(7 Fresh Coins) Chapter 5 (Part 1) You Who I Once Thought I Couldn't See Through

In the struggle, the wooden figurine that had been forgotten to the side was swept to Si Qiang's side. He glanced at it, picked it up casually, and waved it in front of the man.

Xu Qi, who could no longer afford to close his eyes and escape reality, naturally noticed what was in his hand. His heart sank, and he immediately struggled to half-raise his upper body to snatch it: "Give it to me!"

Seeing his reaction, Si Qiang immediately raised an eyebrow, leaned over, pressed him down with one hand, and held his wrists above his head with the other, then carefully examined the object in her hand. Upon closer inspection, she finally noticed the problem.

The outline he had painstakingly carved, embodying all his passion, seemed to have become smoother. Most importantly, there were several fine carvings on the right chest of the little figure. Upon closer inspection, they were clearly a Chinese character – “蔷” (qiang).

Looking into the man's incredulous eyes, Xu Qi was utterly desperate. His shoulders slumped, and he turned his face away, refusing to look at the other man again. Everything was out in the open. Who could he blame? Only himself for being so stupid. When he had just separated from Si Qiang, he had tossed and turned almost every night, holding that wooden carving, torturing himself over and over again. He wondered what kind of expression the man had, what kind of feelings he had when he made it—just thinking about it made his heart clench so tightly he felt like he was suffocating.

He recalled how Si Qiang's gaze always seemed to burn with a warm, subtle flame. And yet, he had done those things, said those hurtful things, to such a lovely man—he regretted it deeply, but it was too late. He couldn't forgive himself for torturing himself day and night, until he became mentally unstable. So unstable that… he even went so far as to carve something sentimental just because of some "memoryful sight"! Even worse, after yet another sleepless night, he went and had that tattoo installed on his inner thigh! While doing these things, he was so immersed in the pain of longing and love that he didn't realize anything was wrong.

When he came to his senses and realized what effeminate things he had done, he desperately wanted to go back in time and strangle that effeminate version of himself. But the marks on the wood carving and on his own body could not be easily erased. They were proof of his infatuation with a man. However, whatever the mark, it all stemmed from the mark in his heart—Si Qiang, this man, had been unknowingly etched into his heart when he was still "Rose," and could never be erased.

"You..." Si Qiang suddenly sighed softly, reached out and gently turned his face, then lowered her head and kissed his lips.

This time, it was a tender, lingering, and careful kiss. In truth, they had never been so affectionate before. Xu Qi was quickly captivated by the man's unprecedentedly gentle kiss, and dazedly tilted her head back to respond.

As Si Qiang kissed him, she reached down to his lower body, gently pulled down his underwear, and grasped his erect penis, giving it a tender caress.

"Mmm... Ah ha... Mmm ah ah ah!" His excited genitals finally received the most direct comfort. The man's slender, white fingers, with their distinct knuckles, seemed to have eyes, hitting his fatal weakness every time. He soon couldn't help but let out ambiguous and erotic moans and gasps. Finally, after a tense moment, he suddenly ejaculated in the man's hand.

Si Qiang raised her wet hand and waved it at Xu Qi as if to show off: "You shot so much and so thick, it's been a long time since you last ejaculated."

Xu Qi glared at him, panting, but didn't bother arguing. The other man was right; he really had been lonely for a long time. For a man in his prime, going a year without sex was almost unimaginable. It wasn't that he hadn't tried; but the moment he got into bed and saw the other person's face, he would immediately think of Si Qiang's beautiful and alluring face, and all interest would vanish instantly. To be reduced to this state because of a man who had left him—he had truly fallen from grace.

Thinking about this, he suddenly realized a problem: how did Si Qiang usually deal with his desires? After all, he was only in his early twenties and a man with a very strong sex drive. Could it be that he had never been with anyone else? Thinking this, he secretly mocked himself. What right did he have to make demands of her? After hurting her so much, did he expect her to remain faithful? Perhaps in the past year, Si Qiang had simply put him, this ungrateful man, out of her mind.