Chapter 58: Reading Braille - "Wife, you're so sentimental."

Initially, He Guan felt that Lou Dongzang supporting his waist was utterly unnecessary.

Could he possibly topple off Lou Dongzang?

But as the kiss deepened and roles reversed, He Guan felt outmatched, wanting only to lean backward.

He saw his hand touching the ground, tilting backward.

Pressed down by the neck, he was firmly guided back.

Those fingers were long, the palm broad, exerting a perfectly measured force, leaving no room for resistance.

Lou Dongzang's caressing touch on his neck could be described as gentle, but the kiss was unyielding, making He Guan's eyes burn and causing him to grip Lou Dongzang's shoulders tightly.

Yet, he still enjoyed it.

He still relished this seemingly gentle kiss, which actually concealed a dominant undertone.

It allowed him to feel... the seeming vulnerability in Lou Dongzang which was truly a concealed defiance. The surging passion seemed to be transmitted through the kiss, setting He Guan's nerves ablaze.

This was just right...

This was the very Lou Dongzang who, in the end, devastated the Lou family, sought his original self even after being blind for years, and threw someone into the Jingyuan Pond.

This was what he loved most about Lou Dongzang.

Some read for the plot, others focus on emotions, while some are drawn to the characters.

He Guan belonged to those who were captivated by characters.

He admired Lou's unconventional tactics, yet hoped he wouldn't become too extreme.

After all, being unorthodox doesn't equate to being mad.

He Guan: "Wait, I'm about to fall..."

Lou Dongzang's voice was both low and gentle: "I've got you, you won't."

He Guan felt a warmth in his ears. Before he could retreat, he was pulled back into proximity.

What followed was an even more intense kiss than before.

He Guan, in his fluster, blocked his lips, and seeing Lou trying to lick his hand, he defensively covered his lower face to prevent another advance.

He pleaded jokingly, "Aren't we going to have lunch?"

The eyes hidden behind He Guan's hand shone brightly, his voice steady, betraying no hint of discomfort.

In the past, Lou Dongzang would've continued to kiss him.

But today, he showed no hint of dissatisfaction with He Guan's resistance. Instead, he hugged him tighter with a playful chuckle, saying, "He Guan, you..."

He Guan, cheeks flushed, retorted, "What about me? You were like this in the morning too and you weren't embarrassed... Stop rubbing against me!"

Lou Dongzang, almost teasingly, cooed, "Guan Guan."

He Guan felt utterly defeated, the warmth rushing to his face. Using his knees, he tried to prop himself up and leave Lou's embrace.

Such a tease...

What kind of man...

What a man!

Lou Dongzang: "Wait, don't go."

"Stay, please stay."

Before He Guan could push away, Lou Dongzang pulled him back into his embrace, laughing, "I just... got a bit carried away."

He Guan, leaning on his shoulder for the second time, quipped, "If you weren't blind, I'd roll my eyes at you right now..."

Lou Dongzang gently kissed the curve of his ear, bringing up his blindness for the first time: "I can't see, so I can only judge your feelings by your reactions."

He could only gauge whether He Guan was repelled by his actions through the latter's reactions.

He Guan isn't fond of expressing such emotions, so Lou Dongzang can only guess.

He Guan remained silent this time.

Lou Dongzang held him close, refraining from any further advances.

Uncle Yue must have been waiting for them for a while. He Guan had already caught the scent of chicken soup earlier; it was time to head back inside.

Uncharacteristically, He Guan took the initiative to wrap his arms tightly around Lou Dongzang's neck.

Both arms clung to him, displaying deep affection.

He whispered, "I quite like you."

"Try not to get upset so easily."

"Ever since I've been with you... I've never felt unhappy."

"Oh, except for that one time you purposely upset me."

Lou Dongzang's voice muffled against his chest, replied, "I was wrong."

Instead of acknowledging his apology, He Guan continued, "If I didn't like you, I'd leave. It's not like I can't run."

Lou Dongzang: "...Mhm."

Dissatisfied with his response, He Guan gave him a gentle push, saying, "That's it? I feel like this is the first time I've confessed to liking you, and this is your reaction?"

Lou Dongzang spoke with measured softness, "What else do you want me to say?"

He tilted his head up, rubbing his nose against He Guan's chin, voice strained, "Say any more, and you won't be leaving my arms."

He Guan, flustered by the gesture, instinctively leaned away.

What was he thinking? He wasn't even skilled in these matters; Lou Dongzang might get hurt...

But Lou Dongzang was just teasing. Noticing He Guan's retreat, he ceased his advances.

They embraced for a little longer. Once He Guan had calmed down, they stood up in succession and headed inside for lunch.

During the meal, they occasionally chatted.

He Guan: "What are we doing this afternoon?"

Lou Dongzang: "Reading, and then planting the flowers you bought for me."

He Guan: "Hmm..."

Lou Dongzang: "Is there a problem?"

He Guan: "Would you like to write a song with me?"

Lou Dongcang: "You mean in the studio?"

He Guan: "Well, we're free anyway. Once you've written something, we can discuss it together."

Lou Dongcang: "I've never written one, I don't know how."

He Guan noted that this wasn't the immediate rejection he was used to from Lou Dongcang. His response was obviously...

Wanting He Guan to accompany him.

He Guan picked up a piece of chicken and said with a smile, "I'll assign you homework, and I'll review it."

Lou Dongcang: "…?"

He Guan: "What, did someone think I'd just offer to do it for you? Dream on! Do I look unemployed?"

