Xiao Yan held Mu Li’s hand as they walked all the way out toward the school gates. Mu Li followed him quietly, looking at his back and at their intertwined fingers. He did not know where this person was taking him, nor did he understand what this person meant.
Yet he was not afraid at all, and his heart was even filled with incomparable joy. He had liked Xiao Yan to begin with, having liked him for a very long time.
It was love at first sight. Back then, Xiao Yan had appeared before him like a savior, causing Mu Li to fall in love with him at first sight. That was why he gave up the opportunity to study abroad and traveled thousands of miles to this city, solely to draw closer to the person he loved.
Walking all the way out of the campus gates, they drew frequent and curious gazes from passing students. After all, Mu Li was a prominent figure on campus, and none of the passing students failed to recognize him. Suddenly seeing the young master being led away obediently by an unfamiliar man, they naturally found it surprising.
Xiao Yan’s target was his own car, though he failed to notice several girls in the crowd whose eyes flashed with an overflowing sense of awe at the sight of him.
Reaching the car, he bundled Mu Li into the passenger seat, fastened his seatbelt, and then got into the driver’s seat himself. After locking the doors, he started the engine and drove off into the distance.
Inside the car, Mu Li nervously gripped his trousers. It was only after getting into the vehicle that he reacted, realizing he had muddle-headedly followed the man into the car without having any idea what this person intended to do. Although he had liked Xiao Yan for a very long time, it seemed like Xiao Yan didn’t like him at all, or perhaps he disliked him. After all, their only direct interaction in the past had not gone very well.
Therefore, whatever stunt Xiao Yan was pulling right now genuinely confused him. Could this person dislike him so much that he wanted to find some remote place to get rid of him? Mu Li’s mind ran wild, his little head filled with chaotic thoughts, as he occasionally stole glances at Xiao Yan before immediately turning his head away, blushing all the way down to the tips of his ears in shyness.
He truly was the person he had set his sights on. His looks were just so ridiculously striking. The Mu family was wealthy and powerful, with plenty of people sucking up to them, and Mu Li had even seen popular celebrities in the entertainment industry. Yet, in his eyes, not a single person could compare to how good-looking Xiao Yan was, making his heart race and causing him to forget how to breathe just by looking at him.
Xiao Yan appeared to be driving with undivided attention, but in truth, his mind remained entirely focused on the young man beside him. He was undoubtedly thrilled beyond measure.
Living through a rebirth, nothing mattered more than this young man right by his side. All thoughts of revenge or the apocalypse could go straight to hell and be pushed aside. First, he was going to win over this little fellow Mu Li and keep him firmly guarded by his side.
Surprisingly, the two of them remained silent the entire way. Throughout the solid forty-minute journey, both of them stayed quiet.
The car drove all the way to a rural courtyard in the suburbs before Xiao Yan finally stopped. In reality, his hands had been trembling slightly the entire time out of excitement; no matter how much he tried to restrain himself, he simply could not control it.
Seeing the car finally come to a halt in the middle of nowhere, with only a few houses scattered about in the vicinity, Mu Li felt his heart beating even faster against his ribs.
In broad daylight, Xiao Yan certainly wouldn’t harm him, but he might inevitably give him a good beating. Mu Li worriedly thought that since Xiao Yan disliked him this much and had dragged him all the way out here to such a distant place, he was probably going to be beaten to death.
“Are you an idiot? I’m not going to beat you.” As soon as Xiao Yan stepped out of the car and pulled open the passenger door, he heard Mu Li muttering his inner thoughts out loud.
Xiao Yan couldn’t help curving the corners of his lips. Now that his mood had settled down a bit and he saw Mu Li’s bewildered and baffled expression, he also realized that he had been far too impulsive, bringing the young man out here without even an explanation, which naturally would have frightened him.
“Ah, I… eh?” Hearing Xiao Yan’s words, Mu Li finally snapped back to reality, realizing he had actually spoken his thoughts aloud. Before he even had time to feel embarrassed, Xiao Yan scooped him directly out of the seat. This time, Mu Li’s face grew even redder.
The sudden sensation of weightlessness caused him to instinctively wrap his arms around Xiao Yan’s neck. After recovering for a moment, unsure of where to place his hands, he could only maintain the posture and murmur in a small voice, “I can walk by myself.”
Feigning ignorance, Xiao Yan replied straightforwardly, “I like holding you.”
“Eh??” Now Mu Li was even more confused, his head filled with question marks. The intimate posture between the two of them made Mu Li’s imagination run wild. Could this person possibly…
This was a small rural courtyard consisting of only two stories, with flowers and plants cultivated in the yard. After carrying Mu Li inside, Xiao Yan set him down in the living room.
From the perspective of the courtyard, the exterior of the house looked completely ordinary, resembling any standard farmhouse. However, the interior was decorated exquisitely. Although it adopted a minimalist modern style, everything from the renovation to the furniture revealed the owner’s affection and careful attention.
