My Dearest General: It Has Always Been You

"Why did you come in?"

"Why are you running out without an umbrella?"

Both of them asked at the same time.

Shi Nian ran to Jiang Jinyan without thinking and the man instantly pulled her closer to shield her from the heavy rain. However, his effort was deemed futile because the girl's hair was already dampened with water, even her face wasn't spared from the onslaught although her eyes still shone as bright as ever as they were fixed on him.

Jiang Jinyan sighed helplessly. "Don't you have an umbrella?"

Shi Nian patted the bulge at the side of her bag, grinning. "I forgot. Sorry, did you wait long? Someone came to talk to me so I was delayed for a moment."

"Someone?" Jiang Jinyan titled his umbrella enough for his eyes to meet with Zhang Jiancheng across the rain curtain. "Him?"

Shi Nian followed his line of sight and felt a rare moment of guilt. Wait, what was she guilty of anyway? "Yes...but I don't have anything to do with him!"

Jiang Jinyan reached for her hand and together, they walked out of the school. "Don't have anything to do with him?" He muttered with a scoff. "You have even rode on his motorcycle before."

"That's different." Shi Nian frowned and said solemnly. "He has a crucial clue for my classmate's suicide case so I have no choice but to follow him."

Jiang Jinyan gave a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Stinky boy. What crucial clue? If it was so crucial, why didn't he go to the police directly and instead, used it as bait to ask Shi Nian out? Jiang Jinyan could guess what he was planning just with a single glance and the more he thought about it, the more stifled his chest became. "He's not good. Don't get close to him anymore."

Shi Nian nodded obediently. "I have always maintained my distance from him. Today I also told him clearly that I don't want someone to misunderstand me—wait," Shi Nian blinked as realization dawned on her. Her luminous, round golden eyes, twinkled as if they contained the whole universe in it. They peered up at him in glee. "You're jealous, aren't you?"

Jiang Jinyan scoffed lightly.

Shi Nian tugged on the hem of his coat, her eyes swirling with mirth. "Jiang Jinyan, tell me~" She dragged on the last word. Even she didn't realize that her tone was exactly the same as Mo Ling when the latter teased her.

Jiang Jinyan itched to shut those lips up so that she couldn't blurt out coquettish words anymore. "What about you?" he retorted. "Don't want someone to misunderstand you? Who is this someone you're talking about?"

"Does it need to be asked? Of course it's you!" Shi Nian pouted grumpily as if she couldn't understand why Jiang Jinyan still questioned her feelings. Her luminous golden eyes peered up at him, filled with tender sentiments and affection. "I like you this much, how can I bear to let you suffer the tiniest bit of grievance?"

The measly hideous jealousy that had just sprouted in Jiang Jinyan's heart instantly withered away with a single sentence from her. The temperature was clearly enough to freeze his lungs yet at this moment, his whole body was akin to being soaked in hot water. A dull ache spreading from deep within his heart down to his fingertips. It dawned on him that this kind of sweet torture actually existed but at the same time, he was also willing to indulge on it.

Shi Nian was just like a little moon, shining unceasingly to disperse the darkness in his heart even without her realizing. Never before did she let him be insecure or uneasy. Her feelings, affection and passion, all of it could be perceived in her little gestures, words, eyes and smiles.

Jiang Jinyan felt fiery heat rushing up from the soles of his feet up to his head. When they passed by a small, desolate alley, he couldn't resist pulling the girl in. He had never felt so impulsive and...alive before. His heart throbbed rapidly as he used his whole body to shield her. Even if someone were to pass by and caught sight of them, they would only think that they were taking shelter from the rain.

The alley was shaded by eaves, with only a few droplets of rain dripping from the edge. It was just like a small world that belonged only to the two of them. Other indistinct sounds were instantly muffled by the downpour.

Shi Nian had no time to react when her back bumped against the wall, followed by Jiang Jinyan right after. The familiar scent and warmth fiercely invaded her personal space, abruptly increasing her heart rate. 

Jiang Jinyan's face was right in front of her, so close… 

His eyes were blazing in zeal, one that sent shivers down her spine. Within those eyes, Shi Nian found herself utterly captivated, both her mind and soul.

"Jiang—hmp!" The man's lips were hot on trail, latching on hers in a sudden, fervent kiss. Shi Nian blinked rapidly a few times but in the end, her eyelids gradually shut as she immersed herself into the kiss, hands grasping the hem of his sweater tightly.

