(NT: This line comes from a well-known Chinese revolutionary folk song: “Honghu Lake’s waters”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gf3iAXTpHI)

Warning: description of hand job (although non-explicit)

 

Xiang Xi lay face-down on the bed, Cheng Boyan’s body pressed tightly against his back. Even though the air conditioner was on high, he could still feel waves of heat coming from Cheng Boyan’s body—Honghu Lake, waves upon waves…

Cheng Boyan’s palms were also very hot. When they moved over his waist and legs, they brought a faint electric tingling that gave him an indescribable sense of pleasure.

Xiang Xi stayed still, lying there. Cheng Boyan didn’t speak anymore. The change in his breathing against Xiang Xi’s neck and behind his ear was obvious—gradually becoming uneven—and for some reason, that uneven breathing felt strangely enjoyable to Xiang Xi.

Cheng Boyan’s hand reached forward, but since Xiang Xi was lying flat against the bed, he pinched his thigh.

“Ow!” Xiang Xi twisted from the pain.

Cheng Boyan’s hand immediately slipped through the gap between his body and the bed, reaching around to the front.

“What are you doing!” Xiang Xi was startled and quickly flattened himself again.

“I said I’d touch a bit…” Cheng Boyan’s hand got pinned, and he clicked his tongue. “If you keep this up, I might lose control and crush your balls—believe me?”

“So you get to behave shamelessly and still sound justified?” Xiang Xi didn’t move. Cheng Boyan’s palm pressed against his lower abdomen, the heat making waves spread through him, even reaching his face.

“If I were really acting shamelessly and forcing things, you’d already be done for,” Cheng Boyan slid onto the bed behind him, wrapped an arm around his waist, and flipped him onto his side. “Should I turn off—”

Before he could finish, Xiang Xi struggled, trying to move away.

“I’m gonna hit you!” Cheng Boyan tightened his arm and pulled him back, hooking his leg over Xiang Xi’s to pin him down.

Xiang Xi didn’t make a sound. He stopped moving, looking a bit tense.

Cheng Boyan bit lightly on his earlobe, then reached under the pillow, grabbed the remote, and turned off the lights.

“Hey?” Xiang Xi froze. “You can turn the lights off with a remote?”

“Mm.” Cheng Boyan responded, kissing his neck. His hand slipped into Xiang Xi’s pants again.

“I didn’t even… know…” Xiang Xi arched his back reflexively, trying to move his legs, but they were held firmly. After hesitating, he stopped struggling. “…that.”

Cheng Boyan’s tongue traced lightly around his ear, while his hand moved lower and closed around him.

A light kiss.

Soft breathing by his ear.

The tip of a tongue brushing from neck to shoulder.

Gentle touches.

Friction.

Teasing.

…

Xiang Xi’s body was tense—maybe from excitement, maybe from nervousness.

When entering the house, Cheng Boyan had lowered the air conditioning, but in the end, when Xiang Xi let out a low moan and his body gradually relaxed, fine beads of sweat still formed where their skin pressed together.

Cheng Boyan pulled a few tissues from beside the pillow and cleaned him up. Holding him, he listened as Xiang Xi’s breathing gradually calmed in the darkness, then kissed him lightly. “I’m turning the light on, okay?”

“Don’t,” Xiang Xi said softly. “Not yet.”

“Why?” Cheng Boyan leaned close to his ear. “It’s already over—still shy?”

“Yeah. My face isn’t as thick as yours. I only realized how innocent and shy I am after meeting you…” Xiang Xi leaned against him.

Cheng Boyan chuckled softly. “I’m already being very restrained. I’m still holding back right now.”

“Huh?” Xiang Xi turned his head. “You’re… still holding back?”

Cheng Boyan squeezed the tissues in his hand. “Isn’t that obvious? I’ve only got two hands—one holding you, one taking care of you…”

“Stop, stop,” Xiang Xi quickly cut him off. Then suddenly he felt a bit nervous. “Then what do we do?”

“I handle it myself, or you help me,” Cheng Boyan said. “Pick one.”

“You…” Xiang Xi thought for a long time. “You go to the bathroom.”

“Wow, no humanity left, huh?” Cheng Boyan laughed. “I take care of you on the bed, and after you’re done, you just leave me and send me to the bathroom?”

