It wasn’t the peak holiday season, so there weren’t too many people hiking. At the foot of the mountain, there were plenty of vendors selling trekking poles. After snapping a few photos, Lu Ze asked Liang Xiao, “Should we buy one? We probably won’t need it at first—it feels a bit unnecessary.”
Liang Xiao replied, “We can skip it for now. There’ll definitely be more for sale halfway up. If we really can’t walk anymore, we can buy one then.”
Lu Ze turned around and took two pictures of him. “Do you think we’ll really get tired?”
Liang Xiao tilted his head back to look up at the mountain. Lu Ze quickly adjusted his angle and captured another shot.
Liang Xiao had already forgotten what he was about to say. Instead, he grabbed Lu Ze’s wrist and said, “Let’s go. Up the mountain.”
The mountain wasn’t particularly famous or steep, but the environment was beautiful. The stone steps leading up were neither too wide nor too narrow, flanked by dense forests on both sides. The moment they stepped onto the trail, a sense of tranquility enveloped them, calming their hearts.
Lu Ze fell behind after just a few steps. Liang Xiao turned back to look at him, and Lu Ze waved him off. “You go ahead. I’ll take a few pictures of your back.”
He wasn’t someone who used to care much about photography—his camera was just something he played around with casually. But now that his boyfriend was so photogenic, he couldn’t help but want to capture every moment they spent together.
Liang Xiao walked ahead slowly for a while before Lu Ze caught up from behind, flipping through the photos he’d just taken. He said, “Your legs take up the entire frame…”
Liang Xiao reached out to steady Lu Ze by his elbow. “Watch where you’re going.”
Lu Ze kept fiddling with his camera without looking up. “With you here, how could I possibly trip?”
Liang Xiao didn’t respond but glanced behind them to make sure no one was around.
He leaned in closer just as Lu Ze suddenly looked up. Liang Xiao froze mid-motion as Lu Ze stared at him for a few seconds before asking, “Were you just about to kiss me?”
Caught off guard, Liang Xiao looked at him in surprise. Lu Ze laughed, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then quickly planted a kiss on Liang Xiao’s cheek. “Let’s go.”
Liang Xiao grabbed his wrist and said firmly, “I wanted to kiss you.”
Lu Ze grinned and leaned in closer. “Go ahead then—kiss me.”
Even though they were out in public… Liang Xiao still kissed him.
Lu Ze couldn’t stop smiling afterward. Liang Xiao walked a few steps before reaching out to touch the corner of Lu Ze’s mouth. “What are you smiling about?”
Lu Ze couldn’t hold back anymore and leaned in close to whisper in his ear, “Do you know what I was thinking when I was looking at those photos just now?”
Liang Xiao paused for a moment before asking, “…What were you thinking?”
Clearing his throat and lowering his voice even further, Lu Ze said mischievously, “Your butt looks so perky—I want to take a bite.”
Liang Xiao froze on the spot, staring at Lu Ze in disbelief. Realizing how outrageous his comment sounded, Lu Ze bolted up the steps three at a time.
Instinctively, Liang Xiao glanced at Lu Ze’s retreating figure—and yes, it was quite perky.
He chased after him. “Lu Ze!”
“Yes?” Lu Ze called back but quickened his pace.
Laughing as he ran after him, Liang Xiao warned, “If you keep running, I’m going to shout it out loud!”
Lu Ze turned back with wide eyes. “Shout what?!”
Liang Xiao took out his phone and sent Lu Ze a message: [Your butt is pretty perky too.]
Two seconds later, Lu Ze abruptly stopped in his tracks, exclaiming repeatedly, “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…”
He turned around and ran back. “I was wrong, I was wrong! Don’t say it out loud!”
Liang Xiao tilted his head back and smiled at him—a smug, raised-eyebrow kind of smile. The sunlight filtered through the branches above, casting dappled shadows on his face. He looked so handsome that Lu Ze couldn’t help but stare, completely forgetting to watch his step and missing one of the stairs.
“Damn…” Lu Ze stumbled and lunged toward Liang Xiao. Startled, Liang Xiao quickly reached out to catch him. Afraid he might knock Liang Xiao down the steps, Lu Ze leaned back as much as he could. The two of them swayed back and forth for a moment before finally steadying themselves.
