Chapter 166: Back To That Key Moment ④

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Chapter 166: Back To That Key Moment ④

That same day, Qin Yuan returned to prepare the necessary equipment, then personally sailed back and secretly transported Flame—glass coffin and all—to his island. Because he had no idea what condition Flame was actually in, he did not risk moving him out of the coffin. He simply opened the lid so Flame could leave freely if he woke.

He also surrounded the area with strict surveillance and defensive systems and forbade anyone from approaching. The island was still under construction, and the house he was using stood in a relatively secluded area where visitors rarely came.

For the first time, Qin Yuan found one advantage to his insomnia: it let him remain beside Flame day and night, waiting patiently for him to return. But on the afternoon of the seventh day, a sudden wave of drowsiness swept over him. His eyelids struggled to remain open a few times before he finally drifted off without realizing it. Through the haze, he seemed to see a familiar figure slowly approach and softly call his name…

Flame… are you back?

Qin Yuan was simply too exhausted. His eyelids felt glued shut, and surrounded by the scent of the sea, he sank completely into deep sleep.

A pale hand gently brushed through Qin Yuan’s hair. Shang Ke stood naked beside him, his eyes filled with the joy of reunion and deep tenderness.

In truth, Shang Ke’s consciousness had awakened long ago; his body simply had not finished reintegrating. He knew exactly how Qin Yuan had lived these past few days. Aside from the time he spent working, Qin Yuan had barely left his side and had not closed his eyes for seven days and seven nights. From fragments of conversation with An Song, Shang Ke learned that Qin Yuan suffered from insomnia and had not truly slept in a very long time.

Seeing the dark circles beneath Qin Yuan’s eyes and the exhaustion on his face made Shang Ke’s heart ache.

So the first thing Shang Ke did after waking was use the hypnotic effect of dolphin sound waves to put Qin Yuan into a deep, restorative sleep. He wanted the man properly rested before their first real reunion after his return.

Shang Ke helped Qin Yuan onto the bed, then went to the bathroom to rinse off. Once he was clean from head to toe, he slipped naked beneath the blankets and happily settled beside him.

As though sensing him even in sleep, Qin Yuan shifted closer, buried his head against Shang Ke’s chest, and wrapped both arms around his waist. His features relaxed completely, making him look like a lazy oversized cat.

Shang Ke could not resist kissing his forehead. “Sweet dreams, darling.”

The corners of Qin Yuan’s lips lifted faintly, while something bright glimmered at the corner of his eye…

Ding, ding, ding… After an unknown amount of time, Qin Yuan’s communicator began chiming with a simple, crisp ringtone.

Shang Ke hurriedly ended the call and checked the display. It was An Song. Since it was already seven in the evening, he was probably calling to remind Qin Yuan to eat.

After thinking for a moment, Shang Ke sent him a message telling him not to disturb Qin Yuan for the rest of the day unless something truly important came up. More than dinner, Qin Yuan needed sleep.

After sending the message, Shang Ke silenced the communicator and lay back down. He had not been sleepy before, but seeing Qin Yuan sleep so comfortably made him close his eyes as well, and he soon drifted off contentedly.

Early the next morning, the sleeping Shang Ke felt something like a feather brushing across his face—light, soft, and warm.

The “feather” paused against his lips, moved slowly back and forth, then slipped between his teeth.

“…Mm?” Shang Ke opened hazy eyes and looked at the man only inches away.

“Flame. Flame.” Qin Yuan held him tightly, burying his face against Shang Ke’s neck as he greedily absorbed the warmth of his body and the beat of his heart.

It was not a dream. His Flame had truly come back. The joy in Qin Yuan’s heart was beyond words.

“Flame… Flame…” At that moment, Qin Yuan could do nothing but repeat his name.

Shang Ke let him repeat it for several minutes. When Qin Yuan showed no sign of stopping, Shang Ke simply cupped his face and sealed his mouth with a firm kiss.

The world finally fell quiet, leaving only two men kissing as though they could not bear to separate.

The loneliness of two lifetimes was finally filled by that kiss.

Ding-dong. Ding-dong. The doorbell rang, followed by the electronic voice of the home AI: 【Master, An Song has arrived. Permit entry?】

Qin Yuan could not bear to release the man in his arms. “Tell him to email me. I don’t have time to see him right now.”

【Understood.】 The home AI faithfully relayed Qin Yuan’s words to the person outside.

An Song was speechless. President Qin had been inside for more than ten hours and had skipped both dinner and breakfast. Was he suddenly trying to lose weight?

As his secretary, An Song still had to offer a reminder. “President Qin, please take care of yourself. No matter what you’re dealing with, don’t forget to eat.”

An Song’s voice carried into the room through the intercom.

Shang Ke turned his head away from Qin Yuan’s kiss and pushed at him. “Get up. Go eat.”

Qin Yuan acted as though he had heard nothing. He nipped at Shang Ke’s chin, kissed his way downward, and lingered over his chest. Right now, no food in the world could compare with the man in front of him. He could feast on Shang Ke for centuries and never grow tired of the taste. (Shang Ke: After a few centuries, the meat would have spoiled.)

Seeing how enthusiastically “interested” Qin Yuan was, Shang Ke simply wrapped both legs around his waist and adopted an imperious expression. “Finish first. Then we eat.”

