DLRAS Chapter 117

Chapter 117: I’d rather you forget about me

The whispering continued well into the late hours of the night.

With the bedside lamp glowing, the two stared at each other, unwilling to look away for even a single second.

The decade of separation had built up too much to say, emotions already fermenting deep within their hearts. Huo Niansheng lay on his side, propping his head up with his arm, his fingers interlaced with Chen Wengang’s. “So, when we first met, you really had no memory of me?”

Huo Niansheng replied, “I felt a sense of familiarity about you. But since we had met before, I didn’t think much of it.” He poured out sweet nothings as if they cost nothing. “It’s just that I suddenly discovered that you were like this—so beautiful and kind, like my future other half.”

Chen Wengang’s eyes reddened, and he glared at him. “You’re still saying that? What did you say later? That you didn’t want anything stable, right? That you just wanted to have some fun?”

Huo Niansheng hurriedly lowered his head to kiss his knuckles. “That was just to tease you; it wasn’t meant to be taken seriously. Everything in the past doesn’t count anymore, okay?”

“But I was really willing. Even if it were just a one-night stand, I would have accepted it. To be able to have you back was already a miracle to me. I didn’t want to consider anything back then; every night we had was a night earned from the hands of God.”

“No, I’m not willing. Once you’ve been with me, who else do you want to be with? A Mr. Zheng? A Mr. Qi? I’m not a fool. I spent so much effort chasing you, and I was about to have you—how could a one-night stand be enough? Didn’t you see it yourself? I’m not willing to let go.”

“But I didn’t recognize you either.” Chen Wengang pressed his face against his hand and said in a low voice, “If I had known earlier…”

Huo Niansheng gripped his hand tightly and shook his head. “I am very proud. I know my Wengang is a strong person. You won’t be easily destroyed by any adversity; you will have a life of your own. Actually, I truly wanted to stay with you, but unfortunately, I couldn’t in the end. Rather than you doing foolish things for me, I would rather you forget me, find someone else who could take care of you, and live the rest of your life happily.”

Chen Wengang’s eyes filled with tears again. “I couldn’t do it. What kind of ‘strong’ am I? With you gone, my whole life was a mess.”

Huo Niansheng wiped his tears for him again. “I know, I know. Isn’t it better now? We’ve finally reunited. From now on, I won’t go to the ends of the earth alone anymore, unless you are with me. Also, I didn’t finish my sentence just now—find someone else who can take care of you, but only let him have you temporarily. When you reach the end of your days, you will still be buried with me.”

Chen Wengang laughed through his tears. “Nonsense. Don’t you remember what the newspapers wrote about you? Who would be as blind as you?”

Huo Niansheng argued righteously, “It’s not nonsense. You are so good; the blind ones are them, not me. I knew there would be others who liked you. But I’m not entirely at ease either; sometimes people aren’t even as loyal as a dog. Is Harley still with you?”

“We are getting along just fine. I miss Harley; you should find him and bring him to me.”

“He hasn’t been born yet, no rush. When the time comes, I’ll take you to pick him up yourself.”

“Huo Niansheng.”

“Hm?”

“I love you.”

Huo Niansheng affectionately accepted his confession. “I love you too.”

Chen Wengang called his name again. “You won’t leave me behind this time, will you?”

Huo Niansheng bit his fingertip. “It was my fault; I never thought of leaving you behind. Don’t cry. It definitely won’t happen this time, I promise.” His heart ached; if Chen Wengang cried like this a few more times, he would truly be skinned alive. “How about tomorrow we go find some handcuffs, find a chain, and lock ourselves together? We can throw the key to the bottom of the mountain, or just weld it shut, so it never has to be undone. How about that?”

It wasn’t until the sky began to turn pale with dawn that Chen Wengang covered Huo Niansheng’s eyes, insisting he get some sleep. After experiencing countless dangers, traveling a long way to rush back to the country, and whispering through the middle of the night, even a person made of iron would be exhausted. The two rested their heads together and dozed off for a while.

As the breathing beside him grew rhythmic and steady, Chen Wengang opened his eyes again.

He felt no drowsiness at all. He kept watching Huo Niansheng’s face, fearing that if he closed his eyes and opened them again, he would find it was all just a beautiful dream that had vanished.

