Chapter 42: Applying Sunscreen

After eating, they finally headed to the beach. Lin Hexi wore his swim trunks under a pair of beach shorts, fished a baseball cap out of his bag, and followed behind You Chong down the stairs to wait for the others.

After sitting in the living room for a while, Yang Juan, Zhao Du, and Lin Tong all came downstairs one after another, but Zhou Xuan remained in his room without any sign of movement. Growing impatient from the wait, You Chong went upstairs to fetch him.

The door to Zhou Xuan’s bedroom was tightly shut, and You Chong didn’t even bother to knock; he pushed the door open and walked in directly.

Zhou Xuan was in the middle of changing his pants, his trousers halfway down. Hearing the door open, he turned his head, but seeing that it was You Chong who had entered, he didn’t stop what he was doing.

You Chong’s expression darkened slightly; stumbling upon two people changing pants in a short span of time was hardly a pleasant experience.

As if to confirm something, he lowered his gaze without showing any emotion, taking a glance at Zhou Xuan’s exposed legs.

A second later, he indifferently moved his gaze away.

Zhou Xuan’s legs were no different from Lin Hexi’s; both had healthy and well-proportioned shapes, with long, straight calves and skin above the backs of their knees that was fair due to a lack of sun exposure.

The only difference was that Zhou Xuan’s leg muscles were more toned and robust.

You Chong’s expression eased slightly as he chalked up his prolonged stares at Lin Hexi’s body to coincidence and accident.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and urged Zhou Xuan to hurry up.

Once everyone was ready, they went out to the hotel’s buffet restaurant for a meal.

The nearest beach was less than a ten-minute walk from the hotel, so the six of them walked directly from the hotel entrance.

At two in the afternoon, the sun was blazing in the sky, and the air was so dry it seemed like it could ignite at any moment. Even through the thin soles of their flip-flops, they could feel the searing, furnace-like heat of the ground.

There were still very few tourists on the beach. Looking into the distance, they could vaguely see just a few figures walking along the shore with umbrellas. A dark-skinned lifeguard stood in front of a shop, seeking shade from the sun, and the lounge chairs under the beach umbrellas were completely deserted.

Lin Hexi looked down, absentmindedly kicking off the flip-flop on his right foot and burying his entire foot in the thick sand, only to quickly lift it again as the heat from the sand burned him.

You Chong, standing nearby, let out a light scoff when he saw this.

Lin Hexi wasn’t bothered at all. He even tilted up the brim of his hat and smiled at You Chong nonchalantly.

You Chong’s gaze lingered on his face for a brief, imperceptible moment before he said nothing.

It was still too hot to go into the water, so everyone decided to sit under the beach umbrellas for a while.

Zhou Xuan took Yang Juan and Lin Tong to a nearby shop to rent swim rings, and Zhao Du went next door to buy cold drinks, leaving You Chong and Lin Hexi to go wait under the umbrella.

The lounge chairs on the beach were all wide enough to accommodate a couple. You Chong casually picked a chair, lay down, and placed his baseball cap over his face, closing his eyes for a short nap.

The skin on the outside of his thigh felt as though something had lightly brushed against it, causing a slight itch.

He removed the cap and opened his eyes, seeing Lin Hexi sitting cross-legged on the edge of the lounge chair, his head lowered as he focused intently on applying sunscreen.

The brim of his hat cast a faint shadow on the bridge of his nose, and the tip of his delicate and prominent nose peeked out from under the hat. Without looking at the rest of him, just his nose tip and chin alone resembled the features of a delicate-looking girl.

The way Lin Hexi was crouched at the edge of the lounge chair for some reason evoked an image in You Chong’s mind of a dignified and elegant cat perched by his leg, head lowered as it licked its paw.

The next second, the person in front of him suddenly lifted his head, revealing the full face hidden beneath the hat.

“Can you do me a favor?” Lin Hexi asked, looking at him.

You Chong was a bit distracted. “What favor?”

Lin Hexi didn’t answer. Instead, he set down the sunscreen, took off his baseball cap, crossed his arms to grip the hem of his shirt, and raised his hands to pull the shirt off.

You Chong’s eyelid twitched slightly as he sat up from the back of the chair and grabbed Lin Hexi’s hand, his voice unconsciously tensing. “Why are you taking off your shirt?”

Lin Hexi picked up the sunscreen from the chair and tossed it to him.

In the brief moment when You Chong looked down to catch the sunscreen, he caught a glimpse of a flash of white out of the corner of his eye. When he looked up again, all that was left in front of him was a broad expanse of bare back exposed to the air.

Holding the shirt he had just taken off in his arms, Lin Hexi sat down by You Chong’s leg, turned his head, and spoke unhurriedly, “Help me put sunscreen on my back. I can’t reach it myself.”

