Sun Rain Chapter 18
byThe latter half of the journey was relatively quiet. Perhaps exhausted, Fu Xuanliao no longer actively initiated conversation. Aside from the sound of the wind and the gentle rustling of tree branches, the only sounds were the intertwined breathing of the two men.
Lying on a back broader than it had been in his youth, Shi Meng enjoyed the hard-won peace, and began to harbor the unrealistic hope that this path would never end.
By the time the security team, led by Gao Lecheng, found them, they had already reached the main road and could see the hotel sign in the distance.
“Why didn’t you stall a bit longer?” Fu Xuanliao said, exasperated. “Five more minutes and I would have been at the entrance.”
Seeing that the person was fine, Gao Lecheng grinned. “Isn’t this giving you a chance to be the hero saving the beauty?”
The resort’s security team was professional. Knowing the road was steep and dark, making safety an issue, they brought a wheelchair. Fu Xuanliao placed the sprained-ankle Shi Meng into the wheelchair, rubbing his shoulders with relief. “You guys go ahead, I need a rest.”
Gao Lecheng arranged for the security guard to push the injured man ahead. He saw Shi Meng, sitting in the wheelchair, twist and peer back several times, so he nudged Fu Xuanliao. “Hey, your guy is looking at you.”
Fu Xuanliao ignored him, bending down to meticulously brush the mud off his trousers.
“Let’s hurry up and go too,” Gao Lecheng urged. “Jiang Xue is still waiting.”
“Now you know to hurry?” Fu Xuanliao retorted, annoyed. “Why didn’t you come earlier? You made me carry him all that way, and I was even…”
“Even what?”
Fu Xuanliao couldn’t bring himself to say the word “kissed,” and after a long pause, he managed, “What’s it to you? Stop prying.”
Gao Lecheng looked baffled. “Didn’t you start talking about it yourself?”
Fu Xuanliao wasn’t sure why he was being difficult. Shi Meng’s behavior had always been unconventional; let alone a forced kiss, he had even attempted forced sex before.
He could only conclude it was his pride acting up. In the past, he had always managed to turn the passive into the active, suppressing Shi Meng until he couldn’t resist. But just now, for some reason, looking into those clear eyes and hearing a dry “thank you,” he had been stunned into silence.
Fortunately, it was dark and no one saw his expression. Fu Xuanliao tentatively used the excuse of being tired and oxygen-deprived to temporarily put the embarrassing incident aside.
Entering the hotel, they ran into Jiang Xue. She had probably heard from the security guards that Fu Xuanliao was the one who found him, and she was uncharacteristically not sarcastic toward him upon meeting.
“The doctor checked Mengmeng’s leg. It’s a simple sprain, just needs rest. I took him to the room.” Jiang Xue looked tired after the evening’s commotion. “You two should also rest early. We can talk about anything tomorrow.”
Since there was nothing much to discuss anyway, the three took the elevator upstairs together.
After entering his room and closing the door, Fu Xuanliao suddenly remembered that the box containing the sapphire was still with Jiang Xue. Just as he was about to turn around to find her, his gaze swept the room and he saw Shi Meng sitting on the bed holding something. Looking closely, it was precisely the sapphire necklace he had carefully selected.
His plan disrupted, Fu Xuanliao felt a little deflated. Giving up, he closed the door and walked in. “Did Jiang Xue give it to you?”
It was a rhetorical question, but Shi Meng took it seriously and replied, “Yes.”
Taking off his jacket and turning around, Fu Xuanliao met Shi Meng’s direct gaze and instinctively looked away. “Why are you staring at me?”
“Is it for me?” Shi Meng asked.
“Of course not,” Fu Xuanliao said without thinking. “Do you think this looks like something for you to wear?”
Based on Fu Xuanliao’s understanding of Shi Meng, the more something didn’t belong to him, the more he would try to forcibly possess it. So Fu Xuanliao wasn’t worried about the necklace ending up in someone else’s hands; he was just habitually saying what Shi Meng didn’t want to hear.
