Brother, you smell good - 83

 

| BYSG | First Shot | 83

Cheng Mofei was being led by his family to the entrance to welcome guests when he unexpectedly witnessed this scene. Without hesitation, he strode over and took Shen Yu’s hand.

Second Uncle and Second Aunt instantly fell silent, staring in disbelief at the two tightly clasped hands.

Boyfriend?

Both of them recognized Cheng Mofei. They knew he was the cherished grandson of Mr. Cheng and currently studying at Yanda University. If all went as expected, he would undoubtedly become one of the most influential figures in Yancheng in the future.

They also had some understanding of Shen Yu, knowing that he was the son of Shen Xunyan and her ex-husband.

They had never been fond of Shen Xunyan, considering her a remarried woman without background or power, unable to bring any benefits to the Ning family. Yet, their younger brother, Ning Boran, seemed utterly bewitched and insisted on marrying her.

And now, that woman’s son from her previous marriage had moved into their home, while Ning Boran’s own son, Ning Que, was being left out in the cold. 

Who knew how much of their inheritance this Shen Yu would take in the future?

They had originally planned to bring this up during the New Year, but since they encountered this situation at Mr. Cheng’s birthday banquet, they decided to bring it up in advance.

On such an occasion, Ning Boran actually didn’t bring Ning Que along but instead brought someone else’s son, this was simply unacceptable.

But… what was this about a boyfriend?

So, this Shen Yu was actually…

"Uncle, Aunt," Cheng Mofei greeted as he held Shen Yu’s hand, nodding familiarly at Shen Xunyan and Ning Boran.

Their expressions softened slightly, and they returned his greeting with a smile, no longer paying attention to the other two.

With so many guests present—it was, after all, Mr. Cheng’s birthday banquet, it wasn’t the right time to openly air grievances. That would have to wait.

Back then, Ning Boran’s marriage to his first wife had been influenced not only by the matchmaking of the elders but also by the interference of these two troublemakers. 

Later, when he fell in love with and married Shen Xunyan, these two had plenty of snide remarks to make as well.

Before, when Shen Yu wasn’t around, Shen Xunyan had chosen to ignore them—after all, such things were inevitable in marriage. There would always be tactless relatives, but since they only met a few times a year, she could endure it. 

Her husband, while not particularly aggressive, had always defended her, and she didn’t want to make things difficult for him.

But now that Shen Yu was part of their family, she absolutely wouldn’t allow him to suffer any grievances.

Cheng Mofei held Shen Yu’s hand and led Ning Boran and Shen Xunyan to meet his parents.

As luck would have it, the timing was perfect for both sets of parents to meet.

Both mothers were involved in the arts, sharing similar interests and hobbies, and they quickly hit it off.

From a distance, Ning Boran’s younger sister and brother-in-law, along with his elder brother and sister-in-law, exchanged glances.

To be honest, compared to their brother Ning Boran’s first wife, they much preferred Shen Xunyan.

Although the first wife had brought benefits to the Ning family, her character was terrible, her temper was bad, and she ultimately cheated on Ning Boran. 

In contrast, Shen Xunyan, though lacking a powerful background, had a gentle and generous nature. Being an artist, she had excellent taste and often provided valuable suggestions, making her well-liked among the family.

Ever since Ning Boran married Shen Xunyan, it was as if a dull, colorless man had suddenly been painted with vibrant hues.

Even though bringing Shen Yu instead of Ning Que to such an occasion made them feel somewhat uncomfortable—after all, Ning Que was the Ning family’s biological child, they could accept Shen Yu. 

Naturally, they would still be more partial to Ning Que, whom they had watched grow up. However, there was no need to resort to such harsh and sarcastic words.

Moreover, the fact that Shen Yu was Cheng Mofei’s boyfriend changed everything.

That meant there was no issue at all.

If only one child could be brought to the banquet, then Shen Yu was indeed the right choice.

The group exchanged glances and collectively looked at the second uncle and second aunt, who were still frozen in place, before deciding not to walk with them.

…

Aside from the minor hiccup at the beginning, the birthday banquet went smoothly without anything else dampening the mood.

Cheng Mofei scooped up a peach-shaped decoration from the cake and placed it on Shen Yu’s plate. Shen Yu ate every last bite without leaving anything behind.

He hoped for a long life in this lifetime, so he could stay by the side of the one he loved for as long as possible.

Cheng Zhiyu had also started her winter break. Holding a small plate of cake, she walked over to chat with them.

Her chemistry grade had shot up into the top ten of her class in the final exams, making her parents overjoyed. When the other relatives in the Cheng family heard about it, especially those with high school-aged children, several of them immediately added Shen Yu on WeChat, hoping to hire him as a tutor.

Shen Yu didn’t agree right away; he only said he needed to check his class schedule for the next semester.

Cheng Mofei found the whole thing incredibly annoying. Shen Lide’s 300,000 yuan had already been transferred into Shen Yu’s bank account, so there was no longer any need for him to take on multiple part-time jobs just to earn money. 

His free time next semester should have been spent on dates with him or participating in fun club activities together, yet these relatives wanted to take over the time that rightfully belonged to him!

Fortunately, Shen Yu hadn’t given them an immediate yes.

He felt that tutoring Cheng Zhiyu alone was just right. They could return on Saturday night, have the tutoring session on Sunday morning, then enjoy lunch before heading back to school. That way, Saturday night could be spent properly snuggling together.

Once they got back, he was definitely going to whisper some sweet nothings in Shen Yu’s ear to sway his decision.

…

After the banquet ended, since his mother and Uncle Ning had matters to handle, Shen Yu went home with Cheng Mofei, planning to stay one more night before returning.

