Yan Sui held Meng Ting for a moment, then kissed him again. He kissed away the tears that had unconsciously spilled from the corners of Meng Ting’s eyes, continuing to kiss downwards, softly and soothingly, infused with a feeling that Yan Sui found hard to put into words.
In fact, Meng Ting didn’t reject such kisses; he leaned against the back of the sofa, allowing him to do as he pleased.
Such warmth continued until Meng Ting came back to his senses from the peak of physical pleasure, and only then did Yan Sui stop.
Meng Ting’s gaze gradually came into focus, the faint blush fading slightly before quietly creeping back. He stared intently at Yan Sui, as if trying to ascertain something from his face.
Yan Sui was quite accustomed to Meng Ting’s unreserved gaze. He tilted his head and kissed his lips again, then straightened up, pulled the clothes on one side, wrapped the person up, and walked towards the room.
The window is open, and the night breeze is gradually getting cooler. He had tormented the person, so he couldn’t stay out in this night breeze for too long.
Yan Sui was getting more and more skilled in bathing, applying medicine, and then coaxing the person to sleep.
Meng Ting, with his eyes closed and feeling drowsy, softly asked, “Are you happy?”
Yan Sui looked at Meng Ting, his eyebrows slightly raised, then leaned in and kissed his forehead, saying, “I’m happy.”
How could he not be happy when he was physically and mentally united with the person he liked, especially since Meng Ting deliberately indulged and made a special effort to make him happy? Because of this heartfelt intention, he still feels warm and fuzzy about it up to now. The answer to this question is an absolute yes.
“Mm,” Meng Ting replied softly, his expression gentler than before. He spoke in a voice even softer than before, “I’m happy too.”
Yan Sui didn’t reply to Meng Ting, but he unconsciously held him a little tighter.
Perhaps the saying ‘extreme joy begets sorrow’ is not without reason. In such a joyful moment, Yan Sui suddenly thought; what if he had never met Meng Ting in this life? What would he do then?
His life was as cold and desolate as it had been in the past years; perhaps he wouldn’t feel that it was bad if it had always been that way.
But now that he had met Meng Ting, he feared he could no longer endure those kinds of days anymore.
Yan Sui’s consciousness slowly sank into a haze, yet something was deeply planted in his heart tonight, quickly taking root and sprouting, blooming brilliantly.
Yan Sui woke up a few times in the middle of the night, and only after confirming that Meng Ting did not have a fever did he continue to sleep.
***
The sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains, slanting into the bedroom and gradually rising higher. The two of them woke up later than the day before, and Meng Ting’s biological clock, cultivated over decades, was disrupted by Yan Sui.
He groggily opened his eyes, only to first feel Yan Sui gently massaging his left leg. He paused for a moment, then lifted his right leg for him as well, saying, “It’s sore…”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he fell silent again; his voice sounded even stranger than yesterday.
But in reality, only Meng Ting felt it was strange. His voice carried the laziness of just waking up, with a slow, languid tone that was actually quite alluring. It wasn’t strange; it was pleasant; it made one’s heart flutter.
Yan Sui placed Meng Ting’s right foot on his lap and began to massage it. Meng Ting slowly sat up and leaned in to give Yan Sui a gentle kiss on the cheek as a reward for his hard work in massaging his legs.
Yan Sui continued to massage Meng Ting’s leg and then turned his other cheek toward him. Meng Ting smiled slightly, leaned in again, and kissed him once more before adding another kiss.
This morning was just like any other——sweet and utterly ordinary.
After finishing breakfast, they took a car to a nearby attraction for a stroll. With a flight at four in the afternoon, they decided against going too far.
After having lunch, the two of them returned to the hotel to continue their intimate time together, only setting off for the airport when it was almost time.
Ashe and Yan Mingya rushed over to see them off. The four of them could only chat for a short while at the airport before Yan Sui took Meng Ting onto the plane.
