The man glanced at him.
Lin Qiong: "What's wrong?"
"Don't you think something is off with what you said?"
Lin Qiong shook his head, but also understood the meaning in the other's words, "No, it's jstu about a balanced diet."
Fu Xingyun: ?
Hugging the man's arm, Lin Qiong said, "I never make promises that I can't keep; this is also for both of us."
Seeing the puzzled look, Lin Qiong continued, "If I say I will only eat vegetarian for my whole life and marry you in the next life, would you believe me?"
Thinking about yesterday's rabbit meat, Fu Xingyun spoke awkwardly, "Don't believe it."
"If I tell you I've been a vegetarian, do you think it's possible?"
Recalling the abandoned night run, Fu Xingyun spoke again, "Not possible."
Lin Qiong clapped his hands, "That's why I said a balanced diet when making promises."
Fu Xingyun: ...
Lin Qiong hugged the man's arm and lowered his head shyly, "Not for anything else, but simply because I just want to be with you in the next life."
Speaking, he began to create excuses for his meat-and-vegetable combination, "It's not that I'm unwilling to make those challenging vows to test one's willpower. I'm just afraid that if I happen to slip up one day, and if I don't fulfill it, then the two of us won't be able to be together in the next life."
The young man's voice lingered in his ears, like a cat's tail gently swaying and brushing against the skin, causing a tickling sensation.
"After all..."
Fu Xingyun lowered his gaze to look at him. The other's eyes were clear and innocent, not avoiding his gaze. His eyes unconsciously swept down, gliding over the well-defined nose, landing on those lips.
The man's Adam's apple rolled, and in an instant, his brows furrowed. "After all, what?"
Lin Qiong's fair and harmless face bloomed into a smile, and his eyes curved like a bright crescent moon. "Do you want to know?"
The man looked at him without saying a word.
"If you lower your head, I'll tell you."
The mischievous tone was like cupid's arrows, poking at his heart one after another. Fu Xingyun's originally furrowed brow became colder. The sensation of his heart pounding faster in his chest was uncomfortable, leaving him feeling distressed and disoriented.
Then he turned his head away with a cold tone, "Forget it, I won't listen."
Lin Qiong had initially just wanted to tease him into lowering his head. Seeing that he was not listening, he hurriedly leaned his head over, saying, "Listen! Listen!"
Seeing the cold face and no response, Lin Qiong whispered in Fu Xingyun's ear, "Listen, I'm just teasing you. Where is the fun in a marriage without a bit of playfulness between partners?"
Fu Xingyun lowered his gaze to look at him, and seeing Lin Qiong's attempt to please him, he asked, "What were you going to say just now?"
Lin Qiong grinned and then whispered in his ear, "I like you the most."
With a slight sound, Fu Xingyun suddenly felt a sinking sensation in his heart. He raised his hand, pulling his arm away from Lin Qiong's embrace.
Lin Qiong looked somewhat surprised, "What's wrong?"
Fu Xingyun's expression stiffened, "Don't say such things to me next time."
"Why?"
The man felt his heart pounding heavier and a dull pain in his chest. After taking a deep breath, he said, "I don't want to hear it."
Lin Qiong looked at him, "Really?"
Fu Xingyun's expression remained cold, "Yes."
In the next moment, Lin Qiong closed the distance between them a little more.
Fu Xingyun instantly became alert, "What are you doing?"
Lin Qiong remained composed, "Nothing, just wanted to talk to you again."
"What do you want to talk about?"
Seeing a slight relaxation in Fu Xingyun's facial expression, Lin Qiong quickly and boldly cupped the person's face, then leaned in and whispered in their ear, "I like you! I like you! I like you!"
For a moment, the earlobes felt as if they had been heated by something. Fu Xingyun quickly pulled away, "Lin Qiong!"
Lin Qiong, ecstatic because the other person agreed to go to the mountains with him, didn't mind the stern expression, "Here!"
