Chapter 57
Shi Ye had spent time in special forces, and his stamina was frighteningly good. Back then, every day of training had been torture under heavy loads. Now, carrying Xia Fengsheng felt like carrying air—so light it was as if he weren’t carrying anyone at all. On the way down the mountain, he moved with astonishing speed.
In fact, because of the person on his back, the adrenaline surging through him made him even faster than he used to be coming downhill.
Even after they got down the mountain, Shi Ye still didn’t set him down. He carried Xia Fengsheng all the way back to the inn without feeling tired in the slightest.
More astonishing still, he wasn’t even breathing hard. He looked like he’d just come back from a stroll.
Xia Fengsheng lay prone on his human-powered vehicle. If Shi Ye hadn’t waited for him, he would probably have hobbled down the mountain until dark.
By the time they got back to the inn, the sun had just finished setting, and the sky had turned a beautiful blue-violet. Since they had spent the whole day on the mountain, driving back at night would count as fatigued driving, so Shi Ye planned to make do with a night at the inn where Xia Fengsheng’s group was staying.
Ding Qizhen had been playing cards with Qin Buming and the others the whole time. After losing nine rounds in a row, he finally got the message that Shi Ye was back. He immediately threw down his cards, said he was going to find Shi Ye, and fled.
He had lost so badly he’d turned into a complete grandson.
He should never have teamed up with Qin Buming. The two of them had just kept losing and losing and losing.
Ding Qizhen spotted Shi Ye and Xia Fengsheng at the inn’s first-floor front desk.
Seeing that his Brother Xia was limping, he asked, “Brother Xia, what happened to your leg?”
“Fell,” Xia Fengsheng replied.
Since Ding Qizhen studied medicine, Xia Fengsheng had assumed he might know something about treating bruises and sprains.
The next second, Ding Qizhen put his hands together, closed his eyes, and prayed, “May heaven bless Brother Xia with a speedy recovery.”
Xia Fengsheng: …
Because so many people had come down from the mountain that day, the inn was completely full. The very last single room had already been taken by Ding Qizhen, who had returned before them.
Walking over to his good brother, Ding Qizhen patted Shi Ye on the shoulder. “I booked the last room. There aren’t any others left, so let’s share.”
They were best bros who had grown up together. Sharing a room was no big deal.
“No need.”
A cold voice cut in.
Ding Qizhen’s suggestion was rejected.
“He’s sleeping with me,” Xia Fengsheng said.
Shi Ye: O.O
Ding Qizhen was dumbfounded. Back in America, Xia Fengsheng and Shi Ye had slept separately. Even though they were supposedly a couple, Ding Qizhen had always assumed they hadn’t reached the stage of sleeping together yet.
That was why he’d suggested Shi Ye share with him.
But somewhere beyond his sight, after coming back to China, the two of them had apparently made explosive progress—they were already at the stage of sharing a bed?
Ding Qizhen was stunned. “You two are sleeping together?”
Then can anyone even sleep tonight?
When no one answered, Xia Fengsheng raised his narrow eyes and looked at Shi Ye. “What, you don’t want to?”
Shi Ye’s face turned red as he hurriedly shook his head. “N-no.”
Then he immediately followed Xia Fengsheng toward the room, his limbs so stiff he was practically walking in sync with both arms and legs.
Ding Qizhen rubbed his chin as he watched Shi Ye’s rigid back.
Wasn’t this the same guy who kept saying he wanted to break up, and that physical intimacy gave him psychological baggage? If they were sleeping together now, shouldn’t he be a thousand times unwilling?
Even though he had acknowledged Xia Fengsheng as Brother Xia, when it came to closeness, Shi Ye was still obviously the one he’d grown up with and cared about most. And just a few days ago, Shi Ye had told him all about that breakup plan. For the sake of his brother’s chastity…
Ding Qizhen hurried after them and asked quietly, “You sure you don’t want to share with me?”
Shi Ye didn’t even glance at him. “Go stay cool somewhere else.”
Ding Qizhen: …
And you still want to break up?
Just wait till Xia Fengsheng plays you like a dog.
.