“Then what do you want?” Xiang Xi laughed too. After a while, he lowered his voice and tried to sit up. “Fine, then you lie down—”

“Where are you running, you little coward,” Cheng Boyan pressed him back down. “Stay right here.”

“…Okay.” Xiang Xi responded.

The feeling was wonderful.

Cheng Boyan held him from behind. His somewhat heavy breathing brushed against the back of Xiang Xi’s neck, and Xiang Xi could clearly feel what his hands were doing.

Even though Cheng Boyan was handling things himself, whenever his hand brushed Xiang Xi’s back, Xiang Xi would feel a sudden surge of excitement—he couldn’t quite explain it.

He reached back and touched Cheng Boyan’s leg. Cheng Boyan’s breathing near his ear suddenly quickened, and his movements sped up.

Mixed in that excitement was a bit of embarrassment. Xiang Xi wanted to pull his hand away.

“Your hand…” Cheng Boyan bit his shoulder—not lightly. “Touch me.”

His low, hoarse voice mixed with his breathing, along with the rhythm of his movements brushing against Xiang Xi’s back, sent wave after wave through Xiang Xi’s body, making his own breathing quicken in sync.

Cheng Boyan’s voice sounded good. His breathing sounded good. Even the soft sounds that came with it sounded good. And when he finally released a suppressed sound, along with the warmth against Xiang Xi’s back, Xiang Xi’s heart suddenly pounded like a struck bell, making him dizzy.

Cheng Boyan rolled onto his back, lying flat and breathing for a while, then used tissues to wipe Xiang Xi’s back.

“You shameless thing—you actually came on my back.” Xiang Xi lay on his side, back facing him, not moving.

“Mm, got a problem with that?” Cheng Boyan’s voice hadn’t fully steadied yet. “At least it wasn’t in your mouth.”

“…I feel like I’ve gotten to know you all over again, Cheng Boyan.” Xiang Xi said.

“Isn’t that great? You’ve got two different boyfriends,” Cheng Boyan laughed. “Alright, I’m turning on the light—I’ve been wiping forever and don’t even know if it’s clean.”

“It’s clean,” Xiang Xi reached back to check. “Don’t turn on the light.”

“Still can’t turn it on?” Cheng Boyan sighed, sat up, then suddenly leaned over him again and quickly reached down to touch him—then laughed. “I knew it.”

“Ah—!” Xiang Xi flipped over and buried his face into the bed. “Go take a shower. Aren’t you a clean freak? You’re all dirty—go wash.”

“Want to go another round?” Cheng Boyan asked with a smile.

“No! It’ll go away in a bit!” Xiang Xi pressed his nose into the bedsheet.

“Alright, I’ll shower then,” Cheng Boyan got off the bed, pulled a blanket over his back, adjusted the air conditioner higher, and walked out. “You can savour the moment meanwhile.”

After showering, Cheng Boyan came back and turned on the light. Xiang Xi was still lying in the same position.

“Go wash up.” Cheng Boyan leaned on the bed and pinched the back of his neck.

“Mm.” Xiang Xi sat up, adjusted his pants, and jumped off the bed—he didn’t dare look much at Cheng Boyan’s bare upper body. “Why do I feel a bit hungry?”

“I’ll make you milk and egg,” Cheng Boyan smiled.

“Is it troublesome?” Xiang Xi glanced at him.

“Not at all—just a few minutes.” Cheng Boyan pulled on a T-shirt and went into the kitchen.

Xiang Xi came out after showering, mind full of thoughts. Cheng Boyan had already prepared it—served in a large pineapple-shaped cup with a long spoon. It looked quite nice.

“How do you make this?” Xiang Xi took a sip. It tasted pretty good.

“Boil milk, crack an egg into it, add some sugar and stir, that’s it,” Cheng Boyan said—then quickly added before Xiang Xi could speak, “Don’t try it yourself. You’ll definitely burn it.”

“I’ll try tomorrow.” Xiang Xi said, carrying the cup toward the bedroom.

“Where are you going?” Cheng Boyan said from behind. “No eating in the bedroom.”

“Oh.” Xiang Xi turned back and sat on the sofa. “Why?”

