ALCSRB Chapter 65

That night, when Shen Xingyan came back, the villa was already quiet.

Su Wanxin and Shen Jikun always went to bed early, so they were already asleep at this hour.

But Jiang Mingyi, by his usual routine, shouldn’t be asleep so soon.

Though he was eager to see him, Shen Xingyan still went to his room first to take a shower.

When he came out, his whole body felt fresh and clean.

After drying his hair, he left his room.

The hallway was very quiet — a single warm wall lamp cast his tall, slender silhouette onto the floor, and his light footsteps barely made a sound in the stillness of the night.

When he reached the door of Jiang Mingyi’s room, he came to a stop.

His gaze lingered on the tightly shut door for a moment. He raised his hand and gently gripped the doorknob.

There was a faint, nearly inaudible click as the door opened.

Contrary to his expectations, the bright bedroom was pitch black now. Shen Xingyan paused at the threshold. When his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized that the person inside seemed to be asleep already.

By the faint moonlight filtering through the curtains, he stepped quietly toward the bed.

The air conditioner’s cool breeze seemed a bit too low — the boy on the bed had curled himself completely inside the blanket, leaving only half of his head exposed.

A few unruly strands of hair brushed against his brow with the rise and fall of his breathing. A few seconds later, the sleeping boy shifted, one hand slipping out from under the blanket to clumsily brush the hair away from his forehead.

Shen Xingyan looked down at him silently. Even though it was just a simple, unconscious movement, the sight of the boy seemed especially adorable.

A faint smile and a quiet tenderness slowly spread in the depths of his dark eyes.

He stood there by the bed for a moment, then suddenly bent down.

He pulled the blanket back, revealing Jiang Mingyi’s exquisitely beautiful face.

The lips that had been hidden under the covers were now plump and rosy, like two flower petals about to bloom — pretty yet decadent, exuding a seductive allure.

His Adam’s apple bobbed once, and his thumb pad found its mark in the dark, gently brushing over those lips.

Slowly, delicately, he stroked them — like a feather teasing the petals of a flower — but not enough to wake the sleeping boy.

Until a warm, moist breath grazed over his fingertip, leaving a faint dampness behind.

The caressing stopped instantly, and the man, still bent over, froze as well.

Time seemed to be slammed to a halt in that moment. In the huge room, there was only one steady breathing sound — and another that had become noticeably uneven, carrying a hint of restrained urgency.

Even in his sleep, this boy could so easily stir up his emotions.

Suppressing the restless beating of his heart, Shen Xingyan took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

Only once he’d calmed himself did his finger finally leave that ever-tempting place.

But in the very next second, something even warmer replaced the pad of his finger — his lips pressed softly and unhesitatingly against Jiang Mingyi’s.

The tip of his tongue gently prodded forward, easily slipping past the closed teeth and hooking around the soft tongue resting inside.

At that moment, Jiang Mingyi was having a dream — a dream about Shen Xingyan. In it, the man was whispering things that made his face flush and ears burn, his voice low and tender, like a lover murmuring sweet nothings against his ear. It made his heart race and left him helpless to resist.

Almost without any struggle, he was pulled into Shen Xingyan’s embrace, pinned down on the sofa, and kissed thoroughly.

This was nothing like that heated kiss in the elevator earlier — this one was so lingering, so intoxicating, that he was swept away in an instant.

He had spent the whole evening sorting out his feelings. Though he’d felt hesitant because of Su Wanxin’s words, he didn’t want to back down because of them.

He had thought that when Shen Xingyan came home, he would grab the man by his collar and ask him clearly whether he really liked him — or if it was just an older brother’s affection for his little brother.

Thinking about that, he had drifted off to sleep.

The sweetness of the dream gave him the answer he thought he wanted — and his body responded honestly.

Shen Xingyan was surprised by how willing he was — and happy, too. Unconsciously, the kiss grew even deeper.

The air conditioner hummed diligently, blowing cool air across the room, but their rising body heat still made Jiang Mingyi feel a little too warm.

He squirmed a bit uncomfortably, as if trying to push the man on top of him away — but his restless hands were quickly pinned down.

Only when he couldn’t catch his breath did Jiang Mingyi finally blink his eyes open in a daze.

His fine, crow-feather-like eyelashes quivered, and a hint of moisture gathered in his eyes, making them look misty and glistening.

Shen Xingyan paused his kissing, giving him a moment to catch his breath.

Yet Jiang Mingyi, eyes half-lidded in a daze, found that achingly beautiful face so close to his own — so close he couldn’t tell if this was still a dream or reality.

He licked his lips, his voice slurred as he spoke words that made the man’s heart soften: “Shen Xingyan, don’t want to kiss anymore… my mouth is so tired…”

Why did he feel so exhausted from being kissed even in his dreams? His tongue felt so soft and numb from being sucked.

Dreaming like this was too tiring — next time he didn’t want to have this dream again.

But then again… it would be a shame not to. Maybe he’d have this dream every few days instead.

In his foggy mind, this thought felt perfect. His eyes fluttered shut again.

Seeing this, Shen Xingyan couldn’t hold back a laugh. He coaxed him gently: “Then I won’t kiss your mouth — can I kiss somewhere else?”

Those pretty peach blossom eyes were already closed, but he still subconsciously answered, “If you kiss somewhere else, won’t it get all soft and numb too?”

Soft and numb?

Shen Xingyan’s gaze dropped to that glimpse of a pink tongue as he spoke. He restrained the urge to kiss those lips again. “No, it won’t.”

“Oh… then kiss somewhere else…”

His sleepy reply was slow and trusting — but a moment later, his body suddenly shuddered violently.

