Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Ying Xi tightened his grip on Li Yang’s hand, his eyes a kaleidoscope of rapidly shifting emotions.

“Please take care of me too, Yangyang.”

Getting what he’d wished for turned out to be so exhilarating that he was utterly speechless.

He lifted Li Yang’s hand to his lips and kissed it, his voice hoarse as he murmured, “Thank you, Yangyang, for giving me this chance.”

The spot where his lips had touched burned, and Li Yang flinched slightly before pulling his hand back with a laugh. “That’s way too corny. I should be thanking you too.”

Fiddling with the camera angle, he shot a look at Ying Xi. “Should we take a photo together?”

“Looks like we walked into a love confession,” someone whispered behind them. “They’re both so good-looking, they’re perfect for each other. Ah, young love.”

Before Li Yang could turn around, the person stood up and waved. “Need someone to take the photo for you? I can help.”

It was a man in his early thirties, grinning widely, his voice tinged with nostalgia. “Seeing you two reminds me of my high school days.”

Li Yang handed him the camera with thanks, then stood beside Ying Xi.

He stayed slightly tense, their shoulders barely touching but not moving closer.

“Aren’t you two together?” The man raised the camera and grinned. “Move in closer. This is your first photo as a couple, after all.”

Li Yang blinked, then suddenly relaxed, lacing fingers with Ying Xi as he faced the camera.

Ying Xi lifted his other hand, hovering uncertainly for two seconds as if confirming this wasn’t a dream, before his hand, shaking faintly, covered Li Yang’s.

His hands completely enveloped Li Yang’s, the heat nearly overwhelming.

Li Yang didn’t pull away, only studied Ying Xi’s awkwardly bent arm. “Isn’t that position uncomfortable?”

“Not at all,” Ying Xi said, beaming uncontrollably, his breath coming short. “I’m just… really happy right now.”

Though the hand covering Li Yang’s trembled visibly, its owner’s expression remained calm, giving nothing away.

Chuckling, Li Yang laid his other hand on top and gave it two light pats.

Ying Xi caught his breath, and he turned to stare at Li Yang with an intensity that made it seem like he might kiss him any second.

Li Yang averted his gaze, squeezing Ying Xi’s hand as a quiet signal to chill.

“Alright, took about a dozen shots,” the man said, handing the camera back to Li Yang. “May you have a long, happy life together.”

“Thank you,” Li Yang and Ying Xi said in unison.

“See you around.” The man waved and left with his partner.

As Li Yang asked Ying Xi where they should go next, he scrolled through the photos. The man’s photography skills were excellent—every shot was flawless.

Ying Xi leaned in, nuzzling against Li Yang’s head.

The warmth of his breath against Li Yang’s cheek sent a shiver through him, and he quickly pushed the camera at Ying Xi. After wandering the flower beds a while longer, they prepared to head to their next destination.

“Yangyang,” Ying Xi suddenly spoke up before they left. “Will you regret this?”

“I won’t. No matter what happens, I won’t regret it or leave you.” Sensing his insecurity, Li Yang paused mid-step then spun around to take his hand with a smile. “Never.”

“Me too.” Ying Xi chuckled softly, letting his head drop lightly on Li Yang’s shoulder. “No matter what, I’ll never leave you. From now on, I’m sticking to you, Yangyang.”

Under the blazing sunset, the two figures walked hand in hand, their silhouettes close.

Li Yang and Ying Xi hit three more locations, and by the time they finished dinner and returned home, it was already 11 p.m.

Ying Xi posted the photos on his social media with a simple caption: “The love of my life.”

Wen Yun, who’d obviously seen it, messaged Li Yang to ask where they’d gone and if he’d confessed to Ying Xi.

When Li Yang saw the post, he quickly posted his confirmation: “Boyfriend.”

Wen Yun commented: “Where did you guys go? That flower backdrop—I wanna visit too. Also, congrats!”

Wen Xinci: “Wait, this is official? Do I still have a shot? Nooo, don’t do this to me.”

He Shi: “Wow, congrats! Wishing you both happiness—you’re such a perfect match.”

