Chapter 52
“When a couple kisses at the very top of a Ferris wheel, they receive a blessing to stay together for a long, long time.”
Pei Zhi gently rubbed the back of Xie Ning’s neck. Xie Ning’s face tilted up slightly, meeting his gaze under the warm sunlight. Pei Zhi said again, “The Ferris wheel is already at the highest point.”
In a daze, Xie Ning remembered that there really was such a saying. Before they had boarded the Ferris wheel, he had already agreed that Pei Zhi could kiss him at the very top.
There was a romantic legend behind the gesture. Even though he did not believe in such things, people whose hormones were running wild always did foolish things they never would have done before. It was impossible to stay rational all the time.
“Do you want to look down?” Pei Zhi asked. “The view from the highest point is really beautiful.”
Xie Ning froze for a moment, then belatedly asked, “Really?”
After the question left his mouth, Pei Zhi told him, “Really.” But Xie Ning himself did not know what exactly he was asking, and he did not know what exactly Pei Zhi was answering.
His head was still a little muddled right now, and his mouth was sore and swollen. With his skin hunger intensifying everything, his entire body felt numb and tingling, even more comfortable than a full-body spa.
Xie Ning did not answer at once. Pei Zhi lifted him face-to-face into his arms, one hand supporting his hips, the other cradling the back of his neck. After all, they were suspended above the ground in a Ferris wheel; even the slightest larger movement could make a person feel uneasy, not to mention that Xie Ning was being held in someone else’s arms.
Looking out through the window, Xie Ning clearly realized just how far above the ground they were. The people below looked as tiny as ants, and the buildings and houses resembled little blocks in different shapes, miniature and toy-like.
He only glanced down once before quickly wrapping his arms around Pei Zhi. His head was still foggy, but his body reacted first, and he clamped his legs tightly around Pei Zhi’s waist.
Xie Ning still looked dazed, but that small instinctive reaction was enough for Pei Zhi to sharply grasp the key point.
Xie Ning… seemed to be a little afraid of heights?
Earlier, when Pei Zhi had said he was afraid of heights, he had only said it casually, hoping to use it as an excuse to get closer to Xie Ning. Later, Xie Ning had mercilessly seen right through it. But what Pei Zhi had not expected was that the one who was actually afraid of heights was Xie Ning.
Pei Zhi tilted his head up and kissed the tip of Xie Ning’s chin, patting his back softly. “Scared?”
Slowly, Xie Ning shook his head. “Not scared.”
He just was not very used to it.
Xie Ning’s apartment was also very high up, yet when he looked down from the floor-to-ceiling windows there, he had never felt this sort of fear before. The slight fear he felt now was probably because… this was a Ferris wheel.
When he had been very young, his parents had not allowed him to ride dangerous amusement rides. Instead, they had shown him accident cases from amusement parks so he would grow up with a strong sense of safety awareness.
In that brief moment just now, Xie Ning had thought of those accident cases he had seen as a child. He wrapped his arms tightly around Pei Zhi’s neck, his face unconsciously burying itself into Pei Zhi’s neck, rubbing against it slowly.
It was full of dependence.
Yet seeing this, Pei Zhi only became even more convinced that Xie Ning was putting on a brave face. Xie Ning had to be really afraid of heights, didn’t he? This was his fault. He had failed to ask clearly in advance. If he had known Xie Ning was afraid of heights, he definitely would not have brought him onto the Ferris wheel.
The carousel Qi Ran had suggested earlier would have been so much better. Safer, too.
Pei Zhi carried Xie Ning back to his seat, one hand continuously kneading the back of his neck or patting his back, like soothing a baby to sleep. Even his voice had softened. “Don’t be afraid, baby. We’ll be going down soon. Just hold on a little longer, okay?”
Xie Ning felt that the way Pei Zhi was speaking was a little strange, though he could not pinpoint what was strange about it. He only gave a muffled “Mm.”
He did not really want to talk. He was tired. His limbs felt as though they were melting, too weak to gather any strength. All he wanted was to stay hanging against Pei Zhi without moving. He did not even feel like moving his lips.
