The sunrise was beautiful, but climbing the mountain was a rather taxing affair.
Their empty stomachs made it worse.
After loading their luggage onto their car, they got in and savored the silence around them. The place was almost deserted around that time period.
As the city came into view, Shen Peichuan asked Sang Yu if she was hungry, to which she replied, “It’s fine. I’d rather go home and take a bath first. Sleeping in the tent with my clothes on hasn’t exactly been comfortable, you know.”
“Sure,” Shen Peichuan replied.
He parked the car in the neighborhood carpark and they alighted from it, with Shen Peichuan carrying their tent and Sang Yu carrying their water bottles.
They ascended the stairs slowly.
Shen Peichuan put their things down as Sang Yu watched. When he was done, she gave a shy chuckle and disappeared into the bathroom.
After putting the things down, Shen Peichuan looked around for Sang Yu, only to notice the sound of water running from the bathroom. He proceeded to walk out through the front door.
He was not a cook, but he knew where to get the best deals and the most delicious food in town.
Sang Yu took a quick bath and put on her clothes as fast as possible before walking to the living room, only to find it empty.
She turned around and walked into her bedroom, which was empty as well. It was as though no one had been in her house over the past few days.
Where did he go?
She looked around for her phone to give Shen Peichuan a call but was startled by the sound of the door opening. Shen Peichuan walked in while carrying a few boxes of food. “Time for breakfast!”
He placed the food on the table, and Sang Yu walked over as well.
However, instead of sitting down to eat, she embraced him from behind.
He turned around to look at her. “Let’s eat.”
Sang Yu shook her head and gazed into his eyes. “I’m not hungry,” she whispered.
Her fingers undid the belt of her bathrobe, and she let it slide off her body as she pressed herself against him.
“Sang Yu…”
“I’m clean. Don’t worry,” she said, cutting him off.
She stared into his eyes as her face turned beet red.
She bit her lip in slight embarrassment, but she did not look away.
Shen Peichuan reached out to pull her bathrobe together, only to be cut off by a sudden kiss from Sang Yu. She was not a good kisser, but it was enough to make him forget why he stuck his hands out.
He tensed up in silence.
“You don’t want me?” Sang Yu asked in a hushed whisper.
“No,” Shen Peichuan answered decisively, his voice raspy beyond recognition.
“Then…”
Shen Peichuan picked her up bridal style all of a sudden. He leaned down to kiss her on the forehead gently as he cooed, “You ready?”
“Yeah,” Sang Yu answered, burying her face in his chest.
Shen Peichuan walked into the bedroom and shut the door behind him as Sang Yu breathed heavily into his neck.
They did not come out for a long time, even when the food on the table turned stone cold.
When the clock struck eleven, Shen Peichuan finally sat up on the bed, bare-chested.
He stole a glance at Sang Yu, who had fallen asleep out of exhaustion.
Her shiny black hair spilled onto the pillows like a dark waterfall. Shen Peichuan reached out to brush away a few stray strands of hair stuck to her face with sweat, and it tickled her slightly, making her squirm in her sleep.
Shen Peichuan pulled his hand back and glanced at the corner of the blanket.
Underneath the blanket was a small patch of blood that had turned from a striking red to a dark brown as time passed.
Sang Yu had endured the pain throughout, and she did not even mutter a word of complaint even as the pain mounted.
His eyelashes fluttered as his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat. All that nervousness… it felt as though I’ll never recover from it…
He took a final look at Sang Yu and stood up.
Wait… I can’t cook…
He sighed and picked up his phone to order takeout from the restaurant downstairs, like what he had done several times before.
The perks of becoming a returning customer!
He ordered a few dishes that he liked, and they arrived in just half an hour, still piping hot.
Handing the money over and putting the food onto the table, he walked into the bedroom to wake Sang Yu up.
Sang Yu was still asleep, and his soft purrs pulled her back into reality.
She rubbed her bleary eyes and groaned, trying her best to figure out what the blurry mass in front of her was.
“It’s time for lunch,” Shen Peichuan said softly.
Sang Yu pushed herself into a sitting position with her arms.
