After the Young Master’s Death, He was Kissed by His Mortal Enemy! (BL) - Chapter 29

Cheng Yi had lost count of how many times he’d seen Shen Ran like this.

Every tear from Shen Ran felt like it landed directly in his heart, each one sharp and heavy, making him instinctively furrow his brow.

He gently wiped Shen Ran’s tears. “What did you remember? Can you tell me?”

Shen Ran wanted to, truly. But the words caught in his throat, unable to come out.

He opened his mouth to speak, but before anything could be said, more tears welled up instead.

So Shen Ran bit down hard on his lip, shaking his head, silently telling Cheng Yi that he couldn’t speak just yet.

Cheng Yi patted him on the head. “It’s alright. If saying it out loud hurts too much, then don’t say it. Just remember—no matter what happens, I’m here.”

He didn’t know what else he could say to comfort Shen Ran. All he could do was make him a promise:
“I won’t leave you. I won’t lie to you.”

At that moment, a voice came from the hallway.

“Huh? Why’s the door open? You’re finished already? …Can I come in?”

A beautiful man with long hair peeked his head in, his voice as gentle as ever.

And in Shen Ran’s mind, that voice overlapped perfectly with a figure from his distant memories.

The tears he had just managed to hold back immediately surged forward again, beyond his control.

He rushed toward Ai Ziqing and threw his arms around him in a fierce hug.

And for the first time in nearly two decades, he cried out the name that once gave him comfort.

“Brother Xiao Ai—!”

His Brother Xiao Ai, who had watched him grow up.
His Brother Xiao Ai, who had played with him, held his hand, and ran after the Shen family’s car until it vanished.
The one who picked up the phone and said, “You can come back and visit me someday.”

His first family.
His real family.
And he had forgotten him for eighteen years.

“Aiya…!”

Ai Ziqing caught him in his arms. The moment he heard that familiar nickname, his own eyes grew hot.

He was emotional too—but he didn’t want to say anything too sentimental. He didn’t want to make Shen Ran cry even harder.

So instead, he laughed softly and patted Shen Ran’s back.
“Ran Ran’s all grown up now. You’re as tall as I am. Don’t just tackle me out of nowhere—you’ll throw out my back.”

That small joke only made Shen Ran cry harder.

“Waaaahhh! Brother Xiao Ai, I’m sorry! I didn’t come looking for you all these years… and now I’ve broken your back!”

“Ran Ran, it’s just a figure of speech. My back is still perfectly fine,” Ai Ziqing chuckled. “Dinner’s ready. You and President Cheng should come eat.”

In the dining hall of the welfare home, Shen Ran sat at a table with Cheng Yi and Ai Ziqing.

The emotions were still fresh, but he was starting to calm down.

Now that his memories had returned, Shen Ran kept glancing around Qingshan Welfare Home.

Just that morning, it had felt so unfamiliar… but now, it looked like home in every corner.

“This place… the cafeteria used to be pretty run-down, didn’t it?”

Shen Ran nodded. “I remember there was a leak in the roof. I was drinking soup, and suddenly there was more soup in the bowl… looked up and saw water dripping from the ceiling.”

Ai Ziqing laid out three trays of food on the table and smiled softly.

“After we received those donations a few years ago, the first place I renovated was the cafeteria. The food’s much better now too. Give it a try?”

Shen Ran picked up his chopsticks and took a bite.

As soon as he chewed, he started crying again.

“Mmm mmm mmm—it’s so good—it tastes just like home—”

Cheng Yi didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh.
“It’s just a meal. Anyone who saw you right now would think you haven’t eaten in three days. One trip home and you turn into a sentimental puddle. Cry anymore and you’ll dehydrate before midnight.”

“You don’t understand,” Shen Ran muttered through a mouthful of rice. “You’ve never lived in a welfare home.”

Cheng Yi raised an eyebrow.

It was true—he’d never been in a welfare home. But that didn’t mean his childhood had been any better.

Labeled a bastard child, cursed and beaten by a mentally unstable mother—he too had always lived with a stone on his chest.

But that didn’t matter right now.

Shen Ran continued devouring his food. Beside him sat Cheng Yi, and across the table was Ai Ziqing, who kept picking dishes and adding them to Shen Ran’s plate.

“Ran Ran, try this one.”

“Ran Ran, this one’s good too.”

“Eat up while it’s still hot. You and President Cheng didn’t even have lunch today.”

Ai Ziqing’s voice was warm as ever.

Cheng Yi chuckled, teasing, “Director Ai, you’re so biased. We both skipped lunch, but you’re only feeding Shen Ran. I feel left out.”

Ai Ziqing looked a little embarrassed.
“I guess it’s just habit… after all, he is my little brother. President Cheng, you should eat too.”

Warm laughter filled the table.

This—this was what a home was supposed to feel like.

Shen Ran was smiling, heart full, when he suddenly noticed something… strange.

Why was there a child standing in the corner of the cafeteria?

It wouldn’t have been anything out of the ordinary—this was Qingshan Welfare Home, after all. If there was one thing they had plenty of, it was children.

But this child… was half-transparent and glowing with an eerie blue light.

He looked to be about seven or eight years old, with a small, delicate face that made his eyes seem even larger. He was staring—directly at Shen Ran.

Shen Ran froze.
“…?!”

“What are you looking at?” Cheng Yi noticed him staring blankly and waved a hand in front of his face. “Hey? Shen Ran?”

Snapping out of it, Shen Ran blinked hard and pointed toward the corner.
“Y-y-y-you! Look over there!”

Both Cheng Yi and Ai Ziqing turned to follow his gaze.

Cheng Yi frowned. “Look at what?”

What else?! A ghost! There’s a ghost in the corner!

But when Shen Ran looked back again… the boy was gone.

Just—gone.

Where did he go?

Shen Ran was stunned. Confused. He even had the urge to put down his chopsticks and go over there to see for himself.

“What did you see?”

“N-nothing… must’ve just been my imagination. Let’s keep eating.”

He chalked the ghostly vision up to stress. With everything he’d been through lately, it had to be a hallucination.

There’s no way I actually saw a ghost, right? Ha… ha…

It was dinner time, and the dining hall was lively. Most of the staff and children were eating together, filling the space with warmth and chatter.

Surrounded by such a comforting atmosphere, Shen Ran finally felt himself calming down. He put down his chopsticks, took a deep breath…

…and began telling them everything he remembered.

——

Shen Ran felt like he’d grown.

Because this time, even after recounting everything—he didn’t shed a single tear.

The memories were like wounds buried deep in his heart. Peeling back the scar had hurt like hell, but it had also drained away the poison that had festered for eighteen years.

Only now could the healing truly begin.

And yet, the two people listening to him seemed even more heartbroken than he was.

Ai Ziqing’s face was filled with guilt.

“So back then… the night you called me, you were already suffering like that…”

He clenched his fists under the table, voice soft and shaken.
“Ran Ran, I’m so sorry. If only I had understood what you were trying to say—if I’d realized something was wrong…”