The sea breeze stirred the curtains.
Qi Mu frowned, his tightly closed lashes trembling faintly.
He heard Jiang Shao’s low, husky voice beside his ear.
“Don’t be nervous. Relax a little…”
“Raise your waist a little higher.”
“Yes, just like that.”
His voice was gentler than Qi Mu had ever heard it before, every word filled with patience.
Qi Mu slowly opened his eyes.
Above him, Jiang Shao’s face was half-hidden in shadow. His pitch-black eyes were restrained and forbearing, and sweat covered his forehead. As he moved slowly, a bead of sweat traced his taut jawline and fell.
It landed in the hollow of Qi Mu’s neck.
Qi Mu stared at him blankly.
His tense body unconsciously relaxed a little.
He saw Jiang Shao’s eyes abruptly darken.
The next second…
Qi Mu nearly jolted upright, cold sweat breaking out over him.
He bit his lip in time to keep from crying out.
Even so, his face went pale and his legs trembled.
Jiang Shao lowered his head and lightly kissed the corner of his lips, one large hand steadily soothing his back.
Jiang Shao looked deeply at him. Only after Qi Mu gradually calmed down did he give a low, husky laugh. “See? I knew you could do it.”
Qi Mu’s pale face turned completely red in an instant.
Gentleness filled Jiang Shao’s eyes, his affection seeming to blur into the darkness of the night, and he began moving again slowly.
Qi Mu’s breath caught.
But very quickly, it became rapid and uneven.
This never-before-felt sensation of being completely filled by another person,
from the inside out.
It left him completely at a loss.
Embarrassed, he turned his face toward the window.
Outside stretched an endless coastline where the night sky seemed to merge with the horizon.
The night wind drove the seawater onto the shore.
Wave after wave struck the beach, bursting into white spray.
The waves were so close.
They seemed almost ready to engulf him too.
It was as though he were wrapped in a gentle ocean.
Sometimes the waves came quickly, sometimes softly, and there was nowhere for him to escape.
Scene after scene with Jiang Shao flashed hazily through his mind.
He remembered the morning he woke from that dream, remembered the first time he saw Jiang Shao, remembered how decisively Jiang Shao had jumped into the pond, remembered the frightening ruthlessness with which Jiang Shao had restrained him aboard the cruise ship. He also remembered Jiang Shao pulling him along as they ran wildly through the rain, and the instant Jiang Shao had turned toward him beneath the endless falling snow…
Eventually, Qi Mu could no longer think.
He knew only one thing.
He and this person had already become inseparable.
Every happiness and every pain had become threads, intertwining and tangling until they bound him and Jiang Shao tightly together.
And so,
he could only sink together with him.
＊
Qi Mu had no idea when everything finally ended.
He saw only a streak of golden light at the horizon falling across the surface of the sea.
It felt as though his entire body had been broken apart and crushed into sand before being reluctantly pieced together again, leaving him limp as mud.
His throat was too hoarse to speak. Dried tears had clumped his lashes together, and his vision was still somewhat blurred.
He could only let Jiang Shao lift him.
The bathtub had already been filled with warm water.
Qi Mu was gently lowered into it. A moment later, he felt the water ripple.
Jiang Shao stepped into the tub as well.
The man gathered him into his arms from behind, one hot palm supporting his lower abdomen as he shifted him in the water. Qi Mu’s upper body slipped forward with a splash, leaving his hips raised.
Qi Mu hurriedly grabbed the edge of the bathtub with both hands, immediately panicking.
No way. He really can’t do any more!
Jiang Shao held him securely around the waist, easily stopping his struggle, and gave a helpless little laugh. “Don’t move. I’m not going to do anything to you.”
“I’m only checking.”
Hearing that, Qi Mu’s ears burned with embarrassment, but he finally stopped moving obediently.
Jiang Shao switched on the bathroom light.
He lowered his head and carefully examined it for a moment, his voice slow, low, and steady: “It’s alright. There’s no bleeding.”
“Just a little red.”
“I need to clean it thoroughly before I can apply the medicine.”
“Bear with it a little, okay?”
Qi Mu’s hands tightly gripped the edge of the bathtub, so hard that his fingertips had turned slightly white. Shame kept him from looking back. Even though he had already taken that step just now, and even though Jiang Shao was only helping treat him, he could still clearly feel every single touch, even with his eyes tightly shut. It left him feeling deeply embarrassed…
Jiang Shao truly adored the way he looked when he was this shy. It made it dangerously easy to want to tease him. How could someone’s skin be this thin?
How could he blush so easily?
Still, Jiang Shao knew when enough was enough.
He should stop while he was ahead today.
Jiang Shao kissed the back of Qi Mu’s neck and carried him out of the bathtub.
He placed Qi Mu on the bed and had him lie across his lap, saying, “I’m going to apply the medicine now. It’ll help reduce the swelling and clear the bruises.”
Qi Mu no longer wanted to speak.
He closed his eyes and buried his burning face into the sheets.
The slightly cool ointment was squeezed inside. Qi Mu shuddered from the cold, but soon Jiang Shao’s large, warm hand covered over it.
