Chapter 51: A Sudden Awakening From a Dream 

After returning to the rented house, Lin Hexi ordered takeout, then spread his drawing paper on the table in the living room. Using the photos on his phone as a reference, he began sketching the draft composition.

After the takeout arrived, he quickly finished his meal and picked up his brush again.

It wasn’t until another two hours had passed that he remembered he needed to take a shower.

He went to the balcony to get a towel and underwear. Outside the window, the sound of muffled thunder rumbled, and the dense rain pounded against the window glass, producing a rapid and distinct noise.

While taking down the towel and underwear, Lin Hexi lowered his head and looked out into the dark night. The rain outside showed no signs of stopping; in fact, it had grown even heavier compared to a few hours earlier.

He left the balcony and, without fetching his pajamas or pants from the wardrobe, went straight into the bathroom.

Since he lived alone in the house, Lin Hexi was always quite casual.

The bathroom in the rental was not very big. Lin Hexi set down what he was holding, raised his hands, and took off his shirt and pants, finally bending down to remove his underwear.

As he lifted his leg, his fingers didn’t grip firmly, and the underwear slipped from above his knees, falling onto the bathroom floor.

Lin Hexi bent down to pick it up.

Suddenly, his vision went dark. The whole world fell silent in an instant, with only the sound of the thunderstorm outside clearly audible.

Lin Hexi paused for a moment, slightly stunned. Relying on his memory, he picked up the underwear and looked up at the water heater on the wall, which had also gone dark.

Two seconds later, he realized what had happened. It wasn’t that the bathroom light had gone out, but rather the entire house had lost power.

He raised his hand, wrapped the towel around his waist, and groped his way to the door, heading to the living room sofa to look for his phone.

Before he could find his phone, there was a knock on the door.

Of all the residents in the community, Lin Hexi only knew You Chong. At this hour, the only person who would come knocking was probably none other than You Chong.

However, even though they had known each other for so long, You Chong had never come downstairs to look for him before.

Lin Hexi felt a bit unsure and slowly shuffled his feet towards the door to open it.

The hallway was pitch black as well. Seeing Lin Hexi open the door directly, You Chong stood in the darkness and raised his eyebrows, asking, “You didn’t even ask who was knocking, and you just came over to open the door?”

Lin Hexi curved his lips into a smile. “I knew it was you.”

You Chong replied, “What if it wasn’t me?”

“I’m not some helpless girl,” Lin Hexi said nonchalantly. “Besides, a man with impure intentions would only knock on the door of a woman living alone.”

You Chong’s tone darkened slightly. “Burglars love knocking on the doors of students living alone,” he said, pausing before pointedly adding, “regardless of gender.”

Lin Hexi couldn’t help but laugh, then smoothly conceded, “I’ll definitely remember to ask next time before opening the door.”

As expected, You Chong didn’t say anything further.

Lin Hexi shifted the topic. “What brings you here?”

Standing by the doorway, You Chong’s expression was hidden in the darkness, making it hard to read, but there was a faint hint of displeasure in his voice:  “Can’t I come find you even if there’s no reason?”

Upon hearing this, Lin Hexi curled his lips into a smile, “Of course you can, definitely.” But then his tone suddenly changed, sounding innocent and sincere. “It’s just that, even though I’ve known you for so long, I’ve never seen you come downstairs to find me without a reason before.”

After a brief pause, You Chong spoke up, “I came to borrow something.”

Lin Hexi showed a look of understanding. “What do you need to borrow?”

“Dish soap,” You Chong replied.

“Dish soap?” Lin Hexi was momentarily stunned. “I don’t have any dish soap, but I do have hand soap.”

You Chong nodded. “Hand soap will do.”

His tone was extremely casual, making it sound like he wasn’t genuinely there to borrow anything. Lin Hexi was stunned again, unable to resist showing a hint of suspicion on his face.

You Chong urged him with a word.

After thinking for a couple of seconds, Lin Hexi didn’t continue questioning and turned to fetch the hand soap for him.

