Chapter 65: Agreement - Lou Dongcang, you truly are crafty.

Lou Dongcang asked, "What does... 'adept' mean?"

The non-surfer didn't recognize the term.

He Guan happened to come across it on Nolimit's fan page.

After a moment's thought, looking at the solid wood floor, he explained, "In this context, it means... being very good at dating."

Lou Dongcang questioned, "Are you complimenting me?"

He Guan replied with a smile, "Yes."

After a brief contemplation, Lou Dongcang began to grasp the situation.

His recent aggressive demeanor caused a slight withdrawal in the budding feelings He Guan had.

He Guan always...

Preferred the softer approach.

Lou Dongcang stretched his hand out from under the blanket, deliberately making the rustling sound evident.

He halted just close to He Guan.

He Guan kept his gaze fixed on the floor, waiting for a moment.

Lou Dongcang remained still.

Shifting his gaze from the floor, He Guan turned to look at him, commenting, "I thought you were signaling me."

Signaling that Lou Dongcang was about to touch him.

Lou Dongcang, clearly understanding the implication, responded, "I was signaling you, but not to tell you I was going to hold your hand."

He Guan: "?"

In a playful tone, Lou Dongcang urged, "Honey, come hold me. I'm getting impatient."

He Guan: "..."

He Guan almost burst out laughing, the corners of his mouth nearly reaching for the skies.

He hadn't expected this turn of events.

He Guan had initially thought Lou Dongcang was the stoic type, given his past reticence. Now, it seemed otherwise.

Whenever He Guan felt uncomfortable, Lou Dongcang would smoothly guide him, bringing them to a place of mutual comfort.

The more He Guan thought about it, the warmer he felt inside. In an uncharacteristically gentle gesture, he took hold of Lou Dongcang's fingers, softly nestling into his palm.

Only when He Guan had secured his grip did Lou Dongcang hold him back.

This time, He Guan did not pull away.

He Guan's silent laughter persisted for a while. Once the wave of joy subsided and calmness resumed, he began caressing Lou Dongcang's hand.

With his eyes closed, Lou Dongcang let him.

Lying still on the bed, extending his hand to hold He Guan's, he resembled an immobile vampire in a coffin, with an inherent ethereal beauty.

As He Guan touched him, he felt increasingly drawn to him, moving from his hand up to his arm, shoulder, hair, and then the side of his face.

He played with the strands of hair by Lou Dongcang's face for a long while.

Lou Dongcang moved his lips but said nothing.

He Guan asked, "What's wrong? Tired of me touching you?"

Lou Dongcang opened his eyes to look at him.

Under the lamp's light, his eyes shimmered beautifully, vacant, simply gazing at He Guan.

In a soft whisper, he said, "Kiss me, or I'll fall asleep."

Led by his gentle tone, He Guan's voice softened, replying, "No, we've kissed enough for today."

Lou Dongcang quizzically raised an eyebrow.

He Guan: "?"

Lou Dongcang: "Just twice."

Calmly, He Guan retorted, "Twice is a lot. You don't consider how long each kiss lasts. Luckily it's nighttime; had it been morning, I would've been late for work."

Lou Dongcang: "Let's set some rules."

He Guan: "?"

Lou Dongcang: "How many kisses per day, how many minutes each."

He Guan took the bait enthusiastically, "Alright, not just that. Handholding and hugging as well..."

Lou Dongcang had made the comment offhandedly, but seeing He Guan pull out his phone and type increasingly faster, he hesitated and asked, "Are you serious?"

He Guan nodded, cheerfully saying, "Of course, it was your suggestion after all, and I think it makes perfect sense."

Lou Dongcang felt like he had shot himself in the foot, and now he was regretting it.

He Guan theatrically typed a flurry of characters on his phone, with continuous tapping sounds.

Lou Dongcang remarked with certainty, "What exactly are you noting down? It's not just the rules."

Grinning, He Guan teased, "It's the rules, of course! What else would it be? Not just handholding and hugging; even actions like earlier, when you pulled me, need to be counted. Detailing every aspect is just my style, so I kept writing..."

Midway, his phone was snatched by Lou Dongcang.

