Hearing You Say Love chapter 18

Unfamiliar

Late at night, neither Zou Beiyuan in 1601 nor Su Ming in 1602 could sleep.

After chatting with Chen Muchao, Su Ming picked up the book on his bedside table, planning to read a few pages before sleeping.

But after reading two lines, his thoughts had already drifted far away.

He closed the book, picked up his phone, and opened the browser, typing “Zou Beiyuan” into the search bar.

The first result was Zou Beiyuan’s Baidu Encyclopedia entry. It showed his birthdate, height, weight, BOXREC ranking, and past fight records.

His awards dated back seven years, with the earliest being a national youth boxing championship at age 15.

At 18, he transitioned to professional boxing, and his current professional record was 11 wins with no losses, a 100% KO rate. He also held the record for the most punches thrown in a single light heavyweight match.

The industry’s assessment of him was that his punches were fierce, and he was skilled at using high-frequency, continuous punches to pressure his opponents. He was considered one of the most promising young boxers in his weight class in the professional boxing world.

In the ring, Zou Beiyuan was ruthless and violent, baring his fangs without hesitation, completely different from how he usually seemed.

Su Ming’s finger brushed over the chest muscles of the man in the photo. That strength was obviously dangerous, but irresistibly sexy.

…

The next day, Su Ming spent the day at home drawing, and in the evening, he received a WeChat message from Zou Beiyuan asking him to go out at 8:30.

He put on a white T-shirt and dark gray sweatpants, tied up his hair, and even dug out an old fitness tracker he hadn’t used in a while.

At exactly 8:30, he opened the door and saw Zou Beiyuan standing at the entrance.

Zou Beiyuan was holding a sports water bottle, wearing the same tight shirt he had worn the first time they met. The thin, stretchy fabric revealed the outlines of his abs and chest muscles.

If Su Ming didn’t know that Zou Beiyuan was straight, he would have suspected that he dressed like this on purpose to seduce him.

Outside the apartment complex, the subway construction had begun, turning the already narrow road into a one-way street with metal barricades. The two of them walked for over ten minutes to the riverside, and many people along the way were sneaking glances at Zou Beiyuan.

Zou Beiyuan seemed used to it, walking straight through the crowd without a second glance. As they crossed the street, he naturally grabbed Su Ming’s wrist, only letting go once they reached the riverside fitness path.

The Yangyuan River ran through the center of the city, dividing Rong City in two.

Over the years, the government had invested a lot of money to turn the riverside into an expansive sports park.

There were already people running on the fitness path. Zou Beiyuan taught Su Ming a simple warm-up routine before they started jogging along the path.

The greenery along the river was well-maintained, and the streetlights, hidden in the dense trees, cast a dim light over the path.

They ran side by side, and because they were so close, Su Ming couldn’t help but notice Zou Beiyuan’s chest muscles bouncing with each step. His eyes kept drifting towards Zou Beiyuan, making it impossible to focus on the exercise.

After running from one bridge to another, which was over a kilometer, Su Ming felt tired and slowed down. Zou Beiyuan slowed down with him and asked, “Your breathing’s a bit off. Want to rest?”

Panting, Su Ming nodded and walked over to a bench to sit down.

But Zou Beiyuan pulled him up by the arm, saying, “Don’t sit. Sit down after stretching when we’re done.”

At that moment, a few kids on bikes zoomed past them. Zou Beiyuan, with his back to them, moved closer, almost pressing against Su Ming.

Wrapped in Zou Beiyuan’s warm breath, Su Ming felt the other man’s chest brush against his arm, making his heart beat a little too loudly.

The kids soon rode away, and Zou Beiyuan stepped back. He lifted Su Ming’s wrist, pressing two fingers on his pulse, and said softly, “Your heartbeat is a little fast.”

Su Ming turned his head to avoid Zou Beiyuan’s gaze, feeling his face heat up. Zou Beiyuan then asked, “Want some water?”

Su Ming was indeed a bit thirsty but had forgotten to bring water. He glanced around, hoping to spot a vending machine nearby.

The evening breeze rustled the leaves.

Su Ming was slightly sweaty, and a few strands of hair stuck to his cheek.

He was panting, and under the dim streetlight, his wide, searching eyes looked even more beautiful.

Zou Beiyuan looked at Su Ming’s profile and handed over his water bottle. “You can drink from mine.”

Su Ming turned to look at him, and Zou Beiyuan added, “I haven’t used it yet.”

Following his words, Su Ming’s gaze fell on the large water bottle.

Zou Beiyuan twisted off the cap for him. “Here.”

Under Zou Beiyuan’s gaze, Su Ming took it, held the bottle with both hands, and drank a few gulps. He was still out of breath, and his lips became moist from the water.

