Insatiable
At the end of October, the lake looked blue—its cool tones gave it a clarity more striking than in summer. It looked more like the sea than a typical lake.
Wind mixed with mist swept across the vast, deep-blue waters, dotted with flocks of wild ducks, creating a scene both majestic and lively.
A large man-made square bordered the lake, with rows of willow trees planted neatly along it.
This time of year was usually the off-season, with few tourists, but because of the competition, students from across the country had gathered, bringing new life and energy to the peaceful lake.
Xingjiang was located in the north, and many had never seen such a large lake before. A few boys at the front of the group took off their shoes and socks, trying to stick their feet into the water over the railing, only to be stopped by anxious parents. The back-and-forth added to the cheerful chaos.
Someone else found a shallow area nearby and even spotted a few wild crabs. They grabbed an empty water bottle and decided to try catching them.
The group of a dozen people stretched nearly 100 meters. Lu Xingjia and Qin Mudong walked at the very end, their pace unhurried.
The two stopped by a railing. Qin Mudong kept looking at Lu Xingjia, hesitating to speak. “You… how did you…?”
Guessing what he was thinking, Lu Xingjia smiled brightly. “Someone said they wanted to see me, so I came.”
Qin Mudong’s Adam’s apple moved slightly, his eyes dim.
He had never dared to hope Lu Xingjia would come—not just because of school, but because he had long grown used to being alone.
Lu Xingjia had brought him so much warmth and joy that it left him feeling unsettled.
Was this star really his alone now? Would he really not slip through his fingers again?
Qin Mudong thought, if he never hoped, he’d never be disappointed. Even if Lu Xingjia left one day…
No. That’s the one thing he couldn’t accept.
If he tried to leave again, Qin Mudong would lock him away. He definitely would.
“Why the gloomy face?” Lu Xingjia tilted his head, teasing, “Not happy to see me?”
“I’m happy.”
Qin Mudong reined in the storm surging within him and replied hoarsely.
The damp wind blew past from time to time, and Qin Mudong reached out to hold the hand Lu Xingjia had placed on the railing.
“But this isn’t my only wish, Xingxing,” he said.
He was insatiable. Even after all that Lu Xingjia had done, it still wasn’t enough for him.
“Ahem… I figured,” Lu Xingjia’s face flushed red. He glanced around to make sure no one was looking, then quickly stood on his toes and pecked Qin Mudong on the lips. “There. That enough?”
The warmth was fleeting, soft, almost like an illusion. Qin Mudong lightly brushed the corner of his lips with his finger, his eyes darkening.
Lu Xingjia quickly jumped back two steps, flustered. “That’s it for now! There are people here! If someone sees, it’ll be bad!”
The ripple in Qin Mudong’s eyes faded, returning to calm. He gave a soft “Mm,” like a tamed big cat, and asked in a low voice, “Shall we keep walking?”
Lu Xingjia nodded.
The lake was vast, and as the two of them strolled slowly along the lakeside, they soon fell far behind the group ahead.
Around them, the only sounds left were the rustling calls of birds. Lu Xingjia reached out leisurely, wanting to feel the breeze brushing past his temple, but just as he extended his hand, a strong hand suddenly caught his wrist.
Behind them stood an old willow tree, lush and full of leaves.
Qin Mudong pressed Lu Xingjia against the tree, and a searing kiss fell without warning.
At first, Lu Xingjia let out muffled protests and struggled a little, but he quickly softened under the kiss. His slender, fair fingers opened and clenched, finally gripping the hem of Qin Mudong’s shirt.
Long willow branches swayed in the wind, and the two figures were nearly merged into one.
Elsewhere, Qiu Ruifeng and Ji Angran had also gone in the opposite direction from the main group, strolling around the lake. Halfway through, they suddenly noticed two hazy, entwined figures on the opposite side.
The distance was too great to make out the details, but it was clear that the two bodies were closely pressed together, unmistakably intimate.
Qiu Ruifeng’s mouth dropped open in disbelief. “Is that… Jia Jia and the top student?”
Ji Angran squinted in that direction, spotting their near-embrace. A faint blush quickly spread across his face. “P-probably.”
“What are they doing?” Qiu Ruifeng raised his brows, shocked. “Two guys hugging like that?”
“Maybe…” Ji Angran bit his lip. He knew full well it was more than just a hug but couldn’t say so directly. Struggling for words, he added, “Maybe they’re just really close.”
“This is wild,” Qiu Ruifeng said, still staring, a teasing smile tugging at his lips. “Man, I regret not bringing my phone—should’ve taken a photo. These two are so clingy!”
“Cough, cough—” Ji Angran choked lightly, then asked hesitantly, “When you see them like that… how does it make you feel?”
“What do you mean how do I feel?” Qiu Ruifeng looked puzzled.
“What if it were me,” Ji Angran asked, “What if I…”
“No way!” Before he could finish, Qiu Ruifeng cut him off. “You can’t do that with anyone else!”
Ji Angran’s heart took a nosedive and then slowly floated back up. It took him two seconds to recover and ask, “Why?”
“…”
After a long pause, Qiu Ruifeng said bluntly, “I don’t know. I just feel awful thinking about you being all lovey-dovey with someone else. Like there’s this fire in my chest—I’d wanna punch that guy.”
Ji Angran opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but when he saw Qiu Ruifeng’s honest, straightforward face, he swallowed his words and made a promise instead: “…I won’t do that with anyone else.”
“Good.” Qiu Ruifeng let out a sigh of relief, and the gloom clouding his mood suddenly lifted.
