CH 86

Chapter 86: Equal Punishment and Reward

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(I originally wanted to fade to black, but you guys directly opened the car doors. Seeing how leisurely you guys lined up in the comments section to get in the car, I honestly didn’t want to play with (?) you guys, so I wrote the first spanking I’ve ever written in my life (ah, a few cuties reminded me, I remember now — Xiao Pei was also spanked, but it was just twice (?))… and then the more I wrote, the longer it got… Song Yu, you’re too much.

Even though this is an unplanned car, it’s unexpectedly better than the ones I’ve written before (I’m just praising myself), I feel like there’s a bit more to Xiao Yu’s character now)

[Spanking warning, blindfold warning]

——

Before Yue Zhishi could understand the meaning behind Song Yu’s words, he was already flipped over.

A pair of pale, bare legs were exposed in the cold air.

He didn’t resist. Since they’ve returned back to campus, other than the brief intimacy in the grove of trees last time, they’ve rarely even hugged. Yue Zhishi had been stuck in between the two mountains of the competition and the mock trial, and during the most tiring few days, he’d only slept for four hours each night. His chaotic and erratic dreams had all been of Song Yu.

Sometimes in his sleep, he would return back to the times when Song Yu had dodged away from him, thinking Yue Zhishi understood nothing, but in those dreams, Song Yu saw through Yue Zhishi’s heart earlier. He would embrace him before Yue Zhishi cried and let him rise up on his toes; they’d kiss long enough to fill an entire dream, like the kind of happy ending a beautiful love story should have.

Yue Zhishi truly yearned for Song Yu’s intimacy, and he firmly believed he wanted it more than Song Yu did — and so he would never reject it. But the shame he felt still made him slightly struggle, only for things to be taken one step further.

Song Yu took out the eye mask he used to wear when he slept alone and covered up Yue Zhishi’s eyes.

“You’re not allowed to take it off, or else I won’t hold you or kiss you.”

That was an extremely effective deterrent, towards Yue Zhishi. He utterly craved Song Yu’s embraces and kisses, as though they were necessities required for his survival. And so Yue Zhishi didn’t dare move, only plaintively calling out gege and softly asking him, “Are you really going to hit me? Where are you going to hit?” 

He was surrounded by darkness. He didn’t receive Song Yu’s answer before being pulled; he seemed to be dragged into Song Yu’s arms, and he felt both grateful and secure — his lower belly pressed against Song Yu’s thighs, and he could touch Song Yu’s back.

An image appeared in Yue Zhishi’s mind: at this moment, Song Yu should be sitting on the edge of the bed, while he himself was most likely like a meek little dog lying on his owner’s legs, lying in his arms and waiting for his owner to stroke down his downy back.

But that wasn’t what happened.

What he received was a neither light nor heavy smack from Song Yu, the hit landing on his ass.

Caught off-guard, Yue Zhishi cried out; he was somewhat stunned from the impact. When the second slap landed once again on his ass, he was both embarrassed and shocked, and he called out Song Yu’s name, pleading at him to not hit his butt. 

“You said I could hit you back. Isn’t it the same anywhere?”

Song Yu’s voice always sounded cold, sounding as though it couldn’t be defied.

“Gege…” Yue Zhishi’s head was buried into the soft blanket, and he could hear the loud sounds of Song Yu’s palm landing on his soft flesh. He’d never been treated like this before, even during childhood — Yue Zhishi, always so obedient, was ‘disciplined’ using this method for the first time in his life.

His upper body was still completely dressed, his woollen sweater confining his elevated body temperature. Yue Zhishi was burning, was sweating, but his lower body wore only a thin piece of cotton underwear and nothing else. He wasn’t willing to merely lie there, and so he bashfully wriggled on Song Yu’s legs. The insecurity he felt from the darkness made his desire feel hollow and unsatisfied. Song Yu wasn’t actually hitting him all that hard, but there wasn’t a steady pace to them; he didn’t know when the next smack would fall.

So every time he received a slap, under the crisp sounds of a hand meeting flesh, Yue Zhishi would cry out with his legs trembling, anxious and fearful.

“You’re not allowed to cry out.”

