Before Chen Jiaojiao even woke up, he felt the blanket was unusually warm and cozy. He snuggled deeper into it, rubbing against the fabric, when suddenly his hand brushed against something hard.
He gave it a squeeze. Hmm? How could it be both hard and soft?
Slowly opening his eyes, a familiar face filled his vision, pushing everything else aside.
Chen Jiaojiao immediately withdrew his hand, only then noticing Meng Jin’s arm draped over his waist. As he tried to shift back, Meng Jin’s low, husky voice murmured, “Don’t move. Sleep a little longer.”
Seeing how tired Meng Jin looked, Chen Jiaojiao couldn’t bring himself to struggle. His gaze was unconsciously drawn to Meng Jin first to his deep-set eyes and brows, then to his long, dark lashes. Holding his breath, his eyes finally settled on those pale lips, where he noticed a small, raised dot in the center of Meng Jin’s lower lip, nearly the same color as his lips and easy to miss.
Sensing the gaze beside him, Meng Jin slowly opened his eyes. Their eyes met, and Chen Jiaojiao immediately looked away, avoiding his gaze. Meng Jin raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on his lips as he pinched Chen Jiaojiao’s chin, his voice rough and undeniably seductive. “Why won’t you look at me, baby?”
Chen Jiaojiao pushed his arm away and sat up, forcing himself to sound calm and detached. “If you’re awake, get up.”
Meng Jin’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He absolutely adored this cold, aloof side of Chen Jiaojiao it made him want to personally shatter that “mask,” to turn that cool, composed face into a flushed mess, until he was sobbing and begging for mercy.
The thought alone made his body ache.
When Chen Jiaojiao saw that Meng Jin hadn’t moved, he glanced over, only to be met with a sight that made his pupils tremble. Meng Jin was shirtless, the thin blanket covering him from the waist down, where a prominent bulge was clearly visible.
Chen Jiaojiao closed his eyes, yanked the blanket off, and threw it over Meng Jin’s face. Without a word, he dashed out of the room.
Meng Jin rubbed his throbbing temples. Morning arousal was a normal physiological response, but instead of taking care of it himself in the bathroom, he let it subside naturally as he washed up.
By the time he finished and came out, Chen Jiaojiao had already eaten and was sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper, not sparing Meng Jin a single glance.
After the incident where the servant accidentally took away the newspapers, the variety had expanded. Besides the news dailies, there were now entertainment magazines, fiction readings, and everything in between.
Today, Chen Jiaojiao was reading a short mystery story, but the conclusion was in the next issue. It felt like a kitten was scratching at his heart he was itching to know who the murderer was.
Just as he was about to set the newspaper aside and pick up another, a finger suddenly appeared on the page, pressing down. Meng Jin’s distinct scent enveloped him, making his ears tingle. “Nelson is the murderer.”
“You’ve read it?” Chen Jiaojiao paused for a second. “But Nelson doesn’t have a motive. I think it’s Nelson’s brother.”
Meng Jin finished his milk, set the glass on the table, and snapped his fingers. “Just a guess. Want to make a bet?”
“On what?” Chen Jiaojiao put down the newspaper, growing more convinced that Nelson’s brother was the most likely culprit. “If I win, you do something for me. If you win, I do something for you?”
“Deal.” Meng Jin nodded, then held out his palm in front of Chen Jiaojiao, giving it a slight shake the meaning couldn’t be clearer. “But right now, we need to go to the hospital for the check-up.”
Chen Jiaojiao’s gaze fell on Meng Jin’s palm, where the lines were clearly visible. He hesitated for a moment before placing his fingers on it, instantly enveloped by the dry, warm palm.
Without any prompting, their palms naturally pressed together, as if they had done this many times before, forming a muscle memory. It felt strangely familiar.
Meng Jin noticed his unusual reaction and stopped walking, looking at him. “Am I holding too tight?”
Chen Jiaojiao shook his head, gazing at their overlapping shadows on the ground, and whispered, “It feels like we’ve held hands many times before.”
Meng Jin’s eyes flickered, his gaze softening even more. “Indeed, we have.”
Because I held your hand as you grew up.
With Meng Jin by his side, Chen Jiaojiao wasn’t too resistant to the hospital, and he didn’t want to cause Meng Jin any trouble. When the results came back normal, both of them breathed a sigh of relief simultaneously.
Even at the hospital, though Meng Jin tried his best to minimize the number of phone calls he took, Chen Jiaojiao still noticed.
He took the bag from Meng Jin’s hand. “I told you I was fine. Are you reassured now?”
Meng Jin refused to give him the examination reports, holding onto one end of the bag and not letting go. With a gentle tug, he pulled both the reports and Chen Jiaojiao into his arms, resting his chin on the top of Chen Jiaojiao’s head. “Jiaojiao, there’s still half an hour left. Let me hold you.”
“Our next meeting won’t be for another week.”
Chen Jiaojiao leaned his face against Meng Jin’s chest, closed his eyes, and savored their last embrace before parting. Reluctant to let go, he learned to offer a gentle reminder. “Come back soon.”
“As you wish.”
As I wish?
What does “as you wish” mean? It’s already the eighth day, and Meng Jin still hasn’t returned!