He didn’t want Ji Angran thinking about it any further, so he tugged him away. “Don’t look at them anymore. If you really wanna do that kind of thing, do it with me—no, I mean, just… definitely not with anyone else!”
Ji Angran blinked, looked down at the strong hand on his wrist, and replied softly, “Okay.”
His heart skipped two beats.
……
On the other side, after who-knows-how-long of kissing, Qin Mudong finally let Lu Xingjia go, thoughtfully brushing away a willow leaf that had landed in his hair at some point.
“Happy now?” Lu Xingjia turned his face away, his cheeks still a little flushed.
“Yeah.” Qin Mudong chuckled softly, his eyes full of satisfied hunger. He slid Lu Xingjia’s hand into his school jacket pocket, keeping it there as they casually resumed walking.
The long, wide sleeves drooped down, completely covering their interlocked fingers.
Qin Mudong’s palm was too warm—the sensation spread like an electric current to Lu Xingjia’s little toes, making his whole body feel soft. To distract himself, he asked him a few random questions.
Like why willow trees could hang so low.
Or how such a large inland lake could form.
Or why the palm of his hand was so hot.
Qin Mudong was good at physics, and strong in other subjects too. Although he didn’t know why Lu Xingjia was suddenly asking so many odd questions, he still answered each one seriously.
From the growth process of willow trees, to tectonic movements, and even subtle changes in body temperature—he explained everything thoroughly and clearly.
Lu Xingjia had only asked casually at first, but he soon became genuinely engaged, listening intently. All the travel fatigue from earlier vanished without a trace.
One spoke, the other listened—and without realizing it, they had walked a full circle around the lake.
Back at the same railing where they had stopped before, Qin Mudong began explaining tidal movements.
His voice was low and magnetic, and his dark eyes deep as ink. Lu Xingjia rested his chin on his hand, completely absorbed.
Just as Qin Mudong finished his last word, applause suddenly rang out.
“Not bad, young man, very clear thinking.”
They both snapped out of it and realized that at some point, a white-haired old man had appeared beside them.
He was tall and slim, dressed in a crisp suit and wearing gold-rimmed glasses, looking both kind and knowledgeable.
He stepped closer with a smile and greeted them, “You two here for the physics competition too?”
Qin Mudong frowned slightly, casting a cool glance at him. After a moment of hesitation, Lu Xingjia replied with a smile, “He is. I’m not.”
He reached out, intending to point at Qin Mudong beside him, but their hands had been joined for so long that he’d forgotten. As he lifted his arm, he realized their hands were still linked together.
Lu Xingjia froze for a moment, quickly withdrew his hand, and coughed awkwardly to cover it up before adding, “I’m just here for fun.”
People often accept girls holding hands or hugging, but they can’t seem to accept it when boys do the same.
Considering the old man’s age, if he suddenly came out with something like “this is inappropriate,” it would be terribly embarrassing.
With that thought, Lu Xingjia felt the old man’s burning gaze.
Feeling awkward and wishing he could drag Qin Mudong away to escape, he was surprised when the old man simply smiled and said slowly, “You two seem close. That’s nice.”
What… did that mean?
Instinctively, Lu Xingjia looked up and locked eyes with the old man. In those wise eyes was a warm, knowing smile.
Lu Xingjia’s face flushed—he could clearly feel the old man had realized something.
But the old man didn’t say anything more. Instead, he continued chatting with them.
He asked where they went to school and about their studies. Then, picking up where Qin Mudong had left off, he began discussing tidal movements.
The old man was probably a physics expert too. He approached the topic from a different angle than Qin Mudong, but it was just as fascinating. Qin Mudong, who had initially shown no intention of engaging, eventually joined the conversation and even debated a few points.
Their discussion went well beyond high school-level physics. Lu Xingjia soon couldn’t follow, but watching the two spar back and forth was entertaining in its own way.
Qin Mudong, rarely this talkative, spoke sharply and confidently. The old man, full of vigor, had the air of a master meeting his match.
Suddenly, Lu Xingjia felt a sense of déjà vu. But he quickly dismissed the fleeting thought.
He was sure they had never met this old man before.
It must’ve just been the result of hearing too many confusing physics terms.
Lu Xingjia shook his head and stopped overthinking.
The sky quickly darkened, the evening breeze stirred the lake’s ripples, and the supervising teacher called everyone to gather for the return.
The old man sighed lightly, ending the debate with Qin Mudong.
“You’re a sharp young man,” he said with a cheerful smile. “Quite the mind for your age.”
“Thank you,” Qin Mudong replied respectfully, far more courteous now. “Talking with you was enlightening.”
“Good boy,” the old man laughed, patting Qin Mudong’s shoulder, then Lu Xingjia’s. His hand was dry and strong. “Go on back now.”
Qin Mudong nodded and, right in front of the old man, confidently took Lu Xingjia’s hand, leading him toward the meeting point.
Lu Xingjia felt a little shy. Once they were far enough away, he suddenly asked, “Aren’t you going to exchange contact info or something?”
“No need,” Qin Mudong replied, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “I have a feeling we’ll see him again soon.”
“He must be a really brilliant physics professor, huh?” Lu Xingjia asked tentatively.
Qin Mudong neither confirmed nor denied it.
The question went unanswered, but Lu Xingjia didn’t have time to dwell on it.
A more pressing issue soon arose.
The hotel he had booked suddenly called to say they were out of rooms and asked him to cancel his reservation.
Author’s Note:
Let’s make the cohabitation even more intense, shall we?