Without getting angry about his phone being taken, He Guan laughed heartily and said, "See for yourself..."

He Guan and Lou Dongcang's phones looked identical, down to the placement of the apps. He Guan had even rearranged his to match Lou Dongcang's.

Using muscle memory, Lou Dongcang activated the accessibility mode for the visually impaired.

He inquired, "Notes?"

He Guan confirmed, "Mhm."

Lou Dongcang opened the topmost note, and a synthetic female voice began to read.

"Reading List:"

"‘Sonnets’."

"‘The Painted Veil’."

"‘The Count of Monte Cristo’."

"‘The Razor's Edge’."

"‘Massage’."

“……”

The synthetic voice continued to list titles.

Lou Dongcang halted the accessibility narration.

These were books Lou Dongcang had recently read in front of He Guan.

Lou Dongcang paused for a moment, then said, "He Guan."

With occasional gentle strokes to his hair, He Guan looked down at him.

With a sudden burst of strength, Lou Dongcang's hands gripped He Guan like talons. Always unguarded around Lou Dongcang, He Guan only had time to feel a strong force before their positions reversed, and he found himself thrown onto the bed.

Propping himself up on his elbows, He Guan's laughter hadn't faded when he queried, "What's the matter? Overwhelmed by emotion?"

With a raspy tone, Lou Dongcang inquired, "Why are you noting down the books I read?"

He Guan caressed his face, chuckling, "What's the big deal? If I don't dote on my spouse, am I even a man? In the future, we'll read together at home."

He knew what Lou Dongcang was thinking, but felt his excitement was a bit excessive.

Lou Dongcang should have...

He should have had someone to love him.

Lou Dongcang quickly uttered a few words.

"Three times a day."

Puzzled, He Guan began, "What three..."

But before he could finish, he was silenced by a gentle kiss.

The first was a cool touch of lips against his, providing a slight chill. It lacked any deeper intent and quickly pulled away.

Instinctively licking his lips, He Guan hadn't even retracted his tongue when the retreating figure leaned in again, kissing up to its tip.

This kiss was a tad more intense than the first.

Then came the third, then the fourth.

Each subsequent kiss was slightly more forceful than the one before.

After several dazed moments of being repeatedly kissed by Lou Dongcang, He Guan finally grasped what he was up to.

He was acclimating He Guan.

If He Guan wasn't comfortable with unexpected intimacy, then he would be given advance notice. He would know what Lou Dongcang was about to do before they truly began.

By roughly the fifteenth kiss, He Guan bit onto Lou Dongcang's lower lip, halting his motion to pull away.

Waiting for him to release, Lou Dongcang leaned in closer, his nose brushing against He Guan's, his soft and cool lips teasingly grazing over his, as he murmured, "Is this alright?"

His voice was incredibly gentle, a restrained, low rumble, displaying endless patience as he lingered close, his breath steady.

He Guan: "...Yes."

Lou Dongcang raised a hand to cover He Guan's eyes.

Plunged into darkness, He Guan hesitated for a moment before grasping Lou Dongcang's hand.

What followed was an onslaught more ferocious than usual.

He couldn't see.

Lou Dongzang held him too tightly. Even when he opened his eyes, all he could feel were his lashes brushing against Lou's palm. He couldn't see any light—perhaps a lash had fallen off, or maybe not, but it felt a tad itchy, so he closed them again.

He tried prying Lou's hand away, but Lou didn't budge and showed surprising dexterity.

Pressing firmly on his brow, with enough force to control yet not hurt him.

He Ge tried to push away, only to be irresistibly pulled into a passionate kiss.

No wonder every time He Ge kissed him, he thought of the vast sea.

Lou Dongzang's kisses were like seawater.

Those gentle touches were like shallow waves, receding quickly after reaching the ankles.

But those deep, desiring kisses, which exchanged saliva and fervently explored, were like the unfathomable whirlpools of the deep sea.

Drawing He Ge close meant risking being turned upside down and swept away by Lou.

In front of Lou, He Ge's kissing skills seemed lacking. Soon, he was panting, trying to catch his breath in the small gaps, and before he could recover, his lips were captured again.