They didn’t explicitly say what those matters were, but Shen Yu could pretty much guess.

It was likely related to Second Uncle and Second Aunt.

Sure enough, after that, the few times Shen Yu encountered those two, they behaved like quails—timid and quiet, never daring to say another harsh word.

…

Time quickly flew by, and soon, it was New Year's Eve.

February 4, 2019.

Shen Yu and Cheng Mofei had two reunion dinners, one at noon and one in the evening.

The first was at Shen Yu’s home.

Ning Que had also returned, his pockets stuffed full, carrying a stash of pine nuts. After dinner, he squatted in front of the TV, leisurely cracking them open and eating.

His hospital internship required him to return in a couple of days, and he had been incredibly busy lately. Through interacting with many patients, he had witnessed the resilience of life in various forms. 

That had filled a small part of the emptiness in his heart, reducing his need to seek validation through one relationship after another.

The Spring Festival Gala hadn’t started yet; the TV was still playing My Little Pony, Ning Yuan’s favorite show. She clutched her soft Westie plushie tightly in her arms, completely absorbed in the screen.

Shen Yu handed Cheng Mofei three sugar tangerines, strictly limiting his intake. He knew there would be more to eat at the Cheng family’s dinner later and didn’t want Cheng Mofei to overdo it and end up with a sore mouth again.

Shen Xunyan and Ning Boran leaned against each other, smiling warmly as they watched the children. They weren’t doing anything in particular, just basking in happiness.

The second dinner was at the Cheng family’s home.

The entire family gathered at Grandpa Cheng’s ancestral house for the New Year’s Eve feast, filling the place with lively chatter and laughter.

The old house hadn’t changed from how Shen Yu remembered it. It had looked the same ten years ago, and it still did now.

By the time they started eating, the sky had already turned dark. Outside, firecrackers exploded in a deafening chorus.

A second before the noise erupted, Cheng Mofei smiled and reached out to cover Shen Yu’s ears.

After dinner, Cheng Mofei wasted no time in sneaking Shen Yu outside to play.

Walking hand in hand through the snowy courtyard, Shen Yu felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

His mind drifted back to his past life, back then, he and Cheng Mofei had already graduated and were no longer students. 

As adults, they couldn’t just run off to play like carefree kids after dinner; they had to sit with the elders, following formal etiquette and engaging in polite conversation. 

But even then, Cheng Mofei always paid attention to his feelings, and always found an excuse to whisk him away after a little while.

But now, he is only eighteen.

This was the perfect age to run wild in the snow.

His biggest worry was what to eat tomorrow, his greatest frustration was losing consecutive matches in a game, and his happiest moment was simply having the person he liked right by his side.

His eighteenth year had already been more meaningful than he could have ever imagined.

The air outside was freezing, but he felt nothing but warmth from head to toe.

Cheng Mofei led Shen Yu straight to his car, opening the trunk to reveal a stash of fireworks. Besides the big fireworks, there were also fun little things like pop-its and novelty firecrackers.

After all, no New Year’s celebration was complete without fireworks and firecrackers.

The two of them found an open space and began lighting the fireworks one by one.

The night sky burst to life with crackling explosions, each flash of color illuminating the darkness like something out of a dream. It was so breathtakingly surreal that it almost felt unreal.

Shen Yu gazed up, completely mesmerized.

For some reason, a lump formed in his throat, and a sudden urge to cry welled up inside him.

At that moment, he finally understood why so many people saw the New Year as their motivation to push through each year.

Because of family. Because of love. Because of reunion.

And in this lifetime, he had it all.

The fireworks painted his dark eyes with brilliant colors. He blinked quickly, then turned to look at the person beside him.

Without thinking, he lifted his hand and said, “Bite me.”

Cheng Mofei: “?”

Cheng Mofei, following Shen Yu’s words, pressed a kiss on the back of his hand and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Shen Yu’s voice was soft as he replied, “I suddenly feel… like all of this is just a dream. And when I wake up, my heartbeat will stop completely.”

He knew he was letting his emotions take over again, and it wasn’t a good thing, but he still wanted to say it to Cheng Mofei, hoping he could give him strength.

Cheng Mofei made a dismissive sound, “Tch, tch.” He tightened his grip on Shen Yu's hand and quickly bit his lip.

“You didn’t bite hard enough, I couldn’t feel the pain.” Shen Yu smiled, teasing him.

Without saying a word, Cheng Mofei silenced him with a kiss, deepening it.

Shen Yu grabbed his shirt near his chest, closing his eyes and kissing him back with all his strength, until he tasted a slight metallic tang—he had accidentally bitten Cheng Mofei’s lip.

Cheng Mofei rested his forehead against Shen Yu’s, breathing heavily. His lips still carried a faint trace of red, and his voice held a touch of grievance as he murmured, “I’m about to die from the pain.”

Shen Yu’s eyes curved into a smile, “You can’t judge the pain for me, it has to be me who’s in pain.”

But, of course, Cheng Mofei couldn’t bear to hurt him.

Cheng Mofei’s gaze burned with intensity. He pressed his lips together, then immediately swept Shen Yu off his feet and carried him toward the car. 

Leaning close to his ear, he spoke in a voice that only the two of them could hear, “Then… let’s go set off the first shot of the new year.”

—The End.

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TL: That’s the end of the Main text and there are still extras, I bought all the available chapter extras in jjwxc...except for the last extra. The last extra has a special lock and the only way to read it is to buy all the chapters of this novel.

So, it might take awhile for novel to be officially be tl completely. Please let me know in the comments below if you happened to find the last missing chapter later in the future. Thank you for reading so far~