Yun Pei, who originally thought he would not be able to sleep in an unfamiliar environment, slept for more than two hours on the soft bed. It was already past four o'clock when he opened his eyes.
He got up and went to the bathroom to wash his face to wake himself up, then maneuvered his wheelchair out the door. He first went to Qin Mingyuan's room and took a look. He found that his door was open and there was no one inside.
The door of the study was closed. He was not sure whether the other party was working, so he did not dare to go in and disturb him and went downstairs first.
Qin Pei and Zeng Lianyi were not in the living room either. Perhaps they were still asleep, or not. There were only two servants decorating the room. The handrails of the stairs were wrapped with colored strips and small colored lights, and ribbon balloons were hung everywhere. On the low cabinet and coffee table were placed Endless Summer and Hydrangeas picked from the garden. The beautiful flower balls were sprayed with water droplets, making them look fresh and lively. The huge living room suddenly became lively.
"Do you need help?" Yun Pei controlled the wheelchair closer to the busy servant, looked up and asked her.
"Master Yun, you're awake." The maid smiled at him and said, "It's almost time. No need to bother you. If you feel bored, you can go find the master. He's at the swimming pool behind the villa."
Went swimming? No wonder I didn't see anyone.
Yun Pei thought about it and nodded to the servant. Since he had nothing to do, he might as well go over and take a look. Swimming had been out of his reach for him since the car accident. His mother once said that she and his father would take him to the beach, but now it became a promise that could never be fulfilled.
Two years ago, Yun Haowei took Yun Yuexian and her son to the island for a vacation, but he stayed at home because of his leg.
A sunroom was built specifically for the swimming pool at the back of the villa. The awning can be opened when the sun is scorching, and it is kept open when the temperature is moderate, which is not much different from the open air.
There is a small path that goes straight through at the back. Although it is very flat, it has many bends for the sake of appearance, and the wheelchair may not be able to turn around easily. The servants were worried about him coming alone, so they sent him to the door before leaving. The young master usually does not allow them to disturb him when he is swimming.
Yun Pei walked in from the door. The area inside was very large. In addition to the swimming pool in the middle, there were also bathrooms and changing rooms on one side, and there were some flowers around for decoration.
The sound of splashing water reached his ears. He moved closer to the swimming pool and could see a blurry figure swimming in the clear water, as nimble as a fish.
There were two lounge chairs on the shore with a small table in the middle for people to rest. Yun Pei's wheelchair stopped nearby and his eyes fell on the figure in the swimming pool.
The other person was swimming happily in the water and hadn't noticed anyone coming. When he reached the end, he pushed off the wall of the pool and turned around very smoothly, using his long arms and legs to bounce far away.
I don't know if he noticed him, but the man slowed down as he approached his position and suddenly emerged from the pool.
He pushed back his wet hair, revealing his stern face. A drop of water hung from the teardrop mole at the corner of his eye, softening the sharpness of his eyebrows.
He swam over here and pulled himself ashore by the handrail at the side of the pool, revealing his strong and muscular body. Water droplets flowed over his muscular chest and abdominal muscles, and followed his mermaid line into his swimming trunks.
The boxer shorts were relatively conservative, but the fabric that clung to the body made a certain proud part of her body very visible. Yun Pei was embarrassed to look at it any longer and looked away with a sidelong glance.
"Why are you here?" Qin Mingyuan picked up a bath towel from the pile on the table and put it on his head to wipe his hair. Then he draped it over his shoulders and sat down on the recliner next to him.
He was casually wearing a bath towel, sitting facing Yun Pei, with almost nothing covered. Yun Pei could only focus his eyes on that eye-catching face. "I woke up and didn't see anyone. The servant told me you were here."
This was what Qin Mingyuan told the servant when he left, asking the servant to tell him where he was going if he woke up, because after all, he might feel uncomfortable in an unfamiliar place.
"Do you want to change your clothes? Even though it's summer, you might catch a cold if you sit here in the wet." Yun Pei always caught a glimpse of large areas of skin out of the corner of his eye. She had such a good figure that it was hard for him not to notice, so he couldn't help but remind her.
Qin Mingyuan himself didn't care at all. He stroked his hair twice, like a lion grooming his mane, and said, "I want to swim two more laps."
I am usually busy with work and don’t have the time for this. It’s a rare day off, so don’t waste it.
"Oh." Yun Pei nodded, "Then go ahead, don't worry about me, I can do it here by myself."
Qin Mingyuan lowered his eyes to look at his legs which were wrapped in long trousers even in summer, paused, and said: "Do you want to sit on the shore and soak in the water?"
"Eh?" Yun Pei was stunned for a moment, then she pursed her lips slightly after realizing what he meant, "It soaked... I can't feel it either."
His legs had no feeling and he couldn't feel any touch. He no longer had the inferiority complex he had in the early years about his legs, but he was still concerned about his ugly appearance being exposed to the eyes of others.
"It doesn't matter." Qin Mingyuan looked at him, "How can you avoid getting wet in summer?"
As he said this, he lowered his eyes to his legs, then raised them naturally, "It's not like I haven't seen it before."
As soon as he reminded her, the scene in the bathroom that day came back to Yun Pei's mind. Thinking of himself being carried naked to a wheelchair, the tips of his ears began to turn red, "You..."
He was stuck just after saying a word, staring blankly at the man who tore off the bath towel and squatted in front of him.
Qin Mingyuan took off his slippers, held his ankles and took off his white socks, then rolled up the legs of his casual pants to his knees.
The muscles of his legs, which had been unable to move for many years, had atrophied. He was still young when the accident happened, and his stumps had grown slowly, not as thick as Qin Mingyuan's arms. They were not really a pair of beautiful legs, and their only advantage was that they were white. Yun Pei couldn't help but want to shrink his legs when they were exposed, but he couldn't move and could only hold the armrests of the wheelchair tightly.
