The Nightmare Experience of a Useless Person

"Ye Qingchen, isn't it said that a gentleman keeps away from the kitchen? Are you going to cook yourself?" Jiang Zhiyang sat on a small frog stool next to the stove, adding dry branches to the stove. He had never seen this kind of old stove before and found it very novel.

"I'm not exactly a gentleman." Ye Qingchen skillfully washed and chopped the vegetables, busying herself around. "Aunt Song and Uncle Xiao won't be home for a while. If we wait for Aunt Song to come back and cook, they'll have to go to the fields after they eat. But if I cook in advance, they can take a nap after they finish eating."

"Ye Qingchen is not a gentleman, but a filial son!" Jiang Zhiyang joked. Ye Qingchen is good at studying and filial, more like a son than him, who is surnamed Xiao.

In this light, the Xiao family is indeed blessed with great fortune.

"Chengyang, do you know? When Aunt Song gave birth to you, she suffered severe bleeding and had a difficult labor, but she was determined to save you."

Jiang Zhiyang didn't have a deep understanding of the concept of "mother" because he had been in an orphanage since he was old enough to understand things.

However, in the story, the image of a mother is generally one of loving children, gentle and kind, caring for everything from the smallest things like eating, drinking, and toileting to the biggest things like life's ideals. If we have to nitpick, then Yu's mother in Man Niang's dream would be one example.

But now, thinking of Song Huixin's kind face, Jiang Zhiyang felt that things were indeed different.

Whenever she saw him, it was as if a candle had been lit in that woman's withered eyes, flickering and leaping until the joy in her heart climbed up to the corners of her eyes along with the creases in her wrinkles, and could no longer be hidden.

Is this what a mother is?

"Therefore, I must take good care of her and thank her for bringing you into my life."

What's going on? It's so embarrassing. I thought it was some kind of filial piety declaration, but it turned out to be sweet love talk, like candy. Anyone who eats it will feel sweet inside.

"Besides, my mother is gone, and my father is... a bastard. If it weren't for Aunt Song giving me food, I wouldn't be where I am today."

"Hey! Stop! I won't say it!" Jiang Zhiyang couldn't bear to hear such pitiful words, especially when he looked at Yu Qingjun's face, his heart was filled with jealousy.

Ye Qingchen's cooking skills are good, and she works efficiently, so she must be a skilled cook in the kitchen. Jiang Zhiyang is enjoying the fruits of her labor. Right now, he is sitting at his desk, patting his round belly and burping, ready to start the second half of his day's slacking off.

"Chengyang, you answer." The teacher's voice was gentle, yet it struck Jiang Zhiyang's round, blunt head like a thunderbolt. He really didn't want to stand up, but the teacher's call on him was like an invisible hand, pulling at his puppet-like joints.

Answer? Answer what? The teacher is calling on him, and that's what he fears most. Even in his dreams, he feels his blood rushing backward, and his face instantly turns as red as a monkey's bottom.

As if sensing Jiang Zhiyang's embarrassment, Ye Qingchen immediately stood up from her seat. "Master, Chengyang has a sore throat today and cannot speak. I will answer for him."

He was saved! Tears of gratitude welled up inside him. This feeling of always having someone to support him was something Jiang Zhiyang adored. He sat down, completely limp.

And so, with Ye Qingchen's help, Jiang Zhiyang managed to get through another afternoon.

"Why didn't you listen attentively in class today? Are you really not feeling well?" Ye Qingchen asked after school.

Jiang Zhiyang was really trying his best to listen!

But the teacher's explanations were so obscure and difficult to understand. There were no interesting slides or engaging classroom interactions; he just held a book and read it aloud. It was really hard to concentrate! So he joked, "Because I was thinking of you."

"You, you," Ye Qingchen couldn't help but laugh again, unlike the teacher. "You still need to study hard. Even if not for yourself, you should earn a degree for your mother."

Looking at his smile, Jiang Zhiyang felt that Ye Qingchen was like an accomplice to evil. If he hadn't been so gentle, so tolerant, and so doting, Xiao Chengyang's love wouldn't have dared to be so unrestrained.

However, Ye Qingchen will not accept everything Xiao Chengyang has to offer.

In the middle of the night, Jiang Zhiyang quietly pushed open the door and climbed over the threshold into the Ye family's courtyard.

At this moment, Jiang Zhiyang felt that his arms were strong and his body was light. He was both skilled and relaxed as he completed this movement.

Jiang Zhiyang thought to himself, "Heh, this Xiao Chengyang must be a repeat offender."

Ye Qingchen was a light sleeper. In his hazy state, he felt something wrapped around his waist in the blankets. He gently pulled off the blankets, and in the dim light, a strange smiling face appeared.

