Chapter 340: Extra (2)
On Tang Yu’an’s eighteenth birthday, Zhou Qi was still on the road to the safe zone with Tang Sheng.
“Dad and Brother Qi probably won’t make it back in time, huh?”
Though he felt a little down, Tang Yu’an didn’t say anything. He hadn’t even reminded them about his birthday—afraid it might distract them.
Luckily, his mom and little sister were with him.
Tang Xueyun had prepared several gifts for him—one for every birthday he’d missed from age thirteen to eighteen.
When he received them, Tang Yu’an was genuinely surprised.
As he opened the gifts, he grinned and said, “Honestly, just having you and Dad support me being with Brother Qi—that’s already the best gift I could ever get!”
Hearing him mention Zhou Qi every other sentence, Tang Xueyun playfully reached to take the gifts back.
“If you don’t want them, I’ll take them.”
“I want them! I want them!”
Tang Yu’an immediately hugged the presents tightly. “You already gave them to me, how can you take them back now?”
Tang Xueyun was only joking. She ruffled her son’s hair affectionately before going to fetch the cake.
She had made it herself. Animal cream was available in the system’s wholesale market, and as for the oven, she’d sourced one from outside.
Thanks to the grocery store’s electricity supply, their quality of life was almost back to pre-apocalypse levels.
“Make a wish and blow out the candles.”
Looking at the birthday cake, Tang Yu’an recalled how, on every birthday in the other world, he had wished to return home and reunite with his parents.
Now that wish had come true—it was time for a new one.
He wished for the apocalypse to end soon, and for his family to always be happy and safe.
After making his wish, he blew out the candles. That night, after eating the cake, he returned to his room and crawled into his tent.
Even though there were plenty of spacious rooms in the South City grocery store, having lived through the apocalypse, he still preferred to sleep in a small, enclosed space. It gave him a stronger sense of security.
Just as he lay down, a system notification popped up:
[Employee “Zhou Qi” requests to establish a branch store. Authorize?]
Tang Yu’an immediately sat up and hit “yes.” Next came a teleportation array authorization prompt.
After approving it, he scrambled out of the tent and rushed upstairs to the teleportation chamber—where Zhou Qi had just appeared.
“Brother Qi!”
Tang Yu’an ran toward him, throwing himself into Zhou Qi’s arms with joy.
Zhou Qi opened his arms and hugged him tightly.
“An’an, happy birthday.”
“I thought you wouldn’t make it!”
“I told you—I’d spend every birthday with you,” Zhou Qi said with a smile.
At that moment, Tang Sheng couldn’t help but cough deliberately to remind them, “I’m still here, you know.”
“Dad!”
Seeing his son’s bright smile, Tang Sheng sighed but also smiled, ruffling his hair. “Happy birthday, son. You’ve grown another year older.”
He handed over the gift he’d prepared, gave Zhou Qi a glance, and shook his head. “You two go play. I’m taking a shower first.”
To make it back on time, they had just reclaimed a refugee camp, and they both smelled terrible.
Zhou Qi suddenly realized and quickly stepped away. “I should shower too.”
Tang Yu’an tugged him toward the room and handed him fresh clothes.
“Need help?”
“No.”
Zhou Qi shut the bathroom door. Tang Yu’an pouted—come on, they were together now, what was there to be shy about?
Still, he didn’t barge in, just muttered to himself and walked off.
When Zhou Qi came out of the bathroom in pajamas, the room lights were already off. Only a warm glow shone from a corner of the tent.
He walked over and lifted the flap.
Inside, Tang Yu’an was curled up under the blanket, reading a comic book by the soft light of a little desk lamp.
The warm glow bathed him gently; he was wearing pajamas too, the faint scent of shampoo lingering in the cozy tent. It all felt peaceful and safe.
Just moments ago, Zhou Qi had been in the thick of battle, his mind filled with scenes of the battlefield. But now, all that felt far away.
He crawled into the tent, squeezed under the blanket next to Tang Yu’an, and lay down beside him.
This was the same tent they’d used during their first trip to Jufeng Mountain. It was too small for them now, but they liked being close—it made them feel secure.
As soon as Zhou Qi got in, Tang Yu’an closed the comic book.
“Done reading?” Zhou Qi asked.
Tang Yu’an beamed at him. “You’re way more fun to look at than comics.”
Zhou Qi: “…”
He pinched Tang Yu’an’s nose and chuckled. “Where’d you learn that line?”
“I just thought it and said it.” Tang Yu’an grinned. “My Brother Qi is the most handsome in the world!”
Zhou Qi shook his head helplessly and reached for the birthday gift he’d brought.
But Tang Yu’an suddenly grabbed his hand and said, “This year’s birthday gift—I want…”
“What do you want?”
“A kiss!” he said, puckering his lips.
Zhou Qi froze at first, then was utterly charmed by how adorable he looked.
He laughed. “How is that a gift? It’s your birthday, not mine…”
Zhou Qi’s gaze lingered on Tang Yu’an’s lips and suddenly halted. He swallowed subtly and instinctively looked away.
