I'll help you achieve it
The morning light filtered through the slits in the hotel curtains, casting a thin streak across the carpet. When the phone on the bedside table vibrated for the third time, Xie Mo woke first. The person in his arms was still curled up like a cat seeking warmth, her breath gently nuzzling his collarbone. Warm breath seeped through his thin pajamas, ironing his skin. Li Huaizhou was never a quiet sleeper. Half the quilt had slipped to his waist, revealing the clean, sharp lines of his neck. His hair, still a bit fuzzy from not drying it the night before, was dyed a light brown by the morning light and swayed gently with his breathing.
Xie Mo's fingertips couldn't help but rub the back of the neck. The touch was delicate and there was a hint of warmth and moisture. He lowered his head to look at the face of the person in his arms. His eyelashes were long and slender. This obedient look was very similar to the way he hugged him last night and said, "We are not wrong."
"Knock knock knock—" The rapid knocks on the door rang out on time, and Ji Jiancheng's loud voice, wrapped in a smile, came in, shaking the door panel slightly: "Xie Mo, you have to hurry up and get Brother Zhou up! Brother Chen and the girls have already taken care of it, and you are still lying in bed, we still have to eat breakfast!"
Xie Mo looked down at the person in his arms who fluttered his eyelashes but didn't open his eyes. He reached out and rubbed his soft hair, then replied perfunctorily to the person outside the door, "I know." When he turned around, he tapped Li Huaizhou's temples lightly with his fingertips, as if he was afraid of breaking something. "Did you hear that, baby? I'm urging you again. If you don't get up soon, the shrimp dumplings will be gone."
Li Huaizhou finally opened his eyes. The corners of his eyes were red, tinged with the moisture of fresh awakening, like glass beads covered with a layer of fog. He frowned, covering his head with his hands as he sat up. His hair was messy and a few strands stuck up. His voice was still stained with sleep. "It's so noisy..." He slipped on the slippers that Xie Mo had found for him yesterday and went to the bathroom. He squeezed some toothpaste and held the toothbrush in his mouth, his head shaking slightly, like a cat that hadn't woken up and was still napping. Toothpaste foam stained the corner of his mouth, but he didn't notice it. He stared at himself in the mirror with a blank look, and even his eyelashes were stained with a hint of sleepiness.
Xie Mo leaned against the bathroom doorframe, watching. Two buttons were undone on the collar of his white shirt, revealing a faint red mark on his collarbone, where Li Huaizhou had bitten him last night. Seeing him distracted by the foam in his mouth, Xie Mo walked over, bent his knuckles and tapped his head again, a hint of helpless laughter in his voice: "Brush well, the foam is almost flowing down your chin."
Li Huaizhou spit out the foam, rinsed his mouth, put his toothbrush in the cup, turned around and crossed his arms across his chest, glaring at Xie Mo with feigned dissatisfaction, "Is this your excuse for "domestic violence"? Just let him wait a while. I bet Brother Chen is still cleaning up. Ji Jiancheng is just talking nonsense." Although he said so, the sleepiness in his eyes had not yet dissipated, and even the glare at him had no deterrent effect. Xie Mo was amused by his appearance and took a step forward to hold him in his arms. The tiles in the bathroom were a little cold, and Li Huaizhou subconsciously shrank into his arms. Xie Mo kissed the corner of his mouth and tasted a hint of mint, "Okay, baby, are you still not awake?"
Li Huaizhou's sleepiness instantly dissipated. He stretched out his arm and placed it on Xie Mo's shoulder. His fingertips gently scratched the skin on the back of his neck. He blinked mischievously, the red at the corners of his eyes still lingering, adding a touch of allure. "Are you awake now? Aren't we still going to Huding Mountain today? I didn't forget."
Xie Mo understood the meaning of his gesture too well. As soon as Li Huaizhou was in his arms, his arms were put on him, and his fingertips were tickling him restlessly, it was a signal for a kiss. When he lowered his head to kiss him, Li Huaizhou struggled symbolically, and his hands rested on Xie Mo's chest. The next second, he softened his body, and his tongue tip reached out gently. His whole body hung on Xie Mo, and even his breathing became rapid. Until they separated with unstable breathing, there were still some crystal water stains on the corners of Li Huaizhou's mouth, and his eyes became wet. Xie Mo wiped off the water stains with his fingertips, rubbed his red lower lip lightly with his thumb, and asked with a smile: "Are you happy?"
