CH 81

Translated by Neirith

Episode Ten – The “Basics” of Love Life (2)

Tightly constricted with both arms bound to his chest, Xia Zhi could only hop forward like a mummy. He followed behind Ye Qia, howling the entire time, but could only watch helplessly as the other unhurriedly brewed himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and leaned on the counter, laughing.

“You did this on purpose, right?” Xia Zhi snarled through grit teeth. “You definitely did this on purpose! I’m not done with you!”

“I just wanted to test out how strong the clothes are.” Ye Qia stated as he grinned, “Looks like they’re pretty strong.”

“Lies! These clothes are too tight, this cowboy, ahh! Why don’t you come try… fuck!”

While Xia Zhi was spouting expletives, Ye Qia suddenly pushed his chest. He fell backwards like a block of wood. Frightened, he tried to adjust himself but was powerless to do so. Just as he was feeling alarmed, Ye Qia took a step forward and accurately grabbed the ring on his chest, leaving him hanging in the air.

With a body full of cold sweat, Xia Zhi opened his eyes to see Ye Qia slowly pulling him upright. Then, he leaned forward and brought their noses close together, saying ambiguously, “How do you feel?”

Without the least bit of hesitation, Xia Zhi rammed his head against Ye Qia’s!

Ye Qia had escaped from this before, but this time, he wasn’t so lucky. With a shout, he grabbed his forehead, letting go of Xia Zhi, who fell to the ground. 

Two people rolled around on the floor together, crying out in pain. When he could cry no more, Xia Zhi was the first to speak. He said, “You asshole! If you’re unhappy, say something! If you don’t say anything, how would I know! I can’t read your mind! What did I do wrong? Or am I misunderstanding?”

He wriggled around for a bit before he was able to sit up. He saw Ye Qia sitting on the floor, holding his forehead, watching him without saying anything. The look in his eyes was the same as a deranged murderer. Xia Zhi shuddered and whispered quietly, “Are you okay?”

“It’s my fault.” Ye Qia suddenly raised his head. “You didn’t misunderstand. I’ve been really upset lately.”

Stunned, Xia Zhi questioned, “Why?”

“Because you suddenly… Changed.”

“Changed?” Xia Zhi was baffled. “Nuh uh, I haven’t changed.”

“Before, you were always embarrassed to use the toilet in front of me. But now, you’re running all over butt naked, not even wiping your ass. You’ve become too casual around me.”

“Ah!” Xia Zhi exclaimed, “When you said I didn’t wipe my ass, you meant it literally?”

“…What did you think I meant?”

“I thought it was some sort of figure of speech.”

“Essentially, I was worried that if things continued, that someday, I would lose my interest and passion toward you.” Ye Qia held a hand on his cheek as he contemplated, “Remember how I said all my exes turned into M’s before we broke up? One of the reasons was because when they entered the circle, their private lives became unhinged. Before long, they would feel that I thought they were boring. Everything they told me were things I already knew. For instance, whipping. They would excitedly tell me about their new binding techniques, but I would only find those things to be dull. I was afraid that one day, I would find you to be dull too. That I wouldn’t want to go home, wouldn’t want to see you, then we’d break up. So, I was upset.”

As Xia Zhi listened, his brows furrowed more and more, until they resembled a 儿. He asked, “Why were you worried that you wouldn’t want to see me?”

“Because I really like you.”

“So if you don’t want to see me, then it means you don’t like me? Since you don’t like me, why does it matter if you don’t want to see me!”

Ye Qia had a disappointed look, as if he had entirely missed the point. After staying quiet for a while, he retorted angrily, “I was just worried that we would lose affection for each other, you idiot!”

Xia Zhi stared blankly at him before he similarly raged, “Then why didn’t you say so! What were you expecting to happen? Just a few days ago, you said you love me. And today, you’re worried that we’ll lose affection? Just what are you thinking?”

“I’m just preparing for the worst!”

“Shit, you just think the sky is falling!”

“It pays to be prepared!”

“Only idiots get their panties in a knot!”

“I’m just nipping it in the bud!”

“You’re up to the gills with anxiety!”

“What does ‘up to the gills with anxiety’ mean?

“Gills refer to fish gills. It means your fears are unfounded.*” *this entire exchange is full of Chinese figures of speech that don’t translate well, so I’ve replaced them with similar English ones

“Oh.” Ye Qia nodded, before returning to his previous look. “Anyways, you wouldn’t understand!”

“Well, I think we’re good as we are now.” Xia Zhi harrumphed, “What are you thinking too much for? It’s fine for now. At least, I love you for the moment, and you love me. Future things can be discussed in the future. I don’t want to think about that nonsense. You never know, maybe tomorrow I’ll be walking down the street when I’m killed by a falling flower pot and… Uhn!”

The following words were blocked by Ye Qia’s kiss. The kiss was so passionate, Xia Zhi almost forgot he was being bound. After being kissed, he even stuck out his tongue, feeling unsatisfied.

“I wanna do it.”

“Okay.” Ye Qia wasn’t without desire. When it came to love, sex was the glue that kept them together. “Well, don’t you need to undress first?”

It was only then that realization dawned on Xia Zhi. He was immediately indignant. “Fuck, I’m still not done with you! You tricked me for no reason, what for?”

“I didn’t trick you, I really wanted to test it out.” Ye Qia looked as if he were eager to give it a shot. “Lay still, I’m gonna give it a try.”

A little while later, the result was: Ye Qia sprained his wrist.

Hopping along, Xia Zhi followed Ye Qia into the kitchen, watching him grimace as he iced his wrist. He asked worriedly, “Can you do it, or not?”

“I didn’t think it would be that strong.” Ye Qia peered at his swollen wrist. “Looks like it really can’t be torn.”

“Speak less garbage, this is cowboy attire! Just who could tear it bare handed?!”

Rolling his eyes, Ye Qia replied, “This is one hundred thousand, you want it or not? Within ten minutes, find a way to rip off your clothes.”

Xia Zhi immediately felt pained. This type of benefit didn’t come every day. Lowering his head to look at his clothes, he said after thinking, “Why don’t you try cutting it a little?”

Facts determined that sometimes, even Xia Zhi had some good ideas. With a small cut, Ye Qia was able to smoothly tear away the cowboy outfit. As the outfit was being torn away, Xia Zhi almost cried. The feeling of being free was too great!

Ye Qia’s movements were very elegant. His surly muscles bulged with exertion, and he looked right out of a painting. Xia Zhi felt that he understood a bit as to why the clients would spend a hundred thousand to engage in this type of play. It was truly delightful, and the sight was pleasing to the eye!

“My turn, my turn.” When it was almost torn through, Xia Zhi interjected quickly, “Let me try!”

Facts once again determined that although Xia Zhi was occasionally hit with inspiration, he often had no self-awareness: the clothes remained untorn, and he broke a nail.

It was a type of pain indescribable to outsiders. 

With eyes full of tears, Xia Zhi clutched his fingers as he said to Ye Qia, “Give me half of the money you make this time!”

Laughing, Ye Qia said, “Okay.”

Facts determined that sometimes, things went awry. When Ye Qia came home with one million, Xia Zhi’s jaw hit the ground.

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