Chapter 39 Part 2

Chen Chao looked at him, and Miao Jiayan looked back. Chen Chao asked him, "Are you dizzy?"

Miao Jiayan looked at him and shook his head, thinking that in this light, he was dazzlingly handsome.

"Sister really likes you. I'm the one who discovered you. If I don't treat you well, you'll get poached by someone else sooner or later," the sister said to Miao Jiayan. "So you don't have to be afraid that I'll screw you over. Even though Sister is a businesswoman, I'm not that bad."

She looked very sincere. Miao Jiayan figured he didn't really have anything that could be screwed over anyway.

"You're going to be famous, baby," she said, stroking Miao Jiayan's hair. "I want you to make it big from my company, not someone else's."

Chen Chao watched her calmly. She smiled and said, "And you, handsome, don't be so protective. You can't keep him under wraps; he'll be noticed by others sooner or later."

"That's good," Chen Chao nodded, his gaze lowered. "As long as he doesn't get screwed over."

The sister had had a lot to drink. She looked at them for a while and suddenly said, "I've seen many like you two."

Chen Chao didn't reply, but Miao Jiayan asked curiously, "Like us how?"

"Very good," the sister thought for a moment and said, "Very pure."

He couldn't help but look at Chen Chao again. Before he could say anything, he heard the sister add, "Later on, they all went their separate ways."

Miao Jiayan paused, not understanding.

"Your current purity is half because you're clean, and half because you're at an age of innocence." The sister, seemingly lost in a memory, said slowly, "Later, when you get older, see more of the world, and you're not so clean anymore, you'll naturally, slowly change."

She added, "I've seen so many 'yous', Yanyan."

Miao Jiayan couldn't quite understand. She said, "They come out clean, but it doesn't take long for them to wipe away every last bit of that cleanliness."

Chen Chao glanced at Miao Jiayan but said nothing.

The sister had actually always been very mindful of their boundaries, never having any overly close contact with Miao Jiayan and never making him feel disrespected. Perhaps because she was drunk now, she raised a hand and stroked Miao Jiayan's hair. Her gaze was intimate and gentle as she said, "Sister hopes you won't be like that. You should stay pure for a longer time."

Miao Jiayan hadn't met many people; he had barely ever left that small town.

He didn't understand yet.

Brother Di had gone back to sleep long ago, and eventually, it was just the three of them left. They only had one umbrella and one raincoat. Chen Chao told Miao Jiayan to sit and wait while he took the sister back.

When Chen Chao returned, Miao Jiayan had already fallen asleep, slumped over the table.

"Miao'er." Chen Chao stood beside him and called out.

It was Miao Jiayan's first time drinking. He'd had a can and a half. At first, Chen Chao saw that he wasn't having much of a reaction and didn't pay it much mind; it was no big deal for a guy to have a little to drink.

But now, Miao Jiayan looked like he was drunk.

Chen Chao crouched down and asked, "Are you awake?"

Miao Jiayan let out a "mhm," looking up at him from the table and calling out, "Brother Chao."

"Yeah, get up." Chen Chao took off his damp raincoat and had Miao Jiayan put it on.

Miao Jiayan obediently sat up and put on the raincoat. Chen Chao also went to the doorway, grabbed the umbrella, and tucked it into Miao Jiayan's hand, saying, "Open it when we get outside."

With that said, he crouched down again. "Get on. I'll carry you back."

If it were the usual Miao Jiayan, he would definitely have said there was no need. But now, he was silent for a few seconds before quietly leaning down, pressing himself against Chen Chao's back.

There were lights outside, so it wasn't very dark. As Chen Chao carried him, Miao Jiayan wrapped one arm around his neck and held the umbrella over Chen Chao's head with the other.

His eyes remained open the whole time, sometimes looking at the path, sometimes turning his face to look at Chen Chao.

Carrying him like this on the muddy path, Chen Chao's breathing was a little heavy.

Perhaps it was because of the alcohol, or perhaps because of the many stories with unhappy endings that the sister had told that night. Being carried by Chen Chao like this, listening to his breathing, Miao Jiayan suddenly felt incredibly sad.

His soft hair brushed against Chen Chao's cheek and neck. Miao Jiayan almost obsessively pressed his face against Chen Chao's shoulder. In his not-so-sober state, all the emotions in his eyes were released without any reservation.

"Miao'er," Chen Chao said, calling his name.

Miao Jiayan, pressed against him, answered softly, "Yeah."

"Lift the umbrella a bit higher, I can barely see," Chen Chao said.

Miao Jiayan lifted his wrist slightly and said, "Okay."

Miao Jiayan wasn't heavy, so carrying him wasn't a strain. Every step Chen Chao took was steady, and his hands held his legs firmly.

Miao Jiayan looked at his side profile. In the faint, indistinct light, he could make out his silhouette, his handsome brow and eyes.

"Miao'er," Chen Chao called him again.

Miao Jiayan answered again, "Yeah."

"You'll stay clean. You won't become like she said. You don't have to be afraid," Chen Chao said.

Miao Jiayan said, "Mhm."

"You'll meet many people, lots and lots of them." Chen Chao paused for a moment, then continued, "There will be people you like, and there will be people who like you."

Miao Jiayan made no sound.

The house was about ten meters away; their path had only a short distance left.

"You can be with the person you like, whether it's a girl or a guy." Chen Chao hoisted him up a bit higher. After a dozen seconds, he finally said, "You'll meet the best one."

In the small space shielded by the umbrella, Miao Jiayan's eyelashes fluttered and fluttered. Finally, he closed his eyes, pressed himself against Chen Chao's shoulder, and said softly, "Okay, Brother Chao."