Chapter 12 - Love's Web

After riding bikes, both were drenched in sweat but felt refreshed heading home. Seeing Liao Yucheng in such a good mood without any trace of his earlier gloom, He Bing felt happy too. "If something ever bothers you again in the future, just tell me about it. We can go ride bikes again next time, or do something else—just don't keep it bottled up inside."

Liao Yucheng seemed genuinely touched. "He Bing, thank you for being so good to me."

He Bing felt embarrassed but also kind of pleased. "Not at all, you're the one who's good to me. If you were a girl, I'd definitely marry you and keep you all to myself." The second the words left his mouth, he panicked—afraid Liao Yucheng would think he was making fun of his sexual orientation. He quickly apologized, "Sorry, sorry! I was just talking without thinking, didn't mean anything by it."

Liao Yucheng laughed it off easily. "I know. It's fine."

Liao Yucheng grabbed his clothes and headed for the shower first while He Bing stayed in the living room watching TV and eating watermelon. He's just tossed a piece of watermelon rind  when he heard Liao Yucheng call from the bathroom. "He Bing."

"Yeah?" He Bing called back. 

"I accidentally dropped my underwear on the floor and it got all wet. Can you grab me a clean one?"

"Oh, yeah, hang on." He Bing wiped his hands and went to the bedroom. Since Liao Yucheng always organized their clothes, it took He Bing a while to figure out where Liao Yucheng's underwear was. They were rolled up small and neatly arranged in a drawer.

These were things Liao Yucheng wore against his skin every day, covering his most private areas. The thought made He Bing's hand tremble slightly as he reached for them. Though it was just ordinary fabric, it felt suggestively soft in his hand. He went to the bathroom door and knocked. "Yucheng, I've got your underwear."

Liao Yucheng opened the door just a crack, his arm reaching out. "Thanks."

Through the gap, He Bing caught a glimpse of his hip bone and his long, straight left leg. His breathing caught. "N-no problem!"

He practically ran back to the living room, chomping on watermelon to calm his racing heart. His brain kept replaying the image of Liao Yucheng's naked body from that other time. The more he told himself not to think about it, the more vivid it became. With growing panic, he realized his feelings toward Liao Yucheng were seriously off track. He'd stopped seeing him as a rival ages ago, and it wasn't just brotherly friendship either. This excessive awareness of him—physically and mentally—it was like, it was like... He Bing covered his face, not daring to pursue that thought any further.

After Liao Yucheng came out from his shower, bare-chested and smiling as usual, he casually sat down beside He Bing and glanced at the messy coffee table. "Eating all this watermelon this late? You'll be running to the bathroom all night."

He Bing shot to his feet. "There's—there's still some left, saved it for you. I'm going to shower!"

Grabbing clothes from the bedroom, He Bing couldn't help sneaking a glance at Liao Yucheng as he passed through the living room. Liao Yucheng was looking right back at him, eating watermelon, his bright eyes full of amusement.

He Bing quickly looked away and fled into the bathroom.

Steam still filled the bathroom. As He Bing stripped his clothes, it suddenly occurred to him that Liao Yucheng had just been standing here naked, washing his body. They stood in the same space, wrapped in the same steam. He Bing closed his eyes and could almost see Liao Yucheng standing naked in front of him. That lean, muscular body and smooth skin that would feel slick and elastic to the touch. He couldn't stop himself from imagining embracing Liao Yucheng, limbs entangled, bare bodies pressed close, the slightest friction igniting all-consuming flames.

Inevitably, He Bing got hard from these thoughts. He lifted his head, raised his right hand, and took care of himself. His mind was full of Liao Yucheng—his smile, his narrow waist, his scent, those soft lips constantly moving when he spoke. Everything about him fueled He Bing's lust, pushing him toward that overwhelming climax.

When it was over, He Bing came to his senses. The sound of rushing water brought clarity to his mind. He finally understood. He'd stopped seeing Liao Yucheng as a rival a long time ago, nor did he just see him as a brother or friend. When he was with Liao Yucheng, his heart would race at odd moments. He'd feel these small, unexpected bursts of sweetness. He'd feel happy because of him, dejected because of him, and just now—aroused because of him.

He Bing knew it now: he had fallen for Liao Yucheng.

He'd probably sensed it vaguely for a while, so figuring it out now didn't even feel that surprising.

He Bing turned off the hot water and blasted himself with cold water from head to toe, a chill also settling in his chest. 

He'd fallen for a man. And if that wasn't bad enough, he'd fallen for a man who was already in love with someone else.

Confessing could ruin their current closeness. Making Liao Yucheng move out break his promise, and honestly, He Bing couldn't bear to let him go. Liao Yucheng treasured someone in his heart, and now he himself had become such a person in He Bing's heart. When Liao Yucheng suffered setbacks in love, it hurt He Bing too. But if Liao Yucheng succeeded in love, only he himself would be happy—He Bing would be left hurting. 

He loved him, and he loved someone else. He Bing glumly realized he'd landed at the absolute bottom of the romantic food chain.

He Bing was terrible at hiding his feelings. His dejection was written all over his face. After his shower, He Bing climbed into bed without saying a word and cranked the air conditioning down to freezing, wrapping himself tightly in the blanket. When Liao Yucheng came in, the cold made him shiver. He asked softly, "He Bing, are you asleep?"

For some reason, He Bing felt wronged. He let out a sulky grunt.

Liao Yucheng naturally noticed something was off tonight. He guessed He Bing had already confirmed his feelings. While Liao Yucheng's face stayed calm, internally he was over the moon, filled with the satisfaction of watching prey fall perfectly into a trap. "Don't set the AC so low when you sleep. You'll catch a cold." He used the remote to raise the temperature and slipped under the blanket. 

Suddenly threw the blanket over Liao Yucheng's head, plunging him into darkness. Confused, he asked, "What are you doing?"

He Bing pulled the blanket over both of them. "Hiding you."

Liao Yucheng couldn't help laughing, warmth and sweetness flooding his chest. "You haven't even married me yet, and you're already hiding me away?"

He Bing mumbled, "Hide first, marry later. That way you can't run away."

In the darkness, Liao Yucheng couldn't see He Bing's face. He smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."