The searing heat from the man’s palm quickly chased away the chill and discomfort, bit by bit.
Qi Mu could not see Jiang Shao’s expression.
So he did not notice how fierce Jiang Shao’s gaze had become, almost as though he wanted to devour him.
Jiang Shao was actually far from satisfied. To avoid hurting Qi Mu, he had been restraining himself throughout the night and had never truly allowed himself to lose control.
Jiang Shao closed his eyes briefly before turning Qi Mu over and gathering him into his arms.
Held against Jiang Shao’s chest, Qi Mu quietly lifted his eyes to look at his face.
Jiang Shao’s eyes were closed, his breathing even, his chest rising and falling steadily.
He fell asleep that quickly?
Was he tired?
The culprit who had tormented him half to death had finally fallen asleep. Like a captive seized by an evil dragon who could only truly relax once the dragon itself had gone to sleep, Qi Mu finally loosened up and slowly began to think again.
Qi Mu looked down at his lower abdomen with a complicated expression.
He had already prepared himself to be injured, but in the end, he had not been?
I really managed to take Jiang Shao?
How did I do that?
＊
Qi Mu slept from daylight until night.
That evening, Qi Mu woke groggily.
The aroma of food had reached him.
His rumbling stomach had woken him.
He opened his eyes.
He saw that Jiang Shao had moved the dining table beside the bed. It was covered with delicious seafood, along with a coconut with a straw stuck into it.
Jiang Shao still wore nothing but a bath towel and stood barefoot on the floor. Seeing Qi Mu wake, he smiled. “Awake? Eat something.”
As he spoke, he picked up a bowl in one hand and a fork in the other, clearly intending to feed Qi Mu.
Qi Mu snatched the bowl away, glared at Jiang Shao irritably, and muttered, “I can eat by myself.”
He remembered that later that night, he had told Jiang Shao to stop many times, but Jiang Shao had simply ignored him.
Only now did Qi Mu finally remember to be angry.
The corner of Jiang Shao’s mouth lifted.
Looks like Qi Mu has recovered pretty well. He even has enough energy to be angry with me.
He did not disturb Qi Mu while he ate and merely sat quietly at the side watching. Whenever Qi Mu could not reach something, Jiang Shao would push whatever he wanted closer.
But his gaze remained fixed on Qi Mu’s face the entire time.
Dark and intense.
He pressed the tip of his tongue against the inside of his teeth.
Only when Qi Mu was almost finished eating did Jiang Shao let out a low chuckle. His brow rose and his eyes turned teasing. “That hungry? I thought you had your fill last night.”
Qi Mu’s face instantly reddened again, and he glared fiercely at Jiang Shao.
Under that glare from Qi Mu’s beautiful, reddened eyes, Jiang Shao felt his lower abdomen tighten, and his voice turned hoarse. His pitch-black eyes stared straight at him. “Perfect. I didn’t get my fill either.”
Qi Mu’s heart jolted at the words, and an ominous feeling rose inside him. He turned away, coughed lightly, and said, “Then why didn’t you eat just now?”
Jiang Shao did not answer.
He simply caught Qi Mu by the chin and turned his face back, forcing Qi Mu to look at him.
Jiang Shao lowered his head and licked Qi Mu’s lips once, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I can eat now just as well.”
Hearing that husky voice scrape across his ears, Qi Mu instinctively tried to flee, but Jiang Shao’s hand closed around the back of his neck and held him firmly in place.
Jiang Shao’s gaze moved from Qi Mu’s lips, down the elegant line of his pale neck.
Qi Mu sat cross-legged on the bed, his loose bathrobe falling open around his long pale legs. Fingerprints marked the skin, extending farther beneath the robe where they could no longer be seen.
Jiang Shao’s eyes darkened.
The ointment he had applied to Qi Mu that morning not only reduced swelling, cleared bruises, and promoted healing; it also had softening and lubricating effects.
It should be just about right by now.
Pinned under Jiang Shao’s gaze, Qi Mu felt his scalp prickle, like prey caught by the scruff of the neck. He immediately chickened out, voice trembling as he said, “To… today let’s just skip it. I… I’m not fully healed yet…”
Jiang Shao’s lips curved up ever so slightly.
His fingertip gently stroked the side of Qi Mu’s neck, eyes tender, voice slow yet leaving no room for refusal. “You’ll get used to it.”
＊
For the next three days, Qi Mu was unable to walk properly on his own.
Only then did he understand
just how restrained Jiang Shao had been on the first night.
The bed, the floor, the balcony, the garden, the bathtub…
Traces of the two of them seemed to be everywhere in the villa.
Day and night blurred together.
Qi Mu felt almost like a puppet in Jiang Shao’s hands.
Apart from eating and sleeping, Jiang Shao seemed to arrange practically everything around him.
Jiang Shao cared for him almost as though he were someone incapable of looking after himself. Admittedly, Qi Mu barely had any opportunity to take care of himself anyway, because Jiang Shao handled absolutely everything and seemed inexplicably enthusiastic about doing so.
