The Early Spring - Chapter 123

Chapter 123 - Aggressive Advances

Shang Zhitao's hands froze over her keyboard as she raised her head to look at Luan Nian.

"I don't understand," she said. "How would we take care of him together?"

Luan Nian looked at her for a long time before saying, "Let's talk after Luke finishes his IV drip and we get home, alright?"

"Okay."

Shang Zhitao felt a wave of flustered confusion.

It felt as if she hadn't experienced this kind of feeling in a very long time—unable to get any work done, her composure completely thrown into disarray by a single sentence from Luan Nian.

Neither of them spoke again. After finishing the IV drip, Luke refused to walk on his own, whining softly and demanding to be carried. Luan Nian carried him in his arms all the way back home. They drew plenty of glances along the way, and some even made nasty remarks: "I doubt they'd take care of their own parents with this much devotion."

"What business is it of yours? Do you have a problem?" Luan Nian was never one to swallow such disrespect, firing back instantly: "Mind your own business."

Shang Zhitao understood Luan Nian; he had always been this way, refusing to suffer even the slightest bit of grievance. She also found those words unpleasant, but she would sometimes choose to pretend she hadn't heard them. As for the nasty rumors the neighbors spread about her, she had never once considered confronting them face-to-face. That was likely the difference between people.

Once they stepped inside the front door, Luan Nian put Luke down. Having just finished the drip, Luke was extremely listless, lying there completely motionless. When Shang Zhitao tried to get him to drink water, he lacked the strength to do so; filled with worry, tears streamed down her face once more.

The girl who had never cried in front of Luan Nian in the past no longer gritted her teeth to hold back her tears. Countless times, Luan Nian had regretted that when Shang Zhitao had broken down in front of him back then, he hadn't given her a hug. Now, he would never allow such a thing to happen again.

Grasping her shoulders with his hands, he pulled her into his arms.

It wasn't just her head leaning against him while their bodies kept a distance. It was a genuine embrace.

Luke stood up, likely wanting to make some noise, but Luan Nian's hand behind Shang Zhitao's back pointed his index finger downward, making a gentle dipping motion: Lie down.

Having been trained by Luan Nian for so long, Luke naturally understood this command, lying back down to watch them quietly.

Luan Nian was thoroughly satisfied, turning his focus back to holding Shang Zhitao tight. The fragrance lingering between her hair made him lose his senses; it would be hard to pull back without doing something.

Luan Nian's hand stroked her head, his fingers threading through her hair to cradle her face. Her tears hadn't dried yet. Their breaths intermingled, and Luan Nian lowered his gaze to look at Shang Zhitao, his eyes carrying an intensely clingy warmth that made her heart race.

Lowering his head, his lips brushed against hers. Afraid she might resist, he pulled back before pressing close again, repeating the motion over and over until he finally lingered on her lips, pressing down and using his tongue to pry open her teeth.

Luan Nian was always Luan Nian.

He could restrain himself from touching you and play the refined gentleman, and in his mind over these past few years, he had brought Shang Zhitao to justice countless times; expecting him to take things step-by-step now was nothing short of a pipe dream.

The moment his tongue reached the battlefield, his domineering nature burst through his civilized veneer, asserting its dominance in every corner of her mouth. His breathing gradually grew frantic, and with a sudden surge of force, he locked Shang Zhitao in a tight embrace. Shang Zhitao bumped into his solid frame and suddenly snapped back to her senses. Pushing him with all her might, Luan Nian refused to let go, so Shang Zhitao bit hard on his lip. Exerting every ounce of strength in her body with both hands, she finally broke free from his arms.

The two of them stood in the dimly lit room, locked in a contest of wills. There was a fire in Luan Nian's eyes capable of burning Shang Zhitao to ashes. Covering her lips, she glared at him: "Is this how you wanted to talk?"

"Yes!"

"Does anyone talk like this?"

"What's wrong with me talking like this?"

...

"You're being a hooligan, not talking!"

"Is this your first day knowing me?"

"If you're going to talk like this, I'm not talking to you!"

"Suit yourself!"

Luan Nian put on his overcoat and walked toward the exit. But with his hand resting on the doorknob, he felt unwilling to accept it; turning around, he slowly took off his overcoat, tossed it onto the sofa, and walked toward Shang Zhitao step by step.

Shang Zhitao grew frightened. She had never seen Luan Nian like this before, taking two steps backward only to be pinned against the book wall by him. With a soft gasp, her lips were smothered by his. Luan Nian wanted to kiss her far too badly; to hell with taking things slowly—at his age, what the hell was he trying to plan for anyway!

