Chapter 78

Ling Yin thought it was just a normal nap, but Qu Xing slept for a long time, so long that Ling Yin repeatedly suspected he had fainted. To make sure he was just asleep, Ling Yin would always make small moves to wake him up. Qu Xing groggily hugged him and said, "Don't bother me. I'm really tired."

It sounded like his last memory was still stuck on what they had just done.

The timing of his sleepiness was strange. The rather informative conversation just now was still fresh in his mind, the questioning voices on the other side, the sadness overflowing from the screen. If it were Ling Yin, he felt he would not be able to sleep. Qu Xing had fallen asleep without a word. It was so strange and unsettling. When Qu Xing was silent for a while, Ling Yin's heart tightened again. He tried every way to confirm that he was indeed just sleeping. He never let go of Qu Xing's hand, his eyes never leaving the person beside him.

Qu Xing's sleep was far from restless. All the memories that had been wrapped up in his dreams loosened up and ran wildly through his mind. Good dreams and bad dreams were all mixed together, shattered into dusty fragments that pierced his head, causing numbness and pain.

He didn't know why he had turned into a thin layer, so light it was frightening. He felt as if he had disappeared.

"Qu Xing..."

"Star."

“…”

The gentle voice broke off. Qu Xing suddenly felt a surge of panic, his heart pounding like a convulsion. He hurriedly opened his eyes and met Ling Yin's worried gaze, which was filled with pain.

He gently lifted Qu Xing's hair, not daring to ask what he was thinking about. He just whispered, "What did you dream about?"

Qu Xing stared at Ling Yin with his eyes wide open, his voice hoarse for some reason: "I didn't dream about anything."

Qu Xing saw Ling Yin frowning slightly, which looked particularly good, but also particularly distressing.

He suddenly took a quick breath and tears fell from his eyes.

Ling Yin was startled and hurriedly raised his hand to wipe it away. He finally couldn't help but ask: "What's wrong, baby? What happened?"

He picked up the trembling crying person and held him in his arms, and asked carefully: "Can you tell me?"

Qu Xing lay in his arms and just shook his head: "I'm sorry... I'm sorry Ling Yin."

Ling Yin's breathing became tight, and he hugged her tightly: "Why are you sorry for me?"

"I made you feel bad." Qu Xing said, suppressing the pain coming from his brain, tears falling uncontrollably: "I also made them feel bad."

Ling Yin tightened her arms and kissed the tears on his face distressedly: "It's not your fault. If you don't want to say it, then don't say it. It's okay."

Qu Xing could barely hear what Ling Yin was saying, but he felt terrified. The feeling of disappearing in his dream grew stronger and stronger. If Ling Yin hadn't been holding him tightly, he would have barely felt his own existence.

Am I sick?

The thought flashed through his mind and was swept away along with the chaotic dreams that had not yet faded.

He briefly forgot about the Yudun family again, and in that chaotic stream of memories, he only caught Ling Yin: "Ling Yin."

Ling Yin: “Yeah.”

Qu Xing said foolishly, "Look, am I still here?"

“…”

Ling Yin slowly peeled him out of his arms, held his shoulders, looked up and down at the man with wet eyes, and said affirmatively: "Here."

Qu Xing felt that he was really sick. Just because of Ling Yin's action, tears began to fall again.

Ling Yin sighed softly and wiped his tears. Her heart was in turmoil, choking on this inexplicable star. She didn't dare ask, and she didn't know how to comfort him.

After a while, Qu Xing suddenly asked, "How long is our vacation?"

Ling Yin: "Five days."

Qu Xing seemed to be unable to use his brain and continued to ask: "How many days have passed now?"

Ling Yin said: "Two days."

Qu Xing grabbed his hand and said, "Come back home with me."

Ling Yin: "Okay."

Qu Xing: "I'll introduce you to them."

Ling Yin was slightly stunned.

Qu Xing said, "It's just my childhood friend and his mom. Dad probably doesn't have time... Is that okay?"

Ling Yin nodded: "Okay."

When Ling Yin heard him say yes, he saw Qu Xing stretching his arm and slowly reaching for the phone. He seemed very nervous and hesitantly clicked on the chat interface that he had just hung up the phone on.

Qu Xing scanned the call time and was surprised to find it had been seven hours ago. It was now the middle of the night. He thumbed open the chat box and typed word by word. Ling Yin looked at him, feeling his plight was utterly pitiful. He had just emerged from a nightmare, his face hazy, his eyelashes wet, yet he had to temporarily set aside his emotions to comfort someone. He was like a child who had just been scolded by his parents and was begging for forgiveness.

After waiting for him to finish typing, Qu Xing immediately switched to the software and bought two plane tickets. Then he put down his phone and pulled him aside, saying, "Do you want to go out and see the scenery?"

Ling Yin raised an eyebrow: "It's one in the morning."

Qu Xing: “Yeah.”

Ling Yin chuckled and stood up: "As long as you can see clearly."

Qu Xing smiled and put on Ling Yin: "I have very good eyesight."

There was no one on the beach outside. I guess there weren't many idiots who would run out to watch the sea at one in the middle of the night, with the sun setting before and the sun rising after.

A small building on the beach emitted a faint light. The waves slowly moved forward in the moonlight and this faint light, pushing out a line of luminous waves, and then retreating with a sigh.

Qu Xing held Ling Yin's hand and walked toward the waves. The faint moonlight gently enveloped them. They could see little, but the most profound feeling was holding each other's hands, so they held them tightly. Everything else felt cold, except for their hands.

Qu Xing suddenly stopped, stretched out his feet and waited for Lang to run over and tickle him.

Small white waves slowly swam towards him, the slightly cool sea water gently covered the soles of his feet, and then slowly receded.

