Chapter 38: I Remember

The surface of the sea sparkled with light. White seafoam surged onto the beach over and over again, and retreated over and over again, letting out rushing sounds. On the horizon in the distance, several seagulls were spreading their wings and soaring, letting out crisp cries.

The two carried their shoes and walked toward the direction of the sea. The sand beneath their feet was fine, soft, and warm; stepping on it was extremely comfortable.

The waves gently washed over their ankles. The ice-cold touch transmitted over, carrying a bit of coziness.

Shen Yu was clearly in a very good mood. He looked down at the seafoam beneath his feet, the smile at the corners of his mouth never dissipating. Sunlight spilled onto his face, outlining a sharp jawline. His long eyelashes cast a small patch of shadow beneath his eyes, so beautiful it made one’s heart tremble.

Lu Zhiyan watched him, his footsteps gradually slowing down.

He remembered during their university days, when Shen Yu came to see him, his eyes were full of beautiful light whenever he talked about the sea.

“A’Yan, the sea is the most inclusive. No matter how many worries you have, as long as you look at it, you will feel that everything is nothing.”

It was a pity that the him back then simply couldn’t understand the deep meaning behind these words. It wasn’t until he had experienced so much that he finally understood: in Shen Yu’s heart, there were many hidden bitternesses that he did not know…

“What are you thinking about?”

Shen Yu’s voice transmitted over, interrupting his train of thought.

Lu Zhiyan shook his head and smiled:

“I’m thinking, today’s sea is really beautiful.”

Shen Yu also smiled. He bent down, picked up a seashell, and handed it in front of Lu Zhiyan:

“Look, the pattern on this seashell is so special.”

Lu Zhiyan took the seashell and placed it in his palm to look closely. The patterns on the seashell twisted and turned, like a tiny painting. He subconsciously curled the corners of his lips, raising his head to look at Shen Yu:

“Let’s go over there and pick seashells?”

Shen Yu looked in the direction he pointed and saw many colorful seashells scattered on the beach not far away. He nodded and followed Lu Zhiyan to walk over there.

The two bent their waists, carefully looking for seashells on the beach. Sunlight spilled warmly over them, and the sea breeze gently ruffled their hair. Surrounding them was the sound of waves crashing layer upon layer.

Shen Yu picked very earnestly. From time to time, he would place the pretty seashells he found into Lu Zhiyan’s palm. Looking at his palm gradually piling up with seashells, the smile deep in his eyes grew thicker and thicker.

Lu Zhiyan picked up a white spiral seashell and placed it by his ear. Listening to the sound of waves transmitting from inside, his heartbeat suddenly skipped a beat, feeling that such times were truly wonderful.

No arguments, no hurt, no parting by death. Only him and Shen Yu, only this sea, only this warm sunlight…

Only after picking a full handful of seashells did Lu Zhiyan hold Shen Yu’s wrist and walk toward that reef not far away.

Shen Yu looked at that massive reef, somewhat puzzled, yet he still followed his force and walked forward.

The base of this reef was washed smooth and wet by the waves, carrying a bit of chill.

Lu Zhiyan pulled Shen Yu and sat down at the top of the reef. The field of vision here was very good, allowing one to take in the scenery of the entire sea.

At this moment, the sun had already gradually begun to set in the west, dyeing the sky into a patch of warm orange-red. Golden sunlight spilled onto the surface of the sea, sparkling with light, like a resplendent oil painting.

The waves crashed against the reef over and over again, letting out rushing sounds. The salty, damp sea breeze brushed past their cheeks, carrying a bit of chill.

Shen Yu looked at the setting sun on the horizon, the depths of his eyes full of stunning amazement.

“It’s really beautiful,” he softly sighed, his voice somewhat blurred by the wind.

Lu Zhiyan didn’t speak, merely turning his head to look at him.

The afterglow of the setting sun spilled onto Shen Yu, plating his side profile with a layer of golden halo.

The wind blew up the fragmented hair on his forehead, revealing a smooth, clean brow. His eyes were sparkling bright, reflecting the appearance of the setting sun and the sea, as if brimming with the gentleness of the entire world.

A complex emotion surged up in Lu Zhiyan’s heart.

There was rejoicing, there was sourness, there was guilt, and there was also deep satisfaction.

The him from the past had truly missed too, too much.

He missed Shen Yu’s smile, missed Shen Yu’s gentleness, missed the time of watching the sea together with Shen Yu…

Lu Zhiyan’s throat grew slightly tight. He watched the wind gently move Shen Yu’s hair, watched the faint smile at the corners of his mouth. Unable to resist, he leaned closer and softly murmured by his ear:

“In the future, we will watch the sea together, look at flowers, and watch the sunrises and sunsets.”

Shen Yu’s body violently stiffened.

He slowly turned his head and looked at Lu Zhiyan. The afterglow of the setting sun fell on Lu Zhiyan’s face. His light brown eyes were faintly red, brimming with scalding hot gentleness, crashing straight into the bottom of Shen Yu’s heart.

“A’Yan…”

Lu Zhiyan looked at him and gently nodded his head. His voice carried a bit of choking, gentle and tenderly affectionate:

“I remember it all, A’Yu.”

I remember the words you once said.

I remember the wishes you didn’t have the time to realize.

I remember all the times we once missed.

Shen Yu’s eye sockets instantly turned red.

Looking at his reddened eyes, Lu Zhiyan couldn’t hold back any longer. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] He leaned in slightly and kissed his lips.

Shen Yu subconsciously turned his head slightly, gently dodging his kiss. His voice carried a bit of hoarseness, as well as a bit of apprehension:

“A’Yan, people will see.”

At this time, there were still scattered tourists on the beach, strolling in twos and threes.

