Chapter 61
Pei Zhi had appeared too suddenly, like the blizzard sweeping across northern Los Angeles, bringing with it an overwhelming aftershock.
Even though several minutes had already passed and Xie Ning had accepted the reality of it, his heart was still beating at an exaggerated pace as he looked at Pei Zhi in a daze.
“But you were in contact with me the whole time…” Xie Ning suddenly recalled that some of Pei Zhi’s updates in the middle had indeed been a little strange.
Normally, Pei Zhi’s status updates were very detailed. He reported everything, from eating to sleeping to every little daily matter, and if he could include a photo, even better. But for one stretch of time, he had only sent a picture of a dining table, then a close-up of a blanket and his hand, saying he was about to nap for a bit.
Xie Ning had not thought much of it. He had always trusted Pei Zhi completely.
Because he could not think of any reason for Pei Zhi to deceive him.
Xie Ning asked, “Did you charter a flight? Or was it a private jet?”
“A private jet,” Pei Zhi said. “I started rushing the route approval a while ago and also submitted a flight application to civil aviation control. The schedule was tight, but luckily it got approved.”
“The final night’s event wasn’t that important anyway. It was basically just eating, drinking, and looking around at some local attractions. I asked the coach for some time off.”
The second hand ticked forward, one second at a time, until it landed on 12:00.
Their phone screens lit up at once as platform notifications began popping up, all of them celebrating the arrival of Christmas.
“I got lucky. Everything went smoothly. The approvals came through, and the coach let me leave.” Pei Zhi lowered his head and kissed Xie Ning’s forehead. In his dark pupils was the reflection of Xie Ning’s face. “And I didn’t go back on my word.”
“On Christmas Day, I’m still by your side.”
Because he did not want to break his promise, he had gone to such lengths just to make it to Los Angeles on Christmas Eve night?
Xie Ning was a little stunned, though he did not truly care about the ceremonial detail itself. He did not place much importance on things like that. But the little details he did not care about were precisely the ways Pei Zhi showed how much he cared about him.
Pei Zhi had been so busy lately, juggling the exchange program and the flight, and chasing every department to get things moving. Xie Ning reached up and touched Pei Zhi’s cheek. “Are you tired?”
“I’m not tired. I just missed you.” Pei Zhi lowered his head and pressed the side of his face into Xie Ning’s palm, tilting a little as though making it easier for him to stroke. “I really missed you. I wanted to see you sooner. I wanted to hold you.”
If it had been anyone else, hearing words like that, they might have thought he was lying. They were both adults. How could he possibly only want a hug?
But through Pei Zhi’s inner thoughts, Xie Ning knew Pei Zhi was not lying.
At first, Pei Zhi had indeed thought of many things that were far more excessive. But the instant he saw him, all those wicked thoughts had vanished, and all that remained was the urge to hold him.
Though Xie Ning was not certain whether Pei Zhi’s thoughts might change later.
Xie Ning wrapped his arms around Pei Zhi’s waist. “Then you can hold me now.”
Pei Zhi returned the embrace. Their size difference made it so Xie Ning fit perfectly into Pei Zhi’s arms. The way they held each other was like one enclosing the other, their embrace close and seamless.
Pei Zhi held Xie Ning tightly by the waist, lowered his head, and kissed his cheek. Then he asked, “What about you? Did you miss me?”
Xie Ning did not answer. So Pei Zhi repeated the question again and again while kissing his face, kissing every inch of it, then tracing upward along his jawline to kiss the edge of his ear.
It tickled a little, and Xie Ning reached up to catch Pei Zhi’s hand, trying to stop him, only to have his wrist caught instead.
His body was gently pushed against the glass door of the balcony as a dark shadow closed over him. Pressing him there, Pei Zhi asked again.
“Did you miss me?” Pei Zhi’s breathing was slightly uneven, but his gaze stayed fixed on Xie Ning. “Xie Ning, answer me.”
Pei Zhi kept demanding an answer. He asked that question many times every day, but this was the first time he had asked it face to face.
He wanted the answer so badly he could barely wait.
Xie Ning had never liked saying such openly sentimental things, but Pei Zhi loved hearing them and always pressed him for them. Every time, Xie Ning felt embarrassed. Yet in the end, under Pei Zhi’s relentless insistence, he always found himself doing something he normally would not have done—giving him a clear answer.
“Yes.”
Pei Zhi smiled. “What does yes mean?”
“I missed you.”
“When did you miss me?”
Xie Ning said, “All the time.”
“Don’t brush me off like that. Was it yesterday? Today? Or…” Pei Zhi’s fingers curved lightly as they brushed Xie Ning’s damp eye corner. As he lowered his head, his voice dropped with it. “Every day?”