Shi Ye followed Xia Fengsheng back to the room. He had assumed that since Xia Fengsheng had invited him to sleep together, it would be a double room with a large bed. But when he walked in, all he saw was one tiny single bed.
The bed was pitifully small, about the size of the bed in Xia Fengsheng’s dorm. It could barely fit one and a half people.
Looking at the cramped little bed, Shi Ye asked, “Wasn’t this supposed to be a big-bed room?”
Why was it a single bed?
Xia Fengsheng took off his thick down jacket, revealing the black turtleneck underneath. “No.”
Shi Ye swallowed as he looked at the single bed. Since Xia Fengsheng had said he loved him today, Shi Ye asked coyly, “Then where am I sleeping?”
He knew exactly what he was asking.
Xia Fengsheng had invited him to sleep together, so obviously it meant on the bed.
But the next second, Xia Fengsheng said, “On the floor.”
Shi Ye: ………oh.
He knew it.
Shi Ye’s face drooped in disappointment. “:(”
For dinner, the two of them ordered room service. The inn didn’t have much to offer—just a few fast-food items and reheated prepared dishes.
After eating, Xia Fengsheng took his change of clothes into the bathroom to shower. As the sound of water gradually covered the television noise in the room, steam clouded the frosted glass door.
Shi Ye sat on his floor bed, fully focused on his phone while listening to the water inside.
Fine, if they weren’t sharing the bed, then they weren’t. It wasn’t like he was dying to, anyway!
Click—
The bathroom door opened. Xia Fengsheng came out wearing a dark silk robe.
Lately he had taken to sleeping in robes. They didn’t bind his legs the way sleep pants did, and felt much freer for sleep. Now that he had money, he had started buying himself quite a few clothes.
He had good taste, and the robe looked like it had been tailored exactly to his build. With his narrow waist and long legs, anything he wore looked good.
Out of the corner of his eye, Shi Ye saw a pair of slender, fair legs sway past him.
Pretending not to notice, Shi Ye grabbed the new underwear he had bought at the convenience store and went into the bathroom to wash up in relay.
The sound of water continued steadily inside the room. Then the landline on the bedside table rang.
Brrr brrr brrr.
Xia Fengsheng picked up the receiver.
“Hello, this is the inn front desk. Dear guest, we sincerely apologize. Due to today’s tourist volume and strain on the water supply, water service will be cut off after ten tonight. We are very sorry for the inconvenience, and on behalf of the inn I offer my heartfelt apologies.”
Xia Fengsheng hung up and glanced at the wall clock.
It was currently 9:40 PM.
Shi Ye had already been in there for ten minutes. Twenty minutes should still be enough for him to finish showering.
Xia Fengsheng put down the phone and returned to his magazine, but after a moment he felt thirsty. He got out of bed and started looking around the room for something to drink.
After circling twice, he finally found two bottles of mineral water and two bottles of cola on the dining table.
Without thinking, he grabbed a cola and twisted it open to drink—but apparently it had been shaken beforehand. The moment he unscrewed the cap, there was a sharp hiss, and foam and soda sprayed everywhere. The cola splattered all over him. His arms and calves were now sticky with soda.
Xia Fengsheng: …
That ominous fortune slip from the temple was way too powerful. Even after coming down the mountain, its effect hadn’t faded.
Now there were ten minutes left before ten o’clock.
Inside the bathroom, Shi Ye had just lathered himself with body wash and was rinsing off. He pushed his wet hair back as warm water ran over every part of him, his abs sharply defined in blocks and valleys.
Thunk—
Just as Shi Ye was thinking he’d rinse for another half minute and then head out, the bathroom door suddenly opened without warning.
Xia Fengsheng walked in.
Shi Ye instantly crossed his arms over his chest. “Why did you come in?!”
His heartbeat quickened. Xia Fengsheng barging in like this meant he’d seen everything.
Under the spray, the man’s strong, sculpted body was eye-catching and intensely sexy—broad back, narrow waist, wide shoulders, long powerful legs, water sliding down the clean lines of his calves.
