[Free] The Years We Missed

Chapter 12

Zi Yu clenched his teeth, cursing Tian Xu Ning a hundred, a thousand times in his heart.

“Tian Xu Ning, damn it, if you really don’t come back, I won’t let you get away with this.”

“I’ll buy hot searches to smear you.”

“Tian Xu Ning sleeps with a fan.

Tian Xu Ning emotionally manipulates people. Tian Xu Ning caught in scandal after scandal. I’ll buy every single one of them, make sure you don’t have a single peaceful day!”

By a little past five in the afternoon, Zi Yu was still pacing around the living room, holding his electric guitar and plucking at the strings absentmindedly just to kill time.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Startled, he quickly set the guitar down on the sofa, sprang to his feet, and rushed toward the door.

Nervously, Zi Yu peeked through the peephole, still putting up a brave front as he muttered under his breath,

“Tian Xu Ning,bif it’s really you, I’m definitely making you kneel on the keyboard tonight.”

But the moment he confirmed that the person standing outside was indeed him, all the unease, worry, and pent-up grievance from before were completely swept away, replaced by an overwhelming rush of joy.

He couldn’t wait another second and immediately opened the door.

When Tian Xu Ning, real and tangible, stood before him once again, Zi Yu finally realized that none of the negative emotions from earlier, not the resentment, not the jealousy, could ever compare to the sheer relief and happiness of his presence at this very moment.

He didn’t want to question him, didn’t want to accuse him, and no longer wanted to make a scene.

As long as this man would hold him in his arms, just that alone was enough.

His eyes reddened unconsciously, yet the corners of his lips still forced up a faint smile.

They were both men. Crying all the time would only make him look pathetic. He wanted Tian Xu Ning to see that even without him, he could still live calmly, just fine.

What Zi Yu didn’t know was that the way he looked, clearly on the verge of tears yet stubbornly smiling, only made him seem more pitiful, enough to break anyone’s heart, to make them wish they could pluck the stars from the sky just to trade for a genuine smile from the person standing before them.

Tian Xu Ning’s heart was burning with anxiety.

After everything was settled last night, he had planned to return to Zi Yu. But halfway there, he noticed paparazzi tailing him.

To protect Zi Yu, he had no choice but to drive straight back to his own place.

The rumors about him had been sitting on the hot search all morning, Zi Yu must have seen them. At that moment, his mind was truly in turmoil, like ants scrambling on a hot pan. He was afraid Zi Yu would be upset, would misunderstand, would grow jealous, and then disappear once again, just like four years ago.

But outside his place, the paparazzi were still lying in wait, and he didn’t even have Zi Yu’s phone number to explain things to him.

It wasn’t until this afternoon, after finally shaking them off, that he rushed straight here without a moment’s hesitation.

Seeing how fragile Zi Yu looked, yet still forcing himself to appear strong, made Tian Xu Ning’s heart tighten painfully.

Without a single unnecessary word, Tian Xu Ning stepped inside, slammed the door shut behind him, and pulled Zi Yu firmly into his arms.

Their embrace was thick with unease, both of them holding on so tightly it was as if they wanted to melt into each other, to become one.

Their breaths tangled, their heartbeats fell into the same rhythm, and in that instant, all words, grievances, and longing quietly dissolved into nothingness.

Four years of separation had created a distance that couldn’t possibly be bridged in a single night.

It was clear that each of them carried a thousand things they wanted to say, yet neither knew how to begin.

So they simply held each other for a long time. Only then did Zi Yu finally lift his head and ask softly,

“You’re back?”

Tian Xu Ning hummed in response. He still didn’t know what to say. After a pause, he finally spoke again,

“Does it still hurt?”

Zi Yu shook his head. “It doesn’t.” After a few seconds, he added, “I’m hungry.”

“I’ll take you out to eat.”

Now that Tian Xu Ning was a top celebrity, going out to eat was truly troublesome. So Zi Yu said,

“I’ll cook for you instead, okay?”

How could Tian Xu Ning possibly refuse? He nodded at once.

“Of course.”

Zi Yu was genuinely serious about cooking a proper meal for Tian Xu Ning. He went into the kitchen, opened the fridge to take a look, then took out the ingredients and began preparing them.

Seeing that Zi Yu didn’t bring up the hot search at all, Tian Xu Ning subconsciously let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Four years apart had made Zi Yu more mature, more understanding. If it had been the old him, with that temper of his, the two of them would probably have ended up in a full-blown argument before things could settle.

There was a saying that rang painfully true: only children who are cherished have the right to make a fuss. Zi Yu hadn’t really changed, he simply no longer had the confidence to sulk or throw a tantrum in front of Tian Xu Ning. And besides, after four years of separation, having reunited less than a day ago, he couldn’t bear to waste the little time they had together on negative emotions.

Tian Xu Ning followed him into the kitchen as well. As a single man, he naturally knew how to cook. Back then, he had even been better at it than Zi Yu. But over the past few years, work had kept him so busy that he had barely touched the stove, and his skills had grown rusty. Still, washing vegetables, slicing roots, mincing garlic, he did each task properly, without missing a beat.

As for this dinner, he carried a full measure of anticipation in his heart.

With someone helping, Zi Yu finished quickly: one meat dish, one soup, and two simple stir-fries to go with plain white rice. Everything was ordinary home cooking, yet the aroma spread through the entire apartment, warm and comforting.