FLME Ch76

Xie Heyu’s lack of security was something Yu Wen occasionally noticed.

For instance, he loved it when Yu Wen called him “boyfriend” and was very particular about such outward declarations of their relationship. He never truly dared to make Yu Wen angry, always stopping just short of crossing the line. Even when he got jealous, he was cautious, maintaining a calm and composed façade while making reasonable and logical remarks—never causing a big scene.

Looking back, at least 80% of Xie Heyu’s steadiness in front of Yu Wen was an act.

Yu Wen buried his face in the pillow, slowly calming down from the lingering sensations. As the intensity faded, his thoughts became clearer. From Xie Heyu’s perspective, he tried to retrace the course of their acquaintance and growing connection.

He was so focused on his thoughts that he didn’t notice Xie Heyu’s small movements.

Though it wasn’t cold anymore, the two of them were covered in sweat. Under the light, Yu Wen’s shoulder blades gleamed with a delicate sheen, and his waist and hips were damp with moisture. Xie Heyu reached out, running his finger slowly down from the center of Yu Wen’s shoulder blades to the base of his spine, pausing to press lightly.

A faint, almost imperceptible mark was left where his finger traced.

Yu Wen let out a soft hum.

He didn’t lift his head, seemingly tired, rubbing his cheek against the pillow like a well-fed, lazy cat.

Xie Heyu’s gaze darkened.

When the hand behind him moved to his waist, Yu Wen instinctively grabbed for the pillow—he’d been biting it earlier, biting so hard his teeth ached, but at least he’d managed to save face.

Xie Heyu, ever considerate in matters like this, usually let Yu Wen have his way. If Yu Wen wanted to bite the pillow, he’d let him.

Yu Wen thought this time would be no different.

But just as he reached out, the pillow disappeared. Turning back a beat too late, he saw Xie Heyu holding the edge of the pillow, looking down at him.

That gaze was arrogant, almost challenging. Yu Wen felt provoked, but the next second, his boyfriend leaned down, his low voice murmuring in his ear, “Gege… don’t bite the pillow, okay?”

… That single “Gege” left Yu Wen completely at a loss.

Come to think of it, he was indeed a bit older than Xie Heyu, so calling him “Gege” wasn’t unusual. But Teacher Xie, typically calm and unflappable, had never shown such vulnerability before. That one word made Yu Wen feel awkward, as if he were the shy one, while Xie Heyu seemed perfectly at ease.

Yu Wen half-turned, his gaze lingering on the pillow in Xie Heyu’s hand for a long moment. Then, gritting his teeth, he said, “Fine, fine, just take it far away…”

If he couldn’t bite it, so be it—after all, it was just the two of them at home.

Xie Heyu simply tossed the pillow aside.

Since entering this relationship, Yu Wen had not only brushed up on technical knowledge but also read countless experience posts. His feelings, however, were different from most described in those posts.

It didn’t hurt, nor was there any talk of “losing oneself.” If he had to describe it, it was like soaking in a warm milk bath after exhaustion—his whole body immersed in warmth, almost melting.

Everything was gentle and smooth, natural and just right… The slow pace made him overlook Xie Heyu’s obvious restraint and hesitation.

Calloused fingertips grazed his waist, making Yu Wen squirm from the ticklish sensation. Xie Heyu tightened his arms around him, lifting him up to nuzzle his chin affectionately.

“… Gege.” Xie Heyu kissed him, pressing against his upper palate and coaxing his tongue out. Between their tangled lips and teeth, a teasing murmur slipped out: “I like it…”

Xie Heyu called him “Gege” a few more times.

It seemed to be a reminder that Yu Wen, as the older one in their relationship, should be more proactive and take the lead.

Realizing this, Yu Wen lowered his head and kissed Xie Heyu’s Adam’s apple.

After all, he was the “Gege”…

Xie Heyu narrowed his eyes, a satisfied and content expression spreading across his face.

“Xiao Yu is so good… You’re doing great.”

Yu Wen felt a bit dazed, unhappy, and pouted.

Xie Heyu immediately corrected himself: “Xiao Yu Gege is so good.”

Yu Wen was pleased.

By noon, Xie Heyu casually ordered some light takeout.

