HCILH Ch. 125

Chapter 125: Hou Mo’s Birthday

After the national competition ended, the awards ceremony was held that evening.

As a dual champion, Hou Mo was undoubtedly the star player for interviews that day. Sui Houyu, as his partner, also attracted media attention due to his looks and their win in the men’s doubles championship.

Surrounded by a group of reporters for a long time, they were eventually rescued by Coach Wang, who escorted them out of the competition venue.

“There weren’t this many reporters in previous years; your last front-page headline had quite an impact,” Coach Wang remarked. He then called out to Sang Xian and Ran Shu from their changing room, asking, “Are you four heading back now?”

Hou Mo responded while packing up: “Yes, we’ve already booked our tickets.”

Coach Wang didn’t stop them but added: “Message me when you get home.”

“Okay.”

They had already packed up and checked out in the afternoon. After Hou Mo’s match, they headed straight to the airport.

They booked the latest flight and arrived in their city around midnight. Instead of going back to Xiangjia Alley, Hou Mo and Sui Houyu went to Sang Xian’s house.

It was Hou Mo’s first time at Sang Xian’s home. Upon entering, he commented: “So you actually have your own building? I thought you lived with your parents over there.” 

As he spoke, he was pointing towards the direction of Sang Xian’s parents’ villa.

Sang Xian confirmed: “Yeah, I’ve been living on my own since I can remember.”

For Sang Xian, “home” never really felt cozy or warm.

With so many houses and properties scattered everywhere, which one was truly “home”?

“Where are we sleeping?” Hou Mo asked, referring to him and Sui Houyu.

Sang Xian led them into the elevator and took them to the third floor, where a housekeeper guided them to their guest room. Ran Shu intended to follow but was pulled back into the elevator by Sang Xian.

When Sui Houyu turned back, the elevator doors closed, and Ran Shu waved goodbye through the transparent doors.

Watching the ascending elevator, Hou Mo remarked: “I have a feeling Sang Xian is going to die young from sexual overindulgence.”

Sui Houyu rolled his eyes at Hou Mo angrily.

Even the guest rooms in the Sang house had a private sitting area, study, bathroom, and an outdoor terrace, resembling a small sky garden.

Rooms like these, perpetually unoccupied, seemed like a waste.

Exhausted, Hou Mo and Sui Houyu showered quickly and lay down on the bed together.

No sooner had they settled than Sui Houyu reached over, intertwining their fingers.

Lying on his back, Hou Mo stared at the ceiling for a moment, then turned to look at Sui Houyu and smiled: “I’m okay. Are you tired?”

“Not really. You’ve had a long day. Go to sleep early.”

Hou Mo had played two energy-draining final matches that day, followed by photo sessions and award presentations at the organizer’s request. Then, they hurried back, barely getting any rest.

“Alright, goodnight.”

They drifted into sleep, their hands clasped the entire time.

By the time they got off the plane, it was already August 30th—Hou Mo’s father’s death anniversary.

They hadn’t spoken much on the way, and even as they were about to sleep, Sui Houyu, who was never good with words of comfort, simply held Hou Mo’s hand.

Fortunately, Hou Mo appeared unfazed.

Everything seemed normal.

According to the team’s schedule, they were supposed to meet on August 30th in the morning, with their flight back home in the afternoon. By the time they returned to the city, it would be past 7 PM.

Hou Mo and his friends wanted to visit his father’s grave, so they returned earlier.

Ran Shu, who also came back with them, was unusually quiet throughout the trip. It seemed Sang Xian had shared something from the past, which led to Ran Shu’s temporary truce, no longer antagonizing Hou Mo.

Morning came.

When Sui Houyu woke up, Hou Mo was already up and in the bathroom, and he could hear the sound of running water.

Sitting up, Sui Houyu checked his phone and saw a message from Hou Mo’s mother: “I sent a message to Momo, but he hasn’t replied. Please let him know I’m already on my way, and I’ll drive you all back tonight.”

He quickly typed a response: “Okay.”

Walking to the bathroom door, he pushed it open and said: “Auntie sent a message saying—”

The sight that greeted him was Hou Mo’s bare back, his muscles moving fluidly as he washed up. With broad shoulders and a slim waist, his physique was stunning, prompting Sui Houyu to give an approving glance from top to bottom.

Hou Mo pulled out a couple of face towels to dry off and asked: “What did my mom say?”

“Oh, she said she’s already on her way.”

“Xiangjia Alley is quite far. We can leave in an hour; there’s no rush.”

“Alright.” He answered before stepping into the bathroom, taking out disposable toiletries to wash up.

Looking at himself in the mirror, he thought that perhaps he had been over-worrying. Hou Mo didn’t seem too upset or unable to move on.

So many years had passed; Hou Mo had likely come to terms with it.

When Sui Houyu finished washing up and came out, he found Hou Mo already dressed and looking at him.

He quickly stepped out and said: “I’ll be ready soon.”

