Chapter 504: The Thirty-Second Day of Transmigrating into an Alien War Novel

Chapter 504: Day Thirty-Two of Transmigrating into an Alien War Novel

All they would think is that Xiao Yi was a genius, a special kid... their pride.

But now, putting these pieces together...

An Cheng parted his lips, wanting to say something, wanting to confirm, wanting to press further.

But in the end, he asked nothing.

He only looked at An Yi, at the figure that seemed so distant in the night, and a near-desperate feeling welled up inside him.

"Even if it's brief," he began, his voice trembling a little, but steady. "Even if in your eyes it might only be a moment..."

He said, "I want to stay by your side."

"As long as I can, I'll stay."

"Until my time is up, until my life ends."

"Even if you still have a long, long road ahead after that, even if you'll forget me and find someone better..."

"I still want to stay with you for all the time I have left."

Then he looked up at An Yi: "If you'll let me..."

His voice grew even softer, as if he were making a forbidden vow: "Take my soul with you, until it dissolves into nothing."

He spoke, and then waited.

An Yi finally turned to look at him, his gaze serious.

A complex turmoil of emotions flickered in his usually calm eyes.

"Even if you know..." An Yi asked softly, his voice like a feather grazing the heart: "I might not respond to you the same way?"

"Even if I know." An Cheng nodded without hesitation.

"Even if you know, I might never be able to love you the way you love me?"

"Even if I know."

"Even if you know, one day you'll grow old and die, while I... might still be the way I am now?"

An Yi was lying to him—this body would age too, eventually.

A tremor passed through An Cheng's lips.

But in the end, he still nodded, his voice raspy: "Even if I know."

"Even if you know..." An Yi looked at him, his gaze deepening: "If you stood as my family, you'd get more? More time together, more peace of mind, a bond that lasts longer?"

A faint smile crossed An Cheng's face: "Even if I know."

He couldn't bear it... his Xiao Yi going to someone else.

An Yi looked at him, for a long time.

So long that the night deepened and the city lights blazed brighter, so long that An Cheng nearly believed this silent standoff would go on forever.

Then, An Yi sighed softly.

That sigh held no trace of his earlier calm and aloofness—only a tender, almost helpless resignation.

"Brother..."

His voice was laced with a doting, almost indulgent fondness.

Then, he reached out and lightly brushed An Cheng's cheek with his fingertip.

"Well, since you're so persistent..."

An Yi looked at him, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips, like spring breeze melting ice and snow, like sunlight piercing through dark clouds: "Then stay by my side."

Each word landed in An Cheng's ears like a sacred vow, like a gift from fate.

"As long as you can, stay."

An Cheng went still, staring at An Yi in a daze, his mind wiped clean.

*Xiao Yi said... then stay by my side.*

*Xiao Yi said... as long as you can, stay.*

What does this mean?

Is this... a yes?

Accepting his feelings? Allowing him to stay? Even... silently condoning those forbidden desires and obsessions?

An Cheng looked at An Yi, and his eyes suddenly stung with heat.

Warm liquid welled up, blurring his sight.

He blinked, and the tears spilled over, sliding down his cheeks, pooling at his jaw, and dripping onto the carpet.

Then, he reached out and gently cupped An Yi's hand in both of his.

He pressed his face into it.

His cheek rested against the cool palm, his eyes closed, letting more tears flow, soaking An Yi's palm.

An Yi didn't withdraw his hand.

----------

An Cheng no longer had to lurk in the shadows—he started showing up in An Yi's life out in the open, like going back to how things used to be—only even closer than before.

Morning. On the dormitory balcony.

Chen Heguang, bleary-eyed, slid open the glass door, ready to get some fresh air and shake off the sleep.

He yawned and rubbed his eyes, letting his gaze drift down to the ground below—

Then he stopped dead.

He saw An Yi's brother An Cheng holding two paper bags, looking up toward the dormitory building.

Then An Yi came out, and the moment he saw him, An Cheng raised a hand and waved the bags.

An Yi took them, and it looked like he almost smiled.

Then An Cheng pulled An Yi into a hug.

It wasn't the kind of brotherly hug where you pat each other on the back—it was... the intimate kind, the kind where you wrap your whole body around someone.

An Cheng rested his chin on An Yi's shoulder, his arms tightening, his movements so gentle, like he was holding something fragile and precious.

He held on for a good while before letting go.

Then An Cheng took An Yi's hand and laced their fingers together.

The two of them walked off together, hand in hand.

Chen Heguang rubbed his eyes and took another look—

They really were walking hand in hand, fingers locked tight.

He opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but in the end, he just blinked, totally confused.

Brothers can be this clingy?

Even though he knew An Yi and his brother were close, holding hands though?

And with their fingers all laced together like that?

Chen Heguang scratched his head and headed back inside, his expression all over the place.

"Damn, An Yi's brother is here again," he said to Shi Luo and Zhang Yuankai, who were still trying to drag themselves out of bed. "And I saw..."

He paused, not sure how to describe what he'd seen. "Forget it!"

Shi Luo poked his head out from under the covers, fumbled for his glasses on the nightstand, and put them on, his voice still groggy with sleep: "Yeah, and haven't you guys noticed? An Yi's attitude toward his brother seems different too."

"Different how?" Zhang Yuankai asked, yawning, eyes still closed.

"Can't quite put my finger on it," Shi Luo said, sitting up and adjusting his glasses, looking thoughtful. "Before, they seemed a bit distant, like they were in the middle of a fight. Now... they've made up?"

"Could be," Chen Heguang nodded, but something still felt off.

He thought to himself, maybe some brothers really do hold hands? They're close! Brotherly love!

He suddenly thought of his own older brother—the one eight years older who'd been beating him up since they were kids.

Holding hands? He shuddered. Why did that make him feel a little sick?

Friday afternoon, An Yi didn't have any classes and was reading in the dorm.

----------

There was a knock at the door.

Zhang Yuankai was closest to the door, so he got up to answer it. When he saw who it was, he froze for a second. "Brother An Cheng? Come in, come in! An Yi's in here."

An Cheng stood at the door holding an elegant cake box and nodded to him. "Sorry to barge in."

He walked in, his gaze naturally landing on An Yi—like An Yi was the only person in the room, and everyone else was just background.