To his surprise, Shi Meng was different this time. He didn’t press about who it was for, nor did he recklessly put the necklace around his neck. He lowered his eyes, looked at the necklace in his hand for a moment, then placed it back in the box, closed the lid, and gently set it on the table.
Now Fu Xuanliao was unsettled.
He went to take a shower first. When he came out, he saw the box still sitting neatly there. He walked over, picked it up, and fiddled with it. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Shi Meng, who was engrossed in drawing in his small notebook, showing no reaction.
Fu Xuanliao took the necklace out, held it up to the light, and examined it. “The shop owner said the raw stone was very pure, almost no fissures. I wonder if that’s true.”
No one answered.
“I think this chain is too short for a necklace. It would be quite suitable wrapped twice as a bracelet.”
Shi Meng still didn’t make a sound, as if he hadn’t heard anything.
He tossed the necklace back in and slammed the box onto the table. Fu Xuanliao thought resentfully, It’s not like I absolutely had to give it to you anyway.
It was late. Shi Meng was already slow in the shower, and his sprained ankle added to the trouble. He took a full hour before coming out.
His footsteps on the carpet were uneven—one heavy, one light—due to the uneven weight distribution. Fu Xuanliao had to nervously strain his ears, afraid the guy would fall.
It wasn’t until the rustling sounds moved to the bedside, and he felt a distinct dip beside him, followed by an arm wrapping around his lower back, that Fu Xuanliao finally relaxed.
He had planned to continue feigning sleep, but the person behind him wouldn’t allow it. A whispered “Are you asleep?” landed near his ear, the warm breath on his neck making Fu Xuanliao’s body tremble, thoroughly “waking” him up.
“You woke me up,” Fu Xuanliao deflected. “What do you want?”
Almost the moment the words left his mouth, Shi Meng flipped over and straddled Fu Xuanliao.
They were staying in the hotel’s best view Suite, with large floor-to-ceiling windows covered only by a layer of blinds, allowing all the light from outside to stream into the room.
Fu Xuanliao turned his head. What met his eyes was a chest rapidly rising and falling with quickened breaths, and two bare legs spread open on either side of him.
Shi Meng was wearing nothing underneath, having only slipped on a loose bathrobe before coming out.
Snapping back to reality, Fu Xuanliao raised an eyebrow and smiled. “You sprained your ankle, shouldn’t you restrain yourself?”
As if he hadn’t understood the words, Shi Meng leaned down, moved close to Fu Xuanliao’s ear, opened his mouth, and gently sucked on his earlobe.
The heat, wrapped in the scent of shower gel, completely enveloped him, and Fu Xuanliao momentarily lost his bearings in the seduction.
He flipped over, cupped Shi Meng’s chin, and rubbed his thumb back and forth on the skin, squinting at the flawless face outlined by the dim light, as if appreciating a piece of art.
The words he spoke, however, were extremely flippant: “Oh, I see. You’re a fairy come to repay a debt of gratitude.”
Normally, Shi Meng would have bared his claws and bitten him, but today was different. Caught in the act, Shi Meng lowered his eyes, his long lashes casting a shadow beneath them.
He neither refuted nor flared up. Instead, he lifted the thin blanket covering Fu Xuanliao and ducked underneath.
Shi Meng in bed was completely different from Shi Meng out of bed. He was passionate and wild, yet also volatile. When he took Fu Xuanliao’s swollen member into his mouth, his teeth grazed the shaft, making it feel as if he could bite it off with a slight effort.
The coexistence of temptation and danger always stirred the deepest shivers in the body. Fu Xuanliao involuntarily reached down, pressing Shi Meng’s head, craving deeper, and deeper still.
Shi Meng rarely performed oral sex on him, so his movements were clumsy. Fearing he might genuinely hurt him, he held the lower part with both hands, extending his tongue to lick carefully from top to bottom, then slowly taking the engorged, thick object into his mouth.
The rawness was also alluring. The sensation of being enveloped by a wet, warm cavity made Fu Xuanliao’s scalp tingle. His body involuntarily tensed, and he had to guard against Shi Meng’s sudden, forceful suck. An electric jolt of pleasure exploded from his lower abdomen, and all the heat in his body gathered in one place, brewing the final eruption.
