I Only Want You chapter 13

Yang Xiaole was somewhat inclined to enjoy the excitement, but despite what he said, he didn’t dare to try it without Yan Lan’s nod. It all depended on Yan Lan himself.

He was eagerly waiting for Yan Lan to either shake his head or nod. Suddenly, a voice sounded behind them.

Both of them turned their heads at the same time and saw Lin Jianxing, wearing a camouflage T-shirt, jogging towards them. It was probably just the end of military training, and it was now the free lunch break.

“Are you two seniors going to eat?”

Yang Xiaole raised an eyebrow, “Have you finished eating, or are you just about to go eat?”

“I’ve finished eating.”

Yang Xiaole’s eyes narrowed, “Then what are you doing now?”

Lin Jianxing was asked, looking somewhat confused, “Nothing much, can’t go back to the dormitory, so I was thinking of finding a place to take a nap.”

“Oh~. I’m going to have lunch now, but Momo, he has someone treating him to lunch.” Yang Xiaole squeezed Yan Lan’s shoulder forcefully, grinned, and then turned and ran away.

Watching Yang Xiaole’s retreating figure, Lin Jianxing turned to Yan Lan, “Momo?”

Yan Lan just smiled and walked away after smiling.

Seeing this, Lin Jianxing subconsciously caught up, “Senior, are you going off-campus?”

Yan Lan nodded.

“Did you make an appointment for lunch?”

Yan Lan nodded again.

Lin Jianxing didn’t know why he was following Yan Lan. It seemed like his legs were automatically keeping pace. Not only that, his mouth kept going.

“Senior, I envy you. I really want to go out and visit the outside restaurants too.”

Yan Lan took out his phone and typed: After military training, you can.

After reading it, Lin Jianxing smiled foolishly and scratched his neatly cut short hair, “Right, but there’s still a long time to go, and I have to endure a few more days…”

Suddenly, Lin Jianxing became a little excited, “Oh, by the way, Senior, I saw your painting in the Outstanding Works Exhibition Hall the other day. I really like that ‘Sunset at Lixian Lake.’ The use of colors is just outstanding, and I spent a long time there and didn’t want to leave.”

The direction of the conversation caught Yan Lan somewhat off guard. What surprised him even more was that Lin Jianxing’s favorite painting, ‘Sunset at Lixian Lake,’ was the least popular of the three works he exhibited in the student outstanding works exhibition hall. The other two paintings were clearly more popular.

Nobody knew, not even Yang Xiaole, that among those three, Yan Lan’s favorite was also ‘Sunset at Lixian Lake.’ So, when Lin Jianxing expressed his excitement about that particular painting, Yan Lan felt both shocked and pleased. Unable to resist, he took out his phone and typed: Most people prefer ‘Late Sakura.’

“‘Late Sakura’ is excellent too, but I just prefer ‘Lixian Lake.’ I’m a local, and my grandfather used to take me for walks around Lixian Lake when he walked the dog. We often went there, but after my grandfather passed away, I haven’t been there again. When I saw your painting that day, I was deeply moved and remembered my grandfather.”

Lin Jianxing spoke with genuine nostalgia, “I really want to go there with my grandfather again, taking Niu Niu for a walk… Oh, Niu Niu is the little dog my grandfather raised, and now she’s an old girl.”

Yan Lan: When military training is over, you can take Niu Niu there. She must miss your grandfather.

Lin Jianxing smiled and nodded, then asked, “Senior, why did you paint Lixian Lake?”

Because of Lin Jianxing’s sincerity, Yan Lan didn’t want to hide anything from such an honest person, so he told him: Because that’s where I first met the person I like.

After hearing this, Lin Jianxing raised his eyebrows in surprise, “Can you tell me such private matters?”

Yan Lan: As long as you don’t tell anyone.

Lin Jianxing immediately raised three fingers to swear, “I promise I won’t tell anyone. If I do, I’ll stay single until graduation.”

Yan Lan chuckled upon hearing this, “So extreme?”

“A bit of poison can prove that I absolutely won’t tell.”

After saying this, Lin Jianxing fell silent, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

He walked with his head down, following Yan Lan toward the South Gate of the Academy. At the same time, he secretly glanced at Yan Lan’s pretty side face, feeling a bit itchy inside. “Senior… Can I ask a rude question? Is the person you like still the same? Because I saw that painting, and it seems like you painted it in your freshman year, and I also heard that you’ve always been single…”

Yan Lan nodded, and taking out his phone, he typed: Yes, still the same.

Lin Jianxing was quite surprised, “Senior, is it that you didn’t succeed in pursuing them, or…”

Yan Lan: it was just a secret crush before; now I’m pursuing.

Lin Jianxing didn’t dare to ask further, as continuing would lead to asking who Senior liked.