Yue Zhishi heard Song Yu’s stern command and could feel his palm rubbing against his supple cheeks. His voice sounded closer — Yue Zhishi thought Song Yu might’ve bent over and leaned over to his ear. In the vast expanse of darkness, a damp, hot breath puffed against the side of his face.

“If I hear anything, I’m going to smack you harder.” 

Yue Zhishi let out a muffled noise very quietly. Sensing Song Yu very close by, he turned his head, wanting to kiss him, but Song Yu caught his chin.

“Baobao.” Song Yu’s voice was very low, and was both cold and alluring. “You’re really not being a good boy.”

Another smack landed on his ass once again, just as Yue Zhishi was completely unprepared.

“Mm…” Song Yu let go of his chin, but Yue Zhishi’s arms were pulled back to cross behind his back, Song Yu holding down his wrists.

Without conscious thought, Yue Zhishi started to plea for mercy; he was soft and pale, like a water snake too slippery to hold. “Gege, don’t hit me anymore, I’m a good boy.”

“Are you?” Song Yu’s hand brushed across Yue Zhishi’s raised shoulder-blades and moved downwards, slowly gliding over his ribs. People always said flesh caused lust, but he felt even Yue Zhishi’s bones were seductive.

“I make sure you eat well every day. But where’s all your flesh gone?”

He was doing the most carnal movements, yet his words were like a parent’s questioning. Yue Zhishi’s shame increased, unable to say anything resembling a complete sentence. “I…”

Song Yu’s hand lightly patted Yue Zhishi’s reddening asscheeks, and they jiggled and swayed like soft pudding.

“Your flesh ended up all here.” His hand grabbed tightly onto Yue Zhishi’s ass and fiercely squeezed it, kneading it until Yue Zhishi made a noise from the pleasure.

“Did you do that on purpose? Hm?” 

“No.” Yue Zhishi found the room too warm, and he felt wronged; Song Yu’s words made no sense at all. “I… I… Why would everything go there?”

He felt Song Yu pull on his small and thin underwear and tug it to the left and to the right, using it to lightly rub against the thin seam between his two plump cheeks. Sensation was incredibly magnified in the dark, and he could almost feel the cotton material wrapped around his cock — it was slowly dampening, coldly and stickily attaching itself to his skin.

Yet another slap came down. Yue Zhishi’s entire body was trembling, everything shivering; the pleasure forced out from the cracks in his bones pushed away those tiny shreds of pain. 

“So it’d be great to fuck,” Song Yu said, using a deep voice to say obscene words. 

This body was outrageous and erotic — it had only been spanked, and yet fluid was already seeping out of his cock. With his hands held behind his back, Yue Zhishi squirmed impatiently on Song Yu’s legs; he looked like he was struggling, but the nipples on his chest had hardened long ago from rubbing against Song Yu’s legs, separated by the sweater.

“Yue Zhishi, you’re wet.” Song Yu mercilessly lay bare his arousal. “And hard.” 

Yue Zhishi felt like Song Yu was having sex with him just by speaking; he could reach his peak just by listening to Song Yu’s voice. His body had softened, had weakened from the spanking until he was an utter mess, and unable to hold back, he begged Song Yu and said he really liked him — all different kinds of sweet honeyed words were gasped from that pink mouth. Even that faintly visible tip of his tongue was seducing him.

“You like being spanked that much?”

“Mm…” Yue Zhishi curved his head over to reach Song Yu’s body, biting Song Yu’s shirt like a puppy begging for love. 

“Take it off yourself,” Song Yu commanded, releasing Yue Zhishi’s wrists.

Yue Zhishi hazily grabbed at the bottom of his sweater, only for Song Yu to smack him again; his whole body quivered.

“Underwear,” Song Yu said.

Yue Zhishi climbed off of Song Yu’s body a bit clumsily, very obediently leaving the eye mask alone. He knelt on the bed while remaining in the dark, and his hands dragged his underwear down his legs. His exposed cock and asscheeks were pink, both the colour and the fluid coming from within his body, and the imprints of Song Yu’s hand were vaguely visible. He wanted to shift a bit closer to Song Yu, but he couldn’t tell he was on the edge of the bed and almost lost his balance. Before he toppled over, Song Yu quickly hauled him in, pulling him onto his body.