Li Xu: “I couldn’t believe it when Ying Xi posted, but seeing Yangyang’s confirmation made it sink in.”

Right after that comment came a huge cash gift. Li Yang couldn’t believe the amount. After counting them carefully, he was so shocked he sent it right back.

“Keep it. Your father and I are so happy to see you and Ying Xi together,” Li Xu said. “I don’t know what Ying Xi did in his past life to deserve meeting you and being with you.”

Li Yang turned red from the praise. “I’m not that great.”

“You’re the best,” Li Xu insisted.

Soon after, Ying Sui also sent a hefty sum, this time directly to Li Yang’s old bank account.

Li Yang hurriedly thanked him and put the money away, planning to return it later.

After his shower, Ying Xi picked up his phone and, clearly having seen Li Yang’s post, planted himself in front of him.

“What’s up?” Li Yang looked up, a puzzled look in his eyes.

Ying Xi seized the moment. He leaned down and kissed him on the lips.

It happened so fast that by the time Li Yang processed it, Ying Xi had already sauntered away to dry his hair as if nothing had happened.

A damp spot lingered on his cheek, and the scent of shower gel hung in the air. Li Yang touched his lips, finally registering what had happened. “Ying Xi, did you know your personality is incredibly unpredictable?”

“You’re right, Yangyang.” Ying Xi finished drying his hair and ran fingers through it casually before turning back with a grin. “But the most consistent part of me is that I’m shameless.”

Li Yang had never heard someone describe themselves so bluntly—especially after previously admitting to being a pervert.

His head spun, and fearing Ying Xi might actually act on that label, he grabbed his clothes and dashed to the bathroom.

It took him five minutes behind the locked door to calm down.

He purposely took his time with his shower for half an hour. When he finally stepped out, Ying Xi was lying stiffly on the bed, gazing fixedly at the ceiling—looking far more tense than Li Yang felt.

“You’re nervous?” The moment Ying Xi tensed up, Li Yang found himself relaxing.

“Yeah.” Ying Xi’s blood felt like it was boiling, pounding against his veins. Propping himself up on one elbow, he narrowed his eyes at Li Yang, his mind consumed by a single thought.

——He wants to kiss Li Yang.

So, so badly.

Would he say no?

Even with his back turned to Ying Xi while drying his hair, Li Yang could feel the intense gaze cutting through the air, burning into him.

He broke out in goosebumps. After putting away the hairdryer, he turned to face Ying Xi.

The boy had already closed his eyes, lying down and pulling the blanket over himself, acting like nothing happened.

Li Yang hesitated for a moment, rubbed his cheeks, then switched off the overhead light, leaving only the bedside lamps on both sides.

He slowly lay down, running his fingers over the plush toy between them, only to notice Ying Xi watching him from across it—the intensity in his eyes was flat-out terrifying.

Li Yang opened his mouth but hesitated, finally managing a faint smile after a long pause. “Your stare is kinda intense, don’t you think?”

“Why?”

“You look like you wanna eat me alive.” Li Yang tugged the plush toy to cover Ying Xi’s face, finally able to breathe.

“Sorry.” Ying Xi turned off the lamp and lay flat, facing the ceiling, hands resting on the blanket, his voice low. “I can’t help how much I like you.”

A confession that direct left Li Yang too embarrassed to sleep.

His heart raced. After turning off the light, he didn’t dare move recklessly, carefully pulling out his phone and dimming the brightness.

Originally, he just wanted to idly scroll until he got sleepy, but a post pushed to his homepage caught his attention.

Title: “What does kissing feel like? Can anyone describe it?”

Content: “As the title says—never been kissed before. Some say it’s amazing, others say it’s nothing special.”

50K comments. Li Yang scrolled through the top replies, reading carefully.

“It’s amazing, seriously—but only if it’s with someone you like.”

“Agree with the first comment. When I finally got together with my crush, our first kiss was straight out of a novel. Even now, thinking about it makes me excited.”

“Second comment, what novel are you talking about? Name please?”

“Third comment, stop joking around lol.”