Yan Sui didn’t specifically mention to Yan Zhengbo that Yan Yu had reappeared in Country F, nor did he make a call or send someone to investigate him. It was as if he were unaware of Meng Ting’s chance encounter with him.
This trip to F Country lasted no more than seven days, but a lot happened during that time. Or rather, they uncovered too many things; Meng Ting’s background, Yu Meixuan’s whereabouts, the truth that her child was not dead, and the confirmation of Yan Yu’s life or death.
***
The plane arrived in Haicheng. In F country, it was eleven o’clock at night, whereas in Xia country, it was six o’clock in the morning. Zhao Bing and Wang Feng came to pick them up. As soon as Meng Ting sat in the car, he fell asleep in Yan Sui’s arms. When they stopped in front of the iron gate of the Yan family’s residence, Yan Sui carried him back to the upstairs room without him even realizing it.
Yan Sui wanted to stay with Meng Ting while he slept, but he still had a pile of things to do. After confirming that Meng Ting had fallen into a deep sleep again, Yan Sui got up and went to the study. Wang Feng also brought a lot of documents for Yan Sui to review, along with several matters to discuss.
The computer was running a video conference, which had been going on for nearly three hours, both large and small meetings. After the meetings ended, the two continued to handle the accumulated paperwork. Suddenly, Yan Sui glanced at the time and said, “Let’s have lunch first, and we’ll continue at two in the afternoon.”
“Okay,” Wang Feng nodded, glancing at his watch, then couldn’t help but look a little longer; it was only eleven thirty.
Why does he feel that his boss suddenly became much more humane after he returned from a trip to Country F? In the past, when there was a lot to do, they would sometimes have lunch around one or two in the afternoon.
When staying at the Yan residence, most of the time, Uncle Xiao and Nanny Wang would bring things to the study. They would discuss matters while casually eating a few bites and then continue on. In those two and a half hours, how much could be accomplished?
After Yan Sui finished speaking, he set the pen aside, stood up, and left the study with Wang Feng. Wang Feng went downstairs first to wait for lunch, while Yan Sui exchanged a few words with a passing servant at the door before returning to his room. Naturally, he was looking for Meng Ting.
***
Meng Ting slept until nearly nine o’clock before waking up. He was dazed for a while before remembering that they were back home. After going downstairs for breakfast, he learned that Yan Sui and Wang Feng were in the study, so he decided not to disturb them. He held Maoqiu in one hand and led Dahuang with the other, taking a stroll around the grass field before leading them back to the room.
Dahuang snuggled at his feet, snoring, while Maoqiu nestled on Meng Ting’s thigh, dozing off. Meng Ting focused intently on the computer, the mouse moving slowly across the screen filled with English, particularly dense with professional terminology.
He was just a few crucial steps away from completing the experiment he had nearly finished in his previous life, which he hadn’t had time to complete back then. Now, not only did he want to continue, but he also had more ideas; he wanted to present his most perfect creation to Yan Sui.
“What are you looking at?” Yan Sui had been in the room for a while, but Meng Ting was so focused that he didn’t even notice his arrival. Therefore, Yan Sui had to find a way to make his presence felt.
At the sound of his voice, Meng Ting paused slightly, then turned to look at Yan Sui. His gaze flickered, as if he had mustered all the courage he could, and said, “Yan Sui, I want to repeat a year and take the college entrance exam.”
He wanted to have his own laboratory to complete what he hadn’t finished in his previous life and to present his most perfect creation to Yan Sui.
Yan Sui showed no surprise at his words, and he didn’t even pause. He gently caressed Meng Ting’s cheek and replied, “Alright.”
Without asking for reasons or delving into the past; he simply wanted to fulfill all of Meng Ting’s wishes, and besides, this wasn’t much of a request at all.
Meng Ting looked at Yan Sui, his gaze slightly lowered, then he grabbed Yan Sui’s collar, lifted his chin slightly, and pressed his lips against Yan Sui’s. He initiated the kiss again, not out of gratitude but simply because he wanted to kiss him——nothing more.