“What a good baobao.” Song Yu rewarded him with a kiss, a very clean one pecked onto his cheek, but Yue Zhishi found that far from enough. Since he couldn’t see anything, he couldn’t fit their lips together even though he wanted to, and so he groped around, hand fumbling everywhere until he found Song Yu’s stiffened lower body.

Yue Zhishi thought — perhaps if Song Yu wanted it as much as he did, then maybe he wouldn’t keep torturing him.

And so Yue Zhishi bent down, body perpendicular to Song Yu. Under no one’s instructions, he arched his back and raised up his ass, his posture quite similar to earlier when he’d been spanked — but this time, he wasn’t lying on Song Yu’s legs and waiting for either a punishment or a reward; this time, his head was buried in between Song Yu’s legs. Fumbling, he pulled down Song Yu’s zipper, pulled out his cock and swallowed it into his mouth.

“What are you doing?” Song Yu grabbed hold of his slightly long hair, not allowing Yue Zhishi to move.

Yue Zhishi used that extremely pure face to say the most seductive words. “Gege, I want to suck you off.” 

He wasn’t too skilled, but he worked hard, lowering his head until Song Yu’s cock was very deep inside. He used the soft flesh inside his mouth and the tip of his tongue to surround him, to tangle with him, and he used his fragile and delicate throat to squeeze and give pleasure. With his innocent yet devoted attitude, he couldn’t tell exactly who was fucking whom. Song Yu quietly panted twice, and then his hand lewdly fondled Yue Zhishi’s upraised ass — Yue Zhishi felt even more encouraged, and he sucked in Song Yu’s cock until it couldn’t go in anymore. Whimpers and moans fell from his mouth, and he mumbled words like gege’s so big, gege’s getting even bigger now.

Yue Zhishi was beautiful and clean, and he treated everyone as though he was an angel. But no one knew how unsatisfied he was no matter how many kisses he was given; no one knew how touch starved he was, insisting on being held while he was getting fucked; no one had seen the look on his reddened face as he asked Song Yu why he didn’t push in. 

All of those different parts of Yue Zhishi, hidden away — only Song Yu had the key to them. 

Suddenly, Yue Zhishi felt something cold and sticky dribble onto his flushed cheeks. Soon after, he felt it trickle onto his entrance. He made a noise, but Song Yu whacked his ass, a finger pushing inside. “Swallow me a bit deeper.”

Song Yu’s pessimism would always make him think of the past and the future whenever they were doing the most intimate things. He would remember many, many times when he’d wanted to kiss Yue Zhishi yet hadn’t been able to; he’d wonder just how adorable, how bewitching the innocent Yue Zhishi would become after falling in love with some girl some day. 

Perhaps he’d also get hurt and would come back, looking for him and crying. But in that moment, he would most likely be begging for a clean, consoling hug, and not a filthy and primitive sexual embrace.

Fortunately, those thoughts were stored away in figments of his imagination during all those sleepless nights. Pandora’s box hadn’t been opened, but rather, had been taken away by Yue Zhishi. 

It was only to Song Yu who Yue Zhishi would say the word ‘love’. It was only because of him that Yue Zhishi would feel pain, feel suffering — it was only for him that Yue Zhishi would think of death, again and again. 

“Mm….”

The lube and Song Yu’s finger were opening up his body, but Yue Zhishi could feel his passage growing slicker; his entire person was wet and sticky, fighting to suck in Song Yu’s finger. In one end, he was getting fucked by Song Yu’s finger, and in the other end, Song Yu was holding down the back of his head and fucking his throat with his cock. Both his top and bottom were releasing embarrassing slurping and pumping noises.

“Ge…” He pulled his mouth away the tiniest bit. “It’s too big, I can’t fit it in…”

Two of Song Yu’s fingers were thrusting against his prostate, and his narrow waist was shaking from the pleasure. His cock was dangling on top of Song Yu’s legs, the tip of it grinding against and staining his pants. Yue Zhishi’s imploring moans were all pushed into his throat by Song Yu, unable to come out, and he sounded particularly pitiful. Song Yu was swallowed deeply and tightly by Yue Zhishi’s slender throat, and his eyebrows drew together, his fingers roughly thrusting and pressing against that sensitive spot — he used his hand to fuck Yue Zhishi into coming. 

