Chapter 20

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As Liu Cheng had anticipated, the delayed flight never took off. The anxious passengers were eventually directed to shuttle buses that took them to an airport hotel.

Even though Sun Chen had already slept for two or three hours, he still hadn’t woken up. Liu Cheng had seen Sun Chen after being woken up from a three-hour flight before; it wasn’t exactly agony, but Sun Chen had clearly struggled to stay awake. Liu Cheng couldn’t bring himself to wake someone who couldn’t even open his eyes properly. Without much hesitation, he asked the airport staff to help with the luggage and then carried Sun Chen himself onto the bus.

As they passed through the airport lounge, people stared, probably wondering if someone had fainted. It was indeed an unusual sight. Liu Cheng walked forward with an unflinching expression.

When they finally arrived at the hotel, Liu Cheng laid Sun Chen on the bed, and even then, Sun Chen didn’t wake up. After the hotel staff, who had looked at him oddly, left the room, Liu Cheng took a moment to survey the room the airport had arranged for the two of them.

If this were a novel, the hotel would have likely informed him that, unfortunately, they only had one bed left. But reality was disappointing—this was a twin room.

Liu Cheng slowly sat down on the bed next to Sun Chen’s.

It was already late, and Liu Cheng wondered if Sun Chen might just sleep through until morning. He had already taken off Sun Chen’s coat, but if Sun Chen really did sleep through the night, maybe it would be better if he took a shower first…

Liu Cheng quickly stopped himself from thinking further. He knew he was only half-joking with himself, but if he let the thoughts continue, he would start to take them seriously, and then he wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation. In fact, he was already feeling his resolve waver.

Liu Cheng rubbed his face vigorously and adjusted his posture on the edge of the bed, turning to look at the darkened TV screen.

As Liu Cheng’s mind went through its fifth round of debating whether he should take advantage of the situation, Sun Chen shifted on the other bed. He rolled onto his back, rubbed his forehead, and slowly opened his eyes, still groggy with sleep.

Sun Chen, still half-asleep, took a moment to survey his surroundings before turning to ask Liu Cheng, “Airport hotel?”

“That’s right, all arranged by the airport. Since our seats were together, they put us in the same room.” Liu Cheng quickly clarified why they were sharing a room, though he had specifically chosen a seat next to Sun Chen when he changed flights.

Sun Chen didn’t seem too concerned about sharing a room with Liu Cheng, nor was he curious about how he ended up on the bed. He pulled out his phone, checked something, and then got up, running his fingers through his hair before grabbing his coat and heading for the door.

Liu Cheng hurriedly asked, “Where are you going?”

“It’s still early, and I just woke up, so I’m going to the bar for a while.”

Liu Cheng was momentarily stunned by this unexpected response, wondering where Sun Chen had picked up this leisure activity. As Sun Chen reached the door, Liu Cheng snapped out of it, “This place is pretty remote; where would you find a bar?” He couldn’t bear the thought of Sun Chen going to a bar alone—not to mention the constant worry that someone might take an interest in him—so he hoped to persuade him to stay in.

But how could a PhD from Oxford lose a debate to Liu Cheng? Sun Chen quickly countered, “I just searched on my phone; there’s a bar right downstairs in the hotel.”

Liu Cheng mentally made a note to have that bar shut down later, but for now, he had no choice but to follow along. “Really? Great, I was feeling bored anyway. Let’s go together!”

Thankfully, Sun Chen didn’t reject him.

Possibly due to the delay, the bar was quite lively, despite its remote location. Liu Cheng and Sun Chen barely managed to find two seats at the bar.

Once seated, Sun Chen casually ordered a gin. Liu Cheng quickly suggested that a martini would be better, as it also contained gin but tasted better. Sun Chen was easygoing and let Liu Cheng order a variety of cocktails for him. However, even with lighter drinks, after a few cocktails, Sun Chen was clearly not as clear-headed.

Worried that Sun Chen might get too drunk, Liu Cheng paced himself carefully. When it seemed like the right time, he was about to suggest they head back to their room when someone took the seat next to him.

It was a beautiful woman, who smiled seductively at Liu Cheng. “Care to buy me a drink?”

As a gay man, Liu Cheng usually welcomed the attention of beautiful women, but with Sun Chen right beside him, this was the last thing he needed. He gestured to the bartender to get the woman a drink and was about to tell her that he was with someone, but once again, he was a step too slow.

Sun Chen suddenly got up, wobbling slightly, and made his way over to a group of men sitting in a corner.

“Xiao Chen?”

Liu Cheng called out to him, but Sun Chen didn’t respond, nor could he catch up to him. He watched as Sun Chen approached the most handsome man in the group and said, “I’d like to buy you a drink. Do you mind?”

*Is this guy gay?* Sun Chen was taking a risk by randomly hitting on another man. If the guy got offended, that would be bad enough; but if he actually took an interest in Sun Chen, that would be even worse. Liu Cheng hurried over. “Sorry, my friend’s had a bit too much to drink.”

