Chapter 43: First Love Song

Translator: Mukyuu
Editor: Mikyuu

Ning Yue had just taken a sip of coffee when someone settled down beside him. 

Just because he wore a mask and a baseball cap, the guy had even dared to sit down next to a street-side window. 

“Why are you here? Didn’t you take Ning Yan back to his apartment?” The man rested the side of his face against his hands and looked at him with a smile. 

Ning Yue asked expressionlessly, “How did you know I was here?” 

Ji Shao pointed to a car across the street. “Just passing by. I stopped when I saw you.” 

“If you don’t hurry, you’ll miss your flight.” Ning Yue’s tone didn’t change. 

Ji Shao smiled and leaned closer to whisper, “I’m in no hurry. It’s just a simple matter to change flights if I get to spend more time with you.” 

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“Yanyan, don’t be afraid.” 

All the thoughts in Ning Yan’s mind exploded with a bang when he heard those four words. 

He stiffened briefly and then looked up in disbelief. His puppy jaw dropped slightly and his expression was the textbook definition of shock. 

Lin Rong called him… Yanyan…

He wasn’t shocked, confused, or afraid. 

He just said, “Yanyan don’t be afraid.”

The puppy was still shaking in his arms. Lin Rong’s heart ached as he explained quietly,  “Actually I remember everything that happened after I got drunk. I just didn’t know whether I could say anything or not.” 

But now that something like this has happened, it isn’t right to feign ignorance. 

But thankfully at this moment, Yanyan is still healthy. Then “saying it out loud” probably won’t cause any negative consequences. 

Ning Yan was completely stunned. 

What happened the last time Lin Rong got drunk? 

Lin Rong had always known what happened the last time and never considered it a dream???

…

So what, they’ve been acting with each other this whole time?!

Ning Yan’s mind turned into a jumbled mess. When his mind finished processing, he turned around excitedly and started howling at Lin Rong. 

Lin Rong hurriedly caught the little white puppy but the puppy kept stomping on Lin Rong’s arms out of excitement. 

“…” Lin Rong said guiltily, “Yanyan, I don’t understand.” 

Ning Yan, “… WOOF!” 

He wants to talk but can’t say human words. He’s about to die of frustration!

How did something like this happen?!

His cousin had told him “without exception” so many times—just how many of them were actually “without exception”? 

Ning Yan really had a thousand bones to pick with Ning Yue!

He had always been super cautious and living in terror. On one hand, he was afraid that Lin Rong couldn’t accept him as a demon. On the other hand, he was afraid of Lin Rong getting knocked out by the Pact-aura. 

But the truth is that Lin Rong had already known the truth and still managed to kiss him forcefully. The Pact-aura hadn’t even touched Lin Rong, so this guy had always been safe. 

No wonder… no wonder the big pervert had been acting so strange lately! It was because— 

Because of the rise and fall of his emotions, Ning Yan felt like weeping. 

He laid down on Lin Rong’s arms and whined, his emotions still a complicated mess. 

Lin Rong thought the white puppy was really crying and immediately started trying to reassure him, “What’s the matter Yanyan? Don’t cry, don’t cry. Or should I keep pretending not to know?” 

He had no idea what the white puppy was trying to say and could only guess. 

—That’s so not it! 

Ning Yan bit down on the man’s arm but didn’t leave a single tooth mark. 

He sniffled happily—he could finally stop pretending, stop trying to hide things from the big pervert, and stop being cautious!! 

…

About ten minutes later, the human and the dog finally walked out of the bathroom. 

The white puppy was still sniffling and whining. 

Lin Rong picked up the clothes that had fallen on the floor when Ning Yan changed forms. As he picked up the black underwear, his ears were so red they could be dripping blood. 

Ning Yan jumped towards the cell phone on the sofa in exhilaration. He finally doesn’t have to pretend anymore. He slapped the phone furiously and directly dialed Ning Yue’s number. 

Lin Rong, who walked out to see Ning Yan doing this and thought of the one time he had slapped the puppy’s butt because he assumed the dog was messing with his phone, fell silent. 

His heart suddenly constricted. 

As soon as the call connected Ning Yan started howling in anger, “Woof, woof, awwooo, awwo!” 

Ning Yue asked, “Cleared everything up?” 

Ning Yan, angrily, “Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof!” 

Ning Yan might be silly but he wasn’t that silly. How could he not guess that Ning Yue had already figured everything out?! 

That guy had always warned him to not go out at night “just in case”! But when he said Lin Rong was coming by, the guy hadn’t made a single peep!

He definitely had guessed this would happen!

Ning Yan was so angry. He had almost passed out because he was so scared!

“Who was it that didn’t care when I said to not go out just in case?” Ning Yue asked uncaringly. “Who was it that when I said that changing forms will happen when you make lo—”

Ning Yan gulped and interrupted with fake sternness, “Awoooo!” 

