Awkward Chapter 56

Shoutout to nyanmaru for the commission!

“Sir, if there’s no dispute about the charge, please sign here.”

The young woman at the counter reminded Ye Mu again when she saw him standing there without moving.

Unlike before, her gaze had changed from admiration to pity, with a hint of suggestive curiosity.

Ye Mu pressed his lips together, regained his composure, quickly signed his name on the bill, and the pen left a deep indentation on the paper due to the force he applied.

Without pausing for a moment, he turned his back and headed for the exit, walking briskly.

Chen Mo picked up the suitcases and followed silently.

The walk from the hotel to the gate was nearly a kilometer, and Ye Mu walked in silence the entire time, his focus only on moving forward.

Chen Mo wasn’t sure why Ye Mu was so upset and said in a low, magnetic voice, “Hey, it’s just two hundred yuan. If it really bothers you, I can pay you back.”

Ye Mu walked quickly, his expression blank, his lips barely parting as he responded, “I don’t care about the money, and I’m not angry.”

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow and glanced at him sideways, “Then why the sour face?”

Ye Mu kept his head down, adamantly denying, “Nothing.”

Chen Mo couldn’t stand his stubbornness and said with unconcealed exasperation, “Can’t you just be honest?”

Ye Mu slowed his pace, stopped, and looked at Chen Mo with calm eyes. “If something like this happens again, I hope you can inform me in advance so that we don’t end up in such an embarrassing situation.”

Chen Mo half-closed his eyes, mulling over the words “next time,” and a subtle, ambiguous smile played on his lips. “Understood, I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”

Ye Mu didn’t catch the nuance, furrowed his brows, and replied, “Let’s just forget about last night. There’s no need to bring it up again. It’s not good for either of us.”

Chen Mo didn’t want to dwell on the matter and mumbled an almost inaudible “Mhm,” changing the subject. “We’ve been busy all morning. Let’s get something to eat; my treat, as an apology.”

Ye Mu tried to calm his emotions and declined, “No, there are six hours until the next flight. I’ll have someone handle the luggage check, and then I’ll head over to Walton.”

Chen Mo was puzzled, his lips parting slightly. “Why are you going there?”

Ye Mu’s voice was flat, as he continued walking forward, “Since I’m here, I might as well buy some specialty candies for my niece.”

Chen Mo squinted and gave him a sidelong glance. “The little girl who made me tell stories last time?”

Ye Mu nodded, his tone indifferent, “She’s a bit mischievous sometimes, but she’s very cute. The whole family spoils her.”

Chen Mo slipped a hand into his pocket and walked beside him. “I’ll go with you.”

Ye Mu glanced at him sideways, “Not having steak anymore?”

Chen Mo turned his face away, lightly pursing his lips, “It’s no fun eating alone.”

“Suit yourself,” Ye Mu said, taking the luggage from him and handing both suitcases to the porter at the entrance. Then, he hailed a cab.

Chen Mo got in with him, and their legs were touching as they rode. Before long, they arrived at Walton.

It was a coastal area with a quiet beach, beautiful scenery, fresh air, small cafés, and specialty shops along the way. The place was sparsely populated, and the only sound was the wind from the sea.

Ye Mu went straight to the shop to pick out candies. Although there weren’t many customers, he took his time choosing.

Chen Mo, bored, ordered some afternoon tea and waited on a bench outside a café.

A little boy, about six years old, was playing with a remote-controlled car, running around. At one point, he accidentally stepped on Chen Mo’s foot.

Chen Mo frowned, his expression cold as he glanced at the boy.

The boy looked a little scared, swallowed, and quickly said in a soft, childlike voice, “I’m sorry.”

Chen Mo thought the boy was well-behaved, so he took a bear-shaped cookie from his plate and handed it to him.

The boy accepted the cookie, looked up at Chen Mo, hesitated for a moment, and then suddenly stepped on his foot again.

Chen Mo’s lips twitched, and after a moment of silence, he gave the boy the other cookie on the plate.

The boy’s eyes lit up instantly, and he quickly lifted his foot to step on him again.

Chen Mo, with a dark expression, quickly withdrew his foot, casually taking a sip of his tea as if nothing had happened.

The little boy pouted, hummed a bit, then stuffed the bear-shaped cookie into his mouth and dashed off toward the southern beach.

Chen Mo glanced at Ye Mu, who was still waiting in line, and finding it boring, he aimlessly wandered in the direction the little boy had gone. He took off his shoes as he reached the beach and stepped onto the sand.

The grains of sand were very fine, and stepping on them felt delicate and soft, almost comfortable.

Walking along the coastline, a gentle breeze blew in, refreshing him. Occasionally, he could see small crabs scuttling about on the beach, appearing quite mischievous. The cool seawater periodically transformed into larger waves, bringing a chilly sensation to his feet.

Chen Mo walked for quite a while, and when he finally grew tired, he sat down and laid back on the sand.

The afternoon sun was warm, and combined with the gentle sea breeze and the occasional splash of seawater, it gave him a strange sense of belonging.

He began to feel sleepy, his eyelids growing heavier, his consciousness drifting away until he could no longer resist and closed his eyes.

In his dream, someone was tugging at his face, babbling something in broken English, repeatedly calling him “older brother.” The voice sounded a bit like that of the little boy from earlier.

Chen Mo hadn’t slept this well in a long time. He ignored the voice, turned over, and continued to sleep, without responding.

The waves grew larger, the tide rising higher, gradually submerging his neck, soaking his clothes and hair, but he only felt unprecedented comfort. As long as he could still breathe and wasn’t completely submerged, he wanted to stay in this state forever.

“Older Brother, older brother, older brother.”

The little boy persistently called out in English, but received no response. After a while, he suddenly turned and ran away.

