HCILH Ch. 116

Chapter 116: Transitional Chapter

Unlike Ran Shu, Sui Houyu didn’t enjoy grand events, so his birthday arrangements were entirely different from Ran Shu’s, showcasing a completely different style.

After having breakfast at the Hou family estate with Hou Mo, Sui Houyu went back to the inn to change clothes and planned to meet Ran Shu and the others at the reserved party venue.

Just as he finished changing and was grabbing his jacket to leave, he saw Hou Mo walk in, wearing a blue and white shirt.

This shirt was one Hou Mo had specifically ordered online to match Sui Houyu’s.

Looking down at his own blue and white striped shirt and then back at Hou Mo’s, he couldn’t help but be surprised: “Did you do this on purpose?”

“Yeah, couple’s outfit.” Hou Mo replied with a grin, reaching out to take his hand and leading him outside. “The Sang family has sent a car to pick us up. Deng Yiheng and Shen Junjing are joining us.”

They got into the van sent by the Sang family, and to Sui Houyu’s surprise, they found Lu Yanxin already inside.

After Sui Houyu sat down, Hou Mo leaned over to help him buckle his seatbelt, while Deng Yiheng handed over a box: “Brother Yu, this is from Shen Junjing and me.”

Deng Yiheng and Shen Junjing came from ordinary families and probably pooled their money for a gift they could afford together, making it a bit more significant.

He took it and said: “Thank you both.”

When he opened it, he saw it was a racquet.

Deng Yiheng, holding the back of a seat, explained: “I noticed you didn’t have a backup racquet, so I discussed it with Coach Wang and chose one slightly heavier than your previous one, which should suit you better now. Give it a try.”

He took it out and weighed it in his hands, eyeing the gold racquet that seemed a bit flashy.

Shen Junjing quickly added: “The cool thing about this racquet is that it glows in the dark.”

Hou Mo burst out laughing at that: “Brother Yu, am I better than these straight guys or what?”

“Yeah, your excellence relies entirely on your teammates making you look good.” Sui Houyu replied with a smile. “But it’s pretty cool—great for nighttime play to dazzle the opponents.”

At that moment, Lu Yanxin also handed over her gift box and said: “Here, my gift.”

After taking it, she added a reminder: “I suggest you open it later when you’re home.”

Looking back at her, Sui Houyu’s curiosity got the better of him, and he opened it right away, taking out a pair of handcuffs first.

These weren’t standard handcuffs; he had certainly never seen any with lace trim.

Digging deeper, he found a headband with cat ears and a collar with a bell.

He couldn’t help but glance at Lu Yanxin and then at Deng Yiheng, asking: “You guys are into this stuff?”

Lu Yanxin, as expected, wasn’t an average girl. This coming-of-age gift was quite mature.

Deng Yiheng was equally stunned, staring in disbelief. “This is my first time seeing this too…” 

Then he swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

“No, no, no, I don’t like it, but I want you guys to use it.” Lu Yanxin burst out laughing, a mischievous “hee hee hee” that wouldn’t stop, leaving everyone guessing what she was imagining.

Hou Mo picked up a ribbon from the box. The ends looked normal, but the middle was lace. He examined it repeatedly but couldn’t figure out its use, so he asked: “What is this for? A headband?”

Lu Yanxin coughed twice before explaining: “It’s for covering the eyes.”

“Oh… the lace part goes over the eyes, right?” Hou Mo said, holding the ribbon up to Sui Houyu’s face, who quickly pushed it away.

The contents of the box were diverse, including leather straps, leg restraints, and waist ties.

After glancing through it, Sui Houyu tossed it back into the box, saying: “Thanks. I’ll cover Deng Yiheng’s vasectomy costs in the future.”

Lu Yanxin burst into laughter, her cheeks turning red: “Oh no, now I’m a little embarrassed.”

Deng Yiheng chimed in, “Yeah, let’s drop it. I told you to open it at home. You guys should explore it privately. Now my girlfriend is embarrassed.”

Hou Mo looked helplessly at Deng Yiheng’s clueless expression: “But she wasn’t embarrassed to give it! Doesn’t she know how old I am? Giving us this stuff just makes me frustrated.”

Lu Yanxin blushed and giggled, caught between laughter and embarrassment.