The man's sturdy chest heaved, and his handsome face looked so cold it could freeze, "You have no shame."
Lin Qiong quickly spoke to appease him, "Don't be angry, don't be angry. I was just teasing you."
Fu Xingyun looked at him, released the person's hand, and turned to leave the kitchen.
Quickly entering his fingerprint to call the elevator, Fu Xingyun didn't immediately press the floor button after the elevator doors closed with the man inside. The elevator was silent, then a deep voice sighed, sounding as if it had been suppressed for a long time, breaking into a hoarse and coarse sentence.
Fu Xingyun took a deep breath, raised his hand to press the button for the third floor. His brows were still furrowed, but his earlobes seemed flushed as if filled with blood, the color lingering for a long time.
----
In the afternoon, Lin Qiong had taken a nap and wanted to take the person out for a walk. A small head peeked out in front of the study door, "Xingyun."
After hearing the sound, Fu Xingyun's hand, holding the pen, paused, but his gaze didn't shift from the desktop. He spoke casually, "What's the matter?"
"The weather is nice today. Let's go out for a walk."
Fu Xingyun looked up, "Whatever."
Upon hearing this, Lin Qiong quickly approached, "Then let's go."
Fu Xingyun hesitated, looking at Lin Qiong's casual attire, "Aren't you going to get ready?"
Lin Qiong looked resolute, "Did you forget?"
"Forget what?"
Lin Qiong smiled confidently, "I am always ready."
"..."
As the two were leaving, they coincidentally ran into the ragged old man who collected recyclables coming back. Lin Qiong hadn't seen him for a while, so upon spotting him, he enthusiastically waved, "Grandpa!"
The old man was surprised to see him, "Oh, you're back?!"
Lin Qiong nodded, "Yeah, came back a few days ago."
Then, unable to contain his joy, Lin Qiong looked at Fu Xingyun and said, "Grandpa, there's going to be a meteor shower in a few days, did you know?"
The old man collecting recyclables didn't pay much attention to such things at his age, "I didn't know, are you planning to go see it?"
Lin Qiong nodded, "Yes."
With a smile, he pointed to Fu Xingyun, "He's accompanying me to the mountains to watch."
The young man smiled brightly, like a child who couldn't contain a secret.
After exchanging a few more words with the old man, Lin Qiong pushed Fu Xingyun away.
As summer was about to end, the weather was gradually cooling. Watching the leaves on the trees turn slightly yellow, Lin Qiong spoke, "Autumn will be here in a little over a week."
Fu Xingyun responded nonchalantly, "Hmm."
Lin Qiong leaned forward, looking serious, "By then, we won't be able to go for walks like we do now."
Fu Xingyun, frowning, asked, "Why?"
Lin Qiong replied, "Because it will be cold if we don't wear thermal underwear."
"..."
Looking at their summer clothes, Lin Qiong continued, "In autumn, it's cold in the morning and evening, and hot at noon. It's easy to catch a cold if you're not careful. We can't risk getting chilled."
After having dinner together in the evening, the two returned to their respective rooms. Lin Qiong lay on the bed, picked up his phone, and made a call to Ji Yao.
After a few rings, the call was answered, "Sis."
Lin Qiong responded smoothly, "It's me."
"How did it go?"
"He's going."
There was a noticeable pause in the other person's voice, "What?!"
Before Fu Xingyun and Lin Qiong got married, Ji Yao and this group of friends had invited Fu Xingyun to go out several times, but most of the time, he was either busy or uninterested.
For a moment, the loud voice made Lin Qiong pull the phone away a bit, "Xingyun said he's going."
Ji Yao: "He agreed just like that?"
"Sort of." Then Lin Qiong heard the excitement in Ji Yao's voice, "Which mountain are we going to in a few days? Do I need to prepare anything?"
Ji Yao was genuinely surprised that Fu Xingyun agreed to go to the mountains with them. But amidst the surprise, she didn't forget to answer his questions, "It's the mountain near the city. People often go camping there, and there's a great store at the foot of the mountain."
