A dejected Xia Shule said, "I like them. Things that can't talk feel the most loyal."
Yan Zhiyi hadn't thought along those lines, and it would have been hard to make that connection anyway. He simply thought the boy genuinely liked bamboo. "Then when we get home, shall we turn the back garden into a bamboo grove?"
The boy was allergic to all those roses anyway, and the people coming and going from the Yan Residence every day inevitably carried some pollen with them.
Lately, windy days had brought quite a bit of it indoors. The boy had kept sneezing without ever complaining.
As long as Xia Shule was with him, Yan Zhiyi wouldn't let him suffer.
"Huh?" Xia Shule lifted his head, his dejection replaced by delighted surprise.
Turn the back garden into a bamboo grove? Get rid of all those roses? I'd only mentioned it in passing. Was Yan Zhiyi really going to turn it into a bamboo grove?
Oh, come on. No way. He was probably just saying it, too.
Xia Shule didn't take it to heart. He lowered his head again and rubbed his hands together. "No need. That would be such a hassle. Besides, you must like roses to have planted so many. Tearing them all out just because of me... wouldn't be right."
"It's fine. I only planted roses because I didn't know what else to plant."
Xia Shule was speechless.
Forget it. Let him do what he wants. He'll probably have forgotten all about it by then.
Xia Shule didn't dwell on it. He didn't believe Yan Zhiyi would really turn the back garden into a bamboo grove for his sake.
Lately, he had developed a strange problem: he was finding it harder and harder to trust anyone. It had come on so suddenly, leaving him terribly insecure.
Xia Shule couldn't find the source of these feelings. Yan Zhiyi was so good to him, yet he still...
"Why are you still unhappy? Is something on your mind?" Yan Zhiyi stopped and bent slightly to meet Xia Shule's eyes, gazing at him.
Looking into those questioning, concerned eyes, Xia Shule suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to cry. He didn't know why. Another emotion out of nowhere.
It made no sense. His emotions had been constantly shifting lately, with no pattern he could discern.
Xia Shule sniffed and swallowed back his sobs. Instead of answering, he asked in his usual tone, "Are you going out for dinner? Then in a little while... should I head home first, or wait for you?"
He was testing him. Neither of the options he offered was the answer he wanted. He didn't want to go home first, and he didn't want to wait for Yan Zhiyi.
Either Yan Zhiyi shouldn't go, or he should take him along.
Xia Shule thought he was being subtle, but in truth, his little pout and the hurt on his face gave everything away.
Yan Zhiyi found him utterly adorable. So that was why the boy had suddenly become unhappy.
Facing Xia Shule's aggrieved little face, Yan Zhiyi felt more happy than heartbroken. He was happy that the boy couldn't bear to be apart from him either. Perhaps that was what it meant. He would take it that way, at least.
He was absolutely delighted.
His large hand cupped Xia Shule's soft little face and gave it a gentle squeeze. His voice was more tender than it had ever been. "I'm not going. I'll have dinner with you. Just the two of us, no one else."
Xia Shule's tears suddenly spilled over. His mouth turned down, his face full of hurt as he struggled to hold it back. His wide eyes couldn't contain the tears, and great drops fell to the ground.
Yan Zhiyi instantly panicked. Why was the boy crying? He had really gone too far. From now on, he had to explain everything clearly, down to the smallest detail.
Then Xia Shule wouldn't have been left to overthink things until he cried.
Warm tears landed on the back of Yan Zhiyi's hand, searing his heart.
Before Yan Zhiyi could soothe him with gentle words, Xia Shule began sobbing out broken sentences.
"I... I don't know why... boo-hoo... Lately, I keep getting... like this. I just can't control my emotions. Sometimes I'm happy, sometimes I'm sad. These... swings... I can't consciously con... trol them!"
"Maybe... it's the trauma from that day. I just... can't manage my emotions anymore."
"I'm sorry..." His voice was tiny and weak.
His heart aching, Yan Zhiyi wiped away his tears, but they flowed too fast for him to keep up. The boy was a little bundle of tears. Finally, he gently gathered him into his arms.
Patting his slight back, he soothed him. "It's not your fault. None of this is your fault. Don't apologize. You got scared, didn't you? Our Lele got scared. It's all right, it's all right. I'll be here from now on. You don't have to be afraid."
Xia Shule nestled against his broad shoulder, crying so hard he hiccupped. He used to be someone who stayed cheerful and optimistic no matter what, but lately, he had suddenly realized he wasn't that person anymore.
He had become melancholy. He had become sensitive. I think there's something wrong with me.
Feeling Xia Shule's body tremble slightly, Yan Zhiyi decided the trouble he had caused Jiang Gechen lately had been far too mild.
They held each other close, sharing their warmth. Yan Zhiyi stroked Xia Shule as though soothing a kitten.
In a distant corner of the bamboo grove, a figure quietly slipped away.
After a long while, Xia Shule gradually quieted down, nestling obediently in his arms, his small hands gripping Yan Zhiyi's suit tightly.
"I... must look such a mess from crying!" His voice was muffled against Yan Zhiyi's neck and shoulder.
Yan Zhiyi drew back a little and gently lifted Xia Shule's head. "Like a little kitten with a smudged face, right?"
"Hmph!"
Xia Shule looked up sheepishly. Yan Zhiyi's shoulder was soaked, the tear-stained patch even darker than the already dark fabric of his suit.
The suit had to be custom-made, more comfortable to wear and ridiculously expensive. His tears had probably ruined it, especially with such a large wet patch.
His voice was still soft and thick with tears. "Your suit... I cried all over it."
Yan Zhiyi looked down. When you found someone adorable, even the wet patch he left from crying seemed adorable.
"It's fine. We don't need it anymore."
The suit: Well, aren't you above it all!
"You must be hungry by now. Let's go back and eat." Yan Zhiyi put an arm around Xia Shule's shoulders and led him away.
Back in the private dining room, a whole table of brightly colored dishes awaited them. One glance was enough to make Xia Shule's stomach growl.
Yan Zhiyi cracked open a raw marinated crab claw, carefully picked out the meat, and placed it on Xia Shule's plate. The scene was lovely and peaceful, with even the setting sun casting a soft filter over them.
If they didn't speak, who would have guessed that these were the ruthless, vicious President Yan and the arrogant, domineering Young Master Xia?
With a soft plop, a piece of white crabmeat fell onto the marble floor. Xia Shule held his chopsticks stiffly and spoke.
"Oh, no! I dropped it!" There was a little temper in his voice.
Hearing words that sounded both annoyed and coaxing, Yan Zhiyi immediately brought the crabmeat he had just shelled to Xia Shule's lips.
"Don't be upset. Open wide. Ah-"
He coaxed him to open his mouth as though he were a child, and Xia Shule was a complete sucker for it. He opened his mouth and bit down on Yan Zhiyi's finger.
He smiled without letting go, even pretending to look fierce.
Yan Zhiyi played along. "Ow~ That hurts! You've bitten my finger off."
Xia Shule swept the crabmeat into his mouth with his tongue and released him. Looking at his handiwork, he cheered up. "Hmph. Serves you right if it comes off."
He had suddenly felt like being a little brat. Hurting Yan Zhiyi made him feel better, but he didn't dare bite hard.
So when Yan Zhiyi withdrew his hand, there was only a small row of tooth marks on his finger. It didn't hurt at all, but Xia Shule had left his mark.
The two happily ate their dinner. Meanwhile, in the private dining room next door...
"Jiang Tian, does Zhiyi... have someone now?" The gentle, refined man took a sip of tea, the corners of his mouth lifting. He looked easy to get along with.