This was their first kiss after reuniting.
Lu Jing looked at Lin Shen, raising an eyebrow slightly. “What’s wrong?”
Confirming that Lu Jing’s expression held no hint of a joke, Lin Shen’s heart raced wildly. Forcing himself to relax, he turned and pointed toward the bathroom. “N-nothing… I’m going to shower.”
With that, he dashed into the bathroom.
The sound of the showerhead running water emerged only after a while. Lu Jing walked to the wardrobe, laid the suitcase flat, and began taking clothes out one by one to hang inside.
Both Lu Jing and Lin Shen didn’t have many clothes, so one wardrobe was just enough for the two of them.
After organizing the wardrobe, Lu Jing tidied up the other furnishings in the room briefly. Once done, he picked up Lin Shen’s script and started reading it. On the table was a pen Lin Shen usually used for annotations. Holding it in his right hand, Lu Jing occasionally added a few notes beside Lin Shen’s handwriting whenever he had thoughts.
He had added notes across several pages, yet Lin Shen still hadn’t emerged. Lu Jing tapped the pen with his index finger, growing somewhat concerned.
Several more minutes passed, and there was still no sign of Lin Shen coming out. Lu Jing set down what he was holding and walked to the bathroom door.
He knocked. “Lin Shen?”
A voice quickly responded from inside, though it sounded somewhat unnatural. “I’m here.”
Lu Jing frowned. “Did something happen?”
After a moment of silence, there was no reply. Lu Jing’s heart rose to his throat. Just as he was about to force the door open, Lin Shen spoke again. “I’m fine.”
Lu Jing still wasn’t entirely reassured. “You’ve been in there for over half an hour.”
“Um…” Lin Shen hesitated before speaking. “I forgot to bring a change of clothes when I came in. Could you help me get some?”
So that was it.
Lu Jing’s heart settled back down.
“Alright, wait a moment.”
Lu Jing fetched a set of pajamas for Lin Shen and walked to the bathroom door. As he raised his hand to knock, he suddenly remembered something.
“Lin Shen.”
“Hmm?”
Lu Jing looked at the pajamas in his hand and asked, “Did you bring a change of underwear?”
Inside the bathroom, Lin Shen’s ears and neck flushed crimson. The mirror reflected his burning face, like the most vivid afterglow beneath a setting sun.
“No,” Lin Shen’s voice grew softer and softer. “The underwear is in the drawer compartment next to the wardrobe, the second layer.”
Lu Jing acknowledged and, following his instructions, found the spot. He pulled open the drawer, selected a pair of underwear that matched the color of the pajamas, and placed it together with the pajamas.
Returning to the bathroom door, Lu Jing knocked.
A moment later, the door opened slightly. A pink-tinted arm extended from the gap, fingers slightly spread, cautiously stopping in front of Lu Jing.
Lu Jing’s gaze fixed on that fair, delicate arm. For a moment, he nearly forgot why he was standing there.
A full five seconds passed before Lu Jing placed the clothes in Lin Shen’s hand.
Lin Shen took the clothes and immediately pulled his hand back, nearly dropping them in his haste.
After grabbing the clothes and closing the door as quickly as possible, Lin Shen hugged them to his chest and hurriedly called out to the other side, “Thank you.”
Lu Jing’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he replied in a low, husky voice, “No problem.”
Lin Shen was too distracted to notice anything else at that moment; otherwise, he would have realized that Lu Jing’s voice sounded different from usual.
Even before losing his memory, Lin Shen had only heard that kind of voice from Lu Jing during certain special moments.
After changing his clothes and taking several deep breaths to ensure the flush on his face had mostly faded, Lin Shen slowly opened the door and stepped out.
Lu Jing was sitting in a chair by the window, flipping through a script. Hearing the sound, he looked up at Lin Shen and said softly, “Remember to dry your hair before sleeping.”
Having stayed in the bathroom for so long, Lin Shen’s hair was no longer very wet, at least not dripping.
He nodded and walked over to the socket with the hairdryer.
Just as he plugged it in, Lu Jing entered the bathroom behind him.
Only when he heard the sound of the shower turning on did Lin Shen let out a sigh of relief, relaxing slightly.
His hair wasn’t too long, so it didn’t take much time to go from slightly damp to completely dry. By the time he put down the hairdryer, Lu Jing hadn’t come out yet.
While drying his hair, Lin Shen noticed that the wardrobe, which had originally held only his clothes, was now half-filled with another person’s belongings. It truly sank in that Lu Jing would indeed be staying with him during this time.
Giving up the large bed on the 28th floor and the already booked room, squeezing into this small space with him—all just to be together.
