ALCSRB Chapter 84

After finishing his shower, Jiang Mingyi stayed quietly in his room.
He assumed Shen Xingyan would be busy talking with Shen Jili that night and probably wouldn’t come over.

But just as he was dozing off in a half-sleepy daze, the door to his room quietly opened.

He rolled over at the sound, turning to face the door. His drowsy eyes opened a tiny slit—just enough to make out the tall, lean silhouette standing there.

Shen Xingyan took one look at him and immediately noticed his sleepy state, seeming a little surprised. As he walked in, he gently closed the door behind him.

“Didn’t you nap for quite a while this afternoon? Why are you sleepy again already?”

Just as he reached the bed, a hand grabbed his.

Right after he finished speaking, his fingers were given a firm squeeze.

The pinch wasn’t hard, but it carried a clear sense of complaint—like a soft, playful punishment.

Jiang Mingyi grumbled, “Isn’t it because you made up all that nonsense to Dad earlier? I had to go and actually prepare a thesis.”

He tilted his chin toward the desk. Shen Xingyan finally noticed the laptop sitting there.

The screen saver was one of those default system ones—a line of ducklings marching in a row, proudly holding up little signs.

“I get sleepy the moment I look at text. Academic work like this is honestly cruel and unusual punishment.”

“I was just saying something to brush Dad off. You actually took it seriously?” Shen Xingyan chuckled, clearly surprised—and maybe a little touched—by Jiang Mingyi’s earnestness.

Still holding his hand, Jiang Mingyi sat up and gave him a side-eye. “What else was I supposed to do? What if Dad suddenly drops in for a peek? That’d blow your cover real quick.”

“Well, I appreciate your sacrifice.”

“You better. And next time, don’t make up random lies like that. It’s terrifying.”

As Shen Xingyan sat down, Jiang Mingyi leaned right into his arms and wrapped Shen Xingyan’s hand around his waist.

The motion was natural. Shen Xingyan’s embrace was just as natural. The two of them sat there, snuggled up against each other.

Shen Xingyan couldn’t suppress the smile tugging at his lips, the laughter reaching his eyes. “You know I make up stuff on the spot, yet you go along with it so earnestly. I should reward you.”

Jiang Mingyi blinked up in surprise. Just as he opened his mouth to ask what kind of reward, Shen Xingyan kissed him without warning.

Jiang Mingyi didn’t know how other couples acted, but Shen Xingyan really loved kissing him.
Every chance he got, he’d either pull him into his arms or push him against a wall to kiss him senseless.

Luckily, Jiang Mingyi didn’t mind at all—in fact, he was starting to become a bit addicted to it.

By the time the kiss ended, his lips were already flushed bright red, like a perfectly ripe apple—radiating irresistible allure.

Shen Xingyan’s gaze lingered on those enticing lips for a second longer before finally looking away.

Jiang Mingyi licked his lips and reined in his excitement. Then he suddenly shoved Shen Xingyan back onto the bed, straddling him and looking down with a serious face. “I think you need to seriously consider how to come clean.”

Shen Xingyan, now lying flat on the soft mattress, looked up at his delectable little lover and asked, “Come clean about what?”

“About how to tell your parents the truth, obviously.”

With his waist held tightly by Shen Xingyan’s warm hands, Jiang Mingyi squirmed a bit, feeling ticklish. “Stop moving. I’m trying to talk to you seriously.”

“You can keep talking while I touch,” Shen Xingyan replied without a hint of shame.

Jiang Mingyi: “……”

Fighting the urge to laugh, he pressed his lips together and grabbed those two hands that were getting a little too bold. “You’re tickling me.”

Caught under Jiang Mingyi’s glare, Shen Xingyan had no choice but to back off—for now. “Alright, alright.”

Shen Xingyan let his hands fall flat to either side, lying with one hand up, the other down—an oddly suggestive pose that made him arch a brow.

“I didn’t lock the door when I came in,” he said suddenly.

The next second, Jiang Mingyi scrambled off him in a panic, his steps hurried as he rushed to lock the door.

When he turned around after locking it, Shen Xingyan was resting his head on one hand, gazing at him with a smirk that was half amused, half teasing.

That mischievous look made Jiang Mingyi hesitate to come back over. He stood awkwardly by the door, frozen.

Of course, Shen Xingyan noticed the faint blush spreading across his face. He stretched out a finger and beckoned him over with a little curl.

“Door’s locked now. Come back here.”

Jiang Mingyi’s heart skipped at that little devilish tone. He paused, then slowly made his way back.

“I only locked the door because, well… what if Dad—”

He didn’t even finish before a force yanked him straight back onto the bed.

Shen Xingyan caught him effortlessly and, with that momentum, flipped him underneath, pinning him down.

“Dad’s not that sharp,” he said lightly.

“…” Jiang Mingyi was speechless. “Did you just roast your own father?”

“I’m just being honest.” Shen Xingyan raised an eyebrow. “Or do you really think he’s smart enough to instantly figure out what’s going on between us?”

Jiang Mingyi lowered his eyes in thought. “…He doesn’t really seem that sharp, actually.”

As soon as he said it, he couldn’t help but laugh.

“See? You don’t need to worry about Dad catching on—unless we explicitly tell him ourselves.”

“Is he really that oblivious?”

“Don’t forget how Mom’s always complaining he’s totally clueless when it comes to romance.”

Jiang Mingyi fell silent for a moment. He’d heard Su Wanxin complain plenty of times about their old love story—and with Shen Jili being “emotionally tone-deaf” for nearly thirty years—it was probably true that he didn’t need to worry too much.

“So should we tell Mom first?” he asked hesitantly.

“Mom already knows I’m into someone.”

