, rubbing his head with his free hand, and whispered, “Look closely, I’m Ge.”

This finally elicited a reaction from Jiang Jin. He leaned closer, just a few centimeters from Jiang Ran’s face. His confused eyes showed a hint of grievance. He whispered, “Don’t want Ge.”

Jiang Ran’s heart ached, and he nearly shed tears. The hand resting on Jiang Jin’s head paused, then slowly withdrew.

“I hate you,” Jiang Jin murmured, pressing his face against Jiang Ran’s. “Why did you only now…” His voice trailed off mid-sentence. As if smelling a familiar scent, he drowsily rested his head on Jiang Ran’s shoulder, half-closing his eyes like a cat pretending to sleep.

They used to share such intimate poses often, but four years later, doing it again felt distinctly different. Jiang Ran wanted to pull back, but Jiang Jin held him firmly, making it impossible to break free.

After a long stalemate, Jiang Ran felt the grip on his wrist loosen, and the sense of confinement suddenly disappeared. Jiang Jin had finally mercifully let him go.

He rubbed his reddened wrist, just about to breathe a sigh of relief, when he was suddenly grabbed by the waist and pressed onto the bed.

Jiang Jin lowered his head slightly, looking down at him. His dark, deep eyes were extremely aggressive. After staring for a few seconds, he suddenly reached out and rubbed Jiang Ran’s eye corner, making the redness there even more pronounced.

“Didn’t you promise you only liked me…” he whispered. “You… liar.”

Jiang Ran was stunned. The warmth from Jiang Jin’s fingertip lingered on his eye corner, making his eyelashes tremble with a slight tickle.

Perhaps due to the alcohol, Jiang Jin’s gaze was much softer, no longer so sharp. Because of this, the hint of grievance in his eyes was especially noticeable.

Being looked at with such eyes melted half of Jiang Ran’s heart. He playfully tapped Jiang Jin’s nose, just like when he was little, and said, “I didn’t lie to you.”

Jiang Jin lowered his head slightly and asked, “Really?”

Jiang Ran didn’t hesitate. “Of course. Little Jin, how could Ge not like you?”

Having received the answer he wanted, Jiang Jin finally seemed satisfied. His tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and a slight smile touched his lips. He leaned down, his face getting closer and closer. His breath fanned over Jiang Ran, who instinctively turned his head, feeling uncomfortable, just about to say something.

Suddenly, the person above him went completely limp, his head burying itself back into Jiang Ran’s shoulder. In the movement, hot lips brushed against the skin of his neck, causing a dense, tingling sensation.

Jiang Ran tried to push him, but couldn’t. He looked sideways and saw Jiang Jin’s eyes tightly shut. He was completely asleep.

Jiang Jin’s full weight pressed down on him, making it hard to breathe. Jiang Ran gave a wry smile and gently called out, “Little Jin.”

No response.

After waiting a moment longer, Jiang Ran carefully managed to shift the person off him. Jiang Jin didn’t stir at all during the entire process. It seemed he was truly fast asleep this time.

Jiang Ran exhaled, helped Jiang Jin take off his jacket and shoes, then went to the Bathroom to wet a towel, gently wiping his face.

He had done these things many times before, so he was skilled at it now.

By the time he had thoroughly taken care of Jiang Jin, it was very late.

Jiang Ran sat beside him for a while, then suddenly remembered that Jiang Jin’s phone was dead. Fearing it might cause problems, he found Jiang Jin’s phone and plugged it in to charge.

He looked at the charging phone, and on an impulse, he used Jiang Jin’s hand to unlock it and, feeling a little guilty, saved his own phone number.

After finishing all this, Jiang Ran was so tired he didn’t want to move a single finger. He simply went into the Bathroom to wash up and then lay down on the bed.

No sooner had he lain down than Jiang Jin, who had been sound asleep beside him, stretched out a long arm and pulled him into an embrace.

Jiang Jin smelled of alcohol, which wasn’t pleasant. Jiang Ran struggled a bit, but found that the more he struggled, the tighter the other person held him. He had no choice but to give up in frustration.