【Zhou Xiang】The Tropic

1.

He opened his eyes.

The first to meet was Zhou Zekai's dark and focused eyes.It was unusually bright there, hiding some extremely imperceptible tension and anticipation.

Sun Xiang thought he already knew the answer.His heart was beating like a drum, thumping, pulsating crazily.

Is it a ring?The one with the chain on it?

This presupposition immediately popped up in Sun Xiang's mind—it's quite normal—after all, in his few memories related to love knowledge, Fang Minghua hung such a wedding ring around his neck back then.Because the hands of e-sports players cannot have any items that affect flexibility.

Unbelievable joy and shock instantly overwhelmed him.The remaining dissatisfaction disappeared at this moment.He even forgot to complain about Zhou Zekai's failure to play cards according to the rules. It took a full ten seconds before he regained his composure and began to bow his head. His movements were as sluggish as his breathing.

In the end, when Sun Xiang finally saw the contents of the item in his chest, he was stunned again.

"This is--?"

A pure white jade monkey just fell there quietly, exuding an unusually soft luster under the reflection of the reading light.Sun Xiang has also met many bigwigs over the years, and he recognizes that this pendant is definitely valuable no matter the workmanship or material, and it really fits Zhou Zekai's style.But...it was still too far from Sun Xiang's assumption, which made him doubtful.

"Bai Yu, my father kept it." Zhou Zekai seemed to hear Sun Xiang's heartfelt voice, "The carving is relatively simple, do you like it?"

2.

Zhou Zekai asked him, do you like it.At this time, most normal people will answer, like it.But Sun Xiang didn't.

He keenly captured the more important information in that sentence - "Your father?"

Zhou Zekai's eyes moved slightly, and he landed on the pendant: "Yes."

"Is this the first time you've mentioned him?" Sun Xiang asked with untimely seriousness.

He knew about the divorce of Zhou's parents, but he insisted on mentioning it at this moment, saying that Sun Xiang's EQ dropped and exposed Zhou Zekai's scar rashly. , I even really need such an opportunity to wipe my memories.And now is the best time.

"Yeah." Sure enough, he was right.Zhou Zekai stretched out his hand and slowly stroked the pendant, adjusting it to the corrected position.During the movement, those slender and slightly cool fingers brushed against Sun Xiang's chest unintentionally.The casual ambiguity not only made Sun Xiang's heart a little hotter, but also made him more confident in his judgment - "The year I entered reincarnation, he went abroad. We never met again after that."

"So this jade—?"

"I gave it before going abroad." Zhou Zekai said, his eyes were very calm, "I once thought that I would never need it."

Zhou Zekai's voice was very soft and his tone was normal.But at the moment when his words fell, Sun Xiang suddenly had the illusion that his heart was being grabbed.

3.

Regarding the origin of this piece of jade, Zhou Zekai did not lie.But on the question of whether to disclose more details, he... hesitated.

He remembered clearly that it was an unusually sweltering summer.He took the summer homework and the first grade report card from the school, stuffed them in his schoolbag, and then hurriedly got on the special bus to the airport.Because the air conditioner was on, the windows of the bus were closed tightly, but through the glass, the cicadas still persistently came in.

It's long, dry, anxious, and, strangely, eerily calming.Just like his state of mind at that time.

His mother didn't allow him to see him off, but he stubbornly wanted to see his father again—because the wonderful feeling between father and son told him that this was probably the last time for a long time.

He can't keep anything, but he should have the right to say goodbye.

In front of the bustling security checkpoint, he met his father as he wished.He noticed that the other party had carefully shaved off the stubble that he had no time to take care of due to family disputes, his hair had been tidied up, he was paired with extraordinary taste in clothes, and his handsome face was as usual. It has reached the state of the male god professor that Zhou Zekai is most familiar with.

Even Zhou's father gently asked him about the exam results, and seriously signed on the parent column of the report card that Zhou Zekai took out.

But Zhou Zekai understood that everything was an illusion and everything had changed.

Just when Zhou Zekai was hesitating whether to say anything more, Father Zhou took out a piece of uncut white jade and handed it to him.

The gift came both abruptly and inopportunely.Zhou Zekai grabbed it, but didn't put it in his pocket immediately, and didn't see any intention of returning it.He stood, lowered his head quietly, not knowing what he was thinking, and remained silent for a long time, while Father Zhou waited patiently.

Finally, he finally raised his head and asked Father Zhou a question that he had never asked before but had been buried in his heart for a long time.

"Can you not go?"

Father Zhou did not expect to see his son's rare fragility at this moment.He couldn't help stretching out his hand, wanting to rub Zhou Zekai's hair, but he held it back halfway - he was afraid of this touch, so he really didn't want to turn around and leave.

"Ze Kai." Instead of the "Kai Kai" who was called the most before, Zhou's father called him in a more serious tone, full of guilt, "I have asked myself countless times this question in the past days. "

Zhou Zekai kept silent and looked at him.

