Seeing this scene, Ding Wei understood perfectly.
He knew in his heart that he no longer had any chance.
His fists clenched tightly, trembling slightly.
"Xiaowei," Ding Yixin called his name.
Ding Wei lifted his head, his expression a bit lost and croaked, "Uncle..."
Ding Yixin nodded.
He pinched the hand Rong Xingyu had wrapped around his arm and casually playing with Rong Xingyu’s fair fingers as if they were a toy.
"What were you just talking about with your little aunt?"
Ding Wei: "..."
Rong Xingyu: "???"
Rong Xingyu’s eyes widened.
What little aunt?
Did Ding Yixin just mean him when he said "little aunt"?
Seeing Rong Xingyu’s shocked expression, Ding Yixin couldn’t help but teasingly tap the tip of Rong Xingyu’s nose.
"If it’s not you, who else?" Ding Yixin bent slightly and whispered near Rong Xingyu’s ear. "He calls me uncle, so naturally he has to call you little aunt."
Rong Xingyu: Oh boy!
What’s it like to suddenly have a nephew older than yourself at such a young age?
And the title "little aunt" feels so embarrassing!
Rong Xingyu felt his ears burn and shyly whispered in Ding Yixin’s ear, "I... I don’t think you need to call me that."
Ding Yixin smiled. "It’s fine. Xiaowei knows his limits."
Ding Wei who is being called out, thought: You two can be lovey-dovey, just don’t care about me!
"We were just talking about college applications," Rong Xingyu explained once they got into the car with Ding Yixin.
Ding Yixin sat in the back seat, lightly tapping his fingers on his knee.
The car was spacious, but Ding Wei had said he had something to do, probably not wanting to be a third wheel, so he didn’t get in.
The driver had lifted the partition, so now only Rong Xingyu and Ding Yixin were in the back seat.
Though Ding Yixin’s expression hadn’t changed from before, for some reason, Rong Xingyu had a feeling that Ding Yixin wasn’t in a very good mood.
He leaned closer, wanting to see why Ding Yixin might be upset.
Seeing Rong Xingyu leaning almost fully against him, Ding Yixin placed his hand under Rong Xingyu’s armpit, lifting him like a child and sitting him on his lap.
"Eh?" Rong Xingyu blinked, suddenly sitting sideways on Ding Yixin’s lap.
But being so close did feel comfortable.
He didn’t resist; instead, he adjusted himself slightly, blushing as he nestled in Ding Yixin’s arms.
He rested his head lightly on Ding Yixin’s chest, tilting it just enough to see Ding Yixin’s perfect jawline.
Rong Xingyu tilted his head and asked softly, "Dr. Ding, are you unhappy?"
Seeing Rong Xingyu’s innocent and obedient look, Ding Yixin couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
This precious boy hadn’t matured quickly and still sometimes didn’t grasp things, even now.
Sometimes he seemed clever, but in situations like this...
He was still quite slow to understand.
A deep color flashed in Ding Yixin’s eyes as he lowered his head, looking at Rong Xingyu.
And as Rong Xingyu was being looked at so deeply, he felt that in Ding Yixin’s eyes, he was seen clearly, as if he were the whole world to him.
Rong Xingyu couldn’t help but bite his lower lip and then he heard Ding Yixin’s low, serious voice.
"Xiaowei was previously engaged to you. I can’t help but feel a little concerned."
Rong Xingyu: ...
"And I heard that, Yuyu, you had a crush on Xiaowei before, right?"
Rong Xingyu: ...
Rong Xingyu was about to deny it, but suddenly, as if remembering something, he closed his mouth again.
How was he supposed to explain this?
He couldn’t just say this was all some "leftover history," could he?
Seeing Ding Yixin frown, his expression showing a little undeniable disappointment, Rong Xingyu couldn’t help but lift his hands and hook them around Ding Yixin’s neck.
"That was just me not being careful before. Let the past stay in the past!"
After saying this, Rong Xingyu felt a little uneasy about how his words sounded, like they had a slight "bad boy" flavor.
He stammered and added, "I... I haven’t had any feelings for him for a long time. Now, I only like you."
"I know," Ding Yixin sighed, a little wistful. "I know, Yuyu."
"But when I saw you two standing together, my reason almost lost control. I couldn’t help thinking, you two are the same age, you have so much in common, and maybe it would be easier for you to get along..."
Before Ding Yixin could finish, Rong Xingyu reached up and covered his mouth with his hand.
His palm pressed gently against Ding Yixin’s lips and his beautiful eyes were full of disagreement.
"How can you even think that way?" Rong Xingyu hadn’t expected Ding Yixin to have such thoughts, and for a moment, his heart felt complicated. He blinked his eyes and said, "There are so many people my age, it’s not just Ding Wei."
"Although this might sound a little..." Rong Xingyu paused, not saying exactly what he meant.
Then he continued, "But I still want to say this, Dr. Ding, from beginning to end, the only one I like is you."
The previous version of Rong Xingyu, the cannon fodder in the original story, had secretly liked Ding Wei before.
But ever since Rong Xingyu entered this story, the first time he felt real affection, the first time he learned how to truly like someone, was because of Ding Yixin who is standing right in front of him.
Rong Xingyu looked into Ding Yixin’s eyes, his voice firm.
"Dr. Ding, you are unique, and so is my love for you."
After saying this, Rong Xingyu seemed to suddenly realize how cheesy his words were and his whole face flushed slightly.
Ding Yixin, meanwhile, stared at him deeply, his Adam’s apple moving as he swallowed.
Rong Xingyu’s hand was still covering Ding Yixin’s mouth, and Ding Yixin gently kissed the palm of his hand.
"It’s ticklish," Rong Xingyu said, feeling a tingling in his palm, and pulled his hand back.
But Ding Yixin’s lips followed, constantly pecking at the corners of Rong Xingyu’s mouth.
In a good mood, Ding Yixin laughed softly and asked Rong Xingyu, "What did our Yuyu eat today? Why is your mouth so sweet?"
Ding Yixin’s kisses lingered on the corner of Rong Xingyu’s lips, as if he were really tasting the sweetness of Rong Xingyu’s mouth.