“Smell,” Cheng Boyan yawned, ruffling his hair. “And with how unsteady you walk, you’ll spill it and I’ll have to clean up.”

Xiang Xi sat cross-legged on the sofa, finished the milk and egg, washed the cup, brushed his teeth, washed his face as instructed, then went into the bedroom and flopped onto the bed. “Ugh, I’m never eating late-night snacks again—too much trouble!”

“Just practising basic hygiene tires you out this much, huh?” Cheng Boyan sat by the small table reading.

“You’re pretty amazing,” Xiang Xi turned over and lay on his stomach watching him. “After all that, you can still read?”

“After what?” Cheng Boyan lifted his eyelids to glance at him.

“Just…” Xiang Xi clicked his tongue and lay back on the pillow. “I’m not talking to you anymore.”

“I’m waiting for you to sleep,” Cheng Boyan closed his book, turned off the lamp, and lay down beside him. “Just passing time.”

Xiang Xi smiled but didn’t speak. Cheng Boyan turned to his side, pulled him close, and brushed his nose lightly against his face. “So? How was it?”

“What… how was it?” Xiang Xi bent one leg and gently swayed it.

“It wasn’t as scary as you thought, right?” Cheng Boyan said softly.

Xiang Xi didn’t respond. He didn’t know how to discuss this kind of topic with Cheng Boyan—throughout his ten-odd years of life, he had never even considered it, especially not with another man.

“I never said it was scary,” Xiang Xi muttered quietly.

“Alright then,” Cheng Boyan kissed him. “Next time don’t make me handle things myself.”

Xiang Xi opened his mouth but couldn’t say anything. He just moved closer to Cheng Boyan, pressing his face into his breathing and closing his eyes.

“Good night, Xiao Xixi.” Cheng Boyan blew lightly on his hair.

“Good night, you old pervert.” Xiang Xi replied.

***

After working for so long, Xiang Xi had gotten used to waking up on time. The next day, when he opened his eyes, he stared at Cheng Boyan’s still-sleeping profile for quite a while before remembering that he didn’t have to go to work anymore.

He felt a bit lost, but it was quickly replaced by the pleasant thought that he could keep sleeping.

He turned over comfortably, stretched, let out a long breath, and closed his eyes again.

Although he had lived a regular life for quite some time now and didn’t have any complaints, for the past ten-plus years, aside from watching Uncle Ping’s mood, he had basically done whatever he wanted. As long as he could get money, even sleeping all day, no one would care. Now that he suddenly didn’t have to wake up early for work, he realized he had actually been quite tired during this period.

“Awake?” Cheng Boyan murmured near his ear, still groggy.

“Mm,” Xiang Xi replied with his eyes closed. “Hey, listen.”

“The birds?” Cheng Boyan yawned. “I’ll bring you earplugs today.”

Xiang Xi thought for a moment. “Forget it.”

“They’re not too noisy?” Cheng Boyan turned his head. “They start singing at four in the morning, shouting for an hour and then ‘eating a piece of Xuanmai’—how can you sleep?”

“If I use earplugs, I won’t be able to hear you breathing.” Xiang Xi smiled.

“You just won’t hear it,” Cheng Boyan hugged him. “It’s not like I’ll stop breathing.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Xiang Xi clicked his tongue.

Cheng Boyan laughed and patted him. “I know. Do whatever you want.”

Cheng Boyan got up to make breakfast. Xiang Xi couldn’t fall asleep anymore, but he didn’t want to get up, just rolling around in bed.

“Do you want porridge?” Cheng Boyan stuck his head into the bedroom and asked.

“Mixed-bean porridge?” Xiang Xi turned over. “No, it tastes like hotpot rinse water.”

“Then what do you want to eat?” Cheng Boyan asked again.

“I don’t have an appetite right now, not sure,” Xiang Xi muttered. “I’ll go downstairs and eat later.”

“No,” Cheng Boyan said immediately. “You’re not allowed to go out alone right now.”

Xiang Xi turned over again, propping himself up to look at him. “Then I’ll make that milk-and-egg thing myself.”

“Mm.” Cheng Boyan nodded and went back to the kitchen.

Xiang Xi rolled around for a while longer, but since he really couldn’t sleep, he got up.

Cheng Boyan had already finished his porridge and was about to leave for work.

