Chapter 24

When Xu Heng woke again, the sky was painted in the colors of sunset. Red clouds stretched across the horizon like spilled paint, blending into the clouds. Even where the sea met the sky, everything was bathed in dazzling color. Chen Ang was still fast asleep, softly snoring.

Xu Heng felt something hard pressing against his lower back. Embarrassed, he carefully climbed out of bed.

Chen Ang had rolled onto his back, a tent pitched in his pants. His tank top had ridden up, exposing a strip of abs.

Xu Heng hurried into the bathroom to wash his face and clear his head, then headed off to the hospital to see his mother. At the nurse’s station in the inpatient ward, he asked for her room number and quietly approached the doorway.

His mother was sitting up in bed, wearing reading glasses and knitting. She occasionally chatted with the patient in the next bed and looked perfectly fine.

Xu Heng didn’t go in. Instead, he bought a few of her favorite snacks from nearby and left them at the nurse’s station, asking them to deliver it to her. Then he left.

By the time he returned to the inn, Chen Ang was already awake, leaning against the window. He saw Xu Heng and waved to him.

They grabbed a quick bite to eat, then Chen Ang suggested a walk by the beach. At night, several seafood stalls were open along the shore. The smell of stir-fried clams made Xu Heng hungry again. They ordered some grilled seafood and sat on a large rock by the sea to eat. On the beach, local kids ran barefoot through the shallow waves, their laughter echoing far across the sand.

Chen Ang sighed. “It’s been a long time since I had time off.”

Xu Heng paused, then finished the last mantis shrimp, stood up, and said, “Come on, I want to show you something.”

They got into the car and, following Xu Heng’s directions, drove in the dark to a deserted seawall. In front of them was the sea, behind them the hills. The long seawall stretched into the ocean. On this windless night, even the waves were unusually gentle. A lighthouse in the distance cast a steady light that never went out. Moonlight and starlight shimmered on the surface of the water. The dark sea was like the sky above, dotted with endless stars.

Xu Heng took off his shoes and curled up in the passenger seat, hugging his knees. He rolled the window down and let the sea breeze blow through his hair.

“I used to come here a lot when I was a kid. It’s an hour’s walk, but no one ever comes here. It’s the perfect place to zone out.”

Chen Ang smiled. “Your secret base.”

Xu Heng said, “Just me and the sea.”

Chen Ang replied, “I had a secret base too. On my eighth birthday, my mom had someone build me a treehouse in our backyard. My sister Chen Jing and I used to hide up there all the time. But later, my dad tore it down. I guess he couldn’t stand us living outside his control, not playing by his rules.”

Xu Heng’s eyes widened. “A treehouse?”

Chen Ang nodded. “Yeah. Just like Tarzan and Jane’s treehouse in Tarzan. I used to love Disney movies.”

Xu Heng lowered his gaze and said quietly, “I never got to watch them… When I was little, my dad made me help him gut fish. Whenever I didn’t want to, I’d run away and come here to stare at the sea. Later, when he found out I liked men, I left. Took a thousand yuan and went to the city to wash dishes… Sorry, I shouldn’t be talking about this.”

He had assumed that someone like Chen Ang, who grew up with a treehouse and everything he wanted, would find his past laughable. But Chen Ang was listening seriously.

Feeling a little embarrassed, Xu Heng added, “I used to wash napa cabbage and scrub dishes every day in a malatang shop. The soup there boiled all day, and I got so sick of the smell. You shouldn’t eat that stuff too often. It’s not healthy… but then again, someone like you probably doesn’t eat malatang.”

Chen Ang said, “I’ve had it rough too. I work five days a week, plus overtime on weekends. One phone call from the boss and I have to stay late. Traffic is so bad I ride a shared bike to work. After taxes, my paycheck barely leaves me with anything. I have to smile at everyone. The boss is always right.”

Xu Heng muttered, “I… I almost ended up homeless once…”

Chen Ang added, “I have to vote for my boss’s kid in online contests all the time. Stuff like ‘cutest baby competitions.’ And I still have to compliment his bald head, saying it looks much thicker than before.”

Xu Heng paused. “…Okay, that’s bad.”

They fell silent for a moment. The sea breeze slipped in through the open windows. Then Chen Ang said seriously, “You’re really amazing.”

Xu Heng blushed and turned to look out the window. “I’m not…”

“You are,” Chen Ang said. “If it weren’t for my dad, I’d have to wait until I was thirty-five to be promoted. Without family help, He An wouldn’t be painting in France right now. He’d be in the park doing portraits for tourists instead.”

Xu Heng didn’t even notice that Chen Ang had taken the chance to step on his imaginary love rival while he was at it. From the day he was born until now, no one had ever praised him so directly. He had never thought of himself as someone worthy of being called “outstanding.”

He said sincerely, “When I went to your office the other day, a lot of people were complimenting you.”

Xu Heng continued, “I just want to do what I love and live a life that feels right to me.”

Chen Ang suddenly found himself speechless. “What I love” and “a life that feels right” were easy to say, but hard to do. Everyone knew that nothing changes unless you break out of the current mold, but not everyone had the courage to do it. Xu Heng gazed at the nearby sea, then up at the stars above. The light reflected in his eyes. He looked just like a wild little plant, growing freely wherever it landed, always bursting with the will to rise.

