Studies show that the fastest way to strengthen a couple's bond is through physical touch. It wasn't until today that Zhou Chaosheng truly realized the accuracy of this research.
At first, the two of them were like complete novices, constantly exploring and testing, bumping into obstacles along the way. They were both exhausted and covered in sweat. The only relatively easy step was tearing off the wrapping and applying the oil, this part was simple. But moving on to the next step was difficult, arguably the most crucial step of the entire process.
Finding the angle.
But because they couldn't find the right angle, they were stuck and unable to proceed to the third step. At an impasse, Jiang Yuanye finally lost patience and bluntly said, "Stop moving. Let me do it."
Zhou Chaosheng was just about to question him.
But before he could, the other person firmly grabbed him.
Zhou Chaosheng's pupils shrank in shock. A subtle, tingling sensation spread from his scalp to his entire body. Before he could react, the other person was already gripping him and pushing him in.
"...Wait, wait."
Zhou Chaosheng wanted to stop him, but Jiang Yuanye was stubborn, refusing to let go. Even though his body trembled violently and his breath came out in broken, incoherent sounds, he still insisted on squeezing into that narrow, tight hole.
Zhou Chaosheng stared at the person in front of him in disbelief.
Perhaps it was because he understood Jiang Yuanye, understood that this man had a stronger sense of pride than anyone else, that he was so shocked by his willingness to compromise.
Beyond shock, countless emotions surged through him all at once, spreading from his heart to his entire being. The most overwhelming feeling was the deep, endless affection in his chest, along with an indescribable sense of being moved.
Time seemed to stretch on, extending infinitely toward the edge of the world. In that suspended moment, his gaze lingered on Jiang Yuanye’s thin yet beautiful shoulder blades, his eyes tracing the scar along the protruding edge. Though it had faded and blended into the skin, leaving only a faint mark, Zhou Chaosheng still felt a pang of heartache.
Heartache for Jiang Yuanye’s childhood.
Heartache for the wounds of his past.
Heartache for how, despite being covered in scars, he had kept smiling and growing stronger.
Uncontrollably, Zhou Chaosheng lowered his head.
Gently, he pressed a soft kiss to Jiang Yuanye’s scar.
"Hah… Just be gentle!"
Jiang Yuanye, facing the wall, gasped for breath. His fingers curled against the surface, gripping it so tightly that his knuckles bulged with tension. His toes curled as well, and to support his balance under the pressure, he had to arch his feet into a near-perfect ten-degree angle.
Zhou Chaosheng looked apologetic. "Sorry…"
That was what he said. But his actions never stopped.
Jiang Yuanye’s veins bulged on his forehead. His fingers tightened even more. After a few moments, he couldn’t hold back anymore and cursed, “The fuck is your ‘sorry’ for? You feeding it to the dogs?”
Zhou Chaosheng: "Don't swear."
Jiang Yuanye cursed again.
Smack
Jiang Yuanye was stunned.
For a brief moment, his face twisted in disbelief. He was about to lash out when a powerful shockwave of sensation rushed through him, nearly sending him into orbit. Suddenly, he lost all desire to argue. Instead, he started cooperating.
His mouth, like a two-faced scumbag, switched from spitting curses one second to murmuring sweet nothings the next. Seamlessly, without repeating a single word.
"Gege, you're amazing…"
"Baby, you feel so good."
"Shengsheng, my dear, I love you the most… Mm, I've never liked anyone this much in my life…"
Zhou Chaosheng suddenly stopped.
Jiang Yuanye, dissatisfied, rubbed against him and burrowed into his arms. "...Why’d you stop?"
Zhou Chaosheng lowered his gaze, his voice unreadable. "What about Cheng Yuan?"
"..."
Jiang Yuanye bit his tongue.
In the silence, he suddenly sucked in a sharp breath of pain. If it were any other time, he would've snapped and cussed immediately. But right now, he didn't have the confidence to throw a tantrum.
In fact, deep down… there was even a tiny, twisted sense of satisfaction.
“…Hmm?"
"Uh"
Thwack
Jiang Yuanye was completely helpless now. He finally gave in, pleading, "That was years ago! Who doesn't have a past? Besides, if you go outside and randomly grab someone to ask, I guarantee no one has never had feelings for someone else before…"
Zhou Chaosheng let out a soft laugh.
