NH chapter 042

Chapter 42 Unwilling

When they fell, Shen Tingyu still had some conscience and quickly rolled over to cushion Huo Ye, allowing Huo Ye to land on his chest instead of hitting the ground directly.

Dizzy and lying amidst the mess, Huo Ye felt something sharp jabbing into his abdomen, but it wasn’t the broken leg of a table.

He couldn’t think too much and quickly pushed himself off the ground, scrambling to get up from Shen Tingyu.

His clothes were wrinkled and crumpled, making it look like they had just fought, appearing very disheveled.

Huo Ye straightened his clothes, and just as he stood up, he felt a faint, sharp pain in his left chest, his body felt hot. Without thinking, he was sure he had already left a few red finger marks.

He suspected that Shen Tingyu indeed had some tendencies toward violence.

“Am I your scratching post?” Huo Ye gasped as he rubbed his chest, feeling it was increasingly absurd.

He laughed with anger, “Do you need to step on my chest just to kiss me?”

Shen Tingyu also got up, shaking off the dust, a lingering desire still gleaming in his eyes. Hearing this, he narrowed his eyes dangerously at Huo Ye.

Then he suddenly stepped closer.

Huo Ye was startled, fearing he would pounce again, and quickly stepped back, panicking, “Young Master, my mouth hurts, my chest hurts, spare me.”

“…Oh, really?”

Shen Tingyu smirked, “I’m in pain too.”

Sure, you’re in pain. Just some bites here and there.

Huo Ye forced a smile at him and unhesitatingly dashed out the door.

At the entrance, Xiong Ying, who was just debating whether to come in and take a look, had just turned to peek inside when he saw his leader, disheveled and looking both chaotic and handsome, emerging.

With the wet red corners of his eyes, a swollen, bruised mouth, bulging veins on the back of his hands, an unflattering complexion, plus the obvious discomfort from massaging his chest…

Xiong Ying felt a shiver run down his spine.

He rushed forward, saying, “Who dares to act so boldly!”

Huo Ye was now inexplicably easily startled, and even he was shaken by Xiong Ying’s sudden approach, his eyes widening slightly.

His heart raced again, but before he could explain, Xiong Ying was already fuming, shouting, “Who dares to mess with you like this! Dragging you to such a secluded place, like a beast!”

Huo Ye: “…”

“Where’s that guy? Just let me at him!!”

Xiong Ying rolled up his sleeves, ready to storm inside, but Huo Ye quickly grabbed his other arm, looking awkward, “I didn’t…”

“Oh right, Boss, are you all right? Let me check on you!” Xiong Ying misunderstood and turned around, rushing to inspect Huo Ye top to bottom, confirming he only had a minor injury to his mouth.

Huo Ye covered his mouth, feeling that although he usually had thick skin, this was the first time he found something difficult to say.

Since childhood, Xiong Ying had fought alongside him, and knowing Huo Ye was injured, he held back saying nothing, firmly believing that there must be more he was hiding and that it couldn’t just be a small injury to his mouth, so he pressed on, “Where else are you hurt? Did you damage your ribs?”

As he spoke, he wanted to lift Huo Ye’s shirt. Huo Ye slapped Xiong Ying’s hand away, partly angry, partly guiltily flustered, “Enough!”

What kind of joke was that? If he lifted it, there would be all the red marks left by that precious little beast who groped while kissing. Where would he put his face?

Huo Ye was fuming and feeling guilty at the same time.

Xiong Ying, aggrieved, asked, “What’s wrong? I’m just concerned about you.”

Huo Ye, exhausted, didn’t want to argue with him and silently walked outside. Just as Xiong Ying was about to sulkily follow, a noise came from behind, causing him to turn around in shock.

Shen Tingyu kicked the broken pieces of the table on the ground, raised his head to coolly glance at Xiong Ying, and coldly asked, “Who did you say is a beast?”

Xiong Ying: “…”

Wow, this is a miracle under the bright sky.

“Hey, do you have a donation channel here?” Shen Tingyu considered it seriously, “This place, I want to invest in repairs.”

“First, I don’t go by ‘Hey’.”

Xiong Ying said remorsefully, “Second, even if you have a powerful background, if you dare to bully my boss, I’ll still—”

Shen Tingyu glanced at him sideways, raising an eyebrow.

Xiong Ying: “I’ll still send you the contact details of your director.”

“…”

The end of the term marked the beginning of a new summer vacation.

This time everyone did quite well on the exams, and the students of Class 18 enjoyed a bit of sweetness, feeling encouraged to work harder.

Following that passionate kiss, the relationship between Shen Tingyu and Huo Ye didn’t change too much; it simply grew into a more natural intimacy.

Unspoken, they neither confessed nor explicitly stated “I like you,” seemingly just like before.

But often, when they found a moment of solitude, they couldn’t help but sneakily hold hands or lightly brush their lips together, but they dared not go further than that.

