Chapter 108 Yin Peach Blossom (38) "I promised, boyfriend..."
Xie Tan had felt Lu Jinzhao's body temperature more than once, but never as clearly as now.
The other person's warm breath, the lines on their lips, and the subtle panting as they rub against each other—all of these seem to be describable.
The kiss came suddenly, yet it was gentle and restrained. It was just a close touch, as if to feel each other's most authentic existence, and desire was deconstructed.
Xie Tan's hidden soul seemed to be drawn all the way to the back of his lips, and through that barely perceptible gap, it touched the soul of another person.
He tried hard to recall what Lu Jinzhao's shower gel smelled like today.
I can't remember... This guy smells like him.
Xie Tan knew how terrifying it was when his pheromones went out of control. The feeling he experienced on others would only be worse on himself. Being enveloped by that eerie, damp, and strange smell was like falling into an ice cellar, lying in a coffin, or being stuck in hell forever.
He himself didn't like the smell, but he had to live with it all the time, so he learned to ignore it in a state of numbness.
But now, this scent envelops another person, someone who cares even less than him… someone who truly doesn’t care at all, and suddenly he’s willing to smell it again.
It seems that this pheromone, a part of him from birth, is no longer an ominous sign, a brand of the devil, or a tattoo on his life, but has finally returned to its most basic meaning: the possessiveness that stems from biological instinct, the desire to leave a trace on the beloved, that is, a mark.
Lu Jinzhao kissed him first, but he felt that he had secretly marked her earlier.
Perhaps it was unintentional, but beyond his shame and apology, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction. He knew that what he called "unintentional" might have been guided step by step by a deeper "intention" in his heart, and that his own intentions were impure.
Xie Tan's head was spinning more and more, and he could no longer feel whether his body temperature had risen or not. All he knew was that Lu Jinzhao was talking nonsense and there was no relief. Wasn't this making things even worse?
His body was tempting him to lose control of his reason.
Xie Tan pressed against Lu Jinzhao's chest and gently pushed him away. Lu Jinzhao didn't move. After a while, Xie Tan pushed him again, and Lu Jinzhao reluctantly rubbed against him before they gradually separated.
Xie Tan shrank back, pulled up his hood to cover himself, and lowered his head to become a dark mushroom. Lu Jinzhao was afraid that the mushroom would fall over, so he moved closer to him so that he could lean on him.
“Hey you two in the corner, pay attention to us too, come and give us a hand… Ah, what’s going on?” Xi Rui waved the “Sun” bone fragment at them, and raised an eyebrow when he saw Xie Tan’s withdrawn appearance.
Lu Jinzhao: "The fire is too hot, he's not feeling well, I'll take over."
Qi Shiheng dared not let everyone split up again. In this godforsaken place, if they separated even a little, the next collapse might mean they would be separated forever.
Black flames flickered in the cracks of the ruins, and the underground temperature was indeed rising. Except for Lu Jinzhao, everyone else was starting to feel dizzy.
Since the three students had already used up their "suns" anyway, which were now malfunctioning, she simply collected all the bone fragments and moved them to the last two students.
Chang Mingai, who had followed, took another look at Xie Tan. This state... was the same as last time. Had he fallen ill?
Last time it was also solar fire, was it affected by the destructive force's magnetic field?
Qi Shiheng had given up hope and was just eliminating possibilities. Sure enough, Lu Jinzhao also drew "Sun". Xie Tan, feeling resigned, gave him face and drew randomly, with the same result.
It seems that even divination is affected in this underground tomb surrounded by the sun's fire; the sun's presence covers and suppresses everything, yielding no other results.
She had no time to clean up the mess, and clutched her aching head in worry: "Won't this become our burial ground...?"
Xie Tan was the last person to perform the divination. He was still holding the "Sun" bone fragment. Seeing that the witch was not interested in doing anything and not knowing how to face Lu Jinzhao, he found something to do for himself and pretended to be busy arranging the bone fragments on the ground.
Xia Wujin said calmly, "Then the unclaimed tomb has an owner."
Chang Mingai exclaimed in shock: "Don't try to imitate Xie Tan's dark and morbid humor, Miss!"
Xi Rui withdrew the talisman he had been using for probing, and said thoughtfully, "If we blast our way through from here, there are two roads that haven't collapsed yet. If we hurry, we can get out of here. What do you think?"
"Need not."
The group was taken aback and looked over at the voice, only to find that it was Lu Jinzhao who had spoken.
The tall, lanky young man squatted there leisurely, propping his head up with one hand, and said, "The fire is coming."
As soon as he finished speaking, the black flames smashed through the broken walls and rubble, shooting straight upwards, violently breaking through the thick bricks and soil, and the sky brightened.
But the collapse was cleverly timed; apart from the choking dust, no large rocks hit them, and they quickly scrambled to the ground.
Everything happened so suddenly. Qi Shiheng hurriedly gathered up the bone fragments scattered on the ground, but then she saw a few pieces casually placed together, as if to relieve boredom. Her inspiration was suddenly sparked. The words that these solar omens could correspond to were wildly arranged and combined in her mind, as if, as if they could form a sentence...
But there was no time to think it through; I grabbed it and ran!
Then, the entire tomb chamber collapsed with a roar, sending up thick black smoke that looked like upturned flowers.
They ran out of the woods, where two vehicles were waiting for them. They were Xu Jinbo and Xue Hong, who each drove them through the dust and smoke as they sped away.
Xie Tan was completely unconscious.
