After the Beautiful Omega Was Targeted by His Straight Roommate - Chapter 29

Tao Ran was momentarily stunned by the question.

“That would be fine too,” Tao Ran answered after a few seconds. Then, a thought occurred to him. “But wouldn’t my size be a bit too small for you?”

“We’ll see,” Qi Yuxiao replied indifferently, turning away. “Once we’re ready, we can start the ascent.”

At that moment, Zhuo Qiang finished putting on his jacket, zipped it all the way to his chin, and stood ready. “OK, OK, I’m all set. Let’s head up!”

Mount Suyun was well-developed, with a paved staircase leading from the base all the way to the Cloud-Reaching Platform at the summit. Streetlights lined the path, providing ample light. Since it was the early hours of the morning and there were few people around, the four made steady progress.

However, after nearly three hours of climbing stairs, Tao Ran’s physical strength began to fail him. He gradually fell to the back of the group. His footsteps grew heavy until he finally had to stop. Tao Ran bent over, resting his hands on his knees, panting for air.

The night air was humid. Mist clung to the tips of his hair, and his nose was slightly damp. Under the streetlights, the thin layer of sweat on his cheeks gave his skin a soft, luminous glow.

Tao Ran hadn’t made a sound when he stopped, and he didn’t dare linger for long out of fear of being left behind. He straightened up immediately, but just as he was about to take a step, he saw a familiar figure approaching from ahead.

Deep in the night, Qi Yuxiao was walking back toward him. Dressed all in black, he nearly blended into the dark sky.

“Qi Yuxiao? Why did you come back?” Tao Ran asked in surprise. “I was just about to catch up with you guys.”

“I turned around and didn’t see you, so I came back to check,” Qi Yuxiao said, stopping in front of Tao Ran.

He looked down slightly, his gaze inadvertently falling on Tao Ran’s slightly parted lips. The small labial tubercle on his upper lip moved faintly with every breath, like a piece of ripe, succulent fruit hanging precariously from a branch. Qi Yuxiao’s eyes darkened. After a moment, he stiffly looked away.

Tao Ran looked at him. “Let’s hurry then. Don’t keep Zhuo Qiang and Su Jialiang waiting.”

Qi Yuxiao’s voice was low. “I told them to go ahead. We’re not far from the viewing platform at the summit now. Half an hour at most.”

“I see.”

“Do you want to rest a bit more?” Qi Yuxiao asked softly. “Or we can just walk slower. There’s no rush.”

Tao Ran thought about it. His energy was indeed depleted and would likely take a long time to recover, so he nodded. “Okay.”

The two walked slowly side by side. The mountain path was empty and silent. Tao Ran rubbed his nose and remarked, “I thought I could make it up in one go. I haven’t run since the physical fitness test; I didn’t expect my stamina to decline so fast.”

“It’s fine. You’re already doing great,” Qi Yuxiao comforted him. “Once you finish this climb, next time you can tackle an even higher one.”

Being praised so suddenly made Tao Ran purse his lips with shy happiness. A few seconds later, he couldn’t help but look up, the starlight reflecting in his eyes.

“Really?” His expression was earnest, his gaze seeking confirmation. “Do you really mean I’m doing great?”

The sound of a heartbeat was clear in the silence. Qi Yuxiao paused for a beat. “Yes.”

The half-hour journey Qi Yuxiao promised ended up taking an hour. Zhuo Qiang and Su Jialiang had been waiting on the viewing platform for a long time.

Seeing the tall and short figures slowly approaching, Zhuo Qiang walked over to meet them. “You guys finally made it!”

His gaze swept between the two and then dropped downward. He froze, looking puzzled. “Wait, when did you two start holding hands?”

Tao Ran followed Zhuo Qiang’s gaze and indeed saw his own hand being held by Qi Yuxiao. Qi Yuxiao’s hand was significantly larger than his, with well-defined joints and pale skin. Tao Ran’s fingers were loosely curled around Qi Yuxiao’s thumb, his entire hand easily enveloped by the other’s. He could feel the steady warmth radiating from him.

With a few hundred steps left to the summit, his strength had completely vanished. Every step required several seconds of rest. Eventually, exhausted to the point of dazed consciousness, Tao Ran only remembered Qi Yuxiao grabbing his hand and pulling him up bit by bit. He recalled Qi Yuxiao grabbing his wrist at first, but somehow, it had turned into holding hands.