With the college entrance exam approaching, no matter how one looked at it, it wasn’t a good time, so they silently maintained this ambiguous relationship of friendship yet unfulfilled romantic inclination, reluctant to retreat, yet unwilling to advance.

Deep down, there was still fear; before coming out, what’s ahead was always an unknown.

After all, they were only eighteen or nineteen years old this year.

Most of the time, whenever their eyes met, they could see the restraint and impulse clashing wildly in each other’s eyes.

But to avoid suspicion, one of them had to look away first, afraid the urge would take over and lead to irrational behavior.

Huo Ye thought, Shen Tingyu is so outstanding; I must work hard to get into a university in the same city as him to have the right to say “I like you.”

Even though they sat next to each other, Shen Tingyu thought it seemed he was always the one taking the initiative, while Huo Ye had never shown any stance. If it weren’t for that forceful kiss outside the temple, they might not have even taken this step… No, after making it 99 steps, that last step must come from Huo Ye; anyway, he couldn’t take the initiative first.

So they secretly hid away, pulling each other but neither daring to take that last step, thinking they were discreet behind that thin window paper, veiling their true feelings.

And that noisy same-sex couple, not long after, withdrew from the fervor, and time slowly smoothed things over.

“July 23rd, Saturday, Major Heat.

I went to Hubei with Shen Tingyu. Besides meal expenses, his mother didn’t give him any extra money, and since he got scolded for selling his watch to pay my medical fees last time, it’s all my fault. So this time, I took him to Wudang Mountain for fun and covered the expenses as an apology.

To save money, we took an 18-hour green train. When we first got on, Shen Tingyu still kissed me, but after a while, he started to doze off by my side. A little later, he woke up, realized the train hadn’t arrived, and seemed very angry. He refused to lean on me anymore.

He seemed to be sulking for about ten hours, and no matter how I tried to cheer him up, nothing worked. Eventually, Shen Tingyu calmed down himself and then lay down close to me, burying his head in my neck, pressing tightly.

He said he felt dizzy, but was also picky about the bed and couldn’t sleep.

I suggested he lie down on my lap, but he refused. When I asked why, he nodded towards the other side. I looked, and it turned out the kid across from us was also lying on his mom’s lap to sleep. He thought lying like that was embarrassing, which made me laugh.

When I laughed, Shen Tingyu got even angrier and bit me.

It was really hard to understand; he felt embarrassed lying on my lap in public, yet he dared to secretly bite my Adam’s apple while pretending to pull the curtains.

It hurt, he was like a little dog.

In that brief darkness when the train entered the tunnel, we lost signal on our phones. At that moment, I kissed Shen Tingyu. He froze for a moment and then pressed me back against the seat, passionately kissing me.

When the light flooded back into the crowded carriage, we had just managed to separate, one pretending to look at his phone and the other silently gazing out the window, as if nothing at all had happened.

Shen Tingyu was right; in fact, most of the time I wasn’t an optimistic person, otherwise I wouldn’t need to take so many medications.

I often thought, if the news reported tomorrow as the end of the world, maybe then I would dare to hold his hand openly. Because everyone would die, and no one would care about trivial matters, and at that moment we would be free.

At midnight, when we shared our last kiss, the next second we could willingly die with our desperate love.

However, the train gradually slowed down, and yet it still arrived at the station.”

…

“July 25th, Monday, Sunny.

I had authentic hot dry noodles in Wuhan; it was really dry, unlike what I imagined. Shen Tingyu couldn’t finish his; he had a bite of noodles followed by three sips of mineral water, looking a bit forlorn.

But he didn’t say anything. He knew eating out was expensive.

The hotel we stayed in was right at the foot of Wudang Mountain, and there was a Jade Void Palace nearby. The commercial street around was very lively, and we saw a lot of stalls selling strawberries. We bought a bag to take back, and surprisingly, they were sweeter than expected, so we might as well bring some back for Xiong Ying and the others.

Oh, provided I can remember to.

In the afternoon, we took the tourist bus up the mountain, and the ride was quite bumpy. I was used to it, but Shen Tingyu was feeling quite uncomfortable.

His complexion was pale, and he hung limply on my shoulder, softly saying, “Huo Ye, I really want to vomit.”

I asked what to do; I didn’t have a bag for him.

In a weak voice, Shen Tingyu, still commanding like he owned the world, asked, “Can you tell the driver to stop?”

I smiled slightly and replied, “I can’t. Jumping out the window might be more effective than asking the driver to stop.”

Shen Tingyu immediately turned expressionless and stopped talking. After getting off, he walked briskly, and I chased after him, begging him to at least acknowledge me. Several girls nearby heard our childish exchange and giggled.

At the top of the mountain, there were stalls selling Wudang specialties like preserved plums and Tai Chi pastries. I followed him until I accidentally got distracted. The lady selling lotus seed cakes was particularly enthusiastic, saying, “Handsome guy, tasting is free; if you find it good, you can buy it.”

