Chapter 65

Chapter 65

The quantity was clearly wrong.

Ning Qiuyan’s face flushed a deep crimson as he answered Guan Heng’s question.

Guan Heng had already guessed the gist of it.

Ning Qiuyan was a blend of rebellion and obedience, giving off a strong sense of contradiction. He just hadn’t realized that Ning Qiuyan could be this green and naive.

“This item appears on the island’s supply procurement list every few months,” Guan Heng said.

Ning Qiuyan froze. Procurement for Du Island?

Then he realized-even if Guan Heng had no use for them, there were many servants on the island besides him. They had lived on Du Island their entire lives; some had even married and had children there. Such a purchase was perfectly natural.

Guan Heng likely understood its purpose very well. Perhaps during some of his late-night strolls, he had even heard many sounds that weren’t meant to be heard.

He had no interest in such things and never spoke of them; he simply observed all aspects of humanity with a clear, detached gaze.

While Ning Qiuyan was lost in these stray thoughts, Guan Heng suddenly said, “Let me help answer your questions.”

Startled, he nearly jumped and turned to look back.

***

It was over.

The notebook filled with musical notes, the guitar and picks, the eraser and pencils-all lay scattered in a mess on the carpet. The discussion about the arrangement they had been about to have had come to an abrupt halt, and it likely wouldn’t be picked up again anytime soon.

Guan Heng couldn’t see Ning Qiuyan’s expression. He simply let the boy hold him, his nose pressed against the crown of the boy’s head, smelling the faint scent of shampoo and his unique fragrance. That scent was exactly the same as the one he had smelled the night they first met by the lake.

When the scent of a strange human had appeared in the dark woods, carried into Guan Heng’s nostrils by the wind, he had almost immediately heard the sound of blood flowing through the other’s veins.

The scent was warm and sweet.

Fangs had instantly pierced through his gums, awakening a long-dormant hunger.

The craving for this specific blood had existed before they even met. It was to the point that when Guan Heng pulled Ning Qiuyan away from the cracking thin ice on the lake, he had been forced to quickly put distance between them.

By now, it was sometimes difficult to distinguish which desire was stronger, but regardless of which it was, the end goal was possession.

The results of the ‘experiment’ were very clear. Ning Qiuyan would no longer rely on such a naive method to confirm its use; he already understood what needed to be done. However, after this ordeal, he was determined to throw the remaining one away no matter what. He would never let it stay in his guitar case to cause another social death scene.

Neither of them spoke immediately.

Guan Heng tilted his head down and kissed him.

Memories of kissing were revived, and all the sensations from that kiss in the back of the car came rushing back.

After a few days of emptiness, the tingling sensation surged back a hundredfold.

The kiss lasted a long time.

It should have stopped.

They both knew that.

Yet, when the kiss ended, Ning Qiuyan did not let go of the long hair wound around his fingers. Instead, he leaned in proactively.

Guan Heng stopped him.

Ning Qiuyan hesitated for a second or two, his bright black eyes clouded with a misty haze. He knew he hadn’t received Guan Heng’s permission.

Guan Heng leaned in again, tilting his head, their lips lightly brushing against each other.

The moment he was permitted, Ning Qiuyan pressed into the kiss.

Guan Heng did not kiss back.

Ning Qiuyan’s waist throbbed from the tight grip of Guan Heng’s large hand.

***

Qu Shu arrived at nine-thirty that night. The driver was already waiting downstairs.

The room was very quiet. Guan Heng was reading a book, fully dressed and ready to depart at any moment. Ning Qiuyan, wrapped in a long bathrobe, was curled up beside Guan Heng, biting the end of a pencil.

“Can I change this part like this?” he asked Guan Heng.

Guan Heng looked away from his book and simply took the pencil from Ning Qiuyan’s hand, quickly scribbling two notes on the page.

Ning Qiuyan took the pencil back and continued biting it.

“Sir,” Qu Shu said politely, “it’s about time.”

As if only just noticing Qu Shu, Ning Qiuyan finally looked up. “Sister Shu.”

Guan Heng gave a brief acknowledgment, stood up, and said, “Let’s go.”

He casually pressed a hand down on Ning Qiuyan’s head as he did.

Ning Qiuyan was dazed but didn’t move.

Qu Shu had originally thought Ning Qiuyan would go to the airport with her to see Guan Heng off, but it seemed he wasn’t going.

The atmosphere was also much lighter than Qu Shu had imagined. Guan Heng took his overcoat at the entryway and draped it over his shoulders as if he were just stepping out for a moment and wouldn’t be gone long. But the distance between Du Island and Sujing was actually quite far; seeing each other wasn’t something that could be done with just a quick trip out the door.

Unless something unexpected happened, the next time Ning Qiuyan saw Guan Heng would be during the winter break in over two months.

“Well then, Xiao Ning, I’m going to take Sir now,” Qu Shu said.

“Okay,” Ning Qiuyan replied. “Safe travels.”

The door opened, and light from the hallway spilled into the somewhat dim room. Ning Qiuyan watched Guan Heng’s retreating back and called out, “Sir, goodbye.”

Guan Heng paused, looked back at him, and replied gently, “Goodbye.”

The door closed.

The light from outside was shut out as well.

In the massive hotel room, only the floor lamp by the sofa remained lit. Ning Qiuyan reached out and touched the sofa beside him; no warmth from Guan Heng remained.

It didn’t rain that day.

The night view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was just as beautiful as the last time he had stayed here.

Ning Qiuyan pulled his thoughts back and finished the draft according to Guan Heng’s suggestions. Then he closed the notebook, got off the sofa, and tidied up the erasers, picks, guitar, and other belongings.

Finally, as he had promised Guan Heng, he climbed into bed, lay down, and closed his eyes to sleep.

His body was still soft, the sensations of the kisses and embraces still so vivid.

Suddenly, a dull ache rose in his heart. Longing attacked him fiercely within just a few minutes, even more intensely than it had six months ago. This time, there was no way to “withdraw.” He had completely surrendered-both body and soul-to the man named Guan Heng.

Their positions had swapped. Ning Qiuyan was no longer the one who was always leaving. Only now did he realize that waiting was also a difficult task.

However, this time, Ning Qiuyan had the right to miss him.

After tossing and turning for a while, he took out his phone to send Guan Heng a message. He didn’t intend to say anything mushy; he just wanted to ask where Guan Heng was, if he had reached the airport, and if he was about to board.

To his surprise, there was already a message from Guan Heng on his phone, sent thirty-five minutes ago.

The message was a photo.

The Sujing Tower stood tall in the city night, its lights brilliant and shimmering.