BL Ch 92

The last night before autumn arrived, the summer heat in the mountains gradually dissipated. Thick clouds shook off the final rain of August, retreating behind the sky’s curtain to gather strength.

In the daytime, the golden-gleaming Buddhist pagoda stood serenely in the night, as if the gods had fallen into slumber.

Inside the three-story hotel, warm golden light spilled from the windows of many rooms.

From one room came incessant chatter, vague mentions of “school starting,” “homework,” and “parent-teacher meetings.” The conversation circled one central theme: don’t stress too much about studying, just stay safe and healthy—nothing else matters.

The word “safe” was also repeatedly mentioned in a phone call from another room. Adhering to the principle of “share good news, not bad,” the events of the past few days hadn’t reached home. The elderly voice on the other end knew nothing, only learning what happened through a retelling, repeating in shock and fear: “Is that true, A-Bao? You’re not lying to me, are you?” After several confirmations, the old man fell into a long silence.

Some chose silence willingly, while others were forced into it. In a room at the end of the second floor, the lights were dimmed low—bright enough not to disturb the person lying in bed, yet soft enough for him to find his caretaker immediately.

Ji Lin heard faint noises outside the window, dismissing them as the chirping of mountain insects. He didn’t think much of it, closed the window, and turned back to see the man in bed half-open his eyes, looking at him.

“Mu-ge, did I wake you? Sorry.” Ji Lin, like a student caught misbehaving, hurriedly begged for forgiveness. “I heard some noise outside, not sure which room it’s from. I was worried it’d disturb your sleep…”

“No…” Mu Hao only managed one word, but their bond, forged in their school days, let Ji Lin understand the unspoken meaning: “It’s fine.”

Suddenly, Ji Lin understood why Yu Duqiu had earlier said he was done for.

When you lose something and regain it, you cherish it all the more. The more you cherish it, the less you can bear to let it go. You’d rather give everything than lose it again.

Mu Hao soon slipped back into a deep sleep, his frail body and the sedatives making him overwhelmingly drowsy, losing consciousness almost the moment his eyes closed.

Ji Lin sat on a mat beside the bed. After checking multiple times, he mustered his courage and cautiously reached out.

Then, gently, he held the bony hand resting by the bedside.

No matter what the future held, at least in this moment, he hoped the tender night would last forever.

In the innermost room on the hotel’s second floor, the window was left open, cool evening breezes blowing in, only to be stopped by an invisible barrier at the bedside.

The gap between the two men in bed was completely closed, not a single breeze could slip through. The heat of their lips and breath fueled a rising warmth in their bodies, banishing the coolness in the air.

Their kiss lingered for an unknown time, as if repeating endlessly in a frozen moment, each time feeling like the first, never growing tiresome.

—

The scattered sounds didn’t quiet until the latter half of the night. The two men leaned against the window, embracing, kissing intimately yet simply.

Yu Duqiu’s fingers wove into Bai Zhao’s dark, night-like, sweat-damp hair. The cool breeze gradually dried the heat on their skin, leaving them comfortable and sated.

Bai Zhao lightly pecked his lips, ending the tender kiss, and rubbed his waist, asking, “These past few days while I was gone, did you miss me?”

Yu Duqiu leaned against his shoulder, stroking his broad back. “Just thought about it a bit—how to turn your corpse into a specimen after I found it.”

Bai Zhao chuckled softly. “I missed you terribly, day and night.”

For once, Yu Duqiu didn’t tease him for being sappy. His fingers traced inch by inch over the gauze, moving downward to the abdomen, gently brushing a hidden, intricate tattoo. “Instead of missing me day and night, how about staying with me dawn to dusk?”

Midnight had passed, and autumn had arrived. The faint moonlight seemed unusually gentle, casting a soft glow over the world, settling on the lovers embracing and kissing.

Bai Zhao kissed his hair and softly promised, “Alright. From now on, every autumn… will be an autumn we spend together.”