Hearing You Say Love chapter 73

My Superhero

Since Zou Beiyuan wouldn’t be gone for long this time, Su Ming didn’t seem overly sad about his temporary departure.

Moreover, Zou Beiyuan had been especially attentive and clingy recently, leaving Su Ming feeling that he’d need at least half a month of abstinence to regain his energy.

So, on the day Zou Beiyuan left, he was rather composed.  

He parked the car at the T2 terminal’s international departure gate, watching as Zou Beiyuan and Joyce dragged their luggage through the glass doors, then drove off.

But he quickly realized that things weren’t as easy as he had imagined.

…

During this period, Zou Beiyuan had been helping Su Ming with voice training daily. Cheng Jianyun, Su Ming’s therapist, was impressed with the results and encouraged him to practice more with his family. Su Ming and Zou Beiyuan had even agreed to continue video calls for practice while apart.

However, the 12-hour time difference and Zou Beiyuan’s busy schedule made communication difficult. There were days when even text replies were delayed, let alone video calls. 

Su Ming, who spent mornings at the therapy center and returned home by noon, found that his free time coincided with Zou Beiyuan’s midnight hours. The only time they could truly talk was when he stayed up late while Zou Beiyuan was waking up. 

In those moments, Su Ming didn’t care about voice training. He just wanted to chat and flirt with his boyfriend, even if most of their calls were just shared laughter through the screen.

One night, while sketching, Su Ming suddenly missed Zou Beiyuan intensely and called him.  

Zou Beiyuan was walking on a sunny street lined with blond-haired, blue-eyed people, while Su Ming sat in his lit-up living room, the night outside pitch black. It was then that he truly realized how far away his little wolf was. 

Without Zou Beiyuan, Su Ming’s training sessions began to falter. His eagerness to improve made him anxious, and the stagnation only worsened his stress. Cheng Jianyun tried every method to help him, but nothing seemed effective. Both therapist and patient felt lost.

…

On the seventh day, during a session, Cheng Jianyun suddenly asked why Su Ming seemed off recently. Su Ming replied in sign language, Maybe because my boyfriend isn’t home.

It took Cheng Jianyun a minute to process this information before he asked, “Is your boyfriend the one I saw at the community gate when I dropped you off last time?”

Su Ming nodded.

“He’s usually the one practicing with you at home?”

Another nod.

Cheng Jianyun instinctively wanted to ask if Su Ming had no other family members but stopped himself, realizing it might be impolite to question an adult in such a direct way. Instead, he rephrased, “When will he be back?”

Su Ming signed, The day after tomorrow, but he might leave again soon.

After recalling Zou Beiyuan’s striking appearance and build, Cheng Jianyun asked, “Is he returning to the military?”

Su Ming shook his head. He’s going to another country.

Cheng Jianyun stayed silent for a while before pausing the day’s training. They ended up talking about Zou Beiyuan for a long time.

 .….

The day Zou Beiyuan returned, Su Ming didn’t calculate the time precisely to park at the terminal but arrived an hour early. With the flight number in hand, he found the correct exit and waited eagerly among the crowd.

He had never received anyone at an airport before and didn’t realize how thrilling it would be to spot a familiar figure walking toward him.

Everyone around was hugging, so Su Ming hugged Zou Beiyuan too.

Zou Beiyuan looked exhausted, his stubble scratching Su Ming’s face and lips, but Su Ming still kissed him for a long time in the car.

After returning home, Zou Beiyuan took a shower and fell asleep immediately, from 6 PM until 3 AM.  

By that time, Su Ming was already asleep. Zou Beiyuan woke him up, and in a daze, they made love. Afterward, neither of them wanted to get up to shower, and they just lay there, in each other’s messy embrace.  

Zou Beiyuan reached out to turn on the bedside lamp, angling it toward Su Ming’s face. The glare was so bright that Su Ming felt like it was blinding him. Annoyed, he frowned and signed for Zou Beiyuan to turn it off.  

