After the Young Master’s Death, He was Kissed by His Mortal Enemy! - Chapter 67

Hearing those words, Shen Ran’s knees nearly gave out. He almost collapsed right then and there.

He thought it was over.
Over.

Why was there a “continue tonight” clause…?!

Thankfully, he didn’t actually fall—because standing right beside him, ever so conveniently, was Cheng Yi.

Cheng Yi reached out and caught him. He didn’t say anything, but there was unmistakable teasing in his chuckle.

“What’s this? We just finished, and our dear Ran Ran’s already falling into my arms?”

Shen Ran gritted his teeth.
“Who’s falling into your arms?! You caught me! I was aiming for the floor, thank you very much!”

“Oh~ is that so?” Cheng Yi grinned. “Well, whatever the case—let’s get going. Dean Ai is waiting for you.”

Straightening his clothes with mock formality, Cheng Yi turned to gesture grandly toward the door.

“Come on, Boss Shen. If your legs are too tired, I’ll be your personal chauffeur today.”

Shen Ran rolled his eyes but obediently followed behind.

Judging by Cheng Yi’s smug, irreverent demeanor, it was clear he’d tasted the sweetness and wanted more.

And if he didn’t start getting used to this new pace and routine… Shen Ran had a feeling he was in for a rough ride.

So he told himself:
It’s fine. It’s fine. Better long than short. Better too often than not at all.

Enjoy it. Just—enjoy it.

—

Cheng Yi’s time management was, unsurprisingly, flawless.

When they arrived at the station, they were a full thirty minutes early—even before Ai Ziqing’s train was scheduled to arrive.

Plenty of time to get ready.

It was a chilly winter evening. Shen Ran, ever the fashion-first type, had opted for style over warmth. Now he was shivering as he kept his eyes locked on the station exit.

Cheng Yi watched him for a moment, then suddenly turned and walked away.

When he returned, he was holding a gray scarf and two steaming cups of milk tea from LiangDian.

He wrapped the scarf twice around Shen Ran’s neck, bundling him up snugly, and nodded with satisfaction when he saw how warm and cozy he looked. Then he shoved a milk tea into his hands.

He’d even already inserted the straw.

“Here. You can share this with your Brother Xiao Ai later.”

Scarf swaddled tightly, Shen Ran awkwardly ducked his head to take a sip. The hot milk tea warmed his throat and chest.

“Ahh~ so much better.”

“If you’re cold, wear more next time,” Cheng Yi muttered, half-serious. “If I hadn’t wrapped you up, your Brother Xiao Ai would’ve come out and thought an ice sculpture was waiting for him.”

Shen Ran ignored Cheng Yi’s daily dose of sarcasm and kept sipping.

Halfway through, he blinked and suddenly asked,
“Wait… there are only two cups? You’re not drinking?”

By now, Shen Ran knew Cheng Yi pretty well. The guy had a serious sweet tooth. Food, drinks, desserts—he loved them all.

He even snuck sugar into his coffee when no one was looking.

And now… he wasn’t getting his own milk tea?

“Me?” Cheng Yi smirked and lightly tapped Shen Ran on the head.
“Of course I’m drinking with you. Didn’t you notice? That cup you’re holding is an extra-large.”

Shen Ran’s eyes lit up. “No wonder it felt so heavy!”

“Too heavy, huh?”

Cheng Yi leaned down and took two sips directly from the cup in Shen Ran’s hand. When he straightened up, he even licked his lips with exaggerated satisfaction.

“Guess I’ll help lighten your load, then.”

“Ugh,” Shen Ran muttered and nudged him with his elbow.
“You just wanted some for yourself. Cut the noble act, President Cheng!”

And just like that, the two of them bantered back and forth, watching people pass by as they waited.

Before long, Shen Ran started to space out a little as he stared toward the station exit.

It really was kind of surreal.

Just a few days ago, he would’ve blushed if Cheng Yi so much as drank from the same bottle as him.

Now, they were sharing milk tea, heads almost touching, comfortable and close.

Relationships between people really did have a way of taking sudden leaps forward—sometimes all it took was one moment, and everything changed.

Shen Ran sighed with that thought and stretched his neck a little, scanning the crowd intently for any sign of Ai Ziqing.

He was focused—completely focused.

Shen Ran’s intensely focused expression drew out a mildly jealous comment from the man beside him—President Cheng, of course:

“Boss Shen, is it really necessary to stare like that without blinking? Dean Ai is an adult—he won’t get lost, and he’s definitely not going to run off.”

“And more importantly… how come I’ve never seen you look at me like that? So focused. So eager.”

Clearly, the second part was the real issue here.

“Aiya, you just don’t get it!” Shen Ran began gesturing animatedly, trying to explain. “Didn’t Brother Luo Mu say this afternoon? Xiao Ai’s still… different from most people right now.”

Ai Ziqing had long been closed off from the world, pouring himself entirely into the welfare center project at Qingshan. He likely hadn’t taken a long trip like this in quite some time.

In recent years, everything had been developing so rapidly that both Shen Ran and Luo Mu had grown concerned—worried that Ai Ziqing wouldn’t be able to adapt.

Traveling on his own shouldn’t be a problem… right?

Unfortunately, their concerns proved valid.

The time for Ai Ziqing’s train arrival came and went, and waves of people began pouring out of the station’s exit.

Shen Ran rose onto his tiptoes, craning his neck and searching intently through the crowd, trying to spot the elegant figure he remembered—the long-haired man whose beauty always stood out like a crane among chickens.

But as the crowd thinned and people cleared out…

Still no sign of Ai Ziqing.

“Where is he?” Shen Ran asked, the worry creeping into his voice. “Why haven’t we seen him yet? You don’t think he’s still inside the station, do you?”

Cheng Yi replied calmly, “If we can’t find him, try giving him a call. Maybe we just missed him and he’s already outside.”

That made sense.

Shen Ran quickly pulled out his phone and dialed Ai Ziqing’s number.

“Sorry, the number you are trying to reach is currently powered off…”

“…Did it go through?” Cheng Yi asked.

Shen Ran slowly shook his head, lowering the phone with growing panic in his eyes.

“No. His phone’s off.”

They’d come all this way, waited by the station exit—and somehow, lost the person they came to pick up?!

It had already been over twenty minutes since the train arrived.

Where the hell was Ai Ziqing?

“What do we do?! What do we do?!” Shen Ran started pacing, frantic. “He’s gone! He’s really gone! Cheng Yi, should we call the police? Report a missing person?! Like—a child abduction alert!”

Before the words had even fully left his mouth, he felt a flick to the head—a sharp bonk from Cheng Yi.

“Ah—ow! Why’d you hit me?!”

Cheng Yi rolled his eyes.
“The person you’re looking for is older than you, okay? He’s not a missing kid. Calm down. Just because his phone’s off doesn’t mean he’s disappeared.”

Shen Ran didn’t respond—because, well, Cheng Yi had a point—but the worry still gnawed at him.

As if on cue, just then, his phone started ringing.

It was Luo Mu.

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