Han Ji had been delayed for a while after going out, and when he returned, he found He Wenqi asleep, slumped over the desk.
He turned and softly pulled the door shut, lifting the cake in his hand to take a look—it was a six-inch round cream cake. There hadn’t been enough time to make it himself, so he had only written a few words on top.
He placed the cake into the small fridge under the office desk to chill. Standing up, he took a spare thin cashmere blanket from the back cabinet, draped it over He Wenqi, and turned up the air conditioning temperature slightly.
Then, he turned off the main office lights, leaving only two warm-colored light strips on the ceiling. He took a book, sat down on the sofa opposite, switched on the floor lamp, and began to flip through it slowly.
The powerful soundproofing of the floor-to-ceiling glass windows blocked out the multicolored clamor of the city. Outside, lights were brilliant and neons shifted, while time flowed wordlessly.
Inside the room, there was only the intermittent sound of Han Ji flipping pages and He Wenqi’s breathing—sometimes light, sometimes heavy—which could only be heard if one held their breath.
Feeling a bit fatigued, Han Ji yawned, closed the book, and rubbed the space between his brows. Looking up, He Wenqi was still silently prone on the desk, with half of the cashmere blanket trailing on the floor.
Han Ji checked his wristwatch; it was nearly midnight.
In the office, he usually wore a three-piece suit, but currently, he wasn’t wearing his jacket. His upper body was still clad in the black shirt that perfectly outlined his physique.
The floor was covered with a thick carpet, so Han Ji made no sound as he walked.
He picked up the fallen blanket and draped it over He Wenqi’s shoulders again. The sleeping man was oblivious, showing no sign of waking.
He Wenqi was wearing a white hooded sweatshirt, his hair falling loose and soft. The contrast of black and white under the warm light looked as if a soft-focus filter had been applied; he looked pure and clean, like a college student still under the protection of a campus.
His silhouette usually had sharp contours, but now, sleeping deeply with his eyes tightly closed, his sharpness was withdrawn, making him look more like a soft, waxy little kitten that had retracted its claws.
The corners of Han Ji’s mouth curled up, his gaze unable to move away. This obedient appearance was exactly like how he looked when he used to chase after him as a child.
Unconsciously, Han Ji’s hand reached out to stroke his cheek, his bent finger gently brushing against it.
Back then, that immature voice followed him everywhere calling “Brother Ji.” He Wenqi believed everything Han Ji said as gospel truth; occasionally he would be cheeky and talk back, but after a short while, he would trot back and call out “Brother Ji” as a gesture of peace.
He never expected that after so many years of being stuck together every day, this person had already developed different feelings. When did it start? He hadn’t noticed at all.
He even secretly drew nude portraits of him. Han Ji was actually quite curious about what he would have drawn.
If he didn’t want to show it, so be it, but he had even learned to lie through his teeth, saying it was lost? His mouth was leaking like a sieve; Han Ji didn’t believe him for a second.
And that “boyfriend” who suddenly appeared—Han Ji had figured out from just a few sentences from Qiao Yuan that he had only just met Gu Han.
Why are you hiding from me like this? Even if you don’t like me anymore, won’t you treat me as “Brother Ji” anymore? Give me a little time to look at me again, okay?
Han Ji’s teeth felt itchy with affection; he pinched a piece of tender flesh on He Wenqi’s face between two fingers.
His skin was thin with not much fat; what could be pinched was just a bit of skin.
Han Ji intentionally made a ferocious face and put on a show of using force, yet his hand didn’t apply a shred of pressure.
He Wenqi pursed his lips, completely unaware.
Han Ji’s gaze moved downward, landing on his lips.
He Wenqi was thin, his bone structure supporting his skin, but his lips were full and did not appear thin.
Han Ji’s finger followed his gaze down, the pad of his thumb sliding gently across the lips.
When will this mouth open again to call “Brother Ji”? If you call one more time, I’ll take my heart out and give it to you.
Would you want it?
Han Ji’s thumb pad covered the lips again, rubbing repeatedly and softly. So soft. He wondered what it would feel like to kiss them.
Startled by the sudden thought rising within him, Han Ji withdrew his finger as if he had touched an electric current, his heart rate suddenly accelerating.
Looking at He Wenqi again, his eyes were tightly closed and his breathing was steady.
Han Ji’s heartbeat settled back down.
However, once certain thoughts arise, they cannot be suppressed.
Han Ji had always been upright and had never done anything sneaky. At this moment, however, he stared blankly at He Wenqi’s lips, thinking that perhaps if he took a secret taste and wasn’t discovered, it should be fine.
With a stir of his heart, he leaned down immediately, tentatively moving closer to He Wenqi’s lips bit by bit.
