Wen Xia was pinned down on the bed by Lin Fengqi, much like the nights they spent in the hotel in Ancheng when Lin Fengqi treated him like a hugging pillow.
Of course, this time they kissed.
But the kiss didn’t last long. Just as it was about to deepen, Lin Fengqi suddenly stopped and embraced Wen Xia tightly.
Their breaths were uneven, and Wen Xia felt as though even his bones had turned to mush.
“Wen Xia,” Lin Fengqi called out, his voice hoarse.
“Hmm?” Wen Xia responded, realizing his own voice wasn’t much steadier.
“I’m your… boyfriend,” Lin Fengqi said, tightening his hold.
How strange. Such a simple phrase made Wen Xia blush all over again. He wanted to mention that they were already married, but then he remembered that he was the one who first used the term “boyfriend.”
Compared to their sham of a marriage, this felt much more real.
They stayed like that for a while, long enough for Wen Xia to wonder if Lin Fengqi had fallen asleep. But just as he shifted slightly, Lin Fengqi tightened his grip.
“Get up,” Wen Xia urged, nudging him.
Lin Fengqi’s voice was muffled against his shoulder. “Just a little longer.”
“You’ve been holding me for a long time.”
“…It’s not enough.”
It was as if Lin Fengqi had suddenly unlocked his inner straightforwardness. Normally, he would agonize over saying something sweet, and even then, it wouldn’t always come out right.
But now, he was expressing himself directly through his actions.
Once Lin Fengqi had held him long enough, Wen Xia finally got up to eat.
In the end, he brought the food Lin Fengqi had brought to the room back to the dining room so they could eat together.
After dinner, Wen Xia sat Lin Fengqi down for a detailed review of the past.
He asked Lin Fengqi if he really couldn’t tell that he had liked him back then. How could he have mistaken all those actions as something one would do for just an ordinary classmate?
Lin Fengqi was silent for a moment before replying, “I thought… it was just because you were a good person.”
Wen Xia nearly bit him.
Under his… let’s say, persuasive tactics, Lin Fengqi finally opened up about many things he had kept to himself over the years. Although Wen Xia had already read about some of it in the diary, hearing it directly from Lin Fengqi’s mouth was a completely different experience.
The more Lin Fengqi talked, the redder his face became. Expressing those once-embarrassing teenage thoughts out loud now felt like a reminder of how foolish he had been back then.
When they talked about the reunions after graduation, Wen Xia asked, “Why didn’t you go to any of the other reunions? Were you really busy?”
For the first two reunions, Wen Xia hadn’t attended—once because he was genuinely unavailable, and the other because he was too angry at Lin Fengqi to show up. But then Lin Fengqi skipped the next two reunions, while Wen Xia finally attended.
“…No,” Lin Fengqi admitted, scooting closer, only to be gently pushed back by Wen Xia. His expression fell. “I thought you didn’t go because I was there…”
So, for the third reunion, when he heard that Wen Xia would attend, he decided not to go to avoid making Wen Xia uncomfortable. The fourth time was the same.
It wasn’t until the fifth reunion that he hesitated for a long time but eventually decided to go.
Wen Xia also asked, “Then why did you go this time? Was it just to propose?”
Lin Fengqi avoided his gaze, his hands itching to hold Wen Xia again. “Yeah…”
“You’re something else, aren’t you? First, you avoid making me uncomfortable, and then you come over to propose,” Wen Xia said. “Your mom pressuring you to get married—is that even true?”
“…It’s true.”
It turned out that Ye Shixue really was pressuring him to get married. It acted like a catalyst, gradually giving Lin Fengqi the courage he needed. To him, if he were to marry, the only person he could marry was Wen Xia.
If it couldn’t be Wen Xia, he would rather stay single.
He knew that Wen Xia’s family was no longer as well off as it once was. After his company had stabilized, he had thought about helping Wen Xia, but he didn’t know how to do so without it coming across as charity, which might hurt Wen Xia’s pride. So he came up with a clumsy excuse and spent a long time mentally preparing himself before finally saying those words to Wen Xia at the reunion: “Marry me.”
If he hadn’t prepared himself for so long, he wouldn’t have been able to stay so composed during the proposal.
He had rehearsed those words countless times.
Wen Xia listened to his halting confession, silent for a long time.
Lin Fengqi hesitated, then silently scooted closer. When Wen Xia didn’t push him away, he took the opportunity to wrap him in another hug.
“Not bad,” Wen Xia finally spoke, his tone approving. “Proposing to me might be the smartest thing you’ve done in years.”
Receiving this praise, Lin Fengqi hugged him even tighter, rubbing his head against Wen Xia’s shoulder and murmuring, “I think so too.”
The affectionate gesture made Wen Xia laugh.
After clearing up their misunderstandings, they went downstairs to walk the dog.
This time, as soon as they stepped outside, Lin Fengqi held Wen Xia’s hand. After a while, he wasn’t satisfied with just holding hands. Once they were outside the building, he interlaced their fingers.
Wen Xia’s heart raced as he glanced at Lin Fengqi. The man’s earlobes were tinged with a faint blush.
They walked their dog, Ah Mou, just like any other ordinary couple.
On the way, they ran into Xiao Ma and his wife. They didn’t seem to be out walking their dog but had just returned from an outing. After a brief exchange, they parted ways. Xiao Ma’s wife glanced back at them and nudged her husband, “Hey, don’t you think they seem really close today?”
Xiao Ma looked back and, in his typical straightforward manner, said, “Do they? They’re always like that, aren’t they?”
His wife rolled her eyes at him and muttered, “Forget it.”
