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Xin Chun slowly shuffled his feet and went outside to wash his hands.

As he made his way to the doorway, Owen unzipped himself too. The powerful sound made Xin Chun's old face flush uncontrollably.

Honestly, he had seen it who knew how many times in his past life, and they had even had countless zero-distance intimate encounters. Why was he still so shy and embarrassed now?

That part of Owen matched his build—not only was it impressive, but it was also highly practical.

Xin Chun had been tossed around so badly that his old waist could not straighten, and there had been no shortage of times when he could not get out of bed.

Recalling those explicit scenes, even rinsing his hands with cold water failed to cool the heat on Xin Chun's face.

By the time Owen came out to wash his hands as well, his legs were fine, and he moved much faster than Xin Chun.

When he reached the sink, he saw Xin Chun's rosy cheeks and red ears, looking like a rabbit trying to cover his eyes with its long ears. Owen lowered his gaze and turned on the faucet. The sound of rushing water filled the room. "Is it very hot?"

It was summer, and the bathroom air conditioning was turned up high.

Xin Chun said, "I'm fine."

After washing his hands, he pulled out a tissue and dried them. Owen finished drying his hands as well, then supported him as they headed out. "The injured palm didn't get wet, did it?"

"No." Xin Chun raised his hand and waved it.

"Mm. What do you want for dinner tonight?"

With Xin Chun's injured hand, it was inconvenient for him to cook. Owen had brought breakfast when he picked him up, and they had eaten lunch outside.

Xin Chun said, "I want mushroom soup."

"You can direct me. I'll make it," Owen said.

"But we clearly agreed before that I'd make soup for you..."

"There'll be a chance after you recover."

"Okay." Xin Chun smiled. "Then I'll try your cooking first."

At this point, Owen's cooking skills had not yet been honed, but well, wasn't this the perfect opportunity?

After drinking soup for two nights in a row, Owen had clearly improved a great deal. On the third night, he even made a few other dishes.

And this day was gloomy and rainy again.

After dinner, Xin Chun glanced at the weather outside. "Jingu Town gets a lot of rain this season. Today's a rainstorm, and tomorrow it'll turn into moderate rain. The forecast says it'll keep raining for several days."

"Owen, why don't you stay over tonight? It's dark and rainy, and driving on the road is dangerous."

Owen nodded and agreed.

Xin Chun said, "It's still early. Want to watch a movie together?"

"What should we watch?"

"Anything is fine. You pick one. I'll go get a blanket." Xin Chun hopped into the bedroom on one foot.

When he came back out, Owen had already picked a movie. It was a foreign film, and Xin Chun knew the plot after one glance. He had seen it before. It was an absurd comedy with a romance between two men.

But when Owen asked him, Xin Chun shook his head. "I haven't seen this one. Let's watch it."

The sofa, blanket, snacks, and dog were all ready. Xin Chun discreetly glanced at Owen. And... his lover.

For now, though, he could only hold the dog. His lover's embrace could wait until later.

Xin Chun leaned against Handsome Star. The blanket was long, so he draped half of it over Owen's legs, leaving a gap between them.

Owen looked at the gap, wide enough to fit another person, then lifted his head and caught sight of Xin Chun hugging the Alaskan malamute, rubbing its head and smacking two kisses onto it.

He said, "The movie's starting."

"Oh, right." Xin Chun turned his attention to the movie, snacks in his arms.

After they had watched for a while, Owen went to pour him some water. When he returned, he naturally sat very close to Xin Chun. The gap between them was no longer wide enough for even half a person.

"Thank you." Xin Chun took the water and had a sip.

Handsome Star was probably thirsty too. The dog had little interest in watching movies, so it jumped off the sofa to drink water.

Owen said then, "Star only ate a little dog food. Do you give him extra treats?"

Xin Chun said, "I occasionally feed him snacks. There are dental chews in the cabinet. If you want to feed him, one is enough."

Owen stood up, fetched a dental chew, and came back. Handsome Star followed closely behind him, its dog eyes full of longing.

Before they even reached the sofa, Owen seemed unable to deal with the Alaskan malamute pestering him, so he set the chew down on the carpet. Handsome Star immediately lay down where it was and began gnawing on it with relish.

Xin Chun thought, You really are Daddy's good son. Can't you see that this man is deeply scheming?

If he did not know Owen so well already, he would not have noticed the man's covert intentions.

Owen sat back down on the sofa, his expression unchanged. His dark green eyes were even more captivating in the dimness, seeming to gleam with a different sort of color. They were very beautiful.

Xin Chun stared for a moment. Owen noticed and turned his head. "What is it?"

Xin Chun's lips and eyes curved. "Your eyes are so beautiful, like green agate. No, they're even prettier than that."

After saying that, Xin Chun moved his gaze away and continued watching the movie, as though he had merely offered a simple compliment and expected no response.

Yet Owen silently watched Xin Chun for two seconds, his gaze like that of someone watching a rabbit lingering at the edge of a trap. But the rabbit kept hopping around and simply would not fall in.

Only then did he turn back.

Once the movie ended, the two talked about the plot.

Owen said, "Henry Aivel—Veer initially liked girls. When Henry gathered his courage and confessed, Veer was surprised, but he did not find it difficult to accept."

Xin Chun said, "Maybe Veer was bisexual all along; he just did not know it himself before. Henry's confession opened another door for him."

"Then if a man confessed to you, what would your reaction be, Xin Chun?" Owen looked at him, as if merely asking out of curiosity.

Xin Chun turned sideways against the sofa, propping his chin up with one hand as he considered it. "Mm... any assumption made now isn't realistic, but I would probably refuse."

"Unless that man made my heart race, unless I had a favorable impression of him and already liked him before. Only then would I accept his confession, or..."