Yu Wen wasn’t feeling hungry. While Xie Heyu went downstairs to pick up the food, Yu Wen curled up in the blanket and fell asleep.

When he woke up again, it was 2:30 in the afternoon. Instinctively, he snuggled toward his boyfriend, groping around for him. After a while, he couldn’t find Xie Heyu. Following the sound of running water, he groggily wandered over and found Teacher Xie in the bathroom… having a friendly “chat” with his five brothers.

“…”

Yu Wen reflexively turned around and walked out, wrapping himself in the blanket until he looked like a silkworm cocoon.

The faint sound of running water continued from the bathroom. Wrapped in the blanket, Yu Wen rolled around a few times before poking half his head out of the soft down quilt, gazing at the light seeping through the gap in the curtains.

It was already afternoon…

Yu Wen yawned, waiting for Xie Heyu to come out of the bathroom so they could go downstairs to eat together.

After a long while, he was curled up in bed and nearly fell asleep again, yet Xie Heyu still hadn’t come out.

Occasionally, the sound of running water would stop, and faint, muffled hums could be heard from the bathroom.

—Was this the legendary stamina of grown men, said to be more enduring than diamonds?

Yu Wen couldn’t help but waver for a moment, feeling a little guilty and self-conscious. He pulled open his collar to check the marks on his body. They weren’t too bad, and when he moved a little, there wasn’t any discomfort…

But he quickly recalled how it had felt at the time.

How to put it… the impact on his brain had been particularly intense, like an iron rod stirring around inside his head…

Nope.

Yu Wen quickly rolled out of bed, deciding that what he didn’t hear wouldn’t bother him. He slipped on his slippers and dashed out of the room.

Not long after he left, Xie Heyu came out of the bathroom.

He was only wearing a bath towel, looking at the tightly shut door. Crossing his arms, he raised an eyebrow with casual indifference.

Yu Wen went downstairs to look for food.

The lunch Xie Heyu had ordered was in the fridge. After confirming it was all his favorite dishes, Yu Wen happily unpacked the takeout boxes, put them in the microwave to heat up, and felt thirsty. He rummaged through the kitchen for some honey to make a cup of honey water.

The kitchen hadn’t been tidied up yet, and after searching for a while, Yu Wen couldn’t find any honey. He began to doubt whether Xie Heyu’s house even had any and was about to order some online when a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind.

Xie Heyu nuzzled against his cheek and asked, “What are you looking for?”

“Honey,” Yu Wen replied.

Then, turning his head, he asked, “Did you bring any?”

Xie Heyu pulled over a cardboard box, took out a jar of honey, opened it, and handed it to Yu Wen.

Yu Wen grabbed a spoon and scooped some honey. Just as he stood still, Xie Heyu hugged him again.

“Do you want some?” Yu Wen asked.

“Yes,” Xie Heyu replied.

Yu Wen scooped another spoonful for him.

Once the honey was scooped, it was time to add water. But with Xie Heyu hugging him, it was hard to move. Yu Wen tactfully said, “Teacher Xie, if you’re not busy, why don’t you tidy up the kitchen first?”

Xie Heyu glanced around and asked, “… Do you think it’s messy?”

Not really.

Yu Wen replied, “Don’t you have a bit of OCD? Doesn’t it bother you to see things scattered around?”

“No,” Xie Heyu said. This time, he hugged Yu Wen from the front. At over 190 cm tall, he had to bend down to embrace him properly, which made Yu Wen feel tired on his behalf.

“I’ll clean up the day after tomorrow.”

Yu Wen: “…Why the day after tomorrow?”

Xie Heyu: “You’re going back to the set the day after tomorrow.”

…Fine.

Xie Heyu suddenly became especially clingy, which worried Yu Wen. Could it be… unmet desires?

Yu Wen said to Xie Heyu, “If you’re not going to clean up, I’ll help you clean up.”

This worked like a charm. Xie Heyu froze for a moment, slowly straightened up, and looked down at him.

Yu Wen looked completely innocent.

“… Fine, I’ll clean up.” Xie Heyu, expressionless, glanced around, grabbed a cardboard box, and got to work.

By the time Yu Wen had heated up the food, Xie Heyu had already tidied up the kitchen.