Scooping her up, he pressed his body firmly against hers, blocking her lips to kiss her fiercely, even thrusting his waist forcefully against her. Shang Zhitao let out a whimpering moan with nowhere to escape, hating him to death in her heart as she bit down hard on the corner of his lip. As the taste of blood spread, Luan Nian calmed down, pulling slightly away from her lips to gaze at her darkly, saying through gritted teeth, "If it weren't for wanting to be with you forever, I would have taken you right here today to vent this frustration!!"

They both knew what Luan Nian meant. That inadvertent whimpering moan from Shang Zhitao was a surrender from her body; though her body had surrendered, her heart still wanted to resist.

Luan Nian kissed her once more before letting her down, his tongue licking the corner of his lip before wiping it with his thumb, looking like an absolute rogue.

Shang Zhitao was frightened by that phrase—wanting to be with you forever—and remained silent for a long moment. Escaping from the gap between him and the book wall, she stood next to Luke and pointed at the door: "Go stay at a hotel!"

"I'm not going!"

"This is my house!"

"Luke hasn't recovered yet, I'm not leaving."

The moment Luke was mentioned, Shang Zhitao's anger fizzled out. If anything happened to Luke during the night, she would be terrified. No matter how strong she was on the outside, taking only seconds to make major decisions, the moment she returned home and faced Luke, she turned back into that soft-hearted person.

"Then go to the guest bedroom!" Shang Zhitao snapped at him.

"I haven't eaten dinner yet—is this how you treat a guest?" Luan Nian snapped back, taking off his sweater and entering the kitchen wearing just a white T-shirt.

Shang Zhitao mocked him in her heart, thinking he even knew how to layer his clothes, really keeping up with youth trends. She was quite cowardly right now, not daring to mock him to his face out of fear that Luan Nian would turn into a wild beast again and she wouldn't be able to control him. Carrying her laptop, she sat down next to Luke to handle online work. Occasionally raising her eyes to look at him, he still had those broad shoulders, a tightly tapered waistline, and a fine hip profile. Just looking at his back, he was clearly not someone to mess with.

Recalling that line—If it weren't for wanting to be with you forever—she felt that he really didn't know how to deliver a nice sentiment properly. Resting her hand on Luke's head, Shang Zhitao whispered to him, "Your dad isn't human; your dad has a foul mouth. How about we poison him mute?"

Luke clearly didn't agree, standing up to let out a bark of protest that startled Shang Zhitao: "What are you barking for!"

"He's sick—what's wrong with him letting out a bark? Why are you snapping at him?" Luan Nian emerged from the kitchen, saying to Shang Zhitao, "Be gentler with Luke."

...

After speaking, Luan Nian returned to the kitchen, where a few leftover groceries he had bought previously remained in the fridge. He stewed a fish, braised some pork ribs, and prepared to stir-fry two vegetable dishes. Just as the greens hit the wok with a sizzle, Shang Zhitao heard the front door open; raising her head, she saw Old Shang and Big Zhai walking in carrying bags.

Hearing the sound, Luan Nian poked his head out of the kitchen, coming face-to-face with Old Shang and Big Zhai. The room fell dead silent.

Shang Zhitao hurriedly explained, "Luke is sick, so he came to help take care of Luke."

"Hello Uncle, hello Auntie," Luan Nian greeted them politely, standing there composedly. He wasn't afraid of people giving him a cold shoulder; the people in this world who could give him a cold shoulder were few and far between, and Shang Zhitao's parents certainly counted among them.

"Mom, Dad, why are you here?"

"The restaurant was slow today," Big Zhai said, before reacting: "We're not allowed to come?"

"You can."

Old Shang walked into the kitchen with his hands behind his back, seeing steam rising inside. Luan Nian was particular about his cooking, requiring appearance, aroma, and taste, so picky that he refused to settle even when making a simple meal.

"It's about to burn." Old Shang pointed at the wok with the stir-fried greens, then strolled back out, winking at Big Zhai with a subtle chuckle.

Since they happened to run into each other, they decided to eat together.

This meal felt somewhat awkward and misplaced. Luan Nian hadn't won Shang Zhitao over yet, so he couldn't be considered her boyfriend—only a co-guardian to Luke. Thus, during the meal, all the conversation revolved around Luke.

Luan Nian finally understood where Shang Zhitao's good upbringing came from; her parents possessed excellent manners. Even on the day Big Zhai learned of his identity, she hadn't displayed any rudeness toward him, merely offering him a plate of peanuts without uttering a single hurtful word.

The family of three sat together, looking every bit like a proper family unit. Big Zhai sat upright in her chair, while Old Shang was slightly better, though not as relaxed as ordinary people.

