Chapter 95: N. An Oolong Meeting

Su Hui had been deeply troubled recently, all starting from an incident where he was snapped by the paparazzi.

In fact, the paparazzi hadn’t even been targeting him, but rather Jingming, who had recently been dating a Hollywood actress. It just so happened that Jingming had returned to the Bay Area and met up with him and Ning Yixiao for brunch before his date. The actress joined them shortly after, arriving in a luxury vehicle. Knowing that Su Hui found it difficult to make small talk with strangers, Ning Yixiao made an excuse and took him away.

Yet, despite that brief window of time, the paparazzi managed to capture countless photos of them and post them onto social media platforms. They even specifically zoomed in on the wedding rings on their hands. However, the reporters weren’t aware of the fact that the two were already married, so the headlines all read “Suspected Engagement.”

Students Su Hui had previously taught sent him messages one after another to gossip, which was how he realized he was trending online again.

Over the span of a few days, this combination of an artist-model and a Silicon Valley entrepreneur swept across the entire internet. Netizens went as far as digging up their previous encounter at the charity gala. They even compared Ning Yixiao’s short-sleeved photos with Bella’s previous fashion campaign, discovering that the arms belonged to the exact same person.

More and more hidden details were unearthed, driving the public’s excitement to new heights. Tasting the sweetness of traffic, the paparazzi began tailing them directly, capturing numerous photos of them on dates and walking their dog, even managing to locate their residence by the coast in the Bay Area clear as day.

Ning Yixiao truly couldn’t tolerate it anymore, so he simply packed up and moved to his property in Atherton with Su Hui.

“There are fewer people over there, it’s much quieter, and it’s quite comfortable to live in,” he said.

Su Hui, who was currently in a socially anxious phase, agreed immediately. He just hadn’t expected that Ning Yixiao’s definition of “comfortable to live in” meant a ten-thousand-square-foot house sitting on 1.7 acres of land. It resembled a vast woodland; once inside, one couldn’t see any neighbors at all, as everything was tightly concealed by trees.

The moment Xuegao stepped inside, he began running around joyfully, disappearing like a flash out of sight.

“Isn’t this a bit too big?” Su Hui looked at Ning Yixiao with an innocent expression. “It must have been very expensive.”

“I originally bought it for investment purposes. It’s close to my company, so I occasionally come to stay,” Ning Yixiao said. “Besides, don’t you love places with lots of trees and grass? I specifically had someone plant a lot of flowers too.”

He led Su Hui past the backyard lawn and swimming pool, cutting through the house directly to the front garden. “Do you like it?”

Su Hui looked at the flora before him; it was almost an exact replica of the small garden he had painstakingly cultivated at their old home, except expanded at least threefold in scale.

“I love it.” Su Hui walked over to the wall of climbing roses and turned back to look at Ning Yixiao. “I can plant flowers here in the future, right?”

“Of course you can.” Ning Yixiao hugged him from behind. “All of this was prepared for you. Once Grandma is feeling a bit better, we’ll bring her over too. This kind of environment is perfect for her recovery.”

Su Hui turned around to embrace Ning Yixiao, kissing his chin. “Ning Yixiao, you are amazing.”

Ning Yixiao had thought he would say something like “thank you,” but it turned out to be praise. He smiled. “You’re only realizing it now?”

Su Hui shook his head. “No.” A few fragments of memory flashed through his mind, and he spoke honestly without any concealment, “I already thought so the very first time I saw the video of your scholarship defense.”

Ning Yixiao caught the keyword instantly. “Scholarship defense video? From undergrad?”

Only then did Su Hui realize he might have let it slip. “Mm…” He didn’t know how to smooth it over.

“When did that happen? How come I didn’t know?” Ning Yixiao pressed him against the flower wall. The blooming Pierre de Ronsard roses brushed against Su Hui’s neck and cheeks, the petals tickling him.

“It was… after I ran into you at the coffee shop. I accidentally saw the defense video on the school’s official website, saw you, and then paid a bit of attention.”

Seeing his guilty look, Ning Yixiao found it amusing. “So you attended the book and film club on purpose?”

Su Hui was usually slow to respond, but his rebuttal came very quickly this time. “No, it was a coincidence. It just so happened that we ran into each other several times in a row.”

