My Dearest General: It Has Always Been You

Shi Nian gazed at his sleeping visage, heart fluttering wildly. She gingerly took a few steps forward, but it was as if Jiang Jinyan was deeply asleep, his eyelids shut peacefully, breathing long and steady. Shi Nian gathered the coat around her, feeling the chill climbing up from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.

It was obviously such cold weather, moreover the heavy rain had only stopped a few hours ago, but he only wore a sweater. Even looking at him made Shi Nian's teeth chatter.

She gradually arrived by his side, crouching as she cupped her chin, eyes trailing onto the bangs covering his forehead, the line of his brows, the curve of his eyes, the shape of his nose, his thin and pale colored lips…

Captivated, the scene from the taxi earlier flashed through her mind.

Jiang Jinyan's warmth beside her, the echo of his heartbeat, every breath he took, the low voice above her head…Shi Nian wondered how could someone be so good looking, so pleasant to see that she wouldn't be bored even if she was merely gazing at him for the whole night.

His face reflected on her eyes and suddenly, Shi Nian was hooked by a strong impulse out of nowhere. Her heart skipped a beat and her breathing grew disorderly. She tried to lighten it in fear of waking him up..

Slowly, she crept in…and planted a soft kiss on his high nose. So soft, only a graze like the touch of a dragonfly across the water.

Billows of steam erupted from Shi Nian's head and she covered her face to squeal soundlessly. The lips which were in contact with his nose were tingling and numb like she was being electrocuted. Shi Nian had never realized before that they could be so sensitive.

She sucked in cold air and chastised herself for being a pervert, a wanton who coveted the helpless beauty in front of her. She was ready to get up and leave without leaving any sound when her wrist was suddenly grabbed!

Shi Nian was so shocked that her soul almost flew up to the sky.

Jiang Jinyan's eyes remained shut, but his lips moved, brows furrowing. "…don't go."

Her whole body was stiff and she didn't dare to move. However, after waiting for a while, Jiang Jinyan didn't make any other movement. She braced herself and finally looked down, only to see him sleeping soundly yet his hold on her remained firm.

Was he sleeptalking?

Shi Nian's plan of sneaking away secretly was foiled and she had no choice but to squat back down, observing his features more thoroughly. Jiang Jinyan's hand was freezing cold, each joint was pale and slender. Shi Nian sighed in relief as she discovered that he had dealt with the wounds.

A gust of wind blew and Jiang Jinyan shivered, her eyelashes quivered gently nonetheless it wasn't enough to rouse him out of his sleep. Aided by the fluorescent lights on the roof, Shi Nian saw bluish green eyebags under his eyes as if it had been long since he slept.

Startled, Shi Nian couldn't help but doubt. Pieces of memory from the past floated into her mind one by one. Jiang Jinyan was in such a grave accident but Shi Nian had never seen his parents visit him in the hospital before except for his father's secretary, Si Zhening. Even now, he lived alone with his cat, his grim and seclusive temperament and how he tended to push everyone away...everything clicked in an instant.

A faint guess popped up in Shi Nian's mind.

She gazed at Jiang Jinyan and asked inwardly, in this life, how are you doing? Did you not live well?

The weather was getting increasingly cold. Conversely, perhaps Jiang Jinyan had something to hold on to, his sleep was deep and dreamless. Shi Nian couldn't bear to wake him up, but she could see that he was cold, his lips dry and chapped and he shivered once in a while.

Shi Nian shook off her coat gently, but because one of her wrists were restrained, it wasn't possible to get it off without removing his hold. Subsequently, Shi Nian gingerly peeled off his fingers one by one, all the while keeping a close look at his face.

As soon as Jiang Jinyan showed the slightest bit of movement, she halted and held her breath, only continuing after a while. When she was done with three fingers, her back was already soaked in sweat. Two fingers only had a meager strength and Jiang Jinyan's hold fell loose, his hand dropping to the ground in an instant.

Shi Nian stared blankly at her fruitless effort and before she could react, Jiang Jinyan was startled awake and his eyes snapped open wide. Two pairs of eyes stared at each other, sluggish and slow to react.

Jiang Jinyan blinked, eyes still moist with lethargy. Shi Nian's mouth kept shut as she waited for him to speak, much like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. In the end, Jiang Jinyan only lowered his eyes and spoke hoarsely. "Why are you here again?"

Shi Nian was ready to pull her phone up to defend herself when Jiang Jinyan spoke again, "Why aren't you talking?" His tone was lazy and casual, yet tinted with a hint of playfulness that she had never seen before. Shi Nian froze, feeling like she had seen wrong somehow. "Weren't you so brave when you're confessing?"

Shi Nian's eyes widened in shock and she almost choked on her breath. Why…why did he bring up the matter of confession again?! She could feel her cheeks heating up in no time at all.

No. It's not right. Jiang Jinyan had never spoken to her in such a tone before, so…unbridled carefree.

Jiang Jinyan tugged on her wrist in one swift movement, catching her off guard. Her knees bumped onto the ground, face halted a mere centimeters away from him, so close that she could see her shocked face reflected on Jiang Jinyan's pupils. "Your voice is very good," he murmured under his breath. "So why aren't you speaking anymore?"

Before, Shi Nian had heard this question twice. Yet the tone he used was always distant, polite and as long as Shi Nian didn't answer, he dropped it off directly, not asking anymore. Shi Nian didn't know that Jiang Jinyan had always kept it in mind. Moreover, she didn't expect that he would demand it, right here, right now, in this kind of ambiguous and intimate manner.

Shi Nian couldn't bear such a distance and tried to pull away in panic yet she was obstructed by his palm which slid behind her nape, fixing her in place.

"Say it." His fingers exerted force as he kneaded softly. "Say that you like me."

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A/N: detected! The possibility that Jiang Jinyan might have a voice fetish: 98.888% ヽ(´▽｀)ノ

hohoho, what's wrong with him ne~ he suddenly became so bold ⊙▽⊙ and Shi Nian, you stole a kiss fufufu...