Yun Huizhou was still agonizing over his script, but seeing that he didn’t refuse, Lian Li planted several more loud, smacking kisses on him.
He was grinning so wide his smile almost reached his ears. Not knowing what else to say, he could only give a few more kisses to express his intentions and his affection.
With so many kisses rained upon his face, even if Yun Huizhou had been completely immersed in his own script, he should have been kissed back to his senses by now.
He looked at Lian Li, who was inches away. This time, Lian Li didn’t kiss him again; instead, he rested his chin on Yun Huizhou’s shoulder and simply held him.
Yun Huizhou: “…”
No, he had to reclaim the initiative.
He wrapped one arm around Lian Li’s waist while his other hand slid up to the back of Lian Li’s neck, brushing aside the loose hair to touch the warm skin beneath.
He gently kneaded the back of Lian Li’s neck as if giving him a massage.
Lian Li couldn’t help but try to shrink his neck from the sensation. Yun Huizhou took the opportunity to catch Lian Li’s chin, tilting his face up slightly as he lowered his own head to align with Lian Li’s lips.
This was more like it!
Lian Li didn’t struggle; he only slowly widened his eyes and stared at Yun Huizhou.
Yun Huizhou didn’t close his eyes either. Although their positions made it impossible to look each other directly in the eye, they could still catch glimpses of each other through their peripheral vision.
Both could see that the other was looking back.
Exquisite lanterns hung in the Lake-heart Pavilion, casting a hazy, romantic glow.
With their lips pressed together, both of them kept their eyes wide open, straining to look into the other’s eyes.
After an unknown amount of time, Lian Li suddenly felt that the two of them were being absolutely ridiculous.
Who on earth keeps their eyes wide open while kissing? Neither of their mouths was moving, making the whole thing feel like a “fake” kiss.
As the thought crossed his mind, a hint of amusement flickered in his eyes.
Yun Huizhou, who had been stealing glances at him, naturally caught the smile. Realizing how they must look, he found it rather amusing as well.
But was now really the time for laughter?
Yun Huizhou lowered his gaze, though he didn’t close his eyes completely. His hand pressed against the back of Lian Li’s neck again, applying a bit of pressure.
Sure enough, he heard Lian Li let out a soft “hmpf.”
Yun Huizhou blinked and finally closed his eyes. Just as his lips moved to part, he suddenly felt a sharp nip on his lower lip.
A second later, his eyes snapped open again. When he looked at Lian Li, he found that the younger man had already obediently closed his eyes.
Thick eyelashes cast a soft shadow beneath his eyes, and even in the dim, amber light, his fair complexion was striking.
It was a long time before the two of them finally, reluctantly, pulled apart.
They remained close, the sound of each other’s breathing exceptionally clear in the silence. Lian Li even felt a bit lightheaded from a lack of oxygen.
At the same time, he finally began to sober up from the rush of pure joy that had clouded his mind.
He realized he hadn’t even let Yun Huizhou finish speaking before lunging at him and raining kisses on his face. It had been far too impulsive.
After all, Yun Huizhou had still been setting the stage; he hadn’t officially said the words yet.
What if—and this was just a “what if”—
What if he had misread the situation, or if Yun Huizhou had been about to drop a “but”?
Then his actions would have been nothing short of harassment. Yun Huizhou could have sent him flying from the pavilion into the lake more than ten meters away with a single palm strike.
At that thought, a thin layer of cold sweat broke out on Lian Li’s back, and a wave of lingering fear washed over him.
He looked up at Yun Huizhou, seeking reassurance. “You weren’t finished with what you were saying earlier,” he said. “Keep going.”
“Hmm?” Yun Huizhou tilted his head and gave Lian Li’s lips another light, fleeting peck. “You want me to keep going?”
Lian Li nodded, his gaze exceptionally firm. “Yes. Even though we both already know in our hearts, I still want to hear it.”
“Alright.” Seeing the determination in Lian Li’s eyes, Yun Huizhou’s expression turned serious. “I like you. Will you be with me?”
As the words left Yun Huizhou’s lips, Lian Li’s serious expression began to shift.
Specifically, the corners of his mouth were fighting to curl upward, but he was trying his hardest to suppress them, causing the muscles around his lips to twitch strangely.
His gaze was no longer solemn.
If Lian Li could see himself in a mirror right now, he would realize that while his expression wasn’t exactly “creepy,” it was far from dignified.
Seeing this, Yun Huizhou arched an eyebrow and gently pinched Lian Li’s mouth. “What’s with that face? You look like you’re incredibly smug but trying not to show it—and failing miserably at hiding it.”
Lian Li couldn’t hold it in any longer. He swatted away the hand pinching his mouth and broke into a wide, toothy, idiotic grin.
Yun Huizhou straightened up slightly, watching him beam with joy.
He was delighted as well, but his poker face was far superior to Lian Li’s. He merely wore a faint smile, his eyes filled with indulgence and tenderness.
One couldn’t tell in the slightest that he was feeling incredibly smug himself.
Although the boy hadn’t been moved to tears of joy as he’d imagined, seeing him grin like a fool wasn’t a bad alternative.
Lian Li had been grinning for far too long. Yun Huizhou remembered that he had asked him if he was willing to be with him.
Seeing that Lian Li was still just grinning without saying a word, Yun Huizhou cupped his face and gave it a playful squeeze. “Stop that silly grinning. You haven’t answered me yet. Hurry up and say yes.”
He paused, his tone taking on a hint of feigned menace. “You’re not trying to use that silly grin to dodge the question and avoid giving me a proper answer, are you?”
Lian Li didn’t notice his little ploy at all. Hearing this, he said through his grin, “I agree, I agree! I’m willing! We’re together now, and it’s for a lifetime. You’re not allowed to back out halfway!”
Yun Huizhou was both delighted and exasperated by his proactive attitude.
What was with this kid? Where was the shyness or the playing hard to get described in the storybooks? There wasn’t a trace of it.
And yet, this very attitude made Yun Huizhou’s heart burn even more fervently.
This post-dinner stroll had already lasted far longer than Lian Li’s usual solo walks, yet he didn’t feel it had been long at all. On the contrary, he felt time was flying by too quickly.
He pulled Yun Huizhou around the pavilion for a couple of laps, feeling that his initial reaction had been far too foolish. He had spent so much time lost in his own emotions that his mind had been a complete blank for most of it.
Finally, he pulled Yun Huizhou back to the seats they had occupied when they first entered.
He stared at Yun Huizhou, his face full of anticipation. “Let’s do it again,” he said.
“Again?” Yun Huizhou asked. “What do you mean, ‘again’?”
“I mean, let’s do it all over from the beginning!” Lian Li said excitedly. “From the moment we sat down and you asked me about the Spring Palace pictures—let’s redo the whole thing. I feel like I’ve already forgotten some of it. We have to do it again; I’ll make sure to pay attention and memorize every single detail this time!”
Yun Huizhou hadn’t expected such a request. Yet, as he looked back on the evening, he realized he felt much the same way as Lian Li.