"Too fast..."

Lou Dongzang's hand slid down, brushing against He Ge's nose.

Meaning... breathe through your nose.

He Ge really wanted to curse him.

Did he think it was possible to kiss so passionately and still breathe properly?

But for Lou Dongzang, it was.

Damn it.

Frustrated and competitive, He Ge, despite almost suffocating, refused to back down, engaging in a breathless tangle with him.

Eventually, both their breaths became erratic.

Lou Dongzang's hand was on He Ge's lower back, pulling him closer.

Every time they deeply kissed, Lou would draw He Ge into his embrace, leaning their foreheads together.

He Ge was surrounded by Lou's scent and breath.

He felt almost drowned in such proximity, where a slight lift of his head would touch Lou's nose, and a slight dip would lead to a deeper kiss.

Immersed in this repetitive and fervently heated rhythm, He Ge gradually synchronized with Lou, fitting together even more seamlessly.

When Lou Dongzang looked up, He Ge instinctively followed, licking from his chin downwards and nipping at his Adam's apple.

Lou Dongzang paused.

Still catching his breath, He Ge murmured, "Hmm? Why did you stop? Was it too ticklish?"

Lou Dongzang wrapped his arms around him, pressing him with his broad shoulders and whispered into his ear, "Stop teasing, or it won't just be three times a day."

He Ge then realized he was referring to their third kiss of the day.

He Ge asked, "Is there really a limit?"

Lou Dongzang's grip tightened, his voice firm as he buried his face in the pillow next to He Ge's cheek, "Yes."

He Ge felt as if he was trapped by some large creature, but he didn't dislike it. He even felt like petting its fur.

So, for the first time, he placed his hand on the back of Lou Dongzang's head, stroking his nape.

He Ge mused, "Hmm... three kisses a day, each no longer than five minutes... Wait, I'm not sure how long we typically kiss. Should we time it next time?"

Lou Dongzang gritted his teeth, "Time it?"

He Ge chuckled, "Just kidding!"

Continuing, he said, "As for hugs... double the kisses, say six? We can adjust. If we fall short one day, we can compensate with extra kisses. How's that?"

Lou Dongzang chuckled, "What is this, a new currency system?"

He Ge grinned, "Then I'd be the pioneer. Imagine launching it globally, creating a platform. I'd sit at home as money rains down. Honestly, Lou Dongzang, if this takes off, I reckon I could support you with it till the end of humanity."

Lou Dongzang held him and laughed.

As He Ge played with his hair, his elation was palpable. He continued, "Really, hugs and kisses could count, and maybe holding hands..."

He pondered, then hesitated, "Maybe not counting hand-holding. It would happen too frequently. Touches too? That'd be hard to keep track of, like counting a billion coins."

"Alright, let's not count those."

"Deal. Now let me go. I need to brush my teeth and then read before bed."

"Hold on for a bit longer."

"How long is a bit? Should I set an alarm?"

Lou Dongzang's tone grew colder, "He Ge."

He Ge laughed uncontrollably, "Just kidding..."

Their muffled conversation filled the master bedroom, gradually quieting down, followed by the sound of He Ge brushing his teeth, getting into bed, and switching off the lights.

Upon hearing the click of the light switch, Lou Dongzang stretched his arm over to He Ge's pillow.

As the nape of He Ge's neck touched Lou's arm, he instantly felt something was amiss. He tried to jolt up, but Lou Dongzang swiftly pulled him into an embrace.

With his nose nestled against Lou's collarbone, held close by him, He Ge chuckled, "Lou Dongzang, you are so sly."

Knowing I'd fall asleep and waiting here just to hold me.

Lou Dongzang teased, "Don't like it? You said the rules start tomorrow."

Without replying, He Ge comfortably snuggled into a cozy spot against Lou's shoulder.

Their faces close, resembling two small creatures nose to nose, their breathing in sync, they soon drifted into sleep.

Lou Dongzang, feeling the soft touch of He Ge's cheek, had the urge to sigh.

Never before had he felt such simple joy, knowing someone wanted to sleep next to him, nestled in his embrace.

A sparse moon and scattered stars.

Tomorrow promises good weather.