With his back against the cold wall and a hot breath in front of him, Zhu Tong was trapped between one cold and one hot. His mind was blank, only buzzing sounds echoed in his head.
Shao Ming is kissing him.
This cognition made Zhu Tong instinctively feel a little helpless.
Touching others, getting close to others… those things were something he used to reject, not even dared to think about. And now, he was faced with such an aggressive approach.
But because this person was Shao Ming, there seemed to be nothing wrong.
While his body was no longer stiff, he was still at the mercy of Shao Ming, letting the taller youth to manoeuver him like a puppet. He didn’t know how to resist, or how to respond.
It wasn’t until his gasps weakened and his legs felt like jelly that Shao Ming finally released him with a benevolent gesture.
But he didn’t release him too far away.
The two breathed in unison, Zhu Tong’s breaths were quick and relieved after being freed, while Shao Ming’s remained restrained and heavy with suppression.
Shao Ming’s voice was low and sexy, “Do you hate it?”
Zhu Tong was dumbfounded. “What?”
Shao Ming asked, “Do you hate me for kissing you?”
“…”
Hate? The answer is very clear – Zhu Tong shook his head honestly.
Zhu Tong heard a low chuckle sound from somewhere in front of him. Then, Shao Ming raised his hand and flicked on the light switch.
The darkness was instantly dispelled, and the blurry shadows in front of him became clear.
At first glance, the tightly-knit distance between the two became clear. In the darkness, Zhu Tong’s relaxed body instantly tensed up again.
At this time, Shao Ming said again: “How do you feel?”
Zhu Tong: “…”
What does he feel?
From the kiss?
What does Shao Ming want him to say?
A flicker of panic crossed his face, and he nervously bit his lip before quickly recoiling, as if startled.
Now, between his lips, there was the taste of Shao Ming, as he lightly bit down, almost as if savoring it.
He panicked. “I…”
“If you don’t hate it, can you tell me the result of your consideration?”
Zhu Tong raised his head suspiciously.
Shao Ming looked at him and smiled, “They say practice makes perfect. So, how about it? What’s the result?”
“…”
Actually, there was no practice, but the result was already there.
He stared at Shao Ming blankly.
Shao Ming also looked into his eyes without avoidance. He had never looked at these eyes so seriously and straightforwardly before, eyes that reflected his figure entirely.
Zhu Tong’s eyes were light in color, and when devoid of emotion, they always gave off a sense of dullness and weakness. But somehow, at some point, the eyes looking at him became brighter and brighter.
His fair face flushed crimson from his cheeks to the roots of his ears. His lips, once pale, now bore a deeper hue from the recent kiss, akin to a flower bud glistening with morning dew, inviting one to pluck and have a taste.
Shao Ming’s eyes darkened slightly, and he lowered his head again after a brief lift. “If there’s still no result, then we’ll practice again…”
Zhu Tong immediately replied, “I may not be able to accompany you for long.”
“…”
Shao Ming had already known this. But hearing it from Zhu Tong’s own mouth still felt like a stab in his heart.
“I know,” he said.
Zhu Tong’s heart trembled. “Then you…”
Shao Ming’s hand on his waist tightened slightly. “I will accompany you, as long as you can stay here.”
“…”
Even though Zhu Tong considered himself to have a heart of stone, he couldn’t help but be moved by his words.
Knowing that he will die soon… was Shao Ming sad?
He must be.
But, despite that sadness and inevitability, Shao Ming still chose to not let him go.
This indicates that Shao Ming likes him very much. However, his favorability level was only 70%, is this even logical?
He almost couldn’t help but ask what was in his mind.
As a result, as soon as he moved his mouth, his throat seemed to be stuck, and he couldn’t say anything.
Zhu Tong: ?
At the same time, there was a light sound in his mind, and the system cautioned, ‘There are risks associated with information sharing. Please proceed with caution.’
Zhu Tong: “…”
After being stunned for a moment, Zhu Tong exclaimed softly, ‘You can control my actions?’
He felt his freedom of life was threatened.
System: “…”
System: ‘I only have the ability to stop you from sharing information related to the system.’
Zhu Tong breathed a sigh of relief and said, ‘What do you mean by risks associated with information sharing?’
The system answered, ‘Are you going to tell White Moonlight the truth? What will happen when he knows the truth?’
“…”
What will happen?
Whether he believed it or not, the important thing is: what could Shao Ming do when he knew?
He wondered if Shao Ming would know the reason why the favorability rating was not at maximum value.
What would he think after knowing? Would he fall into self-doubt?
