Chapter 44: Reciprocity

After applying sunscreen, Lin Hexi and Yang Juan left, while You Chong returned to drink some water and sat on a chair for a while.

Gradually, more people began to gather on the beach. On the second lounge chair from the left, a young, strong stranger whistled at him.

Hearing the sound, You Chong glanced over and recognized the man as the one who had been messing around in front of Lin Hexi two hours ago.

At the moment, that man was sitting alone under a parasol; his girlfriend was not by his side.

You Chong subtly furrowed his brow.

The young man got up from his chair, barefoot, walking on the sand towards You Chong, and casually sat down beside him. “Bro, was that your boyfriend just now?”

Upon hearing this, You Chong lifted his eyes with an indifferent expression. “No.”

“No need to be shy,” the man said, acting as if they were familiar, and reached out to place his hand on You Chong’s shoulder. “I saw everything you guys did—”

You Chong frowned and interrupted him, “I said, no.”

Hearing this response, the man didn’t show any sign of disappointment. Instead, he guessed with even more interest, “If he’s not your boyfriend, then he’s a hookup?”

A faint impatience surfaced in You Chong’s eyes. He got up, put down his drink, and prepared to leave.

Seeing that You Chong didn’t respond, the man had already decided on his own that his guess was correct. The interest on his face grew even stronger. “I’ve never tried it with a man. What’s it like messing around with guys? Is it more enjoyable than a woman’s body?”

The man’s words were obviously targeted and highly offensive to Lin Hexi.

At this moment, You Chong had already stood up, but a sudden surge of anger flared within him. He turned around and looked down at the man in front of him, his gaze cold and piercing. “Watch your mouth.”

The man cooperatively raised his hands, smiling as he apologized to You Chong.

However, he found it amusing in his heart. Didn’t he just say it wasn’t his boyfriend? So why did he get so defensive, just like one would for a boyfriend, over a few casual words?

They stayed in the sea until around five in the afternoon, when the sun overhead began to tilt westward, and the beach showed signs of a slight tide coming in.

The crystal-clear blue seawater gently swept over the sandy beach and then slowly retreated back into the ocean, leaving behind numerous shells and small fish and shrimp in the damp sand.

Children eagerly put down their toy shovels and ran to the wet sand piles, searching for beautifully shaped shells and conchs.

Yang Juan sat in an inflatable swim ring, gradually being pushed by the receding shallow tide to a spot farther from the beach.

He became a bit nervous, gripping the swim ring tightly with both hands and not daring to let go, calling out loudly for the others.

Seeing this, Lin Hexi, who had been about to swim back, turned around in the water and paddled his arms, swimming towards Yang Juan.

When Lin Hexi reached Yang Juan, he realized that You Chong had already gotten there faster. With one hand, You Chong effortlessly grabbed Yang Juan’s swim ring and dragged him back to the shallow waters near the beach.

Lin Hexi ducked his head and dived into the sea, swimming around to Yang Juan’s back. Then, he surfaced, taking advantage of Yang Juan’s body as cover, and hooked his arms onto the swim ring behind Yang Juan, shamelessly enjoying the ride as You Chong dragged them both along.

The swim ring in his hand suddenly dipped, causing You Chong to stop in suspicion. When he turned around, he indeed saw another person hanging onto the swim ring, taking advantage of the situation.

Catching sight of the relaxed and carefree look on Lin Hexi’s face, You Chong was almost amused by his antics. “Lin Hexi, come to the front.”

After releasing the swim ring, Lin Hexi swam to You Chong’s side and said in a tone full of mock regret, “Did you notice?”

You Chong gave him a sideways glance. “Do you take me for a fool?”

“I never said that,” Lin Hexi muttered softly with a smile in his voice.

Lin Hexi initially intended to ask why You Chong had called him over, but before he could say anything, he saw You Chong reach out and grab his wrist.

Lin Hexi’s eyelids twitched slightly, and a sense of foreboding welled up inside him.

Sure enough, he then watched as You Chong guided his hand onto Yang Juan’s swim ring.

You Chong smirked leisurely, “I dragged you and Yang Juan for the first half; now it’s your turn to drag us for the second half, right?”

Lin Hexi’s smile froze momentarily, but he quickly lowered his gaze, half-jokingly saying, “I’m already out of strength.”

You Chong observed him intently for two seconds, then raised his palm to slice through the water and suddenly pressed it against Lin Hexi’s chest.

Lin Hexi couldn’t avoid it in time and tried hard to suppress the subtle emotions in his heart, standing there frozen and motionless.

After a moment, You Chong calmly withdrew his hand, his expression slightly amused. “It seems like your heart is beating quite energetically.”

Lin Hexi snapped out of it a beat late, realizing that You Chong was deliberately making fun of him. Refusing to back down, he immediately curled his lips into a smirk and asked in a teasing and ambiguous tone, “Does my chest feel good to touch?”

You Chong’s expression froze abruptly. He slowly narrowed his eyes, and stared at Lin Hexi with an unreadable look.

Knowing he’d gained the upper hand, Lin Hexi displayed a faintly satisfied expression.

However, he was suddenly caught off guard when You Chong let out a chuckle, his voice lowered to a deep rumble, and asked pointedly, “Do you even have chest muscles?”

Whether it was because he had been soaking in the sea for too long or because the sun’s lingering rays still held some warmth, Lin Hexi felt a moment of daze and found You Chong’s voice sounded unusually seductive.