“No more — no more —”

His voice carried a trace of a sob, clearly startled by the way his body was reacting.

Shen Xingyan stopped what he was doing. He was now completely nestled under the blanket with him, their bodies intimately tangled together.

Seeing him so frightened, he could only let it go for now.

His lips found the boy’s soft, tender cheek again, slowly working their way back to his lips.

This time, he only held the tip of his tongue, kissing him gently — no longer with the deep, forceful intensity from before.

With this softer touch, Jiang Mingyi’s tense body relaxed once more.

Only after a long while, when the man was somewhat satisfied, did he finally release the lips he’d been devouring for so long.

In the darkness, Shen Xingyan made no sound — he simply gazed at the boy nestled against his chest.

He deeply cherished this peaceful moment of lying together with the one he loved. Even if the boy had no idea what he’d just done to him, his heart was still stirred and softened by it.

In his life, everything had gone so smoothly — and yet there were only two times his heart had ever truly fluttered. once for that small, helpless little Jiang Mingyi from years ago — the boy he’d wanted to protect and spoil — and now for this sweet, delicate person who had become the center of his yearning.

This boy was a rare and precious treasure in his life — he wanted to cherish him, but he also wanted to love him, wholly and completely.

Shen Xingyan understood his own feelings perfectly.

When he thought of him as a younger brother, he adored and spoiled him.

But now, as the love of his heart — he couldn’t help but want to keep him bound to his side every second of every day.

——

Early the next morning, the sunlight was soft and hazy.

The room was tranquil and still.

On the wide bed, two figures lay tightly wrapped up in each other. One strong arm was draped casually yet possessively around the other’s slender waist, pulling him close to a broad chest.

Jiang Mingyi’s whole body felt sore and limp from sleep. His eyelids fluttered a few times before he slowly opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was a handsome face, magnified right before him. He stared blankly for a few seconds as his sluggish brain finally kicked into gear.

His once-sleepy gaze sharpened instantly into full awareness, disbelief flooding his eyes as he looked at that strikingly handsome face in front of him.

Was he still dreaming?

Jiang Mingyi stupidly pinched his own thigh.

“Ow—!” So painful!

So… this wasn’t a dream.

He’d actually slept together with Shen Xingyan last night!!!

A jolt of panic shot through him. He nearly bolted upright from the bed but forced himself to hold still.

No, he couldn’t wake Shen Xingyan up.

Being wrapped up together like this so early in the morning, he could already feel… certain reactions in their bodies that really shouldn’t be happening.

If they ended up face to face with that kind of reaction — how embarrassing would that be?!

Ignoring the flush that burned across his face, Jiang Mingyi cautiously tried to wriggle free from Shen Xingyan’s iron embrace.

But just prying open that arm clamped around his waist took practically all his strength.

Is this what they call a man’s possessiveness?

Lost in these chaotic thoughts, he didn’t notice that the man had already slowly opened his eyes — two dark eyes fixed on him in the early dawn.

Jiang Mingyi felt completely at a loss — what should he do? How could he slip away without making a sound?

Could it be that this guy got home so late last night because he was out drinking, and then drunkenly stumbled into his room to sleep?

He leaned closer and sniffed him. Nope — no alcohol smell at all. On the contrary, there was that familiar clean, cool scent that was distinctly Shen Xingyan.

“Smells good… so he wasn’t drunk then,” he murmured under his breath.

Because of his soft breath brushing across his chest, Shen Xingyan’s own breath caught for a second. That warm exhale nearly made him lose his composure, but he managed to steady himself — just in time to close his eyes again when the boy looked up.

One finger poked gently at his chest while he mumbled his complaints in a low voice.

“Didn’t even get drunk, so why did you come back so late?”

This time the poke was a bit too hard — Jiang Mingyi jumped in surprise, but seeing Shen Xingyan still “asleep,” he let out a silent sigh of relief.

His courage grew a bit bolder. “You clearly said you’d come back for me at night, but when night came you didn’t show up at all. Men really can’t be trusted.”

Liar. Next time I won’t let you kiss me again.

That last part, he didn’t dare say out loud — just grumbled it inside his head.

But the memory of those shameless dreams from last night crept up on him, and his cheeks flushed pink all over again.

This sight was caught perfectly by Shen Xingyan’s eyes when they reopened — that faint blush was just enough to make that soft, fair face look heartbreakingly stunning.

The arm that had been wrapped around his waist suddenly tightened — then both hands slid down, gripping his slender, supple waist firmly and pinning him beneath him on the bed in one smooth motion.

The shift in Shen Xingyan’s gaze made Jiang Mingyi freeze for a few seconds. When he snapped back to his senses, he was met with a pair of pitch-black eyes that looked as if they might devour him whole on the spot.

“Y-you, you—” he stammered, completely flustered. “What are you trying to do?”

Shen Xingyan lifted his eyelids lazily, his eyes locked unwaveringly on the boy beneath him, who was nervously gulping down mouthfuls of air.

A faint, dangerous smile curled on his lips as his voice dropped low and hoarse, brushing right against Jiang Mingyi’s ear. “First thing in the morning — what do you think I’d want to do?”

One of Jiang Mingyi’s helpless hands was grabbed.

His eyes flew wide open as he snapped out of his daze.

Without thinking, he turned and tried to crawl off the bed — only to be yanked back immediately by brute force.

Shen Xingyan’s eyes darkened, the depths of his gaze thick with an ominous intensity as he leaned in to whisper, “What’s this? You’re fine with starting a fire but don’t want to stick around to put it out?”

“You, you, you—” Jiang Mingyi was so anxious he could barely form words. “I-I don’t even have the strength, how am I supposed to put it out?!”