Chapter 54 - 2#
It was just that he had finally recognized his own heart and wanted to try to hold onto the person before him.
Even though Yu Zhen always confidently analyzed that Chi Gui definitely had feelings for him, Jing Shun didn’t dare to arrogantly believe that judgment.
After all, from childhood to adulthood, no one had truly loved him.
Deep down, he was more afraid than anyone else—afraid that Chi Gui’s special treatment was all a lie.
Silence stretched on.
Jing Shun’s heart gradually floated into the air, and his excessive nervousness triggered very obvious physical reactions.
He trembled, not daring to look at the face in front of him, terrified of hearing any words of rejection.
“Jing Shun, look at me.”
Suddenly, Jing Shun raised his eyes a beat too slow, only to find Chi Gui’s expression unreadable and obscure, especially those pitch-black eyes, which carried a complexity he couldn’t comprehend at all.
The two stared at each other in silence.
Chi Gui felt like his heart was about to explode, but he still had to guide the person in front of him. “Think it through. Don’t mistake gratitude for liking.”
“No, it’s not like that.” Jing Shun quickly shook his head, the corners of his eyes tinged with anxious red. “I can tell the difference. I like you. I really… like you.”
Chi Gui asked again, “You’re not just talking nonsense because you’re drunk?”
Jing Shun clung to the remnants of his rationality and expressed himself even more clearly, “No, I just like you.”
The instant the words landed, Chi Gui suddenly let out a laugh. “Words are empty. How much do you like me?”
Jing Shun caught the faint curve at the corner of his mouth and froze. “Huh?”
In the space of a breath, Chi Gui leaned in closer, as if deliberately teasing him or confirming something:
“If you don’t show me, how am I supposed to know how much you like me?”
“…”
Was that how it worked?
The tight string in Jing Shun’s heart loosened a little.
In his alcohol-clouded mind, the words his friend Yu Zhen had said not long ago surfaced—
“Just kiss him.”
“Kissing produces dopamine, but only with the person you like.”
“…”
Jing Shun bit his lip uncertainly. “Do I have to show you?”
Chi Gui’s gaze deepened. “Yes, you have to show me.”
Jing Shun gave in with a reckless attitude. “Fine then.”
He held his breath imperceptibly, cautiously leaned forward, and pressed his lips against Chi Gui’s.
A strange coolness came through, mixed with a hint of dry softness.
Jing Shun jerked back as if shocked, his breath trembling. “Is th-this enough?”
“…”
Chi Gui didn’t respond. His eyes suddenly turned fierce, as if he wanted to devour him.
Just as Jing Shun thought he had been impulsive and overstepped, Chi Gui wrapped an arm around his waist and, without any warning, knocked him straight onto the sofa.
The back of his waist met the soft sofa cushion—it didn’t hurt.
Before Jing Shun could even gasp in surprise, he was met with the almost frantic look in the person above him.
Chi Gui’s whole body was tense, as if all the blood in him had frozen in this moment. With one hand gripping Jing Shun’s waist and the other stroking the back of his neck, the heat from his palm was so scorching it felt like it could melt anyone.
“Baby.”
“…”
“You chose this yourself. No regrets.”
The emotions that had been pent up for years were now exposed without reserve, like vines wildly growing to tighten and bind Jing Shun, leaving no chance of escape.
“Chi Gui?”
The moment Jing Shun called out a name, the rest of the syllables shattered.
Chi Gui lowered his head to capture the lips he had longed for, almost biting as he forced Jing Shun’s teeth apart and claimed every bit of softness.
Jing Shun’s mind went blank instantly. He could only instinctively respond to the kiss, letting out muffled sobs tinged with the scent of fruit wine, which were sharply pulled back by the inseparable kiss.
“…”
Chi Gui’s breath was scalding, and his body temperature carried the illusion of burning someone alive.
The tip of his nose was filled with a strong tea fragrance, domineeringly occupying the surrounding air. The increasingly oppressive lack of oxygen forced Jing Shun to tilt his head back.
Clatter!
The wine glass on the coffee table somehow got knocked over. The dog who had been almost asleep was suddenly startled awake.
It turned its head to see the overlapping figures on the sofa, especially Jing Shun, who was pinned underneath and gasping, and instantly became alert.
“Woof!”
Convinced that its dad was being bullied, the dog immediately clawed at the edge of the sofa and barked threateningly at Chi Gui. “Awoo! Woof!”
“…”
Chi Gui’s nearly crumbling rationality was pulled back by the barking.
He slightly loosened the person beneath him, his eyes burning with desire and lust shifting to the dog that was solely focused on protecting Jing Shun. Suddenly, he found the dog very inconvenient.
He simply picked Jing Shun up and quickly walked toward the inner bedroom.
Bang!
The frosted glass door slid shut.
The dog was ruthlessly shut out.
It stared at the two blurry figures inside the bedroom, scratching the door anxiously. “Whimper whimper…”
“…”
Jing Shun’s consciousness returned slowly, several beats too late, as his breath trembled.
The flush at the corners of his eyes had been drawn out by the alcohol. His originally gentle and soft brows and eyes had become a pool of spring water.
“Don’t be afraid.”
Chi Gui pulled the blanket over him. “Go to sleep.”
