Zhu Tong didn’t know how long he was pressed against the doorframe, kissing Shao Ming. It lasted so long that he could hardly stand on his own.
His legs went weak.
When they finally separated, Shao Ming brushed Zhu Tong’s lips with his thumb, his gaze intense and voice husky. “They’re a bit swollen.”
“…”
“Your skin is too tender, it easily gets flushed.”
Zhu Tong felt embarrassed by his straightforward comment. He looked down slightly, licking his lips, “It’s normal.”
—It’s fine as long as others couldn’t see it.
He knew Shao Ming had restraint.
Since moving in, Shao Ming had always been very considerate.
After all, there were servants in the house, and he had to interact with them.
Then he heard Shao Ming continue, “It’s not just here. Other places are the same. It’s easy to leave marks if I’m not careful.”
So he had been cautious lately.
Shao Ming’s hand moved down, resting on Zhu Tong’s fair neck, suggestively rubbing it.
Zhu Tong couldn’t help but shiver, his skin tingling as if electric circuits were buzzing beneath.
“We’re going back to school soon.”
Zhu Tong knew what he was concerned about, and he felt the same way.
Shao Ming’s fingers paused, then he lowered his head and asked, “Hmm? What about going back to school?”
“…”
Seeing him play dumb again, Zhu Tong glared at him weakly, “You…”
Shao Ming said, “Is this Little Young Master planning to repay his debt?”
Zhu Tong pretended not to understand, “What debt?”
“Your emotional debt, what else?”
“…”
Shao Ming shamelessly hugged his waist, pulling him close, “You still have a stack of IOUs with me, Little Young Master. Are you planning to run away?”
Zhu Tong pushed against his face, “That was all your own doing…”
As he spoke, Zhu Tong’s gaze paused.
They had kissed with their eyes closed, so he hadn’t noticed the faint dark circles under Shao Ming’s eyes.
Thinking about how busy Shao Ming had been these past few days, Zhu Tong’s romantic thoughts dissipated. He felt a pang of concern and gently touched Shao Ming’s eye corner, “You have dark circles.”
Shao Ming immediately took out his phone, using the case as a mirror, then said nonchalantly, “It’s fine, doesn’t look too bad.”
Zhu Tong: “…”
So to him, his face was more important than his body!
Zhu Tong pushed him, “Go take a shower and rest. I’ll call you when dinner is ready.”
But he couldn’t push him away. Shao Ming suddenly hugged him tightly, whining, “I don’t want to sleep.”
Zhu Tong: “?”
Zhu Tong asked worriedly, “Can’t fall asleep?”
Mental exhaustion could indeed cause insomnia.
Shao Ming nuzzled his face, “Yeah, so can my boyfriend give me a sleep aid?”
Zhu Tong asked, “How do you want…”
Before he could finish his question, Shao Ming’s hand tightened around his waist, pulling them closer together.
Zhu Tong stiffened instantly.
Shao Ming really couldn’t sleep, not because of mental exhaustion, but because he was too excited.
Both physically and mentally.
As Zhu Tong slightly turned his head, Shao Ming seized the opportunity to lean in, gently pecking the corner of his lips, “Just repay a little now, okay?”
Feeling the undeniable presence pressing against him, Zhu Tong’s cheeks burned.
They had done this more than once before, but it had always been Shao Ming helping him, or guiding his hand. Zhu Tong had never actively reciprocated for Shao Ming.
It was too embarrassing.
But he wanted to make Shao Ming happy.
The warm breath on his face, the almost out-of-control yet restrained embrace — despite his constant teasing and playful mischief, Shao Ming had never forced him.
Moved by this thought, Zhu Tong tightened his grip on Shao Ming’s shoulder and whispered, “Let’s go to the bathroom.”
Shao Ming’s throat bobbed, as if doubting his hearing, “…What?”
Zhu Tong’s face was red as a tomato, and he averted his gaze, “If you don’t want to, then forget… ah!”
Suddenly feeling weightless, Zhu Tong instinctively let out a small cry as Shao Ming lifted him and headed towards the bathroom.
…
Finally able to lie peacefully in bed, it was unclear what time it was outside.
Shao Ming was likely truly exhausted. After settling part of his “debt” in the bathroom, he fell asleep contentedly.
Zhu Tong dutifully “lulled” him to sleep, lying on his side in Shao Ming’s arms, openly admiring his sleeping face.
As he looked at Shao Ming’s face, his mind wandered back to the scene in the bathroom.
Before, he would have been too shy, burying his head in Shao Ming’s shoulder, not daring to look or open his eyes.