“…Every day.”
“Me too.” Pei Zhi lifted Xie Ning’s face in both hands and sucked lightly at his lips. “I missed you every day. I wanted to see you, and I wanted to hold you.”
Xie Ning could not stand how sticky and sweet the atmosphere had become. “All right, Pei Zhi. Sit here for a while. I’m going outside to see if there’s any ointment…”
He was still thinking about Pei Zhi’s hands. They had been outside in the freezing cold for so long. Shouldn’t he put something on them?
But Pei Zhi did not care. “Don’t bother with them.”
Xie Ning looked at him.
“Your husband isn’t that delicate.” Pei Zhi raised his hand and held it in front of Xie Ning. “The only delicate one in our family is you.”
Xie Ning was speechless.
Still, he picked up Pei Zhi’s hand and examined it carefully.
It actually did not seem all that serious… aside from being a little red and blue from the cold. Maybe it also helped that Xie Ning’s room was on a lower floor.
Pei Zhi’s physical condition really was very good. If it had been Xie Ning in weather like that, he would have frozen long ago and would not have been able to speak. Pei Zhi, on the other hand, was still this lively.
Xie Ning went to look through the wardrobe for clothes. He did not have anything in his own room that Pei Zhi could wear, but if he went to the large dressing room outside, he should be able to find something.
Sponsors were always sending clothes to the house, and for convenience, his parents had them all stored in the big shared dressing room.
There had to be something there that would fit Pei Zhi.
Meanwhile, Pei Zhi had become completely absorbed in taking in Xie Ning’s room.
Xie Ning’s room was divided into several areas. The bedroom itself was not large, but it was very cozy. Along the balcony was a display shelf with books and little ornaments. A soft rug covered the reddish-brown floor. Beside the bedroom were the dressing room and bathroom. Going out in the other direction led to a small sitting room.
That sitting room was even larger than the bedroom, with a wall-length bookcase filled with books in all kinds of languages. Beside it were several blank white figures. The window was a floor-to-ceiling one, draped with soft curtains and a dreamy layer of sheer white fabric.
The sofa was piled with oddly shaped cushions, and directly in front of it sat a projector. In one corner stood a colorful sculpture, which looked like something Xie Ning had made himself.
Pei Zhi could almost imagine what Xie Ning must have looked like here in the past.
He must have lounged on the sofa, surrounded by the cushions, while sunlight streamed in through the window and illuminated the words on the pages of his book.
He would lazily turn the pages, the quiet rustle of paper sounding through the room, his expression peaceful and beautiful.
Every corner of the room was filled with traces of Xie Ning having lived there, and Pei Zhi suddenly felt as though he had stepped into Xie Ning’s private territory. It was different from Xie Ning’s apartment.
That place had clearly only ever been a place to sleep. There was barely anything in the fridge. Other than resting there, Xie Ning probably hardly ever went back.
When Xie Ning returned, he found Pei Zhi still looking around with endless curiosity. He did not know what there was to see. The decor and arrangement of the room were very ordinary.
He was just about to head out again when Pei Zhi pulled him back.
Pei Zhi wrapped him in a hug, displeased. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going out to see if there are clothes that fit you.” Xie Ning lightly tapped Pei Zhi’s shoulder with his finger. “You’re too big.”
“I don’t want you to go.” Pei Zhi said, “I want to stay with you.”
Xie Ning tried to reason with him. “You’re not cold anymore now. You can go take a quick shower. I’ll go look for clothes, and by the time you’re done, I’ll be back.”
“You need a shower too.”
“I do,” Xie Ning said. “But not together.”
Pei Zhi frowned slightly, his dissatisfaction deepening. Then he suddenly looked miserable. “What do I do? My hands suddenly hurt a little. I don’t think I can move them anymore. If I shower later, I won’t even be able to take off my clothes. Baby, maybe I’ll have to ask you to help.”
“Why don’t we just shower together? That way… we can save on the water bill too.”
Xie Ning: “…”
Save on the water bill? How could Pei Zhi even say that?
“Wife, my hands hurt so much.”
“Really? Then I’ll call emergency services and send you to the hospital, so a doctor can help you.” Xie Ning said coolly. “And while they’re at it, they can take a look at your sore hand.”
“No, no.” Pei Zhi immediately dropped the act. “Baby, we’ve only just finally met. I don’t want to be apart from you for even a second. I missed you so much. I want to hold you.”
Xie Ning asked, “Just hold me?”
His expression turned bright for a second. “Also want to fuck you.”
Xie Ning: “…Stop pretending to be cute.”
Pei Zhi asked expectantly, “So can I?”
