It was close to noon when Liu Yong pushed the hotel door open. When both men had woken up the odd feeling and behaviour from the previous day had vanished and they felt like themselves again. Zhou RenShu's body however, felt even worse when he woke up but he forced his broken body to get out of bed. He first cleaned his shameful body and doll then called room service to leave clean sheets and duvet covers outside the door, room service had offered to do the work but with one look at the large stain of cum on the sheet, Zhou RenShu could only stutter out a no before hanging up.

 

Thankfully someone had come and taken the dirty bedding away before Liu Yong returned. After struggling to make the bed Zhou RenShu ordered a large breakfast and opened every window to air out the room, he would’ve opened the french doors but no matter how hard he tried the doors wouldn’t budge. Once the food arrived Zhou RenShu ate at the table, he was tempted to eat in bed but he was worried he would spill crumbs all over his hard work.

 

With tired limbs he left the dirty dishes on the table and crawled back to bed, his body was on the pillow for only a few seconds before he fell asleep again, he didn’t even notice the door clicking open.

 

Liu Yong was just as tired as Zhou RenShu when he returned, the workout he did was too much, even after Liu Yong used his cultivation to heal his overworked muscles he felt drained and sore. The intense workout aired with a full night of desk work had completely worn him out. Liu Yong dragged his tired body to the bathroom so he could shower but he was mostly standing under the warm water in a daze until he couldn’t be bothered to stand anymore.

 

Too tired to dress, Liu Yong roughly wiped a towel over his body not bothering with his hair then walked to bed with heavy steps, the noise he made didn’t even bother the sleeping boy in bed. Liu Yong opened the blankets and noticed Zhou RenShu was also naked. Once his body laid down on the mattress he yawned while checking Zhou RenShu’s temperature. He’s hot.

 

Everytime Zhou RenShu was asleep he would slowly snake his way towards Liu Yong but today was different, he was too exhausted to move. Liu Yong turned to face the sleeping boy beside him. He was a little surprised to realise he had missed Zhou RenShu. We’ve been apart only two nights but it feels odd not knowing if he’s okay.

 

Although Zhou RenShu’s body was warm, Liu Yong pulled the sleeping boy into his chest, his arms screamed out but he didn’t stop until Zhou RenShu was nestled against his bare chest. Zhou RenShu also moved for the first time since he had fallen asleep, his small hands slid their way up Liu Yong naked body until they wrapped around his neck, the pressure was light but Zhou RenShu still pulled Liu Yong closer to him. Once Liu Yong felt Zhou RenShu in his arms he no longer fought off sleep.

 

_ _ _ _ _ _

 

Both men slept until the sun was setting behind the tall buildings littering the large city, Zhou RenShu woke up first and felt a strong firm body holding him tightly. The dream from before was still in his mind but it was somewhat blurred. Zhou RenShu groaned and stretched inside the tight hold then snuggled in closer. He didn’t know if he was dreaming or awake but to him it didn’t matter since he no longer felt lonely.

 

Liu Yong slowly woke up once he felt squirming in his arms, he rolled over onto his back while Zhou RenShu was in his arms, the small boy laying on top of his naked body completely bare. Both men laid in the warm bed while holding each other, both not knowing if they had returned to the dream from two nights ago or if they were awake.

 

Zhou RenShu giggled and wriggled his body when he felt someone graze their fingers up and down his back lightly. Liu Yong stopped since he recognized the giggling and he looked down at the boy in his arms. Zhou RenShu’s body was still tired from a full day of playing so he couldn’t move much, his head was resting on the sturdy chest beneath him while listening to the loud heartbeat. Liu Yong continued to stare at the boy lying in his arms, taking in the small details on Zhou RenShu’s body.

 

His usually pale skin was a healthy pink. The short hair poked outwards in different directions after a long sleep and his eyelids trembled making his long eyelashes quiver. Zhou RenShu’s lips were also swollen and slightly broken in the places he had been biting them. Liu Yong could also feel the stone Zhou RenShu was wearing, the warmth was only slightly hotter than their bodies while his stone was ice cold. Both men were hesitant to speak in case they ruined the tranquility in the air. 

 

Suddenly Zhou Renshu’s stomach growled loudly, it was so loud Liu Yong could feel the movement while Zhou RenShu grimaced at the pain. Liu Yong slowly pushed Zhou RenShu to the side then slowly sat up. “Pass the phone I’ll order food.”

