Chapter 78

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When Yuan Qian left, Xia Xingcheng went back inside the house in a disoriented state and reached out to pull the door closed. The sound of the door banging shut made him shiver, and his muddled line of thought instantly cleared as he thought: why would Yuan Qian show up here?

The lights in the living room hadn’t been turned off, and although the ceiling light was in the centre of the room, it wasn’t particularly bright. Xia Xingcheng surveyed the large apartment and suddenly thought to himself, could this be where Yang Youming and Yuan Qian lived together before?

He looked at the shoe rack; there were no women’s slippers on it, so he hastily changed his shoes and headed inside. The apartment was huge. Moreover, it was his first time here, so he had no clue as he opened each room and stood in the doorway to take a look inside. None of the rooms were locked, and altogether, there were three bedrooms, a study, a home theatre, a cloakroom, as well as two bathrooms and a very spacious but seemingly deserted kitchen.

The entire apartment was decorated in a very uniform style, that of masculine coolness dominated with black, white and greys. Each room was so neat and tidy that there were hardly any signs of life.

Only Yang Youming’s clothes and shoes were in the cloakroom, and the bathroom only had one person’s toiletries. The kitchen was barren and no condiments could be found.

It seemed like this wasn’t the place where Yang Youming and Yuan Qian used to live.

Xia Xingcheng heaved a sigh of relief. Turning off the lights and closing the doors of each room one after another, he returned to the living room and sat down on the soft sofa.

The couch smelled like new leather and appeared brand new. It still had the smell of Yuan Qian’s perfume on it. He sat there for a while, then took off his shoes, sitting cross-legged on the sofa with one hand propping up his face, in a daze.

By now, the excitement he had felt on the way here had completely faded, and all that remained was a deep sense of unease and anxiety.

If this wasn’t the house where Yang Youming and Yuan Qian lived when they were married, then why would Yuan Qian know the passcode and wait for Yang Youming here? Had they kept in touch all this time? But Yang Youming already knew that he was coming, there was no way he would still ask Yuan Qian to wait for him here. Then that meant Yuan Qian had come over on her own accord–she knew the passcode of Yang Youming’s apartment, and she knew when Yang Youming would be returning. They still maintained some kind of deep connection, so what was she doing here?

Xia Xingcheng couldn’t restrain his speculative thoughts. This feeling made him very uncomfortable, and then the most frightening possibility came to mind, that is–Yuan Qian had come to find Yang Youming to reconcile. Before, Yang Youming had pushed away so much work and put in so much effort to save his marriage, so now that Yuan Qian had taken the initiative to come back, would Yang Youming immediately abandon him and choose to return to Yuan Qian’s side?

This terrible guess made Xia Xingcheng’s entire body go cold. He raised his arms and buried his face in his hands.

It felt like he had been waiting for a long time when Xia Xingcheng heard the sound of the door opening. He maintained his curled up position on the sofa and turned back to see Yang Youming appear in the doorway.

Yang Youming wore a black overcoat with a white sweater underneath, the pointed collar of his shirt showing through, and he was pushing a large suitcase.

The instant he saw Xia Xingcheng, Yang Youming smiled and let go of his suitcase, standing at the door and awaiting Xia Xingcheng with open arms.

Xia Xingcheng abruptly came to his senses. He hastily put his feet down and put on slippers, then stood up and walked to the door. Right then, Xia Xingcheng suddenly decided not to tell Yang Youming that he had met Yuan Qian here. He was afraid–afraid that Yang Youming would be swayed.

As Xia Xingcheng hugged Yang Youming tightly, Yang Youming’s arms also wrapped around his back, and he lowered his head to kiss Xia Xingcheng’s forehead over and over.

Xia Xingcheng’s face remained buried in Yang Youming’s shoulder until Yang Youming reached out and held his jaw, tilting his head up and asking, “What’s wrong?”

“What?” Xia Xingcheng pretended not to know.

Yang Youming looked into his eyes, “Unhappy?”

Xia Xingcheng immediately laughed, mobilizing all the acting skill he possessed, “No way, I’m too happy.”

Yang Youming watched him for a moment, not saying anything, only patting his back before letting go and pushing his big suitcase in and closing the door.

Xia Xingcheng stood beside him and stared, asking, “You’re alone?”