After a simple meal, Xie Heyu asked Yu Wen what plans he had for the two days of vacation.

Yu Wen didn’t have any plans, but judging by Xie Heyu’s look, he was worried his boyfriend might drag him into a hedonistic frenzy, leaving him utterly drained.

So he said seriously, “Housework. I’ll help you clean the house until it’s spotless.”

Xie Heyu: “…We have a cleaning service.”

Yu Wen raised his hand solemnly. “Hey, you can’t rely on others for everything. Some things must be done personally to feel a sense of accomplishment.”

Xie Heyu raised an eyebrow, seeing through the facade of calm to the nervousness Yu Wen could barely hide.

Xie Heyu asked, “The entire villa?”

Yu Wen nodded firmly. “Yes, the entire villa.”

Xie Heyu propped his head on his hand, looking thoughtful.

“Two days of vacation, just cleaning seems too dull. How about watching a movie or going out? If you don’t want to go out, hmm… we could compete. See who does the housework faster.”

Yu Wen thought that sounded reasonable.

Xie Heyu added leisurely, “Games should be fun. Perhaps before each round, the other person can set a restriction. As long as it doesn’t break the rules, the time will be recorded, and the winner determined.”

Hmm… that worked too.

Yu Wen thought to himself, You’re quite meticulous, but this is good—it’ll keep you distracted.

“What’s the reward for winning?” Yu Wen asked.

Xie Heyu casually replied, “If you lose, you agree to one condition from the other person.”

Yu Wen grinned. “Deal.”

Such open-ended promises were the best. He could win many times and make Xie Heyu do embarrassing things… maybe even cry again.

The more Yu Wen thought about it, the better it seemed.

Housework? Bring it on!

Upstairs, there was an empty room with one wall covered in mirrors. Xie Heyu had cleared it out to store some instruments, but since they hadn’t been moved in yet, the room was completely bare.

Xie Heyu said to mop the floor first.

He went out to buy things, leaving Yu Wen wandering idly around the house. With nothing to do, Yu Wen started rummaging through Xie Heyu’s jewelry cabinet. Xie Heyu’s trendy accessories had long become communal property between them. Yu Wen was too lazy to bring his own back to the dormitory and would simply come to Xie Heyu’s place to dig through when needed.

It had been over a month since he last came here—he wondered if there were any new additions.

Yu Wen rummaged and rummaged, and sure enough, he found a few particularly unique items that definitely weren’t there before.

A chest chain, a waist chain… and a few things that looked like chokers but might be something else.

These chains were especially intricate. Yu Wen even had to take pictures and search online to figure out how to wear them.

How to put it? They looked pretty nice, but they were definitely not something you could wear out in public.

Yu Wen tried them on himself. Even without taking off his clothes, they felt a bit risqué. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to wear them directly against the skin.

He curled his lips. Teacher Xie was getting bolder and bolder.

Suddenly reminded of something, he headed to the storage room.

Things had progressed rather abruptly. Though he had a vague idea in his mind, it didn’t feel real. Now that he had a moment to reflect, Yu Wen felt he needed to think things through.

Xie Heyu’s explanation had been concise, but what he described was indeed Yu Wen’s past life.

These dreams were real.

Or rather, they were things that had truly happened.

It was quite mystical, Yu Wen thought—no less mystical than him transmigrating into a book.

There are always things in the world that science can’t explain. Yu Wen didn’t plan to get to the bottom of it. Obsessing over these things would only disrupt his current life. He’d always disliked seeking trouble for himself.

Besides, even Xie Heyu might not fully understand the reason behind it. If he wanted to ask, he wouldn’t even know where to start.

The old items in the storage room had been organized with Yu Wen’s help. He knew where everything was. On a small bookshelf were some old books of sentimental value. He opened the glass door of the shelf and took out a sketchbook.

Inside were simple line drawings of various scenes. Yu Wen had seen them while tidying up before but hadn’t paid much attention. However, he remembered that some markings clearly didn’t match the sketchbook’s age, as if they had been added later.

Now he understood—they were Xie Heyu’s retrospectives.

Many places were circled.

