Chapter 40

Chapter 40

"Ngh... don't touch that... ah—!"

Lin Xingshu shot upright, gasping for air. His eyes stared blankly at the bedsheets, his body drenched in sweat, his heart hammering uncontrollably.

A sudden realization dawned on him. He quickly lowered his head and lifted the blanket. The moment he saw the damp patch between his thighs, his eyes widened slightly. A flush crept up his neck, spreading to his ears and turning them crimson.

What kind of dream was that?! This is insane—truly insane!

Lin Xingshu burrowed back under the covers, darkness instantly enveloping him. But the deeper the darkness, the clearer his thoughts became, and last night's dream flooded his mind.

In the dream, he was back in the cave from yesterday.

The fire blazed, and even in the dream, he could feel the warmth and humidity in the air. He sat by the fire, still wearing his soaked clothes, which clung uncomfortably to his skin.

"Lin Xingshu... Xingshu."

A low, husky voice whispered in his ear, a hot breath caressing his earlobe. He instinctively flinched, but a large hand wrapped around his shoulder, its feverish warmth seeping through the thin fabric into his body.

Lin Xingshu turned his head and met a pair of pitch-black eyes. The man's exquisitely handsome face wore a gentle smile as he gazed at him with tender affection—it was Xie Guan.

"You're drenched. It must be uncomfortable. Let me help you take off your clothes to dry them, alright?"

It was the exact same scene as yesterday. Just like before, Xie Guan was bare-chested, his sculpted muscles fully exposed, his fair skin glowing pink in the firelight.

Lin Xingshu suddenly felt the air grow even hotter. He wanted to turn away, but his hands moved on their own, resting on Xie Guan's shoulders before wrapping around his neck.

He was stunned. What was happening? He clearly wanted to refuse! How... how could this be?

"Alright... help me."

A slightly playful reply slipped out before he could stop it. Lin Xingshu tried to clamp his mouth shut, but he couldn't control it. In Xie Guan's eyes, he saw his own reflection: drenched, his body faintly visible through the wet fabric, pressed tightly against Xie Guan. His usually reserved face wore a smile that didn't suit him, his eyes and brows exuding a flirtatious charm, a look of feigned reluctance that seemed to deliberately entice the other man.

"Someone's eager."

Xie Guan chuckled softly and began unbuttoning his shirt. With each button undone, more of his body was exposed to the air. Their skin pressed tightly together, the atmosphere thick with unspoken intimacy.

Lin Xingshu was mortified beyond words. If he could control his body, he would have dug a hole and buried himself right then and there.

Xie Guan's hand, which had been on his shoulder, had somehow moved to his waist, fingers gently and suggestively caressing the skin of his lower back as he leaned closer. And in the dream, Lin Xingshu showed no inclination to pull away.

Noses almost touching, lips nearly meeting.

Lin Xingshu felt like a soul trapped inside a puppet, no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't break free from this constraint.

Then, his hands moved uncontrollably again. This time, he directly wrapped them around Xie Guan's neck, pulling him closer, and kissed him.

Ahhhhhhh!

Lin Xingshu was on the verge of a breakdown. This was absolutely not something he would ever do!

At this moment, he was incredibly grateful that he was dreaming. If he had actually done this yesterday, Xie Guan might have beaten him up on the spot...

The moment their lips met, Xie Guan's breath hitched. He pulled Lin Xingshu into his arms, embracing him completely, his hands supporting Lin Xingshu's hips as they kissed in an extremely intimate posture.

Gradually, Xie Guan was no longer satisfied with just his lips. His kisses trailed down from Lin Xingshu's mouth, and his hands tightened around Lin Xingshu's waist.

Though Lin Xingshu couldn't control his body, he felt an boundless surge of pleasure.

Xie Guan's eyes were closed, as he obsessively inhaled the scent of Lin Xingshu's body, lingering at his neck and collarbone. When their eyes occasionally met, those dark eyes were filled with a shocking, intense desire.

Lin Xingshu felt a little lost, his initial resistance gradually fading away.

He had already developed a slight fondness for Xie Guan yesterday. Although it felt incredibly awkward to use him as a wet dream fantasy... it was his own dream, so it probably didn't matter, right?

Just as he imagined, Xie Guan's muscles felt incredibly good to the touch.

The fire continued to burn, growing stronger, its flames dancing. In the cave, their shadows merged.

Sticky sweat clung to their bodies. Lin Xingshu wrapped his arms around Xie Guan's neck, resting his chin on his shoulder, his eyes vacant, looking utterly exhausted.

"Xingshu... Xingshu... Can I call you 'wife'?"

"Wife, you smell so good... Your body is so soft. Can we try another position? How about standing? Or do you want me to hold you?"

Even in a dream, Xie Guan was a bit too unrestrained...

They say dreams can reflect a person's true psychological state, that everything in a dream is a subconscious reaction. If that's true, then everything Xie Guan said must be what Lin Xingshu most wanted to hear.

Wait... did that mean he was actually such a wanton person deep down?