While the existence of the system is a ray of hope, it wasn’t a 100% guarantee that he will succeed. So, if Zhu Tong gives Shao Ming hope that he won’t die so soon, but he failed in his mission, it might only push Shao Ming deeper into despair. Isn’t that even crueler?
But Zhu Tong didn’t want to hide from Shao Ming.
Jiang Wan said something right – the fact that he concealed so many things from Shao Ming was unfair to him.
But how is he going to explain it?
If he says it, won’t all his previous actions truly become suspicious? Will Shao Ming believe him? Will he think he’s crazy?
Although he used to be chronically ill all the time, at the very least, his mind was healthy.
And there’s the misunderstanding from before today. Shao Ming might even think he made up those lies just to comfort him.
After thinking about it, Zhu Tong came to a conclusion: It is definitely not possible to say it directly.
He had to show evidence first.
Suddenly having an idea, his eyes brightened. Just as he was about to speak, his lips felt warm, and his words were silenced.
“…”
Seeing him suddenly stunned and silent, without hesitation, Shao Ming began another round of “practice.”
Soft lips pressed against his, and Zhu Tong was stunned for a moment. When he attempted to push away Shao Ming’s lips, he shuddered and instinctively stepped back. “Wait…”
“No wait.”
“…”
Shao Ming clasped the back of his head and kissed him again.
The system had been automatically blocked as soon as Shao Ming lowered his head. Zhu Tong heard Shao Ming’s low and seductive voice as he pressed his lips against his. “Open your mouth.”
Zhu Tong couldn’t tell how he was feeling now.
But he only had one thought: he didn’t want to disappoint Shao Ming.
His pursed lips gradually relaxed, then, he slowly parted his lips.
Shao Ming paused for a moment. His lips curled up, and without hesitation, he slipped his tongue in.
When the lights were on, it felt completely different.
Because Zhu Tong could see everything clearly, he grew nervous.
Shao Ming also became different from before. When the lights were off, Shao Ming’s kiss was tentative and restrained, but when the lights came on, he seemed more like he was taking over, with a sense of venting his desire – to dominate, to plunder.
It was as if he was eager to confirm something, eager for the youth in his arms to confirm something.
As the kiss went on, Zhu Tong’s mind grew blurry. He guessed that it was probably due to the lack of oxygen.
When Shao Ming let go, he couldn’t wait to take a deep breath.
However, as soon as he caught his breath, his chin was gently lifted again. He panicked and covered Shao Ming’s face with his hand to stop him from getting closer, gasping, “Don’t… don’t come closer.”
Shao Ming grabbed his hand directly. Kissed him in the palm of his hand, looked up at him, and said, “Zhu Tong, I like you.”
“…”
His breaths were labored, as if struggling to squeeze out a few words from the depths of his heart. And yet, those words made Zhu Tong’s heart beat faster.
Indeed, sometimes the simplest and most straightforward expression of feelings could evoke the strongest emotions, far beyond any grand gestures or elaborate words.
Shao Ming asked, “How about you?”
“How about you?”
Does Zhu Tong like him back?
‘If you like me, why not admit it? If you don’t like me, why would you be willing to kiss me?’ Shao Ming wondered.
In the car on the way here, there was a subconscious trust, like a seduction without a sense of danger – couldn’t resist bringing him up, couldn’t resist making things clear, couldn’t resist kissing him.
The expected resistance was there, but it was too trivial to mention.
What does Zhu Tong think of him?
‘If he refuses to say it today…’ Shao Ming’s eyes darkened slightly.
He will simply “practice” it until Zhu Tong is willing to say it.
Just as he was thinking, the youth standing in front of him with his head lowered suddenly nodded.
“…”
Shao Ming was stunned for a moment.
He took a breath and subconsciously gulped. “You nodded… what do you mean?”
When Zhu Tong nodded, he was still calm; but when he was asked such a question, he became nervous for no reason.
He hesitantly raised his head and met Shao Ming’s fervent eyes.
Shao Ming looked at him with a faint nervousness in his expression.
It turned out that Shao Ming would also be nervous.
Zhu Tong gazed at his face. His features were deep and three-dimensional, with a hint of sharpness when not smiling. But in his memory, it seemed that there were very few moments when Shao Ming wasn’t smiling.
He was sunny and narcissistic, able to greet everyone with enthusiasm. He could say things that made others blush and skip a beat without batting an eye, and he could handle anything with ease.
But this version of Shao Ming was now nervously watching him, even holding his breath, as if afraid that the sound of breathing might overshadow the answer at the tip of his tongue.
Zhu Tong suddenly thought about it.
A phrase popped into his head: “Life is too short to not have fun1og: 人生苦短，及时行乐。.”
