Chapter 93 - Kissing or not.
This chapter is brought you by Jessie as well! Much love~
It went quiet.
After a few seconds into the silence, You Liangxing grabbed hold of Kang Shengzhe’s collar ruthlessly and dragged him down the stairs in such a manner. How could losing a tooth after a blow to the face be considered a small matter that could be settled by the school medical office? You Liangxing hailed a taxi at the school entrance and took him directly to the nearest dentistry hospital.
While he was being dragged, Kang Shengzhe was struggling as he spoke: “Liang Liang… you don’t have to worry.”
You Liangxing’s face was like ice, and each word was bitten out as if he had to make a determined effort to speak. “Stop talking.”
Fortunately for them, the skies had already darkened and there were not a lot of people along the road to the school entrance to witness their journey which was best characterised as extremely scared and hasty. If that had been the case, it would have aroused quite a bit of discussion.
“Isn’t that You-xuezhang?”
“… What’s the situation, was there a fight?”
“I think he came from the direction of the dormitory…”
They turned a deaf ear to what the other voices were saying. After they got onto the car, You Liangxing told the driver to turn on the interior lights. Clasping onto Kang Shengzhe’s face with both hands, he said: “Open your mouth.”
Kang Shengzhe was still holding his tooth in the palm of his hand and he opened his mouth wide. Truthfully speaking, he knew which tooth he had dropped without even needing to check; when You Liangxing’s punch had flown over, Kang Shengzhe had managed to evade him by turning to the side. He was still thankful about the fact he had avoided getting his front four teeth from being punched out, or else it would not be a mere eyesore…
If he tried to speak, it was highly probable that he would be leaking air!
“It’s not my front teeth or my molars, it’s just one of the tooth at the side, it’s trivial.”
“… Liang Liang?”
You Liangxing did not answer. In the dark car interior, perhaps due to the heaviness of the shadows or that the night colours were too deep, his expression was so strict to the extent where he seemed like a different person as compared to how he usually was. Any conversation between him and Kang Shengzhe went ignored up until they entered the dentistry hospital, where the doctor had recommended for him to fill in his teeth. It was then that You Liangxing squeezed out a few sentences while he was questioning and answering the doctor.
It was a night-time emergency; as Kang Shengzhe was speaking, he was spitting out blood and the insides of his mouth had some broken skin, which made for a frightening scene. The doctor gave him the green light to fill his tooth overnight, and he let out a series of sighs after he was clarified on the entire situation.
“You must have suffered quite a bit after taking such a hit, right? Seeing as to how you’re still a student, you ought to know how to treasure your body. Fighting and losing your tooth like this is a painful matter; look at you, after your tooth is filled in, you’ll still have to experience more pain over the next few days. However, there’s no other choice, you can only bear it.”
When those words landed in Kang Shengzhe’s ears, it had very little effect, considering how he had always been inherently dull to pain and he was completely without fear. However, You Liangxing was not the same; after that particular speech had ended, his complexion was more terrible than before.
After being held up for the entire night, Kang Shengzhe finally walked out after he was completely through with the medical procedure. Because the doctor advised that he should talk as little as possible in order to prevent any further toothaches, Kang Shengzhe had no choice but to resort to using his own phone’s sticky notes, like how he had done when he first met You Liangxing face to face. Whenever he wanted to say something, he had to reach for his phone to type out the sentence.
Two people – one who could not talk and the other who did not want to talk – stayed together, and the atmosphere was so quiet it was preposterous. The entire night was defined by the silence, and Kang Shengzhe’s starting apprehensions gradually transformed into being stricken with terror. He pulled on You Liangxing’s sleeve and handed him his phone.
— Where are we going.
You Liangxing paused before he finally said: “We’re going back to the apartment. Don’t go for the military training tomorrow, rest at home.”
Naturally, it was great that he did not have to attend the military training, but how was a toothache a valid excuse to receive a leave of absence from military training? And as if he knew what Kang Shengzhe was thinking, You Liangxing replied in a succinct but indifferent manner: “I’ll help you take a leave.”
Since the president of the student union had spoken, the final decision was technically made. Kang Shengzhe obediently nodded his head in a hurry. However, no matter what kind of att.i.tude Kang Shengzhe showed, You Liangxing’s complexion did not improve in the least.
Kang Shengzhe went silent for a moment, and he no longer tried to grin cheekily or pretend to be relaxed. Calmly, he typed: — Liang Liang, are you angry?
You Liangxing: “I’m not.”