Jiang Mingyi blinked for a few seconds—then suddenly his eyes widened. “You lied to me back then!”

He remembered when Su Wanxin had told him Shen Xingyan had someone he liked. He had gone through so much effort trying to dig out the “truth” and explain things to her… only to realize they were both holding pieces of the same puzzle.

Turns out, the “truth” was sitting right there all along.

“Who told you to be so naïve back then? I didn’t even have the heart to come clean,” Shen Xingyan explained.

At the time, he was just afraid Jiang Mingyi only saw him as a brother, so he had no choice but to lie and keep things vague.

“And yet you had no problem being honest with Mom?” Jiang Mingyi glared at him, his tone full of clear discontent.

Shen Xingyan took the finger that had been poking at his chest in protest and gently held it in his palm, his voice soft and soothing. “It wasn’t exactly full-on honesty. I just said enough to put Mom at ease.”

“Just to ease her mind?” Jiang Mingyi still looked skeptical.

“Of course,” Shen Xingyan nodded. “Mom’s way sharper than Dad.”

Jiang Mingyi thought for a moment. “Do you think Mom’s going to figure us out…?”

“She won’t,” Shen Xingyan interrupted before he could finish.

“That sure of yourself?”

Jiang Mingyi couldn’t help but feel a little worried, thinking about all their little intimate moments these days that they hadn’t bothered hiding.

Shen Xingyan reassured him calmly. “Mom would just think we’re really close as brothers. She wouldn’t suspect that.”

Jiang Mingyi mulled it over, then suddenly relaxed, “True. Who else is as bad as you, munching on the grass right beside the burrow?”

“And you’re not eating the same grass?” Shen Xingyan leaned in and gave his plump, rosy lips a teasing nip. “I’m no rabbit, but this grass is fresh, delicious, and right within reach.”

Jiang Mingyi: “…”

Was this confidence supposed to be attractive or infuriating?

—

The next morning, when Shen Xingyan came downstairs, he found his dad curled up on the living room sofa looking utterly betrayed. That expression screamed “wife kicked me out of bed and this sad couch is all I have now.”

Auntie Wang passed by and gave him a shrug. “Don’t ask me. I have no idea what’s up with him.”

Shen Xingyan paused, then walked over. “Dad.”

Shen Jili hadn’t slept well all night and was clearly exhausted. At the sound of his son’s voice, he slowly turned his gaze toward him.

His eyes looked unfocused but still landed on Shen Xingyan, dreamy and oddly intense.

Shen Xingyan frowned at his weird behavior. “Dad, if you’re not feeling up to it today, I can talk to Director Liu on your behalf—”

“No need. I’m fine.” Shen Jili finally snapped out of it and patted the sofa beside him. “Sit down. I’ve got something to talk to you about.”

Shen Xingyan’s eyes landed on the dark circles under his father’s eyes. “Fine” didn’t quite fit the image, but he sat anyway.

“A-Yan, I remember you mentioned before that you’re seeing someone,” Shen Jili got straight to the point. “It’s been a while now. How’s that going?”

Shen Xingyan raised an eyebrow, unsure why this was suddenly coming up.

“It’s going well.”

“Then when are you going to bring them home? You can’t keep dating in this vague, unofficial way forever.” He paused for a beat. “What I mean is, if things are going well, it’s time we met them. And if they’re a good match, we can start discussing a marriage date.”

Right now, Shen Jili looked like a perfectly normal dad concerned about his son’s love life. But considering how little he usually cared about these things, his sudden involvement set off subtle alarms in Shen Xingyan’s head.

He studied Shen Jili’s face carefully. There were no signs he knew anything.

“Dad, why are you bringing this up so early in the morning?” Shen Xingyan asked calmly, suppressing his doubts.

“Oh, your mom and I were talking about it last night, so I figured I’d ask.”

Thinking of how he got kicked out of bed, Shen Jili’s face flickered with a hint of embarrassment.

He cleared his throat awkwardly. “I’m not trying to rush you or anything. Just… showing a little fatherly concern.”

That so-called “fatherly concern” made Shen Xingyan squint at him. “Dad… you’ve got way too much free time.”

Shen Jili: “…”

Great. His own son thought he was a nuisance.

Just then, Su Wanxin came out of the kitchen and caught sight of the father-son duo talking.

Her sharp gaze landed right on Shen Jili. “Don’t mind him. I don’t know what got into him last night—suddenly saying he wanted to see your partner. He’s never cared this much about your love life before. This whole thing reeks of a weasel wishing a chicken Happy New Year.”

Shen Jili: “……”

Oof. Right in the heart, wife.

Twenty minutes later, after finishing breakfast, Shen Jikun was promptly kicked out of the house by Su Wanxin.

Shen Xingyan set down his chopsticks and was just about to get up when Su Wanxin called out to him,
“Did you explain things clearly to Xiao Yi about you having a partner? He was pretty bothered by it at the time.”

Shen Xingyan raised an eyebrow slightly but didn’t respond.

Su Wanxin continued, “You two finally patched things up as brothers, and now you’re seeing someone—Mom’s just worried Xiao Yi might feel upset. He’s been really clingy with you lately; it’s obvious he cares about you a lot as his big brother. If he finds out you’re in love and feels genuinely happy for you, great. But if he gets jealous and moody, you better coax him.”

Shen Xingyan: “……”

“I gave it some thought. Maybe you should pick a good day and bring your partner home to meet Xiao Yi. Let’s see if they get along,” Su Wanxin said, clearly having pondered this deeply overnight. “Seems like the safest approach.”

Just then, Jiang Mingyi came downstairs. As he walked into the dining room, he overheard that last bit—and was instantly stunned.

Introducing himself… to himself? Now that’s a twist.