Pathological attachment

They haven't had a single photo taken of each other in all the years they've known each other.

The soft yellow light reflected off the photo, revealing a pair of tender eyes. Chen Chi put the photo in his pocket, took Chu Sinian's hand, and said, "Let's take a picture."

Chu Sinian readily agreed, pulling Chen Chi to the piece of jewelry he had just picked out. "Does this look nice?"

They were a pair of reddish-brown fox ears, which Chen Chi picked up and put on his head.

Under the lamplight, slightly disheveled strands of hair brushed against Chu Sinian's eyes. He was gazing intently at him, his gaze sincere and relaxed, a deeper dependence hidden in his eyes.

Chen Chi suddenly longed to kiss the sea in spring.

He was extremely jealous of Chu Sinian letting his guard down when he was with Yu Shi, but when this invisible dependence appeared, Chen Chi felt a liquid full of happiness welling up from his heart and flowing throughout the entire video room.

He whispered, "Thank you."

Chu Sinian was confused. "Weren't we going to take a picture?"

He held Chen Chi's phone high, the warm light falling into his eyes, reflecting the pure and bright smile on the screen.

Chen Chi was standing very close to him, with Chu Sinian's shoulder resting against his chest, looking extremely intimate.

Those frozen eyes regained their warmth, and the coldness vanished when they looked at the camera.

A second before Chu Sinian pressed the shutter button, Chen Chi suddenly leaned down and kissed his cheek. The warm kiss remained pressed against his cheek, and the photo captured that moment.

Chu Sinian put down his phone and joked, "That's so rude, Coach."

Chen Chi had already turned around, his eyes filled with warmth, "I will not kiss my students."

Chu Sinian retorted, "I didn't give you permission to kiss me either."

Before the two left the imaging room, Chen Chi specially asked the staff to print out the photo they had just taken together, which made the little girl giggle again.

Chen Chi had never been to an amusement park before, and Chu Sinian was worried that he wouldn't be used to roller coasters, so he didn't ride any of the more thrilling rides.

The two went to the haunted house, carousel, pirate ship, and bumper cars. When they were sitting together, one of the children almost knocked them out of the car. The accompanying parent apologized to them without even pausing his own foot from falling.

Neither of them was angry; they smiled and said it was nothing.

After riding the bumper cars, they rested and ate something before going to ride the swing rides. The swing rides at this amusement park were very high, and when Chu Sinian sat on them and looked up at the sky, he always felt like he could pull down a cloud.

The two then went to ride the Ferris wheel.

Chu Sinian was wearing a newly bought wristband with a cartoon image of a fox chasing a rabbit on it.

Before he could even take off the fox ears from his head, he grabbed Chen Chi's hand and, with a snap, wrapped the pat-pat ring around his wrist.

Chen Chi was wearing a rabbit-themed outfit, which added a touch of liveliness to his serious and gloomy face.

The Ferris wheel was slowly rising. Chu Sinian smiled and looked at the setting sun outside the door. Warm red light filled the sky and dyed the evening clouds in layers, like a large oil painting.

Chen Chi leaned closer to Chu Sinian, watching the sunset paint half of his face red.

During this time, Chu Sinian's face had become a little fuller, and his rosy cheeks were no longer thin. A thin layer of flesh had accumulated under his apple cheeks, making him look soft.

Not only did it look soft, but Chen Chi had even put that piece of meat in his mouth and kneaded it, grinding it between his lips and teeth as if he were eating a pastry.

For no apparent reason, Chen Chi's back teeth started itching.

As the Ferris wheel slowly climbed to the top, the sun gradually sank in the west, and a faint sunset glow appeared on the horizon.

Chu Sinian turned to look at Chen Chi, "They say that if you kiss at the highest point of the Ferris wheel, you'll be together forever."

Have you heard of it?

Chen Chi said, "I've heard of it."

Chu Sinian narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at him. "It's a pity I can't kiss you. Is that a regret?"

Chen Chi frowned stiffly. "No regrets. Don't overthink it."

He added, "I've kissed her in my dreams, that's enough."

Chu Sinian's gaze slowly moved downwards, and his body gradually leaned towards him.

Chu Sinian tilted his head back and put an arm around him, straightening him up properly. "No need to kiss, it's okay."

Chen Chi stared at him and said very seriously.

Chu Sinian couldn't help but lower his head and laugh. If he didn't know how sinister the man's eyes were behind the mirror, he would have really thought that this man wanted to play Platonic games with him.

Chen Chi's hand around her waist was also very proper, placed squarely on the waistline and never moving.

Chu Sinian curled his lips and, mimicking him, reached out and wrapped his arm around Chen Chi's waist, but Chen Chi immediately froze.

Unlike him, Chu Sinian was not serious. He started touching him up and down through his coat, and the more he touched him, the more his brows furrowed. "Wait a minute, I thought your waist was quite slim before, how come it feels so thick?"

Chen Chi pulled his hand away with a dark expression. "Do you want to go home and feel it carefully to see if it's rough?"

Chu Sinian withdrew his hand and looked at the night sky as if nothing had happened. "No need, and I'm not particularly interested."

After getting off the Ferris wheel, the two had dinner in the park and then went home.

Throughout this time, Chen Chi acted normally, his indifference tempered with warmth, though his face remained gloomy.

Chu Sinian knew, of course, that Chen Chi was still angry, but he didn't care. However, he thought that Chen Chi would be fine after he got home, but as soon as the apartment door closed, Chen Chi immediately took off his coat.

Chu Sinian hadn't realized something was wrong; the two of them would normally take off their coats after they got back.