But this time, Zou Beiyuan didn’t indulge him. Instead, he ran his fingers through Su Ming’s hair, pulling it back to reveal his face fully in the glaring light.  

The surroundings were silent, the night breeze blowing in from the river outside rustling the curtains softly.  

Autumn had set in, and the cool night air left goosebumps on Su Ming’s shoulders where they peeked out from under the blanket.  

Zou Beiyuan pulled him closer into his arms, adjusting the blanket over him. His voice, still tinged with lingering intimacy, was hoarse as he kissed Su Ming’s forehead and said, “Baby, I need to tell you something.”  

Su Ming, his eyes half-closed, struggled to open them and looked up at Zou Beiyuan.  

“My next match competition is scheduled for mid-May next year,” Zou Beiyuan said. “It’ll be against the current light heavyweight champion, Harrison.”  

Su Ming had heard about this before—wasn’t the match supposed to be at the end of this year? Why was it postponed to next year?  

Zou Beiyuan seemed to read the question on his face and explained, “Harrison had a title defense match last week. He defeated Vlasov, who’s been highly regarded these past two years. He needs time to recover. Meanwhile, Pereira also thinks I’m not in my best shape and suggested I take more time to prepare.”  

This meant Zou Beiyuan would be in training camp until May next year. Su Ming realized they’d be apart for most of the next half-year.  

Su Ming signed: After you win, can you rest then?

Zou Beiyuan smirked, finding the question endearing. “If I win, I’ll have to defend my title within the required time frame and accept challenges from others until I’m defeated.”  

Su Ming nodded, processing this: So, like in martial arts novels, the number one in the world is constantly challenged.

“You could say that,” Zou Beiyuan chuckled, the vibrations in his chest transferring to Su Ming’s. “But if I lose, I’ll become the one challenging the number one.”  

Su Ming understood his meaning and asked: So, does that mean you’ll be staying there long-term for training? 

“Yes.”  

Su Ming looked into Zou Beiyuan’s eyes, the light from the lamp casting highlights in his dark pupils. He raised his hand and signed earnestly: You won’t lose. You’re amazing.

Because you’re my superhero.  

“Not necessarily,” his superhero replied, twirling Su Ming’s hair around his fingers. His tone was relaxed, but his words carried no lightness. “I watched Harrison’s match in person this time. He’s incredibly strong, much more refined than in his last fight. I’ll have to train very, very, very hard to face him.”  

Su Ming didn’t understand these intricacies. He tilted his head up to kiss Zou Beiyuan’s lips and signed: Then focus on preparing for the match. I’ll be here waiting for you like a good boy. 

Zou Beiyuan caught his hand and kissed his fingers, letting out a long sigh. “But I really want you by my side.”  

The “little wolf” began to sulk. “Only when you’re with me do I feel truly strong. Without you, I’ll lack courage and won’t be as amazing.”  

In the past, Su Ming would have shoved him away with a light slap and told him to stop whining.  

But after ten days of being separated by an ocean and over ten thousand kilometers, Su Ming felt his own courage waning too.  

He completely understood Zou Beiyuan’s feelings: While they could live well on their own, they still wanted to be together.  

Su Ming had never made promises to anyone before. He disliked the sense of responsibility that came with them. A promise, once made, became a debt, and paying off debts was troublesome.  

After thinking carefully for five minutes, he withdrew his fingers from Zou Beiyuan’s grasp and signed with a serious expression: Let’s agree on this—half a year. You win the championship, I finish my speech training, and then I’ll go with you.  

Zou Beiyuan raised an eyebrow, smiling with a deep, pleasant voice. “You know, you can’t make promises like that. In stories, when characters set these kinds of promises, they usually end up failing.”  

Su Ming thought, I’m Shu Yu Ming Jin. I won’t let that kind of ending happen in my story.

He kissed Zou Beiyuan to shut him up, his tongue teasing inside Zou Beiyuan’s mouth, making Zou Beiyuan’s breathing grow heavier.  