Ning Yixiao lowered his head, kissing the tip of Su Hui’s nose. “Then we’re quite destined, aren’t we?”

Su Hui nodded. “Mm.”

If not for destiny, how could they have reunited in the vast sea of people? He proactively circled his arms around Ning Yixiao’s waist, tilting his face up, his voice very soft. “The driver said just now that this place is right next to Stanford.”

“Mm, it’s just three intersections away.” Ning Yixiao pressed against his forehead, reading his mind at a single glance. “Want to go have a look?”

Su Hui nodded. He really wanted to know what kind of campus Ning Yixiao had spent his graduate years in, but if he went alone, it would seem far too pitiful.

“Will you accompany me?”

“Of course.”

Ning Yixiao’s properties were all beautiful, but they lacked a sense of human presence because he spent most of his time working, rarely stayed over, and left few traces of use. There were very few belongings that truly belonged to him. After Su Hui arrived, he bought some decorations, and the two of them arranged them together, creating the warm feeling of setting up a new home.

With the garden, Su Hui had something to keep himself busy during his leisure time. After Ning Yixiao left for work, he would head out to tend to the plants, sometimes spending an entire morning immersed in it.

But the plants were never as important as Xuegao. Xuegao didn’t care much for the woods in the backyard; he preferred the wide, unobstructed roads. So, Su Hui would take him out, walking a few laps along the residential neighborhood road.

It was also because of walking him that Su Hui discovered he actually had neighbors to his left and right. It was just that each household occupied a massive plot of land, heavily partitioned by large trees, making it nearly impossible to see each other’s existence. The people living here loved peace and quiet; only occasionally would someone jog or walk their dog in the morning, making the area look a bit more lively.

Until one day, he noticed that the neighboring house seemed to be hosting a party, blasting hip-hop music that didn’t match the tone of the neighborhood at all.

“The sound system is pretty good…” Su Hui caught a glimpse as he passed by. He couldn’t see inside, but the heavy bass clearly transmitted through the pavement to Xuegao’s paws.

Xuegao let out a few loud barks as if giving a warning.

“Xuegao, don’t bark.”

Not even a few seconds later, several even more hyperactive dog barks echoed from inside.

“Woof woof woof!”

The two little dogs gazed at each other from afar, taking the initiative to start a social mixer.

Su Hui was terribly afraid that the other side would let out a large dog—it wouldn’t be good if a fight broke out—so he immediately led his handsome pup away.

What he didn’t expect, however, was that the neighbor’s rap music continued to play for several days straight. Su Hui couldn’t help but suspect that the household might possess a treasury of vinyl records from every rap artist across America.

The weekend was bright and beautiful. Ning Yixiao was resting at home, rarely sleeping in late, but Su Hui was tugged awake early in the morning by his sleeve being bitten, persistently pestered to go out and play.

Left with no choice and fearing he would disturb Ning Yixiao, Su Hui had to sacrifice himself. He quietly changed his clothes and headed out, bringing a pouch of the dog’s small toys along.

The weather outside was great, thick with the scent of summer, and the sun left Su Hui feeling a bit dazed. Having only gone to bed at four in the morning the night before, he hadn’t slept nearly enough. With bleary eyes, his state on the road was completely one of “the dog walking the human.”

With a momentary lapse of attention, he suddenly realized the leash hadn’t been secured properly, and Xuegao dashed off like a streak of lightning.

“Xuegao!”

Su Hui gave chase immediately. Unfortunately, his waist was sore and his legs ached. He watched Xuegao turn a corner, but by the time he ran over, he found him locked in a scuffle with a Maltese.

“Ah…”

The Maltese’s owner was tall, dressed in a white t-shirt and jeans, and wore a blue baseball cap. He looked quite young and had an Asian face, yet he spoke with a very authentic California accent, even while trying to break up the fight between the two dogs.

“Xuegao, come here!”

Su Hui clapped his hands at Xuegao. The other person looked over at him as well, seemingly understanding his Chinese, and switched to Chinese himself.

“Is this your dog? He’s pretty handsome.”

“Mm, he usually isn’t aggressive at all.” Su Hui hurried over, forcefully pulling Xuegao to his side to secure the leash, scolding him in a low voice, “What are you doing, you scared the other dog.”