Yan Sui gently responded to Meng Ting’s kiss. Just as he was about to pull away, he turned from passive to active, extending the kiss. He held the breathless person in his arms, the smile in his eyes and brows impossible to hide.
“There will only be each other between us. Our future is long, and whatever you want to do, I will support you.” This was what Yan Sui said to Meng Ting, but it was also his promise——a commitment he would strive to fulfill.
Hearing this, Meng Ting nuzzled against Yan Sui’s neck, his cherry-colored lips slightly moving as he replied, “Okay.”
Beyond that, he didn’t know what else to say; he believed he wouldn’t regret this decision.
***
Wang Feng waited downstairs for half an hour before Yan Sui finally brought Meng Ting down.
After lunch, Yan Sui accompanied Meng Ting on a walk for more than half an hour, stayed in the room for another hour, and finally arrived at the study at the two o’clock he had previously mentioned.
Wang Feng finally realized that this arrangement of time was not a sudden display of humanity from Yan Sui but rather a gift of his heart to others; time was also given away, and it was Yan Sui who voluntarily allowed Meng Ting to take up that time.
Before Yan Sui entered the study, he actually sought out Uncle Xiao to arrange for Meng Ting’s repeat schooling and the summer tutoring teachers.
It was only then that Uncle Xiao and Nanny Wang realized that their patriarch’s wife[mfn]主夫人 (zhǔ fū ren): T/N: I’m not quite sure how to translate this actually… 主 (zhǔ) here means owner/master/patriarch, while 夫人 (fū ren) means lady/madam/bride. If it was translated literally, patriarch’s wife isn’t wrong, but quite a mouthful. Previously I also translate this as ‘lady of the family’, but that’s also quite long. I think ‘Lady’ or ‘Madam’ is correct, but I feel weird calling MT, a male, ‘Lady’ or ‘Madam’ 😅. What do you think?[/mfn], the lady of the family, was actually still in his third year of high school.
***
In the evening, during dinner, Meng Ting received the complete set of books that Uncle Xiao had sent someone to buy, which included exam papers and review materials from prestigious high schools in Haicheng, filling two boxes to the brim. Yan Sui had them carried to his study.
Meng Ting watched eagerly, while Nanny Wang affectionately added two more chicken legs to his plate, already thinking about how to nourish their hardworking lady of the family.
Yan Sui also added some eggplant, which Meng Ting liked, to his bowl, saying, “Eat first.”
Meng Ting nodded, withdrew his gaze, and then focused on his meal.
After their usual evening walk, Yan Sui took him to the study. Meng Ting worked on his exam papers while Yan Sui continued to handle documents.
Yan Sui’s gaze occasionally drifted towards Meng Ting, noticing how the tip of his pen was constantly moving and his focused expression. He found himself lost in thought several times. From the moment Meng Ting began to diligently pick flowers at the Rose Manor, he realized that the serious Meng Ting was far more captivating than his usual self.
It was as if a diamond had suddenly emerged from the earth under the sunlight, sparkling, enchanting, and dazzling. This was the true Meng Ting; he was merely fortunate enough to have encountered this diamond and possess it before the dust was wiped away from this gem.
Meng Ting finished his comprehensive science review first, followed by mathematics, then English and Chinese. He didn’t write the big composition. From six o’clock to ten o’clock, for a full four hours, his gaze never left the desk in front of him.
Meanwhile, Yan Sui finally experienced what it felt like to be completely neglected.
Meng Ting put down his pen and turned his head, meeting Yan Sui’s focused gaze on him, which made him unable to help but smile. “I’ve finished everything except the composition.”
In all the time since his rebirth, he had never been as serious as he was tonight.
Yan Sui raised his hand to him, and Meng Ting grabbed his test paper and walked over. Before he could even place the paper on the desk in front of Yan Sui, he was pulled by Yan Sui to sit in the spot that had been intentionally made for him a little to the side.