Aside from occasional moments of self-doubt due to his memory, Chen Jiaojiao was generally a person with a rich inner world. He enjoyed solitude and cherished such moments, often sitting and reading for hours on end.
The first few days after Meng Jin left were fine his life remained unchanged. But by the sixth day, he began frequently checking the time and his phone, only to put them down again with a sense of disappointment.
By the eighth day, he lay on the grass outside for the entire afternoon, having only turned one page of his book. His eyes felt unusually dry, so he reached for the eye drops Meng Jin had given him before leaving to relieve eye fatigue.
The eye drops were specially formulated, enough for fifteen days. Now, only a small amount remained at the bottom of the bottle.
He silently counted the days in his mind, thinking that by the time the drops ran out, Meng Jin would likely be back.
Chen Jiaojiao tilted his head back, opened his eyes wide, and watched as the drops fell into his eyes before tightly closing them again. Wait did he just see Meng Jin before closing his eyes?
Instinctively, he wanted to open his eyes to confirm, but a warmth covered his eyelids as Meng Jin placed his hand over them. “Don’t open your eyes.”
After wrapping up his work, Meng Jin felt a sense of relief. Before coming to see Jiaojiao, he had deliberately returned to his room to freshen up, applying a light men’s fragrance before heading over.
He sat down beside Jiaojiao, resting the latter’s head on his lap. While waiting for the eye drops to take effect, he picked up the newspaper that had fallen nearby.
This particular newspaper happened to contain the conclusion of the novel they had been reading earlier. Meng Jin skimmed through it quickly, reaching the ending. He rolled the newspaper into a cylinder and gently tapped Jiaojiao’s forehead with it. “Jiaojiao, you owe me one thing.”
Chen Jiaojiao still had his eyes closed at this moment. As he spoke, he tried to struggle up but failed, held down by Meng Jin on his legs. “Meng Jin, did you already know the ending before?”
Meng Jin laughed, switching to a knuckle to tap him lightly. “Trying to weasel out of it?”
“No!” Chen Jiaojiao covered his forehead, raising his voice slightly. “What do you want?”
“Go shopping with me.”
Chen Jiaojiao half-opened his eyes, adjusting to the light outside, then looked up at Meng Jin. The sunlight cast a golden halo around him, making him appear exceptionally patient and gentle.
In truth, even he himself hadn’t realized how relaxed and genuine he became in front of Meng Jin, almost the complete opposite of how he had been when going out with Myers a few days earlier.
Even though Meng Jin was fully aware of Chen Jiaojiao’s activities over the past few days, he still wanted to hear Jiaojiao tell him in person. “How have things been at home these past few days?”
Chen Jiaojiao thought for a moment, feeling that his life had been rather dull eating, attending classes/reading, walking the dog, sleeping, with the occasional trip to the art club with Myers. “Not great.”
Meng Jin let out a meaningful “Oh,” nodding to himself. “Seems like you can’t manage without me.”
Chen Jiaojiao: “…”
Just then, Nian Gao came bounding back from outside after a wild play session. Chen Jiaojiao picked him up and headed to the room to give him a bath, though his tousled hair hinted at his cheerful mood.
The next day, with Meng Jin around, Chen Jiaojiao felt particularly at ease. After his morning run, he took over the gardener’s task, standing on the lawn outside to water the roses climbing the walls.
He stood there, gripping the hose tightly, watching the misty spray arc through the air. Under the refraction of sunlight, a small rainbow even appeared.
Instinctively wanting to share this with Meng Jin, he turned his head and saw Meng Jin walking slowly toward him from a distance, holding a sun hat.
Then, Meng Jin naturally ruffled his hair and carefully placed the sun hat on his head. “Be careful not to get sunburned.”
The atmosphere between the two was so natural that no one else could intrude.
Myers, standing across from them, felt a bit exasperated. How long had he been there, and no one had noticed or greeted him!
With no other choice, Myers, holding his own little Di, walked into their line of sight. “Hey, Chen, you seem to be in a really good mood today.”
Only then did Chen Jiaojiao notice his new friend. Holding the brim of his hat with one hand, he passed the hose to Meng Jin. “Hey, Myers, I might not be able to take Di and Nian Gao for a walk with you today.”
This was Myers’ first time meeting Meng Jin. Meeting his deep gaze, Myers took a slight step back, a sense of danger rising within him. “I have something to do today and was hoping you could look after Di for me.”
Meng Jin observed Myers discreetly, even though Myers’ information had long been on his desk. He smiled and looked at Chen Jiaojiao. “Jiaojiao, is this the Myers you mentioned?”
Chen Jiaojiao nodded, introducing the two to each other. “Myers, my new friend.”
When it came to Meng Jin, he pursed his lips, his expression slightly unnatural, but he still pulled Meng Jin closer. “This is Meng Jin, my boyfriend.”
After the initial introduction, a handshake or a nod would have sufficed, with no need to repeat the self-introduction. However, Meng Jin, perhaps driven by some inexplicable mindset or a particular emphasis on his first friend, decided to greet them once again.
With his left arm draped over Chen Jiaojiao’s shoulder, Meng Jin extended his right hand in a gesture of exceptional friendliness. “Hello, I’m Meng Jin, Jiaojiao’s beloved.”