slight NSFW warning
This was the first time that he saw Wen Qingying’s body so clearly. Although hugging was more intimate, it was obviously more impactful to see him this way.
Wen Qingying probably loved to exercise in the past, and now that he runs a flower shop and works every day, the contours of his muscles haven’t faded at all. His figure was slim and well-proportioned, and with such pale and flawless skin, Tao Ling once again thought of a metaphor from before.
This person had to have been carved from marble by the world’s greatest artist.
At such a thought, the heat in Tao Ling’s heart was suppressed a little.
But when he wiped down the front of Wen Qingying’s body, he couldn’t control his emotions no matter how he thought of him as a work of art.
Tao Ling was afraid of having a nosebleed[mfn]like that anime trope where the characters get a nosebleed when they think/see something perverted[/mfn], so he wiped faster with more strength. When the towel moved across Wen Qingying’s chest, the skin turned from white to red in an instant.
Clearly noticing this change, Tao Ling pretended to see nothing and coughed lightly. He wanted to wipe one more time before stopping, but his fingers inadvertently grazed across Wen Qingying’s chest.
It wasn’t like he hadn’t touched him before, but this time was too sudden. The moment their skin made contact, it felt like his body was struck by electricity.
He wanted to stop, but Wen Qingying raised his arm and grabbed his fingers.
The towel fell and hit the bowl of hot water with a splash, splattering water over them.
Wen Qingying applied more and more force, and Tao Ling looked up in a panic and met his eyes. His gaze wasn’t as gentle as usual, revealing a touch of his darker desires, making Tao Ling feel like he was slowly being trapped.
He was wrapped in his gaze like a cocoon waiting for metamorphosis.
His hand was pulled and placed on Wen Qingying’s heart. Tao Ling felt dizzy. He didn’t know if it was an illusion or an accident, but he could almost feel Wen Qingying’s wild heartbeat.
After a while, he suddenly realized that his fingers were connected to his own heart, so those beats might also belong to him.
This feeling was too wonderful. It was as if the heartbeats of the two of them were merged into one, and the medium was Tao Ling’s hand.
Tao Ling was only wearing a sweater. He didn’t know when the sweater was taken off, nor when he approached Wen Qingying. When he came to his senses, he was already enveloped in Wen Qingying’s arms, his mouth was occupied by Wen Qingying’s breath, and his palm had the temperature of Wen Qingying’s back.
Why did Wen Qingying have to hurt his hand? Tao Ling suddenly felt wronged. All he knew was that his back felt a little too empty, a little too unsecure, and a little too far from Wen Qingying.
As he thought that, his body suddenly welcomed an extremely unfamiliar touch.
He froze, stopped kissing, and opened his eyes involuntarily.
Noticing his state, Wen Qingying’s touch suddenly stagnated, as if he were suddenly awakened. A hint of regret appeared in his eyes.
In his mind, a group of fireworks exploded. Tao Ling noticed that Wen Qingying was about to move away, and reflexively held onto his wrist.
Wen Qingying was stunned, and then when he saw the haze in his eyes, he kissed his nose again.
“Wen Qingying,” Tao Ling hoarsely called his name.
Then he lowered his head and buried his face in the crook of Wen Qingying’s neck, almost like he was trying to escape.
He closed his eyes, and the sensations of his body were infinitely magnified. After a moment, his hand stretched below Wen Qingying’s waist and reached towards Wen Qingying, returning his happiness with the same action.
Even though they agreed on not showering, this development steered them away from that agreement.
It was late at night. Wen Qingying lay on his side, looking at the person next to him in the dark.
There was a little distance between the beds. It wasn’t far, but it wasn’t as close as when they slept together before. Tao Ling had his back to him, and his thumb was unconsciously placed in his mouth as he chewed on his nails.
After a long time, Tao Ling suddenly put down his hand, turned over, moved closer, and stuffed himself in Wen Qingying’s arms. He hugged his neck and whispered, “If you place your hand on my back, then you can avoid hurting the wound.”
Wen Qingying also scooted forward, then hugged the person in front of him with one hand and gently placed the bandaged hand on his back.
It was like Tao Ling used his body to support him.
“Wen Qingying,” Tao Ling said to himself, with his eyes wide open in the dark. “I really like you. Even more than I previously thought. Can you imagine that? I’m almost thirty, but I never thought I would come to like anyone else.”
As he spoke, his breath hit Wen Qingying’s neck, soft and mesmerizing.
“Even my body is so excited because of you,” Tao Ling said slowly. “Sometimes, I used to wonder if there was something wrong with me.”
“Now that I think about it, maybe it’s life arranging everyone’s desires at different stages.”
He paused for a while and spoke more softly and slowly. “You just startled me earlier. It was the first time I touched your body, I mean… “
“Hah, my brain is burned out.” He said, and after he finished speaking, he hugged his legs unconsciously and found that Wen Qingying’s state wasn’t quite right either. Listening to him breathe slower than before, he said with a smile, “You’re burned out too.”
Wen Qingying seemed to be answering him. The chin that rested on top of Tao Ling’s head used a little force and pushed him a little.
His voice had almost disappeared and finally turned into a dreamlike whisper. “Good night, Wen Qingying. I love you… Even though saying it out loud is useless and it can’t relieve my symptoms at all, but I love you.”
Wen Qingying took his hand and retracted it again.
After a long while, he voicelessly said something, pressed his lips on Tao Ling’s forehead, and closed his eyes.
The next morning, they got up early, and neither of them dared to look directly into each other’s eyes. They got in the car without much communication.
Wen Qingying couldn’t drive, and Tao Ling was afraid of driving fatigue. They stopped at a rest stop on the road and were silent for a few seconds before getting out of the car. They looked at each other, finally smiled, and the atmosphere returned to normal.
It was already noon when they arrived at Huai City. They followed the address given by Jue Xia and found that it was located in the old town. Tao Ling felt uneasy before he even reached the town entrance. When they got there, he saw that it was indeed the place where Tao Jun had brought him to that year.
Seeing that his expression wasn’t right, Wen Qingying questioningly shook his hand. Tao Ling’s face turned pale, and he shook his head. He grabbed Wen Qinying’s hand and didn’t let go.
They found the location on the address, but he didn’t see any jewelry stores. He asked several people downstairs, and they all said they didn’t know. Later, he asked a shop selling traditional musical instruments. The owner pointed in a direction and told him to go up the stairs.
They thanked him and followed his directions. Who knew that the upstairs was full of shops with inconspicuous signs. He asked several store owners and finally saw a shop at a corner.
The shop was deserted, with only a square counter and a man in his thirties sitting inside.
The single glass door was small and old. Tao Ling received encouragement from Wen Qingying and knocked on the door. The boss looked up and saw him in surprise, blurting out, “Mr. Tao?”
TL: I hope that didn’t read too awkwardly… I did my best with the wording and the flow but I haven’t uh written something like that before. If it wasn’t clear though, they “helped” each other out, so they didn’t cross *that* line yet.
Omg they’re both shy🤭