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Ye Xingzhou had been asleep for over two hours. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Qi Xing's face with his head leaning against the car window, also asleep. Ye Xingzhou stared at him for a long time until Qi Xing's eyelashes fluttered, and he groggily opened his eyes.
"You're awake…" Qi Xing had barely finished the sentence when his face scrunched up in discomfort. "Ahhh," he groaned while bending over to rub his legs. "They're numb! My legs are about to fall off."
Ye Xingzhou sat up and pulled one of Qi Xing's legs onto his lap. Qi Xing winced in pain and kicked at him but Ye Xingzhou's hands began to massage his leg.
Qi Xing sucked in a sharp breath.
After staying in one position for too long and having Ye Xingzhou's head resting on him, it took a full five minutes for his legs to regain feeling. Ye Xingzhou continued to knead them while listening to Qi Xing's intermittent groans and occasionally increased the pressure.
Qi Xing finally felt alive again and kicked Ye Xingzhou lightly. "Okay, stop massaging."
Ye Xingzhou glanced at him as his fingers slid down Qi Xing's calf to give a final squeeze at the ankle before letting go.
Qi Xing asked, "Where are we going now?"
Ye Xingzhou replied, "Taking you somewhere else."
They set off again but drive in the opposite direction. Two hours later, they arrived at a well-known coastal city.
The car cruised along the seaside road, and by the time they parked, it was already past lunchtime. They randomly picked a small open-air restaurant by the roadside to grab a bite.
Qi Xing leaned back in his chair while relaxing and squinting contentedly. "There are quite a lot of people here."
Looking out, the beach ahead was filled with people enjoying themselves. Ye Xingzhou, dressed in a suit, seemed completely out of place.
Unbothered, Ye Xingzhou removed his suit jacket, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and picked up the menu. "Never been here before?"
"No," Qi Xing replied, looking up at the clear blue sky but the sunlight making it hard to keep his eyes open. "It feels a bit unreal."
He lowered his head, twisting the ring on his left ring finger, which sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight, and smiled. "Are we on our honeymoon?"
Ye Xingzhou continued flipping through the menu. "Yes."
Qi Xing tilted his head to observe him. Ye Xingzhou's casual demeanor seemed to be showing more and more lately. Just watching him made Qi Xing want to climb onto him and kiss him senseless.
—He was becoming more and more hopeless.
Ye Xingzhou suddenly looked up. "What are you looking at?"
Qi Xing didn't blush at all. "Looking at how handsome you are. I love you to death."
Ye Xingzhou remained expressionless.
Qi Xing clicked his tongue, and did not bother to explain.
All his playful, flirtatious words actually came from the heart. It was up to Ye Xingzhou whether he believed them or not.
Ye Xingzhou called the waiter to place their order, and after the waiter left, he casually added, "Same here."
Qi Xing was momentarily confused. "What?"
"I love you to death."
Ye Xingzhou said these four words without any change in tone, but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes, as if deliberately teasing Qi Xing.
Qi Xing, who had tried to tease but ended up being teased himself: "…"
After finishing their meal, Ye Xingzhou took a phone call, while Qi Xing got up to pay the bill.
Ye Xingzhou listened to the work-related report for nearly twenty minutes. When he hung up and turned around, he realized Qi Xing was nowhere to be found.
He glanced around but didn't see him. Frowning, he tried calling, but no one answered. When he asked the restaurant staff, they also said they hadn't seen him.
The beach was still packed with people. Ye Xingzhou quickly scanned the area twice as his expression grew serious. He began walking forward while looking around and his pace unconsciously speeding up. He didn't even notice how anxious he had become and completely lost his usual composure.
Finally, Qi Xing's figure reappeared in his sight. Qi Xing was standing not far ahead with his back to Ye Xingzhou and engrossed in watching someone create a sand sculpture.
Ye Xingzhou's gaze abruptly stopped.
Qi Xing was asking questions enthusiastically and completely absorbed when a hand suddenly gripped his wrist and yanked him back.
Startled, he looked up and met Ye Xingzhou's icy, intense gaze. He was momentarily stunned.
"What are you doing here?" Ye Xingzhou's breathing seemed slightly uneven.
Qi Xing was confused. "You were on the phone, and I saw a crowd here, so I came over to take a look…"
Ye Xingzhou demanded, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"You were busy on the phone. How could I tell you?" Qi Xing frowned. "Let go, it hurts."
Ye Xingzhou's grip was too tight. Qi Xing struggled slightly till his arm slipped free. "What's wrong? Why are you overreacting?"