He hadn’t thought much of it at the time. After all, he remembered the AI assistant saying that holding hands was a common form of physical contact between straight male friends. But having it pointed out so directly by Zhuo Qiang made Tao Ran feel inexplicably guilty and uncertain. He instinctively pulled his hand away.

Qi Yuxiao glanced indifferently at the hand that had withdrawn from his, then looked at Zhuo Qiang. “He couldn’t walk anymore, so I pulled him up.”

“Oh, right.” Zhuo Qiang was simple-minded and didn’t think much of it.

As the four set up their tents and gathered to eat and replenish their energy, Zhuo Qiang watched Qi Yuxiao twist open a water bottle for Tao Ran and couldn’t help but comment.

“Man, seeing you two get along so well makes me so relieved,” Zhuo Qiang said. “Who would have thought a month ago you were just strangers living under the same roof?”

Su Jialiang chimed in, “Yeah, at the beginning I really thought you guys didn’t like each other. Zhuo Qiang and I were worried for the longest time that this peaceful-looking dorm would explode into war one day.”

“Speaking of that, I was so worried I actually had a nightmare,” Zhuo Qiang said, his voice rising with excitement. Everyone looked at him while munching on cucumbers. “I dreamed you two started fighting for some reason, and Tao Ran was picked up by Qi Yuxiao like a little chick. Su Jialiang and I rushed in to break it up, and it was total chaos.”

Zhuo Qiang paused, and Tao Ran asked curiously, “And then?”

Zhuo Qiang closed his eyes solemnly. “Then Qi Yuxiao got annoyed at us for meddling. He threw you aside and beat both of us up. I managed to slip away while he was pummeling Su Jialiang, but I tripped on the stairs and landed face-first in the dirt.”

Everyone: “…”

Su Jialiang said indignantly, “That’s your karma for leaving me behind!”

Qi Yuxiao went silent for a moment before remarking, “That sounds like something that could actually happen.”

Zhuo Qiang’s eyes widened in horror. “You mean you really would fight with Tao Ran?”

Qi Yuxiao lazily lifted his eyelids, looking at him without speaking. Zhuo Qiang broke into a sweat under his gaze. “Do you mean you really would beat me up?”

Qi Yuxiao said eerily, “I mean you really would trip down the stairs and land face-first.”

The air went silent for a second before Su Jialiang burst into a gloating laugh. Tao Ran couldn’t help but laugh too.

The four had planned to rest in the tents, but the atmosphere was so pleasant that they ended up chatting the night away, making the tents they set up useless. After staying at the summit for a while, Tao Ran realized his hands and feet were ice cold. In the end, Qi Yuxiao didn’t wear Tao Ran’s sweater; Tao Ran ended up wearing both of them himself.

Finally, the first ray of dawn broke through the clouds. The darkness faded into a pale gray, and the sun rose behind the distant mountains, its halo dyeing half the sky red.

Exhausted from staying up all night, they were eager to get back to the hotel to sleep, so they chose to take the cable car down instead of hiking.

It was 10:00 AM by the time they got back to the hotel. The bus ride had been bumpy, and despite his overwhelming sleepiness, Tao Ran hadn’t been able to fall asleep. He was physically and mentally drained, his eyes barely able to stay open as they took the elevator.

Back in the room, Tao Ran couldn’t wait to get to the bed. He shed his outer layers, leaving only his T-shirt and pants, and collapsed onto the soft mattress. Sleep began to consume his consciousness immediately. Just as he was about to close his eyes, he saw Qi Yuxiao follow him a few steps behind. A minute later, he felt the weight of the bed sink beside him.

Then, Tao Ran was pulled into a pair of strong arms.

Dazed as he was, Tao Ran tried to open his eyes. Before he could speak, the other man’s head naturally and skillfully buried itself in the crook of his neck. After taking a deep breath near his collarbone, a warm current of air brushed against his skin. Tao Ran’s body shivered involuntarily at the itchy sensation.

“Qi Yuxiao,” Tao Ran’s consciousness cleared slightly. He didn’t have much strength, but he nudged Qi Yuxiao’s shoulder. “I need to sleep.”