Lin Rong stood to the side and watched without interrupting. Though he had no idea what Yanyan was howling about, he was so cute. 

Ning Yue said calmly, “That’s enough. Give Lin Rong the phone.” 

“…” Ning Yan looked up and barked huffily at Lin Rong, “Woof, woof!” 

This time Lin Rong understood. He walked over to pick up the phone while holding the underwear. 

Ning Yan paused when he caught sight of his underwear. Then he almost died of mortification. He flew towards Lin Rong in embarrassment and attempted to drag his underwear away, but Lin Rong simply caught him in his arms and soothed, “Behave Yanyan, I’ll wash your clothes for you in a bit.” 

Ning Yan, “…” 

Ning Yan covered his face with his paws.

“Lin Rong?” Ning Yue called out from the other end of the line.

“It’s me, brother,” Lin Rong answered gently. 

“…” Ning Yue inhaled deeply and said, “You do remember everything that happened the day you got drunk, right?” 

“… Yeah.” He didn’t dare mention the cameras. 

“If that’s the case, then we can explain things to you.” 

What followed was Ning Yue clearly but concisely explaining a lot of things to Lin Rong about demons. 

Ning Yan was a bit scared and kept looking up at the man. But the man remained calm and listened intently without an ounce of surprise, as if he had already prepared himself mentally for this. He showed no signs of hesitating or retreating. 

Those broad palms continued gently stroking Ning Yan’s neck once in a while. 

From background knowledge on the demon society to what made Ning Yan special since his childhood and then to what made it necessary for Ning Yan to stay with Lin Rong. 

“… I’m Yanyan’s Pactmate?” At a certain point, Lin Rong stopped what he was doing with his hands and asked suddenly. 

Ning Yan didn’t know what Ning Yue had said on the other end and also had no idea why Lin Rong suddenly asked about that. 

A few minutes later, Lin Rong answered, “Okay, I’ll bring him back. Don’t worry brother.” 

After he hung up the phone, Lin Rong looked down at Ning Yan, a strange glint in his eyes. 

“Yanyan, I’m your Pactmate.” 

Ning Yan sat up and nodded. 

Yup, what’s up big pervert, why does he care about this? 

“… This means that we were born for each other, right?” Lin Rong held him up and smiled with tender eyes. 

Ning Yan was stunned. 

A demon’s Pactmate was usually a family member. But there was a certain chance that it’d be an outsider. 

Why is that?

What did an outsider Pactmate mean for a demon? 

Ning Yan had never considered this question but in this instance, a possibility crossed his mind. 

Pactmate. If the name was true to the relationship, then an outsider Pactmate must be someone who was as close as family to a demon, right? 

A best friend or… 

Ning Yan shivered. 

Lover. 

“Yanyan, when I saw you for the first time five years ago, I was actually writing a song,” Lin Rong said gently. “It was the title song for my first album. You should know it.” 

The title of that song was “Reflection.” 

It was a love song. Tender and romantic to the extreme. 

You stood by the lakeside and threw in a pebble. 

The waves rippled out, filled with light and shadow. 

You left your reflection in my heart, shimmering with all the light in the world. 

As the son of the nation’s favorite singer Lin Yan, Lin Rong had occasionally written his own songs and had also participated in a few online concerts at the invitation of his internet buddies. So he had built up quite the fanbase. 

His first album after debuting had been highly anticipated by many. 

When “Reflection” was released, it shot to the top of the charts at an astonishing speed and spread throughout the country like wildfire. 

Lin Rong had only been twenty. 

He had written and composed such a sweet song, causing some to exclaim that such a handsome boy was probably really experienced in relationships. 

Coincidentally at the same time, Lin Yan revealed on a variety show that his son was like a wooden stump. Nevermind being in a relationship, girls didn’t even dare approach him. 

So everyone looked Lin Rong up. They immediately understood once they saw those features that seemed to be carved from ice. 

Oho, he looks frigid. No wonder he’s hard to get to know. 

But how did such a person with a chilly personality write such a sweet and tender love song? 

“Because of you, Yanyan,” Lin Rong said tenderly. 

Ning Yan opened his eyes wide in shock. 

Lin Rong thought back to his past. 

During that time, his dad had complained that he was in university and still single. His dad also claimed that such a wooden person like him would never be able to write a love song. The truth was that even though his family never discussed this in front of him, Lin Rong had always known that his family worried something was missing from his emotional capabilities because of how quiet he was and some of his bizarre behaviors. 

Such as love. 

Not the love for family members, but love towards another important individual in his life. 

Lin Rong hadn’t responded to his dad at the time. Rather, he’d turned around and started doodling on some paper. 

The reality was, he really couldn’t write anything. 

His mind drew a blank. He couldn’t think of a single part of the melody or a single word. 

Lin Rong had never liked anyone. “Romance” was not a word in his dictionary. 

