Rebirth: My Childhood Sweetheart Came into My Arms

Jiang Chengyu stared at the painting for several seconds, starting to doubt whether he was seeing things.

Are the two people in this painting really him and He Ziyu?

Is it possible that they just look alike?

Just as he was pondering this, Jiang Chengyu caught a glimpse of a shadow flying down from the bed with a "whoosh," instantly teleporting in front of him with the speed of a nimble gaiter and snatching the picture frame from his hand.

"Brother Yu, you look so handsome today, hehe." He Ziyu forced a stiff upward smirk, revealing an awkward smile.

Damn it, he completely forgot there was this painting in the box!

Now that's bad. When Jiang Chengyu sees this painting, he'll definitely think he's a perverted lecher who secretly fantasizes about his friends! QAQ

He Ziyu hugged the picture frame, burying the painted side to his chest, his face flushed. He wanted to explain but didn't know how, so he could only stammer and change the subject, "Your aunt and uncle aren't home, so you can have lunch with us. But we can't cook yet; my mom thinks we should order takeout first..."

"That painting," Jiang Chengyu interrupted him, her eyes revealing a hint of nervousness and anticipation, "are the people in the painting you and me?"

He was so curious, wondering if he had seen it wrong.

If not, then the fact that He Ziyu carefully preserved that painting, doesn't that prove that he actually had even the slightest bit of affection for her?

Even though he liked Lan Yuan a lot before, even though he's always treated him like an older brother all these years...

It's not unreasonable for him to like me a little bit now, is it?

Thinking of this possibility, Jiang Chengyu felt the blood in his body flow faster.

His ears turned red, and his palms were even sweating nervously.

"Um..." He Ziyu nodded slightly, his fingertips digging into the edge of the picture frame, hesitating whether to admit it or not, "Actually, this painting..."

Before I could finish speaking, two noisy characters popped into my head.

Little Devil: Just confess to him directly. If he believes you, great. If not, he'll just think of you as a perverted monster who lusts after his buddies.

Little Angel: No, no, he only gave up on pursuing Lan Yuan a short while ago. If he changes his target so quickly, it will definitely seem frivolous. Yu-ge is such a pure person, he could never like a frivolous guy!

Little Devil: Everyone loves beauty, so why is craving handsome guys frivolous? Love that grows over time doesn't necessarily lead to marriage, and lust at first sight isn't necessarily frivolous. You're so old-fashioned!

Little Angel: You're the old-fashioned one! I'm just being cautious!

He Ziyu was driven to the brink of collapse by the two voices in his mind, and after stammering for a long time, he couldn't utter a single complete sentence.

Jiang Chengyu grew a little anxious, stood up, took a step forward, and moved closer to He Ziyu, "Let me see."

"don't want……"

"Are you sure you don't want it?"

He Ziyu hid the picture frame behind his back, providing the answer through his actions.

Jiang Chengyu stared at him for a few seconds, a rare, powerful glint in his eyes.

His conviction and desire to verify whether He Ziyu truly had feelings for him were stronger than ever before.

"Sweetie, let me see." Jiang Chengyu grasped He Ziyu's arm and slid it down to his hands behind his back, his gentle voice filled with coaxing.

The touch on his skin sent a slight shiver through him, and He Ziyu instinctively stepped back until he was pressed against the wardrobe.

In the quiet room, their breaths mingled, and He Ziyu even forgot why he had been guarding the painting and not letting Jiang Chengyu see it.

"It's nothing shameful, why are you so nervous?" Jiang Chengyu grasped He Ziyu's hand, which was hidden behind his back, wrapped his arm around his waist, and pressed his body closer and closer.

"No...no, I can show you, but could you let go of me first?"

As He Ziyu spoke, he made a swallowing motion.

With such an intimate posture, and with someone he liked, he was a little worried that he might have a reaction.

Holy crap, if it actually reacts, wouldn't that make it even more perverted?

You know, at this age, Yu Ge doesn't even watch adult films; his mind is still full of pure love. If he were to show his true colors so early, then…

"If I let you go, you'll run away. You run so fast, I'm afraid I won't be able to catch up." Jiang Chengyu lowered his head, his gaze deep, and gently squeezed He Ziyu's knuckles with his hands behind his back, without trying to pry them open. He seemed to enjoy the feeling of having him in his arms.

"Why should I run? This house is only so big, I can't just run into the street..."

Even if you say that, I won't let go.

Whether or not he drew anything was no longer important. He just wanted to take this opportunity to hug He Ziyu a little longer, to feel his hot breath and real warmth...

"Brother, are you done cleaning up? Do you need me to help...?"

He Ningqiu pushed open the half-open door and froze on the spot upon seeing the scene before her.

The two people who were standing close together were quickly separated by the appearance of the uninvited guest.

"What are you doing...?"

"I'm measuring A-Yu's waist," Jiang Chengyu lied through his teeth, and even pinched He Ziyu's waist on purpose. "You should lose weight."

"???" You can't just drag him into this mess like that when you're lying!

He Ningqiu, who had been thoroughly humiliated, looked as sour as a rock in a cesspool. His forced smile was lifeless and incredibly ugly.

