UCTOOT CH152

When Shi Shu first woke, he felt warm all over.

The air conditioning was set quite low, yet he still felt flushed with heat. A powerful arm was draped across his waist, gathering his entire frame against a bare, naked chest.

Xie Wuchi wasn’t wearing any clothes. It was rare to see his hair tousled and scattered across the pillow, a few loose strands clinging to the hollow of his neck where it met his collarbone. His eyes were closed, the bridge of his nose and brow bone carrying an aura both strikingly handsome and aloof.

Shi Shu exhaled softly: Xie Wuchi isn’t awake yet?

Perhaps work had been too demanding recently; even for his birthday yesterday, he had only managed to free up his schedule by late afternoon. And then… and then Shi Shu had spent the entire night in the dark with him.

Alright, fine—he had been completely drained dry by Xie Wuchi. Shi Shu closed his eyes to savor the feeling for a few seconds, but finding sleep impossible, he opened his eyes again and idly blew at the stray bangs on his forehead. Well, waking up beside a man… even after sleeping together for two years, Shi Shu still caught himself in brief moments of surprise every now and then, as if his memory had briefly blanked.

Followed immediately by: Oh, right. I genuinely have a boyfriend.

Followed next by bracing for Xie Wuchi’s interrogating gaze.

Shi Shu lazily narrowed his peach-blossom eyes. Truth be told, he didn’t dislike being held while sleeping, nor did he mind sharing a bed with Xie Wuchi. Like right now: under the thin duvet, neither of them had a stitch of clothing on, their bare skin contact soothing and warm.

If it were any other guy, absolutely out of the question.

Shi Shu often still thought of himself as fundamentally straight, because aside from feeling that way when looking at Xie Wuchi, he possessed zero desire toward any other man.

Shi Shu felt a slight movement beside the hollow of his neck. Xie Wuchi seemed to be stirring awake. He turned his head to look, but Xie Wuchi merely shifted his posture. The man looked like a male model straight off a top-tier runway, both in face and physique. After watching him for a moment, Shi Shu leaned in and planted a peck on his cheek.

Shi Shu slowly reached an arm out, embracing Xie Wuchi beneath the blanket in return.

Only in hindsight did it dawn on him: he rarely ever watched Xie Wuchi sleep. Most of the time, Xie Wuchi was already awake at the crack of dawn while Shi Shu was still sawing logs.

On multiple occasions, Shi Shu had blinked his bleary, sleepy eyes open only to find Xie Wuchi sitting beside him, staring at him with a solemn gaze, lost in unknown thoughts.

Whether in ancient times or the modern world.

In the end, who had spent more time watching the other?

Shi Shu lay there keeping him company for roughly half an hour until Xie Wuchi woke. Yawning at last, Shi Shu slipped out of bed to wash up, both of them in that brief, groggy boot-up phase after waking.

He had barely set down his toothbrush and rinsing cup when he was wrapped in an embrace from behind. Xie Wuchi lowered his head to lick at the nape of his neck, trailing slow, wet kisses up to his jawline before capturing his mouth.

It was a bit too wild. Letting out a soft pant, Shi Shu met him with the tip of his tongue. He closed his eyes, his ears filled with nothing but ragged breathing and the slick, wet sounds of their kiss.

Shi Shu truly felt how deeply he adored him. Before long, his thighs were lifted as he was hoisted onto the vanity counter. Stepping in, Xie Wuchi gently nudged his knees apart with his own, large hands cupping Shi Shu’s cheek and earlobe, deepening the kiss into something overwhelming.

Shi Shu reached around to embrace him, his fingertips gripping his shoulders. Xie Wuchi was still completely bare.

Shi Shu gritted his teeth to keep from making a sound, drawn steadily into Xie Wuchi’s arms, pressed close amid friction and heat.

A short while later, Shi Shu’s handsome face flushed bright, his fair skin turning a deep pink. Bracing his arms against the counter, he rested in a dizzy, breathless daze while Xie Wuchi pulled out wet wipes to clean up the mess.

Unbelievable. Shi Shu grumbled to himself. Being around Xie Wuchi, there was rarely a moment to catch a breath.

He cracked the window open. The weather was lovely today—Qixi Festival, Valentine’s Day. Bright sunlight spilled across the interior carpet and tabletop, warm without being glaring.

