A couple of happy caterpillars

Finally, Ling opened his sleepy eyes and realized that he had slept for half a day. He had an urgent need, so he ran to the bathroom. He took a shower at the same time since he was sweating from lounging in the sun. When he got out of the shower, he did not notice that the bandage on his leg had come off.

When he went outside, he stared at the scenery while Wei went to get the band-aid and silently replaced it. Droplets of water dripped from Ling's hair down to his neck, he caught and wiped them with his palm, and without thinking long, he flopped back on the recliner.

"Shall we eat somewhere?" he suggested.

"Why not, what kind of cuisine do you prefer?" the man asked enthusiastically.

"Chinese would be best," smiled Ling.

A map was used to find several Chinese restaurants within a ten-mile radius. Choosing at random, they hit the road. After lunch, Ling stopped at a couple of stores to buy souvenirs for his brothers. They walked the aisles for a long time and suddenly Wei was gone.

The young man continued to look at magnets, pipes, hats, pamphlets, and cups and did not notice his absence. He questioned the salesman passionately about the collection of stones he had just noticed and finally bought them for his older brother. He had seen similar stones in his room before and decided he would be interested.

Puzzling over what to get his youngest, he suddenly came across a cookbook. "Great," Ling glowered. He bought a warm merino cape for his mother. Satisfied, he walked out of the store and didn't see Wei anywhere. All he had to do was to go and wait by the car.

Soon Wei appeared, carrying a small bag in one hand. It turned out that Wei had bought them shorts. Afterward, they went back to their paradise house and since it was almost four o'clock, they went for a swim.

Taking a dip in the cool water on such a hot day was bliss. Ling dived in headfirst and jumped out of the water like a joyful seal.

Wei kept close by and made sure that the young man did not turn into a frozen frog. After an hour, he finally pulled the waterman ashore and wrapped him in a large towel. Sitting on the shore, they chatted about old times and squinted at the warm evening sun.

"Ling, have you ever thought about getting married and starting a family?"

"Huh?" this question caught the young man off guard and even pricked his heart painfully.

"Start a family? What do you mean? He means, he's dating a man. Marry?!"

His head started spinning and Ling frowned at Wei, "what is he talking about anyway?"

"Ahem, ahem, I don't know. Unless on you..." Ling said quietly.

Wei smiled. He was worried that their relationship would somehow disrupt Ling's long-term plans, and most of all, Wei wanted people to choose him willingly and want to be with him because of himself.

In his heart, he nurtured the hope of tying Ling to himself forever. When they returned home, he would want to give him everything in the world. But first, he had to protect his position and deal with Lu Fei.

Ling looked at Wei puzzledly, then turned his attention to the tattoo. When the man wasn't around, he stared at his name for long periods, stroking it and dreaming of meeting him soon. But here they were together, but Wei was acting strange. Ling warmed himself a little more and went back into the water.

Only when his fingers wrinkled and he was almost blue himself was Wei able to pull him to dry land. The sun had long since set in the west, and now dusk had descended on the land.

Ling was shivering so much that he couldn't get a tooth for a tooth, so Wei wiped him dry and then went over once more with a towel to warm him up. In front of the house, he put a brazier and lit a fire. The wood crackled peacefully, warming the still shivering Ling. Wei began to roast sausages and vegetables. Dinner was simple but hearty.

Sitting under the starry sky, they opened a bottle of wine and enjoyed it leisurely. After the frantic pace at which they had escaped pursuit, they now slowed to caterpillar speed. A pair of happy caterpillars lay on a blanket, listening to the noise of the ocean and admiring the stars. The sky seemed especially bright and close here.

After finishing his wine, Ling settled down on Wei's chest. He enjoyed the measured pounding of his heart. The man stroked his hair and thought about time. There was always little time.

Even now, they could stay here for a month or a lifetime, but their enemies were already putting their plan into action, so the vacation would be short.

Wei went to great lengths to regain the support of the company's board of directors. So at the last meeting, by a narrow margin, he was again elected executive director.

He informed the trustees that his father had been assassinated, and he went to deal with it. Of course, all this time he had already been near the old man, but for the entire world, Wei had left only a few days before.

Of course, with this state of affairs, the board of shareholders had no reason to elect a new director and Lu Fei lost the opportunity to act openly for a while.

But all this time Lu Fei actively weaved his web and continued to press the prosecutor's office. Unfortunately for him, the law enforcement never found a connection with Ambassador Shu. But Fei had more trumps up his sleeve.

He dreamed of disgracing and destroying Wei and used every available method.

He ordered the burning down of Meili's restaurant the reason that he found out about the secret archive. In the hope of intimidating Ling, Lu Fei did not shy away from such brutal methods. But Ling disappeared, and so did his entire family.

Fei found out that they had left for a wedding, but it turned out to be a lie. His suspicions grew even stronger. After following him, he was shocked, "what was Ling doing in Mexico?"

Finding him in that hospital, Fei's men set it on fire to make it look like an accident, but Wei's intelligence wasn't sleeping either, and he used the moment to save the guy. Lu Fei didn't go looking for the flash drive; he decided to burn it all together and miscalculated.

Meanwhile, Ling had dozed off. The warmth coming from Wei's chest soothed and relaxed him. He fiddled with the button on his shirt with one hand and fell asleep holding onto it. Wei kissed the top of his head and hugged him.

More than anything, he wanted to protect their relationship, and a strange, soul-crushing foreboding feeling made everything inside shrink. He hadn't told Lyn that he would have to resort to scheming, for that might break his heart.

