Chen Zhou’s gaze was far too earnest, making Xu Nian want to laugh, yet he feared making him angry.
So he deliberately teased, “Try what?”
Chen Zhou leaned in close to his ear and whispered something softly.
Xu Nian’s gaze darkened as he scooped him up in his arms, carrying him toward the bed while showering him with kisses.
Completely breathless from the onslaught, Chen Zhou gasped, “Ge… is this really okay?”
Xu Nian kissed him fiercely without offering an answer. “Be a good boy, let Ge kiss you first. We’ll talk once Ge has had enough.”
Chen Zhou never got the chance to speak again as his breath was entirely stolen. Clinging to Xu Nian’s neck, he responded with greedy, desperate eagerness.
Xu Nian was acting entirely out of character, barely able to suppress his surging impulses. Opening his eyes, he caught sight of the young man’s gently fluttering eyelashes and pristine face resting in his arms.
“Ge…” Sensing the shift in Xu Nian, Chen Zhou reached out to touch him. “Ge… let’s try it.”
“No.” Xu Nian pinned his restless hand down and murmured against his ear, “It will hurt a lot…”
Chen Zhou didn’t care. “It doesn’t matter.”
Yet Xu Nian remained stubbornly unwilling, finally settling for pulling Chen Zhou tightly into his embrace as they lay down together on the bed.
Drenched in sweat despite having done nothing strenuous, Chen Zhou felt a strange fatigue settling over him as he traced Xu Nian’s fingers. “Why won’t you do it, Ge?”
Remaining silent, Xu Nian pressed a kiss to Chen Zhou’s forehead before speaking after a long pause, “I can’t bear to hurt you yet.”
Pausing for a second, Chen Zhou looked up at him. “Ge, you’re too good.”
He always considered things from Chen Zhou’s perspective in ways Chen Zhou never expected, possessing a tenderness that went beyond mere attentiveness.
Xu Nian chuckled softly. “You’re the best one here.”
Good enough that I can’t bear to let you feel even a shred of pain.
Not feeling sleepy just yet, Chen Zhou stayed tucked in Xu Nian’s arms, chatting idly about random topics until a memory of Cao Ying’s conversation with Xu Nian crossed his mind.
“Ge.”
“Hmm?”
“What did you say to Brother Cao?”
Xu Nian suddenly leaned over and nibbled playfully on Chen Zhou’s cheek. “Why ask so many questions?”
Pulling back slightly, Chen Zhou chuckled inwardly. “Ge, are you jealous?”
Letting out a huff, Xu Nian stubbornly denied it. “I am not. What’s there to be jealous of? Is there anything that could possibly make me jealous?”
Suppressing a laugh that threatened to burst out, Chen Zhou shook with silent amusement beneath the covers.
Noticing he was laughing, Xu Nian feigned annoyance by reaching out to tickle him while carefully shielding him from bumping against anything.
“No laughing.”
Unintimidated, Chen Zhou kept giggling softly before reaching up to pinch Xu Nian’s cheek. “Ge, you’re so cute like this.”
Xu Nian’s mischievous hands froze instantly, and he fell into a sullen silence, leading Chen Zhou to suspect he was feeling shy.
Snuggling deeper into his embrace just like every other night they had shared before, Chen Zhou spoke his innermost thoughts in a soft murmur right as drowsiness crept in. “Ge, I’ll only ever like you.”
The hand Xu Nian kept outside the blanket tightened into a fist, gripping the fabric hard.
Half-asleep and half-awake, Chen Zhou continued rambling, “If… if there’s a next life, I’ll still like you.”
“Will you like me back, okay?”
Awake in the dark, Xu Nian listened to the heavy pounding of his own heart echoing inside his chest.
Finally, feeling the breathing of the person in his arms turn steady and deep, he knew the youth had fallen asleep.
Pulling him tighter against his chest in the dark, Xu Nian whispered his response, “Okay.”
Sleeping soundly through the night without a single dream, Chen Zhou woke up the next morning and instinctively reached out to his side, only to find it empty.
Vanish went any lingering sleepiness as he sat up, rubbing his eyes to find that Xu Nian had already departed, presumably slipping out through the window.
A hollow, lonely feeling settled in his chest. Sitting in a daze for a moment, he finally dragged himself out of bed at a sluggish pace.
