Chapter 76
When the private room door opened, for a moment, eight eyes met.
Shi Ye: O.O
Xia Fengsheng: O.O
Bie Yinan: O.O
Shi Yuan: O.O
The attendant pushed the door open, just about to tell the guests to call him if they needed anything, when he looked up and saw four stunned Psyducks.
Attendant: ???
Seeing the long noodle stretched between Xia Fengsheng and Shi Ye, Shi Yuan and Bie Yinan instantly turned to stone. They stood there on the spot, not even daring to step into the room.
Awkwardness really did make people timid.
How were they supposed to break this bizarre atmosphere without making the two kids feel embarrassed?
Go over there and use the noodle as a swing?
Still, it had to be said—they really were a match made in heaven. If you searched all over again, you probably still would not find another pair with such perfectly matching symptoms.
Seeing Shi Yuan and Bie Yinan appear out of nowhere, Xia Fengsheng suddenly wanted to die on the spot.
As Xia Fengsheng visibly lost the will to live, Bie Yinan forced herself to speak.
“Hahahahaha, so you two found this game too. I used to play this when I was little.”
A mother’s love truly was the greatest and most unsolvable thing in the world.
Fortunately, the little incident passed, and the group sat down to eat.
Compared to the nervousness he had felt before meeting them, Xia Fengsheng was much more relaxed after they actually met.
It was like the first time he helped Bie Yinan pick up her oranges—on the way back to Shi Ye’s apartment, the two of them had already been able to chat easily.
Compared with most elders, Shi Yuan and Bie Yinan were more like friends when accompanying children.
From the very beginning, the way they raised their children was rooted in respect and freedom.
From the moment Shi Ye was born, even though he needed to be cared for in every way, in their hearts, the moment he had a heartbeat, he was already a complete and whole person.
Adults had self-respect, and children did too.
Putting themselves in the child’s shoes, whatever felt uncomfortable for them, they would never force onto their children.
That was also why their family had always been so cheerful. There was no excessive control, only tolerant love.
Xia Fengsheng was eloquent and carried himself well. Looking at his polished, dazzling side, it was hard for anyone to guess that he had actually clawed his way up alone from a poor family in a small seaside city.
Now he was full of spirit and sharp confidence, looking like a child who had grown up under elite education. He had broad knowledge, understood many things, and the books he had read formed a rich inner foundation beneath his cold exterior. Every gesture of his carried an air of refinement and nobility.
From studying while working part-time as a child, to now moving through circles of fame and fortune and building everything with his own two hands, he had crossed class boundaries.
No one could imagine how much hardship he had endured as a child, how much suffering he had gone through.
What he had been through was far more than simply peeling off one layer of skin.
While chatting, Xia Fengsheng caught the unguarded trace of pity in Bie Yinan’s eyes, and it made him momentarily dazed.
Because he had seen the way Shi Ye looked at him with heartache before, he understood what that look in Bie Yinan’s eyes meant.
She felt sorry for him.
After dinner, Bie Yinan and Shi Yuan left first by car.
Rolling down the window, Bie Yinan held Xia Fengsheng’s hand. “Eat well, sleep well, and if anything makes you unhappy, remember to message me.”
Xia Fengsheng did not feel much at the sudden arrival of maternal love. Perhaps what had happened before had made his body produce a defensive mechanism.
But he still answered softly, “Okay.”
Only after the car drove away did the window roll back up.
Xia Fengsheng had always believed he did not need much affection. Having Shi Ye and his friends was enough.
Anything beyond that might only become a burden to him.
He had thought that way for the past seven years. Ever since that deception, Xia Fengsheng had developed an inexplicable resistance toward family affection.
What he had not received in childhood, he no longer needed now.
But Bie Yinan changed his mind.
Half a month later, on Wall Street, Xia Fengsheng was in a hotel room, fully dressed and busy preparing for a social engagement he had to attend shortly.
He had been so busy today that he had not had time to eat. The drive to the banquet alone would take more than an hour.
Sitting in the car, he spent the whole way speaking with business partners over voice calls.
Just after one call ended, he received one from Bie Yinan.
These past two days he had been in America, and Bie Yinan was also here for work.
Once the call connected, Bie Yinan asked him about daily life—how he had been lately, whether he was doing well in America these past few days, whether he had been busy.
