Chapter 35 - Deeply In Love With You [Quick Transmigration]

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Chapter 35: Practice (3)

 

 

The sound of running water faded. When Zong Que stepped out from the bathroom, only the lamp by the bed cast a soft glow. Lin Heng lay on his side, facing the window. If not for the steady rhythm of his breath, one might think he'd fallen asleep.

 

The posture spoke clearly: he didn't want to talk.

 

Zong Que climbed into bed from the far side. As he turned off the lamp, he also tucked the light blanket around them.

 

In the silence of night, the ticking of the watch was the only sound. Lin Heng didn't hear any other movement in the room. His fingers clutched the pillow tightly. When he finally rolled onto his back, he heard a voice beside him.

 

"Are we allowed to talk now?"

 

"You're still awake?" Lin Heng turned in surprise.

 

"If problems go unresolved, they turn into knots in the heart," Zong Que said calmly. "Why are you upset?"

 

"I'm not," Lin Heng replied, eyes fixed on the ceiling.

 

How was he supposed to say he'd just been overwhelmed—that he felt embarrassed by his own reaction? He'd been the one eager to push forward, and Zong Que had simply brought him back to his senses through action. But saying it out loud felt… impossible.

 

"Really?" Zong Que asked, turning toward him.

 

"Mm," Lin Heng answered softly.

 

That alone was enough to melt away the last of his frustration. Zong Que had stayed awake waiting for him to calm down instead of just dozing off without a care. That thought warmed Lin Heng more than he expected.

 

"Then let's sleep," Zong Que said as he drew closer, wrapping his arms around the boy and holding him close.

 

The night air here was cooler than during the day. Not only did they not need air conditioning—they needed the blanket.

 

Their body heat mingled. Lin Heng felt a bit more at ease, whispering, "Don't touch my Adam's apple again."

 

He really couldn't take it.

 

"You're the one who brought it up," Zong Que replied.

 

"But I didn't actually touch it," Lin Heng looked up at him, voice small. "You know, I think you hold a grudge more than I thought."

 

"You were quite spirited," Zong Que said in his usual steady tone. "I wasn't retaliating. I was just cutting that spirit off at the source."

 

"…Aren't you afraid I'll sneak in a touch while you're asleep?" Lin Heng challenged.

 

Zong Que fell silent.

 

"You're not seriously thinking about sleeping in separate rooms, are you?" Lin Heng asked, eyes narrowing.

 

"If I told you what I was thinking, you'd get mad," Zong Que replied.

 

"I honestly thought you'd say yes outright," Lin Heng murmured, surprised. There was something oddly sweet about that hesitation—it made it hard to stay annoyed.

 

"I've never been in a relationship, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid," Zong Que said.

 

"I won't touch it," Lin Heng said quickly, tightening his hold around Zong Que's waist. "I was just joking about sneaking a touch. Don't worry."

 

When someone clearly stated their boundary, there was no need to push it. He wouldn't touch his Adam's apple—but there were plenty of other places he could touch.

 

"Mm," Zong Que replied.

 

"Please don't talk about sleeping separately ever again," Lin Heng whispered. For a couple staying together, choosing to sleep apart… just the thought of it made his heart ache.

 

Even Father Lin and Mother Lin—despite everything—had never slept in separate rooms.

 

"Alright," Zong Que said, catching the seriousness in his voice.

 

"Then… can I sneak a kiss instead?" Lin Heng asked, eyes lifting with a soft gleam.

 

"Mm," Zong Que said.

 

"Anywhere I want?" Lin Heng dared, emboldened by the darkness, by the safety of being unseen.

 

"Where do you want to kiss?" Zong Que asked.

 

Lin Heng paused. His mind spun with far too many thoughts—and none at all.

 

"…Sleep," he said at last.

 

He didn't actually have any specific place in mind.

 

"Goodnight."

