MNL Chapter 118

Chapter 118: The Boy, A Midsummer Night’s Letter

Xu Jing’s hospitalization this time was almost unknown to anyone around him. Only Zhou Jinchen harassed him at the hospital every two to three days, always choosing times when it was late and quiet. After a few rounds, Shen Yan finally couldn’t bear it anymore and kicked him back to America.

Under Shen Yan’s care where he was fed with food and clothed, eating sea cucumber, bird’s nest, and nutritious soup every meal, and even having someone support him when he went to the toilet, Xu Jing was successfully discharged from the hospital a week later with a rosy complexion.

On the day of his discharge, Xu Jing passed by the weight scale in the lobby downstairs. After stepping on it, he found that he had gained eight pounds in a short period of time.

After being stunned for a few seconds, Xu Jing weighed himself again in disbelief, only to find that it was exactly eight and a half pounds.

“…?”

Was this person raising a pig? What exactly did he put in his food?!

As a result, when the person who came back with the medicine saw it, he was still not satisfied, frowning and saying, “Why did you only gain this much?”

“…” Xu Jing was almost amused by his anger, and said, “What else do you want? At this rate, I’ll be ready for slaughter in half a year.”

“It’s good to be chubby.” Shen Yan hooked Xu Jing’s neck and lowered his voice meaningfully, “It must feel great to the touch.”

“Get lost!”

Of course, Shen Yan wouldn’t listen. He had already been thinking about it in his heart. After getting in the car, he stepped on the accelerator all the way, turning the SUV into the feeling of a sports car. The twenty-minute drive only took them less than ten minutes to get home.

Xu Jing vaguely had a bad feeling. Sure enough, one second he was taking out the key to open the door, and the next second he was pressed against the wall in the living room.

“So anxious, like a monkey…”

Shen Yan grabbed Xu Jing’s hand and said in a hoarse voice, “What do you think?”

He could clearly feel the frequency of its throbbing veins through the fabric. Xu Jing’s body trembled reflexively, and even his voice was unsteady, “Go to the bedroom.”

“So scared?” Shen Yan chuckled lightly, leaning down and deliberately rubbing against Xu Jing’s ear, asking, “Am I that powerful?”

Not hearing a reply, Shen Yan pushed forward again.

“Say it, am I that powerful?”

Xu Jing was a little exasperated, and said, “Are you going to do it or not? If you don’t—”

The word “get lost” didn’t have time to be uttered before his tone suddenly changed. Xu Jing was lifted up with his legs separated, and the bedroom door was kicked open.

The long separation made this time not easy. The foreplay alone caused Xu Jing to collapse several times.

However, when Shen Yan did this kind of thing, he was completely different from his current calm and steady image. He was strong and domineering, no matter how the other party begged and cried, he still conquered his own city like a mountain. At the same time, he was also very gentle and patient, switching between sweet love words and vulgar, unbearable flirting, like a fox constantly luring the other party to fall under him. This reminded Xu Jing of the past.

But at this moment, someone had no energy to reminisce, because the impact was too violent.

He was like a mad beast.

“…You…aren’t you afraid that my wound will open?” Xu Jing’s voice was fragmented.

Shen Yan leaned down and bit his earlobe, his movements still not stopping, and chuckled, “Don’t be afraid, if it opens, your husband will take you to the hospital to stitch it up a few times.”

“…”

In the heavy offensive, Shen Yan’s body had been scratched with several deep marks by Xu Jing, but the former laughed softly after seeing it, grabbed that trembling hand and put it on the wet towel, forcing the question word by word, “Who did this? Hmm?”

Xu Jing covered his face while trying to block Shen Yan’s mouth. His watery eyes were misty, making him look even more pitiful, “I don’t know…”

“Don’t know?” Shen Yan repeated in a mischievous tone, finding the right place with ease.

The towel became wetter.

Xu Jing’s curses were intermittent, and just as his consciousness was dissipating, he was switched positions, followed by an irresistible command in his ear.

He had completely lost the ability to resist, and was almost nailed on top, only able to sway with the extremely terrifying frequency of pumping, finally emptying out completely.

The setting sun slowly sank, and the entire bedroom was dyed a warm orange-yellow. The heavy breathing in the room gradually calmed down into two low breaths.

Shen Yan took the person who had collapsed on him down, and gently kissed the soft black hair that was wet with sweat. After a long time, Xu Jing regained some consciousness and opened his eyes.

He didn’t say anything, just stared at Shen Yan without blinking, from his facial features to his contours, as if he wanted to deeply engrave this face in his heart.

“What’s wrong?” Shen Yan asked softly.

