Song Shuling slept deeply.

    When he was nudged awake, he groggily turned over, reaching out to shoo away the annoying parrot.

    Whenever he stayed somewhere for a while, he always brought the parrot along. This feathered creature would occasionally wake up early in the morning and try to rouse the sleeping Song Shuling, no matter how securely the door was locked. The parrot could manipulate a wire with such dexterity that it could unlock anything.

    “Stop it… be good.”

    Song Shuling’s voice was hoarse. He hadn’t drunk much the night before, but his head was pounding, and his body ached. Song Shuling, who usually had a good tolerance for alcohol, was accustomed to red wine and a light buzz. He had never experienced the sharpness of cheap liquor before. His eyelids felt heavy, and he sensed that Qiuqiu was licking his palm with its tongue.

    In the past, the parrot would hop on his head or peck at him, but now it knew how to be gentle. Song Shuling was pleased; the bird was teachable.

    It was warm and a bit ticklish.

    Wait.

    How could a parrot lick with its tongue?

    Song Shuling’s heart skipped a beat. He abruptly threw off the covers and sat up, locking eyes with a pair of large, black eyes.

    A yellow dog was lying on the edge of the bed, wagging its tail with effort.

    For a few seconds, Song Shuling was disoriented, trying to figure out where he was and what he was seeing.

    The yellow dog barked, “Woof!”

    It seemed cheerful but, due to its leg issues, couldn’t stand for long. It retracted its legs and placed its chin on the bed, looking at Song Shuling earnestly.

    Song Shuling relaxed, reaching out to pet the dog’s head. “Good morning.”

    He hadn’t rested much since yesterday. His car had broken down, he had walked into the mountains, and he had stood by the school gate until nightfall. Now, with the sky bright, he still felt a bit incredulous that he had actually met Ruan Zhen and been brought into his room.

    Song Shuling cleared his throat, not daring to look around too much.

    The room was filled with Ruan Zhen’s presence. A coat hung over the sofa, and the bed still retained the warmth of a body. The faint scent of laundry detergent made Song Shuling pause.

    Wait.

    How did he end up in the bed?

    He remembered Ruan Zhen telling him to lie on the sofa last night.

    Why did he wake up in the bed? Did he do something impulsive, like forcibly hugging Ruan Zhen and sleeping with him all night?

    Song Shuling’s heart raced.

    That was completely out of character.

    He pretended to be calm as he got out of bed and went to the bathroom to freshen up. His shirt was wrinkled, and several buttons were undone. With his mind preoccupied, he avoided looking in the mirror and slowly retied his tie, regretting his hasty departure that had left him without a change of clothes.

    When he came out, the yellow dog was still lying by the door. Song Shuling crouched down and patted its head.

    “Where’s Mr. Ruan? Did he go to class?”

    He had noticed the class schedule posted by the door. It was already past ten, and it was class time. There was a bit of noise outside, probably from a physical education class.

    The yellow dog barked and wagged its tail, leading the way out. Song Shuling followed it into Zhang Laotou’s room.

    The old man was watching a movie.

    He turned around when he heard the commotion, smiling. “Oh, you’re awake!”

    He added, “I knew that liquor would be strong. How’s your head?”

    Song Shuling smiled. “It’s okay, a bit dizzy in the morning.”

    Zhang Laotou said seriously, “Don’t get up too quickly. There’s red sugar egg in the kitchen. Go and have some; it will settle your stomach.”

    Song Shuling felt a bit embarrassed. “I don’t want to be a bother…”

    “It’s fine,” Zhang Laotou continued watching the TV. “The kid told me you might feel uncomfortable when you wake up. He said this would help your stomach.”

    With that, Song Shuling didn’t argue. He went to the kitchen and saw that the stove was still warm, with a small pot on it. He poured the contents into a bowl, and two plump eggs sank into the red sugar water.

    He had never eaten anything so sweet.

    But after finishing the bowl, his stomach felt comforted.

    After washing the bowl, Song Shuling thanked Zhang Laotou and asked, a bit awkwardly, when Ruan Zhen would be back.

    “Any minute now,” Zhang Laotou glanced at the time. “He eats in the cafeteria. You want to go there and wait?”

    The cafeteria referred to the school’s dining hall, where the village chief, Huang Yang, cooked lunch five days a week. The food was the same for both teachers and students, and it was quite tasty.

    Song Shuling thought for a moment, worried that he might cause trouble for Ruan Zhen.

    “I’ll wait here.”

    As an outsider, he didn’t have a proper reason to enter the school’s cafeteria.

    Back in the small room, Song Shuling sat on the sofa, feeling uneasy. After a couple of minutes of silence, he got up to sweep the floor. He had some trouble with the mop, trying to recall how his servants did it. He managed to wring it out in the sink and started mopping.

    He wasn’t trying to be a housewife, but he didn’t want to sit idly and hoped to leave a good impression on Ruan Zhen.

    As he was mopping, the school bell rang. Song Shuling immediately worked harder, mopping back and forth a couple of times. The room was small, so he couldn’t move around much and focused on the last small patch, hoping Ruan Zhen would see his effort.

    Just as he looked up, he saw Ruan Zhen through the window.

    It had rained heavily the day before, but today was a rare sunny day. Ruan Zhen was dressed lightly in a light-colored hoodie and sweatpants, looking no different from the students.

    Song Shuling straightened his back.

    But Ruan Zhen stopped.

    He turned to look at a man running towards him. The man looked fierce, with a scar on his face, but his expression was gentle as he handed Ruan Zhen a tin lunch box.

    Song Shuling narrowed his eyes.

    He recognized this man.

