The Flower Of The High Mountain Is Pregnant With The Son Of The Sand Sculpture Ceo Chapter 36
byChapter 36 Two Wet Patches
Lu Shangyan already knew what he was trying to do. He bent down, dodging the arm, his face full of confusion: “What technique?”
Pei Yumin gestured toward the two small beds with his eyes, his tone suggestive: “You know, *that* technique.”
Lu Shangyan was already squatting down, rummaging through his suitcase for his clothes. He hadn’t clearly heard what Pei Yumin said, but judging by his expression when he stood up, he knew it was definitely nothing good. Fearing the words would “defile” his ears, he didn’t even bother asking and went straight to the bathroom.
Before entering, he instructed Pei Yumin: “You tidy up first. Don’t fall asleep, we still need to eat later.”
Don’t let him sleep, and make him eat.
Eat… eating in bed…
Pei Yumin’s eyes instantly lit up terrifyingly. Now, he had zero sleepiness!
He quickly tidied up his belongings. The two places they might use later—the desk and the nightstand—were cleaned spotlessly. He even wiped them several times with disinfectant wipes.
Seeing that Lu Shangyan hadn’t come out yet, he couldn’t resist peeking at the box containing the condoms. He looked closely and realized that none of them were his size.
This was a problem…
Just as he was wondering whether he should go out and buy some, Lu Shangyan emerged, wiping his dripping hair. He was enveloped in steam, and because he had been soaked in hot water, the exposed skin on his body was flushed pink, and his face was red.
But after scanning the room, his eyes sharpened: “Where are the things? Were they all put away?”
Pei Yumin leaned in, seeking praise: “Didn’t you tell me to tidy up? I was afraid we might accidentally break something later and ruin our good mood.”
Lu Shangyan thought about it; that was true.
If they broke something in the hotel, the compensation would surely be significant.
But he just didn’t understand why Pei Yumin always had to lean on him when saying this, and why his eyes were so lewd, making Lu Shangyan want to hit him.
Lu Shangyan tried his best to move away, but Pei Yumin kept sticking to him, prompting an impatient “Tsk” from Lu Shangyan.
Seeing that Pei Yumin still didn’t back off, Lu Shangyan scanned him up and down and said coldly, “If you’re itchy, go take a shower. Don’t rub against me here.”
“Alright, alright!” Pei Yumin shook his shoulders, like those overly dramatic, spoiled princesses on TV: “I’m itchy from the inside out right now. Wait for me, I’ll be back soon.”
He said he’d be back soon, but he washed himself thoroughly from head to toe.
After all, he was still worried about the lack of suitable protection. If he didn’t have time to go out and buy some later, he couldn’t use it. And if he didn’t wear one, wouldn’t he need to be extra clean?
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. The more he washed, the more passionate he felt, almost scrubbing the skin off his lower back.
He had initially put on a bathrobe, thinking he needed a good, atmospheric start, but then he took it off. He grabbed the towel Lu Shangyan had just used and wrapped it around his lower body.
The towel wasn’t large; covering the front meant neglecting the back. It barely wrapped around his waist. He braced himself and walked to the bathroom door, slowly opened it, leaned against the doorframe, bent his elbow to prop up his head, and struck a particularly seductive pose—one he believed perfectly showcased masculine charm.
“Ahem!”
He squinted, deliberately trying to catch Lu Shangyan’s attention.
Lu Shangyan was folding clothes. When he turned around and saw Pei Yumin like this, he felt like he’d been struck by lightning, his eyeballs stinging.
That small towel served its maximum purpose, preventing Lu Shangyan from seeing “little Pei Yumin” at first glance, but…!
The hotel room was small, and the bathroom space was minimized. Not only was there no wet-dry separation, but the mirror was directly opposite the bathroom door.
Normally, one might not see anything, but given Pei Yumin’s height, the mirror was perfectly positioned to reflect his uncovered backside!
Lu Shangyan couldn’t catch his breath, but seeing Pei Yumin’s smug expression, completely unaware of any impropriety, he couldn’t bring himself to criticize.