That kind of vague thing that couldn’t be seen, touched, much less imagined. 

Lin Rong was rarely bothered by anything, but at that time he had really been vexed.

He had been forcing himself as if he had something to prove. 

Until that summer day— 

“When I saw you, Yanyan, the melody and words suddenly appeared.” Lin Rong smiled slightly. 

To this day he could remember how Yanyan had looked at that moment. 

The young man had sat cross-legged on the sofa chair with a guitar in his arms. 

Strands of black hair tumbled from his forehead and cast a shadow over his face. But the bright sunlight from the window lit up those features. 

Those bright and beautiful eyes looked at him from the space between shadow and light. 

The melody from the young man’s gentle strumming of the guitar. 

The soothing and alluring sound of the young man humming. 

In that instant, Lin Rong had finally realized that love was not something that took such a bitter struggle to grasp. 

When encountered, love would come naturally. 

Ning Yan swallowed. 

So the first song that Lin Rong had written after debuting, the first love song from the man, the legendary love song that allowed him to dominate various charts as a newly debuted singer…

Had been for him? 

His heart pounded in his chest. It was the indescribable sensation of falling in love. 

Actually, he had never told anyone, but he-he had always really liked that “Reflection.” 

He hadn’t said anything before because he wasn’t sure of his heart, but now he understood everything. 

He’d kept quiet after because he thought Lin Rong didn’t like him. He had been upset and unhappy, unwilling to admit defeat. 

He hadn’t thought… 

He wagged his tail and threw himself into the man’s arms. He would scream if he could! 

Lin Rong smiled as he caught the puppy. 

Ning Yan wagged his tail for a while and then struggled to free himself again. He smacked the phone wildly. 

Lin Rong asked in confusion, “What is it? What do you want to see?” 

Ning Yan was now pretty good at using his paws. He quickly pulled up the song from his app. 

Lin Rong laughed, “Is it ‘Strings’?” 

The white puppy kept hitting him with his paws. Lin Rong soothed, “I know Yanyan, I’ve listened to all of your songs. I really like it—” 

At that moment, his voice cut off suddenly. 

The wrong note, the skipped beat. 

You pressed my fingertips and stilled the strings on my guitar. 

The slightly embarrassed and sweet voice of the young man continued— 

You strummed the guitar and walked into my world.

Lin Rong paused. 

Ning Yan straightened and put both front paws against the man’s chest, clearly saying with his eyes. 

Do you remember? This was his debut song too. 

That summer five years ago, when their gazes had first met— 

The emotions in Lin Rong’s eyes kept changing. 

He cradled Ning Yan’s face and the smile on his lips deepened. 

He answered huskily, “I remember, Yanyan.” 

He remembered. That instant, the wrong note that Yanyan had played, that tiny note had also taken root in his heart. 

Lin Rong let out a low laugh. He didn’t know what else to say and could only pull the white puppy into his arms as he called out, again and again, “Yanyan, Yanyan…” 

Ning Yan also didn’t know what words could describe how he felt at the moment. 

He suddenly felt that he was lucky to be able to experience all of this. 

Lin Rong is his Pactmate. How wonderful. 

…

Since the two of them had cleared the air, it no longer mattered who was staying where as long as they were together. 

After a long while cuddling, Lin Rong put Ning Yan under the dining room table so he could continue eating the cake. Lin Rong then went to wash Ning Yan’s clothes. 

When both finished their activities, Ning Yan ran into the bathroom and stood underneath the shower head as a hint to Lin Rong. 

When he had been a puppy, Ning Yan hadn’t dared do too much and could only try to endure it. Now that they’ve talked it out, he would love a bath every day, or else it would feel too disgusting! 

It was actually the same for Lin Rong—but in order to prevent Yanyan from figuring out that he already knew, he had been afraid of being too obvious about it. 

As he saw the scene in front of him, he had to laugh. He rolled up his pants and walked into the bathroom, taking off the shower head to help Ning Yan bathe. 

Ning Yan was so comfortable he lay down on the floor. But he did notice that when it came to washing his belly, Lin Rong’s gaze became shifty and the man’s ears burned.

Because if he went down any further, it would be… 

Ning Yan immediately remembered that he had also done this for their last bath. Who knows what the big pervert had been thinking when giving him a bath!

He hmph-ed self-consciously, wagged his tail, and flipped himself over. He was also a little embarrassed and didn’t let Lin Rong rub him down anymore. 

Lin Rong abashedly said, “Yanyan…” 

Ning Yan thought about how out-of-control the jerk had been and was a little pleased with himself. If he were in human form right now, who knew what kind of beast the man would turn into, hmph… 

Just as he finished that thought, a strange sensation suddenly overwhelmed him. 

Poof. The world went black for a second. 

When his brain cleared, he let out a yelp and immediately curled up to cover up the area between his legs. He looked up in shock at the equally dazed man.