When he woke up again, the familiar "noisy" room calmed him down. On the bedside table, a pair of polar bear and penguin plush toys were peering at him with silly smiles, as if they were temporarily looking after him.
His two inhibitors were strapped to his arms. One was empty, and he did feel a little better, but still... worse than before.
He rubbed his temples, turned on the nightlight, picked up another inhibitor, and looked at it against the light. The liquid was a dark, golden color. Then the bedroom door opened, and the color of the liquid blended with the black-haired youth's eyes, making him pause in surprise.
Lu Jinzhao placed the small tray on the counter, naturally touched Xie Tan's forehead to make sure his temperature had gone down, and then picked up the small porcelain bowl: "I made red date and white fungus soup. Have some sweet soup first to fill your stomach before eating."
Xie Tan silently put down the inhibitor, looked at him, and said nothing.
Lu Jinzhao's fingers tightened around the porcelain spoon, and he slumped down like a dog that had fallen into water, whispering, "A-Tan... are you angry with me? I..."
"I'm sorry," Xie Tan interrupted him, speaking first amidst his bewildered gaze, "...I made you worry."
Lu Jinzhao was slightly taken aback, not expecting Xie Tan to apologize first. He put down his bowl, couldn't help but hug Xie Tan, and rubbed his head against the boy's still slightly warm neck, muttering, "I like A-Tan... I like him the most."
Xie Tan's hands hovered in mid-air, then slowly and gently landed on Lu Jinzhao's back, as if touching it, yet also as if there was a gap between them.
He paused for a moment, then said, "Is this a confession?"
Lu Jinzhao, who had just stood up, suddenly stopped. Xie Tan was surprised to see that Lu Jinzhao looked completely at a loss.
Xie Tan then realized that Lu Jinzhao was almost never at a loss or uneasy; his radiance was stable, even assertive, and unwavering.
He remembered a story from a previous series where Lu Jinzhao and other tourists in the scenic area shared a small yacht and encountered a vengeful ghost in the sea that was trying to take over. Everyone was swept into the sea except for Lu Jinzhao.
Although Lu Jinzhao eventually saved everyone with a lifebuoy, his unique luck led to him being targeted by several of his companions who blamed everything on him and even caused trouble at the restaurant he frequented.
Xu Jinbo was there at the time, and he went to Lu Jinzhao to complain. As a result, he encountered these scoundrels. Taking advantage of his drunkenness, he became unusually assertive and scolded them until they were terrified.
After the troublemakers left, Mr. Corporate Slave still complained: "It's because there are too many ungrateful scumbags like this that good people don't get rewarded. It's disheartening. That's why the whole social environment is so unclean, like a big garbage dump, full of the stench of arrogance and idiots! Honestly, if I had known they were these kinds of people, why would I have saved them in the first place, Lu?"
"Ah, they'll still save you?" the black-haired youth said, swirling his wine glass with curiosity, completely unaffected.
Xu Jinbo's excitement faltered, and he asked blankly, "Why?"
"Because they called for help?" The black-haired youth laughed, his eyes crinkling. "That's easy to achieve, isn't it?"
Xu Jinbo was even more dissatisfied, muttering, "Student Lu is just too kind-hearted, that's why he always runs into guys who make your bright path more difficult..."
The black-haired youth blinked, his smile deepening.
Xie Tan thought that the person in front of him, who had been betrayed and framed by those he had saved, was still able to steadfastly continue to lend a helping hand to those in need. According to online parlance, he was the kind of person with "super stable core". In the story... just like the forum said, he was a born protagonist, a hero.
But this same person, in his presence, was now as helpless as a child, unsure of where to put his hands, blinking incessantly, his mind seemingly racing.
Perhaps what he said went too far.
But couldn't that kiss be over?
Stop, Xie Tan... don't think about it anymore.
A subtle, swollen feeling swelled up inside him, like water boiling slightly, forming a layer of tiny bubbles that kept bursting, coalescing, and bursting again... He should turn off the heat now.
Too much heat is definitely not suitable for him; after all, even something that's already cold will slip through his hands.
Xie Tan said calmly, "It's just a game..."
“This is too informal.” Lu Jinzhao suddenly looked up, anxious and regretful, and said, “There is no such thing as a confession like this… There were no flowers or balloons, no special surprise preparations, not even a decent restaurant. I just made a soup and two light dishes… I was just talking to myself and didn’t even seriously ask you, ‘A-Tan, would you like to be my boyfriend?’… Hmm.”
Xie Tan suddenly grabbed Lu Jinzhao's collar, stood up slightly, and kissed his lips.
Lu Jinzhao was completely stunned this time, his amber eyes wide open.
Xie Tan deliberately didn't close his eyes. He was initially very flustered, but when he saw Lu Jinzhao, he became even more flustered, and surprisingly calmed down... and even felt a little smug.
"I agree." Xie Tan slowly released him, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Boyfriend."
The fire in his heart finally ignited, boiling and crackling, clamoring for him to do something.
He knew this might not be a good answer, that he might regret it soon, or that a bad ending was destined from the start.
But this is indeed the answer that he most follows his heart at this moment.
It was what he wanted to hold onto.
They kept a little distance apart, and this time they only touched each other briefly. Lu Jinchao was being restrained, and Xie Tan was the only one he dared to do this.
They gazed into each other's eyes, their eyes shimmering like shallow pools of water, turning amber to gold, merging together.
Lu Jinzhao placed his hand on Xie Tan's nape and kissed him again.
This time, it won't be a half-hearted attempt.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