Hou Mo ended up holding onto the gift for Sui Houyu, remarking: “Actually, this would be perfect for Sang Xian. He’d love it.”

Sui Houyu narrowed his eyes at Hou Mo: “How do you know that he’d like this?”

“Uh… it’s just that… Deng Yiheng knows.” Hou Mo deflected.

Deng Yiheng waved his hands frantically. “I don’t know!”

Hou Mo leaned close to Sui Houyu’s ear and whispered: “We’ve watched videos together. The stuff he watches… let’s just say, it’s very much into certain communities.”

“Oh? Was it good?” Sui Houyu drawled out the question.

Hou Mo’s gaze darted nervously: “It was just okay.”

“Was it male-female?”

“When I saw his collection, I should’ve guessed his sexuality. I was even surprised when he got together with Ran Shu. Am I dumb or what?” His answer was roundabout.

Sui Houyu rolled his eyes dramatically.

Hou Mo tried to hook his finger around Sui Houyu’s, enduring several kicks before successfully linking their fingers. Noticing that Sui Houyu looked a bit sleepy, he let go.

When they arrived at the party venue, Ran Shu greeted them with an explosion of confetti to the face.

Sui Houyu found himself covered in colorful bits of paper and streamers. He glared coldly at Ran Shu.

Sure enough, even if the place wasn’t overly chaotic, as long as Ran Shu was present, things would still be lively.

Lu Yanxin immediately hugged Su Anyi upon entering, looking like she wasn’t there for the birthday party but rather to find an excuse to see Su Anyi.

Ai Mengtian approached and commented to Sui Houyu: “How did you turn gay so fast? When I first heard it, I thought they were joking.”

“I already liked him when I met you.” Sui Houyu answered indifferently.

“Good thing you’re with Hou Mo now. I can just say I didn’t win because you weren’t interested in girls.”

“Pfft—”

“But… how did my idol end up as my ‘sister’?”

Sui Houyu paused, looked at Ai Mengtian with disdain, and said: “Who’s your sister?”

“A bottom.”

Sui Houyu’s face flushed instantly as he retorted: “I top him!”

“A sister is still a sister. It’s not about who tops whom. Look at Ran Shu; he owns it.” Ai Mengtian pointed to Ran Shu.

Since getting together with Sang Xian, Ran Shu had become natural about it, even calling him “husband.”

Sui Houyu couldn’t bring himself to do the same, usually calling Hou Mo by his full name.

“I’m not like him.” Sui Houyu said stubbornly.

“Okay… sure, happy birthday, idol!” Ai Mengtian said, handing him a gift.

Ran Shu leaned in to peek at Sui Houyu’s gift and, finding it was a pair of couple’s headphones, lost interest. He propped himself on the bar and whispered to Deng Yiheng: “Hey, Deng Yiheng, when’s Sang Xian’s birthday?”

Even after dating for months, he still didn’t know his boyfriend’s birthday—typical Ran Shu.

Deng Yiheng, holding a cup while helping Lu Yanxin with drinks, replied: “January 11th. Easy to remember, right?”

“That’s… very much a single’s birthday.” Ran Shu muttered, surprised. “It already passed? Why didn’t you all throw a party for him?”

Deng Yiheng, finishing up, answered: “Ever since Hou Mo stopped celebrating his birthday, Sang Xian stopped too. After a while, none of us paid attention to birthdays anymore.”

Sui Houyu, who had been listening quietly, sensed something was off: “Hou Mo doesn’t celebrate his birthday?”

Deng Yiheng nodded: “Mentioning it makes his smile disappear in an instant. Sang Xian hasn’t celebrated in years either, so we all just stopped caring about it.”

Sui Houyu felt uneasy: “What about this year?”

“We don’t know if this year will be different because of you. I’d guess he still wouldn’t want it to be too loud… probably just wants it to be the two of you.”

Ran Shu looked at them with wide eyes, curious: “What’s the story? What’s the secret? Am I the only one who doesn’t know?”

Sui Houyu shot back, annoyed: “Ask your husband.”

Ran Shu pouted but still went to find Sang Xian clinging to his arm and talking incessantly.

Sang Xian glanced down at Ran Shu, then back at Sui Houyu and the others, before agreeing to tell Ran Shu when they got home.

Sui Houyu was soon pulled away by others to cut the cake and make a wish, and the conversation ended there.