Like passing through summer rains and winter snows, waiting through old springs and desolate autumns…
Finally, the two pairs of lips met, pressing tightly together.
Just like the sensation felt by his finger, He Wenqi’s lips were very soft.
Afraid the person would wake up, Han Ji held his breath and didn’t dare linger too long, separating after just a light touch.
But human hearts always seek to take a mile when given an inch, and are full of insatiable desires. Moreover, after such a second of stolen pleasure, Han Ji felt he hadn’t had enough and wanted more to savor.
He didn’t pull very far away. Seeing that the person still showed no sign of waking, he tentatively pressed his lips against them again.
This time, he applied a little pressure, rubbing left and right, wanting to taste carefully and remember the flavor he had sampled through this less-than-upright behavior.
Suddenly, a section of a warm, wet, and soft tongue tip poked out, licking once across his lips. Han Ji sucked in a breath, his whole body turning stiff, not daring to move an inch.
If he were discovered performing such an ambiguous act while the other was unaware…
Before he could even think of how to explain it later, the moist tongue tip on his lips had already retracted.
Han Ji looked up and found that He Wenqi didn’t seem to have noticed; it was just an unconscious movement while sleeping. He breathed a slight sigh of relief and was about to withdraw his lips, but in the next second, that person suddenly opened his mouth and took his lip between his own.
What kind of situation is this…
Han Ji’s breathing almost stopped, his mind went blank, but the sensation on his lips was real and intense.
Without time for careful thought, Han Ji steeled his heart and instinctively opened his mouth to respond; his body’s reaction was more real than his thoughts.
The originally stolen shallow taste thus spiraled out of control. The sound of shifting lips and tongues rose and fell in the office, making one’s face flush and heart race, accompanied by the increasingly rapid breathing of the two men.
The clash of lips and tongues grew more intense; both seemed to be holding back a great force, invading and occupying each other’s mouths, neither yielding.
It was unclear who had started this fire, but it burned brighter and brighter until He Wenqi, unable to restrain himself, let out a sound of longing from his throat.
A crisp “snap” sounded in Han Ji’s brain; his rationality returned, and he stopped his movements.
Separating their lips and tongues, he looked down and saw the person sitting in the chair, his head being pulled back forcefully by Han Ji, forced to tilt his face up in compliance. His eyes were misty and wet, his lips red, swollen, and slightly parted, still stained with someone’s saliva, glistening wetly.
Han Ji hurriedly let go, not daring to keep looking, and quickly turned to walk out the door.
He Wenqi remained dazed for a moment. Following the sound of the door slamming as Han Ji left, his brain exploded like fireworks.
This… what on earth just happened?!
He Wenqi didn’t know how he got home. His brain was like mush, and it was mush boiling in a pot.
Repeatedly, there was only one thought: He and Han Ji had kissed.
No alcohol, no drugs; he was sober—though, maybe, perhaps… not quite sober in terms of logic.
He reached out to touch his lips; actually, there was no sensation left, yet he still felt they were tingling and burning.
So this is what it feels like to kiss someone.
Like a dying person clinging to a final breath, constantly chasing the other person to seek and demand, willing to indulge and drown.
He Wenqi plunged his head into a pile of throw pillows on the sofa, burying his face inside. This was his first kiss.
Thinking about how the person he kissed was Han Ji, he couldn’t restrain his excitement and agitation; then thinking about how the person he kissed was Han Ji, an extreme wild joy turned cold from head to toe.
How could he kiss Han Ji!
Sudden anxiety and restlessness took over. He ran his fingers through his hair, messing it up, then immediately paused. No, wait, Han Ji moved first, he just followed along.
That’s right.
So, why did Han Ji kiss him?
Could it be…
He thought of a possibility, but immediately dismissed it.
No way!
He didn’t have many friends to begin with, and even fewer had experience with this kind of thing. After thinking back and forth, He Wenqi dialed Qiao Yuan’s number.
It was very noisy on Qiao Yuan’s end; he was likely at a nightclub.
“Yuan, I want to ask you something.”
“Brother, go ahead,” Qiao Yuan shouted into the microphone while blocking one ear.
“It’s… is it possible for a straight man to kiss another man?”
“What? Who kissed a man? Wait a second, let me find a quieter place.”
There was a rustling sound for a while.
“Okay, Brother, what did you just ask?”
It was indeed much quieter, appearing to be an empty space.
He Wenqi repeated: “I’m asking you, would a straight man proactively kiss a man?”
“What? A straight man kissing a man? Then he’s not a straight man.” Someone answered, but it wasn’t Qiao Yuan’s voice. This was followed by people laughing nearby.
Immediately, someone else replied, still not Qiao Yuan.