As he climaxed, Yue Zhishi wanted to call out. His throat tightened even further, and it made Song Yu come as well; Yue Zhishi choked on the thick cum, face reddening, and so he pulled away. A long, long string of translucent fluid was connected to his stretched out tongue, and Yue Zhishi subconsciously swallowed it first before he tumbled onto Song Yu’s legs, coughing. Even after coming, Song Yu’s cock was still very large, and it rested on the side of Yue Zhishi’s face. The sticky fluid from the front was still on Yue Zhishi’s mouth, and he looked disorientated, very much not clean and very unkempt.

Song Yu stroked down his back tenderly, apologising while Yue Zhishi coughed; it was as though the soul within that handsome skin had been changed from a demon to an angel. He picked up Yue Zhishi, embraced him and gave him a gentle kiss. Their tongues exchanged fluids and saliva, and the gentle kiss turned violent, their tongues writhing with each other until they started to hurt — they kissed until Yue Zhishi pleaded for him to once again come in. 

“Gege, I want it, hurry…” With his blindfold, Yue Zhishi went ahead and begged Song Yu, his lips red, swollen and glistening. They looked like they’d been completely ravaged.

Song Yu wouldn’t let Yue Zhishi hold him; he had Yue Zhishi on his hands and knees, and he gradually pushed his way in from the back, bit by bit. It was as though Yue Zhishi had been born knowing how to do these things — if Song Yu hadn’t grown up together with him, he might’ve thought Yue Zhishi was a battle-seasoned veteran, knowing to arch his back and lift up his ass as soon as he slid inside. Yue Zhishi displayed his beautiful spine and the dimples at the top of his butt for Song Yu to see, and he called out so enticingly. “Gege, it’s so big… it’s too big, I can’t take it…” 

The snaps of his hips became more and more ruthless, and he raised a hand to smack Yue Zhishi’s red and swollen cheeks. “And yet you’re squeezing me so tightly.” 

“I like you, Song Yu… Song Yu, I really like you.”

As long as Yue Zhishi expressed his love, Song Yu knew: Yue Zhishi was Yue Zhishi, the one who’d loved only him, who’d looked only at him since they were children. In his dreams, he had sorrowfully kissed Yue Zhishi over one hundred times, holding him in his arms and joining with him like this — he’d possessed Yue Zhishi like so, and had used those dreams to console himself.

But this moment was real.

“I can’t… Too fast…” Yue Zhishi’s face was hidden in the blanket, his whimpers coming across like cries; the slaps of flesh meeting flesh came again and again, and he couldn’t tell anymore if Song Yu was hitting him, or fucking him. 

“Then I’ll slow down.” 

Song Yu’s thrusts came slower, the curved front of his cock grinding again and again at Yue Zhishi’s spot. He watched as Yue Zhishi shuddered, as he moved his hips backwards to follow the retreat of his cock — of his own volition, Yue Zhishi used his back opening to search for that shaft, saying, “I can’t stand it, hurry…” 

Song Yu once again couldn’t help but clamp down on his hips. “Yue Zhishi, you’re so hard to please.” 

Yue Zhishi fell into a sticky and clinging whirlpool, only able to feel Song Yu’s fierce thrusts and his own body’s rising pleasure in the boundless darkness. His passage and lower belly were both sore and numb, and his sweater was already fully drenched from sweat. He couldn’t stop shaking, and his pleas for Song Yu to go faster turned to pleas for Song Yu to have mercy on him until his words no longer came clearly; he gasped for air with his mind fogged and blurry, and he himself didn’t know what he was saying.

“Going… Mm… Gege, Xiao Yu gege… I, I… going to die….” 

Song Yu pressed down on his body, pounding into him faster and faster as he fucked into that spot. “Yue Zhishi, did you think you were going to die like this when you wrote your will? Hm?” 