Jiang Yuanye abruptly paused, suddenly realizing that he had said something wrong again. In a panic, he quickly tried to make up for it.
“Not you, baby! Of course, I didn’t mean you! Don’t be mad, okay? The person I like now is you, not her. And I already told you before I never liked Cheng Yuan that way. She was just family to me. My feelings for you are completely different…"
Zhou Chaosheng expressionlessly hit him a few more times.
"Uh!"
"What now…"
Jiang Yuanye mumbled a little aggrievedly, "Did I say something wrong?"
Zhou Chaosheng leaned in slightly.
"I don’t want to hear her name from your mouth anymore." Zhou Chaosheng said coldly in Jiang Yuanye's ear.
Jiang Yuanye couldn't help but cry injustice, "But weren't you the one who… brought it up first?"
Before he could finish, another tingling shock ran through him.
"Alright, alright… I won’t say it anymore, mm…"
After this topic passed, they moved from the wall to the bathroom, where they continued for about another half an hour before finally washing up and putting on clean clothes.
Usually, Jiang Yuanye would work out with friends at the gym when he wasn't busy with work. In the mornings, he would also jog several laps around the neighborhood. He did both cardio and strength training, and his workout routine wasn’t short either, maintaining a schedule of five times a week, each session lasting between thirty minutes to an hour.
But never once had he felt as sore and weak as today. Especially his waist and abdomen, it felt like he had run a marathon circling an entire city and was now unable to get out of bed the next day.
"Don't lie down just yet."
Jiang Yuanye paused mid-movement and turned his head to see Zhou Chaosheng bending over, taking a hairdryer out of the drawer. One of Zhou Chaosheng’s hands reached over, and Jiang Yuanye naturally leaned into the crook of his arm, obediently letting him plug in the dryer and start drying his hair.
The hum of the hairdryer buzzed in their ears—a little noisy, but deep inside, Jiang Yuanye had never felt so at peace.
Zhou Chaosheng’s long, slender fingers ran through his damp hair, weaving back and forth. When the cool fingertips brushed against his ear, Jiang Yuanye couldn’t help but turn his head and press a kiss against Zhou Chaosheng’s cheek.
Zhou Chaosheng turned off the hairdryer.
"Mm."
"Hm? What’s wrong?"
Zhou Chaosheng placed the hairdryer on the bedside table and wrapped both arms around him from behind, resting his forehead against Jiang Yuanye’s shoulder. He stayed silent for a long while.
Jiang Yuanye’s heart stirred, as if he had sensed something. Then, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.
"You are the first person I've ever liked." Zhou Chaosheng said softly.
"I know…"
"If possible, I want to keep moving forward with you."
Jiang Yuanye wanted to say that he would too, but the words never made it past his lips. He couldn’t promise, couldn’t give any assurances, afraid that if something changed in the future, he wouldn't be able to keep them. So, in the end, he just murmured a quiet "Mm."
Zhou Chaosheng lowered his eyelashes. "To be honest…"
"I really hate that kind of attitude from you."
His voice was low, soft, as if whispering right into his ear.
"I just want to hear a simple ‘okay’ from you. Even if it's just one word, two words, as long as you say it, I'll be happy."
"But if you say nothing at all…"
"I will slowly lose all confidence in this relationship, until we finally fall apart completely."
After saying that, Zhou Chaosheng let out a quiet sigh.
Because of those words, because of that sigh, Jiang Yuanye was completely frozen.
For the first time, he saw something different in Zhou Chaosheng—not the usual dominance and effortless composure, but a trace of vulnerability, a sign of weakness.
"Jiang Yuanye…"
"Is this what you want?"
Zhou Chaosheng had laid his heart bare, exposing his feelings and insecurities openly, just to get a clear answer from him.
"I don’t want that."
Jiang Yuanye turned around, threading his arms under Zhou Chaosheng’s and tightly wrapping them around his lean waist. He responded seriously, firmly.
Then, he buried his half-wet, half-dry hair into Zhou Chaosheng’s shoulder and whispered softly, "I’m sorry, baby…"
"I didn’t give you enough security. I won’t let that happen again."