After calmly reflecting on it, Lin Hexi realized that mentioning his barely-there chest muscles in front of You Chong might indeed be like showing off one’s skills in front of a master.

With a sly smile, he hinted, “If mine doesn’t count, then why don’t you show me what does?”

You Chong remained unfazed, refusing to fall into the trap Lin Hexi had set. He simply reminded, “If you keep dawdling here, the half distance I swam dragging you will have been for nothing.”

It was then that Lin Hexi noticed that while they had been idling in the water, the waves had pushed them further towards the middle of the sea.

As for the third person present, Yang Juan, watching the two of them exchange their back-and-forth banter in the water as if no one else were around, could only obediently cling to the swim ring, trying his best to lower his presence and didn’t even dare to remind them of their drifting situation.

Lin Hexi, known for having a thick skin like a fortress in front of You Chong, took advantage of the moment when the others were focused on the sea. He reached underwater, swam over, and gave You Chong’s chest muscles a squeeze.

You Chong turned his face in shock, his expression instantly darkening. “Lin Hexi.”

The culprit, whose name was just called, tilted his head and smiled. “It’s just reciprocity. Or,” he changed his expression in a second, feigning a look of grievance, “is it that you’re allowed to touch me, but I’m not allowed to touch you back?”

You Chong paused, staring deeply into Lin Hexi’s eyes as his gaze gradually intensified.

Two seconds later, You Chong withdrew his gaze from Lin Hexi’s face, said nothing, and pulled the swim ring with Yang Juan on it, turning around to swim back.

Lin Hexi once again tried to hook his arm onto Yang Juan’s swim ring.

To Lin Hexi’s surprise, this time, You Chong didn’t get angry. Instead, he pulled both Lin Hexi and Yang Juan, along with the swim ring, back to the shallow waters.

During the long, silent journey back, Lin Hexi finally sensed a hint of You Chong’s brewing intention to settle scores with him later.

When the three of them reached the shallow water near the beach, Lin Hexi swiftly released Yang Juan’s swim ring and turned to swim in the opposite direction.

You Chong, having anticipated this, extended his arm and grabbed Lin Hexi’s wrist, pulling him back in front of him and dragging him towards the shore.

As soon as Lin Hexi’s feet touched the sandy ground, You Chong let go of his wrist and pushed him onto the beach.

Just then, another wave rolled in. With the combined force of the tide and You Chong’s shove, Lin Hexi stumbled backward and fell into the sand. The seawater swiftly surged over his waist, then just as quickly receded.

Lin Hexi placed his hands on the ground, attempting to stand up.

Kneeling down in front of him, You Chong chuckled softly and easily pushed him back down into the sand soaked with seawater, preventing him from getting up.

Lin Hexi struggled but to no avail. He could clearly hear the sound of the tide surging towards the beach once again.

Recalling how the water had reached his waist when he was sitting, he realized that now, lying down, the seawater would inevitably submerge his head and face.

Lin Hexi sighed lightly. As his hands climbed onto You Chong’s shoulders, his legs swiftly wrapped around You Chong’s waist, using both his hands and feet to pull You Chong down onto him.

Caught off guard by the strength of Lin Hexi’s arms and legs, You Chong’s expression subtly shifted. He had no choice but to release his hold on Lin Hexi, quickly bracing his hands beside Lin Hexi’s face to keep himself suspended above him.

The seawater surged from beneath You Chong, rushing forward along his chest, and was about to submerge Lin Hexi’s nose and mouth.

Instinctively, Lin Hexi tightly closed his eyes and held his breath.

A hand slid down from his neck, pressed against his back, and steadily lifted him from the sand.

His tightly pressed lips suddenly bumped into You Chong’s firm chin, causing Lin Hexi to open his eyes in surprise. He wrapped his arms around You Chong’s bare back, trying to lessen the burden on him while carefully shifting his lips away from You Chong’s chin.

Then, in a place where You Chong couldn’t see, Lin Hexi unconsciously pursed his lips.

The tide surged into a deeper area than before, carrying back to the sea the fish that had been struggling and flapping on the beach.

Lin Hexi relaxed his body, intending to lie back down.

However, the hand supporting his back didn’t let go; instead, it lifted him up even further.

The distance between them closed once more.

Lin Hexi’s gaze lightly brushed over You Chong’s lips, which were now just inches away, stirring a faint, peculiar feeling within him.

While suppressing the emotions bubbling up inside, he quietly shifted his gaze away. But in the next second, he found himself meeting You Chong’s lowered eyes, looking back at him.

From this angle, Lin Hexi could clearly see into You Chong’s eyes.

And You Chong could see all the emotions in Lin Hexi’s eyes.

Their gazes briefly collided, and Lin Hexi’s beautiful, dark eyes suddenly froze.

He distinctly felt his heart skip a beat.

At the same time, You Chong raised his eyebrow slightly and said with a meaningful tone, “Don’t you think that, with how close we are now, it almost feels like we’re kissing?”

Lin Hexi was stunned for a long moment.

Seemingly pleased by his reaction, You Chong withdrew the hand supporting Lin Hexi’s back, stepped back, and stood up, giving him space.

“Don’t overthink it,” You Chong said as he glanced at Lin Hexi, who was still sitting on the ground. He slowly curled his lips into a smile. “It’s just reciprocity, after all.”