Chapter 61: You Would?

Chapter 61: You Can?

A single sentence ignited a spark in Qin Xu's eyes. The temperature in the cramped changing room instantly soared, like a flame fanned by the wind, gradually intensifying the light in his gaze.

"You can?" Qin Xu's Adam's apple bobbed slightly. When he spoke again, his voice was several notes deeper than usual.

Song Shimu smiled slyly, elegantly lifting a hand to push against Qin Xu's shoulder, guiding him out of the changing room. "I can't. Figure it out yourself."

With that, he closed the door, content to change and shower.

Qin Xu stood outside the door for two seconds, raising his hand twice only to lower it again. Eventually, he turned and headed to his own changing room.

The hotel wasn’t far from the hot springs. Qin Xu had originally booked two rooms, though only one was actually used.

At that moment, Song Shimu was wearing the yukata provided by the hotel, his legs crossed casually as he half-reclined in the rattan chair. One hand rested on the armrest, his slender fingers holding a short, chunky white porcelain cup. Pale amber plum wine clung to the sides of the cup like a thin glaze, casting scattered shimmers as he tilted his wrist slightly.

The entire room was bathed in warm, muted light, like a thin veil draped lazily over Song Shimu. His yukata was loosely tied, the collar pulled down to his chest, revealing half of his well-defined collarbone. From a distance, he resembled a classical Western oil painting—elegant and dignified.

*Click—*

Not far away, the bathroom door was pushed open. Song Shimu’s gaze shifted from the plum wine to the person emerging.

The floral scent of the hotel’s shower gel wafted toward him. Qin Xu’s bathrobe was fastened meticulously, the tie knotted neatly at his waist, with barely a wrinkle out of place.

Qin Xu’s hair and face were damp, accentuating the lines of his brow bone even more distinctly. His eyelashes were slightly lowered, his gaze fixed on Song Shimu, casting soft shadows over his dark pupils.

"This plum wine smells nice," Song Shimu remarked lightly, looking at Qin Xu.

"Really?" Qin Xu stood up, took the cup from Song Shimu’s hand, and drained the wine in one swallow. "It is quite good."

Song Shimu asked deliberately, "Why did you drink my wine?"

Qin Xu sat down in the rattan chair opposite Song Shimu, his damp, thick eyebrows lifting slightly. "Wasn’t that what you meant—for me to taste it for you?"

"I was still deciding whether to drink it or not, and you went ahead and finished it," Song Shimu said, feigning annoyance.

Qin Xu wiped the dripping water from his hair and chuckled. "Well, that saves you the trouble. Since I drank it, you don’t have to agonize over it anymore."

"But I’m a little curious," Song Shimu said, wearing a conflicted expression.

Qin Xu picked up his phone from the table to check the time. "Go ahead and drink. It’s already late. That should put you to sleep within half an hour."

"Really?" His eyes lit up.

"Mm." Qin Xu set down the towel, casually poured a cup of wine for Song Shimu, and placed it in front of him.

"What if I don’t fall asleep and end up clinging to you?" Song Shimu reached out with his pale, smooth hand, picking up the wine glass as he asked.

"The worst that could happen is you zapping me unconscious. It’ll only hurt for a moment. Go ahead and drink."

"But what if I keep clinging to you, and you keep getting jolted awake, then knocked out again? Would you still let me drink then?" Song Shimu asked.

"Drink," Qin Xu said, unfazed. "At worst, I’ll restrain you, or I’ll go sleep in the other room."

"Fine." Thinking about what was to come later, Song Shimu slowly savored the plum wine. The liquid slid down his throat, the sweet plum notes and wine’s fragrance instantly filling his mouth. He swallowed gently, the plum’s fruitiness and the wine’s lingering warmth remaining on his lips and teeth—smooth, sweet, and refreshingly tart.

