Chapter 41: “Ning Shuang, Can I Hold You?”

Ning Shuang took the initiative to grasp Ji Huaizhi’s hand and led him back to the bed, where they lay down. The gap between them was much smaller than it had been at the start.

They lay facing each other, and Ning Shuang felt as if his entire body was burning up. The room was utterly quiet—so quiet that he was sure his heartbeat could be heard.

He squeezed his eyes shut, desperately trying to summon sleep, but his mind remained unexpectedly clear. The ache in his waist reminded him that he had already shared far more intimate moments with the man lying before him last night. This was nothing by comparison.

Ji Huaizhi gazed at Ning Shuang and edged a little closer to him. In a soft voice, he asked, “Ning Shuang, can I hold you?”

His voice was low, always placing himself in a submissive position, as if he needed Ning Shuang’s permission for everything he did.

Ning Shuang’s heart melted at the words. With his eyes still closed, he opened his arms. “Come here.”

Ji Huaizhi happily nestled into Ning Shuang’s embrace, burying his head completely against his chest. He inhaled the scent from his lover’s body, his expression one of clear satisfaction.

He rubbed his head lightly against Ning Shuang’s chest, his soft, long hair brushing across Ning Shuang’s chin and neck. In a daze, Ning Shuang reached up to stroke the top of Ji Huaizhi’s head and mumbled, “Let’s sleep.”

“Okay.” Ji Huaizhi tightened his arms around Ning Shuang’s waist and closed his eyes.

Perhaps it was the faint, soothing fragrance from the person in his arms, or maybe Ning Shuang was simply exhausted. Either way, within just a few minutes of holding each other, drowsiness overtook him, and he drifted off to sleep.

Outside the window, the rain had stopped.

The wind whispered through the trees.

Ning Shuang slept dreamlessly through the night. When he awoke, it was already past eight in the morning.

He shifted his arm slightly and realized there was a head pillowed on it. Looking down, he saw Ji Huaizhi sleeping peacefully in his arms.

Ji Huaizhi was sleeping deeply, his breaths warm against Ning Shuang’s neck. Ning Shuang reached out and gently brushed aside the stray hairs from the side of his face, revealing his full features.

The man who usually seemed so aloof and distant looked strangely docile in his sleep. Unable to resist, Ning Shuang leaned down and pressed a light kiss to his forehead.

Then, carefully extracting his arm from under Ji Huaizhi’s head, he tucked the blanket around him before slipping on his shoes and quietly leaving the room.

The door clicked shut behind him, and the person who should have been fast asleep on the bed suddenly opened his eyes.

He touched his forehead, listening intently to the sounds outside.

After washing up in the nearby bathroom, Ning Shuang headed downstairs. Moments later, Ji Huaizhi heard the front door open. He quickly threw off the covers, got out of bed, and hurried to the balcony to peer into the yard.

He saw Ning Shuang in his workout clothes, leash in hand, leading Ning Dundun toward the park for a run.

He was just going for a morning jog.

Ji Huaizhi let out a breath of relief.

But then another thought struck him: What if Ning Shuang ran into his friends at the park? Ning Shuang was so popular, with so many friends. Wouldn’t he end up chatting with them for ages?

His hand gripped the railing tightly, the veins standing out sharply against his pale skin.

Meanwhile, Ning Shuang, out for his jog in the park, had no idea about any of this.

The air in the park after the rain was incredibly fresh, filled with the scent of green grass. Ning Shuang snapped quite a few photos on his phone as he ran.

Ning Dundun trotted alongside him. They ran a full lap around the park track before Ning Shuang called it quits.

He bought a bottle of water and sat down on a park bench to rest. After taking a couple of sips, he poured some into his palm for Ning Dundun to lap up. As it drank, Ning Shuang grinned. “Go on, drink up.”

“Senior?” Just as he finished giving Ning Dundun its water, a familiar voice called from behind him.

Ning Shuang turned toward the sound and met Chen Lu’s smiling, surprised face.

“It’s you.” Ning Shuang scooted over on the bench, making room for him. “What brings you here?”

Chen Lu sat down beside him, a bit stiffly. “I was feeling bored today and thought I’d come to the park to clear my head. I never expected to run into you, Senior.”

Ning Shuang looked curious. “School’s out for a few days—aren’t you heading home? Or maybe going on a trip with your roommates?”

Chen Lu gave a wry smile by way of explanation. “My family’s too far from school—it takes three or four days just to get there and back. And I’m not that close with my roommates, so I didn’t go out with them.”

Ning Shuang nodded thoughtfully, stretching out his legs. He clapped Chen Lu on the shoulder. “Then how about joining a club? You’ll make friends there. Take my badminton club, for example—everyone’s great.”

Chen Lu’s eyes lit up as he stared at Ning Shuang, his tone full of excitement. “Your club, Senior? Do you show up there often?”

Ning Shuang nodded. “Yeah, I have to for events sometimes.”

Chen Lu ducked his head, his long fringe falling over his eyes. Behind his thick glasses, they gleamed with eager light.

“Anyway, you keep enjoying the park. I’ve got to head home.” Ning Shuang glanced at his watch—it wasn’t early anymore. Ji Huaizhi was probably up by now.

Chen Lu stood as well. “Senior, you’re not staying longer?”

“What’s up?” Ning Shuang sensed that Chen Lu seemed hesitant, as if he had something to say.

Chen Lu stammered, “It’s just… I don’t have many friends. I only came out today because I was feeling so lonely. Running into you made me really happy, so… could you maybe hang out with me a bit longer?”

Ning Shuang tucked his hands into his pockets, thinking it over. Then he said, “How about I treat you to breakfast?”