Lin Qiong acknowledged, "Got it. Do I need to bring anything?"
After a moment of thought, Ji Yao had most things already arranged, "Just pack some changes of clothes; I've got everything else sorted."
Lin Qiong felt grateful, "Having you plan this is great."
Ji Yao responded warmly, "No problem."
Filled with anticipation, Lin Qiong spent the previous days preparing for the trip. On the day of departure, he woke up early to pack, but for some reason, his eyelids had been twitching.
He then knocked on Fu Xingyun's door, "Xingyun, are you up?"
There was a sound from inside the room, and shortly after, the door opened, "What's up?"
Excited, Lin Qiong said, "We're going camping today. I came to help you pack."
Fu Xingyun's tone was casual, "I can do it myself."
Lin Qiong insisted, "Let me help you."
The man refused decisively, "No need."
With that, he closed the door once again, and when he came out, he indeed had a black sports bag in hand.
Lin Qiong casually took the bag, "Let's go."
Fu Xingyun remained silent for a moment before asking, "How are we getting there?"
Lin Qiong replied, "By car."
"You're driving?"
"Of course not, I don't know how to navigate mountain roads."
For some reason, after this was said, Fu Xingyun visibly sighed with relief when looking at Lin Qiong.
Pouting, he asked, "Don't you trust me?"
Fu Xingyun responded, "I trust you."
"Then why did you sigh in relief?"
"Because I trust that you won't drive on mountain roads."
"..."
Not long after, Ji Yao called, "Sis, I've arrived. Come out with Xingyun."
Lin Qiong made a small OK gesture with his hand.
Once they left the villa area, they saw two off-road vehicles parked not far away.
As Lin Qiong was about to approach, he suddenly noticed a head popping out of the window of one of the off-road vehicles, revealing a very familiar pair of nostrils.
Lin Qiong's eyes widened instantly, "Qin Weichu!!!"
Qin Weichu looked at the two not far away, almost unable to believe his eyes, "Lin Qiong!!!"
Lin Qiong: !!!
He finally understood why his eyelids had been twitching all morning.
Qin Weichu's eyes widened, giving him a feeling of gritted teeth and suppressed anger.
He really didn't expect to see Lin Qiong here.
Ji Yao, seeing Lin Qiong approaching, got out of the other car and waved to him, "Sis."
Lin Qiong forced a smile, "Hmm."
"Let's go; everyone's ready to hit the road."
Suddenly, Lin Qiong felt like he was really about to embark on a journey.
Glancing at the stiff Qin Weichu sitting in the car, Lin Qiong voiced a last shred of hope, "Are only the three of us going today?"
Ji Yao shook her head, "Of course not. There are eight of us in total. Besides the two relatives we brought, the rest are friends that Xingyun and I have known since childhood. Don't worry; the relationships are all good."
Lin Qiong nodded stiffly.
Ji Yao spoke up, "But right now, excluding the drivers, there's one seat left in each car. Where do you want to sit?"
Lin Qiong was surprised, "I can't sit with Xingyun?"
Ji Yao, seeing Lin Qiong's pitiful expression, she couldn't resist a bit of mischief, "Why can't you bear to part? I did it on purpose, just to separate you two."
Lin Qiong exclaimed, "You're so wicked."
Ji Yao smirked, "You're welcome."
Then she called for Li Hanyang to get out of the car, "Li Hanyang, come and take Xingyun with you."
Li Hanyang, a nearly 1.9-meter-tall figure, came down from the car, "Xingyun is sitting with us?"
Ji Yao nodded, "Separating lovers."
Li Hanyang said, "I like it."
Fu Xingyun: ...
Lin Qiong: ...
Seeing Fu Xingyun about to be ushered away, Lin Qiong hurriedly chased after him.
Then, grabbing Fu Xingyun's hand and preventing him from leaving, he said, "I want to sit with Xingyun."