After a few seconds of silence, Zhou Chaosheng hugged him back.
In the end, he let out a quiet "Mm."
---
The next morning, they first went to the second floor of the hotel for a buffet breakfast, gathering at the parking lot downstairs at exactly 8:00 AM.
Their fourth destination was the Vatnajökull Glacier.
The itinerary was roughly: Vatnajökull National Park → Glacier Lagoon → Diamond Beach.
They first visited Vatnajökull National Park.
Skaftafell Glacier is located within the park. Vatnajökull Glacier is the largest glacier in Europe and was a filming location for Game of Thrones and Interstellar.
The Blue Ice Cave is also in this park, but since it was early June, the Blue Ice Cave had not yet formed. The ones that had formed earlier in the year had long since disappeared due to glacier melting, so they skipped this attraction.
After getting off the vehicle, they carried the ice axes, crampons, safety ropes, and other gear that Lucas had prepared in advance. They also put on helmets and ice spikes before following Lucas deeper into the park for a hike.
Along the trail, there were numbered signposts from time to time. Lucas explained that these numbers indicated the rate at which the glacier melted each year. Along the way, he also shared knowledge about climate change and glacier melting.
There were no obstacles blocking their view. Looking around, they were surrounded by rolling mountains. After a two-hour hike, they reached the endpoint, where they could see a crystal-clear lake and the uniquely shaped Kirkjufell Mountain.
After the events of last night, the way Jiang Yuanye and Zhou Chaosheng interacted had undergone a subtle yet significant shift in everyone’s eyes.
To put it simply, it felt like they had suddenly gone from being at odds to making peace, as if they had thrown away all past grudges and misunderstandings, becoming close and familiar friends.
In this snowy mountain landscape, Jiang Yuanye and Zhou Chaosheng took another photo together.
On the return trip, they rode the tour bus with other travelers.
Once back at the starting point, they got into their business vehicle and headed to their next stop—Glacier Lagoon.
Glacier Lagoon is located near Iceland’s Highway 1, about 370 kilometers east of Reykjavík, requiring about a 40-minute drive.
"This place feels like another world." Jiang Yuanye rested his hand on Zhou Chaosheng’s shoulder and said with a smile.
Massive ice chunks floated on the water. If, as Jiang Yuanye said, this was another world, then these ice blocks seemed like they had been transported from another dimension and suddenly dropped onto this island, forming pieces of ice.
They stayed for about fifteen minutes before taking the car to their final stop, Diamond Beach. The drive from Glacier Lagoon to Diamond Beach took only a few minutes, as the two sites were close, separated by just a bridge.
After getting out of the car, their feet sank into the deep black sand. The surrounding light seemed to be swallowed by the distant mountains and sky, merging into one. Tall black basalt columns stood along the shoreline.
With each step they took, they bumped into ice chunks of various shapes. These ice blocks were crystal-clear, like scattered, dazzling diamonds at the edge of the world.
Zhou Chaosheng watched as Jiang Yuanye, walking beside him, suddenly bent down, scooping up an ice chunk with a unique shape. Then, he pulled out an ice pick from his pocket, who knew when he had prepared it and lowered his head, carefully chiseling away at the ice.
After dozens of taps and knocks, as if performing magic.
Jiang Yuanye held the heart-shaped "diamond" he had sculpted with both hands, presenting it to Zhou Chaosheng with careful sincerity, as if offering a treasure.
Looking at Zhou Chaosheng, he said with a grin:
"Look, this is my heart."
Zhou Chaosheng glanced at Jiang Yuanye’s fingers, reddened from the cold, then lifted his gaze to the bright smile on Jiang Yuanye’s face. For some reason, he felt an unfamiliar sting in his eyes.
"A heart that belongs only to you."
"Will you accept it?"
Zhou Chaosheng lowered his lashes, reaching out with both hands to take it from him. The moment he felt the chill, his first sensation wasn’t cold.
"...Yes."
Zhou Chaosheng blinked lightly.
In this remote corner of the world, a glimmer of light suddenly flickered across the transparent diamond.
Perhaps it was refracted light.
Or perhaps,
A tear that had fallen unnoticed.
As for which one it was…
Only they knew.