Chapter 59

I can't stand it.

He refuses to swear, is shy, can't stand being teased, and when he curses, he only calls the handsome guy "pervert"...that's really amazing.

I don't know if Pei Huai is too embarrassed to do it, or if he can't bring himself to say it. If he gets mad, he'll either ignore you or walk away. So far, the harshest word he's ever used is "pervert." It just makes people want to bully him.

Xiang Mingqi felt like his mouth was watering.

But he still tried his best to control himself, pursed his lips and smiled: "Then it's a deal and you can't regret it, Brother Pei Huai?" After making a "yeah" gesture, he saw the other party nodded and reached out to hang up the phone. His face changed drastically, but it was too late, "Ah wait, brother——"

busy tone.

Pei Huai stared at the screen that went from bright to dark for a while, then put it back in his pocket.

He hadn't imagined his relationship with Xiang Mingqi would reach this point. A working relationship was his ideal distance. It was Xiang Mingqi's inherently impure intentions that forced them down a different path. He could blame the brothers for Yu Mingrui's death, but it wasn't Xiang Mingqi's fault.

He did his best to survive the future that had been predetermined for him. He didn't even try to defend himself or resist, but took over for the instigator without complaint and faced all the anger.

At least in the matter of Yu Mingrui, he didn't owe himself anything.

But physically and emotionally, after that passionate relationship, he realized that Xiang Mingqi's feelings for him were not just from lust - although this kind of feeling cannot be explained in a few words, with just a hug or a kiss, some people are willing to sacrifice for happiness.

Is it annoying?

Not really. He felt a mixture of emotions.

Pei Huai couldn't describe it in detail. The child who had barely grown taller than his waist over a decade ago, crying and refusing to leave, was now a grown man.

He had grown taller, and he had to look up to look at me, his muscles thickening. He kept growing up, and even when he was old enough to stand on his own, he still stubbornly called me brother, as if to recall the past twelve years.

Twelve years.

There were whitewashed walls, endless medication, and twelve years of mad pursuit by guilt and rainstorms, with no end in sight. Nightmares lingered by his pillow, driving him mad with whispers, frenzy, delirium, violence, and central nervous system suppression.

Xiang Mingqi has too many signs of confinement, enough to make his dependence on someone distorted to the point of deformity.

This kind of love is absolute, and it belongs to him alone. But Pei Huai knows better than anyone that the end point of this obsession is a love so strong that one is willing to sacrifice one's life.

Accept or reject. This time, he wanted to make a break with Xiang Mingqi.

-

Just a few hours into the evening, Shan Li put down his work and came over in person because someone had rejected Cink's request for dinner.

"No appetite?" When he visited, he happened to catch Pei Huai stretching his shoulder muscles, holding his heels with both hands, and leaning his body back, almost turning into a circle.

He had his hair tied up in a half-bun, a rare occurrence, and with its curly texture, it was completely fluffy. He remained in that reclining position for over ten seconds, his tall figure and long legs fully visible under the sheets.

Perhaps it was because his legs were so thin, his strong thighs bent to their limit, the ligaments stretched tight, and every line beneath the skin outlined an unfading wildness. As Shan Li approached, he could immediately smell the soft, soapy scent surrounding him.

Pei Huai didn't answer his question. He raised his knees, twisted his waist in one smooth motion, and rolled out of bed. From his shoulders and neck to his waist, he didn't look like he had broken a drop of sweat.

This level of limb control is just an easy warm-up for him.

Watching him sitting on the edge of the bed, his eyelashes drooping wearily, Shan Li went over and opened a bottle of mineral water for him. "Mr. Pei's resilience is indeed remarkable, making me feel ashamed of myself. But don't neglect your body after training. It's not good to go hungry."

Accustomed to such innuendo-laced compliments, Pei Huai took the water and swallowed it before noticing Cink standing straight in front of the door, his right hand bandaged.

This was the first time he looked at the Latin man's face seriously. Due to his height, he was looking down at him almost from above, but his olive eyes showed no trace of disgust or resentment; they were still respectful.

He said, "You haven't eaten much since noon, and I'm worried. I upset you earlier, and I'm afraid I'll say something wrong again. This is the only option I have."

Pei Huai walked past him without even looking at him. He said nothing, and didn't try to embarrass him.

Arriving at the restaurant and taking a seat, Shan Li didn't dwell on the injury on Cink's hand. He discarded the removed meat and bones onto the plate before probing for a few words. But when he realized the white-haired young man across from him had no intention of responding, he brushed it off.

