His anger quickly dispersed.
Ming Qi looked down at his current situation and instinctively sank further into the water, only revealing above his chin.
“You came in here for what?”
“I called you, but you didn’t respond. I came in to check.”
Yu Qinzhou’s gaze swept over the shy face caused by his sudden entry.
The young man looked like a cub spotting danger and slowly retreating into the water.
Yu Qinzhou’s expression didn’t change, but interest slowly surfaced in his eyes.
Ming Qi didn’t seem to realize how clear the bathwater was—so clear that a slight downward glance would reveal everything beneath.
That faint white color flickered in and out of sight under the water.
Snow-like.
It made one want to leave special marks on it.
The desire that surged in his expression was forcibly pressed back down.
Yu Qinzhou stood up slowly and calmly, looking completely composed.
“If you soak any longer, you’ll turn into a mermaid. Come eat.”
Ming Qi gave a dry “mm,” then added:
“Then you go out first.”
Although they had shared beds more than once, facing each other like this was still embarrassing.
Fortunately, Yu Qinzhou didn’t seem interested in teasing him today.
He obediently turned and left.
Ming Qi heard the door close, and immediately climbed out of the water, quickly wrapping himself in a bath towel and changing clothes.
In less than three minutes, he was already sitting at the dining table.
Dinner was home-style dishes. The seafood was spicy with chili peppers, making Ming Qi sweat on his forehead.
He grabbed the beer Yu Qinzhou handed him and gulped it down.
Only after finishing did he notice Yu Qinzhou watching him with his chin propped on his hand.
His hand paused slightly.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Yu Qinzhou:
“Does beer make you drunk?”
Ming Qi thought for a moment.
“No clear answer. If you drink little, probably not. If you drink a lot, then I don’t know.”
Yu Qinzhou looked thoughtful.
Seeing this expression, Ming Qi also slowly became thoughtful.
He felt Yu Qinzhou’s question was suspicious.
Recalling everything that happened last night, his eyes narrowed slightly.
He pushed the glass toward Yu Qinzhou.
“I’m not drinking anymore.”
Yu Qinzhou raised his eyelids slightly, amused.
“What, afraid I’ll get you drunk?”
Ming Qi really did think that.
But Yu Qinzhou remained calm.
“I’m just worried you’ll get drunk.”
Ming Qi didn’t believe him at all.
He raised his hand seriously:
“I swear I’ll never drink again. I’ll only drink Wahaha.”
…
After dinner, Ming Qi was so full he couldn’t move.
He originally wanted to swim a few laps in the outdoor pool behind the villa, but after soaking in seawater for so long and then taking a bath, if he went swimming again his legs would really turn into a fish tail.
So he decisively gave up and lay lazily on the sofa waiting for digestion.
Once he felt a little better, he immediately ran to the outdoor pool.
Yu Qinzhou was swimming.
Although they had stayed by the sea for two days, this was his first time actually entering the water.
Ming Qi sat by the pool, rolling up his pants to reveal his fair calves, testing the water.
Yu Qinzhou swam nearby while Ming Qi absentmindedly played with the water.
His lower legs were occasionally nudged by the moving water, but he didn’t care, only watching videos and news on his phone.
Until—
A hand silently grabbed his slender ankle.
Ming Qi was startled.
His hand reacted first, throwing his phone into the bushes beside him.
At the same time, that hand suddenly tightened and pulled him down violently.
“Mm—”
Splash!
The sound of water bursting out rang.
His survival instinct made Ming Qi struggle, but before his arms even opened, he had already fallen into Yu Qinzhou’s arms.
The man brought him up through the water.
Seeing Ming Qi’s widened eyes, Yu Qinzhou buried his wet face in his neck and laughed softly.
“Scared you?”
“You think?” Ming Qi muttered. “I thought it was a water ghost.”
“Your husband looks like a water ghost?”
Yu Qinzhou pressed him against the pool edge and pinched his face.
Ming Qi stubbornly refused to agree.
He rolled his eyes.