The thin blanket covering the scene of debauchery surged like a wave, then suddenly stilled after a violent climax, returning to calm.
Fu Xuanliao’s breathing was heavy. He lifted his arm and tossed aside the unnecessary covering. Once the beautiful, naked body was exposed to the light, he grabbed the body, flipped over fiercely, and pinned Shi Meng beneath him.
His thumb brushed against the soft corner of Shi Meng’s mouth again, picking up a slick wetness. Knowing what it was, Fu Xuanliao’s eyes darkened, and he asked in a hoarse voice, “Did you swallow?”
Shi Meng was like a devout believer; whatever the other person asked, he would answer truthfully.
He nodded, extended a pink tongue, licked the spot Fu Xuanliao had touched, and then very lightly brushed the fingertip that hadn’t yet retreated.
Fu Xuanliao quickly hardened again. He hooked Shi Meng’s legs over his arms and reached out to find a bottle of lubricant on the bedside table.
“When did you prepare this?” He smiled mockingly, shaking the bottle. “Did you pack it in your suitcase before coming?”
The answer was self-evident. Shi Meng, relying on his injury, was too lazy to speak much. He lifted his hips and turned his head away, adopting an attitude of “do it or don’t, I don’t care.”
After a quick expansion, when he finally took Fu Xuanliao’s considerable size into his body, he couldn’t maintain his aloof facade. A flush of pink spread across his entire skin, especially his cheeks.
Initially, he bit his wrist, refusing to make a sound. But once Fu Xuanliao roughly pulled his arm away and restrained it, fragmented moans escaped his throat with the rhythm of the thrusts, like patches of bright moonlight scattered across the floor, cut by the blinds.
The moon had quietly emerged from behind the clouds at some point. Fu Xuanliao lifted Shi Meng’s legs and pressed them against his shoulders. While conquering him wantonly inside, he turned his head and kissed the inner thigh, which was whiter than the moonlight.
The spot he kissed was frighteningly hot, and the temperature quickly spread. Shi Meng trembled sensitively a few times. Not wanting Fu Xuanliao to see, he wrapped his arms around his neck, tilting his head back to seek his lips.
Both of them were sweating, their skin sticking together as they embraced, their silhouettes on the wall seeming to merge into one.
Fu Xuanliao was a man of few words in bed, but his desire for control was intense. Having been led by Shi Meng in the previous round, he was now aggressively reclaiming the initiative, his hard, hot object grinding against Shi Meng’s sensitive spots, sometimes lightly, sometimes heavily, completely unpredictable.
He even freed one hand to grip Shi Meng’s nearing-climax member, maliciously pinching the tip to prevent him from releasing.
It wasn’t until Shi Meng was driven to the brink of tears, kicking his legs wildly with red eyes and finally letting out unrestrained screams, that Fu Xuanliao was satisfied. He released his grip, wrapped his arms around Shi Meng’s slender shoulders from the armpits, and thrust violently and quickly below.
As a stream of liquid poured into his body, Shi Meng arched his back and ejaculated as well.
His gaze drifted over Fu Xuanliao’s muscular shoulders, vaguely resting on the intricately patterned ceiling. The intense pleasure left Shi Meng momentarily blank and disoriented.
As soon as he grasped a sliver of consciousness, Shi Meng used his legs and arms to hug the body covering him tightly, not letting him leave, even if it meant struggling for breath.
That night, the hotel’s two-meter-two wide luxury bed was utilized to the extreme.
The two remained connected, catching their breath for a while. Fu Xuanliao suddenly lifted his head, as if coming back to himself, and asked, “Does your leg still hurt?”
Shi Meng, who hadn’t fully detached from the passion, was stunned for several seconds before shaking his head. “No, it doesn’t.”
The shower had been for nothing. The two sticky men went back to the washroom to rinse off again. Shi Meng, carried back to bed by Fu Xuanliao, was extremely sleepy. He pulled the blanket over himself haphazardly, and just as his eyelids were about to close, a heavy, cold circle was slipped onto his left wrist.
