Ger, So Proud

Chapter 57

When their lips touched again, He Ze paused.

This was his first kiss—if he didn’t count the one just now.

Lin Yu’s eyes were wide open, his pupils filled with He Ze’s reflection, dazed and bewildered. Every flutter of his eyelashes seemed to tickle He Ze’s heart, making it itch slightly.

He Ze’s Adam’s apple moved.

The next second, he suddenly flipped over and pressed Lin Yu down, straddling his waist with his legs, one hand lifting his waist, the other cradling the back of his head. Throughout this series of actions, their lips never parted.

They were even closer now. He Ze, imitating Lin Yu’s earlier actions, extended his tongue delicately. Their breaths grew hotter, heating up the air around them.

The atmosphere became increasingly intimate.

Seeing Lin Yu still wide-eyed, He Ze let out a light laugh from his throat, “That’s not how you kiss. Want me to teach you?”

Before the words even finished, he placed a hand on the stone wall behind Lin Yu, trapping him in his embrace. His tongue slid through Lin Yu’s parted lips, brushing against the inside of his teeth, gentle as a feather.

“They call this a ‘kabedon.'”

As his lips and tongue withdrew, a smile spread across He Ze’s face, but a spark seemed to flicker in his eyes. The person before him had sparkling eyes, flushed cheeks, and lips glistening as if wet.

He had licked them.

Thinking of this, He Ze’s breathing grew heavier. He gently ran his fingers through Lin Yu’s soft hair and kissed him again, this time on his forehead, as lightly as a dragonfly skimming water.

“This time, let’s leave it at that. I’ll continue teaching you after we’re married, how about that?” He Ze’s eyes were smiling, his demeanor as gentle as when he was asleep.

Lin Yu blinked again, finally snapping back to reality. He raised his knee and leg in one swift motion, but instinctively hesitated just as he was about to make contact.

That moment’s hesitation was enough for He Ze to narrowly dodge to the side, “Attempted murder of your future husband?”

“You… He Ze, you bastard!”

Lin Yu rolled up his sleeves and wiped his lips, his face turning an even deeper shade of red.

“How am I a bastard? Weren’t you the one who kissed me first? This is called… reciprocation.” He Ze spread his hands, his smile utterly… infuriating.

Lin Yu clenched his fists.

“Ahem, Lin Yu, don’t hit the face, let’s agree on that first…”

Seeing Lin Yu getting closer, He Ze’s expression changed. He suddenly moved forward, “You can hit me, but gently. Your future husband is too frail to withstand your punches.”

“You! When did you become so shameless!”

Before he finished speaking, Lin Yu punched He Ze’s shoulder. It didn’t hurt at all. He Ze couldn’t help but laugh, grabbing Lin Yu’s hand in his own, “What’s shameless about it? I’ll have my father propose marriage when we get back. Tell me, what’s wrong with your future husband?”

“You!”

Lin Yu glared at He Ze, his other hand forming a fist again. But just as he was about to strike, he stopped, took a deep breath, and looked away, “Who says I’ll marry you just because you propose? If you keep talking like this, I’ll…”

“You’ll what?”

“I’ll really hit you!”

With his punch came a loud thud and the sound of stones falling from the cave wall.

“…”

Dust surrounded them, and He Ze coughed, quickly grabbing Lin Yu’s hand. Seeing no injury, he sighed in relief and then smacked Lin Yu’s head, “Do you think your hand is made of stone? How stupid are you!”

“I…”

Lin Yu looked up at He Ze and saw the worry in his eyes, causing all his words to get stuck in his throat.

“By the way, I told you not to go up the mountain in the cold, but you did it anyway. Going up the mountain is one thing, but staying there in such heavy snow and not coming back down is just foolish! If it weren’t for me…” He Ze paused, his face darkening. “You’ve been hunting for years and you don’t even understand such basic common sense? Do you know you almost lost your life this time? You don’t seem to care about yourself at all, do you?”

“I…”

“I what! If you don’t give me a reasonable explanation today, I…” He Ze gritted his teeth, unable to find the words to continue.

“I didn’t do it on purpose. When it first started snowing, I was chasing a fire fox. You know I’ve been looking for one for so long, and a fire fox is even rarer. Xiao An would love it. I lost track of time and, by the time I caught the fox, it was already getting dark. I was afraid my dad would worry, so I tried to get down the mountain quickly despite the snow, but then…”

Lin Yu lowered his eyes, his voice trailing off. He looked like a child who had done something wrong.

The air was silent for a moment before He Ze spoke again, “Do you realize your mistake?”

“I do…”

Lin Yu fidgeted with his clothes.

“Will there be a next time?”

“No.”

“Do you like me or not?”

“I like…” Before he could finish, Lin Yu’s face turned bright red, and he looked up abruptly, “You… you’re doing it again…”

“Doing what?” He Ze chuckled softly, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. He sighed and pulled Lin Yu into his arms, “Xiao Yu, you really scared me this time.”

He Ze’s voice was low, filled with fear and the joy of having found what was almost lost. He never imagined that in just a few months, someone could come to mean so much to him.

