Chapter 13
Xie Ning fell asleep quickly, and woke up quickly too. As his consciousness sank, there was still a sound circling by his ears, like the whine of a mosquito in the middle of the night, disturbing him until he woke.
Dazed, he realized the sound seemed to be coming from the bed opposite his, and the person in that bed was Pei Zhi.
Pei Zhi kept turning over, and his mental activity was unusually lively and fast. The dense stream of inner thoughts made it impossible for Xie Ning to pretend he could not hear them, so he sat up.
Xie Ning’s voice was very soft, and perhaps because he was still half-asleep, his words came out slightly blurred.
Pei Zhi had pretty good night vision. He could clearly see how pitiful Xie Ning looked, so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open.
Gone was the cold distance he wore during the day. His delicate face was veiled in drowsiness, the tips of his brows slightly furrowed, his cheeks pink.
[So pitiful. So cute.]
[Want to fuck him.]
Too noisy. Xie Ning slowly opened his eyes. “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”
At that moment, the lively stream of inner thoughts gradually started to lessen.
How strange. Just seeing Xie Ning made Pei Zhi feel at ease.
That strange restlessness began to settle, but when he saw Xie Ning wrapped in his blanket, his heartbeat fell into a new round of chaos.
“Xie Ning,” Pei Zhi said, “I can’t sleep.”
The cold air had swept in during the night. Xie Ning wrapped the thick blanket tighter around himself. Luckily Pei Zhi had swapped blankets with him, or else he definitely would have caught a cold.
He buried his chin in the bedding and replied without much thought, “Is it too cold?”
Cold? On the contrary, Pei Zhi felt hot right now.
Pei Zhi did not deny it. “Maybe it is too cold.”
The weather had been unpredictable lately, and the temperature had dropped sharply. Xie Ning’s blanket was very thin, so it was only normal that Pei Zhi would feel cold under it. Xie Ning tilted his head slightly. “Then what should we do?”
Wrapped in the blanket, Xie Ning showed only a fluffy little head, soft hair, and a small face.
That slight tilt of his head struck directly at Pei Zhi’s heart.
[So cute…]
[Feels like I could pick him up with one hand.]
And it was not just a feeling. It was true.
Xie Ning was not actually short, but his frame and waist were slimmer than those of most boys. When Pei Zhi held him, it hardly took any effort at all.
“Xie Ning.” Out of nowhere, Pei Zhi said, “I want to sleep with you.”
Xie Ning was very sleepy. Being wrapped tightly in the blanket felt comfortable and safe. Even though he was talking to Pei Zhi, his mind was not clear. Being covered in a blanket that carried someone else’s scent gave him the illusion of being hugged.
It felt very good.
Xie Ning was so sleepy now that he had not really heard what Pei Zhi said. He was drowsy, his head tilted, looking as if he might fall asleep at any moment.
Pei Zhi leaned closer to look. This was the first time he had seen Xie Ning like this, completely different from his usual cold, unapproachable self. And this side of him had only been seen by him.
Only he could see it.
That sense of special treatment gave Pei Zhi an intensely strong feeling of satisfaction. Without realizing it, he moved closer to Xie Ning’s bed. Between the beds was only a low rail.
He stepped over it easily. The narrow bed left almost no space for him, and he crouched in front of Xie Ning like a wolf-dog, asking with great restraint, “I want to sleep with you. Is that okay?”
That was enough to wake Xie Ning up somewhat, though not fully. After staring blankly for a moment, he said, “Mm, okay.”
Pei Zhi quickly lifted the blanket and climbed in. It was only after his large, imposing body took up more than half the bed that Xie Ning hazily realized what exactly he had just agreed to.
A single bed was already cramped for two people, let alone with someone as tall and broad as Pei Zhi. Xie Ning instantly lost most of his space, and his back was almost pressed against the wall.
Pei Zhi asked in a low voice, “Is it too crowded?”
“Maybe a little…” Halfway through speaking, Xie Ning’s expression suddenly changed, and even his breathing became uneven.
Pei Zhi’s body temperature was very high. Because he exercised and trained regularly, he always radiated vigorous heat. The sound of the young man’s body shifting under the blanket once again triggered Xie Ning’s skin hunger.
That out-of-control feeling… was back again.
Fortunately, the bed was small. With two grown men lying there, some kind of physical contact was unavoidable no matter what.
Xie Ning’s foot brushed against Pei Zhi’s calf. The warmth was intense, and that small area of contact was already enough to soothe him.
For once, Xie Ning no longer had to grit his teeth and force himself through the unbearable process. The restlessness was smoothed away almost instantly. Just as his consciousness began to sink and he was about to fall asleep, he heard the rustle of fabric from beside him again.
Pei Zhi turned onto his side, seeming to want to get closer, yet also afraid of getting too close. His voice was very soft. “Are you asleep?”
Xie Ning was already half-asleep. “Mm?”
