AD Chapter 60

Translator: Lynn

Thanks to Kizuna for the ko-fi! Here’s your bonus chapter <3

Sponsored chapter (1/1)

The moment Cheng Ke lowered his head, Jiang Yuduo had a fleeting thought that Cheng Ke was checking if he had a fever by pressing their foreheads together.

Before he could comprehend what was happening, Cheng Ke was already on top of him.

And then he fucking kissed him again.

Jiang Yuduo had lost count of how many times this had happened. It had become so frequent that he could casually refer to it as something he was “used to.”

But this time was different.

It was different from every other time before.

Because Cheng Ke’s kiss was different too.

Jiang Yuduo tasted the flavor of green tea on his tongue, or more precisely, the taste of green tea toothpaste. Of course, he had seen toothpaste before, and it was green, or else he wouldn’t have guessed it. After all, it wasn’t the young master spraying perfume in the cabinet. There weren’t so many requirements in that regard…

The tip of the tongue?

Yes, the tip of the tongue!

Not just the tip of the tongue…

As Jiang Yuduo felt more and more contact in a whirlwind of shock and confusion, his entire body lost the ability to respond.

He was very confident in his reactions and ability to handle unexpected situations. He knew what kind of action should elicit what kind of response.

But all of that was limited to attacks.

Front, side, surprise attacks.

Knife, stick, bare hands.

None of his training had prepared him for the situation at hand.

What do you do when someone sticks their tongue in your mouth?

Although he had never experienced such a situation himself, he had read about it countless times in books, often accompanied by detailed descriptions.

But he was a man after all, and all those descriptions of love, rejection, acceptance, and reluctance were about women…

He didn’t know what to do.

His initial reaction was to push Cheng Ke away, but he hadn’t forgotten Cheng Ke’s words.

My wrist is broken.

After that, he couldn’t muster a second reaction. He felt like a wooden man, unable to move.

He didn’t dare to move either.

Any movement, whether big or small or even the slightest twitch, could be interpreted as a response to their current position. Since he didn’t dare to respond, he refrained from making any action that Cheng Ke might perceive as a response.

One, two, three, four, five…

Jiang Yuduo’s mind raced like the wind, but he still remembered to count the seconds out of habit.

What surprised him was that within just four or five seconds, he experienced so many things in a whirlwind of shock, including the posture and trajectory of Cheng Ke’s tongue.

Then, there was a sudden pause.

Cheng Ke pulled away for about a second and looked at him.

Jiang Yuduo couldn’t find the right expression or gaze to meet Cheng Ke’s gaze, but Cheng Ke didn’t seem prepared to meet his gaze either. After glancing at him, he kissed him again.

What the hell!

Had he drunk too much? Did he pause halfway to ensure he was kissing a person and not a sofa?

But perhaps due to that momentary pause, after Cheng Ke kissed him for the second time, Jiang Yuduo suddenly felt something different.

It was as if his body had awakened after that momentary pause.

The sound of gentle breaths, subtle touches, and even the sensation of breath against his skin began to make his body respond as if it had just come alive.

…

Cheng Ke didn’t want to stop. He stopped only because of dizziness, which made it hard for him to catch his breath. If he didn’t stop, he might suffocate.

Of course, there was another important reason.

Although Jiang Yuduo hadn’t witnessed the scene when Cheng Ke was curious in the bathroom, he could easily see it now, or rather, he didn’t even need to look. Even if he didn’t get up, Jiang Yuduo would probably feel it directly once he regained his senses after a while.

When Cheng Ke propped himself up with his arms, Jiang Yuduo scolded, “Can’t you find a more suitable position to exert your strength!” Cheng Ke glanced at him and noticed that his left hand was still pressed against his forehead. He made a circular motion with his eyes.

Cheng Ke removed his hands, sat up, and leaned against the armrest of the sofa.

He was now sitting on Jiang Yuduo’s lap.

Then he stood up again, looked at Jiang Yuduo, who was still lying on the sofa and took a few seconds to recall in detail whether he had made any moves other than kissing without any explicit cues due to his curious mindset. Did he move? Did he touch? Did he rub?

Probably not. With only one functional hand, he had been pressing against Jiang Yuduo’s forehead the whole time.

After staring at Jiang Yuduo for a moment, Jiang Yuduo sat up, leaned against the sofa, and looked at Cheng Ke with his head slightly tilted.

