chapter 21 - give me a hug

The resting rooms that Lan Zhai provides its guests with are very high quality. It’s a small, single-family, courtyard style suite, complete with a kitchen. It’s possible to relax there for a month if one is in a lousy mood, as it was designed to make their guests feel the warmth of a home.

Hot spring water was also brought into each yard, so guests who prefer to be secluded can soak in a hot spring in their own yard.

The service measures up to its high price.

Zhuang Yan took Xie Ning to a resting room. Along the way, people kept coming up to them to say hello, and Xie Ning could actually nod and say something in response.

It was almost impossible to tell if he was drunk.

If it wasn’t for his eyes looking blank and unfocused, even Zhuang Yan questioned whether or not he was really drunk.

Zhuang Yan didn’t know how much Xie Ning had drunk, so he lowered his head to neck level and sniffed. He could distinguish a faint smell of alcohol.

There are thousands of different kinds of drunks. Xie Ning should be considered part of the most normal kind, where he quietly stays to the side and ignores you if you ignore him.

If you get closer to him, he’d look at you--and then let you do whatever you want.

The doing whatever you want part made Zhuang Yan’s heart ripple.

He looked at Xie Ning, and slowly stretched out his claws.

His hand landed on Xie Ning’s hair. His fingertips sank into the smooth hair, and the soft feeling made Zhuang Yan curl his lip upwards. He couldn’t help it, and rubbed his hair for a little.

Xie Ning tilted his head, and left it to Zhuang Yan to make his hair look like a bird’s nest.

Zhuang Yan laughed lightly, and reached his hand out to squeeze Xie Ning’s cheeks, even daring to poke his finger into his shallow dimple.

Xie Ning reacted to that, and slowly opened his mouth to say, “What are you doing?”

Zhuang Yan smiled. “You’re so cute.”

Xie Ning reacted slowly again, and after a while, said, “Oh.”

When Zhuang Yan let go, Xie Ning’s face had been pinched red.

Zhuang Yan found it more amusing to tease Xie Ning when he was drunk.

Xie Ning widened his eyes and looked at him, confused.

Zhuang Yan was suddenly reminded of a descriptive phrase. Pure and alluring.

This contradictory descriptor, when applied to Xie Ning, fit perfectly.

So seductive it was almost heart-breaking.

Zhuang Yan leaned in closer and couldn’t help but reach out his hand to tilt Xie Ning’s chin upwards. They looked at each other for a bit, and Zhuang Yan’s eyes moved down, past his tall, straight nose, landing on his slightly open lips.

They were rosy, and slightly moist.

It would’ve been perfect to just kiss him like this.

Zhuang Yan had kissed him already today, and he was a little restless because he wanted to do it again.

But seeing Xie Ning right now, he cast the desire away.

He was drunk, and it would be too cruel and shameless to take advantage of him while drunk.

Xie Ning suddenly said, “Do you want to kiss me?”

Zhuang Yan was startled, and met Xie Ning’s clear eyes, feeling like his thoughts were too dirty in comparison.

He calmly asked, “Can I?”

Xie Ning thought about it, and solemnly shook his head. “You can’t.”

Zhuang Yan considered himself a gentleman that greatly respected Xie Ning’s wishes, so when Xie Ning said he can’t, he disappointedly let go of his hand.

Then asked, “Can you kiss me, then?”

Xie Ning thought about it for a little longer this time.

When Zhuang Yan was about to give up, Xie Ning said, “I can.”

Zhuang Yan stopped breathing.

“Really?”

Xie Ning replied quickly, probably because he’d already thought about this question. “Really.”

Then he leaned over and lightly kissed Zhuang Yan on the cheek.

Like a dragonfly touching the water’s surface, or a butterfly landing on a petal.

A light kiss, without the slightest hint of lust.

Zhuang Yan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Little kids perform this action to express their closeness.

But Zhuang Yan thought it was progress. After all, it was rare for Xie Ning to take the initiative to get closer to him.

He chuckled, and stopped teasing Xie Ning.

In the end, Xie Ning followed behind Zhuang Yan the whole time, like a little tail.

Zhuang Yan put him on the sofa and planned to use the kitchen to make him a bowl of soup to sober him up.