Clasping his hands together, listening to the group singing a rather off-key birthday song, he suddenly felt that this year’s birthday was quite lively.

He remembered his last birthday here; the familiar environment made him feel safe.

However, last year it was just Ran Shu and Su Anyi celebrating with him.

This year, he was suddenly surrounded by a group of people, some of whom he used to be at odds with.

The crowd was noisy, singing out of tune, and never quiet for a moment.

Yet, when he opened his eyes and saw everyone looking at him, shouting “Happy Birthday” while holding cakes and then all turning to greet Hou Mo, he couldn’t help but smile.

Despite the noise, his mood was unexpectedly good.

It was as if he had opened a door, letting in a gentle breeze.

The wind chimes rang, caressed tenderly by the breeze, echoing into future days.

From now on, they would all be here.

*

That evening, when Hou Mo came out of the bathroom with a towel over his head, he saw Sui Houyu sitting on the bed, organizing his gifts.

Like a child, Sui Houyu sat cross-legged on the bed, cradling a gift in his hands with a sweet smile on his face.

Hou Mo had just approached when Sui Houyu stood up, took the black silk ribbon meant for blindfolds, and playfully draped it over Hou Mo’s face. He then gazed at him intently.

The black ribbon stood out strikingly on Hou Mo’s fair skin.

Hou Mo tried to open his eyes and found that he could see Sui Houyu through the gaps, but only vaguely, catching just the outline.

He couldn’t help but ask: “What, do you want to try it on me? Ambitious, aren’t you?”

“I’m the birthday star today.”

“But there’s a line we shouldn’t cross.”

“Try wearing it for me!”

Sui Houyu’s coquettish plea was Hou Mo’s weakness; with just one sentence, he would drop all boundaries.

Putting down his towel, he asked: “What do you want me to do?”

“Hug me.”

Hou Mo immediately opened his arms and watched Sui Houyu dive into his embrace. Then, with a strong pull, he brought him down onto the bed, straddling him and leaning in for a kiss.

Gradually, Hou Mo realized something concerning for the future—Sui Houyu seemed to prefer being on top.

He had no issue with being accommodating.

But he felt he should have some ambition, not just be a passive boyfriend.

He needed to prove his worth…

Sui Houyu’s hand slowly moved over and intertwined with his, fingers laced together.

Peering through the lace pattern at Sui Houyu, Hou Mo seemed to glimpse a side of him no one else knew.

The aloof Sui Houyu in public wasn’t the same with him…

The Sui Houyu before him seemed… enthralled by him.

Once he could let loose and stop feeling embarrassed, Sui Houyu could actually be quite mischievous.

But, damn it… knowing Sui Houyu was mischievous only made him like him more.

*

By mid-May, the training intensity had gradually lessened, with sessions now designed to get them into competition mode. Even if they started a match suddenly, they wouldn’t feel out of sync.

At the same time, they entered the no-outside-food phase and could only eat in the cafeteria.

Early in the morning, Sui Houyu carried his toiletries back to the dorm and saw Ran Shu walking out, yawning and with messy hair, making Sui Houyu frown.

Ran Shu was wearing a noticeably oversized sports jacket, with sleeves bunching up at the wrists, an unzipped front, and slipping down enough to reveal his shoulder.

Fortunately, he was still wearing a short-sleeved shirt underneath; otherwise, it would look like a scene out of a romance novel.

It was obvious whose jacket it was.

“Why are you wearing his jacket?” Sui Houyu walked over, tugging at Ran Shu’s jacket as he asked.

Ran Shu glanced down at the jacket, still a bit dazed, and after a moment replied: “He…he made me wear it.”

Just then, Sang Xian passed by and explained: “I was getting dressed, and he reached out for me to put it on him, so I did.”

With that, he walked past them and headed for the water room.

Ran Shu didn’t go back to change; he just rolled up his sleeves and continued on to wash up.

The athletes, after finishing their morning routines, lazily walked downstairs and moved to their designated spots. Upon arrival, they didn’t immediately form lines but appeared lost in thought, as if still half-asleep.

Only the tennis team members seemed lively.

Sui Houyu and Hou Mo played rock-paper-scissors to decide who would lead the warm-up today while the surrounding teammates watched nervously.

If Hou Mo won, it would be a regular jogging routine.

If Sui Houyu won, it would instantly shift to a competitive mode.