"Happy~" Li Huaizhou rested his head on his shoulder, his tone full of teasing, and deliberately rubbed Xie Mo's neck with his nose, "Mr. Xie understands me so well"
When the two of them lingered out of the room, Li Huaizhou's lips were still a little red from being kissed. Shen Qitang leaned on the railing in the corridor. Seeing them, he raised his eyebrows, paused his eyes on Li Huaizhou's lips, and teased: "Boss Xie is a bit arrogant. He bullied our brother Zhou like this."
Li Huaizhou's face flushed instantly, from the tips of his ears to the base of his neck. He glared at Shen Qitang. Ji Jiancheng poked his head out from behind Shen Qitang, holding two bottles of mineral water. He sighed helplessly, "We've been waiting for almost half an hour, and Brother Chen even applied three layers of sunscreen, and you two are still dawdling in the house." He handed a bottle of water to Li Huaizhou, "Here, this is for you, iced, to wake you up."
"Who told you to rush so much?" Li Huaizhou said stubbornly. He took the water, unscrewed it, and took a sip. The cold water slid down his throat, and he finally sobered up a little. He was led forward by Xie Mo, his steps unsteady, and even the redness on the tips of his ears hadn't faded. The morning tea shop downstairs was already quite a few people. Xie Mo found a seat by the window, familiar with the place. He ordered Li Huaizhou's favorite shrimp dumplings, followed by a plate of lean pork rice noodle rolls with an egg, and again asked for less chili and more soy sauce.
Ji Jiancheng came over to look at the menu, running his fingers over it, and ordered two baskets of barbecued pork buns in one go, and also added a portion of fried spring rolls. Shen Qitang added half a boiled chicken.
When Li Huaizhou turned around, Xie Mo had already pushed the bowl of soup toward him, picked up the spoon to stir it for him, and let it cool. "Lily and lotus seed porridge, good for your stomach." Li Huaizhou obediently picked up the spoon and sipped it. The lily was stewed until soft, and the lotus seeds were cored. Ji Jiancheng bit into the barbecued pork bun, the juice staining the corner of his mouth. He said vaguely, "Brother Zhou, you are too obedient now. After all, I used to be a bully on campus."
"That's because you're incompetent. If you find a partner, you'll be controlled too." Li Huaizhou rolled his eyes at him with disdain, but when Xie Mo picked up a shrimp dumpling and passed it to him, he obediently opened his mouth to take it. Chen Qitang looked at this scene, smiled and shook his head, wiping the corner of his mouth with a tissue: "Who said before, 'Dating is the most boring thing. It's so sticky and disgusting every day'?"
Li Huaizhuo's ears turned red again, and he quickly buried his head in eating the rice noodle rolls. He scooped up a big mouthful with a spoon and retorted vaguely, "I'm not sticking with him..." Xie Mo looked at his puffed up cheeks, like a squirrel stealing food, and reached out to wipe the sauce off the corner of his mouth. His movements were natural and intimate, and even the strength of his fingertips rubbing against his skin was controlled just right.
Ji Jiancheng clicked his tongue and shook his head, then turned to complain to Chen Qitang: "Look, this is a prime example of putting love before friendship. We used to perform together and surf the internet together, but now she's completely under the control of her husband." Chen Qitang smiled and patted him: "How dare you say that? Who was the one who couldn't beat the opponent and went to the crying Li Huaizhou to save the situation?" Ji Jiancheng's face instantly became angry, and he quickly changed the subject: "Hurry up and eat. After eating, let's go to Huding Mountain. I heard the scenery is the best in the morning."
After breakfast, the four of us took a taxi to Huding Mountain. As the taxi went up the winding mountain road, the scenery outside the window gradually became quieter, and the bamboo forest on the roadside swayed in the wind. As soon as we entered the gate of the scenic area, we saw a group of people surrounding the tripod-shaped stone platform by the lake, holding colorful wishing balls and throwing them into the tripod. The stone platform was made of blue-gray stone, and the tripod mouth was large, with densely engraved small characters on it.
Xie Mo pulled Li Huaizhou's hand. His hand was very warm, and he wrapped Li Huaizhou's slightly cold hand in his palm. Xie Mo pointed to a small stall not far away. The stall owner was an old man wearing a blue cloth shirt. In front of him was a basket of wishing balls with different blessing words printed on them.
