CH 19

H-H-He…What did he just say?

I repeated the words he just said in my mind, word by word and breaking them up to understand it. In the end, my mind put together a terrifying conclusion – is he confessing to me?

Does that mean he likes me?

He said he isn’t crazy but I think I might be the one going crazy instead. After stammering for a long time, aside from staring at him like a fool, I couldn’t squeeze out a single word.

This is the first time I am confessed to, I’m still inexperienced. What should I answer back at a time like this?

Thanks? You’re so thoughtful?

Or…I like you too?

There was a brief pause after he said that to me too. As if he was admiring the colourful explosion of fireworks – my changing expressions – on my face.

After a while, he smiled lightly and abruptly asked something completely unrelated, “Are your parents at home?”

“No…they went on a trip.”

“That’s great.” He said.

What’s…great about that?

Before I could react to what he meant by that, everything around me spun the next second and I was pressed against him all over again.

My head knocked into his chest for a bit, causing my sight to turn blurry and dizzy. I tugged on his collar and barely supported myself up. Just as I was about to spit out curses, the anger behind my words reduced by at least 30% when I looked up and saw him. “W-What are you trying to do?”

The air conditioning wasn’t switched on at home, but the curtains were pulled so the shade was still quite cooling. There was a bit of sunset light shining through the gap, making his eyes look like they were glistening so magically and beautifully. They were unreal.

He stared into my eyes and said, “What do you think?”

As soon as I saw his posture, I knew he was up to no good. Trying to take advantage of me in less than three sentences exchanged in a serious conversation. But somehow, I didn’t break away and let him press my neck down, kissing me on the lips after tilting his head.

He didn’t close his eyes when he kissed me. The light was dancing on top of his eyelashes and I couldn’t help but be lost in thought until he poked his tongue in. I thought to myself in despair, ‘Ah, I’m done for. I was tempted by beauty again.’

I probably won’t ever learn for the rest of my life.

He kissed me with unprecedented gentleness and the sensation of his tongue touching me felt like an electric current running through me. My heart went numb for a bit and eventually I lost the strength in my arms that were holding onto the sofa as they slipped on top of his shoulders.

When he released me, I was already out of breath and panting on his chest. I reluctantly thought to myself, we are both men but why is his lung capacity so much bigger?

I tilted my head sideways as gaze landed straight on his tattoo on his chest through the gap in his shirt collar.

He gazed at me with downcast eyes, suddenly reaching out to unbuttoned his collar and revealing the side of his chest with the tattoo. He lifted my hand and gently placed it on top of his tattoo.

His heart was under the palm of my hand. It’s also the place where the stamen and flame intertwined. I could feel his heartbeat slowly beating more and more powerful with each second passing, gradually accelerating as it grew warmer.

It felt hotter to the touch as time went by. I didn’t know if I was dazed or bewitched but instead of withdrawing my hand, I leaned in and gently kissed the vibrant, soft-looking flower part of the tattoo.

The breathing above me suddenly grew erratic, stiffening half a second later before he suddenly reached out to hold my thighs, lifting my entire body upwards and biting my Adam’s apple all in one fluid motion.

[The R18 part was omitted from the original chapter text, only posted on the author’s Weibo account]

By the time he was done, it was thoroughly dark outside and I was lying on the sofa, unable to move a finger. After a while, I pointed in the direction of the bathroom as he carried me inside.

My feet are sore and red entirely, almost blistering even and my body was drenched in sweat. I don’t even have the strength to get down from the sofa anymore, so I couldn’t care less about avoiding him in the shower. Fortunately, he still had some conscience left in him and didn’t try to go for another round in the bathroom, except touching me here and there a little.

He went to the closet in my room and found a set of clothes for me to change into. But he ignored his own clothes that were wet from head to toes. Looking at his frown, I guessed he was uncomfortable in it too, so I decided to be merciful with him and searched for a change of clothes for him.

He couldn’t fit into mine, so I got him my dad’s.

After cleaning up everything, I laid down on the carpet, too exhausted to move an inch. Yet, my stomach growled in protest.

