Chapter 98
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As the weather got hotter, Gu Yang stuck to Fan Yuan and couldn’t seem to peel himself off. His hands always sneakily stuck to Fan Yuan’s body.
On hot days, there’s nothing more comfortable than snuggling up to Fan Yuan.
At night, Gu Yang looked at the countdown on his virtual book in the palm of his left hand. Feeling a bit regretful, he hugged Fan Yuan tighter, with his hands firmly clasped behind Fan Yuan’s back, and his legs curled up lazily in Fan Yuan’s embrace.
In a while, the “Golden Finger” of this fairy tale, “The Snow Queen,” is about to come to an end. Originally, the malicious mirror posed a significant threat, but it seems to have had little impact on Gu Yang and Fan Yuan.
If you really want to analyze it in detail, there has been an impact, such as Fan Yuan’s parents no longer daring to come.
But this should be considered a positive impact. For Gu Yang, Fan Yuan doesn’t need his parents, and he doesn’t want those two people to appear in their lives again.
Compared to these, Gu Yang is more nervous about what the randomly given “Golden Finger” tonight will be.
The “Golden Finger” of a fairy tale story has an impact that lasts for a month, and this time, it will span the college entrance examination period. If it’s a troublesome “Golden Finger,” it might affect their performance in the college entrance examination.
Fan Yuan seemed to sense Gu Yang’s nervousness. His cold palm gently patted Gu Yang’s back, moving downward, and his fingers slightly lifted the hem of Gu Yang’s clothes, touching his small waist.
Gu Yang sat up straight all of a sudden, placing his hands on Fan Yuan’s shoulders, and his eyes widened, looking at Fan Yuan with round, bright eyes.
Fan Yuan also looked down at Gu Yang, and his other hand’s fingers followed and pressed down.
“Feeling hot?”
When Gu Yang returned from school, he was indeed feeling hot, sticking to Fan Yuan. Although it had already cooled down a bit, being suddenly pressed on his waist made him feel hot again.
He nodded lightly, and unconsciously applied force to Fan Yuan’s shoulder with his fingertips.
“If you don’t touch me there… I won’t feel hot.”
“Is that so?” Fan Yuan’s dark pupils reflected Gu Yang’s increasingly red cheeks, and he moved the fingertips that were pressing on Gu Yang’s small waist.
Even though Fan Yuan’s fingertips were cold, Gu Yang felt like two small flames were burning along his waist. His straight posture immediately softened, and he bent his back, resting his forehead on Fan Yuan’s neck.
“You’re bullying me again.”
Gu Yang didn’t resist and allowed Fan Yuan to torment his waist with his hands over and over again. Gu Yang grabbed onto Fan Yuan’s collar, his slender fingertips fiddling with the buttons on it.
“Gu Yang, I’ve been affected by something,” Fan Yuan suddenly said, and Gu Yang didn’t move but listened attentively.
“I want to destroy everything; everything seems meaningless to me, except for you.”
“The only thing I don’t want to hurt is you.”
Fan Yuan’s cold breath blew against Gu Yang’s ear as he spoke, causing Gu Yang to tilt his head slightly, rubbing his numb ear against Fan Yuan’s cheek.
While enveloped in the coolness surrounding Fan Yuan, Gu Yang’s heart seemed immersed in a scorching heat.
This scorching heat was impossible to ignore, with a powerful presence, so intense yet not harmful—it was the heat that Fan Yuan emanated.
“Fan Yuan.”
Gu Yang called out Fan Yuan’s name but didn’t continue speaking. He raised his left arm and nestled in Fan Yuan’s embrace, gazing at the countdown on top.
The countdown had reached its last few seconds, and the unit’s digit was getting smaller and smaller until it finally reached zero.
At that moment, the shard of the malevolent mirror that had been deeply embedded in Fan Yuan’s heart melted and disappeared.
The cold air around them suddenly dispersed, and the heat from Gu Yang completely transferred to Fan Yuan.
This heat was so captivating—the love brought about by an 85-point favourability score made Fan Yuan hug Gu Yang with all his strength.
