I Snatched the Overbearing President’s Canary [Transmigration] - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The Kiss

Ning Chen finally finished chopping the wood and moved the logs into the kitchen.

As he prepared the ingredients, He Shenyu sat nearby helping to stoke the fire. Shenyu’s maternal grandmother used an earthen stove just like this one, so it wasn’t foreign to him; he knew how to tend the fire.

Ning Chen, fearing he wouldn’t know how, took special care to teach him. Shenyu learned quickly, and Ning Chen simply chalked it up to his intelligence.

With a well just outside the kitchen, water was easily accessible, and Ning Chen soon had the ingredients washed clean.

Outside the window, the sun was gradually weakening as it began its descent behind the mountains. In the distance, plumes of cooking smoke began to drift from other houses; it was dinner time.

Sitting on a stool, He Shenyu watched Ning Chen’s silhouette busy at work in the sunlight, suddenly thinking that living like this wouldn’t be so bad.

Once Ning Chen graduated, perhaps he could take him away from Qingshan City to live somewhere far from Fu Hengzhan—even a small mountain village like this one.

At that thought, He Shenyu frowned again in distress. If he didn’t use his status as a “sugar daddy” to force the issue, he couldn’t think of a single good excuse to get Ning Chen to leave the big city with him.

Forget it, don’t think that far ahead for now…

Ning Chen was quite skilled at cooking; he prepared four dishes and a soup that looked, smelled, and tasted excellent. The flavor was truly wonderful; before the food even hit the table, Ning Chen gave He Shenyu a taste, and it was incredibly delicious.

Once they finished eating and washed the dishes together, the sun had truly set.

“Time for a bath,” Ning Chen said. “You go first?”

Shenyu nodded. “Sure…”

As he spoke, He Shenyu’s attention was drawn to a group of children running past the door in soaking wet clothes. He watched them until they disappeared into the distance.

Following his gaze, Ning Chen said, “They’re coming back from bathing in the river.”

“Do we go to the river to bathe too?” Shenyu asked curiously.

Ning Chen shook his head with a smile. “I’ll take you to play in the river tomorrow. It’s not safe at night.”

“Oh, okay,” He Shenyu nodded.

He followed Ning Chen across the yard to the bathroom. The facilities weren’t bad; there was a normal shower. Ning Chen pointed out where he had placed their belongings and prepared to step out.

But then, He Shenyu excitedly grabbed him. “Whoa! Fireflies! Ning Chen, look! There are so many!”

He pulled Ning Chen into the yard, chasing after the flickering lights.

Ning Chen didn’t react at first. He looked at He Shenyu and asked, “Want me to catch one for you? I used to catch them all the time when I was little.”

Shenyu spun around following a firefly for a long moment before answering, “No need. They’re flying so well and they’re so beautiful, why catch them?”

Ning Chen tilted his head and stared at him fixedly, silent for a long time.

The fireflies were, after all, only guests in this small courtyard. With no roof to block them, the glowing spirits soon fluttered away toward the back mountain until they vanished.

Shenyu sighed with regret. “Aw, I was so busy watching I forgot to take a picture with my phone.”

Snapping out of it and seeing his disappointment, Ning Chen spoke up. “There are even more by the river at night. I’ll take you tomorrow, and you can bring your phone.”

“Really?” Shenyu cheered up. “Then I’ll go take my shower now.”

“Mhm,” Ning Chen nodded.

Shenyu entered the bathroom and closed the door. Before long, the sound of running water echoed from inside.

Ning Chen looked back toward the mountain. The fireflies from earlier were gone, but from a distance, a few others were drifting in from elsewhere.

On summer nights, fireflies were everywhere. Ning Chen reached out his hand, and a firefly landed on his palm, its green luminescence clear and bright.

He pulled his phone from his pocket and took a photo of his hand.

…

The next day, they both woke up late. They were tired from cleaning the house, so they naturally slept in.

They had slept together the night before as well. Since they were only staying for a few days, He Shenyu didn’t make Ning Chen make up another bed—after all, they had already slept together before.

After breakfast, Ning Chen mentioned he was going to visit his father’s grave and asked He Shenyu if he wanted to come along or wait at home.

