Sitting beside the heated table was much warmer than sitting by the fire pit. The long, thick blankets insulated them from the cold wooden sofa and blocked the cold air blowing in from behind.
Su Jiao tucked his hands under the blanket and comfortably narrowed his eyes.
The warmth from the brazier spread upward along his legs, gradually warming his entire body. His fair skin slowly took on a rosy hue.
Since the extreme cold began at three o'clock, this was the first time Su Jiao had felt completely warm.
A little after nine that evening, the residential complex became lively again.
According to the residents' group chat, the students who had been at school were being sent home. Not long afterward, another message reported that people who had been working outside had also returned.
Gu Lingye scrolled through several messages and remarked, "Our country's rescue response really is fast. They've even managed to prepare such a complete set of emergency supplies."
Judging from the pictures posted in the group chat alone, each person had received a large bag of disposable heat packs. Thick clothes and trousers went without saying.
There were also thermoses filled with hot water and food. Everything needed to withstand the cold had been provided in one go.
Su Jiao was paying attention to something different from Gu Lingye. He looked at the messages from people saying that their family members and children still hadn't returned. He lightly tapped the screen twice with his fingertips to draw Gu Lingye's attention.
"Quite a few people here may have lost family members or children in this cold wave. I'm afraid it won't be long before they start blaming the rescue workers."
When people aren't the ones suffering a loss, most can remain kind and understanding. But once they find themselves on the losing end, their mentality can easily collapse.
It had nothing to do with whether someone was good or evil. It was simply human nature.
Gu Lingye understood what Su Jiao meant. He sighed and decided not to continue discussing something so unpleasant with the little prince.
There was nothing for the two of them to do at home. After warming themselves by the fire for a while, they decided to go to bed.
Gu Lingye had originally been waiting for Su Jiao to assign him a room. Seeing that the young man had no intention of bringing it up, he hesitated for a long time before finally asking.
"Um, Su Su, where am I sleeping tonight?"
Su Jiao turned his head in confusion. "The bedroom, of course."
Was there somewhere else he could sleep?
Under Su Jiao's puzzled gaze, Gu Lingye opened his mouth. He really wanted to say, But isn't that your bedroom?
"Ah..." Under Gu Lingye's gaze, Su Jiao suddenly understood. "All the rooms in my house have been cleared out to store supplies. Brother Gu, you'll have to share a room with me."
As he said this, Su Jiao paused. His gaze lingered on Gu Lingye's face, his eyes carrying a faintly mysterious look.
"Brother Gu, don't you want to sleep with me?"
The little prince had a pair of alluring peach-blossom eyes. Even the slightest movement of his brows and eyes seemed like the most tender poetry in the world.
Suddenly, Gu Lingye no longer wanted to wonder whether the person in front of him was deliberately seducing him. He decided to follow his heart.
"I do."
He didn't realize how gentle that one word sounded. Su Jiao's eyes curved into a smile as he leaned toward Gu Lingye.
Under the man's expectant yet nervous gaze, he straightened up again.
"Brother Gu, let's go back and get some sleep. There might be something new happening tomorrow."
The country was currently busy with rescue operations and didn't have much capacity to deal with other matters. But by tomorrow, new problems would begin to emerge.
At that point, even if the authorities had no time to spare, they would have no choice but to make room to issue temporary policies.
Gu Lingye watched Su Jiao get up and walk toward the bedroom. He took a deep breath, but the young man's faint fragrance seemed to linger around his nose.
Su Jiao, who had just stirred up a spring-like ripple in the man's heart, paid no further attention to Gu Lingye. He had always been particularly sensitive to the cold. Since his body was finally warm, the sensible thing to do was to hurry into bed.
Gu Lingye watched Su Jiao enter the bedroom and begin taking off his coat. With his long legs, he quickly crossed the room and reached out to close the bedroom door.
The sound of the door closing was rather loud. Su Jiao had only taken off half of his coat when his beautiful eyes turned toward Gu Lingye's hand.
His gaze lingered for only a moment. Gu Lingye had just begun to sense that he was being watched when Su Jiao looked away.
After removing his outermost layer of clothing, Su Jiao slipped under the thick quilt. Beneath the covers, he took off his sweater and trousers and tossed them outside.
His golden hair became a messy tangle as he moved around beneath the quilt. His sleepy black eyes wandered without settling on anything in particular.
Gu Lingye watched as one piece of clothing after another flew out from under the covers. The thoughts in his mind seemed to break free of their reins and gallop wildly.
His own imagination made Gu Lingye's face and neck turn bright red.
By the time Su Jiao had finished changing, he looked at Gu Lingye with a puzzled expression. Gu Lingye stiffly unbuttoned his coat, took off his clothes, and only then climbed into bed.
The man had removed his clothes outside the covers. His strong, powerful arms and well-defined muscles were fully visible as he moved.
Of course, what Su Jiao envied most was Gu Lingye's ability to withstand the cold.
When the man's warm body entered the quilt, it immediately drove away the cold air that had slipped inside. Su Jiao comfortably narrowed his eyes and moved a little closer to him.
Gu Lingye noticed Su Jiao's movement. His body stiffened for a moment as he lay down. When the blond young man showed no intention of moving closer, he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.
The two lay facing each other. Before long, Su Jiao's breathing became steady, and he fell fast asleep.
