Extra Two: Previous Life

Whatever it was, it would be easier to deal with after eating and having some strength. He was not about to make things hard on himself.

After they finished eating, Owen cleared the dishes and left the bedroom again. This time, Xin Chun did not ask where his clothes were. It did not matter if the ones he had taken off were gone; there were more in the wardrobe.

So Xin Chun climbed out of bed and went to rummage through the wardrobe.

His waist hurt, and another place felt rather uncomfortable too.

Owen's endurance was far too good, while his own stamina... was not exactly impressive.

He needed to leave quickly.

But as Xin Chun searched for clothes, he failed to notice someone approaching from behind. The next instant, his view spun, and Owen scooped him up again.

"Put me down!" Xin Chun shouted once he came back to his senses.

But Owen ignored him, tossing him back onto the bed before sealing off the words he was about to say.

After a while.

Xin Chun managed to squeeze out, "Owen, we need to talk."

Owen bit down on his Adam's apple, his voice indistinct and light. "Fine. What do you want to talk about? Go ahead."

"Talk like th-this?" Xin Chun sucked in a breath. "Let me go first."

Owen said, "Then don't talk. We'll continue."

Xin Chun angrily yanked at Owen's hair, but Owen's hair was thick and full, and he was not afraid in the slightest.

Not until his waist was lifted and they came into intimate contact did Xin Chun fail to get out a complete sentence.

He spoke in broken fragments. "Are you... are you planning to keep me locked up forever?"

"You know that... that's impossible."

His friends, the company, his colleagues—they could not stay in the bedroom forever, nor could they remain in Jingu Town forever.

Owen's only response was to move even more fiercely.

Extra Two: Previous Life

Xin Chun did not even know when Owen had stopped. When he woke again, his throat was dry, with the feeling of having been overused. The rest of him felt much the same.

But overall, he was clean and refreshed again.

After all, he had later been carried into the bathroom, where he had fallen asleep from exhaustion. He did not even know how he had ended up back in bed.

The sight when he woke felt strangely familiar. Owen sat on the sofa, but he was no longer dealing with documents. His laptop sat off to one side while he leafed through a book in his hands.

Xin Chun did not have the strength to sit up. His waist hurt, but there were some things he had to discuss with Owen.

Because if there was a third time, he really would not be able to take it.

"My... cough, cough... where's my phone?" Xin Chun asked after clearing his throat.

Owen put down his book, walked over, and helped Xin Chun up from the bed. Sitting at the bedside, he held him half in his arms. "I have it. If you're worried about the dog, I already told Li Ze to check on it."

Before leaving, Xin Chun had given the spare key to Li Ze.

Xin Chun said, "No. I want to know what date it is today. How much longer are you planning to keep me locked up here?"

"Owen, we need to talk."

Owen held him tighter. One hand slowly stroked the hair atop his head, while the other rested at his waist, kneading it from time to time. At that, he said blandly, "Fine. What do you want to talk about?"

He was calm and collected, in stark contrast to when he did that sort of thing.

He had clearly... kept at it until Xin Chun cried before stopping.

Xin Chun shifted away, but when he saw that he could not escape the hand at his waist, he could only stay put obediently.

He pressed his lips together and said, "What do you think we can talk about? Things have already come to this. What's the point in staying together? It would be better to let each other go and separate for a while. It would be good for both of us."

He also wanted to use the opportunity to sort through his thoughts—just what exactly was mixed into his feelings for Owen.

If those feelings could not become pure, then it would not be fair to Owen...

Owen's hand paused. His tone remained flat, yet what he said sent a chill down Xin Chun's spine. "I can't let you leave. If I could, even if it meant locking you here for the rest of your life and paying an enormous price, I would do it."

"Compared with you hating me, I'm even less able to accept losing you."

Xin Chun grew angry. "Do you really have to have me?!"

Owen answered without hesitation, "Yes."

Xin Chun fell silent. His lips moved, and he rubbed his forehead as his head began to ache. "...But you can't keep me locked up forever, Owen. We can't cut ourselves off from society. Work, friends—they'll come looking eventually."

Owen kissed his cheek, his voice gentle and tender. "So before that happens, you need to change your mind as soon as possible."

Change his mind?

Did he mean not breaking up?

Before Xin Chun could say anything else, Owen pinched his chin and kissed him lingeringly.

Owen did not want to discuss the matter any further, but considering Xin Chun's condition, he ultimately did not continue. Xin Chun secretly let out a breath of relief. He did not have an ounce of strength left; whatever he wanted to do, he felt powerless.

First, he had to find a way out of his current situation.

The meals Owen prepared for Xin Chun were all brought into the bedroom for him to eat, then cleared away afterward. That night, Xin Chun was finally able to rest. He did not say anything that might provoke Owen's anger, only asking for pajamas to wear.

Owen found him a top, but no pants. Xin Chun obediently put it on.

That night, Owen held Xin Chun as they slept. He slept straight through until dawn, and when he opened his eyes, Xin Chun checked himself over. At last, his body did not feel quite so sore and strange.

"What are we eating today? We should be out of vegetables, right?" Xin Chun asked, turning his head from Owen's arms. "I didn't buy much."

Owen said, "What do you want to eat?"

Xin Chun asked, "Whatever I want, you'll cook it for me?"

"Mhm." Owen leaned closer.

Xin Chun thought for a moment. He should ask for dishes that were complicated to make, so Owen would have to go far away to buy the ingredients. That would give him time.

He drifted off slightly, failing to notice the darkness in Owen's eyes.

Then Owen "held him tighter."

Something was not quite right...

Xin Chun snapped back to himself in alarm and struggled, wanting to turn over or burrow out from beneath the covers to refuse, but the friction only stoked the heat further.

The weather outside was lovely, bright with sunshine. A ray of sunlight tried to shine in, only to be blocked by the bedroom curtains. The room remained dim. They had been opened once, then drawn shut tightly again.

The freshly changed sheets, after a night of use, were rumpled again in the morning.