Chapter 46: The Arrow of the God of Love

More than life itself…

Xiao Chi suddenly widened his eyes, a strange tremor coursing through his spine like an electric current, shooting through his chest, his heart, and deep into his soul. It burst forth inexplicably.

What was Ji Chenxuan saying?

Why did such a short, light sentence have such an unimaginable power?

It made his heart race uncontrollably, like someone was pounding a small drum, beating wildly.

That unfamiliar feeling overwhelmed him, crashing through his body, trying to find an outlet to release itself, from the tip of his nose, from his eye sockets, from his throat, from every open pore.

Had he fallen ill? Or was it the aftermath of the bungee jump or choking on water?

Xiao Chi unconsciously parted his lips but couldn’t utter a single word, his gaze blankly fixed on the corner of the ceiling.

Ji Chenxuan slowly loosened his grip and looked down at Xiao Chi’s expression. The pale light from overhead cast down, and the two rows of slanted eyelashes created dark shadows under his eyes, making him look somewhat haggard and exhausted.

But his brow was relaxed, as though a heavy burden on his heart had finally been lifted, and the secret buried for so long had finally been set free.

No longer tortured by it, no longer tossing and turning.

As for whether the outcome would be life or death, sorrow or joy, it no longer mattered.

Xiao Chi’s clear pupils were fixed on him, his brows furrowed in confusion, his cheeks tinted with a faint pink, spreading all the way to his ears.

Ji Chenxuan touched his face and smiled gently. “Why aren’t you speaking? Is your CPU overheating, and crashing?”

Xiao Chi seriously nodded, “No wonder I felt so off, like I was about to explode.”

Ji Chenxuan looked at him deeply. “Is that how you feel?”

Could he dare to hope that Xiao Chi, too, was not indifferent to him?

Ji Chenxuan had intended to ask, What about you?

But as the words reached his lips, his tongue pressed against the back of his teeth, and he swallowed them back. From the slightly confused look in Xiao Chi’s eyes, he had already gotten the answer.

So, he said, “It’s getting late. Let’s go eat something and head back to the hotel to rest. We’ve been in the sea, so don’t catch a cold.”

He took a small step back, leaving enough space between them.

Xiao Chi’s gaze stuck to him as he opened the lounge door. The last rays of the setting sun streamed in at an angle, casting Ji Chenxuan’s silhouette in backlight, obscuring his features.

Xiao Chi quickly followed, feeling like he should say something to dispel the unspoken sense of loneliness, but he didn’t know how to begin.

—

Lover’s Bay Grand Hotel was the closest five-star hotel to the beach, just a five-minute walk from the red-pink sands.

The towering building, over a hundred floors, was designed to resemble a sailboat. The special glass material, during the golden hour when the sky blushed with sunset, made the entire hotel appear in a gorgeous pink hue, which harmonized beautifully with the red sands and the bay.

Xiao Chi adjusted his sunhat and hid most of his face behind his large black sunglasses, following Ji Chenxuan through a side entrance into the lobby.

The presidential suite had an exclusive VIP passage. After dinner, the two walked down a quiet corridor, the plush red carpet soft beneath their feet like walking on the beach.

The interior was luxuriously furnished. The bedroom was spacious, and the cool evening breeze blew in through the open floor-to-ceiling windows, lifting the soft pink curtains.

After washing off the sea salt, Ji Chenxuan came out in his bathrobe and poured two glasses of low-alcohol red wine, leaning against the windowsill.

Xiao Chi lay on the sofa, drying his hair, and, attracted by the scent of the wine, lifted his head.

A floor lamp in the shape of a flower branch illuminated Ji Chenxuan’s figure, casting a half-shadow, half-light silhouette.

His entire body was wrapped in black silk, with only a small patch of skin visible on his chest. Always hidden beneath formal, rigid suits, tonight the contrast of black made his pale skin appear almost luminous.

