Chapter 19
Not long ago, Gu Nian said that Pei Zhi was clingy, almost like he had skin hunger himself. Back then, Xie Ning had not really felt it. But now it seemed Gu Nian was right.
Setting aside his cold exterior, Pei Zhi really was clingy. He especially liked holding Xie Ning, and his favorite position was to pull Xie Ning onto his lap, then rest his head on his shoulder or in the hollow of his neck from behind.
It also happened to be Xie Ning’s favorite position.
This kind of skin contact was very comfortable for Xie Ning. Pei Zhi’s body heat was like a sweet rain, smoothing away the restless bubbles inside him.
As their skin contact increased, sudden flare-ups of his skin hunger became rarer and rarer… though it might also be because he and Pei Zhi had established a social relationship, and they now had many instances of social contact every day.
With skin contact happening constantly, his needs were constantly being satisfied, so naturally there were fewer chances for things to spiral out of control.
Xie Ning felt as though he had been “fed” to the point of being a little overfull, yet Pei Zhi seemed to have no sense of restraint at all. Good thing the lounge was empty right now, otherwise even Pei Zhi’s surface image would not have held up.
Xie Ning tried to break free, but failed. He said, “Stop hugging me. It’s already almost six. They’re urging us in the group chat to gather.”
“Forget them.”
Pei Zhi kept holding Xie Ning from behind, his face buried in the hollow of Xie Ning’s neck. Bent over with his head lowered, he looked exactly like some oversized dog.
Xie Ning had no real interest in soaking in a hot spring with a crowd of people anyway. Most of them probably wanted to use the chance to break the ice and build better social connections. But Xie Ning’s first thought was: with that many people in the same hot spring, would it not be dirty?
He never went to water parks or public pools.
Xie Ning opened the dorm group chat. Chen Xi had sent a voice message: “Holy shit, Brother Pei! What are the chances—Su Nan is here too!! Do you remember Su Nan?”
Pei Zhi lifted his head slightly, his cheek still against Xie Ning’s neck, his deep and stern face carrying a trace of confusion. “Who’s Li Nan?”
Xie Ning: “…”
He said, “His name is Su Nan.”
In the next voice message, Chen Xi explained who Su Nan was: “Brother Pei, you definitely don’t remember. Su Nan is that gay guy who used to keep harassing you! You warned him to stop bothering you, but he kept at it anyway. He’d camp outside the gym all the time waiting for you, and even said a one-night stand would be fine.”
“He was also the one who almost got beaten up by you in the end…”
When Chen Xi put it that way, Pei Zhi seemed to remember.
A flicker of irritation passed through his eyes. The mood had been so good just now—why did this whoever-his-name-was have to pop up again? He pressed the tip of his nose against the soft flesh at Xie Ning’s neck and sniffed lightly. His previously gloomy mood cleared at once, and the unpleasant memory vanished like smoke.
Xie Ning more or less understood what was going on. He said, “Is this why you’re homophobic?”
“Mm.” Pei Zhi pinched the inside of Xie Ning’s wrist. “I got really annoyed from being pestered, and he was too frivolous.”
He buried his face at Xie Ning’s neck and took a deep, intoxicated breath. “I’m not that casual.”
For a moment, Xie Ning did not know what to say.
He tried pushing Pei Zhi away again, but Pei Zhi seemed addicted to hugging him. His arms were like heated iron bars, tightly wrapped around Xie Ning’s waist, squeezing the air out of him.
Xie Ning let out a soft breath. “Mm… I can’t really breathe. You’re holding me too tightly.”
Pei Zhi immediately loosened his arms. “Did I hurt you? Let me see. Did it leave a mark…”
“Not that bad.” The executive lounge was about to close. Xie Ning straightened his bathrobe. “Let’s go soak in the hot spring, okay? I heard the water here has a lot of mineral additives for health. It would be a shame not to soak.”
Pei Zhi had been about to say yes, but then remembered the person Chen Xi had mentioned and fell into thought. He was afraid that person would bother Xie Ning, so he suggested, “There are too many people in the outside private baths, and it’s too noisy. Let’s go back to the room and soak…” He suddenly stopped speaking.
Xie Ning said, “Okay.”
The suite had its own private hot spring, more than big enough for two people. Whether in terms of hygiene or privacy, it was obviously much better than soaking together with a crowd.
It was just that when Pei Zhi thought about him and Xie Ning soaking alone together, some nerve in him seemed to snap suddenly, and his palms broke out in a thin layer of sweat. He asked a completely unnecessary question: “Just the two of us?”
As Xie Ning turned slightly, the tie at his waist loosened a little, exposing a broad stretch of lovely pale collarbone.
Moonlight fell across Xie Ning’s pale, delicate face. Xie Ning said, “Just the two of us.”
…
Before soaking in the hot spring, they needed to wash up first. Back in the room, Xie Ning thoughtfully opened his notes app.
