Kissing Li Shu

In the fairly quiet restaurant, Pei Song'an sat openly across from Li Shu. His nose, lips, and sharply defined jaw were all striking, his shoulders broad, the veins raised on the backs of his hands. Every movement he made exuded a sense of security.

Yet this very man looked intently at Li Shu, hiding nothing, and honestly stated what he wanted after calmly weighing the pros and cons.

For some reason, at that moment, an inexplicable sense of duty actually welled up in Li Shu.

Fortunately, he did not let that momentary surge of fervor go to his head. Instead, he grew unexpectedly calm and could not help thinking:

Why does Pei Song'an want me to protect him? If he's really scared, he should bring a few more bodyguards. Or does he want to use my radar to eliminate dangers for him?

At that thought, Li Shu grew a little angry. Does he think he's playing Minesweeper? Is he using me as a detector? Were all those cuddles and hugs just tricks to cloud my judgment???

But Li Xiaoshu was a good boy who knew how to repay kindness, and he could not help speculating again. Pei Song'an is so smart and has everything. Surely he doesn't need to use his body to attract me? Besides, he's been really good to me, tutoring me, sending me money, encouraging me to study what I like, and always coming to protect me right away...

At this point, Li Shu sighed.

He was done for. Not only had he failed to figure anything out-

The more he thought about it, the more Pei Song'an seemed like his dad.

The system suddenly spoke.

[I suggest you go.]

Li Shu said, "Huh? Why?"

The system said:

[My end does indeed show that the obstacle has been removed, but protecting the male lead was your mission to begin with. Besides, don't you really like hiking?]

That last remark from the system seriously shook Li Shu's resolve.

"All right!" Li Shu wiped his mouth, took another sip of floral tea, and agreed with great gusto. "When do we leave?"

Pei Song'an answered quickly. "Tonight. We're planning to hike up overnight to watch the sunrise."

Li Shu exclaimed, "Tonight!?"

As though afraid he would change his mind, Pei Song'an said, "I've checked your timetable. You only have one evening class on Wednesday. I have two sets of hiking gear, both new. We'll come down at daybreak, and the car will be parked at the foot of the mountain. We'll go back to my apartment and get some sleep, and I'll drive you to class in the evening."

Incredible.

He had covered every detail, leaving Li Shu unable to say no.

After explaining all that, Pei Song'an turned to Cheng Zhen, his voice giving no indication of how sincere he was. "Want to join us? You could keep Li Shu company. Zhu Sichun's coming too. He really likes gaming."

Cheng Zhen shook his head so fast it blurred. "No, thanks. I'm really not good at physical activities."

Make him play third wheel? What a joke. He would rather share a bed with a dog.

They drove to the neighboring city that night. Fortunately, it was not too far away, only an hour and a half by car.

Along the way, Pei Song'an even orally quizzed him on the CET-4 vocabulary he was supposed to have memorized over the past two days, leaving a bitter taste in Li Shu's mouth.

It was like scratching a lottery ticket only to find an IOU.

Having to memorize vocabulary on the way to have fun-even in the entire sweep of history, something like that would have been quite outrageous.

Fortunately, once he achieved a passing score, Pei Song'an mercifully let him off.

Fitting music played in the car. Outside the window, the night scenery stretched endlessly toward the horizon, and the car sped down the highway as though chasing an unreachable dream.

"Did you used to go out for fun a lot?"

Li Shu nodded. The car window reflected his handsome little face, his round eyes curved with a smile.

"Yeah. In winter, I liked going to the seaside to watch the sunrise in heavy snow. I didn't have much money back then and couldn't bear to buy a sleeper ticket for the train, so I spent the whole night awake in a hard seat. Luckily, the waves sounded really nice. I even made a recording..."

Li Shu stopped halfway through, because this was his experience, not the original owner's. Given the original owner's family circumstances, he probably would never have been reduced to buying a hard-seat train ticket.

