After climbing the mountain all day, both of them were utterly exhausted. Liang Xiao suggested giving Lu Ze a full-body massage to help him relax.
At first, his touch was gentle, afraid of causing Lu Ze any pain.
“Hiss…” Lu Ze bit his lip.
Liang Xiao paused, his expression serious as if solving a difficult problem. “I’ll be gentler.”
Lu Ze chuckled, lying face down on the bed with his face buried in the pillow. He mumbled, “It’s fine. I’ll get used to it.”
Massages often start out painful but become more enjoyable as they go on. Soon, Lu Ze let out a satisfied groan, “Ah…”
Liang Xiao hesitated for a moment before applying more pressure. He kissed Lu Ze’s beautifully defined back. Turning his head slightly, Lu Ze’s reddened eyes met Liang Xiao’s. “Xiao-ge… kiss me, on the lips.”
Liang Xiao obeyed, sealing Lu Ze’s lips with his own.
“Baby.”
“…Hmm?” Lu Ze responded with a soft hum.
Liang Xiao caressed his face. “Good boy.”
After a while, they switched roles, and Lu Ze began massaging Liang Xiao. With Liang Xiao’s demonstration as a guide, Lu Ze had gained some experience but couldn’t avoid the initial discomfort of the massage.
Liang Xiao gripped the bedsheet tightly before gradually relaxing his hands.
“Is it okay?” Lu Ze asked softly.
Liang Xiao let out a restrained “Mm,” prompting Lu Ze to ease up further.
When he reached Liang Xiao’s thighs, Lu Ze couldn’t resist and playfully bit him on the butt.
It took Liang Xiao a few seconds to realize what had happened. Shocked and embarrassed, he turned around to see Lu Ze smirking mischievously.
“Damn…” Liang Xiao cursed under his breath and turned his face away, his ears turning bright red as his muscles tensed up.
Leaning down to kiss Liang Xiao’s ear, Lu Ze laughed and whispered, “Xiao-xiao, big baby, gege, I’m sorry. Relax, okay?”
—
The next day, they slept until noon. The hotel’s heavy curtains kept the room dark as if it were still nighttime. When Liang Xiao woke up, he lay there for a while before reaching for his phone with difficulty to check the time—just past twelve.
In his sleep, Lu Ze furrowed his brows and grabbed Liang Xiao’s arm, pulling it into his embrace. He mumbled drowsily, “Don’t move…”
Liang Xiao’s heart softened. He stayed still, deciding to let Lu Ze wake up naturally. However, not long after, Lu Ze suddenly opened his eyes.
They stared at each other for a moment before Liang Xiao blinked and asked softly, “What’s wrong, baby?”
“What time is it?” Lu Ze asked.
“A little past twelve,” Liang Xiao replied.
Lu Ze chuckled. “No wonder I’m so hungry.”
He wrapped an arm around Liang Xiao and leaned in for a kiss on his lips.
Liang Xiao gently stroked Lu Ze’s back and returned the kiss once it ended. Their kisses were light and tender but carried an intimacy and closeness that felt deeper and more lingering than ever before.
Liang Xiao gently rubbed his nose against Lu Ze’s, his tone incredibly tender. “What do you want to eat? I’ll order takeout, and after eating, we can rest a bit more.”
Lu Ze kissed the tip of his nose softly, his voice equally gentle. “Anything’s fine.”
The two of them exchanged silly smiles for a while. Lu Ze touched Liang Xiao’s face and said, “Xiao-xiao.”
“Baby,” Liang Xiao mimicked him.
Lu Ze laughed out loud and pinched his face. “Nothing, just wanted to say it.”
They got out of bed to freshen up. As Lu Ze brushed his teeth, Liang Xiao leaned against the doorframe, reading out various takeout options. When Liang Xiao looked up, he noticed Lu Ze wasn’t listening at all but was watching him through the mirror.
Putting down his phone, Liang Xiao hugged Lu Ze from behind and nuzzled his chin against Lu Ze’s shoulder.
Lu Ze pointed to his neck. “Look at your handiwork.”
Liang Xiao kissed the red mark on his neck. “I have plenty of marks on me too.”
