Chapter 357 - INDIRECT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
SHEN JI YUN didn't expect such a reaction from Luo Yan. He thought he would be confused or even shocked when he found out the meaning of 'NightCloud CP'. He never thought he would laugh and even proceed on calling him 'adorable'. Could it be, he didn't understand what he said?
His flushed face slowly regained its normal color and he asked hesitantly, "Yan Yan, did you understand what I said?"
Luo Yan smiled. He had already guessed what the other was thinking. This guy was probably confused with his reaction.
"Of course. NightCloud is the name given by other players to the pairing of our avatars. It's like the pairing names that people give to celebrities that they wanted to be a couple." He tilted his head. "Brother Ji Yun, does that mean they want us to be a couple?"
Shen Ji Yun almost became tongue-tied. He didn't know how to answer or how to explain it to Luo Yan. "T-they don't. There are just those who love to pair people up because they think they look good together. But they don't really think that they should become a couple."
That's already the best explanation he could give. Actually, he also didn't understand those people. When he found the Weibo account of Catnip, there were a lot of words in the comments under the fan-arts that he couldn't understand. He didn't even know back then what 'CP' meant. It took him almost all night to slowly adapt and understand the meaning of those online jargons.
Really, people could make up the weirdest terms and yet still have it make sense. This showed how imaginative netizens could be.
"Oh? Then, does that mean that in other people's eyes we look good together?"
Shen Ji Yun became speechless again. When he looked at Luo Yan, he saw the playfulness dancing in those big blue eyes. And he finally realized that his rabbit was teasing him. Probably he had been teasing him since earlier. He was just too oblivious to notice.
He had already noticed Luo Yan's habit of teasing him. Which he, most often than not, wouldn't realize until the teasing was already over and he ended up with a flushed face and an unsteady heartbeat. That's why every time, he would be unprepared. But he didn't mind, really. Because at least with his teasing, he could receive a bit of sugar from him from time to time. Yes, that word 'sugar' he also learned from those netizens. Which was really apt if he must say.
"Maybe that was indeed the case," he just chose to say at the end to prevent him from teasing him again. If Luo Yan continued to feed him with sugar, maybe at the end of this day he'd have an overdose.
Luo Yan was slightly surprised. And here he was waiting for Shen Ji Yun to blush again. It seemed that someone was also starting to learn a little bit. He just smiled and didn't say anything.
As they continued on their way, Shen Ji Yun couldn't help but look back at the conversation they just had. Despite knowing that people were pairing them up, Luo Yan didn't show any annoyance. He even had a playful attitude about it. Then, did that mean that he wasn't against same-sex couples?
He really wanted to know the answer to that.
He once again felt nervous. Maybe he even felt a bit of fear. Because Luo Yan's answer could simply make or break him. But he knew that at the end, he would still ask. So, he might as well get it over it.
He took a deep breath and asked, "Yan Yan, what do you think of two boys falling in love with each other? Do you think it's wrong and disgusting?"
After he asked that, he felt his heart beating really fast. It was not the same as when Luo Yan made his heart beat faster. This kind of heartbeat was akin to someone riding on a car that was about to crash on a truck. He closed his eyes and tried to calm down.
If he had looked at Luo Yan, then he would have seen the other with a slight surprised expression at first and then a meaningful smile crossing his lips.
"No, I don't think it's wrong. And I most definitely don't think it's disgusting."
Hearing that answer, Shen Ji Yun sharply turned to Luo Yan. "R-really?"
Luo Yan stared at Shen Ji Yun. It seemed that the tightly bound nerves in his body was slowly unraveling because of his answer. He actually didn't expect him to ask that question. It must have taken a lot of his courage to make himself ask that. Luo Yan understood his mentality when he asked that question. He probably felt like hanging on a cliff and depending on his answer, he could either climbed up or let himself fall. So, it's only right to give him an honest answer.
Luo Yan shed the innocence in his eyes and looked straight at Shen Ji Yun. He wanted to show him that what he was about to say next was what he truly thought. That he understood his question and that this was his answer.
"Yes. I don't think love should be confined in things like gender or even a person's status in society. People should be free to love who they want to love and not be judged for it. So, no, Brother Ji Yun, I don't think there's anything wrong with two men loving each other."
Shen Ji Yun felt like something just squeezed his heart. He could even feel a stinging in his eyes, as if drops of tears would fall from it at any second. There was also a lump in his throat, preventing him to reply back immediately.
Luo Yan's answer was like an indirect acknowledgment of his own feelings. It's like he was telling him that what he was feeling was not wrong nor was it disgusting. He felt immeasurable happiness upon hearing that answer.
He looked down and with a hoarse voice he said, "Thank you, Yan Yan."
His rabbit only smiled as if he understood the reason behind his gratitude.
They continued on in their journey in silence until they reached the main office of the amusement park.