He took a couple of steps, felt as if something was wrong and turned his head to look, only to find Xie Ning slowly following behind him with an innocent expression on his face.

Zhuang Yan: “...”

Zhuang Yan lowered his head to coax him, saying, “Can you go sit on the sofa?”

Xie Ning blinked. “No.”

“...” Zhuang Yan asked, “Why?”

After a while, Xie Ning said, “I just can’t.”

Zhuang Yan was getting impatient.

After Zhuang Yan coaxed him like a child for a long while, Xie Ning sat pitifully on the sofa. Zhuang Yan gave him a pillow to hold onto and turned the TV on.

He didn’t know what Xie Ning liked to watch, so he chose a random channel that was playing cartoons.

--Anyways, Xie Ning’s demeanor right now was that of a child’s.

Xie Ning pursed his lips and didn’t watch TV, staring at Zhuang Yan walk into the kitchen instead, with a sad expression on his face.

When Zhuang Yan came out, Xie Ning had switched to sitting somewhere else, and shrank into the sofa’s corner while hugging his pillow.

Zhuang Yan, carrying the soup, called out to him. “Xie Ning.”

No response.

Zhuang Yan called out to him again. “Xie Ning?”

Seems like he’s mad, Zhuang Yan laughed, in spite of himself.

Drunk Xie Ning can actually get angry?

He put the soup down on the table, thought for a bit, and whispered, “...NingNing?”

This time, Xie Ning had a reaction.

He slowly raised his head, looked towards Zhuang Yan, and made a sound. “Mmn!”

Zhuang Yan couldn’t resist, and asked, “Is that your nickname?”

Xie Ning tilted his head. “It’s my name.”

Zhuang Yan asked, in his deep voice, “Then I’ll call you that from now on, okay?”

Xie Ning completely sold himself after getting drunk. “Okay.”

What a huge treasure he dug up!

Zhuang Yan chuckled, and thought that if he got Xie Ning drunk a couple more times in the future, then wouldn’t he be able to do whatever he wanted to?

But thinking about it from another angle, if Xie Ning got drunk outside, wouldn’t he be easily stolen away by someone else?

When he thought of someone else seeing Xie Ning like this, Zhuang Yan’s desire to monopolize him suddenly increased, and he furrowed his brow.

He can’t let Xie Ning drink so easily in the future.

Even if he wanted to drink, then it can only be in front of him.

“Are you cold?” Zhuang Yan saw how he was scrunched up in a ball, and turned the temperature of the air conditioning up.

Xie Ning very honestly nodded. “Cold.”

Zhuang Yan waved at him. “Come here and drink the soup. Then you won’t be cold.”

He was afraid Xie Ning would drink the soup too fast and burn himself on accident, so he left it on the table for a while on purpose. Now, the soup’s temperature should be just right, and if he waited any longer, it would become cold.

Xie Ning obediently got off the sofa, went over, and drank it. It seemed like he thought it tasted good, as he licked the sides of the bowl when he was done.

The look in Zhuang Yan’s eyes darkened as he became even more determined that he would never let anyone else see Xie Ning drunk.

Zhuang Yan put away the bowl and reached out to rub Xie Ning’s lips, using his fingers to wipe away the liquid from his mouth.

Xie Ning seemed to think something was strange, and subconsciously licked his finger with his tongue.

The soft, wet feeling faded, and Zhuang Yan: “...”

He couldn’t help but press a bit harder on Xie Ning’s lips, and his eyes deepened.

Xie Ning looked at him suspiciously.

They looked at each other for a while. Zhuang Yan sighed, and when his voice came out, it was strangely deep. “Are you still cold?”

Xie Ning: “...Cold.”

Zhuang Yan saw that he was still quite full of energy and guessed that he would have to fuss around for a little before Xie Ning would sleep. He got up to grab a blanket from the bedroom.

On the way, he planned to put out the fire within himself.

He hadn’t taken a step yet when Xie Ning grabbed his sleeve.

Zhuang Yan asked, “What’s the matter?”

Xie Ning lived in the south when he was younger. When he was drunk, his accent made him sound even softer. “Hug me.”

“...”

Zhuang Yan took a deep breath. Xie Ning was tempting him like crazy.

How could be so alluring when he was drunkkkkkkkk!