“Pei Zhi,” Xie Ning suddenly lifted his face and said, “My mouth feels sticky. Do you have tissues?”
He had drooled earlier, and cried too. It had dried a little by now, but his face still felt damp and sticky, and he found it uncomfortable.
“I do,” Pei Zhi said.
He pulled out wet wipes and tissues from his pocket. First he wiped his own fingers clean, then used a fresh wet wipe to wipe Xie Ning’s face.
“Close your eyes,” Pei Zhi coaxed. “I need to wipe around your eyes too.”
Obediently, Xie Ning closed his eyes. The roots of his lashes were already wet, and the thin lids had taken on a faint flush from crying. Delicate blue veins ran across them, making him look both fragile and beautiful.
He simply tilted his face up and let Pei Zhi wipe him clean. Even though he consciously pressed his lips together as if guarding against something, his mouth had already been kissed open. His lips were swollen and sore, and the seam between them stayed slightly parted as though he could not close it fully.
At such close range, Pei Zhi could even see a small section of his bright red tongue tip inside, also a little swollen from being bullied. If he leaned in and smelled, he could still catch the rich sweet scent drifting out with Xie Ning’s breath.
It was intoxicating.
“Baby, how about one more kiss?” Pei Zhi lowered his head and asked, in the most restrained voice he could manage.
“No.” Xie Ning refused without hesitation. There even seemed to be a trace of disdain in his brows and eyes.
“Aren’t you scared of heights?” Pei Zhi knew that Xie Ning was not as easy to fool now as before. As time passed, his mind was becoming clearer and clearer. So Pei Zhi deliberately slowed his voice and, in a tone that sounded as if he were only considering Xie Ning’s wellbeing, began to reason through it. “Just now, when I was patting your back, weren’t you already thinking about something else? Weren’t you already not thinking about being afraid of heights?”
“If there’s something else to distract you, then you won’t keep thinking about it anymore, right?”
“We wouldn’t be kissing just to kiss. We’d be kissing to distract you. Doesn’t that make sense?”
Xie Ning got drawn into the logic.
He wanted to say that he actually was not afraid of heights, but… what Pei Zhi said did sound reasonable.
Pei Zhi had only just finished “washing” his face for him. Several times, his rough fingers had brushed over Xie Ning’s lips in passing, bringing on that tingling skin-hunger reaction and making his mind grow fuzzy. It was hard for him to stay fully clear-headed.
Then the back of his neck was kneaded lightly, not too hard and not too soft. Xie Ning’s lashes and shoulders both gave a small tremble, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
Pei Zhi kissed his cheek. “Be good. Open your mouth.”
Xie Ning hesitated for a moment, then opened it.
This time, Pei Zhi kissed him very slowly, very gently. He licked Xie Ning’s lips until they were drenched, the rough surface of his tongue not missing a single corner. Every now and then, he gave a slow little suck, and each time it made Xie Ning’s lashes tremble faster.
His already soft, overworked mouth was kissed until it gave off a hot, sweet, moist fragrance. Pei Zhi hardly had to put in any effort at all to draw out wave after wave of delicious liquid. Warm saliva splashed over his tongue, like oil poured directly onto the blaze already raging in his chest.
No matter how wildly his emotions surged, Pei Zhi still struggled to keep them under control.
He had to hold back. He could not kiss too deeply again. He could not act like some insatiable pervert who only knew how to shove deeper inside.
Get a grip, Pei Zhi warned himself.
With great effort, he finally convinced himself to pull out of that warm, wet, tender mouth. But before fully withdrawing, he still could not resist giving Xie Ning’s jelly-soft lips another suck.
The plump lips trembled a little. He saw clearly that Xie Ning’s brows drew together slowly, as though he did not quite understand what was happening.
That innocent, simple expression made Pei Zhi want to bully him unbearably.
Suddenly Pei Zhi cupped Xie Ning’s face. “Baby, do you want to try something else?”
“Mm?” Xie Ning responded.
“When I was doing research and reading guides,” Pei Zhi said, “I came across some explanations. They said there’s a certain spot inside…”
Xie Ning still looked blank, as if he did not fully understand. Pei Zhi felt as though he were committing a crime, yet he still shamelessly continued. “…A spot that can make you feel really good.”