“Don’t go anywhere. I’ll order take-out for you at noon. Make sure you see clearly before opening the door,” Cheng Boyan instructed.

“Is it really that serious?” Xiang Xi rubbed his nose.

“Maybe. But you have to prepare just in case,” Cheng Boyan said. “Someone just managed to climb from a small-time thug to a drug dealer, and before his ‘grand drug-making career’ could even take off, his base got destroyed. Once he’s furious, who knows what he might do. Better to be cautious.”

“Mm,” Xiang Xi nodded. “I won’t go out.”

“Call me if anything happens,” Cheng Boyan changed clothes and kissed the tear mole under his eye. “I’m off.”

After watching Cheng Boyan leave, Xiang Xi stretched in the living room. Normally he should go wash up, but he didn’t feel like moving—anyway, Cheng Boyan was gone and couldn’t control him.

He’d wash later.

He walked to the window, leaned on the sill, and looked down. After a while, he saw Cheng Boyan come out of the building. He chuckled.

If the floor wasn’t so high, he would’ve shouted.

Cheng Boyan walked a couple of steps toward the garage, stopped, then looked up toward the building.

“Hey?” Xiang Xi froze, then quickly stretched his arm out and waved hard.

Cheng Boyan waved back before turning and leaving.

Xiang Xi stayed leaning on the windowsill for a while. He hadn’t really looked at the residential complex before, but now he noticed the greenery was actually quite nice.

Their building was right next to a small garden. He could see elderly people exercising—jogging, doing tai chi, playing with birds, clapping hands, hanging from trees, kicking trees, rubbing against trees, even bumping into trees…

Only after watching for quite a while did Xiang Xi go wash up, then prepare to show off his skills by making a cup of milk and egg.

As soon as he entered the kitchen, he froze.

On the counter was yesterday’s pineapple cup, already filled with freshly made milk and egg. Next to it was a box of cookies and a note.

“I was afraid you’d burn the kitchen down, so I made it instead.”

Xiang Xi stared at the note and laughed for quite a while. He took the cup and cookies back to the living room and obediently sat at the table to eat.

Although not having to work—just eating, drinking, watching TV, and playing on the computer—felt nice, spending the entire day alone indoors still felt a bit boring.

He opened Cheng Boyan’s bookshelf, trying to find something he could read. At a glance, the top rows were filled with books whose titles he couldn’t even pronounce—bone, bone, bone…

“Hey, are there any novels?” Xiang Xi frowned and looked through the lower shelves.

Before he could find one, his eyes landed on a photo frame placed face-down.

A photo? Whose?

He picked it up and looked.

It was a photo of a boy around twelve or thirteen.

This was Cheng Boyan’s younger brother who had already passed away.

Xiang Xi stared at the photo for a long time. The boy looked very similar to Cheng Boyan, but seemed more mischievous, not as serious—though Cheng Boyan’s seriousness was only on the surface.

Xiang Xi placed the frame back face-down. From that row of books, he pulled out a copy of “The Little Prince” (NT: From Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)—a title he could recognize at a glance—and decided to read that one.

He followed Cheng Boyan’s example and made some preparations before reading: he picked a few mint leaves, washed them, brewed a cup of mint tea, placed it on the small table by the bed, then held the book and leaned back into the little sofa.

A bit of sunlight filtered through the curtains. The sound of cicadas and birds carried that uniquely lazy feeling of summer.

Even the “ Xuanmai birds” didn’t seem so annoying anymore.

So comfortable!

No wonder Cheng Boyan always reads here—what a pleasure-loving guy!

He opened the book. After glancing at the first few pages, he felt a bit dazed. There were lots of words and many foreign names—it was incredibly hard to follow. It took him quite a while to realize this wasn’t the story at all, just the introduction.

“Introduction 1…” he clicked his tongue and flipped ahead. “Introduction 2…” flip again, “Introduction 3…” Even by chapter four, it still wasn’t the story.

“‘What the hell is this?’” Xiang Xi muttered impatiently.

He flipped again—finally, the story started. There were even some beautiful illustrations. Xiang Xi raised an eyebrow—nice.

He took a sip of mint tea, lowered his head, and began reading slowly, murmuring each word under his breath as he worked through it.

