TRMLCM Chapter 87

Chapter 87: Worries

Damp wind rushed in through the wide-open doorway, causing the white linen cloths hanging on either side to stir slightly. The blazing candlelight flickered erratically for a moment, then abruptly flared up again.

The biting wind was bone-chilling, making one shiver. This second half of the night was truly cold.

At some point, the small speaker hanging outside the door went silent, and the whole world became quiet. Only the sound of raindrops hitting the makeshift shed above—”bang, bang”—carried into the room. The white noise rang in the ears in a chaotic yet rhythmic manner, bringing a sense of peace.

“Grandma, Grandpa, please rest assured and leave Chang’an to me. I truly love him. No matter what the future holds, I will steadfastly abide by my original promise.”

In the silent night, a gentle, magnetic voice rang out, steady and strong.

Shen Chang’an’s pupils suddenly contracted, his eyes as bright as transparent glass beads, clear and limpid.

His eyes were still red-rimmed, but he quietly gazed at Cheng Yi’s handsome profile and continued to listen calmly. The delicate, small image was reflected nakedly and softly in those bright pupils.

A warmth came over him, and his fingers were suddenly taken in someone else’s. Shen Chang’an didn’t look down; he only met those dark, sincere eyes.

Cheng Yi turned his head to look at him, his deep, dark eyes filled with genuine affection and a sprinkling of smiles. The light from the incandescent bulb poured into his eyes, and the halo that appeared in his black pupils was very bright.

Shen Chang’an pursed his red lips, the corners of his mouth slightly curving upward, though the arc was small and not very obvious.

Fingers interlocked, they looked at each other in silence, warmth and smiles infecting them both.

Cheng Yi blinked lightly, looking at the quiet person in front of him. All the emotions in his heart quietly dissipated, and he suddenly felt all his worries disappear, his whole body becoming lighter.

His fingertips suddenly moved, and he squeezed the somewhat cold hand, carefully protecting it in his palm, his heart firm and sure.

He thought faintly that the road he paved for Shen Chang’an must be smooth and free of worries.

…

The room was a bit quiet. Cheng Yi sat in Shen Chang’an’s recent spot, holding the rough yellow paper money and slowly burning it in the brazier.

A black coat was suddenly draped over his shoulders.

The movement caused Cheng Yi to turn his head. As he raised his eyelids, he saw Shen Chang’an’s delicate face.

“Wear it.”

Shen Chang’an took a small stool and sat down beside him. Seeing the other person turn to look at him, he couldn’t help but raise his chin, gesturing to the other.

The expensive white suit did look good under the light, but it was fine to wear it at a heated banquet. Now, in this remote mountain village in the early morning rain, a gust of cold wind would make one shiver uncontrollably.

Cheng Yi was indeed very cold, and he quickly put on the clothes with nimble hands. When his body temperature was locked in and gradually returned to normal, he comfortably sighed.

“Meow~”

A soft voice rang out, and Little Clip Berber half-closed his eyes, walking over gracefully. After circling his owner two and a half times, he looked at the person to the side.

His long tail swept back and forth. He crouched down and poked his head forward, and after recognizing who the person was, the wariness in his eyes disappeared, and his eyes widened with a sense of surprise.

“Meow, meow~”

(Oh? You’re back!)

A paw tentatively stopped in the air and stretched forward, but slowly retracted. He was a little afraid of the fire and hesitated at Shen Chang’an’s feet, not daring to walk toward Cheng Yi.

Cheng Yi looked down at him, reached out and rubbed his furry little head, his thin lips curving slightly, filled with a smile.

“Berber, how did you get down here?” he asked softly to himself.

Shen Chang’an quietly looked at his gentle eyebrows and eyes, and after a few seconds, he shifted his gaze. He lowered his head to look at Berber, who was trying hard to widen his eyes, and pursed his lips, explaining apologetically, “I must have woken him up when I went upstairs to get clothes. Seeing me go downstairs, he thought it was dawn, so he followed me down in a daze.”

Berber couldn’t understand what the two of them were babbling about. His slender tail gently pressed against his body, and he sat elegantly at Shen Chang’an’s feet, looking up at Cheng Yi with bright eyes.

“Meow~”

(Long time no see!)

“Meow meow~”

(How long are you staying this time?)

