Bo Jin’s apartment was about 170 square meters, and since he lived alone, he had knocked down all the south-facing walls between the bedrooms, making the master bedroom spacious enough to easily accommodate two people.
As Xie Ruan hung up the clothes he’d brought, he couldn’t help but glance at the large bed in the middle of the room from the corner of his eye.
Before coming, he was full of courage and anticipation for the future. But now…
He swallowed unconsciously.
I mean… with the two of them, young and full of energy, sharing a bed every night… could nothing really happen?
Trust Bo Jin to have self-control?
Hilarious—an old rascal like him, self-control?
“What are you looking at?” Bo Jin strolled over with his long strides and ruffled Xie Ruan’s hair. “Eager to hop in already?”
“Who’s eager!” Xie Ruan quickly looked away, awkwardly slamming the closet door shut. He pulled open a drawer to put away a charging cable, but froze when he saw what was inside.
“Wh-why did you buy so many of these?”
The custom oversized drawer was filled with packs of condoms—various brands, all with bold, provocative packaging, the kind that Xie Ruan would usually glance at in a supermarket before quickly looking away.
“To use, of course.” Bo Jin grabbed his hand before he could pull away, sat down on the bed confidently, and with a strong tug, pulled Xie Ruan onto his lap, peppering kisses along his neck. “What else?”
He paused, then chuckled. “But if you’d rather not use them, that works too. I’d love to be a little closer to you.”
He emphasized the word “closer,” letting the sound linger on his tongue in a suggestive, seductive way.
Xie Ruan shuddered slightly, unsure if it was from embarrassment or the ticklish kisses. Instinctively, he tried to turn his head away, but Bo Jin held his waist, pushing him down onto the bed.
“Bo Jin…” Xie Ruan gasped, bracing himself just as Bo Jin leaned over him.
“Happy today?” Bo Jin murmured between kisses on Xie Ruan’s cheek and lips.
Xie Ruan’s breathing was ragged, his mind slightly foggy.
It took him a moment to realize what Bo Jin meant.
Happy? In the beginning, when he left his house, he wasn’t exactly happy—there was a sense of sadness, even.
After all, Chen Wei had been his mom, and for a long time, they’d depended on each other. It was impossible to feel nothing when she looked at him coldly or with resentment.
But that sadness had faded as soon as he set foot in Bo Jin’s home.
The half-empty closet, the double set of everyday items, the matching loungewear and slippers—everything showed that Bo Jin had long been preparing for their future together, even when he himself wasn’t sure.
With someone who cared about him this much, why would he still need to chase after the little love left for him from Chen Wei?
Xie Ruan placed his hand on Bo Jin’s shoulder, a gesture halfway between pushing him away and holding him close.
He fluttered his lashes slightly, and, without his usual defensiveness, softly whispered, “Yes.”
“You’re being so good today,” Bo Jin said, his hand slipping under Xie Ruan’s shirt, lingering at his waist. “How about a little more happiness?”
Even more?
Xie Ruan’s breath quickened, staring at him in a daze.
He was already weak from earlier, his eyes misty and his lips softening as he lost his usual sharpness. He looked like a gentle fawn stepping out of the woods, innocent and endearing.
The sight stirred Bo Jin even more, his restraint barely holding.
He leaned down, nipping at Xie Ruan’s collarbone, and carried him toward the bathroom. “You’ll see soon enough.”
White steam filled the bathroom, accompanied by the soft sound of running water, occasionally punctuated by quiet whimpers that hinted at gentle teasing.
Xie Ruan clutched at Bo Jin’s hair, his eyes half-lidded, body shivering as he tried to steady himself.
After some time, Bo Jin leaned down, wanting to kiss him again.
Xie Ruan quickly turned his head away.
Bo Jin chuckled at the obvious rejection. “Oh, come on now, baby. You’re just going to leave me hanging?”
Xie Ruan’s heart was racing, and he tried to steady his breathing so it wasn’t so obvious.
“I…”
“Hmm?” Bo Jin’s hand traced his waist, drawing out the last bit of lingering warmth.
Feeling Bo Jin’s unmistakable presence against his thigh, Xie Ruan swallowed and lowered his head to Bo Jin’s shoulder, whispering, “I’ll help.”
Bo Jin’s eyes gleamed with a spark of desire. He tugged Xie Ruan’s hair, making him look up. “How exactly?”
Xie Ruan didn’t answer.
Bo Jin’s fingers trailed along his lower lip, toying with his tongue, a playful yet pointed gesture. “Well?”
Xie Ruan averted his eyes, the tips of his ears burning red.
Finally, he slowly crouched down.
When they finally rushed to school, it was nearly time for evening study hall.
He Mingjie pulled out a half-full box of duck necks. “Saved these for you two. But…where’d you guys go? What took so long?” He grinned as if proud of his efforts. “Good thing I grabbed some before the pack finished them off.”
“Had dinner,” Bo Jin replied nonchalantly, slipping on a pair of disposable gloves and grabbing a piece of duck neck.
“Not sharing?” He Mingjie muttered before eagerly offering some to Xie Ruan, “Come on, dig in, Little Xie! Don’t hold back.”
Xie Ruan simply shook his head to refuse.
“What’s up?” He Mingjie asked, confused. Xie Ruan had enjoyed eating duck neck before. Thinking Xie Ruan was just being picky, he scratched his head and explained, “Don’t worry, this isn’t leftovers.”