Chen Ang stared at him without a word. Xu Heng had no idea, still quietly admiring the night sky. Suddenly, a brilliant shooting star streaked across it.

Xu Heng’s eyes lit up. He turned his head, excited. “Look..”

Chen Ang leaned over from the driver’s seat, placed a hand behind Xu Heng’s neck, and kissed him. Xu Heng froze, eyes wide. Through the rear window behind Chen Ang, he could still see the faint glowing tail of the shooting star trailing across the vast night sky.

Chen Ang kissed him deeply, his eyes closed, lips warm and tender. Xu Heng could see the sharp ridge of his nose and the hollow shadows beneath his eyes, like rolling mountain peaks. When Chen Ang opened his eyes, there was something unspoken in them, emotions flowing like the gentle sea.

Their lips slowly parted, breaths mingling between them.

Chen Ang winced slightly and whispered, “It hurts a bit.”

Xu Heng’s heart pounded. He leaned forward, stuck out his tongue, and gently licked the wound on Chen Ang’s lip.

Chen Ang pulled him closer, guiding him to straddle his lap. His hand slid to Xu Heng’s waist, slipping beneath the hem of his shirt. He traced slowly upward along the spine, then moved up through the back of his collar and once again cupped the nape of his neck. He tilted Xu Heng’s chin and kissed him again.

Tonight, Xu Heng was more responsive than ever before. He opened his mouth, letting Chen Ang sweep inside, his hips shifting unconsciously. Chen Ang’s semi-hard cock pressed against his groin through their clothes. He kept kissing, unwilling to let go. With one hand, he yanked open the waistband of his pants, pulled out his thick, hardened cock, and placed it in Xu Heng’s hands, guiding him to stroke up and down.

His own hand slipped into Xu Heng’s pants, grabbing his ass, squeezing roughly.

Xu Heng whimpered softly, his hands slippery with the precum leaking from Chen Ang’s swollen tip.

“No condom…”

Chen Ang kissed the corner of his mouth, his fingers still inside Xu Heng’s pants, teasing the rim of his hole through the thin fabric of his underwear. He coaxed gently, “I won’t put it in…”

Chen Ang was worried Xu Heng might catch a chill, so he rolled up the windows. The sound of the waves faded into the background, becoming faint and distant. He adjusted the seatback, reclining halfway, and then stripped Xu Heng of his pants and underwear, leaving only a pair of socks. He lay Xu Heng across his body, legs spread wide.

Xu Heng’s bare lower half faced the car’s front windshield. Beyond it stretched the empty shoreline. Embarrassed, he shut his eyes, his toes curling inside his socks. Chen Ang’s thick, veiny cock rubbed slowly between his ass cheeks, nudging his exposed, wet hole again and again.

Chen Ang guided Xu Heng’s hand down, letting him loosely stroke the sensitive glans, while he used their mingled slickness to slide his fingers inside Xu Heng, fingering him slowly.

Xu Heng jerked him off, his hand moving half-heartedly, while his wet hole was being opened and filled with fingers. The obscene squelch of lube and fluids echoed through the confined space of the car. Chen Ang pushed up Xu Heng’s shirt to his chin and told him to bite it. Then he leaned in and pinched and twisted his nipples, teasing and tormenting him until Xu Heng nearly screamed. His nipples turned bright red and hardened quickly. His hole was wet and flushed, fully exposed beneath the starlit sky. Obscene, indecent, and yet beautiful in its own way.

Suddenly, Chen Ang sped up his fingers, pressing firmly against Xu Heng’s prostate and thrusted deep.

Xu Heng moaned against the fabric clamped between his teeth. He came hard, spilling across his chest in messy streaks, even staining his nipples. He collapsed on top of Chen Ang, limp and breathless, while Chen Ang’s hard cock still throbbed against his ass.

Chen Ang slowly pulled his fingers out of Xu Heng’s twitching hole, now soaked and glistening.

“Sit up, come on. My turn now, baby. Squeeze your legs tight…”

Xu Heng was lifted and guided into position, held snug in Chen Ang’s lap. Chen Ang thrust his cock between Xu Heng’s thighs, the tight press of those pale legs hugging him as he slid in and out. The word “baby” made Xu Heng’s ears burn. He curled up in Chen Ang’s arms, watching his flushed tip slide back and forth between his thighs, brushing against the faint tattoo inked on his leg. The sight made him hard again.

Chen Ang finally came, releasing hot, thick spurts between Xu Heng’s legs.

It was well past midnight. Xu Heng was exhausted and drowsy. Chen Ang used a pack of wet wipes from the car to clean between his legs and over his body, then pulled a thin blanket from the backseat to cover him. Xu Heng, still bare from the waist down, was wrapped up and pulled into Chen Ang’s embrace, drifting off in that awkward position.

Despite everything, Xu Heng slept deeply, comforted by the scent of Chen Ang’s skin. In his dreams, he felt something tickling his nose. When he groggily opened his eyes, he found Chen Ang kissing the tip of it.

“Look outside.”

The sky was still faintly dark, but a golden glow had already begun to bloom over the horizon. The sun was rising. Its rays spread across the world, touching every corner equally. The ocean shimmered as if reflecting a brilliant dream.

Xu Heng murmured, “Happy birthday.”

Chen Ang laughed and nibbled on his ear. “I Lied. My birthday’s not today. I just wanted to be with you.”

“Xu Heng, I like you.”