Chapter 44: A Sweet Weekend

Chapter 44: Sweet Weekend

Actually, Su Lichen was very grateful that Xu Moxing was the kind of person he was.

Even if he still habitually thought negatively, he was willing to change, willing to choose compromise that made everyone feel more comfortable.

That was rare—few people can do that.

In romantic relationships, and even in other close relationships, the same holds true. Some people only want others to change for them, only want others to cater to their likes, as if that proves how much the other person values the relationship.

But the foundation of love is ensuring your own comfort. Without losing yourself, compromising a part of who you are for the other—that’s what love is.

Love is mutual.

If you can’t compromise and accommodate each other, it’s hard to keep going, because no two people are perfectly compatible.

They looked at each other, both smiling. Su Lichen directly pushed Xu Moxing down onto the sofa and kissed him.

The sofa cover had just been washed recently, still with the lingering scent of laundry detergent.

A small plush toy that Xu Moxing had set neatly earlier toppled to the side because of their movements.

After the kiss, Xu Moxing murmured, "A Li."

"Hmm?"

"Today, can I…"

He trailed off.

Su Lichen looked down at him.

"Are you sure?"

Xu Moxing nodded.

Su Lichen was silent for a few seconds, then stood up and picked him up without a word.

Su Lichen kicked the bedroom door shut.

Moonlight filtered through the gap in the curtains, faintly drawing a thin line on the floor.

The bedroom lights were off. In the darkness, the plush toys on the bed were knocked askew.

The room was filled with sounds of intimacy between the lovers, sounds they couldn’t help but make.

…

Later, everything quieted down.

Xu Moxing was so tired he fell asleep, vaguely felt Su Lichen leave the bedroom, retrieve something, and come back.

Xu Moxing felt something cool on his skin. Soon after, Su Lichen left again. "Click," as if the light switch had been turned off.

Oh, right—they had been in such a hurry to get to the bedroom that they forgot to turn off the living room light.

What happened next, Xu Moxing had no memory of; he was sound asleep.

When Xu Moxing woke up, sunlight was already streaming through the gap in the curtains.

He lay still, staring at the ceiling in a daze. His mind slowly cleared, and the events of last night came flooding back—everything they’d said and done, and what followed…

The next day, when Xu Moxing woke up, his body was covered in bruises and hickeys, sore all over. His voice was a little hoarse from using his voice too much. "A Li?"

Su Lichen wasn’t in the bedroom.

Xu Moxing called out again, but no one answered. He stayed in bed and took out his phone to check the time—it was already half past ten in the morning.

Luckily, it was Saturday. He didn’t even know what time he had fallen asleep last night; it must have been really late, because Su Lichen had come several times, as if he had been starving for it.

Xu Moxing used to think that when he wanted to have sex, Su Lichen kept refusing, and he thought Su Lichen just didn’t care, that he had lost interest in sex.

But it turned out he hadn’t.

Xu Moxing thought to himself, "Well, it’s been half a year since we last did it."

Xu Moxing assumed it was the first time in six months since the car accident.

In reality, Su Lichen had been holding back for fifteen months!

While Xu Moxing was lying in bed lost in thought, Su Lichen pushed the bedroom door open and came in.

"Mo? Awake?"

"Yeah."

They exchanged a glance. Xu Moxing wasn’t shy about it—even after losing his memory, they had been together for a few years. Why be embarrassed?

"Hungry? It’s past ten."

"A little."

Su Lichen walked to the bed, took his hand, and helped him sit up.

"Let’s eat. I cooked breakfast."

"Okay. What time did you wake up?"

Xu Moxing realized he was still completely naked. The thin blanket had slipped down to his waist as he sat up partway.

He wasn’t shy, but he also didn’t like being naked. Xu Moxing quickly pulled the blanket up.

"I’ll get you some clothes."

Su Lichen glanced at the marks on his lover’s body with satisfaction, then moved to grab some clothes.

As he picked out the clothes, he said, "I woke up not long ago too. I made breakfast, then was just about to come in and call you to eat."