Whatever thought crossed Lu Ze’s mind made him burst into laughter. He spat out the toothpaste and bent over to rinse his mouth, still laughing even after finishing.
Liang Xiao blocked his way. “What are you laughing about now?”
Lu Ze hugged him and playfully nudged him toward the door. “There’s probably a bite mark from me on your butt.”
He even rubbed Liang Xiao’s backside as he said it.
Liang Xiao tightened his grip around Lu Ze’s waist and refused to let go. “Baby, shouldn’t I bite you back?”
Lu Ze pretended to struggle lightly. “My butt doesn’t taste good.”
“You won’t know until you try.”
The two of them tumbled onto the bed with Liang Xiao pinning Lu Ze down and attempting to pull off his pants. Lu Ze dramatically exclaimed, “Ah! I didn’t eat enough last night—I’m starving!”
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Liang Xiao stopped what he was doing. “Let’s eat first.”
After lunch, they returned to bed with no intention of going out again.
Lu Ze chatted with Sun Zhuoyu in their group chat for a while. “Are we going out today?”
Liang Xiao was also replying to messages. “You decide; I’m fine with anything.”
Leaning his head against Liang Xiao’s shoulder, Lu Ze said, “Let’s not go out. Staying like this feels nice.”
Breathing in the fresh scent of Lu Ze’s hair, Liang Xiao seemed addicted as he leaned closer. “Okay.”
Lu Ze then began selecting photos and editing videos while Liang Xiao finished replying to messages and set his phone aside to quietly hold him.
“How about these photos for my social media?” Lu Ze asked.
“Good,” Liang Xiao replied.
“Tsk, that’s so half-hearted! At least look at them before answering,” Lu Ze complained.
Liang Xiao chuckled softly. “I already looked while you were picking them—they’re all great.”
“Alright then.”
Lu Ze selected nine photos, placing a picture of him and Liang Xiao at the summit in the center, with the others being scenery or backlit shots.
“It’s posted,” Lu Ze said. “Why does it feel so obvious?”
“Hmm?” Liang Xiao responded softly, sounding adorably confused.
Lu Ze turned his head to look at him with a smile. “These photos practically scream ‘This is my boyfriend.’”
“Then don’t post it,” Liang Xiao suggested. “Or maybe split them into groups…”
Before he could finish, Lu Ze had already hit the send button and feigned innocence. “Oops, slipped.”
Liang Xiao sighed with a helpless smile.
Unexpectedly, Lu Jinglang was the first to like the post and even commented: [Great photos, but no more next time.]
“Damn…” Lu Ze laughed. “I guess it really is obvious.”
Xu Jingjing quickly liked it too and replied to Lu Jinglang: [Baby took amazing photos! Stop being annoying.]
It seemed she hadn’t caught on.
Lu Ze felt both relieved and a little disappointed. He’d never hidden his relationships from Xu Jingjing before, but now, with someone he liked so much, she still didn’t know.
Other comments followed:
– Mao Xin: [You could totally switch careers to photography, Ze-ge.]
– Sun Zhuoyu: [Wow, you two are so romantic. I need to take Qianqian to see the sunset too!]
– Meng Qian (replying to Sun Zhuoyu): [I’m jealous! Hurry up, Sun Zhuoyu!]
– Lü Xuan: [Tsk tsk tsk, having a photographer boyfriend really is different.]
One of their close high school classmates asked: [I’ve been meaning to ask… is this your boyfriend?]
Lu Ze replied: [Yes.]
What followed was a string of identical reactions from his classmates: [Damn.]
Lu Ze chuckled and changed one of the sunset photos to his social media background. He also updated his profile picture to a backlit photo of himself taken by Liang Xiao. Satisfied, he admired his profile for a while.
“You should change your profile picture too—something matching,” Lu Ze suggested.
Before he even finished speaking, Liang Xiao had already held up his phone to show him. The background was the same as Lu Ze’s, and the profile picture was a backlit shot of Liang Xiao taken by Lu Ze.
Lu Ze admired it again for a moment before sighing, “What a perfect match.”
Liang Xiao kissed him gently and said, “We are.”
