ALCSRB Chapter 64

Scorching breath seeped in bit by bit through their entwined lips, like a blazing flame setting Jiang Mingyi’s muddled mind ablaze until it was utterly useless.

He could only passively follow Shen Xingyan’s lead, enduring the fierce, overwhelming kiss.

His tongue was sucked on until it went a little numb — but that was nothing compared to the tremors that he couldn’t control coursing through his body. He arched his back, trembling faintly as Shen Xingyan pressed him against the cold elevator wall.

In the elevator mirror to the side, their tangled figures were reflected with crystal clarity.

One tall, one slender, yet somehow so perfectly matched — like the most compatible pair of lovers, losing control in the heat of an intimate exchange.

No one would dare disturb this harmonious, almost beautiful scene.

“Mm—”

In the silent space, his soft, uncontrollable moan slipped out.

Low, but impossibly clear in both of their ears — accompanied by that wet, heart-racing sound of lips and teeth tangling.

Jiang Mingyi’s mind was already a mess of sticky, swirling heat. He could only cling helplessly to the other man, his weakened legs supported by Shen Xingyan’s thigh — practically hanging off him, completely stripped of control and agency.

Shen Xingyan lowered his eyes, kissing him deeply.

Even with his eyes shut tight, he could see the boy’s eyes darting wildly beneath his lids.

Those fluttering lashes betrayed all the chaos churning inside him — and that only made him even cuter.

A wave of softness flooded Shen Xingyan’s heart.

The desire he’d been suppressing for so long finally broke free tonight — and maybe it would scare this person he treasured so much, but he didn’t regret it one bit.

Especially when the boy was so obediently yielding to his wanton kiss — it made all his past restraint feel laughable.

He could have had this sooner — why bother holding back?

It wasn’t until the elevator’s arrival ding sounded — “ding!” — that the long, deep kiss was forced to an end.

Jiang Mingyi was already breathless, his once-rosy lips left so swollen that they wouldn’t close properly. When Shen Xingyan finally let him go, something seemed to trickle from the corner of his mouth.

Shen Xingyan gently wiped it away with his fingertip, a dark, unreadable light flickering in those deep black eyes — though it was kept locked down by his reason.

He looked at the boy’s watery eyes, still misty with the aftermath, and asked in a voice so low and husky it was pure temptation.

“Do you want me to carry you?”

Jiang Mingyi was clearly dazed silly from the kiss, unable to respond at all. His trembling hands clutched at Shen Xingyan’s shirt, completely at a loss.

It wasn’t until his feet suddenly left the ground that he jolted awake, staring up at him in disbelief.

The face before him was the same one he knew so well — but he just couldn’t reconcile it with the person who’d kissed him so fiercely moments ago.

That raw rush of emotion had swallowed him whole, leaving him shaken but unable to pull away.

He opened his mouth, wanting to question him — how could he do that? How could he kiss him like that in a shopping mall elevator?

Seeing the disbelief in his eyes, Shen Xingyan paused, then teased with a slow curl of his lips. “Or are you reluctant to leave… and want to keep going?”

The low, seductive voice made Jiang Mingyi feel like his knees would buckle again. He bit down on his tongue, his voice unsteady. “N-No, I don’t.”

His ragged breathing made his tone sound sticky, almost syrupy — but Jiang Mingyi still forced himself to swallow the heat of his embarrassment and glared at him with wet, misty eyes. “How could you just kiss me out of nowhere?”

Shen Xingyan actually looked startled for a moment — a rare two-second freeze.

Then he seemed to come back to himself, letting out a soft chuckle. “Then next time, I’ll ask you in advance.”

“That’s still not okay.” Jiang Mingyi straightened up, bracing himself on the elevator’s handrail. He didn’t want to admit how good the kiss had felt — how shy it made him — but some things still needed to be said.

“Who knows if you were just drunk and acting crazy — I’m not taking that seriously.”

Whether it was what he thought or not, Jiang Mingyi had no interest in hearing any ambiguous words from Shen Xingyan in a place this unromantic.

“Men can do anything once they’re drunk.”

His eyes clearly told Shen Xingyan. I’m not listening — save it.

Shen Xingyan was directly amused by his reaction. He ruffled Jiang Mingyi’s soft hair and whispered, “Fine. Then wait for tonight.”

Wait for tonight?

Tonight what?

Jiang Mingyi blinked, but didn’t get an answer — instead, Shen Xingyan just grabbed his hand and led him into the car.

When he was dropped off at home, Shen Xingyan told him, “I’ve got something to take care of — wait for me tonight.”

Watching the car drive away, Jiang Mingyi suddenly realized that Shen Xingyan didn’t look like he’d been drunk or just fooling around at all. That lingering, meaningful look in his eyes when he left felt more like a sticky, clinging affection.

So… everything that happened in the elevator was real?

Did it mean what he thought it meant?

A rush of joy surged through Jiang Mingyi like a tidal wave, drowning him in an ocean called happiness.

Moments later, he practically bounced into the villa. When he saw Su Wanxin, he couldn’t hide his excitement — he ran up and hugged her, planting a big kiss on her cheek.

“Why are you so happy?”

As the children had grown up, it had been a long time since her youngest son had hugged her and kissed her like this. Su Wanxin couldn’t help but be curious.

“Just happy.”

Jiang Mingyi rested his head on her shoulder, rubbing against her gently, feeling like his heart was buried in honey — all sweet and sticky.

“Who’s just happy for no reason?” Su Wanxin tapped him on the nose. “Did you have a really good time out there?”

Jiang Mingyi just shook his head, saying nothing, but the smile at the corners of his lips was so infectious that Su Wanxin caught herself smiling too.

