Chapter 47 is an extra chapter, unrelated to the main story; it's a casual, ambiguous side story.
At 5:47 a.m., Zhang Qiling woke up precisely on time, spurred by his biological clock. The faint light filtering through the curtains cast dappled shadows on the ceiling. He gently moved his left arm, which had gone numb from being pressed down—Black Bear was wrapped around him like an octopus, one leg straddling his waist, its even breath brushing against the side of his neck.
Zhang Qiling tried to pull his arm away, very gently, but Hei Xiazi immediately grumbled in his sleep, tightening his grip. He had no choice but to give up and instead gazed at the sleeping face of the person beside him. Hei Xiazi's features were surprisingly gentle after removing his sunglasses, and the fine lines at the corners of his eyes were faintly visible in the morning light, like marks quietly left by the years.
"Dumb..." Hei Xiazi mumbled in his sleep, his nose unconsciously brushing against the old scar on Zhang Qiling's collarbone. This subconscious act of intimacy made Zhang Qiling pause slightly, his fingertips gently stroking the ends of the other's hair scattered on the pillow.
At exactly six o'clock, Hei Xiazi finally opened his eyes, meeting Zhang Qiling's calm gaze. He grinned, his voice hoarse from just waking up: "Clan Chief Zhang, peeping at someone sleeping is not the act of a gentleman."
Zhang Qiling didn't answer, but lowered his head and kissed him. It was a kiss filled with the warmth of dawn, as gentle as dew glistening on a leaf. Hei Xiazi smiled in response, running his fingers through Zhang Qiling's thick black hair, pulling him closer. When they parted, both were slightly breathless. Hei Xiazi pressed his forehead against Zhang Qiling's and chuckled softly, "So passionate so early in the morning?"
"Get up." Zhang Qiling got up, but Hei Xiazi hugged her waist from behind.
"Lie down for another five minutes." Black Bear buried his face in his lower back, his voice muffled. "Anyway, we're not on a mission today."
They still got up promptly at 6:30. While Zhang Qiling was washing up in the bathroom, Hei Xiazi lazily leaned against the door frame watching him shave. The moment the foam touched his chin, Hei Xiazi suddenly leaned over, dipped a little shaving cream in his fingertip, and gently dabbed it on the tip of his nose.
"It's childish," Zhang Qiling said, but let him do whatever he wanted.
Breakfast was a simple bowl of white porridge and some side dishes. While stirring the porridge, Hei Xiazi nudged Zhang Qiling's leg under the table with his toe. "What's the schedule for today?" he asked casually, but his eyes gleamed suspiciously.
"Organize the equipment." Zhang Qiling placed a piece of pickled cucumber into his bowl. "You're in charge of wiping the knife."
The fluorescent lights in the basement emitted a soft hum. Zhang Qiling laid the Black Gold Ancient Sword flat on a velvet cloth and expertly applied oil for maintenance. Hei Xiazi sat opposite the workbench, slowly wiping a military dagger, his gaze constantly following Zhang Qiling's fingers.
"Your knife saved me three times back in Yunnan," Black Bear suddenly said.
Zhang Qiling paused, then responded with a soft "hmm." The blade gleamed with a cold, eerie blue light under the lamp, reflecting his focused profile.
It was nearly noon by the time they finished cleaning the weapons. Black Bear complained of being hungry, but as Zhang Qiling got up, he pressed him against the weapon rack and kissed him. The kiss carried the scent of engine oil and steel, much more urgent than the one in the morning. Zhang Qiling's lower back pressed against the cold metal rack, while Black Bear's body heat pressed against him; the sensation of ice and fire intertwining made him tremble slightly.
With a thud, a military knife fell to the ground. Black Bear chuckled and whispered in Zhang Qiling's ear, "Clan Chief Zhang, your heart is beating so fast."
Zhang Qiling didn't speak, but instead held the back of his neck and deepened the kiss. The fluorescent light cast their intertwined shadows on the wall, and as Hei Xiazi's hand slipped inside his clothes, Zhang Qiling suddenly exerted force, and their positions instantly reversed.
"You're cheating." Black Bear was pinned down on the weapon rack, but he laughed triumphantly.
Just then, the phone rang at an inopportune moment—it was Xie Yuchen's routine report call.
After the phone call, the ambiguous atmosphere dissipated considerably. Hei Xiazi lamented, "Xie Yuchen ruined my plans," and Zhang Qiling retaliated by wiping his face with his gun-oil-stained hands.
It started raining in the afternoon, and the two snuggled on the sofa watching an old movie. Hei Xiazi warmed Zhang Qiling's cold feet in his arms, his fingers idly massaging the soles of his feet. When the male and female leads kissed, he whispered in Zhang Qiling's ear, "They didn't coordinate as well as we did."
The sound of rain pattering against the windowpane became an ambiguous background noise as the film's dialogue filled the air. This kiss, tinged with the languor of the afternoon, was more lingering than any before. Black Bear's hand slipped inside Zhang Qiling's clothes, gently circling his waist.
The sound of rain grew louder, drowning out all other noises. The bedroom curtains weren't fully drawn, and the greyish-white light of the rain bathed the room in a soft glow. As Hei Xiazi tilted his head back to receive the delicate kisses, his fingers left faint red marks on Zhang Qiling's back. Outside, the rain pattered softly; inside, only the sound of their intertwined breaths remained.
After the rain, when the sun shone, they soaked in the bathtub. Black Bear leaned against Zhang Qiling's chest, playing with the jade pendant on his chest. "Next time we go on a mission, I'm going to put a GPS on you," he said, half-jokingly.
Zhang Qiling didn't answer, but simply rested her chin lightly on the top of his head. The bubbles gathered and dispersed on the water's surface, like unspoken promises.
As evening fell, Zhang Qiling was cooking in the kitchen when Hei Xiazi grabbed him from behind and started making a ruckus. Amidst the roar of the range hood, he shouted, "Dumb guy, how about we live like this for the rest of our lives?"
The sizzling noise was too loud for Zhang Qiling to hear. But as he turned to hand over the plate, he lightly touched Hei Xiazi's lips.
Late at night, Hei Xiazi was awakened by a nightmare. Before he could speak, Zhang Qiling's hand was already covering his eyelids: "I'm here."
Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, illuminating their clasped hands. Hei Xiazi suddenly remembered that many years ago, on a snowy night in Golmud, Zhang Qiling had used similarly cold hands to dig him out of a pile of corpses.
"Go to sleep," Zhang Qiling said, her voice softer than the moonlight.
Hei Xiazi closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep in the familiar scent. Day and night alternate, seasons cycle, and some people are destined to be entangled for life. And they have countless more such days and nights to share, in the simplest of ways, to express unspoken love in every ordinary moment.
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