But Pei Song'an seemed not to notice anything amiss at all. The man seemed especially oblivious whenever topics like this came up.

"What else?" Pei Song'an turned the car music down a little. "I want to know more about you."

His words made Li Shu's face grow hot, his expression stiffening. "Nothing special. Just skipping class to go have fun. Haven't you done that?"

Pei Song'an's voice was soft. "No. The Pei family wouldn't allow me to do that."

Those words instantly stirred Li Shu's guilt. He had forgotten that this all-powerful crown prince of Hong Kong City was actually a poor little thing with no love from either parent and no childhood.

Li Shu was now like a despairing, naive college student, frozen there blankly for ages, only able to blurt out in the end, "I really deserve to die!"

"It's okay. You still have a long life ahead of you. Once you've fully inherited the Pei family, you can take a private jet out for fun. Even the eagles in the sky will have to get out of your way."

For once, Pei Song'an said nothing for a long while. His jawline was sharp in the shifting light, his Adam's apple bobbing slowly, his voice calm and sexy.

"Li Shu, I-"

Instinctively sensing danger, Li Shu cut him off. "You what? Watch the road. Keep your hands on the steering wheel."

"And don't turn your head to kiss me, either."

Pei Song'an laughed. "What? Am I harassing you again?"

Li Shu buried his head in the sand. "You're still talking! Don't say another word!"

They barely spoke for the rest of the drive. Li Shu closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. Once they arrived, he grabbed his hiking gear and charged straight ahead, single-handedly making the progress of an entire team.

But occasionally, he would stop to wait for Pei Song'an. Once he saw that Pei Song'an had caught up, he would turn and scramble upward again.

The nighttime hikers were scattered, most of them college students. Some sang to encourage themselves, and Li Shu would join in for a few lines as he passed. Occasionally, groups would take photos together.

They walked and stopped like this for an unknown length of time before a few raindrops suddenly landed on his cheeks.

It was raining.

Li Shu suddenly remembered the novel's plot that the system had told him about. There would be a downpour tonight. At that thought, he no longer cared whether he was sulking at Pei Song'an and hurried back. Although the original danger had been removed, who could say whether the rain might bring other potential risks?

Meanwhile, Pei Song'an had just reached a small wooden cabin where visitors could rest.

He turned his palm upward, and cold, wet raindrops struck it, the traces of water especially clear beneath the light.

His hand clenched, and his irritation deepened as his brows drew together.

The weather forecast had not said it would rain today. Rainy days always filled him with particular loathing.

A test paper one point short of full marks, an occasional lapse in etiquette, secretly watching other children his age play football on the grass, even the imperfections mentioned amid a teacher's sincere praise-every flaw earned the punishment of being forced into a swimming pool, unable to breathe.

"The purpose of your existence is to be useful to the family."

"If you don't want to drown, show me your worth."

"It's only holding your breath underwater for a few minutes. Is it really that hard?"

"..."

Memories resurfaced.

The damp wind chilled him to the bone. Pei Song'an's expression remained unchanged, his mind and awareness clearer than ever. Fear allowed him to find his direction accurately amid confusion. His knuckles were pale around his trekking pole, and he forcibly suppressed even the slightest involuntary tremor.

This was how he had made it all this way.

The future would be no different.

Suddenly-

"Pei Song'an!"

A voice pierced the fog and rang in his ears. Pei Song'an instinctively raised his head. Before his gaze could focus, Li Shu's handsome, fair face came barreling into his field of vision.

"Are you okay? There's going to be a downpour tonight. It could be dangerous. We-"

Thump, thump.

"Mmph-"

Thump, thump.

Pei Song'an firmly seized Li Shu's cheeks and pulled him into his arms.

He tossed the trekking pole aside and gripped Li Shu's waist possessively. Their bodies pressed together without a gap, the sound of their clothing abruptly colliding and rubbing together echoing in their ears.

Lips pressed against lips. Their mingling breaths alone were nowhere near enough.

A moment later, his tongue slipped inside too.