Beta Chapter 8: Too Delicate

Chapter 8: Too Delicate

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

The summer night was hot and humid, the lively night market stalls were filled with the scent of fireworks, and the cicadas’ chirps were rampant. The handsome young man under the shed ate with sweat on his head, a drop of sweat trailed down his nose, but he didn’t feel it at all. He smiled with curved eyes, looking very charming.

Duan Yizhou thought it would be even more handsome if he hadn’t picked the onions out just now.

“Delicious.” Luo Songran put down the pot contentedly. He couldn’t help but burp after finishing, feeling a bit embarrassed afterward. He coughed and smiled to cover it up, “…I’m so full.”

“As long as you’re full.” Duan Yizhou pushed the tissue box in front of Luo Songran.

Luo Songran took a tissue to wipe his mouth, staring at Duan Yizhou while doing so.

Duan Yizhou felt the bright gaze, brighter than a light bulb. He wiped his mouth clean and threw the tissue into the trash can beside his feet, “What’s wrong?”

“After dinner, do we have to separate?” Luo Songran lowered his gaze, holding the tissue in his hand, sounding a bit sad, “But I don’t want to leave you. What should I do if I miss you a lot when we’re apart?”

Sweet words were his forte.

Duan Yizhou replied, “Can’t we just meet tomorrow?”

Luo Songran suddenly raised his head, looking at Duan Yizhou with bright eyes. He hadn’t even initiated tomorrow’s date, but he had already thought about meeting tomorrow.

He was—

Falling in love with him, wasn’t he?!

His damn charm, it’s already preventing a civil service exam candidate from studying.

Blushing, Luo Songran pulled the tissue in his hand, “How can this be? Will it affect your studies, Professor Duan? Where should we go for our date tomorrow?”

Seeing Luo Songran tear the tissue into pieces until the table was covered, Duan Yizhou picked up the trash can beside his feet and swept the tissue scraps into it with his hand, “How about hiking?”

He had done a lot of quiet things today, and some exercise would be beneficial, as long as it wasn’t too strenuous, it would help integrate the chip with the body.

Luo Songran’s expression was subtle. Hiking? It wasn’t really romantic.

But hiking it was, then. He would pretend to twist his ankle and let Duan Yizhou carry him on his back. Hehe, isn’t this the best way to promote intimacy?

“Okay!” Luo Songran nodded.

“How about fishing?” Duan Yizhou thought of his own skill again.

Luo Songran was silent for two seconds, “I don’t know how.”

“I’ll teach you.”

A slight smile appeared at the corner of Luo Songran’s lips. He silently lowered his head to not laugh too much. This man, he had even thought about this kind of close contact, he was more capable than he imagined.

“Okay,” he replied with a smile.

“In that case, why don’t we go camping tomorrow? We’ll set up the tent on the flat ground at the foot of the mountain first, then we’ll go hiking. When we’re tired, we’ll come down. After coming down, I’ll teach you fishing. In the evening, we’ll barbecue the fish, and the next day we’ll go back. How about that?” Duan Yizhou’s eyes sparkled.

Luo Songran’s heart began to beat faster. He looked at Duan Yizhou’s eyes, almost as if he wanted to swallow him whole, “Professor Duan, you’re so thoughtful. I’ll follow your lead.”

My god, they’re already on the same wavelength. Two days of knowing each other, and they’re already sleeping together. Isn’t this efficient?

This is efficiency.

Duan Yizhou said, “Okay, then I’ll wait for you at the gate of your school at seven tomorrow. Let me take you back to school now.”

Luo Songran’s hand rubbed the edge of the table, obviously excited. He nodded, “Okay.”

At this moment, both of them had different thoughts.

Duan, the boss: He’s so obedient, he didn’t even ask why this stranger is getting close to him.

Princess Luo: He’s so skilled, we’re probably not far from bed.

Completely different thoughts, yet magically connected to the same channel.

It’s absurd.

The next morning, it was still cool, not too hot. At the foot of the mountain at this time, the two of them parked the car, packed their bags, and prepared to set off.

“Wait!”

Just as Duan Yizhou was about to leave, he was stopped by Luo Songran. He turned around in confusion, then saw the youth take something out of his bag, “What’s wrong?”

“You need sunscreen.” Luo Songran gestured for Duan Yizhou to hold out his hand. Seeing no response, he simply grabbed Duan Yizhou’s hand and squeezed sunscreen onto his arm. After applying it to both arms, he stood in front of Duan Yizhou and realized that this man was really tall, “Lower your head.”

Duan Yizhou, puzzled, still lowered his head, “What’s this?”

“Sunscreen. If the sun gets strong later, it’s easy to get sunburned without it,” Luo Songran said as he squeezed sunscreen onto Duan Yizhou’s face. Then he stuffed the bottle into Duan Yizhou’s pocket and used his hands to spread the sunscreen on Duan Yizhou’s face. As he applied sunscreen to Duan Yizhou’s face, he couldn’t help but marvel at how much this man suited his taste.

Feeling the greasy layer on his face, Duan Yizhou frowned and grabbed Luo Songran’s hand. He wasn’t keen on applying this stuff, “It’s a bit sticky.”

Then Luo Songran gave him a glare.

He silently let go of his hand.

“I’m just caring about you, worried you’ll get sunburned later,” Luo Songran muttered softly as he vigorously applied sunscreen to Duan Yizhou’s face, “There.”

Duan Yizhou said, “…Thanks.”