Xu Jing raised his hand to wipe the sweat from Shen Yan’s cheek, and said, “Come home with me next week.”

Their eyes met quietly. Because they were too close, Xu Jing could clearly see Shen Yan’s eyes flicker slightly after hearing these words.

After a while, he heard a firm answer, “Okay.”

·

After quitting his job as a modeler, Xu Jing began to set up his own design studio. Although Shen Yan didn’t ask about it, Xu Jing knew that this person had already taken care of everything for him in private, and even arranged all the intellectual property protection measures for him.

Many times, Xu Jing felt that Shen Yan’s brain was like a top-level processor. Whether it was in life or at work, he could always think of everything comprehensively. He wouldn’t miss anything that ordinary people couldn’t think of or easily overlooked. He was so careful that Xu Jing sincerely felt that as long as this person was by his side, even if he encountered a big trouble, it could be solved easily.

In other words, as long as Shen Yan was there, he could feel at ease.

The two of them went home together that Saturday. Unlike before, this time it was a proper meeting with the parents.

From waking up, eating lunch, to getting in the car, Xu Jing didn’t notice anything unusual, until he saw the person next to him step on the accelerator as if it were the brake, running two red lights in a row, almost attracting the traffic police.

“…”

Xu Jing turned his head in confusion, “What’s wrong?”

Shen Yan’s driving skills were exaggerated to the point that he wouldn’t make mistakes even with his eyes closed. Something was wrong. Xu Jing carefully looked at the person in front of him, and seeing that his handsome and deep profile was a little tense, he asked, “Are you nervous?”

Shen Yan was silent for two seconds, and said truthfully, “A little.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Jing laughed out loud and said, “It’s not like you haven’t met them before, it’s just having dinner together.”

Shen Yan looked at Xu Jing, his tone a little helpless, “You’re pretty happy about it.”

“Not really, but.” Xu Jing patted Shen Yan on the shoulder and said earnestly, “If you don’t look at the traffic lights again, or mix up the accelerator and the brake, we’ll have to go to the hospital for dinner later.”

Shen Yan: “…”

After arriving home safely, the two got out of the car. Xu Jing was about to go in, but turned around and saw that Shen Yan hadn’t followed, but instead went around to the trunk.

He went back, not understanding why, only to find that the large trunk of the Cayenne was filled with all kinds of gifts. At first glance, it looked like he had moved a supermarket back.

“You, when did you buy these?”

Xu Jing was obviously shocked. How did he not know about this at all?

Shen Yan said, “Last time we met.”

When taking the things, Xu Jing also paid attention to observing, and found that these gifts were not only expensive, but more importantly, they were all carefully selected. There wasn’t a single thing that was good-looking but useless.

For example, Xu Huaiyang almost never smoked or drank, so the gifts he bought only included high-quality tea. Like that Mastercraft fishing rod, Xu Huaiyang had called a few days ago to complain that he didn’t even have time to fish because he was taking care of the child. At that time, the phone was on speaker. In addition to those nourishing and blood-enriching precious medicinal materials for Qin Xin, there was also a limited-edition pearl necklace endorsed by Jiang Pei, which was very popular recently. In fact, Qin Xin really didn’t like gold and silver jewelry, but only loved pearls. These small details that wouldn’t be noticed if you didn’t observe carefully were remembered clearly by Shen Yan without realizing it.

Xu Jing picked up the small gift box on top and asked, “What is this?”

Shen Yan said, “A safety amulet for your sister.”

Xu Jing: “…”

Very good, even the two-year-old Xu Cheng was taken care of.

“Old Xu, is braised pork made like this? Did I put sugar in just now? No, I think I added salt just now, I’m done for, I’m done for, I’m done for.” Qin Xin’s collapsed voice came from the kitchen.

Then, an even more collapsed voice sounded, “Wife…you just poured in vinegar.”

“Really? I don’t remember taking the vinegar.”

“…”

Finally, after Xu Huaiyang tried to persuade her, Qin Xin pouted and reluctantly walked out of the kitchen.

Xu Jing shouted, “Mom.”

Shen Yan said, “Hello, Auntie.”

“You’re here.” The smile on Qin Xin’s face appeared and disappeared, “I originally wanted to cook a delicious meal for you tonight, but your dad insisted on not letting me. Is my cooking really that bad?”

Xu Jing was silent, just looking around.

Although he had the most say in this question, he didn’t want to answer.

Shen Yan smiled slightly and replied, “No, it’s very delicious.”

Qin Xin blinked, “Really?”

