Originated from mountains and seas, life never ends

Chapter 325 Consumables

Qin Xiao's sorrow seemed to be overflowing. Mo Hanyu finally couldn't bear it anymore and stretched out his long arms to hug him tightly, stroking his back repeatedly and comforting him wordlessly.

"No, it's okay."

Qin Xiao climbed out of his arms and shook his head to indicate that he was OK. Mo Hanyu wanted to say something else, but asking anything now would seem like taking advantage of someone's misfortune.

Qin Xiao was drunk. Although he hadn't yet reached the point of losing consciousness, he was afraid that Qin Xiao would answer anything he asked, regardless of whether he really wanted to tell him or not.

"Then what should you do to feel at ease?" Mo Hanyu asked softly.

Qin Xiao lowered his head, rubbed his eyes, and said nothing, as if he hadn't heard: "Mo Hanyu..."

"……I am here."

"Why do you like me?"

Qin Xiao looked up at him, his dark and deep pupils now emitting charming mist, and with a bit of childish innocence, he asked.

"I don't understand... what you mean by heartbeat." Qin Xiao touched his chest, "But... if one day your heart no longer beats for me, or no longer beats only for me, will you leave me?"

"Of course I-"

"You might not... because of a so-called sense of responsibility." Qin Xiao's voice was bitter, "But by then, what's the point of all this? When you no longer like me, your heart will grow colder over time. In the end, you might even pray for an accident to end this unfortunate relationship..."

"...Am I such a bad person in your eyes?"

Qin Xiao paused, staring blankly at the young man in front of him with a sad look in his eyes, his pupils shrinking sharply.

Mo Hanyu smiled sadly, his eyes filled with disappointment, and he questioned with a hint of grievance, "Am I so terrible in your eyes?"

"I just... stated the choice of most people—"

“But I’m not those people!”

Mo Hanyu held Qin Xiao's shoulders, leaned forward to look into his confused dark eyes, and said through gritted teeth, "Even if we take ten thousand steps back, even a hundred million steps back, even if... even if there really is such a day! What do you think..."

"Do you think—I would ruin our relationship like this?!"

Qin Xiao stared at him blankly, his whole body numb, not even daring to move.

"Even if the love is gone by then, haven't we been together for all these years? Is our love all these years fake? Why do you think I would ruin our relationship like this?"

"In other words, if in the future you no longer like me, will you deny me and ruin our relationship?"

"Impossible!!—Of course."

Qin Xiao's fingers tightened, and he instinctively wanted to refute: "No... Impossible."

"Then why do you miss me so much?" Mo Hanyu held his hand. Qin Xiao shivered at the cold fingers and looked at him anxiously.

"Why are you arranging these groundless crimes for my future?"

Qin Xiao was speechless, his pupils contracted and dilated, and he was unable to make a sound for a long time.

"...Why don't you come to see me these days?"

Finally, Qin Xiao asked this question in a hoarse voice, his shoulders slumped, as if he was deflated and dejected.

Mo Hanyu paused after hearing this, and the sad mood was immediately washed away. He coughed twice and turned his head away embarrassedly.

"Are you angry because of what I said the other day?" Qin Xiao's voice was very soft and cautious, his eyes fixed on the green grass under his feet, not daring to look at him.

"No, of course not." Mo Hanyu said immediately.

"Ahem, Xiao..." Mo Hanyu pursed his lips, feeling a little ashamed. "To say I didn't... isn't really accurate. I should say I was hit hard."

"Or a wake-up call?"

Mo Hanyu smiled: "But what you said makes sense. It is true that I was too frivolous. I relied on the friendship we have had over the years and that you would not use too much force on me, so I did these outrageous things to you without permission... It's my fault."

Qin Xiao opened his mouth, wanting to say something but stopped himself.

"I felt... embarrassed at the time." Mo Hanyu said with shame, "Because I realized that you were right. What I did to you was without your permission. Besides, we didn't have a formal relationship yet, so this shouldn't happen so often. It was me..."

"—Too self-centered. He only thought about his own feelings, gloating over the unintentional advantage he gained, while ignoring your feelings."

"These past few days... I've actually been dreading seeing you. I'm afraid I'll get the same words as the other day. I promised you I'd change, so I've been thinking about this for a long time. I spent a lot of time choosing this outfit, hoping to create a good impression on you... but now it seems I haven't succeeded."

Mo Hanyu forced a smile, his tone full of apology: "I'm sorry... Xiao, I'm too immature. I can't take care of everything, and I always have some childish temper. I-"

"unimportant."

Mo Hanyu: "What?"

Qin Xiao: "I said, these are not important."

Qin Xiao stared at him intently. For a moment, Mo Hanyu thought Qin Xiao was sober.

But the next second, Qin Xiao yawned, leaned back and lay on the soft velvet, feeling very sleepy.

"……you are tired?"

Qin Xiao rested his head on his arms, nodded seriously when he heard his question, and closed his eyes tiredly.

"...Aren't you going back to sleep?"