“Of course, the moment the ‘five-piece set’ is mentioned, everyone in the comments goes wild, forgetting all about romance.”

“Last time I saw 50K comments, they were all people fighting. This is the first time I’ve seen such a peaceful, unified comment section.”

“What’s the ‘five-piece set’? Is it the five things I’m thinking of?”

“...”

Under the covers, his body burned with heat. Just as Li Yang was about to exit, he suddenly spotted a particularly long reply.

“At first, it didn’t feel like much—both my boyfriend and I were new to this, so we were awkward. But later, it got really good. Like, your arms and legs turn to jelly, your whole body feels like it’s floating on clouds, and you feel on top of the world. All you want is to hold your boyfriend and kiss him for ten hours straight. *shy.jpg*”

The dim light from his phone screen illuminated Li Yang’s flushed face, now bright red. His mouth inexplicably went dry, and he hurriedly set the phone aside—only to turn his head and find Ying Xi half-sitting up, staring at him.

Or rather, staring at his lips.

Li Yang froze.

The room was pitch-black except for the faint glow from the phone screen.

Facing Ying Xi’s unfathomable look, the words that slipped out of Li Yang’s mouth were entirely unexpected:

“Wanna try?”

He blinked in shock, immediately trying to backtrack. “No—that’s not what I meant to say, I didn’t—”

He didn’t need to explain. Ying Xi had already understood what “try” meant. Gently cradling the back of Li Yang’s head, he drew him closer and pressed their lips together.

The soft, warm touch ignited a fire, setting Li Yang’s nerves on fire. His eyes shot wide open, his mind replaying that lengthy reply from the post over and over.

He thought it would be like their usual quick pecks—so he didn’t resist, just blinked—until he felt the kiss deepen.

His breath was stolen, their tongues tangled. Li Yang’s pupils dilated soundlessly, completely lost in it.

Wait—this was way too much.

He couldn’t breathe, gasping for air, hands pressing against Ying Xi’s chest in an attempt to create distance—but it was useless.

The boy kissing him wouldn’t move.

Their bodies were pressed close, warmth merging until it was impossible to tell whose heat was whose.

And then, just like the post had described—

Weak limbs didn’t even cover it. Li Yang felt so good it was as if his soul had left his body, his mind turning to mush. Forget thinking—he could barely even register his own existence.

The heated atmosphere made his heart race unbearably. Trembling, Li Yang struggled for a long moment before finally pulling Ying Xi’s hair.

He didn’t dare use too much force, but thankfully, this time Ying Xi came to his senses, pulling away. His burning fingers held Li Yang’s face, pressing their cheeks together.

“Yangyang.”

In the dim light, the boy’s long lashes fluttered, his eyes hazy, lips swollen and wet.

Ying Xi’s eyes darkened. Unable to resist, he kissed him again, pinning his wrists beside his head—but this time, he didn’t go further.

Their hot, damp breaths only scrambled Li Yang’s thoughts further. His lashes fluttered madly, still dazed, his breathing shaky, his upper body flushed pink.

Under the weak glow, he was irresistible.

Ying Xi’s fingers lightly traced the flushed skin of his neck.

His lips burned. Li Yang pressed a palm to Ying Xi’s face, pushing him away. “S-Sleep. Goodnight.”

Stuttering, he ducked under the covers, refusing to let Ying Xi see his embarrassed expression.

The blanket was pulled back. Bright light hit his eyes. Li Yang raised a hand to shield his face, peeking through his fingers—

Ying Xi had meant to hand him his phone but had accidentally glimpsed the post on the screen. He paused, quickly reading through the content.

“I didn’t search for it!” Remembering what was on his phone, Li Yang immediately grabbed it, hurriedly closing the app.

Ying Xi lowered his gaze, his soft eyes tracing every feature of Li Yang’s face, taking in his flushed expression.

“Yangyang, your face is so red.”

Li Yang quickly turned off his phone, cutting off any chance for him to see clearly.

The room plunged into utter darkness, with only the sound of heavy breathing echoing in the room.

It took Li Yang a long moment to realize that the breathing was his own.

