His Honey Chapter Bonus Chapter 1

Bonus Chapter 1 – The Last Rose

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After Yu Zhinian finished, mist appeared in Xiao Yichi's eyes, and tears fell out of the corners of his eyes one by one.

"Don't cry, don't cry..." Yu Zhinian felt distressed and anxious but did not dare to use force and gently wiped his tears.

The more Yu Zhinian coaxed Xiao Yichi, the more his tears fell, as if the floodgates were opening and the water was pouring out.

Exhausted from crying, the heavy weight in his body seemed to have been emptied, and he fell asleep unconsciously.

Yu Zhinian immediately summoned the doctor to confirm his condition, and got the doctor's conclusion that "he fell asleep". Yu Zhinian sighed with relief. Xiao Yichi couldn't see that Yu Zhinian also shed tears. After that sigh of relief, his whole body desperately needed to rest. Yu Zhinian sat in front of the bed, held Xiao Yichi's hand again, rested his head on his arm and closed his eyes.

A few hours later, Xiao Yichi slowly opened his eyes. His vision gradually cleared, and it was the ceiling of the hospital.

"Awake?" Yu Zhinian woke up before him and was holding his hand, his eyes full of eagerness and compassion, "How do you feel now?"

Feeling the warmth of the other party's palm and the heat of his gaze, Yichi finally had the real feeling of being a human being again – Last night, he returned to Yu Zhinian's side.

Xiao Yichi tried to speak. His voice was still a bit muffled, but it felt smoother, "Zhinian... did you confess to me?"

He wanted to confirm that those words were not his hallucinations.

Yu Zhinian kissed the back of his hand and nodded, "Yes."

"Can you say it again?" A pathetic plea.

Yu Zhinian was obedient and looked at him, "Yichi, I love you. You are the last rose in my barren wasteland."

Reflecting on each word, Xiao Yichi's nose reddened again.

"Baby, please, don't cry, please smile, okay?"

Yu Zhinian hurriedly made every effort to keep him from crying.

Xiao Yichi smiled and sniffled. He asked, "What about… Mr. Nie?"

"Your 'Snoopy technique' was very effective, and here," Yu Zhinian brought Xiao Yichi's hand to his own heart and gently touched it, "it belongs to you completely."

Xiao Yichi blinked and reacted, "... You found it? That book."

"You changed the position of the book, wasn't it because you wanted me to discover it?"

"It was to make you find out... but not when I was there." Otherwise, Yu Zhinian would have to be so uncomfortable.

Xiao Yichi moved his fingers, wanting to touch Yu Zhinian's face. Yu Zhinian moved over and let him touch it.

"Xiao Yichi, Yu Zhinian belongs to you."

Xiao Yichi stroked his face, "Yu Zhinian, Xiao Yichi belongs to you too."

Yu Zhinian was moved. He got up slightly, lowered his head and placed a gentle peck on Xiao Yichi's lips. "Hurry up and get better, we still have a lot of things to do."

It really made people imagine. Xiao Yichi nodded repeatedly.

Unexpectedly, the first person to visit them was President Zhang.

"Teacher Xiao, the leaders explained the situation to me. You have made a great achievement this time, you are the pride of our school!" President Zhang gave Xiao Yichi a thumbs up, "Get well and recuperate, don't worry about the work at the school, we'll welcome you back anytime once you're all healed up! If you need anything, you can contact my secretary directly, we will definitely take care of it for you!"

"Thank you, Leader, and thank you to the school!" Xiao Yichi sat on the hospital bed and said gratefully.

"No need to be polite!" President Zhang's gaze fell on Yu Zhinian who silently served them tea and water, "This is...?"

Xiao Yichi unconsciously puffed out his chest, "This is my boyfriend, Yu Zhinian, he is a senior partner of Fangda Law Firm."

"President Zhang, good day."

"Aiya, a young talent!" President Zhang reached out to shake hands with Yu Zhinian, "Our teacher Xiao is in your care!"

"Thank you for your concern for Yichi, I'll take good care of him."

Seeing President Zhang off for Xiao Yichi, Yu Zhinian returned to the ward. Seeing him return, Xiao Yichi reached his hand out towards him, wanting him to hold it. Yu Zhinian readily accepted the offer and held his hand as he sat to the side of the bed.

