Qing Hang almost dropped out of university because of rumors about being kept by someone, which was probably when the seeds of trouble were first sown.

He never actively offended people, but he couldn’t silence the mouths of others.

Cheng Wanyue hadn’t seen those missed calls. For several months, she had been staying in a sterile ward, with her parents keeping her phone.

“I didn’t know. Maybe my phone was turned off. Why didn’t you try calling more times?”

It had been extremely difficult for Qing Hang to take that first step. “I was afraid that if the call connected, I’d hear you telling me not to bother you.”

“Even though I’m often angry with you, I’ve never found you bothersome,” Cheng Wanyue bit him angrily, and only when blood color appeared through his skin did she realize she’d bitten too hard. She comfortingly extended the tip of her tongue to lick the ring of teeth marks. “I’ll forgive you this time.”

In truth, she knew that Grandpa Qing was very ill.

She had never worried about money, but Qing Hang was different. No one would help him; he could only rely on himself.

“Qing Hang, how did you spend your university years?”

Li Yu had said he was dazzling during his university days, that it was the small county town that had dimmed his inherent brilliance.

Cheng Wanyue disagreed with Li Yu’s assessment. She hadn’t contradicted her at the time because she had indeed missed seeing eighteen-year-old Qing Hang. But small county towns also had moonlight and evening breezes that could blow away the dust that had settled on him. Just because some people couldn’t see his brilliance didn’t mean no one could.

When Cheng Guo’an had picked Qing Hang out of the mire, he had said that Qing Hang would certainly achieve great things someday.

The first time Qing Hang drank at the Cheng house was on Cheng Guo’an’s birthday. Cheng Guo’an had also drunk quite a bit, and after drinking, he loved to expound on principles and talk about things from long ago. Cheng Wanyue had listened with quiet fascination.

See? She wasn’t the only one who thought Qing Hang was special.

Qing Hang tried to recall those years, but the memories were bland. “Every day was very ordinary: classes, part-time jobs, studying, exams. Winning competitions would bring prize money. I spent half a year constantly competing. Later, when I didn’t need money so urgently, my life rhythm slowed down, making it even more ordinary.”

Cheng Wanyue frowned. “You’re wrong. You’re not ordinary at all!”

He thought for a moment, then answered: “It’s the me that you like who isn’t ordinary.”

Cheng Wanyue was finally satisfied. She looked at the ring of teeth marks on Qing Hang’s chest, which had become more visible than before, and suddenly an unconventional idea formed in her mind. “Qing Hang, do you dare to get a tattoo?”

The topic change was too abrupt. Qing Hang paused for a few seconds. “Tattooed where?”

“Here,” she touched the red mark, her fingertip still feeling the indentation on his skin, the trace of her bite.

Qing Hang saw the eager excitement in her eyes. “No one controls me. What wouldn’t I dare to do?”

He smiled and lowered his head. Cheng Wanyue leaned back, and a slight pain spread along her nerves as he left shallow teeth marks in the same spot on her.

The light reflected in his pupils like a flame.

“Want me to go with you?” Cheng Wanyue remembered the doctor had advised her against getting tattoos. “I can’t. My mom won’t allow it, but I can use temporary tattoo stickers.”

Tattoos were painful, and Qing Hang knew she feared pain.

“You don’t need to get one with me. Just being with me is enough.”

Having her by his side was enough.

The floor was cold. Qing Hang carried her to the bed, and before long, she was yawning drowsily. She rarely suffered from insomnia, though she somewhat regretted not bringing Meiqiu along.

Qing Hang had to go to the hospital for rounds. He made breakfast before leaving.

The earring was too small; the chance of finding it was extremely slim. Still, he first went to the studio where Cheng Wanyue worked. It wasn’t there, so he searched the surrounding area for a long time but didn’t find it.

After completing his rounds, Qing Hang called Cheng Wanyue to wake up and eat breakfast.

During a break in her meeting, she took photos of the empty plates—she had eaten everything—and sent them to him.

Qing Hang sat in the conference room surrounded by colleagues from his department. Five minutes earlier, they had been discussing a patient’s surgery. The patient’s various indicators were slowly returning to normal. Although it was a minor operation, it was the first time he had been the lead surgeon.

