AS CH 16

Chapter 16

As expected, Xu Wenhao came over every day after school under the pretense of checking on the kitten, though in truth, it was just an excuse to spend time alone with Lü Chenyue. Even after cram school, he would stop by just to see “him” before heading home.

About a week into raising the kitten, Lü Chenyue looked up some tips online about caring for young cats. He began to wonder if keeping the kitten confined in the pet carrier all the time was too limiting.

So, on Saturday morning, Lü Chenyue brought the kitten to the pet store for a thorough cleaning. He also bought a proper bed and a few other supplies. Then, he took the kitten to the animal hospital for vaccinations.

When Xu Wenhao arrived at Lü Chenyue’s place a little after 1 p.m., he immediately noticed that the place looked different. There was a new cat bed in the living room, along with a simple scratching post.

“These are all things you bought?” Xu Wenhao looked at the pile of pet supplies, thinking it must’ve cost a good amount.

Lü Chenyue nodded and casually replied, “I bought them with money I earned.”

There was no hidden meaning behind what he said, but it still made Xu Wenhao feel uncomfortable. “Don’t use that kind of money to buy things ever again,” he snapped, not even realizing his words were laced with unprovoked anger.

The sudden shift in Xu Wenhao’s tone made Lü Chenyue pause, his hand holding the cat teaser toy freezing mid-air. His eyes dimmed, and a dull ache tugged at his chest.

So… Xu Wenhao was looking down on him… for being dirty?

Lü Chenyue had never cared what others thought of him. But somewhere along the line, whenever he was around Xu Wenhao—every minute spent by his side—he found himself starting to care about how Xu Wenhao saw him.

Even though they seemed close, Lü Chenyue still kept a distance between them. He didn’t want Xu Wenhao to see more of his flaws.

After all, the fact that he had sold his body—and that his body was already filthy—was something he could never change. The more he tried to hide that part of himself, the more terrified he was of Xu Wenhao finding out.

Xu Wenhao finally realized how harsh his tone had been when he noticed Lü Chenyue remaining silent for so long. He hadn’t meant to hurt him—he just didn’t know how to soften his words. Still, even unintentionally, he’d managed to wound Lü Chenyue deeply. He wished he could slap some sense into himself.

Just as he was about to speak and explain, Xu Wenhao suddenly noticed Lü Chenyue’s hand gripping the toy—it was covered in scratches. The other hand didn’t look much better. Without thinking, he grabbed Lü Chenyue’s wrist and frowned. “Your hands are covered in wounds—don’t you even realize that?”

Startled, Lü Chenyue tried to pull his hand away, but Xu Wenhao didn’t let go.

“It’s just a few scratches. It’s nothing. He’s just a little kitten,” Lü Chenyue murmured, dazed.

“What do you mean ‘it’s nothing’? Why don’t you know how to take care of yourself?” Xu Wenhao growled in frustration. “Where’s your first-aid kit?”

When would Lü Chenyue finally learn how to take care of himself?

Xu Wenhao couldn’t help but wonder how Lü Chenyue had managed to live on his own all this time. He didn’t even notice when he was sick or had a fever. He forgot to eat meals. And now, even with his hands covered in scratches from the kitten, he was just brushing it off like it didn’t matter. Was he really planning to go on living like this—alone—forever?

“It’s… it’s in that cabinet over there.” Lü Chenyue pointed blankly toward the cabinet where the first-aid kit was kept. He didn’t understand—why was Xu Wenhao so angry?

Xu Wenhao fetched the kit, snatched the cat teaser stick from Lü Chenyue’s hand, and tossed it aside. Then he grabbed a cotton swab and dabbed it with saline solution. “This might sting a little. Bear with it,” he warned—but despite the words, his movements were gentle.

Lü Chenyue watched him in a daze as Xu Wenhao carefully cleaned the scratches all over his arms. The wounds weren’t deep, and Xu Wenhao’s touch was surprisingly tender.

“Why… why are you being so nice to me?” Lü Chenyue finally asked hesitantly.

“Can’t I be good to you?” Xu Wenhao replied overbearingly. “I already told you—anything that has to do with you, I’ll take care of. Even you getting scratched by a cat counts.”

“Thank you…” Lü Chenyue felt a warm sensation in his chest. Someone was actually willing to care about him.

“What are you thanking me for?” Xu Wenhao glared at him and then turned his frustration on the true culprit, who was playing nearby, completely unaware of its crimes. “If I’d known it’d hurt you, I wouldn’t have let you take care of it.”

“But Kelu didn’t mean to,” Lü Chenyue sighed softly.

How could Xu Wenhao blame a little kitten?