“Come on.” He took hold of Ning Dundun’s leash and led Chen Lu out of the park.

There were breakfast stalls just outside the park—Ning Shuang often grabbed his morning meal there.

He bought a steamer of little steamed buns, a cup of soy milk, and a boiled ear of corn, then came back and sat across from Chen Lu.

Chen Lu eyed the single portion. “Senior, you’re not eating?”

Ning Shuang shook his head. “I’ll eat at home—someone’s making it there.”

“Okay…” Chen Lu looked down and picked up the disposable chopsticks, popping a steamed bun into his mouth.

Ning Shuang sat opposite him, with Ning Dundun lying obediently at his feet, not causing any fuss.

The weather was especially fine that day, with the morning sun illuminating every corner of the city. Ning Shuang propped his chin on his hands and idly scrolled through his phone.

His phone buzzed twice. A message popped up from Ji Huaizhi: 【I’m making breakfast. No need to bring anything from outside.】

Ning Shuang smiled and typed back: 【Got it. Heading home soon.】

【Ji Huaizhi: Okay, I’ll wait for you.】

【Ning Shuang: [OK]】

“Senior, do you have something urgent?” Chen Lu suddenly asked.

Ning Shuang blinked and pocketed his phone. “Nah, nothing urgent.”

“Eat up. I’ll wait till you’re done.”

“Thanks, Senior.” Chen Lu’s voice bubbled with delight. After a moment, he added, “Senior, are you free tomorrow? I got two tickets to a musical. If you’ve got time, would you like to go with me?”

Ning Shuang sighed inwardly.

He just thought the guy in front of him seemed so pitiful—no one even to go to a musical with. But he had already planned to go out with Ji Huaizhi, so he had no choice but to turn Chen Lu down. “Sorry, I’ve got plans. Why not ask one of your other friends?”

“Sure, no worries, Senior! Don’t feel bad about it!!” Chen Lu replied.

Ning Shuang broke into a grin. “Great! Maybe next time we can hang out!”

Seeing that Chen Lu had nearly finished his breakfast, Ning Shuang stood, leash in hand. “Alright, I’m heading home. See you.”

“Okay, see you, Senior. Thanks for breakfast!” Chen Lu waved eagerly as Ning Shuang turned away.

Ning Shuang waved back over his shoulder and jogged off with Ning Dundun.

It only took about ten minutes to run home from the park. As he reached the front door, Ning Shuang noticed that the potted plants under the windowsill had been watered and the house windows were open to air out the place.

Just as he was about to look away and knock, a white bird suddenly flew out from the living room window on the first floor.

Hm? Ning Shuang remembered that bird. Ever since Ji Huaizhi had moved in, he’d seen it around a lot.

He had guessed it belonged to someone else before, but why did it always hover near his house?

It used to just fly around the balcony outside the second-floor room, but now it was coming out of the living room.

Ning Shuang couldn’t figure it out. He patted Ning Dundun’s head and stepped up to knock on the door.

Before two seconds had passed, the door swung open from inside.

Ning Shuang barely had time to see who was there before Ji Huaizhi pulled him into a tight hug. “Good morning.”

Ning Shuang laughed warmly, reaching up to ruffle the hair of the man holding him. “Can’t even go a little while without seeing me, and you’re already this clingy?”

Ji Huaizhi reluctantly released his grip, asking cautiously, “You don’t like it when I do that?”

“Oh, no, not at all.” Ning Shuang quickly took his hand and led him inside. “How could I not like it? I just think you’re as cute as Dundun.”

Truth be told, Ning Shuang was still a bit surprised. He never would have imagined that Ji Huaizhi, once they started dating, would change so completely from the person he’d been before.

Ning Shuang was truly a little overwhelmed by the attention. While savoring the sweet sensation of romance, a pang of guilt gnawed at his conscience, and he couldn’t stop silently berating himself.

Ji Huaizhi hugged him once more and murmured, “You’re even cuter than Ning Dundun.”

Ning Shuang laughed helplessly and could only coax him. “Alright, alright. Cuter than Ning Dundun.”

Only then did Ji Huaizhi seem satisfied. He released Ning Shuang and told him to go upstairs first to change and freshen up. Breakfast would be ready soon.

“Okay. Do you need any help anywhere?” Ning Shuang called from the foot of the stairs.

Ji Huaizhi shook his head. “No.”

Reassured, Ning Shuang headed upstairs.

When he came back down after changing clothes and washing up, Ji Huaizhi had already laid out the entire breakfast spread on the table. Ning Shuang took his seat, but Ji Huaizhi sat down right beside him—so close that Ning Shuang could barely move his arms freely.

“Ji Huaizhi, scoot over a little. My arms feel cramped here,” Ning Shuang said. Worried his words might come across too bluntly and hurt Ji Huaizhi’s feelings, he softened his voice as much as possible into a gentle tone.

“Oh, alright.” Ji Huaizhi stood up to move across the table, but Ning Shuang picked up on the faint disappointment radiating from him and quickly grabbed his hand. “Wait, wait.”

“Sit next to me. You have to sit right next to me!” Ning Shuang yanked him back down beside himself.

Well then. The kid wasn’t smiling, but Ning Shuang could tell he was in high spirits.

Ji Huaizhi took the initiative to slide some breakfast items in front of Ning Shuang, who thanked him at once. Ji Huaizhi pursed his lips but said nothing.

Chewing on his fried dough stick, Ning Shuang pulled out his phone and showed Ji Huaizhi the two amusement park tickets he’d bought the night before. “After we finish eating, let’s head out and hit the amusement park.”