Meng Ting nestled into the crook of Yan Sui’s arm, watching as Yan Sui picked up a pen and began to grade.
Yan Sui graded quickly; in less than twenty minutes, he finished all four papers. A hint of a smile appeared on his face as he ruffled Meng Ting’s hair and praised, “You did well.”
Meng Ting had some serious subject bias; his answers in comprehensive science and mathematics lacked some steps, but he got almost everything right, which was quite rare. His English was decent, but his composition was lacking, and he made a few mistakes in reading comprehension. As for Chinese, it was the worst among all subjects; even counting his basic composition score, it was difficult for him to pass.
However, this was already beyond Yan Sui’s expectations. It wasn’t just about Meng Ting’s college entrance exam results; it also had to do with the fact that the closed high school he attended was unlike any other high school. It was specifically set up for troubled teenagers, where the teachers’ role wasn’t to improve their grades but to correct their behavior, help them overcome internet addiction, violent tendencies, and so on.
There, no one cared about grades anymore. The students’ daily routine was how not to get punished, while the teachers’ daily routine was how to control the students who, in their eyes, were rebellious and beyond help. Meng Ting had to study in that kind of environment; Yan Sui didn’t even know how he managed to do it.
Meng Ting’s eyes sparkled with brilliance. Faced with this sudden exaggeration, Meng Ting felt a sense of inexplicable shyness. He nudged Yan Sui’s hand and then turned back to lean on the table, looking at the test paper that Yan Sui was seriously correcting for him. After finishing a round of reading, he turned back and smiled at Yan Sui.
His Yan Sui was not only better at fighting than him but also better at studying.
“How do you usually study?”
Yan Sui wrapped his arm around Meng Ting’s waist, resting his chin on his shoulder, and softly inquired, a hint of uncontrollable distress glimmering in his eyes.
“I just read books and do exercises. I collect the papers that others are unwilling to do and write them out; gradually, I get the hang of it.”
This ‘gradually’ process was actually neither short nor easy, but the hardships were hard to put into words. Meng Ting felt quite fortunate to have a second chance at this point in time; he wouldn’t want it to be any earlier or later. He had endured that three-year period once… and he didn’t want to go through it again, not even a bit.
If he had been reborn a bit earlier, he might not have wanted to live at all.
A shadow flickered in Meng Ting’s eyes, then vanished without a trace. He pushed the papers away and turned to embrace Yan Sui. What to do? There are people who love and care for him, yet he still feels a sense of sadness.
He seems to be getting increasingly strange, uncontrollably so.
Yan Sui’s hand paused slightly before it rested on the back of Meng Ting’s neck. “Are you tired?”
“Mm,” Meng Ting replied softly, raising his hands to wrap around Yan Sui’s neck, leaning against his side and murmuring, “Carry me back to the room.”
Hearing this, Yan Sui tilted his head and kissed Meng Ting’s hair. Without saying anything, he simply picked the person up and carried him back to the room. Yan Sui still helped Meng Ting when he took a shower and washed everything. When he came out of the bathroom, he noticed that Meng Ting’s emotions seemed to have returned to normal.
Meng Ting was curled up with his knees against the pillow. Upon noticing Yan Sui’s return, he immediately pulled back the covers.
When Yan Sui got into bed, Meng Ting lay down and nestled into his arms.
Yan Sui’s kiss landed on Meng Ting’s lips. “Good night.”
“Good night,” Meng Ting returned the kiss to Yan Sui, then obediently closed his eyes.
Yan Sui stared at the person for quite a while before finally closing his eyes, but he couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. Earlier in the study, Meng Ting’s emotions were clearly off, yet he couldn’t find the real reason and was reluctant to ask Meng Ting directly.
