Lai Li said, “Reserve a room for me.”
The manager asked, “Which one would you like?”
Lai Li: “Which rooms are available? Take me to see them.”
After checking, the manager said apologetically, “All the suites are full. In winter, many VIPs book three months in advance to bring family and friends.”
Lai Li was silent for a moment. “What about regular rooms?”
“Please wait a moment while I check…” The manager pulled up the system. “There are two regular rooms left, oh, and a standalone villa with a private hot spring and courtyard available. How about that?”
Lai Li: “Let’s take a look first.”
The mountain villa was vast, and the standalone houses were scattered, requiring a drive to reach them.
“It’s the one up ahead.”
The car stopped in front of a wooden cabin. The manager entered the code and pushed open the courtyard gate.
Lai Li followed inside, walking along the winding pebble path up the steps into the brown-wood cabin.
The house wasn’t large, and the front hall’s layout was visible at a glance. Lai Li felt a momentary daze, as if he saw Dai Linxuan sitting on the sunken living room sofa, his face warmed red by the fireplace, his features gentle.
“This one was long-term booked by another VIP for over two years and only canceled a few days ago,” the manager said with a smile. “You got lucky with the timing.”
Lai Li’s eyes flickered. “Who?”
In theory, this was client privacy, but as the boss now, Lai Li naturally had the right to know.
The manager said tactfully, “Someone surnamed Dai.”
“…”
Lai Li went to the West Suburb Cemetery again.
He knew about the project and that Dai Linxuan had visited several times after returning to the country, but he hadn’t known that Dai Linxuan had reserved a tomb for himself.
Lai Li stood at the entrance and waited a moment. As expected, his phone buzzed. He gazed at the pale, silent cemetery and slowly raised the phone to his ear.
His brother’s laughing voice came through. “When are you coming back? The chestnuts are getting cold.”
Lai Li said softly, “But I just got here.”
Dai Linxuan asked, “Just got where?”
Lai Li stated, “Aren’t you tracking my location?”
“…” The other end went dead silent, unbelievably so—as if the call hadn’t connected at all and the previous exchange was just Lai Li’s hallucination.
“Which one?” Lai Li asked.
“Tomb 33,” Dai Linxuan sighed lightly. “Come back first, okay? Let me expl—”
Lai Li hung up directly and walked into the cemetery. The administrator had clearly received prior notice and didn’t try to stop him, just followed silently and pointed out the way.
Tomb 33 took up a large plot but was a single-person grave.
Lai Li stared at it fixedly for a while and asked, “The adjacent plots of the same size are all double graves. Why is this one single?”
The administrator told the truth. “Mr. Dai had us change it to a single grave recently.”
It was as if someone had gripped Lai Li’s heart, sending a tearing pain through him.
If it had been a single grave from the start, there’d be no need for the hassle of changing from double to single. This could only mean Dai Linxuan had originally wanted a double grave but later changed his mind.
The phone in his pocket kept vibrating, varying in duration, and only quieted after a long time.
The administrator’s phone rang.
Lai Li said without turning back, “Don’t answer it.”
The administrator was troubled and didn’t know what to do. On one side was his boss, on the other the boss’s ancestor—neither could be offended.
Lai Li caught a glimpse of green in his peripheral vision. He turned on his heel, circled behind the tombstone, and saw a multi-headed cactus quietly poking its head out of the loose soil, leaning to absorb the winter sunlight.
The administrator followed and was stunned. “This seems to be the cactus that President Dai buried before. I even asked if we should plant it, but he said the roots were damaged, it wouldn’t survive, so just bury it…”
Unexpectedly, it hadn’t rotted and had even sprouted a new head in early winter.
Lai Li didn’t respond, so the administrator naturally shut up. It was his first time seeing this Young Master Lai in person, and he couldn’t help feeling curious.
Though not from a wealthy family background, he exuded flamboyant nobility. His facial contours had been sharpened by the car accident surgery, making him look more aggressive than in online photos, with pupils so pitch-black they seemed deeper than usual, devoid of any light.