Yue Zhishi’s mouth opened and closed, only able to breathe — there was almost no difference between that mouth and his lower one. An instinctive fear grew in his body from being fucked so hard, and as though seeking survival, he propped up his arms and started to crawl forward in the dark, wanting to drag himself away. But Song Yu cruelly caught hold of his ankles, his waist and hauled him back, firmly and securely nailing himself into Yue Zhishi’s body. He shoved himself in recklessly and without restraint, as though he wanted to plunge into the deepest part of him and become one with Yue Zhishi.

“Why are you running? Are you afraid of me?” Song Yu was licking and kissing his nape, and then he gripped Yue Zhishi’s chin as if to please him, turning his face around to tenderly kiss him. “Why are you afraid? I love you so much.” 

The more tender his kiss, the fiercer he fucked.

In this joining with such extreme contrasting feelings, the tidal waves of pleasure surged and flooded over, drowning Yue Zhishi within them; he was surrounded and wrapped up in streaming rivers of sweat, and Song Yu had fucked him into not having enough air and hyperventilating. He’d turned into a pair of bellows damaged from water, being pushed and pulled at someone else’s discretion.

Song Yu, having not received a reply, kissed his ear. He drove into him as he asked, “Yue Zhishi, do you love gege?”

He’d originally thought Yue Zhishi had already lost his ability to speak, but after being asked that question, he was like the final shining rays of the setting sun, nodding his head in the midst of his pants for air. He rasped, “Love, love gege…” 

Song Yu kissed his eyes through the mask, and he realised the eye mask was already soaked through; he pulled it off. The sudden light caused Yue Zhishi to frown, and he squinted those eyes completely red from crying. His eyes were unfocused from the pleasure, and yet he was still saying he loved Song Yu.

He loved Song Yu — Yue Zhishi could truly keep saying that until he died.

“Baobao, you’re being so good.” Song Yu gently yet ferociously hugged Yue Zhishi from the back as he fucked him, and Yue Zhishi came with painful thin spurts, his pink knuckles and long fingers clenching the blanket. Wildly moaning, he obviously had already came, yet his breathing was still rushed and hurried — he was saying, mind blank and unaware, “Please… No more, ge….”

Having already came once in his mouth, Song Yu wouldn’t come so easily a second time. He ran his hands over Yue Zhishi’s soft and flat belly and rocked in, hard and fast, thrusting until Yue Zhishi grew needy again. Yue Zhishi’s entire body exuded an obscene scent, and he convulsed against Song Yu’s chest, crying and calling out that he couldn’t anymore, he was coming again — and yet he didn’t shoot anything out. Finally, Song Yu couldn’t bear it anymore; he panted and gasped on top of Yue Zhishi’s body like a wild beast dressed in human clothes.

Yue Zhishi, with his blurred consciousness, sensed that Song Yu was about to come, and so he touched Song Yu’s arms, sobbing anxiously, and begged him with his hoarse voice, “Come inside, gege, I want you inside…”

Song Yu had no resistance to his pleas. He roughly fucked into him a good few more times, his engorged cock strangled in that hot and damp passage, until all of that thick and sticky fluid shot into Yue Zhishi’s body.

Yue Zhishi’s entire body collapsed, and other than his mouth opened to urgently wheeze for air, there was no inch of his bare skin that wasn’t saturated with the pink of carnal desire. He sensed Song Yu wrapping his arms around his slick self, petting and stroking him, sharing with him the most tender kiss; Song Yu called out his name, as though he was confirming he was truly there and wasn’t just a dream.

“Yue Zhishi.”

Yue Zhishi couldn’t open his eyes. “…ge.” He didn’t even have the strength to say repetitive words, feeling fragile enough to shatter at the slightest touch.

“I love you.” Song Yu clutched him tightly. “Do you know that?”

Curled into his arms, Yue Zhishi nodded.

“Good boy.” Song Yu didn’t need a response from him, touching his eyelids and forehead with very careful, cherishing lips.

But even though Yue Zhishi couldn’t speak, he used his hand that was left on Song Yu’s back and sluggishly yet very stubbornly traced an unsteady love heart. He then kissed Song Yu’s chin, doing his best to give him a reply.

Exhausted and deeply deprived of sleep, Yue Zhishi thoroughly fell asleep like the dead.

Song Yu carried him to clean up, to bathe; he carried him back out after he changed the bedsheets and linen, spreading some soothing cream over him, and gently pulled Yue Zhishi’s pyjamas over him like he was a small baby before kissing his red cheeks.