 

“My body hurts too much~”  Zhou RenShu cried out but his voice was hoarse and rough, he continued to lay in the awkward position Liu Yong had left him in, not bothering to roll over since his body really did hurt a lot. Liu Yong was also sore and tired but he got up anyway since they were both starving. Liu Yong forced himself to place the dirty dishes outside and he also closed the windows that were letting in a cold breeze. By the time he got back into bed he wanted to have a nap but the roomservice knocked at the door. Liu Yong wanted to get Zhou RenShu up to bring the food to the bed but he looked too pitiful.

 

Returning to the bed once more with a tray in each hand, Liu Yong refused to move anymore. Zhou RenShu groaned in pain as he forced his body up into a sitting position, his warm back resting against the cold wood of the headboard. His tray of food was placed on his lap and he happily ate the hot food. Liu Yong also focused on eating before opening his mouth to talk. Once he felt his stomach no longer ache he looked over at Zhou RenShu. “Why does your body hurt?”

 

The food almost caught in Zhou RenShu’s throat as the events of yesterday replayed in his head. His movements paused for a split second as his mind raced to find an excuse. After a spoonful of soup, Zhou RenShu answered nonchalantly. “I used your workout gear to get buff but I overdid it.”

 

En, Liu Yong couldn’t say he believed Zhou RenShu but it also sounded like something the small boy would do. Before continuing his meal, Liu Yong stretched his aching muscles and grunted under his breath. Multiple bones and joints cracked back into place loudly, shocking Zhou RenShu. “Why is your body in bad shape like mine?”

 

“I worked out too much.” I don’t believe you, that’s definitely an excuse to cover that you over cultivated last night isn’t it? How could you use the same excuse as me!? Zhou RenShu stabbed at his meat with his chopsticks repeatedly. Liu Yong ignored the odd behaviour and quickly finished every last drop and crumb of food. Without leaving the bed he placed the tray beside the bed as well as Zhou RenShu’s that was handed to him. “Don’t lie down, it will upset your stomach.”

 

Zhou RenShu groaned like a child as he slumped against the wood, he wanted to sleep and wake up tomorrow all refreshed but he had to wait. Liu Yong closed his eyes while he waited for the food to properly digest. He thought over the many files he had read through as well as how to track Li Qing. He was yet to find case files of the children Zhou RenShu talked about at the orphanage but he thought that they may have not been filed to begin with. If people were to hear about a mass killing at an orphanage, even if the victims were snakes, everyone would hear about it. But I’ve found nothing about them, or any orphanage. Also the more recent the files become the more frequent the deaths become. Snakes are being killed every couple of months now.

 

“Why didn’t you come back yesterday?” Liu Yong opened his eyes, Zhou RenShu was looking at him with a mix of sadness and anxiety written all over his face. Liu Yong was still reluctant to reveal what he was currently investigating. He could only answer vaguely. “I was working.”

 

Why won’t you just say that you were with someone else!? Liu Yong could see Zhou RenShu didn’t believe him but he didn’t elaborate any further. Both men looked at one another, one wearing a sad expression while the other wore a face that had no emotion, the expression neither warm or cold. Zhou RenShu didn’t want to wait for the food to settle in his stomach any longer and nuzzled down into the blankets, his body still turned towards Liu Yong. His mouth was covered by the blankets he mumbled angrily. “I felt lonely when you weren’t here.”

 

Liu Yong slinked down into bed too, facing the angry boy. The large eyes glared at him before they eventually softened. The blanket sliding down to hug Zhou RenShu’s shoulders. His eyes lowered from Liu Yong’s face to the necklace around his neck. “Where did you get this?”

 

Zhou RenShu reached forward and touched the stone, it was cold. Zhou RenShu then touched his necklace, it was warm. The stone looked identical to the one Fan Lei was wearing in his dream. Zhou RenShu thought about that dream from two nights ago, his brain felt a little fuzzy and some of the details were blurred now. 

 

Forcing his aching body out of the bed, Zhou RenShu sat at the table and scribbled away at his notebook. Liu Yong was curious about what the small boy was doing and forced his aching body out of bed too. When he caught sight of what was on the page his heart almost stopped. The page was filled with colourful flowers, the detail wasn’t great and most of the lines were scribbles but the ideas of what the things on the page were, was made clear.

