ALCSRB Chapter 51

When Jiang Mingyi returned home, he learned that Su Wanxin had gone out to dinner with her friends.

In the spacious living room, he kicked off his shoes and sprawled on the sofa, munching on grapes Wang Ma had washed for him, while typing on his phone.

He sent the suggestions he got from Qin Hao over to Pei Shiqing via WeChat.

Pei Shiqing, sitting in his own room, turned bright red the moment he finished reading the messages—so red his face couldn’t be seen in public.

[Pei Shiqing]: This… doesn’t feel right.

[Jiang Mingyi]: What’s not right about it?

[Jiang Mingyi]: Since you like him, you’ve got to take the initiative. What, are you planning to wait until your brother—that old man—miraculously makes the first move?

Pei Shiqing stared at that message, and his mind conjured up an image of his brother suddenly getting all affectionate and lovey-dovey with him.

Uh… yeah, that really was hard to imagine.

[Pei Shiqing]: I’m too scared.

Jiang Mingyi nearly choked on his grape when he saw that reply. After coughing a few times and spitting out the seed, he immediately began furiously typing.

[Jiang Mingyi]: You’re scared, he’s not making a move—are you two just planning to waste your whole lives like this?

[Jiang Mingyi]: In any relationship, someone has to make the first move. It’s either him or you. You’re living under the same roof, seeing each other all the time—something’s bound to happen.

Otherwise, how else would Pei Shiqing have fallen for his brother?

[Jiang Mingyi]: Don’t tell me you’ve mistaken familial affection for romantic love?

After all, Pei Shiqing was pretty much raised by his brother.

The Pei family parents were never really reliable. Every time Jiang Mingyi visited, he’d witness them in heated arguments, screaming and red-faced. That couple had clearly emotionally checked out ages ago.

If it weren’t for the massive Pei family business, the two would’ve divorced long ago.

To keep up appearances as a high-society family, the two basically ignored their sons and just focused on enjoying their own lives.

As a kid, Pei Shiqing had been terrified of his parents’ fighting—he’d often cry from fear.

Luckily, Pei Mingyue had already been a teenager back then. He’d carry his crying little brother back to his room and soothe him to sleep.

Over time, their close bond was only natural.

[Pei Shiqing]: It’s not that.

He replied with just two words and then fell silent.

Pei Shiqing wasn’t exactly sure when his feelings toward his brother had started to shift. But one thing he was certain of—what he felt for him now was love.

Because of the complicated blend of emotions, he had once been deeply confused.

Was it because his brother had always treated him so well that he’d confused familial affection for something more?

But the first time he found himself thinking about his brother in that way, to the point it filled his head and stirred his desires—it excited and frightened him.

And it made him realize what had long been buried in his heart.

Love, inexplicable and deeply rooted.

Confusion. Fear. Unease.

He had gone through a whirlwind of uncontrollable emotions before deciding to keep those feelings hidden deep inside.

He thought, As long as I can stay by Pei Mingyue’s side, being his well-behaved, thoughtful little brother, that’s enough for me.

So now, when Jiang Mingyi told him to take the initiative—he really didn’t dare.

He couldn’t imagine kissing his brother, even though in his dreams… he’d already defiled him countless times. But dreams were just illusions.

Now that the illusion was becoming reality, Pei Shiqing was terrified.

[Jiang Mingyi]: If it’s not that, then be brave.

Since he didn’t have much experience himself, Jiang Mingyi went and found a bunch of videos online showing couples testing each other’s feelings and sent them over.

[Jiang Mingyi]: Watch these first. Get yourself mentally prepared, so you won’t completely freeze when the time comes.

Pei Shiqing’s face flushed red as he replied with a simple: [Mm]

[Jiang Mingyi]: Worst case, just take the slow route—like boiling a frog in warm water. Slowly “cook” your brother, get him used to more intimate gestures without even realizing it.

[Pei Shiqing]: I… I’ll try.