This intimate embrace caused both of them to break into a light sweat, yet neither of them wanted to let go.
Gu Yang looked at the random selection box of the Golden Finger, which had started flashing again. He pressed his hot and tender lips against Fan Yuan’s ear, ensuring there were no gaps.
He used the most intimate way to express what he had wanted to say:
“Your affection towards me is unique.”
The random selection box of the Golden Finger slowly stopped, and Gu Yang felt a slight sense of relief, yet he tensed up again.
The Golden Finger that would span the college entrance examination was “Sleeping Beauty.”
Based on Gu Yang’s experiences with these Golden Fingers, he could roughly speculate about the potential impact of this one.
He lowered his arm and placed his left hand into Fan Yuan’s hand.
Fan Yuan immediately held Gu Yang’s left hand tightly, knowing that Gu Yang had something to say.
Feeling Fan Yuan’s tight grasp, Gu Yang stepped back slightly and pressed his right hand against Fan Yuan’s heart.
“Fan Yuan, like me even more.”
“If I fall asleep, come and kiss me. Keep kissing until I open my eyes and look at you.”
Gu Yang’s words were not entirely clear, but he believed that Fan Yuan would understand.
Between them, there seemed to be an unspoken understanding that made them closer and more aware of each other.
Fan Yuan was an exceptionally intelligent person, and Gu Yang knew that he must have figured out something. But what Fan Yuan had guessed was definitely more than what Gu Yang could imagine.
The impact of “Sleeping Beauty” turned out to be just as Gu Yang had guessed. The next morning, he fell into a deep sleep.
Fan Yuan woke up and prepared breakfast. When he came to call Gu Yang, he still didn’t wake up.
Gu Yang’s breathing was steady, and his cheeks were tinged with a faint red from sleeping, but no matter if Fan Yuan pulled his arm or gently tapped his cheek, Gu Yang showed no response.
Though he still breathed, had body temperature, and a heartbeat, he seemed as lifeless as if he were dead.
This feeling made Fan Yuan uncomfortable, and he furrowed his brows slightly. Sitting by the bedside, he bent down slowly and gently kissed Gu Yang’s lips.
Gu Yang’s lips were still soft and warm. After Fan Yuan’s tender kiss, his eyelashes quivered, and he opened his eyes. The clear pupils immediately reflected Fan Yuan’s figure.
“Good morning, Fan Yuan.”
Gu Yang raised both hands to embrace Fan Yuan’s neck, looking at the slight frown on Fan Yuan’s face. He leaned his neck up and lightly kissed Fan Yuan’s forehead, smoothing away the faint wrinkles.
“I fell asleep…right?”
Fan Yuan hugged Gu Yang tightly and carried him towards the bathroom, holding him with a slightly intense embrace but not answering Gu Yang’s question.
Gu Yang extended his fingers and pressed against the corners of Fan Yuan’s mouth, gently tugging upward.
“Don’t worry about me. As long as you like me, like me more and more, I will be fine.”
In response to Gu Yang, Fan Yuan placed a warm towel on Gu Yang’s face, causing Gu Yang to blink and smile.
The constant rainy days in April had decreased, and May brought clear skies without a cloud in sight.
The mood of the driver uncle seemed to mirror the weather. He whistled a cheerful yet chaotic tune, seemingly in high spirits, though it was unclear what exactly made him so happy.
Gu Yang and Fan Yuan sat in the backseat, uncommonly without the partition between the front and back of the car. Instead, they opened the windows, allowing the cool breeze outside to ruffle their hair.
“The weather is so nice. I really want to go mountain climbing.”
Gu Yang extended his hand out of the window, feeling the breeze brush against his palm. But before he could fully open his hand, Fan Yuan leaned over and pulled it back, holding his wrist tightly.
“It’s dangerous.”
Fan Yuan clasped Gu Yang’s hand tightly in his palm, his black eyes expressing disapproval.
Gu Yang playfully scratched Fan Yuan’s palm with his fingertips and pressed the button beside the car to raise the partition.
Just as the driver uncle was about to chat with the two little friends, he sighed and turned on the car’s radio.