“That…” Cheng Ke didn’t know if he should apologize, but he felt that an apology would only make the situation more awkward.

If only I hadn’t gotten up.

A few seconds later, Jiang Yuduo’s eyes quickly glanced down from Cheng Ke’s face, then quickly snapped back up, but within two seconds, they glanced down again and snapped back up to his face.

When Jiang Yuduo looked down for the third time, Cheng Ke let out a sigh, pulled up his pants, and walked into the bedroom. He grabbed a pair of pants from the wardrobe and put them on. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he didn’t feel like moving anymore. He contemplated going back to the living room and facing Jiang Yuduo, who had no idea what was happening to him now… Maybe he should know.

Even though Cheng Ke hadn’t looked at a certain part of Jiang Yuduo and hadn’t bothered to feel it before, he could still sense the changes in Jiang Yuduo’s breathing before and after.

Regardless of whether there were any other reactions, normal straight men shouldn’t be able to reach this point…

Cheng Ke felt a slight urge to smoke, but his cigarettes were in his coat pocket, and the coat was in the living room. He hesitated for a moment, then got up and walked out.

Jiang Yuduo, who had been sitting on the sofa all this time, saw Cheng Ke come out and suddenly stood up. He quickly walked… or rather, he practically flashed into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.

It was the first time Cheng Ke had seen Jiang Yuduo move at such speed.

Feeling a bit down, Cheng Ke poured himself a glass of water, took a few sips, lit another cigarette, and sat back down on the sofa.

Jiang Yuduo’s body warmth still lingered on the sofa.

He glanced at his phone and briefly scrolled through it. There was no activity on Cheng Yi’s side, and there were a couple of new photos on Moments. One showed him sitting with his mother at a bar, and his mother seemed friendly with him and Li Na. In the background of the group photo, surprisingly, was the “little elf” that he and Jiang Yuduo had taken a selfie with.

He let out a sigh and scrolled again. Of course, there were some photos of Jiang Yuduo’s worldwide fan club posting about their late-night snack.

But this was the first time Cheng Ke saw himself in photos taken by Chen Qing, and it felt a bit inexplicable as if he was seeing himself in another world.

He and Jiang Yuduo were seated together, leaning against the back of a chair, their faces turned in the same direction, and the yellow light cast a halo on their faces.

Chen Qing still took photos with an old-fashioned camera, but surprisingly, it looked quite good.

In the yellowish picture, there were two people not looking at the camera, and there were a few faint traces of light in the blurry hustle and bustle around them.

Cheng Ke glanced at the captions Chen Qing had given these photos today.

Time.

He chuckled, finding it unexpectedly fitting.

Setting his phone aside, he looked in the direction of the bathroom. The door was still closed, and there was no sound coming from inside.

The two people in the photo were in such an awkward situation now.

Jiang Yuduo’s reaction of hiding in the bathroom as soon as he saw Cheng Ke still made him quite… uncomfortable.

After a while, he stood up, feeling a little concerned.

“Jiang Yuduo?” He walked up to the bathroom door and called out.

Jiang Yuduo didn’t answer.

“San-ge?” He called again.

Still no response from Jiang Yuduo, but Cheng Ke knocked on the door.

“Are you okay?” Cheng Ke tried twisting the doorknob and found that it could be opened. “Can I come in?”

“Yes,” Jiang Yuduo responded.

Cheng Ke took a deep breath, then turned the handle and pushed the bathroom door open.

As soon as the door opened, a cloud of smoke rushed out.

“What the fuck?” Cheng Ke was taken aback. “Are you smoking?”

“Yeah,” Jiang Yuduo sat on the toilet seat with a cigarette butt in his hand.

“Turn on the exhaust fan.” Cheng Ke walked in hesitantly and switched on the exhaust fan. “Isn’t it choking?”

“No,” Jiang Yuduo still kept his head lowered.

Cheng Ke fell silent, gazing at the top of his head.

He had known Jiang Yuduo for a long time, but it was the first time he noticed the two cowlicks on the top of Jiang Yuduo’s head… and a faint scar.

Maybe the scar was only left behind by Jiang Yuduo during the ten years he spent wandering the streets, but the memories of Jiang Yuduo’s childhood suddenly flooded Cheng Ke’s mind.