“We’ve tried before, but what I’m talking about now is another way. It’s different from both of the last two times.” Lowering his voice, Pei Zhi asked, “Can I?”
Pei Zhi held one hand up in front of Xie Ning’s eyes, then leaned to his ear and explained the whole thing in a simple summary. Afraid Xie Ning would think him a??, he deliberately skipped over some details.
After he finished, Pei Zhi added, “I want to make you feel good.”
Xie Ning stayed dazed for a while, then slowly lowered his gaze to Pei Zhi’s hand. Long fingers. Clearly defined joints. A frame larger than most men’s, the fingers themselves thicker and longer too.
He more or less understood what Pei Zhi meant. Under normal circumstances, he definitely would not agree to something so ridiculous.
But now, it was as if he had been boiled slowly in warm water. The range of things he could accept had quietly grown broader and broader.
Still, Xie Ning raised his chin slightly and asked with innocent seriousness, “Are there cameras?”
For a moment, Pei Zhi’s breathing hitched. He immediately cupped Xie Ning’s face and said firmly, “There are no cameras installed inside the Ferris wheel cars at this amusement park. No one will see anything.”
“I can guarantee that.” Because his family had invested in this amusement park, he could say it with total certainty.
Xie Ning fell silent again. Afraid he might change his mind, Pei Zhi suddenly became very anxious. “I’m really not lying to you this time, baby…”
Just a moment ago he had been warning himself to stay rational, and now all that caution vanished without a trace. Holding Xie Ning’s face, he rubbed against him and kissed him wildly all over the face, his voice gone hoarse. “Okay?”
Only after a long while did Xie Ning nod, a beat too late, and say slowly, “Okay.”
…
The Ferris wheel moved slowly. Sunlight streamed in through the glass windows and fell across Xie Ning’s face, the clear golden light making his cheeks look even redder.
Xie Ning was kneeling on Pei Zhi’s lap. Pei Zhi had taken off his own coat and draped it over him, as if he were afraid Xie Ning might get cold. His slim, resilient body was hidden beneath the larger coat so thoroughly that, from any angle, one could not see his full outline.
One of Pei Zhi’s hands lifted the hem of the coat aside, while the other pressed against Xie Ning’s waist, as if afraid he might not sit steadily. Then the crisp sound of a metal button coming undone rang out.
At this point, Xie Ning really did begin to panic a little. He lowered his lashes in a hurry and looked at Pei Zhi. His lips were faintly pressed together, the corners of his eyes still red, as if he were holding back something unspeakably embarrassing.
As though coaxing a child, Pei Zhi kneaded his soft flesh gently and said, “It’s okay, baby. My coat is big. Even I can’t really see.”
Tilting his head up, he sucked lightly at Xie Ning’s lower lip and coaxed, “I’ll make you feel good.”
From childhood to adulthood, Xie Ning had never done anything particularly out of line. He had always been the good child in his parents’ eyes, the good student in his teachers’ eyes, the one no one needed to worry about.
But now, it felt as if every day he was doing something bad.
A very outrageous kind of bad.
Xie Ning’s own coat had been taken off and folded neatly to the side. What he wore now was Pei Zhi’s coat, and because of the large difference in their size, it hung on him very loosely.
He even found himself thinking that if Pei Zhi wanted to crawl inside with him, there might actually be enough room.
Xie Ning’s thoughts were wandering when Pei Zhi, right in front of him, carefully wiped his fingers clean again, then held them out for Xie Ning to sniff—as if letting him inspect whether their cleanliness passed muster.
He did indeed care a great deal about hygiene, and his cleanliness obsession made him especially particular in that area. But… right now he did not want to focus too closely on it. He only leaned in for a quick sniff before turning his head away again.
“Baby, can I keep going?” Pei Zhi asked. “You have to tell me.”
“…Yes.” Xie Ning answered softly.