Their conversation ended for the moment. Jiang Mingyi put down his phone and closed his eyes, deep in thought.

He felt like he was worrying about Pei Shiqing more than he should. Now, all he hoped for was that Pei Shiqing could figure out what Pei Mingyue really felt.

That way, he could finally reveal the truth—that the two of them weren’t actually biologically related.

But the more he thought about Pei Mingyue’s usual cold and distant demeanor, the more he worried—would Pei Shiqing end up too intimidated by his brother’s authority to make any move at all?

Did he really have to come up with another plan to push the two of them together?

While thinking about it, Jiang Mingyi unknowingly drifted off to sleep.

When Shen Xingyan came home, he saw the young man quietly lying on the living room sofa. The fruit platter on the nearby coffee table was filled with leftover peels. His eyes swept faintly across Jiang Mingyi’s flat stomach as he silently walked closer.

He stopped just one step away from the sofa.

His dark eyes lowered slowly, scanning the sleeping figure from head to toe, finally settling on that delicate and beautiful face.

Soft black hair lay messily across the sofa cushions. A playful strand had fallen across his tightly closed left eye, gently brushing against his long curled lashes.

Perhaps feeling a slight tickle, the sleeping youth stirred a bit.

Although the sofa was spacious, it couldn’t contain Jiang Mingyi’s restless sleeping habits.

Shen Xingyan had just started to smile faintly at the small movement when, in the very next second, the sleeping youth rolled off the edge of the sofa.

Reacting swiftly, he reached out and caught the boy’s half-slipping body in time. Even though the floor was covered in a thick carpet, he couldn’t bear to see him fall.

He held him up for a moment, but the young man shifted again, turning to face the other direction as if still uncomfortable.

Seeing him now with his back turned, Shen Xingyan slowly withdrew his hands, finally able to relax.

But his mind couldn’t help wandering back to the conversation Jiang Mingyi had earlier with Qin Hao at the office. Did he really have those kinds of feelings for me too?

That single possibility had made it impossible for Shen Xingyan to stay calmly in his office. After handling a few things at work, he rushed home as fast as he could.

Now, watching the youth sleep so peacefully, the unease and tension in his heart began to fade.

He thought, maybe… maybe he could confirm the boy’s feelings for him the same way they had discussed.

When Jiang Mingyi woke up, he immediately noticed something felt off with his line of sight. He remembered falling asleep on the sofa—so why did the angle seem so different now?

That question was answered the moment he shifted slightly.

“You’re awake.”

A low, husky voice came from above his head. Jiang Mingyi jolted in shock and suddenly realized… he was using Shen Xingyan’s thigh as a pillow.

Wait—what?!
When did this man even come home?!
And how… how did he end up sleeping on his thigh?!

His pitch-black eyes were full of shock and confusion—completely transparent and easy to read at a glance.

“You sleep on the sofa without even using a pillow for your neck. That’s going to be uncomfortable,” Shen Xingyan said gently, his tone filled with the kind of care one might show a child who doesn’t know how to take care of themselves. He reached out and lightly pinched the defenseless youth. “You’re not uncomfortable now, right?”

Jiang Mingyi opened his mouth, belatedly realizing—he had used his thigh as a pillow just to keep him from getting a sore neck?

His heart skipped a beat, irregular and sharp.

Trying hard to ignore that reaction, he pressed his lips into a straight line and said, totally going against his own heart, “Even if I didn’t use a pillow, I wouldn’t have felt uncomfortable.”

“Really?”

Shen Xingyan looked up at him, those dark eyes flickering with emotions impossible to decipher before he lowered them again. “Then I guess I was being unnecessary.”

The tone was calm, but Jiang Mingyi felt like he was disappointed. His mouth moved faster than his brain:
“No! I mean… you’re always so nice to me, of course I’m happy.”

The moment he said it, both of them froze.

A moment later, the corners of Shen Xingyan’s mouth lifted ever so slightly.
“As long as you’re happy.”

