By the time they reached halfway up the mountain, both of them were a bit tired. They found a spot to sit and eat lunch. While biting into his bread, Lu Ze said, “The grilled sausages smell amazing…”
Liang Xiao turned to look and saw a small cart selling sausages with a sign that read: **10 yuan for one, 15 yuan for two.**
“Should we get two?” Liang Xiao asked.
Lu Ze sighed. “Normally, when they’re just 2 yuan each, I don’t even crave them.”
Liang Xiao chuckled and ruffled Lu Ze’s hair. “Wait here, I’ll go buy them.”
“Tsk, maybe forget it—it’s such a rip-off,” Lu Ze muttered.
Liang Xiao glanced back at him. “Are you sure you don’t want any?”
Lu Ze stayed silent, unable to resist the enticing aroma.
Smiling, Liang Xiao went to buy them and soon returned with two large sausages whose skins had burst open from the heat.
“So big?” Lu Ze exclaimed in surprise. “Alright, that’s not too bad—doesn’t feel like such a rip-off now.”
Liang Xiao handed him one. “Eat slowly—it’s hot.”
Lu Ze cautiously took a bite but quickly pulled back. “Hiss… it *is* really hot…”
Liang Xiao sighed. “You know what I’ve realized…”
“That I’m a foodie?” Lu Ze finished for him.
Liang Xiao nodded.
Lu Ze laughed. “I won’t deny it—I really do love eating.”
While Liang Xiao patiently let his sausage cool, Lu Ze kept trying to take bites despite getting burned several times. Finally, he managed to eat it and mumbled through a full mouth, “Oh my god… it’s so good… You should eat yours while it’s hot—it won’t taste as good when it cools down.”
Liang Xiao took a bite but had to shift it around in his mouth because it was too hot. Seeing this, Lu Ze burst out laughing. “Is it burning your teeth?”
Even then, Liang Xiao found the energy to scold him: “No laughing while eating.”
After finishing lunch, they sat together looking at photos for a while before continuing their hike. This time, each of them carried a trekking pole.
Lu Ze looked up at the trail ahead. “Do you think we’ll make it to the summit in time for the sunset?”
“We should,” Liang Xiao replied, his slightly breathless voice sounding particularly alluring. It made Lu Ze feel like his mind was entirely in the gutter.
“Do you think we’ll still have energy for anything else tonight?” Lu Ze teased.
Liang Xiao clicked his tongue. “Probably.”
“What do you mean ‘probably’?”
“I will,” Liang Xiao said confidently.
“Tsk, me too,” Lu Ze replied.
This time, they didn’t stop frequently to take photos and climbed straight to the summit in one go. When they reached the top, the view opened up dramatically—the clouds above seemed so close that they could almost touch them with an outstretched hand.
Lu Ze leaned on his trekking pole, admiring the view in front of him. “It’s so beautiful.”
Liang Xiao turned to look at him. Lu Ze met his gaze. “Hmm?”
“Let’s take a picture together,” Liang Xiao suggested.
They first took a few selfies with their heads leaning together, then asked someone to take two full-body photos for them.
Looking at the photos, Lu Ze laughed immediately. “Why do we look so stiff?”
Liang Xiao glanced over and chuckled too. “A little silly.”
“But still handsome,” Lu Ze said.
Most of the people at the summit were couples or families, and there were almost no pairs like them—two guys waiting for the sunset together.
Lu Ze raised his camera to record a panoramic shot. “Here we are, waiting for the sunset. Xiao-ge, do you have anything you’d like to say?”
Liang Xiao thought for a moment and answered seriously, “This is my first time watching a sunset.”
Lu Ze turned to him. “It’s not my first time, but it’s my first time watching a sunset with someone I like.”
Liang Xiao stared at Lu Ze’s bright, sparkling eyes, which were filled with affection for him. His heart stirred. “In the future… let’s watch the second, third, and many more sunsets together.”
Lu Ze smiled at him, turning the camera toward them. “Alright, let’s watch one every year from now on.”
Liang Xiao gazed at him tenderly. “Okay.”
The sun set quickly. Lu Ze held his camera steady, capturing the changing colors of the sky—blue and white, golden yellow, orange, fiery red, soft pink, and purple.
As the sun was about to disappear completely, Lu Ze turned around so they both faced the camera with their backs to the breathtaking sunset.
“Xiao-xiao, your turn,” Lu Ze said softly.
Liang Xiao smiled, wrapped an arm around Lu Ze’s shoulders, and leaned his head close. “This is the first sunset I’ve watched with my baby.”
Lu Ze felt as if the sun had set directly into his heart.
—
Taking the cable car down from the summit, both of them were eager to return. Although they hadn’t eaten much at lunch, they surprisingly skipped having a big dinner and opted for a quick meal of homestyle dishes before heading back to their hotel.
As soon as they entered the room, Lu Ze started taking off his clothes. “Let’s shower together.”
“Okay.”
Neither of them debated who should go first. Liang Xiao insisted Lu Ze go first; Lu Ze refused and insisted Liang Xiao go instead. Eventually, both ended up damp and tangled on the bed, kissing and caressing each other—though nothing went further than that.
Lu Ze pinned Liang Xiao beneath him, one hand propped above Liang Xiao’s head while the other stroked his neck. His voice was slightly hoarse as he said, “Xiao-ge, listen to me—I don’t have experience. You go first; I know you won’t make me uncomfortable.”
Desire was evident in Liang Xiao’s eyes, but he held back stubbornly and replied firmly: “You go first.”
“Damn,” Lu Ze chuckled, “are we seriously going to be the first gay couple who can’t do it because of an argument over who goes first?”
Liang Xiao pressed the back of Lu Ze’s neck, pulling him down slightly, and kissed the corner of his mouth in an attempt to persuade him. “Baby, my sweet baby, can you go first? Please?”
If they kept holding back, neither of them would be able to endure it much longer. Lu Ze gritted his teeth as a bead of sweat slid down his forehead and landed on Liang Xiao’s nose.
He said, “Rock-paper-scissors. Whoever wins gets their way.”
Liang Xiao immediately thought back to the night they returned from the amusement park—he had barely won against Lu Ze then.
“No…”
“No objections,” Lu Ze interrupted. “Let’s go.”
“Best of three—”
“One round only!”
Lu Ze threw scissors; Liang Xiao threw paper. The result was clear.
In a hoarse voice, Liang Xiao said, “Baby, you’re cheating. You know I can’t win against you.”
Lu Ze laughed softly and leaned down to lightly bite Liang Xiao’s lips. “Gege, I won. No backing out now.”
So who actually topped first lol, Lu Ze won, but he wanted Liang Xiao to do it first, so… 😂