You Chong stared at him with an inscrutable expression for a moment.

A hint of surprise flashed across Lin Hexi’s face. He lowered his head and sighed, “Is it not okay? If it’s not, I can go find—”

You Chong abruptly interrupted him, “Come here.”

Lin Hexi didn’t quite catch what he said. “What?”

“Move a little closer,” You Chong said in a flat tone. “My arms aren’t that long.”

Lin Hexi paused in place without moving, his eyes sweeping over You Chong’s crossed legs. “Spread your legs a bit.”

Doubting what he just heard, You Chong’s expression turned slightly strange. “What did you say?”

Lin Hexi’s tone was teasing. “If you don’t spread your legs a bit, how am I supposed to sit over there?”

After a brief silence, You Chong slightly bent his long legs and angled them outward.

Lin Hexi, unfazed, pressed his palms against the edge of the chair and lifted himself slightly, sliding into the space between You Chong’s legs.

Ignoring the subtle sense of awkwardness in his chest, You Chong squeezed out some sunscreen and spread the white lotion across Lin Hexi’s back.

After a moment, he said in a low voice, “All done.”

Hearing this, Lin Hexi lowered his head again in front of You Chong, revealing a section of his long, clean nape.

Pointing at the back of his neck, he said, “This part needs it too.”

You Chong’s sunscreen-covered fingertips pressed lightly but firmly against the skin of his neck.

Lin Hexi straightened his back, leaning slightly forward as he gradually tightened and straightened the lines of his waist. Pointing at his lower back, he said, “And here too.”

You Chong’s expression gradually showed signs of impatience, but he still squeezed more sunscreen into his palm, flipped his hand, and covered Lin Hexi’s lower back, rubbing along the thin layer of flesh over his waist.

When the first soft hum sounded, You Chong almost thought he was hearing things.

However, after a brief pause, the intermittent hums sounded in his ears once more.

The sound was low, soft, and drawn out, rising and falling in a continuous rhythm. The tail end of each hum seemed to carry a hook, tinged with a faint numbness and lingering allure, slipping in seamlessly, penetrating his ears, seeping into every pore of his body, and even squeezing into the crevices of his bones.

He realized the sound was coming from Lin Hexi’s mouth.

The sensation of rubbing Lin Hexi’s lower back beneath his palm was magnified in his mind—soft and searing.

In his view was Lin Hexi’s fair and smooth back, along with the subtle protrusions of his shoulder blades.

Nestled between the two shoulder blades was a narrow, sunken groove that extended straight down into the waistband of his shorts.

It was as if a faint flame had ignited in his chest, burning his throat until it felt dry. You Chong’s expression shifted slightly, and he extended his arm over Lin Hexi’s bare shoulder, covering his mouth with his hand, his tone irritated as he asked, “What are you moaning for?”

With his mouth covered and unable to speak, Lin Hexi grasped You Chong’s arm, his shoulders trembling slightly.

You Chong’s annoyance deepened. He moved his hand from Lin Hexi’s mouth to his cheek and, without warning, turned his face towards him.

Lin Hexi didn’t have time to hide the smile on his face and was suddenly met with You Chong’s deep, unfathomable gaze. He froze for a second.

Fingers pinching Lin Hexi’s chin, You Chong’s eyes locked intensely on his face as he gritted out, “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

Lin Hexi blinked slowly, a barely noticeable flicker of guilt passing through his clear, bright pupils.

You Chong’s gaze grew increasingly dangerous and intimidating.

Lin Hexi paused for a moment.

After a brief silence, his thoughts gradually returned to him, and a harmless smile slowly spread across his face. Silently, Lin Hexi reached out and pried off You Chong’s fingers that were holding his chin, one by one.

You Chong stared at his actions, his expression calm like the stillness before a storm.

Lin Hexi observed him calmly, once again showing a seemingly honest and obedient smile.

You Chong’s focus shifted from Lin Hexi’s eyes to the smile on his face.

Seizing the rare opportunity, Lin Hexi suddenly scrambled up from the chair, lifting his leg to jump off.

A strong arm abruptly blocked his way across his waist.

His shirt and baseball cap tumbled from his arms as Lin Hexi lost control and was pulled back, falling into You Chong’s lap, his back slamming heavily against You Chong’s chest.

This time, not only did You Chong not push him away, but he tightened his arm around Lin Hexi’s waist, dragging him even further back.

With considerable force, he firmly pressed Lin Hexi into his lap, holding him in place so that he couldn’t move.

You Chong’s firm and heated belt pressed against Lin Hexi’s tailbone.

No, that wasn’t a belt.

You Chong’s beach shorts didn’t even have a belt.

Lin Hexi fell silent instantly.