Chapter 34: Is 100% Kissing?
The distance between the two was so close that not even a sheet of paper could fit between them.
The space inside the tent was already cramped. The airtight fabric made slight sounds when the wind blew past. Aside from the occasional chirping of insects, it was extremely quiet.
Only Lu Ciheng’s low inquiries and breathing remained in his ears.
Lu Ciheng’s body temperature had always been high. Their body temperatures seemed naturally opposed; touching the skin felt so hot it birthed an inexplicable agitation in the heart. If it lingered a bit longer, one would be dyed with the other’s warmth.
The protruding wrist bone was ground a few times by calloused fingertips. The fingers gradually began to move upward, touching old wounds.
Like a lit fuse, the long-absent anxiety and pain gradually spread. Although the symptoms were far from becoming severe somatic reactions, the discomfort made him want to pull back.
Since they had decided on stimulation therapy, Lu Ciheng wouldn’t let go until Xie Shibai shouted the safeword. His forceful fingertips pressed against Xie Shibai’s arm. Borrowing the faint light, he lowered his head slightly, his black eyes staring unblinkingly, closely observing Xie Shibai’s state.
Xie Shibai’s arm tried to escape a little but was abruptly held down.
Lu Ciheng’s voice was deep, carrying a hint of forceful possessiveness. “Teacher Xie, you can’t run.”
After the fabric of the clothes was rolled up, fair skin was revealed. The wounds that had long healed left only a few severe scars. Under the impact of time, only faint traces remained. Although the physical wounds had disappeared, the psychological trauma always existed.
Xie Shibai turned his head away, his gaze landing on the tent seams as if to distract himself. “I know, don’t talk.”
The surrounding environment was very quiet, and the other groups’ tents weren’t far away. Their voices were suppressed very low and wouldn’t be heard, but the human mind played tricks, creating a feeling that they might be overheard.
In this setting, it seemed like the two were doing something strange.
Xie Shibai could endure touching ordinary skin, but when Lu Ciheng’s fingers grazed the location of the former wounds, Xie Shibai’s fingers suddenly gripped Lu Ciheng’s arm tight.
His long eyelashes trembled gently a few times. His chest heaved with his breathing, anxiety spreading intensely. His heartbeat quickened by a few beats, and his stomach twitched faintly; familiar pain emerged uncontrollably.
Xie Shibai’s competitive spirit was at work; he didn’t want to call a stop just as the treatment began.
Lu Ciheng stared at Xie Shibai for a few seconds. His gaze traveled down from the cold, beautiful face to rest on the fair side of the neck. His Adam’s apple rolled. He wanted to lean in, rub against it, or do something even more excessive, but considering the current situation, he suppressed the unrealistic thoughts in his heart.
“Teacher Xie, not only are your fingers very cold, but the temperature here is also very low,” Lu Ciheng narrated with a low chuckle, using some nonsense to help Xie Shibai distract his attention.
Xie Shibai’s fingers subconsciously tightened slightly. He gritted his teeth, not looking at Lu Ciheng and not wanting to pay attention to what he said. He only felt it was very noisy and wanted him to shut up.
Perhaps it had been too peaceful before, and he had forgotten what it was like when the illness struck. Just the pain appearing in his stomach was somewhat unbearable. His heart beat violently as if it wanted to jump out of his chest, and his hands shook uncontrollably. Maladaptation and endurance repeatedly tugged at his rationality.
A person’s subconscious defense mechanism is to distance oneself.
Xie Shibai’s own consciousness wasn’t even under control. One hand pressed against Lu Ciheng’s chest, and the held arm subconsciously wanted to hide. As soon as there was movement, it was forcefully stopped.
Lu Ciheng’s hand rubbed a few times, chuckling as if slightly regretful. “Teacher Xie, why aren’t you grabbing my hand anymore? There must be marks all over it. How will you compensate me when the treatment is over?”
Xie Shibai raised his eyes, glaring at him somewhat fiercely with cold eyes. Gasping for breath, his voice carried an unstable tremor. “Shut up. You should consider how to avoid becoming a savage on the mountain first.”
Lu Ciheng chuckled low, the bottom of his pitch-black eyes full of pleasure. His fingers rubbed Xie Shibai’s skin a few times. “Then I have to try a bit harder. After all, Teacher Xie has only lasted two minutes so far.”
Xie Shibai’s eyelashes trembled slightly. There was a misconception in his perception of time; in his mind, it had obviously been a long time—he had persisted for at least five minutes—yet it was actually this short. “Two minutes?”
He subconsciously used his free hand to reach for his phone to check the time. His fingertips struggled and were just about to touch the phone on the side when, in the next second, Lu Ciheng took the phone away a step ahead of Xie Shibai, as if deliberately not letting him see the time.
Xie Shibai’s cold eyes lifted slightly, instantly realizing something was fishy. Suppressing his panting, he said, “Let go.”
Lu Ciheng didn’t let go, his eyes smiling. “We agreed, this time only a specific word can make me let go.”
With the passage of time, the feeling of skin being touched had become so intense it was impossible to ignore. Unable to feel the passage of time seemed to amplify some indescribable anxiety in his heart.
Xie Shibai bit his lip. His gentle tone couldn’t hide the slight tremor hidden by the faint somatic effects. “You let go first.”
The safeword wasn’t spoken, meaning Xie Shibai still had room to endure.
And since he had decided on treatment, he couldn’t give up halfway.
Lu Ciheng held Xie Shibai’s waist with his other hand. Eyes under messy black hair observed intently for a few seconds, his tone unhurried and somewhat roguish. “No.”