Unknowingly, Lin Jianxing had followed Yan Lan to the South Gate of the Academy. Along the way, Lin Jianxing kept chatting about paintings, and occasionally, Yan Lan would type a few replies, creating a pleasant atmosphere.

The black Bentley had just stopped on the side of the road near the South Gate of the Academy. Sitting in the back seat, Xie Yun Zhi saw Yan Lan and a stranger chatting and laughing as they walked out of the school gate, giving off an inexplicable feeling of being a well-matched pair.

Xie Yun Zhi silently watched the two figures walking side by side for a while, suppressing the displeasure in his heart, and then took out his phone to send a text message.

Still some distance away, Yan Lan was fully focused on listening to Lin Jianxing talk about the upcoming art exhibition in the city next month. He completely missed the familiar Bentley arriving.

“My uncle will give me a few tickets for the exhibition. If Senior wants to go, I can give them to you.”

Yan Lan was about to nod in thanks when the phone he held suddenly made a ding sound. He opened it and saw a message from Xie Yun Zhi.

[Yan Lan, look up, i’m here.]

Yan Lan was momentarily stunned, subconsciously followed the message’s prompt to look up, and at a glance, he saw the Bentley parked on the side of the road.

Lin Jianxing, confused, followed his line of sight, “What’s wrong, Senior? Is your friend here to pick you up?”

Yan Lan nodded, opened the memo app, and typed: Yeah, sorry, I have something to attend to, so I’ll be leaving.

“No problem. By the way, Senior, can we exchange WeChat? I’ll let you know when I get the tickets.”

Yan Lan thought it would be more convenient to have WeChat, so they added each other right there.

While filling in the remarks, Lin Jianxing suddenly slapped his forehead, “Oops, we chatted a few times, and I didn’t introduce myself formally. I’m Lin Jianxing, Jian as in see, Xing as in star. I’m in the animation major.”

Yan Lan nodded, sent a reply after the application was accepted, then put away his phone. He waved at Lin Jianxing and turned to run towards a distance.

What Yan Lan didn’t know was that Lin Jianxing didn’t leave but stood in place, watching him run towards the car parked on the roadside. Then he saw a man in a suit getting out of the car and welcoming Yan Lan inside.

Whether it was an illusion or not, Lin Jianxing felt like the man glanced in his direction before getting into the car.

Xie Yun Zhi withdrew his gaze from outside the car window and turned to look at the slightly blushing face of Yan Lan beside him. Unable to resist, he asked, “Was that person your roommate?”

Yan Lan shook his head and typed on his phone: No, he’s my junior, a freshman this year.

“I see. No wonder he’s wearing a camouflage T-shirt. He should still be in military training… It seems like you guys have a good relationship.”

Yan Lan thought for a moment: “It’s okay. He really likes one of my paintings, so we chatted a bit when we met on the way, and we unconsciously talked all the way to the school gate.”

“Can I see it?”

Yan Lan was momentarily stunned.

Xie Yun Zhi was paying attention to his reaction and frowned when he saw it. “Not allowed?”

Yan Lan came back to his senses and started typing: It’s not that. The painting is in the student exhibition hall on campus. You might need to go in to see it.

Xie Yun Zhi’s brows relaxed, “I’ll definitely go when I have time.”

Feeling a bit uneasy, Yan Lan put away his phone and looked at Tiantian sitting beside him.

Tiantian rarely got to go out. Auntie had dressed him in a mint-green short-sleeved shirt and white shorts, and he wore clean and attractive white shoes.

Afraid that he would be bored in the car, Yan Lan had been using sign language to chat with him, praising how good-looking he was today.

Tiantian’s mood wasn’t very high, his little face expressionless, but upon closer inspection, one could see a bit of uneasiness.

Understanding that his current mood wasn’t great, Yan Lan gently held his small hand, soothingly using his thumb to caress the soft palm.

After Tiantian’s parents passed away in a car accident, Xie Yun Zhi took him in. Until today, he wasn’t allowed to return to his previous home. What Tiantian didn’t know was that Xie Yun Zhi hadn’t been back there himself since then.

Xie Yun Zhi had lived in that house longer than Tiantian. When he was in high school, around fifteen or sixteen, that house was purchased by Xie Hanzhi as a marital home. It had Xie Yun Zhi’s personal bedroom, and even the study was shared equally.

Xie Hanzhi got married, and Tiantian was born… How many beautiful memories had happened in that house? Now, those memories would turn into invisible blades.

Tiantian lost his parents, and Xie Yun Zhi lost his brother and sister-in-law. The two people left behind didn’t depend on each other as much as outsiders might think. Instead, they kept a considerable distance in their hearts.

Stuck between the two, Yan Lan looked at the silent older one and then at the younger one with an expressionless face. In the end, he could only sigh helplessly.

