Shocking! The Protagonist of the Mpreg Story Is a Straight Man - Chapter 20

The descent took longer than the climb. By the time the two reached the foot of the mountain, evening was approaching. The rain and mist had not yet dissipated, clinging to the buildings by the water’s edge. As soon as they drew near, they were covered in dampness. Many tiny water droplets gathered on Pei Nan’s eyebrows; finally unable to hold their weight, they fell heavily onto his face and wound their way down into his collar.

His arms were aching, and his movements supporting Xue Xingqi were no longer as forceful as they had been at the start.

Fortunately, Xue Xingqi had strong core strength. Even without Pei Nan’s support, he could cling firmly to him. Listening to Pei Nan’s breathing grow gradually heavier and more ragged, he couldn’t help but suggest again, “Put me down. The road is level now, it’s fine for me to walk a few steps. Or, leave me here and go borrow a car from someone to come get me.”

“Haven’t you heard the saying? ‘The first drumroll inspires courage, the second diminishes it, and the third exhausts it.’ If I put you down now, I won’t want to walk anymore myself.”

“Then that’s perfect. I’ll have the boss come pick us up.”

Xue Xingqi admitted he felt distressed. His original intention was merely to get a little closer to Pei Nan; it would be even better if the other person didn’t reject his proximity and touch. This kind of physical exhaustion was not the way he intended for Pei Nan to relax and release pressure.

He was even reflecting on whether what he said on the mountain would increase the psychological burden on Pei Nan regarding the competition.

Xue Xingqi had been raised as an heir; he had participated in countless competitions since childhood, yet this was the first time he felt this worried about someone else’s competitive state and mood. Such worry was an incredibly novel experience for him, so much so that he couldn’t figure out what would be best to do or say.

His past experiences couldn’t even be used as a reference. In the matter of learning how to love someone, he was a complete beginner.

Xue Xingqi waited anxiously for Pei Nan to stop, one hand already prepared to dial the phone.

Pei Nan, however, merely adjusted his posture. “No need to bother. By the time he gets here to pick us up, we’ll already be there. Hurry up and keep your arms wrapped tight.”

Xue Xingqi had no choice. He stayed on Pei Nan’s back, watching the guesthouse grow closer and closer.

The two soaking-wet figures finally caught their breath as they entered the door. The guesthouse owner, being very perceptive, had prepared hot ginger soup and warm towels in advance. After a brief wipe-down, the owner urged them to go take a shower quickly.

Pei Nan understood this as well. Without any delay, he brought Xue Xingqi back to the room. However, before entering the bathroom, he suddenly felt his heart racing. He muttered to himself while rummaging through his backpack, “I’m a straight guy, it’s not like I haven’t showered with others in the swimming team before. What am I nervous about? The one who should be nervous is him, right!”

If 419 could roll its eyes, it would have given Pei Nan a massive one. But to avoid scaring Pei Nan away, it simply stayed quiet, returning to the system space to watch the steadily rising “Physical Intimacy” points.

Aha, the mission progress is what truly makes a system happy.

Xue Xingqi also took out a bath towel and pajamas from his backpack. Seeing Pei Nan not moving, he knew in his heart that Pei Nan had reservations about showering together. He couldn’t help but curse Yang Fan in his mind for the psychological shadow he had cast on Pei Nan, feeling even more dissatisfied with the handling of the Yang family.

He looked at the long-legged man squatting down and curling into a ball, and his heart softened. “Pei Nan, I opened another room next door. It’s inconvenient for me to move with my leg, so why don’t you go shower over there?”

“What are you saying? Could I just abandon you?” Pei Nan was halfway through his mental preparation, hesitating, when Xue Xingqi’s words set him off.

He stood up abruptly, shouldered Xue Xingqi’s arm, and hauled him toward the bathroom.

Inside the bathroom, while adjusting the water temperature, he spoke as if to bolster his own courage, “Uh, you know, in this situation, we still need to take a hot shower quickly, otherwise, it’ll be a problem if we get sick. Your foot can’t touch the ground; if your injury gets worse or if you fall, the trouble will be even bigger.”

“You don’t have to force yourself,” Xue Xingqi said with difficulty, staring at the back of Pei Nan’s head.

Pei Nan didn’t look back. “I’m not forcing myself!”

Pei Nan was fundamentally a rebellious person. Originally, he wanted to avoid showering together, but after Xue Xingqi’s rejection, he refused to let it go. He insisted on proving that “a straight shadow does not fear a crooked light,” and that a straight man isn’t afraid of a gay guy’s seduction. They were going to shower together!

Seeing that he really didn’t intend to leave, Xue Xingqi had no choice but to start undressing. He had to be mindful of his balance, so he undressed slowly, which also gave Pei Nan a chance to regret his decision. The rustling sounds were magnified in the bathroom, and the tips of Pei Nan’s ears turned red again.

The hot steam timely spread throughout the bathroom. Pei Nan turned around to provide support for Xue Xingqi. The moment their skin touched, his entire body turned red as if he had drunk five liters of strong liquor. A faint flush spread down from his collar, becoming a scenic view in Xue Xingqi’s eyes.

Pei Nan had almost no memory of how he took off his clothes or how they finished the shower. His brain was a mess of mush; he only knew that the overhead shower spray hit his body, washing away the chill, and that upon leaving the bathroom, the air conditioning in the room had taken effect the warmth was deeply relaxing.

He helped Xue Xingqi to the edge of the bed, threw on his own clothes in a few quick motions, and said to the person sitting on the bed, “I’m going to get the medical kit and check on dinner while I’m at it.”

Watching Pei Nan’s fleeing figure, Xue Xingqi felt a surge of joy that victory was in sight.

He replied to a few messages on his phone, cleared a backlog of emails, and even made two phone calls. Just as he was starting to feel parched and realized Pei Nan had been gone for an unusually long time, the door opened and Pei Nan walked in.

Xue Xingqi saw that his expression was a bit odd. Before he could ask, Pei Nan took the initiative to speak. “Xue Xingqi, let me tell you something.”

Pei Nan placed the medical kit on the coffee table and organized his words. “I was just in the lobby and met a few tourists who had just returned from sightseeing. They originally planned to go back to the city to stay, but the road down the mountain is blocked. They had to come back and stay here, but the other guesthouses are full. Finally, they asked here…”

After quite a bit of preamble, Pei Nan said, “Didn’t we book two rooms? I was thinking of giving one up to those two girls; otherwise, it would be quite inconvenient for them.”

Even Pei Nan felt his own words were a bit ridiculous, as if he were being generous at someone else’s expense. “If you’re used to sleeping alone, I can sleep on the floor, or on the sofa.”

Xue Xingqi’s eyebrows twitched imperceptibly. He hadn’t expected Pei Nan to encounter such a stroke of luck just by stepping out. It seemed even the heavens were helping him. He smiled and said in a gentle tone, “It’s fine. When you’re away from home, you should help if you can. This king-sized bed is plenty big enough for us. If you want to give the room to them, go ahead. It works out since we haven’t even unpacked our luggage yet, so it’s still clean.”

Pei Nan rubbed his eyebrow sheepishly and went out to handle the arrangements.

When he returned, Pei Nan’s mood was significantly better. While applying medicine to Xue Xingqi, he said with a smile, “This sprain isn’t heavy. If you rest well, you’ll recover quickly. Oh, by the way, those two girls are very pretty; they said they’d treat us to dinner in a bit.”

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