After The Coquettish Fake Master Was Driven Away - Chapter 29
“Does it hurt?”
Xie Jinning hobbled toward the riverbank.
He hadn’t noticed earlier because he had run too fast. Only when he got close to Xie Nong did he realize that he had twisted his ankle, and it throbbed painfully.
Not wanting Xie Nong to worry, Xie Jinning forced a calm expression, covering his flushed lips with his hand, and asked if there was any extra water.
He wanted to wash his hands and face, and… rinse his mouth.
Right now, he was covered in that scoundrel Yan Yi’s scent!
Even his mouth smelled of it!
“Bastard, you wretched fool, how dare you kiss me.”
The tip of his tongue still tingled with numbness, and the involuntary sensation was terrifying. Xie Jinning was both embarrassed and angry, his face flushed crimson.
There was also a strange, unexplainable feeling—like a gust of invisible wind that occasionally brushed against his heart, tickling it but impossible to grasp.
Uncomfortable.
Xie Jinning thought: he had almost come to regard Yan Yi as a brother, and yet this person had kissed him out of nowhere, saying afterward that he was dreaming.
Since when do brothers behave like this toward their younger siblings?!
And what kind of daytime dream was that—one that randomly kissed people? It was completely improper.
Yan Yi was definitely lying. Xie Jinning wasn’t the type to be easily placated. If this wasn’t explained, it would never be over!
Pouting, he slowly approached the riverbank.
The river shimmered with golden light, like a massive ribbon. A gentle breeze rippled the surface, and the mist rising from the water carried away some of the heat.
Xie Jinning squatted, leaning slightly forward, and dipped his fingers into the clear water, feeling it gently wrap around his fingertips as the coolness spread upward.
He rolled up his sleeves and washed his hands clean. Looking at his reflection, a deep red appeared in it. He cupped some river water, held his breath, and buried his face in it.
The cool water seeped into his pores, lowering his body temperature, calming his restless heart.
After a moment, Xie Jinning lifted his head and exhaled with relief.
In the sunlight, the boy’s face was luminous like white jade. Water droplets rolled down his flawless cheeks like pearls falling from a broken string.
When Yan Yi had held him tightly earlier, the warmth transferred to him, and he had been unbearably hot. Now, the water dripping along his neck into his slightly loosened collar sent icy shivers down his spine.
The wet collar clung to his collarbone. Xie Jinning tugged at it and decided to let it fall open completely, exposing a red mole to the air.
He wiped his face. The cold water made his eyes sting, and a few tears escaped uncontrollably. He blinked several times to regain composure, the rims of his eyes even redder than before.
His ponytail had loosened during his struggles. Xie Jinning undid the hairband, letting his long hair cascade down. Wet strands clung to his skin like polished jade, with a streak of crimson, adding a touch of allure.
The wet ends of his hair brushed his cheek and neck. With his dark lips and hair glistening with water, he looked ethereal, like a captivating water spirit.
Lowering his gaze, a crystal-clear droplet fell from his long curled lashes, appearing both like water and tears. He rose, his thin, fragile frame trembling slightly in the wind.
Autumn breezes blew, rustling his garments.
His body swayed as if about to fall into the water, to merge with it and vanish.
“Anning!”
Yan Yi, eyes wide with panic, sprinted and scooped him from the riverbank.
He held the boy’s waist like a precious treasure recovered, his heart resuming its beat at the scent he inhaled. “I’m sorry, Anning, I’m sorry.”
Not daring to look at his expression, Yan Yi buried his face in Xie Jinning’s shoulder. “It’s all my fault. I was reckless. You can hit me or scold me, I’ll accept it. Whatever I do, just… please don’t do anything reckless.”
Xie Jinning, having squatted too long, hadn’t stabilized, and looked at him: “…?”
What was he talking about? Reckless?
His body had just cooled, but the heat from the chest pressing against his back flared up again. Xie Jinning struggled, but Yan Yi mistook it for resistance, tightening his arms and constricting his breathing.
Unable to get a response, Yan Yi panicked. He flipped the boy onto his front, lifted his arm and pressed it against himself, but worried about hurting his hand, he pulled out an object from his waist and placed it in Xie Jinning’s palm.
“Anning, if you hate me, use this to strike me. I’m not afraid of pain. Do whatever you want.”
If only it were a wooden stick instead of a cold, gleaming dagger.
His heartbeat thundered in his ears. Yan Yi kept rambling, and Xie Jinning was so flustered he didn’t know where to put his frustration.
He threw the hot object to the ground, glaring at the man whose face still carried panic. “Who allowed you to hold me? Did you ask me?”
“…No.”
“Then stay away from me.”
Yan Yi took a few steps back, then forward again, keeping an arm’s length distance.
“Can I touch you now?” he asked.
“No!” Xie Jinning snapped. “Speak properly if you have something to say. Don’t get close as if we’re intimate.”
They had kissed and embraced already, but that didn’t count as closeness? Besides, he had seen…
Better not say it out loud. Yan Yi quietly swallowed, saying instead, “I was worried you might be in danger.”
“This place is perfectly safe. What’s there to worry about?”