“Okay, take your time.”

The two exited the guest room and had to look around a bit before finding the elevator. A servant led them to the dining area for breakfast.

During breakfast, Sang Xian mentioned: “I ordered flowers, so you don’t need to buy any.”

“Alright.” Hou Mo replied, taking a sip of porridge.

“We’ll take two cars to get there.”

“Okay.”

There was no business car on standby at Sang Xian’s home. The car that usually picks up Sang Xian isn’t suitable for four people, so it’s more comfortable to drive two cars.

They arrived at the cemetery around 9 a.m., and Hou Mo’s mother was already there.

Hou Mo walked over and placed a bouquet of flowers in front of the tombstone.

Sang Xian also respectfully placed a bouquet of flowers and stood for a while, staring at the photo on the tombstone.

Mother Hou quickly wiped the corner of her eye and stood to one side, waiting for them.

Hou Mo stood in front of the tombstone with his hands in his pockets, silently gazing at it without speaking.

Mother Hou spoke at this moment: “Why don’t you talk to your father for a while? We’ll leave first.”

After saying that, she left with Sui Houyu and the others.

Hou Mo still appeared indifferent, waving at them as they left.

Sui Houyu turned back to look at him three times, hesitated for a moment, and eventually followed Mother Hou.

Once everyone had left, Hou Mo sat cross-legged in front of the tombstone, staring at it and saying: “Last year I couldn’t come because of the competition, so I’m making it up this year.”

He poured a glass of wine for his father and also filled his own cup. Then he took a sip but quickly clutched his mouth, trying to resist the urge to vomit. In the end, he swallowed it.

“Spicy, oh—my tongue is burning, tears are coming out. Cough, cough.” That sip of white wine made Hou Mo feel quite uncomfortable.

He held his throat for a moment before continuing: “I’m about to turn 18, but I’m not obedient. I’m in a relationship. The curly-haired person who left just now is my boyfriend. If you were alive and knew, you’d definitely scold me. If you were alive, Mom probably wouldn’t accept that I’m gay. But now, as long as I’m healthy and happy, that’s enough for her.”

“I really like him, and he’s good to me. I know he’s awkward and secretly does nice things for me. I’m not awkward. I want to be good to him, so I just show it, and I even feel like I’m not doing enough. I’m really happy he’s with me, so I’ll cherish him.”

“Sang Xian also came. The person with him is his boyfriend. He’s not like me, he’s more surprising than I expected. Looks like a block of wood, but he’s faster than me in everything…”

“By the way, your wife has been a bit dishonest recently. She’s secretly planning a bunch of things. I saw it, but I didn’t want to say anything. If she wants to start a business again, she can do it herself. Anyway, the pressure’s not that big anymore. With the prize money from this competition, all the debts will be paid off, and there will still be more than ten thousand left. Isn’t that impressive?”

“Sigh… You were a winner in life, with a beautiful wife and a great son. If it were anyone else, they definitely wouldn’t want to let go of all that so early. You know, if you were alive, wouldn’t we have fought over my coming out for a hundred rounds? You didn’t even give me a chance.”

He looked at the photo on the tombstone—his father’s serious face, with a furrowed brow, like a “川” character when the photo was taken.

He suddenly smiled, but it was forced.

“Don’t worry about me, I’ve found someone to be with. I’ll never reject being close to people again. I want to stay with him forever, I want him to come to me. With him, I won’t feel lonely anymore.”

“Thank you, it’s because of you that we were able to meet when we were young and have this bond. Otherwise, I might never have been able to chase after him.”

“You left, but you brought him to me.”

“I’ve grown up, Mom’s getting old, but you’re still the same.” Hou Mo lifted his hand to touch the photo, which had no dust, likely wiped by Mother Hou earlier.

Hou Mo stood up, tidied himself briefly, and turned to leave the cemetery.

A breeze blew, and irises swayed, blooming brilliantly in the meadow.

The wind tossed his bangs, but Hou Mo felt a sense of relief in the wind.

The death of his father was like a hole punched in Hou Mo’s chest.

Others couldn’t see it. They thought he was strong and unshakable, but the sadness remained buried deep inside, something he didn’t want to share.

He had never imagined that having someone by his side could make him fearless.

It was like standing alone on a city wall against the winds, and suddenly someone came to put armor on him.

He turned around and saw a beam of light, extinguishing the flames of war in the city, and dispersing the smoke in the sky.

This person came for him, became his support, and in the end, the banner was raised, and the sky was painted with red clouds.

When Hou Mo left, a few people were chatting together. As he approached, Sui Houyu was the first to greet him.

“Do you want to go anywhere?” Sui Houyu asked.

“No, I just want to go home and rest. My head’s spinning from exhaustion.” Hou Mo replied, greeting Sang Xian, “We’re going back now. You two should head back as well.”

“Okay.” Sang Xian watched them leave.