He leaned in slightly, his black eyes looking straight at Xie Shibai’s face, staring at his lips for a few seconds. His deep tone was very slow. “Teacher Xie, can you tell me now what the empty 100% is?”
The tip of his nose was almost touching the other’s. The exhaled air drifted between their breaths, seemingly inseparable.
Lu Ciheng’s gaze stuck to the lips, his tone low and husky. “Is it kissing?”
Xie Shibai’s slender fingers contracted abruptly, pressing on the arm Lu Ciheng had locked around his waist. The vague prototype of 100% made his mental state highly tense. The hand landing on his hair… in the next second, the fragmented image transformed into a cold ruler. The ear-piercing arguments and the ticking of instruments—the suffocating feeling made him feel as if he had fallen into the deep sea, cold and painful to recall.
“You killed your mother—”
“The future heir of the Xie family cannot have this kind of weak illness.”
“You must be hospitalized. You come out when the illness is cured.”
In an instant, it was as if he had returned to the Red Mountain Sanatorium. The incandescent lights that never turned off. The pain on his hand wasn’t the itch of healing, but the pain provoked by electric currents sweeping across the skin.
It hurt a lot.
Xie Shibai’s hand clenched tightly with force. His lips parted slightly, his breathing rapid as if he were desperately suppressing it. He shouted in a low voice, “Lu Ciheng.”
Lu Ciheng paused. His black eyes fell straight onto Xie Shibai’s lips. The original pink color had turned somewhat crimson after being bitten a few times. His large palm tightened abruptly, then let go with no other choice.
Using a name as the safeword was truly the worst choice.
How could anyone bear to let go?
Xie Shibai gasped, resting his head on Lu Ciheng’s shoulder. His soft black hair was stained with a bit of thin sweat, sticking to his cheek, filled with a conflicting sense of brokenness.
Lu Ciheng’s body stiffened. He didn’t dare move, afraid Xie Shibai would leave if he did. Since he couldn’t see Xie Shibai’s condition clearly, he said softly, “Teacher Xie.”
Xie Shibai covered Lu Ciheng’s face with his hand and pushed him away. After grabbing the phone, he checked the time the exercise started. Seven minutes had passed since the end. He swept a cold glance over him, his tone icy. “Roll out and go be a savage.”
Confirming Xie Shibai had no major issues, Lu Ciheng breathed a sigh of relief, his tone relaxed. “Sending me to be a savage without even giving me compensation? That’s too much.”
Xie Shibai glanced at him, the meaning very clear.
Lu Ciheng thought for a few seconds, and suddenly thinking of something, his pitch-black eyes lit up instantly. “Why don’t you just treat me as a savage now, Teacher Xie?”
Xie Shibai: “?”
Lu Ciheng’s lips hooked up. “I’m a savage, and Teacher Xie is a backpacker climbing the mountain alone. After going up the mountain, you were captured by the savage and locked up, only able to see me every day.”
Thanks to Lu Ciheng, the aftereffects of Xie Shibai’s somatic reaction disappeared very quickly—every time, he just wanted to hit someone.
Xie Shibai’s emotions had never been so stable; he was stably impatient with looking at Lu Ciheng. “Get lost.”
The stimulation desensitization therapy consumed a lot of physical energy, and Xie Shibai soon felt drowsy. Coupled with the fact that they had to get up very early to watch the sunrise, rest time was scarce, so he ignored Lu Ciheng, who was suddenly role-playing, and lay down to rest.
Lu Ciheng lay beside Xie Shibai, his finger touching Xie Shibai’s hair.
Xie Shibai’s hand resting at his side trembled. His long eyelashes fluttered; before he had even fallen into a deep sleep, he felt the touch on his hair. But he was too lazy to open his eyes and see what Lu Ciheng was up to now.
In the next second, Xie Shibai’s hand was held by Lu Ciheng and brought to press against a warm cheek.
Playing with hands, touching hair—like a puppy entertaining itself after its owner fell asleep.
Lu Ciheng pressed against Xie Shibai’s fingers, turning his face slightly so his lips brushed past Xie Shibai’s wrist. He smiled as he watched Xie Shibai’s trembling eyelashes.
Xie Shibai got annoyed. His palm tugged forcefully, grabbing a handful of Lu Ciheng’s hair. Opening his eyes, his cold gaze was full of impatience. “If you’re not sleeping, roll out.”
Lu Ciheng hissed but obediently let Xie Shibai pull his hair. His eyes smiling, he admitted his mistake honestly. “I was wrong, Teacher Xie. I shouldn’t have disturbed your sleep. Punish me.”
Xie Shibai: “…”
He hooked his finger at Lu Ciheng. “Come here.”
Lu Ciheng’s eyes lit up. Just as he leaned in, his cheek was patted by Xie Shibai. The cool palm brought a gust of wind carrying Xie Shibai’s fresh scent. Breathing in the coolness and sweetness made him dizzy with addiction.
Xie Shibai asked coldly, “Satisfied?”
Lu Ciheng became much more honest. The tip of his tongue pressed against his canine tooth, feeling that this kind of contact wasn’t enough.
Xie Shibai said bluntly, “You really are a pervert.”
The two didn’t fuss for long. After Xie Shibai fell asleep, Lu Ciheng, who had been quiet for a long time, leaned in slightly. Staring at his sleeping face, he moved forward a bit, the tip of his nose touching Xie Shibai’s nose, rubbing against it like a puppy. Yet, as if dissatisfied with simple contact, he greedily wanted more.
Wanted to kiss.
Wanted to—
