BSS CH 8

Kissing

Cheng Jing found it hard to communicate normally when he was in pain. It was as if the constant struggle with his discomfort had dulled his awareness of anything else happening around him.

Liang Jingmin, on the other hand, was someone with little patience. Faced with Cheng Jing’s silence, his anger flared almost reflexively.

As he looked at Cheng Jing lying in bed, connected to an IV drip, his thin face and prominent blue veins visible, Liang Jingmin fought to suppress his emotions and said, “Come back with me.”

At those words, Cheng Jing, who had been cold all over, broke out in a sweat.

Without warning, he recalled the dim room of the lakeside villa. The memories of lust and humidity overwhelmed him, and he couldn’t control his body.

“I won’t go…” he whispered, his hands gripping the sheets beneath the quilt as his eyelashes trembled violently, like leaves in a gust of wind.

His pupils were so light in color that it was hard for anyone to discern his emotions. But after he spoke, fear practically poured out of his eyes.

Liang Jingmin lowered his head slightly, mustering the last of his patience, and said gently, “You can’t take care of yourself alone.”

After his words hung in the air, the room fell silent, save for the ticking of the second hand on the wall clock.

“Is that the reason?” Cheng Jing asked, raising his gaze to meet Liang Jingmin’s, using that same look the other man loathed—peaceful, but provocatively so.

“That’s part of it,” Liang Jingmin replied, his voice growing heavier. “The other reason is, you don’t have a choice.”

When Cheng Jing didn’t respond, Liang Jingmin continued slowly, “After you collapsed in the rain, I called your parents. I told them you were fine, just a cold. But I could call them right now and have a nice, long chat about your current… situation.”

Liang Jingmin emphasized the phrase “have a nice, long chat” deliberately, savoring each word.

Cheng Jing suddenly realized how rare it was for Liang Jingmin to say so much at once. That realization only fueled his anger.

His face tightened as he struggled to find words. Liang Jingmin knew his weakness too well—he would never let his parents discover the life he was leading.

Liang Jingmin smiled, took a seat in the chair beside the bed, and leaned back casually. “Baby, I love seeing you angry.”

He knew exactly how to combine tenderness and force. “You’ve thrown enough tantrums. Once you recover, we’ll head back. By the end of the month, there’s a shareholders’ meeting, and we can grab something delicious at the Expo Park.”

Liang Jingmin’s words were meant to appease him. It had been years since outsiders had seen him lower his pride like this. But Cheng Jing remained unmoved, asking instead, “You brought me to the hospital yourself. Did you take time off for me?”

Liang Jingmin raised his eyebrows slightly. “I resigned for you.”

“Resigned?” Cheng Jing chuckled momentarily before anger shook his body. “Why? Who gave you the right, Liang Jingmin?”

This was exactly the sort of thing Liang Jingmin would do. It wasn’t the first time, so Cheng Jing wasn’t entirely surprised. But still, his anger bubbled to the surface.

Before Cheng Jing could continue his tirade, Liang Jingmin interrupted him. He stood up, grabbed Cheng Jing’s face with one hand, and pressed him firmly against the back of the bed. “Because you are my wife. Isn’t that reason enough?”

Cheng Jing spent a long time pondering why Liang Jingmin had even come.

At first, it made sense—Liang Jingmin had married him by force, wanting to keep him close, likely to torment him for a long time. But now, Cheng Jing couldn’t understand. Divorce would have been the best option for both of them, yet Liang Jingmin had traveled all this way to ruin his already pitiful life.

It would have been tolerable if Liang Jingmin didn’t love him. But to humiliate and torment him? That was too much. Cheng Jing was already suffering; why make it worse?

Cheng Jing sneered and closed his eyes. “What kind of wife am I? Aren’t you getting a new one?”

Liang Jingmin’s expression shifted slightly, and he asked, “Where did you hear that?”

“The news is everywhere. Am I not supposed to know?”

Liang Jingmin’s gaze remained fixed, resolute.

“Liang Yulin told me,” Cheng Jing answered indifferently. “To be honest, I don’t care about your little schemes. Wasn’t he the reason you insisted on marrying me? You must be sick of this by now, right?”

Cheng Jing leaned closer, almost whispering in Liang Jingmin’s ear. “Or do you just enjoy playing with men?”

Liang Jingmin’s expression remained unreadable, but there was a hint of excitement in his eyes, as if he had finally stirred some real emotion in Cheng Jing, and that alone made him feel victorious.

“Yes, Cheng Jing,” he replied provocatively, “Didn’t you know that from the start?”

His breath grew closer, and Cheng Jing’s heart began to race. Liang Jingmin’s words, now chilling, echoed in his ear. “Besides, weren’t you the one who liked me first? I remember how happy you were when I proposed.”

Cheng Jing fell silent, and only Liang Jingmin’s laughter filled the room. Emboldened, he continued, “I don’t have time to answer all of your wild accusations.” With that, he pulled out his phone and began dialing, right in front of Cheng Jing.

The number Liang Jingmin dialed was one Cheng Jing knew by heart. His mother had forced him to memorize it as a child. Now, seeing Liang Jingmin dialing it so confidently was a terrifying sight.

Liang Jingmin tapped the numbers slowly, giving Cheng Jing enough time to think. Every cold “beep” felt like slow torture.

Cheng Jing’s hands trembled even more violently.

Liang Jingmin met his eyes. After finishing the number, Cheng Jing still hadn’t spoken.