After a moment of silence, Ye Xingzhou let go but his voice was still cold. "Why didn't you answer my call?"
"You called? I didn't hear it." Qi Xing pulled out his phone and saw two missed calls. "Oh, I set it to silent in the car and forgot to turn it back on."
Ye Xingzhou stared into his eyes, but Qi Xing's face was full of innocence.
"Let's go." Ye Xingzhou tossed out the words and walked ahead.
Qi Xing quickly followed. "Hey!"
As they walked further, the crowd thinned. Qi Xing caught up to Ye Xingzhou and pushed him lightly. This jerk had let go of his hand and was completely ignoring him.
Qi Xing quickened his pace to get ahead, then turned around and walked backward to prevent Ye Xingzhou from avoiding him. He noticed Ye Xingzhou's tense face. "Ohhh, you're mad."
Ye Xingzhou stopped to look at him expressionlessly.
Qi Xing stepped closer till his face was inches apart from Ye Xingzhou's. "Really mad? Are you worried I got kidnapped again?"
Ye Xingzhou's gaze slowly traveled over his face while sneering, "Unless you're a complete idiot."
Qi Xing retorted, "Then why are you worrying? Isn't that more idiotic?"
Ye Xingzhou ignored him and continued walking.
Qi Xing stayed put for a moment, then suddenly called out, "Ye Xingzhou, you're the one who can't live without me, aren't you?"
Ye Xingzhou paused again then turned back to look at him with an expression that clearly said he was looking at a fool.
Not getting the reaction he expected, Qi Xing was slightly disappointed. "Fine, if that's not it, then forget it."
Ten minutes later, they sat down by some nearby rocks, where it was quieter and less crowded.
Qi Xing was about to say something when his phone rang.
It was his grandfather.
Old Chen asked where he was and when he planned to return. Qi Xing hesitated before answering, "Tomorrow. If I don't go to work the day after, my dad will be furious."
Old Chen chided, "You know he'll be mad, yet you ran off without a word. You're just trying to provoke him."
Qi Xing protested, "I'm not."
The old man didn't press further and only reminded him, "Come back by tomorrow afternoon and bring Ye Xingzhou over for dinner. Your parents will be there too."
After hanging up, Qi Xing was lost in thought for a moment before lying back down.
Beside him, Ye Xingzhou sat against the rocks with his hands in his pockets and staring intently at the horizon where the sea met the sky. Qi Xing followed his gaze for a while but didn't see anything particularly interesting.
His mind began to wander.
…Something about this guy just didn't feel normal.
"Ye Xingzhou, can you really not live without me?"
For some reason, Qi Xing was still hung up on this question, and asking it out loud made him feel a bit foolish.
Ye Xingzhou continued looking ahead and his tone indifferent. "No one in this world can't live without someone else."
Qi Xing was slightly taken aback but nodded. "Yeah, that's true."
Ye Xingzhou turned his head and his gaze settled on Qi Xing.
It was true that no one in this world couldn't live without someone else. Qi Xing had turned him from a madman into a human being. Without Qi Xing, he would simply revert to being a madman again.
Qi Xing felt uncomfortable under his stare. After a moment of silence, he turned over and rested his head on Ye Xingzhou's lap, just as Ye Xingzhou had rested on him earlier in the car.
Ye Xingzhou looked down at him. Qi Xing closed his eyes lightly and whispered, "I haven't just never been here before—there are many places I've never been. When I was a kid, my parents were too busy with work to take me out. By the time I grew up and could go out on my own, I couldn't find the right company. People like Yang Kaiming only wanted to go to nightclubs. Even if we came to places like this, they'd just throw pool parties. It wasn't fun at all."
"Ye Xingzhou, do you ever feel lonely? Sometimes, I feel really lonely."
Most people wouldn't believe it. In their eyes, he was a lazy, carefree guy who could live off his parents' wealth for ten lifetimes. And that was true, but being carefree didn't mean he wasn't lonely.
His parents loved and doted on him, but during his formative years when he needed their attention the most, they didn't have much time for him. And because his family's wealth grew so rapidly, the friends who came and went in his life always approached him with a degree of flattery, even Yang Kaiming.
He had always lived carelessly, chasing after anyone who caught his eye, but in the end, all of them left him feeling empty and uninterested.
His dad said he'd run off with Ye Xingzhou at the drop of a hat, but that wasn't it. Ye Xingzhou's appearance had shown him what true excitement and interest felt like. From their initial confrontations and provocations to the later entanglements and eventual complete surrender, Ye Xingzhou was different from anyone else.
