BFILWY CH 51

Chapter 51: Strolling the Night Market

Ye Qinghe felt both angry and a little wronged. Why was An Yue so hard to get close to?

He couldn’t understand why An Yue refused to truly touch him. He wouldn’t even let their tongues touch when they kissed, let alone take things all the way. Last time was their first time together, and at least back then, they had helped each other out. But this time, An Yue didn’t even let him touch him. Both times they had been intimate, it was always An Yue taking action—literally. He only used his hands to satisfy him, making it feel almost perfunctory.

But if he really thought about it, it wasn’t exactly perfunctory. An Yue took his time every single time, thoroughly pleasuring Ye Qinghe until he was left breathless, experiencing a kind of pleasure different from before. An Yue had explored every inch of Ye Qinghe’s body, knowing exactly where to touch to drive him crazy. Always the one in control before, Ye Qinghe had to admit that being on the receiving end could sometimes feel really good. But it was An Yue’s attitude that left him confused.

An Yue claimed he was the one on top, but Ye Qinghe didn’t believe him. Yet now that he was willing to let him take control, An Yue wouldn’t. Lying on the bed, Ye Qinghe panted as he let his mind wander, slowly piecing things together as his breathing steadied. He finally had an idea of what might be going on.

It must be related to that scumbag ex again!

Just like how An Yue refused to make a sound during intimacy, now he wouldn’t take things further either. Who knows what that bastard had done to him in the past, making it so that An Yue couldn’t even allow himself to fully enjoy s*x now? Damn it. The one who made the mistake was that scumbag senior, yet it was An Yue who had to suffer the consequences. Ye Qinghe felt both heartache and anger.

An Yue sat at the edge of the bed in silence, quietly pulling out some tissues to wipe his hands. The soft rustling of the paper, in contrast to the lingering heavy breaths from their intimacy, felt somewhat depressing and stifling.

Ye Qinghe wanted so badly to comfort him, but he was afraid of stepping on another landmine, just like last time—turning what should have been a wonderful night into a complete disaster. He couldn’t ask anything.

So instead, he reached across the bed, feeling his way to An Yue’s leg.

“An Yue, I love you,” he said. The confession came without warning.

The faint sound of rustling stopped, and even An Yue’s breathing seemed to disappear. Ye Qinghe tilted his head in confusion. “An Yue?”

An Yue moved slightly, then got up, picked up his phone, tapped the screen a couple of times, and checked the time. In a soft voice, he said, “It’s really late. Go take a shower and sleep.”

Ye Qinghe was dissatisfied with not receiving a direct response from An Yue. He wanted to get a promise from him, even if it was just that he liked him. But before he could speak, An Yue made a heartwarming suggestion. “Do you want me to help you wash up?” There was a hint of soft sweetness in his voice.

Ye Qinghe raised an eyebrow. “Of course.”

Though it wasn’t that he was too exhausted to move or had his arms too sore to shower, he was still quite willing to act a little weak if someone was offering to help.

***

It had only been a few days since their relationship was confirmed on New Year’s Eve, but Ye Qinghe already felt more captivated by An Yue than ever. Sometimes, though, Ye Qinghe felt like An Yue was pulling away from him. Fortunately, An Yue still cared about him deeply, almost every day asking about the progress of his vision and comforting him: “Don’t rush, relax, it will get better.”

Ye Qinghe guessed that An Yue must also hope that he could see him. He often lacked confidence, thinking he wasn’t good-looking enough. Could it be that An Yue wanted to wait until he could see before he would truly commit to their relationship? Silly An Yue.

Ye Qinghe believed that he had already passed the age where looks mattered. He was confident that no matter what An Yue looked like, it wouldn’t affect his feelings for him. Besides, aside from He Zhifan, who had certified that An Yue was quite cute, he had also touched An Yue’s face himself. An Yue’s eyelashes were long, his nose was straight, his skin smooth and flawless without any acne scars, and his face was well-kept, with no stubble. A face like that might not be extremely handsome, but it certainly couldn’t be called ugly.

Thinking about this, Ye Qinghe became even angrier at that scumbag. How could such a lovable face ever be considered ugly? The scumbag must have been like Buddha’s seal—his heart full of crap, making him see everyone else as worthless.

An Yue noticed Ye Qinghe sitting on the sofa, frowning deeply, and guessed that he was still troubled by his vision issues. But worrying wouldn’t make his sight improve; it would only keep him in a constant state of frustration. Sometimes, An Yue really felt that Ye Qinghe was contradictory. When he first lost his sight, he couldn’t see anything, yet he had stayed calm, even cheerful, without any emotional outbursts. Now that he could see light and blurry shapes, he couldn’t keep his emotions in check, getting restless and frustrated.

