Under the Dusk - Chapter 33

Ruan Shu didn’t react outwardly, but He Yunfei kicked Old Zhang under the table and scolded, “What are you talking about? Watch your mouth! When has Brother Yan ever said he’s a lifelong bachelor?”

He then shot a furtive glance at Ruan Shu.

Old Zhang opened his mouth to retort, but when he caught He Yunfei’s pointed look, his eyes widened in realization. Wait… no way!

Ji Yan and Ruan Shu are together? Since when?!

Before his gossip-fueled curiosity could fully ignite, his phone rang. The group exchanged glances before their attention settled on Ruan Shu, who had been quietly enjoying a grilled octopus skewer, perfectly seasoned with cumin. She wiped her hands with a napkin from Cen Baishuang before leisurely standing up to take the call.

“Finished already?”

“Mm.” Ji Yan’s voice came through the receiver. She covered the phone, lowering the volume as she walked toward the riverside. “Not yet.”

The night breeze swept across the river, carrying with it the distant, hazy glow of scattered lights on the opposite bank. Above, countless stars shimmered.

Still savoring the aftertaste of the grilled skewer, she answered absentmindedly.

Ji Yan chuckled, teasing her about how she’d already adapted to Kanyang’s nightlife—why wasn’t she yawning yet?

Ruan Shu plucked a blade of grass at her feet and muttered, “I didn’t yawn last Saturday either.”
The moment the words left her mouth, she realized how they sounded.

Ji Yan’s mind flashed back to that night—her legs wrapped around his waist, stubbornly refusing to let him leave.

“You’re not tired?” he had asked.

“Not at all,” she had murmured before pressing soft, lingering kisses to his lips.

Her desire to keep him there had been unmistakable.

Yet in the end, she had fallen asleep in his arms, so deeply that she hadn’t stirred no matter how he tried to wake her.

It had been their purest night together—just once, then sleep. Holding her, Ji Yan had marveled at how someone could be so small, so soft, yet the weight of her bre*sts against his chest had left him parched with want.

He had stayed hard the entire night.

In the end, all he had given her was a morning kiss.

Now, after a long exhale, his voice was still slightly rough as he said, “Then wait for me. I’ll drive over now.”

—

Everyone here was his friend, so Ji Yan’s arrival wasn’t unusual—he certainly didn’t need to inform her.

But the way he phrased it felt… misleading.

Ruan Shu wasn’t particularly skilled at navigating these kinds of social nuances.

Fortunately, when she relayed the news to the others, they only responded with knowing smiles, pressing no further.

Perhaps this was what Ji Yan had once told her—his friends had an innate sense of boundaries, never making her feel awkward.

An hour later, the barbecue had been thoroughly devoured. He Yunfei and the others were fishing, so when Ji Yan arrived, he joined them by the riverbank.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Casual conversation, occasional jokes—Old Zhang even offered him a cigarette, but Ji Yan declined with a wave.

“Quitting?” Old Zhang sounded surprised.

Ruan Shu glanced over.

Ji Yan sat with effortless ease, his broad shoulders and narrow waist accentuated by his shirt. Even from behind, his presence exuded a quiet sense of security. His hands rested loosely on his knees, radiating a vitality that inexplicably drew her attention.

“No,” Ji Yan said.

He just didn’t feel like smoking.
Lately, he’d been smoking much less—not out of deliberate restraint, but because the more he kissed Ruan Shu, the less he craved nicotine.

The dependency had faded without him noticing.

Old Zhang smirked. “Ah, so you’re in love.”

His tone was probing, but before Ruan Shu could eavesdrop further, Cen Baishuang called her over to stargaze.

In the southern countryside, summer nights were serene and beautiful. Lying on the grass, enveloped by the stars, felt like being wrapped in a celestial blanket.

Girls’ hearts were often tender, easily stirred by such scenes. Pei Qian sighed, “If only He Yunfei proposed to me right now.”

Cen Baishuang asked, “Hasn’t he proposed yet?”

“Nope.” Pei Qian’s voice was laced with something between complaint and resignation. “I’d be happy if he could be half this romantic. At this point, I’m just praying he doesn’t kiss me at the wedding with that stupid green hair.”

It was almost comical.

He Yunfei usually changed his hair color weekly, claiming that as a barber, he was his own best advertisement. Yet that garish green had stayed for nearly an entire vacation without a single change.

Ruan Shu suddenly shifted beside them. “Where are you going?” Pei Qian asked.

“You want a proposal, right?” Ruan Shu said matter-of-factly. “I’ll go call him over.”

Nights like this might come again, but the desire to marry someone wasn’t an everyday feeling.

If Pei Qian wanted it, Ruan Shu believed she should act on it.

But as Ruan Shu stood up, Pei Qian laughed and stopped her. “That’s not how it works.”

“What do you mean?”

“I do want him to propose in a setting like this,” Pei Qian explained, “but it can’t be because I told him to. He should know—and he should plan and execute it himself. If I have to spell it out, it loses all meaning. At that point, I’d rather not have a proposal at all.”

“But how will he know if you don’t say anything?” Ruan Shu didn’t understand. “If there are other things in the future, you can’t just expect him to read your mind every time.”

Pei Qian was momentarily speechless, caught off guard by Ruan Shu’s bluntness. But unlike Ruan Shu, she wasn’t so pragmatic—she still clung to a girl’s romantic whims.

With a sigh, Pei Qian rolled onto her side, facing Cen Baishuang. “You explain it to her. I can’t.”

Then, after a pause, she added, “But you’re right. I just… can’t do it.”

There was no malice in Ruan Shu’s words—just pure, straightforward logic. Pei Qian knew the reasoning, but she couldn’t bring herself to act on it.

“You’re lucky,” Pei Qian murmured suddenly. “Brother Yan is so lucky.”

The offhand comment laid bare the fragile, unspoken truth of Ruan Shu and Ji Yan’s relationship.

Ruan Shu’s face burned. She briefly considered playing dumb, but Pei Qian snorted. “Don’t even try. Everyone can see it. But honestly, it’s great that Brother Yan has someone like you. Though I bet even if you threw a tantrum, he’d still spoil you rotten.”

After all, Ji Yan wasn’t He Yunfei.

Ji Yan had only one treasure—if he didn’t cherish her, what was the point of staying single all these years?