Xie Ruan wasn’t even sure why he’d run over.
He just felt an overwhelming urge to hold Bo Jin, to shield him from harm, so no one could ever hurt him again.
With each tightening of his arms around Bo Jin, Xie Ruan clung to him, feeling the firmness of his muscles and the steady beat of his heart, grateful beyond words. Although this person had suffered, he had grown up strong, and now, Xie Ruan had the chance to know him.
“What’s up, babe? Missed me?” Bo Jin teased gently, not letting this pleasant surprise cloud his judgment.
He had keenly sensed that something was off with Xie Ruan’s emotions.
Considering Xie Ruan had mentioned he’d be visiting family today, Bo Jin furrowed his brow. Had something unpleasant happened with his relatives? It wasn’t impossible; restructured families had their issues, and Xie Ruan’s mother wasn’t exactly protective of him.
How many times had this happened?
Bo Jin felt a twinge of heaviness in his chest as he looked at Xie Ruan’s little cowlick on the top of his head, then teased him on purpose, “Did you run over here? Finally know what it feels like to miss someone after just a day apart?”
Normally, Xie Ruan would have jumped up to kick him or, at the very least, angrily retort. But this time, Xie Ruan just held him silently.
Something was definitely wrong.
Bo Jin took hold of Xie Ruan’s wrist, gently loosening his grip. “What happened? Tell me the truth.” He lifted Xie Ruan’s chin to look closely at his expression, only to freeze at the sight of his red-rimmed eyes.
Xie Ruan was as stubborn as a mule, every bone in his body as hard as stone. Bo Jin had once joked that if Xie Ruan became an underground operative, even if he were captured and tortured, he wouldn’t give up a single word.
Yet today, that same Xie Ruan was in front of him, his eyes rimmed with red.
D*mn!
Bo Jin swore under his breath, feeling a surge of murderous intent.
He took a deep breath, suppressing his agitation, and patiently asked again, “What’s wrong, Xingxing?”
Seeing that Xie Ruan still didn’t respond, he narrowed his eyes, letting his gaze fall on Xie Ruan’s lips, a smirk forming. “Still won’t talk? Are you forcing me to use some special means to pry your mouth open?”
Pry open his mouth…
Xie Ruan swallowed nervously.
How would he do that? With what?
Thinking of Bo Jin’s usual ways, Xie Ruan’s lips tingled, and his face flushed bright red.
A soft chuckle reached his ears, and when Xie Ruan looked up, he met Bo Jin’s amused gaze.
“What are you blushing for?” Bo Jin asked, clearly enjoying the moment, his voice dropping lower, more teasing. “Didn’t think you’d be so eager, Little Xie. Come on, come on—”
“No, no, no!”
Xie Ruan took a step back, putting some distance between them, his earlier tenderness quickly dissolving with Bo Jin’s teasing.
“I just came to see you.”
Remembering why he’d come, the redness on Xie Ruan’s face faded. He wasn’t good at making people happy or saying sweet things, and Song Xinghe always teased him for being uptight, but—
Looking at Bo Jin in front of him, Xie Ruan felt a bitter ache in his heart.
He was incredibly grateful that Bo Jin was still a baby when that awful event happened, sparing him the painful memories. Otherwise, to be adopted happily, thinking he’d gain a new family, only to face abuse and rejection in less than six months—it would’ve left a terrible scar.
Those wretched foster parents were truly monsters.
Xie Ruan pressed his lips together. If he could, he’d give all the happiness in the world to Bo Jin.
“I—I…” Xie Ruan took a deep breath, trying to steady his voice so it wouldn’t shake from nerves. “I’m going to apply to the same university as you. I have a year, and if I work hard, I should make it.”
“If it doesn’t work out,” he paused, meeting Bo Jin’s gaze with a serious, focused expression, as though making an important promise, “I’ll move to your city and pick a university close to you. I don’t want you to have to go back and forth. I’ll come find you.”
Bo Jin stared at Xie Ruan, dumbfounded.
Before pursuing Xie Ruan, he’d binge-watched classic romance movies and learned about various ways to confess.
The cheesy ones involved writing love letters and arranging candlelit setups; the extravagant ones included renting out cinemas or fancy restaurants.