Qin Xiaoqiang opened his eyes, looked around the interior of the hanging basket, and nodded in confirmation: "This space is enough."

It was already dark. The faint flickering lights of boats on the Sishui River, the dense and dim lights in Fusi City, the intricate twinkling stars in the night sky... everything came together to form a quiet and beautiful picture.

Qin Xiao lay curled up in the hanging basket. Mo Hanyu helped him take off his boots and put them away. Just as he was about to help him take off his coat, he was suddenly grabbed by the collar and suddenly shrunk.

"What?"

Qin Xiao's tone was unfriendly, as if he was disturbed from sleeping.

"Take off your coat before going to sleep. I brought a quilt with me." Mo Hanyu took out a soft quilt out of thin air and explained.

Qin Xiao hugged the quilt, said nothing, and responded with a light sound.

Mo Hanyu took off his clothes smoothly this time. Looking at Qin Xiao who had crawled into the bed, he smiled happily. He was planning to sit aside, but he saw Qin Xiao, who had tidied the bed, lift up a corner.

"Aren't you going to sleep?"

Qin Xiao asked him, as if it was an invitation.

Mo Hanyu's breathing stagnated: "Is it okay?"

Qin Xiao nodded as a matter of course.

Mo Hanyu was a little flattered. While secretly cursing himself for being useless, he tidied his clothes and tentatively walked in slowly.

Even when he was lying face to face beside Qin Xiao, Qin Xiao still had no intention of resisting. Not only that, he also pulled his arm to use as a pillow.

"Good night."

Qin Xiao said hello to him skillfully and soon closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Mo Hanyu looked at his peaceful sleeping face quietly for a long time, and replied softly: "Good night."

Even if Qin Xiao wakes up tomorrow and the first thing he does is scold him... he will accept it.

Mo Hanyu closed his eyes and spread his spiritual awareness around him so that he could wake up in time if there was any movement around him.

A dreamless night.

When the sunlight finally fell on Mo Hanyu's eyelids, his narrow and clean eyes trembled slightly and he slowly opened his eyes.

Mo Hanyu opened his eyes blearily and stretched lazily. He had slept so well last night that his mind was blank when he woke up. The warmth and comfort of the quilt made him want to sleep again.

Mo Hanyu closed his eyes and was about to continue sleeping when he suddenly realized something and sat up abruptly. There was no one around him.

Mo Hanyu felt a chill in his heart. Without time to think, he ran out in a hurry without even putting on his shoes. As soon as he got out of the hanging basket, he stumbled and stopped.

Mo Hanyu's whole body stiffened, and before he could adjust his posture, his ankle twisted and he fell to the ground, covered in dew.

Qin Xiao was sitting on the hillside less than five steps away from him, looking quietly into the distance. When he heard the noise, he slowly turned his head and looked towards him.

Mo Hanyu's face was filled with confusion. His brain, which had not yet fully awakened, was unable to comprehend the current situation. He maintained this awkward posture and stared blankly at Qin Xiao.

The white-haired boy's clothes were stained with some grass debris, his hair was messy, his beautiful face was a little dull, his eyes were round and wide, staring at him blankly, like a mountain elf who had never entered the mortal world.

Under Qin Xiao's gaze, Mo Hanyu reacted quickly, chuckled twice and scratched his head to ease the atmosphere, but he felt like he was being stupid. He immediately put down his arms and turned his head, wanting to say something.

"Come here." Qin Xiao waved to him.

Mo Hanyu paused and observed Qin Xiao's expression. He didn't find any displeasure on his face, so he quickly ran over, squatted down and looked at him with some confusion in his eyes.

Qin Xiao gently patted the grass debris off his shoulders. Faced with Mo Hanyu's cautious attitude, he couldn't help but sigh.

Mo Hanyu's heart tightened, and he wanted to ask, but Qin Xiao spoke first: "Why did you come out barefoot?"

Qin Xiao's face was as calm as water, and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry. Mo Hanyu answered honestly, "I thought you were gone."

After hearing this, Qin Xiao's eyelids trembled slightly, and he turned his gaze away to look into the distance. A gentle breeze blew past, making his hair flutter and his eyes shimmer.

Mo Hanyu looked at the situation and knew that he would not leave for a while, so he hurried back to change his clothes and shoes. After he finished dressing, he tidied for a long time and made sure that there was no problem before returning to Qin Xiao.

"Xiao..."

Mo Hanyu saw that Qin Xiao was slow to speak and wanted to say something.

"Mo Hanyu." Qin Xiao closed his eyes and said calmly, "Do you like me very much?"

Mo Hanyu tightened his fingers, straightened his sitting posture, and replied seriously: "Of course, I——"

Qin Xiao raised his hand to stop him from proving his feelings and asked again, "How long do you think your love for him will last?"

"I... don't know." Mo Hanyu knew that vows of love and oaths were not reliable for Qin Xiao, so he could only say, "But I think, I like—"

"Okay, that's enough."

Qin Xiao didn't let him continue: "I've finished asking."

