Chapter 125: IF—Zhou Shuli (Extra Conclusion)
The dice in the porcelain bowl spun slower and slower, finally coming to a stop with a “clack” against the rim.
When it was uncovered, it revealed a “5.”
Little Yellow Hair stared at the number and wailed in despair. He grabbed the wine glass in front of him and downed it in one go.
The alcohol trickled down the corner of his mouth and onto his collar.
After wiping his mouth, he stood up, his tongue already starting to trip over his words.
“I’m done, I’m done… If I drink any more, I’ll be sleeping right here. I’m heading out first.”
Beside him, Little A laughed and patted his back before standing up as well, looking a bit more sober than Little Yellow Hair.
“I’ll walk you back, so you don’t wander into the wrong room in the middle of the night.”
After saying that, he tilted his chin toward Zhou Geng and the others. “We’re heading back to our rooms.”
…
Lin Mu held a grilled skewer stick, his gaze lingering covertly on Shen Tangqing.
He saw Shen Tangqing leaning against the back of the chair, his cheeks as pink as a fully ripened peach. A thin, reddish watery light shimmered at the corners of his eyes, making him look very soft.
“I’m also feeling a bit dizzy. I’ll head back to my room first.”
He suddenly stood up, his chair making a dull thud against the lawn.
He cast another hurried glance at Shen Tangqing, his voice carrying an almost imperceptible hint of bitterness.
“You guys should rest early too.”
With that, he turned and left without looking back, his shadow stretching long and lonely under the streetlamp.
Zhou Geng let out a yawn and rubbed his throbbing temples. “Well, everyone’s gone.”
He then looked at Shen Tangqing, sitting opposite him, and Zhou Shuli, who hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol from start to finish. “Brother, Tangtang, let’s head back too.”
Zhou Shuli had already asked the front desk to prepare a room when he arrived.
When Shen Tangqing looked at Zhou Shuli, Zhou Shuli happened to be looking at him as well.
Their eyes met briefly in the air before Shen Tangqing was the first to look away.
“Brother Zhou, do you want to sit for a while longer?”
Zhou Shuli’s fingertips on his knees moved almost imperceptibly. He remained silent for a second before speaking. “I’d like to sit for a bit longer.”
Shen Tangqing’s eyes curved toward Zhou Geng, a smile reaching the depths of his gaze. “Brother Geng, you head up first. I’m not sleepy yet. I’ll sit with Brother Zhou for a while before going up.”
Zhou Geng didn’t think much of it. He even stumbled a bit as he got up.
He waved his hand.
“Sure, I’ll head out then.”
———
After Zhou Geng left, Shen Tangqing leaned back against the chair again and cast his gaze toward the night sky.
The night on the mountain was exceptionally clean, dotted with stars that looked like a handful of crushed diamonds had been scattered across the black expanse.
“Brother Zhou, the night sky is very beautiful tonight,” Shen Tangqing suddenly spoke, his tone carrying the laziness of post-alcohol relaxation.
Zhou Shuli withdrew his covert gaze from Shen Tangqing’s profile and looked up at the sky. His voice was somewhat deep.
“It is very beautiful.”
At the same time, he silently added in his heart:
You are more beautiful than the night sky.
The two didn’t speak again, just sat there quietly watching the stars.
Zhou Shuli only felt a massive sense of contentment welling up in his heart.
Being able to sit beside Shen Tangqing like this and appreciate the night sky together was, for him, a rare form of happiness.
At the same moment, on the second-floor balcony, Lin Mu leaned alone against a pillar, his gaze fixated longingly on Shen Tangqing.
…
Ultimately, it was Zhou Shuli who broke the silence first.
He looked at Shen Tangqing, a faint smile curling his lips.
“Tangtang, I went to Country M on a business trip and brought back some local specialties. They’re in the car; I’ll give them to you tomorrow.”
“Brother Zhou,” Shen Tangqing suddenly said, his gaze landing directly on Zhou Shuli’s face. His tone was casual, yet every word was crystal clear.
“Do you like me?”
The night breeze blew past, carrying the mountain chill. The air seemed to fall silent instantly.
Zhou Shuli could clearly hear his own heartbeat.
Faster and faster… faster and faster…
It was nearly bursting through his chest.
Despite always being in control, he completely hadn’t expected Shen Tangqing to discover his feelings.
He thought he had been very subtle, hiding it perfectly…
He wasn’t prepared to confess to Shen Tangqing yet.
His Adam’s apple bobbed.
Zhou Shuli felt his throat go incredibly dry. Before he could decide how to speak, Shen Tangqing spoke again at a leisurely pace.
“That night you carried me from the private booth to the guest room… I wasn’t actually completely drunk. I knew it was you who carried me…”
As his words fell, Shen Tangqing suddenly reached out, grabbed Zhou Shuli’s tie, and pulled him forward.
Inertia forced Zhou Shuli’s body to lean in.
The two were instantly very close.
So close that Zhou Shuli could see the fragmented starlight in Shen Tangqing’s eyes.
He could smell the faint scent of alcohol mixed with an unknown floral fragrance on him.
So close that he felt as if he only had to move forward an inch to kiss those long-coveted lips.
“Brother Zhou, are my cheeks very soft?”
