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Before departing for the UK, Ye Xingzhou took the initiative to contact Qi Ronghua two days prior, inviting him and his wife to take his private plane together.
Qi Ronghua was not very keen on the idea, but Wang Cuilan agreed first. When Qi Ronghua frowned, she said, “Why don’t you have your son make a couple of trips to the airport to pick us up?”
Qi Ronghua replied, “Can’t he just go once?”
Wang Cuilan countered, “Do you think he would rather pick us up or go for Ye Xingzhou?”
Qi Ronghua was momentarily speechless, realizing he had no confidence that his son would prefer to pick him up.
It’s just a private plane, after all. It’s not like he couldn’t afford one himself. He thought about buying one for Qi Xing to play with, otherwise, if word got out that his son was being kept by Ye Xingzhou, he wouldn’t be able to hold his head high.
With this awkward mindset, the couple ultimately flew to the UK with Ye Xingzhou. Although they didn’t have a lively conversation throughout the journey, the atmosphere was bearable with Wang Cuilan around, as long as they avoided discussing family matters and focused on business. Surprisingly, they found common topics to talk about.
The plane landed in the evening local time. Qi Xing arrived half an hour early, intermittently playing on his phone and occasionally zoning out.
Even though they chatted online almost every day, he felt a bit nervous after not seeing Ye Xingzhou for a year and a half. He was thinking about what to say when he first saw that rascal Ye Xingzhou, when the butler reminded him, “They’re coming out.”
Qi Xing instinctively stood up and looked over.
In that moment, his blank mind completely forgot to think; all he could see was that long-awaited figure he had been yearning for.
When he came to his senses, Qi Xing was already running towards Ye Xingzhou.
Ye Xingzhou set down the suitcase beside him, stepped forward, and opened his arms.
Qi Xing jumped into his embrace, wrapping his arms around him. Ye Xingzhou was taken aback and stumbled back two steps, barely managing to steady himself.
“Ye Xingzhou—”
As Qi Xing elongated his voice, Qi Ronghua cleared his throat loudly. Qi Xing stiffened and suddenly realized that his parents were right beside him.
Ye Xingzhou chuckled softly, and Qi Xing awkwardly stepped back, turning to greet his parents.
Qi Ronghua had a look of constipation on his face, while Wang Cuilan was smiling happily: “Let’s go, we’ll talk later.”
It wasn’t entirely Qi Xing’s fault that he only had eyes for Ye Xingzhou. After all, his parents had flown over countless times in the past year and a half, especially his mother, who came almost every month. But he hadn’t seen Ye Xingzhou in a solid eighteen months.
His gaze fell back on Ye Xingzhou, and their eyes met. Ye Xingzhou raised an eyebrow with a smile, and Qi Xing couldn’t help but reach out, tugging at Ye Xingzhou’s tie to pull him closer and leaning in for a kiss.
Qi Ronghua’s eyes nearly popped out and his voice caught in his throat, wanting to scold someone, but the one being proactive was his son. Wang Cuilan quickly took his arm and pulled him away.
Qi Xing hadn’t thought too much about it; he just couldn’t help himself. After finally seeing Ye Xingzhou, what was wrong with wanting to kiss him?
Ye Xingzhou placed a hand on Qi Xing’s shoulder and allowed him to mess around with his mouth. When Qi Xing was almost out of breath, Ye Xingzhou’s hand slid down to his waist, pulling him closer and taking the lead.
A deep, passionate kiss stole their breaths away, and after eighteen months, they finally had each other again.
Due to the number of people, they took two cars back. Qi Xing held Ye Xingzhou back for a moment before getting into the car. Watching his parents’ car drive away, he sighed in relief and turned to Ye Xingzhou, closely examining the face of this rascal: “You don’t seem to have changed much.”
Ye Xingzhou raised a hand to smooth his messy hair: “You’re the same.”
If he had to say there was any change, Qi Xing felt he had become much calmer than before, not immediately jumping onto Ye Xingzhou.
But he seemed to have forgotten who it was that jumped onto him the moment they met.
After returning, they had dinner first, and then Qi Xing couldn’t wait to pull Ye Xingzhou back to his room, closing the door and locking it.
Glancing at the clock on the wall, it was already past eight.
Alright, he really couldn’t stay calm. They had promised three days and nights together, but with the graduation ceremony tomorrow, that plan probably wouldn’t work.
Ye Xingzhou fell back onto the sofa and pulled Qi Xing onto his lap. Qi Xing knelt on him while his fingers teasingly brush against his Adam's apple: “Ye Xingzhou, do you miss me?”
Ye Xingzhou replied, “Mhm.”
Qi Xing pressed, “What does ‘mhm’ mean?”
Ye Xingzhou answered, “I miss you a lot.”
Qi Xing smiled, and the last words “I miss you too” disappeared between their lips.
After a long separation, their reunion was particularly intense and their bodies collided, heat surging.