Chen Mo was content with the peace and quiet. He stretched lazily and continued to nap on the damp sand.

When Ye Mu finished buying the candy and couldn’t find Chen Mo, he was just about to call him when he felt a tug on his pant leg.

Looking down, he saw it was a little boy who smelled faintly of milk.

“What’s wrong?” he asked in English, his tone calm.

The little boy nodded, his large blue eyes welling up with tears as he replied in English, “Uncle, there’s a big brother over there who’s drowning. I’ve been calling him, but he won’t wake up. I’m really worried. Can you go and check on him?”

The boy gestured while running toward the beach.

Ye Mu furrowed his brow and followed him.

The waves on the beach were large, splashing onto his pant legs. In the sunlight, he could vaguely see a familiar figure lying straight in the seawater.

It was Chen Mo!

Ye Mu’s heart tightened inexplicably, and he quickly walked over to pull him out of the tide and onto the shore.

The little boy threw himself onto Chen Mo’s chest, shouting, “Older Brother, older brother,” his voice tinged with a bit of sobbing.

Ye Mu patted Chen Mo’s face, “Wake up.”

Chen Mo, thinking it was the child playing a prank again, ignored him and continued to sleep with his eyes closed.

The little boy, tears streaming down his face, cried out, “Oh no, oh no, this big brother is going to die.”

Ye Mu, affected by the boy’s distress, his wet bangs clinging to his forehead, frowned and started pressing on Chen Mo’s philtrum with his finger.

The boy, frantic, waved his hands and urgently said in English, “No, no, my dad said that for drowning, you need to do CPR. Uncle, you need to do CPR, CPR!”

Fearing the man wouldn’t understand, he repeated it several times and even demonstrated a mouth-to-mouth gesture.

Chen Mo, in pain from the pressure on his philtrum, was about to wake up when he suddenly heard the word “CPR” and quickly shut his eyes tight.

Ye Mu didn’t know what was going on. The little boy’s crying and shouting beside him was making him anxious. He instinctively placed his hand in front of Chen Mo’s nose to check for breathing.

Sensing this, Chen Mo instinctively held his breath.

Ye Mu panicked, trying the compressions, but when it didn’t work, he didn’t think twice and laid him flat, leaning down to cover Chen Mo’s thin lips with his own, starting to breathe air into him.

Again and again, repeatedly.

Chen Mo kept his eyes closed, feeling the soft, wet contact of their lips. It was unexpectedly pleasing, making him reluctant to move away.

His heart raced, speeding up, making him feel incredibly warm.

He didn’t know what was wrong with him recently. From becoming infatuated with watching this person in a daze, to getting angry when he saw someone else with him, and finally to merging with him passionately, everything made his heart flutter like never before. The sense of romance, the thrill, all given to him by this person. Even though he desperately reminded himself of the shame of being gay, he couldn’t deny his anticipation, his loss of control, his complete surrender of both body and soul.

After three minutes of CPR with no response, Ye Mu grew anxious, his eyes, wet from seawater, turning red. He took out his phone to call an ambulance, but before he could dial, he was suddenly grabbed by the waist and pinned to the sand.

Their eyes met, and Chen Mo slightly curled his lips, a faint smile in his dark pupils. In the bright, warm sunlight, he looked deep and handsome, his voice magnetic and low, “Stupid gay, your kissing skills aren’t bad.”

Ye Mu, realizing he’d been tricked, felt a mix of embarrassment and anger rise to his face. He cursed, “You…”

Before he could finish, Chen Mo’s lips pressed against his.

The man embraced him, closing his eyes as he gave him a kiss that was both domineering and gentle. The sensation was intoxicating, and because of the closeness, his long eyelashes inadvertently brushed against Ye Mu’s skin, bringing a feather-like tickle.

Ye Mu’s eyes widened in shock, and when he finally reacted, it was like being shocked by electricity; he pushed him away with all his strength.

Chen Mo held him tighter, half-closing his eyes as he lazily enjoyed the kiss. He pressed Ye Mu’s hand into the sand, intertwining their fingers, deepening the kiss.

Ye Mu couldn’t believe what was happening. He turned his head away, barely finding a moment to speak in broken sentences, “Are you… crazy?”

Chen Mo’s gaze deepened, a rare intoxication in his usually clear eyes. He mumbled against Ye Mu’s lips, “Yeah, since last night.”

Ye Mu, breathing heavily, tried to push him away, his pale face tinged with anger, but he couldn’t break free. “You said you hate gays the most, so what are you doing now? Wake up!”

Chen Mo, half-lidded eyes serious as he looked at him, his beautiful black pupils filled with teasing, “I don’t remember. When did I say that?”

As he spoke, he continued what he had done the night before, his actions wild yet tinged with some ambiguous undertones.

Ye Mu was momentarily stunned, struggling all the while but unable to escape.

Chen Mo, relentless, continued teasing him.

Ye Mu’s fair face gradually flushed under Chen Mo’s teasing, but he still wanted to escape.

Chen Mo embraced him from behind, whispering in his ear, his breath hot and low, “Ye Mu, how about trying to be with me?”

A simple sentence, spoken with a mix of lingering affection and deep emotion, struck a chord, making Ye Mu’s heart race.

Ye Mu’s heart skipped a beat, his gaze flickering with hesitation, and for a moment, he forgot to resist.

Small Theater:

Chen Mo: If I fell into a cesspool next time, would you still pull me out and give me CPR?

Ye Mu: No, I’d use a stick.

Chen Mo: A stick?

Ye Mu: Yeah, I’d use it to push you further in, so you could merge with the sh*t.

Chen Mo: D*mn, you’re heartless!

Ye Mu: You’re just realizing that?

Chen Mo: …