The bathroom was filled with steam, the warm water soaking through the towels and clothing, the damp fabric clinging tightly to their bodies.
Meng Jin’s shirt was made of a stiffer material, pressing against Chen Jiaojiao’s exposed skin and sending a faint shiver through him. Trapped between the cool wall and Meng Jin’s scorching chest, the alternating sensations of hot and cold made Chen Jiaojiao instinctively clutch at the other’s collar. This unconscious movement drew them even closer, their bodies fitting together almost seamlessly.
He didn’t know where to look, his usually cool eyes now tinged with a rosy flush, damp and pleading as he called out Meng Jin’s name in a dry voice, “Meng Jin.”
Meng Jin responded with a low hum, one hand lifting Chen Jiaojiao’s chin while the other firmly wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer. His eyes were dark and intense, his thin lips brushing against the reddened ear as his hot breath enveloped it. His voice was deep and husky as he whispered, “Babe… may I?”
As he asked, he deliberately maintained eye contact, his gaze focused and sincere, waiting for the answer from the person beneath him.
Chen Jiaojiao felt his ears burn at the question, and in a mix of embarrassment and frustration, he raised a hand to push against Meng Jin’s chest. But his wrist was suddenly caught, effortlessly enveloped in Meng Jin’s warm palm.
Meng Jin’s gaze was thick and intense, like ink that refused to dissolve, staring straight at him. A faint, almost imperceptible smile played on his lips as he pressed a light, fleeting kiss to Chen Jiaojiao’s trembling fingertips.
“Baby.” The low, husky voice, wrapped in warm, moist breath, brushed against his skin and once again fell beside Chen Jiaojiao’s ear. “May I?”
The tone was a lover’s murmur, but the posture was an unavoidable inquiry, as if without his spoken consent, they would never leave the bathroom.
Yes, what Meng Jin wanted had always been his willing surrender. They had kissed many times before, but those past kisses had carried a hint of coercion. This time, he wanted Jiaojiao to offer himself willingly.
After a moment, Chen Jiaojiao finally lifted his damp eyes to look at the person so close to him. Seeing Meng Jin’s lowered head, he reached out and easily touched his brow and eyes.
The air around them grew thicker and hotter. Unconsciously, he licked his slightly dry lips, then took a soft breath, as if making a decision. Quickly, he leaned forward and pressed a light, fleeting kiss to Meng Jin’s lips.
It was over in an instant.
That was his answer.
The brief, soft warmth on his lips deepened the darkness in Meng Jin’s eyes. He lowered his gaze to see the person before him tightly closing his eyes, long lashes trembling. The sensation was so fleeting he could barely savor it before it vanished.
Just as Chen Jiaojiao began to pull back, Meng Jin suddenly wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him deeper into his embrace, and lowered his head to kiss him fiercely.
This was no longer the restraint and gentleness of before, but a long-suppressed, almost savage act of possession and conquest, as if he wanted to devour him whole, flesh and blood.
Chen Jiaojiao’s breath was stolen away in an instant, his soft whimpers trapped in his throat. Before long, he couldn’t bear it any longer and raised his hands to push against Meng Jin’s shoulders, pleading tearfully, “No more.”
Only then did Meng Jin reluctantly pull away, releasing the lips he had sucked into a deep, flushed red.
He lowered his head, pressing his forehead against Chen Jiaojiao’s, their noses affectionately brushing together. Like a tender moment after intimacy, he gently kissed away the moisture at the corners of Jiaojiao’s eyes, soft and lingering.
Chen Jiaojiao’s breathing gradually steadied, his consciousness returning. Suddenly, he felt something hard pressing against his lower abdomen. Before he could think it through, he instinctively pushed it away, only to hear a suppressed groan from Meng Jin above him.
His mind went blank with a buzzing sound, and in an instant, he realized what it was. The heat that had just receded surged back, overwhelming his entire body. His cheeks burned fiercely, his eyes flustered. Unconsciously, he bent over sharply and slipped out from under Meng Jin’s arm, his voice trembling, “I, I’m not ready yet!”