First, Pei Zhi reached out and touched Xie Ning’s lips. His rough fingertip rubbed lightly against the tender flesh, making those small, full lips quiver like jelly. The hot breath spilling from the gap in his lips fell across Pei Zhi’s fingertips, dampening the skin there.
“Why are you always trembling?” Pei Zhi asked, his voice low and rough, though he obviously knew very well why.
When Xie Ning did not answer, Pei Zhi continued stroking his lips before sliding his fingers between them. Like he was examining something, those long, clearly jointed fingers explored his teeth, the inner walls of his mouth, and at the end, teased him by pinching lightly at the tip of his tongue.
“Mm—” Xie Ning’s eyes began to sting with tears again. His face took on an expression that was both pained and pleased. With tears welling, he looked at Pei Zhi, his features showing struggle and restraint, as though he were being forced.
Pei Zhi knew how hot and comfortable Xie Ning’s mouth was. They had kissed many times already, but his interest had shown absolutely no sign of fading. On the contrary, he had become addicted to kissing Xie Ning.
And now, once again, he felt that familiar sensation—hot, wet, and wrapped completely by Xie Ning’s mouth. Saliva flowed from the corner of Xie Ning’s lips, and Pei Zhi lowered his head to lick it away slowly, as if unwilling to waste even a drop.
He sucked lightly at Xie Ning’s lips. When he finally withdrew his fingers, a shining layer of moisture coated the surface of them, almost like a transparent film catching the light. A little droplet clung to the tip, wobbling there as though it could fall at any moment.
Using those wet fingers, Pei Zhi pressed down on Xie Ning’s plump, reddened lips. In this short time alone, Xie Ning’s mouth had already become overflowing with moisture. In the bright light, Pei Zhi could clearly see the wet red softness inside, and that little swollen tongue tip that had been so thoroughly eaten.
Xie Ning’s gaze was unfocused and hazy, with a trace of just-woken drowsiness mixed in, as if he did not understand why Pei Zhi was doing this.
Pei Zhi withdrew his hand and slowly licked the remaining moisture from his fingers clean. Then he leaned to Xie Ning’s ear and whispered, “Baby tastes so sweet.”
His fingers were still damp. Under the cover of the coat, Pei Zhi slid his hand inside, brushing slowly over Xie Ning’s skin, as though he were using his body to dry his fingers.
Even though Pei Zhi had prepared thoroughly, in the end this was still his first time actually putting any of it into practice. He kept replaying everything he had learned from his notes—he had even written himself a thick notebook full of study points. Relying on his strong memory, he recalled the instructions step by step.
In truth, it was not all that complicated. It was like piping cream into a daifuku: first split apart the soft white mochi skin, then gradually add the filling. But for a beginner, it could be hard to handle the later steps that way. The “skin” might tear. After all, the material was so delicate and fragile.
So the best method was to add it bit by bit—never too much at the start—or to use something else in place of the “cream” first. Begin with something simple and easy to work with.
The soft pale flesh was gradually parted. Pei Zhi’s fingertips were still damp as he slowly spread the moisture over the surface. Even though he was being very careful, it was still somewhat difficult. In the end, he had no choice but to seek Xie Ning’s help again, making him open his mouth once more, encouraging him with little kisses to the fingers.
Pei Zhi’s fingertips were rough, with a thin layer of callus—marks left by years of training, the physical traces of countless trophies and medals.
Compared with Xie Ning’s skin, that texture felt especially coarse. Xie Ning’s skin was soft and tender, like silky tofu, or a ripe peach with thin skin and abundant flesh. Pei Zhi felt as though the slightest pressure might break the outer skin and reveal the fruit beneath, along with all its sweet, tempting juices.
Being a top student really did show: Pei Zhi’s ability to learn was frighteningly good. Following the notes in his head, it was not long before even one entire knuckle had disappeared inside.
Once he got off to a good start, the rest was no longer truly difficult. He would soon be able to press all the way in—it only took a little patience.
But the unfamiliar sensation sent a jolt through Pei Zhi from scalp to spine. His breathing turned sharp and ragged. He looked up at Xie Ning’s face, only to see that Xie Ning looked equally lost and uncertain. That usually cool, elegant face now showed a rare flicker of panic.