"Lawyer Yu, you're quite 'boyfriend' conscious." Xiao Yichi's face was full of smiles. Yu Zhinian raised his eyebrows, "Is that so?"

"I think, you have great potential, you should go further." Xiao Yichi lured him.

"Oh? Teacher Xiao, what does that mean?"

"That, it depends on your comprehension." Xiao Yichi laughed, lowering his eyes and playing with Yu Zhinian's fingers.

Yu Zhinian resisted the urge in his body and slowly replied to him, "Hmm, then I'll slowly comprehend it." He emphasised the word 'slowly'.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yichi gave the bad-hearted Lawyer Yu a look of dissatisfaction and pity.

Auntie Pan and Auntie Mai also came to visit Xiao Yichi.

As soon as Auntie Mai saw him, her tears flowed down and ruined her make-up. On the side, the red-eyed Auntie Pan handed her tissues, and Xiao Yichi rushed to comfort her with kind words, and only then was she able to stop her great wall of tears from falling.

"Don't blame us for exaggerating, these are tears of joy." Auntie Mai said as she wiped her tears.

Xiao Yichi wrapped his arms around the two aunts and said gratefully, "I know, thank you."

Auntie Mai looked up from his embrace, "Yichi, the one you have to thank the most, is Zhinian." Taking advantage of Yu Zhinian's trip back to the law firm, Auntie Mai praised Yu Zhinian's performance over the past four months or so from start to finish, Auntie Pan was embarrassed to hear it. "When Zhinian was free, he would wear your clothes and come over to listen to me talk about your past, he even asked me to teach him to cook the dishes you like to eat. Such a good man, where can you find another? You must cherish him!"

Can you imagine Lawyer Yu wearing a Gudetama t-shirt and learning how to make soy sauce braised pork elbow? Xiao Yichi was surprised to the point of joy, and his eyes slowly turned red, "I will."

Auntie Pan held Xiao Yichi's hand, "I look forward to your good news. Hurry up and get better, don't make us wait too long."

Xiao Yichi nodded vigorously, "Aunties, tell me more about Zhinian, okay?"

The aunts were really good at talking. Xiao Yichi listened with a smile on his face that never went away.

In the evening, on the double-sized hospital bed, Yu Zhinian was lying next to Xiao Yichi, "I feel that you are in a good mood today, the aunts have contributed a lot."

When Auntie Pan left, she texted a "small report" to Yu Zhinian.

Xiao Yichi looked at him and happily praised, "We talked about you. The fact that I'm so happy, you deserve the most credit." Yu Zhinian moved a little closer to him, "What did you guys chat about regarding me?"

Was Lawyer Yu asking for praise in a fancy way? Xiao Yichi laughed quietly, "You went to live in my house. Not to mention cleaning and fixing, you didn't mind when the neighbours mistook you for me, and you even helped people in my name. You didn't mind my clothes, you wore my clothes everywhere, and you even learnt to cook my favourite dishes from Auntie Mai." Xiao Yichi said, moving to caress Yu Zhinian's face, "What should I do, you are too good, I've fallen in love with you all over again."

Yu Zhinian smiled from the corner of his mouth, "The more the merrier." Fall in love with me again and again until forever.

Xiao Yichi was not satisfied, "I've heard it all from my aunts, what about you? I haven't heard it from your perspective." Yu Zhinian reached out and covered Xiao Yichi's hand, clasped it between his fingers and brought it to his lips for a kiss, "... When I was sad in the past, I would hug Snoopy and fall asleep, but during the time you were gone, I was very strong and didn't rely on Snoopy, all I thought about in my heart was you." Yu Zhinian's eyes were full of Xiao Yichi, "Praise me again?"

Xiao Yichi couldn't hold back his tears, "My Zhinian is awesome."

During those four months, he missed Yu Zhinian every day, every hour, every minute. When he was stripped naked and humiliated for a body inspection, when he pushed his head down into the dust to protect a child hostage, when he peered into the moonlight from the crack of a moving car, when he looked at the child he interviewed that year and couldn't turn himself to the road of hate. The roar of artillery fire, the wild cheering, the screams of despair, the merciless whipping, the ruthless expressions – in every moment, it was the strong desire to go back in his heart that sustained him and made him burst with a strong physical and mental endurance that withstood everything.