Shen Tangqing looked at him, his eyes brimming with a smile. His tone was teasing, the end of the sentence rising slightly. “Do you want to… try again?”
Zhou Shuli’s pupils contracted sharply.
He knew he had overstepped his bounds then, but he truly couldn’t help himself.
He couldn’t restrain the intense desire in his heart.
Thus, he had reached out and gently poked Shen Tangqing’s cheek.
“I… I’m sorry. I touched you without your permission. I can apologize.” Zhou Shuli’s voice was inexplicably raspy, and a look of embarrassment from being caught surfaced on his usually cold face.
Shen Tangqing suddenly burst into laughter at the sight of him.
The laughter was very light, mixing with the evening breeze and brushing against Zhou Shuli’s heart like a feather.
“Why apologize?” Shen Tangqing let go.
His fingertips brushed lightly against the edge of the tie before he sat up straight. “I never said I was unwilling…”
Zhou Shuli’s body stiffened violently, as if someone had hit the pause button.
His ink-colored eyes widened suddenly, but he quickly forced the shock down.
He opened his mouth, his Adam’s apple bobbing repeatedly before he finally managed to find his voice.
However, it was lower and raspier than usual.
“Tangtang, you…”
Before he could finish, Shen Tangqing interrupted him.
He extended his left hand, revealing the lapis lazuli beads on his wrist. “Brother Zhou, you specifically bought this to give to me, right?”
Having said that, he let out another soft laugh.
“And that outfit that’s exactly like yours… is it a couple’s outfit?”
“You remember my tastes, you know what I like to eat and what I don’t like…”
“Last week, that bouquet of flowers sent by the delivery guy… you bought that for me too, didn’t you?”
“And the takeout, the snacks…”
…
Zhou Shuli sat in place, his fingertips curling and then slowly relaxing.
He lowered his eyes, his long lashes hiding the complex emotions within.
He hadn’t expected Shen Tangqing to know all of his “little schemes.”
He thought he had hidden them well…
Zhou Shuli was silent for a long time.
So long that even the mountain breeze seemed to settle down.
Finally, he lifted his eyes.
His gaze landed on Shen Tangqing’s face. The shock and helplessness from before were gone, replaced only by a profound gravity restrained to the extreme.
“Yes.”
He said softly.
No extra words, no preamble—just one word.
Yet it felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
Shen Tangqing looked at his tense jawline and didn’t make a sound.
He was waiting for Zhou Shuli to speak.
After a moment, Zhou Shuli slowly spoke up.
“Yes, everything you said is correct. I’ve liked you… for a long time. I’ve liked you since the first time we met.”
His palms inside his gloves were dampened with cold sweat, yet his voice remained restrained.
“My feelings for you aren’t a whim or an impulse. It’s the kind of ‘like’ that wants to marry you. I originally wanted to wait until you had some good feelings for me before solemnly confessing… Tangtang, are you willing to give me a chance to stay by your side?”
Zhou Shuli looked like a prisoner waiting for judgment, his usually cold and distant face full of tension.
Shen Tangqing looked at him.
It was as if he were looking through him at the Zhou Shuli of the previous life.
Whether in this life or the previous one, Zhou Shuli was just as he was in the diary.
He had always been silently loving him.
“Brother Zhou, I always used to think that I liked women.”
After Shen Tangqing said this, his lips curled into a very sweet smile. “But I’m willing to try with you. However… I might not like you that much yet. Do you mind?”
Zhou Shuli’s breath hitched, and his heart rate accelerated instantly. A massive wave of surprise surged in his chest, mixed with a bit of being at a loss.
How could he possibly mind?
He had even considered using a political marriage to tie Shen Tangqing to him.
And now, Shen Tangqing was telling him that he was giving him a chance to be by his side…
Like a traveler in the desert seeing an oasis.
A small flower bloomed in his barren heart.
…
After a moment, Zhou Shuli forced himself to calm down.
The moment his gaze landed on Shen Tangqing’s face, the desire in the depths of his heart could no longer be suppressed.
He craved to touch Shen Tangqing.
He craved to possess him.
He craved to * [Censored] with him… an uncontrollable tremor of the soul.
He spoke with a raspy voice.
“Tangtang, can I hug you?”
Shen Tangqing tilted his head to look at him, his eyes pitch black. The upturned corners of his eyes seemed to steal one’s soul at this moment.
His lips curled upward.
He reached out and grabbed one of Zhou Shuli’s hands, then removed his glove with an agonizingly slow speed.
The moment their fingertips touched, a massive sense of lost control swept through Zhou Shuli’s entire body, so much so that he couldn’t stop himself from trembling slightly.
His eyes, filled with lust, stared at Shen Tangqing with a morbid infatuation.
He watched as Shen Tangqing slowly lifted his hand and placed it against his own cheek.
The warm and delicate sensation caused the pleasure inside Zhou Shuli’s body to surge toward him like a tide.
Turbulent and intense.
Shen Tangqing, of course, knew that Zhou Shuli suffered from skin hunger.
His voice was very low, and he deliberately half-closed his eyes. In the silent night, he carried a hint of seduction.
“Does Brother Zhou only want a hug?”
——— (End)
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