TSMITB Chapter57

As night quietly descended, the entire outer village was lit up by lights and became a noisy, sleepless city.

In the central square, a huge bonfire was lit, casting a fiery red glow on the faces of the surrounding people.

Locals and visitors joined hands, singing and dancing together around the bonfire. On a nearby stage, a folk singer performed ballads about faraway lands and love, his hoarse voice carrying through the night.

Shen Que and Sheng Qixiao mingled in the crowd, experiencing this vividly colored tableau up close.

The firelight danced and shimmered, while countless couples held each other close and kissed amid the lively atmosphere, their open and passionate love freely spreading all around without restraint.

Shen Que’s mood also gradually warmed up in this high-spirited atmosphere, and he even had a slight thought of teasing Sheng Qixiao.

“I really didn’t expect the folk customs here to be so open, with so many people in the street…” Shen Que smiled and looked back. Before he finished speaking, he directly met his own reflection in Sheng Qixiao’s eyes.

Sheng Qixiao had approached without Shen Que knowing when, close enough for Shen Que to clearly see the firelight reflected on his eyelashes.

The intensity of the fire grew stronger in Sheng Qixiao’s eyes, and soon burned to Shen Que’s chest as if his heart was about to melt in the next moment.

But before melting, what first entangled him was Sheng Qixiao’s scorching breath.

The moment their lips and teeth met, a towering flame was simultaneously ignited in Shen Que’s mind.

Sheng Qixiao’s lips were very soft, but his heartbeat was strong as if it wanted to burst out of his chest and rush straight towards Shen Que.

Amidst the slow, intimate grinding, Shen Que’s tightly clenched fists slowly loosened and climbed up Sheng Qixiao’s neck with his fingers tangling with his dark hair. He was like a drowning person who had taken all precautions but was still submerged by water, and at this moment finally gave up the struggle, allowing himself to sink onto the only shore in this orange sea forged by firelight. Their breathing synchronized from this moment.

Amidst the noise, a translucent butterfly shimmering with silver-blue light fluttered out from Shen Que’s collar, lingered on Sheng Qixiao’s forehead for a second, and then dissipated with the wind.

Sheng Qixiao opened his eyes, gently holding Shen Que’s cheeks in both hands as his thumbs rubbed the corners of his eyes. He stared into Shen Que’s dazed gaze, then leaned forward until their foreheads rested against each other.

Shen Que, you can’t escape.

In the end, you still came to develop feelings for me.

When he came back to his senses, the noise had already faded away.

They did not know when they left that area of boisterous bonfire. They followed the uphill flagstone path back to the guesthouse located halfway up the mountain.

The wind swept through the bamboo forest behind the house, stirring the leaves into a soft rustling sound. It felt like an entirely different world from the lively, bustling market at the foot of the mountain.

The wooden door was pushed open with a “creak,” and then slammed shut with a “bang” behind them, isolating everything.

In the darkness, his senses became exceptionally sensitive. Shen Que seemed to sink into a dream again, his thoughts were not completely clear, and he still craved the lingering sensation on his lips. So, he heard himself asking, “Sheng Qixiao, do you still want to keep kissing?”

His answer came once again in the form of mingled breaths as lips and tongues burning hotter than the bonfire sought him out once more.

If the previous kiss was an exploratory invasion, then at this moment, the trapped beast in the cage finally broke free of the shackles it had set for itself.

This kiss no longer had the slightest restraint, tainted with the exclusive meaning of invasion belonging to Sheng Qixiao.

Shen Que was pressed firmly against the door panel by Sheng Qixiao, and the fierce kiss almost stole the last bit of air from his lungs.

Not until both of them were panting heavily did Shen Que turn his head, his scorching cheek pressed tightly against the cold wooden door.

Sheng Qixiao’s fingertips gently grazed his swollen lips, his eyes filled with an intense, unreserved affection.