Pale fingers pressed against Pei Zhi’s shoulder as Xie Ning trembled faintly. “I… I kind of want to throw up.”
“Throw up?” Pei Zhi echoed.
He thought for a moment, then asked, “Why? Did you eat too much and get too full?”
“I… maybe,” Xie Ning murmured.
“But you hardly ate anything,” Pei Zhi said.
That was true. Xie Ning had really not eaten much. At breakfast it had been the same—just a few pieces of bread and a cup of soy milk, and even the soy milk had not been finished. Pei Zhi had been the one to deal with the rest.
That amount was not even enough to fill the cracks between Pei Zhi’s teeth.
And now, this time, it was the same. Before Pei Zhi had even reached one full knuckle, Xie Ning was already saying he felt nauseous, like he had been overfilled.
Pei Zhi reached up and cupped the back of Xie Ning’s neck, licking at his lips, then giving his tongue another little suck before deliberately pushing in a little deeper. Xie Ning’s whole face blanked in shock, tears immediately gathering at his eyes. Pei Zhi licked those tears away slowly and said in an unreadable tone, “Fussy.”
Then he claimed Xie Ning’s lips again, kissing him until wet sounds filled the air.
His rough tongue stirred in that small mouth, never leaving a single place unattended, even sucking gently at the inner walls as if he meant to drain them of every bit of sweetness they contained.
Pei Zhi’s frame was large, and his hands and fingers even more so. Thin skin stretched over strong bones, giving his hands a striking skeletal structure.
Xie Ning’s brows drew together and trembled. His beautiful face was distorted a little from the kisses. He could not quite find the words. Panting, he tried to speak. “Mm… no.” But all at once it grew uncomfortable again, as though Pei Zhi had pushed deeper.
Xie Ning’s brows furrowed even more tightly, yet he was still being kissed, still having his tongue devoured, forced into making wet, sticky sounds where their mouths tangled together.
His senses had always been sharp, and he could clearly feel the slight protrusion of Pei Zhi’s finger joints and the shape of them. Pei Zhi’s hands really were very large and long. Every time he enclosed Xie Ning’s hand in them, he could cover it completely.
At first, Pei Zhi had been hesitant and slow, and that very hesitation had made Xie Ning feel especially strange and resistant. But later, it was as though Pei Zhi had suddenly been struck by inspiration, instantly finding the answer—and the place—he had been looking for.
While kissing him excitedly, Pei Zhi pressed his middle and index fingers together and curled them.
Xie Ning’s lashes flew up.
It was as if he had encountered something so shocking and terrifying that tears immediately sprang to his eyes.
He could not stop the tears from falling, and a soft, animal-like whimper escaped his throat—only to be ruthlessly swallowed back by Pei Zhi’s lips, dissolving into sticky, wet sounds.
The wet sounds did not stop. Even the skin around Xie Ning’s mouth had been rubbed into a mottled pink.
His skin was very pale. His lips were only a light shade by nature, and there was hardly any pigmentation anywhere on him. Everything about him was clean and fair. Yet hidden in the darkness under the coat, a pale flush had already spread and was covered with an enticing layer of moisture. That soft, delicate color had been rubbed and overstimulated until it turned into a ripe, crushed red—like a berry burst open, exposing its tender flesh and sweet juice everywhere.
From within the shadowy darkness beneath the coat, there was a faint glimmer of reflected moisture.
Pei Zhi’s tongue filled Xie Ning’s mouth so completely that no matter how he shook his head or turned away, he could not escape. Yet what he wanted to escape from now was not even that.
He cried again.
“Pei Zhi! Mm…” Their tongues were tightly tangled, inseparable. One of Pei Zhi’s hands clamped firmly around the back of his neck, hauling him upward and forcing him to endure the kiss.
The blunt, forceful tip of Pei Zhi’s tongue explored and swept through his mouth while, in a low, half-muffled voice, he murmured, “You sound so pitiful. But… it sounds so nice.”
