The mountain air was so much cleaner than in the city. The sky had just started thundering and Gu Jun was woken up by birds chirping outside the window.
He had had a dreamless sleep. He sat up, but the person beside him was still sleeping.
An Xiaoyan was curled up in a ball. His hands covered his chest, as if protecting himself from something. Gu Jun wasn't in the mood this morning. He put on his clothes and walked out.
As soon as he walked out, he saw Guo Guo dressed in floral clothing, playing with the mountain goat in the yard. The scene was funny. The mountain goat had two horns on its head. Guo Guo liked touching them. The mountain goat would dodge while Guo Guo chased after it with baby steps. The boy and goat were having so much fun.
"The boy ran out by himself in the morning. Kids are hard to control. The clothes were left behind by a relative's kid, so I put them on for him."
Gu Jun grunted and didn't say anything. He walked out of the room. He was faced with endless mountains. The clouds that surrounded them made them seem more mysterious.
Mother An sensed that Mr. Gu wasn't very enthusiastic about his child. There seemed to be something wrong with the boy. He was very energetic when he woke up and seemed curious about regular things. A child his age should be familiar with these things, but he wouldn't reply when she asked questions. It was like he didn't know how to talk.
"Can he not talk?"
Gu Jun was upset that someone exposed it so directly. He was such a rich man, but he had a retarded son.
He didn't reply, so Mother An couldn't keep asking. Yan Zi was working under him, so she couldn't say anything.
"There's a temple in the back mountain. It works well. I'll have Yan Zi bring you there today. You can pray for your child."
When An Xiaoyan woke up, the bed was empty. Sunlight streamed through the window and landed on his face. He saw that his clothes were as they were before. He felt relieved.
As soon as he got to the yard, Mother An went up to tell him about praying. There was a temple at the back mountain and apparently, the incense worked well. A lot of people went to the mountain during holidays too, but going alone with Gu Jun made him uncomfortable.
"Mom, how about you go? I'll stay home and work."
Mother An glared at him. "What are you saying? Your boss is here and you're not going to accompany him? Plus, the kid's home. I have to help look after him."
An Xiaoyan turned and went into the house helplessly. He couldn't escape today. He couldn't stand thinking about being alone with Gu Jun. If something happened along the way, he was at the disadvantage. He couldn't fight back against Gu Jun.
The sun shone down, falling onto them through the layers of leaves. An Xiaoyan walked in the front; Gu Jun followed. The two walked toward the back mountain, one after another. Along the way, cold sweat dripped down An Xiaoyan's back. Thankfully, Gu Jun didn't do anything inappropriate. He just walked quietly.
Actually, Gu Jun's eyes were trained on that small frame. The brown sweater showed off An Xiaoyan's figure. The sweat on his neck was obvious under the sunlight. At that moment, Gu Jun got a strange feeling. He kind of missed being in bed with An Xiaoyan.
His thoughts scared even himself. He wasn't gay. He'd only done those things with An Xiaoyan out of revenge! It was to crush An Xiaoyan under his feet!
When they got to an open area, they were both sweating from the sun. An Xiaoyan turned away from Gu Jun and took off his sweater. The shirt underneath was accidentally pulled up, revealing a bit of skin.
Gu Jun saw the tight skin from behind. Paired with the hot weather, he felt some heat within.
"If it's too hot, take off your jacket. We're almost there," An Xiaoyan suggested when he saw Gu Jun's red and sweating face.
"Hold it." Gu Jun took off his jacket and tossed it at An Xiaoyan. The manly cologne from the jacket dazed An Xiaoyan. He also felt something different.
The temple seemed like a Buddhist temple from the outside. They could hear the wooden blocks and monks reciting scriptures. There was a monk standing outside the door. He led them inside.
After entering, there was a row of threatening statues. The main temple was further back. There was a statue of the gentle Tathagata Buddha, the "one who has thus arrived", in the center of the main temple.
"Sir, would you like an incense?"
An Xiaoyan nodded. The young monk handed him a bundle of incense. "If you have a wish, then please be sincere. If you have no wishes, I wish you peace." With that, the young monk left.
An Xiaoyan split the incenses in half. He gave half to Gu Jun. Taking his half, he faced the Buddha and closed his eyes. He'd come before, but back then, he didn't believe in Buddhas and gods. He'd thought that he had to rely on himself for everything. Now, he suddenly felt the divine power coming from the statue.
When one was powerless to make changes, one could only rely on gods. An Xiaoyan made a wish.
When he opened his eyes, he felt Gu Jun beside him. He hadn't knelt down and his incense had disappeared too.
"I didn't think you'd be so superstitious. If praying to these insubstantial things can make you rich, wouldn't everyone be millionaires?"
The spiteful words made An Xiaoyan's expression darken. Even if he didn't believe in it, he shouldn't have said it out loud. "Mr. Gu, this is a place of purity."
Gu Jun found An Xiaoyan's seriousness funny. "If you believe, then it's a place of purity. If not, it's just a building."
With that, he walked out. In his opinion, one could only reach his peak by relying on himself. Praying to gods could only make you stupider.
Gu Jun's departure relieved An Xiaoyan. He was afraid Gu Jun would smash the temple in anger. Thankfully, he didn't do so. It was a rare chance, so An Xiaoyan also prayed for his parents' health.
He walked out and saw Gu Jun smoking under a tree. When An Xiaoyan walked over, they started walking back like before. It was noon, but the forest wasn't as hot as before. Walking in the shade made the journey back less tortuous.
"What did you wish for?"
"Huh?" The normal question confused An Xiaoyan. "I—I just made an average wish."
"Did you make any wishes for yourself?"
Gu Jun was still staring at An Xiaoyan. The movements of his small frame shook his heart as if they were tied together. He couldn't keep it down in the temple, but the place had restricted him. Now, they were going down the mountain road and there wasn't anyone here. He didn't have to suppress the urge anymore.
An Xiaoyan hadn't decided whether to lie or not when Gu Jun strode up and pressed him against the mountain. He pressed his lips down, sweeping his tongue across before An Xiaoyan could react. An Xiaoyan's eyes widened. He forgot to even fight back.
Gu Jun kissed, forgetting himself in the beautiful feeling, greedily taking in An Xiaoyan's softness. Suddenly, he hissed. The taste of blood burst in his mouth. He reflexively let go of the person in his arms. He was faced with An Xiaoyan's furious eyes.