Song Yu very much found pleasure in this process — it felt like a kind of decompression, as though he was playing a mission-based game and would feel extremely fulfilled after completing all his tasks.

When asleep, Yue Zhishi would have the slightest bit more temper compared to normal, but this temper was a bit better than when he was sick. For most of the time, he was the same as when he was awake, allowing Song Yu to fiddle with him all he wanted, but if he was moved about too much, he would frown, would unconsciously pout his lips and unhappily grumble a few times.

This kind of Yue Zhishi was cute and fun to tease, and Song Yu was still reluctant to sleep even by the middle of the night. He played around with Yue Zhishi without making a single noise until he sensed Yue Zhishi had become truly annoyed and was about to wake up — he only then wrapped Yue Zhishi in his arms, saying okay okay okay, and stroked up and down his back, soothing him back to sleep.

Yue Zhishi slept for too long, this time around. He woke up sometime in the middle; his eyes were super swollen, and it took a lot of effort for him to open his eyes. It looked like Song Yu was holding him as he watched a movie on mute using the projector.

He wanted to get Song Yu to give him a kiss, but he was too tired — he closed his eyes.

But without being prompted or being asked, Song Yu still kissed his face, and so Yue Zhishi fell back asleep, perfectly content.

When he truly woke up, it was because he was hungry and thirsty. Unable to open his eyes, he groped around, and this time, he didn’t end up touching an empty blanket; Song Yu directly reached out and clasped his hand.

“Slept enough?”

Song Yu was sitting up in bed and writing an essay. Yue Zhishi shifted over to his lap, wanting to find a comfortable position.

“You’re still wriggling. Do you want to get out of bed or not?”

Yue Zhishi suddenly remembered something, and he weakly pulled away his head, fully embarrassed, and placed it back onto his pillow. He even stretched out a hand and adjusted the laptop he’d knocked askew. 

Song Yu lightly chuckled, his palm drifting over to cover Yue Zhishi’s face. “You’re finally frightened. Looks like you’re truly awake now.”

He pulled Yue Zhishi up and told him it was already three in the afternoon. Yue Zhishi didn’t want to listen, closing his eyes and opening his mouth to say he didn’t want to get up, but as soon as he tried to speak, he scared himself into coughing.

“Have some water.” Song Yu placed a cup next to his mouth.

Yue Zhishi gulped down the water and then stared blankly into space while holding the empty cup.

His stomach growled, startling Yue Zhishi from his daze; he leaned his head onto Song Yu’s collarbones and took his hand, pulling it over to touch his stomach that was empty and deflated from hunger. Instead of using words, he used his actions to say what he wanted.

Following his expectations, Song Yu gently caressed his stomach — and then, what came out of his mouth was, “Mn, I felt it.”

Yue Zhishi frowned in doubt and then raised his eyebrows, lifting his head to look at Song Yu. His eyes asked, what did you feel? 

“Our baby.” Song Yu used a completely serious face to say utter nonsense. “Kicking your stomach.”

Yue Zhishi widened his eyes, revealing an expression of disbelief. He was stunned for three seconds before he reached out both hands and caught Song Yu’s shoulders, trying to shake him awake.

Song Yu was as indifferent and emotionless as a robot. “I’ve read that you need to rest quietly during the early stages of pregnancy. Yue Zhishi, calm down.”

Thinking he was too funny and too frustrating, Yue Zhishi breathed out, “You calm down.”

“I’m about to become a dad. I can’t calm down,” Song Yu said, face completely dead.

Yue Zhishi fell backwards onto the bed — there was no saving him.

But even though Song Yu really seemed like his head had been drowned in water, he still brought up for Yue Zhishi a tray of delicious food and placed it on the bed. There was a golden chicken soup with gingko nuts and egg dumplings, steamed pork ribs crusted with rice flour that were so fragrant and soft they almost melted in his mouth, stir-fried green beans with mince and some fluffy, scrambled eggs with whitebait fish.

Yue Zhishi felt like he really had done well for himself — he was actually allowed to eat on Song Yu’s bed now.