Lin Shen felt as if something had lightly and gently brushed against his heart, leaving a faint, ticklish sensation.
He glanced at the bed. It wasn’t particularly large, but it could still fit two people, though they might need to lie close together.
After arranging the pillows, Lin Shen lifted a corner of the blanket and slipped inside, staring blankly at the ceiling with nothing to do.
When Lu Jing came out, drying his hair, this was the adorable scene he saw.
“Not sleepy yet?”
The air conditioning was set a bit low, so Lin Shen had completely buried himself under the blanket, leaving only his head exposed.
His idol and husband, whom he hadn’t seen for over half a month, had suddenly shown up at his workplace, was staying with him, and was about to share the same bed—who could possibly fall asleep under such circumstances?
That’s what Lin Shen thought to himself, but he only said, “Mm, not really sleepy yet.”
“Not sleepy at all?”
Lin Shen wasn’t sure why Lu Jing was asking this, but he replied, “Mm, not sleepy.”
“Then come help me dry my hair.”
Lu Jing brought the hairdryer to the bedside and handed it to Lin Shen.
Lin Shen took it in a daze.
After a moment, he sat up in bed, plugged it in, and turned on the warm setting. “Tell me if it’s too hot.”
“Okay.”
The hairdryer hummed in Lin Shen’s hand, and Lu Jing’s hair swayed with the airflow. Occasionally, a few droplets of water splashed out, landing on Lin Shen’s hand.
This was the first time Lin Shen had touched Lu Jing’s hair.
Lu Jing’s hair was thick and of excellent quality, soft and pleasant to the touch.
Warm yellow light spilled over the two of them, their connected shadows dotting the floor.
Even with the roaring wind in his ears, Lu Jing didn’t find it the slightest bit noisy. Feeling Lin Shen’s hand tousling his hair, he even wanted to close his eyes in contentment.
As the sound of the hairdryer gradually faded, Lu Jing turned his head, smiling as he took the hairdryer. “Thanks for the hard work. Next time, I’ll dry your hair.”
Lin Shen, accustomed to being independent, instinctively wanted to say it wasn’t necessary, but the image flashed through his mind, and it actually felt quite nice.
So, almost as if possessed, Lin Shen replied, “Okay.”
The smile on Lu Jing’s lips widened. He stood up and ruffled Lin Shen’s hair. “Mm, it’s settled. No backing out.”
“No backing out.”
“Not just this—no backing out on anything.”
Confusion filled Lin Shen’s eyes as he looked at Lu Jing.
Lu Jing said, “And you can’t back out on what you promised me in the video either.”
Lin Shen almost immediately understood what Lu Jing meant by “what you promised me in the video.”
A goodnight kiss.
On the forehead.
His gaze drifted away, no longer meeting Lu Jing’s eyes, and his voice grew much softer. “I never said I’d back out.”
After putting away the hairdryer, Lu Jing climbed into bed from the other side, squeezing into the same blanket as Lin Shen.
Neither of them lay down, instead leaning halfway against the headboard. Lu Jing asked, “Are you cold?”
The air conditioner vent blew in their direction. Lin Shen said, “A little.”
Lu Jing picked up the remote and turned up the temperature. The wall clock had already passed one in the morning.
“What time is your first scene tomorrow?” Lu Jing asked.
Lin Shen replied, “Eight o’clock.”
It seemed Lu Jing still had something else to say, but thinking about Lin Shen’s early start the next day, he finally said, “Let’s get some sleep.”
Lin Shen hummed in agreement.
Suddenly, Lu Jing leaned in close and whispered against Lin Shen’s forehead, “Goodnight.”
As soon as the words left his lips, a warm kiss was pressed onto Lin Shen’s forehead.
In that instant, Lin Shen felt as if he could hear the frantic beating of his own heart.
Even after Lu Jing pulled away, every sensory cell in Lin Shen’s body remained focused on that small patch of skin on his forehead.
This was their first kiss since reuniting after their separation.
Though it was undeniably sweet and tender, the thought of what came next still made Lin Shen uneasy, his eyes unable to meet Lu Jing’s gaze.
Lu Jing didn’t pull back far. His husky voice seemed to press against Lin Shen’s ear, invading his eardrums.
“Can I claim the reward I asked for now?”
Lin Shen drew in a slow breath and, surrounded by Lu Jing’s scent, nodded.
Lu Jing’s eyes held a smile as he quietly awaited the long-anticipated moment.
Lin Shen closed his eyes, braced his hands on the bed, leaned slightly forward, and pressed his thin lips to Lu Jing’s forehead.