Hearing You Say Love chapter 49
Can You Keep These Words Just for the Bedroom?
To avoid waking Su Ming, Zou Beiyuan had turned off his alarm before bed last night. By the time he naturally woke up, it was already a bit late.
Sunlight filtered through the linen-colored curtains, lighting up the room brightly.
Su Ming was still asleep, disturbed by the light, his face buried in the blanket. Zou Beiyuan gently adjusted the blanket, only for Su Ming to frown, displeased, and hide his face again.
Zou Beiyuan watched him quietly for a moment, thinking how adorable he was in his drowsy state.
He lifted the thin blanket and sat up, noticing a white wooden bookshelf opposite the bed, with only two rows of books and three empty shelves.
A quick glance showed they were titles like Conflict and Suspense, Screenwriting Psychology, and novels like One Hundred Years of Solitude, The Long Goodbye, and The Three-Body Problem.
So, Su Ming really read such serious books?
The room was mainly decorated in beige and white, tidy and orderly, just like its owner. The books on the shelf were neatly arranged.
There was a small desk near the bed by the window, with nothing much on it but a book on Modern Art History and a sketchbook.
Zou Beiyuan’s gaze lingered on the cover of Modern Art History for a few seconds, then he picked up the sketchbook to look inside.
The sketchbook seemed to hold Su Ming’s random inspirations and sketches. The beginning was filled with sketches of a small wolf and a rabbit, showing various character designs that evolved into the characters for his comic.
Flipping to the middle, Zou Beiyuan found sketches of himself. As he flipped further, he found many pages dedicated to him.
Some were based on real-life moments, while others were Su Ming’s imaginings.
Zou Beiyuan smiled, realizing just how much Su Ming liked him.
As he continued flipping, he noticed that in Su Ming’s imagined scenes, he often portrayed him as Wolf Jue, a character from his comic.
Some drawings were even direct sketches of him transformed into a wolf, and compared to earlier designs of Wolf Jue, the wolf now bore more resemblance to him.
No wonder he’d noticed subtle changes in Wolf Jue’s appearance starting in a certain chapter.
A suspicion grew in his mind.
Zou Beiyuan furrowed his brow, flipping back to the first sketch of himself — a sketch of him carrying a box.
The date below was the day he moved into the Tianhe Residence.
So, Su Ming had noticed him from that day?
Was that rainy day when Su Ming gave him a ride home not just a coincidence?
Su Ming had a reference library; he knew this. Whenever he encountered something interesting in real life, Su Ming would add it to his collection.
He’d seen many of these references used in Rabbit Conspiracy, Wolf Trail.
So, was he just another reference in that collection?
Su Ming had drawn so many comics; how many references had he gathered over time? Would he keep gathering more?
Zou Beiyuan didn’t mind being Su Ming’s main character, but he did mind if there were ever other main characters.
He really wanted to know if Su Ming was only close to him for creative material or genuine affection.
The person in bed was still sound asleep, his fair hand resting above his forehead, fingers curled softly and unconsciously.
Zou Beiyuan leaned down to kiss that hand, then carefully placed the sketchbook back in place and left the room quietly.
…
When Su Ming got up, it was nearly eleven. He checked his phone and saw a message from Zou Beiyuan sent an hour ago, telling him to sleep in and that lunch for his grandmother was already ordered.
Planning to get up quickly and make breakfast, he flopped back into bed instead.
Zou Beiyuan likely had training this morning and should already be at the gym.
Su Ming’s pillow and blanket still carried Zou Beiyuan’s scent.
Closing his eyes, he could still hear Zou Beiyuan’s heavy breaths, feel his warmth, and recall the sensation of his touch.
He missed Zou Beiyuan’s body very, very much.
It was something a comic could never fully convey.
He had always thought he was top-tier at drawing intimate scenes, but after actually experiencing it, he realized he could only capture about a tenth of it.
….
These past couple of days, Chen Muchao felt conflicted. Ever since Zou Beiyuan added him to that small group chat, he felt like a double agent, hiding this from Su Ming.
Ling Shanshan had firmly instructed him not to tell Su Ming, fearing Su Ming would resist if he found out. But since Su Ming was his best friend, keeping such a secret — even if for his own good — left him feeling uncomfortable.
At noon, while eating downstairs at the studio, he received a new message in the group chat.
Zou Beiyuan: [Last night, he managed to say “mm.” Does this count as a small step forward?]
Ling Shanshan: [thumbs-up.jpg]
Ling Shanshan: [It counts! Next time, try to get him to say words that require opening his mouth and moving his tongue!]
Chen Muchao: [How did you get him to say that?]
Zou Beiyuan: [@Chen Muchao Gave him something he really wanted.]
Chen Muchao almost blurted out “What the heck!” in public and quickly switched to message Su Ming privately.
Chen Muchao: [Did you and Little Wolf make it to home base?!]
Su Ming: […Not yet.]
Chen Muchao: [Then what step are you at?]
Su Ming: [Using hands. embarrassed.jpg]
Chen Muchao: [What the heck.]