Qu Xing still propped himself up, waiting for the next wave. Ling Yin chuckled and touched his foot.

Qu Xing let out a soft "ah": "It's itchy."

He pulled his foot back quickly. He did it too quickly and lost his balance, and his leg was about to fall to the side. The claws holding Ling Yin suddenly tightened. Ling Yin hurriedly tried to support the swaying Xingxing. But Qu Xing gave him a wicked smile and miraculously regained his balance. He twisted around and got behind him. He clung to him and hooked his leg over his. Ling Yin was caught off guard and didn't want to defend himself, so he tripped and fell to the beach.

Such a beautiful lady with obsessive-compulsive disorder ended up stumbling and getting covered in sand.

The beach was still wet. Qu Xing pressed him down with a wicked smile, and Ling Yin's entire back was wet.

"Get up." Ling Yin pulled his face.

Qu Xing ignored him and looked at him worriedly: "What should I do? I get excited when I see you being bullied."

“…”

“Especially—” Qu Xing said, rubbing Ling Yin’s head vigorously: “You look so messed up.”

Ling Yin smiled at him, turned his head to look at the waves slowly approaching again, and said calmly: "If you don't get up soon, I'll get soaked."

Qu Xing: "Then let it get wet."

Ling Yin smiled faintly at Qu Xing. A bit of moonlight entered Qu Xing's pupils, silently passing through the hazy darkness between them and falling on him.

Seeing Ling Yin showing no resistance, Qu Xing raised his lips slightly, watched him for a moment, then turned his head and pulled Ling Yin up just before the wave hit. The wave passed through their ankles and receded.

"Starfish!" Qu Xing pointed to a distance of half a meter in front of their feet.

"Where?" Ling Yin looked around in the darkness, bent down and moved closer, and then he saw a star-shaped object.

“…”

Ling Yin smiled and said, "I'm here to find my kind."

Qu Xing dropped his hand, squatted down and poked it: "Is it still alive?"

Ling Yin turned on the light of his phone and took a picture. The starfish was quite brightly colored.

"It's hard." Qu Xing said, and saw Haixing's feet move. He turned his head to look at Ling Yin, his eyes shining.

Ling Yin laughed, "Alive."

"What should we do then?" Qu Xing poked it again, "Is it going to wait here to die?"

Ling Yin whispered, "Will Lang take it back?"

"No way." Qu Xing looked ahead: "The tide is receding now."

"Oh." Ling Yin asked Qu Xing's question again: "So it's going to wait for death?"

"Pfft." Qu Xing smiled and looked at Ling Yin, who was bending over and staring at the starfish intently. Seeing that Ling Yin's eyes were also filled with concern, he couldn't help but say, "Why are you so cute?"

Ling Yin raised an eyebrow at him, took out his phone and said, "Check it out."

"Yeah." Qu Xing stood up and leaned his head close to look at him.

"My hair is blocking it." Ling Yin tilted his head.

"Oh." Qu Xing simply rubbed him.

The fluffy hair, carrying a scent, rushed to his nose, following wherever Ling Yin turned his head. He chuckled and simply clamped the restless head down with his arm. It was already dark and he couldn't see anything. Ling Yin stretched out his forearm to block it, and Qu Xing's vision was completely dark.

"Ah - I'm afraid of the dark -" Qu Xing squeezed closer to Ling Yin.

"Put it in shallow sea water," Ling Yin said, taking his arm away. "Don't just throw it away."

"Oh." Qu Xing looked at it and asked, "Shall we release it?"

Ling Yin: "There's no one else here."

"Then if we are washed away by the waves, no one will save us." Qu Xing said worriedly as he looked at the dark sea.

"Then let it wait to die." Ling Yin said simply.

Qu Xing stared at him with wide eyes.

This person had just looked so concerned, yet he was so cold when it died. Really, really...

Qu Xing held him in his arms and kissed him, saying viciously, "I love you so much."

“…”

"Or we can put it a little closer to the sea." Qu Xing said, "Whether it can be washed back by the waves depends on its luck."

"Hmm." Ling Yin glanced at the starfish. Its tentacles twitched slightly, as if in response to the two of them.

"Go a little further first, and then let it go when the wave reaches the end and recedes." Qu Xing said.

Ling Yin: "Okay."

Qu Xing stretched out his hand and gestured at the starfish for a long time: "How do I hold it?"

Ling Yin: "Pull it up."

"Is this possible?" Qu Xing picked up a corner of it, then quickly retracted his hand to slow down. Then he pinched its body and quickly lifted it up: "Quick, quick, quick."

Ling Yin reached out a hand to hold the starfish in disdain.

After walking forward for more than ten steps, the sea water was above half of their calves. They both looked back. The tide had reached its end, leaving a wet patch on the beach, and then it receded with a splash. Ling Yin put the starfish into the water.

"Let's go." Qu Xing pulled Ling Yin back.

Ling Yin: "Don't you want to take a look?"

Qu Xing: "If it doesn't go back, that's its fate. We'll just send it here."

It sounds strangely vicissitudes of life.

Ling Yin smiled: "Okay."

They walked hand in hand, heading back against the tide. They stepped onto the dry sand and turned to look out at the sea. They remained silent, the sound of the tide lingering. Perhaps it was because they were gradually adapting to the darkness, or perhaps it was because the moonlight was getting brighter, but Qu Xing could even make out the shape of each grain of sand.

After an unknown amount of time, Qu Xing suddenly raised his eyes, stared at the waves and whispered, "I really can't remember a lot of things."

His heart stopped beating, and Ling Yin suddenly turned his head to look at Qu Xing.

-----------------------

The author has something to say: Hey, you two cute creatures just took the little starfish back to the sea.