Xu Wenhao’s hands paused mid-motion as he packed up the first-aid kit. He turned to Lü Chenyue and asked with an amused tone, “What did you just call it?”

“Kelu…” Was something wrong with the name?

“You mean like ‘Keroberos^[1],’ that yellow plush guardian from Cardcaptor Sakura?” Xu Wenhao burst out laughing without mercy.

The first time he’d seen the kitten, the lighting had been too dim to tell what color it was. Later, he realized it was completely orange, with a round head—very cute. Lü Chenyue had racked his brain to come up with that name, thinking it suited the kitten perfectly. He hadn’t expected Xu Wenhao to find it laughable.

Flushing with embarrassment, Lü Chenyue asked awkwardly, “Then what do you think I should name it?”

Xu Wenhao chuckled. “You’re its owner now—call it whatever you want.”

Lü Chenyue’s blushing, shy expression completely captivated Xu Wenhao.

Without thinking, Xu Wenhao leaned forward and kissed Lü Chenyue on the lips. His hot tongue slipped into Lü Chenyue’s mouth, clumsy and inexperienced, bumping into Lü Chenyue’s teeth several times. But he relished the moment too much to pull away.

Lü Chenyue, who had never kissed anyone either, didn’t know how to respond. His hands were pressed against Xu Wenhao’s chest, trying to push him away, but Xu Wenhao only held him tighter.

It wasn’t until Lü Chenyue was nearly out of breath that Xu Wenhao finally let him go. Lü Chenyue leaned weakly against Xu Wenhao’s shoulder, panting heavily, and after a long moment, whispered, “Please don’t kiss me again…”

“Why not?” Xu Wenhao asked, confused. “It’s not like you rejected me.”

“Because… it makes me feel weird…”

It made him afraid—afraid of falling deeper, afraid of becoming greedy, afraid that all of this was just a fleeting whim for Xu Wenhao.

Xu Wenhao ignored Lü Chenyue’s protest and leaned in for a second kiss, but this time Lü Chenyue managed to avoid it.

Xu Wenhao chuckled. If he couldn’t kiss the lips, then maybe somewhere else would be fine.

As Xu Wenhao drew closer, Lü Chenyue backed away. In the end, Xu Wenhao gently kissed his left eye.

“I… I’m not a girl…” Lü Chenyue reminded him softly.

“Pretty obvious just by looking,” Xu Wenhao murmured as he backed away slightly.

“Then why… why are you doing this to me?” Lü Chenyue couldn’t meet his deep, black eyes. He lowered his gaze and asked timidly.

“Who knows?” Xu Wenhao shrugged with a soft laugh, then kissed Lü Chenyue’s forehead and wrapped him in a tight embrace.

A string of intimate actions followed—and it was from the moment their lips met that Xu Wenhao realized how inexperienced Lü Chenyue was, how he didn’t even know how to kiss another person.

Xu Wenhao had never kissed anyone before either. His technique was far from perfect, but he was doing his best to learn. Ever since the moment he stole Lü Chenyue’s first kiss—leading up to the deep kiss they just shared—he found himself unable to stop. He only craved more, and his heart swelled with joy.

So Lü Chenyue’s kiss… had never been given to anyone else. And he was the first!

But after kissing three different spots on Lü Chenyue—his lips, his eye, his forehead—Xu Wenhao unknowingly began to feel increasingly hot. A swelling sensation built in his lower half, his breathing grew more rapid, and the strength in his arms tightened slightly.

Lü Chenyue, held tightly in his arms, started to feel a little suffocated. He wanted to push Xu Wenhao away, but the heat radiating from Xu Wenhao’s body made Lü Chenyue suddenly freeze in place.

“Just a little longer. Stay like this—don’t move,” Xu Wenhao murmured in a hoarse voice. Though his embrace tightened, it wasn’t painful.

Of course Lü Chenyue knew what kind of “reaction” Xu Wenhao was having.

But Xu Wenhao was different from those other men. He understood respect. He didn’t force him.

Lü Chenyue allowed Xu Wenhao to hold him close, resting quietly against his shoulder, feeling the warmth he offered—no longer willing to push him away.

When Xu Wenhao kissed his eye, for a moment Lü Chenyue felt like he was truly cherished.

Then, when Xu Wenhao kissed his forehead again, a deep sense of safety settled in Lü Chenyue’s heart. That kiss was so gentle, it gave him the illusion of being loved and treasured.

Was it really just an illusion?

Maybe. But even if it was… it didn’t matter.

If possible, he wished time could stop right here in this moment. Though brief, could he be allowed to be just a little greedy?

Truly—just this little bit would be enough.

(To be continued…)