It was hard not to fall for him.
Under Ye Xingzhou's steady gaze, Qi Xing turned his head away. "Forget it, why am I telling you this?"
Ye Xingzhou asked, "Do you feel lonely with me?"
Qi Xing: "…If you say more nice things to me, I'll be too happy to feel lonely."
He wrapped his arms around Ye Xingzhou's waist and buried his face in the man's chest. After a while, he mumbled, "Ye Xingzhou, let's try not to leave each other."
Ye Xingzhou lowered his head and fingers threading through Qi Xing's hair. "Okay."
After sitting there for a while, they got up and headed back. They got in the car and drove aimlessly along the seaside road.
When they reached the end of the road and had to turn back, Qi Xing casually remarked, "So the end of this road isn't the edge of the world."
Ye Xingzhou: "Why would we go to the edge of the world?"
Qi Xing: "To make a vow to the mountains and seas with you."
His gaze was still fixed outside the window, and he said it without much thought, knowing Ye Xingzhou probably wouldn't take it seriously.
But Ye Xingzhou took his hand and gently rubbed his palm.
Qi Xing turned to look at him. Ye Xingzhou was focused on the road with one hand on the wheel and the other holding his.
That touch wasn't his imagination.
Body language was still language, and he quite liked it.
Back and forth, they drove until the sun began to set, painting the coastline with hues of twilight that stretched endlessly into the distance.
Qi Xing watched quietly for a long time before taking out his phone to snap a picture.
Last time, they had watched the sunrise together on a mountain. Today, they watched the sunset by the sea. They didn't need to go to the edge of the world or make grand vows. This was enough.
After nightfall, they checked into a hotel closest to the beach. As soon as they entered the room, before the lights were even on, they embraced and kissed.
Their saliva mingled and tongues entwined. Both urgently seek each other.
Qi Xing was breathing heavily and a burning heat coursing through his body. His hands roamed over Ye Xingzhou's back with impatience.
Ye Xingzhou pulled back slightly to take off his suit jacket and tossed it onto the sofa. He removed his tie and began unbuttoning his shirt one by one. Qi Xing leaned against the wall to watch his movements and his Adam's apple bobbing.
He could barely stand it.
Ye Xingzhou's upper body was now completely bare. His hot frame pressed against Qi Xing again as he kissed him and pulled off Qi Xing's jacket and then his T-shirt.
Qi Xing wrapped his arms around Ye Xingzhou's neck and kissed him back with all the passion he had.
Ye Xingzhou pushed him onto the bed from behind.
Qi Xing squirmed and tried to get up, but Ye Xingzhou's kisses trailed down his neck and his hot tongue brushed against his hairline. Qi Xing felt as if all his strength had been drained, and he fell back onto the bed again.
In the darkness, even when he tried to turn his head, he couldn't see Ye Xingzhou's movements clearly. All he could feel were the kisses moving along his spine, the meticulous sucking and kissing traveling down his vertebrae that made him gasp and moan incoherently. He could only call out, "Ye Xingzhou, Ye Xingzhou…"
Ye Xingzhou's body fully covered him. He took Qi Xing's hands and interlaced their fingers, and kissed his lips again.
The kiss grew more passionate and lingering. Qi Xing felt both pleasure and pain, his brows furrowing as he moaned and pleaded, "Ye Xingzhou, it hurts."
Ye Xingzhou stopped while breathing heavily and his eyes covered in sweat. He was holding back with all his might.
Today had been particularly intense from the start. Qi Xing was probably struggling to keep up as his legs trembled and his body was shaking slightly.
Ye Xingzhou spoke with his voice hoarse, "Don't act spoiled."
Qi Xing's voice was almost tearful, "Who's acting spoiled, you bastard…"
"Be good." Ye Xingzhou said only these two words, and Qi Xing instantly couldn't bring himself to curse anymore.
Ye Xingzhou gently rubbed Qi Xing's palm again with his kisses landing first on his forehead, then trailing down to his eyelids, the tip of his nose, and finally his lips, as if comforting him.
Qi Xing was indeed comforted.
He kissed Ye Xingzhou back while murmuring softly, "Call my name too."
Ye Xingzhou paused, then whispered, "Qi Xing, Qi Xing…"
Love didn't need to be spoken aloud; it was all in those two simple words.
Qi Xing heard it and felt it.
With difficulty, he turned to press closer to Ye Xingzhou and continuing to kiss him.