Chapter 66
Pei Zhi was not a timid person. On the contrary, he was very bold.
But in front of Xie Ning, he was like a mouse before a cat, becoming especially cautious. He watched Xie Ning’s expression at every moment, afraid of making him unhappy.
The moment Xie Ning spoke, Pei Zhi fell silent. He bent lower, lowering his posture even more.
His cheek rested in Xie Ning’s palm as he looked up at him. “I really didn’t mean to hide it from you.”
Xie Ning said calmly, “Then tell me.”
After a moment of silence, Pei Zhi said in a very quiet voice, “Just… don’t get mad.”
Xie Ning said, “Talk first.”
Pei Zhi said, “I…”
Then stopped again.
He wanted to muddle through it, or maybe hold and kiss Xie Ning for a while first, just to ease the tension in his chest.
But Xie Ning pressed a finger to Pei Zhi’s lips, stopping him from drawing closer. His expression was faint and calm. “Pei Zhi, if you still don’t say it, I really will get angry.”
Pei Zhi said, “Fine.”
Some things sounded easy to say, but when it came to himself, the words suddenly became hard to get out.
That was exactly how Pei Zhi felt right now. He even thought maybe he should have hidden it from the start and kept it buried forever. After all, it would not necessarily affect the relationship between him and Xie Ning.
But after thinking it over carefully, he still wanted to tell him.
For one, he did not want Xie Ning to think he had once been abandoned by a childhood friend. He had always been firmly chosen. Pei Zhi had also always been waiting for him. They had only been separated for years because of an accident.
For another, Pei Zhi did not want to deceive Xie Ning.
He hugged Xie Ning tightly again, burying his face in the crook of his neck and breathing in the faint scent on him. His emotions settled a little.
Then he let go, took out his phone, removed the case, and pulled out two photos.
“Baby, look at this.” He placed the two photos in Xie Ning’s palm. His hand was damp with sweat. “Do you remember these two pictures?”
Two pictures?
Xie Ning looked closely. One of them was the photo strip they had taken at the night market on their last date. He naturally remembered that. The other was also a photo strip, but it showed two little boys.
It was also a photo strip, but this second one was clearly old. The overall color had yellowed with age, yet it had very few creases. It was obvious it had been carefully preserved.
It was a picture of two children. Xie Ning studied it. His first reaction was unfamiliarity and confusion. His second reaction was… that it looked a little familiar.
As if he had seen it somewhere before.
He looked at Pei Zhi with a half-puzzled, half-questioning gaze.
If Xie Ning’s parents had been there, they would have recognized one of the boys in the photo at a glance. It was Xie Ning as a child.
There were many childhood photo albums at home, but Xie Ning rarely opened them. Looking at his younger self dressed in all kinds of studio outfits in front of a camera always made him feel a little embarrassed, even though his parents thought he looked adorable.
That was why, when he saw the photo at first glance, it only felt familiar. He did not immediately realize it was himself.
Pei Zhi lowered his head and watched Xie Ning’s eyes, asking nervously, “What is it?”
Xie Ning said, “It feels like I’ve seen it somewhere before.”
Suddenly, Xie Ning’s brows drew together. His gaze fixed on the right side of the photo, where the little boy wore a plastic crown on his head. Childhood memories surged up like floodwaters after a gate had burst open, rushing over him all at once.
Xie Ning jerked his head up to look at Pei Zhi. “This is my photo. How do you have…”
“You…”
A possibility surfaced in his mind, but because it was both too coincidental and too unbelievable, he did not dare acknowledge it right away.
By current standards, that plastic crown was not especially pretty. If anything, it was the kind of cheap thing that would have been discarded long ago. But compared to the paper crown Xie Ning had worn at first, it was much prettier.
And what child would understand value? Even if it was plastic, because it was a birthday crown, it was still beautiful enough in their eyes.
That crown was still displayed on Xie Ning’s bookshelf even now.
Xie Ning stared straight at Pei Zhi. Neither of them spoke. After a moment, Pei Zhi turned Xie Ning’s hand over and clasped it, threading his fingers into the gaps between his.
As their fingers locked together, Pei Zhi said, “It was me.”