"Wife, wife, pay attention to me. I want to try that holding position, okay?"

Before the words had fully left his mouth, Xie Guan picked him up without a word, holding him. Those dark eyes stared intently at him, now tinged with a reddish hue, filled with infatuation. He slightly poked out his tongue, like a puppy begging for its owner's affection.

"Wife is so cute... So small when I hold you. Wife, I like you... I really, really like you..."

As a man, Lin Xingshu didn't really want to be called "cute" or "small," even though his height was indeed only average to below average among men...

But for some reason, hearing it from Xie Guan made him feel a little embarrassed... Did his subconscious actually wish for others to praise him for being cute?

"Wife, kiss me..."

Xie Guan said, then leaned in again, clingy, licking his cheek like a puppy.

Outside the cave, the rain poured relentlessly. An overwhelming wave of pleasure surged through him, leaving his mind blank. Xie Guan carried him, even taking him outside the cave. Lin Xingshu's heart leaped, and he quickly clung to Xie Guan.

"Is wife shy? It's okay, no one will see."

"Wife... do you want to feel even better?"

Xie Guan gently kissed him, then freed one hand and moved it forward. Lin Xingshu's eyes widened abruptly, and he finally screamed: "No! Don't touch there!"

As he screamed, Xie Guan's expression suddenly froze, and the dream abruptly ended. Everything fell silent.

......

Lin Xingshu weakly pressed a hand to his forehead.

He and Xie Guan had only just met yesterday. Xie Guan had kindly saved him, yet he had turned Xie Guan into his sexual fantasy object. How could he be so... perverted?

Xie Guan's desire-filled face from the dream uncontrollably resurfaced in his mind. His heart raced again, and his cheeks secretly flushed.

He... seemed to like Xie Guan a little.

But... but Xie Guan had already rejected him yesterday...

Lin Xingshu hesitated. He wanted to go find Xie Guan, but he was afraid Xie Guan would dislike him. He genuinely liked Xie Guan; even if they couldn't be lovers, being friends would be fine...

Maybe he should try asking the villagers about Xie Guan today.

Lin Xingshu ran a hand through his messy hair, looked at his damp pants, and sighed helplessly.

He took out a new pair of pants from the wardrobe. Just as he was about to take off his wet ones, a faint, almost imperceptible sound came from outside the window. Lin Xingshu's hand paused mid-action. He listened intently, but the sound suddenly vanished.

Lin Xingshu frowned, his eyes darting around. He continued to prepare to take off his pants. Sure enough, the sound rang out again, a sound he was incredibly familiar with.

He was certain that sound was the tapping of a cane he had heard yesterday!

Without hesitation, Lin Xingshu quickly put on his outer pants, threw on a shirt, and moved to the window in two steps. He opened the window with lightning speed, only to hear a "thump," as if something heavy had been knocked over.

He quickly went outside and looked towards the window.

On the ground beneath the glass window, a scarecrow lay, placed there at some unknown time. It must have been knocked over by his sudden opening of the window. The scarecrow lay pitifully on the ground, surrounded by scattered straw.

He remembered... there was nothing here before, right? When did a scarecrow appear?

Was it there? Or not? He couldn't quite recall...

Perhaps it was just his imagination, but he felt the scarecrow's smile looked so bitter... its mouth was turned downwards.

Was that an expression a scarecrow should have...?

Lin Xingshu frowned. He knelt before the scarecrow and tentatively poked its realistic face with his hand, then poked its mouth.

No movement.

Lin Xingshu chuckled softly, secretly scolding himself for being foolish. He had just thought the sound came from the scarecrow. A scarecrow was a lifeless object; how could it move on its own?

Never mind. He couldn't remember if there had been a scarecrow under the window before. For some reason, he found this scarecrow's dark eyes a bit scary, just like the one in the fields.

He thought for a moment, pursed his lips, then directly picked up the scarecrow and tucked it under his arm.

He didn't notice that the moment he picked it up, the scarecrow's dark eyes instantly lit up, and its previously drooping mouth curved slightly upward. Its eyes even intentionally or unintentionally glanced at Lin Xingshu's face, but as soon as they met his gaze, they quickly darted away like a maiden in love, its expression surprisingly shy.

But before it could recover from its shyness, Lin Xingshu carried it directly to the wheat field. The next moment, Lin Xingshu mustered all his strength, "Hah—!"

The scarecrow flew like a kite with a broken string, thrown far into the wheat field. Its entire body was miserably covered in debris, and one of its arms was broken.

Lin Xingshu clapped his hands, turned, and went back into the house, closing the door with a "bang."

A gust of wind blew, and the wheat swayed gently. Through the swaying gaps in the wheat, the scarecrow slowly and mechanically turned its head, its dark eyes fixed intently on the tightly closed door.

All traces of shyness had vanished from its face, replaced by a thick, almost unbearable sadness.

Its mouth curved slightly downward, no longer resembling a smile. Its dark eyes were filled with grievance and sorrow, and a single tear slowly slid from its eye, melting into the soil.