Chapter 13
by VolareLing Sheng had told him the address. Although it was late, he couldn’t wait to see him.
He didn’t message Ling Sheng until he arrived downstairs, his fingers even trembling with excitement.
JC: [I’m downstairs at your place. Come down and meet me?]
They had been chatting every day for the past few days, and video calling every night for the latter part. Jiang Chen had also become much more open, shaking off some of the initial hesitations and anxieties. Perhaps their relationship had started a bit suddenly, leaving him feeling uncertain, but with each passing day, the more he understood Ling Sheng, the more grounded he felt, and his affection for him grew stronger every day.
Every minute stretched endlessly as he waited. He sat in the car, scrolling through his Moments for ages, but still no reply. He couldn’t help but get anxious.
Was he asleep?
They had chatted until 1 a.m. last night. Ling Sheng shouldn’t be asleep at this hour.
Should he call?
But he had work tomorrow. What if he went to bed early? Would a call disturb him?
Ling Sheng: [?]
Ling Sheng: [I’m not home.]
Not home? Jiang Chen’s finger hovered over the keyboard for a long time before he started typing.
JC: [You’re not home tonight? Where are you staying?]
As his boyfriend, he should have the right to ask, shouldn’t he? Jiang Chen’s heart beat a little faster as he leaned back, staring at his phone, waiting for Ling Sheng’s reply.
“Knock, knock.”
Two taps suddenly sounded on the car window.
Jiang Chen looked up and saw a familiar face outside.
He quickly lowered the window and saw Ling Sheng standing outside in his pajamas, smiling at him. “Surprise.”
Jiang Chen looked at his pajamas and immediately understood what was going on. “You lied to me?”
Ling Sheng walked around to the passenger side, opened the door, and sat down. He tilted his head and smiled at him. “How can you use the word ‘lie’? That’s so unromantic.”
He was always like this, always holding a feather, teasing him from time to time.
Jiang Chen threw his phone into the center console, his heart beating fast. “Don’t you have work tomorrow? Why aren’t you asleep?”
Ling Sheng leaned his head back against the seat, looking at him with his head tilted, much like he had in the movie theater that day. He wasn’t wearing glasses, and when he looked at him, he squinted slightly, like a slightly tired cat.
“You came to me just to say goodnight?”
He reached out and pinched his chin.
Jiang Chen leaned in and kissed him.
The dome light turned off automatically, and the streetlights ahead were blocked by the car roof, leaving only a faint glow inside the car. Jiang Chen held his shoulders. The silk pajamas were cool and slippery, like a layer of water on his skin.
Ling Sheng closed his eyes, his hand that had been pinching his chin now on his neck, half-hugging it, occasionally stroking the short hair on the back of his head. When Jiang Chen’s tongue came out to lick his lips, he actively opened them, sucking lightly, then pulling his tongue inside.
He had brushed his teeth, and there was still a hint of mint in his mouth, but the cool, calming flavor was disrupted by the increasingly passionate kiss. Jiang Chen had never felt like this before, wishing he could press him down and devour him whole.
Ling Sheng couldn’t take it anymore. He patted Jiang Chen’s neck, signaling him to let go.
They separated, but remained close. Jiang Chen’s position was actually very uncomfortable, his waist and shoulders twisted, but he didn’t want to pull away, still looming over Ling Sheng, as if he could continue if Ling Sheng gave him the slightest hint.
Ling Sheng breathed for a while before slowly saying, “Silly boy, you need to let a person breathe. If you kiss like that, you’ll pass out.”
Jiang Chen felt a little embarrassed, but the feeling just now was so good that he couldn’t stop himself.
He hesitated before whispering, “I miss you.”
He had been too embarrassed to say it during their video calls, feeling it was too cheesy, but it felt okay to say it now, especially when Ling Sheng responded with “Me too” while touching their foreheads together. He felt an unprecedented sense of fulfillment.
Ling Sheng always responded so well to what he gave him, always exceeding his expectations.
Jiang Chen reached out and hugged him, his palm touching Ling Sheng’s back. Through the slippery pajamas, he felt his spine, and his fingers couldn’t help but trace it upwards, then onto the back of his neck.
The warm skin felt better than silk.
So comfortable.
Jiang Chen didn’t want to let go, but it was too tiring in that position, so he had to release him. Ling Sheng kissed his lips. “It’s getting late. Go back.”
Jiang Chen grabbed his hand, still reluctant to let go. “Our school has a basketball game on the 12th, Sunday. Do you have time to come and watch?”
Ling Sheng nodded. “If you’re playing, I’ll go.”
Jiang Chen smiled happily. “Then I definitely have to play.”
For the next few days, he spent most of his time training. Tonio knew he had a game, so he didn’t look for him, but no matter what time Ling Sheng got off work, Jiang Chen would either pick him up or wait for him downstairs at his place. They always made time to see each other.
On the 12th, their first game was against C University. They had been evenly matched opponents last year. The campuses weren’t too far apart, so they would occasionally run into each other playing off-campus. When they drew them as opponents, half the team groaned and the other half cheered. Jiang Chen had been calm at the time, but now, as he watched the audience start to enter, he kept looking towards the stands from the waiting area.