Cheng Ke reached out and gently touched his head.

Just as he was about to apologize, Jiang Yuduo raised his head. “Cheng Ke.”

“Huh?” Cheng Ke looked at him.

“You said… don’t you?” Jiang Yuduo tossed away the cigarette and rubbed his nose. “Did you…”

As Cheng Ke observed the furrowed brows, he realized he could hardly guess what Jiang Yuduo was about to say. Clearing his throat, he wanted to quickly respond to avoid the awkwardness of Jiang Yuduo being unable to speak.

But Jiang Yuduo spoke up quite decisively, “Do you think I’m gay too?”

“You…” Cheng Ke had thought of numerous possible answers, but suddenly, he couldn’t say anything. Why? It took him a while to regain his composure. “Why do you ask such a question?”

“I just had a… Y¹.” Jiang Yuduo said.

Cheng Ke was stunned.

“Does that mean I am one too?” Jiang Yuduo said.

“What did you just say?” Cheng Ke couldn’t help but ask.

“Are you fucking deaf from alcohol poisoning?” Jiang Yuduo stood up, pulled up his pants, and displayed some impatience. “I’m hard.”

“Oh.” Cheng Ke was taken aback by Jiang Yuduo’s straightforwardness, nearly mistaking it as him about to drop his pants to prove his point. He reflexively glanced downward.

“Look at that,” Jiang Yuduo muttered and sat back on the toilet seat, “How long are you going to stare down here?”

“… Did you get down by yourself?” Cheng Ke asked.

“Otherwise, can I still jerk off?” Jiang Yuduo glared at him.

“Let’s pretend I didn’t ask.” Cheng Ke waved his hand.

Jiang Yuduo didn’t say anything more. He lowered his head and stopped moving as if sulking with someone.

Cheng Ke stood in front of him for a while, feeling the dizziness in his head persisting, making it difficult to stand still. He reached out to support the wall. “Let’s go out, it’s boring to sit in here.”

“Yeah,” Jiang Yuduo stood up and swiftly squeezed past him.

Cheng Ke opened the bathroom window and returned to the living room.

Jiang Yuduo sat on the sofa, staring blankly at the TV.

“Do you… want to watch a movie?” Cheng Ke asked.

“No,” Jiang Yuduo replied.

“Then… sleep?” Cheng Ke asked again.

“Can’t sleep,” Jiang Yuduo responded.

Cheng Ke hesitated for a few seconds, walked over, and sat on the sofa, not daring to get too close to Jiang Yuduo for fear of making things awkward.

Jiang Yuduo turned his face to look at him. “Aren’t you going to sleep?”

“Do you want to chat?” Cheng Ke asked.

“What are we going to talk about?” Jiang Yuduo continued to look at him.

“Chatting is just casual conversation, nothing too serious,” Cheng Ke sighed. “Can you stop asking me what we should talk about every time…”

“Serious conversation?” Jiang Yuduo didn’t understand.

“…Do you want to talk now?” Cheng Ke had to rephrase the question. “Do you want to talk with me? Have a chat or something?”

Jiang Yuduo furrowed his brows and remained silent for a while. “No.”

“For heaven’s sake,” Cheng Ke stood up. “Good night.”

“Good night,” Jiang Yuduo said.

“Are you going to sleep on the sofa?” Cheng Ke walked to the bedroom door and turned around. “If you’re going to sleep on the sofa, take the bedding, and I’ll manage with just one hand.”

“Okay,” Jiang Yuduo stood up, went to the cabinet to retrieve the pillow and blanket, and reminded Cheng Ke, “Don’t close the door.”

Just as Cheng Ke brought the door over, Jiang Yuduo remembered something and said cautiously, “Didn’t you say…”

“I’m not afraid of you being in danger,” Jiang Yuduo looked at him. “I just… don’t close the door, or else I’ll think you hate me.”

“I won’t kiss people I hate,” Cheng Ke assured him.

Jiang Yuduo paused, turned around, and returned to the sofa, shaking out the blanket.

“Aren’t you going to take a bath?” Cheng Ke asked.

Jiang Yuduo’s hand, holding the blanket, froze in mid-air. “Can’t I spread the blanket first and then take a bath?”

“Good night,” Cheng Ke said.

“I’ve said it again,” Jiang Yuduo clicked his tongue. “Good night.”