“Yes.” Shen Yan also gave a specific example to increase the truthfulness of his words, “Especially your scrambled eggs with tomatoes.”

Xu Jing: “………………”

Xu Huaiyang, who heard everything in the kitchen: “…”

At this time, Xu Cheng just woke up and babbled, wanting Xu Jing to carry her. Xu Jing made milk powder and fed her while watching Qin Xin being flattered by Shen Yan’s sincere tone and impeccable rhetoric.

Qin Xin touched her face and sighed, “Xiao Yan, do you think I look a lot older?”

Shen Yan didn’t answer the question directly, but said, “I went on a business trip a while ago and passed by Linhe University. I saw a girl and thought it was you.”

Qin Xin was stunned and smiled, “University? No way, how can I compare with those young girls now?”

Shen Yan said, “Although you look just as young and beautiful, she definitely can’t make such delicious scrambled eggs with tomatoes.”

Xu Jing: “…………………………..”

Did this person not know that he had food poisoning from eating scrambled eggs with tomatoes cooked by Qin Xin, and had to get IV drips in the hospital for three days and three nights?

Fortunately, it wasn’t thundering today, otherwise he wouldn’t let Shen Yan out.

This time, Qin Xin was completely flattered and laughed heartily.

After that, Xu Jing was forcibly left in the living room by Qin Xin to eat melon seeds and watch the latest modern urban dog-blood drama, while Xu Cheng sat obediently on the plush carpet in front of the sofa playing with the toys Shen Yan bought.

In the kitchen, the corn rib soup stewed in the casserole was bubbling, Xu Huaiyang skillfully flipped the wok, and the golden egg liquid flew in the pot. Shen Yan was cutting vegetables and seasoning as an assistant. The two big men wearing aprons prepared dinner while talking about the recent changes in the market shares.

It got dark. Xu Huaiyang came out with the last dish of braised pork trotters and greeted, “Dinner’s ready.”

Xu Jing got up quickly as if grabbing a life-saving straw. He didn’t know why Qin Xin could watch it so attentively. Anyway, if he continued watching, he would get a stye tomorrow.

Seeing that Shen Yan hadn’t come out for a long time, Xu Jing went into the kitchen again and found that he was staring out the window in a daze. Following his gaze, he saw a few households living nearby, with bright lights and their busy figures reflected on the windows, probably also preparing dinner, looking happy and harmonious.

“What’s wrong?” Xu Jing asked softly.

Shen Yan came back to his senses, turned his head and smiled, “Nothing, I just think this feeling is quite magical.”

“What feeling?”

“Home.”

After a moment of silence, Shen Yan raised his hand to touch Xu Jing’s face, and his gentle gaze fell on his face, “Although it’s a little inappropriate, I still want to say thank you to you.”

Xu Jing smiled, “Okay.”

The atmosphere at the dinner table was very pleasant. As they chatted, they recalled the previous trip to Sanya. Xu Huaiyang and Qin Xin flipped through the previous photos and sighed that time passed so quickly.

Xu Jing was also a little emotional. At that time, he had secretly vowed in his heart that one day he would bring Shen Yan home openly. After many years, he finally did it.

Although he knew that Qin Xin and Xu Huaiyang still couldn’t fully accept this matter in their hearts, there were still many days to come. Xu Jing thought that the road ahead would always be smoother and life would always be more fulfilling.

After dinner, in order to avoid being dragged by Qin Xin to watch dog-blood dramas, Xu Huaiyang suggested playing mahjong for a while. After so many years, Xu Jing was still the non-chief physique that lost every time he gambled. After playing for more than three hours, the other three won in the end, and only he lost a very auspicious number: 999.

It was not until 10:30 in the evening that the couple sent the two to the door.

Xu Huaiyang said, “Drive carefully on the road and send a message when you get home.”

Qin Xin also urged, “Xiao Yan drank some wine today, remember to make him a cup of honey water before going to bed, so he won’t have a headache when he wakes up the next day.”

Xu Jing replied, “Okay.”

That bottle of Maotai was old and had a high alcohol content. Although Shen Yan didn’t drink much, he was still a little dizzy from the alcohol. He fell asleep leaning on the seat not long after getting in the car, vaguely remembering that Xu Jing got out of the car once in the middle to buy something.

When he woke up, the car was already parked on the side of the road, and the sky seemed to be darker. Shen Yan rubbed his temples, his voice a little hoarse, “How long have I been asleep?”

“An hour.” Xu Jing opened a bottle of water and handed it to Shen Yan.

Shen Yan’s eyelids were heavy. He didn’t take it, but leaned forward and rested his head on Xu Jing’s shoulder, whispering, “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

Xu Jing rubbed Shen Yan’s cheek and smiled, “Pretty good at being spoiled, boyfriend.”