With deep autumn fully setting in, gusts of wind swept past, causing a few exhausted leaves to break free from the branches and spiral down to land right beside Xu Nian’s feet.
“Did you hear a word of what I just said?” Wang Yulin stood beside her son with a furrowed brow. “You might not care about doing this, but what about Xiao Jia?”
“How can he accept being with another man for the rest of his life?”
“His parents only have him as an only son, do you think they’ll ever agree?”
Those words struck straight at Xu Nian’s deepest pain point, churning his stomach and making it impossible for him to stay silent any longer.
“Mom. But I’m serious about this,” Xu Nian repeated stubbornly. “He’s serious too.”
Wang Yulin let out a bitter, mocking laugh. “Even if he is now, what about later?”
“Xiao Jia is still so young. Once he gets to see more people and experience a bigger world, can you guarantee he’ll keep his heart set on you forever?”
Just as Xu Nian opened his mouth to argue, Wang Yulin cut him off with a wave of her hand. “Enough, say no more. Go pick up Li Xin this afternoon and show her around the village.”
A headache throbbing behind his temples, Xu Nian protested, “Mom, I’m only responsible for picking her up, I’m telling you right now—”
Walking away without a backward glance, Wang Yulin left Xu Nian standing by himself, his headache growing only worse.
After lighting a cigarette and wandering about aimlessly, Xu Nian’s feet naturally carried him back toward the vicinity of Chen Zhou’s house.
Chen Zhou had spent the entire morning herding pigs and was thoroughly drenched in sweat by noon.
Stopping by the edge of the small river, he splashed cool water onto his face, finally feeling somewhat refreshed.
“Washing with cold water, aren’t you afraid of getting sick?”
A voice chimed in out of nowhere, startling Chen Zhou. Whipping his head around, he spotted Xu Nian standing behind him with a watchful gaze.
A wave of delight washed over Chen Zhou. “Ge!”
“Hmm.”
Standing knee-deep in the shallow river, Chen Zhou felt the cool, soothing current wash over his calves.
“Ge, why did you leave so early this morning?” Remembering the incident, Chen Zhou pouted in mild grievance. “I thought something happened to you.”
Reaching out his hand, Chen Zhou gestured for Xu Nian to pull him up. “Ge, give me a hand.”
Xu Nian reached down, but before he could exert any force, Chen Zhou gave a playful tug that dragged him right into the water.
Water flew everywhere, soaking the cuffs of Xu Nian’s pants.
Between washing his face earlier and the splashes just now, Chen Zhou’s top and hair were already damp, leaving his thin garments clinging closely to his skin and outlining his frame beneath.
Gazing at him, Xu Nian watched as the youth beamed brightly, wet strands of hair plastered against his cheeks, making him look exceptionally docile and obedient.
Pinching his cheek in fond exasperation, Xu Nian murmured, “You think pranking me is fun?”
Splashing around in the water, Chen Zhou grinned. “Yeah. Does Ge not like it?”
Naturally incapable of saying he didn’t like it, Xu Nian joined in on the childish antics.
Playing around inevitably led to other kinds of physical closeness, making them completely forget their original purpose.
Stopping himself just in time, Xu Nian pressed a thumb against Chen Zhou’s reddened lips and spoke in a negotiating tone, “Ge has to go pick someone up this afternoon.”
“Do you want to come along with Ge?”
Staring blankly at Xu Nian for a moment without fully grasping what he meant, Chen Zhou eventually agreed with an indifferent shrug.
Yet by the afternoon, the moment he laid eyes upon the person they were picking up, a subtle sense of wrongness prickled at his heart.
The person Xu Nian was meeting was named Li Xin, a remarkably pretty young woman who had reportedly moved away from the village after her family struck it rich, only returning after studying abroad.
Meeting her in person made everything instantly clear to Chen Zhou.
Presumably, after learning about their affair, Aunt Wang had tried setting her son up with someone else, forcing Xu Nian to meet her.
Yet true to Xu Nian’s character, he would never spill those raw truths, nor would he wish to deceive Chen Zhou, which was precisely why he had brought Chen Zhou along instead.
Piecing it all together left Chen Zhou feeling somewhat sore inside, torn between sympathy for Xu Nian being caught in the middle and frustration at his own helplessness.
