Why Does First Love Feel This Sweet? - Chapter 35

Chapter 35 The door lock beeped twice.

Rong Yu returned home alone and stood at the entrance for a full half-minute, car keys in hand. The cold, desolate air rushed toward him; with just one person missing, the silence was so loud it made his ears ache. He didn’t turn on the lights, nor did he have the desire to. His brain felt as empty as the absolute stillness around him.

“Whimper…”

A sound at his feet pulled him from the void. Rong Yu slowly looked down. Ares was crouching by his feet, looking up at him, his sparkling eyes the only source of light in the gloom.

Rong Yu leaned down and picked up the dog. Ares was compliant, snuggling into his arms and licking his finger with a warm tongue. Reclaiming a sense of reality through that warmth, Rong Yu changed his shoes and entered the house.

He lit the living room lamp, bypassed the traces of Sheng Yi’s presence, and washed Ares’s bowl. He poured fresh food and watched him eat. When Rong Yu reached out to pet his head, Ares didn’t dodge this time. A faint smile touched Rong Yu’s lips, only to fade two seconds later.

Stroking the dog’s head, Rong Yu whispered, “Dad is gone.”

Ares, blissfully unaware, immersed himself in the joy of dinner, the crunching of kibble bringing a flicker of life back to the house. After a while, Rong Yu went to the dressing room, changed into sportswear, and headed out for a night run.

…

The “Spoiled” Realization

As he opened the door, Ares chased after him. Surprised, Rong Yu looked down. “You want to come?” It was the first time Ares had ever wanted to run with him. Without a leash, the dog bounded across the snowy manor grounds, his large ears flapping as he barked excitedly back at Rong Yu.

Running at a steady pace, Rong Yu watched the small shadow and instinctively called out: “Xiao Jie, don’t run too far.”

He froze. That name—Sheng Yi’s childhood nickname—had slipped out naturally. He stopped, propping his hands on his knees as he panted, his gaze dazed.

His mother, Tang Yun, was out for a walk and sat down beside him on a bench. “Is Xiao Yi on the plane?”

“Yeah,” Rong Yu replied low.

“This is the first time you two have been apart for this long, isn’t it?” Tang Yun noted, watching Ares roll in the snow. “It’s only half a year. Being apart might actually be good for you.”

“Why?”

Tang Yun looked at him for a few seconds before saying, “Sheng Yi just spoils you too much.”

Rong Yu’s brow twitched. “He spoils me?”

“Doesn’t he?” she said meaningfully. “Aside from that Cheng Wenge, have you ever seen him make any other real friends? Since you were a child, you’ve been this way—if you like something, you lock it in your grasp. You don’t share; you’re solitary and selfish.”

Rong Yu felt helpless. “Is that a nice way to talk about your son?”

“I’m your mother; I know where your flaws are. Xiao Yi has a good temper and tolerates you. If it were anyone else being stared at by you like that, they would have flipped out long ago.”

Rong Yu was stunned. He had always thought he was the one indulging Sheng Yi—letting him take over his bed, his time, his space, and even his bad habits. But his mother’s words reframed everything.

“Even with something as big as marriage, he let you have your way,” Tang Yun sighed. “You have no idea how lucky you are to find someone who indulges you unconditionally.”

Rong Yu lowered his head, a faint smile appearing. “I know.”

…

Memory: The “First Love” Syndrome

On the five-and-a-half-hour flight to Sapporo, Sheng Yi’s mind raced. Without Rong Yu there to arrange everything, he felt the world becoming disordered and hazy. He drifted into a dream of his high school days—his “safety zone.”

Back in tenth grade, after Sheng Yi moved to Class E, he was closer to Rong Yu’s Class A. He became a celebrity at school because of his rapid academic improvement, but with that came the jealousy of other “top students.”

One day in the restroom, Sheng Yi overheard a group of boys gossiping. “It’s good to know a big shot,” one sneered. “You can beat someone into the hospital without being punished and get private tutoring.”

Another voice Sheng Yi recognized—a boy from Class A named Yu Yingcheng—added mockingly, “Rong Yu is amazing. He can even pull a bottom-feeder up to the top. If I had his notes, I’d be top three.”

“What’s their relationship anyway?” one laughed suggestively. “Maybe…”

“Gross, I’m homophobic,” another snapped.

Sheng Yi walked in, cold and smiling. He washed his hands and “accidentally” flicked water all over them. After a tense confrontation where he threw Yu Yingcheng’s offered cigarette into the trash, he snapped, “Don’t bother wishing for his notes. He doesn’t take any.”

That afternoon, Sheng Yi avoided Class A. He realized that while same-sex marriage was legal, the social stigma in school was still harsh. He didn’t care about himself, but he didn’t want Rong Yu to have any “stains” on his reputation.

When school ended, Sheng Yi didn’t wait at Rong Yu’s door. He messaged him to meet at the stairs. Rong Yu, confused by the sudden distance, followed him out. On the way to the gate, they met Cheng Wenge. Sheng Yi laughed and joked with Cheng, but when he looked at Rong Yu, he felt a strange, suffocating self-consciousness.

At the school gate, Sheng Yi walked blindly into the street, distracted by his thoughts. A horn blared. Before the car could hit him, he was yanked back into a familiar embrace. He crashed into Rong Yu’s school uniform, the scent of the other boy enveloping him.

Click.

A girl nearby had taken a photo of them, forgetting to mute her phone. Sheng Yi panicked and pushed Rong Yu away. “I’m fine.”

Rong Yu’s eyes darkened. He grabbed Sheng Yi’s arm and hauled him across the street in silence. On the drive home, the air in the car was freezing.

“Xiao Yu, I’m sorry, I just…” Sheng Yi started, but he didn’t know how to explain his behavior. He felt frustrated and moody. He leaned his head against the window.

Rong Yu, seeing his unusual state, felt his anger melt into concern. “Are you feeling sick?”

“Yeah,” Sheng Yi grumbled, his voice filled with the irritation of someone falling in love for the first time. “I’m crazy. Just ignore me.”

…

Sheng Yi’s high school memories are revealing the roots of his current confusion! Would you like to continue exploring these past “First Love” moments, or shall we land with Sheng Yi in Hokkaido and see his new life with Teacher Tu?