The thrill coursed through her veins at the thought of being discovered, it spooked her so much that she couldn't concentrate. "You…wait, we are in public…hmm! We're going to be seen—"

Jiang Jinyan chuckled deeply into her mouth, his teeth caught her lower lip in between nibbles. "I got you." He bumped their forehead and gazed into her eyes, smiling. "Look at us, all people can see is only my back."

Shi Nian glared at him with red rimmed, watery eyes. "...That's not the problem!"

How could that soft, harmless protest deter Jiang Jinyan from his yearning?

Their lips grazed against each other as they spoke, breaths interlacing intimately. Shi Nian felt the familiar itch gurgling in her belly everytime Jiang Jinyan sucked on her lips like a devotee worshipping his Goddess, pious and intoxicated. Her head spun dizzily and she gasped, out of breath. She couldn't muster even an ounce of strength to resist him, her body softened into mush and if not for Jiang Jinyan's arms around her, she would surely slide down right now.

The man's eyes deepened with something dark and dangerous, his thumb caressed her glistening lips back and forth. "How can this mouth taste sweeter than before?" he rasped.

"You…" Shi Nian panted with her face as red as a tomato and blurted out whatever crossed her mind. "Nonsense…!"

He gave another deep chuckle, one which tremor she could sense coming from deep within his chest. Shi Nian didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed when he broke off the kiss and grabbed the umbrella that had been thrown somewhere amidst their passionate entangle.

It took a few moments for Shi Nian to regain the strength in her limbs and only then did she steal a glance toward Jiang Jinyan and unexpectedly saw the sight of his thoroughly dampened coat. 

Shi Nian gasped in shock. "You're drenched!"

"Hmm?" Jiang Jinyan turned his head around to see Shi Nian busily trying to wipe his coat with her handkerchief. He touched his thoroughly wet coat and mused. "I didn't realize it."

Shi Nian huffed in anger. Stinky General! It was all because he was too absorbed in kissing her that he didn't even realize when the rain had soaked through his clothes. "Let's go back first, you should take a hot bath lest you catch a cold. If…" She paused, the blush on her cheeks deepening. "If you want to continue ki...kissing, we can also do it later on..."

A dark shadow fell upon her face and she lifted her head at the same time when Jiang Jinyan chomped down ruthlessly on her nose, leaving a faint tooth mark.

Shi Nian gasped in pain. "W-Why did you bite me?" She covered her aching nose, aggrieved. "It hurts..."

"Let me see." Jiang Jinyan regretted his impulsive act in an instant. He was distressed to see her nose getting redder by each second and thus dropped light kisses over it, muttering. "Sorry, I didn't do it on purpose."

Shi Nian puffed up her cheeks. "You definitely did!"

"Okay, okay, I did." He flicked her forehead exasperatedly. "It's a warning. Don't ever say that sentence again, got it?"

Shi Nian was confused. "What sentence?" Apparently, she had a goldfish memory that could only remember things for three seconds.

"That…" Jiang Jinyan cleared his throat lightly. "That you're going to let me kiss you again."

They walked out of the alley and waited for a taxi by the side of the road. No one noticed a pair of youngsters sneaking into the alley and came back out a few minutes later. The rain acted as a perfect shield. With Jiang Jinyan's huge black umbrella propped up above their heads, they were just like any other passersby.

"Ah…" Shi Nian exclaimed softly. Now that she thought about it, it sounded really…immoral. The cold temperature did nothing to alleviate the blush on her cheeks. On the contrary, a layer of sweat started to form on her forehead. "T—Then you should just forget it!"

"I won't." He rebuked calmly and under her flustered eyes, continued with a solemn tone. "Every single word you have said to me, I remember it all."

It was unknown what scene came to Shi Nian's mind. Her mind instantly exploded to bits as she covered her face in shame. "Y—You…You pervert! I have never known that you're such a person before!" Shi Nian cried out, wishing that the ground would open up and swallow her whole. "Maybe you should let the cold numb your brain so you can't keep on thinking about indecent things!"

Jiang Jinyan blinked, baffled from her sudden outburst. It wasn't until a few seconds later that he understood. He threw his head back, barking out a hearty laugh. One which he hadn't had for a long, long time.

Shi Nian was enraptured by his rare laugh that she forgot what she was angry about. Wasn't it good if he was happy? Wasn't it nice if he could keep on smiling like this? How she wished he could be this happy for the rest of his life.

Of course, she couldn't show it on her face. So outwardly, she crossed her arms and harrumphed. "Be careful not to inhale too much cold air!"

True to Shi Nian's 'blessing', that very same night, Jiang Jinyan caught a cold.

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A/N: Dearies~~ if you like MDG, please give it a review hehe thank you very much!