Chapter 106 N-Interlacing
The fleeting moments of the past flashed back like frames from a film reel, rapidly alternating and then flowing back to their original direction.
They turned around at the same time, one to the south and one to the north, each walking further and further away in two different directions, in a calm and ordinary evening with the setting sun like blood.
And this time—
Chu Beiling walked quickly toward Xing Yu, his steps growing increasingly hurried, until finally he broke into a sprint along the West Lake and threw himself into the arms of Xing Yu, who was also running toward him.
It's unclear who made the first move, or perhaps it was at the same time, but their lips precisely captured each other's.
They kissed each other passionately, forcefully, and deeply.
Xing Yu gripped his waist tightly with astonishing force, as if he wanted to crush him into his own bones and blood, to become one with him, yet it still wasn't enough.
They wanted more, a deeper entanglement, a closer fit.
Until death do us part.
Like lips and teeth, they were inseparable, like two desperate wild beasts, frantically plundering each other's every breath, as if only by swallowing each other whole could they fill the void of time and dust lost over the years.
When Xing Yu learned about everything Chu Beiling had gone through over the years, and that he could no longer pick up a paintbrush, his heart ached so much that it almost broke. On his way to find him, he almost lost his grip on the steering wheel.
It hurt so much, not just pain, but an overwhelming sense of regret and self-blame almost swallowed him up.
It was because he didn't explain in time, or pay attention to the details, that he was too cowardly and timid. Even after the reunion, he didn't dare to ask even a simple question.
This made Chu Beiling even more uneasy.
This kiss almost exhausted all their strength, and they only reluctantly let go of each other when they were out of breath.
The two, their breathing ragged, gazed at each other on the shores of West Lake, where starlight stretched as far as the eye could see, and spoke at the same time.
Chu Beiling: "Xing Yu, I'm sorry."
Xing Yu: "It's all my fault. I failed to notice it in time."
Two voices, one soft and one loud, blended together perfectly. Chu Beiling subconsciously shook his head, wanting to tell him that it wasn't like that, but he couldn't make a sound.
He took a shallow breath and called out softly, "Xing Yu."
"I'm here," Xing Yu said gently.
Chu Beiling's voice was terribly hoarse, with a lingering nasal tone, "In the past ten years..." He paused, gathering all his strength to finish the sentence, "You went to Faxi Temple every year?"
Xing Yu wiped his wet eyes with his fingertip, and said casually and lazily, "I had some free time, so I went for a stroll. The scenery was beautiful, the air was fresh, and it was a good place to daydream."
He looked into Chu Beiling's eyes, which were filled with unspoken words and even more heartache and sadness, and smiled softly, "Look, we've been lost for so long, but haven't we come back to where we started and run into each other again?"
Chu Beiling felt his eyes burning. He didn't want to cry, but his nose felt sore and uncomfortable. He had just casually said back then, "I heard that Faxi Temple is very effective for praying for marriage. Let's go together this weekend." Who would have thought that they would never have the chance to go together again?
What was even more unexpected was that Xing Yu was such a person, stubbornly and silently persisting for so many years.
Just as he was overwhelmed with sorrow and his surging emotions had nowhere to go, Xing Yu suddenly lowered his head and kissed him again.
This kiss was no longer one of plunder, but one of utmost tenderness, solemnity, and even a touch of reverence.
Chu Beiling was only slightly taken aback before hooking her arm around his neck and responding patiently.
The distant city's hustle and bustle blurred into the background, the evening breeze rustled through the willows, and the waters of West Lake rippled. For West Lake, which has existed for thousands of years and has countless love stories, ten years is hardly enough to cause any change.
West Lake remains the same West Lake, always crowded with people, a timeless beauty, quietly observing the cycle of the seasons and witnessing the ebb and flow of human life.
It also witnessed his and Xing Yu's journey from adolescence to adulthood, their loss and recovery, and their journey from darkness to light.
In a daze and confusion, Chu Beiling was taken home by Xing Yu.
As soon as he entered the door, Xing Yu impatiently pressed him against the door panel. Before the kiss could even land, his stomach started growling uncontrollably.
Having just been passionately kissing, Chu Beiling's blood was surging, and he hadn't blushed at all. But now, he blushed instead, turning his face away from him: "Don't look at me, it's embarrassing, too embarrassing."
Xing Yu chuckled softly, "I'll go cook. What would you like to eat?"
Chu Beiling turned around and said, "Keep it simple, seafood noodles!"
"Okay." Xing Yu nodded: "I'll call you when it's done."
Chu Beiling followed behind him, intending to help him, but Xing Yu pushed her into the bathroom. "I've already prepared the bathwater for you. Go take a bath and relax." On the way here, he had already filled the bathtub in the master bedroom with water using the app.
