Chapter 34: Lovely Baby
The winter afternoon sun was warm and gentle, lazily streaming through the windows into the room.
Xie Yang basked in the comforting warmth, holding a tablet as he dozed off in the rocking chair.
He still felt the pleasant fatigue from earlier.
The humidifier gurgled softly, and the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire in the fireplace seemed like a lullaby.
On the tablet, the countdown to the next match opponent occasionally roused Xie Yang from his drowsiness. He struggled to open his eyes, buying a few heroes from the store to prepare for battle. Before the game could load the next opponent, he fell asleep again.
Game equipment and coins were scattered all over the chessboard.
When he fell into deep sleep, Xie Yang still thought, thankfully it was Qi Xu’s account, so he wouldn’t lose any points.
That was really fortunate.
After finishing up in the study, Qi Xu came out and saw this scene: his beloved lying deeply asleep on the rocking chair. The small tea stove next to him was still emitting heat, and the tablet in his hand paused at the game’s eighth place screen.
A sweet feeling filled Qi Xu’s heart.
Gently taking the tablet from Xie Yang’s hand and setting it aside, Qi Xu lifted him horizontally into his arms.
The sensation of being suspended woke Xie Yang from his dream. He blinked sleepily at Qi Xu, memories flooding back to the night before.
Subconsciously, he wrapped his arms around Qi Xu’s neck, burying his face in his chest, murmuring softly, “Don’t.”
Qi Xu halted in his steps, looking down at the person in his arms, his expression softening with tenderness.
He laid Xie Yang down on the bed and retrieved the ointment from the nearby drawer.
Xie Yang drifted off into a deep sleep as the cold ointment was applied to his thighs, causing a shiver to run through him. He let out a soft hum but showed no sign of waking up.
Qi Xu held his legs, his gaze slightly eager, his fingertips lightly touching his wound, his breath becoming irregular, the sound of swallowing saliva echoing distinctly in the quiet bedroom.
The cold touch made Xie Yang shiver. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the man holding him.
A faint blush spread across his cheeks, like ripe red persimmons, fragrant and soft.
Slowly, Qi Xu’s actions took on a different flavor.
Looking at the shy Xie Yang lying in his arms, Qi Xu couldn’t resist lowering his head to kiss his lips.
Thirty minutes later.
Qi Xu finally finished applying the ointment.
He tucked Xie Yang back into the blanket, lightly kissed his flushed cheek, then turned and headed to the bathroom.
Huddled under the covers, Xie Yang felt like he was emitting smoke.
There was still a lingering scent in the air, soon replaced by the fragrance of gardenias.
Listening to the splashing water in the bathroom, Xie Yang buried his face in the blanket.
This was too much.
They had agreed it was just for applying the ointment, but he ended up teasing him again.
…
New Year’s Day vacation passed quickly, and it took Xie Yang three full days to recover.
By the time he had rested well, the holiday was coming to an end.
Most of the marks on his body had faded, except for the prominent bite mark on his neck. Fortunately, it was winter, so he could cover his neck with a scarf when going out.
On the last day of the holiday, there were still many tourists on the streets.
Xie Yang held Qi Xu’s hand tightly, walking closely beside him.
Although unfamiliar places made him feel uneasy, he enjoyed the bustling streets, experiencing the lively atmosphere.
There were many vendors on the pedestrian street. Qi Xu stopped in front of a stall selling children’s bracelets and casually picked up a blue one, decisively scanning to pay.
Before Xie Yang could even react to why Qi Xu was interested in such a children’s bracelet, the blue bracelet was already on his wrist.
Qi Xu put the other end of the bracelet on his own wrist, raising an eyebrow and smiling, “Baby, now you don’t have to worry about getting lost.”
Xie Yang looked at the bracelet, blushing slightly, “This is something for kids.”
Qi Xu ruffled his hair and teased with a gentle smile, “Aren’t you that kid?”
Xie Yang was always stirred by just a few teasing words from him.
Seeing flowers being sold on the roadside, Xie Yang suddenly remembered the bouquet of roses he had given Qi Xu on Christmas, but he hadn’t seen it in the apartment.
Could it be that Qi Xu was so angry at that time that he threw it away?
Xie Yang tugged at Qi Xu’s sleeve nervously, looking up at him and asking, “The bouquet of roses I gave you before…”
Qi Xu: “I had someone take it back home for me instead of leaving it in the apartment, so you didn’t see it.”
Xie Yang looked up at him, his eyes bright like water, and he smiled brightly, “There’s still a little bit of yarn left from last time. How about I crochet a keychain for you?”
Qi Xu pinched his cheek, a smile spreading endlessly, “I’ll like whatever you give me.”
He liked Xie Yang. Anything related to Xie Yang, even if it was just something bought casually on the street, he would like it because it came from Xie Yang.
Finally, the date Xie Yang had originally planned was realized tonight.
They were like an ordinary young couple, playing crane machines together, going to the arcade to play video games, and taking cute couple photos.
Looking at the printed photo, Xie Yang felt somewhat moved.
When taking his high school graduation photo, he had once dreamed of taking a picture with Qi Xu, hoping to keep it as a memento.
Today, it seemed like all his dreams about Qi Xu had slowly come true.
Seeing him lost in thought while looking at the photo, Qi Xu draped his arm around his shoulder and asked gently, “What are you thinking about?”
Xie Yang glanced at him shyly, unable to hide his embarrassment, and confessed, “I want to carry it with me, but I don’t know where to put it.”
Qi Xu was momentarily surprised by his words, his love for Xie Yang surging wildly.
He pulled Xie Yang into his arms, holding his waist tightly, and looked down with a gentle smile, teasing, “Baby, did you forget we have our phones?”
Feeling awkward about his clumsiness, Xie Yang wondered how he could forget. He could take many pictures with Qi Xu, use them as wallpapers, chat backgrounds, WeChat avatars, business card backgrounds, and so on.
Qi Xu immediately took a picture of them together.
He leaned against Qi Xu’s chest, shyly looking at the camera.
While Qi Xu grinned widely and unabashedly.
Seeing Qi Xu logging into his WeChat account, changing the long-standing black and white photo to their joint photo, Xie Yang realized that Qi Xu had also changed the current WeChat account’s photo to another joint photo of them.
Then he noticed that Qi Xu’s phone lock screen had also changed to a new photo, not their joint photo, but a solo picture of him.
Xie Yang: “Can I see it?”
Qi Xu raised an eyebrow, “See what?”
Xie Yang: “…”
He just wanted to see if he drooled in his sleep, otherwise it would look so ugly.
Qi Xu held his phone high, and even if Xie Yang jumped, he couldn’t grab it. He deliberately teased Xie Yang, “You drooled a bit, but you’re still cute.”
Xie Yang anxiously grabbed his lapel, pleading, “Please delete it quickly.”
Qi Xu: “Why delete it? It’s so cute.”
Xie Yang looked at him with a grievance, “Please, I’m begging you.”
Qi Xu bent down, cupped Xie Yang’s face and kissed him lightly on the lips, then handed the phone back to him, coaxing, “I was joking. The drooling is fake, but the cuteness is real.”
Even drooling is cute when it’s Baby Xie.
Xie Yang accused him, “You’re bullying me again.”
Qi Xu, with a mischievous grin, replied, “How could I bear to?”