Passion Raga Novel (Completed) - Chapter 84

But that tension melted like snow when Ling Xinlu unconsciously met Gable’s eyes, who was still quietly watching him. He looked back at Gable, then suddenly leaned in and placed a kiss on his cheek. The light, repeated touches of his lips were like teasing, followed by a gentle smile.

Ling Xinlu leaned back comfortably into the sofa, calmly looking at Jeong Taeui.

“There are still many things that annoy me now. There are countless people I want to remove from my life. But even so, I still like what I have. A life with all the most important things for me.”

His face when he spoke those words was completely sincere, without any pretense.

“I used to wish I had you by my side. I still think you’re a very good person. And even though it bothers me that that crazy guy is happily enjoying life with you, but… I’m still grateful you left.”

The faint smile was like a joke but filled with sincerity. Looking at that frankness, Jeong Taeui’s expression became unreadable. In other words, this also meant—Thank you for disappearing from my life.

“…Oh, okay.”

Accepting that thank you with a somewhat arrogant attitude, Jeong Taeui finally couldn’t help but laugh.

Relief surged like a tide filling his chest. The faint shadow, like a lingering sense of guilt within him, was finally washed away. So that’s how it was; without him, Ling Xinlu could be happier, just like Jeong Taeui himself.

The rustling of leaves in the wind suddenly became clearer in his ears. And the chirping of insects in the gaps. Yuri pulled the chair next to the garden table to the edge of the pool and sat down. When he stretched out his legs, his toes just touched the water.

The garden lights reflected on the water’s surface. Yuri gently wiggled his toes, creating ripples, and the light also fractured, flickering with the rippling water. He closed his eyes, enjoying the faint sound of lapping water and the cool sensation gliding across his skin, then leaned back in the chair to relax. It felt like a long day had finally come to an end.

At this moment, Ling Xinlu came out of the house, holding two warmed plum wines. He handed one glass to Yuri, then pulled a chair and sat right next to him.

“Why are you just touching the water with your feet and not getting in completely?”

“Waiting for you to come in with me.”

Ling Xinlu was about to bring the glass to his lips but paused. He looked at Yuri with a slight surprise, then unconsciously chuckled like a young boy experiencing his first confession.

Yuri found him lowering his eyes, embarrassed, and also very adorable. It was precisely because he wanted to see this face that he had suppressed his desire to jump into the water until now.

Lately, because he had to arrange everything for the reception, and also because he hadn’t been able to get into the water yesterday, his mood had been restless. He just wanted to immediately immerse himself in the water and wash away all his worries, but he still tried to hold back.

Ling Xinlu liked to get into the water with Yuri, especially when the pool had just been refilled with fresh water; he always wanted them to go in together.

“Let’s go in after we finish drinking. This new batch smells very good, so I brought it for you to try.”

Ling Xinlu always brought Yuri special things that he thought were the best. The wine he offered emitted a gentle fragrance, sliding smoothly down his throat.

“It’s not good to get into the water after drinking.”

Yuri said that, but still couldn’t resist taking a few sips in a row, drawn in by the aroma of the wine. The wine tasted much sweeter today. Perhaps it was good wine, or perhaps he had been too tired these past few days.

Basically, Ling Xinlu was a wonderful lover. Meticulous, thoughtful, and wholeheartedly cherished the person he loved. Yuri was the same; he always loved with all his heart. However, sometimes—no, quite often—Yuri still felt confused by the differences in their personalities.

For example, last year was also like that.

At the end of last year, Ling Xinlu had an overnight trip to a suburban villa with his university friends. They weren’t just student friends, but also a social club consisting of only a few children from the upper class, so it was an important occasion to maintain relationships.

While Ling Xinlu hesitated, asking if he could go alone, Yuri told him not to worry and to enjoy himself, even limiting contact to avoid disturbing him. Yuri stayed home alone, leisurely swimming and enjoying a quiet day.

The problem only arose when Ling Xinlu returned the next day, just as Yuri was swimming. When he lifted his head out of the water, he was surprised to find Ling Xinlu standing still in front of him, silently looking down at him. Yuri happily got out of the pool and intended to approach, but as he got closer, he noticed that his face looked very bad and he paused.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Ling Xinlu quietly looked at him intently with a gloomy face, then slowly shook his head.

“…No. Nothing happened. Maybe just a little tired…”

“Is that so? Perhaps it’s because you’ve been playing with friends you haven’t seen in a long time. You should rest early today.”

Yuri lightly kissed his cheek as a greeting and then turned to dry himself with a towel. Just then, Ling Xinlu, who had been silently observing him, suddenly spoke.

“How about Gable?”

“Huh?”

“When I wasn’t here, were you okay?”

“Huh? Oh, well… it was normal. I swam a bit, read books, and the day just passed like that.”

Seeing his unhappy face, Yuri replied with a slight surprise. After all, it was just a day alone at home, nothing special. But… no matter what, his face was really not okay at all…

“Is that so. It seems you had a quite comfortable day.”

“Yes, I rested very well. But Xinlu, is there really nothing wrong…”

Just as Yuri was about to ask further, Ling Xinlu’s face grew gloomier. Finally, he suddenly exploded as if he couldn’t bear it any longer.

“But why didn’t you text me at all?!”

Yuri was stunned by this unexpected reproach. To the point that for a moment he didn’t even understand what ‘text’ meant.

“Huh…? Text…? I did text, before going to bed…”

“What does sending only a ‘Good night’ message count for? I texted back ‘Good night, I miss you,’ and you only replied ‘Okay, good night, see you tomorrow,’ and that was it! Don’t you miss me?!”

