Why Does First Love Feel This Sweet? - Chapter 18

Chapter: 18 The Professional’s Inspection

Hearing Rong Yu’s suggestion of wearing the white coat at home, Sheng Yi’s gaze became unreadable. He looked at the familiar, handsome face and felt a surge of pity. How much must this disciplined child have suppressed to speak such suggestive words so calmly? He smiled softly and played along. “Sure.”

Rong Yu took him to his private lounge and handed him a cup of warm ginger tea. After settling in, Sheng Yi looked at him seriously. “Xiao Yu, let’s get married—for real.”

Rong Yu was stunned. He had expected a divorce request, not a proposal.

“Until I get my memories back, I don’t want to go anywhere,” Sheng Yi said, watching him closely. “We are family, friends, and everything in between. Until you decide otherwise, let’s just live together and be each other’s world.”

Rong Yu stared at him, his gaze wavering. After a long silence, he asked tentatively, “Can we have a formal wedding, then?”

Sheng Yi nodded, his heart heavy with the weight of his “sacrifice.” As they sat in the quiet lounge, Rong Yu reached out. Sheng Yi placed his hand in his, feeling their fingers interlock.

…

That evening, Sheng Yi went with Cheng Wenge to visit Master Tu. They found the world-renowned painter, Tu Xinlai, collapsed on his kitchen floor, surrounded by whiskey bottles—a shadow of the refined man Sheng Yi remembered. After a long night of cleaning and sobering him up, the house finally looked like a home again.

“Your high school works,” Master Tu said, handing Sheng Yi a stack of sketches. He then made an offer that made Sheng Yi’s heart skip: “Xiao Yu, I can recommend you to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. It’s the temple of art. I’ll sponsor your living expenses.”

Paris. The dream of every art student. Sheng Yi felt a spark of longing he hadn’t felt since waking up.

…

It was late when he returned to the Rong estate. Finding the room empty, Sheng Yi felt a strange sense of insecurity. He left the bedroom door ajar and fell asleep hugging Rong Yu’s pillow.

He was plunged into a nightmare—a void of absolute darkness where he couldn’t breathe. Just as he felt himself slipping away, his lips were forced open. Cool oxygen flooded his parched lungs.

He gasped awake to see Rong Yu, still in his black overcoat, leaning over him and kissing him fiercely.

“Did you have a nightmare?” Rong Yu asked, his eyes like a calm lake.

Still shaken by the dream and the heavy emotions from his visit to Master Tu, Sheng Yi sought safety in Rong Yu’s arms. “Why are you so late?”

“Work. I texted you,” Rong Yu said, brushing the hair from Sheng Yi’s pale face.

“Is Dr. Rong going to give me a check-up?” Sheng Yi joked, his eyes full of unconscious dependence.

Rong Yu stared at him, then stood up and slowly unwound his scarf. He put on his white lab coat over his shirt and slacks, looking devastatingly sexy. His long, elegant fingers held an irresistible, sterile allure.

As he looked down at Sheng Yi, Sheng Yi felt like a fragile body on an operating table, his entire life held in those powerful hands. The cool, stiff fabric of the white coat brushed against him, creating a burning heat on his skin.

“Cold?” Rong Yu asked, noticing the tremor.

“Dr. Rong, your hands are so cold…”

Sheng Yi was more proactive than in the morning, but his wandering hands kept “interfering” with the doctor’s procedure. Eventually, his wrists were gently bound with the soft beige scarf.

By the end, Sheng Yi was sitting on the doctor’s lap, his eyes wet as Rong Yu kissed his lashes.

“Well, Doctor?” Sheng Yi leaned against his shoulder, his decision made. “Am I healthy?”

Rong Yu kissed his cheek. “Everything is normal.”