Control Freak - Chapter 30

Since that night, Ye Zhou’s emotions had remained stable. Fang Ji was almost in disbelief, remarking that this was the first time it had ever happened. Where on earth did Guan Heng come from, a god? It seemed like Ye Zhou had truly fallen for him this time.

Tonight, Ye Zhou had some free time, so he stayed behind to try making some creative dishes. He could feel Fang Ji’s gaze on him, making his back feel uncomfortable, so he couldn’t help but ask, “What’s with that look? Finally realized you’re in love with me? Too late.”

“I didn’t fall for you. Stop being so full of yourself,” Fang Ji shot back without thinking. He suddenly smiled, thinking that Ye Zhou was no different from usual. “How are things with Guan Heng? Any progress?”

The last time, Ye Zhou had answered that he didn’t know, but this time, the answer was different: “It’s good.”

Fang Ji felt a bit relieved, it seemed they were getting along well. “So, you two…”

“What?”

Fang Ji didn’t know how to ask further, the question felt awkward. He just wanted to know who was on top and who was on the bottom. He wasn’t normally that curious, but Guan Heng was so mysterious. Maybe it was just how highly intelligent people were—always so enigmatic. Forget it, to save face for his good friend, he’d better not ask.

Fang Ji waved his hand. “Never mind.”

Ye Zhou commented, “You’re acting weird tonight.”

Ye Zhou didn’t stay long at the bar, leaving right at 9 PM. He purposely slowed his pace and waited a while at his doorstep, and sure enough, he saw Guan Heng returning late.

The school had already started finals, and Guan Heng had been very busy this week, not to mention needing to finish work early for the alumni event. The alumni event was set for Friday evening, January 10th, and the next day was a holiday, marking the start of the winter break.

Even Professor Zhan had called personally, and Guan Heng couldn’t refuse. He had told Ye Zhou about it honestly, without hiding anything. If he went, he would inevitably run into Yue Shu.

Ye Zhou wasn’t sure if it was because they had a more intimate relationship now, but he seemed completely unbothered. He no longer worried or overthought like he had before. Reflecting on his behavior a few days ago, he felt a little strange—was this how jealousy looked on him? It didn’t quite seem like himself.

Guan Heng slowly walked toward Ye Zhou, his gaze soft, and a smile playing on his lips. “Waiting for me?”

“Mm.” Since they were outside, and right in front of his house, Ye Zhou had nothing to hide. He looked directly at Guan Heng.

Guan Heng wasn’t worried about Ye Zhou watching him and took the keys from his coat pocket to unlock the door.

Ye Zhou followed behind Guan Heng and casually closed the door. They both stood in the yard of their own home, and at that moment, Ye Zhou suddenly called out, “Guan Heng.”

Guan Heng turned around, and Ye Zhou immediately kissed him.

Their first kiss had been initiated by Guan Heng, perhaps driven by the atmosphere. The second time could be attributed to Ye Zhou being tipsy and confused. But this time, both of them were sober, with no particular reason—just the simple desire to kiss. When Ye Zhou leaned in, he seemed a bit hesitant, and there was a hint of testing in his actions as he lightly ran his tongue along the seam of Guan Heng’s lips. A few days had passed, and the scab on Guan Heng’s lips had fallen off, but it was still a little uneven. So Ye Zhou repeatedly ran his tongue over that spot, almost like teasing.

He wasn’t someone who liked to indulge in ambiguous behavior, and he wasn’t one to casually play around—he needed clear relationships. So having physical intimacy with Guan Heng before they were officially together was unexpected for him. Maybe that’s why he kissed with less confidence, not daring to be too bold. He squinted, trying to gauge Guan Heng’s expression, but he was so close that the light was blocked, and Ye Zhou couldn’t see anything clearly, only that Guan Heng’s eyes were deep and dark.

But within a second, Guan Heng responded, slightly parting his lips to take Ye Zhou’s tongue into his mouth. The rough patch from the scab on Guan Heng’s lips slowly rubbed against the edge of Ye Zhou’s tongue, not in a painful way, but in a different kind of unbearable, tingling sensitivity.

Ye Zhou shuddered from the sudden rush of pleasure, letting out a soft sound. Guan Heng then sucked on his tongue, deepening the kiss.

It wasn’t their first kiss, and Ye Zhou was well aware of how good Guan Heng was at kissing. He wouldn’t allow himself to be passive, immediately meeting Guan Heng’s intensity. Two people who were good at kissing made it feel like one plus one was greater than two—completely exhilarating.

They stood in the yard, kissing as if no one else was around. Although it was their private space, passersby or neighbors could still see if they peeked their heads out.

But neither of them seemed to care, as if they were completely indifferent to being seen.

More importantly, from Guan Heng’s response, Ye Zhou realized that Guan Heng was also interested in him, which made him feel completely at ease.

Although kissing wasn’t directly related to breath control, Ye Zhou still found himself short of breath. He could feel that both of them were reacting to the kiss, so he quickly pushed Guan Heng away. Guan Heng understood and pulled back, his lips now a deep red from the kiss, which looked incredibly tempting.