Worried Yue Zhishi wouldn’t be able to swallow it down, Song Yu soaked the rice in the chicken soup until the grains were soft before he handed it over to him.

Swallowing truly required a lot of effort. His throat felt like it’d been scraped raw from sandpaper, and Yue Zhishi thought, maybe next time he shouldn’t try doing something so scary.

Unless Song Yu begged him.

His waist was sore and weak, and he slouched over after eating for a while. Song Yu had only eaten half of his food when his phone rang, the screen showing Professor Zhang. 

“I’m going to take a call.” He left the room with the phone and also closed the door. Having always been very sensitive to Song Yu’s emotions, Yue Zhishi felt like Song Yu’s mood seemed to abruptly turn for the worse after seeing who called, so he couldn’t quite keep eating anymore. He very slowly took a few sips of the soup and waited until Song Yu returned back to him. Song Yu sat on the edge of the bed, across from him, and Yue Zhishi reached out a leg to poke at him. 

“Don’t move, the tray’s going to flip,” Song Yu said warmly, catching hold of his toes.

Yue Zhishi obediently stopped moving around. Once Song Yu opened his hand, Yue Zhishi stretched out his leg and stuffed his toes into the gap between Song Yu’s knees and the blanket; it felt very secure.

“Do you still want cake?” Song Yu had finished eating, and he lifted his eyes to look at him. “I baked a cheesecake when you were sleeping.”

Yue Zhishi frantically nodded. He finished his bowl of soup and prepared to welcome in his cake.

His butt hurting, Yue Zhishi pretty much laid uncomfortably on his stomach the entire day. He watched an episode of an anime, and then he sent Song Yu a message, saying he wanted to go back to his dorm to grab his homework so he could go directly to class on Monday from the apartment. Song Yu was next to him, organising some data, and his glasses made him look particularly refined. He turned his face over to Yue Zhishi and said, face serious and proper —

“Don’t go to class anymore. Just take a break from school and take care of your stomach.”

For the first time in his life, Yue Zhishi grabbed a pillow and smashed Song Yu with it — he even felt very good while doing it.

They bumped into Jiang Yufan in front of the dormitory building. He was preparing to head out for dinner, and he recognised Song Yu first before he noticed Yue Zhishi, who was waving at him.

“Oh, Le Le.” Jiang Yufan’s hands were in his pockets. “I even thought you were someone else when I saw you from far away. Why are you walking so strangely?” 

With a reddened face, Yue Zhishi pressed his lips together and didn’t speak.

“You’re not sick, are you?” Jiang Yufan looked at him and then looked at Song Yu. “Senior, why isn’t he talking?”

“He exercised too hard, so now his waist’s sore and legs are aching. And his throat’s inflamed…”

Desperately wanting to stop Song Yu from talking, Yue Zhishi kicked at him in a panic, and then for the rest of way, he kept sending [Sorry] messages to Song Yu.

Once Jiang Yufan left, Song Yu squeezed his face with one hand, Yue Zhishi’s mouth puckering up.

“Are you deliberately looking to be punished? Did you enjoy it that much?”

Yue Zhishi blinked at him and then lowered his head, sending him another message.

[Le Le: No to the first bit, but yes to the second.]

Song Yu truly couldn’t handle him.

Yue Zhishi essentially lived at Song Yu’s apartment for the entire next week. His excuse of being sick was very useful, and Jiang Yufan even kept sending him messages, asking after his throat. Every time Yue Zhishi replied, he felt very embarrassed.

Song Yu’s birthday fell on a Friday, and Lin Rong called them back to Yanghe Qizhe for dinner. For once, Song Jin came back home before they did, and he hung around the restaurant’s kitchen. Feeling as though there was nothing he could do in there, he went out and chatted with the few guests before finally heading to their family’s private room. He had nothing to do, so he counted out twenty-two long and skinny candles for Song Yu, placing them on the table.

Yue Zhishi came in with a caramel-coloured, flowering rose, and a few familiar guests greeted him.

“Le Le, you’re back? Where’s your brother?”

“He’s behind me.” Yue Zhishi called out for Aunt Rong, and then slid into the kitchen, popping a cherry tomato into his mouth.