 

Zhou RenShu roughly turned the page over and changed the pencil to plain black, he scribbled and sketched like his life depended on it. The picture was half done by the time Liu Yong figured out who he was drawing. “I thought you said you didn’t know Fan Lei.”

 

“I dreamt of him.” Liu Yong thought back to his dream from two nights ago, he had met Wang She in a field full of wildflowers, just like the one Zhou RenShu had drawn. Zhou RenShu finished the rough sketch of the man from his dream and showed Liu Yong. “Is this the Fan Lei you asked me about?”

 

En, Liu Yong placed the notebook down and turned the page, grabbing the pencil from Zhou RenShu’s hand he roughly sketched the face of Wang She. His hands moved quickly with precision. The youthful face of Wang She looked both different and similar to Zhou RenShu but the small boy currently watching Liu Yong draw felt no connection to the boy at all. Once the picture was done, Liu Yong turned to Zhou RenShu. “Do you recognize him? Was he in your dream?”

 

“No, it was only me and Fan Lei.” An odd feeling washed over Liu Yong. It had been only me and Wang She in the dream too. He wanted to ask Zhou RenShu what Fan Lei and him had done in his dream but he already knew the answer since it had happened in his too. “He had to go though, he left me alone in the field for a long time then when I woke up I was also alone.”

 

Zhou RenShu took the book back, turning the page to look at Fan Lei. The drawing wasn’t clean and precise like Liu Yong’s but enough detail was there to help him remember the warm face. Placing the book down and closing it, Zhou RenShu stood up and poked at the stone hanging around Liu Yong’s neck. “He was wearing this, where did you find it? Don’t you think it’s odd that I dreamt of this necklace when I had never seen it before then you come back wearing it?”

 

“I found it in the same box as your necklace.” Liu Yong didn’t elaborate for Zhou RenShu, he knew what everything meant now, even if the slow minded boy didn’t understand, Liu Yong did. Both men returned to bed.  Liu Yong laid on his side of the bed while Zhou RenShu positioned himself in the middle. His body was close to Liu Yong’s but not touching. He secretly wanted Liu Yong to pull him close and cuddle him but felt a little nervous to make the first move.

 

Liu Yong also felt a little apprehensive pulling Zhou RenShu into his chest, he had only ever done it when Zhou RenShu was sleeping, although the urge to sleep with the boy in his arms had grown into an annoying itch he laid still while staring at the ceiling. Liu Yong thought Zhou RenShu was finally close to falling asleep when a soft whisper blew across his ear. “Did you see Wang She in your dream?”

 

En. Liu Yong rolled onto his side, Zhou RenShu was facing him with his eyes closed. “Were you two in a field full of flowers?”

 

En. Has he figured it out? “Did he leave you too?”

 

Zhou RenShu’s voice sounded tired and hoarse, Liu Yong wasn’t sure if it was because he was tired or sad, maybe it was a mix of the two. Liu Yong took a while to answer. He watched as Zhou RenShu’s body softened and his breath evened out. He had fallen asleep. Liu Yong brought him into his arms, their warmth and breath mixing into one. Liu Yong felt a lump rise in his throat as he thought back to his dream. “He didn’t leave, I left him. Even when I heard his soft cries sound over the loud river, I didn’t go back.”

 

He wasn’t sure if Zhou RenShu was still awake and had heard him or if somehow the words Liu Yong spoke crept into Zhou RenShu’s subconscious but small tears slid down the tender face, Using the pads of his fingers, Liu Yong gently wiped away the few tears. Like before Zhou RenShu reached up and wrapped his small arms around Liu Yong’s neck, his hands clutching onto his long hair he hadn’t tied back. 

 

Although Liu Yong was tired, he didn’t fall asleep for a few hours. The whole time was spent gently running his fingers along Zhou RenShu’s tender and plump skin, he liked how even in the boys sleep when his back was caressed the small boy would wriggle around as if it tickled. Finally unable to fight back sleep, Liu Yong gently pressed his lips to Zhou RenShu’ forehead, the arms around his neck tightening. Even if he were to let go of the small boy in his arms, Zhou RenShu would still be stuck to his body.

 

Even if he hasn’t realized it, me knowing is enough.