"This is really good," Song Shimu said with surprise, picking up the decanter on the table and pouring two more cups—one for himself and one for Qin Xu. "The owner said this plum wine is homemade. Pretty impressive."

"If you like it, you can take a couple of bottles back. But you need to pace yourself," Qin Xu said.

"Sure." Song Shimu agreed, sipping his wine slowly while waiting for Qin Xu to finish drying his hair.

By the time he was pouring his fourth cup, Qin Xu caught his wrist. The man across from him said, "That’s enough for you."

Song Shimu looked up at Qin Xu. Seeing that his hair was mostly dry, he put down the wine glass and said with a smile, "Then let’s sleep."

"You go up first," Qin Xu said.

Song Shimu nodded, walked to the bed, pulled back the covers, and lay down. Not long after he settled in, Qin Xu joined him.

*Click!* The light was turned off by Qin Xu.

Song Shimu felt the mattress dip, the soft rustling sound of friction between the quilt and the sheets. He slowly shifted from lying on his back to his side. Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could vaguely make out the blurred outline of the person beside him.

"Qin Xu," Song Shimu called out.

"Hm?" In the dim light, the blurred outline shifted slightly in his direction.

"Actually, my system has been in the punishment box these past few days."

The room fell silent for a few seconds. Suddenly, the mattress shook lightly, and the pillow beside him sank. The scent of shower gel and plum wine wafted over him as a shadow fell across Song Shimu’s vision.

"Are you saying it’s okay to touch you now?"

"Not necessarily. Do you want to try?" Song Shimu said, facing Qin Xu.

"May I?"

"You’re the one taking the risk, Qin Xu. As long as you won’t regret it."

Under the covers, Qin Xu’s knee accidentally grazed his thigh. The touch of their body heat seemed to rise along with an inexplicable tension.

The dim room was utterly silent, the beating of two hearts amplified endlessly under the covers, causing the pillows to tremble faintly.

Song Shimu instinctively held his breath, his fingers slightly tightening on the edge of the quilt.

Even though he often said reckless things in front of Qin Xu, this was, after all, his first time being in a relationship. When it came to putting words into action, it was hard not to feel nervous.

Suddenly, a hand gripped his shoulder. Song Shimu jumped, his body instinctively shrinking back.

Qin Xu’s leaning movement halted. "Shi Mu, are you nervous?"

His nervousness exposed, Song Shimu’s clenched hand suddenly relaxed. He pressed his lips together, then pushed Qin Xu over and straddled him, with a mix of flustered irritation and a desire to get it over with quickly. "No matter what you say today, I’m going to kiss you."

With that, Song Shimu abruptly lowered his head and pressed a quick kiss to Qin Xu’s lips.

The force wasn’t light, as if he wanted to make sure he’d really kissed him.

Once he felt his lips press against something soft, Song Shimu lifted his head, his gaze fixed on the reaction of the man beneath him.

"Favorability: 100%."

The system’s announcement echoed in his mind. Song Shimu knew that meant 073 was about to emerge, but he couldn’t be bothered with it.

Seeing that Qin Xu still hadn’t moved, Song Shimu called out a bit insistently, "Qin Xu?"

"This time, it didn’t even take a week for them to let me out... Holy shit!" 073’s complaint was cut short by a sudden curse.

Song Shimu thought 073 was shocked by his and Qin Xu’s position and didn’t plan to respond. As he started to shift back to lie down, his face was suddenly cupped by a pair of large hands. The next second, his lips were captured in a fierce kiss.

"How did I get automatically unbound? You guys... Holy shit!"

"The black room!" 073 no longer knew whether being released was a good or bad thing; it only knew it had seen something it shouldn't have and had to immediately throw itself back into the arms of the dreaded black room.

The movement on his lips carried an undeniable forcefulness, a pair of hands firmly blocking Song Shimu's retreat.

Soft lips pressed unrestrainedly against Song Shimu’s, grinding and nibbling with a stiff urgency. Though neither gentle nor skillful, they somehow gave Song Shimu an indescribable sense of reassurance.

