AS CH 33

Chapter 33

Early the next morning, Chenyue woke up in Xu Wenhao’s arms. Seeing that he was still fast asleep, he didn’t dare move too much, afraid of disturbing him. He quietly nestled against his chest, gazing at his sleeping face.

He really was so handsome…

Lost in thought, Chenyue’s hand lifted instinctively, his fingertips gently tracing every feature on Wenhao’s face, finally stopping at his lips.

Those warm lips had always kissed him so tenderly—his forehead, his left eye, and his own cool lips. Chenyue didn’t want to leave Wenhao’s side. He wished that everything Wenhao gave him… could belong to him alone. But… could he really hope for that? He asked himself silently.

Suddenly, Wenhao—who had been asleep—grabbed the hand that had been mischievously touching his face. Early in the morning, being disturbed like that… and men always had certain reactions upon waking. The cause of that reaction was lying right beside him, completely unaware that he had almost been set on fire.

Wenhao abruptly pushed himself up and, before Chenyue could react, pinned him between himself and the bed.

“I’m sorry… I woke you,” Chenyue said apologetically.

“It’s about time to wake up anyway,” Wenhao teased softly. “You still have to go to school later.” He lowered his head, wanting to kiss those tempting lips, while his fingers—already restless—lightly scraped along Chenyue’s sensitive waist.

“T-Then why are you—” Chenyue panicked and almost jumped away.

The pleasure from last night lingered, along with the inevitable exhaustion. They still had school today—so how was Xu Wenhao still this full of energy?

“What do you mean ‘what’?” Wenhao caught his lips in a kiss before he could finish speaking, but when he noticed that Chenyue wasn’t responding, he pulled back slightly, puzzled.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Is it… really okay?” Chenyue gently pushed Wenhao aside and sat up. His eyes dimmed instantly. With his head lowered, he whispered bitterly, “Are you really willing to stay by my side? Can I really… stay by your side?”

Even if they loved each other, did Wenhao truly understand what it meant to love someone of the same sex? This path was not easy, and it would be painful. He and Wenhao came from two completely different worlds.

This body—touched by so many men before—no matter how much Chenyue washed, he could never erase the ugly truth. He always felt filthy, unworthy.

He longed to be loved. He wanted to learn how to love someone. But at fifteen, he lost the courage to love, and he believed he had no right to receive love either.

Until he met Xu Wenhao.

Wenhao was like the sun—warm and bright—lighting Chenyue’s entire world. Because of Wenhao, his life had color again. Because of Wenhao, he found redemption… and the courage to keep living.

But Wenhao’s warmth wasn’t his alone. He could shine on others too. With Wenhao’s good qualities, of course many people would pursue him—Chenyue knew this all too well.

Maybe this was enough already. He shouldn’t be greedy. If one day Wenhao sorted out his feelings and realized that what he felt wasn’t love but just friendship… then Chenyue could withdraw early and bury everything deep inside before it was too late.

“Why are you still talking like this?” Wenhao gazed at him with heartache, gently guiding Chenyue’s forehead to rest against his shoulder.

“I told you—I’ll stay by your side. I never take back the things I say. It’s you who keeps trying to erase the word ‘always.’”

“I…” As if searching for a safer place, Chenyue nestled even deeper into Xu Wenhao’s shoulder. In a timid voice, he whispered, “No one knows what the future will be like… but for now, I just want to be with you. That’s enough for me…”

Chenyue knew that one day, Wenhao would eventually leave him. He had already prepared himself mentally for that. At least for now, being able to stay by his side was more than enough.

Wenhao held him tighter, heart aching for him.

It was clear that his Chenyue still lacked confidence. That lingering self-doubt was what kept him from having the courage to hope for a future.

“Alright… but you have to promise me one thing too.”

Chenyue lifted his head and looked into Wenhao’s deep, dark eyes.

“Without my permission,” Wenhao said, both domineering and impossibly gentle, “you are not allowed to leave my side.”

Wenhao knew Chenyue understood very well what that meant.

Chenyue froze for a moment—then a soft smile spread across his face, as if answering Wenhao with that quiet, heartfelt smile.

(To be continued…)