Father Zhou sighed: "Besides, I still love your mother. But sometimes, love is not so easy to deal with. It's not like we go for a walk in the park. Once we take the wrong road, we can turn back. When two People who love each other take the wrong path, that is, parting ways forever."

Zhou Zekai still didn't speak.

Father Zhou smiled wryly: "Every morning, after I ate the breakfast she prepared and took the bus to school, I would immediately start looking forward to getting off work, looking forward to going home and pushing the door, you are doing your homework, and your mother is in the kitchen. After the quarrel, although I was still worried about whether she would have a good dinner, my instinct to avoid going home was stronger. The thought of facing your questioning eyes, facing her forever Unsatisfactory doubts and questioning, I, I don't want to describe her as unreasonable or unreasonable, but my reason tells me that the she who made my heart beat back then no longer exists, and the feeling of home that I was full of expectations has disappeared. "

"So you decided to give up." Zhou Zekai concluded for him without any emotion.

"...Yes." Seeing Zhou Zekai's calm appearance, Father Zhou's mood was extremely delicate, he almost admitted in a broken jar, "You are right, you are my son, I knew you would understand. I was in pain, originally because of you, because I still had feelings for your mother, I was not reconciled, I didn't want to give up at first. But when I imagined the future, I was horrified to find that even if I could pretend that nothing happened, but with your mother's character, It's impossible on her side. As time goes by, the gap between us will only get bigger and bigger. Dad is not a good father, he thought selfishly, why should he spend his life like this, in hatred and suspicion inside……"

"No need to explain." Zhou Zekai interrupted him bluntly.

Father Zhou paused, and looked at him with a sigh: "Yes. I know. I won't explain. If you still can't understand me in the future, Dad is mentally prepared."

Zhou Zekai was silent again this time.

Father Zhou finally couldn't help it, stepped forward, and gently rubbed his hair: "When you grow up, you will understand that there must be many similarities in our personalities. You will understand that people... people sometimes have to do things for you. Live by yourself, when making many decisions, the first thing to consider is not to let yourself be in pain all the time."

"En." Zhou Zekai's voice was extremely low, his hand holding Bai Yu was hanging by his side, motionless.

"Also," Father Zhou let out a deep breath, "Dad almost forgot to mention, do you know why I gave you that piece of jade?"

Zhou Zekai shook his head.

"Hehe, before your grandma passed away, I asked me to keep it as a meeting gift for my future daughter-in-law. But... I think it's better to give it to you in advance. Although my father and mother can't continue to live, but Kaikai," he said Consciously changed the address, "Dad hopes that you will not be afraid of love because of this. Although it is a bit false to say this, there are still people in the world who can grow and progress with you and are always close to the frequency."

Zhou Zekai accepted Zhou's father's words indifferently at that time.Strictly speaking, he didn't trust the other party very much at all.

Regarding Zhou's father's explanation, he prefers that the other party is looking for an excuse for his departure, including sending white jade that symbolizes "father's duty".How ironic, he thought, after witnessing such a quarrel and a breakup, how likely is it that he likes someone?What's more, he had already met Glory—the only thing that would not betray what he had paid, and he felt that he didn't need to worry about such boring things anymore.

Now, recalling this conversation at the airport, Zhou Zekai realized that what Sun Xiang said was right, fate is really wonderful—every word his father said subtly affected his own life trajectory.

And this piece of white jade——

That's right, Zhou Zekai thought, if there must be a person in the world who has a similar frequency to his own, whose dreams resonate, grows up, and experiences overlap, and who can accept his character who is not good at expressing his true thoughts without hindrance...

That is Sun Xiang.

So after he was sure of his intentions, he immediately found someone to carve it into Sun Xiang's zodiac, and then hid the initials of himself and Sun Xiang in a very inconspicuous place-this is what he can reveal to others. Sun Xiang's, one of the few pieces of information.

"If it's inconvenient, you don't have to wear it." He even gave Sun Xiang a step up.

"How is it possible?" Sun Xiang shook his head without thinking, he caressed the little "Z" and "S", and was deeply moved, "It's just that the significance of this gift is too great, we have just established our relationship, is it too early?" It's a bit...ah no, I mean I didn't prepare anything—"

"No." Zhou Zekai looked at him firmly, "I recognize you. Don't you think so?"

4.

Sun Xiang's chest trembled suddenly, and at the same time, the illusion of his heart being squeezed became more and more intense.Because he was violently washed away by emotions, he was speechless for a while.He rolled his Adam's apple several times, and finally he could only answer in a murmur: "You clearly know...Damn it! Of course I recognize you too! Isn't falling in love a preparation for marriage and being together for the rest of your life?"

Although he didn't know anything about the inside story, in Zhou Zekai's moment of silence just now, the information he captured was far more than "this is a gift from Zhou Zekai's father to Zhou Zekai's future lover".Combined with the rumors he had heard from Ye Mingkang, combined with what he learned from Fang Minghua, he could already feel Zhou Zekai's pain and relief at that moment.

Therefore, as soon as the announcement-like voice fell, he took the initiative to spread his arms and gently hugged Zhou Zekai.