The soft fabric hung just right, clearly outlining his broad shoulders and narrow waist. Xiao Chi’s gaze slowly traveled upwards, noting his sharp chin, high nose, and deep-set eyes.

He rarely observed someone’s appearance so carefully and had little concept of beauty or ugliness.

With his photographic memory, one glance was enough to store an image with perfect accuracy in his mind.

But for some reason, with Ji Chenxuan, he felt the need to look again and again, as if every angle of his had a different memory to offer.

Ji Chenxuan handed him the fuller glass of wine. “Are you tired? You’ve said so little tonight.”

Or was he… startled by his sudden confession?

Xiao Chi quickly looked away, taking the glass with both hands and sipping slowly. “A little…”

“Then you should rest early.” Ji Chenxuan took the glass from him, “You’re only allowed a little before bed.”

“Oh.” Xiao Chi suddenly regretted not drinking more earlier. Just then, he felt a warmth on his head as Ji Chenxuan kissed him lightly.

Xiao Chi froze, then looked up. Ji Chenxuan’s expression was calm, as if he had done something entirely natural and trivial.

“A goodnight kiss,” Ji Chenxuan said, looking down at him. “It’s something lovers do.”

Xiao Chi didn’t know whether to feel relieved or more confused. Ever since the bungee jump and falling into the water, Ji Chenxuan’s suggestion of an “experience in love” had blurred the line between what was real and what was fake.

Xiao Chi reflected on the techniques mentioned in The 100 Secrets to Love, feeling like he had grasped something, yet when he tried to analyze it seriously, it seemed as if he couldn’t find the right words.

He quietly followed Ji Chenxuan into the bedroom.

On the large central rug lay a wide double bed, covered in a dark red velvet bedspread with a few scattered rose petals on top. Pink curtains embroidered with hibiscus flowers draped from the ceiling. The dim, warm lights created a hazy, ambiguous atmosphere.

The entire room was filled with countless elements that tantalized the senses, even the condoms in the bedside drawer were wrapped in rose-pink packaging.

Xiao Chi slowly climbed onto the bed from the other side. Ji Chenxuan turned off the bedside lamp, and immediately, the room was plunged into darkness.

Without sight, the other senses became clearer. Ji Chenxuan suddenly felt the person beside him move closer, a light kiss brushed against his forehead. He immediately turned his head, but Xiao Chi had already swiftly pulled away.

“A goodnight kiss,” Xiao Chi explained, as if echoing Ji Chenxuan’s earlier words, like a model student who always draws conclusions, “You said it.”

Ji Chenxuan gave a faint smile, his fingers lightly brushing the spot where he had been kissed, as if savoring the lingering warmth.

So people can be so easily satisfied, he thought.

—

The window was tightly shut, blocking out the chill of early spring in the midnight air.

The room was quiet, except for the soft, steady breathing of the person beside him, which provided a reassuring sense of calm.

Xiao Chi, surprisingly, couldn’t sleep, while Ji Chenxuan, with his mind at ease, fell into a deep, sweet slumber.

For the first time in his life, Xiao Chi experienced insomnia. His big eyes blinked as he stared at the ceiling, occasionally turning his head to look at Ji Chenxuan’s peaceful sleeping face.

In Ji Chenxuan’s mind, he probably thought of him as someone with a stubborn, thick-headed brain, wishing he could crack open his skull to remove the solid wood-like lumps inside.

But tonight, that stubborn wood had been diligently pecked by a woodpecker, slowly and tirelessly, day and night. Finally, it had created a hole, through which a jumble of confused thoughts had been pushed in, swirling around in his mind, preventing him from falling asleep.

At this point, Xiao Chi felt a hint of frustration. Ji Chenxuan had suddenly thrown out that one sentence, without further explanation, leaving him like a dumb student who couldn’t solve the problem, still sitting at his desk late at night, trying to figure it out.

What exactly does “liking someone” mean?

And why would someone like another person so much that it feels heavier than life itself?

