Lack of Love

Extra Chapter 10

Li Qi was still sick.

 Staying up late had weakened his immune system, and getting caught in  heavy rain made him show slight signs of a cold on Monday when he went to the company. But he ignored it because he had been busy with work lately, and he was also trying to secure a business trip opportunity. The place he would be traveling to was close to where Lian Siqiao worked, and if everything went smoothly, he could save several trips back and forth.

He didn’t think that just seeing each other two days a week would change Lian Siqiao’s mind, so he had to take the initiative and do something. However, he couldn’t temporarily neglect his work just to win back Lian Siqiao. That wouldn’t be a responsible behavior.

By procrastinating, his illness became more severe. The clinic was closed when he finished work, so he didn’t have time to see a doctor. But perhaps it was a blessing in disguise, as the colleague who was competing with him for the business trip opportunity saw how hard Li Qi was working and voluntarily gave up, giving him the opportunity.

Li Qi finally breathed a sigh of relief. After feeling relieved, he realized that his head was heavy, and his nose was running constantly. He knew he couldn’t meet Lian Siqiao in such a condition, so he left work early one day and went to see a doctor.

The doctor prescribed cold medicine for him, but it made him drowsy when he took it. He couldn’t concentrate on work, so he only took it before going to bed, which resulted in a slow recovery.

On Saturday morning, he overslept and woke up well past the time he was supposed to leave. He hurriedly got ready and set off.

In the morning, Lian Siqiao stood at the entrance of the studio for a moment because he didn’t see Li Qi as usual. This was in line with his original plan, and he should have felt relieved, but he couldn’t be happy at all. He had pushed Li Qi away, and he should have known there would be consequences. But did Li Qi really give up? Or was there something that prevented him from coming?

Lian Siqiao was absent-minded the whole morning, occasionally glancing outside the window. Whenever a car stopped at the entrance, he would unconsciously take a look.

He couldn’t deny that despite appearing indifferent, Li Qi’s actions had affected him.

During lunchtime, Li Qi appeared. When Lian Siqiao saw him through the glass window, he immediately put down the chopsticks and went out.

Li Qi didn’t look well. His complexion was much worse compared to usual. Perhaps it was because he rushed over, his hair was messy, there were creases on his clothes, and he had a white mask on his face.

This appearance might be considered sloppy, but Lian Siqiao didn’t mind at all. In that instant when he saw him, he knew he could no longer pretend to ignore Li Qi.

“Have you eaten?” Lian Siqiao didn’t originally intend to ask this question but asked anyway.

“Not yet.” Li Qi, despite being sick, had bright eyes when he looked at Lian Siqiao. He answered the question Lian Siqiao wanted to know, “I overslept, so I came late…”

“Come in and have something to eat.” Li Qi didn’t look good,he had always been a workaholic, although his health was good, he never took good care of himself.

“No need, I…” Li Qi remembered that he was sick and didn’t want to infect Lian Siqiao.

Lian Siqiao hit the nail on the head, “Because of the cold?”

“Yes.”

“You made a special trip here, so stop being so coy.”

“…”

Lian Siqiao wasn’t sure if Li Qi would come, so he didn’t prepare much food. He lived alone and found it troublesome, so he usually ordered takeout for lunch. However, it wasn’t suitable for a sick person to eat greasy and heavily seasoned food. After thinking for a while, he cooked a bowl of plain noodles and placed it in front of Li Qi, saying, “Eat this. It might be a bit bland and after you finish eating, you can go upstairs and rest. The room you slept in last time…”

Li Qi stared at him with bright eyes. He was always someone who understood the situation and wouldn’t say anything to ruin the mood, let alone tease Lian Siqiao at this moment. Otherwise, if Lian Siqiao got angry and embarrassed, he would probably have to start over from the beginning.

Li Qi didn’t ask why Lian Siqiao’s attitude suddenly changed, and Lian Siqiao wouldn’t explain it voluntarily. He couldn’t pretend to ignore Li Qi, but he didn’t know how to handle him either. He had heard guests talk about love troubles countless times, but once it happened to him, he seemed to forget everything.

In the afternoon, Lian Siqiao’s work went smoothly, and Li Qi didn’t disturb him.

In the evening, when Li Qi saw that the client had already left, he came down from the second floor. After a nap, he looked much better. Li Qi’s health was originally good, and coupled with his youth and strength, even without medication, as long as he had enough rest, a small cold would quickly get better.

Lian Siqiao was packing up his things and glanced at Li Qi, suddenly asking, “Do you have a place to stay tonight?”

Li Qi showed an embarrassed smile. It wasn’t that he deliberately wanted to play the martyr, but he had been really busy lately, and coupled with falling ill, he didn’t have the energy to consider this. “No, I will…”

Lian Siqiao said, “Then just stay here.”