The only danger he saw was the man in front of him—strong enough to press him down, lift him up, kiss him at will…
Ugh!
He had treated him like a puppet with no sense of boundaries. He had never met anyone like Yan Yi. Difficult to talk to, and not at all easy to talk to!
Truly, he didn’t want to deal with him at all.
Xie Jinning strode off, but his ankle throbbed the moment his foot hit the ground. He frowned, then quickly relaxed, pretending nothing happened.
Yan Yi noticed the fleeting pain. “What’s wrong?”
“What does it concern you?”
Xie Jinning turned to leave but was blocked again.
The man picked up the dagger, wiped off the dirt, and handed the hilt to him. “What I said earlier was serious, Anning. If you’re angry with me, don’t bottle it up. Take it out on me.”
The cold blade pressed against his palm. A slight forward push could pierce his skin.
It was a plea, but also firm, like a command or threat, begging for the boy’s forgiveness.
The silver blade reflected in his eyes. Xie Jinning, nervous, didn’t dare push it away. He frowned. “What nonsense are you talking about? I’m not angry with you.”
His red-rimmed, water-washed eyes reflected Yan Yi’s misdeeds clearly, a mixture of sadness and stubbornness, with lips still swollen from earlier adding a touch of allure.
Yan Yi’s eyes darkened.
Seeing the jagged marks on his hand made him smile faintly, though a bit embarrassed. “It’s just… hmm, a kiss.”
He mumbled vaguely, then raised his voice: “What’s the big deal?”
Xie Jinning scoffed, “I’ve been kissed before. This little thing isn’t worth being angry over.”
Between pride and temper, pride always won.
Blushing, he glanced aside, unaware of the vein throbbing on Yan Yi’s forehead.
Had he been kissed by someone else before? A girl? Boys in wealthy families were taught such things at thirteen or fourteen. Did Anning know?
Or was it another man? He was so innocent, surely pure. But if someone close to him…
His fists clenched, breathing quickened, chest tightening as if blocked by a boulder.
“Who?”
“Why should I tell you?”
Pinching his earlobe with his icy, water-soaked fingers, Xie Jinning licked his lips, a mist rising from the pain. “Anyway, her lips were much sweeter than yours. Like sugar, soft too.”
From Yan Yi’s perspective, he looked lost in a sweet memory.
A surge of intense negative emotions erupted like a volcano, molten and burning. His palm, already cracked, reopened repeatedly, the pain escalating.
If left untreated, it could harm tendons or bones, but he ignored it entirely.
Could Anning lie in bed, crying after being kissed by someone else?
Could someone trail kisses along that pale neck, licking and lightly biting the hollow, sucking the red mole until it shone?
Could…
Could…
His chest heaved. Yan Yi almost bit through his own teeth to contain the violent emotions, the metallic scent in the air growing stronger.
“Anning, you…”
Xie Jinning grabbed his garment.
He had been weak as a child, his parents told him not to grow too fast in certain matters. They had taken special care to ensure he remained innocent.
Books and scripts given to him were carefully selected, without a trace of adult content. The maids attending him were plain-looking. Over time, Xie Jinning truly remained ignorant of such matters, barely reacting naturally.
The first time he had panicked, thinking he had wet the bed, hiding for a whole day. Thanks to Xie Zhaoming explaining it was a normal sign of growing up.
Xie Jinning had never been particularly obsessed. Even the few other times he endured, the most extreme was seeing a friend peeking at risqué pictures, lips and tongues entwined—similar to how Yan Yi had kissed him today…
His cheeks flushed again. His wandering gaze landed on Yan Yi’s fists.
“You’re bleeding again.”
Xie Jinning lifted the rough, bandaged hand, gently untangling it with his own pale pink fingers. The bandages, soaked with bl00d, resembled a snake glistening with crimson. He held his breath, carefully unwrapping them.
Seeing the jagged, gaping wound, he exclaimed, “It’s so deep. How can you be so careless?”
“Does it hurt?”
Even watching it made him wince. He lowered his head and gently blew on the wound, trying to disperse the pain.
Sunlight fell perfectly on him, casting a soft warm glow over the boy’s bowed face. His long lashes cast delicate shadows.
He blew carefully, brow furrowed, eyes glistening, the corners tinged like vermilion, stunning yet pure.
Yan Yi froze.
Tense muscles relaxed, and the wound no longer bled. Xie Jinning touched it, realizing he had no handkerchief, and looked for a clean piece of cloth. Boldly, he tore a piece from his own garment—
“…?”
“Why are you staring? Help me tear it.”
“Oh… okay.”
With a ripping sound, he tore a piece of white cloth, folded it, and pressed the clean side against the wound. He tied it with his hairband and made a knot on his hand.
It was his first time bandaging someone, but he did it properly.
Xie Jinning nodded in satisfaction. “Done.”
The breeze lifted strands of hair across Yan Yi’s face, tickling him. The shadow of gloom on his eyes gradually faded under the warm sunlight.
No matter who had kissed Xie Jinning before, that was in the past.
Now, he would be the one by his side.
He would protect him properly.