Without much hesitation, Zhou Zekai immediately hugged him back tightly, and the strength of his back even made him feel pain.

However, Sun Xiang didn't complain or struggle. Instead, he raised his lips and said firmly into Zhou Zekai's ear, "Zhou Zekai, from now on, I'm your family. No, I mean, you already have a family, but A family didn’t say they couldn’t add new members, right? And it’s the kind that treats you very, very well! So, I accept this pendant, don’t even think about taking it back one day!”

5.

The person on the other side had no idea what earth-shattering words he was talking about.Zhou Zekai thought.

He thought he could stay calm until the end, but in the end, the heartbeat that he had finally suppressed became uncontrollably chaotic.

Sensing Zhou Zekai's strangeness, Sun Xiang let go of his arms and stared at him with doubts and concern: "You...?"

Zhou Zekai didn't answer.He didn't even look at Sun Xiang anymore, closed his eyes, and went over to kiss him a little eagerly.

This startled Sun Xiang.However, he immediately condoned Zhou Zekai's intimacy.The entanglement of lips and tongue was quite intense this time, Sun Xiang could feel the air being deprived little by little, but Zhou Zekai was always able to get stuck in the knot where he could hardly breathe, and let the remaining air flow in again.This made Sun Xiang vaguely feel that Zhou Zekai didn't simply want to make him dependent and monopolize his mind, but more like trying to control himself not to lose control when he was on the verge of emotional turmoil.

He unconsciously grabbed the pendant on his chest, and then Zhou Zekai grabbed his hand and clenched it tightly.

At this time, the winter sun finally shines into the room through the half-opened curtains, bringing real and appropriate warmth that is completely different from the central air conditioner.It enveloped Sun Xiang and Zhou Zekai, becoming an accelerator for the atmosphere to heat up.

Like this person, it really is the good luck he has accumulated in his life.Zhou Zekai was thinking.

Like this person, just like choosing Glory, it must be the most correct thing I have done.Sun Xiang was thinking.

The white jade monkey felt pain in his chest when his body was pressed against each other, but at the moment Sun Xiang had no time to mind, and Zhou Zekai also had no time to pay attention to this kind of problem.

When the posture was changed, no one can remember.Sun Xiang raised his head, grabbed Zhou Zekai's shoulder with one hand, and unconsciously stuck his other hand in his hair.When did Zhou Zekai master this skill? It is more terrifying and effective than the combat skills in magic and glory.

That wet, tender, soft, from his lips to neck to collarbone, and all the way down...

He wanted to open his eyes to see what the other party had done to him, but the unexpected stimulation made him tense his back, staring at the ceiling and gasping for breath.

He felt like a cloud in bright morning light rubbing against another cloud.He vaguely felt that Zhou Zekai was holding his waist, and the forehead that was pressed against his shoulder blades was no longer dry, but slightly sticky with sweat.

His condition was a little worse.Flushing is just the basics.Large beads of sweat rolled down from his forehead, those that rolled to the bridge of his nose were sucked off by Zhou Zekai, and those that rolled into his temples made his hair more messy and sexy.

The final process came faster than the bathtub one.As if a jumping machine suddenly threw a person into the air, his mind suddenly went blank, followed by colorful dizziness.Every muscle in his body was full of soreness, and the subsequent relaxation and comfort made him understand what happened.

The moment his soul returned to his body, Zhou Zekai gently kissed his lower lip: "Are you okay?"

Damn, this is simply a blatant challenge to Sun Xiang's face.

He pushed Zhou Zekai away with a jerk, and sat up abruptly.

Zhou Zekai was taken aback, but didn't say anything. He turned around and went to the bedside table to get a few tissues, wiped his fingers leisurely, and then glanced at Sun Xiang pointedly: "You come and I come?"

Sun Xiang blushed and grabbed it: "I won't bother you now!"

Zhou Zekai curled his lips silently, and before Sun Xiang glared at him, he saved some face for the other party, got up, picked up his coat, and put his back on Sun Xiang.

However, no matter how fast he moved, Sun Xiang still caught the marks on his back because he unconsciously tightened his grip just now.

And it was only at this time that he realized that Zhou Zekai didn't seem to be... the same as himself.

"What should you do?" However, Sun Xiang always said what he thought of, especially when he didn't need to be polite to Zhou Zekai, "Can I help you?"

His eyes towards Zhou Zekai, even called "good intentions", actually blinked provocatively.

"No. Thank you." Zhou Zekai resisted the urge to kiss him again, and walked towards the bathroom.

Sun Xiang froze for a moment, blushed slightly, and laughed silently.

The brighter morning light cast on him, reflecting the clear hickey marks on the side of his neck and the smile on his face.

The first morning after dating, it wasn't bad, Sun Xiang thought lazily, and decided to lie down for a while.

However, he overlooked one thing.

The phone that was pressed under the pillow at the head of the bed vibrated for the second time.

In the end, as if guessing that something was wrong with Sun Xiang, the other party chose to send a message out of desperation.

"Fang Minghua: I'm downstairs! If you don't answer the phone, I'll call Zhou Zekai?"

TBC