RIACMET chapter 269

 

As night fell, all the lights in the house were turned on. Cheng Jing set a small rice pot and bowl in place, then returned to the kitchen to serve the soup and side dishes.

Meanwhile, Jiang Nian stood on tiptoe on the table, grunting as he tried to scoop some rice. His hand slipped, and he almost fell into the pot with the rice spoon. Cheng Jing quickly grabbed the edge of his skirt and lifted him up.

“Niannian, sit still.”

He was such a restless one. Even though he was small, he was noisy. The rice spoon in this house was taller than him.

Jiang Nian touched his reddened ears.

“I just wanted to test my current strength.”

Cheng Jing chuckled.

“It’s only been a few days. Don’t stir up trouble—you’ll hurt yourself if you bump into something.”

Jiang Nian curled his lips.

“Got it.”

Cheng Jing poked his puffed-out cheek with a finger.

“Can I feed you?”

“…”

Jiang Nian thought for a moment, then replied,

“You feed me half, and I’ll eat the other half myself.”

He wasn’t used to being fed from start to finish. This way, he could maintain some independence while satisfying his boyfriend’s desire to take care of him. Perfect. After all, he was a sensible person.

Cheng Jing nodded and took out a full set of doll-sized tableware. He’d already checked that the materials were safe.

He served rice and soup and cut the dishes into tiny pieces with scissors. Once everything was ready, he pushed the food in front of Jiang Nian.

“Come, eat slowly.”

It was quite joyful—it felt like raising a tiny animal, and his heart melted from the cuteness.

“……”

They ate and chatted as usual, the atmosphere warm and harmonious.

The camera recorded everything.

After dinner, Cheng Jing brought Jiang Nian to meet his parents. He dressed Jiang Nian in boys’ clothes before leaving.

His father and older brother reacted calmly, only asking him to take good care of Jiang Nian.

Cheng Jing understood that, of course, and said he wouldn’t let his shrunken lover out of his sight. If someone stole someone that small, he’d never find him again.

His mother’s reaction was just as dramatic as Huang Qian’s. She stared at Jiang Nian nonstop and even pointedly reminded Cheng Jing:

“Niannian is still a child, you understand that, don’t you? If it’s too much, let him stay with us for a few days until he recovers.”

Cheng Jing was embarrassed.

“Mom, your son is mentally and physically healthy. He comes from a good family and has no bad or abnormal habits.”

He suspected that his mother had been watching a messed-up drama recently.

Mother Cheng smiled and said,

“All right then. But if you bully Niannian, I’ll peel your skin off.”

Then, she turned around and started chatting with Jiang Nian, whose voice had become childlike. She was worried that his clothes weren’t good enough and wanted to make him some new ones.

Jiang Nian refused. It was only three days; it was totally unnecessary. After this ordeal, he vowed to never let Qian Lang’s superpowers affect him again, no matter how hard she tried.

…

For the next three days, Cheng Jing took Jiang Nian everywhere with him. When they went out, he put him in his pocket. If there were no strangers around, Jiang Nian rode on his shoulder or head.

At home, Cheng Jing dressed Jiang Nian in flashy outfits to satisfy his obsession with raising a baby. Outside, he’d dress him in normal boys’ clothes.

Jiang Nian cooperated very well. He wore all kinds of cute clothes, acted adorably, posed for pictures, crawled around the house, and clung to Cheng Jing like a tiny pendant whenever he wasn’t busy.

The occasional tumble or mischief became part of the fun of growing up.

At night, Jiang Nian would fall asleep in Cheng Jing’s arms. His brother would silently stare at him for hours. Only when it was time to sleep would he gently place the little guy in the middle of the pillow.

He was too small. He was afraid he’d crush him in his sleep.

And just like that, three blissful days passed.

On the fourth day, Jiang Nian changed into a seven- or eight-year-old child. He finally broke free from the helpless stage where he couldn’t tear open snack packaging or nearly toppled over while trying to serve rice.

He was even cuter—and more real.

Holding him with one arm, Cheng Jing felt the joy of fatherhood. His Niannian must have been absolutely adorable as a child.

The next three phases would each last only about a day.

After arranging his work schedule, Cheng Jing decided not to go out again until Jiang Nian fully recovered.

Their teammates and friends still came by daily to greet Jiang Nian and take pictures with him, but he only wore the children’s clothes prepared by Huang Qian and the others for one day. On the fifth day, he transformed into a sixteen-year-old teenager.

“Brother Jing.”

Morning sunlight streamed in through the window. Jiang Nian, wearing a loose shirt, leaned against the doorway. His eyes were sleepy, but he was smiling.

The teenage boy’s clear voice reached Cheng Jing, who was sitting in a chair reading a map. He looked up in surprise.

Looking into his soft, smiling eyes, Cheng Jing was suddenly reminded of their first meeting years ago.

Jiang Nian was sixteen then, and Cheng Jing was eighteen.

It was shortly after National Day. As a high school graduate, Jiang Nian was participating in his final school league event—one last way to blow off steam.

At that time, Jiang Nian was a first-year high school student, the peak of sophomore year. Wearing the school uniform of a shirt and black pants, he leaned against the equipment room door facing the sports field, just as he did now.

A handsome face with a bold yet pure gaze looked at him from across the field. Just like that, Cheng Jing was hooked.

“I’m so sleepy, Brother Jing. Can I lean on you and take a nap?”

His brain short-circuited. Jiang Nian rubbed his temples and walked over. Each time his body recovered, he felt an unusual fatigue.

Cheng Jing caught him with ease and bent down to kiss him gently.

“Go ahead and sleep.”

He loved this clingy behavior and found it magical to watch his lover grow up bit by bit.

“Mm.”

Jiang Nian nuzzled his arm like a spoiled child, smacked his lips, and closed his eyes.

Cheng Jing smiled quietly and looked out the window. The slightly childish face in his arms brought back memories of the days before the world ended.