The sense of achievement this photo gave him was no less than the grateful smile from the patient after the successful surgery.

Cheng Wanyue wanted to watch the flag-raising ceremony, which required queuing in the early morning. After finishing breakfast, she returned to her room to continue sleeping. Qing Hang finished his meeting early, so he went to the nearest shopping mall.

The first floor had many jewelry counters. He had bought a necklace there before, and the saleswoman enthusiastically introduced the design concepts of various styles, just as she had last time.

Qing Hang saw an earring inlaid with blue diamonds in the display case. The blue was very similar to the color of her hair, with tiny diamonds pieced together to form the shape of a moon, glittering softly under the lights.

She would probably like it.

After paying, he went upstairs to the sportswear section. Cheng Wanyue’s suitcase only contained one pair of high heels. To watch the flag-raising ceremony, they would have to queue for a long time in a crowded place, and high heels would not work.

Qing Hang picked out a pair of white sneakers. The clerk said they were the latest style, just received yesterday. This size also came in light pink, which he looked at, but ultimately chose white.

Because white matched best with black.

On the way home, he passed a flower shop. The light blue hydrangeas displayed in the window were very fresh, so he went in and bought several stems.

He had left home empty-handed, but returned with both hands full.

Cheng Wanyue was video chatting with Huo Zhi in her room. “Zhi-zhi, let me see Meiqiu.”

Huo Zhi had also just gotten up. She was leaning against the kitchen door, and Cheng Yanqing could be seen washing vegetables in the frame. “It’s only been one night. Are you worried your brother is mistreating it?”

She was wearing Cheng Yanqing’s clothes, which Cheng Wanyue could tell.

Meiqiu usually slept in Cheng Yanqing’s room, and even if taken outside, would scratch at the door in the middle of the night. She and Huo Zhi surely couldn’t have spent last night simply sleeping under the covers.

“I’m afraid he’ll teach Meiqiu bad habits. Meiqiu is still young.”

“It probably misses you. It’s been in your room the whole time,” Huo Zhi didn’t move, just adjusted the camera angle so Cheng Wanyue could see Meiqiu.

Meiqiu sat at the foot of the bed, just bathed in a beam of light, its white fur seeming to glow, looking very noble.

Cheng Wanyue thought, My love hasn’t been wasted.

Huo Zhi said, “Your brother bought a lot of groceries. Coming back for lunch?”

Cheng Wanyue had no intention of being a third wheel. “You two go ahead. I’ll wait for Qing Hang. See you tonight.”

The bedroom door was open. Cheng Wanyue lay on her pillow watching the cat, while Qing Hang watched her.

Although she hadn’t heard the door open, she had already spotted him on the phone’s video screen. He took off his coat and sat on the edge of the bed, causing the mattress to sink.

In the last second before the video ended, Meiqiu’s paw had just stepped on the camera.

She had brought pajamas, but after showering, she still wore his clothes.

The temperature rose at noon. She was wearing little, so Qing Hang pulled the quilt to cover her bare legs. His hand didn’t withdraw but moved upward from her ankle to her calf, which felt like milk pudding.

She turned to lie flat on the pillow. Sunlight fell on her collar, making that patch of skin appear almost transparent, highlighting the faint teeth marks.

The mark where she had bitten Qing Hang was darker.

He bent down to kiss that teeth mark, his arm scooping up her waist to help her sit up.

“I couldn’t find it, but I bought new ones,” Qing Hang untied the butterfly knot binding the box.

When he took out the pair of earrings, all his attention was on Cheng Wanyue.

Would she like them?

She must like them.

“If you couldn’t find it, then forget it. A’Yu won’t blame me. This blue is so beautiful, too. Help me try it on,” Cheng Wanyue brushed her hair behind her ear. “Keep the other one for me. In case I lose this one too, you’ll still have one here.”

“Mm, I’ll put it in the drawer.”

Qing Hang went to wash his hands to prepare food. After putting the flowers in a vase, Cheng Wanyue also went to the kitchen to help. She wanted dumplings. Qing Hang prepared the filling and was about to start rolling out the dumpling wrappers.