Burying his head in Lin Yu’s neck, He Ze took a deep breath, his arms tightening around him to the point that Lin Yu could barely breathe.

But Lin Yu didn’t want to push him away.

Stunned for a moment, Lin Yu slowly raised his hand and wrapped it around He Ze’s waist.

The two of them clung to each other like conjoined twins.

Time seemed to stand still. After a while, He Ze nuzzled Lin Yu’s neck and, with a playful tone, asked, “Xiao Yu, will you let me marry you now?”

“……”

“Will you?” Seeing Lin Yu’s blushing ears, He Ze’s smile deepened.

“You…” Lin Yu pushed He Ze away, “Get away from me!”

“If you don’t answer, I’ll take it as a yes. I’ll have my father propose as soon as we get back.”

“No way!” Lin Yu frowned, blurting out instinctively, “That… that’s too fast, I…”

“Fast? How is it fast?” He Ze raised an eyebrow.

“It just is…” Lin Yu hesitated, glancing at him before pouting, “Anyway, you have to ask me first. I’ll decide if it’s okay!”

“…Alright then, we won’t talk about getting married just yet. How about we get engaged first? Is that okay?” He Ze straightened Lin Yu’s head, his eyes burning with determination.

Time could change things, and if this cooked duck flew away, who would he turn to? Not to mention the bunch of people waiting to steal Lin Yu from him!

“If you say no again, I’ll go straight to Uncle Zhang as soon as we get back.”

He Ze’s voice was calm and measured. Lin Yu glared at him for a long moment before finally nodding his head.

“That’s better!”

Seeing Lin Yu nod, He Ze’s smile was almost impossible to hide. He ruffled Lin Yu’s soft hair before turning around and crouching in front of him. “Get on, let’s go home.”

“I’m fine, I don’t need you to carry me.” Lin Yu didn’t move. He wasn’t a three-year-old child.

“You’ve been starving for two days. Aren’t you hungry? All the energy you regained last night was used up in that fight, right? And I saw you still limping when you walked earlier. Is your foot really healed?”

“I…”

Lin Yu had barely said a word when his stomach growled. He Ze laughed, “Did you hear that? Even your stomach is protesting. Come on, let’s get home quickly. Uncle Zhang must be worried sick.”

He patted his shoulder again.

Lin Yu touched his stomach, then walked over to He Ze and climbed onto his back. “By the way, my basket and bow…”

“They’re outside; they won’t get lost.”

He Ze hitched Lin Yu’s legs and stood up straight, striding out of the cave. The world outside was still a misty white, covered in silver snow, with sunlight glinting off the snow, turning everything golden.

The basket and bow were placed on a rock. Lin Yu reached down to pick them up and, seeing they were empty, couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.

“Just a fox? You didn’t injure it fatally; of course, it would escape. You nearly lost your life over it, can’t you learn your lesson?”

“I… I told you it wasn’t on purpose. Don’t mention it again.” Lin Yu pouted, wrapping his hands around He Ze’s neck.

He didn’t even realize he was becoming more childish around He Ze.

“Alright, I won’t mention it,” He Ze said, stepping through the snowdrifts. The sun had melted a lot of the snow over the day. “Keep a good lookout for me. If we fall now, there’s no one to save us.”

“Okay.” Lin Yu nodded firmly.

Their pace was steady, and Lin Yu, usually calm and quiet, couldn’t stop talking. “By the way, when did you find me? How did you find me?”

“…Guess.”

“No guessing. You were probably waiting for me,” Lin Yu shook his head, then, as if remembering something, touched his chest. “And my injuries, they’re all healed?”

Although his foot wasn’t completely better, the swelling had gone down.

“Do you really want to know?” He Ze paused, a hint of a smile on his face. “What if I told you your man is an immortal? Would you believe it?”

“You’re lying again…” Lin Yu lightly punched his shoulder.

“It’s the truth, you know. Didn’t Bai Suzhen also transform from a demon?” He Ze continued walking, undeterred by Lin Yu’s light punches, “Look, she was a demon who came to repay a kindness. I’m an immortal. One day, I heard you say you wanted to marry. Seeing how handsome you are, I couldn’t help but fall for you and come down to find you.”

“HE ZE!!!”

This shout was full of gritted teeth. Although He Ze couldn’t see Lin Yu’s face, he could easily imagine his expression. He couldn’t help but laugh softly, “Alright, if you really want to know, I’ll tell you everything slowly in the future. But whether I’m an immortal or a ghost, that remains to be seen…”

Since he had decided to be with Lin Yu, He Ze never intended to keep secrets from him forever. Honesty and trust were the foundation of respect. He only hoped Lin Yu wouldn’t be scared.

His laughter faded, and the last sentence was so low that Lin Yu didn’t hear it.

“I’ll tell you everything, slowly and completely. How about that?”

He Ze turned his head, his voice serious. But before Lin Yu could respond, He Ze’s eyes suddenly darted to the side, “Lin Yu, did you hear something?”

—

**Author’s Note:** The whole world is filled with the stench of love, while I alone exude the fragrance of a single dog. *[smile.jpg]*