His face looked like a masterpiece carved by some Western sculptor, handsome and blurred by steam, so striking it was hard to put into words.
Xia Fengsheng looked at his arms. Shi Ye’s arms were strong. Earlier, when Shi Ye had carried him down the mountain, that strength in those hands had given him a powerful sense of security.
Expressionless, Xia Fengsheng stared straight at Shi Ye’s body, his gaze sweeping openly from his upper body downward—
Shi Ye flushed scarlet and instantly moved his hands from covering his chest to covering the crucial part below.
The bathroom was small, and he was big in both build and size—there was nowhere to hide. For a moment he was completely exposed.
His voice carried a trace of panic. “W-why are you looking at me?”
Calm as ever, Xia Fengsheng replied, “Why, am I not allowed?”
Shi Ye lowered his head, face red. “That’s not it.”
It was just too sudden. If you wanted to look, at least say so first.
Trying to block Xia Fengsheng’s gaze, he shielded himself with both hands.
Xia Fengsheng stepped closer. Shi Ye swallowed. In the steamy bathroom, the air turned intimate. He had no idea what Xia Fengsheng was going to do, or what might happen between them.
The next second, Xia Fengsheng simply reached his arm under the showerhead and rinsed the sticky cola off.
“The front desk said the water’s going to be cut off after ten. I got sprayed all over by the cola just now, so I came in to rinse off.”
Xia Fengsheng carefully washed his arm, no longer looking at him. Realizing he had misunderstood, Shi Ye awkwardly murmured, “Oh.”
But the fact that Xia Fengsheng had just looked him over from head to toe remained very real.
After rinsing one arm, Xia Fengsheng wanted to wash his legs too, but the robe was too long and got in the way.
Shi Ye removed the showerhead from its holder. “Lift your robe. I’ll help.”
Xia Fengsheng raised the robe a little, and Shi Ye crouched down. His rough, strong palm pressed to Xia Fengsheng’s skin as he began washing his calves.
Xia Fengsheng’s skin was smooth. Shi Ye had hardly ever touched him. Before now, the most he had done was brush hands.
Water ran down his calves, over his ankles, and to his rounded pale toes.
Shi Ye kept his head lowered, unable to lift it again.
Xia Fengsheng’s gaze rested on his broad, powerful back and narrow waist. His back was beautifully built, carrying coiled strength from broad shoulders down to a tight waist.
Once his legs were rinsed, Xia Fengsheng left without the slightest trace of attachment, abandoning his makeshift washer behind.
Shi Ye bit his teeth.
You can look me over, then just leave—too much.
After showering, Shi Ye put on the inn’s robe and stood in front of the mirror blow-drying his hair.
He hated the inn’s robe, but since he hadn’t brought pajamas, he had no choice.
While drying his hair, he kept thinking about how his palm had touched Xia Fengsheng’s calves and ankles, and his thoughts started tangling again.
Why were his ankles so thin?
The blow dryer roared louder and louder, and Shi Ye grew more irritable. Now that Xia Fengsheng had seen him naked, would he think the part below didn’t look good?
Shi Ye had been adored for his looks since childhood, and after growing up his appearance had only become more striking. His body, too, was first-rate. The only problem was that his lower half looked a little… alarming.
Compared to the average person, he was simply larger there, and visually it came off a bit too aggressive.
People were visual creatures. Would Xia Fengsheng dislike it?
The more Shi Ye thought about it, the more annoyed he became. Why had Xia Fengsheng suddenly walked in and looked at him? He’d been given no warning at all. If Xia Fengsheng had told him beforehand, he definitely would have turned around and shown him his back instead.
Once his hair was dry, Shi Ye walked out of the bathroom like a wilted plant, ready to retreat to his floor bedding and sleep his way out of embarrassment—only to discover that the floor bed he had made earlier had vanished.
Shi Ye: ?
Where was his bedding?
For a moment he stood there like a dog whose nest had been kicked away.
He asked the only culprit in the room, “Where’s my bedding?”