As soon as his feet touched the ground, Mu Li curiously looked around and took the opportunity to ask Xiao Yan, “What is this place?”
“My home,” Xiao Yan answered. Upon hearing this, Mu Li looked at him in surprise. “Isn’t your home at Yuetang Bay?”
Right after speaking, Mu Li clamped his hand over his mouth. Crap, he had accidentally exposed himself. Since Xiao Yan was the person he liked the most, his home address had naturally been thoroughly investigated by him, including the company where Xiao Yan worked. Mu Li had figured all of that out long ago.
At the mention of that place, Xiao Yan’s expression darkened slightly. Although he had also purchased that apartment, it was never truly his home.
The mere thought of the people living in that apartment filled Xiao Yan with disgust, and violent urges surged inside his heart. Suppressing these unpleasant feelings, Xiao Yan looked at the young man before him and smiled, “That’s the place where my parents live. This right here is my real home. It’s an old house I bought a few years ago—it’s quiet.”
Mu Li nodded in understanding, hurriedly changing the subject before Xiao Yan could discover the loopholes in his words. “It’s nice, just a bit remote. But it’s also quiet, and the air is good. Uh, you dragged me all the way here—surely it wasn’t just to let me tour your house, right?”
Mu Li spoke as he inspected the place more closely. Aside from being out in the suburbs, this house was wonderful in every aspect. Outside the windows were blue skies and white clouds, and it was so quiet that even the sounds of cars were absent. Staying here occasionally to relax would actually be quite pleasant.
A smile lingered on Xiao Yan’s lips. He opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle of fresh milk. He had accidentally stumbled upon this house a few years ago while passing by. At the time, he had taken a liking to the quiet environment, so he bought the property intending to use it as a getaway to relax during his days off.
Back then, the place was quite run-down, and buying the house was cheap, costing only tens of thousands of yuan. However, the renovation had taken a great deal of his time and effort. At that point, he had just recently graduated, and his company was only just starting up, but because he loved this location so much, he was willing to spend the money. He had completely remodeled the place inside and out. Once the house was finished, Xiao Yan would come over to stay whenever he wasn’t too busy.
Driving here from the city took only forty minutes. Later, once his company was running normally, he had more free time, and staying here became a frequent occurrence. Mainly because he loved the peace and quiet of this place, the house was kept very clean, and daily necessities were fully stocked as well.
Twisting open the cap, Xiao Yan handed the bottle of milk to Mu Li and explained along the way, “This house belongs to me alone. No one else knows about it, not even my family.”
“Then why did you bring me here?” Mu Li took a small sip of the milk. Hearing Xiao Yan say that only he knew about it made a wave of joy swell in his chest, though on the surface he maintained a calm appearance, entirely unaware that his sparkling eyes were fixed on Xiao Yan and that every single thought in his mind was written plainly across his face.
Xiao Yan ruffled Mu Li’s hair. This was his most relaxing sanctuary, which was why his instinct had been to bring Mu Li straight here. In his own territory, his internal desire was to hide the young man before him away so that no one else could ever lay eyes on him, making Mu Li entirely and solely his own. Yet, reason told him he certainly couldn’t voice those words aloud, or else if he frightened the person in front of him, he wouldn’t even have a place to cry.
Reborn from the apocalypse, Xiao Yan had no intention of dragging his feet anymore. Since Mu Li had fancied him early on in their past life, it was undoubtedly the same now.
On the drive over, Xiao Yan’s heart had still been drumming anxiously, but now he could confirm with absolute certainty just how deeply the young man before him adored him. Since both of them felt mutually for one another, what reason was there to feel too shy to spell it out? Therefore, Xiao Yan cut straight to the point and told Mu Li:
“Because I like you, and I want you to be my boyfriend. That’s why I brought you here to see the place where we will live together after we get together, to see if you like it.”
Well, well, well. Mu Li hadn’t expected Xiao Yan to launch straight into a confession. Although he had harbored some vague guesses in his heart, facing such a direct declaration of love still left him momentarily dumbfounded.
Clearly, just a short while ago, this person had despised him. So why did he suddenly like him now? Staring blankly at Xiao Yan, Mu Li felt Xiao Yan reach out to pinch his cheek, speaking at a slowed pace, pronouncing each word distinctly:
“Mu Li, I like you. I like you very, very much. I want to be with you, and I want to be your boyfriend—the kind who can protect you, dote on you, and never part for the rest of our lives.”
Xiao Yan’s voice was gentle, carrying a sexy, low register. Hearing such romantic words spoken word by word made one’s ears burn hot, dragging the cheeks along with them in an uncontrollable flush. Mu Li’s mind went completely blank, leaving nothing in his breathing except the fresh scent of tea emanating from Xiao Yan. All of his reactions vanished at this very moment…