Lu Xianyan stared at his peach-pink face, steadying his breathing as he spoke in a serious tone. “Do you want to try it now?”
Now?
Under Lu Xianyan’s overly direct gaze, Shu Ci’s brain stopped working for a moment. In a daze, he agreed.
Biting a face wasn’t as convenient as biting an arm.
Lu Xianyan had always been a head taller than him in high school, and that was still the case now.
The other man was already being considerate—he bent down slightly, taking on most of the effort himself.
But Shu Ci still found it difficult.
He stood on tiptoe, lips parting slightly.
The way he tilted his head up and leaned closer looked no different from asking for a kiss.
Lu Xianyan’s expression tightened.
Their faces drew closer and closer. By the end, even Shu Ci felt something was off. He kept telling himself this was just a good friend helping him. Bracing himself, he leaned forward and bit lightly at the other man’s face.
Lu Xianyan’s body stiffened noticeably.
Shu Ci immediately let go. “D-Did it hurt?”
…
Lu Xianyan regained his composure, hiding the desire in his eyes. “It didn’t.”
Shu Ci didn’t notice that his voice had already turned hoarse. “I’ll control my strength.”
Lu Xianyan asked, “Does biting here feel comfortable?”
Shu Ci answered honestly, “Not really.”
Lu Xianyan’s features were sharp and defined. There wasn’t much softness in his cheeks. When bitten, it felt firm and bony, and it didn’t fill the mouth the way Shu Ci needed.
It was far less satisfying than his wrist.
“I see.” Lu Xianyan lowered his gaze. The lighting dimmed the corners of his eyes, making his expression hard to read. “What about my neck?”
The neck was a vulnerable place.
Shu Ci hadn’t expected that, just to help him, Lu Xianyan would even offer that.
Then again, ever since they met, Lu Xianyan had always treated him well.
Biting someone’s neck felt too much.
“Let’s just stick with the face,” Shu Ci said.
Lu Xianyan didn’t argue further, which meant he agreed.
Shu Ci then ran to the balcony to collect the laundry. Once there, he discovered the clothes that had still been in the washing machine earlier had already been hung up.
What kind of heavenly roommate was Lu Xianyan?
Shu Ci turned to thank him—only to nearly bump straight into a solid chest.
…He really made no sound when walking.
Shu Ci stumbled back in a hurry. “What’s wrong?”
“Did you bump your lips just now?”
“Mm…”
“Standing on tiptoe is tiring?”
“A little.”
Lu Xianyan was silent for two seconds. “Do you want to… sit on me and try?”
Shu Ci’s first instinct was to refuse.
But as a friend, Lu Xianyan truly seemed sincere about helping him.
Back in high school, he had helped him with difficult problems too. Shu Ci was stubborn and sometimes fixated on one question, wasting a lot of time. Lu Xianyan had never shown impatience, carefully explaining every step according to Shu Ci’s thought process. They often stayed in the classroom until the lights were turned off.
When they walked downstairs in the dark, Shu Ci had been scared but pretended otherwise. Lu Xianyan must have noticed—later, he gave him what looked like a proper talisman to ward off ghosts.
Unfortunately, during the rush of moving, the things he once held in his palm—along with those years—were left behind in Jiangcheng.
Included among the things left behind was Lu Xianyan.
Shu Ci suddenly felt he had been too heartless toward him.
The atmosphere grew subtle again.
Shu Ci’s fingers clenched the hem of his shirt. He didn’t know what to say, only letting out a quiet acknowledgment to show he understood.
“Maybe it’s just because it’s my first time having someone sit on me. We’re very close.”
The word sit sent blood rushing to Shu Ci’s face.
His beautiful face showed helpless confusion, marked faintly by the earlier bite.
Almost completely overshadowed by the other man’s presence, he lowered his head and was forced to listen to explanations he hadn’t even wanted to know.
“I don’t really do these things. I’m not very experienced. I usually just take cold showers.”
Even though his lashes trembled, Shu Ci still kindly advised, “Cold showers make you catch a cold easily. Don’t do that next time.”
He was completely defenseless—like a soft little animal exposing its belly without caution.
Lu Xianyan felt heat rising in his body.
He truly didn’t do such things often. His desire only surfaced at specific times.
For example, when he held the old school uniform Shu Ci had once left behind with him.
Strange.
Everything tonight felt strange.
Zhou Mingran often said Shu Ci was dense and slow to catch on—but right now, he felt Lu Xianyan was even worse.
Did he really think sitting this close and biting each other was normal between friends? And wasn’t he supposed to dislike physical contact?
Lu Xianyan’s cleanliness obsession had always been there. Back in high school, when everyone piled books and test papers messily on their desks to look hardworking, Lu Xianyan’s desk had always been spotless.
During P.E., he naturally kept a slight distance from the crowd—only Zhou Mingran could stand close to him.
But that was within normal social boundaries.
Even during the time when they were closest, they had never had such intimate physical contact as this kind of “sitting.”
Shu Ci lifted his head to look at Lu Xianyan’s face.
Lowered it.
Lifted it again.
After several back-and-forth glances, he finally asked softly, “Have you ever dated anyone?”
Lu Xianyan’s expression shifted.
He answered quickly, “No.”
Shu Ci nodded thoughtfully.
That made sense. He had never dated, so he probably didn’t know that these kinds of actions were reserved for people who were closer than ordinary friends.
Lu Xianyan was just too simple-minded—just trying to help him.
He had probably come to explain because he was afraid Shu Ci might misunderstand.
Unaware that he had completely tied himself in mental knots, Shu Ci fully accepted this intimate form of “treatment.” He even asked whether Lu Xianyan had time the next morning and if he could continue helping with the desensitization therapy.
Those consecutive questions made Lu Xianyan’s heart feel light and floating.
Outwardly calm, he replied, “I’m free anytime.”
Shu Ci nodded, then suddenly remembered something. “By the way, are you looking for a place to move out to recently?”
“I am.”
Shu Ci was afraid he might leave. His eyes drooped slightly as he asked, worried, “Can you stay a little longer?”