Gu Yang climbed onto Fan Yuan and laid on him, placing his cheek against Fan Yuan’s palm. The light in his eyes revealed his unabashed affection.
“I know, I was wrong.”
Gu Yang’s eyes were filled with an intense liking for Fan Yuan, so thick that Fan Yuan couldn’t help but extend his finger and gently touch the corner of his eye.
His eyes were focused solely on Fan Yuan, and they always had been.
Gu Yang allowed Fan Yuan to touch his eyes, his eyelashes involuntarily fluttering. He also couldn’t resist acting coquettishly:
“Fan Yuan, like me even more.”
The Golden Finger of “Sleeping Beauty” always caused Gu Yang to inexplicably fall into deep sleep, and whenever that happened, Fan Yuan would gently kiss him.
At first, this effect didn’t cause much trouble for Gu Yang, as he was always with Fan Yuan.
The timer book placed in the middle of their two desks had almost reached 7000 on Fan Yuan’s book, becoming a frightening number.
Gu Yang’s “No Touching” timer book, on the other hand, had just reached 200.
After the third mock exam, they went through several minor exams, and Gu Yang got used to the daily routine of waking up from his slumber with Fan Yuan’s kisses.
It was a strange feeling, as if he had completely relied on Fan Yuan for his life.
One day, during evening self-study when class was about to end, Gu Yang suddenly fell asleep on his desk.
The pen in his hand slipped from his relaxed grip and fell to the ground, making a soft “pop” sound.
Fan Yuan, who was quickly doing problems, stopped his actions and turned to look at Gu Yang.
Gu Yang was lying on the desk, his eyelids tightly shut, deeply asleep.
The effect of the gentle kiss suddenly weakened. Usually, a light kiss from Fan Yuan could keep Gu Yang awake all day, but today, Gu Yang fell asleep even before school was over. This was not a good sign.
Fan Yuan didn’t immediately go to kiss Gu Yang. Instead, he held Gu Yang’s hand, which was hanging at his side, and lowered his head to continue doing problems.
The school bell rang, and as the classmates gradually left, Fan Yuan was still working on the problems.
Meng Zhan was one of the last to leave. He glanced at Fan Yuan and the sleeping Gu Yang before asking, “Aren’t you leaving?”
Fan Yuan looked at Gu Yang next to him and replied, “Hmm, not in a hurry.”
Meng Zhan didn’t linger and left the classroom with his backpack.
Once the classroom was empty, with only Fan Yuan and the sleeping Gu Yang left, Fan Yuan finally made a move. He got up, packed both of their bags, and slowly walked to the door. He closed the classroom door and immediately turned off the lights.
During the evening self-study in their third year of high school, it was already dark outside. When the lights went off, the classroom plunged into darkness, with only a few shadows cast by the lights outside on the playground.
The corridor outside the classroom gradually quieted down, and the entire teaching building was empty.
In the darkness, Fan Yuan approached Gu Yang, sat next to him, and gently lifted him onto his lap.
Gu Yang’s body was limp and unresponsive no matter how he was held.
Fan Yuan gently caressed Gu Yang’s cheek and silently observed him in the darkness for a long time before finally lowering his head.
A soft kiss, but Gu Yang didn’t wake up.
He continued to sleep soundly in Fan Yuan’s arms. No matter how he was called or moved, he wouldn’t wake up. If it weren’t for the fact that he was still breathing, this scene would have been too eerie.
Fan Yuan tightened his arm around Gu Yang’s lower back and lowered his head once more, placing a soft kiss on his lips.
This kiss wasn’t as gentle as a dragonfly’s touch or as light as a breeze. It was filled with a chilling fierceness.
In the darkness, finally, a hidden whimper could be heard.
Gu Yang slowly opened his eyes, and his weak hands instinctively reached for Fan Yuan’s neck.
Sensing Gu Yang’s wakefulness, Fan Yuan’s kisses didn’t stop; instead, they became even more intense to the point that both of them felt pain.
Gu Yang vaguely sensed that Fan Yuan was angry because he had fallen into such a deep sleep as if he had died.