Xiao Fang saw him sending messages on his phone again and walked over, putting his arm around Jiang Chen’s shoulder. “Who are you waiting for? You’ve looked at your phone eight hundred times today.”
Hua Shao, who had just changed his clothes, came over and asked, “Is he here, Chen-ge?”
A Niu was curious. “Who? Who are you waiting for?”
Hua Shao winked. “Chen-ge’s sweetheart.”
“What?!!!”
“Damn, when did this happen? You don’t treat us like brothers at all, Chen-ge. You got out of singlehood without saying a word, not even a piece of wedding candy?”
“Damn, which fairy is it? Point her out to me.”
Jiang Chen regretted telling them that Ling Sheng was coming to watch him play basketball. He really wanted to share his happiness with someone, but he couldn’t introduce Ling Sheng openly, so he had vaguely said that the person he liked would be watching his game today.
In a matter of minutes, word had spread throughout the team, so the opposing team saw this team not discussing tactics, but all craning their necks to look at the stands.
His phone vibrated. Jiang Chen quickly dodged them and glanced at it.
Ling Sheng: [I’m here.]
Jiang Chen threw down the ball, stood up, and walked out. “My friend came to watch me play. I’m going to pick them up.”
“Friend? I’ll go pick them up. You wait for your sweetheart to pick him up, so he doesn’t get lost.”
Jiang Chen had already run out. “It’s okay. I’ll go first.”
Ling Sheng actually still remembered the location. He shared his location with Jiang Chen as he walked inside. They met halfway.
It was October, and Jiang City hadn’t cooled down yet. Only the evening breeze hinted at autumn. Jiang Chen had run over, sweat on his forehead. As soon as he saw him, he wanted to hug him, but he restrained himself since they were at school. However, he couldn’t hide the joy on his face. “Ling Sheng.”
“No respect,” Ling Sheng said with a smile.
Jiang Chen smiled, but didn’t correct himself. He couldn’t call him Director Ling, and Ling Sheng had always indulged him, so he didn’t mind.
They walked to the shade of a tree. Ling Sheng said, “Coco said she was bringing Xiao Xiaowu to watch the game, and Tonio said he was coming too. I told you not to pick me up. I was waiting for them to come and we’d go together.”
“Then I’ll wait with you.” Jiang Chen moved closer, feeling happy just brushing his arm against his.
Most of the people walking in this direction were going to the basketball stadium, so they naturally recognized Jiang Chen. It was a bit too eye-catching for them to be standing on the side of the road like this. Ling Sheng saw a convenience store and went inside to buy them both a bottle of water.
“How long until they get here?” Jiang Chen asked.
Ling Sheng looked at the time. “Ten minutes, maybe. Do you want to go in first?”
“There’s still time.” Jiang Chen squeezed the water bottle and paid together. They walked out of the convenience store. He looked around before saying, “No one’s there.”
Ling Sheng opened his bottle of water and took a sip, looking at him with a half-smile.
Jiang Chen was much bolder now. He pulled Ling Sheng towards the side. “Give me some encouragement.”
When Coco called, the people in the shadows by the corner separated. Jiang Chen was still holding onto him, and Ling Sheng let him, answering Coco’s call.
“Come straight in through that door, follow the road forward, there’s a convenience store, we’ll be waiting for you there.”
After hanging up, Ling Sheng patted the dog head still on his shoulder. “Go pick up the people.”
In front of Coco and Tonio, they naturally couldn’t be so intimate. As Jiang Chen led them through the door, he saw the few people who had been playing on the court look over at once, gossiping like monkeys.
After leading them to the reserved seats, Jiang Chen went to meet up with his teammates.
“Damn, Chen-ge, is that your sweetheart? She’s so pretty, but why is she with a kid? Who’s the kid?”
Jiang Chen glanced at Hua Shao. “That’s our design director.”
Ling Sheng had told him after November that Coco had become the design director of Jiang City.
“Then where’s your sweetheart? Didn’t you go pick him up?”
“He’s sitting right there.”
But he couldn’t say that directly, so he could only vaguely say, “Yeah, he hasn’t come yet.”
“The game’s about to start, and he hasn’t come yet?”
Jiang Chen put down the water in his hand. “Yeah, let’s warm up. Gather around, don’t think about anything else.”
The others disappointedly turned away. Hua Shao saw the water he had just put down and reached for it, wanting to drink, but Jiang Chen snatched it away. “It’s been opened.”
“I don’t mind,” Hua Shao said. “I won’t touch my mouth to it.”
“Go get one from the back yourself.” Jiang Chen opened the bottle and took a sip, feeling it tasted better than his unopened one.
Just as they were bickering, a cheer suddenly came from the C University stands. Everyone’s attention was drawn to the cheer.
They saw a figure in a purple jersey run out from the back court, running a whole lap around the stands, wearing a headband on his forehead, his neatly trimmed hair even fixed with hair gel. It was clear he had dressed up carefully.
“The peacock’s here,” Hua Shao said, nudging his mouth. “Wang Mingan hasn’t changed.”