To everyone's surprise, Chen Chi not only took off his coat, but also ripped off his hoodie.

Chu Sinian had just hung up his coat when he turned around and saw Chen Chi's bare upper body.

Chu Sinian was stunned for a moment. Chen Chi walked towards him step by step, stopped in front of him, and said expressionlessly, "Look, isn't it rough?"

To be fair, Chen Chi's waist is not thick at all, and Chu Sinian took a half step back.

Chen Chi's muscles were firm, his abdominal muscles were clearly defined, and the lines from his neck to his lower abdomen were almost sharp, with veins winding through them, making him very intimidating.

What made Chu Sinian blush was his pectoral muscles, which were very prominent and reddish in color, giving the whole thing an indescribable, erotic feel.

"Is it rough year after year?"

Chu Sinian blushed instantly at his question, "Not rough."

It's not actually thin; it just appears thin because of its broad shoulders and chest, and its excellent physical attributes.

Chen Chi hummed in agreement, put his hoodie back on, and added, "Niannian has a very slim waist; you could wrap your hand around it with one hand."

Chu Sinian kicked him in exasperation, "What do you mean you can hold him?"

Chen Chi readily embraced her, praising her for being beautiful and having a slender waist.

Chu Sinian prided himself on not being as thick-skinned as Chen Chi, but after the day he confronted Chen Chi at the Beijing residence, he stopped pretending altogether.

—

Chen Chi's business trip flight was scheduled for 7:00 AM.

The huge airport was bustling with passengers dragging their luggage, a diverse mix of faces including many foreigners, and backpackers hurrying through the crowd toward Dong'an.

Chu Sinian usually gets up at eight o'clock, but he woke up two hours earlier to send Chen Chi off. He was still a little sleepy and nestled in the lounge.

Chen Chi brought breakfast and placed it on the table. "Get up and eat something."

Chu Sinian nodded in a daze and picked up a spoon to scoop up the wontons.

Before it even reached his mouth, Chen Chi took the spoon, blew on it, and said, "It's hot."

He smiled and said, "You don't have to see me off."

Chu Sinian glanced at him and said, "If I hadn't come to see someone off, he would probably have started to overthink things, saying that I was going to abandon him or that I didn't want him anymore."

Chen Chi felt a pang of envy and used his other hand to grasp his chin. "Are you blaming me?"

Chu Sinian was at his wit's end. He picked up the wonton that Chu Sinian had been blowing on to cool with his teeth, swept it into his mouth with the tip of his tongue, chewed it, and swallowed it, saying, "Look at you, overthinking again."

"If I didn't love you, how could I tolerate you hugging me all the time and kissing my ears and my face?"

“I love you just as much as you do, baby.”

Chen Chi's face darkened, his hand holding the spoon trembled, and he pressed it hard between his teeth, saying in a low voice, "Niannian, don't call me that in public."

Chu Sinian laughed with delight.

Chen Chi is a strange person. When teased, he doesn't blush or feel shy. Instead, his face darkens, but he doesn't seem angry. His expression is just somewhat obscure and hard to decipher.

Chu Sinian knew his schedule was tight; he was flying to three cities today alone. This flight was destined for the UK, where he would inspect the exhibition, draft contracts based on market value, and negotiate. Afterwards, he would take a private jet to the UAE to discuss business and secure cooperation, followed by a non-stop flight to Canada to inspect the production line.

This high-density schedule will continue for a week.

Chu Sinian was afraid that Chen Chi would have a relapse if he wasn't by his side. Although there had only been some signs in the early stages since their reunion, the knife tip that had been carelessly plunged into his upper arm that night still left a shadow in his heart.

Before Chen Chi boarded the plane, Chu Sinian followed behind him and told him, "Call or video call me if you miss me. I'll answer no matter where I am... except when I'm showering or using the toilet. I'll let you know my itinerary in advance. I probably won't be going out much this week. I might have to go to Professor Isabella's research institute in Dong'an."

"If anything goes wrong, just say so. Don't overthink it. Ask if you have any questions. And those in the Commerce Bureau should drink less alcohol and smoke less."

Chu Sinian, feeling a little embarrassed, touched the end of his eyebrow, looked up at him seriously, and said, "In short, don't do anything to hurt yourself again, understand?"

Chen Chi looked down at him, nodded, and then stretched out his arms to hug him tightly, so tightly that Chu Sinian felt a little pain, but he didn't make a sound.

Chen Chi lowered his head and rubbed against his neck. The familiar light fragrance could not soothe the itchy blood and thirsty skin. Taking advantage of the completely encircling posture, the deep gloom in his eyes was no longer hidden.

He said in a hoarse voice, "I will be obedient, year after year."

After seeing the person off at the airport, Chu Sinian returned to his apartment.

As usual, he took off his coat, hung it up, and went to the island counter to wash and dry his hands thoroughly. Afterward, he took out his notebook, placed a soft pad behind his back, put on the massager Chen Chi had bought for his shoulders and neck, and began to examine the papers he was going to analyze and study that day.

Chu Sinian's main research area is astrophysical cosmology, which requires a deep combination of theoretical modeling, multi-band observation, numerical simulation and experimental exploration to study the origin, structure and evolution of the universe.

This direction differs somewhat from Professor Isabella's experimental astrophysics. In his own branch, Chu Sinian's most frequent activity was sitting and building models, constructing numerical simulations, and typing on a keyboard.

Professor Isabella's research requires her to travel frequently to conduct on-site data surveys. The last time I contacted Chu Sinian, she was still in Africa.

Now that half a month has passed, he estimates that the professor has already moved on to his next destination.