The kiss lasted for a long, long time, until Gu Yang grabbed Fan Yuan’s collar, begging him to give him some air. Only then did Fan Yuan back off slightly, and both of them were breathing heavily.
It was already May, and they were no longer wearing heavy coats. Gu Yang had wrinkled Fan Yuan’s collar with his grip.
“Did I sleep for a long time?”
The continuous kissing stopped, but Gu Yang didn’t move away. Instead, he pursued and spoke with his warm lips against Fan Yuan’s.
“Yeah.”
At this point, Fan Yuan’s anger had subsided. He tossed both of their bags to his back and carried Gu Yang firmly in his arms as they walked outside.
“I’ll take you home.”
Gu Yang’s legs, hanging in Fan Yuan’s arms, wiggled a bit. The prolonged kissing had left him a bit dazed, and his mind felt like it was filled with soft cotton, slowing down his thoughts.
“Fan Yuan, my mouth feels so hot.”
As the weather got hotter, Gu Yang missed the coolness emanating from Fan Yuan’s body.
Fan Yuan lowered his head and bit Gu Yang’s ear with a somewhat unfriendly tone, “Bear with it.”
Gu Yang knew he shouldn’t push his luck and wiggled his legs once more before obediently nestling in Fan Yuan’s embrace, not moving further, allowing Fan Yuan to carry him.
Along the way, both of them remained somewhat silent.
Ever since Gu Yang fell asleep in the classroom that one time, it had been happening frequently. Fan Yuan’s kisses to wake Gu Yang had to be longer and more intense, while the time Gu Yang could remain awake was becoming shorter and shorter, gradually decreasing.
This situation wasn’t optimistic, but Gu Yang seemed to act as if there was nothing to worry about.
Until one late night when Gu Yang was once again awakened by Fan Yuan’s kiss.
He thought it was time to go to school and reached out to pat Fan Yuan’s back, wanting Fan Yuan to lift him up. Only when he looked around did he notice the darkness in the room.
It was still not dawn, and he had no idea what time it was.
Gu Yang dimly realized this problem, but the next moment, he was immersed in a long, intense kiss once more.
Fan Yuan’s kiss this time was fiercer than any previous one. The blankets were gradually pushed down to the floor, and they tangled together on the carpet, followed by a thin piece of clothing that fell onto the blankets—it was Gu Yang’s sleepwear.
Gu Yang was currently lying face down on the bed, burying his cheek in the crook of his arm and biting onto the pillow, yet he couldn’t hide the sounds escaping his lips.
His back ached all over, and when Fan Yuan suddenly became fierce, he firmly pressed Gu Yang down, not allowing him to get up.
Fortunately, Gu Yang had adapted well to this situation. If Fan Yuan didn’t allow him to get up, he would obediently stay under Fan Yuan, letting him press and bite him. He would occasionally beg for mercy in a soft, whimpering tone, but Fan Yuan never let him go, and begging for mercy became ineffective.
It wasn’t until the sky started to get brighter that Fan Yuan finally stopped.
He pressed Gu Yang down and reached out to grasp Gu Yang’s right hand to play with it.
Gu Yang moved, pushing Fan Yuan’s shoulder and rolling over on the bed, lying on his back. He wrapped his other hand around Fan Yuan’s waist while Fan Yuan remained on top of him.
He pursed his lips and felt a slight stinging sensation. He knew that the corners of his mouth must have been bitten by Fan Yuan.
Gu Yang’s fingertips moved to Fan Yuan’s back, pinching a piece of flesh, and then slowly letting go, reluctant to hurt him.
He could feel Fan Yuan’s anger, so he subconsciously tried to ease the atmosphere, saying, “You were quite fierce this time. But I should be able to stay awake for a long time now.”
However, instead of lightening the atmosphere, the mood became more oppressive.
Fan Yuan sat up, his palm opened and pressed against Gu Yang’s chest. His fingertips moved along the pattern on Gu Yang’s chest, depicting the interlocking characters that resembled a flower but not a flower, “Fan Yuan”.
“Gu Yang, what if I don’t kiss you?”
