Blooming Flowers, Silent Sorrow

Chapter 44

Due to the action of the geothermal springs, the ground near the water in the cave was all warm.

The surface of the water was still shrouded in a thick fog, and two people lay naked by the spring.

Xiaobao lay on his side, playing with Huai En's damp hair, admiring his lazy posture after a meal and drinks.

Huai En half-closed his eyes, tilting his head slightly, his gaze flitting across Xiaobao's face. His eyes, veiled with moisture, were serene and captivating, seemingly bottomless.

Xiaobao was often mesmerized by his beauty, losing his soul to it, and now was no exception. He was too exhausted to move, but he could still move his eyes, so he smiled cheekily at Huai En.

Huai En laughed at his mischievous appearance and reached out to pinch his face and pull it upwards.

"Ouch, ouch, that hurts." Xiaobao rubbed the flesh on his face, and suddenly, everything went dark as Huai En half lay on top of him.

Xiaobao nervously pushed him, "We agreed not to do it again, I really can't take it anymore."

Huai En laid his face on Xiaobao's neck, wrapping an arm and a leg around him, "I won't do it, let me hold you for a while."

Xiaobao opened his arms to embrace Huai En, rubbing his forehead with the tip of his nose, overflowing with tenderness and love.

He gently, without any carnal desire, stroked Huai En's back, that feeling...

Suddenly, Xiaobao sat up, brushed aside the long hair on Huai En's back, and Huai En, unable to dodge in time, could only watch him silently.

Xiaobao's lips trembled, "Why...how..."

On Huai En's not-so-broad back were crisscrossing scars, both deep and shallow. Though healed, they left indelible marks, clinging grotesquely, causing Xiaobao's eyes to sting with pain.

"How did you get these? Who beat you? Your body too, why so many injuries? You're so young, who did this to you?"

Huai En pushed the trembling Xiaobao back to the ground, burying his face in his neck, holding him tightly, and said softly, "It's nothing, just childhood stuff."

"Childhood? How young? Why beat you like this?"

Huai En was silent for a while before speaking indifferently, as if not speaking of himself, "My father, for not making progress in training, for not meeting goals, it's nothing, just superficial wounds."

"These are superficial wounds?" Xiaobao held him, gently stroking his back, feeling sorrowful. His nose tingled, his eyes warmed, and tears rolled down.

"Xiaobao..." Huai En, seeing his tears, was momentarily dazed, "Don't cry, he probably can't beat me now, it's also his merit in a way."

"He's your father, how can a father be so cruel."

Huai En laughed strangely, "My relationship with him...definitely isn't like yours with your dad, you wouldn't understand."

Xiaobao kissed Huai En's forehead a few times, "I will always take good care of you, never let others bully you, no one can beat you anymore."

Huai En closed his eyes, quietly smelling the warm and pleasant scent at his neck, softly agreeing.

The two embraced tenderly again, Xiaobao, touching Huai En's hair, suddenly said, "Huai En, let me wash your hair."

Huai En was surprised, "Okay."

Xiaobao took out a small piece of soapberry from his package and jumped into the water.

Huai En watched him in astonishment, "You even brought this thing?"

Xiaobao chuckled, "Everything I bring is useful, come, lie over here."

Huai En moved closer to the edge of the spring, stretching out most of his head over the stone bank.

Xiaobao, standing in the spring water, lifted Huai En's long hair into the water and wet his scalp.

Doing something he had never done before, Xiaobao gently rubbed Huai En's hair like a maid, until it was completely wet. He then took the soapberry, rubbing it into the hair, massaging his scalp.

He asked softly in his ear, "Does it feel good?"

Huai En, with his eyes closed, nodded, "I never knew washing hair could feel so good."

"...Huai En."

"Hmm?"

Xiaobao hesitated before courageously saying, "I want to wash your hair forever."

"..."

"Do you understand what I mean? I want to be with you forever."

Huai En opened his eyes, looking at him with sparkling eyes, unreadable, making Xiaobao nervous.

Maybe he asked too soon, he should wait until Huai En and he were closer.

Huai En then closed his eyes again, his eyelashes quivering, lips pressed tightly together.

For a moment, only the sound of water filled the air, leaving Xiaobao feeling sad, yet he didn't lose hope. He believed that time was on his side, and one day, Huai En would truly fall for him.

As Xiaobao rinsed the soapberry from Huai En's hair, time quietly flowed between them.

"Are you serious?" Huai En suddenly asked.

"Eh?"

"About what you just said."

"It's true, of course, it's true."

"If you want to be with me forever, you can't back out, you can't have these thoughts about anyone else."

"Of course, I only like you, I only want to be with you," Xiaobao declared passionately.

"From now on... no matter what happens, you can't take back your words."

"I won't, no matter what happens, my feelings won't change."

Huai En opened his eyes, turned over, and propped himself up on his elbows, his gaze locked with Xiaobao's, his voice trembling slightly, "If you... deceive me... I won't let you go... you must not deceive me."

"I will never deceive you, I will only like you for my whole life," Xiaobao looked into his eyes, swearing with utter sincerity.

Huai En reached out to cradle Xiaobao's head, pulling him closer, and pressed a deep kiss on him, his voice still trembling as he repeated, "I won't allow you to deceive me, you can't regret this, you, Jin Xiaobao, belong to me alone for your entire life."

"I belong to you alone for my entire life, and you too, do you, Huai En, do you?" Xiaobao awkwardly responded to the kiss, feeling entirely unlike himself. At this moment, a single word from Huai En could send him to heaven or cast him into hell.

"I do, I only want you."

Xiaobao held him tightly, their lips and tongues entwining, as if to meld all their vows into their beings through this sweet contact.

After a long kiss, they lay closely on the stone bank, enjoying the tranquility of a world where only they existed.

This bliss and satisfaction felt like a dream, from which neither wished to awaken first.

However, reality always intrudes upon beautiful dreams.

One moment, Xiaobao was lost in a soft fantasy, and the next, he was suddenly lifted by a strong force. After a dizzying moment, he found himself in Huai En's arms, several meters away from the spring. The spot where they had lain was neatly lined with a row of iron darts, half of which had embedded themselves into the stone bank, startling Xiaobao.