Lu Zhiyan, however, paid it no mind. He reached out, pinched Shen Yu’s chin to turn it toward himself. His voice was deep and hoarse, carrying an irrefutable stubbornness:

“It doesn’t matter.”

It didn’t matter if people saw.

In this life, he never again wanted to have any misgivings between him and Shen Yu because of any worldly views.

He wanted to tell the whole world that Shen Yu was his.

He slowly leaned closer, gently covering Shen Yu’s lips.

This kiss was very light, very soft. It carried the salty dampness of the sea breeze, carried the gentleness of the setting sun, carried the cherishment of recovering what was lost, and carried endless longing and deep affection.

Shen Yu was stunned for a moment, then slowly closed his eyes. He raised his arms to gently encircle Lu Zhiyan’s waist, leaned in slightly, and deepened this kiss. The tip of his tongue gently pried open his teeth, carrying a bit of suppressed dominance, yet meticulously lingering and grinding with extreme caution.

Everything around them seemed to gradually disperse. Only the sound of waves and each other’s breathing remained on the beach.

The two kissed intimately and inseparably, as if wanting to pour all their longing and love into this kiss. It was an unknown amount of time before it finally gradually subsided.

Lu Zhiyan rested against Shen Yu’s forehead. Nose brushing against nose, their breathing intertwined.

He looked at Shen Yu’s reddened eye sockets, looked at his wet lips. The depths of his eyes were full of smiles, as well as a bit of un-dissipated lust. His fingertips gently caressed that person’s lips, his voice hoarse and sexy:

“Next time, find a place with no one around, I’ll take it off and show you…”

Shen Yu was obviously stunned for a moment, and his cheeks slightly flushed red. He remained silent for a good while before giving an extremely light “Mhm.”

Lu Zhiyan let out a low chuckle. He turned his head and gently rested on Shen Yu’s solid shoulder. His gaze was cast toward the molten gold-like sparkling waves at the end of the sea surface. A gentle arc curved at the corners of his mouth, and amidst this twilight filling the sky and sea, it lingered for a long time…

When dusk closed in from all sides, the tourists on the beach gradually dispersed. Only the evening wind wrapped around the waves, gently kissing the fine, soft gravel over and over again. The two jumped down from the reef one after another and walked toward the shore treading on the afterglow.

“Are you hungry?”

Lu Zhiyan turned his head to look at Shen Yu. Both hands were lazily stuffed in his pockets, and his arm intentionally or unintentionally rubbed against the other’s, “There should be some seafood restaurants ahead, want to go try them?”

Shen Yu nodded, carrying a bit of hoarseness from just being kissed:

“Okay.”

The two walked shoulder to shoulder along the coastline. When passing by a convenience store with warm yellow lights lit up at a street corner, Shen Yu suddenly stopped his footsteps.

Lu Zhiyan noticed his pause. Following his gaze to look at the convenience store’s signboard, he raised an eyebrow and asked:

“What’s wrong?”

Shen Yu pointed at the cigarette cabinet inside the store. His tone was warm, hiding a bit of meticulous thoughtfulness:

“Do you want to go in and buy a pack of cigarettes for you? Are you feeling uncomfortable?”

In the past, his addiction to smoking was heavy. If he didn’t smoke for a day, his entire body would feel uncomfortable, and a pack of cigarettes would be finished very quickly.

Back then, Shen Yu always advised him to smoke less, saying smoking harmed the lungs and was bad for his health. But how could he listen? He just treated it like wind past his ears, never taking it to heart.

Hearing this, Lu Zhiyan’s footsteps paused. A trace of a daze swept past his eyes, then he broke into a laugh:

“No need, I’ve already quit.”

Shen Yu was obviously stunned for a moment, the depths of his eyes full of surprise:

“Quit?”

“Mhm.”

He nodded. His gaze fell upon Shen Yu’s face, which was written full of surprise, and a surge of sour gentleness welled up in his heart.

He remembered after Shen Yu left, he had sunk into depravity for a period of time. At that time, he was like someone who had lost his soul. All day long he indulged in alcohol and smoke to numb himself. Endless regret and self-blame churned in his heart, and the crazy longing almost drove him mad.

It wasn’t until one day, when he was holding a cigarette and preparing to light it, that the image of Shen Yu cautiously speaking up to advise him against it suddenly flashed through his mind, along with that gentle reminder he had once ignored countless times, “A’Yan, smoke less, it’s not good for your health.”

Tears silently yet surgingly slid down incessantly. His hand holding the cigarette couldn’t stop trembling crazily… From that day on, he quit smoking. Even if he wanted to relapse countless times later on, he forcefully held it back.

“Didn’t you always advise me to smoke less?”

Lu Zhiyan looked at Shen Yu. A faint smile curved at the corners of his mouth, and his tone was as natural as if he were talking about the most ordinary thing, “That stuff is bad for the health, so I just quit.”

As soon as the voice fell, he suddenly remembered the image of Shen Yu skillfully lighting a cigarette for Brother Long in the nightclub. His heart couldn’t help but contract violently, and he hurriedly added a sentence:

“In the future, you are not allowed to smoke either, got it?”

Shen Yu stared blankly at him. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] The surprise in the depths of his eyes gradually faded, replaced by an indescribable softness. After a moment of silence, when he spoke again, his voice was pressed very light:

“Mhm, got it.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhiyan’s heart instantly softened into an absolute mess. He reached out, his fingertips gently caressing past the strands of hair by Shen Yu’s ear. Looking at the gentleness deep in that person’s eyes, he gripped his wrist again. As he turned around, his footsteps couldn’t help but become a few fractions brisker:

“Let’s go, I’m so hungry, hurry up and go eat.”