“Not like? Water ghosts are the kind that grab people’s ankles and drag them down—”
Before he could finish, a familiar overwhelming aura pressed in.
Ming Qi stared in shock at Yu Qinzhou suddenly leaning over him.
His lips were forced open, and the tongue swept in without restraint, stirring everything inside.
Yu Qinzhou’s arm around his waist tightened.
His breathing shifted from calm and fierce to gradually chaotic.
Ming Qi tried to grab his clothes as usual—but only then realized Yu Qinzhou wasn’t wearing anything.
The man’s skin above the water was pale, with beautiful muscle lines—lean but not thin, defined but not aggressive.
So Ming Qi raised his hand, slid it over his shoulder, and hooked his arms around his neck.
Yu Qinzhou lifted him slightly and kissed him again.
Night finally fell completely over the island.
A full moon hung high above, reflecting against the faint lights along the pebble path, illuminating the intertwined silhouettes by the pool.
Ming Qi’s legs were weak, his body soft, hanging onto Yu Qinzhou entirely supported by him.
The man carried him steadily step by step up the stairs back to the villa.
Ming Qi rested his chin on his shoulder, breathing weak and powerless.
He thought:
Same species, but the difference really was huge.
He was like a wilted little grass, while Yu Qinzhou was completely different.
Even more so, whenever his body slipped slightly, he would always touch something burning hot and intense.
After returning to the master bedroom, he was carried by Yu Qinzhou into the bathroom to rinse off. When his fair, beautiful back touched the soft bed, Yu Qinzhou immediately pressed down on him. The man lowered his head and kissed his burning earlobe, his voice hoarse and magnetic, stirring Ming Qi’s already tense body to soften again.
“If it hurts, you can bite me. Let me share the pain with you.”
The clock hanging on the wall ticked forward slowly.
In the unknown deep night, Ming Qi opened his eyes, misted with moisture, trying hard to catch sight of the figure before him. His fingers unconsciously gripped Yu Qinzhou’s taut arm, but it still felt not enough. Under repeated pressure, he lowered his head and bit the man’s shoulder.
When a muffled groan of pain sounded, hot sweat rolled down Yu Qinzhou’s throat and slid onto Ming Qi’s chest.
“So hot.”
Ming Qi murmured.
…
When Ming Qi woke up, the curtains were drawn open, and the transparent floor-to-ceiling windows reflected a night filled with scattered stars.
He was a bit dazed, thinking he had slept for a long time, but it turned out the sky hadn’t even brightened yet. He subconsciously burrowed deeper into the warm blanket, and just as he was about to bury his whole face, Yu Qinzhou’s hand reluctantly pulled him out. The man’s somewhat helpless voice sounded by his ear.
“Qiqi, you can’t keep sleeping. Get up and eat.”
“…It’s not even daylight yet.”
“It’s the night of the second day.”
Ming Qi suddenly opened his eyes and turned sharply to look at the man beside him. Yu Qinzhou picked up his phone and showed him the date on the screen. It clearly displayed the current day, month, and time.
Ming Qi: “……”
He slept that long? Wasn’t that a bit exaggerated?
But when his gaze shifted from the phone to Yu Qinzhou’s bare upper body and the striking marks on it, Ming Qi felt it might not be so exaggerated after all.
Last night… really was a bit too intense.
Ming Qi pulled the blanket over his face, his voice slightly hoarse.
“I’m not really hungry.”
“Even if you’re not hungry, you still have to eat. I made you some porridge. Give me some face and eat a little?”
“Alright then.”
After eating dinner and getting enough rest, Ming Qi felt alive again. He excitedly ran to the open-air swimming pool, saying he wanted to exercise to aid digestion and burn off excess energy, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.
However, not long after he got into the water, he was held around the waist by Yu Qinzhou, who told him there were actually other ways to help sleep.
Feeling the pressure of the man pressing down on him, Ming Qi’s eyes widened. He grabbed Yu Qinzhou’s forearm and nervously stuttered.
“I think… excessive indulgence is not a good thing.”
“Twenty-seven years and only five times—this counts as excessive indulgence?”
