Chapter 1357: ONE LOOK WAS ALL IT TOOK
Chapter 1357: ONE LOOK WAS ALL IT TOOK
THE photo was larger now, filling most of the screen. The young man in the picture had sharp features and a lean face. His black hair was combed smoothly and parted slightly off center. His eyes were clear and direct, with a slight tilt at the outer corners. A small smile tugged at his lips. It was the kind of smile that said he knew he was attractive, but without a trace of arrogance. If anything, it was endearing. His shoulders were relaxed, his posture straight but not stiff. He was comfortable in his own skin, like he didn’t have anything to prove to anybody. He carried himself with a quiet confidence that never bordered on arrogance.
Shen Ji Yun had never seen this young man before. The face was completely unfamiliar. And yet, he felt like he knew him. The features were different, but something about the person in the photo felt familiar. He couldn’t explain it. He just knew it was Luo Yan. His Luo Yan.
That realization sent a jolt through him. His hand tightened around the phone. He stared at the screen, at the face that was so different and yet somehow the same. He wanted to find a reason to doubt it, to explain it away. But the feeling in his chest wouldn’t let him. How could this be?
Could something like this really happen? Could a person die and just wake up in someone else’s body? The logical part of his brain was still telling him it was impossible. But his heart was telling him something else. And the way his chest tightened as he stared at the photo told him all he needed to know. It was true. He didn’t understand how. But he knew it was.
Luo Yan wrung his hands together as he waited. His palms were damp, and his heart was beating too fast. He wanted to say something, to fill the silence, but he didn’t trust his voice. So he sat there, watching Shen Ji Yun’s face as he stared at the screen, waiting for any sign of what he might be thinking.
Usually, he could read Shen Ji Yun’s face without much trouble, even when it showed nothing at all. But right now, his own fear and worry were clouding everything. He couldn’t think straight. He couldn’t read the other’s expression properly. This was his last move. If Shen Ji Yun still couldn’t believe him after this, he had no idea what else to do. He just hoped Shen Ji Yun could see him. That despite the different face, the different body, he could still recognize the person underneath. He needed him to.
He almost let out a bitter laugh. He had sounded so sure earlier, so certain that Shen Ji Yun would recognize him. But underneath all that confidence, fear was eating at him. What if he didn’t? What if this was it? The one thing that finally made Shen Ji Yun pull away.
Luo Yan squeezed his eyes shut and tried to steady himself. It took a full minute, but he managed to pull himself together. When he opened his eyes, Shen Ji Yun suddenly pulled him into a hug, catching him off guard. The force of it nearly knocked him off his stool.
"It must have been hard for you, keeping all this to yourself," Shen Ji Yun said, his arms tightening around him. "I’m sorry you had to carry it alone for so long."
Luo Yan blinked, and his eyes grew wet again. Did he hear that right? Or was his brain just feeding him what he wanted to hear, making him believe Shen Ji Yun had said something he hadn’t? What if Shen Ji Yun was just saying whatever to make him feel better, without actually meaning it?
"Brother Ji Yun," he said in a shaky voice. "What—what do you mean by that?"
"I thought you were going to call me just ’Ji Yun’ from now on?" Shen Ji Yun said, trying to keep his voice playful. "Since you’re technically older than me, maybe I should be calling you ’brother’ instead."
Luo Yan’s eyes went wide. He pulled back just enough to see Shen Ji Yun’s face. He was trying to smile, to keep the mood from getting too heavy, but there was something sad in his eyes. A sadness that hadn’t been there before. Like he was finally starting to understand what Luo Yan had been through.
He swallowed hard. He didn’t want to hope, but it was already building in his chest. No, he had to be sure first. He couldn’t trust his own judgment right now, not when he was this wired. He needed Shen Ji Yun to say it plainly. To tell him directly. Only then would he be able to believe it.
"D-do you believe me now?" he asked in a barely steady voice.
Shen Ji Yun’s heart ached at the uncertainty in Luo Yan’s voice and eyes. It hurt even more knowing he was the reason it was there. He had never seen Luo Yan like this before. So hesitant. So unsure. He wanted to take that look off his face. He wanted to see the confidence and playfulness back in his eyes. The way they usually were. The way they should be.
He cupped Luo Yan’s face and kissed him firmly on the lips. "It’s hard not to when I look at that picture and immediately think of you. You were right—I didn’t even have to ask which ’Luo Yan’ I was supposed to look for. One look was all it took. I knew it was you. So yes, I believe you."
Luo Yan felt his throat tighten. His eyes burned, but this time it wasn’t from sadness. He couldn’t tell whether it was relief, happiness, or a mix of both. All he knew was that the knot that had been sitting in his chest for hours—maybe even longer—finally started to loosen. He had been so afraid. So sure that this would be the thing that pushed Shen Ji Yun away. But it hadn’t. He was still here. He had chosen to believe him. And Luo Yan didn’t know what to do with all the emotion rushing through him except to let it spill over.
So, he did.