It was only then that He Shenyu realized what Ning Chen’s mother had meant by her earlier words. He thought about it and decided to go with him; he’d just be playing on his phone otherwise, and since he was here, it was only right to pay his respects to Ning Chen’s father.

The two went to the small supermarket at the edge of the village to buy joss paper and incense before heading up the mountain.

At the store, they ran into the group of children again. A few recognized Ning Chen and called out “Big Brother,” while also complimenting how handsome his “classmate” was.

Seeing how sweet-talked they were, He Shenyu made a grand gesture and bought a whole pack of lollipops to hand out. The children ran circles around them and seemed reluctant to let them leave.

Ning Chen eventually had to pull He Shenyu away.

“Don’t mind them, kids in the countryside are all like that,” Ning Chen said.

Shenyu looked at him and asked, “Was Ning Chen like that when he was little?”

Ning Chen paused, then shook his head. “When I was little, I only liked reading books.”

The image of a tiny Ning Chen clutching a book surfaced in He Shenyu’s mind, and he couldn’t help but chuckle. His personality has really been consistent since childhood…

The mountain path wasn’t easy to walk; He Shenyu had to ask Ning Chen to pull him up several times. Fortunately, the grave wasn’t far, and they arrived shortly.

Shenyu stood to the side, watching curiously as Ning Chen skillfully began the ritual. The customs here were a bit different from He Shenyu’s hometown; he wondered if they were unique to this place.

Once the paper was burned, Ning Chen knelt on a plastic bag and kowtowed several times. Then, he began “officially” reporting his younger brother’s recent situation, talking for a long time before standing up.

He looked at He Shenyu, who walked over and stood beside him to bow in respect.

Shenyu spoke tentatively: “Your father…”

This was a blind spot in He Shenyu’s knowledge. Ning Chen’s father never appeared in the original novel, so he was surprised to learn he had passed away.

“He used to be a long-haul truck driver. He was so happy when he found out my mom was pregnant with my brother, but he died in a car accident on his way back,” Ning Chen said calmly.

“I’m sorry, I…” Shenyu didn’t know how to comfort him.

Ning Chen waved it off. “It’s fine. I was too young when he died; I didn’t really understand what was happening. I’ve long since gotten used to it.”

“Things will keep getting better,” He Shenyu offered as a dry bit of comfort.

“Yeah,” Ning Chen smiled gently.

…

In the afternoon, once the sun wasn’t so scorching, Ning Chen took He Shenyu to the river as promised.

The river by the entrance was actually quite close, but because the ground was low, you couldn’t see it from Ning Chen’s house. For convenience, they were both wearing shorts today, though Ning Chen was still dressed entirely in black.

Shenyu wondered if Ning Chen was hot, considering black absorbs heat.

Shenyu carried a small bucket, wandering along behind Ning Chen. Ning Chen had originally wanted to hold an umbrella for him, but since they were there to catch fish, holding an umbrella seemed out of place, so He Shenyu declined.

The two slowly descended the riverbank and stepped barefoot into the water.

“The water is so cool,” He Shenyu remarked. He walked a few steps into the river and looked at Ning Chen. “How do you catch the fish?”

Shenyu had caught fish as a kid, but back then, he and his friends would drain the water out of a ditch first. He had no idea how to do it in a flowing river.

Ning Chen waded around for a moment, then suddenly bent over and reached down with lightning speed. He actually pulled out a small fish, handed it to He Shenyu, and said, “Just like that.”

“Huh?” Shenyu was dumbfounded. Brother, most people can’t learn that.

Seeing his troubled expression, Ning Chen smiled. “Use the bucket. Like this—press it into the water grass by the bank and scoop upward.”

Ah, so Ning Chen had come prepared; no wonder he told him to bring the bucket. He Shenyu quickly mastered the trick and had the time of his life.

Ning Chen dug a small hole on the bank, filled it with some water, and placed the fish they caught inside. After working for a long time until their clothes were half-soaked, they finally stopped.

They had caught so many that Ning Chen said they couldn’t possibly eat them all. He found a flat stone on the bank, snapped off a few bamboo sticks to clean, and skewered the small fish to grill.