Mo Hanyu's nervous heart was about to jump out of his chest, and his throat felt as if it was being strangled. He bit his lower lip and wanted to say something to make amends, but he didn't know how to say it to satisfy Qin Xiao.

"...Mo Hanyu."

After an unknown amount of time, the judgment finally arrived. Qin Xiao turned his head to look at him, his voice and eyes as calm as before.

"So, do you want to date me?"

Mo Hanyu was stunned.

"I may not be a qualified lover. I am often very stubborn and not very considerate of other people's feelings. Maybe the emotions you have given me are not enough to be reciprocated...that is—"

Qin Xiao's eyelashes trembled slightly, his thumb scratching the joint of his index finger tightly, and his voice unconsciously stained with a hint of nervousness: "Even so, are you still willing to date me?"

Mo Hanyu: ...

Mo Hanyu was almost stunned by these light words.

Noticing the uneasiness flickering in Qin Xiao's eyes, Mo Hanyu quickly came back to his senses and nodded repeatedly: "Yes... Of course, I'm willing to do so."

Mo Hanyu stepped forward and wanted to hold Qin Xiao's hand, but then he retracted it for some reason. His eyes were flickering with joy, and the corners of his mouth couldn't stop rising: "I do, Xiao."

“…Call my name.”

"Qin, Qin Xiao." Mo Hanyu hadn't called him by his full name for many years, so it was still a little awkward to say. He said sincerely, "Qin Xiao, I do."

Qin Xiao's eyelashes drooped slightly, he closed his eyes, and breathed softly: "Then... let's go out."

"Hey, hey..." Mo Hanyu nodded repeatedly, feeling dizzy and overwhelmed by this great opportunity. He had never expected it to be so easy this time. He had thought it would take at least until the end of the competition... but he had never expected it to be this easy.

Qin Xiao glanced at Mo Hanyu who was grinning foolishly, chuckled, and his heart finally settled down.

So be it.

No matter what will happen after he recovers his memory, at least now... he can't bear to let him suffer like this.

Qin Xiao recalled his recent conversation with Meng Liyun. It was early morning, and he had just woken up from his sleep. Looking at the young man sleeping before him, his memories gradually returned, and he couldn't help but rub his brow.

Realizing that the young man next to him was about to wake up, Qin Xiao decisively pressed the acupoints on the back of his neck, allowing him to continue sleeping.

After that, he sat on the hillside and stared at the distant scenery in a daze.

But after a while, he called Meng Liyun.

Meng Liyun must have just finished practicing. A red light was lingering all over her body, and she looked energetic, not like she had just woken up.

"What's the matter?" Nangong Huaxue asked him.

"That wine...was given to me by you?"

Qin Xiao didn't feel any discomfort when he woke up. Even his meridians seemed stronger due to the influence of the wine. He knew that what Wang Xuyi said was true. Combined with his conversation with Meng Liyun two days ago, he had some guesses.

As expected, Meng Liyun's eyes were vague and she laughed dryly twice.

"What kind of wine? How come I don't know?"

"...Meng Liyun." Qin Xiao looked at her calmly.

Within two seconds, Nangong Huaxue threw in the towel and admitted it directly: "I gave it to you, so what?!"

"...Why is it so?" Qin Xiao rubbed his eyebrows, knowing that Wang Xuyi probably didn't know the specific reason, and was just asked to invite him to drink that wine.

"That's not what you were talking about...that friend or something." Nangong Huaxue pouted, "I wasn't thinking of getting you drunk to relieve your sorrow...that wine is precious, I gave it all to you..."

Qin Xiao didn't want to talk to her for the time being. When he thought of the scene where he took the initiative yesterday, he couldn't help but hold his forehead.

"...What's wrong? What unspeakable secret happened?" Nangong Huaxue narrowed his eyes and teased.

"..." Qin Xiao looked at her, his eyes narrowed, a cold light flashing, "What exactly do you think of this matter? Didn't you say that this behavior was scumbag before?"

"That's because I didn't know it was you!" Nangong Huaxue said innocently, "If I had known, I definitely wouldn't have said that."

"Don't give me that... Tell me what you think of love between two people."

Seeing Qin Xiao's serious expression, Nangong Huaxue sat up straight and also became serious.

"Love... I think it's consumable, something that needs to be replenished." Nangong Huaxue thought for a moment and gave her answer, "It can't be just one person giving. For example, when I give you so much love - that part is given away and lost forever. Maybe I tell you that you don't need to give back, but this is only temporary."

"As time goes by, more and more love is consumed. No matter how abundant or vast the love is, it will eventually be exhausted."

"If you want to maintain this relationship, you have to give to each other. You give me a little, and I will give you the same or even more love in return. Only in this way can we maintain a relatively balanced state and make this relationship go further."

"I think you're in a state of only taking in but not giving out. Maybe that child still refuses to give up and is passionate about you now and for a long time to come, but there will always be a day when he will run out of energy. Of course, if you really don't want to be with him, it doesn't matter. It depends on whether you can make up your mind. I just want to tell you-"

"Don't wait until his sincerity is exhausted before you regret it."