Dominic’s gaze fell on Xi Ting’s flushed, consciousness-hazy face.
He remained silent for a moment, then reached for the glass pitcher on the nearby side table. Taking out his handkerchief, he soaked it in the cool water, wringing it until it was half-dry.
Then, without warning, he pressed the cool handkerchief firmly over the little drunkard’s eyes, leisurely wiping his face.
“Mmph—!”
The sudden chill jolted Xi Ting, forcibly dispelling much of his drunkenness.
Though clearly uncomfortable, he didn’t resist, lying on Dominic’s lap as he instinctively sought his reliable lover: “Domi… what’s wrong with Domi…”
Dominic wiped for a few seconds, pressing the cool handkerchief against his face, estimating that he was somewhat sober before removing it.
Xi Ting had no choice but to sober up, his honey-colored eyes wide with confusion and displeasure.
“You… what are you doing!”
His voice was slightly hoarse as he looked accusingly at Dominic, unable to understand why his lover had suddenly treated him so roughly.
“Sober now?” Dominic’s tone was flat, as if he had just done the most ordinary thing.
He tossed the handkerchief back onto the side table, picked up the phone that had been discarded earlier, unlocked it, and reopened the chat interface with “boyfriend,” then held it in front of Xi Ting’s eyes.
Xi Ting’s attention was drawn to the screen. He blinked his damp eyes, trying to focus. Seeing it was the conversation between his lover and himself, he was puzzled, not understanding why he was suddenly being shown this.
Dominic didn’t waste words questioning whether that “alternate account” was really him.
His finger scrolled directly to the latest messages, tapping on the line “I really want to kiss you.” Then, he lifted his gaze, his ice-blue eyes calm and unreadable as he looked at Xi Ting and asked:
“‘I’ said I wanted to kiss you.
“Did you get kissed?”
His voice wasn’t loud, but in the quiet garden, it was exceptionally clear.
Xi Ting was stunned for a moment, then his cheeks visibly flushed red again—this time not from the alcohol, but from pure embarrassment.
He lowered his lashes, avoiding Dominic’s direct gaze, thinking this was his passionate and possessive lover flirting, or perhaps expressing dissatisfaction with his earlier refusal, asking for another kiss.
He pursed his moistened lips, his voice soft, tinged with a compliant surrender:
“Then… then you can’t bite me this time.”
After saying this, he seemed to remember something and added, his tone carrying a hint of complaint: “You bit me so hard just now, it really hurt.”
Bite?
Dominic’s gaze sharpened.
He reached out, pinching Xi Ting’s chin with his fingertips, applying slight pressure to make him lift his head.
Looking closely, on the inside of the youth’s plump, red lower lip, near the corner of his mouth, there was indeed a slight abrasion, darker than the surrounding lip tissue and slightly swollen. Because his lips were already flushed and ripe from the alcohol, it wasn’t easily noticeable unless one looked closely.
He had never kissed the youth, let alone bitten him.
So, this injury was… left before “he” arrived.
His thumb roughly brushed over the spot.
“Hiss…” Xi Ting inhaled softly, instinctively trying to pull away.
Dominic didn't let go, his finger pressing against Xi Ting's lower lip, exposing the small wound more clearly.
"Who bit this?" he asked, his voice lowering slightly.
Xi Ting's confusion deepened, his gaze hazy and misty as he looked at him, not understanding the question.
"It was you," he whispered, "wasn't it just now…?"
"Just now?" Dominic caught the key phrase, "Before I came?"
"Mhm…" Xi Ting nodded, then shook his head, "No, you came, then left… and then you came back…"
He was starting to get tangled up in his own words, speaking intermittently with drunken confusion, but Dominic still picked up on the oddity.
"I came here earlier?"
"Yeah…" Xi Ting instinctively answered his lover's question.
A problem emerged. The one who came earlier was definitely not him.
Then who could it have been?
The face of Wen Zheng, filled with unwillingness and longing before he left, surfaced in Dominic's mind once more. A vague yet unpleasant suspicion gradually took shape.
"I came a bit later than promised tonight," Dominic began, his voice betraying nothing unusual. "Did you wait long?"
Xi Ting shook his head, his hair brushing against Dominic's chest. "Not too long… You messaged earlier saying you'd be late and told me to try the wine you prepared for me."
He savored the memory, "It was really good."
"Mhm." Dominic replied nonchalantly, "You drank this much just because it was good? You seem quite drunk."
"I'm not drunk…" Xi Ting laughed, his eyes unfocused, "It's just… a little dizzy."
"I brought you a small gift when I came in," Dominic looked down at him, probing bit by bit, "Did you see it?"
"Huh?" The alcohol made Xi Ting's thoughts move unusually slowly, and he even glanced around as if searching for the gift. "I didn't see clearly. I was lying on the table feeling dizzy, and Domi came and wanted to kiss me right away…"
The lighting was dim, and he had approached quickly, his movements rather urgent.
"I can't quite remember," Dominic's voice remained calm, carrying just the right amount of slight apology, as if due to being busy. "I've been too busy lately. Tonight… was I a bit impatient?"