Noticing Xie Ruan’s reddening ears, Bo Jin stifled a laugh and joined in with He Mingjie, asking, “Little Xie, you want some?”
Xie Ruan shot him a fierce glare and, with no other choice, replied in a hoarse voice, “I’ve got a cold, so I can’t eat spicy food.”
Xie Ruan silently cursed himself for being so sensitive. Even though they’d both been involved in that earlier incident, he was the only one left in this state.
He Mingjie, startled by Xie Ruan’s raspy voice, said, “Wow, that sounds serious. I’ve got some banlangen—want me to make you a cup?”
He Mingjie’s enthusiasm came at a very inconvenient time. Embarrassed, Xie Ruan coughed awkwardly and quickly turned away. “No need, it’ll clear up in a few days.”
“Come on, don’t be so formal with me,” He Mingjie said as he rummaged through his bag, pulling out a few packets of banlangen that his mom had packed for him. “Here, better not let a small cold turn into something worse.”
Left with no choice, Xie Ruan accepted them awkwardly.
Thankfully, He Mingjie’s attention span was short; he was soon distracted by something else and stopped focusing on Xie Ruan’s voice.
Xie Ruan let out a sigh of relief and was about to take a sip of water to calm himself when Bo Jin tossed a disposable glove his way. “Open up. Let me have a look.”
The two of them had left in such a hurry earlier that he hadn’t noticed anything amiss. But now, out in the cold air, it seemed worse.
“No need.” Xie Ruan wasn’t thick-skinned enough to let Bo Jin inspect his throat in front of the whole class and shook his head in refusal.
“Hurry up,” Bo Jin turned his face gently but firmly. “Don’t make me do it myself.”
Knowing Bo Jin’s shameless nature, who knew what he meant by “doing it himself.”
After a brief standoff, Xie Ruan finally gave in.
He opened his mouth slightly, signaling Bo Jin to hurry up.
Bo Jin leaned in and took a careful look. Nothing seemed wrong—no redness or swelling. Relieved, he thought to himself that he knew his limits, even if he’d been on the edge. The hoarseness in Xie Ruan’s voice only meant one thing—
He gave a slight squeeze to Xie Ruan’s soft earlobe and chuckled, “Such a delicate thing.”
Xie Ruan, annoyed by the term, almost retorted that it was Bo Jin’s size that was the problem, but he swallowed the words before they slipped out. Saying that would sound like a compliment!
“Hey, did you guys hear? Something happened with Shen Xingyun’s family,” Sun Haoxiang suddenly said mysteriously from behind, lifting his head from his phone.
Xie Ruan’s attention immediately shifted.
Could it be that Bo Jin’s email from before had some effect?
Sure enough, in the next second, they heard Sun Haoxiang continue.
“Tax evasion, huge fines.” He showed the group the news on his phone, laughing gleefully. “And that’s not all—they got caught leaking customer data abroad. The investigation is still ongoing, and it looks like more fines are on the way.”
He Mingjie grabbed the phone, reading quickly. “You’re really on top of things, huh?”
Sun Haoxiang lifted his chin proudly. “Of course. Who do you think you’re talking to?”
In truth, the students only knew a fraction of it. The situation at the Shen household was far worse. Tax evasion could be resolved by paying fines, but leaking customer data was a different story.
These past few days, Father Shen had been desperate, exhausting every connection he could find, but no one wanted to help.
After all, no one wanted to risk being branded a traitor to the nation.
Father Shen was frantic, chain-smoking one cigarette after another, losing 10 pounds in less than a month. Even Mother Shen had stopped going to the salon, looking haggard and tired, with bags under her eyes that seemed to weigh her face down, befitting her age.
Under these circumstances, even someone as clueless as Shen Xingyun was starting to notice the crisis at home.
Lately, his mind had been a mess; he couldn’t concentrate on anything, let alone keep up with Xie Ruan.
But, for some reason, despite trying to avoid it, news about Xie Ruan and Bo Jin kept reaching his ears. Even when he opened the school forum, people were gossiping about those two.
“D*mn it! Just won’t leave me alone.” Shen Xingyun irritably tossed his phone aside, too annoyed to keep looking at it, and decided to rest his head on the desk for a quick nap.
The atmosphere at home had been unbearably tense lately. Every time he went back, his mom would go on about the company being in trouble, about the family running out of money, making his mind race with worry and even keeping him up at night.
Just as he laid down, his phone suddenly buzzed. Shen Xingyun didn’t want to look, but he also didn’t want to miss any news from home. Running a hand through his hair, he reluctantly picked up his phone again.
To his surprise, the message was from an unknown number—not in his contacts.
It wasn’t a message on WeChat or QQ either, but a regular text.
“What the h*ck, who even sends texts anymore except for Taobao…” He unlocked the phone and opened it.
Shen Xingyun’s eyes widened.
The message contained only a few words:
*“Do you want to break up Bo Jin and Xie Ruan?”*
Who was this, hiding in the shadows? And what did their breakup have to do with him!
Shen Xingyun scoffed and slapped his phone back onto the desk.
Ever since Xie Ruan had beaten him up on the rooftop, he hadn’t had any lingering thoughts about him.
If anything, there was resentment.
But…
Shen Xingyun licked his dry lips and, on impulse, picked up his phone again. Causing some trouble for those two wouldn’t be so bad. Why should he be suffering here while they were so happy together?
Before his brain could catch up, his hands had already sent a reply.
“How?”