Later, Cheng Jing would reflect on why Liang Jingmin always won. Perhaps it had to do with his personality. He had learned, through his twisted and toxic family, how to stay calm and remain confident in high-stakes situations, always competing until the very last moment.

Just as Liang Jingmin’s hand reached for the screen, Cheng Jing grabbed his wrist.

“You win. I’ll go back with you,” Cheng Jing said, turning his head away, refusing to meet Liang Jingmin’s gaze.

Liang Jingmin’s eyes sparkled with pride as he gently cupped Cheng Jing’s face. “Okay, baby. Don’t be mad. You really can’t help venting your temper, can you?”

Liang Jingmin knew Cheng Jing too well—his weaknesses, his fears, his patterns of behavior. For instance, Cheng Jing’s initial questions were always a test. If Liang Jingmin didn’t provide a straight answer, he knew Cheng Jing wouldn’t push further. They were both too sharp and composed. A single glance saved them from the long, heart-wrenching arguments most couples endured for days.

Liang Jingmin never worried about how long these tricks would work. As long as Cheng Jing remained unchanged, he could keep playing this game indefinitely.

Cheng Jing’s throat tightened. He had said too much and gotten too emotional. Now, he suddenly clutched his stomach and retched.

His face twisted in discomfort, veins pulsing visibly at his temples, the blood rushing under his skin. He looked like a withered rose, desperate to spit out the thorns in his throat.

For a moment, Liang Jingmin panicked and moved to ring the bell for the doctor, but Cheng Jing waved him off and recovered quickly.

Seeing that he was fine, Liang Jingmin mocked, “Am I that disgusting to talk to?”

Cheng Jing, still breathless, could only reply in a hoarse voice, “A little.”

…

Perhaps because Cheng Jing’s reaction was too intense when he expressed his intention to take him back to the lakeside villa, or perhaps it was simply because it was closer, Liang Jingmin did not explain and took him directly back to the top floor apartment in the center of Xijing.

Cheng Jing had been here several times. Liang Jingmin had lived here alone before. In fact, it was much more convenient to live in a flat than a villa. At that time, the lakeside villa was just a temporary residence for summer vacation, but now it is a permanent residence.

The housekeeper returned to the villa, and there were only the two of them in the huge house.

Cheng Jing’s throat was better, but his cough was worse. Liang Jingmin made medicine for him and put him in bed, and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

Cheng Jing stepped on the ground barefoot. There was no dust. Liang Jingmin must have decided to come early in the morning and asked someone to clean it. They had been together all the time, but he didn’t even notice it.

The lakeside villa was too secluded. He liked it very much at first, but it seemed too lonely over time. This place was just right. Looking out from the French window of the bedroom, you can overlook the bustling night view of the capital city center.

He felt a little familiar for some reason. Only then did he remember that his former unit was in the next building and he was looking at the same scenery. No wonder it was familiar.

The location and conditions here are impeccable. The sunrise and sunset are beautiful. It only takes a few steps to go to work. It’s hard for Liang Jingmin to move out and choose to live in a lakeside villa with a commute of one and a half hours.

Cheng Jing listened to the sound of water in the distance and felt that the escapes in the past few days seemed like a dream. The location determines the memory. Once he returns to Xijing, the life in Yuecheng will be like the previous life.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t said goodbye to his classmates yet, and hadn’t finished the lesson he had prepared. When he was preparing the chemistry questions, he could feel a kind of calmness, which seemed to be a feeling that could only be had during his student days. The flashy Xijing didn’t have that kind of atmosphere.

He leaned on the bed and thought about the current situation, wondering what Liang Jingmin was going to do this time. At first, he looked very upset, but after returning to the apartment, he seemed very calm, as if nothing had happened.

Cheng Jing controlled himself not to think about what might happen, and only focused on the present. Liang Jingmin’s shower would not take too long, and it must be coming to an end now. Cheng Jing knew that there might be no chance today, and everything had to be considered in the long run.

He began to rummage carefully, and easily found a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the bedside table. Liang Jingmin, an elite, actually smoked, and sometimes smoked very hard. He was surprised when he first found out.

Cheng Jing lit the cigarette, and gray smoke rose. He didn’t smoke.

The faint light of the cigarette butt was reflected in Cheng Jing’s eyes. His eyes were very calm, like the calm eyes of a predator waiting for its prey in the night.

When a cigarette was about to burn out, Liang Jingmin walked in, sat next to him, and asked: “How did you learn to smoke?”

Cheng Jing replied: “No, I lit it for fun. I saw you smoked it before, and I wanted to know what it felt like.”

Liang Jingmin put his hand on Cheng Jing’s shoulder and gently rubbed it. His voice was a little ethereal, and he asked: “What does it feel like?”

Cheng Jing raised an invisible arc at the corner of his lips, but his words were very calm: “It’s choking, and it’s not good for your health. Don’t smoke in the future.”

“Why don’t you put it out quickly?” Liang Jingmin’s tone was a bit commanding.

Cheng Jing didn’t react much. The next second, he reached out and put out the cigarette on Liang Jingmin’s thigh.

A hole was burned in the bath towel, and the flames touched his skin. Cheng Jing smelled the smell of burning in the bedroom, which was incompatible with the spotless and exquisite atmosphere here.

Cheng Jing tilted his head slightly, and the flickering night outside the window set off his clear features. Liang Jingmin did not cry out in pain, but came over to kiss him instead.