He just tried hard to shift his gaze away from the full, rounded cheeks, forcing a mechanical laugh of praise: “Your butt is quite perky, ha, ha, ha.”
After saying it, he genuinely couldn’t help but lower his head and laugh, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
It was only then that Pei Yumin realized something was wrong.
Lu Shangyan’s reaction was completely different from what he had imagined! Shouldn’t he be shy and blushing?!
Feeling uncomfortable from being laughed at, he finally turned his head to look.
Whoa! It nearly made him faint!
He quickly grabbed the towel and ran back inside, obediently changing into the bathrobe.
His carefully planned seduction attempt had turned into a joke. Only his thick skin gave him the courage to step out of the bathroom again.
When he came out, Lu Shangyan’s expression had calmed down: “Change your clothes. Let’s go see if there’s anything to eat nearby.”
Pei Yumin blinked: “We’re going out to eat?”
Lu Shangyan nodded: “Otherwise? Do you want to order takeout? The ventilation here isn’t great; eating in the room will leave a smell.”
Pei Yumin couldn’t tell if he was happy or unhappy. He always felt that his and Lu Shangyan’s thought processes were on completely different wavelengths.
But when he followed Lu Shangyan out of the hotel, turned right, and walked down the street, he instantly perked up.
Because he walked less than a hundred meters and found three 24-hour adult stores!
He had noticed in the hotel that they were missing things—no lubricant, and the protection wasn’t the right size. Lu Shangyan must have noticed too, especially since Lu Shangyan, who had helped create a baby with him, surely knew his size!
He straightened his back, no longer dragging his feet, his legs lifting high.
Lu Shangyan was afraid passersby would think he was out with a lunatic, so he quickly reminded him to be careful.
Pei Yumin was unconcerned: “Don’t worry, my body is fine. This little bit of exercise won’t drain much of my energy.”
The implication was: I can satisfy you no matter how long you want to go later.
The more he thought about it, the happier he felt. How could someone as wonderful as Lu Shangyan be willing to be with him? Ultimately, he concluded: “I think my fate is too good.”
Everything had gone smoothly for him since childhood. Just when he thought his secret first love would never be with him, the very next day he was assigned to Z City. Not long after, that first love unexpectedly spent a night of passion with him, and even got pregnant!
Now they were together naturally, and his wife was so proactive. He felt jealous of himself just thinking about it!
How could there be someone as lucky as Pei Yumin in the world?
If there was, it was the child in Lu Shangyan’s belly.
When he snapped back to reality, Lu Shangyan was already three or four meters ahead of him. He quickly chased after him: “Why are you walking so fast? Are you shy?”
“Let’s eat noodles!” Lu Shangyan was truly afraid of him. He felt that if he had to go back to the hospital for a check-up this time, he absolutely had to make Pei Yumin get his head examined, and maybe see a psychiatrist too.
He didn’t bother looking further. He darted into a noodle shop and ordered two bowls of beef noodles.
Fortunately, Pei Yumin didn’t act crazy while eating, so it didn’t affect his appetite.
After eating, he noticed his belly seemed a little bigger. He started planning that when they went to his aunt’s house this time, he absolutely couldn’t get into a physical conflict.
But given the character of those aunts, he felt it was risky. He needed to think carefully about what to do.
Just as he was thinking, Pei Yumin spoke up next to his ear: “You treated me to the hotel and dinner, so let me pay for the protection?”
Lu Shangyan was confused: “What protection?”
“Condoms!” Pei Yumin leaned in, practically biting his ear: “Don’t you want to make love with me?”
Lu Shangyan panicked, quickly turning his head to look around. He didn’t know how Pei Yumin could say such things on the street without batting an eye!
“Keep your voice down! What if someone hears you?”
Seeing his reaction, Pei Yumin thought Lu Shangyan was just pretending not to understand out of shyness. So, he didn’t say anything more and walked straight toward the adult store, where blue-purple light shone through the door.
Pei Yumin sighed internally: My children, I apologize. Daddy can’t let you get close to Mommy today. The trash can is your final destination, but Daddy will always remember this glorious day. You sacrificed yourselves so that my relationship with your mother could advance!