He couldn't stop his tears. Yu Zhinian embraced him and comforted him beside his ear, "My Yichi is brave and strong, amazing. In the future, we will definitely be okay."

When the experts conducted a careful physical examination of Xiao Yichi, they told Yu Zhinian that Xiao Yichi's mental state was not stable. At that time, the peacekeeping troops broke through the defence and found Xiao Yichi's face and body covered in blood spattered by Adil Zaid's suicide. His whole body slumped in front of the corpse and he could not come back to his senses for a long time.

"If you feel comfortable crying, just cry it out in my arms, I'll be here with you." Yu Zhinian's heart throbbed as he sensed the trembling of Xiao Yichi's body. It would be nice if he could bear all the pain for him. Let him always laugh and joke, be arrogant and proud.

"Zhinian, Zhinian..." Xiao Yichi sobbed, brokenly, slowly, until his voice trailed off and he fell asleep.

Yu Zhinian looked at the person in his arms with infinite tenderness and placed a kiss on his forehead that was wrapped in white gauze.

The next day, the hospital intended to start psychological counselling for Xiao Yichi. Since Xilin understood his situation better, Yu Zhinian communicated with the hospital and asked Xilin to help.

Xiao Yichi saw Xilin again and greeted the latter with a smile, "Xilin, long time no see."

Xilin smiled faintly and held up the small bag in her hand, "I've brought the new incense, let's see if you can guess which one it is this time?"

"Okay."

Back then, Xiao Yichi and his group of journalists had been contacted by the International Humanitarian Organisation in the hope that they would arrange a place for children who had been injured in the war and had no home to go to. Adil Zaid was on the list. But before the staff could arrive, the child was taken away by a distant uncle to be "taught".

Adil Zaid calls Xiao Yichi "uncle". "Uncle, I think, this is my destiny, my responsibility." Seventeen-year-old Adil's gaze was firm, everything they did was "justice ordained by fate." For this, "blood on my hands is necessary."

Xiao Yichi looked at his overly mature face, "Were the hostages also necessary?"

"Fate chose them. They were necessary and honourable sacrifices in order to defeat the enemy."

Adil was only seventeen years old. His world was filled with nothing but hate, fate, death, blood, and suffering.

The hostage who tried to escape was killed with a single shot. The soldiers cheered, and Xiao Yichi looked at Adil. He seemed to be used to it, his expression was calm to the point of indifference.

Xiao Yichi only felt sadness. This little boy who optimistically talked about playing football with his mates back then had disappeared.

Xiao Yichi would sometimes want to hug him properly and tell him that the world was still big and that there were still a lot of possibilities at the age of seventeen. Amid his turbulent adolescence, he should have awakened not to the heavy sense of responsibility of shouldering the defeat of the enemy, but to the naïve awareness of love.

In the end, the opposition was defeated.

Adil threw Xiao Yichi's backpack back to him, "Uncle, goodbye forever."

Without waiting for Xiao Yichi to react, Adil committed suicide, ending his destiny.

For a moment, Xiao Yichi felt that the boy was finally relieved. The next moment, he felt that he was too lucky. He still had strong thoughts about the world. He wanted to go back, back to the people he loved and who loved him. His life had not been in vain – drinking the strongest wine and sleeping with the people he loved the most.

The cypress incense burned out, and the elegant, melodious scent lingered. Xilin encouraged him, "Yichi, everything will be alright."

Xiao Yichi nodded. Opening the door, Yu Zhinian had been waiting outside. Seeing him come out, a smile spread on his face.

Xiao Yichi walked towards him. He said that he was a barren wasteland, but in truth, he was his final home.

In these past thirty years, the number of journeys each of the two had travelled might be enough to encircle the earth when added together. In the end, they walked towards each other, getting closer and closer.

"Lawyer Yu, can you give me a hug?" Xiao Yichi stopped in front of Yu Zhinian.

"Of course." The two embraced each other tightly.

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: February 27, 2024