Leonid added, “You got drunk after drinking and talked nonsense. It was the first time we met, but you relied on me, tried to open your eyes to stare at me, and when you saw me as a foreigner, you scolded the Russians, said we were very arrogant and bad, even people who learned Russian you guys didn’t like either. I knew you got drunk so I argued, and when you heard what I said, you gave me a cross look, came up and then covered my mouth, didn’t even let me talk.”
Ren ZhouYuan pulled the quilt to cover his head, he didn’t remember that he did such a humiliating thing, and Leonid remembered this thing for such a long time.
Leonid held him much tighter, pulled him out of the quilt and rubbed his hair. He still remembered Ren Zhouyuan’s blurred eyes at that time: his eyes were so bright although he was drunk, and when he stared at him, it seemed like he was the only one in the world.
Leonid felt moved at that moment, he had never believed that so-called love at first sight, and didn’t know how easy it was to fall in love with someone until then; it took only one look to take his breath away, letting him fall happily.
He couldn’t help taking Ren Zhouyuan away back then, to do what he wanted to do. What happened that night was more fierce than what they did just now. Leonid had never felt so right with someone in his life, and when he inserted into the other man’s body, being surrounded by him, Leonid even felt it didn’t matter if he gave up everything.
But he couldn’t say any of these words because he was a real man, so he changed the subject, “When I woke up, you were gone. I asked many friends about you and asked many people to help, but I couldn’t find you anymore. So when I saw you in Vichy, I tried hard to control myself not to question you where you’ve been.”
Ren Zhouyuan recalled their first meeting in Vichy when the personnel manager took him through the corridor, Leonid’s expression looked as if he was doubting Ren Zhouyuan’s ability, and until now Ren Zhouyuan didn’t know that Leonid wasn’t thinking like that.
Leonid said, “I wanted to ask you if you remembered me, but I knew you still did through your behavior and because you were afraid of me.” His tone was a bit helpless and frustrated as he spoke, “It wasn’t until then that I realized those good memories in my heart were not the same good for you actually.”
He continued with a wry smile, “I found you had a child when I started trying to bring us closer. I began to doubt if my appearance reminded you of those bad memories, so I thought you were hiding from me and didn’t want anyone to know you had a sex with a strange man. Although I was very sad, I still hoped you were happy, even if the person who makes you happy wasn’t me.”
When he said “strange,” Leonid laughed at himself, and Ren Zhouyuan felt a bit guilty.
“But god seemed like he didn’t want to make me despair, so when I was about to give up, I found that no one was with you. I know it was bad to think like that, but I couldn’t help feeling happy and expecting something. I hoped it wouldn’t be a joke.”
“Then I found out that An An was also my son and I was very happy, I couldn’t control myself. When you told me you liked someone, I was wondering if I was too late? But when I think of my son, the fire in my heart sprang up again. I am An An’s father, we are a real family, no matter what the process was, it was destiny we should be together.”
He pushed Ren Zhouyuan away a bit and they looked at each other. Leonid had never been so serious before as he said, “So when you say I have no feelings for you, that’s the biggest insult to me. No matter if it’s love or responsibility that brings us together, what is meant to be is meant to be.”
Ren Zhouyuan was shocked, he couldn’t tell if it was Leonid’s words or his expression that shocked him. He swallowed, struggled for a while, then finally walked out of his safe zone, and asked the question he wanted to ask a long time ago, “Then what about Natasha? And the one you once loved, can you forget them?”
Almost immediately, Leonid replied, “Natasha is the one my family arranged for me. My brother married three years ago and I was engaged in my business. They thought I wasn’t going to get married, so they forced me to find a wife.”
He continued without reservation, “I struggled, but they gave me a year, so I established Vichy here. You know, if I didn’t find you after one year, my family would make Natasha to be my fiancée according to the agreement. But I told her I treated her as a sister, that I wouldn’t marry her in my entire life, that the marriage was just to fulfill the agreement with my parents, and she told me that she had the same reason, so we had the engagement.”
“As for the person you said I once liked,” Leonid looked at him and said, “Except you, there is no one else I’ll never forget.”
Although Leonid didn’t tell him exactly who was the “ex” he cared about, those things Ren Zhouyuan struggled with were almost washed away because of Leonid’s statements.
Ren Zhouyuan felt guilty for what he said before. Leonid seemed aware of his feelings and felt relaxed after saying the whole thing from the bottom of his heart.
He knew Ren Zhouyuan needed some time to accept the things he said just now, so in order to liven up the atmosphere, he pinched Ren Zhouyuan’s waist slightly, and asked, “Is there anything else you want to make sure? If you think my feelings aren’t deep enough, we can prove it one more time.”
He approached Ren Zhouyuan a bit, and the other man pushed him away, but Leonid continued to move forward.
He knew the atmosphere was rekindled when Ren Zhouyuan gave him a crossed look.
Proofread by Winter