Leaning against the headboard, Xia Fengsheng’s legs crossed beneath the open robe. His feet and ankles, still flushed light pink from the hot water, looked pale and smooth. Without even lifting his eyes from the magazine, he said in a casual tone, “Threw it out. The front desk said it gets cold at night, and you’ll catch a chill sleeping on the floor.”
How did the front desk know he was sleeping on the floor?
Was the front desk that concerned about him?
Now that the floor bed was gone, Shi Ye asked, “Then where am I sleeping?”
Only then did Xia Fengsheng lift those sharp, lined eyes and say with crimson lips, “On the bed.”
Shi Ye froze, then licked his dry lips.
On the bed? On a bed this small, with both of them on it…
He swallowed hard and stood there for a long while before finally sitting cautiously at the foot of the bed.
He sat there quietly, no one knew what he was thinking. Xia Fengsheng ignored him too.
Ten minutes passed before Shi Ye finally spoke. “Can I sleep without the robe?”
The inn’s robe felt awful, itchy against his skin.
“Sure,” Xia Fengsheng said.
Shi Ye stood up and took off the robe in front of him. The cloth slipped away, revealing a powerful, evenly muscled body full of raw testosterone, his perfect physique fully exposed. He was obviously embarrassed, but at the same time flushed with excitement.
That excitement tightened and swelled his muscles.
Bracing one strong arm against the mattress, Shi Ye moved toward Xia Fengsheng like a panther ready to pounce. Grabbing the edge of the blanket, he pulled it up and slipped underneath.
The single bed instantly became crowded with two people on it.
Shi Ye’s full, slightly rounded pecs pressed against Xia Fengsheng, and under the blanket he didn’t know where to put his hands or feet. He was stiff all over.
Xia Fengsheng kept reading his magazine as if he were completely unmoved by the fact that Shi Ye was now lying next to him.
Shi Ye reached out, took the magazine from him, and said without daring to meet his eyes, “It’s late. Let’s sleep.”
Xia Fengsheng glanced at him but didn’t object.
Shi Ye set the magazine on the bedside table and turned off the light. He had originally meant to leave one small lamp on for Xia Fengsheng, but he was too nervous and ended up leaving none at all.
In the pitch-black night, Xia Fengsheng couldn’t see a thing—he couldn’t even see his own hand in front of him.
Shi Ye could feel him moving under the blanket. Xia Fengsheng’s foot was pressed right against his ankle.
Shi Ye’s heartbeat raced so hard he almost couldn’t breathe. The scent of Xia Fengsheng was everywhere around him—too fragrant, so fragrant it felt like he was about to lose his mind.
Soon after, he felt Xia Fengsheng’s chest brush briefly against his arm as Xia Fengsheng adjusted himself to find a comfortable position.
His heart felt like it was about to burst straight out of his mouth. Shi Ye squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to sleep. But the less he could see, the sharper all his other senses became.
Determined, Shi Ye rolled onto his other side and turned his back to Xia Fengsheng. If he didn’t look, didn’t feel, then surely he could fall asleep.
Go to sleep, Shi Ye. You’ve got to get up early tomorrow.
Under his own steady self-hypnosis, Shi Ye finally drifted off.
Xia Fengsheng had said the front desk warned them there might not be enough heat at night and that it could get cold. But in the middle of the night, the two of them were both so hot they kept kicking the blanket away. The heating had actually pushed the room temperature up to twenty-five degrees.
The next morning, when Shi Ye opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the pitiful blanket lying on the floor.
Apparently, sometime during the night, one of them had had a sudden superhuman outburst and kicked it clear off the bed.
Shi Ye’s gaze shifted from the floor to the ceiling. His usual morning irritability sharpened his already dog-like peach blossom eyes. He had a bad temper when he first woke up—mornings were the worst part of the day for his mood.
Just as Shi Ye, wearing a dark expression, was about to sit up, his hand moved slightly and his fingers brushed something soft.
He immediately realized something was wrong. It wasn’t just his hand—there was weight pressing against his shoulder too.
Turning his head, he saw Xia Fengsheng asleep against him, head resting on his shoulder, while his own arm had somehow slipped under Xia Fengsheng and now curved halfway around his waist.