Xi Ting let out a soft "mhm," with a hint of a wronged tone in his voice. He paused, then added quietly, "It's okay, Domi."
This forgiving attitude made the inexplicable sense of unease in Dominic's heart grow clearer.
He restrained himself and continued in that casual, conversational tone, "Do 'I' often act like this?"
Xi Ting thought for a moment in his embrace, "Not often. Sometimes Domi is very clingy, very cute."
At this, he smiled, finding the contrast between this and his lover's usual aloof demeanor truly adorable. "But sometimes when you arrange to meet me, you're very quiet. Are you shy?"
Dominic's gaze swept over Xi Ting's soft hair, and he inwardly scoffed.
Someone with ulterior motives, afraid of being exposed, naturally wouldn't dare say much.
"It seems I've been so busy lately that I'm a bit disoriented," Dominic said calmly, with a touch of self-deprecation. "I talk more online, but when we meet in person, I don't know what to say."
Xi Ting shifted slightly in his arms, seemingly agreeing with this statement. "Mhm… I sometimes feel like you're better at talking through a screen."
He replied without much thought, "You've been really busy this month, so every time we meet, it feels so rushed." He paused. "Like tonight."
"Tonight?" Dominic followed up, his fingers lightly brushing past Xi Ting's lips. "Was I in a hurry tonight?"
"Well… as soon as you arrived, you…" Xi Ting hesitated, too embarrassed to continue. He just touched his lips again, hinting at that painful kiss.
"That was my fault. I just…" He meaningfully drew out his words. "I just missed you too much."
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he asked, "Last time we met, did I not behave well either?"
"Last time… at the private cinema?" Xi Ting recalled. "No, but…" He hesitated. "The movie you picked was so dark, the whole room was pitch black. I couldn't even see you clearly."
"Pitch black?" Dominic understood now, his tone carrying just the right amount of apology. "Did it make you feel bored?"
"Not at all." Xi Ting shook his head, his voice full of dependence. "It's just… you wouldn't let me turn on the lights, saying it would ruin the atmosphere."
"But I haven't seen you in so long. I really wanted to take a good look at you." He raised his eyes to look at Dominic, his gaze filled with longing for his lover.
For some reason, Dominic seemed unable to meet his gaze. He reached out and covered those eyes brimming with intense affection.
Not allowing the lights to be turned on.
Deliberately maintaining the darkness.
At this point, Dominic was certain of how Wen Zheng had deceived the young man before him, ensuring he wouldn't notice anything amiss.
Hah, a failed secret admirer, only daring to steal moments of tenderness under someone else's identity, hiding in the shadows.
He looked down at Xi Ting, curled trustingly in his arms. The sweet fragrance and warmth of the young man's breath felt so real.
Even though he clearly knew this was just an absurd Dreamscape, at this moment, the dependence of the person in his arms was directed at him, and those intimate calls were meant for him.
Even if it was just a dream, what right did Wen Zheng, as a thief, have to steal kisses that should have been his?
Dominic suddenly felt a sense of weariness, even irrationally condemning his plastic cousin over a dream. To go to such lengths to seduce and coax someone who had no feelings for him—his own cousin's lover—was truly… lacking in character.
He patted the young man's head.
"Hmm?" the young man responded groggily.
"From now on," Dominic cupped his face, making him look up into his eyes—a gesture of control, even if he wasn't consciously aware of it. "Don't easily trust 'me' in the darkness, and don't drink so much sweet wine anymore."
Xi Ting, whose eyes had just been covered, was plunged into darkness. The effects of the alcohol were kicking in again, and he was now drowsy and lethargic. "Why?"
Dominic didn't answer. Instead, he slowly brushed his thumb over the corner of Xi Ting's lips, where a faint mark remained.
Because the one waiting to kiss you in the darkness might not be the lover you expect.
[Mission successful.]
[Dreamscape ending countdown.]
[3, 2, 1.]
The warmth in his arms gradually faded, and the young man's confused gaze blurred into the fading light.
[CG generating.]
[Drunken Words.]
The light was deliberately kept dim.
In the center of the frame, a tall figure completely enveloped the youth in his arms.
Most of his face was shrouded in shadow, making it difficult to discern, yet his posture betrayed a sense of hurried urgency. His hand pressed firmly against the slender nape of the boy’s neck, pulling him closer—a gesture of desperate longing.
The boy was forced to tilt his head back, unable to resist the overwhelming intensity of his lover’s affection. His eyes were half-closed, thick lashes damp and clumped together, cheeks flushed with an unnatural heat. His lips parted slightly, tightly covered and gently sucked, glistening with moisture.
What should have been a tender kiss instead felt more like a one-sided conquest. In the stillness of the scene, one could almost hear the hurried breaths, feel the warmth of that imprisoning hand, and sense the boy’s subtle, silent tremors as he yielded.
All the unspoken infatuation, transgression, and hidden impropriety were frozen within this stolen, shadowy kiss.
Author’s Note:
Well, yes, someone has a little hobby of cosplaying as his older brother.
Wen Zheng doesn’t have silver hair—he taught himself wig-making for his sister-in-law and made one for himself (just kidding).