Ye Zhou wasn’t against taking things further, but it wasn’t the right time. He decided to wait until after Guan Heng was done with finals before confirming their relationship more clearly.

Guan Heng didn’t know if he was thinking the same thing, but after staring at Ye Zhou for a moment, he didn’t make any further moves.

They wished each other good night and went their separate ways.

On the morning of January 10th, Ye Zhou woke up early, feeling in a surprisingly good mood, not as heavy as usual.

He enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and didn’t leave the house until after 10 AM.

The cemetery Ye Zhou was heading to was a bit far, about a two-hour drive. Just as he was about to open the car door, Guan Heng’s call came in, right around the time when classes were finishing.

As soon as Ye Zhou saw the caller ID, he smiled and immediately answered the phone.

Guan Heng’s voice on the phone sounded even more magnetic: “Have you left yet?”

Ye Zhou replied, “I’m just about to drive.”

“Mm, drive carefully.”

It was the end of the semester, and all the classes at school had been completed. Though Guan Heng didn’t need to attend classes, he still had to proctor exams. He was heading to another city in the afternoon for an alumni event, which would take a few hours, so to avoid being late, he had swapped his morning proctoring duty with another teacher and had gone to school early. The two hadn’t seen each other that morning.

“Okay.” Ye Zhou’s smile grew wider. He used to give reminders like that too, but now, he felt like he was really in an actual romantic relationship with Guan Heng. After hanging up, Ye Zhou realized that Guan Heng might not be able to take calls or talk freely at school, so he sent a message: [It’s more convenient to talk here if there’s something.]

He thought for a moment and felt like something was off, so he quickly added: [It’s fine even if there’s nothing.]

Ye Zhou wasn’t overly reliant on his phone. He occasionally chatted with friends, sent memes or photos, but he didn’t waste too much time—usually, it was just talking about something important with little small talk. Besides, since he lived next door to Guan Heng, it was so close that it was quicker to knock on the door and meet in person than to spend time typing a message. So, it was rare for them to message like this, and it felt a little new.

Guan Heng quickly replied: [Okay.]

But after that, Guan Heng didn’t send any more messages. He probably knew it wasn’t safe to text while driving.

Ye Zhou also left his phone on the passenger seat, since he’d get notifications if any messages came through and didn’t need to constantly watch it. After pressing the gas pedal, he drove off. The weather was nice that day, and the sky was a clear blue.

Ye Zhou first drove to get gas, and while waiting, he took a picture of the sky and, feeling a little bored, sent it to Guan Heng with a few comments about how good the weather was. He didn’t expect a reply; Guan Heng didn’t seem like the type to start casual conversations for no reason.

But surprisingly, Guan Heng sent a photo back. The background was a classroom with a few blank exam papers on the desk, and in the corner of the photo, you could vaguely see the heads of students hunched over their exams. Guan Heng was sitting in the classroom proctoring the test, and his long left hand was also in the shot, as if it was accidentally captured or just a casual shot.

Ye Zhou looked at the photo and smiled, then stared at Guan Heng’s hand for quite a while. He sent a reply and then put the phone down, not checking it again as he drove the now-full car out of the gas station and headed towards his destination.

Ye Zhou wasn’t in a hurry. He took his time, stopping here and there along the way. Around noon, he stopped at a rest stop to grab a meal, then picked up his phone again to take photos and type. He and Guan Heng exchanged messages casually, replying whenever they had time, not waiting specifically for the other’s message. The topics were trivial, but it wasn’t boring at all.

After lunch, Ye Zhou drove the car up the mountain.

The mountain was home to a vast cemetery, and outside of the Qingming Festival, very few people came. The elderly caretaker often nodded off, dozing in the quiet.

After Ye Zhou parked his car in the lot and got out, the smile on his face faded, replaced by a solemn and lonely expression. He walked with flowers, a towel, and a bucket, striding toward the graves of his parents.

Ye Zhou cleaned up the area around the tombstone, then lit incense and placed the flowers on either side. He stared at the two faces on the gravestone that resembled his own, and his thoughts began to drift.

He never spoke while visiting the graves, not even in his mind. He didn’t have anything he wanted to say to his parents, nor did he know what to say. It felt like just a simple act of tidying up the surroundings, something he repeated every year, the same actions over and over.

After a while, Ye Zhou faintly heard voices from behind. He turned to see a middle-aged couple. They were also here to pay their respects, some distance away, but in the silence of the cemetery, their voices carried clearly.

The couple seemed to be having a disagreement about something. The man looked visibly displeased: “Look at you, always dragging your feet, wasting time. Hurry up, you’re so slow––”

The woman bit her lip and followed behind him, saying nothing.

At that moment, Ye Zhou’s phone in his pocket vibrated, likely a message from Guan Heng, but he didn’t immediately take it out to check. Instead, he kept watching the middle-aged couple.

The man said something else harsh, and the woman couldn’t help but snap back. The man raised his hand as if to push the woman.

Ye Zhou’s pupils contracted, and his expression suddenly changed.