“The one who walked home with you after school, went to the amusement park with you, taught you basketball… that was all me.” Seeing Xie Ning’s pupils slowly widening, he hurried to explain. “But I never got your note. I really didn’t. The day I went back to school, I waited for you under that cypress tree like always. I even snuck up onto the flower bed when the security guard wasn’t looking, thinking that if I stood higher, I might be able to see farther and spot you earlier coming out of the classroom.”
Xie Ning parted his lips soundlessly.
Of course he knew those little habits and tricks of the other boy. He had seen them with his own eyes before, and at the time, he had even asked curiously whether doing that could really help him see him sooner.
The answer he had gotten back was no.
But the other boy still did it anyway. Because while waiting, he always wanted to do something to see Xie Ning faster, even if it was completely useless.
“Baby,” Pei Zhi called softly, “I waited a very, very long time. I waited until later, when even I didn’t know what exactly I was waiting for anymore. The next day I went back to school and asked at your classroom, and that was when I found out you had moved and transferred schools.”
“No wonder when I went to your house, your door was shut.”
Xie Ning asked blankly, “You waited that long too?”
“Yes, I waited a long time. I thought you had left me behind and didn’t want to keep being friends with me. I even caught a cold afterward.” Pei Zhi said, “I asked a lot of teachers, but no one knew your new address or your new school. Your parents had changed numbers later on, but the school still had the old one… If I had known you were moving and transferring, I definitely would have transferred with you.”
“Then I would have gone to school with you, stayed your friend through middle school and high school, and gone to the same university as you.”
The voice by his ear was low and familiar. Because he was so close, Xie Ning could clearly feel the vibration against his eardrum. That faint tremor seemed to spread through his whole body before finally gathering at his chest, leaving him numb all over.
Xie Ning said, “How could it be this much of a coincidence… that we ended up at the same university?”
“It really was that much of a coincidence.” Pei Zhi asked, “Do you remember telling me that your dream school was Lantong University?”
Xie Ning said, “…I remember.”
Most children had wondered at least once whether they would go to Peking University or Tsinghua when they grew up.
Xie Ning was different. From the very beginning, his goal had been Lantong University, because it was his parents’ alma mater and the place where they had first met. Through their stories, he had always felt full of longing for that school.
Pei Zhi said, “So when I was choosing universities, that became one of my references.”
Xie Ning’s brows knitted immediately. He looked at Pei Zhi with obvious disapproval. Pei Zhi knew he had misunderstood and quickly explained, “It wasn’t entirely because of that. Coming to this school was also a result of my overall consideration. My coach recommended it too, and then there was Jing University… I considered a lot of things. I didn’t want to leave the province, and neither did my parents. This school also has professors and coaches my parents know, and they have investment projects here too. Coming here was also for the convenience of my future development.”
Xie Ning said, “Really?”
Although he felt that choosing Lantong University just because of something he had once said as a child sounded a little reckless.
But it also felt like something Pei Zhi really might do. That was just his instinct.
“Really. I swear.” Pei Zhi said, “I truly thought it through. I didn’t act recklessly. I wanted to stay local, and the ranking of Lantong’s program is one of the best in the country. If I stay in A City in the future, Lantong is the best choice. Even A University’s ranking for this major can’t compare with Lantong’s, otherwise A University would have been my first choice.”
“Though… I really did hold onto a tiny bit of wishful thinking. Maybe, maybe I’d be able to run into you.”
For the moment, Xie Ning chose to believe him.
Pei Zhi’s decision had probably been based on a combination of many factors. Otherwise… it would have been too foolish.
Xie Ning asked, “And if you hadn’t met me?”
Pei Zhi said, “Then I wouldn’t have.”
He added, “I wasn’t really counting on it anyway.”
The world was too big. Once people parted, meeting again became incredibly hard, even if they were still from the same small town.
But Pei Zhi had still held onto that tiny sliver of hope. He knew the world did not work through coincidences like that, and yet he still could not stop himself from wondering.
What if? What if his luck was just a little better?
What if there really was a miracle in this world, and he ran into Xie Ning again?
Pei Zhi said, “Every summer vacation I went back to the town to visit my grandparents, but I never once ran into you. I thought you’d come back too.”
