Chapter 36: Exclusive to Jinjiang 2/2

From the chest to the abdomen, Shi Zhang’s lines were natural, with visible grooves, and the firm muscles rose and fell steadily with his breath.

The lines from the side were more enticing; a few oblique shark lines tightened due to Shi Zhang’s side-lying posture.

The serratus anterior was a very subtle area; even though Song Fuzhi had been working out for a long time, he only had a faint trace. Shi Zhang’s was obviously much more pronounced.

A professor doing research, the strong contrast between his academic temperament and his physique made Song Fuzhi a bit dizzy.

Seeing with the eyes was one thing, but holding it in the palm was completely different.

Suddenly, Song Fuzhi widened his eyes in the darkness and, as if electrified, pulled back his hand.

Shi Zhang also had momentary breathlessness and grabbed Song Fuzhi’s wrist.

It seemed like the exploration journey might have come to an early end.

Shi Zhang pressed against Song Fuzhi’s forehead, his voice hoarse. “Not continuing?”

Song Fuzhi really couldn’t handle the professor’s cold and desire-laden voice; his breath paused for several seconds before he answered, “It’s beyond my answer scope.”

Shi Zhang slowly said, “I thought this was today’s answer scope.”

—

The usually rational and calm Teacher Song seemed to have experienced a moment of complete blankness that he hadn’t felt in decades.

After a long pause, Song Fuzhi, adhering to the principle of sharing household chores in marriage, reached out and placed his hand on Shi Zhang’s arm.

Shi Zhang didn’t resist and just whispered, “Teacher Song, I have a request.”

Song Fuzhi replied, “Hmm?”

“Can you put on the ring?”

… A strong wave suddenly surged into Song Fuzhi’s heart.

Professor Shi’s request was filled with traditional connotations yet incredibly sexy.

It seemed like he cared a lot about belonging.

Song Fuzhi reached under the pillow, ready to put the ring on his left hand, but Shi Zhang gently intercepted him.

Holding Song Fuzhi’s hand, Shi Zhang put the ring on for him, his voice hoarse. “Teacher Song, wear the ring from now on.”

—

The sleeping bag was lifted, and the temperature inside the tent was still high. Song Fuzhi lazily laid down, leaning on Shi Zhang’s shoulder.

“Go wash up.” Shi Zhang gently tousled Song Fuzhi’s sweaty hair.

Song Fuzhi licked his lips. “Hmm.”

The two of them, like conspirators, bent down and walked out of the tent.

The late-night wilderness was quiet, with no moon in the sky and only a half-lit expanse of stars.

Outside was much colder than inside the tent. Song Fuzhi casually picked up two jackets and draped them over Shi Zhang’s shoulders.

“Put on the clothes; it’s cold.”

The two of them climbed slowly up the hillside. The shower area was now completely empty.

Song Fuzhi quickly took a shower, but it took some time to clean the ring properly.

Thinking about how the ring got dirty, Song Fuzhi felt a bit dry in the mouth.

After they both finished showering, they leisurely walked downhill.

The camping ground was dotted with lights, and most tents were quietly sleeping. Only the transparent small lamps and starlight string lights hung outside some tents remained.

In the distance, some young people seemed to still be lively, with candlelight flickering, beer glasses clinking, and occasional distant laughter carried by the wind.

Song Fuzhi felt a lazy mood all over his body, feeling that the place and time were too comfortable. The wild mountains were gentle, and he stopped halfway down the slope.

Shi Zhang followed him and stopped beside him. The two stood side by side in the middle of the soft grass, looking at the campsite and the distant, dark hills.

“Do you like it here?” Shi Zhang asked.

Song Fuzhi squinted his eyes, looking at the stars on the edge of the night. “I like it now.”

Shi Zhang smiled. “Then, after we retire, let’s build a small house in the wild mountains with a yard. Every night after exercise, come out, enjoy the breeze, look at the stars, and do nothing. Then go home and continue exercising.”

Song Fuzhi directly laughed, “After retiring, how old are we? The old bones are falling apart, and you still want to exercise?”

“Right, I didn’t consider objective conditions.” Professor Shi readily corrected himself. “Then, let’s do something suitable for all ages.”

Saying that, Shi Zhang walked to a nearby tree, picked a leaf, and said to the tree in a low voice, “Borrow a leaf, thanks.”

Song Fuzhi pocketed his hands, watching.