How could he not notice that this was the first time the two had walked their dog while holding hands so closely?
Halfway through their walk, Wen Xia suddenly remembered something he hadn’t asked yet. “By the way, I still don’t get it. Why did you think I was interested in Fang Huai? Did I ever mention him to you? Or did you hear some ridiculous rumor?”
Wen Xia had refrained from bringing up this matter ever since Lin Fengqi realized he had embarrassed himself. But now that the memory resurfaced, Lin Fengqi’s face turned red again.
This was probably the most socially mortifying experience of his life.
He said, “When you first moved in… you sleepwalked once.”
Wen Xia remembered that. When he first moved in, he had trouble sleeping in a new bed and ended up sleepwalking into Lin Fengqi’s bed. But that only happened once, and soon after, his sleep quality improved.
Lin Fengqi added, “That night, in your sleep, you called out Fang Huai’s name.”
Wen Xia: “…”
Wen Xia: “?”
Wen Xia: “???”
“That’s it?” Wen Xia asked, incredulous.
Lin Fengqi, now aware of how much he had overthought things, turned away, his face barely nodding in confirmation.
“…”
Wen Xia was at a loss for words.
He didn’t know what to say.
How could he have known that Lin Fengqi’s mind would take such a wild turn, all because he called out someone’s name in his sleep?
“Do you know what I dreamed about that night?” he asked Lin Fengqi.
Of course, Lin Fengqi didn’t know.
Wen Xia explained, “I dreamed that Fang Huai, that idiot, was showing off his new sports car in front of me. I beat him up and nearly smashed his car.”
Lin Fengqi: “…”
Wen Xia continued, “I also dreamed about you.”
Lin Fengqi was startled and turned to look at him.
Wen Xia stopped walking. Since they were holding hands, Lin Fengqi had to stop as well, causing Ah Mou to halt and look back at them.
“I dreamed that the high school version of you told me to stop bothering you,” Wen Xia said.
Their fingers interlaced tighter.
Lin Fengqi licked his lips, feeling uncertain for a moment, before asking, “Can I hold you again?”
As Lin Fengqi embraced him, Wen Xia couldn’t help but think that having a boyfriend was a really clingy experience.
—
Lin Fengqi was still the same reserved man, but now there was one difference: he had somehow learned how to express himself through actions.
Or perhaps, it was that he finally dared to do things he hadn’t dared to do in the past. It was like he had hit rock bottom and was now letting loose, knowing that these things were now allowed. He no longer had to worry about crossing any lines.
For example, when it was time to sleep, Wen Xia would bid him goodnight and head to his room. But before long, there would be a knock on his door. Wen Xia would say, “Come in,” and Lin Fengqi would enter, holding a pillow.
They would make eye contact for a couple of seconds, and Wen Xia would glance at the pillow in Lin Fengqi’s arms. It was clear what he wanted.
Wen Xia said, “I’ve never seen a couple who just started dating immediately share a bed.”
Lin Fengqi pursed his lips, his hand still on the doorknob. After hearing Wen Xia’s words, he unconsciously twisted the handle.
Though he didn’t say a word, there was an unmistakable sense of disappointment.
“…Fine, go bring Ah Mou over too,” Wen Xia sighed, giving in.
Ah Mou’s dog bed was also brought over, placed next to Wen Da Ge’s cat bed on the windowsill. Normally, Wen Da Ge loved to sleep under the covers, but tonight, that wasn’t possible.
Because the spot in Wen Xia’s arms that usually belonged to the cat had been taken by someone else.
This was the third time Wen Xia and Lin Fengqi slept together.
After the lights were off, they both lay quietly in bed for a while, until Lin Fengqi suddenly turned over and wrapped Wen Xia in his arms.
Wen Xia had lost count of how many times Lin Fengqi had hugged him today.
It seemed that Lin Fengqi preferred hugging to kissing.
When Lin Fengqi hugged him, he would bury his face in Wen Xia’s neck or shoulder, like he was holding onto a life-sized plushie that he couldn’t bear to let go of. Sometimes, he would even nuzzle against him, making Wen Xia feel ticklish from the soft hair brushing against his skin.
It was a hug filled with attachment and reliance—a complete surrender of his heart.
It even felt a bit like Lin Fengqi was being playful.
Lin Fengqi’s scent was fresh, and even though they used different shower gels, Wen Xia really liked the way he smelled. It made him feel at ease, as if he could fall asleep peacefully no matter where he was, as long as he could smell that scent.
Or maybe it wasn’t the scent at all.
Wen Xia fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. When he woke up the next day, Lin Fengqi was still asleep. It was just like the time at the hotel—Lin Fengqi had treated him like a hugging pillow again.
Wen Xia carefully moved his arm away and got out of bed to wash up.
As he was making breakfast, Lin Fengqi woke up. Wen Xia heard his footsteps pause at the bedroom door before heading toward the kitchen.
Wen Xia was in the middle of frying an egg when he suddenly felt a warm presence behind him.
Lin Fengqi hugged him from behind, resting his face against Wen Xia’s shoulder and nuzzling him. The tousled hair brushed against Wen Xia’s neck, making him laugh as he swatted at Lin Fengqi’s head. “Stop that, it tickles.”
“Mm…” Lin Fengqi’s voice was a low, sleepy mumble, so groggy that it was hard to tell whether he was agreeing or just being playful.
“Go wash your face and brush your teeth.”
“Mm.” Still half-asleep, Lin Fengqi tightened his arms around him and nuzzled his face again. “Wen Xia…”
What’s it like to have a boyfriend?
Wen Xia couldn’t speak for anyone else, but he knew that his boyfriend… was a real clingy one.
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