When Huo Niansheng woke up, he found that Chen Wengang had crawled out from under the duvet—he was curled up on the pillow with his arms wrapped around Huo Niansheng’s head like a small animal, his eyelids closed uneasily, his chest rising and falling.

His face was pale and bloodless. Even though the room was warm, his hands were still cold when touched.

Huo Niansheng pulled him back into the blankets, interlocking their feet, and grabbed his hand to tuck it into his own pajamas for warmth.

Chen Wengang woke up in a daze, subconsciously burrowing toward the warmth and rubbing his face against Huo Niansheng’s chest.

By the time the day was fully bright, the few hours of sleep had restored their energy, yet neither wanted to get out of bed. Chen Wengang climbed up, leaning over Huo Niansheng’s shoulders. With the laziness of lingering sleepiness, he kissed his Adam’s apple in soft, fragmented bits. Huo Niansheng unbuttoned his shirt.

In the warm, spring-like room—a place of total safety—they gently possessed one another. Urgent yet tender, they had to be face-to-face, had to gaze into each other’s eyes; not even turning their backs was allowed. The galaxy, the sun, and the moon raced across the firmament, but the most moving image was the reflection in their lover’s eyes.

To live is to walk through darkness. For the lone traveler wandering the wilderness, the twilight of his life had been darker than midnight. But the unbearable, lonely days would eventually pass. He felt love and was loved in the quiet intervals, finding comfort and satisfaction in burning body temperatures.

The housekeeper knew Huo Niansheng was there, but he didn’t know Chen Wengang had arrived. It wasn’t until near noon, when he came to ask if they were waking up, that he discovered there were two people in the bedroom. He seemed only mildly surprised, then took the keys to go help park Chen Wengang’s car.

As for the estate, the security guards and gardeners had all gone home for the holidays. Only the housekeeper remained on duty because his family was abroad. Huo Niansheng, wearing a bathrobe and leaning against the doorway, thought for a moment and told him to get into the holiday spirit by decorating the house a little.

The housekeeper made a call, asking people to bring decorations and food up the mountain.

As long as the money was good, everything was easy. In less than an hour, someone delivered an evergreen tree from down the mountain—not too tall, about chest-height for an adult—along with string lights, colorful baubles, ribbons, mistletoe wreaths, and star ornaments.

Chen Wengang didn’t even change his clothes. Wearing Huo Niansheng’s bathrobe, he was pulled along lazily by him downstairs to look at the tree.

Huo Niansheng held a star in each hand. “Which one looks better on top? Gold or silver?”

Chen Wengang curved his eyes into a smile. “Gold, I think. It feels bigger and more dazzling.”

The Christmas tree was placed in the open space between the sofa and the window. The three of them worked together, winding the string lights around the tree. Chen Wengang hung the colorful baubles and little angels on the branches, turning his head from time to time; Huo Niansheng was less than a meter away from him.

He acted playfully, walking over to wrap his arms around Huo Niansheng’s waist, poking his head out. “Let me see how you’re hanging them.”

Huo Niansheng looked serious, fixing the end of a string of lights firmly in place before taking a bauble from Chen Wengang’s hand. “Trying to be lazy?”

He instructed the housekeeper, “Please go ahead and prep the ingredients. We’re having a big meal tonight; get whatever needs marinating started.”

The housekeeper obeyed and left.

Chen Wengang smiled and hummed in agreement, playing the role of the idle boss. “I’m not being lazy; I’m supervising your work.”

His profile was too beautiful. Huo Niansheng couldn’t resist, lowering his head to claim a kiss as the “wage” for being bossed around.

Once plugged in, the whole tree sparkled with flowing, dazzling light.

The two then worked together to hang wreaths and ribbons in every corner of the living room.

Only then did Chen Wengang belatedly remember the situation down the mountain. He charged his phone and checked in with Chen Xiangling, telling her to go to Lu Chenlong’s house to enjoy the festive atmosphere with Grandma Zhou. Huo Niansheng had already been in contact with Yu Shanding, but flights were tight during Christmas, so Yu Shanding couldn’t make it back in time. The old lady wasn’t very keen on these foreign holidays, and since her grandson wasn’t there, she didn’t mind.

Because there were few people and it was cold outside, the main kitchen was closed. The housekeeper thawed the steak in the small kitchen on the first floor.

The living room looked quite festive. Chen Wengang went upstairs to change into loungewear and then followed Huo Niansheng into the kitchen.

