“Seaside villa, large flat in the CBD, standalone apartment, we have many options.”
“Three of them are in American pastoral, Nordic light color, and Oriental classic styles, plus two that are completely undecorated.”
“You can become the owner of any one of them, choosing its future color, layout, furnishings, and everything you’ve ever wanted, the way a home should be.”
“Get engaged, then own a house, a home… and a seemingly decent fiancé?”
Huo Ren had just woken up not long ago, his hair was messy, still wrapped in the blanket.
He quickly gulped down some lemon water from the bedside table, not even noticing it was Pei Ruye’s glass.
…Marriage.
A completely foreign word, never even fantasized about.
Eight years as a celebrity had invisibly manipulated him within a framework, many things a normal person should have had turned into true luxuries.
Armani, Hermès, luxury cars, and luxury watches, all too common daily items.
***, a fixed residence, personal emotions, speech, and image, all became the price on the other end of the scale.
A year ago, they were like birds without feet, wandering back and forth in various five-star hotels, barely staying in the dormitory for a few months each year.
…Can I also have a marriage?
And a home that belongs only to me?
Pei Ruye placed the keys in the glass bowl at the entrance and slowly approached him.
Huo Ren subconsciously sat up straighter.
He felt awkward about his rash behavior last night.
It was said to be because of the nightmare and panic, but perhaps it also implied… a deep-seated desire.
After all, when half-asleep, all repressions and defenses are relaxed and eased.
The man now sat beside him, holding his right hand as before.
“Mr. Huo, would you like to get engaged to me?”
An unexpected anticipation, swirling with numerous fantasies, began to surge.
At this moment, Huo Ren felt something continuously rising from his chest, like air currents in the sky or champagne bubbles, about to burst out of his throat.
He swallowed, speaking dryly.
“Teacher, we… don’t have an emotional foundation right now.”
Pei Ruye leisurely glanced at him.
“Indeed, you’re not interested in me.”
“You just want to do that thing with me.”
Huo Ren hadn’t expected him to actually joke about last night’s events, suddenly feeling a rebellious urge taking over.
“Yes.”
He admitted it briskly, feeling a long-lost sense of exhilaration in his provocation.
“I’ve been single for over twenty years, it’s normal to have that inclination.”
The man watched him with a smile.
“…Which thing do you want to do with me? Hmm?”
Huo Ren’s head steamed up in an instant, provoked to the point of speechlessness, about to get out of bed in a huff.
“If we’re not getting engaged, I’m leaving. I haven’t done my morning exercise yet.”
Before he could throw off the blanket, the man pressed him back down with one hand.
The force of restraint was very clear.
“I’ll take that as your consent.”
Before Huo Ren could react, his eyes were already covered and tightly bound by a pure black silk ribbon.
It was a bright and sunny morning, seagulls circling and crying in the distance.
He could even feel the warm sunlight on his bare skin, yet he was once again plunged into darkness, as if floating in a warm, intangible void.
The cool and slender knuckles rested beside his neck.
He couldn’t help but let out a low hiss, reaching out to grab something.
“Does this hurt?” Only the man’s faint laughter in the dark world: “I haven’t touched you yet.”
“Now… do it now?” He pursed his lips, at this moment unsure whether to stop or let go: “Even if we were to do it, it should be after getting engaged, right…”
“I’ll give you a taste of sweetness first.”
His heart once again started to beat rapidly, like a joyous drumbeat.
Their fingers intertwined, they knelt close to each other, even their breaths seeming to ignite the long-suppressed desires within.
“…Do you remember the question from yesterday?”
“…Yes.”
“What was it?”
Huo Ren had grown accustomed to emotional closure, yet whenever it came to matters involving Pei Ruye, he always felt truly alive.
“You said,” he anticipated that those hands could grant him more rewards, revealing an unprecedented compliance under the man’s gaze.
“…You said,” his right hand slowly reached out into the void in the darkness, guided by the man to rest on a warm chest, then gently pressed down: “This belongs to me.”
“As long as your heart is beating, you will always belong to me.”
As he repeated these words, his breathing and blood unconsciously slowed and lightened, as if he had finally found the key to assure his sense of security.
“Good boy.”
The man kneeled beside him, gently caressing his cheek and lips with the palm of his hand.
“I am yours.”
“Even my body is entirely yours.”
With his eyes covered and unable to see anything, Huo Ren trembled slightly at these words, as if captured by countless emotions.
“So, Ren Ren… what do you want to do?”
“I…” He pondered for a moment, like a simple child suddenly given too many choices.
“Can we kiss now?”
“For **, yes.”
“For emotion, also yes—you can feel even more of my love through it.”
“There will be no changes.”
Pei Ruye lowered his head to brush aside his hair to behind his ear, slowly leaning in close to his lips, his voice soft and beguiling.
“Ren Ren, when your eyes are covered… you don’t need to think rationally.”
Before the last word was even spoken, the young man eagerly kissed him, gripping tightly onto the man’s arms with all ten fingers, which were then firmly clasped by the other’s knuckles.
Time suddenly accelerated.
They embraced each other tightly in the same second, their kisses long overdue and intensely entwined, releasing all their fantasies.
Having restrained himself for too long, Huo Ren now let go of all restraints, kissing the person he desired and cherished in a rushed and clumsy manner.
“Mm… Uh…”
His breathing became rapid, almost suffocating in the prolonged kiss, yet unwilling to let go of Pei Ruye’s hands.
In the dark chaos, the scent of the ocean enveloped him completely, urging him to become a bit more unrestrained.
“Teacher…” He called out to Pei Ruye intermittently, even while deeply kissing, still pleading for more: “Teacher… kiss me again…”
Pei Ruye sighed: “How could you possibly wait until marriage like this.”
A single kiss had stirred him so, challenging for both.
Huo Ren paused, and when he spoke again, his tone even carried a hint of grievance: “Do we have to wait until marriage to do that?”