Sang Xian didn’t even ask for his jacket back from Ran Shu, who took advantage and asked him: “Aren’t you cold?”

“It’s fine.” Sang Xian replied indifferently.

Ran Shu hugged Sang Xian from behind, burying his face in his back, and giggled: “I’m warm when I hold you.”

Hou Mo and Sui Houyu, still in their game, couldn’t help but glance at them. Hou Mo dryly reminded, “Tone it down.”

Ran Shu looked up over Sang Xian’s shoulder and retorted: “What’s it to you?”

Sui Houyu added coolly: “We should have ‘Gege’ watching over you two.”

Ran Shu finally let go of Sang Xian, pouting unhappily as he stood next to them.

In the end, Hou Mo won the game, and everyone cheered. But when Sui Houyu shot them a glare, they immediately settled down and organized themselves into a neat line.

The captain of the combat team walked by and remarked: “Hou Mo, your pants and jacket don’t match colors. Do you wash your clothes but not your pants?”

Hou Mo looked down at his clothes and realized he was wearing Sui Houyu’s track pants.

Sui Houyu’s tracksuit was less than a year old and a deeper shade.

His own set was almost two years old, and the red parts had noticeably faded, explaining the color discrepancy.

He pulled at the waistband as he approached Sui Houyu, saying: “I wondered why these pants felt tight today.”

Sui Houyu looked down and agreed: “We’ll switch them back later.”

“Okay.”

Before they could say more, Ran Shu was already hissing from nearby.

Neither of them paid him any mind, leaving Ran Shu feeling aggrieved.

Recently, Sui Houyu had honed his tennis skills significantly. This period was focused on tactical accumulation and enhancing synergy with Hou Mo.

During breaks between classes, they listed various tactics in a notebook.

Hou Mo’s handwriting was particularly elegant, with distinct strokes that made his notes look like calligraphy samples.

Sui Houyu, who was initially studying the notes, was then irked when Hou Mo said: “No need for you to write a separate copy. Mine is clearer and easier to read. Some of your characters are unrecognizable, like a crossword puzzle.”

Sui Houyu immediately felt displeased: “So, your handwriting’s perfect, and mine’s just a mess, huh?”

He tossed Hou Mo’s notebook aside and began jotting down his own notes.

“You’re mad over that?”

“I’m not mad!” Sui Houyu responded irritably.

But he was clearly upset.

They had already taken two exams this semester, a monthly and a midterm, and Sui Houyu had lost to Hou Mo in both.

When comparing their papers, they found Hou Mo gained extra points on presentation, with his essays consistently earning one or two more points than Sui Houyu’s. This deeply frustrated him.

Especially in the recent midterm, Hou Mo had beaten him by only one point, with a two-point difference in their essays.

Wasn’t that infuriating?

Already irritated, Hou Mo’s comment only added fuel to the fire. When writing tactical summaries, Sui Houyu pressed down hard, causing the spring toy on his pen to bounce erratically.

Hou Mo tried to soothe him, but even by afternoon training, Sui Houyu hadn’t relented.

Improving handwriting wasn’t an overnight process. Sui Houyu knew he couldn’t surpass Hou Mo in that regard, which made him feel even worse.

During the afternoon training, under Coach Wang’s guidance, they practiced doubles sneak attacks and partner recovery drills.

After serving, Sui Houyu moved from the baseline to the net while Coach Wang fed them a sharp cross-court shot.

Hou Mo was supposed to shift to the center for the steal, but their coordination was slightly off, costing them the best timing.

Coach Wang, observing from across the court, commented: “Do it again. There’s an obvious gap. In a real match, this would be a loss. I already scored from this side.”

Preparing to try again, Coach Wang reminded: “Hou Mo, cover the middle.”

Despite repeating the drill, it still wasn’t perfect. Coach Wang called out again: “Sui Houyu, why are you rushing the net like that? You almost collided with him. This is teamwork, not a race to see who’s faster.”

After a while, Coach Wang could clearly see that the two were in a spat. He called them over to the side of the court to free up space for others and stood in front of them to lecture them. “What are you thinking? Don’t you know there’s a match soon? Why do you two have so many little issues?”

The two young men lowered their heads simultaneously, staying silent.

Still, they exchanged a quick glance, and Sui Houyu shot Hou Mo a glare.

