SA | Chapter 33

This Moment is Eternal

The next day, when leaving the reindeer herd, Gu Deng felt a bit reluctant. However, as the plane flew over Alaska, Zhang Li held his hand from the back seat, and that reluctance was quickly replaced by a secret anticipation.

For some well-known reasons, they didn’t return to Anchorage on their way back but instead went to a southern small town where they had previously gone whale watching. This place wasn’t well-known, but for Gu Deng and Zhang Li, it held irreplaceable significance.

They rented a short-term stay at a seaside two-story wooden house. At the entrance, there was a row of planters filled with tulips and dahlias blooming vibrantly. The living room and master bedroom faced the sea, offering views of the ocean, glaciers, and snow-capped mountains.

Gu Deng stood by the window, guessing that they would have a pleasant vacation here.

The place had a kitchen, but they were too exhausted from the journey and really missed greasy meat products, so they went to a restaurant for steak and filled themselves with all sorts of high-fat, salty, sugary, oily foods.

After dinner, Gu Deng added two rose-scented bath salts and happily soaked in the tub.

“This is life!” he couldn’t help but exclaim.

In life, Gu Deng was a hedonist with a very picky aesthetic. If conditions allowed, he always wanted the best quality and taste.

Unfortunately, in recent days, he had either been trekking in the wild, bathing in river water, or showering in simple bathrooms. It had been a long time since he had stopped to enjoy a comfortable bath.

Gu Deng lay in the bubble-filled bathtub, sipping a drink while watching the sea view, with a face mask on, feeling so comfortable that all his pores seemed to open up.

He knew he couldn’t soak for too long, but it was just too comfortable. The fatigue accumulated over the past month surged up, and with his head resting on the bathtub, Gu Deng unknowingly fell asleep.

Twenty minutes later, Zhang Li picked up a clean towel and leaned over to lift him out of the bathtub.

Gu Deng was drowsy, his skin smooth and tender after the bath, exuding a charming fragrance all over. He opened his eyes briefly, saw it was Zhang Li, then closed them again, leaning affectionately against Zhang Li’s neck.

Zhang Li kissed the top of his head, and Gu Deng didn’t dodge or resist. It wasn’t until Zhang Li carried him out, supporting his butt, that Gu Deng softly said, “I’m sleepy…”

“Sleep,” Zhang Li patted his shoulder, “We won’t do it today.”

Only then did Gu Deng quiet down, giving Zhang Li a sticky kiss before falling asleep.

Zhang Li used a hairdryer to dry Gu Deng’s hair, glanced at his own still-energetic part, sighed habitually, put away the hairdryer, and went to the bathroom. While showering, he still didn’t deal with it, seemingly waiting for Gu Deng to wake up and help him out.

Gu Deng slept for over ten hours, as if trying to make up for all the lost sleep in one go. If hunger hadn’t woken him up, he felt he could have slept even longer.

But he was really hungry. Everything he ate before sleeping had been digested, and when he touched his stomach, it was empty, with even the outline of his abs becoming clear.

Zhang Li wasn’t around, and the sun was still shining brightly outside. Gu Deng yawned and went to the bathroom. After freshening up, Zhang Li came in carrying two large bags of food.

“You went shopping?” Gu Deng lazily sat on the table, feeling mostly refreshed, though his body was still a bit weak from just waking up. “Why didn’t you call me?”

“You were sleeping too soundly, so I didn’t want to wake you.” Zhang Li put the food in the fridge, turned around, and asked, “Are you hungry? Want to eat first or do something else?”

Gu Deng knowingly asked, “What else?”

Zhang Li didn’t speak, but his eyes darkened.

As Zhang Li approached and lifted his chin, Gu Deng said, “I’m hungry, I want dessert first.”

Zhang Li stared at him for four or five seconds, then turned to open the fridge and took out a small cake he had just bought.

Gu Deng, however, tilted his head to kiss Zhang Li’s lips, and then, seeing Zhang Li’s stunned expression, commented, “It’s really sweet.”

The next moment, Zhang Li pushed Gu Deng against the fridge and kissed him deeply.

Gu Deng was only wearing a thin silk robe, and almost instantly noticed the change in Zhang Li’s body… and his own. For a moment, both were a bit breathless.

Zhang Li held Gu Deng’s waist, lifted him up, and carried him back to the bedroom. He placed Gu Deng on the bed, took off his own jacket, revealing a strong body wrapped in a tight black T-shirt, and leaned down to kiss him.

Gu Deng, in a daze, tilted his head back, feeling genuinely hungry, in both senses. But between appetite and desire, appetite won out.

Before Zhang Li could go further, Gu Deng pushed against his chest and said, “I’m hungry.”

Zhang Li didn’t move, breathing heavily above him.

“Zhang Li, I’m really hungry,” Gu Deng said, a bit coquettishly, “I slept for over ten hours, you know.”

Zhang Li finally relented, taking a deep breath and standing up, “I’ll make food.”

Gu Deng adjusted his robe and followed him, “I’ll help you.”

“No need,” Zhang Li handed him a piece of cake, seating him nearby, “Eat this to tide you over.”