"Aren't you coming with me?" Chu Beiling didn't want him to leave, so she grabbed him.
Xing Yu tilted his head, staring at him with a smile.
Chu Beiling blushed from head to toe. In the bright and spacious bathroom, he felt utterly ashamed, with nowhere to hide. To make matters worse, there was a spotless mirrored tile in front of him, reflecting his every move.
Chu Beiling bit her lip, steeled her resolve, raised her chin, and looked back at him haughtily.
I'm at the prime of my life, full of energy and vitality. So what if I want to sleep with you? What's the problem?!
If you're not allowed to sleep, you should go to the hospital for a checkup.
"I'll feed you first, then I'll take a shower later." Xing Yu pinched his soft cheek, stopping teasing him, and said this.
Chu Beiling curled her lip and thought to herself, "Couldn't it be another form of feeding?"
However, he was indeed hungry. He hadn't eaten much all day, and even if he wanted to swallow Xing Yu little by little, he would need strength, so he didn't want to stick to him anymore.
The bathroom was warm, and the water level and temperature in the bathtub were just right. Lying down, every pore on my body relaxed.
Chu Beiling played in the water and bubbles, enjoying a relaxing half-hour soak before finally getting out of the bathtub.
After changing into comfortable loungewear, Chu Beiling headed towards the dining room.
Xing Yu was almost finished and was doing the final touches when he saw him coming over: "Why didn't you soak it a little longer?"
"Any more and I'll get dizzy."
"Almost done, just wait a little longer." Xing Yu nodded, turned around and continued what he was doing.
Chu Beiling wrapped her arms around his lean waist and leaned against his back: "Xing Yu..."
He turned around and said, "I'm here."
Chu Beiling felt a pang of sadness and grievance in her heart: "I miss you so much."
Xing Yu paused for a moment after hearing this, and then said in a hoarse voice, "Me too."
The two hugged each other silently for a very long time.
The water in the pot was almost boiled away and the splashing sound stopped. Xing Yu realized what was happening and quickly turned off the heat. After checking, he was relieved that only the water had boiled away and the pot was not burning.
Chu Beiling let go of him and leaned closer to look: "It's turned into seafood noodles."
Xing Yu: "Mm."
Chu Beiling took the kitchen utensils from him and told Xing Yu to go take a shower first. He would take care of the rest of the work. Xing Yu nodded, then turned around and looked at him with his hands outstretched.
Chu Beiling smiled and leaned over to untie his apron.
After setting out the dishes, Xing Yu quickly took a shower and changed into his pajamas. Although their pajamas were different styles and brands, they looked surprisingly like a couple because they were in the same color scheme.
Chu Beiling looked at him, then at herself, feeling an indescribable tenderness in her heart.
The two sat down at the table, exchanged food from their bowls, and chatted as they ate.
Xing Yu explained to him that the reason he left Zhalongkou was not because he was angry. As for blocking him, he said he didn't know why, he didn't do it, and even if he was angry, he wouldn't do it.
Later, when he tried to contact him again, he couldn't get in touch with him.
No one could get in touch with him.
Chu Beiling let out a long sigh and told him that he had informed Li Shuying of his separation from Xing Yu. She was worried and asked him to delete everyone from his contacts, but he refused.
Later, he discovered that Xing Yu had moved away from Zhalongkou. When he tried to contact him again, he found that all his methods had been blocked. Before going to Singapore, he lost control and had a fight with Li Shuying because he had been blocked and was about to leave the country.
As a result, Li Shuying was so angry that she had to be rushed to the emergency room again.
To put her mind at ease and let her focus on her treatment without overthinking, and since Xing Yu had just blocked her, Chu Beiling simply tossed the phone to Li Shuying and told her to handle it herself.
He was too angry and let Li Shuying handle it, so she was bound to be dealt with completely.
By the time I realized it, it was too late.
There's no use regretting it now.
Chu Beiling's head was spinning and throbbing: "Xing Yu, are you... very disappointed in me?"
“No, not at all,” Xing Yu said.
"You always acted distant towards me before," Chu Beiling accused.
“I used to think you and Zhu Qing’an…” Xing Yu laughed as he said this, “I thought you two were together.”
"That bastard is spreading rumors." The words had barely left his mouth when Chu Beiling belatedly realized, "Ke Jincheng?"
Xing Yu pursed his lips: "He said you have a boyfriend, and he's been calling you 'husband' and stuff like that. I happened to see Zhu Qing'an's photo on WeChat Moments, so I assumed it was you two..."
Chu Beiling explained, "That's because he's disgusted by me and wants to make things difficult for me."
