Chapter Index

    You Listen to Me, Right Now, I Want You to Do It

    Qiu Zhijie lowered his head slightly, his eyes also downcast, his gaze passing downward through the young man’s open collar, landing inside, where the color of the crimson ear tips could no longer deepen.

    An arm passed over his lowered neck, obscuring the necklaces hooked together at the back of his neck. Kong Xunwen leaned in closer, almost feeling the heat radiating from his neck—all red.

    He was wearing several layered necklaces today, and they were all tangled. Kong Xunwen hadn’t worn these things in a long time, so his movements were clumsy. It took him a long time to untangle one, which he prepared to unfasten.

    The tiny clasp was difficult to undo.

    Kong Xunwen’s fingers kept slipping. He frowned and complained, “Why do you always wear these things? They’re impossible to unfasten.”

    He grumbled, but he didn’t give up.

    Qiu Zhijie couldn’t see his expression. He lowered his head, barely catching sight of the slightly pouted lips, and his Adam’s apple bobbed.

    But then he was slapped. He raised his eyes and met Kong Xunwen’s slightly resentful gaze. The young man pursed his lips. “Why are you moving? I almost had it!”

    Before Qiu Zhijie could say or do anything, he was slapped again. “Lift your head.”

    The man obediently tilted his head back, exposing his neck, which made his jawline sharply defined.

    Kong Xunwen didn’t look up but focused on the necklace clasp in his hand. He finally managed to unfasten one. He no longer cared about the increasing proximity between them, his eyes filled only with satisfaction at finally removing one necklace.

    Then he looked up. There were two more waiting for him to undo.

    Thinking about what he was about to do, he told himself, Don’t give up!

    Kong Xunwen continued to raise his hand. His arm was starting to ache from being held up and straining. He exhaled and looked around.

    This room also had a bathtub, a large, rectangular one. The edges were intentionally made wider during construction so things could be placed on them.

    He nudged the obedient, patient man. “Sit over there.”

    Once the man sat down docilely on the edge of the tub, Kong Xunwen leaned in. At this point, the man was much shorter than Kong Xunwen, who nodded in satisfaction.

    He continued to immerse himself in removing the necklaces. A long while passed. His fingers were marked with indentations, making the task even harder. Kong Xunwen’s arm was now resting on Qiu Zhijie’s shoulder; he was practically leaning his whole body on the man.

    So annoying.

    He frowned, waved his hand, and decided to give up. “What is this? They won’t come off. Why wear so many?”

    He looked up, only to meet the man’s smiling eyes.

    Because of the necklace removal, the distance between them was minimal—so close that if they moved forward just a little more, they would kiss.

    Those eyes suddenly darkened.

    Kong Xunwen lowered his gaze, staring at the inconspicuous small mole on the tip of the man’s nose. He leaned in slowly, tilted his head slightly, and, as if possessed, kissed him.

    Forget it, don’t take them off.

    He thought, adopting a reckless, ‘what the hell’ attitude.

    Let’s just leave it at that.

    Qiu Zhijie met the kiss and naturally deepened it, not satisfied with a soft, shallow kiss. He went deeper, though his movements this time were extremely gentle.

    The slow pace made Kong Xunwen feel like he was soaking in warm water, but he didn’t forget what he intended to do. One hand supported the man’s shoulder, while the other began to undress him.

    The jacket was pulled down and removed smoothly.

    Next was the inner layer, a white tank top. It was pulled up little by little. The man didn’t react, only tightening the grip of the hand resting on Kong Xunwen’s waist.

    When the top reached the highest point, Kong Xunwen briefly ended the kiss by tilting his head and lifting the hand that was around his waist.

    Qiu Zhijie allowed the young man to remove this garment too. At this moment, a suspicion began to form in his mind.

    But, was it true?

    He was highly skeptical of his own guess, but his eyes had already darkened again, concealing a heavy desire.

    His throat was dry. The moment the shirt was pulled over his head and Kong Xunwen’s arm hadn’t yet dropped, Qiu Zhijie quickly tilted his head and kissed the young man again.