Zou Beiyuan flipped him over and pressed him beneath. The softened and moist area from earlier welcomed him once more, as the two made love again.

Perhaps because their parting was imminent, they were clingier than ever before. At home, they were constantly holding and touching each other—showering together, cooking together. Whatever they did, it always turned into making love.

The floor-to-ceiling windows, the sofa, the kitchen counter, the dining table, even Su Ming’s work desk—no place was spared from their passion, as if they were trying to make up for the next half year of separation.  

It left Su Ming feeling drained even at the therapy center. Cheng Jianyun, concerned, asked several times if he was suffering from insomnia and needed sleeping pills.  

One time, when Su Ming shook his head, the hickeys on his neck were accidentally exposed, and Cheng Jianyun understood, deciding not to ask further.  

After several days of indulgence, Su Ming told Zou Beiyuan they couldn’t continue like this. Zou Beiyuan’s grandma, Teacher Song, had arranged for them to have dinner at Fu Ruoqin’s house the next day, and Su Ming didn’t want to show up looking exhausted.  

Zou Beiyuan teased him for his lack of stamina, saying he should exercise more, but in the end, he relented and didn’t push Su Ming to exhaustion. That night, they simply cuddled and had a peaceful sleep.  

Fu Ruoqin’s home was in a residential area by a wetland park in the south of the city. The neighborhood was older, with three- or four-story villas, each floor housing one family. The ground floors had gardens, and every household had installed fences. Even in autumn, the lush greenery remained vibrant, unaffected by the season.  

Zou Beiyuan parked the car on the road outside the neighborhood and walked inside with Su Ming. The evergreen trees lining the narrow path were lush and dense, blocking the bright autumn blue sky. Some withered yellow leaves from the shrubs fell to the ground, rustling underfoot.

It was noon, and there weren’t many people on the road. Zou Beiyuan gently hooked his fingers with Su Ming’s, noticing that his fingers felt a little cold. He asked, “Are you cold? I’ll take off my coat for you.”

Su Ming wore a light-colored sweater, which looked warm and soft, but he was only wearing a white T-shirt underneath, so he still felt cold when the wind blew.

He glanced at Zou Beiyuan’s khaki-colored trench coat. With his good physique, he looked great in a knee-length coat, and Su Ming didn’t want him to take it off.

He shook his head, placing both hands on Zou Beiyuan’s arm to stop him from removing the coat.

Keep it on, this coat only has value when it’s on you.

Fu Ruoqin also lived on the first floor, but she and Zhang Donglai had a more unique hobby. They built a pond in their yard to keep turtles.

Su Ming walked over to the fence and saw a turtle, about the size of a milk pot, leisurely floating on the surface of the pond. It looked especially relaxing.

Before he could point it out to Zou Beiyuan, he noticed another “sneak attack turtle” swimming quietly toward it. The sneak attack turtle, taking advantage of the other turtle’s distraction, suddenly bit its front leg, and the two turtles started fighting in the water.

Su Ming found it amusing and couldn’t help but laugh.

The wind tousled his hair, and a few strands of hair stuck to his fair cheek. With his red lips and white teeth, no matter how many times Zou Beiyuan looked at him, his heart would race.

Zou Beiyuan reached out to tuck Su Ming’s hair behind his ear, his large hand pressing gently on his head as he turned him to face him for a kiss.

“We should buy a little yard in the future,” Zou Beiyuan said, using his thumb to wipe the moisture from Su Ming’s lips, “I’ll make you a pond like this and bring these two turtles back to raise them.”

Su Ming signed: No, what if I die? What will happen to the turtles?

He finished signing and was about to turn around to continue watching, but Zou Beiyuan suddenly embraced him.

Su Ming:?

“Don’t move, you’re a little cold, let me warm you up.”

Zou Beiyuan pulled Su Ming inside his trench coat, positioning him so his back was facing the floor-to-ceiling windows at the back of the yard.

As a result, Su Ming didn’t see Fu Ruoqin, who was standing by the windows, staring directly at Zou Beiyuan.