Xie Ning said in surprise, “I did go back, but only during winter vacation.”
Because their grandparents always missed their hometown, the whole family would go back over the New Year holidays, then leave again afterward.
Pei Zhi said regretfully, “Every winter vacation my parents didn’t want to deal with New Year visits, so they’d take me away on holiday. If I’d known, I never would’ve gone… But luckily, I still found you in the end.”
Xie Ning asked, “Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”
Since Pei Zhi had recognized him as soon as university started, why hadn’t he told him then?
Pei Zhi had changed his name, and more than ten years had passed. His looks and personality had changed so much that it was normal for Xie Ning not to recognize him. But Pei Zhi was different. He could have taken the initiative and told him.
Pei Zhi rubbed Xie Ning’s fingers. Bent over as he was, he somehow looked a little vulnerable. “Because I didn’t dare.”
Xie Ning was incredulous. “Didn’t dare?”
“I didn’t dare talk to you.” Pei Zhi paused, then said, “And besides, even if I had told you at the beginning, you probably… wouldn’t have taken it too seriously.”
Too many years had already passed.
No matter how close childhood relationships were, once you grew up, things changed. Especially when there had been no contact for so long.
Xie Ning said, “You do understand me.”
At least in this respect, Pei Zhi really did.
What Pei Zhi said was true. If he had come to Xie Ning at the start and said they were childhood playmates, Xie Ning would not have had any particularly strong emotional reaction. At most, he would have been surprised and a little sentimental.
He was not someone who liked staying in the past. Besides, all of that had happened a very, very long time ago.
Pei Zhi knew that Xie Ning was someone who lived in the present and valued the present, so he had not rushed to expose that connection between them.
What he had thought about more was how to build a new relationship with him.
Unfortunately, Xie Ning had grown up. He was no longer as easy to coax as when he was little, no longer a child who could be made happy with a tiny toy.
Pei Zhi said, “There were so many things I wanted to say to you, but I didn’t dare.”
“First, I was afraid you really had wanted to cut ties with the child I used to be. Back then… I stole a kiss from you and failed to coax you properly afterward. You must have really hated me, so you didn’t want to be friends anymore and never told me you were moving. And second… the way you are now, you’re just too dazzling.”
His long lashes trembled slightly. Xie Ning lifted his dark eyes and looked at him, confusion and puzzlement in their clear depths.
Dazzling?
Pei Zhi kissed his fingers. “Baby, you’re like the moon in the sky. I only dare look at your reflection on the lake…”
“Speak properly.” Xie Ning said expressionlessly.
“Okay, fine. Was that too corny? I’m not suited to the artsy type, am I?” Pei Zhi looked a little embarrassed. “I thought I sounded kind of poetic. I wanted to show off a little in front of you. My Chinese grades were actually pretty good. I even wrote a poem once, and my homeroom teacher praised me for being talented.”
Experience had proven that the person you liked at first sight was someone you could go on liking again and again afterward.
No matter how many years passed, no matter how much both of you changed in appearance, it did not affect the truest part of those feelings.
The moment Pei Zhi saw Xie Ning again, that childhood feeling of wanting to get close to him returned. But this time, it was also slightly different. His mind was more mature now. Unlike the reckless boy he had once been, the current him had learned patience and restraint.
Compared to when he was little, Xie Ning now looked even more aloof. The soft baby fat was gone from his face, and both his features and bone structure were stunning enough to stand out among ten thousand others.
When he walked, he carried himself with a striking kind of cold pride, his gaze straight ahead, not wandering. Under his long lashes was a pair of cool, detached eyes, and the refined, remote air around him made him seem like a bright moon hanging high in the night sky, impossible to approach.
Pei Zhi often heard classmates talking about him. What they discussed most was Xie Ning’s cold beauty and his shockingly beautiful face. Many admirers did not dare pursue him and could only secretly pine for him in corners.
Pei Zhi, who had never feared anything, had actually started hesitating.
As he slowly rubbed Xie Ning’s fingers, preparing to confess everything in one go, he added, “I also pulled a few strings with your dorm transfer. Otherwise, you never would’ve been assigned to my room.”