“Not really,” the guy said casually. “He didn’t bite. He just came up and pinned my Lily down right away. How could she accept that? She kicked your dog right off the bat, and then the two of them started fighting. A winner hasn’t been decided yet.”

Such a tiny dog can actually go back and forth with Xuegao?

Su Hui still felt very apologetic. “Maybe… he’s been in heat lately. I am truly sorry.”

“Nah, it’s a small matter.” The guy smiled. “Do you live here too?”

“Mm.” Only now did Su Hui look up at his face, but the more he looked, the more familiar he seemed.

Probably because of Ning Yixiao, Su Hui paid extra attention to whether people had moles when looking at them. Seeing the small mole on the guy’s aegyosal, he suddenly thought of a certain female student’s laptop desktop background.

She was a fanatical follower of a boy group, knowing everything about them like the back of her hand. Her phone ringtone was also their song—a Chinese-style electronic dance track. Having heard it so many times, Su Hui could even hum a few bars of it.

“You…” He pondered for a moment.

The other party beat him to the punch. “You recognize me? I knew it.” His smile was filled with an unhideable touch of youthful pride. “Indeed, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. I am Pei Tingtsong.”

Su Hui was just worrying about not being able to recall the name and fearing embarrassment, so he hadn’t expected the guy to introduce himself.

“Right, Pei Tingtsong, you are…”

Pei Tingtsong picked up the conversational thread again on his own. “Kaleido’s main rapper, the youngest. Yes, that’s me.”

He really was someone who wouldn’t let a conversation fall flat.

“Right, right, right.” Su Hui nodded politely.

“Are you my fan?” Pei Tingtsong asked directly.

“I…” Su Hui thought about it, but still chose honesty. “Actually, it’s one of my students. She really likes the shipping couple of you and a guy in your group…”

The moment the words left his mouth, Su Hui immediately felt a bit regretful. Was this something appropriate to say? Isn’t it a bit too much to say it right to the person’s face? What should I do, I want to recall it…

While he was feeling vexed, Pei Tingtsong actually let out a long “oh.” Then, in an utterly casual tone, he said, “That one is my boyfriend.”

Su Hui was dumbfounded.

Standing beside him, Xuegao didn’t even wag his tail anymore.

“Boy…friend?”

Seeing Su Hui’s eyes widen significantly, Pei Tingtsong laughed, his smile brimming with a youthful aura. “Yeah. You’re not homophobic, are you?”

Su Hui thought to himself, To think I could be associated with that word in this lifetime…

“No, I’m just a bit surprised.” Su Hui was still in his depressive phase, so his speaking speed was slow, creating a strange contrast with the other’s impatient nature. “Um, for you to just say it directly like that, aren’t you afraid I’ll post it online and affect your career?”

Pei Tingtsong laughed again, sitting down on the roadside green belt. “Who would believe it even if you said it? They’ll only think it’s the delusions of a shipper. The truer it sounds, the faker it becomes, and the less people will believe it. The two of us are so lovey-dovey on stage, yet they still claim it’s pure fan service and industrial sugar coating.”

“Besides, among the people living around here, how many are curious about celebrities? Telling a stranger like you actually leaves me without any burden, and it feels pretty refreshing. Dating in secrecy is truly miserable; I wish the entire universe knew.”

He’s quite a romantic fool.

Su Hui suddenly tasted the sweetness of consuming gossip. No wonder people online loved it so much. If he were to pass this news on to his student, Su Hui worried she might weep tears of joy and go mad on the spot.

“Can I ask you for an autograph?” Su Hui rummaged through his bag, finding it filled with Xuegao’s small toys. Fortunately, a small notepad and a pen were pressed at the very bottom, which he used to note down things to buy.

“No problem, seeing as your student is my fan.” He signed his name with great flair. “What’s her name?”

“Leah Elvers.”

Pei Tingtsong smoothly added a “To Leah” and handed the notebook back to Su Hui.

“Then what’s your name?” He sized Su Hui up. “You look so young. Do you teach at such a young age? Teaching primary schoolers?”

A bit awkwardly, Su Hui introduced himself, mentioning that he lived next door too. “I teach university students…”

“University students?” Pei Tingtsong was startled. “Then you could practically teach me. I’m a university student myself.”