Sitting in the car with the phone to his ear, Xia Fengsheng casually said, “Today’s been a bit busy. I didn’t have time to cook.”
He had already had enough of Western food these past two days. He also had to socialize at the banquet, so he was thinking that after it ended, he would look around nearby and see whether any Chinese restaurants were still open.
When the car arrived at the banquet venue, Xia Fengsheng had barely stepped out when he heard someone call him from behind.
“Shengsheng!”
Xia Fengsheng turned around and saw Bie Yinan in a neat, capable dress.
He froze for a second, said something to the assistant beside him, then strode over.
Poxiao had already established itself as a company, and as its president, Xia Fengsheng now had a secretary and assistant by his side as well.
He came to Bie Yinan’s side.
The word “Mom” turned over and over in his mouth but would not come out. In the end, it became: “Why did you come?”
Bie Yinan smiled. “Didn’t you say you hadn’t eaten? I brought you something.”
With that, she led Xia Fengsheng into her car.
Inside was a thermos container filled with fried rice and stir-fried dishes that Bie Yinan had made herself.
“I thought you must be tired of Western food while abroad, so I made a little myself.”
She did not actually know how to cook many dishes, and she had rarely entered the kitchen at home before.
But just now, hearing Xia Fengsheng say over the phone that he had not eaten and was hungry, something inside her simply could not bear it.
It reminded her of how Shi Ye, back when he had to control his weight for dancing, once called her from school during closed training because he was starving.
He had told her he was hungry.
At that time, Bie Yinan had also prepared food and brought it to him. Mother and son had secretly met by the school fence.
Whenever she saw Xia Fengsheng, Bie Yinan thought of Shi Ye.
And whenever she saw Shi Ye, she could not help but think of Xia Fengsheng.
Love the house, and love the crow on its roof. She treated Xia Fengsheng as if he were her own child.
Xia Fengsheng had not expected that just because he casually mentioned he had not eaten, Bie Yinan would come all the way to bring him food.
Xia Fengsheng did not know how long a drive it had taken for Bie Yinan to come see him, but love gave him the answer—
Across any distance.
No distance was too far.
Looking at Bie Yinan, Xia Fengsheng picked up a spoon and began eating in big mouthfuls.
He had always eaten very gracefully. Everyone who saw him said he was a gentleman. No one had ever seen him wolfing down food like this.
Xia Fengsheng did not know how to respond to the love Bie Yinan was giving him, so he could only express it by shoveling down the food in large bites.
Bie Yinan knew he was shy when it came to emotions, so she sat beside him and told him to eat more slowly.
She stroked the hair atop his head like he was still a grown-up child, feeling that he seemed thinner after not seeing him for a while.
Xia Fengsheng had not actually lost weight. He had simply been exercising and sculpting his body into even better shape.
Bie Yinan looked at him with heartache, because a child who had become independent so early in life simply did not know how to rely on adults for anything.
She could see the knots and awkwardness in Xia Fengsheng’s emotions, and she understood how difficult his road had been.
Thinking of the way he had hesitated when he saw her that day, Bie Yinan said gently,
“If you can’t bring yourself to call me that, don’t force yourself. Mom’s right here—I’m not going anywhere. I’ll wait for the day you call me.”
Xia Fengsheng’s mouth was still full of food, and Bie Yinan’s tender, pitying hand still rested on his head.
Inside that small car, Xia Fengsheng had a mother once again.
“Mm.”
—
During those days in America, whenever he had time, Xia Fengsheng accompanied Bie Yinan shopping.
With her arm linked through Xia Fengsheng’s, Bie Yinan ran into acquaintances in luxury stores and introduced him as her son.
Xia Fengsheng was handsome and impressive, with an appearance very popular among young men and women alike.
People familiar with Bie Yinan who saw her shopping with Xia Fengsheng took it quite well that Shi Ye had found himself a man.
After all, there had even been rumors in the dance world that Shi Ye was pregnant.
Though it was fake, the shock they felt the moment they first heard the rumor had made every bizarre thing they learned afterward seem perfectly acceptable.
After staying in America for two days, Bie Yinan returned home. Xia Fengsheng, meanwhile, had also wrapped up a phase of work and welcomed a month-long vacation.
Unlike Bie Yinan, he did not go back to China. Instead, he flew straight to Hawaii.
When he came out of the arrival gate, Shi Ye was already waiting there holding up a pickup sign.