If his mission failed, then his life would be really “short”.
Since his time was already so short anyway, why would he waste it so much on “considering”?
In the first place, he never thought of rejecting Shao Ming.
Since he liked Shao Ming, why can’t he be honest?
He already liked him, why worry so much?
He took a deep breath, solemnly as if going into battle, and said, “Nodding means, I like you too…”
As soon as his words came out, Zhu Tong’s ears turned red.
He always felt a little embarrassed.
Was confessing always so nerve-wracking?
But Shao Ming seemed quite relaxed when he said it, ah.
He regained his strength, raised his head and said, “I want to say, I too…”
This time, he didn’t even get to say “like” before Shao Ming hugged him.
Zhu Tong hurriedly tilted his head to prevent his nose from being hit.
He heard the emotionally ambiguous tone of Shao Ming’s voice in his ear, “Are you speaking so loudly because you’re going to give a speech?”
Zhu Tong: “…”
He almost forgot they were in the hotel now.
…Was this hotel soundproofed?
He wanted to tilt his head, but found that he couldn’t move at all because he was being held.
Shao Ming seemed a bit emotional, burying his head in his neck, making it itchy.
Zhu Tong wanted to relieve the itchiness. “That…”
“Tongtong.”
With a soft call in his ear, Zhen Tong was startled, his scalp tingling, and his cheeks instantly flushed. “Y-you’re not allowed to call me like that.”
Shao Ming smiled and asked, “Why?”
He deliberately said it directly against Zhu Tong’s ear, causing the nerves of the smaller youth in his arms to tremble.
Zhu Tong was stunned by his question.
Why can’t he call him that?
–Because when this common nickname rolled out from Shao Ming’s mouth, it made Zhu Tong particularly embarrassed.
Zhu Tong said, “Anyway, you…”
“Tongtong.”
“…”
He used that nickname again.
Just as Zhu Tong was about to push him away in anger and embarrassment, he heard a series of unreserved chuckles from the person buried in his neck.
Happy, relaxed, satisfied… It turns out that such chuckles could convey so many emotions.
As a result, Zhu Tong laughed in return. He laughed so hard that his body felt as if he had been electrocuted, numb all over.
But thanks to this, Zhu Tong’s nervous mood relaxed. He could feel the clear excitement humming in his veins.
Because Shao Ming is happy, he is also happy.
Zhu Tong thought, ‘Ah, so I like Shao Ming so much.’
Shao Ming chuckled and whispered in his ear again, “Say those words again.”
Zhu Tong was stunned. “What?”
Shao Ming: “Say you like me.”
“…”
He was speechless.
But he remained silent, so Shao Ming mischievously moved his hand that was around his waist, and his kisses landed on his neck.
His neck was a sensitive area, and Zhu Tong couldn’t help but flinch. Shao Ming then turned to pepper kisses – a kiss behind his ear, then to his earlobe, and then to his cheeks, like a chicken pecking rice.
As soft kisses landed on the corner of his lips, Zhu Tong nervously asked, “What are you doing…”
Shao Ming’s voice was light and airy, “Kissing you, ah, don’t you like it?”
Zhu Tong: “…”
…He quite likes it.
With a clear smile on his face, Zhu Tong locked eyes with Shao Ming. Just as Zhu Tong was about to give in to temptation, a notification sound rang out.
‘Congratulations! You gained +5% of the white moonlight’s favorability. Your current favorability is 75%.’
“…”
Young Master Zhu, who was momentarily dizzy, instantly snapped out of it. He became alert and covered Shao Ming’s mouth, saying, “I have something to show you.”
Shao Ming let him cover his mouth and asked, “Is it very important?”
Zhu Tong nodded and said, “It’s very important.”
Shao Ming raised his eyebrows slightly.
He pulled Zhu Tong’s hand away, then pecked him firmly on the lips. Finally, released him and said, “Let’s see then.”
Zhu Tong withdrew his hand, clasping his own hot palm tightly behind his back. His gaze drifted past Shao Ming’s shoulder and into the hotel room.
Following his gaze, Shao Ming turned his head back with a cunning smile and whispered suggestively, “Want to go take a look at the bed?”
Zhu Tong was taken aback, his face quickly turning red. He shook his head hastily and said, “No… that’s not it. I was asking if you have a computer here?”
Shao Ming: “Computer?”
“Yes.” Zhu Tong nodded: “I asked Dr. Johnson to send some reports.”
Hearing the word “doctor”, Shao Ming was startled.
Zhu Tong didn’t explain further.
Since he couldn’t achieve his goal all at once, he figured he could gradually lay the groundwork, right?
Let’s start with the report of his recovery.