When I heard “free tasting,” I had to stop to try a sample. I said, “Sure, I’ll take a rose-flavored one.”

Shen Tingyu had already nearly powered up to the Golden Summit. When he turned around and saw I hadn’t followed, he panicked and hurriedly searched for me. When he saw me, I was accidentally eating by the roadside.

I was half-listening to the introduction while simultaneously munching away and had nearly finished off all the free samples. Suddenly, I felt a chill on my back and froze.

That day Shen Tingyu nearly suffocated me.”

…

“August 4th, Thursday, Cloudy.

Today is Qixi Festival. Soon, school will start again, and I plan to have one last hurrah before my senior year. So we went to Chimelong in Guangzhou.

After checking in, as soon as we entered, we were met with a vertical roller coaster; the screams drifted far off, sounding horrifying.

I smiled and asked Shen Tingyu, “Are you scared?”

Finally, his dazed expression returned to focus, but he coldly laughed, saying, “This kind of children’s ride, what’s there to be afraid of?”

Without saying a word, I dragged him to line up.

After a forty-minute wait and a two-minute ride, just as the roller coaster was about to reach the highest point, it paused for about five or six seconds. In that brief moment, Shen Tingyu, looking cool and composed, turned to me and said, “Huo Ye, I regret it.”

I burst into laughter, “Too late now!” Pretending to be serious, I asked, “Shen Tingyu, if the roller coaster had an accident, would you want to die with me today?”

In the second before the roller coaster plummeted, Shen Tingyu turned and cradled my face, kissing me fiercely. I heard him say—

“I don’t want to.

It’s too short today, Huo Ye; I want to be with you for a lifetime.”

…

“August 27th, Saturday, Light Rain.

It’s Shen Tingyu’s birthday, and we didn’t go anywhere, just cuddled at home and watched movies. Outside, the light rain fell, the sky darkened, and occasional thunder rolled, resembling the end of the world, but unfortunately, it wasn’t.

I brought back two or three dozen beers. Shen Tingyu didn’t really like drinking, and he didn’t want me to either, but I insisted that a man should drink a little on his birthday to accept that he’s a year older.

Shen Tingyu scolded me for acting mature, yet he still fetched a bottle opener.

Outside, lightning flashed, and his grandmother was sleeping in the next room. We huddled in Shen Tingyu’s room to watch movies. The lights were off, allowing us only to see each other’s body outlines, with the wall displaying a crime thriller movie; the atmosphere was silent yet warm.

Half a dozen beers in, I started to feel a stomach ache, drenched in cold sweat. I held back from saying anything and kept drinking because I knew Shen Tingyu would scold me, saying that if I told him, I wouldn’t be allowed to drink again.

But Shen Tingyu quickly noticed, his face darkening and looking fierce. He suddenly picked me up and tossed me on the bed. Before I could say anything, he tackled me from behind, his hand clasping my throat to turn my face for a kiss.

After kissing for several minutes, I couldn’t take it anymore. Cold sweat dripped down as I gasped, “Shen Tingyu, it really hurts; please help me.”

Shen Tingyu paused for a moment, then rolled me over as if I were his beloved teddy bear, wrapping around me tightly. I leaned softly against his chest, breathing heavily, unable to stoically suppress a pained groan now and then, like a fish dragged out of the water.

On the verge of collapse, yet seeming like I could somehow endure a little longer.

Shen Tingyu fed me medicine without letting go of me, lowering his head to bury it into my neck, quietly warming my abdomen with his palm.

He said, “Huo Ye.”

I heard him and half-opened my eyes, lazily humming in response.

Shen Tingyu’s voice was muffled as he bit my Adam’s apple. I realized he seemed to particularly enjoy biting my Adam’s apple. There was some resentment, but mostly dependency in his tone as he said, “Huo Ye, you bastard, when will you obediently listen to me? You know how to cry out in pain too.”

I almost wanted to laugh, but my stomach stabbed with pain, causing me to frown.

After a long while, I said, “Shen Tingyu, I’m two years older than you according to my ID card, so I should be called ‘older brother,’ right? Who should listen to whom?”

Shen Tingyu was very displeased that I used my age against him, and immediately gripped my waist and kissed me fiercely, nearly pressing me into the mattress.

I pleaded quietly for mercy, until Shen Tingyu covered my mouth, gritting his teeth, “Don’t shout; do you want Grandma to hear?”

I grabbed his hand, shaking my head gently.

“Keep rubbing,” I said, “just like you did earlier.”

Shen Tingyu helplessly hugged me tighter, his palm over my abdomen, circling softly. I gradually relaxed and felt comfortable, feeling sleepy, while Shen Tingyu quietly kissed my ear. I pretended not to notice.

Suddenly, a thunderclap crashed outside, slicing the world in half as it fell apart, destroying everything. I wasn’t afraid because at that moment I was in Shen Tingyu’s arms; if the apocalypse really came, I would probably be in the safest place.

Before sleeping, I said to him, “Thank you, Young Master.”