Before and afterward, he took care of everything himself.
Nothing was overlooked.
Another morning arrived.
Qi Mu was dangling over the edge of the bed. If Jiang Shao hadn’t been gripping his waist, his whole body would have tumbled to the floor. His head lolled weakly backward.
In his shaking vision,
the world spun and turned upside down.
Qi Mu stared blankly ahead, eyes open. From his slightly parted lips, a soft, hard-to-suppress sound occasionally slipped out.
Qi Mu truly did not understand.
They were both men.
Why did Long Aotian have so much energy? Was he some kind of perpetual-motion machine?!
Although Qi Mu could not deny that he had experienced pleasure and had enjoyed himself too, he had absolutely no desire to die from overindulgence!
This couldn’t go on.
I have to think of something.
Qi Mu’s unfocused gaze drifted across the living room until it suddenly landed on the forgotten suitcase in the corner.
Three days had passed.
The suitcase had not even been opened.
It was stuffed with an entire week’s worth of vacation clothes he had bought, yet he had never had the chance to wear them. Over the past few days, the only thing he had worn was a bathrobe, and in truth, he had not had many chances to wear even that…
If I’d known, I wouldn’t have bought so many clothes…
Did I come here for a vacation or what?
We can’t seriously spend all seven days without leaving the villa!
Qi Mu thought hazily. When he finally found an opportunity, he said hoarsely, “W-wait…”
Jiang Shao paused and narrowed his eyes at him.
Qi Mu cautiously suggested, “We’re here on vacation, right? The weather’s so nice today. Why don’t we go outside and get some sun…?”
Qi Mu thought he sounded extremely sincere.
Jiang Shao, however, saw things differently.
Qi Mu’s eyes were red, his lips swollen, and bite marks and kiss marks covered his chin and neck. His gaze kept dodging away, plainly revealing that he was trying to escape…
Lying again.
Still, Jiang Shao was in an excellent mood today. Besides, he did not want to push Qi Mu too far. If he pushed too hard and left Qi Mu with a lasting aversion, making him unwilling in the future, that would be a problem…
So after thinking briefly, he smiled. “All right.”
Qi Mu had not expected him to agree so readily and almost thought he had misheard.
Jiang Shao is actually willing to let me go?
Qi Mu looked at him suspiciously, still on guard.
But Jiang Shao had already stood up. He raised a brow and smiled at him. “Didn’t you want to go sunbathe?”
Jiang Shao seemed about to come over and pick him up.
Qi Mu hurriedly stood.
The moment his feet touched the floor, he swayed and had to brace himself against the bedpost before he could stand steadily. He grabbed a bathrobe, wrapped it around himself, and walked out with his head lowered.
Outside the villa was an infinity pool, with loungers and a small round table beside it.
Qi Mu had only taken two steps when he felt something trickle down the inside of his thigh. His ears flushed slightly red. Pretending nothing had happened, he slowly walked over to the lounge chair.
The two loungers stood side by side.
Jiang Shao lay down on the lounger beside Qi Mu’s, resting one arm behind his head.
The morning sunlight fell over both of them.
Warm and comfortable.
Neither of them spoke.
They simply lay there quietly.
Jiang Shao turned his head to look at the person beside him.
Qi Mu had wrapped himself up tightly, yet even so, the calves left exposed were covered in red marks. It made him involuntarily recall gripping those smooth, slender ankles, folding the legs to their absolute limit, while the other person’s eyes brimmed with tears…
His thoughts immediately began to wander.
He took several deep breaths and barely suppressed the thoughts running through his mind. Something shifted in his dark eyes, and he suddenly said, “I’ll teach you how to swim.”
The pool was right beside them.
Qi Mu looked at Jiang Shao in confusion.
Why did he suddenly want to teach me how to swim?
Jiang Shao said with a perfectly serious expression, “I can’t be beside you every second. If you learn how to swim, the next time you see a child fall into the water, you’ll be able to save them yourself.”
Qi Mu thought that made some sense, though he vaguely suspected Jiang Shao had ulterior motives.
So he perfunctorily refused. “I’ll learn some other time…”
But Jiang Shao cut him off and mercilessly exposed the flaw in his excuse. “You’re always so busy with work. If you don’t learn now, when will you ever have time?”
Qi Mu: “…”
He truly could not find any way to refute that. More importantly, looking at the eager light in Jiang Shao’s eyes, Qi Mu had no idea what this menace might come up with if he refused now. Compared with that, he would rather learn how to swim…
Qi Mu pursed his lips helplessly. “Fine…”
He slowly stood, turned his back to Jiang Shao, and untied his bathrobe. As it slid to the floor, Qi Mu was just reaching for his swim trunks when
suddenly, Jiang Shao caught his wrist.
Qi Mu turned around.
And saw that, at some point, the towel around Jiang Shao’s waist had fallen to his feet.
A flustered blush immediately spread across Qi Mu’s face.
Jiang Shao shrugged lazily and looked at him with a half-smile. “There’s no one else here. No need to make it complicated. Let’s just learn like this.”