It's daytime now, right? Is someone home? The door isn't closed, is it?

So what are these two doing?

He Ningqiu dug his fingertips into his palm, wishing he could call his father over right now and let him see what kind of person his precious son was.

He Ziyu took the opportunity to put the painting into a drawer and asked him, "Is there something you need?"

"I just wanted to ask if you need any help here..."

He Ziyu: "Have you finished cleaning your room?"

"Pretty much, I don't have much..."

"Then go and rest," He Ziyu said. "Yu-ge is enough to help me here."

He Ningqiu, having been turned away, said "Oh" and turned to leave. Before leaving, she couldn't help but glance back into the room, planning that next time she must be well-prepared and film He Ziyu's "crime" in its entirety.

……

Jiang Chengyu did not ask any further questions about the painting.

He Ziyu didn't know whether he had forgotten or given up, but Jiang Chengyu didn't ask, which was exactly what he wanted.

After his rebirth, because he cared too much about Jiang Chengyu, he would always become cautious when facing him, and then he couldn't help but overthink.

Just like that painting, whether he admits it or tries to deny it, Jiang Chengyu won't do anything to him.

But he was still afraid, afraid that he would appear frivolous and not serious enough in the other person's eyes, so in the end, he became that hesitant and awkward person.

So incredibly pretentious!

By evening, the new house was ready.

Zhou Ying was in a good mood and specially cooked several dishes that Jiang Chengyu liked to eat. They were all spicy and bright red, which looked very appetizing.

Jiang Chengyu was helping in the kitchen, wearing a light blue apron, and her movements were as nimble as a seasoned cook who had been cooking for years.

The Jiang family has a cook, but Jiang Chengyu often helps her out because he gets bored at home alone, and helping her cook allows him to chat with her.

He had told He Ziyu about this, and He Ziyu had laughed at him at the time.

"Chengyu, go and rest for a while. The kitchen is a woman's place."

Zhou Ying had a very traditional mindset and subconsciously believed that cooking and housework should be done by women. This is why the He family, despite not lacking money, never hired a nanny.

"It's alright, Auntie, I'm not tired." Jiang Chengyu held the carrot with his left hand and quickly sliced ​​it into strips with a knife in his right hand.

He cherished this rare opportunity to impress his future mother-in-law, so how could he possibly complain about being tired?

Although it's a bit too early to think about these things now, but...

At least he dared to think about it.

He tried hard to recall the painting he saw in He Ziyu's room that morning, and vaguely remembered that the boy in the painting was wearing what seemed to be the school uniform of No. 8 Middle School.

Once the school uniform matched, the boy's identity became self-evident.

Jiang Chengyu couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips into a smile.

He Ziyu's painting skills are terrible, so that painting probably wasn't painted by him. But in any case, he kept it well and even brought it from his old home to his new home.

Most importantly, when the painting was discovered, He Ziyu was clearly a little nervous and shy. He wouldn't have reacted that way if he wasn't hiding some secret.

Jiang Chengyu thought about it more and more and felt that He Ziyu might actually have some feelings for him.

It feels a bit like a dream.

Although it's not quite real, it's beautiful, so beautiful that I never want to wake up.

"Snip—" The sharp blade fell and accidentally grazed Jiang Chengyu's left index finger.

The next second, blood seeped from his fingertips.

The sharp pain brought Jiang Chengyu back from his aimless reverie. He quickly put down the kitchen knife and went to the sink to wash his hands.

He Ziyu was leaning against the doorframe, admiring Jiang Chengyu's back as a domestic gentleman, when he saw his actions. He frowned slightly and quickly walked to his side. "What happened, Brother Yu? Did you cut your hand?"

Jiang Chengyu: "It's alright, it's not a big problem."

At that moment, Zhou Ying was engrossed in rummaging through the refrigerator, making a rustling sound with the plastic bags, and she couldn't hear what the two were saying.

"Give me your hand, let me see." He Ziyu turned off the tap and pulled Jiang Chengyu's still-drenched left hand in front of his eyes to examine it.

The incision wasn't large, but it was quite deep, and blood started seeping out again after only a few seconds.

"This is so deep and you call it not a big problem?" He Ziyu's legs went weak when he saw the blood, but he still tried to remain calm. "Come with me, I'll help you take care of it."

He Ziyu pulled Jiang Chengyu back to the bedroom, retrieved a medical kit from the balcony, and pressed down on his shoulder to make him sit on the bed.

Immediately afterwards, he knelt down in front of Jiang Chengyu, grabbed his fingers with his left hand, and held the band-aid to his lips with his right hand, tearing off the outer packaging with his teeth. The action was swift and decisive, as if he were racing against time.

"You're so good at chopping vegetables, how did you manage to cut your hand? You're so clumsy..." He Ziyu muttered, but his movements were very gentle, as if he were handling something fragile.

Jiang Chengyu sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at He Ziyu who was focused on treating his wounds, his eyes gleaming with a soft light.

As if struck in the heart by something, he inexplicably reached out his other hand and lifted He Ziyu's chin.