Lai Li suddenly leaned down, reaching to grab the new cactus sprout, but he froze the instant he touched it. Only after a long while did he straighten up and leave without looking back.
When Lai Li reached the cemetery entrance, he spotted his brother’s car parked on the roadside. Dai Linxuan got out of the driver’s seat, circled the front of the car, and strode toward him.
“Xiao Li…”
“Bro, I’m hungry.”
Dai Linxuan had braced for Lai Li to lose control, rage, or even have an episode, but none of that happened. Lai Li just grabbed his hand and said he wanted to eat the food he cooked.
“Then home?” Dai Linxuan touched his icy nape. “Not much food in the fridge. Any dishes you’re craving? It’s still early—we can hit the supermarket.”
Lai Li nodded. “You pick.”
Lai Li had his bodyguard drive his car away, then went to a nearby supermarket with Dai Linxuan to buy beef and shrimp.
While queuing to pay, Lai Li looked at the shelves behind the cashier and suddenly said, “Bro, I need to step out for a sec.”
Dai Linxuan grabbed him worriedly. “What for? Wait for me.”
Lai Li said, “I’ll be right back.”
All along the way, Lai Li hadn’t asked about the cemetery, which only made Dai Linxuan more tense.
Dai Linxuan wasn’t afraid of Lai Li asking—he feared him not asking, letting his imagination run wild, conjuring all sorts of bizarre scenarios, then treating them as truth no matter what explanations were given.
He hurriedly paid and carried the groceries out of the supermarket. Not seeing anyone left or right, he turned to call—only to bump face-to-face into Lai Li.
Dai Linxuan’s heart skipped a beat, and he pocketed his phone. “All done?”
Lai Li hummed. “Yeah.”
Dai Linxuan headed to the parking lot and put the groceries in the back seat. “What was that all about, so secretive?”
Lai Li said, “You’ll see when we get home.”
They returned to Hezi Mountain Mansion. Over these days, the house had gained a lived-in feel. Dai Linxuan always paused for a second or two upon entering before snapping out of it.
Dai Linxuan changed into slippers and stepped inside, warm air hitting him. Lai Li hooked his waist from behind, spun to face him, and pressed him against the wall in an embrace.
Dai Linxuan was still holding the groceries and could only wrap one arm around Lai Li, lightly stroking his back. “I didn’t mean to hide the cemetery thing from you…”
“Don’t talk.” Lai Li buried his face in his brother’s neck, inhaling deeply. “I’m really pissed right now. Let me cool off.”
“…”
Dai Linxuan made three dishes and a soup. Lai Li politely devoured it all. His appetite was decent, so his condition seemed okay.
After dinner, Lai Li still didn’t mention the cemetery. For the first time in a while, Dai Linxuan felt his heart race with unease, a headache starting.
Lai Li opened the closet and glanced sideways at him. “Bro, want to take a bath?”
Dai Linxuan had no mood for that. “A quick shower’s fine.”
Lai Li nodded and picked out a set of pajamas for him.
While Dai Linxuan showered, Lai Li watched from the doorway, as if he might strip and join any moment—but he didn’t. Though there were two shower rooms, he waited until Dai Linxuan finished before going in.
Ten minutes later, Lai Li emerged wrapped in a bathrobe.
Dai Linxuan was about to speak when he heard a click, and the room plunged into darkness.
He suddenly remembered what Lai Li had said a couple days ago—“We can sleep with the lights off.”
The light was so dim that everything was just shadowy outlines. Lai Li seemed to shed his bathrobe, tossing it aside casually. Then the foot of the bed dipped as he slipped under the covers and bit the waistband of his pants.
Dai Linxuan’s heart pounded hard. He instinctively reached for Lai Li’s nape but was intercepted; Lai Li pinned his wrists down firmly on the bed.
With both hands occupied, Lai Li used only his teeth to tug down the sleep pants, saying nothing.
Dai Linxuan’s breathing grew rapid. “Little Li, let’s talk first…”
“I don’t want to talk.” The waistband snapped back against Lai Li’s face, but he didn’t dodge. He engulfed it and sucked hard. “You only lie to me.”