While the two were talking, Xuegao silently sneaked behind Lily again and suddenly launched a surprise attack, and the two dogs began to fight each other once more.

The two of them expended a massive amount of effort to separate them. Sensing that things would go wrong sooner or later if this continued, Su Hui immediately bid the big star goodbye, preparing to take Xuegao away.

The big star was still shouting from behind, “Come see our concert if you get the chance! We might just launch an American tour!”

Su Hui turned around, nodded at him, and dragged Xuegao home with hurried steps.

When he returned home, Ning Yixiao hadn’t come downstairs yet. Looking at the autograph he had secured for Leah and thinking about how happy she would be, Su Hui immediately snapped a photo and sent it to her. Meanwhile, he went online to search for their group and Pei Tingtsong’s name.

The related search queries pulled up many videos. Su Hui clicked on one to watch, which happened to be a compilation from their group variety show. There were six members. Unlike many boy groups, the members seemed quite distinct; one could memorize everyone’s face after watching for a short while.

But the more Su Hui watched, the more strange he felt. He always got the impression…

He suddenly received a message from Leah.

Leah: ! ! ! ! Eddy, is this real? You ran into him? ? ? Is it really Little Pei? ? ? Oh my god, is he super handsome and tall in person?

He was indeed quite tall, about the same as Ning Yixiao. Su Hui placed his hands on the keyboard, typing out a line.

Eddy: He is quite handsome, very tall, and feels very straightforward in personality.

“Who?”

Hearing Ning Yixiao’s voice coming from behind, Su Hui was startled out of his wits.

Ning Yixiao encircled him in his arms from behind, both hands bracing against the desk. “Why are you so frightened? Did you meet a handsome guy when you went out?” His voice still carried the brief hoarseness of just waking up. He lowered his head to kiss Su Hui’s nape, nipping and biting at a small patch of skin.

“Just… a celebrity…” Su Hui felt tickled by his actions. In the next second, Ning Yixiao gripped his chin and initiated a mint-flavored kiss.

“Mph…”

A moment later, Ning Yixiao let go. “What kind of celebrity is worthy of such high praise from Teacher Su?”

“An idol from a boy group my student likes,” Su Hui said. “It wasn’t high praise, I was just answering her…”

Ning Yixiao wasn’t wearing his glasses, so he leaned closer. “What idol? Let me see.”

Su Hui had no choice but to click play on the paused video. “This one, Pei Tingtsong.” He pointed. “The tallest one with the white hair.”

“It looks quite similar to your hair color.” Ning Yixiao found another angle to tease him.

“It doesn’t, his is platinum blonde.” Su Hui cleared any association.

Ning Yixiao found him strangely familiar. Looking a bit closer, he recognized him. “Oh, him.”

Hearing his tone, it sounded like there was a story. Su Hui looked up. “Do you know him?”

“We’ve crossed paths a few times. The young master next door, he’s quite famous.” Ning Yixiao recalled a complaint letter that had mistakenly been delivered to his doorstep previously. “He was complained about for hosting parties, and he frequently argues with his sister, scaling their courtyard wall to escape by car. Quite an absurd kid.”

Su Hui visualized it, and it seemed exactly like something he would do.

“Yixiao, you seem to be quite familiar with him.”

“Not familiar, we’ve never spoken.” Ning Yixiao paused. “But my legal counsel handles representation for him too. He mentioned it just a few days ago, saying he came back recently to handle inheritance and copyright matters. His grandfather seems to be a grand author.”

Su Hui blinked. What a magical person.

Seeing the autograph on the side, Ning Yixiao felt a bit jealous. “You even asked him for an autograph?”

“No. This morning when I took Xuegao out for a walk, Xuegao broke free from his leash and ran over to pin a Maltese down. I hurried over to apologize and separate them, and it just so happened that the Maltese’s owner was him. We just chatted for a couple of sentences like that.”

While explaining, Su Hui stared at the video. Thinking of the oddity he had felt just now, he nudged Ning Yixiao with his elbow to share the gossip. “Yixiao, Pei Tingtsong told me that he’s dating this guy in his group. Do you think they look like it?”

“He even told you that?” Ning Yixiao found it unbelievable.