Today, perhaps because he had taken the initiative, he had the courage to see a different side of Shao Ming.
It turned out Shao Ming wasn’t always completely calm and put together.
He could get nervous, blush, occasionally lose his breath, and sometimes furrow his brows, his expressions varied and vivid.
Standing under the shower with his eyes closed, losing himself in the pleasure — Shao Ming looked incredibly sexy.
Thinking about this made Zhu Tong’s heart race. He tried to shake off the jumbled thoughts in his head and, not wanting to wake the sleeping Shao Ming, gently raised his hand to pat his own face.
Forcing himself to seriously study the face in front of him, Zhu Tong noted Shao Ming’s fair skin, his flawless features. Without his usual smile, his face had a sharply defined, almost cold handsomeness. His eyebrows were slightly raised, his eyelashes long and curled. Zhu Tong couldn’t resist lightly brushing a finger over them, then quickly withdrawing his hand.
His smile deepened as he silently admired. ‘My boyfriend was truly handsome!’
On the tenth day of the New Year, Auntie Cheng finished her busy work in E City and took some time to bring Cheng Chen to pay respects to her father.
Before Auntie Cheng arrived, she had already heard from Cheng Chen about Shao Ming. Upon meeting him, she was quite pleased, likely due to her natural inclination towards good-looking people, and promptly presented him with a red envelope she had prepared.
“This is a little gift from me for our first meeting. Take it, boy.”
Being straightforward in nature, Shao Ming accepted it politely without any hesitation, saying, “Thank you, Aunt…”
“Why call me Aunt? I’m not that old. Just call me Auntie Cheng like Tongtong does.”1in CN, it goes something like this: “Don’t call me 阿姨 (a-yi), call me 小姨 (xiao yi) instead”. The latter make it sound like she’s very young, while a-yi does have middle aged woman vibes lol
Before Shao Ming could respond, Cheng Chen interjected from the side, “Mom, wake up. I’m twenty-five this year. You’re almost fifty.”
Auntie Cheng: “…”
Irritated, Auntie Cheng gave her son a kick.
Cheng Chen, accustomed to this, quickly dodged his mother’s affectionate kick.
Auntie Cheng chatted with Shao Ming for a while and then turned to Zhu Tong, saying, “Tongtong, you two are starting school soon, right? When are you going back? I’ll be leaving the day after tomorrow. Want to go back with me?”
Zhu Tong thought for a moment and shook his head, “No, we don’t start until after the Lantern Festival. I want to stay at home for a couple more days.”
To spend time with his sister and grandfather.
Zhu Xin smiled upon hearing this and clung to his arm, saying, “Auntie, ever since my Ge transferred schools, you’ve kept him for every short holiday. Now you even want to take him during the winter break?”
Auntie Cheng looked at Zhu Xin affectionately clinging to Zhu Tong and said, “Alright, I won’t compete with you.”
Shao Ming, who was peeling an apple, watched this happy family scene, feeling waves of warmth in his heart.
This lively New Year celebration was wonderful.
He accidentally caught Zhu Tong’s gaze, and they saw the same lightness and satisfaction in each other’s eyes.
Cheng Chen, after popping a grape into his mouth, suddenly said, “In that case, you can come back with me. I have an event to attend here on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.”
Shao Ming handed the peeled apple to Auntie Cheng and started peeling another one.
Zhu Tong watched his hands intently.
Only Zhu Xin, curious, asked, “What event?”
Cheng Chen replied, “It’s a cultural exchange exhibition organized by the Jiang family. Want to go? I’ll take you around.”
Zhu Xin decisively refused, “Not interested.”
Cheng Chen: “…”
Shao Ming’s hand, holding the fruit knife, suddenly paused. He looked up and asked, “The Jiang family?”
Cheng Chen said, “Yes, you know Liankang2og: 联康, right? A well-known biotech company in the country. It’s owned by the Jiang family.”
Shao Ming frowned slightly, “Jiang Wenhan’s family?”
Cheng Chen was a bit surprised but not entirely, “You know him?”
At this moment, Zhu Tong also suddenly looked up, “Jiang Wenhan3oh btw, Jiang in Jiang Wenhan is 蒋, different from Jiang Wan’s 江?”
Cheng Chen: “…”
“You know him too?”
‘Wasn’t my little cousin someone who paid no attention to outside matters?’ Cheng Chen mused.
Shao Ming also looked over.
Zhu Tong paused and quickly shook his head, “No, I don’t.”
Cheng Chen then turned his gaze back to Shao Ming.