Gu Deng was an amateur in the kitchen, so he didn’t insist when Zhang Li said that, sitting on the island counter eating cake. The cake was a bit dry, so he poured a glass of milk. A bite of chocolate cake, a sip of milk, mixing them together. As he ate, he suddenly thought of something and laughed.

“What are you laughing at?” Zhang Li, taking a break from cooking, came over to kiss the top of his head.

Gu Deng glanced at Zhang Li’s bulging chest muscles and laughed, “Chocolate milk.”

Zhang Li didn’t understand the meaning of this, but he was happy to see Gu Deng so cheerful, so he said, “If you like chocolate milk, I’ll buy more for you next time.”

“Hahaha!” Gu Deng laughed even louder.

They cooked together, ate, and then put the dishes in the dishwasher. Having picked up some cooking smells, Gu Deng went to take another shower while Zhang Li replied to Smith’s messages outside.

-Are you done hiking?

-Yes, we’re done.

-Why didn’t you say anything, or let me pick you up?

-Didn’t want to bother you.

-When are you coming over then?

-Got things to do, not coming.

The phone buzzed, and Zhang Li glanced at it before putting it on silent.

While Gu Deng was halfway through his shower, Zhang Li came in. He asked, “You want to shower too?”

Zhang Li said nothing, stepping into the shower, pushing Gu Deng against the wall, and kissing him deeply.

But they ended up back in the bedroom, completing their first time in a very traditional way. Neither Gu Deng nor Zhang Li had experience, not wanting to suffer the newbie village’s hardships in the bathroom. By the second time, Zhang Li finally got the hang of it, holding Gu Deng’s waist and turning him around.

Gu Deng buried his face in the pillow, feeling a bit breathless, but Zhang Li seemed to particularly enjoy this position.

Zhang Li had big hands, able to completely hold Gu Deng’s waist with one hand, but he preferred using both, thumbs pressing into the dimples of his lower back, the highest point of his hip bones that Zhang Li had once touched in an outdoor gear store.

Zhang Li was incredibly strong, his powerful thighs honed through countless squats, and his endurance built from long-distance hiking exploded to a terrifying degree.

Even when it was over, he kept his hand on Gu Deng’s lower back, gently caressing.

Gu Deng felt ticklish and was about to tell him to stop when Zhang Li said, “You have dimples.”

“…Really? I didn’t notice.”

Gu Deng turned to look, but Zhang Li pressed his waist, pushing him back down.

The last time was after a bath, with Zhang Li drying Gu Deng with a towel. Gu Deng half-closed his eyes, his beautiful face still flushed. Zhang Li tossed the towel aside and pressed him against the mirror again.

·

They spent their time in the cabin indulging in each other, doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and being intimate.

Occasionally, Gu Deng liked to sit on Zhang Li, grabbing his “chocolate milk,” looking down at Zhang Li’s expression from above. At those times, he could see Zhang Li’s deep eyes and the restrained expression that emerged with his movements. Gu Deng enjoyed pressing against Zhang Li’s chest muscles, observing the stark contrast in their skin tones.

Their bodies were more compatible than they imagined, and by the time Gu Deng finally felt full, tired of it, and didn’t want to continue for a while, a whole week had passed.

Gu Deng was mentally and physically drained, and when Zhang Li leaned in once more, Gu Deng called a halt, saying he wanted to do something else before leaving Alaska.

Zhang Li: “What do you want to do?”

Gu Deng thought for a moment and shook his head, “I don’t know.”

He didn’t want to go hiking or mountain climbing again; he’d seen enough snow-capped mountains and animals. In the end, they rented a small boat to go fishing.

But going out to sea wasn’t as romantic as it seemed, especially with their small boat rocking all night.

Fishing was quite fun, though. Gu Deng held up the fish he caught, asking Zhang Li to take a picture. In the photo, Gu Deng was slightly tanned but smiling brightly, looking proud and exuding a vitality completely different from when they first met.

By early June, most of Alaska entered the period of the midnight sun, with only the southern low-latitude sea areas experiencing brief nights.

After being intimate, Gu Deng lay on the deck, catching his breath, and the magnificent Milky Way of the northern hemisphere’s summer suddenly filled his vision. Gu Deng had never seen so many stars in his life, colorful and dense, bursting with vibrant energy in the dark night sky.

How many times in a lifetime can one witness such a brilliant Milky Way? And how many people can one be so intimately connected with, sharing the same heart and mind? Even if it’s just for a brief night, even if such feelings exist only for a moment, they are already incredibly precious.

Gu Deng turned and nestled into Zhang Li’s arms, wrapping his arms around his neck, “Zhang Li, I’ve realized something.”

“What?” Zhang Li held Gu Deng’s waist with one hand, his thumb slowly caressing the dimples.

Gu Deng propped himself up on his elbow, looking into Zhang Li’s eyes, “I really like you. I wish we could always be like this.”

Zhang Li’s expression softened, his dark eyes filled with an unbreakable tenderness. He kissed Gu Deng’s forehead, his voice unbelievably gentle in the night breeze, “As long as you want, we can always be like this.”

The starry sky of the northern hemisphere was dazzling, and Gu Deng and Zhang Li embraced, kissing passionately.