When Su Chengning emerged from the shower, he found that the lights in the room had been turned off, leaving only a pale yellow bedside lamp.
Thinking Tang Mo was already asleep, he didn’t disturb him and walked straight to the bed.
Just as he sat down, a hand reached out from behind him, abruptly pulling the unsuspecting Su Chengning back.
Su Chengning’s eyes widened in fright. It wasn’t until he felt himself crashing into a firm, thick chest that he reacted.
“Why are you in my bed?”
His body was tightly encircled by a pair of strong arms. Struggling to no avail, Su Chengning could only raise his voice in questioning.
“The sofa is too small.”
Tang Mo’s voice was low and husky, with a hint of grievance in his tone, yet it remained so pleasant to the ear that Su Chengning felt a flush creep onto his face.
He intertwined his legs with Su Chengning’s.
“Legs are too long.”
“They don’t fit.”
Su Chengning glanced sideways at their tangled legs. Their different skin tones made it easy to distinguish that the ones being firmly pinned down were his own, which appeared even fairer.
He tried to pull his legs out, but was only pressed down tighter.
So tight they were pressed flush against each other.
With skin touching skin, scorching body heat transferred directly from the other man. Su Chengning felt a restless heat beginning to rise within him.
This made him want to break free even more.
Tang Mo looked down at him, letting him struggle to escape his restraint until Su Chengning’s face turned red from the effort. When he finally gave up his futile task, Tang Mo let out a low laugh.
“Brother Chengning, your strength is too weak.”
As Tang Mo spoke, he released his legs. Seizing the opportunity as Su Chengning tried to pull away, he flipped over and pinned him beneath his body.
Su Chengning’s heart skipped a beat.
This brat’s courage is certainly growing.
“Get off, you’re heavy.” Su Chengning pushed at him hard, but Tang Mo was as steady as a mountain and impossible to budge.
He glared, his slightly angry features becoming more vivid and beautiful, like a demon stained with mortal desires alluring while simultaneously making one want to bully him ruthlessly to see even more of his unique charm.
Looking at him like this, Tang Mo subconsciously held his breath.
Su Chengning felt the atmosphere turn strange. In particular, the sudden weight of Tang Mo’s breathing gave him a distinct sense of crisis.
He didn’t think his not-yet-recovered body could handle any more “reckless behavior.”
Unless he didn’t want to get out of bed tomorrow.
Seeing Tang Mo’s eyes grow darker and more dangerous, Su Chengning immediately spoke up: “I can let you sleep on the bed.”
“Hmm?”
The single syllable hummed from the nose was low, like a heavy bell striking Su Chengning’s heart. His eyelashes trembled, and his heart skipped a beat.
He steadied his nerves: “But you can’t touch me.”
“Brother, is there any difference between a request like that and making me sleep on the sofa?”
The intimate address suddenly exploded in his ear. The extremely close voice was full of magnetic depth, making his ears itch.
Su Chengning turned his head away to dodge, but Tang Mo suddenly hugged him tightly.
The two were pressed close together, their breaths mingling.
“Brother, you’re so mean.”
“You must be making me sleep on the sofa on purpose.”
“That way, I wouldn’t be able to touch you like this, right?”
As Tang Mo’s words fell, Su Chengning felt a warm dampness on his earlobe, as if a flexible object was licking it.
He vaguely remembered that yesterday, he had teased Tang Mo in the same way, leaving the innocent boy sinking deep into an ambiguous haze.
He hadn’t expected the tables to turn so quickly.
In just a day’s time, he had become the one being teased.
“Yesterday was to make you atone for your older brother.”
“I’m not asking you to atone for anything now.”
“But now, I really want to atone.”
To atone like that.
Su Chengning: I don’t want that at all.
“No.”
“Why?” There was a clear sense of resentment in his tone.
Tang Mo’s head drooped, and even the corners of his mouth turned down a few degrees. He looked both aggrieved and pitiful.
Su Chengning cursed silently in his heart: Dammit.
He felt his firm resolve to refuse starting to waver uncontrollably.
Su Chengning realized that if he didn’t provide a logical reason, Tang Mo would likely pester him without giving up.
For the sake of his health, he could only tell the truth.
“Your technique is too poor, and—”
“—It hurts.”
“…”
Tang Mo hadn’t expected that to be the reason and froze on the spot.
The atmosphere between them suddenly became somewhat awkwardly silent.
A phone ringtone suddenly went off, directly interrupting this strange and embarrassed standoff.
Su Chengning reached out to grab the phone, but Tang Mo beat him to it.
Tang Mo looked at the name displayed on the phone; he didn’t recognize it.
He spoke in a somewhat muffled tone: “Someone named Gao is looking for you.”
“It’s Manager Gao from the branch office.” Su Chengning knew who it was as soon as he heard it.
Although he didn’t particularly want to take Manager Gao’s call, it provided the perfect opportunity to escape Tang Mo’s restraint.
“There must be a major matter at the branch office that requires my instructions.”
The gloom and blow from a moment ago vanished from Tang Mo’s face. He stared at him with sharp eyes, as if trying to discern something.
He asked, “How old is this Manager Gao?”
“A middle-aged uncle with a belly like a pig.”
Su Chengning was a bit helpless but answered him anyway.
Tang Mo seemed very satisfied with this answer. He proactively pressed the answer button for him and thoughtfully turned on the speakerphone.