Before Li Huaizhou could reply, Xie Mo had already walked over, said something to the old man, and returned with a red wishing ball in his hand. The ball was made of rubber and soft, with the words "Good Health" printed in gold. Li Huaizhou took it, weighed it, and raised an eyebrow. "Childish." Even as he said this, his fingers couldn't help but stroke the writing on the ball, feeling the touch clearly. He actually liked it a little; this little toy had a certain clumsy sincerity, just like Xie Mo himself.
Ji Jiancheng came over and stretched out his hand to grab it: "You are biased, Mr. Xie, we want some too! Why buy it only for Brother Zhou?" Xie Mo pinched Li Huaizhou's fingers helplessly and said to Ji Jiancheng: "Let's go buy it."
Ji Jiancheng was delighted and hooked his arm around Xie Mo's shoulders, almost making him stumble: "Brother Zhou, can you lend me your boyfriend? I'll return it to you after I buy something." Xie Mo turned around and smiled at Li Huaizhou, his eyes full of tenderness, before being pulled by Ji Jiancheng towards the stall.
Shen Qitang walked over to Li Huaizhou, leaned against the stone railing next to him, and pointed at the wishing ball in his hand: "Want to try it? I heard that the mouth of this cauldron looks big, but it's actually not easy to throw it in."
Li Huaizhou's desire to win was instantly aroused. He raised his eyebrows and raised his chin slightly: "What's so difficult about this?" He took a few steps forward, stood still, took a short run-up, and with a flick of his wrist, the red wishing ball flew straight into the tripod.
I thought it was a sure thing, but as soon as the ball touched the edge of the tripod, it bounced out with a "bang", rolled to the road not far away, and turned twice before stopping.
Li Huaizhou frowned, his gaze subconsciously following the scene, his lips pursed into a straight line, a bit unconvinced. Turning around, he saw Xie Mo had returned at some point, picking up the little red ball, wiping the dust off it with his sleeve, and handing it to him. Ji Jiancheng followed behind with a huge pile of wishing balls, his arms almost full, and yelled, "Xie Mo, you bought so many, I can hardly carry them all!"
Xie Mo put the ball back into Li Huaizhou's hands, his voice as gentle as the wind on the lake. "It's okay. I bought more than ten, all red. Throw it slowly, and it will definitely go in."
"I can throw it in, but I was not careful." Li Huaizhou was a little unconvinced. He took the ball and stood back to his original position, adjusting his posture. "This thing is very simple. It's just that I didn't find the right angle just now." Xie Mo smiled and nodded, following his words. "Well, I know you are good." He stood beside Li Huaizhou, holding a few red balls in his hands.
Ji Jiancheng and Shen Qitang also came over, each holding a few wishing balls, and joined Li Huaizhou in a boisterous chuckle. Ji Jiancheng muttered after each throw, "Matchmaker, matchmaker, please grant me a partner!" The balls either hit the side of the cauldron or flew straight out, leaving him stomping his feet in anger. Shen Qitang, holding the yellow ball, threw it steadily, landing two in a short while, which made Ji Jiancheng even more depressed.
Xie Mo stood beside him, and whenever Li Huaizhou missed a throw, he would promptly hand over a new red ball. The sunlight fell on Li Huaizhou's profile, and he frowned and aimed carefully, just like when he was shooting three-pointers on the basketball court in high school. Even the way he held the ball had some of that shadow. Xie Mo watched, and the smile on his lips never faded.
When he threw more than ten balls, Li Huaizhou took a deep breath, adjusted his stance, and flicked his wrist. The red wishing ball drew a beautiful arc and landed steadily in the cauldron with a soft "dong" sound. He excitedly turned around and waved at Xie Mo, his eyes shining like stars. "Look! It's in! I told you I could do it!"
Xie Mo walked over quickly, reached out and ruffled his hair, pressing down the few strands of hair that were sticking up: "Amazing, even more accurate than your three-point shooting in high school."
Ji Jiancheng wailed beside him, throwing the last pink ball in his hand, but still missed. "It's not fair! I threw over twenty, and only two went in! This tripod must have a grudge against me! Or is it against 'marriage'?" He threw the wishing ball on the ground like a deflated ball. Chen Qitang looked at his hopeless expression, smiled, pulled his arm, and handed him the remaining ball in his hand. "Try this, change your wish, maybe you'll get it."