***

Cheng Boyan was very busy today—though, to be fair, he was always busy. It just felt especially busy today, probably because he wanted to find time to call Xiang Xi but hadn’t been able to spare even a moment.

At noon, after asking a nurse to order take-out for Xiang Xi, he was just about to make a call when the department head dragged him into the office to eat and chat at the same time. By the time that was over, it was already time to go back to work.

Near the end of the afternoon, several patients in a row were elderly—advanced in age, slower to understand, and one old lady even had trouble hearing.

While patiently explaining to her why her knee hurt, Cheng Boyan heard someone at the door curse: “What kind of lousy doctor is this? Taking so long and still can’t figure it out!”

Cheng Boyan glanced toward the door. A young man with his hand wrapped in messy bandages was glaring at him: “How much longer till it’s my turn? My hand hurts like hell!”

Cheng Boyan smiled. “Sorry about that.”

A nurse hurried over and coaxed the man aside.

When it was finally his turn to enter the consultation room, he was still full of anger. The moment he sat down, he complained: “Such a big hospital—can’t you get more doctors?”

“You’d need space for that. It’s already a high-risk profession—honestly, it’s good enough not everyone’s quit,” Cheng Boyan said with a smile. “Is your hand injured?”

“My hand’s fine,” the man glared at him. “I twisted my ankle when I fell. It’s been days and the swelling hasn’t gone down.”

“Let me take a look. Why didn’t you come in right after it happened?” Cheng Boyan bent down and ran his hand along the fibula.

“I just thought a twist wasn’t any big—” The man suddenly cried out mid-sentence, “Ow! That hurts!”

“Probably a fracture,” Cheng Boyan said, taking a form. “Get an X-ray. Don’t assume these sprains are nothing next time.”

By the time he finished with the patient, it was already past the end of his shift. Cheng Boyan looked outside and asked the nurse: “No more patients?”

“Nope,” the nurse smiled. “What, you still want more?”

“I’m starving,” Cheng Boyan laughed. He went back to the consultation room, changed clothes, took out his phone, and called Xiang Xi while locking the door.

“Off work?” Xiang Xi answered quickly.

“Yeah, I’m heading back now,” Cheng Boyan said as he walked out. “Was lunch good? I had a colleague order it—I don’t even know what it was.”

“Pretty good—braised pork ribs with rice, very tasty,” Xiang Xi said. “What are we eating tonight?”

“Let’s go to the supermarket later and pick up some ingredients to cook,” Cheng Boyan suggested. “Wait for me.”

By the time he parked downstairs, it was already getting dark. Cheng Boyan sighed—at this hour, even the discounted vegetables at the supermarket would probably be gone.

After locking the car, he walked quickly toward the building. After a few steps, he caught sight of two people sitting on a stone bench nearby, with another squatting beside them.

Cheng Boyan frowned but didn’t look directly. At this time of day, residents were either eating dinner or taking a walk afterward—groups sitting around like that doing nothing were rare.

Had they already come looking this quickly?

He entered the elevator. Those people didn’t follow him in. He pressed the floor button and watched the numbers change.

He had considered the possibility before—that if Uncle Ping and Erpan were pushed too far, they might resort to a desperate last stand. But he hadn’t expected someone to actually show up—and this quickly.

But was it really them?

The elevator doors opened. Just as Cheng Boyan stepped out, the neighbouring door opened. Xiang Xi rushed out, waving at him urgently: “Hurry inside—you need to see this!”

Cheng Boyan entered. Xiang Xi pulled him to the window and lifted a corner of the curtain:

“There are a few people down there. They showed up this afternoon—not constantly, but they come, leave after a while, then come back again…”

“I saw them downstairs just now,” Cheng Boyan said. “Why didn’t you tell me this afternoon?”

“You were at work,” Xiang Xi said, looking at him. “I was afraid you’d make a mistake while treating someone’s bones if I distracted you.”

Cheng Boyan pinched his chin lightly, then looked downstairs again. The people were no longer sitting—they were walking toward the compound gate.

“Do you recognize them? Are they Uncle Ping and Erpan’s people?”

“No. I even zoomed in with my camera to take a closer look—I don’t recognize any of them,” Xiang Xi frowned. “And honestly… they don’t look like people from Zhaojiayao either.”

 

Translator : DarNan