After finishing, he handed the bottle back to Zou Beiyuan, only to see Zou Beiyuan place the same bottle, which he had just drunk from, to his own lips.

Su Ming quickly looked away.

Once Zou Beiyuan finished drinking, the two of them continued running along the trail.

For Zou Beiyuan, this level of exercise was like taking a stroll, but he patiently accompanied Su Ming, running a full lap around two bridges.

By the time they returned to the neighborhood, the water bottle was nearly empty. In the subsequent runs, they naturally took turns drinking from it, and Zou Beiyuan no longer mentioned whether he had used the bottle.

When they entered the elevator, Su Ming felt his legs had turned to jelly. It had been a long time since he had exercised like this. Although it was exhausting, it felt pretty good after finishing.

Mainly because he had company. He looked at the person beside him through the mirrored elevator door. Without Zou Beiyuan running with him, he probably would have rented a bike and gone home after the first kilometer.

Zou Beiyuan, barely sweating, looked fresh as he smiled at Su Ming.

Meanwhile, Su Ming’s face was flushed from the workout, making him feel inadequate in comparison. He turned away, avoiding eye contact.

“Not bad at all,” Zou Beiyuan seemed to read his mind and put an arm around his shoulder in comfort. “It’s normal to feel out of shape after not exercising for a while. Stick with it, and you’ll be fine.”

Su Ming pursed his lips, his eyes meeting Zou Beiyuan’s in the reflection before quickly looking away again.

He couldn’t help but grumble in his heart: Zou Beiyuan’s chest muscles were seriously distracting—can’t I just touch them once…?

When they reached the 16th floor, Su Ming was about to enter his apartment, but Zou Beiyuan stopped him. “Come to my place. I’ll help you stretch. Otherwise, your legs will hurt tomorrow.”

Su Ming had been to Zou Beiyuan’s place a few times, but this was the first time entering his gym.

It seemed like he didn’t plan to stay here long-term, as the gym was quite sparse, with only a few dumbbells that Su Ming thought he couldn’t possibly lift and a mat.

“Lie down,” Zou Beiyuan instructed, grabbing a towel to wipe Su Ming’s sweat.

Su Ming took the towel, removed the black hair tie from his ponytail, slipped it onto his wrist, and obediently lay down on the mat.

At this point, he still didn’t realize the severity of the situation.

He thought it was just going to be a leg stretch, until Zou Beiyuan placed one of his legs on his shoulder and began pressing down slowly.

Su Ming’s eyes widened as he looked up at the figure looming over him, almost causing his heart to stop.

Instinctively, his body resisted, trying to pull his leg off Zou Beiyuan’s shoulder.

“Don’t move,” Zou Beiyuan held his calf. “This will go faster if you relax. I won’t hurt you.”

Su Ming could feel his heart racing uncontrollably. Zou Beiyuan’s hands were braced on either side of him, and his handsome face was directly above, while his legs were spread wide, the muscles from his calves to his thighs stretching painfully.

This straight guy didn’t seem to realize how awkward their position was.

Su Ming slowed his breathing, trying to calm his rapid heartbeat, his eyes watching as Zou Beiyuan’s face drew closer.

Zou Beiyuan stopped just half an arm’s length away and asked, “You’re pretty flexible. Can we go a little further?”

By now, Su Ming had calmed down a bit, so he nodded when Zou Beiyuan asked.

Recalling the embarrassing moment when his shoulders had been massaged unexpectedly and he let out a sound, Su Ming decided to play a little prank.

As Zou Beiyuan pressed down further, Su Ming felt the tendons in his legs reaching their limit. He turned his head and let out a soft, half-serious moan, his face quickly flushing as he bit his lip.

Damn, that was overkill. Even he thought it sounded suggestive.

The person above him noticeably froze, his grip on Su Ming’s ankle hesitant. After a few seconds of silence, he released him.

“Let’s switch legs,” Zou Beiyuan’s voice had a hint of nervousness, though his movements remained steady as he placed Su Ming’s other leg on his shoulder.

This time, he didn’t press down as far, and when Su Ming looked at him, Zou Beiyuan quickly averted his gaze.

After stretching both legs, Su Ming sat up on the mat and used sign language to thank Zou Beiyuan, handing back the towel he had used to wipe his sweat.

Zou Beiyuan also sat on the mat with his legs bent. Their sitting positions evened out their height difference, and they looked into each other’s eyes for a while before Zou Beiyuan finally said, “Go take a hot shower and get some rest.”

Su Ming nodded, quickly getting up to leave.

He didn’t walk Su Ming out.

After hearing the door close, Zou Beiyuan collapsed onto the mat, covering his eyes with the towel Su Ming had used. The familiar citrus scent lingered.

He knew something was wrong with him. He had actually had a physical reaction to a male friend.