Pei Zhi kissed hard, lifting Xie Ning’s face higher and higher as he kissed upward into him. No matter how Xie Ning tried to turn away, Pei Zhi always found his mouth again, and the moment Xie Ning opened up to breathe, he would seize the chance and thrust his tongue inside, aiming directly at the throat and kissing very deeply.
Their noses bumped together. The broad surface of Pei Zhi’s tongue pressed tightly against his, tangling with it as Pei Zhi kept changing the way he kissed him. Through it all, even Xie Ning’s nose tip had been rubbed pink and moist. Pei Zhi’s nose was high and sharp, repeatedly pressing into the center of his face and making it cave inward before springing back, leaving a faint rosy flush behind.
Discomfort had already appeared between his brows. Pei Zhi was kissing too deeply, too heavily. Xie Ning kept trying to retreat, but his neck was held tight, forcing him back. He pushed against him, using what little strength he had, but not only did he fail to break free—in all the writhing and twisting, he only made it easier for Pei Zhi.
It really did look as though he were offering himself up into Pei Zhi’s hand.
A low, delighted voice brushed over him. Pei Zhi even seemed to laugh. “So obedient?”
For an instant, Xie Ning’s mind blanked.
Pei Zhi kissed him in a way that felt almost indecent, wrapping his lips around Xie Ning’s and gently tugging at the lower lip. Every breath he spoke spilled directly over Xie Ning’s mouth, making him shudder.
“I…” The moment Xie Ning tried to speak, his lip bead was suddenly sucked between Pei Zhi’s lips, teased and licked by the rough tip of his tongue. In a hoarse voice, Pei Zhi said, “I can still go in deeper.”
“What—what?”
Still?
Alarmed, Xie Ning quickly clamped his mouth shut and turned his face aside. Something close to fear had appeared in his expression. Tears glimmered in his eyes as he shook his head. “No.”
Even though he said no, Pei Zhi still slipped in wherever he could, kissing his way madly back into his mouth. At the same time, his other hand held the back of Xie Ning’s head while the fingers under the coat moved so quickly they almost blurred.
Xie Ning wanted to pull away, but he was held even more tightly. He could not escape at all. He could only let Pei Zhi grind and tease in that softened, muddled place. And yet, of all things, Pei Zhi kept targeting one small spot over and over. A sweet, numbing pleasure spread through him. As the Ferris wheel turned slowly, Xie Ning’s face flushed completely red. So unlike his usual cool self, he looked utterly pitiful—almost disheveled.
Pei Zhi’s kisses were always invasive. Even if he could pretend restraint for a while, eventually his true nature would show. He sucked and licked and tangled inside Xie Ning’s mouth relentlessly, until it felt as though his mouth had completely broken. Xie Ning could only whimper and hum helplessly, unable to form a single coherent word.
His soft hair had fallen into disarray, his face damp with tears and saliva, his eyes so unfocused they could not fix on anything. He clung limply to Pei Zhi, like something broken, while his soft, slippery lips and tongue were played with and devoured, filling the air with wet sounds.
The hand at the back of his neck rubbed lightly against one particularly sensitive spot. The moment a finger joint brushed it, Xie Ning’s hands flew to grip Pei Zhi’s shoulder. “Mm—!”
The back of his neck was already sensitive enough, and now Pei Zhi was touching it at the same time. Xie Ning had only just tried to pull back when their mouths separated slightly, strings of saliva stretching between them—but almost immediately, all that spilled moisture was forced right back inside.
Pei Zhi’s tongue returned harder and rougher than before. Xie Ning’s tongue was trapped and sucked tightly, pulling whimpers from him. He was genuinely a little frightened by the kisses now, and no longer dared to move too much.
It was as though Pei Zhi wanted to eat him alive—dragging at his tongue, biting and licking the tender roof of his mouth. Under the combined influence of his skin hunger and the relentless stimulation, Xie Ning had gone limp all over, trembling violently, utterly pinned in place.