Of course, the atmosphere at dinner was pleasant. After all, Shan Li tactfully steered the conversation from personal matters to professional ones: for example, the buyer of the intelligence. The man he had apprehended confessed everything around 4:00 PM. By tracing the original email's IP address, Xie Jingzhou anonymously contacted the man and arranged a meeting in the Bay Area the next day.

He hoped Pei Huai would accompany him to this conversation.

This was work, and even without a response, Shan Li knew the other party would give it their all. Realizing the shaking of the glass was tacit approval, Shan Li understood and beckoned a finger toward the door, inviting the wine.

Pei Huai pushed the empty cup forward, but unexpectedly saw that the person holding the wine was Cink.

He hesitated for a moment, then lowered his brows, quickly understanding Shan Li's intention. Seeing he wasn't surprised, he snapped his fingers, prompting the Latin man to tilt the bottle. But the bandages and splints were holding him still, and his injured hand was shaking violently.

Pei Huai put down his chopsticks, his eyes frighteningly calm.

"Mr. Pei, my subordinate told me that he offended you after sending you back this afternoon, which is why you suffered physical pain. He was indeed inconsiderate, and I sincerely apologize to you. For my sake, please don't refuse this cup."

The rims of the cups dinged, causing Pei Huai's knuckles to crack. He narrowed his eyes, raised his chin provocatively, and stared directly into the man's face. He reached back and snatched the neck of the bottle from Cink's arms, flicked it, and poured it directly over Shan Li's head.

The ruby-red wine flowed quietly down the chin, accompanied by the "tick-tick" of the clock and the man's slightly stunned look, and splashed all over the floor.

"I don't have the habit of torturing others." He put down the bottle and took a sip of the white wine next to Shan Li. "Three fingers in exchange for his offense is enough."

Shan Li smiled bitterly, picked up a napkin, wiped his face, and slid his left arm around his waist, trying to pull him onto his lap. Unfortunately, he couldn't pull him, so he had to move forward on his own initiative. The man in front of him still had the mellow aroma of wine on his lips; it must be sweet and delicious.

The closer he got, the more he wanted to reach out and touch her. He took Pei Huai's hand and kissed it, his throat moving loudly: "Mr. Pei, are you venting your anger for my men?"

Before their lips could be kissed, they were brushed away. Pei Huai stood up and left, looking back at him solemnly before leaving: "It's just a correction. Please stop pretending to be your boyfriend, you." He grabbed the windbreaker on the back of the chair and put it on, then opened the door without looking back, "You're not qualified yet."

The door was slammed shut. Low pressure descended from the ceiling, and Cink stood there with his hands hanging down. The next second, a small sound of a wine glass being crushed came from the opposite corner, and then the glass shattered.

Shan Li didn't blink, shaking off the broken pieces of wine glass with an air of haughtiness. Several veins ran from his cheek to the side of his neck, and his jaw was clenched tightly.

He didn't care about his own bloodshed. Instead, he spoke word for word, venting the most hatred, the most ferocious, and the most sinister jealousy: "After sleeping with my brother, I can't wait... Yes, not only can I not wait. I will also kill that bastard with my own hands."

-

After parting on bad terms, Pei Huai used his eyes to drive away the guard at the door and was about to return to his room immediately. However, when he turned the corner, someone grabbed his wrist from behind and held his cheek as if to kiss him.

Pei Huai subconsciously elbowed the man on the side of the head, causing him to wail in pain, clutching his face. Only then did he realize it was Xiang Mingqi, wearing a peaked cap. He was now squatting on the ground, his eyes filled with disbelief at having been betrayed.

"Brother, you hit me. Even though my uncles, aunts, and uncles have all beaten me before, you, you are so handsome, how could you be in cahoots with them!"

Pei Huai raised his eyebrows as a greeting.

"Brother." Xiang Mingqi had rubbed his nose enough and put his hands on the side of his senior's head. He lowered his upper body to rub his cheek and bite his lips. "If you call me 'pervert' again, I'll let you go, okay?"

Before he could finish his words, a hand dug into his hair from behind his head and forcibly pulled it back, revealing his still-moving throat. Pei Huai looked at him without saying a word, his thumb deliberately rubbing across his hard Adam's apple, causing him to swallow exaggeratedly.

But in Xiang Mingqi's eyes, this threat was tantamount to provoking anger.