 

…

 

They slept soundly, and in the soft light of morning, woke up in each other's arms. After a few moments of quiet intimacy and getting dressed, they went downstairs for breakfast, then boarded a car bound for Butterfly Valley.

 

The car window was cracked open slightly, letting in a breeze that carried the freshness of morning. Zong Que gazed out at the passing scenery, while Lin Heng opened his messages—and was instantly bombarded with likes and an explosion of messages from Wang Yang.

 

Wang Yang: You and Zong Que are traveling together!?

 

Wang Yang: Where are you? The scenery looks amazing.

 

Wang Yang: Answer me! I feel like I haven't seen you in forever—where have you been hiding?

 

Wang Yang: I want to go on a trip too, but haven't picked a spot. And you two just up and went without telling me?

 

Wang Yang: HELLO?? REPLY!!

 

His profile picture was a cartoon sheep with a tuft of grass on its head. Each new message made the grass bounce with a tiny jump.

 

Lin Heng stared at that bit of grass for a while, then finally replied: Sorry, didn't check my phone yesterday.

 

After posting to his feed, he hadn't touched it again.

 

Wang Yang replied almost immediately: Finally! We need to hang out once you're back. We might not go to the same school, but we're in the same city.

 

The grass on his sheep avatar jumped again. Lin Heng couldn't help but ask: What's with your profile picture?

 

Wang Yang: You like it? Pretty slick, right? It's a couple's avatar—matches my girlfriend's.

 

A couple's avatar?

 

Lin Heng's fingers paused. He glanced at his own profile picture—it was a scan of a drawing he'd done as a child, something he hadn't changed in years. Zong Que's, if he remembered right, was a cropped landscape photograph—beautiful, but kind of mismatched for someone their age.

 

Lin Heng: I meant the grass on your head.

 

Wang Yang: My dude, it's the modern era. Green is just a color. My girlfriend's grass is pink.

 

Lin Heng: When did you get a girlfriend?

 

Wang Yang replied with a smug emoji: You were gone, so you missed it. Met a girl from my uni, and she lives in the same city. One thing led to another and now we're dating. 😏

 

Wang Yang: Jealous?

 

Lin Heng glanced over at Zong Que, then typed: Mm, a bit. What do you two usually do together?

 

There was a small delay before Wang Yang responded: Mostly eat, hang out, watch movies.

 

Wang Yang: And games. She's amazing at gaming. Most guys are the ones carrying their girlfriends, but for us it's like—"Wife, slow down! I can't keep up!"

 

Lin Heng let out a soft chuckle: Thanks. That's helpful.

 

Wang Yang: ???

 

Wang Yang: Why are you asking about couple stuff?

 

Wang Yang: Wait a sec… are you dating someone??

 

Wang Yang: WHO? Come on, dinner's on me!

 

Lin Heng: When I get back.

 

Wang Yang: !!!!!!!!

 

Lin Heng turned off his phone, locking away Wang Yang's avalanche of curiosity. "Zong Que, can we let Wang Yang know about us?"

 

Zong Que looked up at his words. "Sure."

 

Lin Heng smiled at him. "Zong Que, I want to use a couple's avatar with you."

 

Just like with the watch, he wanted to mark this man as his—clearly, visibly—so no one else would dare make a move.

 

"Mm," Zong Que replied.

 

Young love was intense, passionate, and filled with novelty. He wanted to try everything.

 

Though this kind of symbolic "ownership" felt a bit childish to Zong Que, it was still well within the bounds of what he could accept.

 

Butterfly Valley was breathtaking. Right next to it, the Peacock Garden even had rare white peacocks. By the time they returned, the day had been filled with joy. But Lin Heng didn't go back to the hotel immediately—instead, he made a detour to the supermarket and picked up some colored pencils and drawing paper.

 

"You want to draw what we saw today?" Zong Que asked.

 

"It's a secret for now. You'll see once I'm done," Lin Heng replied, his eyes brimming with excitement.