Old Shang asked Luan Nian, "Care for a drink?"

"Sure."

"No drinking allowed!" He's not your son-in-law, so what are you drinking for? In this room of four people and one dog, Shang Zhitao could only manage herself; who among the others would listen to her? Even Luke talked back to her.

Old Shang intentionally plied Luan Nian with alcohol, wanting to test his character under the influence. Luan Nian knew this, drinking whenever Old Shang asked him to. Over the course of a meal, they finished a jin of baijiu—Luan Nian taking seven liang and Old Shang taking three. Once finished drinking, Luan Nian's speech became slurred, yet his logic remained intact with no signs of irritability.

Old Shang and Big Zhai prepared to go home, casually asking Luan Nian, "Which hotel are you staying at?"

"The one nearby."

"Shall we walk out together?"

"Alright."

Luan Nian stood up, put on his clothes, and walked out with them while swaying slightly. Upon leaving, he even said to Shang Zhitao, "It's cold out, don't come out to see us off."

Old Shang and Big Zhai left reassured after watching Luan Nian enter the hotel. Ten minutes later, a man stepped out of the hotel, his face slightly flushed, walking straight toward Shang Zhitao's home without a sway in his step. Old Shang had been too careless after all; how much alcohol was that? Luan Nian's tolerance had been built up over years of practice—even when thoroughly exhausted, he could easily hold half a jin of baijiu as a baseline.

Going upstairs, he entered the passcode himself and walked inside. Shang Zhitao had just finished changing into her pajamas, coming out to look at him in surprise when she heard the lock click. Wearing an expression of what are you going to do about me?, he took off his overcoat to grab his suitcase, opening it up to retrieve his sleepwear before walking toward the guest bedroom to change. Hearing Shang Zhitao's footsteps following him over, he let out a wicked smile, taking off his sweater and T-shirt all at once to reveal his impressive physique.

Having just reached the doorway, Shang Zhitao flushed bright red upon seeing this scene, bumping into Luan Nian's teasing gaze: "Should I take off another piece for you to see?" Resting his hand on his belt, he slowly pulled it out and tossed it onto the floor.

Shang Zhitao was driven crazy by Luan Nian, uttering a phrase in Luan Nian's tone without even realizing it: "Are you out of your mind!" Turning around, she walked away.

This was the first time since their reunion that the two of them stayed under the same roof—Luan Nian in the guest bedroom and Shang Zhitao in the master bedroom. As the night grew late, neither could fall asleep, listening to the activity outside. Luan Nian's heart pounded heavily against his chest, and he laughed at himself: You're not fucking twenty anymore! What are you flustered for!

How could he not be flustered? The woman he thought about day and night was right across from him, making it impossible for him to sleep. He simply got up and went out to grab a glass of water, heading toward Shang Zhitao's room after drinking it. Her room door wasn't locked; after all these years, she still trusted him.

Luan Nian pushed the door open to enter. The living room behind him was lit by a single nightlight—and it was merely a nightlight. Shang Zhitao lay on the bed, not daring to move a muscle.

Borrowing the faint light, Luan Nian looked at her timid state and couldn't help letting out a laugh. Stopping afterward, he said to her, "Shang Zhitao, I know you're not asleep. I want to say a few words to you, and you don't need to reply to me."

"After you left, I thought through everything clearly, and I know how much pain you suffered during those years we were together. I know that when you started things with me, you didn't want to be my bed partner—you did it because you loved me."

"I know I was extremely despicable, using your love for me to act recklessly. But what I want to say is that the first time I felt drawn to you was on the day I pushed open the coffee shop door and saw you sitting there upright. You were proper to the point of not seeming like a modern person."

"I'm just such a rotten, bad man, someone who made you suffer for years. But what I want to say is that during those years, I gave you my true heart as well. I know you could feel it too."

"When I said I wanted to take care of Luke together with you, I meant it. But in truth, what I want most is to take care of both you and Luke myself. This lifetime is still very long, so I don't think there's any rush. I will take things slowly."

Shang Zhitao's eyes grew warm, her nose feeling slightly stuffed. She lay there motionless, processing the words Luan Nian had spoken. Countless times in the past, she had wondered whether she hadn't been worthy of being loved in her twenties; later, she realized what she was most grateful for was that no matter what she went through back then, she had preserved an independent identity. Later still, amid the howling winds and heavy snows of Harbin, she had recalled bits and pieces of her time with Luan Nian countless times, knowing that he had, in fact, loved her.

"I'm sorry. For everything back then."

Having said this, Luan Nian walked out, gently closing the door behind him.