EOD Chapter17

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The two sat in close proximity, Lu Zhao’s hoodie sleeve grazing Zhou Zefeng’s arm as their knees and thighs remained pressed together. Lu Zhao looked straight at Zhou Zefeng with such unwavering intensity that it seemed as though he could see through every one of Zhou Zefeng’s shameful thoughts.

Zhou Zefeng swallowed hard. Pushed to the very edge of his endurance, he only dared to keep his eyes fixed on the tip of Lu Zhao’s nose.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” Zhou Zefeng murmured, his voice pressed very low, sounding as if he had only spoken after deep and painful contemplation. “Right now, I really want to hold you. Is this normal?”

It was clearly a question, or a request for permission, but Zhou Zefeng’s hands had already taken the initiative to move forward on their own, just as spontaneously and naturally as when he picked hot pot ingredients. Before Lu Zhao could answer, he had already been pulled into Zhou Zefeng’s broad, burning embrace, carrying a touch of cautious care mixed with resolute determination.

Resting his chin on Zhou Zefeng’s shoulder, Lu Zhao said casually, “If you want to hug, just hug. What’s so abnormal about that?”

Zhou Zefeng sniffled. He didn’t know whether his cold had worsened from being blown by the autumn wind, or if his head was lightheaded from eating a tasteless meal of hot pot, but his desire to get close and snuggle with Lu Zhao was unprecedentedly strong. The embrace in the hospital clinic was clearly just a fleeting touch; he wanted more, but with his current train of thought, he still couldn’t articulate exactly what kind of step forward that was.

The two grown men just hugged each other like that in an awkward posture on the bench in the autumn night.

Nestled in his embrace, Lu Zhao felt a long-lost warmth. Unlike the two previous hugs in the swimming pool and the clinic, Zhou Zefeng’s embrace this time seemed to have a pure purpose; purely because he wanted to hug, so he hugged.

Lu Zhao recalled the handful of experiences in his life of being hugged; they were either polite, guilt-ridden, or pleasure-seeking. It seemed that no one had ever hugged him with such pure intentions.

As his body and mind gradually relaxed, he couldn’t help thinking that compared to a kiss, an embrace was indeed something far more romantic and tender.

Just then, a string of footsteps approached from afar, sounding like passersby walking onto the path.

Lu Zhao instinctively tried to free himself from Zhou Zefeng’s hold, but to his surprise, Zhou Zefeng had also heard the approaching voices and still stubbornly refused to let go, instead wrapping his arms around him even tighter.

“Mom, look quick! There’s a big white dog here, so cute!”

“Uh, this…” After the child and his mother walked closer, they discovered the men in the bizarre embrace on the bench. Lu Zhao was facing the mother and child; since he couldn’t break free, he simply went with the flow and even gave a polite, slight nod of greeting to the woman holding the child.

“The big white dog wants to play by itself. Baby, let’s go home quickly, Daddy is still waiting for us.” The woman held the child and wanted to walk back, but the child had also noticed the people on the bench, so he asked in confusion, “Mom, what are they doing?”

“Shh, they are on a date, let’s not disturb them.” The woman placed a finger to her lips, and the child copied her gesture, lowering his voice as they walked away and whispering his secrets to his mother; though in truth, everyone there could hear every word.

“Mom, what is a date?”

“It’s when people who love each other get together. When Daddy and Mommy go out to eat, that’s a date.”

“!! When did you two sneak out to eat behind my back?!”

As the mother and son drifted further away, they could no longer hear the rest of the conversation. Feeling a bit awkward and embarrassed, Zhou Zefeng finally let go of Lu Zhao. Meeting his playful gaze, he lied through his teeth, “I didn’t know anyone was coming. You saw them and didn’t even warn me.”

“Did you know your ears turn red whenever you lie?” Lu Zhao smiled, pinching Zhou Zefeng’s earlobe and whispering to him, “Are you embarrassed now? How were you so brave just a moment ago?”

Zhou Zefeng’s body went stiff, still unaccustomed to Lu Zhao’s sudden proximity. Stuttering but acting completely justified, he said, “What’s the big deal? I often hug my bros after playing basketball. Haven’t you heard that song? Bro, let’s hug it out, say what’s on your mind, talk about your…”

“Is that so? Then what’s on your mind? Because to me, it seems like not a single word out of your mouth is sincere.”

“Wanting to hug you is sincere.” Zhou Zefeng’s inadvertent bluntness actually caught Lu Zhao off guard. The sudden straight ball left Lu Zhao stunned.

“Your face turned red too.” Zhou Zefeng reached out and touched Lu Zhao’s soft cheek, flashing a mischievous smile as if it had all just been a joke.

However, Zhou Zefeng’s arrogance didn’t last long, because Lu Zhao suddenly slid his hand into Zhou Zefeng’s clothes. The hand, chilled ice-cold by the wind, pressed against the warm skin, making Zhou Zefeng shiver.

Zhou Zefeng pinned Lu Zhao’s hand down through his own clothes, “Why are your hands so cold?”

“I was born this way.” Lu Zhao ignored Zhou Zefeng. One of his hands was running riots inside Zhou Zefeng’s clothes, slowly moving up from his abs to cup and squeezing his chest muscles. The soft, firm texture felt great, so he praised, “Nice build.”

“Of cour—” The word was dragged out into a long moan by the sudden touch. Zhou Zefeng looked at Lu Zhao in shock, this dog of a man had actually grabbed his nipple!

Lu Zhao simply slid his other hand in as well, leaning even closer to Zhou Zefeng, and said with a smile, “I’ve wanted to squeeze these since last time. You’re really quite slutty here.”

Zhou Zefeng: ?????

……

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