Arc 2: Chapter 16
Fu Cheng did not leave a way out for himself in his plan.
Although he had entertained the thought about giving his parents another chance, he knew very well that they would never give him a chance. He had long been expelled from the lives of those two people.
On Fu Cheng’s path, there was no more time after being 18 years old.
But now Lin Yuan offered to extend his time limit.
30 years… and even a lifetime.
Fu Cheng couldn’t help but be enthralled. He removed the other’s hand from his lips, clasped the back of Lin Yuan’s head and kissed the other domineeringly.
Lin Yuan was kissed deeply and his lips were bitten and nibbled on, and the tip of his tongue stung with slight pain. But Lin Yuan was a little addicted to the feeling, and he couldn’t tell if he tried to struggle or resist. At the same time he felt good, his heart swelled so much that there was no more room for other people except the teenager in front of him.
The sun climbed up the sky and the morning light grew stronger, brightening the entrance of the alleyway.
Fu Cheng kissed the person he liked, entangled the other's lips and teeth, and their bodies were stuck together and supported each other with a tight hug. In the midst of their intimacy, for the first time, the teenager felt that the sunlight could shine upon him.
Shine into the dark alley, and shine on what was rotten and decaying.
【Di! Congrats host, the villain’s blackening value has decreased to 10%.】
Fu Cheng felt very satisfied during the kiss, but then he thought of something and panicked. What if… Lin Yuan lied?
【Di! The villain’s blackening value has risen to 50%. Host, please reduce the villain’s blackening value as soon as possible!】
What if he waited until he was 30 years and Lin Yuan went back on his word? What if by that time, he was no longer himself, and Lin Yuan was no longer Lin Yuan?
【Di! Host, please note that the villain’s blackening value has risen to 78%.】
From 18 to 30 years old, the time was too long. Twelve years was more than 4,000 days and nights. Fu Cheng couldn’t bet his everything for a distant future.
He had never thought about living past 18, how could he think of how life would be at 30, or an even more distant lifetime?
【Di! High risk warning! High risk warning! The villain’s blackening value has risen to 99.999%! The villain’s blackening value has risen to 99.999%!】
Before, when 521 saw the blackening value drop to 10%, it let out a sigh of relief and wiped away its imaginary sweat.
521 thought to itself that the Senior made the right choice to cheat this time, seeing that cheating saved the task, it was a worthy sacrifice as the humans would say.
But 521 couldn’t even relax for a few seconds before the blackening value shot up to 50%, then 78%, then hit a critical value of 99.999%.
521 was so angry it rushed to hit Fu Cheng like a small cannonball, but it couldn’t touch the other and passed through him. 521 could only slap Fu Cheng’s head and bombard the other with punches.
“Ahhhhhh hit you to death! Hit you to death! The Senior already cheated, what else do you want?! What else do you want?!!”
Lin Yuan’s mind was in disarray because they were still kissing and he was a little breathless. He heard the warning sound of the system and the shouts of 521 next to him in a daze.
When his senses came back, he saw the number 99.999% on the system screen and was immediately shocked.
What’s going on? When Fu Cheng started kissing him, he had heard the blackening value drop to 10%. Why did it rise while kissing?
Fu Cheng immediately noticed Lin Yuan’s distraction and he loosened his hold on the other. Without the mask anymore, he completely released the self that was once hidden in the dark and licked Lin Yuan’s dimples with craving and asked: “What’s wrong, are you not feeling good?”
Lin Yuan secretly glanced at the 99.999% blackening value and then looked at Fu Cheng and whispered: “Fu Cheng, you’re not happy!”
Fu Cheng shook his head and kissed the dimples again and said faintly: “I’m not unhappy.”
Lin Yuan didn’t believe him. The other didn’t seem happy at all. But he was happy a few minutes ago, why did he suddenly become unhappy?
Lin Yuan tried to recall what he had said. Was Fu Cheng unhappy because he said there was someone else he liked?
But…Fu Cheng should already know this, after all, what happened that night was too unreasonable.
Before, they were just friends, and whose friend would call another friend ‘husband’ just because they were drunk? Whose friend would want to kiss another friend and do… that?
