For example, taking advantage of a stretch, he rested his arm across the back of the sofa, adopting a bold, sprawling posture. Without realizing it, the hand on the sofa back gradually found its way onto Meng Lingyao’s shoulder.
This made it feel as though the other person was already tucked into his embrace, causing Qi Zhongjing to secretly gloat with joy.
By the time Meng Lingyao noticed, there was already an unignorable weight on his shoulder.
He looked at the hand, then turned his head to see the other man seemingly engrossed in the movie. With a silent sneer in his heart, he pinched the hand with his fingers and flung it backward.
Only then did Qi Zhongjing adopt a posture as if he had just realized what happened. “Sorry, I didn’t notice.”
Hmph, what a poser.
Meng Lingyao went back to watching the movie.
Qi Zhongjing, meanwhile, rubbed his fingers, reminiscing about the texture of the skin he had just touched.
The movie lasted over two hours. From the time they went home to cook and eat, the view outside had shifted from relatively bright to pitch black, with only city lights illuminating the darkness.
Since Meng Lingyao was somewhat resistant to him, Qi Zhongjing waited until the other’s mind was mostly occupied by the plot before peeling a grape and holding it to his lips. Meng Lingyao, his brain failing to react in time, bit down on it. The fresh, succulent grape burst in his mouth; the texture was excellent.
He ended up eating several in a row—one feeding, one eating—an exceptionally harmonious scene.
When the next grape was brought to his lips, Meng Lingyao hesitated. Qi Zhongjing met the other’s direct gaze. His fingers were still holding a peeled Kyoho grape—large, round, and shimmering with a translucent glow once the skin was removed.
“Done eating?” Qi Zhongjing showed no panic at being caught; he asked quite naturally.
Meng Lingyao looked at the grape, then at Qi Zhongjing’s still-raised hand. The lingering slight sweetness from his instinctive chewing remained in his mouth. Steelering his heart, he bit the grape off in one go.
Perhaps because Meng Lingyao didn’t refuse, Qi Zhongjing peeled a nut and continued the feeding. Meng Lingyao silently stared at the item offered to his lips and ate it anyway. Because the nut was small, his lips unavoidably brushed against the other man’s fingertips.
He suddenly felt like a disabled person being served by a strong, capable caregiver. Once this thought entered his mind, he couldn’t stop the image from becoming clearer, playing out like a video.
After projecting Qi Zhongjing’s face onto it, it felt… particularly satisfying.
If he wants to serve, let him. Anyway, I’m the one being served, not the one serving.
If Qi Zhongjing dared to ask him to peel a shell or skin, he’d throw the plate directly in the man’s face.
In your dreams!
However… Young Master Meng didn’t stop to consider: was it really okay to think of himself as the “disabled person” in this mental fantasy?
With his mind wandering uncontrollably, Meng Lingyao couldn’t hide the trace of a smile on his face, especially when he looked at Qi Zhongjing.
Qi Zhongjing didn’t know what Meng Lingyao was thinking, but the other’s obvious good mood made him extremely excited, causing him to feed him with even more vigor.
He doesn’t hate being fed by me!
This single thought occupied Qi Zhongjing’s mind. He felt like the other was a proud little kitten who was currently very happy being fed and was purring non-stop at him; his heart felt soft and mushy.
His hand couldn’t help but go back for more, alternating between fruit and nuts, occasionally adding a sip of water to help it go down.
One feeding, one eating—on some level, it could be considered exceptionally harmonious.
Meng Lingyao had already eaten his fill at dinner, but after a movie’s worth of Qi Zhongjing’s constant feeding, he was now even more stuffed.
When the movie ended, his intention to sit and rest after dinner resulted in him standing up and feeling his stomach was painfully full.
In hindsight, Meng Lingyao wondered if Qi Zhongjing had intentionally tried to gorge him to death.
Thinking this, Qi Zhongjing’s face began to look loathsome again. As expected, sinister.
“Overstuffed?”
Qi Zhongjing looked at Meng Lingyao’s hand rubbing his stomach and then at the fruit platter and nut bowl, which were mostly empty.
When he asked Meng Lingyao, he felt a bit guilty. Because Meng Lingyao hadn’t resisted, he had gotten carried away and hadn’t noticed he’d overdone it.
“Want to go down for a walk?”
Meng Lingyao was a man who cared deeply about his dignity, especially in front of Qi Zhongjing. He wouldn’t admit that his mental fantasies had made him so oblivious that he didn’t realize he was full until the food reached his throat.
Therefore, he would absolutely not admit to being overstuffed.
“No,” Meng Lingyao retorted as expected.
Qi Zhongjing didn’t call him out. He had originally planned to spend some quality time together after the movie before resting, but now it was better to let Meng Lingyao walk it off.
“The night view outside is beautiful. Let’s go down for a walk and take a look,” Qi Zhongjing smoothly changed his phrasing and issued the invitation again.
Meng Lingyao lowered his eyes in thought for a moment and then nodded reluctantly. He didn’t want to lose face, but since the other had invited him, their “transactional relationship” allowed him to agree.
Qi Zhongjing walked with the overfed Meng Lingyao outside for an hour. The street view was indeed beautiful, and the scenery within the complex was nice as well. Walking to digest after a meal was beneficial for physical and mental health.