“Sheng Qixiao, let’s do it. Just this once, I agree.” Shen Que’s voice was very soft. He reached out and tugged on Sheng Qixiao’s waistband.

The movement of Sheng Qixiao’s fingertips stiffened.

Shen Que did not look at him, but continued speaking on his own, “But we have to be clear, it’s impossible for us. We will never be together. I will definitely leave. I have to go back to my world, while you have your responsibilities. We are fundamentally not meant to be together.”

“I’ve never been someone who has much patience when it comes to relationships. Give it a week, maybe half a month at most, and I’ll have completely forgotten about you.”

“I don’t want to lie to you, and even less do I want to hurt you.”

Sheng Qixiao did not reply. In the next second, Shen Que was off the wheelchair and was carried over his shoulder.

Heavy footsteps echoed through the stairwell. The bedroom door was pushed open with a bump as the two fell together onto the soft bed.

Taking advantage of the bright moonlight outside the window, Shen Que looked up at the person above him, gathering the courage to continue speaking fearlessly, “So, after tonight, don’t love me anymore, alright?”

Splendid blue fireworks burst open in mid-air, and the enormous sound completely masked Shen Que’s rare heartfelt words.

Sheng Qixiao seemed not to have heard a word, and simply flexed the fingers he had buried inside him.

Shen Que frowned in discomfort, “And I really can’t accept this; it’s uncomfortable. We are not suitable. We have never been suitable for talking about feelings.”

“But, you didn’t say that at first. You said you liked me too.” Sheng Qixiao finally spoke.

“Do you really believe that?” Shen Que suddenly felt annoyed. The discomfort he felt inside made him deeply regret being momentarily deceived into agreeing to it. “Didn’t you know a long time ago that it was a lie?”

Sheng Qixiao pressed his lips together, slowly withdrew his fingers, his face expressionless. He silently aligned himself to the correct position, thrusted his hips, and pushed his way in.

“Wait!” Shen Que gasped, his chest rising and falling quickly a few times. He endured it again and again before finally gritting his teeth and spitting out a few words, “…Go ahead.”

Sheng Qixiao leaned his upper body down, and a shadow enveloped Shen Que.

Shen Que turned his eyes away, not daring to meet his gaze.

The moment permission was granted, the only remaining tenderness transformed into a strong large hand clamping Shen Que’s waist, pressing him down hard onto the bed surface to secure him. In the next second, the storm arrived and landed without any warning.

Even with relatively sufficient dilation, Shen Que was still stimulated into arching his back, and it took him quite a while to even out his breathing.

“Shen Que, I’m not angry at all right now.” Sheng Qixiao violently moved without expression, grinding against Shen Que’s most vulnerable spot. “Although you always say such discouraging things, but I know, you do like me.”

Shen Que’s eyes widened suddenly, and all words of refutation were caught in his throat.

He had to admit that Sheng Qixiao was right.

Being drawn to someone because of their beautiful appearance is completely different from being genuinely attracted to the person themselves.

He could deceive anyone, even himself, but he couldn’t deceive the most instinctive desire in his heart.

But what does liking matter? How can it compare to freedom and the vast sky?

Just as he said, once he gets out, he will quickly have new “likes.”

Even if his feelings for Sheng Qixiao were no longer the same as they had been before, it didn’t matter. By the time he realized it, that affection had already seeped deep into his heart and blood, like a slow-acting poison.

No one is irreplaceable.

They had never been so perfectly in sync before. Countless tender, lingering kisses landed on his lips, the corners of his eyes, and his forehead, each one filled with deep attachment.

In the middle of the night, a knock sounded downstairs. Sheng Qixiao put on his outer clothes and went down.

Shen Que vaguely heard an unfamiliar female voice, seemingly explaining something.

He threw off the covers and hopped on one foot to the balcony. The night wind carried the sound of the two people’s conversation to his ears.

Shen Que carefully gauged their words and figured that they were probably pressing Sheng Qixiao to make a decision soon and urging him to return earlier, since his conspicuous appearance today had resulted in many people recognizing him.

