In an instant, Tan Chen thought he had misheard.
Kissing? Did Sang Suiyu just say kissing?
In the past, this was something Tan Chen wouldn’t have even dared to dream about. God only knew how much effort he had put into pushing Sang Suiyu’s boundaries step by step, yet he had never dared to make this leap.
His pupils contracted slightly, and he looked down in disbelief—he had never felt that something he desired so desperately could be so effortlessly within reach.
This was even more extreme than what he had envisioned moments ago. For a brief second, he didn’t know whether he should be shocked that Sang Suiyu was willing to sacrifice so much for him, or if he should suppress the sudden surge of blood in his veins.
Yet Sang Suiyu was still staring at him earnestly, waiting for his answer. This forced Tan Chen to forcefully quell the overwhelming urges and images flooding his mind.
Then, he spoke slowly, “No.”
After a pause, he didn’t forget to add, “Whether I have or not—aren’t you the one who knows best?”
“So what now?” Only his slightly quickened breathing betrayed his hidden thoughts. “Are we going to kiss in front of my parents?”
“Yes,” Sang Suiyu nodded calmly. “Your parents know us very well. They naturally know that a lot of intimate gestures are things we do normally. Even if they know we’re in a relationship, seeing those won’t cause much of a stir.”
“But kissing will be very shocking to them. If we put on a show every now and then, they’ll eventually reach their breaking point.”
Every now and then? Tan Chen trembled even more, the rushing sound in his ears like crashing waves. He had never imagined the prospect could be so lavish.
No one knew the scorching heat bursting through his bones at that moment, nor the frantic way he was already calculating just how voraciously satisfied he would be when it actually happened.
Until Sang Suiyu’s next sentence followed: “Though we don’t actually need to kiss for real.”
“We just need to use stage angles to act it out for them.”
The atmosphere instantly froze.
Sang Suiyu, on the other hand, was crystal clear.
He understood from the very beginning that to achieve their goal as quickly as possible, they had to carry out such intimate acts.
But after all, they weren’t a real couple; there were certain things they couldn’t actually do. In fact, just thinking about the feeling of doing it for real gave Sang Suiyu an indescribable, strange sensation in his heart.
Before he had time to carefully ponder it, he found it difficult to sort out this feeling, so he simply buried it deep in his mind and focused entirely on researching how to act it out.
The theory wasn’t difficult, and there were endless methods to choose from, though he hadn’t actually put them into practice yet.
“I saw it in a video before,” he said, straightening his posture.
Since they had been demonstrating levels of intimacy just moments ago, they were already standing very close. It made it easy for him to place his hand against Tan Chen’s cheek to demonstrate, “If I just press my thumb over your lips like this…”
Who knew that before he could even do anything with his finger against Tan Chen’s lips, he would run right into Tan Chen’s deep, dark gaze.
Inexplicably, even though not a word was spoken, he somehow felt a subtle sense of resentment.
Sang Suiyu: ?
Sang Suiyu probed, “Can you accept this?”
Accept what? Accept going from real to fake? Accept finally seeing a glimmer of hope, only to be cast back into the endless night a second later?
The words ‘I can’t accept this’ almost burst from Tan Chen’s mouth. The dark turbulence in his eyes surged repeatedly, but in the end, he forced out a dry laugh. “Let’s try it.”
“Really?” Sang Suiyu said uncertainly. “You look like you’re having a hard time.”
That follow-up question almost made Tan Chen stare deeply at him. But in the end, he said nothing, merely lifting his chin to signal Sang Suiyu to continue.
Sang Suiyu quickly leaned in closer. In an instant, Tan Chen felt the soft pressure of his finger pad, and his gaze effortlessly fell onto his bright, full lips.
He tilted his head slightly, letting Sang Suiyu’s finger drag across his face before he could pull it away. Feeling the trace of intimacy, Tan Chen managed a brief reconciliation with his desire.
Forget it. Even though he was filled with restlessness and disappointment, his remaining sanity pulled him back.
After all, those suppressed, tangled thoughts had already been buried for a long time.
He could let them lurk in the depths a little longer.
A few days later came the agreed day to visit Tan Chen’s parents again.
In truth, Sang Suiyu used to feel very happy whenever he visited Tan Chen’s parents.
Ever since he agreed to put on this act with Tan Chen, going to see them filled him with a sense of desperate doom. Not to mention this time, they were going specifically to hit them with something heavy.
Having built up enough psychological preparation in the car beforehand, Sang Suiyu finally followed Tan Chen out of the vehicle, still whispering strategy to him up to the last second: “When we first walk in, don’t say anything, and don’t do anything too extreme.”
“I know,” Tan Chen nodded. “We have to wait for them to notice on their own.”
This meeting was arranged as a meal at home. Tan Chen had made the phone call because Sang Suiyu wasn’t sure about his parents’ current attitude, fearing his own voice might set off their tempers.
However, Tan Chen’s call hadn’t gone smoothly either. His parents’ attitude on the other end was bizarrely cold; upon learning they were coming back to eat, they responded stiffly with a few words before hanging up.
The more unpredictable they seemed, the more cautious Sang Suiyu became. Not only did he rehearse with Tan Chen repeatedly, but he also finalized the exact timeline for their performance.
Acting overly clingy right in front of Tan Chen’s parents would seem too fake. Even if they might get blinded by rage on the spot, once they calmed down, they would definitely feel something was off.
So, they planned to act normally during the first half of the meal, and then find an opportunity to pretend to be intimate—just in time to be “accidentally” caught red-handed.
Having reached an agreement, Sang Suiyu and Tan Chen stepped into the villa once more.
