Saving the Heartthrob Frenemy-Chapter 109: "It’s beautiful"

Qie Xieling leaned his head back while Luo Muchen crouched in the dark recesses of the damp cave, his breathing coming in short, shallow gasps. The cold, moist air clung to their skin, sending shivers down their spines.

They could hear the distant, muffled voices of the gunmen searching for them, their hearts pounding in their ears like a frenetic drumbeat.

Qie Xieling winced, his face contorted in pain as he pressed his trembling hand against the stab wound on his side. He was in so much pain that he thought Luo Muchen was being heavy-handed thus he told him he would do it by himself but it wasn’t going so well.

Blood seeped through his fingers, the crimson liquid pooling on the damp earth beneath him. Luo Muchen’s eyes flickered with worry as he moved closer, his hand hovering hesitantly over the injury.

"Here, let me do it. I can’t promise it won’t hurt though," whispered Luo Muchen, his voice barely audible. He swallowed hard, aware that his feelings for Qie Xieling were surfacing at the most inopportune moment. He tried to push those thoughts aside, focusing instead on the wound.

Qie Xieling looked at Luo Muchen, his dark eyes clouded with pain and fear. He nodded, permitting Luo Muchen to touch the wound. Gritting his teeth, Luo Muchen pressed his hand down firmly on Qie Xieling’s side, trying to stem the flow of blood. As he did so, their eyes met for a fleeting moment, their faces just inches apart.

In the dim light of the cave, Luo Muchen could see the beads of sweat on Qie Xieling’s forehead, the faint flicker of fear in his eyes. He wished he could do more to ease Qie Xieling’s pain, to protect him from the danger that lurked outside. The mere thought of losing Qie Xieling sent a surge of panic through his chest, his heart aching with a love he dared not reveal any more. Earlier on, he was ready to break the porcelain jar and speak his truth but knowing now that Qie Xieling was in this mess because of him he didn’t have the courage anymore.

As the minutes dragged on, the sounds of the gunmen grew fainter, their voices receding into the night but the sound of gunfire grew louder.

Luo Muchen continued to press down on Qie Xieling’s wound, his hand slick with blood and sweat. The silence between them was heavy, punctuated only by their ragged breaths and the distant drip of water echoing through the cave.

Finally, Qie Xieling broke the silence, his voice strained and weak. "Do you think they’re gone?" his head a few inches from Luo Muchen’s face.

Luo Muchen hesitated, listening intently for any signs of the gunmen. "I think so," he replied, trying to sound more confident than he felt. "But we should stay here for a while longer, just to be safe."

Qie Xieling nodded, his eyes drifting shut as exhaustion began to take hold. He leaned against the cold stone wall of the cave, his body trembling with cold and pain.

Luo Muchen wanted to wrap his arms around him, to offer warmth and comfort, but he knew he couldn’t. Instead, he sat in silence, his hand still pressed against Qie Xieling’s side, his heart aching with the weight of his unspoken love and fear.

Qie Xieling recalled the ring in his pocket so he reached inside and took it out. He turned his head to look at Luo Muchen with a small black box adorned with a red silky bow in his hand.

He caressed the box with his thumb while saying, "You know that junior called Niu niu? She asked me to read her confession to you but... well, it’s probably soaking in the sea now," with great difficulty.

Luo Muchen didn’t respond. He had his head lowered wishing Qie Xieling would stop talking to save his strength. There was also another selfish reason which was that he was afraid the more Qie Xieling talked the more tempted he would be to expose himself.

"Is it really necessary to talk about this now? You know what my answer will be already," he said and Qie Xieling already knew that. The reason why he wanted to bring it up was to give him the gift that was all.

"I know, I just... she gave me money to buy a gift for you but at that price, I was very dissatisfied... Without her knowledge I chose something better for you so I am gifting this to you," he said.

Hearing his words, Luo Muchen raised his head abruptly and glanced at the small black box his heart palpitating. He still managed to keep his composure, but his anticipation was palpable.

"So this is from you?" asked Luo Muchen his voice hoarse.

Qie Xieling glanced at Luo Muchen’s hands pressed on his wound and knew he wouldn’t be able to open it. He opened the box carefully with his blood-stained fingers and turned the box to show him. "It’s a thumb ring," he said and Luo Muchen’s eyes rippled. Faced with a gift carefully thought out by Qie Xieling, Luo Muchen was almost out of breath.

It was a simple and elegant black thumb ring featuring black gold insert studded with black diamonds. It was easy to tell at a glance that Qie Xieling had put so much thought and took time to consider his preferences.

"Thank you so much, Lin Lin," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "It’s beautiful."

Qie Xieling smiled slightly before taking the thumb ring out of the box. "Here," he said and Luo Muchen raised his thumb slightly. Qie Xieling slipped the ring onto his thumb.

Luo Muchen admired it for a moment still feeling overwhelmed. It felt weighty and substantial, like a reminder of Qie Xieling’s presence even when they were apart.

Qie Xieling shut the box and put it back in his pocket. He was thinking of how good the ring looked on Luo Muchen’s finger when he heard him say, "I am sorry... If it weren’t for me you wouldn’t be-."

Qie Xieling chuckled softly and because of this, he pulled his wound. He sucked in a cold breath of air from the pain before saying, "If I wasn’t with you I would have run out of the hotel to find you and probably got myself shot."

Qie Xieling wasn’t lying. Even if it was Bo Ailun he would do the same. He was the type who would run into a burning building for the people closest to his heart. Even when everyone would tell him how hopeless the situation was he would go in there blindly.