Shi Shu had nothing on his plate today, having even canceled a scheduled tennis session just to spend Valentine’s Day with Xie Wuchi. He didn’t know what they were specifically supposed to do, and Xie Wuchi hadn’t made any demands; perhaps simply keeping him company was more than enough.

In the morning, Xie Wuchi prepped in the kitchen to cook. The massive grocery delivery had arrived, filled with everything Shi Shu had listed on yesterday’s menu; lunch today promised to be a lavish feast. While Xie Wuchi cooked, Shi Shu stood at attention nearby like an audience of one, watching him devein fresh prawns, slice bell peppers into thin strips, chop ribs, shred cabbage, clean crabs and fish… prepping every single ingredient with precision.

Xie Wuchi didn’t actually enjoy cooking. He simply wanted to spend time on Shi Shu. His time wasn’t something money could buy; he was only willing to squander it on Shi Shu.

Then, Shi Shu suddenly thought Xie Wuchi looked incredibly handsome chopping vegetables, insisted on trying his hand at it, and promptly retreated back to the spectator’s seat after butchering the cuts.

Xie Wuchi wanted nothing more than to mock him.

Yet Shi Shu amused himself so much he laughed out loud, hugging him from behind, rubbing his cheek against his back while chanting, “Gege, gege.” Xie Wuchi carefully set down the chef’s knife, turned around, dipped his head to kiss the space between his brows, and murmured, “I’m holding a knife. Be careful.”

Shi Shu pressed a peck to his jawline, then bare-handedly swiped at the neatly arranged shredded cucumbers, making a complete mess of the pile. Xie Wuchi stared at him for a moment, rendered speechless, and continued prepping the food.

All morning, while Xie Wuchi worked by the counters, Shi Shu hovered around him. When hungry, he crouched down and hugged his legs, zoning out for a bit, whining for a bit, then hopping up to cause more mischief.

Either way, he had to keep Xie Wuchi’s attention on him. If Xie Wuchi stole a kiss, Shi Shu would behave quietly for a short spell.

By the time lunch was nearly served, it finally struck him: Holy crap, why am I acting like a clingy little puppy?! Damn, this is way too embarrassing.

Just as a flicker of shame stirred in Shi Shu’s chest, Xie Wuchi called out from the dining table: “Baobao, come eat.”

Shi Shu’s mood instantly soared. What had he been fretting about just now? Completely forgotten—time to eat!

Xie Wuchi started a topic, and Shi Shu rambled on for half an hour. Realizing the other man had barely gotten a word in, Shi Shu said, “You talk.”

Xie Wuchi: “Tonight, I want to try it on the balcony.”

“…” Shi Shu replied, “I’ll keep talking instead.”

After finishing lunch, in the afternoon, Shi Shu wanted to watch a match, clutching a throw pillow while lounging in Xie Wuchi’s embrace. Shi Shu discovered that Xie Wuchi was an absolute deadpan king of dry roasts; accompanying Shi Shu to watch the game, he managed to deliver every single humorous remark in the driest, least amused way possible.

Shi Shu glanced at the screen, then turned back to look at Xie Wuchi, who was resting his temple on his hand, impassively glancing at the replay of a foul call: “Does he regret stepping over the line that much?”

Shi Shu: “Don’t say that.”

“He seems to be your male god.”

Shi Shu couldn’t take it: “I only said I watch his games, I never said he was my male god! I don’t have male gods. I hate men.”

Xie Wuchi: “Then what am I? Ah, I see. A random bystander.”

Shi Shu: “Do you really have to be the male god?!”

Xie Wuchi let out a soft chuckle, dipping his head to kiss the space between Shi Shu’s brows, trailing down to the corner of his lips. Using one hand, he gently cupped Shi Shu’s chin, tilting it upward to press a kiss, then another.

Only after bickering with him for a bit did Shi Shu realize that Xie Wuchi had been playing him all along—he was just teasing him for fun.

Gentle pecks gradually deepened into a ravenous kiss. Xie Wuchi leaned over him, his hand slipping beneath his T-shirt, drawing Shi Shu entirely into his chest inch by inch. The cheers and referee whistles from the video faded into mere background noise. Kissed until he couldn’t catch his breath, his chest tightening with intensity, Shi Shu rested his chin on Xie’s shoulder in a dizzy, half-lidded haze.