The words were like a sudden lightning bolt striking a clear sky.

Yuri hadn’t even fully understood what was happening when Ling Xinlu, after one outburst, couldn’t stop. He poured out all the grievances in his heart, his tone full of hurt.

“Whenever we’re not together, I’m always the one who texts first! I always want to be with you, but don’t you feel anything? It was the same yesterday! Not just a few hours, not just half a day, but all day long! I tried to hold back and wait to see when you would text me. But in the end…”

He spoke almost on the verge of tears. No, his reddish eyes were already glistening with tears.

Yuri became more and more confused.

“It’s not like that, I was afraid of disturbing you, because you were having fun with your friends…”

“Friends? Do you think they’re my friends? They’re just social connections for benefit! Have you ever heard me mention any of their names?”

“Then why did you go—”

“Because I wanted you to miss me! I wanted to receive messages from you! But you didn’t even send one… don’t you miss me? I checked my phone every minute, yet you could just casually forget like that?!”

“It’s not like that… I’m sorry. I really thought you were having fun with your friends and didn’t want you to worry about me…”

“……”

“How could I not worry? Do you want me not to care about you? Do you hate me caring about you? Is that why you always text me so little? When we’re not together, aren’t you even curious what I’m doing?!”

Never had Yuri broken out in such a cold sweat in his life. Seeing the silent tears fall squeezed his heart.

At this moment, an image of Ling Xinlu occasionally pouting and saying casually, “When we’re apart, aren’t you curious what I’m doing?” or “Gable rarely texts me first,” flashed through Yuri’s mind.

Such instances… it seemed… were not few.

In truth, the two rarely had to be apart. On the rare occasions they were separated, Yuri often received calls from him, but Yuri had never thought much about it.

He had always held the belief that even as lovers, they should respect each other’s independence. Therefore, he had never felt the need to text every day. But when he saw that beautiful face drenched in tears, he suddenly felt as if he had been living incorrectly all these years.

Guilt surged.

Reflecting, it seemed he had never initiated a text to Ling Xinlu unless there was a special reason. More than 99% of unprompted contacts were from him. Perhaps he had endured this for a long time.

“Not to mention… yesterday… was the sixth anniversary of Gable’s first contract signing…”

“It was the day marking six years since we became legally bound. Don’t you remember…?”

Ling Xinlu choked out, his eyes moist.

“…I’m sorry… From now on, I’ll try to text more often.”

No one could resist the tears of a beauty.

After realizing his mistake, Yuri began to try to initiate texts to Ling Xinlu.

But a lifelong habit is not easy to change, and moreover, the two rarely separated, so Yuri often forgot. And since that outburst, Ling Xinlu no longer held back for as long as before.

As soon as he didn’t receive a message from Yuri for a day, he would immediately “retaliate” at night by clinging to him to make up for his hurt feelings.

Finally, Yuri resorted to a more practical solution: setting an alarm to remind himself to text.

“You need an alarm to remember to text me?”

Ling Xinlu pouted slightly, but sensing Yuri’s effort, he didn’t complain further.

And whether it was due to the alarm or genuine remembrance, whenever Yuri texted, Ling Xinlu always happily received it with a radiant smile.

Every time he answered the phone and called out ‘Gable’, his voice was always full of eagerness and joy, making Yuri feel both guilty for not having contacted him more often and happy. Why hadn’t he heard this lovely voice more often? What a pity.

Now, even without the alarm ringing, he often thought of Ling Xinlu. Perhaps soon he would form the habit of automatically contacting him without needing an alarm reminder.

Should I change a little?

Until now, Yuri had never thought that he needed to change for someone. He could care more, adjust his actions a bit, but he had never thought that his inherent personality could change.

However…

Yuri raised his glass, looking at Ling Xinlu sitting beside him.

Ling Xinlu was leaning deep into the chair, his eyes quietly following the light reflecting on the glass. He looked as if he wasn’t thinking at all, or conversely, was lost in deep contemplation. Suddenly, he glanced towards Yuri as if to probe something, and their eyes met.

Ling Xinlu blinked a few times, looking at him, then cleared his throat slightly and leaned forward.

“Um… today… the weather’s nice, isn’t it?”

His roundabout tone was unlike him, making Yuri unable to help but laugh.

“Yes. The moon is beautiful tonight.”

Seemingly pleased with the answer, Ling Xinlu smiled faintly, tilted his head further, and gently placed a kiss on Yuri’s lips. He brushed his lips little by little like a small bird pecking, then suddenly whispered timidly as if probing.

“Is there anything bothering you?”

Here, Yuri had to pause to think about how he should answer.

Ling Xinlu was sometimes extremely difficult to please. Especially at times like this, when no matter how he answered, there was no single absolutely correct answer.

Yuri inviting Jeong Taeui, or more precisely Kyle, to his house was not his intention at all.

While exchanging phone calls with Kyle about an issue related to a former colleague, they accidentally started talking about antique books, and somehow, the conversation led to him inviting Kyle to his house.

Yuri was not usually lacking in perceptiveness, so ordinarily, he would have avoided this situation. But Kyle, though outwardly appearing like a friendly, approachable neighborhood man, was actually incredibly cunning and sly. He had a knack for steering conversations in his desired direction without the other party even realizing it. By the time Yuri became aware, inviting this person to his house was already a done deal.

Inviting Kyle to his house wasn’t a big problem.