Lou Dongcang: "You..."

Under the table, He Guan gave him a playful kick and kept his foot there, pressed against his, shaking his head slightly, "Of course, I'll help, but not in the way you think. You have to earn your keep in my studio, Mr. Lou."

It took Lou Dongcang a while to respond: "...Okay."

After dinner, each went about their own business.

Lately, He Guan had ideas for a secondary hit. He sat downstairs, strumming his guitar, tweaking the melody several times before settling on a suitable style.

While the primary song was powerful, the secondary one was more flexible and a bit showy. After completing it, He Guan felt he should get feedback from Nolimit.

He wondered about their current vocal prowess.

He'd been so preoccupied with work and his romantic relationship recently...

It had been a long time since he checked in on them.

As he played the guitar, Lou Dongcang sat beside him reading Braille.

Braille doesn't have Chinese characters, so most of what he read was in foreign languages. The raised dots, known as Braille, represent English letters.

If he wanted to read in Chinese, he would have to feel the phonetic representations of the Chinese words, combining consonants and following vowels, along with the respective tone marks.

Consequently, his reading speed had declined considerably.

While He Guan played and wrote for nearly half an hour, Lou Dongcang might have only read a few thousand characters.

Putting down his guitar and musical notes, He Guan asked, "Don't you prefer audiobooks on your phone?"

Throughout He Guan's speaking, Lou Dongcang continued swiftly reading his Braille, his fingers moving at an impressive speed.

Looking over, He Guan noticed Lou Dongcang's hands swiftly navigating the yellow pages, like a consistent assembly line.

Lou Dongcang paused and replied, "There's no book I'm particularly fond of."

He Guan: "Then come and join me."

Lou Dongcang: "Join you in doing what?"

He Guan: "What book are you reading?"

Lou Dongcang: "‘The Painted Veil’."

He Guan leaned in, resting his chin on Lou's shoulder, holding down Lou's fingers to prevent him from moving.

He inquired, "What character is this?"

Lou Dongcang: "It means 'joy' or 'happiness'."

Holding onto Lou's hand, He Guan moved to the next raised dot, "And this one?"

Lou Dongcang: "It's the same, 'joy'."

He Guan: "How can you tell?"

Lou Dongcang: "A Braille cell consists of six dots arranged in two columns of three dots each. The left column is labeled 123 from top to bottom, and the right column is 456."

He Guan: "I see."

Lou Dongcang: "Chinese characters are represented phonetically. For 'joy' (xi), the initial consonant 'x' is represented by dots 125, and the vowel 'i' by dots 24. The tone marker for the third tone is dot 3. These three cells spell out 'xi'."

As He Guan tried to feel it himself, Lou Dongcang gripped his fingers, preventing him from moving.

He Guan: "What about the next characters?"

He Guan moved on.

Guided by He Guan, Lou Dongcang's hand moved backward and he accurately identified the next character: "Delight (huan)."

He Guan continued to the next.

For some unknown reason, Lou Dongcang hesitated slightly, "You."

"Fond of you."

He Guan leaned forward, half of his body pressing against Lou, blinking his eyes.

In a soft voice, He Guan said, "You've misled me."

Lou Dongcang was taken aback.

He Guan: "I am represented by 135 (a pronoun). 'Joy' (xi) is 125 (x) 24 (i) 3 (third tone). 'Delight' (huan) is 125 (h) 12456 (uan) 1 (first tone). 'You' (ni) is 1345 (n) 24 (i) 3 (third tone). But clearly, what's here is..."

He Guan pushed his hand aside, slowly deciphering, "Clearly, it's... 145 2456 12 136 13 24 3."

It was evident he wasn't fluent; he read slowly, yet he managed to discern the characters.

With a relaxed hand, He Guan gently pressed on Lou Dongcang's fingers, spreading them apart, searching for the character he had just pointed to.

He continued, "145 stands for 'd', 2456 for 'uei', 12 for 'b', and 136 for... 136 is 'u'..."

"13 is either 'k' or 'q', and 24 is 'i'..."

"Adding the tone marker, which signifies the overall concept when combined, only placed at the end, 3 denotes the third tone..."

"So the sentence clearly says..."

"I'm sorry."

He seemed a bit smug, "Don't assume that just because you cover it with your hand, I won't see. I've been memorizing Braille for days now."

"Choose some other way to confess, one I'm not familiar with, Lou Dongcang."

Lou Dongcang: "When did you..."

When did he learn Braille?

He Guan took the Braille book from Lou's hands, placing it on the coffee table. He then lay down on Lou's lap, pouting, "Don't underestimate me. I've been memorizing on my way home to avoid car sickness."

He murmured, "Although I never used to get carsick, ever since coming here, I do..."

Lou Dongcang remained silent.

After resting his head for a while, He Guan felt uncomfortable. He turned around, making himself more comfortable with his head resting on Lou's lap, looking up.

Suddenly, he sighed deeply, "Ah, this is comfortable. This position is great. My neck... feels so relaxed..."

Noting Lou's silence, he teased, "What, you thought I couldn't learn it? It's just a few characters. You're underestimating me."

Before he could finish, someone touched his ear.

With a smile, He Guan closed his eyes, "What's the matter? So touched you're at a loss for words? Honey, you're quite sentimental, getting so moved over such a trivial matter—"

"… Mm."

Suddenly, everything went dark in front of his eyes, followed by a soft, cool sensation on his lips.

Someone bent over, hands touching his cheek to ascertain the direction of his face, then leaned in for a kiss.