Xie Heyu couldn’t clearly remember those dreams but had a vague impression of Yu Wen. After recognizing him, he went home to find old items from the past and circled details from the dreams in the sketchbook. Through this process, he pieced together blurry fragments of memory into clarity.

From that moment on, every second, every glance he cast at Yu Wen, he knew that little Teacher Yu didn’t belong to this world.

Yu Wen rested his chin on his hand, suddenly feeling a bit of admiration.

He didn’t know what kind of mindset Xie Heyu had when approaching him, but if it were him, he wouldn’t have had the courage to love a stranger from an unknown place with an uncertain return. Forget love at first sight—even discussing marriage would require settling his own heart first.

Yet Xie Heyu had always approached him with this premise, risking everything.

Teacher Xie.

I really don’t know whether to call you reckless…

Or brave.

Xie Heyu didn’t take long this time.

Hearing the door open, Yu Wen grabbed the mop and eagerly ran to greet him, saying, “You’re finally back! Let me tell you, I just came up with a one-of-a-kind brilliant plan. This time, you’re definitely going to lose—”

Xie Heyu hugged him as soon as he stepped through the door.

He was carrying two large bags, which he casually tossed aside before clinging to Yu Wen like a koala. Yu Wen had no choice but to temporarily set aside his beloved mop.

“…Teacher Xie?” Yu Wen could feel a torrent of intense emotions from him, as if it wanted to engulf them both. He softened his voice and asked, “Did you miss me?”

The cool guy replied reservedly, “A little.”

A little? A little, and you’re hugging me like your life depends on it.

The earlier clinginess could have been attributed to unmet desires, but now, Yu Wen could clearly feel that this was Xie Heyu’s long-held emotions finally breaking free. It tore apart his calm façade, revealing a flood of possessiveness and fear of loss beneath.

Perhaps he hadn’t suddenly become clingy. Teacher Xie had always been clingy—he just hid it well and never showed it.

Every moment of separation, every moment of reunion, he had wanted to embrace Yu Wen without restraint, using warmth and heartbeats as proof of their meeting.

But counting the times they’d been apart, Yu Wen could only recall Xie Heyu’s calm expression as he watched him leave.

Thinking about how every time Xie Heyu quietly stood by his side, secretly wanting to lean closer, Yu Wen found it amusing.

Yu Wen said, “Teacher Xie… today I discovered another adorable side of you. I really like you.”

Xie Heyu said nothing.

Yu Wen pried him off and cupped his face for a closer look. Xie Heyu lowered his eyes coolly, his face calm and composed.

But Yu Wen noticed a blind spot. “Hey, your ears are red.”

Xie Heyu leaned in to kiss him again.

So clingy.

After the kiss, Yu Wen felt doomed. If this kept up, he’d be the one who couldn’t take it first. Why was Xie Heyu so insecure again? Tsk, they seemed to have discussed this topic before, but he couldn’t remember what they were doing at the time…

Xie Heyu picked up the bags and led him upstairs.

Upstairs, seeing the gleaming floor, Yu Wen remembered his brilliant plan and grew excited. He whispered mysteriously to Xie Heyu, “You’re definitely going to lose.”

Each of them took one side of the floor to mop. Yu Wen had it all figured out: he’d make Xie Heyu stand still, unable to move. How could he mop without moving? Victory would be his for the taking!

But Xie Heyu wasn’t so easy to fool. Smart and self-possessed, Yu Wen suppressed his eager heart and calmly asked, “What’s your condition?”

Leaning against the door, Xie Heyu’s lazy gaze fixed on his face.

“Simple.”

Yu Wen didn’t let his guard down.

Then Xie Heyu pulled out one of the two bags he had brought back. Inside was a flat, exquisite paper box. Judging by the label, it seemed to be clothing.

In front of him, Xie Heyu opened the box.

“Gege, I want to see you mop in this.”

Yu Wen: “…”

He didn’t even need to look closely. Just a glance told him something was off.

The fabric was pitifully scant. Judging by the design… it was a maid outfit.

A sexy maid outfit.

Yu Wen grabbed the mop and pointed it at Xie Heyu, enunciating each word: “I’m going to execute you.”

What the hell.

So from start to finish, he was the only one taking the game seriously.

This scheming boy!