Lin Yuan grabbed the hem of Fu Cheng’s clothes and said nervously: “Are you unhappy because I like someone else? But I can’t help, my husband and I一”
When Fu Cheng heard the word ‘husband’, his eyes turned cold and he directly shut the other up with a kiss. He just pressed his lips over the other’s to block Lin Yuan’s words. He really didn’t want to hear anything about that other person.
After some time, Fu Cheng moved back and as if he had merged with the dark shadows of the alley, he said slowly: “I don’t want to hear about you and other people. I also don’t want 30 years, or a lifetime. Lin Yuan, I just want right now. Can we be together right now?”
“Lin Yuan, I don’t care about your past, and don’t look forward to your future. I just…… just want you at 18 years old, right now, can I?”
Lin Yuan was stunned into silence. He remembered how a long time ago, Huo Chen chose to heal his own scars to be with him. Huo Chen chose to get better so they could live together for a lifetime, but Fu Cheng did not have similar scars, instead, he was like a blank canvas.
Before Lin Yuan came to this world, the only weight tying Fu Cheng’s heart to life were the parents that had abandoned him.
Fu Cheng designed his own ending long ago. He was a person who could abandon his life at will, and would not easily change for anyone.
The so-called future, Fu Cheng didn’t need it and didn’t want it.
Fu Cheng lived as if he was stuck in a crumbling building. He knew that one day the building would collapse, but he didn’t want to come out. In some ways, he was also afraid to come out.
Some people didn’t want a new life or a future, because they clung to the shadows of the past. But some people were different, they only desired the present. They wanted the present minute, the present second, until it disappeared or ran out.
Fu Cheng was one of those people. He never believed that anything would be his, or would stay with him.
Whether people or things, regardless of how much he liked it. Even himself.
Lin Yuan thought of Fu Cheng’s final moment, how he lost his vitality in that old house little by little. He thought of how the teenager in front of him could turn into a dead body and he suddenly erupted into anger.
“No! No, no! I will never be with you before I turn 30 years old! Never!!!”
Lin Yuan looked at Fu Cheng with red eyes. He thought about Huo Chen, and said in a trembling voice: “Fu Cheng, I promised him 4170 years. I already broke my promise with him for you, can’t you wait for me?”
He couldn’t be with Fu Cheng when Huo Chen might still be alive and missing himself. 30 years was his biggest concession. After all, when he met Huo Chen in the last world, Huo Chen was 30 years old.
He thought to himself that as long as Fu Cheng was willing to live on, it didn’t matter even if the task failed. He would use all of his remaining points to accompany Fu Cheng for as long as possible.
The fingers clutching Fu Cheng’s clothes had already whitened because of the force he was using.
His red eyes silently shed tears. Lin Yuan opened his lips as if he wanted to say something, but then he shut them quickly.
He wanted to say, please live.
I beg you, please, live.
Please, don’t die.
But Lin Yuan couldn’t say anything. He couldn’t let Fu Cheng realize that he knew everything.
Fu Cheng looked at Lin Yuan’s teary red eyes and his heart was squeezed by an invisible hand. He felt indescribable pain and he was at a loss.
He raised his hands and carefully wiped away Lin Yuan’s tears.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I made you cry.”
Fu Cheng encircled the other in his arms and kissed the other’s eyes and apologized over and over again.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. It’s fine the way we are now, I won’t mention it any more. It’s good enough for me that you accompany me.”
Fu Cheng thought to himself that he was already blessed in his 18th year. He had a passionate night and an intimate and warm morning, there was nothing else he was unsatisfied with.
His life was originally monotonous in those rotten and dilapidated streets, but because of the addition of Lin Yuan, he saw the sunlight and felt warmth. There was no better way to spend his 18th year.
【Di! Congrats host, the villain’s blackening value has dropped to 80%.】
【Di! Congrats host, the villain’s blackening value has dropped to 50%.】
Lin Yuan understood the hidden meaning behind Fu Cheng’s words. He just wanted him to accompany him until the day he decided to die.
Fu Cheng felt that that was enough between them……
Lin Yuan trembled and buried his face into Fu Cheng’s chest and grabbed the teenager’s clothes with both of his hands.
He felt that if he relaxed even a little, Fu Cheng would disappear from his eyes. The next time he saw him, the other would have become a faceless pile of bones.