Cheng Ke didn’t know if Jiang Yuduo fell asleep, woke up, or how he spent the night. He went to bed, closed his eyes, and slept through until morning without any dreams.

By the bedside, his phone began to ring, and he reached out in a daze to grab it. Upon seeing the cast on his arm, he realized he had extended his right hand, so he switched to his left hand.

Before he could reach the phone, a hand passed in front of his eyes, and then the phone was placed in front of him.

“Xu Ding,” Jiang Yuduo’s voice came from above him.

Only then did Cheng Ke realize that Jiang Yuduo was standing beside his bed.

“You’re up so early?” Cheng Ke asked.

“… It’s already eleven o’clock,” Jiang Yuduo said.

“Ah,” Cheng Ke was surprised and quickly answered the call from Xu Ding. “Hello?”

“Today, they delivered the tables, chairs, and sofas, and there are people at the front desk installing them,” Xu Ding’s voice sounded a bit noisy as if he was outside. “Lin Xu is here. Do you have time to visit this afternoon?”

“Yes,” Cheng Ke replied.

“Great,” Xu Ding said. “I’ll take the designer there tomorrow to finalize everything. You can take a look in the afternoon. Don’t worry, your hand isn’t too badly injured, right?”

“No, it’s not serious. It’s already in a cast, and it will be removed next month,” Cheng Ke replied with a smile.

“Perfect,” Xu Ding said. “Once you’re ready, we’ll be busy with the opening.”

“Isn’t the opening going to be even busier?” Cheng Ke asked.

“You don’t have to worry about being too busy. I’ll take care of most of the arrangements initially, and you can assist me when needed,” Xu Ding said. “But once you’re ready, it’ll be full-on busy.”

“Okay,” Cheng Ke replied with a smile.

After hanging up the phone, he sat up. Jiang Yuduo had been standing by the bed, not sure if he was waiting to help him get out of bed or if he had something to say.

“What’s the matter?” Cheng Ke sat cross-legged on the bed and looked at him.

“Are you hungry?” Jiang Yuduo asked.

“A little…” Cheng Ke pressed his stomach and took a closer look. “It’s alright, I’m not feeling very hungry.”

“Alright,” Jiang Yuduo pulled up a nearby chair and sat down. “Can we talk for a while?”

Cheng Ke was taken aback. “Okay.”

“I sat here all night,” Jiang Yuduo said. “I sat here until just now.”

“… If you couldn’t sleep, you could have woken me up,” Cheng Ke was a bit surprised.

“Why woke you up? I don’t want to talk to you,” Jiang Yuduo said.

“Then you sat by my bed and watched me all night,” Cheng Ke said. “You son of a…”

“Cheng Ke,” Jiang Yuduo bit his lip. “Did you say you had thoughts about me before?”

Cheng Ke stared at Jiang Yuduo for a while and realized that Jiang Yuduo’s mind must have been restless all night. Despite that, he didn’t hesitate to bring up such a topic.

Straightforward.

“Yes,” Cheng Ke nodded.

“Are there more?” Jiang Yuduo asked.

“Yes,” Cheng Ke nodded again.

“What kind of thoughts?” Jiang Yuduo asked.

Cheng Ke paused. This question was a bit difficult to answer, and he had never discussed with anyone what those “thoughts” truly meant.

After contemplating for a while, he cleared his throat. “It’s just… various thoughts, including but not limited to wanting to be with you, wanting to touch you, wanting to kiss…”

“Including but what?” Jiang Yuduo furrowed his brow.

“I also want to have sex or something,” Cheng Ke didn’t bother explaining, feeling that some things needed to be said now. You understand, everyone understands, especially Jiang Yuduo, who doesn’t beat around the bush and doesn’t know what hiding things means.

“Then I didn’t!” Jiang Yuduo exclaimed, sitting up straight. “I didn’t want to sleep with you.”

“I didn’t want to sleep with you from the beginning,” Cheng Ke sighed.

“Oh,” Jiang Yuduo responded, then after a moment, he narrowed his eyes. “I don’t believe you.”

Cheng Ke was speechless. “Then you’re just being stubborn!”

“Oh, I mean I heard you,” Jiang Yuduo said.

