After the Young Master’s Death, He was Kissed by His Mortal Enemy! - Chapter 53

“I’ve already told Shen Xianming that I’ll be going with you. Of course, I wouldn’t miss out on the excitement.”

Naturally, he meant going as Shen Ran’s boyfriend.

And just like that, the decision was made.

Although Shen Ran kept telling himself, “At least I’ll gain something from this,” deep down, he still felt some resistance about seeing those two people again.

In the end, Shen Ran couldn’t even finish his grilled chicken thigh burger.

That saying was absolutely true—sometimes, ignorance really is bliss.

Cheng Yi seemed to notice Shen Ran’s gloomy mood. He didn’t say anything, simply cleaned up the aftermath after Shen Ran finished eating.

—And while he was at it, he also helped himself to a chocolate pie.

President Cheng was, without a doubt, a devoted lover of sweets.

In truth, Cheng Yi had already received the custom wedding rings.

Although only a few days had passed, the power of money knows no bounds—please take note.

From afternoon until evening, Cheng Yi had been carrying the rings in his pocket.

Rings are like hot potatoes—holding them in your hands makes you anxious.

With those two rings so close to him, even someone as hesitant as Cheng Yi felt the sudden urge to drop to one knee and pour out his heart.

…Ah, the power of love truly is terrifying.

No wonder Wei Hailan, after falling in love at first sight, had become as excited as a monkey set free in the tropical rainforest.

However, Cheng Yi knew this wasn’t the right moment to confess. One look at Shen Ran’s low spirits made that painfully obvious.

So after giving it some thought, Cheng Yi placed the ring box on the bedside table in the bedroom.

He figured he would wait to give the ring, and the confession could also come later.

But he didn’t expect that “later” would arrive so soon.

It was supposed to be just an ordinary night.

As usual, Shen Ran slept in Cheng Yi’s bed, and Cheng Yi lay on the floor.

But perhaps due to that phone call earlier in the evening, Shen Ran tossed and turned for a long time before finally falling asleep.

…He would be visiting Shen Corporation. He would see Shen Xianming and Fu Sijie again.

If nothing else, it would be a test of endurance like never before.

With his mind racing before bed, Shen Ran didn’t sleep well at all.

He had a nightmare.

The timeline in the dream was chaotic. One moment he was a four- or five-year-old boy in the study, anxiously trying to call Ai Ziqing, but the call never connected.

He turned around—only to find the phone line had been cut. Shen Xianming and Fu Sijie were approaching him with twisted, grotesque smiles.

The next moment, he was reliving the final moments of his previous life—his throat slit, his body dismembered, stuffed into a suitcase and taken away.

The helplessness. The despair.

It was just a dream, and yet the pain felt so real.

So real that he could feel every inch of the torment his body suffered.

“No… no…!”

Shen Ran’s eyelashes trembled violently. His brows furrowed tight, his expression filled with fear and agony.

It was clearly a dream—so why did the pain feel so vivid?

It was clearly a dream—so why couldn’t he wake up, no matter how hard he struggled?

He reached out desperately, trying to grab onto something.

But in the dream, his world was gray and dim. No matter how far he stretched, he grasped nothing.

It felt like falling endlessly into a pit of despair. The sensation of weightlessness mixed with terror seeped into every part of his body.

Without realizing it, tears welled up and soaked the pillow as he thrashed in distress.

He didn’t want to have dreams like this again. Didn’t want to return to those nightmarish memories. Didn’t want to experience that despair even once more.

…He couldn’t bear to go through another separation.

Not even in a hallucination. Not even in a dream. He didn’t want to be separated from anyone ever again…!

And this time, someone gently took hold of his trembling hand, stopping his frantic movements.

A warm, broad palm pressed against his, fingers intertwining until they locked tightly, leaving no space between them.

“Shen Ran?… Wake up. You’re having a nightmare.”

That external warmth finally pulled Shen Ran out of the nightmare. He opened his eyes.

Trapped between dream and reality, Shen Ran looked dazed, unsure whether he was still dreaming or already awake.

But through tear-blurred vision, he saw Cheng Yi’s face—his expression filled with raw, unconcealed worry.

The bedside lamp was on. The light was dim, yet warm.

Cheng Yi had probably been woken by the noise. Noticing something was wrong, he moved closer. A few strands of his hair stuck up messily, giving him a slightly untamed look.

“…Cheng Yi?”

Shen Ran called his name softly, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

As if afraid that the moment he spoke, everything before him would vanish like an illusion.

“I’m here.”

Cheng Yi leaned in even closer, almost wrapping him in an embrace.

He tightened his grip, as if trying to convey something through the gesture:

“You just had a nightmare, Shen Ran. Don’t be afraid.”

His voice was gentle, soothing. The dim light of the bedroom lamp reflected in Cheng Yi’s eyes, making them look indescribably tender.

A tenderness that made one’s nose sting.

Shen Ran slowly reached out with his other hand, gently touching Cheng Yi’s face.

Cheng Yi didn’t move at all. He just looked into Shen Ran’s eyes, letting him touch his face without flinching or dodging.

The solid warmth under his fingertips confirmed to Shen Ran—this wasn’t a dream.

The tears he had tried to hold back surged again. Shen Ran clenched his jaw, desperately trying to swallow them, but in the end, he could only lower his head.

In the quiet bedroom, the muffled sound of tears falling onto the blanket was clearly audible.

Cheng Yi noticed the tiny sound. When he spoke again, his voice carried a subtle note of caution:

“Shen Ran… don’t cry, please. I don’t know what to do when you cry.”

If Cheng Yi had joked like usual, Shen Ran might have brushed it off.

But this kind of helpless tenderness—this was what made his heart ache the most.

Why did he have to be so gentle?

Was he trying to make him cry even more…?

Shen Ran blinked twice, and a few more silent tears fell onto the blanket. “…You’re not allowed to talk anymore!”

Cheng Yi didn’t understand why Shen Ran had suddenly raised his voice, but he nodded and obediently agreed. “Alright. I won’t talk.”

The room fell into silence once again, broken only by the occasional sound of Shen Ran sniffling.

He tried hard to calm himself down, wanting to explain why he had suddenly broken down like this.

“I… just had a nightmare. I dreamt… I dreamt…”

Recalling the nightmare was like reliving the trauma all over again.

He couldn’t even get through a few words before his throat tightened. It felt like someone had clamped down on his heart, making it almost impossible to breathe.

Seeing this, Cheng Yi’s heart ached. He instinctively reached out and pulled Shen Ran into his arms, gently patting his back in comfort.

His low voice was reassuring, steady:

“It’s alright. You don’t have to say it. I understand.”

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