Qi Yuxiao remained buried in his neck. “Then sleep.”

With the damp air constantly hitting the skin of his neck, Tao Ran felt his sleepiness dissipate a little. He frowned with worry. “But if you hold me like this, I might not be able to sleep.”

Qi Yuxiao’s movements paused. A few seconds later, he released Tao Ran and lightly brushed his thumb over Tao Ran’s furrowed brow. “Then I won’t bother you. Sleep.”

“Okay, you go to sleep too.” Tao Ran rubbed his cheek against the pillow, ready to drift off again.

The weight beside him disappeared. Tao Ran didn’t know where Qi Yuxiao went. About five minutes later, he realized Qi Yuxiao hadn’t come back to bed. For some reason, sleep failed him again. Tao Ran opened his eyes, sat up, and looked to the side. He saw Qi Yuxiao sitting on the sofa just a few steps away.

In the dim, hazy light, the glow in his eyes flickered. His expression was cold, his thoughts unknown. Tao Ran felt the atmosphere around Qi Yuxiao was a bit heavy. He squinted, his voice sounding thick with sleep. “Qi Yuxiao, what’s wrong? Aren’t you sleeping?”

Qi Yuxiao seemed to be lost in thought. He took a moment to snap out of it when he heard the voice. He slowly lifted his lashes to look at the person on the bed.

Tao Ran felt strange under that gaze. He looked down at himself and suddenly realized he was lying right in the middle of the bed. He was occupying the entire space by himself. No wonder Qi Yuxiao hadn’t come to bed.

“I’m sorry! I was in such a hurry to sleep I forgot to leave room for you.” Realizing this, Tao Ran quickly moved over, leaving more than half the bed empty. He looked at him again. “Qi Yuxiao, come up and sleep.”

The curtains were closed, and the room was very dark. Tao Ran blinked, but he still couldn’t see Qi Yuxiao’s expression clearly. The room was deathly silent. After waiting a long time without a response, Tao Ran called out softly again, “Qi Yuxiao?”

This time, Qi Yuxiao responded quickly. “Mm.”

Qi Yuxiao sat for a bit longer before slowly standing up and walking over. Tao Ran watched him intently. After Qi Yuxiao reached the bed, he simply stood there silently, staring back at him without lying down. Tao Ran grew anxious, thinking Qi Yuxiao was still angry about him hogging the bed.

Tao Ran’s eyes widened slightly, trying to fill them with sincerity. He promised, “Don’t worry, that was just an accident. I’m a very quiet sleeper; I won’t push you off the bed.”

“Mm,” Qi Yuxiao responded again. This time, he finally sat down.

Tao Ran breathed a sigh of relief and thoughtfully lifted the blanket to cover Qi Yuxiao as he lay down.

“Let’s sleep then.” Tao Ran gave him a small smile and promised again solemnly, “I really am a quiet sleeper. I won’t disturb you.”

With his mind at ease, Tao Ran lay flat on his back with his hands on his stomach, his usual sleeping position. He closed his eyes and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Hearing the faint, regular breathing beside him, Qi Yuxiao turned his head slightly to look at Tao Ran’s quiet, obedient sleeping face. Although they weren’t touching, they were on the same bed, and that familiar, faint fragrance drifted through the air and into his mind.

If this were a few weeks ago, Qi Yuxiao would have been satisfied and fallen into a deep sleep. But the frequent intimate contact lately had raised his threshold. Now, he didn’t feel a hint of satisfaction. Instead, that faint scent stirred the restless desire within him, making it leap through his veins.

Qi Yuxiao’s temple throbbed. He straightened his body, desperately suppressing the urge to pull Tao Ran into his arms. He suddenly regretted not resisting the temptation earlier. When Tao Ran invited him in that soft, drowsy voice, he had climbed into bed without thinking.

But a person should know when to be satisfied. Tao Ran had already been incredibly kind to help him to this extent; he shouldn’t push his luck. Qi Yuxiao let out a heavy breath and forced his eyes shut, clearing his mind.

Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound beside him.

A soft, tender arm slowly reached over.

Tao Ran, who had just repeatedly promised to be a quiet sleeper, was now acting like a soft, nimble little octopus. His limbs slowly entwined themselves around Qi Yuxiao’s body.

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