“Mm.” Yang Youming said, “I had the driver send Li Yun back, I came back alone.” He left his suitcase at the door, changed into a pair of slippers, and walked towards the middle of the living room. He stopped next to the sofa and stood in silence for a moment before turning back to Xia Xingcheng, “Do you know what the problem with your acting is?”

Xia Xingcheng was stunned, not understanding why Yang Youming suddenly mentioned this issue. He stared at Yang Youming, at a loss.

Yang Youming took off his coat and threw it on the sofa, then unbuttoned his cuffs, unhurried, and pulled up the sleeves of his sweater and shirt altogether while saying, “If you can’t get into character and only rely on your skills to act, your performance would just be superficial and unconvincing.”

Xia Xingcheng’s brows furrowed.

Yang Youming stood there watching him quietly for a while, then smiled and said, “What do you want to eat tonight, let’s go to dinner together, okay?”

The place where the two of them had dinner was in the next neighbourhood, an upscale restaurant Yang Youming often goes to. In the private room, Xia Xingcheng seemed to be in a better mood, and he was all smiles as he talked to Yang Youming. Yang Youming didn’t say much, mostly gazing at Xia Xingcheng with gentle eyes as he listened to him.

After they got back home, they took a shower, then embraced each other and went to bed.

The master bedroom was right next to the study and the cloakroom. It had an en suite bathroom, and the bed was big and very soft, with plenty of warmth

Xia Xingcheng couldn’t think of anything else in bed–he was completely engrossed in the other man’s body. They tore away the blanket, and the places where their skin touched were drenched in sweat. Gasping and panting, their breaths scorching hot.

Yang Youming held Xia Xingcheng tight, and pressed kisses on his ear again and again.

Xia Xingcheng opened his eyes and stared at the simple lines of the overhead light, his whole body trembling, still immersed in the afterglow. Every single pore in his body relaxed and expanded, exuding hot sweat.

Yang Youming lay on his side, propping his head up with one hand while the other pressed against Xia Xingcheng’s chest, slowly stroking down along the sweaty skin. It’s been quite a while since filming wrapped up; Xia Xingcheng had regained a little fat, but he was still on the thin side. When lying flat, his belly slightly sunk. Yang Youming’s hand rested on his lower abdomen, glued to the smooth, supple skin, one finger circling his navel.

“Was Yuan Qian here today?” Without warning, Yang Youming’s slightly hoarse voice, a result of their earlier love affair, flooded Xia Xingcheng’s ear.

Xia Xingcheng’s eyes immediately widened, his head buzzing. All at once, he sat up on the bed and looked at Yang Youming sideways, “How did you know?” His tone was almost vicious.

Yang Youming maintained his original bearing, but his hand withdrew from Xia Xingcheng’s belly. He said, “I smelled her perfume on the living room sofa.”

Xia Xingcheng blanked out. He did smell Yuan Qian’s perfume on the sofa at first, but he no longer noticed it after a while.

Yang Youming also sat up, facing Xia Xingcheng. “Did she tell you what she was doing here?”

Xia Xingcheng shook his head, “I don’t know, she just left when I came.”

Yang Youming lowered his head and held Xia Xingcheng’s hand, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Xia Xingcheng didn’t say anything, he merely looked at the hand that Yang Youming held in his.

Yang Youming sighed somewhat helplessly, “If you don’t tell me what’s on your mind, how am I supposed to explain it to you?”

Xia Xingcheng asked, “What do you want to explain?”

Yang Youming said, “What do you want to ask?”

Xia Xingcheng said, “What did she come to see you for? Wasn’t she the one who wanted to get divorced?”

Yang Youming replied, “I want to know too, so didn’t I ask you just now?”

Xia Xingcheng frowned and said again, “How did she know you were coming back today?”

Yang Youming squeezed his wrist, “I’ll call Li Yun later and ask who else knows I’m coming back today, I’ll help you find out who told her, okay?”

Hearing Yang Youming say this, Xia Xingcheng was no longer angry, yet he was still worried, and there were many questions that he still wanted to ask. “Why does she still have the passcode to your house?”

Yang Youming said, “My passcode has never been changed, and the few people who know it have always known it.”

Xia Xingcheng said in a non-negotiable tone, “Change it.”

Yang Youming burst out laughing and nodded, then said in a sincere tone, “Okay, change it. You can change it to whatever you want.”