He held it very high, afraid Xia Fengsheng might not see it.
Shi Ye had arrived a few hours earlier than him, and his clothes had already been changed into full island style.
After not seeing each other for several days, the first thing they did upon meeting was find somewhere with no people around and kiss fiercely.
Xia Fengsheng: kiss kiss.
Shi Ye: kiss kiss kiss.
Looking at Shi Ye with his eyes closed in enjoyment, Xia Fengsheng thought that compared with the beginning, when Shi Ye knew absolutely nothing about tongue-kissing and had to be taught, he now had far too many tricks up his sleeve.
Xia Fengsheng: “Miss your husband?”
Shi Ye planted a hard kiss on his face. “I did.”
Then, a little embarrassed, he asked, “Did you miss me?”
They had not seen each other for several days.
Xia Fengsheng lowered his voice and whispered in his ear, “I missed my husband.”
Shi Ye: >~<
After a successful airport pickup, the two took a private car to the hotel. It was morning, the sunlight was perfect, and after showering at the hotel they could go out and sunbathe.
The hotel was a famous top-tier luxury hotel internationally. Because the guests staying there were either rich or powerful, the suites were equipped with safes for storing valuables.
That way, guests could protect themselves from break-ins and theft.
After all, if a thief wanted to steal something, they would come up with a thousand ways to do it.
Some thieves even disguised themselves as guests, checked in, and then stole from rooms.
It was Xia Fengsheng’s first time using a safe, and he did not know what he was supposed to put inside.
The sea view outside the window was breathtaking and unobstructed. After showering, Xia Fengsheng put on sunglasses and went to the beach.
He had only been lying under the parasol for a short while when Shi Ye walked over carrying a bottle of sunscreen oil.
He was bare-chested, a silver necklace hanging around his neck. The outline of his chest muscles rose and fell, his abs were sharply defined, and drops of water clung to the ends of his hair—clearly, he had just gone for a swim in the sea. His firm, lean calves entered Xia Fengsheng’s field of vision.
Xia Fengsheng looked up.
Shi Ye: “Need service?”
Back when they first got back together, they had agreed that one day they would come to Hawaii together, and when they did, he would apply sunscreen for Xia Fengsheng.
Xia Fengsheng: breathe.
Shi Ye: “Oh, so you do need it.”
Xia Fengsheng: …
Shi Ye crouched down, wiped his hands dry with a towel, then draped it over his head.
As he crouched there, the muscles of his shoulders and back radiated sex appeal, his body carrying the beauty of long-term discipline and exercise.
With the towel covering his face, the advantage of his physique was made even more striking.
Xia Fengsheng was amused by this whole self-asking-self-answering act of his. Since getting together with Shi Ye, his smiles had unconsciously become more and more frequent.
Zhan Shengyao had mentioned it many times, but Xia Fengsheng himself had never really noticed.
The pale, transparent sunscreen oil was squeezed into Shi Ye’s palm, and then his hand—still carrying the coolness of seawater—pressed against Xia Fengsheng’s skin.
Shi Ye applied it very carefully, not missing a single spot.
When he finished spreading it over Xia Fengsheng’s thigh, he looked up and saw that Xia Fengsheng had taken off his sunglasses and was staring at him.
The sunglasses were hooked onto his shirt, and the whole mature, sexy, elegant man was openly admiring him while he worked.
Shi Ye’s face turned red, and he immediately raised a hand to block Xia Fengsheng’s gaze.
Shi Ye: “Don’t look at me.”
Xia Fengsheng: ?
Xia Fengsheng pulled his hand down. “What’s wrong?”
Shi Ye turned his blushing face away. “I’m afraid you won’t be able to hold back.”
Xia Fengsheng: …
After playing on the beach all morning, the two went nearby to buy coconuts.
The coconut stall Shi Ye had visited last time was still there—the same familiar owner, the same familiar coconut cart.
They each got one, then stood by the roadside together looking at their phones for restaurants, deciding where to eat.
Rather than having everything arranged for them so they only had to enjoy it, the two preferred exploring on their own, wandering around together and looking at things as they went.
The world was huge. Only by exploring it yourself did it have flavor.
Xia Fengsheng: “This one looks good.”
Shi Ye: “That one looks nice too.”
Very quickly, the two found a well-known local specialty restaurant. It was not far away—they could just walk there along the seaside.