Kang Shengzhe stilled and then shook his head: — No, you are being angry.
After a whole night of silence, how could Kang Shengzhe not distinguish You Liangxing’s emotions? After causing an entire messy scene, he was not even given a chance to admit his wrongs. Although You Liangxing had not intentionally set out to hurt him, Kang Shengzhe being injured by him was an undeniable fact. Once he placed himself in You Liangxing’s shoes, it was sufficient for Kang Shengzhe to understand that You Liangxing must be feeling more upset in his heart as compared to what he was outwardly showing.
— It’s my fault, Liang Liang, I’m sorry.
You Liangxing blatantly stared at those words for a few seconds and he did not show a single trace of emotion. After half a beat, he could no longer hold onto the cold indifference he had been keeping up for the entire night. That façade shattered and he made a noise through his nose. As he suppressed the worry and fury he was feeling, he uttered, “What do you know.”
It was natural that Kang Shengzhe did not understand him. He could guess that You Liangxing was blaming himself, but he could not perceive what had been tormenting You Liangxing for the entire night.
Remorse, shock, self-blame, worry, all of it could be thrown aside and disregarded; for You Liangxing, the most vivid and intense feeling was…
He was scared.
He was frightened by Kang Shengzhe’s injury and he was still badly shaken. When he had been going up and down the stairs to help with the formalities, You Liangxing’s hands had been shaking. A pair of hands that had never shaken even after ten years of boxing, had unexpectedly trembled when he had accidentally injured Kang Shengzhe……
You Liangxing and Kang Shengzhe were not the same. Kang Shengzhe was the sort of person who seemed abnormal and p.r.o.ne to laughing and playing on the surface, but he could remain calm and self-possessed even when his mouth was full of blood and he had spat out a tooth he lost from an injury. On the other hand, You Liangxing was greatly agitated and unsure of what to do, and there had never been an instance in the entire night where he was calm.
You Liangxing had lost control of himself.
There had never been, nor had he ever imagined that he would lose control.
You Liangxing turned his head to the side, and the expression he had numbed Kang Shengzhe. Kang Shengzhe no longer had the energy to pick up his phone to type, and he held onto You Liangxing’s hands instead. Ignoring the pain in his mouth, he said: “Liang Liang, listen to me, this is just an accident; no one intended for this to happen. I’m the one to blame because I just had to crack a joke with you. Don’t be angry, please don’t be angry? Liang Liang?”
Kang Shengzhe’s speech was broken apart and uneven due to the pain that his tooth was causing, but because he had no judgement of the strength he was exerting with his hands as his emotions ran amok, and the pressure his grip was causing You Liangxing some pain.
You Liangxing was quiet for several seconds. He did not understand why Kang Shengzhe was apologising to him. Furrowing his eyebrows, he said, “I’m not angry…” And then he added, “If your tooth hurts, you shouldn’t talk.”
Kang Shengzhe could care less about that. Seeing that You Liangxing’s att.i.tude had eased, his mind turned quickly. It was not anger, it was not anger… if it was not anger, then why was Liang Liang reacting like that? A short while later, Kang Shengzhe spoke slowly in a half-joking manner: “Liang Liang, is your heart hurting for me?”
You Liangxing was silent, and cold sweat started to ooze out from Kang Shengzhe’s head. He was about to laugh it off and push the topic aside when You Liangxing suddenly said: “En.”
Kang Shengzhe stiffened, “W-What?”
You Liangxing said placidly, “You’re right, my heart hurts.”
There was nothing difficult with regards to a man facing up to his own emotions. Even as You Liangxing’s emotional state slowly settled down, his expression was still as indifferent and cool as it usually was. Just as he had recovered his composure after much trouble, it was Kang Shengzhe’s turn to be confused.
“I, I must have heard you wrong, Liang Liang! Am I having a stroke?”
You Liangxing was not in the mood to tell Kang Shengzhe that he was having a stroke all year round. At that moment, he could only vaguely remind him: “I already told you not to speak, if you have something to say, type it.”
Kang Shengzhe took out his phone at a rapid speed. Despite typing for a long time and fuelled by his high spirits, he only managed to type out one sentence.
— Hei hei hei, hei hei hei.
You Liangxing stared at it indifferently, and he was unexpectedly teased into curling his lips up from the familiar feeling.
With the smile that You Liangxing revealed, Kang Shengzhe’s heart softened as well. His emotions and the persisting pain in his mouth seemed to go through a marked decrease. He lowered his head again to type, admitting to his own mistakes: — It’s all my fault for not resisting the urge to steal a kiss from you, from now on, I’ll…
Before he could finish typing his words, You Liangxing spoke up: “Stole a kiss from me?”