"Trust me, just trust me," whispered Wei, clutching Ling tightly in his arms.

"Huh?" the sleepy Ling opened his eyes and looked distractedly before him.

"I'll carry you inside, you shouldn't be sleeping here."

Wei picked up the young man like a feather and carried him into the house. Here under this starry sky, he was happier than ever. They were just people, with loving hearts, no intrigue or deceit. They could have lived like this forever, but reality laughed in their faces.

After laying Ling on the bed, Wei sat down next to him and gazed at his beautiful face for a long time. Then he leaned over and kissed his glossy lips. They were warm and still held the scent of wine. Wei lay down beside him and embraced the young man. And so they fell asleep.

The next day, Wei personally took over the entertainment program. The young man fidgeted in his seat and begged for the secret of where they were going, but Wei was as firm as a rock. Finally, they arrived at a clothing store, and Ling looked at the man disappointedly.

"We need to get dressed up, come on," he winked at Ling and was the first to walk through the door.

The young man looked down at his plain clothes and muttered something.

They walked out of the store elegantly dressed. Ling was instantly transformed. Even his gait became more confident. Wei secretly admired the young man. He bought him a sky-blue shirt and dark pants.

Completing the look was a beautiful neck scarf and patent shoes. Then they walked to the next building, where their hairstyles underwent a startling metamorphosis. Ling lingered and bought some perfume.

Completely satisfied with his appearance, he walked next to Wei and hummed some song. Ling hadn't been this happy and carefree in ages. When he had first joined the firm, he had decided by blood and sweat to hold on to the position. The boss didn't like him and at that time the young man didn't understand why.

He diligently carried out all the work and tolerated humiliation and neglect only to return the loan as soon as possible. He lived modestly, ate what he could, and dressed like a scarecrow, but it wasn't in his plans to impress. Besides, his boss shone like the biggest star in Ling's sky.

It didn't occur to him that his appearance offended Jiang Wei's clear eyes and therefore, despite all his assistant's virtues, the boss still didn't accept him. But that all changed that evening when Ling appeared at the reception in a suit.

Having come to this conclusion, Ling became a little numb and felt hopelessly stupid. He was about to bring it up, but they were already there.

In front of them was the Academy of Art. Large posters invited them to the exhibition and offered workshops at the same time. Ling's eyes sparkled with excitement.

Without waiting for Wei, he went forward. The exhibition occupied the entire first floor. The young man wandered between the paintings and Wei saw him furtively wipe the corner of his mouth a couple of times. "It was drooling with delight," Wei laughed.

While the young man gawked, Wei stepped back and spoke to the Academy director, who was kind enough to answer the stranger's questions at length. But he was especially interested in Ling, so he gave Wei some pamphlets and shook hands with a smile. Seated in a chair, Wei waited for the young man.

He covered his eyes and almost dozed off. Ling had been walking around the gallery for almost two hours. He became so absorbed in the atmosphere that he lost sight of his friend as well as his sense of time.

Ling scrutinized each work and emotions alternated on his face. Many of the paintings sold, and Ling returned several times to the image of the lighthouse. In the painting, the ocean was raging. Foam was soaring high up. Small fishing boats were being carried across the surface.

And only the lighthouse stood motionless, still, emitting a soft light. Ling fell in love with this painting and stood in front of it for at least half an hour. He approached the gallery staff and, pointing to the work, asked if he could buy it. The girl apologized with embarrassment and told him that it had already been purchased.

The young man was upset, but then pulled himself together. After what he had seen, he was itching to get his hands on the brush. He was almost certain he could paint this picture. The academy was offering an afternoon of practice for everyone. It was another way of finding capable students and many knew about it, except for Ling.

The young man only saw it as an opportunity to quench his creative itch. He didn't go to lunch but went straight to the big practice room. Those who wished to participate had to buy their materials.

Ling stopped in front of a display case and determinedly purchased a canvas, paints, and brushes. In addition, his basket contained solvent, and rags, and he even picked up an apron.

After paying, Ling was among the first to choose the most comfortable spot and set him down.

Wei walked up to him and asked in a whisper to draw him. Ling froze and could not refuse.

"The lighthouse can wait," he thought, and, seating his model, set to work.

It was a trait of the young man that Wei had often noticed, but never had time to appreciate: Ling was strikingly passionate. When he was doing something, he gave himself up to it completely and let go of his feeling for reality. Ling was looking at Wei, and Wei was studying Ling.

He bit his lip, lowered his eyebrows, and frowned. Ling was trying. Though he had drawn Wei many times, this was his first portrait from life. He tried to follow all the canons and chose colors carefully to reproduce the man's skin tone. Finally, he succeeded in achieving the right combination and his face relaxed.

Gradually the hall was filled, but Ling did not notice. All his attention was focused on the man across the hall. He was admiring, applying short little strokes, stewing the colors between each other, he was so happy that Wei had brought him here!

Ling was born the eldest son, his father died early and the young man could not follow his heart, choosing between creativity and money, he had to choose the latter.

He enrolled in a prestigious university and put all his efforts to finish it. At first, he looked for a job in his field of study but failed miserably.

Then he got a part-time job organizing company retreats. The work was easy, but Ling acted with total dedication.

He was always attentive to people and details. His clients were happy, so they left good reviews. No matter what happened, Ling coolly broke deadlocks and one day someone from Jiang Wei's company spotted him.

There was just a competition for the position of assistant director, and the young man received an invitation for an interview.

It was a gift from heaven and he put in a lot of effort to pass the vetting rounds. His education and experience matched the position, but it was still the principal's word that was decisive.