Passion Raga Novel (Completed) - Chapter 44

However, she finished talking about work in less than a tenth of the time it took to chat, and recalling the previous conversation, she burst into giggles again, as if it was utterly hilarious.

Sometimes, she would get insanely amused by things that Yuri couldn’t understand. This seemed to be one of those times.

Was saying “beautiful body” really that strange?

Yuri reconsidered, but it didn’t seem like a strange thing to say at all. Besides, if she were to see him in person, she would surely think he had a truly beautiful body. It was a man’s body so flawlessly perfected that it was hard to tear one’s gaze away.

But then again, even Yuri himself thought he might be a little too engrossed.

Just this morning, he had been told off. It wasn’t a rebuke or a scolding, but Ling Xinlu, who had been subtly smiling throughout their swim, finally let out a small laugh as they finished.

“I said you could be that greedy, but you really do stare hard.”

Ling Xinlu added, “Is it that good?” playfully, revealing that he knew Yuri’s gaze had been fixed on him the whole time, and then exited the pool.

However, his composure was undisturbed as he calmly dried himself, even under Yuri’s gaze.

“Not just your body, but your swimming is beautiful too.”

“Swimming?”

Ling Xinlu looked back with eyes that seemed to say, “You’d be better at that.” But Yuri didn’t mean good or bad.

Ling Xinlu always moved vibrantly in the water. Watching him ceaselessly cut through the water, never resting for a moment, gave one a feeling of pure life.

It would be a lie to say that it sometimes didn’t feel unfair that such a person, who seemed to be life itself, would say he needed to build up stamina. Yet, that very vitality was impossible to look away from.

“Like a fish living in a tropical sea,” Yuri said calmly. Ling Xinlu rubbed his body with a towel, his round eyes staring intently at Yuri.

“It’s not the first or second time I’ve been complimented on my appearance… but that’s a compliment, right?”

“Yes.”

Ling Xinlu burst into laughter, watching Yuri nod his head.

“Ah, seriously. People who love water compliment like that, huh… Thank you. It’s not much of a reply, but Mr. Gable, you look cool when you swim submerged in the water too. You’re beautiful, like a deep-sea fish.”

Yuri blinked his eyes for a moment, staring at Ling Xinlu. Ling Xinlu looked back at Yuri as if asking, “Why?” In context, it was a good thing to say. But…

“Thank you. …But deep-sea fish are not beautiful fish.”

“I know.”

The answer came back quickly and concisely.

How bizarre their forms, evolved over eons to suit life in the deep, lightless abyss, must appear to those who live in the water.

But Ling Xinlu smiled and added, as concisely as his answer:

“But I like them. Those creatures that live slowly and abundantly in the deep sea.”

“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Hearing him add that, Yuri fell silent. This was troublesome. He was flustered again.

He had never thought of himself as easily swayed by others’ words. Yet, with this man, his heart would suddenly waver over trivial remarks. And the problem, or rather, the slightly awkward thing, was that this man could tell Yuri was flustered just by looking at his expressionless face.

This time too, he glanced at Yuri’s blunt face, silently keeping his mouth shut, then laughed and asked, “What’s wrong again?”

Perhaps he was staring too overtly. The desire to gaze, being fulfilled so naturally, made even greater desires swell within him. Day by day, the thought, “This is somehow troublesome,” grew stronger.

If, by some chance, just by some chance, he were to get an erection in the pool, with nothing to hide, just the thought alone made him want to sink into the deepest depths.

To truly become a deep-sea fish, in a dark place where no light could reach, where no one could find him.

“…”

Yuri let out a heavy sigh, never imagining he’d be having such childish worries at his age.

“Why the sigh?”

Annette, who was about to say goodbye and hang up, seemed to have heard his sigh and paused, asking worriedly, as if demanding an explanation.

He envied women who didn’t even have the room for such absurd concerns.

Yuri quietly shook his head, imagining Annette bursting into uproarious laughter again if she knew.

“It’s nothing, Annette.”

“Really?”

She confirmed several times before finally saying, “Okay. Then,” sounding relieved.

“I never worry about you no matter where you’re thrown, but on the other hand, I worry about you no matter where you are, you know? I love you, Yuri.”

A ‘pop’ sound of a kiss could be heard through the receiver. Yuri just smiled. “Thank you, I love you too, Annette.”

With his grandmother and mother both gone, perhaps this woman was the closest to him now. Even if it was pure affection.

Only after the call ended with her laughter did Yuri slowly put down the receiver. After talking to her, his heart always felt a little lighter. She, too, must be like water to someone.

“Who was that? Your girlfriend?”

Just then, an intrigued voice came from behind him. Ling Xinlu, having finished his shower, was wiping his hair and looking at Yuri with curious eyes.

“Shall I guess? Hmm… Annette?”