Fu Xuanliao held his wrist, poking the blue gem dangling below his wrist bone with a finger. The refracted light shimmered through the center, dazzlingly bright, but Shi Meng slowly opened his eyes wide.
“It suits you quite well.” Fu Xuanliao seemed very pleased with the effect it had on Shi Meng. He smiled. “I’ll just give it to you.”
The next day was sunny. Due to Shi Meng’s foot injury, everyone unanimously decided to move the activities indoors.
The resort had a constant-temperature swimming pool spanning several hundred square meters. When they tired of playing cards, the group came here, changed into swimsuits, and got into the water.
Fu Xuanliao and Gao Lecheng arranged a race, swimming from one end to the other to see who was faster.
Jiang Xue acted as the referee. In the end, both men surfaced almost simultaneously. Naturally, she had no reason to favor Fu Xuanliao, insisting that Gao Lecheng reached first, awarding him the victory.
Fu Xuanliao rested his body in the water, arms draped backward on the edge of the pool. Gao Lecheng swam around from Jiang Xue’s side, bent over, and offered him a bottle of drink. “Let’s race again later, with your Mengmeng as the referee.”
This nickname was clearly adopted from Jiang Xue. Fu Xuanliao frowned imperceptibly and took the drink. “No need. It’s not like I can’t handle losing.”
Gao Lecheng jumped back into the water, leaning against the edge, following Fu Xuanliao’s gaze toward the other end of the pool.
Jiang Xue wore a conservative one-piece swimsuit, but it couldn’t hide her graceful curves. She sat on the edge, sharing a fruit platter with Shi Meng, smiling sweetly, which made Gao Lecheng dizzy, like a lovesick fool.
Fu Xuanliao was also watching, but not the beauty. He was looking at Shi Meng, who was also sitting on the edge, but only had his trouser legs rolled up, kicking the water with his feet in the pool.
On the wrist resting on the pool edge was the sapphire bracelet, converted from the necklace. As if afraid it would touch the water, he occasionally lifted it to look at it, gently rubbing the surface with his fingertip. The sense of cherishment was completely exposed without needing words.
The other party was completely unaware, allowing Fu Xuanliao to stare without restraint. Just as he was lost in thought, a voice beside him said, “I thought you were just playing around before, but now it looks like you’re quite enjoying it.”
Startled back to reality, Fu Xuanliao frowned again in impatience. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Gao Lecheng chuckled. “That sapphire, you gave it to him after all.”
Knowing it was a teasing joke, Fu Xuanliao was still irritable. “I told you it was a belated birthday gift.”
“Right, right, a birthday gift,” Gao Lecheng said with an expression that said he knew better. “It’s just to make him happy, we all understand.”
“…”
Fu Xuanliao was speechless. He turned and plunged into the pool, splashing Gao Lecheng’s face with diluted disinfectant water.
All of them were busy people tied up with work, so the trip concluded hastily on the third evening.
The four returned the way they came. Gao Lecheng was responsible for taking Jiang Xue home, while Fu Xuanliao drove Shi Meng. As the car traveled from the suburbs to the city, the surrounding noise gradually increased, and the tranquility vanished.
Entering the urban area, the natural scenery outside the window was completely replaced by congested traffic and flashing neon lights. Shi Meng lost interest in the view and lowered his head to continue fiddling with the sapphire on his wrist.
While waiting at a red light, Fu Xuanliao spared a glance. In truth, Shi Meng usually dressed simply, and this overly luxurious gem was not suitable for daily wear.
Yet Shi Meng still wore it, and hadn’t taken it off since the moment Fu Xuanliao put it on him.
The Shi family mansion was located on the other side of Fengcheng. After saying goodbye to Gao Lecheng and Jiang Xue at the city center intersection, Fu Xuanliao drove east. The hustle and bustle eventually faded back into silence, and the ground outside the car window reflected the swaying shadows of trees.
