Chapter 52: Blazing Sun and Wild Grass,

The early summer wind, carrying the parched scent of grass and earth, swept across the vast grasslands outside Beijing. The sky was high and the clouds were light, the sun was blazing, and in the distance, the green mountains were as dark as ink.

A jet-black, majestic horse, adorned with an elegant saddle, leisurely nibbled on green grass. Not far away, amidst the knee-deep, dense grass, a secret and intense struggle unfolded, in stark contrast to the vibrant scenery.

Li Lianhua, wearing a thin, moon-white silk shirt with a cloud pattern, lay face-up on the soft, slightly prickly grass. His long, silvery hair spread out like flowing moonlight, stained with grass and dirt. His eyes were misty, with a childlike bewilderment.

Di Feisheng's dark riding gear accentuated his tall, sharp figure, and now he looked like a beast locked on its prey. He placed one hand behind Li Lianhua's head, shielding her from the roughness of the grass.

He had taken him out for a walk today because he'd been so well-behaved recently and wanted him to see the wider world. But when he saw Li Lianhua's trusting, dependent expression on the horse, letting him hold her in his arms, saw the sunlight illuminating his pale skin until it was almost transparent, and smelled the light, unique medicinal fragrance in his hair...

"Don't you like playing games?" Spots of sunlight filtered through the gaps between the blades of grass, dancing on his tense back muscles. "The games here... are more exciting..."

After a long moment, Di Feisheng chuckled softly and embraced her contentedly. The sunlight filtered through the grass, casting flickering shadows in his deep eyes, revealing the turbulent undercurrent that had just subsided.

This body, this soul, this priceless treasure that was lost and then found again... no matter how many times, it seemed that it could not fill the huge black hole of longing in his heart that was torn apart by the near loss.

He picked up the person in his arms and walked towards the clear stream not far away. His eyes swept over the lazy and blurry profile of the person in his arms and the mottled marks on his neck, and his Adam's apple rolled unconsciously.

It seems that I need to come to this suburb more often in the future.

The sun was setting in the west, casting a shimmering light on a clear lake in the valley. The sound of gurgling water brought a hint of coolness.

Di Feisheng carried Li Lianhua into the shallows. The cool water covered her calves, slightly dispelling the heat that had risen from the scorching sun and weeds. Li Lianhua leaned obediently in his arms, her silver hair dripping wet against her cheeks and neck. Tears still hung on her eyelashes, her eyes dazed and exhausted.

His eyes fell on Li Lianhua's slightly swollen lips, which were shining with water, and an even more despicable and crazy thought wrapped around his heart like a poisonous ivy.

He held Li Lianhua's lower back, half hugging and half pressing her onto a large rock at the edge of the pond that had been smoothed by the current, while he himself stood in the water at just the right height.

Li Lianhua blinked in confusion, seemingly unable to understand this strange request. He looked at Di Feisheng and then at the rippling water, but he had a deep-rooted obedience and dependence on Di Feisheng, despite his confusion.

His Adam's apple rolled violently, his breathing suddenly became heavy, and he held the back of Li Lianhua's neck with an almost ferocious urgency.

A clear, cold thought came to mind: When Li Lianhua regained consciousness and recalled all this... with his proud and mysophobic nature, would he be so angry that he would never want to see me again? Would he be so angry that he wouldn't want to speak to me for a month... no, a year?

The thought brought a sharp pain, but strangely ignited a deeper, almost self-destructive desire.

Precisely because we know that we may lose, and because we foresee the overwhelming anger and alienation in the future, this ignorant, complete surrender and obedience at this moment seems so precious, so... addictive.

He stared at every subtle expression of Li Lianhua almost greedily, and imprinted this perhaps fleeting "goodness" deeply in the depths of his soul.

"From now on... I'm afraid I'll never see you like this again..." He whispered hoarsely in his heart, as if drinking poison to quench his thirst. He knew it was poison, but he was willing to drink it.

The water ripples, reflecting the swaying shadows of the trees.

Li Lianhua buried her face in his wet clothes, sobbing softly, but still did not push him away, but just grasped the corner of his clothes dependently.

Li Lianhua burrowed into his embrace, coughing softly. Her eyes were crimson, tears still stained, her lips swollen, and her damp silver hair plastered to her cheeks, making her look even more vulnerable and pitiful. He instinctively clutched Di Feisheng's collar, seeking the familiar shelter, unaware that this gesture of dependence only aroused a deeper, almost destructive possessive desire in the other person.

"Ahem...A Fei..." His voice was very hoarse, with a tone of aggrieved crying, and he looked confused and at a loss.

The setting sun sank completely into the mountains, the last trace of its warm light vanishing, and the valley was shrouded in a hazy twilight. The water in the pond turned icy cold, and the occasional birds flying overhead on their way home uttered a few cries, making the movement in the pond seem like a secret and unbridled carnival.

The water in the pond gradually returned to calm, leaving only the two people's breathing echoing in the twilight.

Di Feisheng still held the limp person in his arms tightly, and the crazy animality in his heart gradually subsided, replaced by a huge emptiness after a full meal and a deeper pity.

He lowered his head, kissed the cold top of Li Lianhua's head, picked her up and carried her sideways, walking towards the shore step by step.

As night fell and the stars began to appear, the valley returned to silence, except for the ripples in the blue lake that still rippled.