When Ling Xinlu pretended to think for a moment and then said Annette’s name, Yuri raised an eyebrow. He nodded, confirming it was correct, and looked at him with a slightly surprised expression, as if asking how he knew. Seeing Yuri’s reaction, Ling Xinlu laughed aloud.

“Mr. Gable’s relationships with women are too simple.”

He pulled out a beer can, went to the sofa, sat down, and muttered, “Ah, I’m tired…” Yuri knew that even if Ling Xinlu said such a thing, he had the stamina to swim dozens of laps in a hundred-meter pool in his current state, so he wasn’t fooled.

Still, seeing him rub his eyelids, claiming his eyes were tired, Yuri soon went and sat beside him.

“Did you call to ask for a favor?”

“Yes. Though it’s nothing important or difficult.”

“Hmm… A society where people help each other, I see.”

In the past, there had been several calls to Yuri for similar reasons. It was commonplace to contact or ask favors of people who might know the information one desired. Yuri also did the same when needed, so such calls were already a part of his daily life.

“But come to think of it, the women who contact Mr. Gable are really few and far between. Besides Annette, who else is there?”

His fingers, counting off names like Xiao Qun, never went beyond one hand, no matter how long he thought. Yuri, who instantly became a man remarkably unpopular with women, remained expressionless.

“Most of the work on this side is done by men. Though there are many women in desk jobs.”

Since the work of struggling to uncover what others didn’t know often involved harsh situations, most of the people doing fieldwork were men.

Annette also worked in the field a long time ago but moved to a desk job not long after.

“A workplace full of only men…”

Ling Xinlu shook his head, as if the thought alone conjured up a stuffy and dark image.

“Indeed, UNHRDO was like that too. Especially the Asian branch, there were no women at all, so during special training periods when weekend outings weren’t allowed, it wasn’t uncommon for guys to sing ‘woman, woman’ and be desperate.”

“I see,” Yuri nodded, then suddenly fell silent. Yuri also knew about such situations.

Among his colleagues, there were several who were particularly fond of women, and sometimes, when work prevented them from meeting women for a while, they would become irritable and constantly utter phrases like, “I want to, I want to screw, I want to cum.”

If it had been a place with only men, UNHRDO wouldn’t have been much different.

“…”

Yuri stared intently at Ling Xinlu, who was calmly drinking his beer. He was a man so radiant and lovely that he could easily outshine most beauties. Moreover, he was someone who had the habit of always smiling and being kind to people, at least outwardly.

To think such a person was mixed in such a harsh environment. He must have had many difficult times. The thought alone made his chest feel heavy.

Yuri, looking at Ling Xinlu with a gloomy yet still indifferent expression, was suddenly met by Ling Xinlu’s gaze, as if a thought had occurred to him. Ling Xinlu, who had been quietly looking at Yuri, lost in thought, suddenly tilted his head.

“Have you ever had difficulties outside of work while working?”

“…Me? No, I haven’t.”

Yuri, unexpectedly hearing the very question he wanted to ask, blinked for a moment then shook his head.

“Is that so?” Ling Xinlu muttered skeptically.

“Mr. Gable doesn’t seem like it at first glance, but if you get to know him, his personality is subtly soft.”

“Is that so?” Yuri tilted his head, reflecting on himself. However, ignoring Ling Xinlu’s unconvinced expression, Ling Xinlu looked down at the distance between them where they were sitting.

“Move a little closer and sit.”

Ling Xinlu gestured for Yuri to sit a little further away. As Yuri moved back, Ling Xinlu lay down in that spot. His still damp hair rested on Yuri’s thigh. Yuri felt his thin cotton pants getting damp.

Seeing Ling Xinlu sigh deeply and rub his eyelids tiredly, Yuri said, “Just a moment,” and tried to get up. Around this time, when Ling Xinlu finished showering and lay with his head on Yuri’s thigh, Yuri would usually cover and rub his eyes with a warm towel.

As Yuri tried to get up to fetch a warm wet towel, Ling Xinlu seemed to hesitate for a moment, then said, “No,” and gently pressed his head, which was resting on Yuri’s thigh.

“I don’t want to move my head. It’s a bother. Just rub it like this.” He closed his eyes as he spoke.

Yuri looked at him, then lowered his half-raised body back down. And slowly, he covered Ling Xinlu’s eyes with his palm.

Rustle, rustle, his long eyelashes brushed against his palm, tickling him. He gently stroked the soft, thin eyelids with his palm, then pressed with his fingertips.

As he massaged his eyes and the area around them, he could slowly see Ling Xinlu’s body relaxing.

Starting from the expression of a long, pleasant sigh, then from his neck, shoulders, back. All the tension left his entire body, making him languidly comfortable, as if falling asleep.

Watching him like that, Yuri also felt a comfortable release of tension in his heart. He liked this time.