Drowsiness crept over Shi Shu. He dozed for a while curled against Xie Wuchi’s chest, then felt himself gently lifted and carried, seemingly to the bed.

When Shi Shu opened his eyes again, he found Xie Wuchi snapping a photo of him fast asleep—fair-skinned, lips softly parted, a youthful face tilted sideways with fluffy, tousled hair.

Shi Shu let out a confused “Eh?”, but made no move to protest. The vast majority of photos in Xie Wuchi’s phone were of Shi Shu; everything else was exceedingly rare.

Whenever he thought about these unfiltered expressions of affection, Shi Shu felt a little shy, so he simply nuzzled into Xie Wuchi’s shoulder.

“Sleep with me for a bit.” Shi Shu wanted to hold him to sleep too.

Occasionally, when acting cute or clingy with Xie Wuchi, a sudden jolt would hit him: What on earth is a guy like me saying to the man in front of me?!

Yet right after, the realization followed: I want to. I truly want to. I love this man.

Even as a guy, I love him.

Wrapping his arms around Xie Wuchi’s waist, Shi Shu drifted off to sleep, breathing in the faint scent of mistletoe and white narcissus clinging to his skin. By the time he woke from his afternoon nap, the sky had dimmed slightly, and Valentine’s Day gifts had arrived in the apartment.

A massive bouquet of roses stood at the center of the living room, surrounded by an array of exquisitely stacked gift boxes containing Xie Wuchi’s presents for him.

Shi Shu didn’t even need to open them to know what lay inside.

To Xie Wuchi, money was mere paper. Yet even so, he painstakingly gifted them, even if Shi Shu had zero practical use for them.

Sports car keys, trust funds, company equities, luxury real estate, platinum credit cards… Brother Xie Xun, whether in terms of ceremonial grandeur or sheer tangible wealth, would never allow Shi Shu to come up short in the slightest.

Those priceless, extravagant gifts—Shi Shu had no desire to unbox them, and Xie Wuchi couldn’t be bothered to open them either. Because what he owned, Shi Shu owned; his possessions were Shi Shu’s possessions, and he himself was Shi Shu’s property.

Padding barefoot across the floor, Shi Shu paid no mind to the presents in the room. Instead, his gaze settled on Xie Wuchi standing on the balcony watching the sunset, and he walked over.

Shi Shu lingered beside him, waiting for the sun to sink below the horizon. He didn’t find the sunset particularly breathtaking, but thinking Xie Wuchi might appreciate it, he stayed by his side. Still, Shi Shu couldn’t stifle a yawn. Xie Wuchi turned: “Hungry? Time for dinner.”

A little, but right now Shi Shu simply wanted to stay indoors with Xie Wuchi.

The air had chilled. The moment they stepped back inside, Shi Shu reached for Xie Wuchi’s hand. Kissed lightly on the cheek and told “good boy” twice, he finally let go with a soft mumble.

Shi Shu was no longer in the mood for dinner. He shut every window, drew the curtains closed, and shut the entire outside world away. Because he wanted intimacy with Xie Wuchi.

Sure enough, the moment their gazes locked, they began kissing uncontrollably once more.

Raising his hands, Shi Shu lightly stroked his jawline and ear. Opening his eyes, he met Xie Wuchi’s dark, hazy gaze shrouded in shadow, the man seemingly curling his lips into a faint smile. Tongues tangled, a wet, feverish heat spreading across their bodies as soft, slick sounds stirred in the air.

Shi Shu felt it was almost too overwhelming, breathless as his hand was enveloped in Xie Wuchi’s palm, their fingers tightly interlocked. The neckline of his shirt was undone as Xie Wuchi trailed kisses from his ear and neck all the way down his body. Unable to endure the sensation, Shi Shu sank his teeth into his shoulder.

All night long, holding him close, Shi Shu felt as though he were trapped in a sweltering cloud, jostled back and forth, continually colliding with scorching mist, turning slick and drenched as if rain were about to fall, melting entirely away.

Still, Shi Shu loved this Valentine’s Day dearly.

Spent with the person he loved most in this world, his one and only lover.