He smiled at Su Chengning, looking obedient and cute, holding the phone as if claiming credit: Brother, I’ll hold it for you so you won’t get tired.
Su Chengning laughed in spite of himself. “Hold it if you want to, then.”
Manager Gao’s panicked and flustered voice came through the phone: “President Su, something has happened to President Tang.”
The smile that had just begun to rise on Su Chengning’s lips froze instantly.
“What could possibly happen to him?”
“After you left, President Su, President Tang seemed very unhappy. I took him to the airport, and he directly told me to return to Shengjing with him. Naturally, I wasn’t willing; there are so many things to do at the company, how could I leave? But President Tang insisted I go with him, which really put me in a difficult position…”
This non-stop, pointless rambling not only made Su Chengning frown, but even Tang Mo rolled his eyes in annoyance.
“Get to the point.”
Manager Gao seemed startled and said directly: “President Tang was in a car accident outside the Shengjing airport. It’s quite serious.”
Su Chengning was silent for a moment, then asked, “Where are you now?”
“At… at Shengjing First Hospital.”
Manager Gao looked up at the three massive words “In Surgery” and broke into a cold sweat.
He hung up the phone tremblingly, wanting to ask a nurse about the situation, but no one had a spare moment to pay him any mind.
“President Su is coming back soon, it should be fine…” he muttered, his gaze toward the operating room looking somewhat guilty.
Su Chengning hung up the phone with a dark expression. Without a word, he pushed Tang Mo aside and got out of bed.
Tang Mo stood up as well. The expressions on their faces were no longer ambiguous, replaced only by solemnity.
Seeing Su Chengning changing his clothes without saying a word, Tang Mo wanted to say something.
“My brother, he…”
He opened his mouth, then changed his words: “I’ll go back with you.”
Su Chengning paused his movements, glanced at him, and then continued changing.
“Fine. Let’s go back and see if he’s dead.”
Tang Mo couldn’t hear the subtext behind those words, but he could see Su Chengning’s currently dark and grim expression.
He was clearly very worried about his elder brother.
Tang Mo’s mood dampened a bit because of it.
After Su Chengning handled some matters with the branch office staff, he headed straight to the airport with Tang Mo.
By now, it was nearing midnight. The airport was very quiet, with only a few passengers waiting for night flights.
There were many flights from Linhai City to Shengjing City, but the next one wouldn’t be for another two hours.
Tang Mo told Su Chengning to sit and rest for a bit while he went to buy the tickets.
After a thought, he also went to buy a cup of hot coffee.
“Brother Chengning, it’s a bit cold at night. Use this to warm your hands.”
He crouched down and handed over the coffee. The concern in his eyes caused Su Chengning’s heart, which had been silent all the way there, to tremble slightly.
He silently took the coffee and suddenly spoke: “Tang Chen won’t be in any trouble.”
Tang Chen was the “protagonist gong” (lead) of this world; the world’s consciousness certainly wouldn’t let him die easily.
Seeing how worried he was about Tang Chen, Tang Mo felt uncomfortable, yet he still comforted him: “If you don’t want anything to happen to my brother, then nothing will happen to him.”
There wasn’t a trace of worry for Tang Chen on his face; instead, there was a hint of dark resentment.
The moment Su Chengning looked up, he lowered his eyes to hide the darkness in his heart.
From the first time he met Tang Chen, he hadn’t liked him.
Tang Chen didn’t like him either; the brothers had fought countless times as children.
It was only as they grew older that the overt arguments decreased.
They appeared to be harmonious brothers in front of others, but in reality, they both wished the other would drop dead.
Especially since Tang Mo liked Su Chengning, while Tang Chen was the one engaged to him.
The moment Tang Mo heard about the car accident, he was actually very happy. He just couldn’t show it because Su Chengning looked so worried.
Su Chengning looked at him and was about to speak when Tang Mo’s phone rang.
“It’s my mom.” Tang Mo looked at the caller ID, signaled to Su Chengning, and walked to the side to take the call.
“Xiao Mo, where are you?”
Tang Mo could hear the tremor in his mother’s voice. She only called him that when her mind was unstable or she was nervous.
“I’m at the airport,” he said. “Big brother had a car accident. I’m going back to see him.”
His tone was cold so cold it was as if he wasn’t going back to see his biological brother, but an expendable stray animal.
Mother Tang suddenly gripped her phone tighter, her face turning pale. “Your brother shouldn’t be in any great danger. Maybe… maybe you shouldn’t come back.”
She was terrified of hearing any ominous phone notifications.
Tang Mo looked from a distance at Su Chengning, who was looking down and lost in thought, and replied: “I’m coming back with Brother Chengning. We will be careful.”
“But, I’m afraid…”
“Mom, I’m not Tang Chen,” Tang Mo interrupted her, saying expressionlessly. “He had a car accident because he’s stupid. I value my own life very much.”
He had someone he intended to protect with his life.
Therefore, he cherished his own life.
Because he lived only for him.
Mother Tang fell silent as another young face suddenly flashed through her mind.
In this life, the two words she hated and feared most were “car accident.” Tang Chen’s accident had instantly triggered her most painful memories.
Amidst the silence, Tang Mo seemed to make a decision and said to her: “Mom, I want to guard him. For a lifetime.”
He didn’t want to give him up to anyone.