Before the words had fully left his mouth, he had already fled the bathroom.
Meng Jin watched the retreating figure and chuckled softly, pinching the bridge of his nose. Just as he was about to use cold water to calm his restlessness, his gaze caught a small, conspicuous white object on the floor. It looked familiar wasn’t this something he had personally chosen?
His brow lifted slightly as he bent down, hooking the soft garment with his fingertips. His eyes darkened in response.
Meanwhile, Chen Jiaojiao, clutching his bathrobe tightly, rushed out of the room. Feeling the cool air outside, he let out a sigh of relief. He had just sat down by the bed, trying to calm his racing heart, when he felt a chill between his legs.
Oh no! His underwear was still inside!
He forced himself to stay calm, reassuring himself that it was fine just pretend it never happened. Meng Jin probably wouldn’t notice.
But as he turned around, he saw the blue underwear Meng Jin had picked up, lying quietly by the bed.
The composure on his face shattered instantly. Frantically, he stuffed the blue fabric deep under the covers, quickly changed his clothes, and slipped into the next room like a thief to wash and hang the underwear.
Nian Gao had long been wagging his tail at his feet, now gently tugging at his pant leg with his teeth, whimpering to go out and play.
The events of the day had been too… overwhelming. Chen Jiaojiao felt physically and emotionally exhausted, but he couldn’t refuse Nian Gao. Reluctantly, he picked up a toy and followed the dog outside.
As he entered the living room, his eyes inadvertently swept over the wall clock 11:35 AM. Combined with the bright daylight outside…
What had they just been doing?!
In broad daylight, under the clear sky he and Meng Jin had been in the bathroom.
Chen Jiaojiao patted his cheeks, biting his lower lip hard. Almost fleeing in panic, he followed Nian Gao into the garden, letting the cool breeze wash over his flushed skin, hoping it would dispel the lingering heat and embarrassment.
He sat on the swing, casually tossing the bone toy far away, watching as Nian Gao happily chased after it.
The swing swayed gently, and his heart swayed along with it.
Before long, he lay tiredly on the swing, letting Nian Gao fetch the newspaper to block the sun.
“Whoosh!”
This time, Chen Jiaojiao threw the toy with his eyes closed, unsure where it landed. He only heard a soft “thud,” as if it had hit something.
Quickly removing the newspaper from his face, he looked up but saw nothing just the flat expanse of the lawn. Why had there been a “thud”?
He scanned the area but found nothing suspicious. When Nian Gao brought the bone back again, he threw it with the same force as before. This time, there was no strange sound, as if the earlier noise had been his imagination.
Just as Chen Jiaojiao was about to look away, he suddenly felt a flash of light in his eyes. Instinctively, he closed them, waited a moment, and slowly opened them again. Following the direction of the light, he looked up it was coming from a second-floor window.
The window on the second floor had been opened, and a small railing had been placed outside. A piece of fabric fluttered in the wind, looking somewhat familiar.
Chen Jiaojiao squinted as he walked closer. It was a white garment, and it was small. His eyes widened instantly this, this, this was unmistakably his!
Meng Jin had not only seen it but had also washed it for him!
He fell silent.
But Meng Jin acted naturally, handling everything with ease and familiarity. Had they done this kind of thing often before?
Chen Jiaojiao didn’t know, nor did he want to know!
Later that evening, when he hurried to collect the laundry, he noticed that the underwear had a small tear, the stitching had come loose, but it was still wearable.
However, believing that intimate clothing should be of high quality, he spoke to Meng Jin, who was working overtime to clear a backlog of contracts beside him. “The quality of this brand’s clothes isn’t great. Let’s not buy from them anymore.”
Meng Jin paused for a moment, his fingers stopping as he saw the garment in Chen Jiaojiao’s hand. After a brief silence, he didn’t argue and simply nodded. “Alright.”