She had flour on her face. His hands were wet, so he could only rub his face against hers.

The flour wasn’t wiped clean, but their lips met.

Cheng Wanyue sat on the counter with him holding her, Qing Hang standing between her legs, swallowing her laughter. Her cool hands slipped inside his shirt. He briefly moved away from her for just a second to cooperate in taking off his top, then promptly slid his hand under the hem of her T-shirt.

She wore nothing underneath.

The scent of shower gel filled their breathing. He took one into his mouth, his tongue teasing the tender nipple, while the other gradually hardened under his palm.

The building opposite the kitchen also housed residents. It was lunchtime, and Cheng Wanyue could still hear the neighbors talking.

Her left cheek was slightly heated from the sun. She pulled Qing Hang’s short hair to push him away.

His breathing was heavy, a circle of glistening moisture around his lips. He closed his eyes and leaned on her shoulder, gently biting her ear.

“Shall we do it?”

“No.”

Qing Hang prepared to go to the bathroom, but before he could turn around, she hugged his neck.

“I mean… let’s not cook yet,” Cheng Wanyue was never coy about these matters. When the feeling came, whether they ate or not was no longer important.

She kissed him back, her hand reaching to unbuckle his belt. After unfastening it, she pulled it out, and the metal buckle hit the floor with a particularly clear sound.

Her body was lifted, her underwear removed, dangling and swaying at her ankles.

She felt hot one moment and cold the next. Qing Hang raised her legs to wrap around his waist, carrying her out. He couldn’t even wait to return to the bedroom, placing her on the living room sofa instead.

This was where they had first met.

That day, one sat on the left, one on the right, with a large space in between.

Several months later, they were inseparable.

Just like that shabby little cabin in White City, she always complained that the cool chair was too hard, but he never laid a cushion. This sofa was the same, still with the summer cool mat.

At first, he was kneeling. In the bright light, he buried his head between her legs, like eating a piece of tender butter. She struggled to escape as if fighting for her life, but he forcefully pulled her down.

Later, she was kneeling, her knees rubbed red. The pain stimulated the tide of passion that surged like waves. She didn’t even know when he had gone to the room to get protection.

Her delicate sounds were shattered by the thrusts. She bit the back of her hand. The transparent liquid dripping onto the sofa might have been sweat, or perhaps tears.

The warm, tight inner walls grew increasingly hot, their joining point already overflowing. Her body curled into a ball, yet she remained firmly pinned to the corner of the sofa by the man behind her.

Her nipples rubbed against the mat, slightly painful. He reached around to hold them, but his touch was far from gentle. Pleasure shot through her like an electric current to her scalp. She finally couldn’t bear it any longer, and her tense waist collapsed.

Soft kisses fell on her back. Qing Hang kissed her sweat-dampened neck and caressed her flushed cheeks.

Below, he was still buried inside her, feeling her post-climax sensitivity. Every inch of her inner walls was contracting and spasming wildly, embracing him even more tightly.

He slowly pulled out, then thrust forcefully back in, as if trying to smooth out all the wrinkles inside.

“Qing Hang,” she didn’t know how enticing her tear-filled voice was, calling his name again and again. “Qing Hang…”

Qing Hang deliberately misinterpreted, “Do you want to change locations?”

Although his room faced away from the sun, it was already noon, and the bedroom was as bright as the living room.

He carried Cheng Wanyue, and with each step, his member slowly drilled deeper into her body. Her entrance was stretched pitifully, dripping wet and flushed red, as if brutally violated.

She was dizzy and hazy, feeling as if all moisture had been drained from her.

The remaining half-box of protection was right beside the bed, within Qing Hang’s reach.

Cheng Wanyue used her last bit of strength to turn over and crawl on top of him, her limbs wrapped around him. “No more now. Let’s eat first, then continue.”

After all, they wouldn’t leave until early morning. There was still plenty of time today.

Qing Hang gently wiped the sweat from her back, his gaze falling on the two shoe boxes in the living room.

If he asked her to try them on now, she probably wouldn’t be angry.