Pei Zhi drew Xie Ning’s tongue out and into his own mouth. From a purely visual angle, it almost looked as though Xie Ning were the one?? sticking out his tongue to kiss him. As he sucked on it, Pei Zhi curled his fingers and said in a low, hoarse voice, “Baby, you’re so hot…”
“Don’t, Pei Zhi…” Xie Ning panted softly, but Pei Zhi was still kissing deep into his mouth. He could only beg weakly, “Don’t go so deep, mm…”
“So fragrant.” Pei Zhi kissed his lips while continuing to breathe in the sweet scent of his body. “Baby, you smell so good.”
His mouth grew increasingly sore and swollen, that one small spot rubbed over and over until it went numb. Their mingled breaths and heat turned thick and sticky. Pei Zhi sucked hard at his lips, making wet, obscene little noises.
Xie Ning had thought this was already the limit.
He had not expected Pei Zhi to be able to go even further.
Even with only two fingers pressed together, Xie Ning had already found it overwhelming, too much.
And yet Pei Zhi actually wanted to sneak in a third.
A faint cry rose in Xie Ning’s throat. He finally found a chance to lift himself a little, but because the Ferris wheel was still high in the air, the movement made the cabin sway slightly. That tiny shift was enough to frighten him out of his senses, and in his panic he collapsed back down.
“Ah—”
Dragged by gravity, Xie Ning toppled helplessly back toward where he had been. A sound close to a gag escaped his throat as he dropped without resistance straight down onto Pei Zhi’s fingers.
The long, graceful fingers that had just been visible almost two-thirds of the way were swallowed up all at once by darkness, disappearing completely from sight.
Because of the abrupt movement and the shock of it, Xie Ning folded over weakly onto Pei Zhi’s shoulder, a whimper escaping his throat like that of some small animal.
Looking at the way Xie Ning’s face went blank for an instant, Pei Zhi licked at the sweetness still left inside his mouth and asked, knowingly and wickedly, “How can you be this clumsy?”
He had practically delivered himself right into Pei Zhi’s hand.
If Pei Zhi did not already know Xie Ning’s personality, he might really have thought Xie Ning was flirting with him, that he wanted this and had simply chosen to come closer on his own.
Pei Zhi licked lightly at Xie Ning’s lips, and finally—perhaps because he had seen enough of how much he was shaking—some pity stirred within him. He patted his back gently.
The hand beneath the coat came back into view, now completely wet. The slick, transparent sheen ran all the way down, as though a little pool had collected in his palm, even wetting the wrist bone.
Pei Zhi stared at his own hand, still able to feel that warm touch, and the concentrated, heavy sweetness on it.
He took out his phone and, expressionless, snapped a picture of the moisture pooled in his palm, recording that exact moment.
Then, staring at his own hand—with a face so calm and rational it almost looked cold—he held out for barely a few seconds before breaking. Like a half-starved wolfdog, he hurriedly buried his face into his palm and licked, sucking greedily.
The way he devoured it was frantic and utterly unrestrained, as if he were afraid someone might steal it from him.
Pei Zhi swept everything up with desperate thoroughness. A small part of it had soaked into the clothing and gone to waste. He looked at that with obvious regret and disappointment.
Then, just like that, he returned to that composed, self-possessed expression again, as though none of the loss of control just now had been real. He lowered his head and kissed Xie Ning’s cheek, whispering, “Baby, you’re really so sweet. And really incredible…”
“There was… so much.” Pei Zhi wickedly bit his earlobe. “Even my hand couldn’t hold all of it.”
Xie Ning’s head was a complete mess. Tears had already soaked his lashes. Pei Zhi’s indecent voice was right there at his ear. With a trace of tears in his tone, he cursed softly, “You bastard.”
In the past, Xie Ning would never have said something like that. That alone showed how completely thrown off he was now, as if he had really been played into silliness and could only say something this childish.
Pei Zhi froze for a brief moment. He ought to have felt guilty.
But instead… he found himself having a thought so excessive that even he felt like an animal, like a?? for thinking it.
Xie Ning was still dazed, still basking in the aftershock of collapse and overwhelm. That soft, hoarse voice accusing him in grievance, the dazed and unfocused beauty of his face…
There was simply no threat in it at all.
Lifting Xie Ning’s chin, Pei Zhi looked at those lips that still breathed out warm, sweet fragrance and kissed him again.
“I am a bastard,” he said.