Jiang Mingyi was inwardly screaming at himself for saying something so embarrassing, but hearing the man’s voice return to normal put him slightly at ease.

“Um… did I sleep for a long time?”

What he really wanted to ask was: Did I use your thigh as a pillow for a long time?

“Not too long.”

Jiang Mingyi sighed in relief—until Shen Xingyan casually added:
“Just long enough to make my leg numb.”

“……”

Your leg went numb and you still say it wasn’t long? Jiang Mingyi opened his mouth to complain, but the moment he looked up, he locked eyes with those dark orbs full of mischief and amusement.

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not. Look, I can’t even stand up right now.”

Shen Xingyan playfully poked at his thigh with a finger.
“Tingly and numb. Honestly, kind of a fun feeling.”

Hearing his self-deprecating tone, Jiang Mingyi felt a tiny bit guilty.
“Is it really numb?”

“If you don’t believe me, you can pinch it and see for yourself,” Shen Xingyan said with a completely straight face.

Jiang Mingyi hesitated, eyes drifting to the man’s long legs wrapped in sleek black suit pants. From the outside, there was no way to tell if he was bluffing. Was he seriously supposed to reach out and touch it?

While he was still torn, a hand suddenly grabbed his wrist, the one dangling by his leg. His balance wobbled, and he nearly fell right into Shen Xingyan’s arms.

He had to use his other hand to brace against the back of the sofa, one knee already ending up on the cushion, and his other leg lightly brushed Shen Xingyan’s thigh.

At that moment, he saw the man’s expression visibly twitch in pain.

“Okay okay! I believe you!” he blurted out and quickly pulled his hand back, sitting up straight like his life depended on it.

When Shen Xingyan saw the boy had distanced himself by at least a full meter, he lowered his eyes for a moment. By the time he looked up again, his expression had returned to normal.

He gave Jiang Mingyi a small smile—soft, tinged with a bit of helplessness, and just a flicker of cunning hidden beneath.

“My leg’s numb now. I can’t stand up. Could my dear little brother do me the favor of helping me up?”

A very reasonable request. One Jiang Mingyi couldn’t really refuse. Especially when the man’s numb leg was because of him—how could he have the heart to say, “Can’t you just wait for it to go away?”

As a good, obedient little brother, of course Jiang Mingyi couldn’t say no.

He hesitated, then reached out his hand.

His hand was soft and pale, with a touch of pink on the palm—pretty and healthy.

Shen Xingyan’s gaze slowly fell onto that hand. He’d held it many times before, knew it was soft and pleasing to the touch.

But this time, the feeling was completely different. That outstretched hand felt like an invitation, silently beckoning him to reach out and take the boy in front of him, carrying an indescribable, seductive allure.
Of course! Here’s the English translation of your latest passage:

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His hand slowly reached out and rested on Jiang Mingyi’s. The moment their differently tempered hands touched, they began to absorb each other’s warmth—until they were fully clasped together.

Shen Xingyan’s eyes darkened slightly. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.
“Pull a little harder and help me up.”

Jiang Mingyi bit the soft flesh inside his cheek, then tightened his grip and gave a strong tug.

“Ah—”

He had assumed it would be easy to pull the man up, but to his shock, he couldn’t budge him at all. In fact, the force rebounded, and he ended up falling straight toward Shen Xingyan.

“Mmph—”

A soft sensation landed against his lips. Jiang Mingyi’s eyes flew wide open in disbelief.

No way.

Last time, he had accidentally kissed Shen Xingyan while pinning him down on a bed. And now? He kissed him again—in the middle of the living room, of all places, with nothing to shield the scene.

In a panic, he scrambled to sit up, his handsome face flushed red. He didn’t even dare look at the man sitting on the sofa.

In a tiny, guilty voice, he muttered:
“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to…”

Shen Xingyan narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze sweeping over Jiang Mingyi’s neck, which was now entirely flushed. Slowly, he curled his lips into a smile.

Perfect.

Kiss—done. ✓