Although Uncle Tang and Aunt Tang had already accepted their relationship, after so many years, Zhou Qi had grown used to restraint and self-control. His way of being with Tang Yu’an had become firmly set…
“It’s my birthday today, so I get to decide! I want you to kiss me!”
Yes, their dynamic had become quite fixed—Tang Yu’an teasing and clinging to him persistently, just as he always had.
“All these years, you’ve never once kissed me first! Do you even like me at all?”
Tang Yu’an wasn’t some kiss-obsessed maniac, but ever since the beginning, he’d been curious about what it felt like to kiss Zhou Qi.
If Zhou Qi had indulged him back then, maybe he wouldn’t have kept craving kisses all the time.
The more he was denied, the more he wanted. And during these past two years, it hadn’t only been Zhou Qi who suffered.
Tang Yu’an stared at Zhou Qi with aggrieved eyes, his eyes slightly red.
“I’m an adult now, and even my parents have agreed. Why won’t you kiss me? Do you—”
The rest of his words were cut off.
Zhou Qi leaned in and kissed his endlessly chattering lips.
Tang Yu’an blinked, feeling the warmth and softness of the kiss. His heart beat fast, but…
Wasn’t this just like when he used to sneak kisses from Brother Qi?
Just as he was feeling a little disappointed, his body suddenly stiffened—Zhou Qi had opened his mouth and was now gently licking his lips with his warm, wet tongue.
So it can be like this too…?
He tried mimicking Zhou Qi and opened his mouth—but before his tongue could even venture out, Zhou Qi’s agile tongue slid inside.
Startled, Tang Yu’an instinctively tried to push him away, but Zhou Qi caught his wrists.
He raised Tang Yu’an’s hands above his head. With only the thin fabric of the tent between them and the wall, Tang Yu’an’s back was pinned.
The heat of Zhou Qi’s body pressed tightly against him, and his kiss—just as burning, just as consuming—came crashing down like a storm.
Tang Yu’an’s eyes widened. He looked into Zhou Qi’s eyes—the ones that were always so gentle—and once again saw that wild, overwhelming intensity that made his blood rush.
Zhou Qi just kept staring at him. If the kiss had started out tender, it had now completely lost control.
The beast that had been suppressed for years, locked deep inside Zhou Qi’s heart, had finally broken free tonight.
The little lamp inside the tent was knocked over.
With flickering light, the already dim tent grew even darker.
Both of their breaths grew heavier.
In such a confined space, every touch, every sensation became amplified. Even the pounding of their hearts and the wet, smacking sounds of their kiss became louder and more intoxicating.
Tang Yu’an’s mind went completely blank. He had stopped resisting.
Zhou Qi’s kiss gradually softened. He gently sucked on his tongue, nibbled his lips—and finally, after what felt like forever, pulled away.
Their foreheads rested together, breaths tangled and warm.
Tang Yu’an gasped for air, his eyes hazy, lips swollen from the kiss. In the dim glow, a thin, glistening string of saliva still connected them.
Only when the oxygen returned to his brain did Tang Yu’an process what had just happened.
So that’s what a real kiss feels like!
“Brother Qi, you… you’re really good at kissing…” he muttered breathlessly.
Zhou Qi froze for a second, then gently kissed the spot just above his eye. In a low, hoarse voice, he said, “It’s not that I don’t like you… I was just afraid of scaring you…”
Tang Yu’an struggled a little, realizing his wrists were still pinned. Zhou Qi quickly let go.
Tang Yu’an wrapped his arms around him and snuggled close, his flushed cheek pressing against Zhou Qi’s chest.
Yes, he had been a little scared… but—
“I really liked it.” He nuzzled against Zhou Qi’s chest like a puppy, listening to his strong heartbeat. “I love it when you kiss me. So much.”
Zhou Qi’s tense body gradually relaxed.
“…Brother Qi.” After a while, Tang Yu’an’s voice rose again.
“Yeah?”
“I want to go to the attic.”
“Right now?”
“Mhm!”
Zhou Qi didn’t ask why. He simply lifted the tent flap and helped him up. Together, they quietly crept upstairs and used the teleportation array to return to the main store—their true home.
Back here, Tang Yu’an let out a slow breath.
This is where I really belong…
They climbed into the attic together. Zhou Qi expertly pulled bedding from the cabinet and laid it out on the floor while Tang Yu’an sat nearby watching. Then he suddenly turned and whispered:
“System, were you just peeking?”
[……]
It didn’t want to look, okay?!
“Go into sleep mode. I’ll call you when I need you.” Even though Tang Yu’an usually acted carefree, there were some things—especially something this intimate—that he didn’t want anyone else witnessing.
[1,000 points deduction]
“Deal!”
Once the system was confirmed to be offline, Tang Yu’an turned back around with relief. Zhou Qi had already finished laying out the bedding.
“Time to sleep?”
Tang Yu’an suddenly got a bit shy.
Zhou Qi moved next to him, took his hand, and checked his wrist. “Did I hurt you earlier?”
Tang Yu’an shook his head. He looked up at Zhou Qi, then leaned in and whispered bashfully in his ear:
“Brother Qi, I… I got hard again…”
Then, with a troubled expression, he added:
“And I don’t think it’s going away… What do I do?”
