Chapter 462: Day 27 into the Farming Story

Chapter 462: Day 27 of Getting Thrown Into a Farming Novel

"Alright!" An Yi came back to himself and gently patted Di Qingji's firm, taut back, his tone laced with a hint of laughter: "Ease up a little, you're squeezing too hard."

Di Qingji finally snapped out of it, realizing he might have been holding on too tightly. He quickly loosened his grip, but his arms stayed loosely wrapped around An Yi's waist, unwilling to fully let go.

He lowered his head, staring at the face right in front of him, his fingers idly rubbing the cloth on An Yi's back, reluctant to let go: "I'm so happy... An Yi, I'm not dreaming, right?"

He was too overwhelmed to find the right words, so he just kept asking, over and over.

"It's not a dream." An Yi chuckled, easing him back a bit so he could stand up straight, putting a little space between them so they could see each other's faces.

He looked at Di Qingji's goofy, overjoyed face and felt his heart soften.

"Anyway, back to martial arts," An Yi said, steering the conversation back. "I'll teach you."

He wanted Di Qingji to have enough ability to protect himself—after all, the escort business was full of dangers.

That got Di Qingji's attention, alright, but the joy still had him floating on cloud nine, warm and giddy, and he couldn't wipe the grin off his face.

He shook his head without a second thought: "I don't want to learn."

Now An Yi was genuinely puzzled, one eyebrow raised as he looked at him: "Why?"

Didn't he just look all eager and excited a second ago? Why the sudden change of heart?

An Yi reached out and took Di Qingji's face in both hands.

The move was naturally intimate, his fingers brushing Di Qingji's warm cheeks and jaw.

Di Qingji's face flushed bright red at the sudden show of affection, but he obediently let An Yi hold his face, even nuzzling into An Yi's palm, all clingy.

He looked at An Yi, his eyes bright with joy and excitement, his voice going soft, hesitant and worried: "Can you really teach me? Is it... some secret family skill? Or something your master passed down that you're not supposed to share? Would teaching me get you in trouble? Or break some sect rules?"

He was afraid that just by being around, he might cause trouble for An Yi.

He'd rather not learn at all than have An Yi carry any burden or take any risk for him.

"It's not a family thing, and I don't have a master." An Yi smiled, gently rubbing Di Qingji's slightly rough cheek with the hand cupping his face: "Teaching you won't be a problem."

He paused, then added with a note of concern: "You're out on escort runs, so picking up some self-defense skills is always a good idea."

That way, he'd worry less.

"Then I'll learn!" Di Qingji's eyes lit right back up. He'd always been fascinated by this mysterious martial art, especially since An Yi was the one teaching him!

That meant more time together, a closer connection! It was everything he'd ever wanted!

He instinctively touched the saber at his waist, itching to give it a shot.

An Yi glanced at the blade too, and for some reason, a joking comment he'd read online popped into his head.

Almost without thinking, he went along with it and said, a little teasingly: "What, is your big knife already getting antsy?"

Di Qingji paused, blinked, and got the weird joke right away. He grinned and nodded, playing along: "You could say that!"

He really did want to learn from An Yi, but mostly because he just wanted to be around him.

An Yi blinked, but he felt a little jolt inside.

Uh-oh, he'd slipped into talking like the comment section without realizing it.

Things like "Liu Geer's butcher knife is raring to go," "Liu Geer's shovel is getting antsy," and "Liu Geer and Fu Cong are ready to roll"!

Wait! Did something weird just sneak in there?!

An Yi's expression flickered almost imperceptibly before he smoothed it back to calm, pretending he hadn't said or thought anything.

Yeah, those rowdy comments must have rubbed off on him.

He coughed lightly and looked up at the sky, using it as an excuse to cover up that brief awkward moment.

"It's getting late." An Yi glanced at the sky—the morning light was fully bright, and voices were beginning to rise from the street: "I should head to the bookshop. You've had a long journey, so why not stay here and rest well? Make yourself at home—I'll be back by noon."

Di Qingji instinctively looked toward the room at the mention of staying... resting? Sleeping in An Yi's bed?

The thought sent his mind wandering. Having just confessed their feelings, could he really sleep in An Yi's bed already? Wasn't this moving too fast? Though he wanted it a thousand times over, and was already imagining the scent and feel of An Yi's bedding... but no!

An Yi's bed—he'd have his chance to sleep in it eventually! What mattered more now was that he didn't want to be apart from An Yi, even for half a day.

He hesitated for a moment, then looked up at An Yi, his eyes filled with unguarded longing and expectation, his tone a bit pitiful: "An Yi, I don't want to stay here alone... I want to come to the bookshop with you. I'm not tired, really! I'll just sit nearby and won't disturb your work, okay?"

An Yi looked at him like that, unable to help curving his eyes into a gentle smile.

"Fine then..." An Yi nodded, his tone carrying a hint of resignation: "Let's go together."

After all, there was a reclining chair in the back room of the bookshop where he usually took naps—enough for Di Qingji to rest.

Better to keep him close than to let him stay here overthinking or too excited to sleep.

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Winter turned to spring, and the backyard flower bed gradually sprouted new growth—a patch of fuzzy grass shoots swaying gently in the still-chilly spring breeze.

Di Qingji was extremely devoted to that flower bed.

Every day, as long as he was in the county, he would definitely come to the backyard to check on it.

It wasn't just about the flower bed itself, but because in his heart, this small patch of land held a special meaning—it was right here that he had come to understand his feelings.

In a way, this flower bed was their... matchmaker?

No, it should be a match-flower.

Though the flowers hadn't bloomed yet, he had to take good care of these shoots breaking through the soil.

That evening, Di Qingji had just finished some errands at the escort agency and came over, pushing open the courtyard gate with familiarity and heading straight to the backyard.