It was the first time Sui Houyu was in a car driven by Mother Hou, and he felt a bit frustrated with the ride.

She drove very slowly, which was stable but way too slow. He could see even the elderly cars overtaking them, which made him a bit annoyed.

Plus, the backseat wasn’t really suitable for tall guys like him and Hou Mo, so they had to sit close together.

The consequence of sitting so close was… he fell asleep.

When he woke up again, he was already on the bed in the guesthouse.

He quickly sat up and saw Hou Mo sleeping next to him, now wearing pajamas. He sighed in relief.

He checked the time on his phone and realized he had slept straight through to the night.

Carefully, he got out of bed and went into the kitchen to open the fridge, looking at the few items inside.

Before coming back, he had told Hou Mo’s mother to prepare some food, and she really did, but… was it a bit too little?

He took out the noodles and then the eggs, starting to worry.

Boiling noodles should just need water, right? Shouldn’t ruin it, right?

He only prepared one serving, which didn’t seem enough for him to practice.

He forgot to tell Mother Hou that he’d never cooked before.

He lined up all the tools and went to turn on the gas, but after several attempts, he couldn’t get it to open.

He even had to check online to find out he needed to press down before turning the knob to stabilize the flame.

He kept trying, but still couldn’t get it to work.

After looking up more tutorials, he realized he forgot a key step—he hadn’t turned on the main gas switch.

He thought he had solved the problem this time, but after turning it on, he still couldn’t light the flame, making him want to smash the gas stove.

After a bit of self-soothing, he tried again, carefully watching and waiting until the flame lit, which startled him, and he hurriedly stood up to pat his bangs, only to realize he had singed a lock.

But there was no time to care about that now, so he quickly adjusted the heat and added water to the pot.

While boiling the noodles, Sui Houyu encountered another issue.

He wanted to boil an egg, but the first time, after he put the egg in, he accidentally touched it with the spatula, causing it to break into pieces, turning into egg drop soup.

He poured out the water and tried again with a new egg, this time not touching it, but the egg burned and stuck to the pot.

Luckily, he didn’t add noodles yet, otherwise, the noodles would have been ruined too. The ideal was so beautiful, but reality was so harsh.

He turned off the heat and stood in the kitchen, pulling out his phone to look up tutorials on how to boil an egg properly.

At that moment, Hou Mo slowly walked to the doorway, stood there for a moment, and asked: “Need my help?”

Sui Houyu, still angry, didn’t care whether Hou Mo was the birthday person or not, waving his hand impatiently: “You, go out.”

“I can tell you how to boil it.”

“I said go out.”

“Okay.”

When Hou Mo heard the noise in the kitchen, he guessed that Sui Houyu must be trying to make him longevity noodles^[1].

He stayed in bed for a while, acting modest, but eventually couldn’t stand the racket and the smell of burning, so he got up to check.

After being kicked out of the kitchen, Hou Mo had to sit in the dining room and wait, yawning twice.

He checked the time again—it was 1:37 a.m., and he’d officially turned 18 over an hour ago.

He never expected that the first thing he would do after turning 18 was to anxiously sit in the dining room, waiting for his boyfriend to “create” longevity noodles.

After half an hour, Sui Houyu finally served the noodles.

Hou Mo had already decided that this was Sui Houyu’s first time cooking, and no matter what the dish turned out to be, he was going to eat it all.

However, when he saw the barely half-portion of longevity noodles in front of him, he felt a bit awkward.

The main issue was that the noodles couldn’t be picked up; every time he touched them with chopsticks, they broke apart.

He could only raise his head and ask: “Can… you give me a spoon?”

Sui Houyu looked a bit embarrassed, walked over, and was about to take the noodles away: “Forget it, I’ll order you a portion tomorrow.”

“Don’t, don’t!” Hou Mo quickly grabbed the bowl back, and drank the “noodles” down in one go.

It was great; no chewing required, he could just swallow it straight.

Sui Houyu sat next to Hou Mo, sulking to himself.

Hou Mo put down the bowl and looked at him, reaching out to touch his burnt bangs. He suddenly smiled gently: “Thank you, Brother Yu.”

“Tomorrow… Oh no, today during the day, do you want to go somewhere?”

Hou Mo shook his head: “I don’t want to go anywhere, I just want to be with you.”

Sui Houyu stared at Hou Mo for a while, suddenly feeling a pang of heartache. He reached out and stroked Hou Mo’s hair.

Hou Mo nuzzled his palm, almost like he was being playful.

He leaned in and kissed Hou Mo’s lips. Hou Mo gently responded to the kiss.

At night, the room was filled with a deep blue.

He was left breathless by Hou Mo’s kiss, and even when Hou Mo picked him up, the kiss didn’t stop. His body was laid on the bed, and the soft kiss stretched on endlessly…

Omake:

Hou Mo: The longevity noodles made by Brother Yu are delicious!

Question: What about the egg?

Hou Mo: Hm? Egg? Didn’t get any!