Xie Ning replied flatly, “No.”
“All right.” Pei Zhi retreated a step. “Then how about kissing and hugging? Is that okay?”
Actually, it was not that it absolutely wasn’t. But seeing that expression on Pei Zhi’s face, Xie Ning suddenly felt like teasing him. “No.”
“Go wash up by yourself.”
Pei Zhi really wanted to shower with him.
He wasn’t lying. He truly did miss Xie Ning, to the point where he didn’t want to be apart for even a second. He had gone through so much just to get to Los Angeles. Now that he had finally seen Xie Ning, he wanted nothing more than to keep him stuck to his side, even down to swallowing his words whole.
Even if showering separately would only mean ten minutes apart—or even less, if he showered quickly—it still felt unbearable.
He needed to keep Xie Ning in sight.
His voice softened. “Baby… I’m begging you.”
“Beg me?” Xie Ning asked. “Speak properly—what are you begging for?”
Pei Zhi: “I beg you, please take a shower with me.”
He wracked his brain trying to come up with an excuse. “Back when we were video calling, you didn’t wipe yourself clean before hanging up the call. Let me take a look to see if you cleaned yourself up properly, okay?”
Xie Ning was left speechless: “…That was two days ago.”
Pei Zhi kept wearing him down, nuzzling against his neck and throwing out a barrage of “baby” and “wife.” Speechless, Xie Ning slapped Pei Zhi’s face away. “No.”
At the very least, not right now.
Pei Zhi looked down at Xie Ning, his deep-set eyes dark and heavy, as if suppressing some primal instinct. Staring at the subtle flush at the corners of Xie Ning’s eyes, his Adam’s apple rolled as he asked in a hoarse voice, “Then after I’m officially made your boyfriend, I can?”
Xie Ning: “Mhm.”
Whatever happens after becoming official can be discussed after becoming official.
Having received Xie Ning’s answer, Pei Zhi’s expression softened somewhat. Even so, he was still forcibly enduring. Bending down to breathe in the fragrance radiating from Xie Ning’s body at close proximity, he suddenly blurted out: “Baby, the day I become official… I will truly fuck you to death.”
Pei Zhi’s tone turned abruptly fierce, his sharp, handsome features displaying a faint twist without a trace of provocation—it was a brutal backlash that came from being restrained to the absolute limit.
His gaze similarly held a thread of ferocity, his breathing heavy and ragged. He stared into Xie Ning’s eyes with a direct, scorching intensity that brought to mind a ravenous beast starved to the absolute extreme.
The difference in their sizes was massive; pressed against the wall by Pei Zhi and trapped in his embrace, Xie Ning’s already slender frame appeared all the more delicate.
Yet facing Pei Zhi’s relentless pressure, he didn’t show a single trace of fear, his expression remaining cool and indifferent, looking entirely at ease.
Pei Zhi was extraordinarily tall, his over 1.9-meter frame paired with a handsome, deep-set face giving off an exceptionally suffocating pressure.
And right now, mixed into this pressure was an intensely thick sensation of hunger; the way he stared at Xie Ning was filled with unreserved possessiveness and appetite.
Yes, appetite.
He wanted to devour Xie Ning whole.
Pei Zhi had always possessed an extreme level of possessiveness and craving toward Xie Ning, the concentration of which ran far deeper than what Xie Ning could see on the surface.
Xie Ning suddenly thought that he felt a lot like feeding himself to a tiger—using himself to tame a fierce beast. He teased the beast’s appetite bit by bit, yet never allowed the beast to eat its fill.
In the beginning, the beast could still restrain its instincts, but over time, its defense line was beginning to crumble. Right now, the beast was hovering right on the edge of losing control.
Once it crossed that breaking point, unpredictable things were bound to happen.
Xie Ning wasn’t particularly curious by nature; on the contrary, he viewed everything rather indifferently.
Yet, in this regard, he found himself curious at times.
Curious about where that breaking point lay.
Curious about what would happen after control was lost.
Which was why Xie Ning suddenly changed his mind.
In the split second when a disappointed and gloomy Pei Zhi turned around to head toward the bathroom, Xie Ning suddenly reached out his hand, hooking his fingers into Pei Zhi’s collar and pulling him back in his direction.
A shadow descended like a ferocious beast, dark shadows swallowing Xie Ning’s vision bit by bit. Meeting Pei Zhi’s somewhat astonished gaze, Xie Ning extended his slender, fair arms, slowly wrapping them around Pei Zhi’s neck.
Xie Ning’s expression remained flat, his tone extremely soft: “Then let’s shower together.”
“Let me see how you’re going to fuck me to death.”
