What you do isn't the point; the point is who you're with, and who you're standing with in the frame, arm in arm.
Song Lang kept stealing glances at Shen Zhifei, trying to see who he was getting close to along the way, who he was staring at so intently, and who was the one he liked so much that he wanted to snatch away.
But he didn't notice until evening. Instead, he was caught red-handed by Shen Zhifei several times when he tried to sneak a peek, which made him feel very embarrassed.
After playing for a while, everyone went back and sat in a circle on the lawn of the small courtyard, which was about 20 square meters, to eat barbecue and play games. Song Lang also kept a distance from Shen Zhifei. Between them were Meng Fanxing, Hao Wei, and two other boys and girls, who should also be a couple. At this moment, they held hands openly and walked side by side, looking very intimate.
Hao Wei looked left and right, leaned back, and poked Song Lang with her hand around Meng Fanxing.
Song Lang turned his head to look at her and saw Hao Wei silently mouthing, "What's wrong with you two?"
He shook his head and did not answer.
Hao Wei poked again, unwilling to give up, when Meng Shazi noticed and said, "Uh, Weiwei, are you tired? If you want to lie down, I... I'll lend you my shoulder to lean on."
Hao Wei rolled her eyes, withdrew her hand, sat up straight, and pushed Meng Fanxing's shoulder away: "Don't touch me, you're so hot."
Meng Fanxing chuckled and, as she reached for the playing cards, casually reached over to hand her a can of cola, saying, "A little something will cool you down."
Then he flipped over the cards in his hand, laughed out loud, threw the Joker into the center of the circle, and slapped his thigh triumphantly, saying, "After a whole night, I've finally been the king!"
"Look at your pathetic self." Song Lang's ears hurt from his noise, and he couldn't help but complain.
Meng Fanxing glanced at his hand and immediately said, "10 and 7, kiss them! No more than three minutes!"
Everyone started cheering and applauding.
Song Lang threw the 10 of hearts in his hand away and slapped Meng Fanxing across the face. "You little brat, you did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"Hehe, so what?" Meng Fanxing readily admitted, a smug look on her face. "Where's number 7? Who drew number 7? Come out quickly, don't be shy."
There was a moment of silence in the courtyard, followed by an even louder burst of laughter.
Meng Fanxing's gaze swept counterclockwise around Song Lang, and when it finally landed on Hao Wei beside him, he couldn't smile anymore.
"No, no, no, why didn't you tell me?"
Meng Fanxing panicked and hurriedly said that what she had just said didn't count, completely losing her pride as a king.
The people around them were cheering. Song Xianji glanced at the gloomy faces of the people next to him, clapped his hands, and said, "Hey, hey, hey, you guys should stop now. You can't mess with your friend's wife. How about this, Miss Hao, you are the other half of our king, so you have some privileges. You can just say a number and force the person who draws that card to switch. Wouldn't that be more exciting?"
"Holy crap—that's so exciting!" The crowd's enthusiastic cheers drowned out Song Lang's protest.
Hao Wei glanced at Song Xianji, who was casually stretching, raising one hand above his head and waving a finger. Hao Wei blinked knowingly, but then pretended to think for a moment before saying, "Number 1."
"Who's number 1? Who's number 1?" Meng Fanxing started shouting again. Everyone had revealed their cards, but Shen Zhifei remained unmoved.
Song Lang's heart was in his throat. He stared at Shen Zhifei with bated breath, his throat tight and painful.
Song Xianji leaned over and revealed Shen Zhifei's trump card: the Ace of Spades.
Cheers and applause erupted from the courtyard. All the boys, eager for a good show, banged on bottles and cups, urging the couple to kiss quickly. Several girls, with doting smiles on their faces, secretly took out their phones to take pictures and videos.
Of those present, only Meng Fanxing knew they were brothers, but he was oblivious and paused for a second before clapping and urging them on.
As long as Song Lang doesn't kiss his goddess, it's fine. Kissing Xiao Fei is like keeping the good stuff in the family.
No matter how loud the jeers were around him, Song Lang couldn't hear them anymore.
He stood frozen in place, staring at Shen Zhifei, who was a few steps away from him, like a wooden statue. His gaze mechanically rose as the other man stood up, until Shen Zhifei came to his side, by which time his neck had been tilted back to its maximum extent.
The courtyard suddenly fell silent.
Shen Zhifei pressed down on Song Lang's forehead with one hand, forcing him to tilt his head back and not move.
Their gazes intertwined in the increasingly constricted air, until they were so close that they could see each other's eyelashes clearly. Song Lang then closed his eyes.
The moment their lips touched, the courtyard erupted in cheers again. Everyone was excited about the prank, but only the two protagonists knew how serious their kiss was.
When the kiss ended, Shen Zhifei gently wiped the corner of Song Lang's lips as she withdrew her hand that had been holding Song Lang's cheek.
"You guys have fun, I'm going out for a walk first."
The words were addressed to everyone, but Shen Zhifei's eyes only reflected Song Lang.
Song Lang bit his lower lip and sat there playing another round of the game, feeling restless and unable to sit still.
He made an excuse to go to the restroom and got up to chase after Shen Zhifei in the direction she had just gone.
As soon as he stepped outside, a hand reached out from the darkness and grabbed his arm.
Caught off guard, Song Lang stumbled and fell to the side. His shoulder was then held down, and his back slammed against the wall.
His familiar warm lips and tongue once again captured him, and in the dim light, Shen Zhifei's eyes were as bright and sharp as a wolf's.
"Don't hide, you can't escape, Song Lang."
Chapter 42
In the darkness, this kiss was not as fleeting as the one in the courtyard; instead, it was filled with a fierce, unforgettable intensity.
Shen Zhifei slammed Song Lang against the wall, his lips and teeth filled with the brutality of tearing apart prey. The boy's sharp jawline was taut, exuding power.
I've been suppressing my feelings for far too long.
In the past few months, he suppressed his impulses and stayed away from Song Lang, using another identity to understand Song Lang's feelings for him, deliberately teasing and seducing him.