“Not necessarily, it depends on the circumstances. Back when I couldn’t find a girlfriend and was curious about what kissing tasted like, I grabbed a bro next to me and kissed him. Look at me, aren’t I straight as an arrow from head to toe?”
Another round of laughter followed.
“Huh? You’ve kissed a man? Then why didn’t you kiss me?” This time it was a pinched voice.
“I said it was out of curiosity, I didn’t take it seriously.”
“Brother, did you hear that? I have you on speaker, I’m with friends. Why are you asking this? Did Gu Han kiss you? That’s fine, he’s not straight anyway. Are you guys moving that fast…”
He Wenqi defended himself with a few words and hung up the phone.
Curiosity? No girlfriend? Not taking it seriously?
So that’s how straight men think. Han Ji probably thinks that way too. He Wenqi felt a sudden wave of disappointment.
The phone’s notification sound suddenly rang, startling him. it was a message from Han Ji.
—Happy Birthday.
He Wenqi checked the time; it was exactly midnight. Today was his twenty-second birthday.
Han Ji still remembered.
The two of them had kissed in the office earlier and he had almost lost control until Han Ji let go of him. After that, he had fled the scene in his own panic and haste.
Neither had contacted the other after parting, and even if neither mentioned it, the fact that the kiss happened was real.
Now that Han Ji had sent a birthday greeting, He Wenqi didn’t know whether to be happy or disappointed. He let out a long sigh and replied, “Thank you.”
It was not a good night’s sleep; he was half-awake and half-dreaming until dawn.
His mood was extremely low. He Wenqi, sporting a pair of dark circles under his eyes, wanted to ask for leave, but then remembered Han Ji mentioning that people from the Liner Company were coming for a meeting today. After thinking it over, he braced himself and went to the company.
In the morning, both Liu Ping and He Yanqiu sent him birthday messages. He Wenqi was returning He Yanqiu’s call while preparing to leave his residential complex for work.
He was distracted while on the phone, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of a black shadow. He turned his head, but there was no one there.
How many times has it been? He Wenqi didn’t think it was just his eyes playing tricks on him. Hadn’t the matter with Fang Zhenkang’s ex-wife already been resolved?
After hanging up, he shoved both hands into his coat pockets. He paused for a moment, then suddenly turned around; someone behind the trees in the green belt hid at the same time.
He Wenqi pretended not to notice. Looking elsewhere, he paced toward that direction.
When he reached the vicinity of the large tree, he suddenly quickened his pace and rushed behind it.
—There was no one.
Could it be that due to lack of sleep last night, he was being paranoid here?
At the company, after finishing the meeting with the Liner Company people in the morning, He Wenqi flipped through the schedule and reminded Han Ji that there was another meeting with a client company in the afternoon.
Han Ji sat in his executive swivel chair, staring at the dark circles under He Wenqi’s eyes: “Didn’t sleep well last night? I’ll give you the afternoon off, go back and get some rest.”
He, on the other hand, seemed completely unaffected and refreshed. He Wenqi became even more convinced that Han Ji didn’t take the kiss between them last night to heart.
He Wenqi felt that his night of restlessness was truly looking for trouble for himself. Since Han Ji didn’t take it seriously, then he could also treat it as an absurd act, a fleeting dream.
The boss was showing concern for his subordinate by proactively giving him time off, so he wouldn’t refuse the kindness. Without hesitation, he said: “Okay, thank you, President Han.”
At noon, He Wenqi packed his things and called He Yanqiu while waiting for the elevator: “Mom, I’m coming over to have lunch with you guys. I’m not working this afternoon, I’ll stay at the hospital with you.”
“You’re going to see Auntie Qiu?” Han Ji, at some point, had also stood beside him to wait for the elevator.
Since he had been heard, there was no way to deny it.
He Wenqi: “Yes.”
Han Ji: “I’ll give you a lift. It works out perfectly; I’ll go see Auntie Qiu too.”
He Wenqi hadn’t mentioned Han Ji to He Yanqiu at all; he didn’t dare to.
Although Han Ji himself was unaware of what happened back then, he was present when He Yanqiu was triggered. He Wenqi wasn’t sure if He Yanqiu would feel resentment toward Han Ji or if she would be affected again.
“No need, I’ll just call a cab,” He Wenqi refused.
Han Ji added: “The point isn’t really to give you a lift. I’ve said long ago that I wanted to visit Auntie Qiu. It’s been so long, haven’t you mentioned it to her yet?”
He Wenqi didn’t answer.
“Then how about today? We’ll go together. If you’re afraid she’ll find it sudden, after we arrive, you go in first to tell her, and then I’ll come in. How about that?”
It wasn’t great.
Han Ji stepped into the elevator and held the button for him: “Let’s go.”