Qin Mingyuan stood up as if he hadn't seen it. He hugged him, put one hand between his legs and the other on his back. He lowered his eyes to look at the man who hadn't come back to his senses yet, and said, "Hold him tight."
Hearing the voice, Yun Pei subconsciously put his arms around his shoulders and neck, touching a piece of smooth skin. He then remembered that the other party was not wearing any clothes. He wanted to loosen his hands, but the body suddenly flew into the air, making him hold tighter.
Qin Mingyuan carried him to the edge of the pool. This time he was very embarrassed and buried his face in his neck, not daring to look up. His breath hit his exposed skin, which felt a little hot and a little itchy.
Yun Pei's weak legs hung into the water, swaying gently with the buoyancy. He could not feel any coolness of the pool water, but he could feel the water vapor blowing on his face.
"Can you sit still?" Qin Mingyuan withdrew his hand and squatted beside him. His body was a circle larger than his, like a beast guarding its prey.
Yun Pei nodded, staring at his legs floating in the pool, and actually felt a little bit of fun, "Well, you go swim, I can do it myself."
Seeing that he was indeed not feeling unwell, Qin Mingyuan stood up with confidence, did some simple exercises, and then jumped into the water with a nimble posture, making almost no splashes.
Yun Pei supported himself on the edge of the pool, watching him swim flexibly, and sighed in his heart that this man was really excellent, as if there was nothing he couldn't do.
Qin Mingyuan occasionally swam butterfly stroke and freestyle, changing his swimming style and swimming very freely. He felt satisfied after a few laps.
He came out of the water, shook off the water droplets, and pushed his hair aside. He saw the person sitting on the shore was still there obediently, looking at him.
He swam over, put his hands on both sides of his body, raised his head and asked, "How is it? Are you tired without someone to lean on your waist?"
The man's action of encircling him made Yun Pei feel safe, but also a little uncomfortable. It was also the first time he looked at the other person from a high angle, and he felt that his aura didn't seem so fierce. "No, it's fine."
His legs in the water were shaking more violently because of the waves created when Qin Mingyuan came over, and his toes underwater occasionally touched Qin Mingyuan's abdominal muscles.
The other party didn't feel anything, but Qin Mingyuan felt it clearly. His abdominal muscles subconsciously tensed a little. He lowered his eyes and grabbed the young man's ankle.
Yun Pei was stunned for a moment, not knowing the reason for his sudden action. Although he couldn't feel it, he could see it. "What, what happened?"
Qin Mingyuan raised his head again and met his somewhat flustered eyes. Bad thoughts suddenly popped up in his mind, but his calm face did not show any of them.
Yun Pei was not aware of his "danger". Seeing that he didn't say anything and didn't let go, he couldn't help but speak again, "Why...ah..."
As he screamed, a hand around his waist suddenly pulled him down, water splashed up, and he fell into the pool.
"Qin Mingyuan!"
It was the first time that Qin Mingyuan heard his panicked voice. His heart skipped a beat and he wondered if he had gone too far, although he knew he would not let anything happen to him.
He tightly wrapped his arms around the young man's slender waist, letting his arms hang around his shoulders and neck in panic. He kicked the water with his legs and freed one hand to pat the man's back, "It's okay, I'm here."
Not choking, nor drowning in the water, Yun Pei hugged the man tightly, his heart beating wildly gradually calmed down, and the fear made him a little angry, "What did you do?!"
Not sure if it was out of anger or fear, but the corners of the young man's eyes were red, and the water droplets splashed on them as if he was crying. Qin Mingyuan felt guilty for the second time today, although it couldn't be seen on his face.
He patted the man's back again, with a steady expression, "I see you seem to want to come down very much."
Yun Pei really wanted to come down, but it was just a thought. His legs hanging in the water were weak and could not support him to float on the water. He could only hug the man tightly and depend on him.
His short-sleeved shirt was wet, and the two of them were no different from flesh to flesh. He could even feel the lines of the other's muscles, but he couldn't let go. He felt ashamed and nervous, "I want to go up!"
"Now that we're down, why don't you enjoy the fun of swimming?" Qin Mingyuan was not in a hurry to do as he wished. He treaded the water leisurely, as if he couldn't feel the weight of a person hanging on his body.
Yun Pei was just about to ask him how he felt when the man suddenly lay back. He unconsciously lay on top of him, and their postures became more intimate.
Qin Mingyuan changed into a backstroke position, making himself a human float for the young man. He kicked the water with his legs, and the two of them swam slowly in the pool.
The feeling of moving in the water stunned Yun Pei. It had been many years since he had experienced this. He suddenly became quiet.
Qin Mingyuan looked down at him and saw that he had become well-behaved, a smile in his eyes. He wrapped his arms around him tightly to prevent him from falling off, and also enjoyed the feeling of slowly floating in the water.
"Qin Mingyuan."
Amid the sound of light splashing water, Yun Pei, who had been silent for a long time, raised his head, looked at the man with his clear black and white eyes, and suddenly called his name.
"Hmm?" Qin Mingyuan closed his eyes slightly to feel this quiet moment, and responded casually when he heard his voice.
This posture made Yun Pei feel that his heart was closely connected to the man's, as if the beating frequency had become consistent. "Why are you so nice to me?"
Qin Mingyuan opened his eyes and lowered his head to meet his gaze. The young man's eyes were no longer as dark and lifeless as when they first met. He was also no longer as lifeless as he was then, as if he would fall into the abyss of darkness in the next second and never climb out again.
Raising his hand, he placed it on his wet hair and gently rubbed it. Qin Mingyuan said, "Because you are worth it."
He deserves to be treated well by others and deserves a different ending.
(End of this chapter)