NASAY CH 57

“More… even more shameless?”

Luo Xing was dumbfounded. This was already too much for him to handle—what would it even mean to be more unrestrained?

Huo Xingzhou held him, kissed his eyes, and asked,

“Do you know what two people do when they’re together? The kind of together that comes after marriage?”

Pinned beneath him, Luo Xing nervously nodded, his face flushing as he stammered,

“I-I know a little… but I’m not sure if it’s right.”

Because Zhao Jiulan had been strict in his upbringing, he had never been exposed to any restricted content—neither films nor books. The only knowledge he had came from middle school biology class.

He had always been psychologically abstinent and had never done that to himself, unlike most teenage boys. Whenever Huo Xingzhou teased him and made him feel something, he would always quietly wait for himself to calm down.

He had a vague idea of what couples did together, but when it came to two men, he figured it must be… mutual, in some way.

Seeing the confusion on his face, Huo Xingzhou chuckled.

“Tell me, and I’ll let you know if you’re right.”

Luo Xing was already terribly shy. What he had just done was already pushing his limits—how could he possibly bring himself to say it? He buried his head against Huo Xingzhou’s chest and mumbled,

“I don’t know.”

“Come on, say it.”

Huo Xingzhou flipped over, pressing him down so he lay sprawled on top of him. Locking eyes with him, he coaxed,

“If you get it right, I’ll help you finish your winter break homework tomorrow, and even do three extra worksheets for you. Deal?”

Luo Xing wanted to refuse, but before he could, Huo Xingzhou added,

“Otherwise, I don’t feel like doing them. There are so many, my brain is about to fry.”

Faced with this dilemma, Luo Xing hesitated, gritted his teeth, and took a deep breath.

But still, he couldn’t say it.

Watching his struggle, Huo Xingzhou found it even more amusing. Stroking Luo Xing’s waist, he sighed,

“With no motivation or rewards, who would want to learn? Look at me—I’m a complete slacker, and yet I’ve been studying so hard just to get into college for you. I’m practically throwing up knowledge.”

Luo Xing bit his lip, squeezed his eyes shut, and, with the look of a martyr, muttered,

“Is it… helping each other… touch, or maybe…”

“What else?”

“I really don’t know!”

Luo Xing was on the verge of breaking down. His face and the rims of his eyes were burning red, as if another question would push him to tears.

Huo Xingzhou pulled him into his arms, kissed his forehead, and laughed softly.

“Luo Xing, this time it’s my turn to teach you.”

His fingers trailed downward, pressing gently against his tailbone before continuing lower, rubbing lightly through the fabric.

“Don’t…” Luo Xing struggled to escape his touch, but his movements only made him sink deeper into Huo Xingzhou’s hold. Warm breath brushed against his ear.

Looking down, he heard Huo Xingzhou murmur,

“Hands are the right answer. Mouth too. But ideally, it should be here. Other places work too. Let me show you how much I like you.”

Even Luo Xing, slow as he was, understood at last. Furious and embarrassed, he shoved Huo Xingzhou away and sat up.

Covering his face, which was burning hot, he peeked down at himself. And after Huo Xingzhou’s words, every part of his body suddenly felt indecent.

Blinking, he remembered the comfortable feeling of being pinned down and how he had even wanted Huo Xingzhou to press harder. He wouldn’t mind a little pain.

More than that—he was actually looking forward to Huo Xingzhou doing what he had just described…

“I-I’m going downstairs!”

“Wait,”

Huo Xingzhou called out.

“I need to tell you something—prepare yourself mentally.”

Luo Xing had never seen Huo Xingzhou look this serious before, and it made him nervous.

“What is it…? Just say it.”

But after a moment, Huo Xingzhou still didn’t speak.

Luo Xing bit his tongue lightly, using the pain to clear his mind, but his anxiety only grew.

Seeing the change in his expression, Huo Xingzhou realized Luo Xing was overthinking again and quickly explained,

“It’s just about New Year’s Eve dinner. My family’s place is big but feels empty, like a chicken coop without eggs. So every year, we all have to go back to our hometown to gather—no one can escape it.”

“What do you mean?”

Luo Xing didn’t quite understand, but an uneasy feeling surged inside him, as if his heart had suddenly plummeted. His face paled as he hesitantly asked,

“So… does that mean I should go home first?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Huo Xingzhou pinched his foot, noticing how stiff his instep and calves were. His face was filled with unconcealed disappointment. Feeling sorry for him, Huo Xingzhou softened his expression and explained,

“My grandparents didn’t want to stay in the big city after retiring, so they moved to a piece of land at the foot of a mountain in our hometown, living a quiet and peaceful life. But every New Year’s Eve, the whole family has to stay up together for the celebration.”