“I didn’t mean that I never thought about it, but… let me put it this way, there’s a difference between the thought of wanting to sleep with you and the actual desire to sleep with you,” Cheng Ke didn’t know how to explain, “Just thinking, and really want to do something, there’s a difference, do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Let’s assume that I understand,” Jiang Yuduo said.

“…Alright,” Cheng Ke sighed.

“Besides sex,” Jiang Yuduo said, “I feel the same way about you.”

“What do you mean by ‘the same way’?” Cheng Ke looked at him.

“Just that,” Jiang Yuduo leaned back in the chair and pondered for a while. “I want to be with you, hug… kiss? Something like that, I suppose.”

Cheng Ke was stunned for a while before asking, “You feel the same way? Since when did it start?”

“Since last night, after you kissed me,” Jiang Yuduo said.

“…Oh,” Cheng Ke looked at him. “You don’t have to think that the physiological reaction implies something.”

“I know,” Jiang Yuduo rubbed his nose. “Yeah.”

Cheng Ke didn’t know what to say. Jiang Yuduo’s current state made him a little uncertain. He had never encountered someone like this before, no matter how he looked at it. But Jiang Yuduo’s “yeah” seemed a bit ignorant.

He didn’t know if he should pounce on him and hug him for a few more kisses at this moment or take some time first.

“What do you want to eat?” Jiang Yuduo asked.

“Are we done talking?” Cheng Ke was surprised again.

“Well,” Jiang Yuduo nodded and took out his phone. “Should we go out to buy food or order takeout?”

“Let’s go out and eat,” Cheng Ke thought for a moment. “While we’re out, we can buy some cement. I’ll have it delivered to the store. Xu Ding said we can start placing other furniture in the afternoon.”

“But how can we put furniture in if the floors haven’t been laid yet?” Jiang Yuduo asked.

“The floors will be concrete,” Cheng Ke said. “That’s the style.”

“The construction site style?” Jiang Yuduo asked.

Cheng Ke chuckled. “Yes.”

“Alright, I’ll go buy cement with you,” Jiang Yuduo stood up. “Do you want me to make a table for you? The one you mentioned before.”

“Hmm,” Cheng Ke got off the bed.

Just as he was about to head to the living room, Jiang Yuduo suddenly reached out and embraced him.

Cheng Ke was momentarily stunned, and before he could respond, Jiang Yuduo let go of his hand.

“What was that?” Cheng Ke felt a little helpless and walked out of the bedroom with his shoes on.

When he came out after washing up, Jiang Yuduo was standing by the window, looking outside.

Cheng Ke didn’t call out to him and simply went to pour himself a glass of water.

Regarding Jiang Yuduo, he was a bit confused now.

After drinking the water and setting down the glass, Jiang Yuduo snatched it away and hugged him once again.

Cheng Ke quickly extended his left arm to embrace him and held him tightly. “Are you messing with me?”

“No,” Jiang Yuduo didn’t let go.

Cheng Ke rubbed his back. “Then what’s wrong?”

“I don’t know,” Jiang Yuduo said. “I’m a little… unsure.”

“If you don’t understand, just let it go. Not everything can be understood right away,” Cheng Ke said. “There are many people and things in life that we never fully understand.”

“Yes,” Jiang

Yuduo nodded, but he continued to hug Cheng Ke and didn’t let go.

Cheng Ke wanted to gently push him away, considering that they had some not-so-innocent contact last night, and now he was being hugged like this, not letting go. It could easily trigger the sensations from last night, and an inappropriate reaction might occur.

“Shouldn’t we have breakfast before hugging?” Cheng Ke suggested.

Jiang Yuduo released his grip, but as Cheng Ke turned to walk away and change his clothes, Jiang Yuduo grabbed his arm again.

Without realizing what was happening, Cheng Ke turned around, only to find Jiang Yuduo leaning in and kissing him on the lips.

And just like that, everything was settled.

Cheng Ke and Jiang Yuduo locked eyes for a moment. “What does this mean?”

Jiang Yuduo bit his lip and moved closer again.

This time, it was an aggressive move. Cheng Ke felt as if Jiang Yuduo’s lips were being forcibly pressed against the wall, and he ended up hitting the back of his head against the wall.

It was hard to determine whether it was a fight or a kiss.

Translator notes

I swear to God I love them.
The communication and the fluff are just *chef’s kiss*

Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

Support me on ko-fi for faster releases ^^