Gu Yang couldn’t help but grab Fan Yuan’s wrist, preventing him from touching the interlocking characters that spread around his heart. Similarly, there was also an interlocking character on Fan Yuan’s chest, “Gu Yang”.
What would happen if Fan Yuan didn’t kiss him?
Gu Yang had never thought about this question. Even after being influenced by the malicious mirror shards, Fan Yuan still loved him sincerely and tenderly.
For Gu Yang, this world was real because of Fan Yuan.
Gu Yang was still lying on the bed, his eyes moist, his pupils still clear and pure.
He held Fan Yuan’s wrist and placed their hands on his heart.
“Then let me forever sleep by your side.”
“Thud—”
Gu Yang felt his heart tremble heavily, not his own heart, but rather Fan Yuan’s heartbeat he felt through the interlocking characters.
The next moment, Gu Yang welcomed the even more intense storm given by Fan Yuan.
He opened his arms and accepted it willingly.
Besides the storm, Fan Yuan also gave Gu Yang 2 more points.
Now, Fan Yuan’s favorability towards Gu Yang had reached 87 points.
Gu Yang felt a slight warmth in the palm of his left hand, as if even the virtual book was excited about the high score.
The effect of the night of kissing kept Gu Yang awake for three days, and during these three days, he didn’t suddenly fall asleep even once.
However, Gu Yang vaguely felt that this “Sleeping Beauty Gold Finger” was more like a test, and also a stepping stone.
The method to solve the sudden sleep wasn’t just about kissing or more intense kissing; Gu Yang couldn’t figure out the clue at the moment, so he could only go with the flow.
In mid-May, it was the final sprint before the college entrance examination. Class 1 of the Seniors was so focused that even the usually lively break time was now quiet. Everyone was diligently writing, and no one wanted to waste a single second.
After the third mock exam, Gu Yang had gained some confidence. At this stage of his studies, he felt that as long as he kept consolidating and deepening his knowledge, it would be sufficient.
With Fan Yuan’s company, Gu Yang was finally able to catch up and surpass all the progress he had fallen behind in an impossible amount of time.
Having a rare period of sustained wakefulness, Gu Yang couldn’t help but rest his head on the desk, silently watching Fan Yuan doing his problems.
He had grown accustomed to everything about Fan Yuan—the touch of his hair, the warmth of his fingertips, the softness of his lips, and the fervor of his embrace.
Gu Yang spread his left palm, mindlessly poking the virtual book with his right fingertip, tracing the tiny “87” score up and down.
Suddenly, he accidentally flipped a page with his poking, and Gu Yang sat up abruptly.
Fan Yuan looked at him, so Gu Yang hurriedly put down his hands, picked up a pen, and pretended to be focused on the problems.
He had acted too fake, but Fan Yuan didn’t say anything. Instead, he reached up and pinched the back of Gu Yang’s neck, giving a subtle hint to stay focused and study seriously.
Gu Yang straightened his back, obediently starting to solve a problem and writing out a formula. After Fan Yuan withdrew his hand, Gu Yang discreetly opened his left palm.
The virtual book, hovering above his palm, had returned to the display showing the affection level and the countdown of the “Gold Finger.” Gu Yang tried to flip the page with his fingertip, but it was ineffective.
Furrowing his eyebrows, Gu Yang kept trying, repeatedly flipping the virtual book, and suddenly, the previously unchanging page flipped over, revealing a new page.
Gu Yang speculated that this was a hidden page that required flipping a certain number of times. He didn’t poke his palm for no reason, which was why he hadn’t discovered it earlier.
The hidden page contained very little information, with several lines of text gathered in the center, only explaining a question about the level of difficulty.
On the page, it was written that the difficulty of the target was divided into: Easy, Difficult, and H*ll Mode.
The division of difficulty didn’t depend on self-selection, but this virtual book automatically determined it based on the person implementing it, in this case, Gu Yang. The standard of division was based on Gu Yang’s affection level towards Fan Yuan.
