SBS chapter 53

That night, Ye Xi didn’t go back to the guest room—he stayed in Bai Yue’s room instead.

But Bai Yue only went in to shower, and when he came back out, he found Ye Xi already asleep, clutching his blanket.

Because he had just been crying, Ye Xi’s eyelids were still faintly red. His face was pale, the gray bathrobe draped loosely on his body, revealing his long, smooth legs.

Bai Yue sat by the bed and looked at him for a while.

He didn’t wake him, only leaned down to kiss his forehead gently.

The next day, when Ye Xi woke up, Bai Yue was already up.

He sat up slowly, looking around at the décor of the master bedroom. For a moment he didn’t react, staring blankly until the memories of last night came flooding back like a tide.

The bathroom, the cursed shower head, Bai Yue holding his hand…

And—the confession.

And—their entangled kisses.

Shit.

Ye Xi instantly sobered up, springing upright.

Only now did he realize he had slept in Bai Yue’s bed. He whipped up the blanket in a panic to check.

He couldn’t remember what happened at the very end last night—only that he had been sitting in Bai Yue’s lap, sleepily talking, while Bai Yue listened and kissed him softly. At some point, he had drifted off.

And now, though he’d spent the night in Bai Yue’s arms, as expected, his bathrobe was still perfectly on. Aside from being wrinkled, there was nothing wrong.

His body was perfectly fine, comfortable, with no discomfort at all.

Ye Xi went quiet for a few seconds, then silently lowered the blanket.

He didn’t know why, but for one fleeting second, he felt… disappointed.

He sat on the bed a few more minutes before finally dragging himself up to wash.

Bai Yue had thoughtfully prepared a whole new set of toiletries for him in the bathroom.

When Ye Xi finished washing his face and wiped off the water, he noticed in the mirror that his lips were swollen, with a small bite mark on his lower lip.

His cheeks heated instantly.

After washing up, he poked his head out nervously.

For some reason, even though he and Bai Yue had confessed to each other last night, and Bai Yue was now rightfully his boyfriend, Ye Xi felt even less at ease than before…

He wanted to see Bai Yue.

But he was also scared to see him.

Everything from yesterday had been too dreamlike. He was terrified that after waking up, he’d be told it had only been a dream.

That he had only been drunk—

and leaning on Bai Yue’s shoulder, weaving himself an illusion.

If that were true, Ye Xi thought grimly, he would break down.

He’d throw a tantrum, wreak havoc—maybe even pour hot water on Bai Yue’s poor cactus.

But before his imagination ran too far, as he was peeking into the kitchen, he heard footsteps behind him.

At the same time, Bai Yue’s voice sounded:

“What are you doing?”

Ye Xi jumped, startled. His body jolted, and when he tried to straighten up, his slippers slipped on the floor. He stumbled, about to fall—

Thankfully, a pair of hands steadied him.

Bai Yue pulled him upright, and they ended up standing face to face in the hallway.

Bai Yue was neat and well-dressed, looking like he could attend a party at any moment.

While Ye Xi, still lacking fresh clothes, wore only that wrinkled bathrobe.

Feeling awkward, he tried tugging it straight and muttered softly, “Good morning, Bai-ge.”

Bai Yue lowered his head to look at him, silent for a moment. His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied him up and down.

Ye Xi grew more uncomfortable under the gaze.

He touched his own face in confusion. “What’s wrong with me?”

“Nothing,” Bai Yue said softly, taking a step closer. His tall figure cast Ye Xi in shadow. “I just want to make sure—you do remember what happened last night, right?”

The one who had been drunk was him, not Ye Xi.

Ye Xi had no reason to deny it.

He froze for a few seconds before realizing what Bai Yue meant.

Staring blankly at him, Ye Xi’s face slowly flushed. He nodded quickly, like a pecking chick.

“Y-yes, I remember.”

Only after hearing this did Bai Yue’s expression ease.

He stepped closer, nearly pinning Ye Xi against the wall, completely trapping him between his body and the wall.

He lowered his head, so close their noses almost touched.

Ye Xi could barely breathe, pressed back against the wall, not daring to look him in the eyes.

On the very first morning of their relationship, facing his lover’s face drawing closer and closer—it was too much.

His heart wasn’t strong enough for this yet.

But worse was still to come.

Bai Yue whispered, “Since you remember… then can I kiss you now, boyfriend?”

Bang. Ye Xi felt his brain explode.

“I…”

He stammered, unable to speak. The faint citrus scent on Bai Yue’s body wrapped around him, dizzying.

At last, he could only nod—

using action as consent.

The next second, Bai Yue’s lips pressed against his.

In the morning sunlight, his brand-new boyfriend gave him a good-morning kiss.

…..

The kiss went on nearly ten minutes, until Ye Xi thought he’d suffocate, before Bai Yue finally let him go.

Reluctantly kissing the corner of his lips once more, Bai Yue said softly, “Let’s go have breakfast.”

Breakfast was yogurt bowls, toast, and fried eggs. Ye Xi had orange juice, while Bai Yue had an iced Americano.

As Ye Xi ate, his face kept feeling hot—but this time it wasn’t because he was shy, but because Bai Yue’s gaze was so persistent.

Bai Yue sat across from him, barely eating, just nibbling a little toast and egg before stopping. Then he simply drank his Americano, eyes fixed on Ye Xi.