His face was filled with sorrow. As he crossed the road, infinitely close to the illuminated door, Lu Shangyan grabbed his clothes: “What are you imagining now?!”
“It’s fine, I understand everything.” Pei Yumin looked understanding: “You’ve been so proactive, it wouldn’t be manly if I didn’t do something.”
Lu Shangyan looked even more confused: “Proactive about what?!”
Pei Yumin listed everything: “Two beds—one for us to mess around on, one for cuddling while sleeping. You told me to tidy up as soon as we got in—I didn’t realize you were so bold, wanting to do it on the desk! Then you brought me to eat near the adult stores, surely because you saw there was no lubricant and the protection wasn’t suitable…!”
Lu Shangyan was stunned: “I did all of that?”
Pei Yumin nodded firmly. Lu Shangyan shook his head: “No, no, no. You imagined all of that. When I said ‘use,’ I meant you’ll be sleeping on it later. That’s the usage.”
“Also, we’re staying for three days, so of course we need to tidy up. As for these stores, places near hotels naturally have these kinds of shops!”
After speaking, he covered half his face with his hand and fled as if escaping. Pei Yumin was still unconvinced and chased after him, asking, “You really didn’t mean that?”
Lu Shangyan was practically grinding his teeth: “No!”
Pei Yumin looked at him again: “Is it because you’re pregnant and worried it’s inconvenient? I remember the doctor said it’s okay, as long as we’re gentle. I’ll call him right now and ask.”
Lu Shangyan snatched his phone, standing bolt upright, his head almost touching Pei Yumin’s forehead: “No! Don’t ask! You just misunderstood. I don’t want to do anything right now!”
Pei Yumin precisely caught the key phrase: “You don’t want to *now*, so you’ll want to in a few days? Then I should still go back and buy a few boxes, just in case we need them later and it’s too late to buy.”
Lu Shangyan glared at him. He couldn’t explain himself, so he forcefully dragged him back to the hotel.
Watching Pei Yumin, he felt inexplicably worried, a suffocating feeling stuck in his chest: “You’ve changed. You’ve changed so quickly.”
The polite and reserved Pei Yumin of the past was gone.
Pei Yumin, however, said: “I haven’t changed. I’ve been consistent—I’ve always liked you and never changed my mind.”
Lu Shangyan was still embarrassed about being peeped at by an old man cycling past them on the street and didn’t hear him. He continued speaking to himself: “You’ve changed. I don’t even recognize you anymore.”
After that, he went to the bathroom with a long face to wash up, then pretended not to notice Pei Yumin’s presence, lying sideways on the bed with his back to Pei Yumin and closing his eyes.
For a moment, Pei Yumin genuinely worried that he had been too aggressive today and scared him off.
It wasn’t until Lu Shangyan covered his mouth, but still couldn’t suppress a short, muffled laugh, that Pei Yumin realized Lu Shangyan had been deliberately acting: “You’re laughing at me, aren’t you? Aren’t you?”
Seeing that he couldn’t hide it, Lu Shangyan turned around: “This is the first time I’ve realized your thought process is so bizarre.”
He was all smiles, looking at Pei Yumin: “How can you make so many associations? It’s so strange.”
Lu Shangyan suddenly thought of something: “Does this mean that you’ve been imagining a lot of random stuff when I wasn’t around?”
Pei Yumin admitted it quite frankly: “I like you, so of course I can’t help but let my mind wander.”
The smile on Lu Shangyan’s face froze. He didn’t dare continue the topic and immediately closed his eyes: “I’m tired. I’m going to sleep now. We have to wake up at seven tomorrow, so you should sleep early too.”
Fortunately, Pei Yumin didn’t bother him further. He took a black bag out of his suitcase and went to the bathroom.
He didn’t come out for over an hour. Lu Shangyan strained his ears but heard no movement, only a faint light coming from inside and the occasional sound of paper rustling.
Lu Shangyan listened for a while, almost falling asleep.
When Pei Yumin finally emerged, he tossed the item onto his bed, threw a damp towel on top of it, and then shuffled in his slippers to Lu Shangyan’s bedside. He asked in a very quiet voice: “My bed is covered in stuff and it’s wet. Cleaning it up now will definitely disturb you. How about we squeeze onto one bed tonight?”