Ming Qi: “…Strawman arguments are not good either.”
Yu Qinzhou bit his earlobe and gave a low laugh.
“Just give yourself to me… and it’ll be right.”
The middle word was spoken so softly it was almost silent, yet it still made Ming Qi’s face flush red.
…
After staying on the private island for nearly a week, Ming Qi and Yu Qinzhou finally prepared to return home.
Sitting on the yacht and watching the island grow farther away, Ming Qi received a message from Meng She:
“Kid, coming back today?”
He replied: “Mm.”
Meng Mom: “Are you happy? Are you happy?”
77.: “…Happy.”
Meng Mom: “What’s with the ellipsis?”
77.: “It means I’m exhausted.”
Meng She, well-versed in countless novels, immediately guessed something and sent a mischievous emoji, then comforted him: “Aiya, understandable. It’s different right after starting. And someone like Mr. Yu Qinzhou definitely looks like he’s very intense in bed. Our Qiqi really had it rough.”
Ming Qi blinked, then quietly thought to himself—though, honestly, he also felt pretty good, so it wasn’t really suffering.
Touching his slightly warm face, he coughed and casually replied with a simple “oh.”
When he and Yu Qinzhou returned to Xijing Bay, Meng She had already gone back to his own place. Although Meng She’s ankle was still quite swollen, it wasn’t serious. After resting for a few days at Xijing Bay, he felt fine enough and had Yu Qinzhou’s driver send him home.
There was no Meng She to welcome them, but there was Xiao Ba.
When the kitten suddenly leapt onto Ming Qi’s shoulder, he was surprised by how much heavier it had become.
“Has Xiao Ba been eating well these past two days?”
Cen Jing answered honestly, “Mr. Meng has been worried it would go hungry, but he also takes it out for walks.”
It had been walked so much that Xiao Ba had basically become the neighborhood mascot at Xijing Bay—other residents now even bring cat treats when they go out.
Ming Qi: “……”
As expected of their cute and lovable Xiao Ba.
Ming Qi handed the cat to Yu Qinzhou.
“Go bond with your son, or he’ll be stolen away by others.”
Yu Qinzhou looked at the pair with amusement and obediently fed Xiao Ba some snacks.
Meanwhile, Ming Qi slipped into the bed again. As expected, the bed was still the most comfortable.
…
After a few days of recovery at Xijing Bay, Ming Qi finally received news about Zhou Xingxiu’s new film audition. However, unexpectedly, the information was different from what had been circulating online.
“Only a few supporting roles are left for auditions. It seems the lead role has already been cast,” Meng She frowned.
He had originally planned to have Ming Qi go for the male lead.
After all, Zhou Xingxiu was famous for choosing actors not by status or fame, but purely by fit and acting ability.
Ming Qi remained calm.
“It’s fine. Even if the male lead opens up, I might not be able to compete with others anyway.”
Just as he finished speaking, Meng She’s phone rang with an unfamiliar number. He hesitated but still answered.
A few seconds later, Meng She’s pupils suddenly widened. His expression of regret turned into joy and excitement.
“Alright, don’t worry. I’ll tell him to prepare properly.”
The call ended, and Meng She stood with his hands on his hips, laughing for a long time. Then he suddenly lunged forward and hugged Ming Qi.
“Director Zhou has picked you for the male lead.”
Ming Qi: “?!”
Meng She added, “But if your performance isn’t good enough, they’ll kick you out without hesitation and reopen auditions for the male lead.”
Ming Qi’s eyes curved as he smiled.
“Then I definitely can’t give them that chance.”
“What are you talking about?”
Footsteps came from behind. When Meng She’s gaze landed on Yu Qinzhou, he quickly pulled his hands back, clasped them behind his back, and looked up at the ceiling, then at the floor, then everywhere except forward.
Meanwhile, Ming Qi quickly ran to Yu Qinzhou and said with a bright smile, “Director Zhou Xingxiu wants me to try for the male lead. If it works out, when the film comes out, I can take you to watch a movie starring me.”