Su Hui also knew it was bizarre, blinking. “He really did say it himself.” After speaking, he pointed at another person in the video. “I said my student ships him and his ship partner, and he admitted it to me directly, even saying he wasn’t afraid of me spreading it.”

Ning Yixiao felt as though he hadn’t fully woken up yet. “Let me see. This one? This tall?”

“Yes, I just went through Leah’s Moments to confirm it too. It’s him and him. But they…” Su Hui frowned, deeply perplexed. “No matter how I look at it, they don’t look like a couple at all.”

Ning Yixiao stared silently at the video. A moment later, he asked a soul-searching question, “Who is the top?”

Su Hui froze for a second, shaking his head. “I don’t know.” He wouldn’t tell me that level of privacy.

“Maybe because it’s real, they pretend to be straight bros on the surface,” Ning Yixiao offered an explanation.

Recalling what Pei Tingtsong had said, Su Hui still found it completely strange.

Seeing how engrossed he was in watching, Ning Yixiao slapped the laptop shut with a snap. “No more watching.”

“Oh.” Su Hui obeyed obediently, turning his head to look at Ning Yixiao very closely.

Seeing him so serious, Ning Yixiao couldn’t help but pinch his face, lowering his head to kiss him.

“I haven’t eaten breakfast yet.”

“It’s practically time for lunch anyway, it’s already late.” Ning Yixiao’s hand pressed against his back, his warm breath fanning across Su Hui’s face. The tip of his tongue and his lips were cool, yet the moment they kissed, they seemed to melt instantly.

When the kiss ended, Su Hui panted slightly, leaning against the desk as he looked sideways at Ning Yixiao.

“What are you looking at?”

You look good. Su Hui didn’t say it aloud. “You’re looking at me too,” he said instead.

Ning Yixiao let out a soft laugh, walking into the kitchen to pour a glass of water, staring at Su Hui from afar as he drank half of it.

Su Hui walked over too, like a small animal that couldn’t be separated by too much distance, his steps and voice both light and soft. “I want to drink some too.”

Ning Yixiao lowered his head directly to kiss him, passing the water over without warning. Su Hui choked and coughed, the water trickling down the corner of his mouth.

“I’ll drink it myself…”

“Why didn’t you say you’d drink it yourself last night?” Ning Yixiao was highly skilled at saying indecent words with an expressionless face.

Su Hui couldn’t outtalk him.

“Do you want to learn how to swim today?”

“I probably won’t be able to learn…” Su Hui doubted his learning ability during this kind of period. “How about we wait for a manic episode?”

Ning Yixiao smiled. “You can just soak in the pool, I won’t laugh at you.”

“Really?”

“Mm.” Ning Yixiao spoke with absolute gravity. “But there’s only one swim ring here, and it’s a little duck one, if you can accept that.”

Su Hui turned around to leave, but was pulled back by a laughing Ning Yixiao, who lifted him directly onto the counter, parting his clothes to kiss his tattoo.

“So cold…”

“It’ll get hot in a moment.”

When Ning Yixiao didn’t have work, he treated teasing Su Hui as his job. At any rate, he was diligent, meticulous, and entirely devoid of mercy.

It wasn’t until two hours later that Su Hui could finally sit down to eat. Probably because he was too exhausted, he actually ate a bit more than usual, using his appetite to replenish his overspent physical energy.

Ning Yixiao, however, was brimming with energy, heading out to swim not long after finishing his meal. The afternoon sun was abundant. Su Hui sat by the pool reading a book, and the splashes from Ning Yixiao entering the water would always splatter onto him. Su Hui would look over, catching sight of the tensed back muscles and crisscrossing scars as he swam, hormones overflowing.

I hope Ning Yixiao swims less in public spaces in the future, Su Hui thought silently to himself.

At four in the afternoon, the doorbell suddenly rang, ringing continuously. Su Hui found it a bit strange; who would look for them at this hour?

Ning Yixiao stopped, bracing his arms against the edge of the pool to hoist himself out with a loud splash, water cascading down his entire body. Su Hui handed him a bath towel.

“I’ll go open it.” Draping the towel over himself, Ning Yixiao wiped his face, put on his glasses, and walked to the front door.

As he expected, it was the idol star Su Hui had met today.