Xie Ning: “…”
So that was what had happened. No wonder, when he changed dorms, he had ended up in the sports department. There had clearly been several empty rooms in his own school department at the time.
A transfer from the arts department to the sports department really was uncommon.
Xie Ning lowered his eyes to look at him. Pei Zhi’s expression seemed almost smug about all the little schemes he had secretly set up.
Pei Zhi lowered his head again and kissed his hand, making a loud, wet sound. Then he said, “I was always trying to find ways to fuss over you. I wanted to get close to you, but I didn’t dare speak to you.”
“So I only dared think about it in my head.”
Xie Ning asked, “And what were you thinking in your head? Tell me.”
Pei Zhi said, “I really wasn’t thinking anything. It was all perfectly proper.”
Xie Ning said, “You never thought anything excessive?”
With the straightest expression possible, Pei Zhi looked at him as if he were about to swear an oath. “I promise, no.”
Another promise.
The facts had already proved that Pei Zhi’s promises meant next to nothing. Every time he promised he would not do something, he always ended up doing it inside and out, then conveniently doing a little extra to reward himself.
Xie Ning asked, “Really not?”
Pei Zhi said, “No.”
“You never secretly called me your wife in your head?” Xie Ning asked.
Pei Zhi’s eyes flickered. “No.”
In reality, he had.
But there had been a reason. One time he had wandered onto the forums, and a lot of people were calling Xie Ning “wife” under posts about him. Looking at the screen full of “wife,” he had suddenly felt irritated. Why could all those people call Xie Ning that?
No. He wanted to call him that too.
It was just in his own head, anyway. No one could hear it. So that should have been fine, right?
Xie Ning gave a small nod and did not argue. Instead, he continued, “And you never thought in your head about… how you wanted to take me?”
That same light, floating tone again, paired with that cool, detached expression. Pei Zhi’s breathing turned ragged all at once. He gripped Xie Ning’s shoulders, his Adam’s apple bobbing hard, and said hoarsely, “I did. I always think about it.”
“I’m thinking about it now too.”
Xie Ning said, “You’re not allowed to.”
“You won’t even let me think about it. Baby, how can you be like this?” Looking at Xie Ning’s cold, distant expression, Pei Zhi was practically entranced. He rubbed his head against Xie Ning’s neck like a big dog, his voice muffled. “Baby… you smell so good.”
Xie Ning: “…”
Pei Zhi’s contrast before and after was too extreme.
All this time, Pei Zhi’s image in Xie Ning’s mind had been cold, aloof, quiet, and uninterested in dealing with people.
And Xie Ning could understand that. Although he did not pay much attention to the outside world, he had still heard people say that Pei Zhi was extremely capable in his field. He had even won gold medals in several national-level competitions, apparently. Xie Ning did not know the exact details, but in any case, it was only natural for someone that gifted to carry a bit of pride.
When Xie Ning had first moved into the same dorm room as him, he had actually been cautious. Switching dorms was already troublesome enough. He did not want more complications afterward, and he definitely did not want roommate conflict.
So he had restrained himself and kept his distance from Pei Zhi as much as possible, trying to reduce unnecessary interaction and stay out of his way.
But he never knew that, on Pei Zhi’s side, that evasive attitude came across as rejection.
Pei Zhi said, “When I treated the dorm to food before, you wouldn’t eat it. No matter what I gave you, you refused it. But if someone else gave you something, you’d take it.”
Xie Ning explained, “…It wasn’t everything.”
If it was not too expensive—small local specialties and things like that, items whose value was more about the thought than the price—he would still accept them.
What Pei Zhi gave the dorm roommates was too expensive. He could understand giving gifts to the other two roommates, since they had known each other so long and were also classmates in the same major. But for him, there was no need.
He had only just moved in, and if Pei Zhi happened to bring him a gift too, it was probably just out of basic roommate courtesy. He should have had the self-awareness to politely decline.
That was how he had thought about it.
“I know you probably thought I looked pretty cold. Better to avoid extra trouble and not get involved with me.”
The soft fingers in his hand seemed boneless. He kneaded them absentmindedly in a childish way, yet still refused to let go.