“Meow, meow~”

(Feeder, let me tell you, these days you’ve been gone, Shovel Shit Officer hasn’t been sleeping with me properly. You should take care of him!)

“He doesn’t look like he was woken up. He looks a little… excited?” Cheng Yi heard the non-stop meowing, a look of surprise appearing on his handsome face, and he said uncertainly.

Shen Chang’an looked at Berber, whose tail was wagging and becoming a little excited, and a trace of surprise appeared on his calm expression.

Recently, he hadn’t had the energy to pay attention to Berber, and had only been feeding him on time every day according to the alarm clock. Although he didn’t take much care of him, he knew that Berber had been very well-behaved recently. It was said that animals understood human nature, and these days, Berber seemed to be following his mood and had become depressed.

Shen Chang’an’s eyes widened slightly, and his heart softened. He suddenly realized that he was also accompanying him in his own way.

…Perhaps it was the pet owner’s sentimentality, an overinterpretation, but in any case, this silent companionship made his heart tremble and softened unbearably.

Shen Chang’an lifted his eyelids and looked with clear, bright eyes at Cheng Yi, who was throwing paper money into the brazier. He suddenly opened his mouth, “I feel so lucky.”

“Hmm?” Cheng Yi was taken aback. He quickly threw the last few pieces of paper money in his hand, then turned his head slightly to look at him. Seeing Shen Chang’an’s serious expression, the corner of his mouth slightly curved, and he couldn’t help but smile. He raised his eyebrows and said teasingly, “An’an, only those whose desires are easily satisfied can feel the favor of the goddess of fortune.”

It was like a compliment, a praise, and like a mockery, a sarcasm.

Shen Chang’an looked at him blankly, not quite understanding what he meant by this sentence.

Isn’t it good to be someone who isn’t greedy and whose inner desires are easily satisfied, someone so simple and easy to understand?

Although he himself wasn’t such a person, Shen Chang’an’s eyes flickered as he thought to himself.

Cheng Yi looked at the easy-to-understand emotion in his eyes and didn’t explain. He only raised the corners of his lips, reached out and pulled him closer, and slowly dropped kisses one by one in an orderly and clear manner.

From the hair to the forehead, from the eyes to the black mole below, the last warm kiss fell on his soft lips.

After a second of lingering, Cheng Yi slowly pulled away, his dark eyes looking at the person in front of him who seemed to have become sluggish and whose mind could no longer function. Suddenly, he chuckled helplessly.

His brows were tightly furrowed, and he looked very troubled.

“An’an, what should I do?”

“I always feel like I’ll be even luckier in the next second.”

Shen Chang’an’s eyes suddenly widened, and he only felt a ‘boom’ in his head, like the sea surging and churning, unable to think, his reason having disappeared without a trace.

What… to do?

He subconsciously raised his chin and pressed his lips against his.

…

Berber meowed for a while, but seeing that these two really couldn’t understand his noble language, he was too lazy to bother with them.

After playing alone for who knows how long, he was picked up by Shen Chang’an and held on his lap. Berber was a little sleepy again, and his face was drooping, too lazy to struggle.

Fortunately, he hadn’t wandered around these days, and his fur was still snow-white and not dirty, or Shen Chang’an would have disliked him to death.

Shen Chang’an rested his head on Cheng Yi’s shoulder, stroking his smooth back from head to tail with his palms. The skillful movements made the cat feel happy, his little face full of comfortable expressions. His erect ears slowly softened, and his sleepy eyes couldn’t help but narrow, his long whiskers occasionally swaying slowly.

Perhaps it was because his long-cherished wish had been settled in one morning, or perhaps it was because Cheng Yi’s arrival had given him someone to rely on, Shen Chang’an’s taut nerves suddenly relaxed.

He slowly stroked the cat, his delicate cheeks white and red, his moist lips slightly swollen and redder than before, and his beautiful eyes were slightly narrowed with a light glimmer, the reddish corners of his eyes adding a touch of charm. He looked very lazy and content.

The green smoke from the burning paper money lingered in the room for a long time, and the candlelight kept jumping and making a faint ‘sizzling’ sound, as if even the sound of the rain outside had slowly become gentler…

Two people and a cat, the atmosphere was quiet and beautiful.