    When he arrived yesterday, the man had come on a tricycle, carrying vegetables, potatoes, and a bag of flour. He had asked about the relationship between Ruan Zhen and Song Shuling.

    At the time, Ruan Zhen had thrown a piece of chalk at him and said, without hesitation, that Song Shuling was his sister-in-law.

    Song Shuling had felt a bit aggrieved.

    Back then, his joy at seeing Ruan Zhen had overshadowed any attention to this man. But now, he couldn’t ignore him.

    The two men were still talking outside.

    Ruan Zhen’s back was to him, so Song Shuling couldn’t see his expression, but he must have been smiling because the man was smiling and even patted Ruan Zhen’s shoulder affectionately.

    Song Shuling’s hand paused.

    He quietly moved closer to the window to get a better view.

    Ruan Zhen said something and then parted ways with the man, turning to walk towards the room.

    The door creaked open.

    Ruan Zhen was silent for a few seconds.

    He took a step back.

    “Song Shuling!”

    He almost threw the tin lunch box at him. “Are you trying to flood my house?”

    The white tiles were soaked with water, leaving no dry spot to stand on. Song Shuling was a miracle for managing to stand there with the mop.

    How dare he look at him like that?

    What was he complaining about?

    “I was trying to mop the floor,” Song Shuling said meekly. “Did I… do something wrong?”

    Ruan Zhen felt a headache coming on.

    “Mopping is good,” he tried to soften his tone, “but you need to wring out the mop before using it. Otherwise, the floor will be wet, and no one can walk on it.”

    Song Shuling said, “Oh,” and apologized.

    He quickly averted his gaze.

    For some reason, he felt that Ruan Zhen was different today.

    His lips were red and slightly swollen.

    “Come in,” Song Shuling moved back, holding the mop. “I’ll… wring it out again.”

    Ruan Zhen closed the door and opened all the windows to ventilate. He carefully walked to the sofa and sat down. “Have you eaten?”

    Song Shuling, having wrung out the mop, spoke softly. “Yes, I ate at Grandpa’s. Thank you.”

    Ruan Zhen opened the tin lunch box, revealing two dishes: braised cabbage with old tofu and wood ear mushrooms with pork slices, along with fragrant rice. He ignored Song Shuling and started eating.

    Song Shuling obediently mopped the floor again.

    After washing his hands, he didn’t feel comfortable sitting on the bed or next to Ruan Zhen. He had a vague sense of guilt, probably because he woke up in Ruan Zhen’s bed.

    You’re being foolish.

    Song Shuling sighed inwardly. He was just starting to pursue Ruan Zhen; how could he do something so inappropriate?

    He wanted to be seen as a refined and gentlemanly person in Ruan Zhen’s eyes.

    Ruan Zhen didn’t look up.

    It’s over; he must be angry with me.

    Song Shuling, standing there, tried to make conversation. “Are you feeling a bit overheated?”

    Ruan Zhen finally looked up.

    “Your lips are chapped,” Song Shuling observed. “Did you not rest well last night? I drank too much… I might have disturbed your sleep. I’m sorry.”

    As he spoke, Ruan Zhen put down his chopsticks.

    He went to the kitchen to wash the lunch box and then to the bathroom to rinse his mouth with mouthwash.

    When he came back, Song Shuling was still standing there, his amber eyes wide and innocent.

    Ruan Zhen looked at him. “I’m not overheated, and I did rest well.”

    Song Shuling let out a sigh of relief. “Oh.”

    The next moment, Ruan Zhen’s expression was neutral. “I was kissed.”

    The air in the small room seemed to freeze, and even their breathing was silent.

    Song Shuling felt a loud ringing in his ears, his mind blank as he stared at Ruan Zhen’s swollen lips.

    “Not just kissed, but bitten and touched,” Ruan Zhen continued, his tone casual, almost cruelly innocent, like he was standing naked before a mirror, unafraid and unashamed.

    “I couldn’t take it anymore and bit him on the shoulder to make him stop.”

    Ruan Zhen took a step closer to Song Shuling, looking up at him. “But that bastard wouldn’t let go, holding me in his arms…”

    “Enough.”

    Song Shuling’s voice was steady, but he was struggling to keep it from trembling.

    He didn’t mind showing vulnerability to the person he loved, but he couldn’t bear to be tortured like this.

    Ruan Zhen’s smiling eyes, his red lips, and the slight bruise on his lip all reminded him of what had happened.

    No.

    This was too cruel.

    Had Ruan Zhen not stayed in the room last night?

    Song Shuling’s chest heaved with jealousy and pain, making it hard to think. But Ruan Zhen was already reaching out to unbutton his shirt.

    “Stop.”

    Song Shuling caught his hand, his voice hoarse. “Don’t do this to me.”

    He had thought that even if Ruan Zhen had someone else, he wouldn’t mind too much. A mere white moonlight was nothing, and having someone around was no big deal. He wasn’t afraid to compete with anyone; he just needed to wait for the right moment.

    What was his would always be his.

    But now, he felt a deep bitterness.

    Ruan Zhen, undeterred, continued to unbutton his shirt.

    Song Shuling didn’t understand his intentions. He closed his eyes, steeled his resolve, and firmly stopped Ruan Zhen’s hand.

    At least, they needed to calm down and give Ruan Zhen the choice, not act on impulse and regret it later.

    But Ruan Zhen had already pulled open his shirt, revealing his muscular chest.

    His breathing was light.

    He withdrew his fingers from Song Shuling’s grip and placed them on the clear bite mark on his shoulder.

    He smiled sweetly.

    “Do you think that bastard still feels pain from this?”

    If you enjoy this novel/chapter, please consider buying me a coffee. Thank you.

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