Then he murmured to himself, “Sometimes I’d joke to myself that it would be nice if you really did have mind-reading powers.”
“If you had that kind of power, you’d know how much I wanted you.” Pei Zhi lifted his eyes, leaning in until his nose brushed against Xie Ning’s. His voice was low and hoarse. “I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to get close to you.”
That was why, one night when he saw a shooting star, he had made such a foolish birthday wish.
Xie Ning said, “I heard it all.”
Originally, Xie Ning would never have gotten close to Pei Zhi. He had little interest in making friends, especially not with someone like Pei Zhi… someone who looked difficult to approach.
It was only when he heard Pei Zhi’s thoughts on the first day that he had vaguely realized this roommate… might not be quite what he had imagined.
Xie Ning rarely felt curious about a person or a thing. But that suddenly appearing mind-reading ability, paired with Pei Zhi’s huge contrast between inner thoughts and outward appearance, made something in him shift.
He became a little curious.
And because of that, his attention drifted.
Pei Zhi had hoped Xie Ning might hear the longing in his heart and be drawn in by it.
But he had known that was impossible.
What he never knew—
was that the very moment Xie Ning really could hear his thoughts, a miracle was born.
“Heard? Heard what? My thoughts?” Pei Zhi laughed softly. “Xie Ning, it kind of feels like you like me a lot too. Otherwise, why would you say things like that just to coax me?”
Xie Ning: “…”
Seeing the odd look on his face, Pei Zhi pinched the base of his fingers. “Don’t be mad anymore. I shouldn’t have hidden it from you.”
Xie Ning said, “I’m not mad.”
Pei Zhi asked, “Really?”
“Mm.” The moment Xie Ning responded, Pei Zhi’s joy became obvious.
Xie Ning was helpless instead. “Do you really think I get angry that easily?”
Pei Zhi corrected him. “It’s not that you get angry easily. It’s that I’m afraid of making you angry.”
Xie Ning said, “Is there a difference?”
“Of course there is. Those are two different things.” Pei Zhi explained, “Your emotions are important to me. You can be even-tempered and choose not to get angry, but I can’t be the one who makes you angry.”
“Really?” Xie Ning’s eyes lifted slightly at the corners. “But you’re always making me angry.”
Pei Zhi played dumb. “When?”
Xie Ning said, “You know perfectly well.”
The two of them spoke in riddles, and the childishness of the exchange made Pei Zhi’s lips curl up without his control. He leaned in until his face was nearly touching Xie Ning’s. “When exactly have I made you angry? When I say reckless things? Like—for example—”
Pressing close to Xie Ning’s ear, he deliberately lowered his voice, adding a breathy edge as he said, “Brother Xie Ning, can you let me have you?”
Xie Ning said flatly, “Can you be serious for once?”
His face was pushed away, only for Pei Zhi to shamelessly stick himself right back. “Am I not serious enough? Your parents like me a lot. They even said I’m decent and very polite.”
Xie Ning exposed him. “That was all an act.”
“If it’s convincing enough to pass as the real thing, then it doesn’t count as acting.” Pei Zhi replied without shame.
Xie Ning fell silent, then found it a little funny.
He was really having this kind of childish back-and-forth with Pei Zhi, like two little kids bickering. And for a brief moment, he thought that his younger self had indeed not liked talking much—just as his parents said, his temperament had been somewhat quiet and withdrawn.
But in front of Pei Zhi, he seemed to talk more.
And he also liked things like this now—deliberately arguing with Pei Zhi, deliberately going against his words, deliberately teasing him, pretending to be angry just to make Pei Zhi come coax him again.
Since Pei Zhi had already revealed everything, there was probably not much left he was still hiding. So perhaps he should also be a little honest and tell him one of his own secrets.
For example… the mind-reading.
Xie Ning straightened slightly. Pulling back the hand Pei Zhi kept kissing, he cupped Pei Zhi’s face in both hands and said very seriously, “There’s something I’ve hidden from you too.”
Pei Zhi: “?”
He immediately perked up. “What is it?”
Xie Ning held back for suspense. “It has to do with you.”
Pei Zhi’s expression grew even more serious. “With me?”
“Mm. One of your little secrets.” Xie Ning thought for a second, then added, “And mine too.”
