Rebirth: My Childhood Sweetheart Came into My Arms

I finally said it.

That promise, which could never be given in the past life, was finally uttered at this seemingly inappropriate yet profoundly meaningful moment.

He Ziyu held Jiang Chengyu tightly, his cheek pressed against his broad back, afraid that this was just a dream and that everything would be the same after he woke up.

The person he was holding had the same thought as him at that moment.

Is this a dream?

It must be a dream...

Otherwise, why would He Ziyu suddenly confess his feelings to him and make such a weighty promise?

But if it's a dream, then everything seems too real.

He Ziyu's body temperature, his heartbeat, the dull pain in his wound...

All the details seemed to be proving to him that this was reality.

"Brother Yu, will you be my boyfriend?" He Ziyu asked tentatively, somewhat cautiously. "I promise I will only love you for the rest of my life, and I will only be good to you. As long as you don't say stop, I will always stick to you and be your shadow, the kind that you can't get rid of no matter what."

After He Ziyu finished speaking, he swallowed hard, his heart pounding.

He was afraid that his sudden initiative would scare Jiang Chengyu, and even more afraid that Jiang Chengyu would take his confession as a joke.

To prove he was serious, He Ziyu added, "Look, we've known each other for so many years, we know each other inside and out, and there's no bias in our eyes. This proves that my liking for you isn't just a passing impulse, not a whim or a sudden impulse, I..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Chengyu suddenly pulled his hands away from his waist.

Then, she turned to face him.

With the dim light of the floor lamp, He Ziyu saw the starlight shimmering in Jiang Chengyu's eyes, which, combined with the faint bruise on his lips, created a strange and beautiful effect.

One glance was enough to throw him into complete disarray.

"I...I'm serious. If you don't believe me, we can have a trial period, one month, two months, six months, whatever. I'm confident I can make you...um."

Jiang Cheng sealed his words with a kiss.

Perhaps because it was their first kiss, their lips only touched lightly at first, tentatively exploring each other. Jiang Chengyu's left hand was clasped behind He Ziyu's head, and the thin sweat on his palm almost soaked through his hair.

He paused cautiously for a moment, then mustered his courage and took He Ziyu's lips into his mouth, slowly deepening the kiss...

He Ziyu's mind went blank.

He slowly closed his eyes, his hands wrapping around Jiang Chengyu's waist once more, his breath carrying the scent of youthful innocence.

After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Chengyu finally reluctantly let go of him.

The sound of their slightly disordered breathing was all around me.

He Ziyu lowered his head, not daring to look Jiang Chengyu in the eye, feeling as if he were walking on cotton, and was a little unsteady on his feet.

Just as he was trying to find a way to end the awkward silence, his phone, which was in his pocket, suddenly rang.

Take out your phone, answer it, and put it to your ear...

The movement was executed in one smooth motion, as if grasping at a lifeline.

"Hey, Ayu, where are you?" Jingran's voice was excited and her speech was very fast. "Let's meet up in West Alley in a bit. I've also called Beiyao and Guwang. More people means more strength."

"that……"

"By the way, did you bring any weapons? I was in such a rush that I didn't bring anything decent, but it doesn't matter anyway..."

"Xiao Jing, you don't need to go." He Ziyu interrupted him, "Brother Yu is back."

"Back..." Jingran paused for a moment, "You're back?"

"I ran into him just as I was leaving," He Ziyu said, turning his phone on speakerphone. "I'll have Brother Yu say something to you."

Jiang Chengyu composed himself. "Xiao Jing, it's me."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

Immediately following, Jingran bombarded him with questions: "Brother Yu, you're home? How did you get back? How many people were there? Did they hit you?"

Jiang Chengyu: "..."

The other end of the phone was noisy, like on a main street, and Jingran's voice was amplified, pounding into their ears.

"I'm fine," Jiang Chengyu said. "They only gave me a verbal warning; it was all bark and no bite."

"But...but I heard you got beaten up?"

"It's fake, don't believe it."

The four concise words were uttered, and the other side immediately fell silent.

……

Moon City, street garden.

Jingran stood on the main road with a shoehorn in his hand, feeling that all the passersby were looking at him, their eyes seeming to say: Where did this weirdo come from?

He was in such a hurry when he left that he grabbed something and rushed out, only to realize at the entrance of the residential area that what he was holding was a solid wooden shoehorn.

Now look what happened, the fight didn't happen, and he's stuck waiting for a car on the roadside like an idiot with a shoehorn in his hand.

"Actually, this thing should hurt pretty much if you hit someone with it," Gu Wang said weakly, trying to salvage the situation for her sister-in-law.

Jing Ran glanced at him, the murderous intent in her eyes forcing him to retreat.

The temperature was a bit cool after nightfall.

The three of them stood by the roadside for a while, but no empty car came. Bei Yao was worried that Jing Ran would catch a cold, so he took off his coat and put it on him.

"I don't need it." Jingran shrugged, feeling a little awkward.

