Xie Lin and Lu Ye sprinted for more than twenty minutes before turning into a narrow alley piled with clutter.
"What hidden task? Why do you need someone to help you complete it?"
Lu Ye's eyes sparkled, his face slightly flushed, as he took Xie Lin's hand first.
"It's-to hug your partner for ten minutes."
...That did take two people.
Xie Lin's gaze wandered as he muttered a complaint.
"Is the production team nuts? What kind of task is that?"
"Of course it counts as a task. You even get a special card if you succeed."
"Mm, fine, then."
Seeing him agree, Lu Ye paused until "Time's up" sounded in his earpiece.
He reached out a long arm and immediately swept him into his embrace.
Lu Ye's warm, dry palm gently stroked Xie Lin's back. Then he lowered his head, his moist, warm lips barely brushing the side of Xie Lin's neck.
For a moment, neither spoke.
The faint sandalwood scent that belonged to Lu Ye alone lingered around his nose, and all the sounds around them seemed to disappear.
Thump! Thump!
Xie Lin's heart began to race.
It wasn't as though they had never hugged.
Last time, during Lu Ye's rut, when Xie Lin received a temporary mark during his FQ period, they had held each other almost twenty-four hours a day. But it had never been like this.
It was as though a kitten's paw were scratching at his heart, making it itch.
Xie Lin had never felt anything like this.
Never.
Was this the fabled flutter of a heart in love?
Time seemed to stretch endlessly. Only when children's laughter came from the alley entrance did Xie Lin come back to himself, the surrounding noise reaching his ears again.
"Is... isn't the time up yet?"
His voice