Pei Zhi said, “I swear, I don’t have any more secrets from you.”
“Not those.” Xie Ning cut him off. “Listen to me.”
With their eyes locked, Xie Ning stared straight into his. Pei Zhi somehow looked even more nervous than he did, a sheen of sweat already appearing on his forehead.
Finally, Xie Ning said, “I can read minds.”
“I can hear your thoughts.”
For a long time, there was complete silence.
Just when Xie Ning was starting to wonder whether Pei Zhi had been frightened stupid, Pei Zhi calmly answered, “Mm. I know. And then?”
This time it was Xie Ning who froze. “You know I can read minds?”
The corners of Pei Zhi’s mouth lifted. Bending down, he examined the little expression of surprise on Xie Ning’s face, then could not resist sticking out his tongue and licking Xie Ning’s lips. Afterward, in a thoroughly satisfied tone, he said, “Hasn’t our Ning-baby always had superpowers? So impressive.”
Xie Ning: “…”
With a dark expression, Xie Ning shoved him away, sat down on the edge of the bed by himself, and slipped under the covers, planning to take a nap.
Even that did not feel like enough. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He grabbed a pillow and hurled it at Pei Zhi.
Pei Zhi did not dodge at all. He pretended it hurt and let out a pained groan. Then he pitifully crawled under the blanket too and wrapped his arms around Xie Ning’s waist. “What’s wrong, baby? Why are you suddenly mad?”
Xie Ning was so irritated he could barely get the words out.
Pei Zhi had not believed him at all.
Even at a time like this, Pei Zhi still thought he was flirting with him, treating it all as some sort of private game.
Xie Ning said, “I’m not telling you anymore. I’m sleepy. I’m going to sleep.”
Pei Zhi said, “Then let’s sleep together—”
“No.” Xie Ning refused. “Go to the guest room.”
Pei Zhi truly had no idea what he had done wrong, or why his right to sleep together had suddenly been revoked. He hugged Xie Ning tightly, his voice muffled. “But I want to sleep with you, wife.”
Xie Ning asked coldly, “If you want it, does that mean I have to give it to you?”
That emotionless challenge made something in Pei Zhi react on the spot.
Xie Ning was both exasperated and helpless. He pressed a hand against Pei Zhi’s chest, as if trying to force some distance between them, but when he bent one leg, his knee accidentally brushed against him. The effect was immediate. Pei Zhi’s eyes reddened in an instant.
Pei Zhi felt tortured. His voice turned hoarse at once. “No, but I want—”
Xie Ning said, “You’re not allowed to.”
Pei Zhi said, “Wife, I don’t want to. I’ll listen to you. I won’t want it anymore.”
His lowered brows and obedient demeanor made Xie Ning almost laugh. He knew Pei Zhi’s reactions too well. Pei Zhi very clearly wanted it, and yet he was pretending not to.
His whole face was strained, his eyes even faintly bloodshot.
Xie Ning shifted a little farther away. Then that pale foot, delicate enough to seem like it could fit into a single hand, pressed down lightly.
The rounded nails carried a faint pink tint, and every toe was plump and smooth, like shells washed clean by white waves, gleaming with a soft, translucent luster.
Pei Zhi’s gaze followed involuntarily. He licked his dry lips and wanted to reach out and grip that slim ankle, but didn’t dare. His hand stopped stiffly in midair, leaving him looking both eager and helpless as he stared at Xie Ning.
Xie Ning only ground down slightly, as if he were merely adjusting his position. He said lightly, “Weren’t you so hard a moment ago? Why has your attitude gone soft so quickly?”
Pei Zhi’s hoarse response came back at once. “Just my attitude?”
Xie Ning played dumb. His clear eyes returned the look without a trace of emotion. His red lips moved slightly. “What else would it be?”
His tone was light, but his foot was the opposite—applying a little more pressure.
The cold white light shone on Xie Ning’s face, making his skin seem as white as snow and lending his whole bearing an even cooler elegance. But that calm gaze of his almost scorched Pei Zhi alive.
The emotion in Pei Zhi’s chest felt as if it had been steeped in hot water, turning sticky and drawn-out, stretched into endless strands.