Hearing Duan Yizhou’s response, Luo Songran raised an eyebrow, took the sunscreen out of his pocket, “Let’s go,” and took a step forward with his backpack.

Watching Luo Songran’s back, Duan Yizhou touched his face, feeling awkward. It was really sticky.

The mountain they were climbing wasn’t too high, and the terrain wasn’t too complex. They could probably descend in about half a day. During the climb, they could see some other mountain enthusiasts.

At the beginning of the climb, halfway up, Luo Songran began to feel uncomfortable, slowing down.

Duan Yizhou, walking beside him, noticed Luo Songran’s discomfort. He stopped and saw Luo Songran frowning, “What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable?”

Luo Songran didn’t try to act tough and said to Duan Yizhou, “The bag is a bit heavy, and my back hurts.”

Actually, the bag wasn’t heavy at all, just some emergency supplies, a thin jacket, and snacks. It’s just that it pressed against the bruise on his back from before, making him uncomfortable.

Duan Yizhou remembered something and reached for the straps of Luo Songran’s backpack, taking it off his shoulders, “Let me carry it for you. Let’s go.”

He then carried Luo Songran’s backpack in front of him, balancing the weight between the front and back.

Luo Songran felt much more comfortable now and quickly caught up with Duan Yizhou. “Professor Duan, you’re so kind.”

“It’s only natural for me to take care of you if you’re uncomfortable,” Duan Yizhou said, not thinking that this small favor was a big deal. He looked at Luo Songran, “If you can’t walk anymore, let me know.”

Luo Songran’s eyes lit up, “If I can’t walk, will you carry me?”

“We’ll rest in place.”

Luo Songran said, “Okay.”

The air in the mountains was refreshing, and the sound of cicadas began to ring out. Compared to the heat emanating from the density of urban buildings, the dense forest seemed like a natural fan, with a gentle breeze that was refreshing.

As the sun rose, it pierced through the gaps in the towering trees and sparsely fell on the winding mountain path covered with grass and stones, casting two shadows on the vegetation, showing two different states.

The tall shadow walked steadily and easily, breathing evenly. The smaller shadow next to it seemed to be moving at a turtle’s pace, trying hard to regulate its breathing to avoid panting.

Luo Songran felt sore and achy in his back. It’s not that he wasn’t good at sports; in fact, he was pretty good at them. It’s just that his back and legs were hurting badly after climbing for two hours. His forehead was soaked with sweat. He stopped and bent down, resting his knees for a while.

Duan Yizhou, walking ahead, heard no movement behind him. He stopped, turned around, and saw Luo Songran resting his knees, looking a bit uncomfortable. He furrowed his brows and walked towards him.

“Can’t go on?” A tall figure cast a shadow over him, and a pair of sports shoes several sizes larger than his came into view.

Luo Songran lifted his head, perhaps the sun was shining directly into his eyes, he squinted and tilted his head away from the light. After seeing Duan Yizhou’s face clearly, he immediately stood up, moved his arms, and walked forward: “No, it’s just too sunny. Let’s continue.”

As he passed Duan Yizhou and walked ahead, he didn’t notice a protruding stone underfoot. In the instant he stumbled, his eyes widened. But before he could cry out, a strong hand grabbed the back of his collar. The collar tightened around his neck, pulling him back to where he was.

Luo Songran coughed and steadied himself. When he turned around, still in shock, his heart pounding, he looked down at Duan Yizhou’s hand holding his collar. He raised his head to look at Duan Yizhou, frowning, “Did you just grab me?”

“I was afraid you’d fall,” Duan Yizhou let go of his hand.

“But it choked me,” Luo Songran touched his neck, swallowed hard, feeling a bit sore from that pull just now. Although Duan Yizhou had pulled him up, that pull just now had almost suffocated him.

“Let me see your neck,” Duan Yizhou hadn’t thought much about it before, he just pulled him up. Now he realized that pulling the collar wasn’t really safe.

Luo Songran lifted his chin, exposing his neck for him to see.

Duan Yizhou bent down to check, sure enough, the fair skin around his neck was a little red. He met Luo Songran’s eyes, which were resentful yet not daring to be angry, feeling a bit sorry, “Sorry, I was just afraid you’d fall and didn’t think much about it. Does it hurt?”

This kid’s skin was too delicate.

“It hurts,” Luo Songran lowered his chin, answering softly, “But you did it to save me.”

Seeing Luo Songran frowning, obviously angry, Duan Yizhou thought for a moment, then turned around and squatted in front of Luo Songran, showing his back, “Come on, I’ll carry you down.”

Luo Songran didn’t expect Duan Yizhou to carry him. He looked at the muscles outlined tightly under the sportswear, looking strong and sturdy. But he really couldn’t walk anymore because of the injuries on his back and legs. He leaned against Duan Yizhou’s back, his hands around his neck, “I weigh 55 kilograms.”

“I weigh 85 kilograms,” Duan Yizhou effortlessly lifted him up and walked back.

Luo Songran was speechless. Both of them grew up eating, so why was there such a huge difference in height and weight? He could only describe it as a discrepancy.

With a sigh, he didn’t want to compare these physical aspects anymore and rested his head on Duan Yizhou’s shoulder.

Author’s note:

RanRan: Do you think I’m delicate?

Mr. Duan:… The sunscreen is a bit sticky. Can you not apply it next time?

RanRan: Say that again?

Mr. Duan: I’ll apply it.

 

 

 

 

This Title is available for faster chapter releases through paid Patreon membership. Any proceeds go to keeping the website running. Check it out HERE.