***
The next day, when he woke up, Meng Ting was completely back to normal. After having breakfast, Yan Sui accompanied him to meet the teacher who came to give him extra lessons. After reviewing Meng Ting’s papers, only the Chinese and English teachers remained.
As for the science subjects, those teachers had little left to teach him. There still seemed to be room for improvement in English and Chinese, but Meng Ting’s understanding of these two subjects had basically reached his current limit.
Several teachers estimated that the scores Meng Ting would achieve next year wouldn’t differ much from his current scores.
In fact, the extra lessons were not really necessary; the English and Chinese teachers alternated coming every other day and did not come on weekends. Like other teachers, they simply assigned Meng Ting homework or papers to complete.
He attended two hours of classes each day, ensuring he completed two sets of papers each week, while the rest of his time remained free——he would either walk the dog, play with the cat, or take out his blueprints to calculate the problems he needed to solve. This was how Meng Ting spent his days until their honeymoon ended at the end of July.
After the initial three busy days, Yan Sui was not as busy anymore. He left home at eight every day and returned promptly at five thirty. Since the English and Chinese teachers didn’t come on weekends, Yan Sui would take Meng Ting to the company. Occasionally, if he got off work early, he would take him out for a stroll and buy some delicious treats as a reward.
This day was no different. Yan Sui handed over his tasks to his subordinates and left the company early with Meng Ting.
“Where are we going?” Meng Ting shook Yan Sui’s hand playfully, his gaze slightly tilted to look at the person, exuding an unintentional charm.
“First, let’s get you something delicious.” Yan Sui pulled him a little closer and whispered this. To outsiders, it seemed like he was saying some particularly affectionate words to Meng Ting. In any case, every time he brought Meng Ting to the company, everyone, both inside and out, had to witness their display of affection multiple times.
Meng Ting’s eyes lit up at his words, and he nodded eagerly, “The sugar-roasted chestnuts[mfn]糖炒栗子 (táng chǎo lì zi): Roasted chestnut is a popular autumn and winter street food in East Asia, Europe, and New York City. In China, chǎolìzi (炒栗子; “stir-fried chestnut”) is a popular autumn street food. Because they are roasted with sand and sweet syrup, they are also called tángchǎolìzi (糖炒栗子; “sugar stir-fried chestnut”). 
[/mfn] from last time were really delicious. Let’s buy those again.”
“Sure,” Yan Sui said, first shielding Meng Ting’s head as he helped him into the car, and then he got in himself.
But just after they bought the sugar-roasted chestnuts and hadn’t decided on their next destination, Yan Sui received a phone call.
“Alright, we’ll come.”
Meng Ting’s lips moved, and then he looked at Yan Sui. He was still quite self-aware; he thought Yan Sui’s ‘we’ meant Yan Sui and him.
“My maternal grandmother fell ill a while ago, and now that she’s recovering from her serious illness, it happens to be her birthday; she wants us to visit.”
When Yan Sui said this, his tone was quite calm. He ruffled Meng Ting’s hair and then took his hand to walk towards the car. “We’ll just go see her and come back.”
Over the years, when the two elderly people celebrated their birthdays, Yan Sui had attended. However, not only had He Wan been turned away at the door, but he had been treated the same way; even the gifts he sent had been returned. He had done his part in showing respect; how they reacted was no longer within Yan Sui’s considerations.
Receiving this call, Yan Sui was genuinely a bit surprised.
[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Chapter 46″]
不辭辛苦 (bù cí xīn kǔ): to spare no effort; to go to the trouble of doing something; to make nothing of hardships; take pains/the trouble (to do sth); not shrink from hardships.氣喘籲籲 (qì chuǎn xū xū): out of breath; be out/short of breath; be breathless/winded; gasp/pant for breath; puff and blow/pant; huff and puff; breathe heavily; the state of a person who is extremely tired, or describes the person’s rapid breathing and heavy panting.
[/dropdown]Check out my completed & current project at my carrd. If you like my translation, you can buy me coffee at Ko-fi~ Thank you.