“Damn, that scared me…” Lu Ze laughed. “If we both tumbled down, we’d probably make the news.”
“And you’re still laughing,” Liang Xiao said with a frown, clearly shaken. “Stop running and watch where you’re going.”
Lu Ze sighed. “I wasn’t running just now—I was looking at you.”
Suddenly, Liang Xiao took off his backpack and pulled out a black face mask from a small zippered pocket.
Lu Ze froze. “What the…? You even have a mask? Your bag really is like a treasure chest.”
Liang Xiao put on the mask, covering most of his face and leaving only his eyes visible. He said in a muffled voice, “Now you don’t need to look anymore.”
“You look even cooler now,” Lu Ze said with a snap of his fingers. “Super stylish!”
Liang Xiao had always known he was good-looking but had never paid much attention to it. No one had ever complimented him on it as often as Lu Ze did.
“Are you sure your filter isn’t too thick?” Liang Xiao asked skeptically.
“Do you even look in the mirror?” Lu Ze replied confidently.
He opened the camera app on his phone, switched to the front-facing camera, wrapped an arm around Liang Xiao’s shoulder, and leaned in close so their heads touched. He snapped a selfie.
“Look at that—so cool.”
“Send it to me,” Liang Xiao said.
Lu Ze sent him the photo immediately. Liang Xiao saved it right away and set it as his phone’s wallpaper. Lu Ze’s smile in the picture was stunning.
“Cool, right?” Lu Ze asked.
“Yeah,” Liang Xiao replied casually. “It looks good.”
Clearly, he wasn’t even looking at himself in the photo.
Lu Ze chuckled and also set it as his wallpaper—his third change in two days because every picture of his boyfriend was just too handsome.
—
After climbing about a third of the way up, they stopped at a clearing to rest. Lu Ze sat on a bench while Liang Xiao placed his backpack beside him. Taking off his mask, Liang Xiao pulled out a bottle of water and was about to open it when Lu Ze suddenly shouted, “Wait!”
The young couple sitting nearby jumped in surprise and looked over at them.
Liang Xiao turned to him. “What’s wrong?”
Lu Ze beckoned him with a finger. “Don’t move—give me the water.”
Liang Xiao handed it over without question.
Lu Ze twisted open the bottle cap but didn’t drink. Instead, he handed the water back to Liang Xiao.
Liang Xiao looked down at the water in his hand and smiled, “What’s this about?”
“I opened it for you,” Lu Ze said. “Take it. Or do you want me to feed you? Not that I can’t…”
As Lu Ze started to get up, Liang Xiao quickly pressed his shoulder down and took the water, while Lu Ze watched him with a playful smile.
The nearby couple stared at them in shock. The girl glanced at her own bottle of water and asked, “Who opened this?”
The boy hesitated guiltily, “You… yourself…”
“Ugh,” the girl tossed the bottle at him. “I’m not drinking it anymore. I’m going to the bathroom.”
“Wait, I’ll go too…”
After they left, Lu Ze couldn’t hold back his laughter. Liang Xiao handed him the water and asked, “Aren’t you drinking? It’s pretty sweet.”
Lu Ze took two sips and frowned slightly. “Sweet?”
“Yeah,” Liang Xiao said confidently. “Your boyfriend opened it for you.”
Raising an eyebrow, Lu Ze teased, “Xiao’er, I’ve realized you can be quite flirty sometimes.”
“Not too bad,” Liang Xiao replied with a chuckle.
Clicking his tongue, Lu Ze stood up and gave Liang Xiao a light smack on the butt. “I’m going to the bathroom. Watch our stuff.”
Less than a minute later, Liang Xiao received a message: [Feels amazing.]
Liang Xiao: [Baby.]
Lu Ze: [Yes? I’m here.]
Liang Xiao: [Pee properly.]
Lu Ze: [Damn.]
Lu Ze: [I’m laughing like an idiot in the bathroom!!!]
Lu Ze: [How do you know I’m not here to poop?]
Liang Xiao: [You didn’t bring any tissue, baby. Want me to bring some for you?]
Lu Ze: […]
Lu Ze: [No need. I’m not pooping.]
Liang Xiao: [Then pee properly. Be good.]
Lu Ze didn’t reply. Liang Xiao figured he was probably laughing so hard in there that it’d take him at least five minutes to come out.