Kang Shengzhe: “……”
Kang Shengzhe swiftly deleted those words and changed it to ‘play around’. You Liangxing’s eyelid twitched, and he said: “I already saw it.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Kang Shengzhe became cautious and meek. You Liangxing exhaled the breath that was lodged in his throat, and he had no intention to continue pursuing the matter. However, Kang Shengzhe must have felt that he got off cheaply by selling his obedience, because he immediately asked: — If I were to steal a kiss from you in the future, could you please start off lightly?
You Liangxing: “……” No!
Unhurried, You Liangxing replied, “Do you have to steal a kiss?”
Kang Shengzhe went stock still before he came back to himself, a wave of ecstasy flooding his head. “Can I directly kiss you!!”
His words were excited and sharp and he expressed it by mouth. You Liangxing did not have the time to warn him not to open his mouth again when Kang Shengzhe abruptly held onto his face, eyes gleaming.
Under such a bright gaze that was looking forward to something that was self-evident, You Liangxing calmed and said with a lowered voice: “…. Sure, why not.”
His voice was fine and small, disparate from You Liangxing’s usual style because it was closer to that of a small mosquito. Kang Shengzhe felt his blood rushing and his face became flushed. Seized by a sudden impulse, he subconsciously swallowed.
He was a little, a little nervous.
One second, two seconds, Kang Shengzhe observed You Liangxing with an incomparable earnestness. Under such a stare, You Liangxing’s heartbeat thundered. He might look calm but his heart was utterly unlike what he appeared to be on the surface. He had already given Kang Shengzhe the clearance doc.u.ments but the taller man was slow to move, and the feeling of having to wait for a direct kiss for an extended period of time was torture.
You Liangxing said: “Are you going to kiss or not?”
Kang Shengzhe hurriedly said: “Kiss kiss kiss—”
You Liangxing muttered something under his breath, and his fist silently clenched like it was trying to build up the courage for the both of them. He cooperated by closing his eyes and Kang Shengzhe mustered up his courage, leaning forward. The distance between him and You Liangxing’s lips was only a centimetre when he suddenly groaned and wailed out: “No way, no way, I don’t dare.”
You Liangxing opened his eyes, soundless. Although his gaze did not directly express it, Kang Shengzhe could still discern the question of ‘are you even capable of it’ in his eyes.
Kang Shengzhe displayed a pitiful countenance as he typed: — Liang Liang, you really won’t hit me?
You Liangxing: “… I won’t.”
Kang Shengzhe: — Do you swear?
You Liangxing gritted his teeth: “Then don’t kiss me!”
Kang Shengzhe: “!!!” Don’t!! I want to kiss you!!
You Liangxing shook him off and walked away without looking back. Without a second’s delay, Kang Shengzhe hastily kept pace with him and his hands clasped together, honestly praying.
— Give me another chance, Liang Liang!!
— Give me another chance~ Liang Liang~
You Liangxing gave him a callous look and gave Kang Shengzhe a sudden kick. Chuckling, Kang Shengzhe moved out of the way before he pressed closer to him again. Backs against the streetlights, their figures grew increasingly distant.
After they had walked a fair amount of distance, the slightly short man firmly tugged on the collar of the taller figure that was standing next to him. The shadows of the two men overlapped for a moment, and then they separated.
Soon after, without any rhyme or reason, the overly tall man collapsed like a mountain peak as his head dived into a shrub that was along the road.
***
The night was deep. While some people were happy, others were displeased. Liang Chulin, who had been busy with all the miscellaneous work and finally managed to crawl into bed with much difficulty, was brushing through his friends’ WeChat Moments as he complained.
“Kang Shengzhe is a big b.a.s.t.a.r.d.”
Thanks to Kang Shengzhe’s great blessing, not only did Liang Chulin have to rush to the cla.s.s committee after military training ended, he had to do up two copies in spite of being one person. Thus, he was held up for a long time, and the more he thought about it, the more depressed he became.
Just as he was scolding Kang Shengzhe in his heart, the Moments on Kang Shengzhe’s display picture refreshed. Liang Chulin stiffened. It was in the middle of the night and yet this big b.a.s.t.a.r.d was not asleep, and he could even send a picture to his WeChat Moments.
T/N: Sincerely, one of my favourite chapters… what’s with YLX’s frankness and shaking hands x.x