Xia Xingcheng finally couldn’t help but laugh himself. He kneeled on both knees, then spread his legs and straddled Yang Youming. Yang Youming leaned back and sprawled against the headboard.

“Did you live in this apartment when you were married to Yuan Qian?” Xia Xingcheng asked as he wound his arms around Yang Youming’s neck.

Yang Youming smiled slightly and replied, “No, I bought this apartment after we separated.”

Xia Xingcheng was still a little concerned, “Yuan Qian didn’t come and stay here, did she?”

Yang Youming said, “She’s been here twice, but she’s never stayed here.”

Xia Xingcheng blinked, his fingers caressing the soft skin behind Yang Youming’s ear, the gesture seemingly subconscious. There was a question he wanted to ask the most but had never dared to voice; he wanted to ask Yang Youming–if Yuan Qian wanted to get back together with him, would Yang Youming take her back? The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he didn’t open his mouth, fearing that even if Yang Youming answered with silence, there was no way that his heart would be able to accept it.

So Xia Xingcheng ended up with a different question, looking a little forlorn. “You’re divorced but you still remember the smell of her perfume.”

Yang Youming said, “Of course, I still remember the brand too. If I’m not mistaken, it’s Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle. The smell doesn’t go away for a long time, it’s really memorable.”

Xia Xingcheng asked, “Do you like it?”

Yang Youming thought about it and answered him seriously, “If you mean the perfume, I can’t say whether I like it or hate it, but I think it’s too fragrant and I get dizzy after smelling it for too long.”

Xia Xingcheng lowered his head and laughed.

Sitting up straight, Yang Youming kissed his lips, and Xia Xingcheng cupped his face with both hands and kissed him back. The atmosphere gradually grew heated once again, but compared to the urgency a moment ago, now, the two of them had more patience to touch and enjoy each other’s bodies as much as they liked.

Xia Xingcheng was tossed on the big bed in Yang Youming’s bedroom until midnight before he fell into a deep asleep. When he woke up the next morning, he found that Yang Youming had already gotten up, and it seemed like he’d been up for a while. Xia Xingcheng reached over with one hand, feeling the sheets and blanket on the man’s side to find that they were completely cool to the touch.

He then got up from the bed, got dressed, then went to the living room, only to see Yang Youming doing push-ups in loose gym pants, his upper body bare.

When Yang Youming bent his arms and lowered his body, his beautiful back muscles rippled, looking very powerful. From his back all the way down to his slender waist, his spine formed a valley that extended below his waistband, disappearing between the rounds of his ass.

Xia Xingcheng crossed the room, the soles of his slippers gently tread on the floor as he made his way over step by step, then crouched down at Yang Youming’s side. He stretched out his hand and pressed Yang Youming’s lower back, his fingers tracing along his spine and into the waistband of his trousers, where he groped a round lobe–and squeezed.

Yang Youming supported his body with one hand, the other hand reaching behind his back and grasping Xia Xingcheng’s wrist. Then, he quickly rolled over and sat on the floor, pulling Xia Xingcheng to his lap and until he lay on his stomach. With a sharp move, he tore off Xia Xincheng’s pants.

Xia Xingcheng promptly clutched at his waistband with both hands, yelling, “I was wrong! I was wrong!”

With his pants already halfway down, Yang Youming finally stopped and only spanked his ass heavily before letting him go and moved to stand up.

Xia Xingcheng was unwilling to part with him, so he sat up and wrapped his legs around Yang Youming’s waist, hugging him, and said, “Don’t go, I’ll hug you for a while.”

Yang Youming simply held him and stood up with Xia Xingcheng in his arms. Afraid that he’ll slip down, Xia Xincheng immediately tightened his legs. His palms touched the sweat on Yang Youming’s back, and he asked, “Will I be too heavy for you to hold?”

“You won’t,” Yang Youming said as he set Xia Xingcheng down on the coffee table, “Why else would I workout?”

Xia Xingcheng saw that he was about to leave and hastily hooked the man’s leg with his foot once more, “Where are you going?”

Yang Youming glanced down at his feet and said, “I’m going to take a shower, I’ll make you breakfast after.”

Xia Xingcheng said, “Hold on, I need to change your passcode first.”

Yang Youming looked at him and smiled, saying, “Go ahead.”

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⟵ Chapter 77 | TOC | Chapter 79 ⟶

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