This wouldn’t do. An Yue had to find a way to shift his attention.

After dinner, An Yue suggested they go to the night market. Ye Qinghe wasn’t particularly interested in night markets, but since it was a date with An Yue, he happily agreed.

The night market An Yue took Ye Qinghe to was a place where cultural creativity and dining came together, a trendy spot popular among the artistic crowd. Apart from the unique street foods, there were also many interesting and quirky items for sale, making it a fun destination for both adults and children. Now that Ye Qinghe could vaguely see light and shadows, and with An Yue carefully guiding him, even in a crowded market where using a cane wasn’t practical, it didn’t affect his ability to walk.

He linked arms with An Yue, walking slowly through the crowd. He listened as An Yue occasionally leaned in, introducing him to the interesting booths. Whenever they came across something Ye Qinghe liked, An Yue would buy it. After only twenty minutes, An Yue had already bought a small moon-shaped glass nightlight, a waterfall incense holder covered with a glass dome, and several bottles of different-scented incense pellets.

Ye Qinghe, still unclear about the reverse-flow incense, listened to An Yue explain the concept in front of the stall. No matter how much he tried to imagine it, he still couldn’t grasp what the visual effect of smoke flowing downwards would be like. However, the calming scent of sandalwood made his mind feel at ease. He thought to himself that if he ever had a headache again, he could have An Yue light some lavender or mint incense. He really liked that scent.

After they finished shopping for the artistic pieces, they turned into another shop. From the smell, it was clear that this area sold food and snacks. An Yue suddenly stopped in front of a stall. Ye Qinghe smelled a deep fried, milky sweet fragrance, and as he was still trying to figure out what it was, An Yue joyfully exclaimed, “Fried fresh milk! It’s been so long since I’ve seen anyone selling this. Do you want to try it?”

Though they had just eaten dinner, Ye Qinghe touched his stomach and then reached for An Yue’s, but An Yue slapped his hand away.

“You can’t eat anymore?” An Yue’s voice sounded both disdainful and slightly regretful.

“Who says I can’t? I’ll eat!” Ye Qinghe laughed and said, “Let’s see what’s different between this fried fresh milk and the fried milk cakes from Yupin Tower.” An Yue happily ordered a small portion for them to share as they walked and ate.

An Yue, holding the fried fresh milk on a bamboo stick, blew on it to cool it down and fed it to Ye Qinghe. Ye Qinghe, not using his cane and no longer insisting on wearing his sunglasses, was walking hand-in-hand with An Yue through the night market, and the two of them even performed a feeding show. To anyone watching, they looked like a couple deeply in love.

Click—the sound of a camera shutter echoed as a flash of light went off. An Yue looked around in confusion and saw three young girls furtively trying to avoid his gaze. One of them had yet to lower her phone, her face awkwardly smiling, clearly caught in the act of taking a picture.

An Yue wasn’t too pleased. “Hold this for me. Wait here,” he said, handing Ye Qinghe the several bags of their purchases and the fried fresh milk. He directed him to stand in a vacant spot next to a stall before striding towards the girls, his face tense.

Ye Qinghe, not knowing where An Yue had gone off to, froze for a couple of seconds before realizing he should call out for him. But by then, An Yue had already walked far. Standing alone in a bustling and unfamiliar environment, Ye Qinghe felt disoriented. Though he could vaguely see some light, the flashing shadows of the people passing by made him dizzy and uneasy. Just earlier, while walking through the market with An Yue, everything had felt so new and exciting. But now, standing alone at the street corner, the crowd only highlighted his growing discomfort.

Two children, playing and laughing, suddenly bumped into him. It was just a light push, and the kids continued on their way. However, Ye Qinghe lost his balance, stumbling a couple of steps before turning half a circle and standing in the middle of the street. Disoriented, he wasn’t sure of the direction anymore. He knew that standing in the middle of such a busy area was dangerous and blocked others’ paths, so he tried to make his way back to the spot where he had been waiting. Just as he was thinking about moving, he was suddenly bumped into from behind by someone walking backward.

Caught off guard, Ye Qinghe hit his head on a stall’s protruding signboard, the pain causing stars to appear in his vision.

“Ah…”

“Watch out behind you!”

“Xiao Qi, be careful!”

(To be continued…)