Seeing that, Su Wanxin didn’t press further. She only said, “Then keep me company and watch some TV.”

On the TV, another one of Su Wanxin’s beloved melodramas was playing. The male and female leads were a pair of adopted siblings. Unfortunately, they developed feelings for each other. Just as they were about to confess, the family accidentally noticed the signs and the two had no choice but to separate.

Jiang Mingyi frowned. He had absolutely zero interest in this kind of show.

At that moment, Su Wanxin spoke up: “It’s pretty over-the-top, but it’s kind of fun. After all, stories like this only happen in dramas — where in real life would siblings fall in love?”

Hearing the disbelief in her tone, Jiang Mingyi asked instinctively, “Why?”

“Even if they’re adopted siblings, living together day and night — who can really say where the line is between love and family affection?” Su Wanxin explained patiently. “You have to know that familial bonds make people more comfortable being close without restraint. When you’re young and naive, it’s easy to confuse family affection and romantic love.”

“But…” Jiang Mingyi’s heart sank. He wanted to refute her somehow.

Su Wanxin seemed to read his mind. “Family can have possessiveness and a desire to control too. It’s not just lovers who feel that way. You’re still young — it’s hard for you to fully understand this now. But once you have someone you truly love, you’ll see that there’s an essential difference between familial love and romantic love.”

Su Wanxin’s attention returned to the TV, and she didn’t notice that the hand hooked around her arm had let go.

At some point, the smile on Jiang Mingyi’s face had vanished. He pressed his lips together, his voice no longer carrying its earlier brightness. “Then… what’s the essential difference between familial love and romantic love?”

The drama on TV had just reached a small climax. Su Wanxin, eyes fixed on the screen, answered offhandedly, “You probably wouldn’t understand even if I told you now. You’ll figure it out someday.”

Back in his room, the good mood Jiang Mingyi had wanted to share with Pei Shiqing was gone.

On his phone was a reply from Pei Shiqing — [Huh? What did you say?]

The timestamp was two hours ago.

Pei Shiqing must have sent it while Jiang Mingyi was still at the party’s private room, but he hadn’t checked his messages at all then.

He laid on the bed, limp and boneless, resting his chin on the soft pillow. His fingers tapped the screen lightly.

Jiang Mingyi: How are things going with your brother?

The message sat there for a few minutes before he got a reply.

[Pei Shiqing]: Same as always.

Pei Shiqing had done a lot of mental prep but still didn’t dare to take the first step.

At that moment, seeing Pei Mingyue focused on work, he finally lowered his head and typed slowly.

When he saw Jiang Mingyi’s last message, he couldn’t help but ask:

[Pei Shiqing]: What’s up with you and your brother?

[Pei Shiqing]: You said you kissed him — was it the kind of kiss I think it was?

“Kiss, kiss, kiss.”

The word “kiss” had probably popped up more than anything else in Jiang Mingyi’s day.

He stared at that familiar word, thinking about that deep kiss he couldn’t help but give in to — and his pale cheeks turned red once again.

Since he was alone in the room, he just let himself blush.

Sitting on the sofa, Pei Shiqing got this message and stood up immediately. He didn’t even notice that he’d knocked the files off the table.

Pei Mingyue noticed, a faint frown between his brows. “What’s wrong?”

Lately his brother had been clinging to him constantly, so Pei Mingyue assumed he just didn’t like staying at home — that’s why he’d brought him to the office.

Pulled back to reality by that cool voice, Pei Shiqing quickly shook his head. “N-nothing. Bro, keep working.”

He sat down again and quickly typed:

[Pei Shiqing]: So you like your brother too, huh.

[Pei Shiqing]: We really are best bros — we even like the same kind of person.

He’d barely sent that message when he quickly deleted it.

[Pei Shiqing]: We really are best bros — we both like our older brothers.

Now Pei Shiqing was over the moon. This kind of feeling — having someone who liked the same way he did — made him feel like they were truly on the same wavelength.

He lowered his head, grinning at his phone, completely unaware that Pei Mingyue’s gaze had been on him the whole time.

Jiang Mingyi: Let me ask you something — back then, how did you figure out whether what you felt for your brother was family love or romantic love?

When he saw that question, Pei Shiqing’s face instantly turned red.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, he got up from the sofa and slipped into the bathroom.

Pei Mingyue’s brows furrowed even tighter as he pulled his hand away from his computer.

In the bathroom, Pei Shiqing stared at the question for a few minutes, hesitating, but in the end he chose to answer honestly.

[Pei Shiqing]: The first person I ever felt sexual desire for during puberty was my brother.

Once he sent that, Pei Shiqing felt unbearably hot. He immediately put down his phone, turned on the faucet, and splashed cold water on his face.

At that moment, the bathroom door opened. He froze and slowly lifted his head.

Droplets of water slid down his delicate brows and eyes, glistening clear and pale — but it was like each drop landed right on Pei Mingyue’s heart, rippling out from within.

His fingertips trembled slightly before he clenched them into a fist.

Pei Mingyue’s voice was calm: “Why is your face so red?”

Meanwhile, Jiang Mingyi received that answer and fell into thought for a moment.

He realized he seemed to have that same desire for Shen Xingyan.

At the very least, when he helped him with that thing, he definitely hadn’t been indifferent — on the contrary, it was a kind of excitement that turned him on more than when he did it for himself.

He cleared his throat. “Cough, cough.”

Alright. That settled it.

His feelings for Shen Xingyan definitely weren’t just family affection — at the very least, it was love, with a dash of familial attachment mixed in.