DLWAV CH21

Ao Ruize snapped out of it. He suppressed the strange thoughts welling up in his heart and said seriously, “Surfing is actually simple. First, when the wave comes toward us, inhale with the motion, then use both hands to press the nose of the surfboard into the water—the deeper, the better…”

Ao Ruize briefly explained the surfing movements once over.

“Let’s learn step one first.”

As he spoke, he grabbed the surfboard in his hand, pressed it down hard, and dove straight into the water.

A second later, he popped out of the water. “You try?”

Zhong Chi mimicked his movements, pressing the nose of the board hard into the water.

However, perhaps due to applying uneven force with his hands, the nose of Zhong Chi’s board skewed directly to the right, and he immediately flipped over in the water.

Seeing this, Ao Ruize instinctively reached out, grabbed his hand, and hauled him up.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Zhong Chi said.

Even so, he couldn’t help but grip Ao Ruize’s hand tightly.

Although he could swim, he didn’t go into the water often. So, losing his balance so suddenly inevitably made him a little nervous.

But a second later, the nervousness in his heart vanished into thin air.

His attention shifted entirely to the large hand holding his.

He hadn’t miscalculated before; Ao Ruize’s hand was indeed a size larger than his.

And Ao Ruize’s palm was warmer than he had imagined—they say people with warm palms have chests that are even more scorching hot.

Zhong Chi’s heart couldn’t help but pound.

But he didn’t show it on his face. He quietly withdrew his hand, but not before scratching Ao Ruize’s palm lightly.

Ao Ruize, who had just been about to let go of Zhong Chi’s hand: “…”

Could he say that for a split second, his breathing stopped?

But he recovered quickly. Zhong Chi probably just touched his palm by accident.

He didn’t think too much of it and continued, “How about I guide you through it once?”

Noticing the fleeting unnatural look on Ao Ruize’s face, Zhong Chi’s mood improved instantly. “Okay.”

Ao Ruize immediately set his surfboard aside, stepped forward, and embraced Zhong Chi from behind, guiding his hands onto the board. “Don’t place your left and right hands on the same line, and don’t place them too far forward. That will make the tail lift too high, making it hard to press into the water…”

Feeling the scorching breath against his neck, Zhong Chi: “…”

Zhong Chi instantly gripped the surfboard tight.

This posture was simply too intimate.

He really hadn’t anticipated a scene like this. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have needed that unnecessary move of scratching Ao Ruize’s palm earlier.

But since it was already happening… he shouldn’t waste such a good opportunity, right?

Thinking this, Zhong Chi slowly relaxed, pretending to be oblivious, and continued to maintain the posture.

But his reddening neck betrayed him.

Under the sunlight, the color was so dazzling that Ao Ruize suddenly remembered the scene he saw that day in the bathroom of Room 506 at the Ruifeng Hotel.

The color was exactly the same!

For no reason, Ao Ruize suddenly felt his throat go dry.

He instinctively looked away.

But the next second, he saw Zhong Chi’s body.

Zhong Chi’s skin was very pale. It might not be obvious when he wore shirts usually. But now, in the clear seawater, with the wet white shirt clinging tightly to his body, there wasn’t a flaw to be seen.

No, wait, there was…

Ao Ruize’s gaze landed on Zhong Chi’s chest, and his breathing hitched.

He felt something was off with himself.

But soon, he realized Zhong Chi seemed off too.

Zhong Chi wasn’t drugged today, so why was his neck so red right now?

Thinking this, it was hard for Ao Ruize not to speculate.

However, he quickly calmed down. He wasn’t arrogant enough to think Zhong Chi had fallen for him after just a few meetings. Most importantly, just a while ago, Zhong Chi had been making eyes at Lin Gaolang.

Ao Ruize’s gaze cleared instantly.

He said, “Now, let’s try it.”

Zhong Chi readily agreed, “Okay.”

Unfortunately, Zhong Chi wasn’t exactly athletic. It took an hour before he barely learned how to press the tail of the board into the water.

By then, the sky was nearly dark.

But Zhong Chi wasn’t disappointed; learning to surf wasn’t his goal for the day anyway.

After changing his clothes and coming out, Zhong Chi simply said, “Sorry for the trouble today, Mr. Xiao.”

“To show my gratitude, how about I treat Mr. Xiao to dinner?”

Ao Ruize had already thrown the earlier incidents to the back of his mind, so he nodded directly.

Zhong Chi took Ao Ruize to a restaurant on the sea.

He said, “This is a gem of a restaurant I found after coming to Shallow City. I wonder if Mr. Xiao has eaten here before?”

Ao Ruize: “I actually haven’t been to this one.”

Zhong Chi smiled. “Then it’s a good chance to try something new today.”

shortly after they were seated, a waiter approached with menus.

Ao Ruize opened the menu, looked through it, and ordered Longjing Shrimp and Black Pepper Beef Cubes.

Zhong Chi added a Cumin Lamb Leg and Stir-fried Lily Bulbs.

Finally, he asked, “By the way, do you have The Macallan?”

Waiter: “Yes, we do.”

Zhong Chi closed the menu. “Open a bottle.”

Waiter: “Certainly.”