This was something He Shenyu was familiar with. He helped Ning Chen gather firewood and took on the role of the fire-tender. Like a magic trick, Ning Chen pulled a small bag from his pocket containing seasonings.

The fresh small fish and shrimp tasted delicious with just a bit of seasoning; He Shenyu couldn’t stop eating.

With the sound of the bamboo forest swaying in the wind behind them and the gurgling water in their ears, He Shenyu felt quite enchanted. He had lived and studied in the city for a long time and hadn’t been back to his grandmother’s in ages. He hadn’t experienced this kind of joy in a long time.

It was truly strange that he was re-experiencing this after coming to this world, guided by a fictional protagonist.

” I don’t even want to leave…” Shenyu sighed.

Ning Chen looked at him and smiled. “If Shenyu wants, you can always come back to play.”

“Really?” Shenyu turned to look at him.

Both of them simultaneously thought of something, and for a moment, things felt awkward. The “future” was a difficult thing to speak of.

Because they wanted to see fireflies, they stayed by the river until late. After the sun went down, the children swimming in the river gradually went home, leaving only the two of them on the bank.

They had cleaned up the grilling equipment and filled the hole used for the fish, returning everything to its original state.

Ning Chen looked at He Shenyu and said, “Let’s walk along the bank. We’re bound to find fireflies.”

Shenyu nodded. “Okay.”

They strolled slowly along the riverbank, their arms brushing against each other occasionally, but this time, neither took the initiative to hold hands.

The night breeze blew through the bamboo, making a rustling sound. The atmosphere was quiet; neither spoke. After a while, He Shenyu finally broke the silence: “Wow, look at all the stars!”

Ning Chen looked up with him. “Yeah. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this many stars.”

After watching for a bit, He Shenyu felt his pockets and frowned. “I forgot my phone again.”

Ning Chen took his phone out and handed it over. “Here, take the pictures and I’ll send them to you later.”

Shenyu didn’t refuse. He took the phone, opened the camera, and snapped a few shots of the sky. Unfortunately, phone cameras couldn’t capture it very clearly.

As they continued forward, He Shenyu finally got his wish: a massive cluster of fireflies. They danced up and down around the water grass at the edge of the river like a shower of falling stars.

“It’s so beautiful!” Shenyu couldn’t help but exclaim. “Will they fly away if we get closer?”

Ning Chen shook his head. “No, I’ve tried it.”

“Then let’s get closer to take pictures.” Shenyu grew excited, using his free hand to pull Ning Chen along as they ran forward.

Ning Chen glanced down at their hands, a smile finally touching his lips. “Okay.”

Shenyu took a round of photos of the fireflies until he was satisfied. He turned back to Ning Chen. “Should I take some of you with the fireflies?”

Ning Chen hesitated for a second, then obediently stood where the fireflies were most dense. Shenyu professionally turned on the flash and took several photos he was extremely pleased with.

He swiped through the screen to admire them—though perhaps it was just because the model was so beautiful that every shot looked good.

“Should I take some of you?” Ning Chen asked.

Shenyu nodded. “Sure.”

They both took a few photos. Shenyu flipped through them; they all looked great, likely because the scenery was so dreamlike that it was impossible to take a bad picture.

He sat down and took a few close-up selfies with the fireflies. They turned out well too. Shenyu looked at Ning Chen and said, “Ning Chen, come sit here. Let’s take some photos together.”

He was caught up in the fun and just wanted to capture every kind of shot, not thinking much of it. Ning Chen was compliant as ever and sat down beside him without a word.

“Hmm, a bit stiff.” Shenyu snapped a casual one, but since neither of them had any specific expression or interaction, it looked a bit awkward.

He set the camera to a countdown and turned to Ning Chen. “Ning Chen, do what I do. Strike a pose.”

Ning Chen turned his head to look at him. “Like this?”

Just as he moved his hands into a pose, Ning Chen looked up at He Shenyu and suddenly froze.

A hot breath hit the tip of his nose. Something soft collided with his lips. That patch of skin felt scorched to the point of numbness.

The countdown ended. The flash did its duty faithfully, and with a click, the scene before them was honestly recorded.

Amidst the swirling dance of fireflies under the vast sky, the two were kissing.