Dai Linxuan gasped unexpectedly. He closed his eyes, flipped them over by reversing the grip on Lai Li’s wrists, and pinned him beneath.
Lai Li bared his canine. “Bro, you really aren’t afraid I’ll scratch you…”
Dai Linxuan said nothing. He lifted Lai Li’s waist up to the pillow, then leaned to turn on the light—only for their hands to collide.
Lai Li clutched his fingers tightly. “Don’t you want to?”
Dai Linxuan sighed. “Not in the dark. I’ve never thought your body was ugly.”
Lai Li: “Then do it with the lights on.”
Dai Linxuan: “…We don’t have anything at home.”
“We do.” Lai Li cut in. “I bought lube.”
As for the other two things Jing Deyu mentioned, they weren’t necessary—if not for the risk of injury, he wouldn’t have even bought lube.
Dai Linxuan: “…”
They stared at each other in the dimness, locked in an invisible standoff, neither yielding. Lai Li silently reached up to undo his shirt buttons, throwing his breathing into chaos again.
Dai Linxuan stopped him, pressing Lai Li’s hand to his chest.
“Why all of a sudden…” He chose his words carefully. “Want to take it further?”
“Does it need a reason?” Lai Li shot back. “I’m not just your brother—I’m your boyfriend. Sex is normal—Jing Deyu rolls in the sheets with every partner within a week.”
Dai Linxuan was helpless. “We’re not like them. Don’t do this because…”
Lai Li stared at his hazy features. “Because what?”
Dai Linxuan softened his tone. “You need to distinguish if you want to sleep with me because you desire me, or if it’s just to bind me this way.”
“…” Ignoring it all, Lai Li pressed down on his nape and bit his lip.
Most times, Lai Li’s initiations were like wars of conquest—brutal, fierce, leaving no room to breathe.
He flipped to straddle Dai Linxuan. The silk buttons slid open easily. He leaned down to bite at Dai Linxuan’s heart, mumbling indistinctly, “It’s still beating.”
“If it weren’t, I’d be in the grave.” Dai Linxuan wasn’t dodging the topic. “Xiao Li… Hiss.”
“The tomb prep was because…” Dai Linxuan grunted, unable to bear this conversational setting. He slid his arms under Lai Li’s and pulled him into an embrace. “Calm down. Stop messing around first.”
Lai Li pressed against his shoulder, voice muffled. “Why change it to a single grave?”
Dai Linxuan: “…”
Lai Li’s eyes reddened. “Change it back.”
Compared to the idea of his brother wanting to die, Lai Li couldn’t accept his brother wanting to die without him.
Just thinking about it drove him mad.
“What you said on the sea island about us being buried together someday was just to placate me.” Lai Li bit his lip again, launching a rough offensive filled with beastly territorial marking.
“You never planned to grow old with me!”
Dai Linxuan was rendered speechless, and dodging only enraged Lai Li more. Breathing halted, oxygen stolen, it felt like his organs burned from lack of air.
Their breaths tangled messily in the fierce kiss, saliva exchanged with a rusty, metallic sweetness.
Dai Linxuan snapped back to awareness and yanked Lai Li’s head away. “Open your mouth!”
Lai Li didn’t cooperate, so Dai Linxuan could only use his thumb and fingers to press against both sides of his jaw, forcing him to open his mouth. Amid the slick wetness, he felt an uneven wound.
Dai Linxuan was so angry his chest felt stuffy. “Is biting yourself fun?”
Lai Li wasn’t listening at all. He panted heavily—
Why are you seducing me?
Don’t you know how badly I want to devour you, yet you still shoved your hand into my mouth!*
Dai Linxuan pulled his fingers out, intending to get out of bed and fetch the medicine kit. But Lai Li hugged his waist and pinned him down on the bed in an extremely awkward position.
Lai Li’s suppressed panting vibrated against his eardrums. “Ge, you’re sick.”
“Very serious.”
“Very serious.”
Lai Li repeated it twice.