Luo Xing finally understood. Huo Xingzhou would be returning to his hometown with his parents to have dinner with his grandparents.

He wouldn’t be spending New Year’s Eve with him.

Luo Xing had thought that this year, for once, he wouldn’t have to sit alone, watching the clock tick past midnight, marking the passing of another year in solitude. That he wouldn’t have to watch other families’ fireworks displays all by himself.

He had been so happy at the thought of spending New Year’s with Huo Xingzhou, of finally experiencing what it was like to have someone say “Happy New Year” to him. He had been overjoyed—almost deliriously so.

 But in the end, he would still be alone.

Big families were troublesome. He had heard his classmates talk about how they had to visit various relatives with their parents during the New Year, going from house to house from the first day to the seventh.

He had always envied that kind of warmth but never dared to hope for it himself.

But then, Huo Xingzhou had given him that hope—so much so that he had forgotten something.

Huo Xingzhou had family too.

He wanted to have Huo Xingzhou all to himself, to claim him away from the whole world. But he couldn’t take him away from his family.

“I… I understand,”

Luo Xing stammered.

“Once you get to your grandparents’ place, don’t worry about me. It’s fine—it’s just one meal. I can make my own. Honestly, I always felt like spending New Year’s with your family wasn’t really appropriate anyway, so you don’t have to—”

His words tumbled out in a frantic, incoherent rush, growing faster and faster.

“What are you even saying?”

Huo Xingzhou rubbed his head and pulled him into a hug.

“I didn’t tell you this so you’d go home and spend New Year’s alone. I wanted to ask you—if I don’t go, will you cook for me?”

“…Huh?”

“Huh, what?”

Huo Xingzhou clicked his tongue, frowning slightly.

“There are too many people, it’s too noisy—I’ve never liked that kind of scene. So I was thinking, I’ll just tell my mom I’m not going, and we’ll spend New Year’s together at home.”

Luo Xing immediately shook his head.

“That won’t do! New Year’s is a time for family reunions. If everyone else is going, how can you not? Your grandparents must really want to see you—they probably don’t get to see you much throughout the year…”

He wasn’t like Huo Xingzhou. Zhao Jiulan didn’t want to see him. Whether he was there or not made no difference.

But Huo Xingzhou’s grandparents surely missed him dearly. How could Luo Xing keep him from such an important moment?

“That’s true,”

Huo Xingzhou said,

“but if New Year’s is about family reunions, then what does it mean for us to be apart? How about this—why don’t you come with me?”

Seeing Luo Xing’s reddened eyes—clearly reluctant to part, yet still forcing himself to act composed—Huo Xingzhou’s heart ached. He kissed him gently and said,

“You decide. Whatever you choose, I’ll go with it.”

Luo Xing blinked a few times before finally looking up and saying,

“You should go. It’s really okay—I mean it. It’s just a day or two. You’ll be back soon anyway. Honestly, to me, New Year’s isn’t any different from any other day. I don’t really care about these things. It’s… it’s really no big deal.”

The more Huo Xingzhou listened, the more his heart ached. Had Luo Xing spent every New Year’s like this, all alone?

“You idiot,”

Huo Xingzhou said softly. “New Year’s or not, one more or one less of someone like me doesn’t matter to my family. My grandparents have plenty of grandsons. But you—”

He gently pressed a kiss to Luo Xing’s forehead.

“You only have me.”

Luo Xing’s lips trembled. His eyes burned, on the verge of tears. He desperately blinked to hold them back, not wanting Huo Xingzhou to see.

But when he heard that last sentence, he couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“You only have me.”

Luo Xing lowered his head, thinking to himself—Huo Xingzhou was really… really so gentle. He seemed rough around the edges, but in reality, he was more attentive than anyone else.

To have met him, to be loved by him—even all the suffering he had endured in the past decade or so felt like trials meant to lead him to Huo Xingzhou.

Luo Xing was deeply grateful that fate had been so kind to him.

Huo Xingzhou sighed, pulling him into his arms. He gently squeezed Luo Xing’s fingers and asked,

“We have a house at my grandparents’ place too. My parents like you so much that they want to bring you along. They asked me to check with you—if you don’t mind, would you come with us?”

“Auntie and Uncle want to take me with them? But…”

Luo Xing hesitated for a moment, still feeling like it wasn’t appropriate.

Huo Xingzhou hummed in response, then added,

“But if we go, I can’t just act however I want in front of my grandparents. Forget it, forget it—we won’t go then. I’ll just tell them I’m sick, or maybe that I broke my arm and leg and need to stay home to recover.”