Shao Ming hesitated for a moment and then shook his head as well. “I don’t know him.”
Cheng Chen: “…”
‘What were these two up to? Were they harmonizing like a couple? Teasing me, a single dog?’
After staring at them suspiciously for a while, Cheng Chen didn’t press the issue further.
When they were alone, Shao Ming asked Zhu Tong about it. If Zhu Tong didn’t know anything, he wouldn’t have asked. Since he did ask but didn’t say anything, it was probably something he couldn’t or shouldn’t talk about.
“Remember the plot in the novel I told you about? Many people like Xia Yang, but in the end, only one person ends up with him, and that’s Jiang Wenhan.”
In front of Shao Ming, Zhu Tong had no reservations and shared everything he knew. Jiang Wenhan was the original story’s protagonist gong. But wasn’t he supposed to meet Xia Yang only after the Xia family went bankrupt due to Shao Ming? Oh, now that the Xia family had gone bankrupt, Jiang Wenhan had appeared early?
“How do you know Jiang Wenhan?” Zhu Tong asked in confusion.
Shao Ming replied, “Uncle Liu told me.”
Zhu Tong was surprised. “Uncle Liu even told you about this?”
Shao Ming had originally thought that Jiang Wenhan helped Xia Yang but didn’t interfere with him, so he hadn’t mentioned it to Zhu Tong after having Uncle Liu look into it. There was no need to discuss it now since they were still unrelated. To them, Jiang Wenhan was just a stranger.
However, they had underestimated the situation.
The next morning, someone arrived with two invitations. The Jiang family had delivered them to Uncle Liu’s house, and Uncle Liu had someone bring them to their home.
Looking at the invitations in hand, Cheng Chen gave the two people across from him a peculiar look. “Didn’t you two say you didn’t know Jiang Wenhan?”
Zhu Tong: “…”
Shao Ming: “…”
They indeed didn’t know him.
Zhu Tong asked, “Didn’t you say they were holding a cultural exchange exhibition?”
Why would they invite them to a cultural exchange exhibition? They were just high school students.
Cheng Chen was at a loss. How would he know why?
He tapped the invitations against his palm and said, “So, are you going? The people attending this event are all prominent figures from various fields. It would be good to broaden your horizons…”
“Bzz bzz—”
His words were interrupted by a vibrating phone. Cheng Chen glanced at the caller ID and, without excusing himself, answered the call in front of the two. Whatever the person on the other end said made his brows furrow, and he quickly hung up.
He then opened WeChat and saw photos sent by someone, causing his brows to furrow even tighter.
Zhu Tong asked softly, “What’s wrong?”
Cheng Chen said directly, “Qin Junhong has been found.”
Zhu Tong was shocked and instinctively glanced upstairs. Thankfully, his twin sister hadn’t woken up yet. He asked anxiously, “Where is he?”
“He’s currently staying at a rather sketchy motel.”
Cheng Qingsong’s people had traced Qin Junhong’s whereabouts from where he had last been seen. Previously, he had been hiding in an old residential building near the outskirts and hadn’t ventured out much to avoid being found.
Since Qin Junhong’s disappearance, Zhu Tong had been somewhat worried. The system couldn’t provide the locations of people unrelated to the main mission, so finding someone solely through manpower, even for someone powerful, was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Qin Junhong had been hiding for over two months — why had he suddenly reappeared?
“It seems like he showed up to meet someone…” Cheng Chen said, then suddenly made a sound of realization, “This person looks familiar.”
He looked up at Shao Ming.
Zhu Tong leaned over to look at his phone and was also surprised. “Is that… Xia Yang?”
In the photo, Qin Junhong stood at the entrance of the motel, dressed in full work clothes and wearing a black baseball cap, covering himself thoroughly. The person talking to him was partially obscured, also wearing a mask, but those distinctive eyes were unmistakable… Perhaps this was the charm of being the heartthrob protagonist. .
Cheng Chen recognized him too and frowned. “How did these two end up together?”
He looked at his cousin, who had a grudge against Qin Junhong, and then at Shao Ming, who had just taken down the Xia family, and suddenly realized, “Avengers Assemble4yes, this is the og joke?”
Zhu Tong & Shao Ming：“……”
The author has something to say:
Don’t worry, don’t worry, there won’t be abuse5for the reader.
And it’s not that I don’t “cook rice”, it’s that these two boys still haven’t got their driver’s license yet6to drive = to have sex, so the author is saying that ZT and SM are still underaged, so there won’t be any penetrative sex happening before they’re adult. _(:з”∠)_
But the rice will definitely be cooked when the time is right~