“What happened this time?” Coach Wang asked.

Hou Mo answered quietly: “It’s nothing serious. He… he got upset.”

“Did you provoke him again?”

“Yeah…”

“Both of you, tone it down!” Coach Wang said, raising his hand to tap Hou Mo on the head. He moved to tap Sui Houyu as well, but Hou Mo leaned forward to block the hit for him.

Hou Mo added: “Hit me instead. It doesn’t matter which one of us you hit.”

Coach Wang withdrew his hand without following through and stared at them for a moment before saying: “Come on in. I’ve put together the latest doubles match footage for analysis. Watch it and take notes.”

Coach Wang took their tactical development seriously. Whenever there was an exciting new match, he would have them review it and summarize the key techniques. Sometimes, they even had to write reflections on the game, noting points of success and failure throughout.

The coach had already watched this match, so after setting it up, he went off to train the other team members, leaving the two alone in the tactical review room.

Hou Mo leaned close to Sui Houyu and whispered: “I just didn’t want you to write another one. It’s too exhausting. I never said your handwriting was ugly.”

“Watch the game. Don’t talk.”

“Come on, don’t be mad, good brother…”

“I’m not mad.”

Hou Mo watched the match for a bit before picking up a pen. He removed the cap and tested the ink on his fingertip. Then, he turned, grabbed Sui Houyu’s collar, and wrote a line on his shoulder.

Sui Houyu froze, startled, and instinctively moved away, only to be pulled back until Hou Mo finished writing and let go.

Sui Houyu tried to crane his neck to see what was written but couldn’t find the right angle.

He held back his curiosity until practice ended, then went to find Ran Shu, pulling at his collar. “What’s written here?”

Ran Shu glanced at it and smirked: “You two are something else.”

“What do you mean?”

Ran Shu took out his phone and snapped a picture of Sui Houyu’s shoulder, sending it to him: “See for yourself.”

Sui Houyu enlarged the photo and saw the words: “I’ll lick this clean later.”

Ran Shu muttered: “Aren’t you afraid of poisoning yourself?”

Sui Houyu put away his phone and turned back to Hou Mo, who was still smirking and raising an eyebrow at him with a hint of mischief.

He quickly looked away and headed to the showers.

Since Ran Shu started dating Sang Xian, he also became more cautious about sharing the showers and even managed to get access to the staff shower facilities.

The four of them avoided showering together whenever possible.

When Sui Houyu reached the shower room entrance, Hou Mo suddenly caught up to him and pushed him upstairs. Ran Shu and Sang Xian exchanged a glance, then headed to the cafeteria for a late snack, avoiding the drama.

Hou Mo pushed open the staff shower room door and, seeing it empty, locked it behind them. He hugged Sui Houyu from behind, kissing him messily.

Sui Houyu broke free and moved in front of the mirror to look at the writing on his shoulder. The line of writing, stretching from his neck to his shoulder, was surprisingly neat and had a tattoo-like effect.

Hou Mo pointed to his own body: “Next time, write something on me. Then I’ll find a tattoo artist to ink it permanently. I love my Brother Yu’s handwriting so much.”

Sui Houyu’s lips curled into a sly grin: “What should I write? A thousand-character essay?”

Hou Mo lifted his shirt, gesturing at himself.: “Write as much as you want; leave these pink spots, though. My boyfriend loves them.”

Sui Houyu’s anger dissipated instantly. He really couldn’t bring himself to mark up that flawless set of abs and pecs with his essay.

Seeing him smile, Hou Mo pounced on him, clinging like an overly affectionate puppy.

From the changing area to the shower, sharing one showerhead to save water was already second nature to them, executed seamlessly.

Sui Houyu’s arm circled Hou Mo’s shoulders as water from the showerhead cascaded down, running from Hou Mo’s hair to Sui Houyu’s arm, then downward.

Hou Mo kissed him, relentless and insatiable.

Abruptly, Sui Houyu pushed him away and said: “I just thought of something. During our feint, you could position yourself at my diagonal rear…”

Before he could finish, Hou Mo began to cough.

Sui Houyu quickly patted his back: “What’s wrong?”

“You started talking tactics while we were kissing, and I choked on the water.””Oh, right, the strategy—do you understand what I mean? As I move forward…” Before he could continue, Hou Mo kissed him again, refusing to let him finish.