Su Ming: [His size is indeed impressive. Embarrassed.jpg]
Chen Muchao: [Jealous.]
Su Ming: [?]
Chen Muchao: [I mean I envy him, not you.]
Su Ming: [Oh.]
Su Ming: [I don’t know when we’ll make it to home base. He doesn’t seem to be that interested in going further.]
Su Ming: [Does that mean he doesn’t like me enough?]
Chen Muchao: [Don’t worry; you’re solid. Your Little Wolf loves you to death. It’s probably because he values you so much that he doesn’t want to rush things.]
Su Ming: [Solid? I don’t know, so how would you know?]
Chen Muchao almost spilled the beans about what Zou Beiyuan was planning, but quickly changed the topic: [Didn’t you notice that night you fell and got hurt? He was so worried he nearly tore the hotel apart.]
Su Ming: [Mm.]
Su Ming: [I love him to death too.]
An unexpected dose of dog food hit Chen Muchao. Well, he thought, I asked for it.
….
It was Monday, and Zou Beiyuan’s car was restricted, so that afternoon, he and Su Ming took Su Mo’s car to the hospital.
Zou Beiyuan complained that Su Mo’s Range Rover seats were too firm, so he grabbed a cushion from his own car and gave it to Su Ming to sit on.
Seeing this, Su Mo exploded, “Zou Beiyuan, didn’t you say you weren’t going to do anything? My brother’s foot isn’t even healed yet, and now his butt is injured too! Can’t you control yourself for a few days?!”
Zou Beiyuan: …
Zou Beiyuan and Su Ming exchanged glances, then quickly looked away.
Su Mo was a bit taken aback when Zou Beiyuan didn’t argue back, so he turned around and saw both of them blushing, their ears bright red.
Su Ming patted Su Mo on the shoulder and signed: It wasn’t his fault. I slipped in the shower last night.
“Weren’t you supposed to shower at his house?” Su Mo shot an annoyed glance at Zou Beiyuan. “How did you fall?”
Su Ming: I was showering at my place.
Su Mo: “Maybe it’s better if you shower at his place…”
So, they really didn’t do anything. As Su Mo started the car, he thought, Then why are their ears red?
“Oh, by the way, Su Mo Ge,” Zou Beiyuan tapped the back of the driver’s seat, “Starting tomorrow, my training schedule is moving to evenings, from eight to midnight. I won’t be home then, so can you keep an eye on your brother?”
Su Mo was delighted and turned to Su Ming. “Sure, no problem.”
But Su Ming seemed reluctant, like he was about to refuse.
“Aunt is going back to work, and I need to keep an eye on Grandma during the day, so I discussed changing the schedule with Joyce.” Zou Beiyuan said, brushing his hand against Su Ming’s cheek. “I’ll send you the code to my place. Shower there at night. I’ll feel better if Su Mo is with you.”
Su Ming blinked and refrained from expressing refusal.
“Then it’s settled,” Su Mo said, siding with Zou Beiyuan for once.
Su Ming looked at Su Mo, then at Zou Beiyuan, and nodded.
“Don’t just nod,” Zou Beiyuan gently lifted Su Ming’s chin, “Say it out loud, okay?”
Su Mo’s breath hitched, eyes wide, thinking, This is it; Su Ming’s going to blow up.
Instead, Su Ming averted his gaze, not looking at either of them, adjusted the cushion under him, fastened his seatbelt, took a few deep breaths, as though mustering courage but still hesitant, and turned his face toward the window, appearing uneasy.
“Forget it, don’t…” Su Mo began, but then heard Su Ming softly respond, “Mm.”
“Ge?” Su Mo was stunned, his eyes reddening. “What did you say?”
Su Ming felt embarrassed, especially in front of Su Mo. It seemed different from when others said it, sounding awkward and out of place, like nobody would understand it. He decided he’d never say it again.
Zou Beiyuan placed a warm hand on Su Ming’s face and encouraged, “You did great, baby. Say it one more time.”
Su Ming looked up and saw Su Mo taking off his glasses to wipe away his tears. His hands instinctively tightened around his pants, and his Adam’s apple moved as he said again: “Mm.”
This time, he heard him say it clearly and perfectly. Zou Beiyuan leaned in to kiss his forehead and said, “Baby, you’re amazing.”
Su Ming’s face grew hotter, the blush spreading down his neck. He pushed Zou Beiyuan away — where did he learn these cheesy words, and couldn’t he keep them for the bedroom only?
Su Mo grabbed two tissues, wiped his face, and with a sniffle, clutched the steering wheel, muttering bitterly, “Could you two stop flaunting your relationship already?”
The car began to move, and Zou Beiyuan’s leg brushed against Su Ming’s as he reached to hold his hand, their fingers intertwined the whole way.
As they entered the hospital’s underground parking lot, the lighting dimmed. Zou Beiyuan turned to Su Ming, held his hand, and asked softly, “Su Ming, do you like me? Give me another ‘mm.’”