Professor Shi simply wiped the leaf, then held it on both sides, rolled it into an arc, and gently brought it to his lips.

With a sudden whoosh, the leaf produced a high-pitched tone.

Song Fuzhi widened his eyes. This was the first time he had seen someone actually produce sound with a leaf in real life.

Shi Zhang moved the leaf away a bit with a somewhat embarrassed smile. “It’s been a long time since I did this; I can’t find the right tune.”

“There’s still a tune?” Song Fuzhi laughed. “You can play a tune with this?”

“Please bear with me, Teacher Song.” After saying that, Shi Zhang actually lowered his eyes seriously, as if searching for strings.

Several scattered notes flowed out of the leaf’s vibration.

Sometimes high, sometimes low, sometimes dim, sometimes loud, it sounded like cutting wood with a saw—incredibly unpleasant!

Song Fuzhi didn’t expect this “divine music,” and seeing Shi Zhang playing it so seriously, he didn’t want to discourage him. He could only hold back his laughter.

But Shi Zhang proactively stopped playing, smiling, “I know it sounds terrible; don’t endure it.”

Song Fuzhi burst into laughter.

“How long has it been since you played?” Song Fuzhi asked.

“Since I was a teenager, I liked collecting plant specimens in the mountains back then and figured this out. At that time, I could even play the entire ‘Changting Outside the Ancient Road,'” Shi Zhang said.

“Ah.” Song Fuzhi followed with a couple of lines, deep and gentle: “Outside the long pavilion, beside the ancient road, fragrant grass stretches to the horizon.”

He stopped, casually asking, “When you were a teenager, why did you play such a sad tune?”

“Because it sounded good,” Shi Zhang said simply.

“You’re already impressive to be able to produce sound now.” Song Fuzhi also walked to the big tree, turned around, and looked at Shi Zhang. “Teach me too.”

Shi Zhang smiled and approached. “Let me pick one for you.”

The two were choosing their “instruments” when suddenly they felt a rustling sound under their feet.

Song Fuzhi didn’t pay much attention at first, but when he looked down, it was a fluffy little squirrel. Its round black eyes were agile, and it leaped forward cleverly.

Squirrels weren’t rare, but they were indeed uncommon in the concrete high-rise city.

Song Fuzhi was pleasantly surprised. “It’s a squirrel. A squirrel!”

The little squirrel shook its tail and ran forward, like the White Rabbit, in a hurry, muttering, “I’m going to be late,” leading them to follow it involuntarily.

Song Fuzhi put the leaf into his pocket, gave up on learning the leaf flute, and, together with Shi Zhang, followed the squirrel. The fallen leaves made crisp sounds under their feet.

It didn’t look like two adults; their self-control was like a kitten playing with butterflies and chasing fish from time to time.

The little animal slipped away quickly, disappearing into some tree branches in no time. The two men didn’t stop, continuing down the hillside. What was once a chase after a squirrel turned into a chase between the two of them.

Song Fuzhi ran in front with a flying smile, and his breath was very rapid. “Your physique is so good, but you can’t run fast.”

“Is that so?” Shi Zhang just said these two words, suddenly rushed forward, grabbed Song Fuzhi’s wrist, and with the other hand protected his back, using a bit of force.

 The two of them tumbled down the soft grassy slope together, embracing each other and rolling down the hill with laughter.

“Hahaha—”

In reality, they didn’t cover much distance, stopping after a few rolls.

But it was just too unlike something adults would do. Both of them were covered in grass debris, lying sprawled on the grass, laughing carelessly for quite some time.

Shi Zhang’s chest heaved, stifling a laugh. “How does it feel?”

The mountain wind blew, and Song Fuzhi, having played a lot, felt refreshingly cool. “Great!”

Suddenly, Shi Zhang, with the scent of grass all around him, approached, his eyes reflecting the starlight and his voice a bit hoarse. “I meant, how does it feel inside the tent?”

Song Fuzhi hesitated for a moment, then chuckled in a low voice. “Excellent.”

The memories and sensations were still fresh. Song Fuzhi silently recalled the feeling in his palms, feeling that Professor Shi was indeed not following any rules and not behaving like a refined person.

After they had enough of their madness in the grass, lying in irregular positions for a while, they finally helped each other up from the grass.

“Let’s go back,” Shi Zhang said, patting off the grass debris on Song Fuzhi’s body and then on himself.

