Chapter 108
Identity aside, there’s no position, no matter how much you ask, it’ll only seem awkward and yield nothing.
And today, finally, he returned safely as hoped.
Everyone could display their joy, except for Ye Zhi. He couldn’t; he feared he might expose himself, not as the husband of Huo Youcheng, but as the brother-in-law of Huo Youqiao, the one the family was paying more attention to.
This feeling of being close yet unreachable was even more unbearable than when he used to secretly admire Huo Youcheng.
“The younger brother’s boyfriend” and “the husband’s brother” may seem similar, but they’re completely different, and the feelings of admiration then were completely different from what they are now.
Admiration was like a bittersweet spring breeze; not obtaining it didn’t leave regrets. Love, on the other hand, was like surging waves, just the inability to approach making him feel suffocated.
Ready to engulf him at any moment.
Moreover, he still needed to disguise himself.
When Huo Youcheng came in, he immediately put on his usual appearance, changed the bedding, and went to the bathroom to prepare a bath for him.
Hot water poured into the white bathtub, he threw in a bath bomb, and soon, a large number of bubbles spread out. Ye Zhi prepared everything according to Huo Youcheng’s habits, just as he was about to leave, Huo Youcheng walked in and reached out to embrace his waist.
When a man drank, one could smell the hint of alcohol on him when close, not too strong, but mixed with his pheromones, it gave a sensation of tightening.
Ye Zhi had a premonition of what was to come. Huo Youcheng leaned close to his ear and spoke in a low voice, “After so many days, have you prepared yourself mentally? Can we do it tonight?”
During this time, they hadn’t done anything more intimate than kissing. This alone showed that Huo Youcheng had indeed changed a lot. Otherwise, with his personality, Ye Zhi’s reluctance would be met with force if he desired it.
But Huo Youcheng hadn’t.
He knew his past actions must have left a shadow in his partner’s heart, so he patiently waited. Desires were mostly strong, and unless one decided on long-term abstinence, few could endure not making love for nearly a month. Several times, Huo Youcheng had almost lost control, but feeling the trembling in Ye Zhi’s body, he held back.
And now, he was at the limit of his patience.
“I really want you.” After going through so much “training,” Huo Youcheng had become much more skilled in flirting than he was at the beginning. His tone was affectionate, his deep voice seductive, his hand on Ye Zhi’s abdomen still gently caressing, with a tendency to go further down. “And Mother is urging us to have a baby. Let’s have one soon, a child with our blood, surely handsome and obedient.”
Ye Zhi involuntarily tensed up all over, the hot breath from the man’s mouth tickling his ear brought a sense of itching, yet that itch couldn’t reach his heart. The thought of doing such a thing first brought to mind the indescribable pain, as if there was a branding iron piercing through his viscera, each time reaching the extreme pain, leaving an indelible mark on his psyche. He closed his eyes and whispered softly, “My wound still hurts a bit… can we wait a few days?”
The smile on Huo Youcheng’s face faded, and his movements stopped. After a while, he said, “Is it really still hurting, or do you just not want to be with me? I promise I won’t hurt you again, if you feel even a bit of pain, you can stop me, I will definitely stop.”
Ye Zhi whispered, “It’s true, it still hurts a bit…” He was nervous, expecting this kind of refusal might anger the other party, maybe he would hear some harsh words again.
But unexpectedly, after a moment of silence, Huo Youcheng really let go of his hand and smiled again, “Then we won’t do it tonight. Thank you, Zhi Zhi, for preparing the bath for me.”
Ye Zhi breathed a sigh of relief.
He took a bath first, read a few pages of a book while Huo Youcheng soaked in the tub, and closed the book when he heard the bathroom door click, dimming the bedside lamp.
The bed was large enough for two people, and the mattress was comfortable, but Ye Zhi wasn’t used to it.
Every time Huo Youcheng lay beside him, he found it hard to fall asleep. To avoid being noticed by the other party, he kept his eyes open, sometimes even staying awake all night. This was also the reason Huo Youcheng said he hadn’t gained back his weight despite taking supplements for so long.
Curling up on one side, taking up only a small part, when Huo Youcheng saw him like this when he got into bed, he felt remorseful and a little distressed. He spoke gently, “I promised you we wouldn’t do it tonight, don’t look so scared.”
Ye Zhi denied softly, “I’m not…”