Was he being spoiled? Shen Yan thought about it and couldn’t help but laugh. If so, then he, a twenty-five-year-old man, was really being a bit pretentious.

“But it’s very good.” Xu Jing said, “I like it very much.”

The atmosphere rose, and the two kissed in the car for a while. Shen Yan’s brain gradually became clear, and just as he was about to get more handsy, he saw the sign outside the car window. A few surprises flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly ended the kiss.

Xu Jing was stunned for a few seconds and also reacted.

He almost forgot about this important thing.

Shen Yan’s eyes followed Xu Jing as he got out of the car and went to the back seat, only to see a bag placed there. The bag contained two jars of honey, and next to the bag was a large bouquet of flowers.

Xu Jing picked up the flowers and looked up at him with a smile, “Let’s go.”

To get to the cemetery, you had to pass through a dimly lit pine and cypress path. Shen Yan held Xu Jing’s hand while turning on the lights and said, “When did you know?”

“I knew it in high school.” Xu Jing said, “I also know that you used to come every month on the night of the 20th.”

Who told them to live next door at that time? How could the slightest disturbance in 602 escape the extra attention of 601.

The two came to Zhong Yiqiu’s tombstone, their fingers intertwined.

At this moment, Xu Jing clearly felt his heart beating faster. So this was the feeling of meeting the parents. He suddenly understood why Shen Yan had run two red lights today.

Xu Jing solemnly placed the flowers in his hand in front of the tomb. The petals of the white roses were as white as snow, trembling gently in the breeze, brushing over the somewhat blurred name on the stone tablet.

“Auntie, my name is Xu Jing, and I’m Shen Yan’s boyfriend. I’m here to see you.”

Xu Jing thought about it and felt that he should say something more, but he couldn’t think of anything else no matter how hard he racked his brains.

His troubled look made Shen Yan, who was standing next to him, twitch his lips.

After a while, Shen Yan squatted down in front of the tombstone, his fingers gently stroking the name on it. From Xu Jing’s perspective, he could see the tightly pursed lips moving slightly, as if he wanted to say something.

But in the end, no one waited for the follow-up. He only saw Shen Yan stand up and say, “Let’s go.”

Xu Jing asked, “Aren’t you going to say something?”

Shen Yan shook his head.

He had already said these things countless times over the years. If he continued to say them, Zhong Yiqiu would also be annoyed.

Besides, weren’t his wishes already fulfilled now?

He had no regrets.

The night was as dark as ink, and the soft moonlight sprinkled on the path. The footsteps of the two echoed in the silent cemetery.

Another breeze blew, and the cemetery rustled, like the deceased whispering:

Even if I sleep here forever, I will always care for you.

·

The dim street lights cast a soft and warm halo on the two people walking side by side. The intertwined shadows on the street were stretched little by little and shortened little by little, sometimes overlapping and sometimes separating.

Shen Yan suddenly called out, “Deskmate.”

Xu Jing turned his head and replied, “Yes, I’m here.”

“Don’t you still owe me something?”

“What?”

Shen Yan said in a gentle tone, “Where’s my love letter?”

“…”

Why was he still thinking about this after so long?

Xu Jing touched his nose and said, “I don’t have a love letter, but as compensation, I’m willing to give you my whole being, body and soul, for the rest of my life. Do you want it?”

Shen Yan narrowed his eyes and said, taking an inch, “What about the next life?”

“I’ll give it to you in the next life too.”

“What about the life after that?”

“I’ll give it to you too.”

“What about the life after that?”

“I’ll give you everything!”

Shen Yan smiled contentedly, leaned down and left a kiss on the corner of Xu Jing’s mouth, “You said it, you have to do what you say.”

Xu Jing raised his head, two pairs of eyes filled only with each other met, and he said word by word, “Unswerving.”

In the end, that letter became a private secret, like the piece of paper hidden in the lucky bag at Qiyuan Mountain that year, and the person who wrote it was forever buried in the bottom of his heart.

The streetlights drew light tracks on the street through the gaps in the leaves, like a flowing Milky Way, illuminating the way home.

Xu Jing held the person next to him like this, and walked towards the depths of the night. They walked slower and slower, farther and farther, until they disappeared at the end of the street corner.

In these shallow and deep years, some people left, some people stayed, only love, turned into green mountains, turned into grass and trees, just like the begonia in that midsummer night, growing endlessly, growing wildly, just like the young them, forever passionate, forever with a beating heart.

—End of the main text—