As he took a step, he tripped over something on the floor, stumbled unsteadily, and his knee hit the shoe rack beside him, causing him to fall straight to the ground.

You Chong stepped inside just in time, reaching out to support his waist, helping him steady himself against his chest, but he didn’t manage to stop the shoe rack from wobbling.

Shoes tumbled down one after another, landing by their feet. You Chong seemed oblivious to the noise, his attention entirely focused on the smooth, slightly cool sensation under his hand.

Realizing something quickly, his voice tensed almost imperceptibly, “You’re not wearing any clothes?”

Lin Hexi also came back to his senses and let go of You Chong’s arm, sheepishly explaining, “I was just about to shower when the power went out.”

You Chong pushed him away from his chest, signaling for him to head further inside.

Relying on his sense of direction, Lin Hexi stepped over the shoes on the floor and slowly walked towards the living room. He then stopped in front of the sofa, bent down, and continued to fumble around the sofa.

You Chong followed him in and asked, “What are you looking for?”

Lin Hexi absentmindedly replied, “It’s too dark with the power out. I’m looking for my phone to use as a light—”

You Chong suddenly interrupted him, his words tinged with a barely noticeable irritation, “No need to look for it.”

Lin Hexi paused his searching and straightened up in front of the sofa. “I’ve already found it,” he said, preparing to turn on the flashlight on his phone.

In a flash, You Chong stepped forward and frowned, reaching for the phone in Lin Hexi’s hand.

Instinctively, Lin Hexi leaned back, his heel hitting the sofa’s base, and he fell onto the sofa due to the momentum.

Still holding onto the phone, Lin Hexi didn’t let go, and in the struggle, he pulled You Chong, who was also gripping the phone, onto the sofa as well.

Caught off guard, You Chong had no choice but to release the phone and brace himself on the sofa beside Lin Hexi to steady his body.

However, with the darkness obscuring his vision, You Chong’s palm missed the edge of the sofa, causing him to lose balance and fall on top of Lin Hexi, pressing him down into the sofa.

Both of them froze slightly, but neither made any move.

After a prolonged silence, Lin Hexi was the first to speak, “Why are you taking my phone?”

You Chong’s mildly irritated voice quickly came from above, “I just wanted to remind you not to turn on the light.”

Lin Hexi was taken aback, “Why shouldn’t I turn on the light?”

You Chong’s voice noticeably deepened, “Lin Hexi, you’re the one not wearing any clothes, and you’re asking me why?”

Understanding the implication behind You Chong’s words, Lin Hexi let out a low laugh.

Annoyed further by his laughter, You Chong impatiently reached out and pressed down on Lin Hexi’s shaking shoulders. “What are you laughing at?”

As if he couldn’t control it, Lin Hexi’s laughter gradually grew louder, with fragmented words slipping out intermittently, “You think I’m not wearing anything at all?”

Finally reaching the end of his patience, You Chong raised his hand to cover Lin Hexi’s mouth.

But before he could close his mouth, Lin Hexi’s slightly parted lips brushed against You Chong’s warm palm, inadvertently planting a kiss on his hand.

The soft, moist sensation lingered in You Chong’s mind, refusing to fade. In the renewed silence of the dark, it felt as though something long dormant within him was now, under the cover of the deep night, recklessly growing like wild grass.

You Chong released the hand covering Lin Hexi’s mouth, the pad of his finger brushing lightly but deliberately across his lips, then sliding down along the corner of his mouth to rest against his chin.

Lin Hexi lifted his eyes from the darkness, gazing at You Chong with clear and bright eyes.

With one hand braced beside Lin Hexi’s face, You Chong’s gaze was fixed intently on his lips as he slowly lowered his head.

Sensing You Chong’s breath drawing nearer, Lin Hexi kept his eyes open, remaining still. It was as if he was afraid of startling something, and he instinctively held his breath.

Warm breath brushed over his lips, and the pressure of You Chong’s hand on his chin suddenly intensified as his lips slowly descended onto Lin Hexi’s—

A sharp thud of something heavy hitting the ground suddenly echoed in their ears.

The two of them froze abruptly, as if awakening from a dream.