It was a language he should have been completely unable to understand, a Miao dialect with a unique rhythm.

Although it was somewhat difficult, but he actually understood it…

It was as if he had heard someone tirelessly whispering in his ear in the exact same language during countless days and nights.

A fragment of memory briefly flashed through his mind, but he couldn’t quite grasp it.

“Have you really made up your mind?”

“En.” Sheng Qixiao had a faint smile on his face. “He gave me what I wanted, so naturally, I must also give him what he wants.”

The conversation abruptly stopped. The woman seemed to sense something, raising her head to meet Shen Que’s gaze. She gave him a friendly smile before turning her attention back to Sheng Qixiao and continuing to speak, “He’s waiting for you. I’ll leave now. Remember to come get the photo album tomorrow; you two are very well-matched.”

The door was pushed open. Sheng Qixiao walked straight to the balcony, carried Shen Que back to the bed, and frowned with some dissatisfaction, “Why aren’t you wearing any clothes? She saw you.”

“Let her look, I’m not the one who loses out anyway. My figure is so good; it would be a pity not to let people see it.”

Sheng Qixiao’s hand burrowed under the quilt, pulling open the bath towel loosely wrapped around Shen Que’s waist. His fingers then probed into who knows where, and Shen Que let out a low gasp, not daring to continue with the indecent talk.

He clenched Sheng Qixiao’s arm with both hands, trying to change the subject, “When are we going back? Was she just urging you to leave? Who is she?”

“We’ll go back as soon as we get the photos.” Sheng Qixiao held him, answering every question carefully, but his hand movements didn’t stop. “She is Ke Di’s wife. I can’t stay here for too long; Ke Di asked her to remind me to go back.”

As he spoke, before he could cause any trouble, he leaned over and kissed Shen Que first. His fingers messed around for a while, making Shen Que completely melt in his arms before he backed away, “If you want to come again, we will have many more chances in the future.”

Shen Que didn’t speak, panting heavily.

He didn’t know what to say, because they didn’t have many chances, and he wouldn’t go back with him again either. They were about to part ways.

Of course, he also found it difficult to speak. He accepted Sheng Qixiao once more, embracing the love that was steadily blossoming within him and allowing him to take whatever he desired.

“Shen Que, will you let me down?”

Sheng Qixiao’s profile was incredibly soft under the moonlight. Shen Que carefully tried to distinguish if the crystal clear drops on his eyelashes were tears or sweat.

It should be sweat, right? How could Sheng Qixiao cry?

Shen Que’s heart felt a dull ache for a moment.

He did not answer Sheng Qixiao’s question, but instead planned to get a full body check-up after returning, to see if something was wrong somewhere.

Otherwise, why would his heart ache more frequently as the departure drew nearer?

Dawn came swiftly. Brilliant sunlight poured through the window, casting bright patches of light across the room.

The two had been awake almost all night. Shen Que had faint dark circles under his eyes, but Sheng Qixiao seemed to have rested well, looking radiant.

After breakfast, Sheng Qixiao said he was going to pick up yesterday’s photo album.

Shen Que wanted to go along too, but Sheng Qixiao firmly refused, “You wait for me here. I’ll be back soon. Next time… in the future, we’ll come and stay for a longer time.”

As he said this, his gaze never left Shen Que, as if he wanted to imprint his entire being, his every move, deep into his eyes.

He ultimately left the door.

Shen Que fiddled with his phone, thinking of calling his older brother again to ask about the detailed plan, or do something else, anything to pass the time.

But when he turned his head, he found someone climbing in through the window.

It was Gang Zi and Ah Chao.

“How did you guys get here so quickly? Didn’t you say tomorrow?”

The two looked at the red marks on Shen Que’s neck and lowered their heads knowingly. “President Shen said that he was afraid you wouldn’t want to leave, so he told us to be absolutely unexpected.”

“…He even lied to me.”