Along with his memories, Huo Niansheng’s culinary skills had returned—a young master who never stepped into the kitchen, he had learned everything during those years taking care of Chen Wengang in their past life, and was even somewhat proficient. The day’s menu included the housekeeper’s apple-braised pork chops, black pepper pan-seared steak, and creamy mushroom soup, as well as his own Longjing shrimp and garlic vermicelli scallops—a fusion of East and West.

Chen Wengang peeled the shrimp—he acted as Huo Niansheng’s assistant, picking the shrimp veins with near-religious devotion, wishing to treat the meat until it was flawless. After half an hour, he had only peeled five. Huo Niansheng couldn’t bear to watch, confiscated the scissors, and told him to go rest.

Chen Wengang had no choice but to sit at the dining table, fiddling with a pre-made Yule log cake, using strawberries and whipped cream to make a snowman on top.

As night fell, the housekeeper, knowing his place, asked Huo Niansheng for leave, saying an old friend had invited him out for a couple of days.

The employer readily agreed, telling him he could take any of the luxury cars from the garage. The massive villa became a world for just the two of them.

Huo Niansheng brought over a bottle of red wine. Chen Wengang sat at the other end of the table, watching the wine pour into the stemmed glass. This wine was a special pink, emitting a fresh, fruity fragrance. The carved wall lamps cast elegant light, making his eyes shimmer like waves.

The radio broadcast songs. It was officially Christmas Eve.

Glasses clinked softly in the quiet atmosphere, and it felt like something should be said.

Chen Wengang paused. He looked at Huo Niansheng.

The seating arrangement changed from face-to-face to one sitting on the other’s lap, the brightly colored wine passing between their lips and teeth.

Chen Wengang relied almost entirely on willpower to pull Huo Niansheng away. “Eat your dinner properly!”

They did finish the meal properly, not wasting the dishes they had worked so hard to cook. It was just a “you feed me a bite, I feed you a bite” affair, dawdling for an hour. In the end, the Yule log cake and the strawberry snowman were snatched from Chen Wengang’s mouth by Huo Niansheng.

The two huddled on the rug in front of the sofa. Chen Wengang gazed at Huo Niansheng, watching the Christmas tree lights change and dance on his face. He reached out, his slender fingers slowly covering Huo Niansheng’s cheek; the brilliant halos dyed the back of his pale hand into a kaleidoscope of colors.

He didn’t know that he was equally dazzling in Huo Niansheng’s eyes.

Outside, the night was heavy. The radio switched to the host speaking, and the floor-to-ceiling windows reflected their intertwined silhouettes.

Chen Wengang curled up in Huo Niansheng’s arms. “Do you remember before? Once, I smashed a mirror, and later, all the mirrors here were removed. Actually, it was just self-deception; without a mirror, nothing changes. Besides, glass still reflects, and water still reflects. Back then, I was really unreasonable. I wanted you to remember, but I didn’t want you to remember—making such a scene was so embarrassing.”

Huo Niansheng held him close. “I don’t think that wasn’t beautiful. I love you however you are. I only wish for you to be healthy.”

Chen Wengang asked with a smile, “Don’t talk about those reporters. I’m quite curious—I don’t blame people for mocking your peculiar taste. If you weren’t going to like someone young and beautiful, you could at least like someone who is healthy. Why hang yourself on one tree? What is so good about me?”

Huo Niansheng cut him off. “Those paparazzi make their living by twisting tongues; they don’t care about right or wrong. These people even want to teach me who I should and shouldn’t like? Listen to yourself—don’t you think that’s stupid? My only merit is not listening to others’ advice.”

He smiled. “Besides, I think my taste is excellent. There’s no problem at all. Otherwise, how could you be mine?”

This man was fatal when it came to sweet talk. Chen Wengang forgot what he was going to say next.

He wrapped his arms around Huo Niansheng’s neck, nuzzling against him. “Merry Christmas Eve.”

Huo Niansheng pulled his waist tightly into his embrace. “Merry Christmas Eve.”

Chen Wengang asked in his ear, “It’s a pity this place is too far; Santa Claus won’t be able to come today. But what gift do you want?”

Huo Niansheng was already content. “You are my gift. I’m not greedy; having this one is enough.”

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Author’s Note:

Sorry that these two chapters were written extremely slowly; it was so emotionally draining. I was bawling while writing them.

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