 

Sunlight poured through the window, bathing the entire room in golden light. Nightfall was still a long way off.

 

Lin Heng sat cross-legged on the rug before the coffee table, swapping out colored pencils as he sketched. Zong Que sat on the other side by the window, quietly reading a book.

 

It wasn't that he didn't want to help—it was that the boy had insisted on keeping it a surprise, refusing to let him come any closer.

 

The soft rustle of colored pencils brushing against paper mingled with the chirps of birds over the lake outside, painting a peaceful, tranquil scene.

 

As the sun slowly set and Zong Que flipped to page ten of his book, Lin Heng finally called out, "Finished!"

 

Zong Que slipped a bookmark into his book and walked over. Lin Heng was holding up his phone, scanning the drawing.

 

It wasn't a particularly complicated piece—just two cats, drawn in fine, delicate lines. He'd used different colors to add depth and texture to their fur, making them look soft, glossy, and vibrant.

 

One was white, playfully pawing at a ball of yarn that unspooled in loops and tangles. Its blue eyes sparkled with mischief. The other was black, sitting upright with an aloof expression, lazily lifting a paw toward a teasing feather toy. Its tail swept the ground behind it, eyes cold and disinterested.

 

The red glow of the setting sun fell across the white paper, as if dyeing the two cats with its warmth.

 

Click. Click.

 

Two shutter sounds echoed faintly in Zong Que's mind. His brows twitched ever so slightly.

 

[Ah! I forgot to turn off the shutter sound. Hengheng's drawing is so pretty.] 1314 chirped. [I have to save it.]

 

After all, this image of the host felt just too accurate.

 

"A couple avatar?" Zong Que asked, looking at the scanned image on Lin Heng's screen.

 

"Mm." Lin Heng smiled. "Which one do you want?"

 

"This is supposed to be me?" Zong Que pointed at the black cat.

 

"Doesn't it look like you?" Lin Heng grinned.

 

He thought it looked exactly like him—right down to the posture and the expression.

 

"No," Zong Que replied.

 

He wasn't someone who could be easily teased with a cat wand.

 

Lin Heng glanced at the drawing, then looked up. "Zong Que, kiss me."

 

Sometimes, a direct request worked better than anything else.

 

Zong Que leaned down and pressed a kiss to the corner of his lips.

 

Lin Heng opened his eyes, gazing at Zong Que's calm expression. As they parted, he laughed softly, "Now it's a perfect match."

 

Not a paper tiger at all—just a cat. No matter how cool or fierce, still a cat.

 

Zong Que paused for a moment. "I'll take the black one."

 

"Great, I'll send it to you in a sec." Lin Heng made a few adjustments after scanning, then sent over the avatar.

 

The moment Zong Que set it as his profile picture, a message from Lin Heng arrived: Hello, boyfriend.

 

Zong Que opened the chat, gazing at the white cat on the left and the black cat on the right.

 

You could tell at a glance they were drawn by the same hand—but aside from the similar style, it wasn't obviously a couple avatar.

 

Still, Zong Que's fingers moved across the screen as he replied: Hello.

 

"What else would you like to change?" Zong Que asked.

 

"This is enough." Lin Heng stood and began tidying up the paper and pencils on the table.

 

Though society had become much more accepting of same-sex love, being too open about it still drew attention. They just wanted to be together in peace.

 

Lin Heng packed the drawing supplies into his suitcase, and Zong Que glanced at his watch.

 

"It's about time for dinner. What do you feel like eating?"

 

"There's a crab place nearby that's supposed to be really good. Want to try that?" Lin Heng perked up, grabbing his phone to search. "Crab's in season right now."

 

"Alright." Zong Que lowered his gaze to the watch brand on his wrist, then glanced at the cat's tail and the looping yarn in the avatar. His eyes darkened slightly.

 

ZL.

 

So that's what it meant.

 

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