His voice was so low, as if afraid Lu Shangyan would hear him. He thought Lu Shangyan was asleep because he wasn’t moving. He slowly sat on the edge of the bed, planning to sneak in… but when he turned his head, he saw Lu Shangyan had noticed and was staring straight at him.
Pei Yumin’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly jumped off the bed, lifted his own blanket, and dove inside.
He lay there for a long time, his heart still pounding.
–
When the alarm clock rang, Lu Shangyan felt sore all over. He lay there in a daze for a while longer, then decided to wake Pei Yumin. When he turned his head, he saw Pei Yumin staring at him, hugging a pillow, with two large dark circles under his eyes. At his feet was a copy of “Pregnancy Encyclopedia,” several centimeters thick.
Meeting Lu Shangyan’s gaze, he silently stuffed the book back into the black bag: “You’re awake? I’ll go wash up first. You rest a little longer.”
He sounded like a robot, completely lacking yesterday’s cheerfulness.
As soon as Lu Shangyan heard the sound of water running, he pulled out his phone and quickly sent a message:
[We stayed in the same room yesterday, and nothing happened.]
He didn’t mention Pei Yumin’s insistence on buying protection.
The reply came quickly: [+30 points!]
The water stopped. Lu Shangyan immediately hid his phone and started looking for clothes to wear today.
Since he was going back to clean, he put on a gray tracksuit—a T-shirt and shorts—which looked loose on him.
Lu Shangyan didn’t care, but during breakfast, Pei Yumin peeled the tea egg from his plate and gave it to him: “You need to eat for two now.”
Afraid Lu Shangyan wouldn’t eat it, he added deliberately: “If I replenish my energy, I really won’t be able to use it all up.”
A tingling sensation ran up Lu Shangyan’s tailbone. He shivered and didn’t say another word.
After breakfast, Lu Shangyan bought a lot of cleaning tools from a nearby small store, then took a taxi back to his old home.
The main gate was dark red and quite old, covered in rust. He dug out a key from under a brick next to the long-dead flower on the left side of the entrance. He wasn’t sure if the rusty key could still open the gate.
He hoped it would, otherwise, he’d have to climb over the wall, which would be troublesome.
Fortunately, though the unlocking process was difficult, he finally managed to push the door open. A gust of earthy air rushed out, making Lu Shangyan turn away and cough several times.
This courtyard had been renovated when his parents first married. At the time, they couldn’t afford concrete, so it was paved with interlocking bricks. At the back was a pomegranate tree, and on the left was a grape trellis. The wood had long rotted and collapsed. The courtyard was full of weeds and smelled of decay.
Further inside, to the west were a kitchen and a utility room. To the north were two bedrooms, sandwiching what could barely be called a living room.
Lu Shangyan retrieved the key hanging behind the door from the crack—it was tied with a string, making it easy to find.
After opening the door, the inside was relatively clean, though something black scurried past. He guessed it was a mouse.
He had kept up with the utilities, so the house had electricity, but the light bulbs were dim. He had forgotten to buy new ones today, but it was fine; he had plenty of time to slowly clean up his home.
He placed the tools on the floor and turned to see Pei Yumin still wandering around the courtyard, stepping on weeds, his face full of curiosity.
It looked like he wasn’t there to clean, but to play some kind of wilderness survival adventure game.
Suddenly, a shovel and a pair of gloves were thrust into his hands: “We’ll clear the weeds this morning.”
The courtyard wasn’t huge, but the collapsed grape trellis would require a lot of physical effort and time: “Should we hire some cleaners?”
Lu Shangyan shook his head: “No. Renovating the house will cost a lot. We should save money where we can.”
Pei Yumin saw Lu Shangyan squat down to pull weeds, so he copied him. It was similar to when he used to help his mother clear weeds in the backyard, except the wild grass here was harder to pull out.
“Didn’t you have a house in the small county town? Why don’t we clean that one first? It should be easier to clean, and then we wouldn’t have to stay in a hotel. Wouldn’t that save more money?”