Li Huaizhou was tired from throwing the ball and leaned against Xie Mo to catch his breath, his chest rising and falling slightly. He looked at Ji Jiancheng who was still throwing the ball excitedly, and suddenly turned to Xie Mo and asked, "Don't you want to come? Try throwing one too." Xie Mo shook his head, reached out to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and said calmly, "I don't believe in these things." He has never been a superstitious person and has never expected "making a wish" to solve problems. "Then why did you let me come?" Li Huaizhou raised an eyebrow and hooked his finger on Xie Mo's palm.
"I want to make you happy." Xie Mo's voice was very soft, but it fell clearly into Li Huaizhou's ears, like a feather gently scratching his heart. He did all this, never believing in making wishes, but just wanted to make Li Huaizhou happy, wanted him to be like now, with light in his eyes and a lively smile. Li Huaizhou's heart skipped a beat, and he leaned over and kissed Xie Mo's face. His lips rubbed against his warm skin, with a faint smell of sweat, but not at all unpleasant: "Then if my wish can't be fulfilled, won't I be sad?"
Xie Mo put his arm around his waist, gently caressing his waist with his fingertips - it was still so slender, and through the thin T-shirt, he could clearly feel the outline of his waistbone. His heart was soft and painful, and his tone was serious: "You can tell me, I will help you realize it." Ji Jiancheng finally gave up throwing the ball and was pulled over by Shen Qitang. Looking at the two people hugging each other, he rolled his eyes: "Alright, alright, stop being so annoying, let's go. I'm still waiting to ask for a fortune, maybe I can get a fortune for marriage."
The four of them walked towards Qingyun Temple. The number of tourists on the road gradually decreased. The mountain road was paved with bluestone slabs, and tall pine trees were planted on both sides. The sunlight shone through the gaps between the branches and leaves, and fell on the ground like broken gold. Ji Jiancheng was still muttering about his own marriage, saying that he had been stimulated by Xie Mo and Li Huaizhou these days. Seeing them stick together every day
Li Huaizhou and Xie Mo walked behind, hand in hand, chatting idly. When they reached the gate of Qingyun Temple, Ji Jiancheng rushed in first, heading straight for the place where the divination was to be drawn. Shen Qitang followed suit, listening attentively to the monks' interpretations. Li Huaizhou showed no interest in this and waited under the old locust tree outside the temple. Xie Mo, however, walked in and soon emerged with three incense sticks. He knelt on a mat, his hands clasped together, and looked incredibly serious.
Li Huaizhou was stunned. When Xie Mo came out, he had a string of copper coins tied with a red string in his hand. He walked up to Li Huaizhou, took his hand, and gently put the string of copper coins on his wrist. The copper coins were a little cool and very comfortable against his skin.
"Don't you believe it?" Li Huaizhou shook his wrist and smiled helplessly, but his tone couldn't hide his happiness. "I don't believe these things, but I want to ask for one for you." Xie Mo's fingertips brushed the red string on his wrist. Li Huaizhou looked down at the string of copper coins, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up. "Childish." But his heart felt like it was filled with something, warm.
In the evening, the four of them found an open-air barbecue stall. The owner was a warm local, and the aroma of the barbecue skewers wafted far away. Ji Jiancheng ordered a large number of skewers and a few bottles of beer, while Shen Qitang ordered some vegetables and grilled corn. Xie Mo was afraid that Li Huaizhou couldn't handle spicy food, so he asked the owner to use less chili.
Li Huaizhou bit into a grilled chicken wing and watched Ji Jiancheng and Shen Qitang bickering, occasionally interjecting a word or two. Xie Mo helped him block the beer that Ji Jiancheng handed over: "He has a bad stomach."
"Hey, Mr. Xie, you are too protective." Ji Jiancheng yelled in dissatisfaction, but still pushed the drink to Li Huaizhou. The lights of the barbecue stall were dim, and the evening breeze brought the coolness of the summer night.
Xie Mo looked down at the person in his arms, his heart filled with peace. Li Huaizhou seemed to notice his gaze and looked up at him. Xie Mo reached out to wipe it off for him, then lowered his head and kissed him on the forehead. "What's wrong?" Li Huaizhou asked.
"Nothing." Xie Mo smiled, "I just think this is good."
Ji Jiancheng yelled beside him: "Here it comes again, can you please consider the feelings of the single guys!" Li Huaizhou leaned in Xie Mo's arms, looked at the two people playing around, then looked at Xie Mo beside him, and couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth. Such a day is really good.
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