He half squatted down and poked my face, “Hungry? Let’s go out and eat.”

“Don’t wanna.” I said, “Let’s order takeout.”

He frowned a little, not quite happy about that answer. “I’ll pay. You can eat whatever you want.”

“Do I look like I can still walk in this condition?! Huh?”

He glanced at my legs for a bit before bending down and picking me up.

“No, no, no!” I quickly scrambled up and scratched my head helplessly, “I’ll walk, okay? Happy?”

If I were to be seen carried out by a man by all the grandpas grandmas in the neighbourhood, then I, Xia Zhi, would never be able to enter this house again in my life.

This was originally a rare opportunity for me to extort him for an expensive meal and I shouldn’t waste this chance, but unfortunately, there wasn’t any high-class restaurants in my old hometown. Instead, there were a lot of supper shops instead. After some thought, I decided to bring him to the old shop I often went to as a kid.

The environment on the food street wasn’t that great. The road was full of potholes and there was a sewer every few steps you got to.

Standing next to me was a man who looked great despite not fitting into the clothes of an old man like my dad. He still managed to exude a young man’s aura regardless of that. His expression wasn’t too bad, if anything he looked like he was in a good mood even.

My legs still felt a little numb. I couldn’t walk too fast, but he was so tall and had such long legs that I was left behind in a few steps time. He would stop and wait for me from time to time, but out of spite I decided to grabbed onto his wrist.

He frozen on the spot when I did that, the muscles around his wrist seemed to have slightly tensed up as he looked down at me with a serious gaze.

I didn’t think much of it at first but when he swept that gaze at me, it triggered a kind of itch in my heart. Suddenly, I remembered the ‘confession’ of his that came out of the blue in the evening.

My hands started sweating a little but I didn’t want to let go.

He slowed down his pace and walked slowly side by side with me for a while. Then, he gently released his hand from mine, only to clutch my hand back right away.

Then, without saying anything or hesitating, he firmly clasped his fingers with mine.

I felt the tips of my ears heat up somehow. The intimate touching of our fingers made me have a strange urge.

My rationale told me I should reconsider this, but when I turned my head and saw the side of his face, I felt like I couldn’t drag it out for even a moment longer anymore.

I looked at his back and asked, “What you said about pursuing me before…does it still count?”

He stopped in his tracks and nodded.

“Then, is it too late for me…to say yes?”

His grip on me suddenly tightened a little as he turned around to look at me with a restrained look. His eyes leaked a hint of a smile that he couldn’t contain.

“It’s too late.” He said.

What?

I looked up with a stunned expression as anger surged through me. I was just about to slap his hand away when I heard him laughing instead, “You’ve already agreed to me last night, little boyfriend.”

As soon as I saw that mischievous eyes of his, I immediately knew I was being played again. I was so mad that I kicked him on the streets.

He didn’t dodge it, instead standing still and taking all of my anger. As soon as I stopped moving, he suddenly bent down and planted a kiss on my forehead.

I was so surprised that I almost jumped. This was public, on the streets! What if my neighbours saw us!

After looking all around our surroundings and realizing there weren’t that many people on the streets, I sighed in relief. His attack came so quickly that it didn’t attract much attention either.

“You…” I didn’t know what to say to him, “Why can’t you wait until we’re back.”

Can’t you wait for just a second more?

He asked, “Go back where?”

“’Of course it’s back to my…home…” Why does that sound off.

The corners of his mouth hooked up again deviously, “Alright, back to your home.”

…I was set up again.

Why did I somehow agree to letting him stay over at my place?

Forget it, I thought to myself. I won’t bother with him anymore.

After all, he’s at least considered my…that…boyfriend now.

Boyfriend. Yeah, mine.

I rolled and chewed these words around the tip of my tongue, then looked at the back of this man in front of me. In the end, I couldn’t help but smile.

T/N: Happy Lunar New Year in advance! Will be posting the next and last chapter of the main story a few days late as I will be away for celebrations and the such.