On the way, they came across a swimming competition.
The competitors were a group of plastic little yellow ducks. People could buy a little yellow duck at the booth and put it into the race lane, and whichever duck reached the finish line first would win a five-hundred-dollar prize.
It was kind of childish.
Five minutes later, Xia Fengsheng, holding Shi Ye’s hand, walked up to the booth. “Two, please.”
After writing numbers on the ducks, the vendor handed them to Xia Fengsheng.
The pool lane was not long, and the race ended in under fifteen minutes.
The final winner was a duck bought by a child.
Even though they did not win, the sense of tension they felt while watching the race brought the two of them immense joy.
It was just like every competition in life.
After the race, Xia Fengsheng and Shi Ye each carried a plastic duck to the restaurant.
After lunch, they returned to the apartment planning to take a nap and go surfing in the afternoon.
Shi Ye had already bought the surfboards.
Since they had not slept in each other’s arms for several days, Shi Ye turned on the air conditioner, adjusted the room to a comfortable cool temperature, kissed Xia Fengsheng on the forehead, and fell asleep holding him.
When they woke up again an hour later, both were full of energy and headed for the beach.
It was right outside the hotel.
The two of them ran toward the beach laughing hahahaha.
Halfway there, Xia Fengsheng flopped face-first onto the sand with a smack.
Shi Ye, who had been laughing hahahaha halfway through, turned back to pull him up, and then the two of them continued running toward the beach laughing hahahahaha.
—
“Big bro, are you sure this will work?” One of the thieves looked at the towering luxury building in front of him and swallowed nervously.
The thief called big bro said, “Of course. As long as we climb up, pick any room, and crack open the safe, we’ll be rich.”
The two thieves, disguised as security staff, stood beneath one of the hotel’s suites.
The suites here were all open-air, making them easy to climb into.
And the people staying at this hotel were either rich or influential. As long as they stole even one valuable thing, they would probably be able to live the rest of their lives without worrying about food or clothes.
One of them still had misgivings. “But I heard security here is really tight.”
What if they got caught? Wouldn’t it be better to target some smaller hotel with looser security instead?
It would be safer and less likely to fail, even if the haul would not compare to this place.
The other one said disdainfully, “Tight my ass. If it was that tight, how did we get in?”
The man slapped his forehead. Right, of course.
No matter how tight it was, they still managed to sneak in. That only proved how superb their stealing skills were.
So the two of them got moving at once and climbed in one go up to the suite where Shi Ye and Xia Fengsheng were staying.
The suite was enormous, two hundred square meters.
The moment they entered, one of them headed straight for the safe while the other began rummaging through drawers and luggage.
They moved fast, racing against time.
Shi Ye and Xia Fengsheng had not brought much luggage, only two backpacks. The two of them had traveled light; anything they needed, they could just buy locally.
Usually, things like watches and accessories would be kept in drawers.
The thief opened the drawer: ultra-thin condoms.
Thief: …
He hurriedly went to search the bag: skin-feel condoms.
Thief: …
Thief: smash.
What the hell was all this? Had these people not had sex in eight hundred years?!
He kept searching and found a belt, a collar, and stockings.
The thief froze on the spot.
If he were still a child, he would definitely have thought these were just clothing accessories.
But now he was grown up.
Thief: …
Being grown up was not good at all.
After turning everything upside down and finding nothing except a pile of messy censored items, he got nowhere and went to help the other one open the safe.
The thieves had cracked plenty of safes before. Just as signs of the safe finally being pried loose appeared, violent pounding and unlocking noises came from outside the door.
“We’ve already found you!”
“Get the hell out of the guest’s room right now!”
Hotel staff had checked the surveillance footage, discovered that someone had climbed into the hotel, and immediately brought people upstairs to make the arrest.
The timid thief panicked. “Big bro, let’s run!”
The other thief raced against time. “Almost there. We grab the stuff and run.”
The timid thief was so anxious he could only stomp in place. Just as hotel staff were about to break through the door, the safe finally gave way.
It opened!
Squatting in front of the safe, the thief felt as though he had finally welcomed the dawn of hope.
He yanked the safe door open, ready to grab the valuables and run.
The next second, two plastic ducks inside the safe stared back at him in silence.
Thief: …
Just like a turtle going to school—what a total joke.