His arm was looped around him, his palm pressed right where Xia Fengsheng’s waist met the top of his hip. In other words, his hand was on Xia Fengsheng’s waist, and his long fingers were on Xia Fengsheng’s ass. Even worse, his hand was inside Xia Fengsheng’s robe. To keep his palm against bare skin, Xia Fengsheng’s robe had come loose at the hips during sleep, opening slightly.
Shi Ye’s sleepiness vanished at once, stunned by the sight of how they had somehow ended up sleeping.
What happened? He had clearly fallen asleep with his back turned to Xia Fengsheng.
If he lowered his chin, it brushed against Xia Fengsheng’s hair whorl. Their position was so intimate and seamless that Shi Ye didn’t know what to do.
Just as he was trying to figure out how to pull his arm out from under Xia Fengsheng, Xia Fengsheng stirred because the shoulder under his head had shifted and sleepily opened his eyes a crack.
His upturned eyes were still only half open. Still drowsy and not properly awake, he lifted his head and looked at Shi Ye. He stayed there motionless, like a white fox dozing in the snow. Foxes looked lean, yet the thigh lying against Shi Ye’s waist and stomach was soft and full.
Just as Shi Ye was about to say good morning, those slender, pale arms suddenly wrapped around his neck, and Xia Fengsheng leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.
Shi Ye: !
His heart shot upward like it was strapped to a drop tower.
Still half asleep, Xia Fengsheng closed his eyes again, his long, thick lashes beautifully defined. Covering the cheek Xia Fengsheng had kissed, Shi Ye looked at the person on top of him, utterly entranced.
“I…”
Before he could finish, Xia Fengsheng kissed him on the lips too.
“Mm…”
It happened too suddenly. By the time Shi Ye reacted, Xia Fengsheng’s lips had already gone.
His heart thundered, and all the blood in his body started boiling.
Looking up at the man in his arms, face red enough to drip blood, he asked in a hoarse morning voice, “Why… why are you kissing me…”
Maybe because it had felt good, Xia Fengsheng, with half-closed sleepy eyes, came in again not long after for a second kiss.
Shi Ye immediately lifted his head to catch it with his mouth.
Those soft lips, tender like jelly, wrapped against his. Shi Ye couldn’t resist sucking lightly once.
The next second, something below him released.
Shi Ye froze. He didn’t even dare look down.
He had actually…
Shi Ye couldn’t believe it. Xia Fengsheng, on the other hand, had no idea what had happened. After kissing him, he simply closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.
It was only six in the morning. The sky outside was barely light. Shi Ye, however, was more awake than if he’d been shot full of stimulants.
That very morning, Xia Fengsheng had kissed him three times, all smooth and effortless.
Added together, it was as many kisses as they’d shared in nearly three years of dating back in high school. Back then, the most they ever did was hold hands or hug. There had only been three kisses—once when Xia Fengsheng was trying to prove he liked him, once when Shi Ye gave him the hug bear, and once behind the curtain during the senior pre-exam pep rally, when they’d kissed each other on the cheek.
Did Xia Fengsheng love him too much now? Was that why, the moment he opened his eyes in the morning and saw Shi Ye, he couldn’t help kissing him? After all, yesterday on the mountain, Xia Fengsheng had personally admitted he loved him.
Looking down at the person who had fallen asleep again, Shi Ye watched Xia Fengsheng breathe evenly against his shoulder.
Shi Ye: ><
So cute.
Cute and sexy.
Only once Xia Fengsheng’s breathing had completely steadied did Shi Ye gently pull his arm free and go to the bathroom to clean himself up.
By the time the cold water had calmed him down, his clouded brain finally cleared. Just now, he’d really been too dazed by that sudden kiss. Once the emotional rush faded, his peach blossom eyes returned to clarity.
After getting dressed, Shi Ye stood in the bathroom with his phone in hand, tongue brushing over his lips as he savored the memory of that kiss. On the phone screen, he opened the memo app and put a check mark next to the very last item in the plan:
Hear Xia Fengsheng say he loves me.
Xia Fengsheng had already fallen in love with him.
At that point, the entire love plan was complete.