The virtual book continuously monitored Gu Yang’s affection level towards Fan Yuan during a certain period of time when he started. The higher the affection level or the greater the increase in affection, the more difficult the difficulty would become.
Gu Yang was unclear about how long this “certain period of time” was, but the result was that he was already in H*ll Mode difficulty.
In this virtual book, getting a score of 100 in Simple Mode was roughly equivalent to 30+ points in H*ll Mode.
A score of 100 in Difficult Mode was approximately equivalent to 50-60 points in h*ll Mode.
As for H*ll Mode, the difficulty rating was extremely strict and almost impossible to complete.
Gu Yang kept staring at those few lines of text, and his heartbeats became increasingly chaotic.
Sensing Gu Yang’s restless heartbeat through the connection of the soul imprints, Fan Yuan put down his pen and looked over. “Gu Yang? What’s wrong?”
Furrowing his eyebrows, Gu Yang turned his head to look at Fan Yuan with complex emotions in his eyes.
He didn’t know when he fell in love with Fan Yuan—perhaps it started with that book, or when he first saw Fan Yuan after coming to this world, or maybe it began when Fan Yuan bent down to pick up the little pearls scattered on the ground.
But regardless of the moment, Gu Yang had already fallen, and he had taken Fan Yuan with him.
He realized that he had always demanded Fan Yuan’s love to be extremely strict, a love deeper and more precious than anyone else’s.
“Ding Ling Ling—”
The lunch break bell rang.
Gu Yang grabbed Fan Yuan’s wrist and stood up. He didn’t say anything but led Fan Yuan out of the classroom.
He was silent, and Fan Yuan didn’t resist, letting Gu Yang lead him in a rush, all the way into an empty storage room, where he closed the door heavily.
“Bang—”
Gu Yang pressed his hands on both sides of Fan Yuan’s body, blocking him in front of the door, and looked at Fan Yuan seriously, his heart pounding faster and faster.
The information from the hidden page of the virtual book made Gu Yang restless. He gazed at Fan Yuan, who was quietly looking at him, and his lips curled up with a growing smile.
It turned out that the love Fan Yuan had given him was incomparable to anyone else’s.
This love might have started as a test, or cautiously, but in the end, Fan Yuan had unfastened his armor, drawing Gu Yang into his protective embrace and offering him the softest and warmest embrace.
“Fan Yuan, I like you.”
The sudden declaration of love made Fan Yuan’s eyes deepen with ink. He reached out and gently placed his hand on Gu Yang’s waist, answering him, “I know.”
Gu Yang shook his head and said again, “I like you.”
“I like you, I like you, I like you…”
With each declaration of love, he leaned closer to Fan Yuan until their chests were pressed against each other, their heartbeats overlapping.
“Fan Yuan, I have countless ‘I like you’ to say to you.”
“So many ‘I like you’s, it’s impossible to say them all…”
“I think I… love you.”
Suddenly, Fan Yuan’s hand on Gu Yang’s waist tightened, and his dark eyes stared intently at Gu Yang.
Gu Yang leaned forward, and their breaths intertwined.
“Fan Yuan, I love you.”
Gu Yang’s left palm suddenly became burning hot, but he didn’t pay attention to it. He just clung to Fan Yuan, their foreheads touching.
Fan Yuan’s affection level reached 90.
If everyone’s love was a perfect 100, then what Gu Yang was about to receive was a love that scored 300.
The threefold love from the usually emotionless Fan Yuan.
The temperature in the hidden storage room rose, and the tightly closed window was pushed open, causing the pristine curtain to flutter.
Behind the fluttering curtain, two figures could be faintly seen, embracing each other tightly.
The cool breeze couldn’t disperse the warmth of their embrace. Gu Yang’s left hand was held high above his head, and the swaying curtain brushed against his palm, leaving a slight coolness that was immediately dispersed by the hand that came to hold it, their fingertips interlocking and tightly holding each other.
Gu Yang closed his eyes tightly, sighing in his heart:
I demand your love in the most demanding way, because I love you.
Author’s note: This time it’s “Sleeping Beauty,” did you guess it?
Finally, I reached the H*ll Mode, I was suffocating!
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