    Slowly, the young man fell into his embrace, supporting the side of his neck and fully committing to the kiss.

    In a moment, Kong Xunwen pulled away again, though it wasn’t exactly an escape. He actively pulled down the already unbuttoned shirt, revealing the pale skin underneath.

    “…Don’t just kiss here.”

    The young man lowered his eyes, his fingers sliding down from the side of the man’s face, landing on his own body, tracing his collarbone, chest, and abdomen. He didn’t say anything else.

    Because Qiu Zhijie understood his meaning, he leaned in to kiss him, then pulled away, making the young man face him. He asked, “What is our relationship now?”

    ?

    Kong Xunwen looked up in surprise.

    He hadn’t expected Qiu Zhijie to remember this at a time like this, especially since…

    The place where he was sitting was alarmingly hot and intensely present.

    And as everyone knew, men thought with their lower bodies…

    He paused for just a moment without answering, and those eyes instantly filled with grievance. There was some performative element, but the sadness within was genuine.

    His voice was very, very low—so quiet it was almost inaudible if the bathroom hadn’t been so silent. “Do you just want to sleep with me and not take responsibility?”

    As he spoke, his eyes reddened. He pursed his lips, looking at Kong Xunwen with a deeply hurt expression.

    The guilt in Kong Xunwen’s heart surged. He had never seen Qiu Zhijie look like this—so wronged, so… heart-melting.

    “…Didn’t you confess to me?” Kong Xunwen stared at the reddened eyes, focusing on the slightly damp lower lashes. “I accepted.”

    The man’s eyes immediately lit up. “Really?!”

    The surprise made his voice brighter, almost overflowing, but soon the man was dissatisfied again. “So what is our relationship?” He wanted the young man to say it out loud.

    Kong Xunwen’s gaze flickered. His cheeks, which had calmed down, visibly flushed again. “Boyfriends.”

    He forced himself to ignore his shyness. “We can continue now…”

    A forceful, fierce, and joyful kiss blocked the rest of his sentence, then trailed down from the corner of his lips…

    …The young man tilted his head back, frowning slightly, his eyes narrowed, his face showing a look of daze. His cheeks and earlobes were red. The sound of water filling the bathtub was in his ears.

    Suddenly, the action stopped. It took him a few seconds to look over sluggishly. The man leaned in and kissed the corner of his mouth. “Shall we take a shower?”

    Kong Xunwen blinked. “…Aren’t we continuing?”

    Saline solution dampened his eyelashes, making them clump together like tiny spikes. The blinking softened Qiu Zhijie’s heart. “I don’t have anything.”

    Anything?

    Kong Xunwen remembered. Oh right, they needed protection and lube.

    But he didn’t want to stop, so he frowned. “You just don’t put it inside, right?”

    “…Huh?” Qiu Zhijie rarely looked so stunned. He opened his mouth but only managed a single sound.

    Kong Xunwen lowered his eyes, frowning with a hint of sadness. “Aren’t you still uncomfortable too?”

    The young man, his face still flushed with residual passion, leaned closer, his eyes shimmering with moisture. He kissed the man’s lips, coaxing him like a spoiled child. “You can do it, right?”

    He was almost like a siren luring someone into a trap.

    He was seducing him.

    “But…” He was cut off just like that.

    The young man drooped his eyes, his flushed lips pouting in displeasure. “Don’t talk.”

    “You listen to me, right now, I want you to do it.”

    Qiu Zhijie lowered his gaze, his brows furrowing then relaxing.

    “Can’t you do it?” A challenge.

    Qiu Zhijie remained silent.

    Kong Xunwen was frustrated. He felt stuck, terribly uncomfortable, and Qiu Zhijie wasn’t listening. His mind was blurred by alcohol and passion, and his face looked on the verge of tears.

    “Then go away, I don’t want you anymore.” Kong Xunwen pushed at Qiu Zhijie, who was pressing down on him, but his hands had no strength, and he couldn’t move such a large person at all.