Su Lichen handed him the clothes. Xu Moxing gave him a look that said, "Go out first so I can change."

"What are you shy about? I’ve seen and touched every part of you."

"That doesn’t mean I’m okay with just standing here naked in front of you. Now get out."

"Alright, alright."

Su Lichen walked out of the bedroom and set the bowls and chopsticks, waiting for Xu Moxing to get dressed and come out for breakfast.

After that little tiff, the two spent a sweet weekend together.

On Saturday evening, the two of them went to the supermarket to buy groceries. Xu Moxing pushed the shopping cart, while Su Lichen walked beside him.

When they got to the snack aisle, Xu Moxing picked up a bag of chips, glanced at it, and put it back down.

Su Lichen noticed and said, "If you want to eat it, just take it."

Xu Moxing looked at the price and shook his head. "Too many calories."

Su Lichen glanced at him and threw the bag of chips into the cart.

Xu Moxing blinked. "What are you doing?"

"If you want to eat it, go ahead. It's not like you're fat."

Knowing Xu Moxing's tendency to pinch pennies, Su Lichen added reassuringly, "This brand of chips is really good, just kind of pricey. But it's okay to buy one pack to try."

Xu Moxing smiled at the chips, knowing Su Lichen had figured out he was hesitating over the price.

"Fine, I don't have to be so stingy all the time."

Most of the time, Xu Moxing wasn't really against buying them; rather, some things were both expensive and tasteless, and he didn't want to waste money on stuff that wasn't worth it.

If a friend or Su Lichen highly recommended something, saying it was pricey but really good, Xu Moxing was willing to give it a try. He was cheap, but not that cheap.

After shopping, they cooked together.

Su Lichen cut the meat, still uneven slices, though it was way better than his first-ever attempt at cooking.

Xu Moxing glanced at it without saying anything. Only after Su Lichen finished cutting did he speak. "A Li, let me make these slices thinner."

"Mm."

Su Lichen didn't feel awkward at all; he even wanted to brag a little. "Way better than when we first lived together, right?"

"Yeah, you're awesome."

Su Lichen stood aside, watching Xu Moxing trim the slices he'd cut.

Before the breakup, he'd taken all this for granted. Now, doing it again with him felt like a rare, overdue moment after more than a year apart.

On Sunday, they lounged on the couch, discussing where to go for National Day.

Xu Moxing scrolled through travel guides on his phone, with Su Lichen looking on.

"Go to the beach?" Xu Moxing asked.

"Sure."

"Or the mountains?"

"Either is fine."

Xu Moxing looked up. "What do you want?"

Su Lichen thought for a moment. "Let's go to the beach. You said you wanted to see the ocean."

Xu Moxing froze.

Had he said that? He couldn't remember—maybe it was something he said before the amnesia.

But he didn't ask. He lowered his head and went back to scrolling.

"So which hotel should we book?"

Su Lichen took the phone, looked at it, and pointed at one.

"This one. It's close to the beach."

Xu Moxing glanced at the price and hesitated.

"That's a bit pricey."

Su Lichen didn't answer and just booked it.

Xu Moxing was startled. "What are you doing?"

"It's booked."

"I didn't say yes yet..."

"Didn't you say you wanted to see the ocean?" Su Lichen handed the phone back. "Let's stay somewhere nice and comfy. I'll pay the difference."

Xu Moxing stared at the successful booking page and suddenly got annoyed at himself for being so cheap.

"Forget it. It's already booked and not that expensive. It's all for the experience. Splitting it is fine, I can afford it."

"Huh? Are you sure? I don't mind. I make more money, and I'm the one who wanted a nicer place. You're just being nice. Let me cover it."

"Fine, then you cover the difference."

After thinking it over, Xu Moxing still thought it was too expensive. Better let A Li foot the bill.

"Exactly. Otherwise, you'd keep stressing about it. I don't mind, so don't overthink it."

Xu Moxing nodded and scooted closer to Su Lichen.

They leaned against each other, planning more, both quietly excited about the holiday.