Hearing that Su Jiao had fallen asleep, Gu Lingye finally relaxed his tense body a little.
A stream of cold air slipped into the gap between them. Gu Lingye turned his face toward Su Jiao, who had begun pulling his head farther under the quilt.
He turned his whole body toward Su Jiao and moved a little closer.
Su Jiao's natural scent was very faint and fresh. Gu Lingye couldn't describe exactly what it smelled like. But as the fragrance filled his senses, sleepiness gradually crept over him as well.
There had been too many changes that day. Information spread across the internet like an explosion, and people were forced to absorb it all passively.
After receiving so much information, people's minds struggled to process what was happening. It was almost as though the sudden extreme cold had been nothing more than an ordinary drop in temperature. With the people around them providing a sense of reassurance, their fear was temporarily pushed aside.
The exhaustion of their minds finally caught up with them in the safety of their surroundings. A faint snore sounded, then fell silent. Gu Lingye frowned in his sleep, clearly troubled by whatever he was dreaming about.
A little after seven the next morning, the sky was still gloomy when commotion broke out in the residential complex.
Three trucks drove into the complex. A squad of young soldiers climbed down, carrying weapons and wearing serious expressions. Several of them still had freshly treated wounds on their faces and hands.
The commotion was coming from upstairs.
A group of people, some of whom might not have slept at all and others who had simply woken up very early, came out of their apartments. They wanted to buy the freshest supplies directly from the distribution team.
Gu Lingye woke at the sound of the activity outside. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Su Jiao, who was still half asleep.
The young man's golden hair was a messy tangle against his face, making his fair skin look even more striking.
Gu Lingye paused halfway through getting up. His mind instantly became clear.
Seeing Su Jiao rubbing his eyes and preparing to get up, Gu Lingye instinctively patted his back twice with his large hand.
The comforting gesture came entirely from instinct. By the time Gu Lingye realized what he had done, his face was practically burning.
"Su... Su Su." His voice was hoarse and sluggish from just waking up. Gu Lingye startled himself with how it sounded. He swallowed and softened his tone. "Go back to sleep. I'll go out and see what's happening."
To Su Jiao, the man's voice had always been the perfect lullaby.
Already half asleep, Su Jiao heard Gu Lingye's soothing words. In his dream, sleep stretched out its tentacles and pulled him into its deepest embrace.
In a daze, Su Jiao saw a small, inconspicuous grave mound beneath the endless snow and ice. He was living near the grave.
A familiar yet blurry figure stood above the mound. He couldn't make out the person's features clearly, but those deep brown eyes, filled with gentle affection and sorrow, were unforgettable.
His eyes began to ache and grow warm. Tears threatened to spill out.
Amid the chaotic dream, Su Jiao remembered who those eyes belonged to. He also remembered how, after that person died, he had been left alone to survive in that world.
The tears he had held back for so many years seemed ready to burst forth at that moment. Then, in the dream, Su Jiao saw sunlight again.
The gentle sunlight was golden, just like his hair.
"Su Su, it's all right if there's no sun. You'll always be my sunshine."
Those tender, affectionate words lingered in the dream. Su Jiao remembered what he had looked like in the end.
The sun had disappeared, and the sunlight had lost its original color. It had become as dull and lifeless as the rest of the world.
Sorrow dragged him deeper into the depths of despair. Su Jiao felt himself becoming increasingly hopeless, until he no longer had any desire to keep living.
Just then, a warm, large hand touched his face. The sensation was almost exactly like the comforting touch of the person who had once been by his side.
Su Jiao's sorrowful dream briefly faltered. Scenes from his rebirth flashed through his mind before finally settling on the image of a man standing at the bedroom door, looking at him with undisguised admiration.
That's right. He had been reborn.
Gu Lingye was lying right beside him.
Su Jiao instinctively reached out in front of himself. His hand touched warm, soft skin. He moved his fingers upward, following the skin as he tried to grasp the other person's clothes.
Caught off guard by the unexpected groping, Gu Lingye immediately grabbed Su Jiao's hand. His expression became extremely complicated.
He had originally intended to get out of bed and check what was happening outside.
But when he saw Su Jiao sobbing in his sleep, he couldn't bring himself to leave. Now the young man was moving his hand beneath the hem of his clothes and feeling his way upward.
Feeling his body's normal morning reaction, Gu Lingye lowered his gaze to the little prince's brilliant golden eyelashes. A tear was still clinging to them, neither falling nor disappearing.
The scenes playing out in his imagination galloped wildly out of control. Gu Lingye felt his entire body burning with embarrassment.
His eyes remained fixed on the little prince, whose every feature seemed exquisitely beautiful. His large hand unconsciously kneaded the soft palm he was holding.
Compared with most people in the south, Su Jiao was actually quite tall. At 175 centimeters, he was by no means short. But next to Gu Lingye, he looked like an adorable little kitten.
His relatively slender frame made it difficult for him to put on weight. To outsiders, he simply looked rather thin.
In reality, however, his body was pleasantly soft and full. His long fingers were so supple that they seemed almost boneless. Gu Lingye could play with them as much as he wanted without encountering the slightest resistance.
By the time Gu Lingye realized what he had been doing, quite a few red marks had already appeared on the soft little hand in his grasp.
Author's Note:
I love beautiful people with a little extra flesh on them more than anything!!!
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