“Your face is very red, but your feet are cold. Are you feeling unwell again?” In some matters, Pei Zhi was always especially perceptive. Staring at Xie Ning’s long lashes, he held back for a while before finally forcing out one sentence. “Do you want to lean on me again?”
Earlier in the day, when Xie Ning had felt bad, he had leaned against him for a little while and improved a lot. Now Xie Ning seemed uncomfortable again. As a friend, letting Xie Ning lean on him a little was perfectly normal and reasonable, right?
Even as he spoke, Pei Zhi was already moving closer. His excessive initiative made Xie Ning hesitate, but the heat radiating from his body only made him feel more dazed.
Skin contact was too much of a temptation for Xie Ning. Almost without thinking, he leaned into Pei Zhi’s arms.
Pei Zhi’s arm wrapped tightly around Xie Ning’s back, while his other hand pressed against the back of his head. His fingers slipped into his hair, and the pads of them secretly rubbed lightly against his scalp.
His embrace was broad and warm, just enough to completely envelop the smaller Xie Ning. They fit together so naturally, as though they had been meant from the start to be held like this.
It felt too good.
So good that Xie Ning felt dizzy, his face dazed with extreme satisfaction.
“Does your foot still hurt?” Pei Zhi knew they should be sleeping now, but he just wanted to talk to Xie Ning. More accurately, he wanted to hear his voice. “If you really feel bad, you have to say so. Don’t just endure it.”
Then, once again in that coaxing tone used on children, he asked softly, “Okay?”
Xie Ning was like a doll being handled however someone pleased, cradled in Pei Zhi’s arms. His eyes were tightly shut, and he did not know where to place his arms. He wanted very much to cling to him and get even more skin contact.
But the last remnants of his reason told him that would be too rude.
“Mm.” At this point, Xie Ning would probably agree to anything Pei Zhi said. He had not even heard it clearly anyway. His soft cheek rubbed slowly against Pei Zhi’s chest. “Tonight… can you not let go of me?”
For Xie Ning to take the initiative and hug Pei Zhi himself would be too rude. But if Pei Zhi was the one hugging him, then that should be fine… right?
The way Xie Ning kept rubbing and sniffing against him made Pei Zhi’s canine teeth ache with the urge to bite down on something. He asked, “By ‘not let go,’ do you mean holding you the whole time?”
“Mm.”
“What does ‘mm’ mean?”
The arm across Xie Ning’s back suddenly tightened. There had still been a little distance between them, but now chest was pressed to chest. Xie Ning’s pupils widened slightly, and he felt damp breath at his ear.
“Like this?”
A simple hug was enough to soothe Xie Ning’s skin hunger, but this sudden closeness made their skin contact far more intimate. The overwhelming comfort was almost too much for him to bear.
Both his hands pressed against Pei Zhi’s chest. He had just pushed him away a little when the hand at his back slid down and firmly pressed at his waist, pulling him back in.
Chest against chest, lower stomach against lower stomach, two thin layers of sleepwear doing nothing to block the heat of their bodies. Xie Ning instantly lost all strength. His head drooped, his forehead pressing against Pei Zhi’s throat as his whole body trembled.
“—Or like this?”
The overly pleasurable sensation made Xie Ning keep panting. His fingers lightly clawed at Pei Zhi’s chest, the joints bent, tinged with a faint pink that matched his cheeks.
“That’s enough…” Xie Ning breathed softly. “This is enough.”
It was too much.
It was like Xie Ning had only wanted one piece of candy, but Pei Zhi had handed him an entire candy castle, so sweet it became overwhelming. At that moment, every nerve and every pore in his body was sending out signals of excessive pleasure.
A faint fragrance rose from Xie Ning’s body, stronger than the scent Pei Zhi had smelled on the blanket before. Now they were both under Pei Zhi’s blanket, but inside the covers it was all Xie Ning’s scent.
That mingled smell made Pei Zhi inexplicably excited.
[My wife is so obedient and cute, just like a little baby.]
[Such a sweet-smelling wife. Really want to fuck him.]
[But why is his face so red? Am I too hot? But I don’t want to let go… my wife feels so soft and comfortable in my arms.]
[Or did the wound get inflamed after the shower?]
Pei Zhi was afraid it was the latter.
If the wound really was inflamed, Xie Ning might get a fever. The weather was erratic lately, and the flu was everywhere. Getting sick was no small matter.
Pei Zhi coaxed Xie Ning into letting him look at the wound. He lifted a corner of the blanket, preparing to check Xie Ning’s ankle injury.
His long leg bent slightly, the hem of his pajama pants naturally riding up to reveal his slender ankle and a section of calf. The swelling around the ankle bone had gone down, though it was still a little red.
Leaning against Pei Zhi, Xie Ning once again wore that relaxed, relieved expression that came after satisfaction. “I washed very carefully. It didn’t get wet.”
“Mm.” Pei Zhi’s large hand supported Xie Ning’s foot, his darker palm making the foot look even whiter. He watched as Xie Ning slowly curled his toes, then stretched them out again. Looking at Xie Ning’s tightly shut eyes, he said hoarsely, “So good.”