“Darling, wash your hands.” Lin Rong poured some liquid soap onto his hands and pulled him over to the sink. “Where’s your brother?”

“He’s coming.” The tomato was too juicy, Yue Zhishi almost choking as he spoke. He coughed a few times.

“Aiyah, eat slowly, we have plenty.”

Yue Zhishi ran off once he’d washed his hands. He knocked into Song Yu’s chest as soon as he went out, and he retreated backwards two steps before Song Yu hauled him back and wrapped his arms around his waist. Hearing some noise, Lin Rong came out of the kitchen, and when she saw the two of them hugging, she laughed and said, “How old are you guys to still be hugging each other?” 

Yue Zhishi broke out of Song Yu’s arms swiftly, feeling very guilty. “I almost fell.”

“Be careful.” Lin Rong greeted Song Yu, saying, “Xiao Yu, come and wash your hands. Try my new soup recipe while you’re here, it’s definitely delicious.”

Yue Zhishi sneaked away to the family room, and with Song Jin’s help, displayed his newly bought fresh flower.

“If I’d known you were going to buy flowers, I would’ve bought a rose too.” Song Jin was somewhat vexed. “You should’ve told me, Xiao Lin’s going to yell at me later.” 

Having expected this, Yue Zhishi pulled out a red rose from his large schoolbag. “Dong dong dong dong! Uncle, I brought this for you. Aunt Rong doesn’t know about it.”

Song Jin was extremely happy, and he transferred Yue Zhishi 200 RMB at once — Yue Zhishi made a tearful, happy profit of 190.

Lin Rong was floating with happiness after receiving two flowers, and she kept bragging as they ate; Song Yu once again couldn’t help but ridicule her, lifting his cup and mildly saying, “Let us wish Ms Lin Rong a wonderful twenty-second birthday.” 

“Xiao Yu, how are you always like this!”

Yue Zhishi laughed so hard he fell over onto Song Jin. Song Jin slipped an arm around his shoulders and patted him like a father. 

“Ah, that’s right, Xiao Yu,” Song Jin suddenly said, “your Professor Zhang looked for me today. He bought me a cup of coffee.” 

Yue Zhishi gazed towards Song Yu, very keenly sensing that he wasn’t happy again. He sat up straight and silently gave Song Yu a piece of fish.

“Did he?” Song Yu looked like he didn’t really care, poking at the fish with his head lowered. He didn’t pick it up.

“It was very much a coincidence.” Song Jin chuckled. “Our company’s recently collaborating with your school on a project, and your supervisor just happened to be in charge. I didn’t know he was your professor in the beginning. He later took me out for dinner, and we only realised we were connected after chatting for a bit.”  

Song Yu didn’t speak, but Lin Rong was curious. “What did you guys talk about?”

“He talked to me about Xiao Yu’s recent development, and then we later started talking about some things in our lives.” Song Jin looked at Song Yu. “Professor Zhang said you’re preparing to change the direction of your research?” 

“Mn.” Song Yu nodded. “I’ve already decided what I want to do for my postgraduate studies a long time ago, so it can’t be considered as changing — I simply told him ahead of time that I wasn’t going to follow him for postgrad.” 

“But Professor Zhang is currently working on matters related to the BeiDou System. There’s a good future in it. He told me his only student is currently working in national defence, and he really needs someone.” Song Jin was a traditional and upright person, and he truly cared about his country’s national defence matters, thinking it was an extremely good future. He really hoped Song Yu could contribute to their country with his professional knowledge.

Song Yu once again didn’t speak. Lin Rong came out to help smooth the atmosphere, saying, “You should let the children choose for themselves. You allowed him to make his choices from the beginning, so why are you concerned now, all of a sudden.” 

Yue Zhishi glanced at Song Yu and then glanced at Song Jin. He too wanted to change the conversation, so he said, “Uncle, what kind of life stuff did you guys talk about?”

Song Jin let out an ‘oh’, taking a sip of tea. “Actually, it wasn’t anything serious. We were just chatting, and we started talking about our children. Professor Zhang mentioned to me that he has a daughter, and that she was arriving back from the United States in two days. He said he couldn’t find the time to pick her up and wanted to ask Xiao Yu for help, since he didn’t trust anyone else.”