My wife is way too hot…
Damn, I’m really going to get a nosebleed. Her feet are so small and pale… They look even smaller than my hand.
If only she’d sit closer.
She probably wouldn’t… She looks so cold and indifferent, but actually her face is still pretty thin-skinned. Probably no chance.
Stop thinking, Pei Zhi. That’s too??.
You can’t make your wife angry again.
Before long—
just as Xie Ning had expected, Pei Zhi’s inner voice rose again.
Could we maybe skip it?
My wife is too skinny. Her belly is so thin, hardly any flesh at all. It’s probably because she never eats properly. From now on I’ll have to watch her carefully. Every meal, I’ll feed her myself. I’ll cook for her, little by little, feed her until she’s full, get everything into her. Once she’s full, her stomach will slowly round out, like she ate too much, and it won’t look so flat anymore.
Xie Ning’s fingers curled slightly. With a hint of warning, he pressed his sole down harder. “Don’t think about it.”
A muffled sound escaped Pei Zhi’s throat. He answered hoarsely, “I’m not.”
“Liar.” Xie Ning could feel Pei Zhi getting worse by the second. That was the most direct proof there was. “You’re still thinking about it.”
Pei Zhi refused to admit it.
After all, Xie Ning couldn’t know what he was thinking. As long as he insisted he wasn’t thinking about anything improper, Xie Ning could hardly convict him.
Pei Zhi thought about all the things he should and shouldn’t—shower room, sink, balcony, garden, swimming pool… The more he thought, the hotter he got. His body temperature seemed to rise with every thought, the skin at his neck flushing red, veins standing out boldly.
Even in this state, he still stubbornly insisted, “I’m not thinking about anything.”
Xie Ning’s foot was practically being scorched through, yet Pei Zhi was still claiming otherwise.
The cool, elegant gaze lowered slowly. Xie Ning lifted his foot away and instead leaned forward. He was only wearing a thin shirt, and in the light it almost showed the line of his narrow waist underneath.
Under Pei Zhi’s fixed stare, Xie Ning moved even closer. The buttons at his collar were all fastened. He was dressed conservatively and not much skin showed, yet somehow that only made him… incredibly provocative to Pei Zhi.
“Really not thinking about it?” Xie Ning asked softly. “You didn’t think about the floor-length mirror, the balcony, the garden, the swimming pool?”
Pei Zhi’s breathing stopped for a beat.
He wanted to catch Xie Ning’s hand, but suddenly it was his own that got caught.
Slender, soft fingers rested lightly on his arm. Against Pei Zhi’s darker skin, that white flesh looked all the more fair and flawless.
Beneath thick black lashes were eyes as calm as still water. As Xie Ning spoke, his lips moved, and the tip of his small red tongue flickered at the gap between them. “For example—”
“In the garden at my house. Since I never eat properly, you’d be afraid I’d go hungry, so you wouldn’t use one. And since you’d worry I still wouldn’t be able to eat enough, you’d feed me yourself, until I was so full my stomach showed that little overstuffed curve…”
When Xie Ning finished, there was no response.
Only the low hum of the air conditioner filled the room.
Besides that, he could hear Pei Zhi’s harsh breathing—and the obvious look of losing control on his face.
Just as Xie Ning was about to sit back upright, Pei Zhi asked hoarsely, “Why’d you stop there?”
“Should I finish?” Xie Ning glanced downward with clear disdain. “If I do, you’ll just get even more excited, won’t you?”
His fingertip lightly tapped Pei Zhi’s throat.
He saw the line of Pei Zhi’s jaw tighten further. Xie Ning curled his lips slightly and, taking his time, completed the next sentence.
“And then how exactly would you deal with it?”
“Right in front of me?”
The world spun for Xie Ning in an instant. Like prey pounced on by a predator, he found himself immediately trapped in a disadvantageous position.
Pei Zhi lunged and knocked him back, like a beast driven to the edge, finally unable to hold back that greedy, intense hunger any longer.
His hair was in disarray, his breathing completely wrecked.
Even his voice had turned impossibly low and rough.
“…Don’t say any more.”
Pei Zhi had…truly been driven over the edge.
