Just one kiss

There was no way Cheng Yue would agree. He stood up to leave. "Come on, it's not like my arms and legs are broken."

But Ji Huaijin remained unmoved, reaching out to push him back onto the sofa. "Stay here to recover, or have me follow you home. Pick one."

Cheng Yue: "..."

Was there any difference?!

Unable to win against him, Cheng Yue could only vent his frustration by angrily smacking the suit set beside him.

Ji Huaijin wore a white shirt, his belt defining the pleasing shape of his lean, powerful waist. With those rimless glasses perched on his nose, he stood there with one hand in his pocket, refined and composed.

All dressed up like a decent human being.

Cheng Yue pursed his lips. He had barely behaved for a few minutes before he started clamoring for a shower, thinking that if he made enough trouble, Ji Huaijin might find him annoying and let him leave.

Instead, Ji Huaijin simply put away his phone, went into the kitchen for a roll of plastic wrap, and reached out to undress him.

Cheng Yue swiftly leaned back. "What are you doing?!"

"Didn't you want a shower?" Ji Huaijin pushed past his resisting hands with a little force and continued what he was doing. "Wrap your wound first."

"Stop, stop, stop! I'll do it myself!"

Cheng Yue quickly freed himself and, clutching the plastic wrap, scurried in a panic into the bedroom he knew so well.

By the time he emerged, lips rosy and teeth gleaming, warmth still rising from his body, the dining table was already covered in dishes. The spread looked mouthwatering.

Ji Huaijin must have washed up too. Dressed in gray loungewear, he sat at the table working on his laptop and looked over when he heard him.

Cheng Yue was wearing the beige pajamas Ji Huaijin had worn before. The same clothes gave an entirely different impression on him, and Ji Huaijin thought they seemed to suit Cheng Yue better.

"Come eat."

Outside, rain poured down, wind driving the drops against the windows. Cheng Yue had intended to put on airs for a while to make his position clear.

His traitorous stomach started growling first. It was already past dinnertime, and after all the fuss that afternoon, he had long since grown hungry.

Ji Huaijin had excellent table manners. His chopsticks moved without making a sound. He gently set down his spoon, and a bowl of soup was placed in front of Cheng Yue.

Cheng Yue suddenly remembered him chatting and laughing with those high-ranking officials, courteous and measured, knowing exactly when to advance and when to retreat. He seemed nothing like an ordinary university lecturer.

The chicken soup smelled wonderful. With the top layer of fat skimmed off, it tasted rich and savory. Cheng Yue glanced up at the man opposite him, spooned some soup into his mouth, and swallowed the words he had wanted to say along with it.

Their paths had only crossed a few times. They were nowhere near close enough for him to overstep. Whatever the relationship, he had always been scrupulous about respecting other people's privacy.

Ji Huaijin ate little. For almost the entire second half of the meal, he attended to Cheng Yue, refilling his bowl whenever he emptied it.

Holding his stomach, Cheng Yue said plaintively, "Do you think you're feeding a pig?"

He had drunk almost the entire pot of chicken soup and eaten two large drumsticks as well.

Ji Huaijin put down his chopsticks, a suggestive smile tugging at his lips. His gaze settled on Cheng Yue's bulging stomach, and he asked casually, "Then when will there be piglets in there?"

!

Cheng Yue could hardly believe his ears. He stared at him in disbelief. "Do your students know how filthy you are?!"

Once someone innocent had gotten a taste of sex, all sorts of unspeakable images started popping into his head uncontrollably.

The hand resting on his stomach suddenly felt hot. Cheng Yue whipped it away and planted his clenched fists on his thighs, glaring fiercely.

Ji Huaijin, however, saw nothing wrong with what he had said. He leaned comfortably back in his chair. "I just want to know whether my efforts have borne fruit, that's all."

That's all?!

Cheng Yue gave a hollow laugh. "I'm just afraid that if they really did, you wouldn't be so happy about it."

The conversation ended with a kick to Ji Huaijin's shin. Even after hiding under the covers, Cheng Yue was still grumbling that these days, even lunatics could become university professors.

The sprawling single-floor apartment had no shortage of rooms, and a cleaner came every week. While Ji Huaijin went into the study to take a call, Cheng Yue picked a guest room and moved in.

He slept without dreams. When Cheng Yue got up the next morning, Ji Huaijin was already gone. There was only a lone note on the dining table, telling him not to wander off and assuring him that someone would deliver his meals on time.

And so Cheng Yue began his recuperation, with meals served and everything taken care of for him.

Half a year ago, a rent increase had left him lamenting that he might never be able to afford even a bathroom in Capital City. Now he was openly living in an apartment hundreds of square meters in size, and even complaining that it was frighteningly large.

The first two days had been quite novel. The day before yesterday, Ji Huaijin had come home a little late, and the living room lights were dim. Cheng Yue had been sitting alone on the sofa playing on his phone when, getting up to use the bathroom, he suddenly startled at the shadow on the floor.

Even though it was his own shadow, he hadn't dared go to the bathroom until Ji Huaijin returned.

"Is there something wrong with this guy?"

Otherwise, who made their living room this dark? Those two little lights weren't even as bright as candles.

After investigating for ages, Cheng Yue discovered that the apartment really had no main overhead lights, and suspicion began to creep in.

"He's not actually some chainsaw-wielding serial killer, is he?"

The more he thought about it, the colder his back felt. Just as he was about to pack up and flee, someone suddenly opened the front door.

Cheng Yue nearly jumped out of his skin. "Holy shit! Why are you suddenly back?!"

Ji Huaijin raised an eyebrow at his guilty-looking expression. "What have you been up to?"

Cheng Yue wanted to spit in his face. Which one of us is the creep here? And now you're trying to turn it around on me?

"Stop slandering me! You still haven't told me why you're back at this hour!"

Ji Huaijin left early and returned late every day. In all the days Cheng Yue had stayed here, he had never seen him before eight in the evening.

How busy could a university lecturer possibly be? Surely he wasn't really doing things in some hidden corner that made people disappear?

Videos of murders and dismemberments began playing on a loop in Cheng Yue's head. As Ji Huaijin approached, he instinctively backed away a few steps. "What do you want to do?!"

Undoing his buttons, Ji Huaijin strolled over to him, his gaze sweeping across him.

Cheng Yue pressed himself against the wall and swallowed nervously, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Ji Huaijin leaned down beside his ear, his breath spilling over the side of Cheng Yue's neck, scorching hot.

"Mm. I want to do... you."

Cheng Yue's ears reddened almost instantly. Realizing what he meant, he punched him in embarrassed fury. "In your dreams!"

Ji Huaijin wasn't angry at being hit. His alluring eyes curved slightly, and he let out a low, muffled chuckle.

Still fuming, Cheng Yue raised his hand to hit him again, only for Ji Huaijin to catch his wrist and pin it against the wall.

"Enough playing around. Get ready. We're going to the police station."

Cheng Yue stopped struggling. "They found that dog?"

With his arm raised, his sleeve slid down. Ji Huaijin rubbed his thumb over the smooth skin of his wrist and gave a distracted hum of assent.

The beige loungewear had a V-neck. Their tussle had tugged one side of the collar askew, revealing the lovely hollow of his collarbone, tempting Ji Huaijin to trace it slowly with his lips and tongue.

Cheng Yue was still wondering why the police had contacted Ji Huaijin instead of calling him first.

A voice suddenly sounded beside his ear. Cheng Yue hadn't caught the words and looked up blankly. "What?"

Ji Huaijin's kiss landed along with his words.

"Just one kiss."