ALCSRB Chapter 40

Early on the weekend morning, Jiang Mingyi was woken up by Su Wanxin.

He stumbled downstairs, still half-asleep, his whole demeanor radiating grogginess.

Breakfast was already laid out on the dining table. Shen Xingyan was eating while looking at something on his phone. When he heard movement, he turned his head.

His brows furrowed ever so slightly. “Why are you still in your pajamas?”

Around Jiang Mingyi’s slender neck hung a red string with a peace amulet. As he sat down, it lifted slightly into the air for a couple of seconds, giving Shen Xingyan a perfect view of his delicate, sensual collarbones.

“I still want to sleep. I don’t want to get up,” Jiang Mingyi mumbled through a yawn, not noticing Shen Xingyan’s gaze lingering on him.

Resting his chin in his hand, he stared lifelessly at the breakfast in front of him and groaned, “Why do we have to get up early on a day off?”

Su Wanxin walked over, amused by his complaint. “We agreed to go to the temple today. It’s already seven o’clock. By the time we get there, it won’t be early anymore.”

“Well then, since it’s already not early, might as well not go,” he tried to worm his way out.

But one look from Su Wanxin shut him right up.

After breakfast, it was 7:20 AM. Su Wanxin told him to go change his clothes.

Jiang Mingyi trudged slowly upstairs. Shen Xingyan poked him lightly in the waist from behind.

“Ah!” Jiang Mingyi yelped and spun around to glare at the mischievous man. “Why did you poke me, ge?”

“You were walking too slow. Just giving you a little boost,” Shen Xingyan replied, his hand still raised mid-air, his teasing eyes making Jiang Mingyi’s heart skip a beat. He quickly picked up his pace.

Luckily, once he entered his room, Shen Xingyan didn’t follow.

Leaning back against the door, Jiang Mingyi let out a slow breath. He reached behind him and gently touched the spot where he’d just been poked.

He never realized before that his waist was so sensitive. That poke earlier had felt like a jolt of electricity running from his lower back straight up his spine, sending a soft, tingling numbness through him.

If he hadn’t reacted quickly enough to grab the stair railing, his legs probably would’ve given out on the spot.

That was close!

A minute later, Jiang Mingyi finally pulled himself together and went to the wardrobe to pick out some clothes.

Shen Xingyan waited outside the room. Glancing at the time, he noticed ten minutes had already passed.

He knocked on the door. “You still haven’t changed?”

His deep voice came through the door. Inside, Jiang Mingyi was struggling with a pair of jeans. The moment he heard the urging voice, he lost focus and let out a loud “Waaah—!”

Hearing the startled cry, Shen Xingyan hurriedly opened the door and entered. “What happened?”

Jiang Mingyi looked up at him, teary-eyed with his peach blossom eyes reddened. “It’s your fault for rushing me! I accidentally caught my skin in the zipper.”

A sharp, stabbing pain had just shot through him, nearly sending his soul flying out of his body. He was holding onto the wardrobe with one hand and desperately fumbling with the zipper with the other.

Shen Xingyan’s gaze immediately dropped to his lower abdomen. Jiang Mingyi was bent over slightly, clearly in pain.

“Don’t move, I’ll do it.”

He stepped forward and steadied the trembling boy, whose long lashes quivered from the pain. His lightly shaking body was gently held in Shen Xingyan’s arms.

The cold wardrobe was replaced by the warm, familiar scent of a person. Jiang Mingyi stiffened for a second before finally relaxing.

“Be gentle. It hurts,” he whispered.

His eyes were still tinged red, with a small teardrop clinging to his lashes. His already delicate and pretty face now had a fragile, heartbreaking vulnerability.

Shen Xingyan’s hand paused for a moment, then reached out. “Why are you wearing such tight jeans?”

When he looked down, he saw the snug denim tightly hugging Jiang Mingyi’s round, firm backside. For such a slim figure, it was surprisingly well-shaped—and undeniably attention-catching.

His brow creased instinctively.

“I didn’t know what to wear, so I just grabbed a pair,” Jiang Mingyi explained. He stiffened again when he felt Shen Xingyan’s hand brush against his waist.

“Maybe I should just take care of it myself?” The pain had subsided a bit, and having someone else take off his pants—especially while being held—felt weird, even at home.

“Don’t move.”

Shen Xingyan’s voice was hoarse, with a warning tone that instantly made Jiang Mingyi freeze.

“These pants don’t fit. Change into another pair.”

Jiang Mingyi pressed his lips together, unsure of what to do as Shen Xingyan pulled the jeans down for him.

His long, slender legs were suddenly exposed, the jeans now bunched around his knees. The spot where the zipper had caught was red and slightly swollen, still stinging a bit with any movement.

His legs were very fair.

Not a sickly pale, but a smooth, pearly white that practically glowed. The kind of white that made you lose focus for a second.

“Ge, I’ll take them off myself,” Jiang Mingyi murmured.

When he looked down and saw his bare legs, he grew flustered. As he bent down to remove the jeans himself, the twin dimples of his lower back—his waist dimples—and the crease where his lower back met his butt came into view.

At that moment, something seemed to stir restlessly in Shen Xingyan’s heart. He hurriedly suppressed the untimely thought and turned his back.

“Mm, take it off yourself,” he said, turning his gaze to the wardrobe and picking out a pair of casual pants from the variety of clothes. “Wear this pair.”

Skinny jeans were always a hassle to take off. Jiang Mingyi struggled a bit to get them off. When he looked up, a pair of white casual pants was being handed to him.

“Oh.”

He reached out and took them. Casual pants were much easier and quicker to put on.

Just then, Su Wanxin’s voice came from the doorway: “What are you two brothers doing in there? Why is it taking so long just to change clothes?”

“Almost done,” came the reply.