Zhong Chi then turned back and smiled. “It seems every time I meet Mr. Xiao, you are drinking this wine.”

Ao Ruize didn’t think much of the comment at first.

Until a few minutes later, another waiter walked over and said, “Because today is our boss and proprietress’s Golden Wedding Anniversary, to celebrate this great day, all couples dining in our restaurant today get a 23% discount. May I ask if you two are a couple?”

Ao Ruize instinctively wanted to deny it.

But just then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zhong Chi look at him immediately.

When he finally got the word “No” out of his mouth, Zhong Chi’s lips pursed for a split second, even though they returned to normal the next instant.

The waiter left quickly, but Ao Ruize could no longer stay calm.

He instinctively picked up his wine glass, wanting a drink to settle his nerves.

Then he finally realized something.

Zhong Chi had even remembered his favorite drink.

The implication was self-evident.

Ao Ruize could no longer use the word “coincidence” to explain the questions he encountered today.

No wonder Zhong Chi suddenly asked him to teach surfing, despite them not knowing each other that well.

That meant the palm scratch earlier wasn’t his delusion—

Zhong Chi was hitting on him.

Ao Ruize’s throat felt even drier.

But he just wanted to have a simple vacation—and he didn’t like men at all.

This couldn’t go on.

Thinking this, Ao Ruize made a decision immediately.

He had to clear things up with Zhong Chi as soon as possible.

But now was obviously not the time.

So Ao Ruize could only suppress the chaotic thoughts in his mind and eat first.

Unbeknownst to him, Zhong Chi was watching his expression closely the entire time.

Seeing this, Zhong Chi immediately guessed what he was thinking.

But he didn’t feel disappointed.

He thought of two things.

First, seducing a man wasn’t something achieved overnight.

Second, the moment he invited Ao Ruize, Ao Ruize agreed. And in just the short time this afternoon, the emotional changes on his face were enough for a stage performance of Bian Lian.

With all that, could Ao Ruize really claim he had no feelings?

Having figured this out, Zhong Chi steadied his mind, his mood improving even more.

Half an hour later, Ao Ruize finished eating, cutting through the mess quickly.

Coming out of the restaurant, since Ao Ruize had been drinking, Zhong Chi drove him home.

By the time they arrived, Ao Ruize had prepared his words.

So after getting out of the car, he said directly, “Mr. Zhong, shall we talk?”

Hearing this, Zhong Chi said, “Perfect, I have something I want to say to Mr. Xiao too.”

Actually, he had planned the “boiling frog in warm water” approach—taking it slow. But since Ao Ruize had already guessed his thoughts and seemed to have a bit of interest in him, he didn’t need to be polite anymore.

Ao Ruize wasn’t one to drag things out. He prepared to get straight to the point: “Mr. Zhong…”

Unexpectedly, his words were interrupted by Zhong Chi the next second: “If I remember correctly, Mr. Xiao doesn’t have a partner right now, does he?”

“So, what do you think of me?”

Ao Ruize: “…”

Are the Dao Lords of the Heavenly Palace always this… enthusiastic?

Even though Ao Ruize had lived for tens of thousands of years, this was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

He tried to reorganize his language.

Then he heard Zhong Chi say, “Am I good-looking?”

Ao Ruize’s attention landed entirely on Zhong Chi.

Under the streetlamp, Zhong Chi stood in his sharp, well-tailored suit.

The soft light cast a subtle glow on his face, but it couldn’t hide his handsomeness.

Looking at his tightly pursed lips, his shimmering eyes, and the tips of his red ears… Ao Ruize, whose throat was getting drier by the second, had to admit he couldn’t refute that.

Zhong Chi chuckled softly. “It seems Mr. Xiao is satisfied with my conditions.”

“In that case, why doesn’t Mr. Xiao give it a try?”

Ao Ruize: “…”

Is this something you can just casually “try”?

The next second, he heard Zhong Chi say, “Then it’s settled.”

After saying that, Zhong Chi turned and walked away.

Because his courage was only enough to get those words out.

Watching his retreating back, Ao Ruize: “…”

This… how was that settled?

Before he could react, Zhong Chi, who had already driven the car a few meters away, suddenly stopped the car again.

Immediately after, he got out and marched back toward Ao Ruize with large strides.

Ao Ruize: “What…”

Zhong Chi stopped in front of him, suddenly raised his hands, and then… buttoned up the two open buttons on Ao Ruize’s shirt.

Ao Ruize: “…”

Ensuring the bronze skin underneath was completely hidden by the shirt, Zhong Chi finally looked up, meeting Ao Ruize’s gaze.

He whispered, “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.”

With that, he turned around with feigned calm and strode back to the car.

Ao Ruize: “…”

Ao Ruize: “……”

Ao Ruize: “……..”

And just then, Zhong Chi’s car disappeared completely from his sight.

It took a good while for Ao Ruize to react.

He put his hand on his collar, wanting to unbutton it again.

After all, the “Autumn Tiger” heat was raging right now.

But a second later, he suddenly hesitated.

His hand went down, then came up again, tossing and turning for a while.

Until finally, perhaps because his arm got tired, or perhaps for another reason, his hand eventually dropped back down.

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