The man who had been hit on looked at Sun Chen with a calm expression and smiled. “I hope you’re not too drunk to forget you just offered me a drink.”

“I remember,” Sun Chen replied. The man made space next to him, and Sun Chen quickly sat down and signaled for a drink.

Liu Cheng had no choice but to sit down awkwardly beside him.

“I’m Ren Yuan. These are my friends, Mark and Aaron.” The man introduced himself to Sun Chen with a slight air of eagerness.

“I’m Sun Chen,” Sun Chen said, glancing disdainfully at Liu Cheng. “He’s not my friend. My friends are Chen Xi and Lin Dun. I’m the ‘Chen’ of morning, and Chen Xi is the ‘Xi’ of sunset. Together, we make up a day.”

Liu Cheng listened quietly to Sun Chen’s drunken ramblings. Drunken words were often unpleasant to hear but usually held some truth. Liu Cheng couldn’t help but think back to that time when he had pointed out the similarity in the pronunciation of their names, only for Sun Chen to immediately correct him, saying their nasal sounds were different.

…But Sun Chen and Chen Xi together made a full day.

Liu Cheng had spent a long time nursing half a glass of whiskey, but now he downed the rest in one gulp.

Even in his drunken state, Sun Chen somehow managed to chat animatedly with Ren Yuan for quite a while. By the time Liu Cheng reached his fifth vodka, he could no longer tolerate it.

“Xiao Chen, you’re drunk. Let me take you back to rest,” he said, not waiting for Sun Chen’s response as he stood up to pull him away.

Ren Yuan, who had been in the middle of a conversation with Sun Chen, clearly wasn’t happy with Liu Cheng’s interruption. Perhaps he had been looking forward to the usual next steps in a gay bar encounter, so he reached out to stop Liu Cheng. “Sun Chen, do you want to stay a little longer?”

Sun Chen’s bleary eyes flicked between Ren Yuan and Liu Cheng, as if he had only just recognized the latter. “Liu Cheng—”

“Xiao Chen, let’s go back,” Liu Cheng coaxed gently, then shot a menacing look at Ren Yuan.

Ren Yuan instinctively withdrew his hand. Sun Chen stood up and leaned into Liu Cheng. “Liu Cheng, let’s go home.”

Those four casually spoken words nearly made Liu Cheng choke when he repeated them. “Let’s go home,” he said.

If only they could go back to the past.

If only they could have a home together.

If only…

Sun Chen, struggling to stand, leaned fully into Liu Cheng’s arm, and Liu Cheng wrapped him in his embrace, feeling Sun Chen’s warm breath on his neck.

“Xiao Chen, let’s go home together, okay? Will you come home with me?”

Sun Chen didn’t answer. He continued to walk with Liu Cheng into the elevator, resting his hand on Liu Cheng’s chest.

That touch was all it took to ignite the fire within Liu Cheng. He had gone over a year without properly releasing his desires. He wasn’t a conservative person, but after Sun Chen left, he couldn’t even bring himself to have a one-night stand. The rare times he managed to find release were after dreaming of Sun Chen, relying solely on his inexperienced hands.

But now, Sun Chen wasn’t just in his dreams or imagination. Sun Chen was right there in his arms.

When Liu Cheng finally managed to open the hotel room door and bring Sun Chen inside, he pressed Sun Chen against the door and kissed him fiercely.

Desire was the most irresistible force, and Liu Cheng, his body boiling with alcohol and passion, was desperate for what he wanted most. The person he had longed for day and night, who haunted his dreams and fantasies… but who might be someone he could never truly have.

Sun Chen, lying beneath Liu Cheng’s intense, aggressive kisses, didn’t respond much but also didn’t push him away. He simply closed his eyes and let Liu Cheng kiss him while guiding him toward the bed. When Liu Cheng finally paused for breath, his body pressed against Sun Chen’s on the bed, Sun Chen let out a low moan as he took in air.

Amid the fog of his thoughts, Liu Cheng was suddenly reminded of the last time Sun Chen had been drunk. They had almost taken things further, but Liu Cheng had held back. The next day, Sun Chen had misunderstood Liu Cheng’s struggle to hold back.

Liu Cheng had regretted many things since, but this was one decision he knew he hadn’t gotten wrong. No matter how Sun Chen might have misunderstood him at the time, he didn’t want their first time together to be a memory tainted with regret.

—So now, he couldn’t make the wrong choice.

He especially couldn’t make a mistake now.

Every inch of his skin, every pore, was screaming for something else, but Liu Cheng’s rationality, battling fiercely, finally gained the upper hand. He scrambled off the bed, practically rolling away from Sun Chen.

“Xiao Chen… good night.”

Liu Cheng retreated to the bathroom, where he used the hand technique he had become increasingly familiar with over the past year.