Li Qi looked at him in astonishment.

Lian Siqiao’s expression didn’t change at all, as if he was just talking about some trivial matter. He didn’t want to torment himself anymore. By intentionally pushing Li Qi away, he ended up getting him sick, and in the end, the person who worried the most was him. Li Qi insisted on driving over every week, but the journey was not close to begin with. If he didn’t let him rest properly, Lian Siqiao was really afraid that something might happen to him one day, and it would be too late for regrets…

Whenever he thought of Li Qi mentioning an avalanche, he couldn’t help but feel a shiver. But that didn’t mean he had fully accepted him. Love alone was not enough; reality was the scariest killer of emotions.

Li Qi didn’t ask anything, but he was obviously happy with just being able to stay.

Li Qi spent the night in the studio, and naturally, Lian Siqiao couldn’t stay and accompany him. He had his own place to go back to. He didn’t even stay for dinner together; he just wanted Li Qi to know that the boundary between them still existed and wouldn’t change just because he softened his heart.

Li Qi looked around the studio, although he had seen it the first time he stepped in, he didn’t appreciate it enough then.

There were few people living in the suburbs, and at night, it was almost empty and desolate. Li Qi sat in the seat where Lian Siqiao usually sat, looking out into the silent night. The quietness of the night always made it easy for people to recall the past, and scenes of their previous interactions slowly emerged in his mind. He remembered one time when they went to see the night view. Li Qi couldn’t find the way and got lost in the mountains. But he didn’t give up and continued driving forward. At that time, Lian Siqiao sat quietly beside him, not uttering any words of disappointment. In the end, they didn’t find the scenic spot they were looking for but ended up at a cliff, where they saw beautiful stars.

He asked Lian Siqiao why he didn’t stop him when they were lost. Most people would have turned back in such a situation.

Lian Siqiao said, “When I saw how determined you were to find it, I didn’t want to disappoint you.”

In the end, Li Qi kissed Lian Siqiao. At that time, he genuinely believed that finding someone who liked him and understood him was very difficult.

As Li Qi looked at the scenery outside, he suddenly remembered that memory. Instead of going back upstairs to sleep, he took the quilt from upstairs and lay down on the sofa. From this angle, he could still see the stars in the sky.

When Lian Siqiao returned to his residence, he realized that he had forgotten to give the keys to Li Qi.

He knew that Li Qi was only staying for one night and wouldn’t wander around, but he was still worried. This place was so remote that even if Li Qi wanted to buy something, he might not find a way.

Forget it, let him stay there for the night.

Li Qi had been annoying Lian Siqiao for the past few weeks, and he wasn’t someone with a good temper who would stay silent when being bullied.

He deliberately ignored Li Qi’s questions and followed his usual routine of showering and going to bed. But after lying in bed and tossing several times without being able to fall asleep, he finally turned on the light and changed into his outdoor clothes.

He thought Li Qi was already asleep and planned to leave after putting down his things, but he unexpectedly saw Li Qi sleeping on the sofa.

He stood still for a moment, placed his belongings on the table, and walked to Li Qi’s side to wake him up.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, Li Qi suddenly opened his eyes and saw the stars above Lian Siqiao’s head.

The current scene seemed to overlap with that night years ago. Li Qi instinctively grabbed Lian Siqiao’s hand and pulled him down.

Lian Siqiao fell on top of him, and as soon as he lifted his head, he was captured by Li Qi’s lips.it  was a long-awaited kiss, so familiar that he didn’t even need to think, and his body responded directly. It wasn’t like the one outside the coffee shop, this was a true kiss.

Li Qi held the back of Lian Siqiao’s neck and lightly bit his lips, coaxing him to open his mouth. Lian Siqiao struggled, but the more he tried to push him away, the more he couldn’t.

Li Qi was still familiar with this body, and he gently pinched the sensitive area on Lian Siqiao’s neck. In less than three seconds, he broke through his teeth and his tongue met Lian Siqiao’s soft tongue, tasting the refreshing toothpaste flavor. After feeling Lian Siqiao relaxing into it, he flipped over and pressed him down, his tongue sliding against his sensitive gums, eliciting a soft moan from him.

He kissed him passionately, unrestrained and without reservation, his hands beginning to caress him.

Lian Siqiao was trapped in Li Qi’s embrace, unable to escape, and his mind was in chaos. He knew he should stop it, but he still allowed Li Qi to continue.

It wasn’t until he touched on his ass and felt something pressing against him that he realized it was wrong. He would be leaving soon , and he couldn’t give him any hope. “Don’t…”

Li Qi immediately stopped, propped up his upper body, and looked at Lian Siqiao.

Lian Siqiao repeated, “Don’t do this…”

However, Li Qi didn’t back down. He said, “Lian Siqiao, I love you.”