“Goodnight,” Li Yang said, turning his back to Ying Xi. His heart had been racing uncontrollably from the start, pounding so fiercely it felt like it might leap out of his throat.

The memory of that searing, lingering kiss flashed through his mind, and he abruptly covered his face, shaking his head to clear his thoughts.

Don’t think about it—don’t even go there.

He closed his eyes, trying to steady his breathing, but his ears involuntarily tuned in to Ying Xi’s movements.

Even though there was some distance between them, Ying Xi’s breathing felt as if it were right beside his ear; he could almost feel its warmth.

Li Yang eventually drifted into a fitful sleep amid his nervousness.

In his daze, a shadow fell over him, as though someone was leaning down to stare at him.

The intense, lingering gaze coiled around him like a serpent, giving him goosebumps even in sleep.

Li Yang opened his eyes to bright daylight.

He’d slept surprisingly well, so comfortably that he couldn’t immediately recall what had happened before bed. Sitting up and stretching, the sight of the stuffed animal triggered a flood of memories.

Cupping his face in his hands, Li Yang was relieved Ying Xi wasn’t in the bedroom to witness his morning fluster.

After composing himself, he finished washing up and cautiously eased the bedroom door open, peeking out to confirm Ying Xi wasn’t in sight before stepping out. He scanned the surroundings, searching for any sign of him.

A loud clang from the kitchen made him jump. Worried Ying Xi might’ve set something on fire, Li Yang dashed in without a second thought.

As the door swung open, the mouthwatering aroma hit him. Ying Xi, guessing his thoughts, tilted his head with a smile. “I didn’t blow up the kitchen.”

Li Yang scratched his nose, embarrassed, then immediately recalled last night’s kiss, stammering, “I—I know. I just came to see what breakfast you were making.”

It seemed like he was the only one still hung up on it—Ying Xi appeared perfectly normal.

Kissing was perfectly normal between couples. He shouldn’t keep dwelling on it.

Biting his lip, Li Yang let his gaze wander before settling on the floor, forcing his mind blank.

“Trying to recreate the seafood congee you made before,” Ying Xi said.

Li Yang took a deep whiff. “Smells even better than when I make it.”

“Go sit in the living room. It’ll be ready in ten minutes,” Ying Xi said, turning slightly toward him.

The giant cat face on his apron was impossible to miss, tied snugly around his waist, hugging his toned frame. His chest muscles were so pronounced that Li Yang had the sudden urge to reach out and touch them.

It suddenly struck him that Ying Xi seemed taller, and he raised a hand to measure the difference. “Did you get taller?”

“About the same,” Ying Xi replied, lifting a spoon and stepping closer to compare their heights. “Don’t worry, Yangyang. You’ll still grow.”

Now standing near, Li Yang had to tilt his head slightly to meet his eyes.

His gaze uncontrollably fixated on Ying Xi’s lips. Li Yang hid his face and turned. “I’ll wait in the living room. Thanks for cooking.”

A quiet, amused chuckle followed him.

Confused, Li Yang glanced down and realized he was walking all stiff and out of sync, limbs moving like some clumsy crab.

Clutching one hand with the other, he hurried to the couch and plopped down.

They really needed to get Lingdang back. This house was too dangerous with just the two of them.

Zoning out, he barely noticed Ying Xi walking out of the kitchen with the finished congee.

The smell was everywhere.

Li Yang’s stomach gave an embarrassingly loud growl. He stood and quickly took a seat at the dining table.

“Smells amazing. Looks delicious too,” he praised, giving two thumbs up with a grin. “You’re incredible.”

Ying Xi’s eyes briefly caught on the ring on his finger before he ladled out the congee, letting it cool slightly before handing it over. “Thanks. Try it.”

Li Yang accepted it with thanks. After the first sip, his eyes lit up, and he kept gushing praise.

After breakfast, unsure what to do, he sat on the couch with his phone, turning on the TV while unlocking the screen.

Since he hadn’t closed the app yesterday, the post reappeared when he cleared the background tasks, making his face heat up again.

He force-quit it and uninstalled the app, afraid he’d keep recalling that pulse-racing moment every time he saw it.

