Chapter 449: Find Their Own Food
Zhenlan kept kissing me until Lingyun cleared his throat again.
This time, Yuche didn’t give him fruit quickly enough to stop him.
"I’m still here," Lingyun called from beneath the umbrella.
I opened one eye.
He remained stretched across the lounger with the metal loop around his wrist, several pillows supporting his ribs, and an expression that suggested we had personally ruined his afternoon by enjoying ourselves within sight of him.
Yuche sat beside him with the fruit bowl balanced on one knee. He had stopped cutting peaches and was watching the pool now, although his face remained calm enough that Lingyun was probably the only person who thought he was being ignored.
Zhenlan’s mouth moved from mine to the side of my neck.
Chenghai’s hand stayed beneath the water, warm against my stomach while his thumb rubbed slow circles over my skin.
Lingyun sighed louder.
I rested my head against Chenghai’s shoulder and looked toward the patio. "You were told to rest."
"I can rest in water."
"You tried to sit up ten minutes ago and nearly folded in half."
"That was because Yuche tied me to a chair."
"The metal is loose."
"It’s insulting."
Yuche ate one of the peach slices he had cut for Lingyun.
That ended the complaint for a few seconds.
Zhenlan’s fingers moved higher along my thigh. The water hid most of what he was doing, but the look on Lingyun’s face made it clear he could guess.
He leaned as far toward the pool as the restraint allowed. "I could sit on the steps."
Yuche looked at him.
Lingyun immediately stopped moving. "Quietly."
The four of us waited.
Yuche placed the fruit bowl on the table, removed the strip of metal from Lingyun’s wrist, and stood.
Lingyun smiled like he had won something.
"You stay on the first step," Yuche told him while helping him upright. "You don’t swim, twist, push away from the wall, or pretend your ribs stopped hurting."
Lingyun put one arm around Yuche’s shoulders and let himself be lifted from the lounger. "You make resting sound very strict."
"It is."
Yuche carried him toward the shallow end before he could say anything worse.
The pool steps were wide enough for Lingyun to sit with the water around his waist. Yuche lowered him carefully, keeping one arm around his back until he was sure the movement hadn’t pulled anything.
Lingyun breathed through the first touch of water and slowly leaned against the wall.
The bandages around his ribs remained dry above the surface.
He looked across the pool at me.
His smile returned.
"There," he said. "I’m resting."
Yuche sat on the step beside him and wrapped one arm around his waist so he couldn’t move without permission.
That was probably the only reason he remained where he was.
I pushed away from Chenghai and let Zhenlan guide me toward the shallow end. Chenghai followed close behind, one hand catching my waist whenever my feet slipped on the bottom.
By the time we reached the steps, Lingyun had stretched one arm along the pool edge and looked far too comfortable for someone who had spent the last hour acting like he was being tortured.
I stopped in front of him.
"You complained through most of the movie."
"I was lonely."
"You were beside Yuche."
Lingyun looked toward the man holding him in place. "He wouldn’t let me do anything."
"You’re injured."
"So everyone keeps saying."
I leaned down and kissed him before he could start again.
His complaint disappeared against my mouth.
Lingyun’s free hand came up behind my neck, but Yuche caught his wrist before he could pull too hard. The metal restraint was gone, but apparently Yuche intended to replace it personally.
I kept the kiss soft enough that Lingyun didn’t need to move. His mouth still opened beneath mine, warm and eager despite how carefully the rest of him remained against the wall.
When I lifted my head, he looked considerably happier.
"That helped," he murmured.
Yuche’s hand tightened around his wrist before it could reach for me again.
I sat on the step beside Lingyun, close enough that my thigh pressed against his. Chenghai lowered himself into the water in front of us, while Zhenlan stayed behind me with one arm around my waist.
The pool became crowded quickly.
It should have felt awkward.
Instead, Yuche reached across Lingyun and handed me the bowl of peaches from the patio table. Chenghai took one from my fingers, and Zhenlan stole the next before I could eat it.
I kept the third one for myself.
The baby vine had crawled closer to the pool while no one was watching. Both heads rested on the stone edge, staring at the fruit in my hand.
I pointed toward the garden. "You already had your chance."
The vine opened both mouths.
Lingyun reached for the bowl.
Yuche moved it beyond his reach.
"I was helping Rouxi," Lingyun said.
"You were feeding the plant after she told you not to."
"That was also helping."
Yuche placed another piece of peach in Lingyun’s mouth before he could continue.
The vine snapped its teeth at them.
I ate my fruit and leaned back against Zhenlan.
The water moved around us whenever Chenghai shifted between my knees. His hands stayed below the surface, sliding lazily along my legs while Yuche kept Lingyun from doing anything stupid beside me.
For a while, no one tried to turn the afternoon into more than it was.
Chenghai rested his arms across my thighs. Zhenlan’s chin settled on my shoulder. Lingyun ate most of the peaches Yuche passed him and pretended not to notice that every piece came from Yuche’s hand.
I looked toward Yuche.
He had spent the entire afternoon taking care of Lingyun while the rest of us went into the pool. His shirt remained dry, and his hair hadn’t moved from where he had pushed it back earlier.
"You aren’t getting in?" I asked.
His gaze dropped to the water.
Lingyun turned his head against Yuche’s shoulder. "He said someone has to stop me from drowning."
"You’re sitting on a step."
"I could still find a way."
That was true.
I reached across Lingyun and caught Yuche’s hand. He looked down when my wet fingers closed around his wrist.
"You can hold him from in here."
Yuche considered that.
Then he removed his shirt.
That was the correct decision.
He left Lingyun against the wall long enough to step into the pool, then returned to the same place beside him. Water covered his waist as he sat, and his arm came back around Lingyun before the other man could test his freedom.
I moved closer until my shoulder pressed against Yuche’s chest.
His hand left Lingyun long enough to settle at the back of my neck. He kissed me slowly, completely unconcerned by Zhenlan’s arm around my waist or Chenghai’s hands beneath the water.
When he pulled away, his thumb stayed against my cheek.
Lingyun watched us from between our shoulders.
"You kissed him longer."
I turned and kissed Lingyun again.
That seemed easier than discussing it.
By the time I settled back, all four men were touching me somewhere. Chenghai held my legs across his lap beneath the water. Zhenlan’s arm remained tight around my middle. Yuche’s hand rested against the back of my neck, and Lingyun had managed to place his fingers on my knee without moving his ribs.
The pool had started as a way to spend an afternoon without anyone planning it.
Now five of us were crowded onto three steps while the baby vine waited beside the fruit bowl and pretended it wasn’t going to steal anything.
I reached for another peach.
Four hands moved at the same time.
I pulled the bowl against my chest.
They could find their own food.