Chapter 52#

“You caught me, Qin Mu.”#

The cool fingertips tightened slightly around his neck. Qin Mu pressed himself against him, their cheeks touching, his embrace pulling Jian Yunchen into his arms forcefully.

Jian Yunchen tilted his head up slightly, making Qin Mu’s actions easier. The pulse they felt against each other was beating fiercely and chaotically, transmitting his unease through their fingertips.

Qin Mu lowered his gaze and chuckled. Following Jian Yunchen’s line of sight, he looked down. The bustling city shrunk infinitely, as if covered by a layer of fragile bubble wrap.

“Jian Yunchen,” he said slowly, his voice cutting through the noisy whir of the airplane engines like a drumbeat, “you really will die.”

Jian Yunchen’s eyelashes fluttered. He had never understood extreme sports, let alone something as thrilling as skydiving. As the plane ascended higher and higher, he could no longer even see the buildings of the city. All he saw was a vast expanse of white clouds. The wind, blowing wildly through the open door, easily scattered the emotions he had suppressed in his heart.

He turned his head to look at Qin Mu. Qin Mu’s hand was still around his neck. It should have felt dangerous, but because it was Qin Mu, his heartbeat slowly settled down.

In a daze, their consciousnesses overlapped. This time, he said with certainty, “No, I won’t.”

Qin Mu’s smile faded slightly. Their eyes met, and the warmth of their hands slowly mingled.

“I won’t die,” Jian Yunchen said. “If you really wanted me dead, you wouldn’t have let go of your hand the first time we met.”

Jian Yunchen looked at him firmly. “Qin Mu, you won’t let me die.”

“Hahaha.”

Qin Mu suddenly laughed with delight, his eyes alight with a brilliant smile. The hand that had been around his neck slowly slid down, encircling his shoulders. Their bodies moved closer, becoming more intimate. Qin Mu’s voice, close to his ear, whispered, “That’s right. If you die, I’ll be bothered.”

Jian Yunchen’s heart leaped with that sentence.

Then it tightened again with Qin Mu’s next words.

“But…”

“I haven’t settled the score with you for lying to me yet.”

Qin Mu’s breath brushed against his ear, but his words were full of warning. “You think a simple ‘I’m sorry’ will settle it? Do I look that easygoing?”

Qin Mu’s voice sounded genuinely troubled. “Why are you always so disobedient, Jian Yunchen?”

“Do you need a lesson to remember?”

Qin Mu’s hand around his shoulder unknowingly moved to stroke his back. Jian Yunchen’s back stiffened with Qin Mu’s words.

Qin Mu’s hand slid down slowly. The sound of the wind rushing past his ears couldn’t drown out Qin Mu’s voice. He heard Qin Mu’s laughing voice gently ask, “How about I push you off?”

As he spoke, the plane had already ascended. The distance to the ground was imperceptible to the naked eye. The vast sun in the sky dyed the clouds a transparent gold. Below, apart from the endless white clouds, there was only a vast, boundless sea.

Heaven and earth were so vast, and the passing wind carried a clamor that constantly stimulated Jian Yunchen’s dormant heart.

He suddenly turned and looked deeply at Qin Mu.

The playfulness in Qin Mu’s eyes hadn’t yet faded when, with Jian Yunchen’s movement, it slowly transformed from teasing to shock. Those beautiful eyes, which always annoyed Jian Yunchen, suddenly widened, as if something had finally exceeded his expectations. His perfect composure cracked, leaving a void.

Seeing Qin Mu’s expression, Jian Yunchen felt an immense sense of satisfaction and joy from the bottom of his heart.

He jumped.

The wind ruffled his hair, constantly scratching at his face. His cheeks burned with pain. His body plummeted, and the feeling of losing control of his limbs enveloped his heart tightly. He stared intently at Qin Mu’s stunned face, his heartbeat becoming clearly audible, pounding against his eardrums.

He laughed.

Qin Mu reacted quickly, grabbing the parachute beside him and hastily putting it on. As Jian Yunchen continued to fall, his heartbeat became rapid and unsteady.

He cursed, “Fuck!” and the second he finished putting on the parachute, he jumped.

Jian Yunchen was also wearing a parachute, but a first-time skydiver must be accompanied by a professional instructor. A beginner like him might not even know where the release mechanism was. Not landing in the correct spot could even be life-threatening.

Qin Mu’s eyes were fixed on Jian Yunchen, taking in his joyful expression. He gritted his teeth, controlling his direction as he reached out to him.

Jian Yunchen looked at Qin Mu, who was desperately reaching out to him, his smile of joy becoming even more pronounced. He reached out his hand to Qin Mu, and the next moment, he was tightly grasped and pulled into his embrace again.

This time, the embrace was exceptionally tight.

“Bang!”

The parachute on Qin Mu’s back was opened. Carrying their combined weight, they slowly drifted in the air. Their descent slowed. Jian Yunchen hugged Qin Mu’s neck tightly, sensing the warmth returning to his body. He looked up and finally saw his reflection in Qin Mu’s eyes. His heart pounded wildly in his narrow chest, and it felt like drumbeats in his ears, syncing with his almost-bursting heartbeat.

He blinked, unwilling to look away.

The anger on Qin Mu’s face was evident. To Jian Yunchen, it looked rare, lively, and interesting.

He heard Qin Mu’s gritted teeth: “Are you tired of living? Do you know how dangerous that was?”

Jian Yunchen rubbed his cheek against Qin Mu’s. Like a wild cat that had finally found its way home, tears slid from the corners of his eyes, floating upwards with gravity.

“You caught me, Qin Mu.”

He said with deep affection.

“Qin Mu, I was caught by you.”

At this moment, the emotions that had accumulated in his heart dissipated with that tear. Another unfamiliar emotion unceremoniously swirled in Jian Yunchen’s heart, so hot that his heart constricted with it.

From this moment on, this heart seemed to have found its true owner and began to beat with all its might.

Qin Mu was like the extreme sports he had never dared to try before: thrilling, dangerous, and alluring.

The closer he got, the more courage he needed.

But it seemed only by Qin Mu’s side could he do anything.

This was a crazy thing, he knew.

But Qin Mu had caught him.

Not just now.

Qin Mu held Jian Yunchen tightly. He had loved skydiving for a long time. Upon landing, all the chaotic thoughts in his mind would be cleared, leaving only pure exhilaration and comfort. The immense impact of the wind, the thrill of piercing through the clouds, the joy of adrenaline surging—these were things no other activity could replace.

But he had always jumped alone. No one had the privilege of being taken by him on a jump. No one dared, and Qin Mu was too lazy to take anyone.

Who knew Jian Yunchen was so reckless?

Without a few words exchanged, he jumped, turning Qin Mu, who had only intended to scare him, into the one who was scared.

It wasn’t until they landed safely on the ground that Qin Mu realized how fast his heart had been beating.