After recovering from his illness, Meng Jin canceled Chen Jiaojiao’s extracurricular classes, leaving only language lessons. This gave Chen Jiaojiao plenty of free time.
Chen Jiaojiao still remembered his plan to give Meng Jin a gift before he fell ill. He wanted to use his own money to buy it.
A gift should be a surprise, so he secretly took on a part-time job to earn money.
The job was introduced by Myers’ friend. After completing the necessary procedures, he set up a street stall to draw portraits. Each portrait took about 20 minutes and cost 35 Swiss francs.
The wristwatch Chen Jiaojiao had his eye on cost at least 5,000 francs, which meant he needed to sell 143 portraits.
Before he even set up his stall, he had already bought a lot of supplies. To keep Meng Jin from noticing, he asked Myers to store the tools at his place.
For his first day of business, he chose a time when Meng Jin was away on a business trip. Whether it was due to Myers’ help in attracting customers or the charm of Xiao Di and Nian Gao, their first day was a success they sold 10 portraits.
After counting the money, he carefully tucked it into his wallet, burying his face between Xiao Di and Nian Gao, his eyes crinkling with happiness.
At that moment, Myers picked up his camera and snapped a photo, capturing the scene. He gestured for Chen Jiaojiao to come take a look. “Your Mr. Meng will have to thank me properly. Look how beautifully I’ve captured you.”
Chen Jiaojiao leaned over to look and patted Myers’ shoulder gratefully. “I was already planning to treat you to a meal. Thank you so much for today business wouldn’t have been this good without you.”
“Wow, Chen, give yourself some credit, will you?” Myers put away his camera and looked at him in disbelief. “The customers came first because of your drawing skills, and only then because of everything else.”
The sun had already set, and across from them was the lake. Chen Jiaojiao was reminded of what Meng Jin had once said to him: “Jiaojiao, you are free. Believe in yourself.”
Chen Jiaojiao smiled brightly, not denying Myers’ words.
Although he deliberately chose times when Meng Jin was either away on business or busy, after a while, Meng Jin still began to notice something was off. It was the third time he had looked for Jiaojiao, only to find that Jiaojiao had gone out for a walk with Myers.
Meng Jin’s eyes turned cold, his thin lips pressed together, and his brows unconsciously furrowed. The atmosphere around him felt heavy and oppressive.
Sitting in his study, he was about to summon someone to inquire about the situation when he caught sight of Chen Jiaojiao’s figure on the surveillance screen downstairs. In her hand, she seemed to be holding an exquisitely packaged bag.
Chen Jiaojiao was in high spirits today. A returning customer had not only commissioned him to mount a painting but had also generously paid double the fee. Carrying his backpack, he walked upstairs with light steps, only to abruptly halt when he saw Meng Jin standing at the front door nearly an hour earlier than usual.
“Why are you back so early today?” Chen Jiaojiao instinctively hid the backpack behind his back, his spine straightening unconsciously, his tone carrying a barely noticeable tension.
Meng Jin’s gaze swept over the hand deliberately concealed behind Chen Jiaojiao’s back. The corners of his lips curved into a gentle smile as he naturally extended his hand. “What are you holding, Jiaojiao? Is it a gift for me?”
His tone was affectionate and lighthearted, but his movements carried an undeniable insistence as he reached to grasp Chen Jiaojiao’s wrist.
Chen Jiaojiao stiffened, lowering his eyelashes. “It’s a surprise. You can’t see it yet.”
Meng Jin’s outstretched hand paused mid-air. He looked deeply at Chen Jiaojiao, his gaze still gentle yet resembling an invisible net, meticulously enveloping the other. He didn’t force the issue further. Instead, he took a step forward in that same posture, wrapping Chen Jiaojiao in his embrace. Resting his chin lightly atop Chen Jiaojiao’s head, his voice was low and accommodating. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Meng Jin’s embrace was as warm as always, and Chen Jiaojiao inexplicably felt a wave of relief. Unseen by him, however, the man holding him wore no trace of a smile in his eyes only a deep, dark contemplation.