Extra: The Right to Choose (Part 2)
Ren Ningyuan returned from his business trip late at night. Because the schedule had been too rushed, his face showed a hint of fatigue. Qu Tongqiu hurried to run hot water for him and attended to his shower and bath.
Knowing that Ren Ningyuan had flown to three places in one day and crammed all his work together, it was really too hard. Qu Tongqiu blow-dried his hair and massaged his shoulders and back, only feeling how tightly the muscles under his skin were knotted. After massaging for a long time with no sign of relaxation, he couldn’t help feeling a bit distressed. “Rushing like this is so tiring. There’s nothing much going on the next few days, and you don’t have to work on the weekend. Why not just come back tomorrow?”
Ren Ningyuan smiled and didn’t answer, only said, “Hand me the towel.”
At the moment the man stood up from the water, even though he quickly wrapped himself in a bath towel, Qu Tongqiu still felt his face heat up and hurriedly looked away.
In his eyes, Ren Ningyuan was handsome like a god. From head to toe, everything was perfect. Just casually drying off and putting on a bathrobe already made him unbearably sexy.
Ren Ningyuan glanced at him, pulled the bathrobe closed, tied the belt, and said gently, “You’re tired too. Go rest early.”
Qu Tongqiu responded, then suddenly remembered that today was Friday. Tonight should have been the time for him and Ren Ningyuan’s “routine business”, and he panicked so much his legs felt a bit weak.
When he had first moved in, Ren Ningyuan had indeed done that kind of thing with him quite frequently. Back then, his interest seemed higher, every few days making him take off his clothes and then tossing him around until late at night.
Later, he didn’t know from when, it suddenly faded.
Of course, doing it less meant less physical burden for him, more ease—there was nothing bad about that. He was also embarrassed to ask Ren Ningyuan for the reason. Maybe there was no reason at all.
This kind of thing depends on interest. You do it when you want to, you don’t when you don’t. When interest fades, there’s nothing you can do.
Interest can’t be forced. Besides, Ren Ningyuan treated both him and Qu Ke extremely well, worked seriously, lived with restraint. If he were still dissatisfied with the current situation, that would really be too picky.
Following Ren Ningyuan out of the bathroom and seeing the man lift his leg and get onto the bed, Qu Tongqiu’s heart started pounding wildly.
Actually, even now, he couldn’t say clearly whether he counted as homosexual. He’d had sexual behavior with the same sex and could accept it psychologically, so he felt he probably was.
But in daily life, when he saw handsome men or muscular guys, he really didn’t have any wild thoughts at all. To try to identify himself, he even secretly went to buy some best-selling gay magazines. Facing those bun-like muscles and half-covered private parts, he only felt blank.
Maybe he was just especially dull-sensed, an unqualified homosexual.
But no matter how dull or unqualified he was, to him, Ren Ningyuan was simply too good-looking.
The current Ren Ningyuan was no longer quite the same as the aloof, untouchable, hard-to-read figure from student days, but the charm was always there, even stronger.
A few years earlier, he’d never dared to think about Ren Ningyuan in that way at all. Toward the boss, it was impossible to harbor any irreverent thoughts. Now that Ren Ningyuan would do that kind of thing with him, flesh joining flesh, it was like triggering some switch deep in his heart, and all kinds of disrespectful, wicked thoughts came trembling out.
Seeing Ren Ningyuan leaning against the head of the bed like this, handsome and clean, his whole person carrying a low-key kind of sexiness, Qu Tongqiu would grow bold and recklessly want to go up and touch him or steal a kiss or something.
But normally it wasn’t possible. Only on Friday nights like this would Ren Ningyuan possibly be willing to get intimate with him.
Ren Ningyuan read for a while, then looked up and saw him still standing far away, looking overly nervous, so he put down the magazine and smiled. “Come here.”
Qu Tongqiu answered and walked stiffly to the bed, lifting the blanket and slipping inside. He still didn’t know whether Ren Ningyuan planned to do it tonight. After all, business trips were tiring and he also needed proper rest. If not tonight, then it would have to wait until next week.
While he was still guessing, Ren Ningyuan set the magazine aside and leaned over to kiss him.
Qu Tongqiu sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth.
Ren Ningyuan immediately stopped and looked at him. “What’s wrong?”
Qu Tongqiu trembled. “No… nothing.” He couldn’t possibly say his blood was rushing wildly.
Ren Ningyuan looked into his eyes for a moment. “Tonight, is it okay?”
“…Okay.” Even though they had already been this intimate before, he still blushed deeply when saying it, his palms sweating.
Ren Ningyuan kissed him again, then whispered, “Come sit on me.”
Qu Tongqiu climbed onto that firm, lean waist. The moment he sat down, heat spread through his whole body, his throat tightening. He wanted to kiss Ren Ningyuan but didn’t know where to start. Luckily Ren Ningyuan leaned in first. After kissing, he moved to his chin, neck, collarbone, and as the kisses continued, his upper body was stripped bare.
They had been intimate quite a few times, yet Qu Tongqiu still felt so nervous he didn’t know where to put his hands.
Fumbling, he tried to undress Ren Ningyuan. The moment his hand touched the warm skin beneath the bathrobe, blood rushed to his head, and in the confusion he secretly groped him twice.
Then his underwear was pulled off, their bare lower bodies pressed together, and Qu Tongqiu felt waves of numbness along his back like he had touched electricity.
They had never done it anywhere except the bed, never played any surprises or romance. Even this orderly routine already felt thrilling to him. If they really tried something wild in some unusual place, his heart probably couldn’t take it.
With Ren Ningyuan, he didn’t need anything to increase excitement or desire. The fact that the person he was intimate with was Ren Ningyuan was already enough.
While Ren Ningyuan was helping him prepare, the phone by the bed rang. Neither of them intended to answer. Ren Ningyuan gently moved his fingers while kissing his chest. Qu Tongqiu trembled like he had a fever, wanting to grab his shoulders but not daring to use force, only leaning weakly against him while the fingers of Ren Ningyuan’s other hand teased his tongue inside his mouth.
The phone rang for a while, then switched to voicemail. After a beep, there was a short silence, then a man’s voice.
“Ningyuan, it’s me.”
Qu Tongqiu suddenly shuddered and bit down on the finger in his mouth.
“Long time no see… it’s been two years, right?”
There seemed to be faint rain in the background.
“I’ve been thinking of going back recently.”
“The day after tomorrow is his second death anniversary.”
“Last year at this time I didn’t contact you. I’m sorry. I couldn’t.”
After a few seconds of silence, the voice said again, “Back then you asked me if I treated him well. Now I’ll tell the truth. I didn’t.”
“It was my fault.”
“I always think, if he were still alive, I would definitely treat him well. The more I think about it…”
Another hurried pause. “I’ve been thinking I should go back and see him.”
The voice sounded slightly blurred. “Ningyuan, I can’t run away anymore.”
“Please help me.”
The caller hung up, and silence returned. Qu Tongqiu was still sitting blankly on the man’s waist, staring at the bite marks on the finger. Their positions hadn’t changed, but the mood had already gone soft.