Qi Xing sat on Ye Xingzhou’s lap with his hands resting on his shoulders because he was almost unable to keep his balance. The overwhelming stimulation made him tremble uncontrollably and had his head tilting back while his lust-filled eyes only reflected Ye Xingzhou’s figure. With Ye Xingzhou’s hands gripping his waist, he could only follow his rhythm and drowning in the overwhelming pleasure.
“Ye Xingzhou…”
Ye Xingzhou paused, and while holding Qi Xing's hands, he looked into the latters eyes, and breathed out softly: “Qi Xing, who am I?”
“Ye Xingzhou,” Qi Xing struggled to say, “Ye Xingzhou…”
Ye Xingzhou raised a hand to gently wipe the sweat from Qi Xing’s forehead, his voice hoarse: “Qi Xing, I waited for you for five hundred and fifty-two days.”
Qi Xing was taken aback.
Eighteen months, five hundred and fifty-two days—he hadn’t expected Ye Xingzhou to keep such a precise count.
The feelings within him were incredibly intense, but nothing compared to the tumultuous waves in his heart upon hearing Ye Xingzhou’s words.
His fingers tightened around Ye Xingzhou’s shoulder and wanted to say something, but the overwhelming emotions left him speechless.
Ye Xingzhou pulled him closer and leaned down to place a soft kiss on the spot where his fingers had just brushed. Qi Xing’s heart raced, and he heard Ye Xingzhou continue, “No more next time.”
This rascal always knew how to hit him right in the soft spot, especially at this moment when his body was still caught in a heated desire.
Ye Xingzhou’s few words made his heart tighten, pulling him in a whirlwind of emotions and making him feel both happy and sad.
Qi Xing unconsciously nodded while lost in Ye Xingzhou’s gaze: “I…”
Just as he uttered a word, he couldn’t help but let out a high-pitched moan due to Ye Xingzhou’s actions: “Mhm—”
Ye Xingzhou’s voice was close to him and reminded him: “Shh, your parents’ room is right next door. If you don’t want them to hear, hold it in.”
Qi Xing immediately raised a hand to cover his mouth and his already flushed eyes filled with tears while he bit his lip as his voice trembled: “You...rascal.”
Ye Xingzhou pulled his hand down and covered his lips with his own. His tongue delicately tracing his lip line and swallowing all of Qi Xing’s suppressed sounds.
In the second round, Ye Xingzhou lifted Qi Xing and pressed him against the window glass from behind while his lips trailing along Qi Xing’s shoulder to his neck. Qi Xing’s suppressed gasps continued, but he was unable to endure, so he turned his head.
Being in such a place made him a bit uncomfortable, but fortunately, the glass was one-way, so no one outside could see.
Ye Xingzhou whispered in his ear: “Wasn’t the last time we watched fireworks from here?”
Qi Xing barely managed to respond with a “mhm,” as his breaths grew heavier. The cold glass pressed against him contrasted with the heat of Ye Xingzhou’s chest behind him, creating a thrilling yet torturous sensation.
“Were they beautiful?” Ye Xingzhou asked and licked the sweat off his face.
Qi Xing felt a tickle, more so in his heart, and said with difficulty: “You already asked me that last time.”
Ye Xingzhou replied, “You didn’t answer.”
Didn’t he answer?
Qi Xing’s muddled mind couldn’t recall what he had said back then. He swallowed hard: “They were beautiful, but it was boring watching alone without you…”
“I was right below,” Ye Xingzhou’s voice kept penetrating his ears, “the car was parked outside the yard.”
—Right outside the yard?
Qi Xing instinctively looked out the window. This villa was purchased by his father specifically before he came here to study.
His room was on the second floor and outside the window was a yard surrounded by bushes.
The yard was elevated above the sloped road, so if Ye Xingzhou’s car was parked at the lower end of the slope and hidden by the bushes, he indeed wouldn’t have seen it. Moreover, at that time, his attention was entirely on the fireworks in the mountains ahead and completely oblivious to anything else.
Qi Xing bit his lip and felt a hint of regret: “You didn’t say anything back then.”
“Even if I did, it wouldn’t have mattered,” Ye Xingzhou replied hoarsely.
Their bodies were pressed closely together and his kisses were still roaming over Qi Xing’s cheeks and neck. Qi Xing kept gasping while barely managing to think: “You were outside, so you couldn’t see me at all, right?”
Ye Xingzhou replied, “Mhm.”
Qi Xing asked, “Then how long did you wait here?”
Ye Xingzhou murmured, “The whole night.”
He waited here the entire night, until the next day when Qi Xing left for school, and only then did he catch a glimpse of the blurry side profile of the person he wanted to see through the half-lowered back window.
That whole day, he followed Qi Xing to school and to the library, but never revealed himself.
Qi Xing didn’t know that he had actually accompanied him for a day and a night.
If it weren’t for that, he wouldn’t have been able to endure these eighteen months.
The heat in Qi Xing’s heart surged again: “You never mentioned it.”