It's no wonder that others would misunderstand. Calling him like that in public, even his high school classmates know what's going on with him. He was displeased and tried to stop Zhu Qing'an from going crazy and shouting, but Zhu Qing'an got even more excited and kept chasing after him shouting. Back and forth, it's no wonder that people would misunderstand it as flirting.
As for the photo on WeChat Moments, Chu Beiling remained silent for a moment, then took out his phone and opened the photo.
After staring at it for a long time, Chu Beiling finally remembered where the photo came from. He pointed to the blurry profile of the person behind Zhu Qing'an and said, "I thought that person looked a bit like you, so I took a picture of it."
At the time, Zhu Qing'an and I were taking photos near the Merlion. In the instant the camera captured the moment, we snapped a picture of a man whose profile looked remarkably like Xing Yu's. Zhu Qing'an thought we were taking a picture of him, so she walked right into his shot.
And so the photo was kept.
Unfortunately, Zhu Qing'an was right in front of him. If he blurred her face, the person behind her would also be blocked, so Chu Beiling simply gave up.
Back in Singapore, Chu Beiling didn't have many people she needed to contact on WeChat. She kept this photo on her Moments as a memento. Seven years later, she had completely forgotten that she had ever taken such a photo and where she had posted it.
I never imagined that a photo left in the corner would cause Xing Yu to misunderstand.
Now that he has returned, met Xing Yu, and seen and understood the situation, there is no point in keeping the photo that caused him to misunderstand.
Chu Beiling was about to delete it when he stopped her.
Xing Yu asked, "When was that photo of yours taken?"
Chu Beiling wasn't quite sure. The most direct consequence of long-term medication and the self-destructive intermittent discontinuation of medication was that his memory was now severely fragmented. He said uncertainly, "It should be the day I posted on WeChat Moments."
Xing Yu zoomed in on the photo, examined it carefully, looked up at him with a complicated expression: "The person behind your photo might really be me. I happened to be staying at the Fullerton Hotel at that time."
Chu Beiling was completely stunned, her mind went blank, and she wondered if she had misheard. She could only stare at him blankly.
Xing Yu gave a wry smile, his fingertip tracing the blurry image of himself on the screen: "I saw you that day too."
When he saw that the figure looked a lot like Chu Beiling, he was startled and quickly chased after him. He searched around the Merlion area, which was crowded with people, but he couldn't find the figure that looked so much like Chu Beiling.
Disappointed, he returned home and went to other places to continue his aimless search.
"I..." Chu Beiling's voice was terribly dry. He lowered his eyes, a hint of regret in them: "I should have chased after him back then, or even just stayed where I was, even for a few minutes."
It turned out that the person really was Xing Yu. They had indeed had a brief reunion under the sunset in a foreign land.
Fate gave them a moment of intersection, causing one to stop in his tracks and the other to turn around suddenly, but in the end they missed each other.
Chu Beiling felt he was about to have another episode of rumination panic. As his breathing became heavier, Xing Yu came over, picked him up, and placed him on his lap. He held him close and whispered in his ear, "Don't be upset. That shouldn't be your emotion."
Xing Yu's voice was deep and firm as he patted his back to comfort him, saying, "I am the one who should be thanking you. Thank you for finally seeing that it was you in the sunset after so many years. This makes me feel that every moment between us is precious."
Chu Beiling's mind went blank for a moment. Her heart, which had been thrown into the air, was caught steadily by Xing Yu, who filled it little by little in his own way. In the familiar lemon-infused and gentle atmosphere, her breathing and heartbeat gradually calmed down.
After a while—
He looked up again: "When I suggested we get back together, were you feeling particularly wronged?"
Chu Beiling met his eyes, her heart in turmoil and aching terribly.
Xing Yu pinched his waist and said with dissatisfaction, "It's called making up."
Chu Beiling quickly said, "Make up. When you proposed making up back then, weren't you feeling particularly wronged?"
"No, but I am a little unhappy." Xing Yu rubbed his fluffy head and continued, "At the time, I was thinking very simply, I just wanted to be with you. I didn't care much about anything else and didn't want to care. I'm sorry, I should have asked one more question."
"..." Chu Beiling laughed, but as she laughed, tears began to flow uncontrollably again.
Ten years is a really long time. So long that everything is still unknown, so long that even if the answer is right in front of them, they dare not confirm it easily.
I'm afraid that if I open my mouth, I'll be hurt all over.
Chu Beiling's stomach churned again. He buried his face in Xing Yu's neck, greedily inhaling his scent, and took a shallow breath.
He stepped out of his arms and forced himself to finish what he was saying.
"Xing Yu, I have always belonged to you, before, now, and in the future."
Xing Yu lowered his eyes and kissed the tear stains at the corners of his eyes, the tip of his nose, and finally his lips, swallowing all his tears: "It's okay, it's not too late, we'll take it slow."
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