Xie Ning continued to say, “It won’t be cold anymore if you hug me.”

It felt like he was using him as a human heater.

Zhuang Yan stared at him for a while, then gave in and sat on the sofa, reaching out and hugging Xie Ning tightly in his arms.

Xie Ning, after his wish was granted, became quiet. His arms were wrapped around Zhuang Yan’s waist, his head brushed up against the base of his neck, and he peacefully closed his eyes.

Not only did the fire not go down, but it burned even hotter.

Xie Ning felt as if he’d fallen into a fiery embrace, and a feeling of familiarity made him feel at ease.

There was heavy and long breathing next to his ear, and he’d occasionally hear someone call him “NingNing”. He nodded his head aimlessly and couldn’t help hugging him even more tightly.

He’d been longing for someone to hold him like this.

Zhuang Yan didn’t know how much time had passed, but his whole body was a little numb. His shoulders kept losing feeling and there was only one place that felt like it was energetically still present.

The muscles in his forehead jumped a little and he involuntarily let out a sigh.

Xie Ning woke up because of this heavy sigh, and as if he had hugged him enough, he blinked, slowly climbing down from Zhuang Yan’s body.

Xie Ning’s eyes were a little clearer than before, possibly because of the sobering soup that he drank earlier, and he no longer seemed so ignorant and confused.

Zhuang Yan tested the waters, calling to him, “NingNing?”

Xie Ning made a sound in response.

His reaction time became faster as well.

But the alcohol hadn’t gone from his body yet, and he was probably only a little more sober.

NingNing the child had grown from three years old to ten years old. He wasn’t so clingy anymore and sat to the side, staring in a daze.

Zhuang Yan raised his eyebrow and asked him, “Did you really like it when I hugged you?”

If Xie Ning was completely sober, he definitely would have blushed and avoided answering him. But the drunk Xie Ning was honest to a fault.

He nodded.

Zhuang Yan curiously asked, “Why?”

Xie Ning furrowed his brow, like he was thinking.

He was stumped by this question.

Zhuang Yan stood up and touched his hair. “If you don’t know why, you don’t have to think about it anymore.”

Xie Ning raised his eyes to look at him and replied, “Being hugged by you makes me feel very peaceful.”

Like it’s home.

Zhuang Yan laughed. “You know who I am, right?”

“I know.” This question was easy, and Xie Ning replied quickly. “You’re Mr. Blue Whale.”

Zhuang Yan paused, and asked, “What else? Do you know my name?”

What else?

Xie Ning frowned deeply, thinking really hard. “Zhuang, Zhuang…”

He said “Zhuang, Zhuang” for a long time, and couldn’t think of the last word at all.

Zhuang Yan laughed deeply and leaned in near his ear, saying, “Remember this. My name is Zhuang Yan.”

Xie Ning started, nodded his head seriously, and repeated, “Zhuang Yan.”

Zhuang Yan was satisfied, and his evil nature showed itself again. “Then can I hug you in the future?”

Xie Ning thought about it, then nodded and agreed, selling himself again in the process. His expression seemed somewhat happy.

Zhuang Yan couldn’t help himself, and laughed out loud.

The drunk Xie Ning was too fun and interesting. He’d already thought about how to tease Xie Ning with his drunk antice when he was sober again.

If he didn’t tease him a little, then he wouldn’t be called “Zhuang Yan”.

After fussing around for a bit, Zhuang Yan noticed that Xie Ning didn’t have as much energy as before, and his face seemed to have traces of fatigue, so he asked, “Are you sleepy?”

Xie Ning: “I’m a little sleepy.”

Zhuang Yan said, “I’ll take you to go to sleep, then?”

Xie Ning first nodded, but thought about it, then shook his head.

Zhuang Yan softly asked, “What’s the matter? Is there something else you want to do?”

Xie Ning said, seriously, “Shower before sleeping.”

Zhuang Yan: “...”

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Author’s Note: The alluring one will always be alluring. {T/N: the one who made the other fall (Xie Ning) will always be alluring.}

ZhuangZhuang’s inner heart movement:

...I’m going to be tempted crazy, how is NingNing so cute!

...I can’t control myself!

...No, I can’t be such a beast!

...I’m dead.