Bei Yao's clothes were large and hung loosely on his body, giving him a petite and delicate appearance, which made Jing Xiaoran, who considered himself a straight man, feel strange for some reason.

"You're shivering," Bei Yao said without waiting for a reply, zipping up Jing Ran's jacket and then tying the two empty sleeves around his body. "Won't this keep you warm? Not a breath of wind can get in."

Jing Ran: "..."

Yeah, yeah, not only can't the wind get in, but I can't even move my arms, haha.

At that time, it was a meter away.

Having been forced to eat a mouthful of dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection), Gu Wang looked at the bright moon in the sky, a faint sadness rising in his heart.

What happened to the promised fight, the promised righteousness?

This is clearly a case of luring the dog out and then killing it, waaaaaah...

……

at the same time.

"Tell me if it hurts, don't hold it in."

"Um."

"Don't worry, I'll be gentle."

"..."

In the bedroom, Jiang Chengyu sat on the edge of the bed, his clothes lifted up by He Ziyu, his ears burning hot.

He Ziyu gently treated Jiang Chengyu's back wound with iodine and cotton swabs, his left hand supporting Jiang's waist with an extremely serious expression.

"Ayu..."

"Um?"

Are we officially together now?

After Jiang Chengyu finished speaking, He Ziyu paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"Otherwise what? Should I tattoo 'Jiang Chengyu's boyfriend' on my body? Besides, you kissed me, you wouldn't go back on your word, would you?"

"Of course not," Jiang Chengyu said, gripping the bedsheet with his left hand, his tone a little urgent. "I just... it feels so unreal, after all, you before..."

"I was blind before, mistaking trash for treasure." He Ziyu raised an eyebrow, his sinful hand roaming over Jiang Chengyu's abs. "But not anymore. Now I'm sure, you are my darling, my sweetheart, my honey, my..."

"Ah Yu, could you...stop touching my hand?"

"Why? You're my boyfriend now." He Ziyu raised his voice, feigning displeasure.

Jiang Chengyu had her back to him and couldn't see his expression, but judging from his voice, she thought he was really angry, so she quickly apologized: "I was wrong, you can touch me, touch me as much as you want, I can tolerate it."

"Endure?" He Ziyu whispered in Jiang Chengyu's ear, "Endure what?"

The warm breath tickled his ear, sending shivers down Jiang Chengyu's spine.

The boy bit his lip and did not answer.

Seeing Jiang Chengyu's helpless expression, He Ziyu found it both funny and adorable, and couldn't resist teasing him a little more, so he helped him up.

"If you can't stand it, then don't. I can help you with my hands..."

"Ayu, I... I'm a little hungry." Jiang Chengyu stood up abruptly, looking somewhat flustered. "There's some noodles at home, I'll go cook some."

He really couldn't take it anymore.

If this continues, who knows what might happen?

Unable to bear teasing poor Yu Ge any longer, He Ziyu smiled, stepped forward to straighten the hem of his clothes, and said, "How can you cook noodles with one hand? Let me do it."

……

He Ziyu came to the kitchen, tied on an apron, turned on the stove, and the overhead light fell, outlining his tall and straight figure.

Jiang Chengyu stood behind him, watching silently.

The boy was like a warm flame, illuminating his conventional and ordinary life, and making him begin to look forward to the future.

After a while, the noodles were ready.

He Ziyu placed the bowl on the table through his gloves and called Jiang Chengyu over to sit down.

The noodles were so hot that He Ziyu had to blow on them several times before feeding them a single serving. As a result, it took half a century to finish a single serving of noodles.

Looking at the time again, it was already quite late.

In the last few minutes before leaving, the two snuggled on the sofa and chatted idly.

"Actually, I didn't plan to confess to you today." He Ziyu took Jiang Chengyu's left arm and leaned on his shoulder. "I originally planned to confess to you on the 30th of this month because there's a meteor shower that day. I even planned out the steps."

"I'll trick you into coming out first, and we'll enjoy the night breeze and look at the stars. Then I'll put an earphone in your ear with a song I recorded myself, and I'll hide the line 'I love you' at the end of the song. At that moment, a shooting star will streak across the sky... Ah, just thinking about it is so romantic."

After He Ziyu finished speaking, he sighed, "Unfortunately, I couldn't resist."

Jiang Chengyu smiled and gently squeezed his palm. "Shall we go through the process again on the 30th?"

"Okay," He Ziyu said enthusiastically, subconsciously interlocking his fingers with Jiang Chengyu's. "You have to look really excited then, at least let me feel a sense of accomplishment."

"no problem."

The two chatted for a while longer when Zhou Ying called to ask why he wasn't home yet and if he was going to stay next door. He Ziyu hesitated for a moment, then said he would be back soon and hung up.

Before leaving, he pinched Jiang Chengyu's chin and pecked him on the lips.

See you tomorrow, boyfriend.

"See you tomorrow."

Jiang Chengyu watched He Ziyu leave.

Back in his bedroom, he pulled out the USB drive that Bei Yao had given him from his clothes, held it in his hand, and seemed to be deep in thought.