His gaze wasn’t invasive—gentle, even—but it still made Ye Xi’s skin burn.

Ye Xi forked a blueberry into his mouth, confused, and glanced at Bai Yue.

Perhaps his look had been too obvious, because Bai Yue chuckled.

“I just think it’s incredible,” he said softly. “I had been thinking about what kind of ritual, what kind of vow I should prepare, to make you accept my confession.

But now… you’re already my boyfriend, sitting here eating breakfast with me.”

He smiled at Ye Xi. “It feels a little unreal.”

The net he had prepared was useless—his little canary had stumbled right into his arms on its own.

Ye Xi’s heart gave a pang of recognition, and he nodded along.

“Me too.”

Kissing early in the morning really was a test of willpower.

….

But soon, Ye Xi realized that what Bai Yue said was a lie.

Bai Yue was perfectly well adapted.

That afternoon, they didn’t go out. On the very first day of dating, Ye Xi was cautious and clueless about what to do.

He even wandered over to the black round table where he usually studied, impulsively wanting to pull out a test paper.

After all, every time he came here before, he had been doing homework.

Ye Xi thought regretfully, he had made a mistake—

he shouldn’t have only asked his “dating instructor” how to seduce someone.

He should have asked what to do after successfully seducing someone.

But Bai Yue had no such trouble at all.

That afternoon he received a video invitation, had a short thirty-minute meeting, and when he came out to find Ye Xi watching TV on the sofa, he very naturally scooped him into his arms.

Before Ye Xi could react, he was already sitting on Bai Yue’s lap.

Ye Xi was considered lean among boys, but not exactly fragile. Still, Bai Yue was tall and well-built, with broad shoulders and long legs. It was effortless for him to wrap Ye Xi in his embrace.

“What are you watching?”

Bai Yue asked casually, though it didn’t seem like he actually wanted an answer—

because he was busy kissing Ye Xi’s ear and the back of his neck.

On the nape of Ye Xi’s neck was a tiny red mole.

Bai Yue liked that spot very much, leaving his teeth marks there.

Ye Xi’s hands and feet went weak from the kisses, his mind a mess, unable to remember what he had been watching.

“I… don’t know…”

He answered dazedly, lifting his head to look at Bai Yue, almost biting his tongue.

“How inattentive of you.”

Bai Yue’s voice was low and hoarse.

But he had no right to say that—because he was undoing the top two buttons of Ye Xi’s shirt.

With just a light flick of his fingers, the buttons slipped open smoothly, revealing Ye Xi’s slender collarbones and pale chest.

Bai Yue lowered his head, kissing the small patch of skin between Ye Xi’s collarbones.

“Bai-ge…”

Ye Xi’s voice trembled. His fingers clutched the pillow beside him, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down.

“Hm?”

Bai Yue looked up at him, feigning confusion. “What is it?”

But as he spoke, the tip of his tongue brushed lightly across Ye Xi’s reddened lips.

It was maddeningly seductive.

Then, while gazing at him, Bai Yue caught Ye Xi’s hand and placed his fingers between his lips, giving them a gentle bite.

Boom—Ye Xi’s reason shattered into pieces.

He slackened his grip, his waist turning limp, his gaze fixed only on Bai Yue’s thin, red lips.

That afternoon, Ye Xi completely forgot what the TV had been playing.

Because Bai Yue had kissed almost every part of his body.

Like a large dog, constantly showering him with kisses and hugs, nuzzling his neck, holding him close, nibbling at his ears.

The two kissed on the sofa—and before long, they rolled off together onto the carpeted floor. Thankfully, Bai Yue’s hand cushioned him, so Ye Xi didn’t feel any pain.

But at this moment, he almost wished it hurt—

so he wouldn’t be so utterly lost in him.

He couldn’t tell who had started it.

Although Bai Yue had been teasing and igniting sparks on him, when he saw Ye Xi’s desperate expression, as if he wanted to burrow into the ground, he only chuckled softly and let him off.

But just when Ye Xi had finally managed to change the channel and started watching his melodramatic soap opera—before long, his attention slipped from the couple who had already broken up eighteen times, drifting instead to Bai Yue’s fingers, his Adam’s apple, his beautiful lips…

Damn.

He thought hazily: he liked Bai Yue far, far too much.

Before confessing, he could still force himself not to cross the line, even if his mind had already fantasized a thousand times.

But now, this person was right by his side.

And he belonged to him.

The restless thoughts in his heart could no longer be restrained…

In that instant, he understood why Bai Yue had kissed him nonstop earlier.

Because when you like someone—

you want to keep kissing them.

Keep drawing closer.

Keep sharing each other’s warmth.

And when he came back to his senses, he and Bai Yue were already rolling together.

Ye Xi dimly realized—this time, it seemed like he had been the one to initiate.

But none of that mattered.

They kissed under the starlight, Ye Xi hazily wrapping his arms around Bai Yue’s neck.

“Bai-ge, I like you so much.”

Amid the entangling of lips and tongues, Ye Xi muttered again.

Bai Yue froze for a moment.

Then he kissed the corner of Ye Xi’s eye, where a tear had unknowingly welled up—slightly bitter and sour.

“I know.”

“Because I feel the same.”