Page 42

In the quiet room, there came first the soft rustling of clothes rubbing together. For some reason, the sound seemed magnified countless times to Lin Ling today.

Lin Ling lay stiffly on his back, pretending to be asleep in the obedient pose of someone lying flat. He had prepared himself for Shi Changyuan to pull him into his warm embrace as usual.

But he did not.

Shi Changyuan lay at his side. The two lay side by side in identical positions, intimate yet distant.

Just as expected! He still had to take the initiative and seize control of the situation! Hidden beneath the blankets, Lin Ling rehearsed his plan in his mind once more, making sure it was absolutely foolproof!

Though disappointed, Lin Ling quietly waited for Shi Changyuan's breathing to gradually steady.

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Ling slowly propped up his upper body and looked at Shi Changyuan beside him by the moonlight.

He blinked, then suddenly lowered his head and leaned closer.

Just as Lin Ling was about to succeed, before their lips could meet—

Shi Changyuan suddenly opened his eyes and accurately caught Lin Ling by the back of the neck.

Looking at the flustered youth before him, he too propped himself up and kept drawing closer to Lin Ling. Just as their noses were about to touch and their breaths entwine, Shi Changyuan gave a soft laugh.

"Caught you doing something naughty."

Lin Ling's eyes widened at once. Stubbornly, he said, "I'm just stealing a kiss. What can you do about it?"

Mushroom's plan to steal a kiss had been a complete failure.

He had never expected that while he was sneakily planning everything, Shi Changyuan had seen it all.

Shi Changyuan looked at the unconvinced expression on the youth's face. With that rebellious streak of his, Lin Ling had decided to stay stubborn to the end.

He chuckled and closed the last bit of distance between them, kissing Lin Ling's forehead. "You won't have to sneak around next time."

"You can kiss me."

Two

"I don't want to kiss you!"

Mushroom's rebellious streak flared up again. With a turn, he broke free of Shi Changyuan's hold, crossed his arms, and huffed. "Who are you to me, wanting my kisses?"

As he spoke, Lin Ling, who was currently turning the tables on him, suddenly remembered that he had been the one trying to steal a kiss just now. He hurriedly added, "That was your honor."

Shi Changyuan smiled. "Mm. I was being ungrateful."

That morning, Lin Ling had left behind an ambiguous "answer" and run away. In that instant, joy had struck Shi Changyuan like a blow, yet he still did not dare believe it was real.

The answer he wanted most... Could Lin Ling know what answer he wanted most in his heart? Shi Changyuan instinctively denied it, but the bite mark on the side of his neck still ached faintly. It was proof that Lin Ling had "crossed the line."

Just as Shi Changyuan was still watching to see whether this was a dream come true or merely a fleeting fantasy, the audacious Mushroom had dared to kiss him outright.

Seeing him say that, Mushroom felt a little reluctant again and spoke very reasonably. "...It is your honor, but you can still refuse."

"I won't refuse." Shi Changyuan looked at Lin Ling and answered his earlier question. "How about I become Ling Ling's husband?"

He took Lin Ling's hand and pressed it to his lips, coaxing him as seductively as possible. "Lin Ling can kiss me however he wants."

Under the moonlight, Shi Changyuan looked at Lin Ling with such dark eyes that Lin Ling had to admit he seemed to have been bewitched.

Lin Ling was completely dazzled. He nodded rapidly and agreed without hesitation. "Okay! Then you'll be my husband from now on!"

Having said that, Lin Ling could not wait to exercise this new status. He threw himself into Shi Changyuan's arms and, copying him, planted a big kiss on Shi Changyuan's forehead.

Then he asked, "Can husbands openly hold each other while sleeping?"

Feeling the soft warmth on his forehead, Shi Changyuan was stunned for quite a while before smiling and nodding.

The two lay down again. Lin Ling was far too excited to sleep. After lying there for a while, he said to Shi Changyuan, "Husband, can we go moonbathing in the courtyard?"

Mushroom was too adorable. Having gained a new status, he called him husband with every other breath, leaving Shi Changyuan completely unable to sleep as well.

"We can."

The moment he said it, Lin Ling took Shi Changyuan's hand and jumped out of bed.

Shi Changyuan and Lin Ling dismissed everyone, and the two of them wandered around Li'an Hall alone, moonbathing.

It was early spring. Not many flowers had bloomed, and even the moon appeared only intermittently, hidden behind clouds from time to time.

Lin Ling looked over the courtyard of Li'an Hall and frowned, seeming very dissatisfied.

Just as Shi Changyuan was about to say something, Lin Ling's eyes suddenly lit up. He pulled Shi Changyuan toward a patch overgrown with weeds.

"What are we doing here?" Shi Changyuan kept pace with him, but could not quite keep up with Lin Ling's train of thought.

"Look, flowers!"

Lin Ling pointed at the flowers before him, then at the moon hanging high overhead. His eyes curved as he happily said, "I brought my husband here beneath flowers and moonlight! The storybooks say lovers all do this."

Shi Changyuan fell silent for two seconds, then laughed.

"Okay."

Shi Changyuan smiled. "Thank you, Ling Ling. I like it very much."

Mushroom's chosen date spot had received praise, and the little expression on his face turned exceedingly proud.

He looked back at Shi Changyuan, immediately lifted his chin, and made his meaning obvious.

"The storybooks say that lovers who come beneath flowers and moonlight will all kiss."

Lin Ling always remembered that he had to take the initiative and hold the upper hand. So he gazed at Shi Changyuan eagerly, waiting for Shi Changyuan to "passively" make his choice.

Liu Xiangyu probably never imagined that the key knowledge she had painstakingly taught would only be understood literally by a certain illiterate Mushroom.

Moonlight spilled over the two of them, stretching their shadows long and longer. The shadows extended from their feet and eventually tangled together indistinguishably. When the spring breeze passed, the silent night held only the rustling shadows of trees.

Perhaps the atmosphere and setting were simply too perfect. Shi Changyuan looked at the youth before him asking for a kiss, his Adam's apple bobbing as he reached out to caress Lin Ling's cheek.