Luo Xing quickly stopped him, worried that saying such unlucky things on New Year’s would bring bad luck. After a long struggle, he finally nodded.

“I… I’ll go with you.”

“Really?!”

Huo Xingzhou grabbed his arm excitedly. There were plenty of fun things to do on the mountain, and he had been hoping to take Luo Xing out for a change of scenery, rather than letting him stay home, overthinking everything.

—

New Year’s Eve morning.

Luo Xing woke up early and nudged Huo Xingzhou.

“Wake up.”

Huo Xingzhou rubbed his eyes, pulled Luo Xing into his arms, and buried his face in his chest, mumbling,

“Not getting up. What time is it?”

“It’s six-thirty. Auntie told us last night to wake up early to put up the Spring Festival couplets.”

Luo Xing pushed him away and sat up. As he was about to get out of bed, Huo Xingzhou wrapped an arm around his waist and tugged him back. Luo Xing swatted at him.

“Hurry up and get up. Don’t be lazy.”

Reluctantly, Huo Xingzhou got out of bed and followed Luo Xing to the bathroom to wash up. He insisted that Luo Xing wash his face for him.

Luo Xing chuckled, wrung out a towel, and carelessly rubbed it over Huo Xingzhou’s face. Huo Xingzhou grabbed his hand and sneered,

“Alright, let’s see how you handle my Acupoint Sealing Palm!”

He poked Luo Xing’s waist with his finger. Luo Xing was extremely ticklish and immediately shrank back, struggling.

“Stop it! Aren’t you being childish? Let go—it tickles!”

“Oh? And you still dare call me childish?”

Huo Xingzhou said, holding the towel and looking serious.

After being tickled for what felt like forever, Luo Xing laughed so hard his chest ached and quickly surrendered.

“I won’t say it again! I won’t say it again!”

Satisfied, Huo Xingzhou strutted out of the bathroom, victorious. Luo Xing, still laughing to himself, hung up the towel and followed him downstairs.

—

At the dining table, Huo Yansheng was dipping his brush into ink, writing Spring Festival couplets.

“I thought we bought couplets yesterday. Why are you still writing them?”

Huo Xingzhou asked, picking up a peanut, cracking one open for himself, and tossing another into Luo Xing’s mouth. He leaned over for a closer look.

“Can’t have too many, right?”

Huo Yansheng glanced at him, barely holding back from telling him to go away. Instead, he turned to Luo Xing with a smile and asked,

“Luo Xing, can you write calligraphy?”

Luo Xing nodded slightly.

Huo Xingzhou scoffed,

“Who can’t write? I can write too.”

“Move aside.”

Huo Yansheng swatted at him.

“Your chicken-scratch handwriting? Put that on the door and it’ll scare away the spirits—it’s practically a ghost ward.”

Ignoring him, Huo Yansheng gestured for Luo Xing to come over.

“You’ve been here for so long, why are you still so reserved? Come, write a few characters for me to see.”

Luo Xing hesitated but eventually stepped forward, taking the brush from Huo Yansheng’s hand.

“Uncle, my writing isn’t very good.”

“No worries, let me see first.”

Huo Yansheng moved aside, his eyes filled with encouragement. Just as Luo Xing was about to start writing, Huo Yansheng suddenly remembered something and said,

“I’m considering reprinting ‘Wind in the Blood’. If your calligraphy is good, maybe I’ll have you write the cover title.”

Luo Xing’s brush slipped, ruining the sheet of paper. He panicked. “I’m sorry, I—”

“Tsk, look at that, even worse than me.”

Huo Xingzhou leaned over and playfully knocked Luo Xing on the head before turning to Huo Yansheng.

“Look at the kid you like so much—he can’t even hold a brush properly. Stop letting him waste paper.”

Huo Yansheng knew exactly what he was up to. He sneered, amused.

“Put away your little schemes. I don’t need your interference.”

Huo Xingzhou coughed awkwardly and escaped to the kitchen in search of food.

Encouraged by Huo Yansheng’s gaze, Luo Xing took a deep breath, replaced the ruined sheet of paper, and dipped his brush into the ink. After thinking for a moment, he carefully wrote half a couplet.

It looked familiar.

As a child, Luo Xing had practiced calligraphy, and even someone like Huo Xingzhou—who didn’t know much about handwriting—could tell that his writing was beautiful.

The moment Luo Xing lifted his brush, Huo Yansheng raised an eyebrow. He glanced at a calligraphy piece hanging on the wall, then back at Luo Xing’s writing, suddenly realizing—

The resemblance was uncanny.

“Kid, have you been copying my handwriting?”

Huo Yansheng asked with a smile.