Chapter 173: The Case of Li Yan’s Disappearance

(Frustrating, in the city’s top ten yet again for just a day or half, now dropped to 11 again... Brothers who haven’t used their Monthly Passes yet, please help the old Lei, thank you!)

The two finished showering and lay together on the big bed. Now it’s already past eleven at night. If it were summer, this nearby seaside resort would still be bustling with people. But it’s winter now, a slow season for tourism and accommodation, and at eleven or twelve at night, it feels quite late and quiet.

After taking the plane, sitting in KFC, and taking a car after KFC, Qiao Huanxuan was also a bit tired and worn out. After coming back, they soaked in a bath and then had another intense round. Now lying closely with Li Yan under the covers, neither wore anything inside their bathrobes.

At this moment, both Li Yan and Qiao Huanxuan were mentally quite alert and had no intention of sleeping. Perhaps because they both had things on their minds!

After lying quietly together for a while, Qiao Huanxuan broke the silence: "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing much." Li Yan smiled.

"Hmph, it’s said that men after cheating feel guilty, ashamed, even sinful. So even if you say you’re thinking about Yu Xiaodi, I wouldn’t mind."

Hearing her straightforward words, Li Yan was amused; since he decided to stay and spend a good night with her, of course he wouldn’t think about anyone else, which would only spoil his mood.

"But I guess you’re thinking about something else, right?" Maybe being close gave her a heart-to-heart sense, Qiao Huanxuan guessed Li Yan’s thoughts. "Are you thinking about what you mentioned in the car just now?"

Earlier in the car, she let Li Yan say what he could and wanted to say. His emotions obviously fluctuated, even closing his eyes to calm down while driving! This again shocked Qiao Huanxuan; she then said if it was inconvenient to talk then not to talk, she didn’t have to know. Later, neither mentioned it on the way home.

But now sensing his condition, she thought it best to bring up the topic; if not expressed, it might weigh heavier on his mind. Speaking out, even partially, should have a releasing effect.

Li Yan didn’t evade or deny. "Yeah, I am thinking..."

"Take your time, think it through before speaking."

Li Yan realized she was using her feminine charm to unravel his oppression, and he smiled back at her.

"Actually... when I asked you earlier, I really planned to answer some of your questions. Just that the answers might not be complete, with omissions, truths and untruths. But you didn’t ask, then returned the question to me, leaving me unsure where to start..."

"Hmm." Qiao Huanxuan leaned on his shoulder, softly saying: "I understand..."

"No, you can’t understand. Because some things I really... can’t say." Li Yan laughed bitterly.

Qiao Huanxuan softly sighed: "My... situation, is it easy to talk about? You’ve been holding it in for so long, and so have I. You can’t tell others; neither can I. That time, here, I could only reveal by telling someone else’s story..." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Li Yan trembled slightly, recalling her account here about the class representative and monitor, her and his story. Remembering, she was truly repressing quite painfully!

Perhaps expressing it would make his heart feel a bit better too?

Scenes from his memories emerged again... his breathing became slightly laborious, but here, he could close his eyes, take deep breaths, without worrying about crashing.

"Think it over slowly... Speak if you want, or say it later if you don’t feel like it yet. Let it come naturally, don’t force it. My story that time came out because you’d already almost forgotten me, if I hadn’t spoken that night, I’d have lost the chance. You needn’t rush, if you want someone to listen, I’m always ready, and I’ll keep your secret." Qiao Huanxuan’s voice was light yet earnest.

Her comforting words eased Li Yan’s mental burden.

"Perhaps... I’ll start by telling a story like you did."

"Hmm..." Li Yan agreed, then learning from her past way, he began: "Once there was a boy..."

He had just started when he laughed again: "Forget it, I can’t retell your story about the monitor and class representative in a male version. I’d be accused of padding words." (Those who don’t remember, please review Chapter 377 of Volume 1.)

Qiao Huanxuan giggled, "The earlier story, I’ve known what I should know, and probably you’ve forgotten what you don’t know. The later story, what you don’t know, I know. Now you’re responsible for filling in the missing thread I don’t know, starting from the class representative’s leaving home!"

"Okay. Once upon a time on a dark and stormy night..."

Qiao Huanxuan’s hand crossed over, caressing Li Yan’s chest, hearing him start like that, she gave him a tug. "Tell it properly! Storytelling doesn’t need such exaggeration, I’m listening to your story, not your high school era rhyming skills."

"What fancy rhyming skills? I was just trying to set the mood. Don’t pinch me there, or I’ll retaliate back?" Li Yan chuckled slightly, feeling more relaxed, and then he began narrating: "It must have been after a late study session, I encountered a stranger. He stopped me, saying I wasn’t an ordinary person and shouldn’t follow the ordinary high school path; he intended to lead me into another world."