Qin Yuan took the invitation immediately. He thrust his cock into Shang Ke until he was buried to the root, then began moving in a steady rhythm.

He did not thrust quickly. Instead, he savored Shang Ke slowly, like tasting a delicacy, skillfully shifting their positions as he went. With every stroke and slide of friction, his cock grew even harder inside him.

Shang Ke felt the change inside his body. A thin mist gathered in his eyes, shimmering with unmistakable arousal.

Qin Yuan’s gaze darkened. He bent to kiss Shang Ke’s eyes while driving his hips forward at the same time, thrusting hard and deep into him…

Poor An Song had been completely forgotten by the two men inside. He waited outside for more than ten minutes without receiving any response and eventually had no choice but to leave in defeat.

Only three hours later did Qin Yuan finally ask An Song to bring food. He normally did not allow housekeepers into his residence, so An Song handled most of his day-to-day arrangements.

When An Song entered carrying an enormous meal, the first thing he saw was a thoroughly refreshed Qin Yuan, looking as though he had suddenly entered a second youth. Then he noticed Shang Ke sitting beside him and froze with his mouth hanging open.

“You…” His jaw dropped as though he had just seen an impossible creature.

An Song knew who Shang Ke was, and he knew Qin Yuan’s insomnia had begun because Flame was gone. But hadn’t he died? An Song had personally watched Qin Yuan bury his body.

Having already lived through one lifetime, Qin Yuan knew An Song’s character extremely well. The man had never betrayed him, even during Qin Yuan’s darkest years, so there was no reason to hide the truth. “You’re not seeing things. He is Flame. Flame came back from the dead.”

An Song remained stunned for a long time before stammering, “Dolphins are… this incredible?”

Qin Yuan looked at Shang Ke in his arms, relief and pain passing through his eyes at once. He was grateful for Flame’s miraculous return, yet tormented by the thought that in his previous life he had failed to discover it in time, leaving Flame trapped in the lightless depths of the sea to endure unimaginable despair.

Every time Qin Yuan thought about it, his heart twisted painfully. Heaven might have granted him a second life and a chance to make up for what he had lost, but this guilt would probably remain a thorn in his heart forever.

Shang Ke had no idea that Qin Yuan’s thoughts were spiraling farther and farther out of control, drowning him in guilt and horrific imagined possibilities.

Shang Ke stood, took the tray from An Song, and began setting the dishes on the table.

“I’ll do it. You rest.” Qin Yuan immediately took over, providing the most attentive service possible. Shang Ke’s only responsibility was to eat.

And if Shang Ke wanted, Qin Yuan would be perfectly happy to feed him by hand.

Watching Qin Yuan fuss over Shang Ke, An Song could hardly believe this was the same man he had seen the day before. Qin Yuan seemed to have come back to life, his entire face bright with energy.

An Song felt both relieved and envious—relieved to see Qin Yuan recover, and envious of the depth of feeling between the two men.

Wave suddenly flashed through An Song’s mind. If Flame could transform into a human, then could Wave do the same? Perhaps he should spend more time building a relationship with him. Maybe a beautiful human-dolphin romance was not completely impossible after all.

Under Qin Yuan and Flame’s influence, his fondness for dolphins had nearly transcended species boundaries.

Far below the sea, Wave suddenly shivered for no apparent reason. The innocent dolphin had no idea that a certain “creepy” human was already coveting his sleek, rounded body…

That evening, Qin Yuan told Shang Ke what had happened during the two years after his “death.”

“The laboratory still hasn’t abandoned its research into dolphin genes. I expect something terrible to happen before long.” Qin Yuan spoke calmly because he had already lived through the consequences once. In neither this life nor the last did he intend to interfere. Human desire was endless; helping them today could bring endless trouble upon himself tomorrow. In his previous life, it had been precisely because he kept yielding to the state and its institutions that Flame had been hurt again and again.

He would never make the same mistake twice.

“Then what are you planning to do from now on?” Shang Ke asked.

Qin Yuan smiled and activated the display. A three-dimensional holographic model immediately appeared in the room—the development plan for the island.

“I’m planning to build an island paradise. Take a look.” Qin Yuan showed Shang Ke each section of the model and explained the design in detail.

When he finished, he smiled. “What do you think? If there’s anything you don’t like, we can change it whenever you want.”

The island had obviously been designed around a dolphin’s habits. It connected directly to the sea, made entering and leaving easy, provided ample privacy, and offered secluded locations where Flame could change forms without worrying about being discovered.

Shang Ke turned toward Qin Yuan, his eyes shining.

“What is it?” Qin Yuan asked softly.

Shang Ke broke into a brilliant smile, wrapped his arms around Qin Yuan’s neck, and kissed him hard on the mouth.

After Flame had “died,” this man had bought the island and built a future he longed for even while knowing it could never come true. Now Shang Ke would make that future real.

“Qin Yuan, everything about this island is wonderful except the name,” Shang Ke said.

“You don’t like Wings of Flame? What do you want to call it instead?”

Shang Ke answered one word at a time: “Flame’s Home.”

From that day onward, this would be Flame’s home—the home Qin Yuan had built for Flame, and a place that belonged to the two of them alone.

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