Chapter 461: Day 26 into the Farming Story

Chapter 461: The Twenty-Sixth Day in the Farming Story

"What am I to do?" Di Qingji repeated An Yi's words, his voice even more fervent, his gaze locked unwaveringly onto An Yi's eyes: "An Yi, I'm in love with you."

He reaffirmed it once more.

"I want to be with you day and night, dawn to dusk, bound in life and death, sharing all joys and sorrows, watching the seasons change, spending the long years together. Even if we are both men, this heart cannot be altered, not even mountains and seas could move it." Each word carried the weight of a thousand pounds and scorching warmth, poured out from the depths of his chest.

"I know this is scandalous to the world, perhaps unacceptable, perhaps it will make you feel disgusted, absurd, defying all convention..."

A barely perceptible trace of pain and struggle crept into his voice, but what dominated was a fierce determination: "But I can't care about that anymore, An Yi. I truly can't care anymore."

He seemed determined to pour out all the emotions he had accumulated for so long in one go:

"From the very first moment I saw you, I felt you were extraordinary, like... like a celestial being who wandered into the mortal realm, and I couldn't tear my eyes away. Later, every time I saw you, talked with you, listened to you read, did small things I was capable of for you, or even just watched the lamplight spilling from your window from afar, my heart was full of joy and I felt utterly at peace."

"When I couldn't see you, I couldn't help but miss you. I would rack my brains for all sorts of lame excuses to come see you, even if it was just to exchange a few words, or say nothing at all—just to be by your side."

He took a deep breath, and the grip on An Yi's wrist unconsciously tightened slightly, as if trying to convey all his feelings through that contact—but then, realizing what he was doing, he immediately loosened it, afraid of causing An Yi even the slightest discomfort.

"I know these feelings... in the eyes of the world, might be a great mistake, violating the natural order of human relations, but I... I don't want to change, and I can't change. I will not regret this, not even unto death."

He paused, looking into An Yi's eyes, his voice dropping low:

"Earlier, when I said I wouldn't take you as my master, it was because... once the master-disciple bond is formed, it's bound by propriety, with strict hierarchies. I... I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to resist crossing that line, touching what I shouldn't."

"That would be disrespectful to a 'master,' and even more so, a violation of you. I would rather never learn that peerless martial art for the rest of my life than be stuck as master and disciple with you, forever only able to look up to you as a student, and never again... never again be able to hold your hand like this and pour out my heart to you."

He even couldn't help but wonder—if he truly did become An Yi's disciple, facing him day after day, gazing at the person who captivated his very soul, listening to that crisp, melodious voice, enduring the gentle guidance that would surely come... could he truly restrain the increasingly fervent desire and affection in his heart?

Probably not.

His gaze remained fixed on An Yi without so much as a blink, as if pouring his very soul into that stare, and he asked the question that had been circling in his mind for so long:

"An Yi, tell me... do you... have even the slightest feeling for me... feelings that mirror my own? Even just a little, even just a hint of fondness beyond that of a friend?"

Please don't turn me away, he pleaded silently. I beg you, don't push me away.

Even if you only give me a faint glimmer of hope, the courage to keep coming closer.

An Yi looked at him.

Then, turning the tables, he reached out and grasped Di Qingji's hand.

An Yi's fingers were slender, with well-formed joints. At this moment, those slightly cool fingers wrapped around Di Qingji's knuckles one by one, with a firm yet gentle force.

Pale against sun-kissed, smooth against calloused, cool against burning—forming a striking and unusual contrast.

Those intertwined hands seemed to symbolize two completely different life paths, at this moment, tightly entangled together.

Di Qingji's whole body jolted!

He lowered his head, staring in utter disbelief at their tightly clasped hands.

An Yi's hand, so beautiful, was now actively holding his!

He raised his gaze inch by inch, from their clasped hands to An Yi's face.

An Yi was looking at him, those amber eyes that were always as calm as a deep pool now filled with mirth.

An Yi curved his eyes, his long lashes casting crescent-shaped shadows beneath his eyelids.

"Are you an idiot?" An Yi said softly, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness, along with a tender intimacy no longer concealed: "If I had no feelings for you, why would I let you approach time and time again? Why would I let you hover around me, watching those little tricks you thought were so clever, and find them amusing?"

Di Qingji felt as if all his previous anxiety, his fear of losing you, his self-questioning—all of it was washed away in that single instant.

The happiness burst open like a brilliant firework in his chest, leaving him dizzy with joy.

An Yi had feelings for him! An Yi had accepted his affection!

"An Yi... An Yi!" He could no longer contain the surging emotions. A choked, almost tearful call escaped his throat as he gripped the hand that had reached out to him, then pulled hard, drawing the person he had dreamed of day and night deeply into his embrace.

His arm wrapped firmly around An Yi's waist, while his other hand cradled the back of An Yi's head, pressing him against his shoulder.

He buried his face in the soft, slightly cool strands of hair at An Yi's neck, drinking in the scent that belonged to An Yi alone, over and over, calling his name with almost reverent devotion: "An Yi... An Yi... my An Yi..."

An Yi let himself be held, feeling the blazing emotion and joy transmitted through the embrace. He raised his hand and gently returned the hug, his fingertips sensing the taut muscles beneath the fabric and the warmth radiating from Di Qingji's broad, sturdy back.

He couldn't help but curve his lips into a smile.

The two stood embracing in silence.

Mid-embrace, An Yi's mind began to wander.

His thoughts drifted back to Di Qingji's confession earlier—"Even if we are both men, this heart cannot be altered," "I know this is scandalous to the world, perhaps unacceptable"...

He was actually a bit puzzled.

The men of this world, weren't they also ordinary men? The only difference on the outside was a small red mole between the eyebrows. Physiologically... based on the information he had received, aside from the subtle difference of supposedly being able to bear children, they were no different from ordinary men.

Why did the world consider it perfectly natural to like and marry such men, but liking a man without the red mole became something scandalous, unacceptable, violating the natural order of human relations?

This setting... is so weird?! An Yi couldn't help but think.