He didn't care about the pain or the fact that his vital points were being held, he held his senior's face with both hands and kissed him hard.

His kiss was haphazard, his technique just so-so. He merely licked her soft palate and inner lips to elicit a sense of predation. Their tongues kissed each other with a firm and earnest licking, nibbling and biting each other, reluctant to part. That was until Pei Huai grabbed the back of his head and kissed him back, ending the inseparable kiss.

"I want to hear it. You're really lewd every time you say this word." Xiang Mingqi licked his lips, his voice already hoarse. "It feels so unbearable. I really want to bite you."

"Shut up."

"Okay, then I won't say anything. Brother, you have a bad temper." He buried his head in Pei Huai's neck and sucked for a long time, then looked up and said, "Then let's go on a date. I know a very fun place. Really."

"You seem to think Shan Li will turn a blind eye."

"I'll take you back later." Xiang Mingqi grabbed his wrist and begged pitifully, "Brother, go on a date with me. I'll take you to do a lot of bad things."

Pei Huai stared at him in silence for a long moment, but he still couldn't gain the upper hand. Never mind, he looked away, thinking, he was going to find a place to talk to him privately anyway.

It's true that this guy is a free spirit.

But when they appeared by the open-air swimming pool of the gymnasium in the middle of the night, Pei Huai couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth.

"What are you doing."

"As you can see, it's a swimming pool, so of course we have to go in and play." Xiang Mingqi said confidently, hands on his hips. "It won't open until two weeks anyway, and no one's coming now, so what's wrong with us climbing over the wall and messing around?"

Pei Huai fell into deep thought.

"Hey, don't be so reserved, come on in," Xiang Mingqi said, and then he grabbed the hand of the person next to him and jumped down. With a small cry of surprise, the water splashed, and Pei Huai was pulled into the water by his arms and body, soaking wet.

Xiang Mingqi quickly jumped out of the water, shook his head, and dived towards him again.

Watching him push off the pool wall and sprint over at an extremely fast speed, the splash he made forced the latter to lean his back against the edge, and his arms instinctively supported his chest: "Don't kiss me." Then, those wet lips stopped at his neck, breathed, and touched his ear bone.

"So you really won't kiss me? Really?"

For some reason, perhaps because of their chests pressed together and the knees pressing into their groins, they were forced to become the only support under the action of buoyancy. Pei Huai felt that the other person's body was too hot.

"Stop playing." He turned around and tried to get ashore, but Xiang Mingqi kicked him and shoved him backward. Even though he managed to regain his balance in time, he still couldn't dodge and Xiang Mingqi took the opportunity to splash water all over his face.

Water droplets rolled down the ends of her hair, and her plump chest muscles and seductive waist were faintly visible, as if if she were pinched, the exuberant hormones would overflow out of thin air.

"No, just play. Brother, you don't know, every time your clothes get wet, I stare at you with my eyes wide open, unable to move away." Xiang Mingqi hugged him under his arms, but before he could hold him tightly, several handfuls of water splashed onto his face, "Brother, you..."

He wiped his eyes in shock and said, "That's not how you play a water fight. Look at your splash, it's completely harmless." As he grumbled, he extended his arms from his senior's waist. He took the water and swung his whole arm up, sending up huge splashes of water as if he was sick. "This is how it should be—"

"Xiang Mingqi!"

"Wow, what a great opportunity and angle, take this move from me!" "Look at my underwater spin, my hand slice, and this—" "Isn't it fun? I told you I'd like water fights, right?"

“…That’s enough!”

"What? Enough of your sweet talk. In the end, you're the one with the strongest desire to win." At the end of the commotion, Pei Huai finally grabbed Xiang Mingqi by the back of his collar, pressed him against the pool wall, and splashed water on his face. Xiang Mingqi choked several times, but he kept laughing, "Brother, have you ever been this happy before?"

Pei Huai paused.

"I really like you." His arms wrapped around him from underwater, hugging him so tightly that his heart beat against his own. Xiang Mingqi put his arm around his knees and pushed him ashore, then lay on his legs, splashing water. His face flushed and hot. "I want you to be happy all the time, and I want you to like me. Although this is impossible, at least... Brother, please kiss me."

The moment he met those suddenly bright eyes, Pei Huai said nothing and leaned forward.

——At some point when the rippling waves and the chirping of cicadas ceased, this summer finally ushered in a kiss that spanned to infinity.