How could he save this person?
How could he save Fu Cheng?
The sun was shining brightly overhead, and Lin Yuan forcefully calmed down his turbulent emotions. He belatedly remembered that he had class today and opened his phone and saw the time was already past 9 o’clock.
Lin Yuan had gone outside at 6 o’clock and he realized that for three hours he was talking, kissing and hugging Fu Cheng...
Seeing that Lin Yuan had a complicated face, Fu Cheng rubbed the other’s fluffy hair and asked: “Why do you look like that? Is something wrong?”
Lin Yuan huffed and hit Fu Cheng’s hand away and glared at the other with round eyes: “It’s already past 9 o’clock, we’re late! I’ve never been late before, it’s all your fault! You compensate me!”
Fu Cheng meaningfully smiled and hugged Lin Yuan and bit his earlobe and whispered: “Ok, ok, it’s all my fault. How should I compensate you? As long as I have it, I can give it to you.”
Lin Yuan didn’t believe him, there must be a catch.
He wriggled out of Fu Cheng’s arms and stepped back and said resolutely: “No more hugging! And no more kissing! We will treat each other as we used to. If you want to kiss and hug me, then wait until we’re 30 years old. When we’re 30 years old, I will do… whatever you want.”
Fu Cheng lowered his eyes to look at his empty hands that were surrounded by warmth a second ago.
With a gentle smile, Fu Cheng approached Lin Yuan like a venomous snake approaching prey. Lin Yuan sensed danger and subconsciously retreated. But he only took two steps before his back hit a cold wall.
Fu Cheng’s slender body completely enveloped Lin Yuan, and Lin Yuan was enclosed in Fu Cheng’s shadow.
Lin Yuan blinked nervously and said incoherently: “Fu Cheng, don’t… don’t scare me, I’m… not afraid of you! And… and I won’t be a little lover… I will only… only be the legitimate wife…”
Really cute, the teenager with round eyes pretending to be brave was really tempting.
Fu Cheng wanted to kiss him again, but Lin Yuan realized his intentions and covered his own mouth. Lin Yuan said sullenly: “I already said no more kissing, why do you still want to kiss? I’ve said it so many times, you can’t kiss me until we’re 30 years old.”
The teenager stared into the other's eyes and smiled. He didn’t force it, and instead kissed the back of Lin Yuan’s hand and said meaningfully: “So you wanted to be my wife ah! Then were you also a wife for that other person? Sure enough, other people’s things are better. Other people’s wives are more attractive and more fragrant.”
Lin Yuan was stunned in an instant.
He didn’t expect that in a short time, Fu Cheng, who didn’t want to hear him talk about Huo Chen, would now use Huo Chen to flirt with him. Why was he… so naughty!
Lin Yuan’s eyes were flushed because of shyness and instead of covering his own mouth, he covered Fu Cheng’s. He said heatedly: “You! You aren’t allowed to say things like that! If you talk like that again, I’ll ignore you!!”
Fu Cheng rubbed against Lin Yuan’s comfortable, cool palm and said lightly: “En, I won’t say it anymore. I’ll listen to you.”
Lin Yuan huffed twice and was about to say something when he suddenly found that Fu Cheng’s face was a little too hot.
“Fu Cheng, do you have a fever?” Lin Yuan asked and touched Fu Cheng’s forehead. Hot. Thinking of the message in the morning, Lin Yuan couldn’t help chiding: “Who told you to stupidly wait here at 4 in the morning, now you’re sick.”
Fu Cheng touched his own face and felt that it was indeed a little burning: “Maybe. But I wasn’t stupidly waiting, didn’t I wait for you?”
The teenager smiled gently, and because of his fever, his face was slightly flushed and the corners of his eyes curved enchantingly.
Lin Yuan’s heartbeat was thrown in disarray by the other’s eyes and he quickly looked away, but then looked back because of worry for Fu Cheng’s body. He took Fu Cheng’s wrist and pulled him out of the alley.
“You… you’re sick and you’re still in the mood to tease me. I’ll take you to the hospital first.”
Fu Cheng didn’t feel that a fever was serious enough to go to the hospital for, he just needed to take some fever reducing medicine.
But the hand holding him was firm as if nothing could separate them.