Lu Shangyan glanced at him: “How do you know about the house?”
Pei Yumin thought this was a secret Lu Shangyan didn’t want outsiders to know, and felt a little guilty: “The property deed copy was in your backpack. I saw it accidentally.”
Lu Shangyan continued clearing the weeds, but now he looked more like he was venting: “The house has been sold. It’s not mine anymore, no need to clean it.”
“Sold?” Pei Yumin frowned: “Was it because of your parents’ incident?”
Lu Shangyan nodded first, then shook his head: “It was sold not long after they died.”
He paused, then couldn’t help but speak: “I was too young then, and my parents’ house couldn’t be transferred to me. I don’t know what method my eldest aunt used, but the house went to her. She thought the house was unlucky because my parents died shortly after buying it, so she sold it immediately.”
“But later, she didn’t want to raise me alone, and my third aunt was causing trouble at home. They reached an agreement to split the money and raise me together. My second aunt wasn’t home at the time, so she didn’t get a share. She made a fuss for several days after she returned.” He looked up at the dilapidated house: “In the end, this old house was given to her.”
His eyes were bright, but this time, it was because of tears.
After speaking, he tried to pretend to be relaxed and continued cleaning, but as soon as he grabbed the root of a weed, he couldn’t help but turn his head away. When he looked up again, there were two wet patches on the cuff of his gray shirt.
He took a deep breath and said, “This old house is different from the one in the county. I never lived there, but this is where my parents gave birth to me and raised me.”
“When my child is born in the future, he needs a stable home. No matter what this home is like, at least he won’t be chased around with me.”
“I can’t afford to buy a house right now. Although I can afford to rent, it’s just not the same. Can you understand?”
Pei Yumin felt a pang in his heart. He sat down next to Lu Shangyan and looked up at the sky, but finally couldn’t resist burying his face in Lu Shangyan’s other sleeve, leaving two wet patches there as well.
“Whatever you want to do, I’ll be with you.”
Lu Shangyan said: “I’m not sure if my second aunt is willing to give the house back to me, but I want to try. At least I’m grown up now. This house has been abandoned, and she won’t come back to live here. If I live here, she can’t exactly kick me out.”
Pei Yumin added: “We can’t let them off so easily. You’ve given them enough money over the years. I’ll help you get it back! And that house your parents owned before, I’ll get that back too.”
Lu Shangyan leaned against him, feeling a little better: “Someone moved into that house the year after it was sold. We can’t get it back. Besides, I really don’t want that house.”
Pei Yumin asked him: “You don’t actually believe their nonsense about it being unlucky, do you? That was originally yours, and it should belong to you! It’s sold, fine, but the money should at least go to you! They were supposed to raise you, but they didn’t spend a penny on you and kept asking you for money!”
“It’s not because of bad luck. I don’t believe in that, and I would never think that place was unlucky.” Lu Shangyan paused, then added: “However, my parents’ death was indeed related to that house. They were on their way to that house when they were hit by a drunk man on a motorcycle. They crashed through the roadside railing and fell into the river.
“Normally, it might have been okay, but it had been raining for half a month, and the water level was high. After they fell in, the drunk driver passed out on the roadside. When he woke up, he was at the police station. My parents were dead, but they said they still had breath when they were pulled out. They died shortly after being taken to the hospital.”
Pei Yumin frowned: “Just drowning? If they still had breath, how couldn’t they be saved?” But then he thought, this was a backward small city; perhaps the medical conditions weren’t that…
He paused, still unable to convince himself: “But if they were still breathing when rescued, even ordinary people performing CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation would have a high chance of saving them, right? Even if the doctors weren’t professional, they were still doctors. How could they die?”
“That’s what my aunts said. I was too young then, and no one would listen to me.” Lu Shangyan sighed heavily: “I couldn’t figure out what happened, I just knew I didn’t have a mom and dad anymore.”
He had thought about some things, but after so many years, he didn’t know what he could still do.
With tear streaks on his face, he looked at Pei Yumin and said word by word: “And, I was one of the culprits in what happened back then. A large part of their death was because of me.”