Lips pressed together, the point of contact warm and damp, their breaths tangled. Hot air brushed against their faces, carrying each other’s faint scents.

Qin Xu’s movements were initially domineering, but when he received no response from Song Shimu, he gradually slowed to a stop. Whether out of selfishness or something else, he didn’t pull away. After a moment, he gently licked Song Shimu’s lips twice, as if trying to soothe him.

A faint smile quirked at Song Shimu’s lips. He wrapped his arms around Qin Xu’s head and kissed him back, mimicking Qin Xu’s earlier actions.

Encouraged by the response, Qin Xu began to fiercely take Song Shimu’s breath once more.

For a moment, the air filled with the sound of suggestive, moist kisses. The floral scent completely melded with the aroma of wine, entwining inseparably.

Humans are always greedy. Qin Xu pressed and sucked repeatedly on Song Shimu’s lips, but finding that sensation insufficient, he began to bite. In his first attempt, his unpracticed force accidentally hurt the person in his arms, drawing a soft whimper. After soothing him for a while, he grew bolder and tried to pry open Song Shimu’s lips with his tongue.

Just as Song Shimu felt something soft against his teeth, he abruptly propped himself up and turned to switch on the lamp on the bedside table.

Under the warm yellow light, Qin Xu’s expression—confused, reluctant, dissatisfied—was clearly visible.

Staring at Qin Xu’s flushed, damp lips, Song Shimu asked discontentedly, "Was that your first kiss?"

Qin Xu breathed lightly, puzzled. "Why do you ask?"

"Going straight to a French kiss on your first try? Who taught you that?" Song Shimu narrowed his eyes, looking displeased.

Qin Xu’s hand rested on Song Shimu’s back, his gaze tender and affectionate, like melting ice. A faint smile curved his lips. "Can I take that to mean I did a pretty good job just now?"

"……" Though Song Shimu had indeed been swept along by Qin Xu’s kiss, he wasn’t willing to admit it. "Did you secretly kiss someone else behind my back with another system? How else are you so skilled?"

Qin Xu reached out and gently touched Song Shimu’s lips, countering, "Are you sure it was skilled?"

"Do people usually go straight to French kissing for their first kiss? Ouch—that hurts a bit, don’t touch it." Song Shimu grabbed Qin Xu’s hand and pressed it against the sheets.

"You’ve got a cut there," Qin Xu explained, using his other hand to ruffle Song Shimu’s soft hair. "That really was my first kiss. If I were skilled, you probably wouldn’t be hurt. As for the French kiss... I’ve watched tutorials before."

"Tutorials? I thought you had no plans for romance. Why were you watching those?"

"I looked them up when I was pursuing you," Qin Xu said.

Song Shimu eyed him skeptically. "Really?"

"Mm."

"Alright then." Satisfied with the explanation, Song Shimu rolled off Qin Xu and reached out to 073 in his mind.

Qin Xu followed up, "Aren’t we continuing?"

"Hold on. The favorability just hit 100. The system came out of the black room, exclaimed something about unbinding, and then got scared back into the black room by us," Song Shimu explained.

"Unbinding? Has the mission been completed?" Qin Xu questioned reasonably.

"Probably."

Song Shimu called out to 073 several times but got no response. Instead, 001 appeared. "073, come out."

"Huh?" Song Shimu raised an eyebrow in surprise. "001, you actually came."

"Mm. I’m here to explain: you are the original host, so you can’t go back. The repatriation system couldn’t be shut down because it was searching for fragments of your soul scattered across other worlds. 073 was locked in the black room because your soul is currently merging. Once the merge is complete, it can come out. Full integration will automatically unbind it," 001 explained.

As 001 explained point by point, Song Shimu was somewhat surprised to hear the reason for 073’s confinement, but he was more concerned about the reward. "Do I still get my reward?"