Among the “100 Little Things Good Friends Should Do Together,” one of the items was showering together with a friend.
Xie Ning had originally wondered whether he should shower with Pei Zhi, but after some thought, decided against it. The adult world needed a greater sense of boundaries. If their relationship truly got to the point where they could shower together, then there would be no need for him to bring it up himself. Everything would happen naturally.
Most importantly, showering would inevitably involve physical contact. For someone with skin hunger like him, that kind of unrestricted skin-to-skin contact was too tempting.
Before showering, Xie Ning went out into the courtyard to test the hot spring water temperature. It was slightly hot, but very comfortable.
He did not know when Pei Zhi had come close. Taking advantage of Xie Ning not paying attention, he secretly wet his hand, then flicked droplets of water at him.
Caught off guard, Xie Ning was splashed all over. He stumbled backward into a sitting position. With his vision blurred, he saw Pei Zhi seeming to move closer still.
He closed his eyes and lowered his head slightly, the roots of his lashes damp, water droplets trailing from his hair and dripping wetly downward.
With no real threat behind it, Xie Ning warned, “No more splashing me.”
Pei Zhi did not take the threat seriously at all. He used his knee to nudge Xie Ning’s legs apart and knelt between them, leaning over slightly. One hand braced against the ground, while the other cupped Xie Ning’s face and wiped away the droplets on his cheek.
The rough pads of his fingers roamed across Xie Ning’s face. It tickled, and Xie Ning made a small evasive movement, causing his bathrobe to loosen a little more.
His collarbone curved beautifully, his skin pale and translucent, flushed pink from the hot water. Droplets slid downward along his skin and disappeared into the depths of the robe.
Xie Ning twisted his waist slightly, revealing a faint blush along the side of it—and Pei Zhi caught sight of it immediately.
“Your waist… what happened?” Pei Zhi’s gaze dropped and fixed tightly on the side of Xie Ning’s waist.
“Mm?” Xie Ning blinked, his vision still a little blurred. He glanced down casually and said, “Probably because you hugged me too hard just now.”
Xie Ning was very fair, so even the slightest trace showed up clearly.
He gathered his collar closed, completely failing to notice the dazed look on Pei Zhi’s face. “I’ll go shower first, okay?”
Pei Zhi made a low sound of acknowledgment. Xie Ning’s long fingers pressed lightly against his chest, and with barely any force at all, pushed him away.
Pei Zhi did not go into the bedroom, yet the sound of water running in the bathroom was especially clear, and the air in the courtyard began to feel hot and restless.
Every movement Xie Ning made seemed magnified, enough to affect Pei Zhi’s own behavior, even something as simple as the crisp sound of him picking up and putting down a bottle of body wash.
It felt unbelievable. He actually found himself unable to stop paying attention to these things, like some kind of voyeur, listening to all these trivial sounds.
Yet he still could not stop himself from imagining it. After Xie Ning took off his clothes, would the full red marks on the side of his waist be revealed?
He had made those himself.
Even though that had not been his intention.
Pei Zhi thought he should apologize to Xie Ning.
Then the soft sound of footsteps approached from in front of him, and a pair of delicate feet entered his line of sight.
His gaze moved up from the toes, along the smooth arch of the foot. The hot water seemed to have draped Xie Ning in a reddish glow. Droplets that had not yet been wiped dry clung to his face and collarbone. His normally cold features looked damp and softened, and even the color of his lips had deepened.
Xie Ning said, “I’m done. You can go in now.”
“Mm.”
Pei Zhi answered calmly. Bracing one hand against the ground, he rose to his feet, his steps steady as he entered the bathroom. The moment he was inside, he swiftly locked the door.
Hot steam surrounded him, and the air was full of Xie Ning’s scent. The rims of Pei Zhi’s ears were flushed an unhealthy red. He turned the water temperature all the way to cold and stood under the freezing shower.
…
Pei Zhi stayed in the bathroom for a long time before his body temperature finally returned to normal.
When he pushed open the bathroom door, Xie Ning in the courtyard was fully immersed in enjoying the comfort of the hot spring.
His skin, usually snow-white, had been soaked by the hot water into an enticing rosy color under the hazy, delicate light.
Xie Ning was leaning against the stone wall. The milky-white hot spring water rippled and swayed, and beneath the layers of moving water, his shoulder blades were breathtakingly beautiful. His shoulders were round and full, while his wet hair covered his long neck. Sweat mixed with the spring water and slid down over his flawless back, leaving a glistening trail behind.
Pei Zhi’s breathing abruptly quickened. A craving rose slowly from inside him, like boiling bubbles baring their claws and teeth as they wrapped around his senses.
Hearing footsteps, Xie Ning slowly lifted his wet lashes. With eyes reddened and damp at the corners, he looked over lightly.