Wen Yun had sent over a dozen messages, asking if he wanted to visit some places.

Li Yang opened the images and replied, “Sure.”

Wen Yun: “Then I’ll plan it. We’ll head out right after graduation photos tomorrow.”

Li Yang: “Besides me, Ying Xi, and you, is anyone else coming?”

“Nope,” Wen Yun said. “But I’d feel like a third wheel, so I’ll find one more person.”

Li Yang chuckled. A slender hand appeared in his field of vision, placing a bowl of washed fruit on the table.

Ying Xi sat beside him, lazily leaning against a pillow as he deftly peeled a lychee and fed the fruit right into Li Yang’s mouth.

Blinking his bright, glossy eyes, Li Yang muttered a thanks.

He chewed hastily and swallowed, the sweetness exploded on his tongue. Before he could praise it, Ying Xi’s finger brushed over his lips, wiping away a trace of juice.

Despite the lightness of the touch, Li Yang shivered, his thoughts immediately scattered.

“Good?” Ying Xi asked, holding his gaze.

“Yeah,” Li Yang nodded automatically, struggling to focus. The TV’s noise eventually jolted him back to reality, and he straightened his posture.

“I’ll do it myself,” he said, grabbing a lychee and peeling it quickly before offering it to Ying Xi. “Here.”

After a rustle, warmth barely touched his fingertips as Ying Xi took the fruit, his cool lips accidentally brushing against Li Yang’s finger, sending electric tingles up his arm.

Li Yang snatched his hand back, staring at his tingling fingers before glancing at Ying Xi, who was eating the lychee with a knowing smile.

Wearing a black tee, the boy rested his chin in one hand, his expression relaxed yet tender, his gaze warm and intimate—enough to make anyone lose themselves in it.

Every move he made seemed calculated to tempt.

Li Yang felt paralyzed, forcing himself to look away. He kept his head down, mindlessly peeling lychees until he was stuffed, then switched to watching TV, meticulously avoiding looking sideways.

The TV was playing a romance drama, making Li Yang squirm. He changed the channel, only to land on another romance.

He flipped channels again.

This time, it opened straight to a makeout scene.

He burned with embarrassment, fumbling for the remote to turn off the TV before standing up. “The weather’s so nice today—we shouldn’t waste it inside. Let’s go out for a walk.”

Ying Xi slowly rose to his feet. “Sure.”

His slow, deliberate voice was husky and teasing, making Li Yang’s ears burn. He rubbed them quickly and threw on his clothes.

Ying Xi had already changed, wearing a light blue shirt and pants that showed off his mile-long legs.

Li Yang couldn’t help but glance back and forth between their legs.

Hmm… he didn’t stand a chance.

Once outside, Li Yang was too busy to overthink.

They hit up every tourist spot before finally heading home.

Li Yang was dead on his feet. He wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed. He could barely keep his eyes open during his shower, summoning his last ounce of energy to finish before drying his hair and immediately falling asleep.

Any trace of shyness was long gone.

Even if Ying Xi kissed him now, he wouldn’t have the energy to react.

By the time Ying Xi came out in his pajamas, Li Yang was already fast asleep, his hands resting neatly on top of the blanket, lying stiffly on top of the covers.

Smiling, Ying Xi walked over and pulled the blanket over him. After drying his hair in the living room and returning, he found Li Yang had shifted positions.

All pretense of neatness vanished—his legs splayed out, the blanket kicked aside, his upper body curled tightly around a plush toy, his face buried in its embrace.

Perhaps fighting for air, his chest rose and fell dramatically.

Ying Xi bent down to free his head.

Li Yang’s face was flushed from lack of air.

Unable to resist, Ying Xi pinched his cheek, the softness making him reluctant to let go.

Red marks bloomed on the fair skin, making Ying Xi pull back fast and readjust the blanket.

This time, Li Yang didn’t stir, sleeping peacefully.

The lights went off, and Ying Xi lay down. But the moment he closed his eyes, Li Yang’s hand reached over the plush toy, planting right on his pecs and giving a good grope.

Then another.