【Di! Congrats host, the villain’s blackening value has decreased to 46%.】
Lin Yuan stopped a taxi on the street and asked the driver to take them to the nearest hospital.
On the way there, Fu Cheng lay his head on Lin Yuan’s shoulder. He enjoyed the feeling of being cared for by someone else, which made him feel as if he was really alive.
【Di! Congrats host, the villain’s blackening value has decreased to 43%.】
Lin Yuan heard the system prompt and looked down at the teenager who was leaning on him. He reached out and stroked Fu Cheng’s inky hair. He rubbed his chin against the other’s forehead and comforted: “I’ll accompany you, Fu Cheng. Don’t be afraid. I’ll always stay with you.”
The driver parked at the First People’s Hospital in Ning City, and when Fu Cheng got out of the car, he looked at the tall building in front of him and his dark eyes suddenly showed a trace of loss.
Lin Yuan didn’t notice and he led Fu Cheng into the hospital.
During the day, the hospital was noisy and busy, and people went and came in a hurry, bearing the pain of oneself or their relatives and unsure of life or death. Fu Cheng registered for an appointment and after getting a diagnosis, he went to get an infusion.
When the nurse injected Fu Cheng with a needle, Fu Cheng’s other hand held Lin Yuan tightly. His strength was strong, as if he would crush the other’s bones.
Lin Yuan endured the pain. After the nurse left, he shook his hand slightly and said aggrievedly: “Fu Cheng, be more gentle, your grip hurt me.”
Only then did Fu Cheng realize what he was doing and quickly let go of the other. On Lin Yuan’s pale skin, purple fingerprints could be faintly seen.
“Sorry… I’m sorry…” Fu Cheng didn’t know how to explain his loss of control. He could only randomly find an excuse: “I’m… I’m a little afraid of needles.”
Lin Yuan stopped blowing on his hand and looked at Fu Cheng in shock and said: “You’re so strong, yet still afraid of needles ah.”
Fu Cheng suddenly remembered a long time ago, he was crying in the hospital room because of an injection. At that time, someone held him and patted his back in comfort.
“Good boy, Ah Cheng isn’t scared…”
“Ah Cheng is the strongest, not scared of injections at all……”
“It’s ok now, it’s over. Ah Cheng was so awesome, Ah Cheng is the strongest…”
There was the crying voice of a child that said: “Mom… I’m not… not afraid of injections…”
Fu Cheng remembered that when he was young, he was afraid of injections, afraid of the dark, and afraid of delinquents. When did he start to not be afraid?
It seemed to be ever since no one wanted him.
Fu Cheng closed his eyes and suppressed the hotness in his eyes. He hid his face in the neck of the teenager and his pale and dry lips moved, and his voice was hoarse and broken: “En, I’m scared. Lin Yuan, I’ve always been scared……”
Lin Yuan was distressed and hugged Fu Cheng and comforted him: “Don’t be scared. I’ll accompany you for injections in the future, and you can close your eyes, so you won’t be scared.”
Fu Cheng nodded with difficulty.
⋅ ˚ ₊ ‧ ୨୧ ‧ ₊ ˚ ⋅
It was nearing noon, and Fu Cheng looked at the injection drip and some malicious thoughts couldn’t be restrained.
Was she in the hospital today?
If he went to see her, what would her expression be?
Fu Cheng hesitated for a moment and didn’t dare make eye contact with Lin Yuan: “I… I want to eat apples.”
Lin Yuan blinked: “Apples? I’ll go outside and buy some, wait for me.”
Fu Cheng: “Ok. I’ll go to the bathroom.”
Lin Yuan couldn’t help but worry about him but Fu Cheng insisted and Lin Yuan didn’t think too much.
Fu Cheng remembered that she worked on the 10th floor of the inpatient department that was in the neighboring building. When he rode the elevator, there were many family members of patients carrying meals and other doctors. Fu Cheng felt it was hard to breathe.
The elevator stopped and Fu Cheng went out. Even though he had never come here before, he accurately found the room.
The office door was closed. Fu Cheng knocked on the door and a young doctor opened the door: “Who are you looking for?”
Fu Cheng said a name and added: “I’m her son.”
The son she didn’t want.