The two wandered side-by-side, looking at whatever they passed. Although there wasn’t much conversation, Qi Zhongjing felt the atmosphere was wonderful.
Qi Zhongjing felt only two words flood his heart: Pure bliss.
This feeling was too great; it made his heart leap with joy, and his emotions became exceptionally high.
Meng Lingyao, meanwhile, was pondering whether Qi Zhongjing had intentionally messed with him just to make a fool out of him.
By the time they returned, it was past 10:00 PM. The once noisy city had quieted down, and it was even more silent within the complex—a pocket of peace in the bustling city—with only the sound of insects chirping.
Under the dim yellow streetlights, two black shadows were cast. Due to the angle, the two shadows were very close together—one tall and one shorter, one broader and one thinner. Watching the two shadows intertwine, Qi Zhongjing felt today was particularly happy and blissful.
Meng Lingyao finally didn’t feel so stuffed, and his limbs felt limber from the exercise.
Once they went back up to the second floor, Meng Lingyao looked at the only oversized bedroom and frowned.
He only just realized that in such a large space, that fellow Qi Zhongjing had only built one bedroom. The entire house didn’t even have a guest room.
“…”
Is something wrong with him?
Who builds a house this big with only one bedroom, no guest rooms, and not even an extra bed? How were they supposed to sleep?
Well, that wasn’t quite right. He could be “slept with,” but he didn’t want to sleep with Qi Zhongjing.
The image of the two of them lying in one bed was truly suffocating.
No wonder Qi Zhongjing had no friends. With this kind of interior design, even if he had friends, it would be difficult.
It was as if he was terrified of friends visiting, leaving them no chance to stay over.
“Only one room?” Meng Lingyao turned around to look at Qi Zhongjing behind him, his tone still filled with disbelief, his pupils dilated.
Qi Zhongjing looked at Meng Lingyao’s incredulous expression. He had personally spent a long time arranging this little nest; naturally, he would never allow any possibility for the other to rest elsewhere.
Unbeknownst to Meng Lingyao, Qi Zhongjing had secretly done a lot of preparation. He had spent a long time hand-picking even this specific apartment.
Every design choice within was carefully considered.
“Mm,” Qi Zhongjing nodded, perfectly natural. “Aren’t you going in?”
Heh!
“I’m sleeping with you?” Meng Lingyao knew this was inevitable given the circumstances, but he asked anyway.
Sure enough, Qi Zhongjing nodded, his expression calm and natural. It was as if Meng Lingyao was the one being strange for asking; it was perfectly reasonable to him.
“We’re married, so shouldn’t we sleep together?” Qi Zhongjing’s voice was deep, his words extremely composed.
It’s a transaction!
Acting so serious, as if they were a real couple.
Fine, what was the point of saying so much to this guy? Meng Lingyao’s face soured. “Are we sleeping now, or what’s the plan? If there are no special requirements, I’ll sleep downstairs after we’re finished.”
After dropping that line, Meng Lingyao stared at Qi Zhongjing for a moment. Seeing no reaction, he tried to walk past him to go downstairs, but Qi Zhongjing pressed a hand onto his shoulder.
Meng Lingyao looked up. Qi Zhongjing lowered his head slightly, his expression stubborn as he said word for word: “We are married. We have to sleep together.”
His eyes looked directly into Meng Lingyao’s, intensely serious.
“We must sleep together?” Meng Lingyao narrowed his eyes, almost laughing out of anger.
Qi Zhongjing nodded, appearing calm on the surface but panicking inside. “A legal couple. I believe I have legal rights.”
By dragging that up, Qi Zhongjing knew he was just being unreasonable, but he was testing Meng Lingyao’s attitude—even if there was only a sliver of a chance.
If Meng Lingyao insisted on leaving, he couldn’t stop him; he’d just have to move.
He forgot to mention that the floor below was also his property, and it had two bedrooms prepared.
That was called being prepared for any contingency.
So this is what he was waiting for. Meng Lingyao stared at Qi Zhongjing’s expression. Seeing him put on that “it’s only natural” look, Meng Lingyao suddenly smiled brightly and shifted his tone. “Fine.”
Meng Lingyao’s sudden change in attitude actually made Qi Zhongjing feel something was off, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.
However… the joy of the other agreeing to sleep together overshadowed that odd feeling.
He watched Meng Lingyao turn and swagger into the room. He went into the bathroom and came out quickly, as if the resistance from a moment ago had never existed. “Is there a change of clothes?”
Meng Lingyao looked around for a bit, inspecting the layout.
Qi Zhongjing pointed toward the walk-in closet. Meng Lingyao entered and saw it was fully stocked. There seemed to be an invisible boundary line: he saw that on one side the clothes were clearly larger, and on the other, they were smaller.
He casually picked one from the smaller side and held it up; it was a perfect fit.
Heh! Insidious designs, long-premeditated…
The clothing selection was extensive, with various styles and even accessories prepared. Meng Lingyao casually pulled open a drawer to find accessories like cufflinks and watches.
The entire closet was massive but divided into two spaces. One was Qi Zhongjing’s own, and the other was… his.
Just like what he saw upon entering the bathroom: everything was in pairs. One set was clearly prepared for him.
He certainly was thorough.