Ning Yixiao took the initiative to say hello. “Is something the matter?”

“Huh?” Pei Tingtsong took a look. Isn’t this the Chinese guy in tech who moved in a few years ago? He looked up at the door number. “That’s right. Is Su Hui here?”

Ning Yixiao’s brow narrowed slightly. “Mm, what’s up?”

Pei Tingtsong felt a strange wave of pressure. He handed over the dog toy in his hand. “He left this behind this morning. I thought it belonged to my Lily, but when I went back and asked, it wasn’t.”

While they were speaking, Su Hui and Xuegao walked over together. The moment Xuegao saw the frisbee in Pei Tingtsong’s hand, he grew excited, barking loudly several times as if saying “it’s mine, it’s mine.”

“Thank you, I might have dropped it because I was in a rush to pack up my bag.” Su Hui took it immediately.

“Don’t mention it.” Pei Tingtsong intended to leave, but stopped right as he lifted his foot, asking a question, “Hey, did you tell your student yet? Did she see my autograph?”

“Mm, she was incredibly happy, and she even pushed a bunch of video edits of you and that guy to me, it’s just…” Su Hui hesitated to finish his sentence.

Pei Tingtsong’s curiosity was piqued instead. “Just what?”

“He feels that your relationship with your boyfriend is just average,” Ning Yixiao said directly on his behalf.

“What??” Pei Tingtsong had a face of utter disbelief.

“No, I…” Su Hui pondered how he should express it tactfully. “I get the impression your boyfriend treats the other guy a bit better… than he treats you?”

Hearing this, Pei Tingtsong flew into a rage. “How is that possible? He obviously treats me the best!”

Seeing him grow agitated, Su Hui instinctively huddled close to Ning Yixiao, saying in a tiny voice, “But he talks about the ‘Little Leader’ in every breath…”

Pei Tingtsong froze on the spot for a full minute.

Su Hui wondered if he had said the wrong thing and whether he should apologize right this instant. Ning Yixiao, however, didn’t have that patience, intending to close the door directly. “Nothing else? Then let’s chat next time.”

Right at the moment he closed the door, Pei Tingtsong pounded on the door from outside and shouted loudly.

“No! You’re talking about He Ziyan! How could it possibly be him? M-My boyfriend is Fang Juexia—the whitest and prettiest one!”

Everything suddenly made sense.

Only now did Su Hui realize it was a massive oolong, opening the door immediately. “Ah… is that so? But the shipping couple my student follows is you and He Ziyan.”

Pei Tingtsong froze for three seconds. “What an wicked ship…” It almost made him take the fall. He had to ask clearly before speaking next time; he had assumed the entire world shipped TingXia.

“Tell her that He Ziyan and I are fake, faker than fake can be. He doesn’t have me in his heart and I don’t have him in mine, the two of us can’t live together.”

Su Hui didn’t quite dare to. What if she cried herself into the hospital?

“Ah… okay.”

Ning Yixiao smiled as he squeezed between the two of them, looping his arm around Su Hui as he stared at Pei Tingtsong. “Is it over?”

“It’s over.” Su Hui felt far too awkward, having wanted to flee the scene long ago.

“Remember to help me convey that, Teacher Su!” After speaking, Pei Tingtsong turned back to walk toward his own house, but felt something was off as he walked. Could it be that these two are a couple too?

The door closed with a thud.

“Teacher Su,” Ning Yixiao repeated, his tone carrying a trace of jealousy.

“He just called me that randomly.” Su Hui proactively embraced Ning Yixiao. “Don’t bicker with a kid.”

“A kid, you call him that quite affectionately.” Ning Yixiao turned around to leave, but Su Hui followed closely, dragging his arm. Within two steps, he was pinned against the wall of climbing roses on the side.

“I have water all over me.” Ning Yixiao sized Su Hui up. “Your clothes are getting damp.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Looking at Ning Yixiao, Su Hui couldn’t resist stretching out both hands, pressing his two index fingers against the corners of his mouth, manually helping him curl them upward. Yet Ning Yixiao just stared straight at him, opening his pursed lips to take Su Hui’s fingertips into his mouth, his teeth nipping down with a moderate amount of force.