Half an hour later, the urban scenery outside the car window changed from tall buildings to lush mountains. A cement road meandered through the woods, occasionally revealing one or two villas nestled in the trees.

It was Yan Lan’s first time in such a place, and his curious gaze remained outside the window until the car stopped in front of a two-and-a-half-story modern-style villa.

Tiantian hadn’t gotten out of the car yet. He just saw the familiar scenery outside the window, and his eyes instantly turned red. He lowered his head and rubbed his eyes.

Feeling sorry for him, Yan Lan gently held his hand, preventing him from rubbing his eyes directly. Meanwhile, Xie Yun Zhi, who had been sitting on the other side, had already gotten out of the car without saying a word.

He walked around the back of the car, opened the door, and watched Tiantian sitting inside. He reached out, stroked Tiantian’s forehead and soft curls, then bent down and lifted him out.

What surprised Yan Lan was that Tiantian didn’t struggle at all. His two little arms even tightly circled around Xie Yun Zhi’s neck, burying his small face in the uncle’s shoulder, a place he supposedly disliked.

Whether he truly hated his uncle, only Tiantian himself knew. But at this moment, his dependence onXie Yun Zhi and the emotional support he sought from him were evidently irreplaceable by another person.

After getting out of the car, Yan Lan followed behind them, walking to the front door.

The villa’s front door had a password lock. With a few beeps, the door opened.

The scene Yan Lan imagined, filled with light dust and cobwebs, did not appear. The living room was clean, simple, and warm. Clearly, although no one lived in the house, it was regularly cleaned.

In the spacious living room, a large family photo hung on the wall. Tiantian in the photo was still very young, probably only three or four years old, smiling with curved eyes, showing a few small white milk teeth.

The man sitting on the chair holding Tiantian and Xie Yun Zhi had some resemblance, with a serious expression on his face but gentle eyebrows and eyes. Sitting next to him was a woman in a red dress, with blue eyes and chestnut-colored long curls, evidently Tiantian’s mother.

However, what caught Yan Lan’s attention the most was the man standing behind them. That temperament, eyebrows and eyes, and the bold yet warm smile on his face were exactly like the Xie Yun Zhi from five years ago in his memory.

Xie Yun Zhi, holding Tiantian, stood in the living room, also staring at the family photo on the wall. The smiling Tiantian in the photo, now crying heavily in his arms, with a face covered in tears and mucus.

If he could speak, he would probably be calling for his parents right now.

Yan Lan took out a pack of tissues from his canvas bag and wiped Tiantian’s tears and nose, who was lying on Xie Yun Zhi’s shoulder.

After a while, Xie Yun Zhi, who had been standing still, finally put down the gradually calming Tiantian and knelt on the soft carpet, “I didn’t bring you back because I was afraid you would cry like this.”

Tiantian sniffled, and his long eyelashes were wet from crying, making him look particularly pitiful.

Xie Yun Zhi no longer maintained a serious expression, and his cold eyes softened. His gaze became calm and affectionate, “I also miss them a lot, just like you. But I can’t keep thinking about them, because Tiantian, you are still by my side. I need to work hard at my job, earn a lot of money for you. So when the day comes and I see them again, I can tell them not to worry, that Tiantian is doing well.”

Tiantian tightly gripped Xie Yun Zhi’s clothes, staring at him with his blue eyes, as clear and beautiful as washed gemstones.

Xie Yun Zhi’s sign language expression was very clear, each movement deliberate and unhurried, making sure Tiantian could see clearly, “Uncle had Brother when there were no parents. Although Tiantian doesn’t have a brother, Tiantian has Uncle, and in the future, Tiantian will also have Aunt.”

When he signed the word “Aunt,” Xie Yun Zhi’s mind slowly conjured up the face of Yan Lan.

This momentarily stirred his heart, but he quickly reorganized his thoughts, “I know I scared you when I came back late that day. I also know you don’t want only Uncle. But Tiantian, they won’t come back, even if you live here, they won’t come back.”

Tiantian’s little mouth pouted, and he was about to cry again, tears welling up in his eyes.

Some of these words Xie Yun Zhi had told him two years ago. However, at that time, Tiantian was too young, completely immersed in the grief of losing his parents, and he would hysterically cry whenever he saw Xie Yun Zhi.

Until today, two years later, Xie Yun Zhi was willing to bring him back here, to face together a truth that neither of them wanted to admit—the family photo on the wall now only had the two of them left.

Xie Yun Zhi used the back of his hand to wipe away the tears on Tiantian’s face, “Uncle is here with you.”

Then he reached behind and without looking, he grabbed Yan Lan’s wrist, pulling him gently to his side, “Teacher is also here with you. We are here with you.”