Arriving at the destination and getting out of the car, Fu Xuanliao helped Shi Meng retrieve his luggage from the trunk, even having the leisure to tease him. “Just a set of pajamas, and you needed such a big suitcase?”
Shi Meng disagreed. “I packed other things too.”
Realizing that the “other things” included lubricant, Fu Xuanliao pursed his lips, suddenly losing the desire to continue the conversation.
He opened the car door, about to get in, when the person behind him softly called his name: “Fu Xuanliao.”
With one hand resting on the car door, Fu Xuanliao turned around. “Hmm?”
He expected a formality like “Good night” and planned to just respond and leave, but Shi Meng, standing under the porch light, hesitated. One foot was firmly planted on the ground, the other lightly tapping, as if he couldn’t stand steady or make up his mind.
His lowered eyelids couldn’t hide his anticipation. Perhaps afraid Fu Xuanliao wouldn’t wait, Shi Meng, with an uncollected, almost shy demeanor, asked haltingly, “Next week, can we go out together again, okay?”
On the drive back, the sky was completely dark, but Fu Xuanliao rolled down the car window, letting the cold wind rush in.
It was three degrees Celsius outside, enough to quickly lower his body temperature, but he was still intensely agitated. He wished he could dive back into the pool to forcibly sober himself up.
He was angry at his own dullness. He should have noticed long ago that Shi Meng’s feelings for him were more than just a ridiculous possessiveness.
There were so many signs. Even if Shi Meng didn’t say it, the hints he gave were clear enough—when he asked him to celebrate his birthday, when he shouted his name on the roller coaster, when he asked for a good night kiss, when he cut his hair short for him, when he cherished every item he gave him, when he first replaced a blunt command with a consultative question… he should have realized it long ago.
He shouldn’t have only been startled into awareness last night when he saw the flame-shaped tattoo imprinted beneath Shi Meng’s ribs.
That tattoo had clearly been there for a long time, so long that Fu Xuanliao couldn’t recall now whether he had seen it and dismissed it, or felt it but hadn’t investigated further.
Shi Meng likes me—this conclusion was once an impossible absurdity. Now, placed before Fu Xuanliao, it had transformed into a sharp, thorny bomb. He didn’t know where to start handling it, and if he didn’t, he feared it would blow him to pieces.
Moreover, reality was more complicated.
Clutching the steering wheel, Fu Xuanliao’s expression was grim, as if shrouded in black clouds.
Because he realized that if such a thorny bomb were placed in front of him, his first consideration wouldn’t be how or when to dispose of it, but whether he should dispose of it at all.
Dangerous things often wore a harmless exterior, quietly approaching when one was completely unaware, and by the time they were discovered, they were already near the warning line.
The alarm bells in his heart rang deafeningly. Back home, Fu Xuanliao sat in the dim living room for a while.
He thought of many things: past promises, future entanglements, faded guilt, clinging reluctance… yet it also felt like he thought of nothing, his mind a tangled mess, completely unable to grasp a thread.
Jiang Rong was startled when she saw the figure on the sofa during her nightly trip. She walked closer, recognized him, and sighed in relief. “You’re back, why aren’t you sleeping? Are you hungry?”
Fu Xuanliao shook his head. “No, I’m fine, just sitting for a bit.”
Jiang Rong didn’t press further. She went to the kitchen, poured a glass of water, and brought it out, advising him to rest early since it was cold.
The glass was placed on the table. Just as she was about to return to her room, Fu Xuanliao suddenly called out, “Mom.”
Stopping and turning around, Jiang Rong responded softly, “Yes, what is it?”
“Next week,” Fu Xuanliao asked, “Next Saturday, do you and Father have time?”
Jiang Rong said, “Of course we do.”
She looked at her son, who had grown up at some point, facing a dilemma he hadn’t encountered in the past twenty years, like a beast trapped in a cage, silently struggling and wandering in the darkness.
In the end, he made the decision to preemptively eliminate the potential loss of control and danger he might face.
“Then next Saturday, let’s go to the Shi family together,” Fu Xuanliao’s voice was low, laced with deep fatigue. “To discuss terminating the contract.”