Su Hui’s heart skipped a beat, instinctively wanting to draw his hand back. “Dirty…”

Yet Ning Yixiao not only refused to let go, but took them in even deeper. It was clearly an envelopment, yet it felt more like an invasion. His tongue swirled around the moist knuckles, where there were still minor cuts left from making installation art.

Su Hui’s breathing grew visibly disordered, his other hand instinctively gripping the flower vines. The blooming flowers across the entire wall trembled along with it.

After an unknown amount of time, Ning Yixiao drew back slightly, a very fine silver thread stretching between his fingertips and his lips.

“Teacher Su is the cleanest.”

Ning Yixiao’s bath towel fell to the ground, the afternoon sun illuminating every inch of his skin, the water droplets sparkling, leaving Su Hui dazzled by the sight.

“It seems our intuition wasn’t wrong, they weren’t a couple to begin with.” Ning Yixiao spoke ordinary words, yet his offense never ceased.

He lowered his head, choosing not to satisfy Su Hui directly by kissing his lips, but instead burying himself in his warm neck. The fragrance on Su Hui’s body mixed with the sweet scent of the flowers, flooding into his nasal cavity all at once like an involuntarily released aphrodisiac substance.

“Mm, I didn’t expect their idol group… to be so complicated,” Su Hui shrank back slightly. “You really couldn’t tell…”

It was merely licking, kissing, and biting, yet the moment the sensation of pain transmitted along his nerve endings, Su Hui’s legs grew a bit soft. The sound of breathing in his ear was heavy, laced with desire, as the moist kisses moved unhurriedly, leaving behind one difficult-to-erase flush after another.

“Your student couldn’t tell either, right?” Ning Yixiao let out a soft laugh. “The Assistant Teacher Eddy they like can’t even stand up when he’s being kissed.”

He feared Ning Yixiao kissing his ears the most. Every time he moved upward, Su Hui would practically turn to mush. Yet during this kind of period, Ning Yixiao always acted without the slightest rush, wishing to kiss every part of his body and watch him dissolve into a puddle before willing to take action.

“Here… won’t do…”

Ning Yixiao’s understanding diverged from his once again. “Why won’t it do? The paparazzi can’t take photos.”

“No…” Su Hui’s pushing hands lacked strength as well, looking very much like a token resistance.

The weather changed abruptly, and thunder rumbled outside, as if a sudden shower was about to fall.

“It’s going to rain.”

“Mm.”

Without any warning, Ning Yixiao scooped Su Hui up in one movement, kissing him fervently, his hand pressing against his lower back as he carried him inside step by step. Lacking a stable center of gravity, Su Hui could only wrap his legs around his damp back.

In the oppressive rainy season, the air was so humid it could practically be wrung out to produce water.

“Can’t stand…”

“Then kneel.”

Su Hui had never imagined that he would actually develop a lifetime of unforgettable, invasive memories regarding the staircase of a house in the future, harder to erase than the bruises on his knees. Just thinking about it was unbearable. He didn’t want to walk down this staircase ever again in the future.

“Let’s lay a carpet on the staircase too in the future.” Ning Yixiao had originally just been kissing his knees, yet it wasn’t enough, his kisses naturally falling onto his tattoo in the end, even pressing it with his hand mischievously.

“Don’t press…” Su Hui was startled, his entire body slick with sweat. He truly couldn’t handle it, his subconscious mind controlling his body to retreat a bit, only to be caught by the ankle and forcefully dragged back.

“Why are you running?” Ning Yixiao kissed his flushed cheek quite like a gentleman, speaking in a low voice, “I don’t eat people.”

But his gentlemanly nature was strictly limited to this kiss; the remaining contrast and the glasses he hadn’t removed from start to finish made him look very much like a refined scoundrel.

Seeing Su Hui’s look of seeming rebuttal, Ning Yixiao smiled, using an utterly cold face to retort, “Did I say something wrong?” He nudged against Su Hui’s nose, breathing in the hot air he panted out. “The one being eaten inside should be me, right?”

Su Hui couldn’t utter a single word, his lip nearly bitten open.

“You…”

“A pervert?” Ning Yixiao didn’t need to think to guess what he wanted to say. “Teacher Su scolds correctly.”

Su Hui swore silently in his heart. I will never strike up a conversation with a stranger idol ever again in the future.