Hearing footsteps approaching, Jiang Mingyi hadn’t yet reacted when Shen Xingyan quickly went to the door.

Su Wanxin saw him blocking the entrance and couldn’t see her younger son inside the room. Smiling, she teased, “What are you dawdling for? It’s not like you’re a little girl. Do you really need to be so picky about what to wear?”

Shen Xingyan touched his nose awkwardly. “We have to choose something suitable, after all.”

Jiang Mingyi came out after changing, having also swapped his shirt to match the white casual pants. He put on a pure white baseball cap and flashed a toothy smile at Su Wanxin.

“Mom, I’m ready.”

Seeing his clean and fresh appearance, Su Wanxin gasped in admiration. “Wow, you really do look like a little girl—so pretty it’s ridiculous.”

Jiang Mingyi blushed at her tone. “It’s just average pretty.”

–

It took over an hour to drive from home to Lingyun Temple.

Shen Xingyan drove the car, while Jiang Mingyi sat in the back with Su Wanxin, chatting and laughing along the way.

By the time they arrived at Lingyun Temple, it was already past nine o’clock.

Looking out at the temple entrance, it was a sea of people.

“So many people,” Jiang Mingyi remarked in surprise. “How can there still be so many people visiting a temple in this heat? People these days are really strange.”

Su Wanxin gave him a sideways glance upon hearing this. “Stop grumbling and stay close. Don’t get separated in the crowd.”

Walking ahead, she noticed her younger son was still looking around and turned to Shen Xingyan, saying, “Keep an eye on your brother.”

Shen Xingyan reached out and pulled Jiang Mingyi back with a long arm as he was nearly pushed toward a different path. “Stick close, or we’ll have to go looking for you if you get lost.”

Jiang Mingyi pouted. “I’m not a kid anymore. How could I possibly get lost?”

He noticed some small children entering the temple with their parents. “Is it because it’s summer break and they’re here praying to the Buddha for good luck on their exams?”

He let out a cheeky laugh and was promptly pulled along by Shen Xingyan, hand in hand, to catch up with Su Wanxin.

“We’ll go pray to the Bodhisattva first, then ask for a peace charm,” Su Wanxin said.

Hearing her plan, Jiang Mingyi leaned in close to Shen Xingyan and whispered, “I just saw a sign. There’s a wishing tree behind the temple on the mountain. Ge, let’s go make a wish later, yeah?”

As he spoke, he was very close to Shen Xingyan. His soft black hair brushed against Shen Xingyan’s lips, sending a ticklish shiver through him.

Those big, dark, sparkling eyes were still glancing around, lively and full of energy.

When he didn’t hear a response, Jiang Mingyi turned his head and asked, “So, are we going or not?”

His voice naturally took on a slightly whiny tone, and in the surrounding noise, it sounded distinct and clear.

Shen Xingyan lowered his gaze. Reflected in his dark pupils was Jiang Mingyi’s fair, delicate face and his hopeful expression. Something soft swept through his heart, and he gave a low reply: “Okay.”

The person in front of him instantly beamed with a radiant, pure smile.

“I knew it. I knew you’d be interested in the wishing tree too,” Jiang Mingyi said, sneaking a glance at Su Wanxin ahead. “I think the wishing tree is way more fun than those peace charms.”

“Didn’t Mom say she’s also gonna get you a love charm?” He raised his brow at Shen Xingyan. “Why don’t we wish for that at the wishing tree instead? I bet it’s more effective.”

Shen Xingyan’s dark eyes landed on those lips that wouldn’t stop moving. Maybe because he’d been talking too much, Jiang Mingyi stuck out his tongue to lick his lips.

In that instant, Shen Xingyan’s pupils constricted, and even his steps halted for a moment.

Jiang Mingyi turned to him curiously and asked why he’d stopped walking.

Shen Xingyan quickly lowered his gaze again and resumed walking forward.

Suppressing the odd restlessness rising in his chest, he said in a steady voice, “Didn’t you say you didn’t believe in this stuff before coming?”

“Well, yeah, I’m not superstitious,” Jiang Mingyi replied, blinking with a sparkle in his eyes. “But that’s a wishing tree—it’s different.”

“What’s different? Isn’t it still part of the temple?”

Jiang Mingyi gave him a look like he was talking to an idiot.

“Ge, you’re getting old and totally unromantic,” he sighed dramatically. “Didn’t you see all those young couples over there? I bet they all came for the wishing tree.”

“We young people are full of love and hope…”

He was just about to wax poetic when Shen Xingyan knocked him on the head, stunning him for a second.

Then Shen Xingyan grumbled, “I’m not that old.”

Jiang Mingyi pouted and held up two fingers with the tiniest gap between them. “You’re still this much older than me.”

His smug laughter spilled from his lips—crisp and pleasant.

But it stopped abruptly.

Shen Xingyan pinched his soft, pale cheeks and pretended to be annoyed. “Oh, so you think I’m old? Fine, then we won’t go to the wishing tree later.”

As soon as he heard that, Jiang Mingyi panicked. “No! Don’t!”

“Gege, gege, good gege, let’s go to the wishing tree, okay?” he pleaded, clinging to Shen Xingyan’s arms with both hands. His eyes were full of pleading, like a pitiful little puppy. Those watery eyes blinked up at Shen Xingyan without even a pause.

The two of them stood still as people walked past around them.

Someone accidentally bumped into Jiang Mingyi, and he stumbled, tilting to the side.

Shen Xingyan reacted quickly and pulled Jiang Mingyi into his arms.

One arm wrapped tightly around his slender waist, their bodies pressed closely together.

Su Wanxin had already reached the temple entrance. When she turned around and didn’t see her sons, she looked up in confusion—only to spot the two of them hugging tightly in the crowd.

“What are you two doing?”