Ye Xingzhou replied, “If I had, you would have cried.”
Qi Xing exclaimed, “You bastard—”
Ye Xingzhou pressed against him and rub, making him tremble uncontrollably: “Don’t....don’t do that, mhm…”
Ye Xingzhou reminded him again: “Shh, the soundproofing in this house doesn’t seem very good.”
“You’re bullying me again.” Qi Xing complained while frowning.
The heat within him surged wildly, and this rascal was deliberately saying such things, clearly teasing him.
Ye Xingzhou was always like this, tender yet beastly and leaving him defenseless.
Ye Xingzhou didn’t deny it.
After all this time, his desire for the person in his arms had been suppressed to the extreme.
What he wanted to do was far more than just this light teasing.
It was only because it was Qi Xing that he had restrained his inherent sadistic urges.
“Qi Xing,” Ye Xingzhou murmured his name, “look at me.”
Qi Xing struggled to turn his head and Ye Xingzhou held his chin before kissing him deeply.
Eventually, they changed to a face-to-face position, with Qi Xing’s back against the window glass and being held in Ye Xingzhou’s embrace.
Ye Xingzhou lifted one of Qi Xing’s legs onto his waist before re-gripping his hands, and kissed him again: “Follow me.”
Qi Xing couldn’t make any more sounds and was only able to follow his rhythm, sinking into it as he wished.
At ten-thirty, when Qi Xing returned after taking a shower, Ye Xingzhou, who had come out first, was casually leaning against the windowsill while shirtless.
He was smoking and looking out at the night view.
Upon hearing the footsteps, Ye Xingzhou turned to look with his eyes narrowing as they focused on the large red marks on Qi Xing’s exposed neck and chest.
Qi Xing walked over and sat on the windowsill. He lay down with his head resting on Ye Xingzhou’s lap and looking up at him.
Ye Xingzhou still had a cigarette in his mouth but was already looking down at him.
After a moment of quiet eye contact, Qi Xing asked, “Hey, Daddy, has your smoking habit gotten worse than before?”
There was a time when Ye Xingzhou had cut back on smoking, but now, after more than a year apart, he seemed to be back to his old ways.
Ye Xingzhou replied, “I’ll pay attention from now on.”
Though he said that, he showed no intention of putting out the cigarette, and there was no ashtray in the room, so he would have to go outside for a bit.
Qi Xing continued to stare at his face and notice the stubble on his chin. From this angle, the image of Ye Xingzhou exhaling smoke looked somewhat different.
“Are you having sleepless nights while thinking about me and only relying on cigarettes to get by?”
That was originally just a joke but Ye Xingzhou easily admitted: “Mhm.”
Qi Xing’s smile faltered, unsure how to respond.
Finally, he sighed before reaching out and snatched the cigarette from Ye Xingzhou’s mouth then putting it in his own, and after a while, he said gloomily: “When I go back, I’ll move in with you.”
No matter how much his dad opposed it this time, he had made up his mind, and there was no reason for his dad to oppose it again.
“I’ll help you move when we go back.”
Ye Xingzhou only said that one sentence with his hand resting on Qi Xing’s bareback and slowly stroking it.
The coolness of his palm made Qi Xing shrink back slightly.
Ye Xingzhou leaned down then took his cigarette back and inhaled deeply before kissing him again.
The acrid taste of smoke flowed between their lips and tongues, and Qi Xing quickly turned his head while frowning and coughing.
Ye Xingzhou kept his gaze on him and used his fingertip to wipe away the drool that had escaped from the corner of Qi Xing’s mouth.
“You’re already acting up just after we met,” Qi Xing scolded before sitting up and climbing back onto Ye Xingzhou then snuffing out the cigarette on the windowsill. He would clean it up later. “I haven’t offended you; why are you torturing me?”
Ye Xingzhou asked, “Do you still have the energy?”
Qi Xing glanced at the clock on the wall; it was still early. He leaned closer and whispered to Ye Xingzhou: “Do you want to continue?”
Ye Xingzhou’s gaze lingered on the deepest mark on his collarbone, and he lowered his head before biting down again.
Qi Xing let out a soft “hiss,”.
The pain and pleasure hit him simultaneously, making it hard to resist.
“Ye Xingzhou…”
“Hmm?”
“Don’t tease me; it’s hard for me like this.”
Ye Xingzhou paused while looking up at him. Qi Xing’s eyes were filled with reproach and his brows furrowed, as if he really wasn’t feeling well: “I’m sorry.”
He actually just felt that it wasn’t enough. Now that he had finally seen him, even the most intimate entanglements still felt insufficient.
But it would be fine soon; as long as Qi Xing returned to his side, everything would be alright.
Qi Xing hugged Ye Xingzhou’s head and continued to kiss him: “Bastard, let’s never be apart again.”
A promise that wasn’t really a promise, was murmured vaguely.
At that moment, Ye Xingzhou suddenly smiled: “Okay.”