    He was angry. “Go away! I don’t want you!”

    Qiu Zhijie’s eyes darkened. He suddenly opened his mouth, expressionless, and let out a soft sound through his nose. “Hmph! You want me to leave, you don’t want me, and then what do you plan to do? Find someone else?”

    The young man maintained his aggrieved and angry expression, his mind a mess, completely failing to understand what the man was saying.

    Naturally, he didn’t respond.

    Qiu Zhijie’s jaw tightened, and he clenched his teeth.

    “Don’t even think about it!” He grabbed the young man’s chin and kissed him fiercely, his movements so aggressive, as if he wanted to devour the young man, yet instinctively softening the moment their lips touched.

    At most, he only lightly nipped at those lips while sucking and kissing them.

    Kong Xunwen quickly sank into the kiss.

    The two necklaces, warmed by body heat, then left the hot chest, becoming cold and hard again. They accidentally struck the side of Kong Xunwen’s face with the movement. He frowned, enduring it, then was struck again.

    He raised his hand and hit the man’s chest, panting lightly. “The necklaces…”

    He was kissed. “Do you still want to help me take them off?”

    He remembered, resisted, and shook his head. His hand was guided to grip the cold, hard necklaces.

    “Then let’s leave them.”

    The wristwatch on his wrist lit up, displaying an abnormally fast heart rate.

    “It’s beating so fast, why is it so fast?”

    He saw the light above reflecting on the ear cuff, so bright, casting elongated streaks of light.

    As he wished.

    The water in the bathtub had cooled down. Kong Xunwen was lost in the afterglow, dazed. He was wrapped up and placed aside, then carried into the bathtub.

    He frowned, raising his hand to push Qiu Zhijie away, feeling confused and sleepy. “I want to sleep.”

    Qiu Zhijie was still wide awake. Hearing this, he lowered his eyes, looking at the confused face. He felt both exasperated and that the young man was adorable and soft-hearted. Seeing the young man frown when he didn’t get a response, he paused, then spoke. “It’s just a shower. We’ll sleep after we wash up.”

    Seeing the young man relax his brows in relief, he felt both trusted and couldn’t help but whisper, “Do you really think I’m some kind of beast? If you hadn’t said…”

    He stopped, the ease in his expression suddenly dissipating somewhat. He looked at the young man for a long time before coming back to his senses, then picked him up and washed him clean.

    Finally, both of them, clean and smelling the same, got into bed. Only a dim nightlight was left on. The man turned slightly, watching the young man.

    The sleeping person seemed completely fine, though his face was flushed. Then he moved, turning to snuggle closer to the heat source, even rubbing his head against the man’s chest.

    A helpless sigh suddenly broke the silence in the room.

    “…I’m an idiot.”

    The young man softly hummed in his sleep, as if responding to the statement.

    A soft chuckle.

    “Good night, sweet dreams.”

    “See you tomorrow.”

    *

    The next morning.

    Kong Xunwen slept well. He groggily opened his eyes, blinked, then blinked again.

    The sight before him was unfamiliar—the sheets, the blanket, and the heavy curtains drawn across the window. And…

    He cautiously turned his head.

    This sight wasn’t unfamiliar.

    Why was he frowning even in his sleep?

    Kong Xunwen watched for a while, then quietly turned back, continuing to stare at the curtains, which reflected a faint light from the window behind them.

    He remembered yesterday’s events—very clearly.

    Sure enough, that kind of thing was very comfortable.

    Kong Xunwen recalled it, narrowing his eyes slightly, savoring the memory.

    That feeling of losing control was both alarming and deeply addictive.

    At first, the man was a little clumsy, but he quickly learned. He didn’t make Kong Xunwen uncomfortable, and he truly managed to control himself.

    He pursed his lips. Perhaps because of that, today he only felt a slight soreness in his lower back, and a little discomfort in that area.

    He wanted to do it again next time.

    Note