Looking at the flying grass fragments, Song Fuzhi said, “Well, the bath was pointless.”

The bath might have been pointless, but the joy of tonight was unparalleled.

Walking back steadily, approaching the campsite, Shi Zhang slowly stopped and let out a clear laugh.

Song Fuzhi also stopped, following his gaze forward, and burst into laughter.

Ah hahaha, goodness gracious.

Walking towards them at this very moment were none other than Zhong Ziyan and Jin Xiaonan!

Originally a bit awkward, but meeting in the wild at midnight, one pair had just returned from the shower, and the other was on their way to the shower. They tacitly revealed the smiles of adults.

All four of them laughed, and the more they laughed, the funnier it became.

Zhong Ziyan was wearing a silver silk spaghetti strap dress, like a mermaid in the dark night. Her usually well-maintained large waves were a bit messy now, casually draped over her shoulders, creating misty curves in the evening breeze.

She held a slim women’s cigarette between her fingertips, a dark red glow flickering in the night.

Song Fuzhi, watching Zhong Ziyan smoke and flick the ashes, had a sudden craving. After every satisfying encounter, he would usually smoke a bit—not much, just one cigarette, but it had almost become a habit.

Zhong Ziyan exhaled a faint puff of smoke, squinting at Song Fuzhi and Shi Zhang. “Did we disturb you just now?”

Song Fuzhi was momentarily stunned. He wanted to say “no,” but he approached a bit and saw Jin Xiaonan wrapping Zhong Ziyan in a thick shawl, hanging down to cover his knees. However, the collar was a bit loose, revealing a string of fresh hickeys.

Song Fuzhi was caught off guard and subtly averted his gaze, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Shi Zhang responded, “Not really.”

Zhong Ziyan seemed to sense something, tilted her head slightly, and naturally helped Jin Xiaonan tuck the shawl up to cover those marks.

The big boy blushed instantly.

“What’s going on with you two?” Zhong Ziyan finally saw it clearly. The two men in front of her had a few scattered leaves hanging on them, some tiny weeds, and their hair was not very tidy.

“Not coming back from the shower, right? Rolled around in the woods halfway?” she teased.

Once she said that, Jin Xiaonan also noticed. Gradually, a look of sudden realization and an indescribable expression appeared on his face.

Song Fuzhi felt a bit helpless; he felt that this college student might have misunderstood.

“More or less, but it shouldn’t be what you’re thinking,” Shi Zhang said.

Zhong Ziyan raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t say anything.”

It would go off-topic if they continued, so Song Fuzhi pointed to the grassy slope not far away, saying succinctly, “We ran into a little squirrel, followed it downhill, ran too fast, and fell, getting covered in grass.”

After hearing him, Zhong Ziyan curled her lips. Jin Xiaonan burst into a light laugh and quickly suppressed it, revealing a pair of dimples on his cheeks. He coughed lightly and said, “Sorry.”

It was quite funny, and these childish actions were quite inconsistent with their serious identities.

Originally thinking that Zhong Ziyan would make a couple of teasing remarks, she just smiled and said, “It’s great, happy for you.”

Shi Zhang slightly curved his lips.

“Alright, go to bed early. We’re going to the shower.” Zhong Ziyan walked with Jin Xiaonan, casually asking, “Is there still hot water now?”

Song Fuzhi said, “Yes, but you have to wait a bit for the water to be ready.”

Zhong Ziyan agreed.

She finished smoking the cigarette, walked a few steps, threw it into the trash can, turned back, and picked out another one from the flat cigarette box.

The usually quiet Jin Xiaonan suddenly frowned, pressing on Zhong Ziyan’s wrist.

His voice was very light, but his tone was resolute. “Don’t smoke.”

Zhong Ziyan paused, stared at Jin Xiaonan for several seconds, and finally obediently tilted the cigarette box, letting the slender woman’s cigarette fall back.

“Fine.”

Shi Zhang silently watched, chuckling in his heart. Now someone could control the fearless Zhong Ziyan.

Song Fuzhi also silently watched that pack of cigarettes, feeling a bit itchy for a smoke.

The two couples were about to bid farewell. Song Fuzhi hesitated for a moment but still called out, “Zhong Ziyan.”

Zhong Ziyan: “What’s up?”

Song Fuzhi lifted his chin slightly. “Zhong Ziyan, may I ask, can I borrow a cigarette?”