There was simply nothing he could do.
“She’s just someone from the old village days, we’ll treat her like a friend and show her around for a bit,” Xu Nian explained on the way, and Chen Zhou readily agreed.
Li Xin turned out to be a lively, bubbly girl the moment they met—pretty, radiant, and full of energy.
Framed by shallow dimples at the corners of her mouth and slightly permed, wavy hair, her eyes practically crinkled shut into crescents whenever she smiled.
“Old Xu!” The moment she stepped out of the vehicle, she rushed over to latch onto Xu Nian in greeting.
“Oh, who’s this little cutie?” Turning around to spot Chen Zhou, her eyes lit up with curiosity.
“I’m Li Jia.”
Faced with someone so cheerful, it was impossible for Chen Zhou to put on a sour expression.
After a brief pause, Li Xin gasped dramatically, “Li Jia! You’ve changed so much! You used to just be a little tail following everyone around!”
Smiling sheepishly, Chen Zhou let her chatter on.
Reaching out to pinch Chen Zhou’s cheek, Li Xin exclaimed, “So cute!”
Just then, Xu Nian strode over and casually swatted her hand away. “Stop pawing at him.”
“Tch.”
At noon, the three of them sat down for a meal at a small restaurant. Xu Nian busied himself picking out food for Chen Zhou, entirely forgetting Li Xin’s existence until she raised a noisy protest, prompting him to order a few extra dishes.
Watching the scene unfold from the side with quiet amusement, Chen Zhou slowly ate his noodles.
“Hey, Xiao Jia.” Li Xin leaned in close with a conspiratorial grin. “Do you have a partner yet?”
Choking slightly on his food, Chen Zhou gave an honest reply at last. “Yes.”
“Ah, how nice,” Li Xin sighed wistfully. “This wooden block Xu Nian has zero romance in him. Aside from you—I’ve never seen him pay this much attention to anyone else.”
Feeling a mild pang of guilt, Chen Zhou sped up his eating pace.
Chatterbox that she was, Li Xin kept running her mouth. “Actually, I used to have a huge crush on Xu Nian when we were kids, so when Aunt Wang specifically asked him to pick me up this time, I was actually pretty excited.”
“Turns out he’s changed a lot, he’s seriously not fun anymore,” Li Xin pouted. “I was pretty surprised when Aunt Wang contacted me out of nowhere.”
Muttering complaints to herself without knowing why things turned out this way, Li Xin kept talking.
Swallowing a mouthful of noodles silently, Chen Zhou thought to himself, I know why. Yet he kept his mouth shut.
“Still, even though Xu Nian is a bit antisocial and his temper has gotten worse, he’s a good guy at heart,” Li Xin concluded.
I obviously know, he’s my man, Chen Zhou mentally supplied the response with natural ease.
Unfortunately, reality meant he could only quietly keep eating his noodles, which somehow tasted increasingly sour despite the decent flavor.
After the meal, Xu Nian half-heartedly dragged them around for a brief stroll before it was time for Li Xin to depart.
“Alright, I have to head out. My dad is waiting for me.”
Nodding in an obvious display of relief, Xu Nian offered a perfunctory send-off. “Watch your step on the way.”
Taking a genuine liking to the friendly girl, Chen Zhou waved goodbye and told her they should meet again next time.
Beaming happily, Li Xin rushed forward to hug Chen Zhou and finally let go only after Xu Nian urged her along with visible impatience.
As Xu Nian and Chen Zhou turned to leave, Li Xin lingered by the roadside waiting for her transport, casting a casual glance back that captured a scene leaving her utterly stunned.
Not far away, Xu Nian and Chen Zhou had locked their fingers together. Though Chen Zhou initially tried to pull away, Xu Nian forcefully shoved his fingers between Chen Zhou’s, interlocking them inextricably.
Standing close enough to see everything with crystal clarity, Li Xin forgot to breathe for a second.
The sudden realization clicked into place, explaining every single oddity she had noticed earlier. Xu Nian’s attitude carried every hallmark of someone deeply in love—attentive, meticulous, and entirely preferential.
Bringing Chen Zhou along hadn’t been about showing off a friend.
It was his way of declaring ownership.
Not announcing “he is mine.”
Instead, it was a declaration that read, “I belong to him.”
And nothing in this world would ever change that.