Tan Chen’s parents were sitting in the living room waiting for them. The moment they heard the door open, their bodies tensed almost imperceptibly.
Their eyes landed on Sang Suiyu first. Seeing that his complexion wasn’t as good as before, their hearts sank heavily.
When he walked in side-by-side with Tan Chen, his parents immediately stood up. Perhaps because the movement was too abrupt, it gave off an aggressive vibe.
In reality, however, it was purely a mixture of worry and shock.
Ever since their last small meeting in the study, they had been overjoyed, fully accepting the fact that Sang Suiyu was their future son-in-law. They had even been eager for the two to advance their relationship faster.
Yet, Tan Chen’s foul temper had a track record. Amid their excitement, they couldn’t completely set aside their doubts: How on earth did Tan Chen pull this off?
He couldn’t have used emotional coercion or bribery, could he? The moment this thought popped up, it scared them so much their expressions changed drastically. They wished they could drag Tan Chen back immediately to interrogate him, yet they feared causing too much of a scene that might put Sang Suiyu in an uncomfortable position.
Therefore, the sudden news that they were coming over for dinner was like a pillow delivered to a sleepy head. They were standing by, ready to cautiously test the waters, only to see Sang Suiyu looking exhausted and clearly weighed down by worry.
! It was as if their worst suspicions had been confirmed in an instant.
Tan Chen’s parents felt like they had been struck by lightning. Unable to believe their son could actually commit such a beastly act, they almost jumped up to berate him on the spot.
However, Sang Suiyu sensed the storm brewing in the air. His heart thudding, he decisively stepped forward to block Tan Chen, looking up to greet them, “Auntie, Uncle.”
“I’m sorry to bother you again. We came over for dinner.”
When he raised his eyes, he inadvertently revealed faint dark circles underneath from his recent lack of sleep. Seeing this, Tan Chen’s parents felt their breath hitch, their hearts nearly breaking.
Ever more certain that their son was the culprit, the parents took a deep breath and forced their emotions down, deciding not to make a scene in front of Sang Suiyu to avoid hurting him further.
The four of them sat down at the dining table, each harboring their own hidden motives.
The atmosphere around Tan Chen’s parents seemed heavy and tense. Because their minds were frantically replaying their anxieties, they even forgot to scoop food into Sang Suiyu’s bowl like they usually did.
Suddenly deprived of his usual spoiled treatment, Sang Suiyu couldn’t help peeking at them twice, only to run into their seemingly angry glares before quickly looking away.
Sensing this cold attitude, Sang Suiyu felt weirdly relieved in his heart.
After all, their expressions the last time had been far too strange—so strange he had almost worried his plan hadn’t worked. But looking at it now, they clearly still couldn’t accept a boy as their child’s partner.
Thus, when the meal reached its second half, the plan proceeded as scheduled.
Sang Suiyu stood up first, making an excuse that he was going to the kitchen to drink some water. Shortly after, Tan Chen also stood up under his parents’ burning gazes and followed him over.
Waiting until their figures were completely out of sight, Qing Qing finally withdrew her gaze, only to jump up in shock at the amount of food left on the table.
“Did you see Yuyu’s leftover food?” She hurriedly grabbed her husband. “He barely ate anything!”
“I saw!” Tan Deming said in shock. “Could it really be because he’s been so troubled lately?”
Over the years, the four of them had sat at the same table for dinner countless times, but they had never seen Sang Suiyu lose his appetite like this.
Sang Suiyu had a strong inner core and stable emotions; no matter what happened, it never affected his eating habits. In this regard, no one across both families could compare to him.
Yet now, even he barely touched his chopsticks. Combined with the faint bruises under his eyes earlier, as well as the mystery of why he had agreed to date Tan Chen in the first place, the couple saw an unbelievable yet definite conclusion in each other’s eyes.
This won’t do! The couple’s chests heaved with a mix of distress and anger; they absolutely had to get to the bottom of this.
Seeing that the two of them hadn’t come out of the kitchen for quite a while, Qing Qing took the lead and stood up, cautiously taking a few steps toward the area.
The living room on the first floor was huge, with a considerable distance between the dining room and the kitchen. They were separated by an elegant, half-rolled bamboo curtain. After a few steps, one could partially see their actions through the gaps.
Qing Qing’s heart struggled briefly before she looked over, filled with self-reproach—only for her pupils to quiver slightly in shock. “…”
After reaching the kitchen, Sang Suiyu actually took a sip of water.
In order to repeatedly rehearse today’s scene, Sang Suiyu really hadn’t slept well recently. To make matters worse, a small blister had popped inside his mouth, making it painful even to drink water, let alone eat properly.
Just as he set his water glass down, Tan Chen strode over from behind, his tall frame casting a shadow that trapped him directly in the corner.
When Sang Suiyu turned around, Tan Chen reached out to cradle his face, affectionately nuzzling against his lips—only to bump into the palm Sang Suiyu raised to block him.
“Wait a second!” Sang Suiyu stopped him in shock. “Your parents haven’t even walked over yet. Why are you kissing already?”
“It’s not real anyway,” Tan Chen’s eyes darkened with hidden surging emotions.
The scene of Sang Suiyu personally bringing up the topic of kissing a few days ago was still vivid in his mind. Although facts proved later that Tan Chen’s emotions had merely been toyed with, the wild, frantic flutter in his heart back then had been slow to dissipate.
It had left him somewhat distracted over the past few days. That impulse was threatening to spill out uncontrollably again, forcing him to face his own desires head-on.
He had to admit—he was still unwilling to give up.