Sigh… Xiao Chi sighed silently, “This is really a headache…”

He recalled the legend Ji Chenxuan mentioned earlier that day at Lover’s Bay—the one about the arrow of Cupid shooting through both their hearts, causing them to fall in love. Ji Chenxuan must have wanted to shoot that arrow into a stone cave, right?

But he had ruined it himself.

The clock passed midnight, and Xiao Chi slowly lifted the blanket, got out of bed, and quietly left the room.

He fumbled around on the couch for a while, eventually finding the two bent short arrows in his pocket. He changed his clothes and silently slipped out the door…

In the bedroom.

Ji Chenxuan, half-awake, rolled over in bed. He sometimes had the habit of getting up in the middle of the night. Half asleep, he remembered not to disturb Xiao Chi. But when he reached out with his arm, it met empty space?

He touched the bed and found it cold, his eyes snapped open. Where was Xiao Chi?

In a hurry, he slipped on his slippers and started searching around—he wasn’t in the bathroom, not in the living room, nor on the balcony. He tapped on his wristband to check the communication, and the bedside drawer responded with a signal.

How could he just disappear in the middle of the night like this?!

Without time to change his clothes, Ji Chenxuan hurried downstairs to search for Xiao Chi. Fortunately, a hotel staff member saw Xiao Chi heading towards the beach. Ji Chenxuan turned on the light on his wristband and sprinted unevenly across the beach.

In the distance, it was pitch-black, and he couldn’t see anything, only the cold sea breeze swirling around him.

“Xiao Chi!”

A mix of anger and anxious worry bubbled up inside Ji Chenxuan as he called Xiao Chi’s name all the way to the giant rocks near Lover’s Bay.

“Ji Chenxuan! I’m here!”

From afar, Xiao Chi’s voice drifted on the sea breeze. Ji Chenxuan felt the heavyweight in his chest lift, only for more anger to rise sharply again.

On the giant rock, a slender figure was climbing, stepping on countless arrows, making its way toward the top of the rock.

“What are you doing there? Get back here! Are you trying to die?” Ji Chenxuan’s face was darker than the night itself, and his feet, still in slippers, nearly sank into the cold seawater.

“I’m coming down!” Xiao Chi, worried Ji Chenxuan might come after him, hurriedly began to descend. Fortunately, the rock wasn’t too high, and the arrows were densely packed. With Xiao Chi’s skills, it was no problem for him to climb down.

He waded through the water, quickly returning to the shore, his pants soaked from the thighs down. Before he could even speak, Ji Chenxuan grabbed him tightly into an embrace.

“Have you gone mad? Do you know how dangerous that was?” Ji Chenxuan was so furious that his eyes were reddened, his tone harsh as he scolded him without holding back.

“Sorry…” Xiao Chi buried his face in Ji Chenxuan’s shoulder. “I wanted to finish everything before you woke up, but I didn’t expect…”

“What on earth made you think you had to run out here in the middle of the night?” Ji Chenxuan was still angry, dragging him back towards the shore.

Xiao Chi quickly grabbed his sleeve and directed the light from his wristband towards the giant rock.

“Look, the arrows you gave me—I put them on the rock for you!” Xiao Chi looked at him eagerly, his pupils sparkling like stars.

No, even the brightest stars in the sky couldn’t compare to the brilliance in his eyes.

“Are you happy? I just wanted to make you happy!”

At that moment, Ji Chenxuan felt as though he’d truly been struck by an arrow. His heart felt pierced, burning hot, and his eyes stung with tears.

He cupped the back of Xiao Chi’s head and kissed him urgently, no longer concerned with restraint or pretense!

The kiss was intense and rough, sweet yet bitter, with a hint of salt from the seawater. Ji Chenxuan’s tongue eagerly pried open Xiao Chi’s mouth, claiming him.

This time, Xiao Chi finally didn’t keep his eyes open, but naturally closed them.

At this moment, it was as if the entire world belonged only to the two of them. The long, silent night stretched out, with the stars and the moon above, standing together in the vast ocean, locked in an embrace.