Jing Shun’s body hadn’t fully recovered yet, especially his lower back and legs. Some things weren’t suitable for now.
Surrounded by the familiar scent,
Jing Shun’s heart, which had been suspended in midair, finally settled. He was still dizzy, and his energy had reached its limit.
Even so, he spoke hoarsely, “Chi Gui, you still haven’t answered me.”
Chi Gui’s fingertips brushed the sheen of moisture on his lower lip. “What?”
Jing Shun, groggy and clinging to an uncertain persistence, asked, “C-can I start chasing you now?”
Chi Gui paused in his motion, not expecting the person in his arms to still be hung up on this question. Instead of answering directly, he deliberately led him on.
“You can. I’ll watch your performance every day.”
“…”
Jing Shun, with his alcohol-ridden mind, took it seriously. He blinked. “Then… did I do well just now?”
Chi Gui’s thumb brushed the moisture at the corner of his eye and countered, “What do you think?”
Jing Shun couldn’t answer.
He had forgotten how he had performed just now, only chasing that thrilling sensation, addicted once he’d tasted it.
“Chi Gui.”
“Hm?”
Jing Shun struggled to get closer to him, humming, “Can I show you again?”
Like filming—if one take wasn’t good enough, then do it again. There would always be a passable scene.
“You’re drunk. Very drunk.” Chi Gui was certain of that. He patted Jing Shun’s back. “Aren’t you sleepy?”
“Mm~”
Jing Shun’s trailing tone seemed to carry a hook. He lifted his head and kissed Chi Gui’s lips, staring at him with an almost innocent yet devout gaze. “Okay?”
The rationality Chi Gui had barely regained crumbled again.
His fingers threaded through the hair of the person in his arms as he kissed back. “Alright, I’ll give you one more chance to show me.”
…
The night was hazy.
Jing Shun was awakened by a rustling sound. He struggled to lift his heavy eyelids and found Chi Gui standing by the bed, tidying up.
Their eyes met in midair.
Chi Gui paused his movements, observing Jing Shun’s condition. “Awake?”
Jing Shun blinked silently, his foggy brain still trying to confirm his surroundings. After about half a minute, he realized he was in Chi Gui’s inner bedroom, and heat quickly rushed up.
Chi Gui put on his wristwatch before sitting on the edge of the bed. “I have to go to the group now. If you’re tired, sleep a little longer. I’ve asked Uncle Lin to prepare a cake.”
“We didn’t get to have it last night. On the first day of the new year, consider it made up to you?”
Jing Shun looked at the person before him. His memories from before falling asleep were a bit fragmented, so he just nodded for now.
Chi Gui knew he was still dazed and needed time to gather his thoughts, so he didn’t say much. “The wheelchair has already been brought in for you. I’ll go now. See you tonight.”
“Mm.”
Chi Gui pushed open the glass door.
The dog, who had been sulking in the living room all night, rushed in immediately.
It didn’t even spare Chi Gui a glance, instead eagerly pouncing to the bedside, focused only on its master, Jing Shun.
Chi Gui didn’t stop it. He just closed the glass door again.
The dog scrambled onto the bed and buried its head in the blanket, whining pitifully at Jing Shun as if it had suffered a great injustice and needed to vent.
Jing Shun, still drowsy, squinted and rubbed its head. “Okay, okay! Good morning, baby. Hurry down. Chi Gui will be mad if he finds out!”
“Woof! Awoo~”
Who cares if that Gui is mad? The baby is mad!
The dog sniffed Jing Shun left and right, confirming that its dad was covered in that Gui’s scent. It immediately plopped down in anger and barked even louder.
“Woof! Awoo! Whimper~”
The baby knew it!
That Gui is no good!
…
After Chi Gui left, Jing Shun fell into a deep sleep again. When he finally tidied up and went downstairs, it was already one in the afternoon.
Instead of having lunch, he took the cake Chi Gui had prepared, along with the dog, and went straight to his friend’s place in the next building.
In the air-conditioned room of the afternoon, the cool air was just right.
Yu Zhen took the birthday cake Jing Shun handed him and said thanks.
Without rushing to enjoy it, he finally let out the curiosity that had been pent up all night, urging repeatedly, “Come on, come on! I’ve been waiting for you all morning!”
“How did things go last night with Chi Gui? Did you confess? Did he agree?”
“…”
Jing Shun took a bite of the cake, having already recalled the events of last night in bits and pieces.
He remembered that by the early hours, he seemed to have been kissed to sleep, and a wave of heat surged in his heart.
Yu Zhen caught on. “Hey, why are you blushing? Did it work?”
“I-it… I guess it worked?”
Jing Shun scraped some cream with his fork and said truthfully, “I confessed to him.”
Yu Zhen’s eyes lit up. “Mm! And then?”
Jing Shun continued, “We, um, kissed too.”
Yu Zhen straightened up. “Mm-hm! And then?”
Jing Shun felt his performance last night had been decent, so he summarized with a very satisfied answer, “He agreed to let me chase him.”
“…”
What?
Who’s chasing whom?
After confirming he wasn’t hallucinating, Yu Zhen gave a thumbs-up. “I’m in awe. You two sure know how to play.”