All were enthusiastically recommended by Pan Yu, who claimed they were romantic must-dos for couples.
But it was only today that he realized no matter how beautiful the scenes on screen or how charming the words were, they couldn’t compare to Xie Ruan saying, “I’ll come find you.”
Xie Ruan was stubborn, and a bit awkward, too. Bo Jin had been prepared for a long pursuit, knowing he’d have to put in the effort to win over the person he liked. And he was more than willing to do so.
But today, on this unremarkable evening, as he was on a break between rounds in his game, the door to his home was suddenly knocked.
Then Xie Ruan stood before him, taking the initiative to hold his hand for the first time.
Xie Ruan, gathering all the courage he had, finally expressed his true feelings. But—
One second, half a minute, then a full minute passed, and Bo Jin didn’t react at all.
What was he doing?
Xie Ruan was shouting in his mind. Spacing out? Who spaces out at a time like this?
Say something already!
The warmth that had faded returned to Xie Ruan’s cheeks, now mixed with a faint sense of frustration. His first instinct was to kick him, as he would normally. But just as his leg tensed, a thought crossed his mind.
Maybe Bo Jin hadn’t understood what he meant?
Even though he thought he’d been pretty clear, what if? Bo Jin had never been in a relationship, and maybe he believed that love had to be expressed in words to be a real confession.
But… he couldn’t say it out loud.
Xie Ruan stole a glance at Bo Jin, then, mustering up his resolve, grabbed his hand again. He wasn’t even sure what he was saying: “What I mean is exactly what you think it means. Do you get it? I mean, if you agree that we—”
Before he could finish, Bo Jin pulled him into his arms and, without any warning, kissed him.
“You—you b*stard…” Xie Ruan tried to turn his head away, struggling against him, his face red as a tomato, unsure if it was from embarrassment or frustration. “The door’s open! The door!”
“Mm,” Bo Jin held his face, kissing the corners of his lips, his voice muffled but as shameless as ever, “Let them envy.”
Xie Ruan: “…”
Who wants that kind of attention?!
How could Bo Jin be so thick-skinned?
Xie Ruan turned his head, reaching for the doorknob.
It wasn’t that he feared being mocked for dating a guy. The moment he’d decided to be with Bo Jin, he was ready. Even in an accepting society, same-sex love wasn’t mainstream.
He was just too embarrassed!
Being seen while kissing… Xie Ruan felt like he’d burst into flames just imagining it.
As he was about to succeed, his hand in mid-air was suddenly caught by Bo Jin.
“Bo Jin, stop pushing it!”
“So what if I am,” Bo Jin said with a gentle shove, pinning him against the wall with an undeniably dominant posture, looking down at him. “Who says I can’t?”
“Get lost!”
“Oh.” Bo Jin smirked, kicking the half-open door even wider.
Xie Ruan’s eyes widened.
Bo Jin asked again, “So, can I?”
Xie Ruan turned his head, refusing to answer.
“Stubborn,” Bo Jin nodded, then took a couple of steps toward the door as if to open it wider.
Xie Ruan grabbed him, clearly so embarrassed he could almost sink into the ground, but still putting on a brave front: “Don’t go overboard.”
“This is overboard?” Bo Jin shook his head and sighed. “That’s my fault—I should have shown you more. Tonight, the stars have aligned…”
“Bo Jin!”
“Hm.”
Xie Ruan’s ears turned bright red, nearly dripping with heat. He tugged at the corner of Bo Jin’s clothes, pleading softly, “…Older Brother.”
Someone usually so firm suddenly giving in—that was truly something.
Bo Jin clenched his teeth and, as requested, closed the door. Then, he lifted Xie Ruan’s chin and said in a low voice, “Open your mouth.”
The motion sensor lights flicked off after receiving no signal, leaving only the sound of their quick breaths and wet sounds, interspersed with a few muffled whimpers, soon swallowed up again.
Moonlight streamed through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating their intertwined shadows against the wall.
In the darkness, Bo Jin’s hoarse voice was clear: “Do you like me?”
After a long pause, a quiet reply came: “…I do.”