"What are you doing?" Ye Qingchen was startled, thinking she was dreaming.

"I want to sleep with you." Jiang Zhiyang buried his face in Ye Qingchen's bedding, where there was the most comfortable temperature and the best smell.

Having learned from his previous experience, Jiang Zhiyang planned to wake Yu Qingjun up early this time, determined to complete the mission perfectly and prove to her and the little fox that he was not a useless person.

As for why Jiang Zhiyang didn't take advantage of Ye Qingchen while she was asleep, but instead insisted on sneaking into her bed, Jiang Zhiyang had an explanation.

First of all, what's wrong with two good brothers sleeping in the same bed? Haven't we always slept like this since we were kids?

Secondly, even if Ye Qingchen wakes up, this good-natured, mild-mannered person will still let him have whatever he wants.

Thirdly, ever since entering Xiao Chengyang's body, probably out of that ardent admiration, Jiang Zhiyang always wanted to be close to him... not to use Xiao Chengyang as a cover...

Four... five... and six, seven, eight, nine, ten more... anyway, I wanted to take advantage of this last bit of opportunity to see how obedient Yu Qingjun was...

It was just a hug.

"But I'm a man."

What does that mean? Ye Qingchen isn't a man, so is she a woman?

Jiang Zhiyang was momentarily confused. He stared at Yu Qingjun's face and inexplicably connected the dots to the idea that she wasn't human. In the past, the timid Jiang Zhiyang was genuinely afraid of demons, monsters, or fox spirits, but before he even got to know Yu Qingjun, his trust in her had already grown.

He stared into those astonished eyes, poured out all the sincerity in his heart, and said, word by word, "I know, but so what? Whether you are a god, a demon, a tiger, a leopard, or a jackal, I will like you, admire you, love you, and always walk with you toward a happy and fulfilling ending."

This passionate confession was from Jiang Zhiyang to Yu Qingjun, carrying with it their past wishes about hydrangeas.

In the darkness, the man's face was flushed, and his heart was pounding uncontrollably. A surge of joy gripped his throat, preventing him from making a sound.

Jiang Zhiyang stared into his round eyes and thought, "Yu Qingjun, did you hear that?"

"Then will you like Yu Qing too?" Ye Qingchen's voice was low and hoarse.

"Yu Qing? Yu Qingjun?"

"You called his name this morning."

Good heavens! Jiang Zhiyang is now certain that Xiao Chengyang's feelings were never unrequited. He was just calling someone else by their name, and Ye Qingchen remembered it for so long. She must be jealous!

"How could that be!" These words were spoken by Jiang Zhiyang on behalf of Xiao Chengyang.

From the moment he realized Ye Qingchen's feelings, Jiang Zhiyang felt a surge of joy, as if he had "fallen for her." But as if that wasn't enough, he added, "I will only ever love Ye Qingchen."

How about that! Hehe! Jiang Zhiyang said without any shame, secretly pleased with his superb confession skills.

"Then you can't... This bed... is too narrow, and besides, you climbed over the wall. I already told you that wall is too high, you'll fall."

Still making excuses? You're so stubborn, but you're probably secretly overjoyed! Jiang Zhiyang stubbornly held onto his blanket, not moving an inch.

"May I kiss you?" Jiang Zhiyang pressed his advantage, once again impressed with his own cleverness. He had both helped Xiao Chengyang express his feelings and completed Yu Qingjun's task—killing two birds with one stone.

"No." There was a hint of panic in his voice.

Are you sure? Are you really sure?

"Hmm." He stood up in a low, hoarse voice, indicating his determination to get rid of the guest.

"Yu Qingjun, you can't blame me, you refused yourself." Jiang Zhiyang muttered to himself, craning his neck to look at Ye Qingchen, but it was all dark and he couldn't see anything.

"Let's go back, I want to sleep." Ye Qingchen's voice sounded somewhat embarrassed.

But Jiang Zhiyang didn't respond, saying, "Go sleep in my room."

"..."

Inside the blankets, there was Yu Qingjun's scent, a fresh, plant-like fragrance. Jiang Zhiyang was very familiar with this scent. He closed his eyes, just like every time he was by her side, and fell asleep peacefully.

In the darkness, someone couldn't sleep. The lingering warmth of someone else's scent remained in the blankets. The instant the soft fabric touched his skin, a familiar aroma filled his nostrils and ignited his senses. It was such a familiar scent, yet at this moment, it stirred his heart, made his blood boil, and even his lower body...

He was a bad person, an evil person, a sinner unforgivable by ethics, and also a patient whose reason was numbed by love...

I love you too, and I will only ever love you in this lifetime.

Did you hear that?