Chapter 39 – Is the Rapid Heartbeat Also Due to the Heat?

Given his uncertainty about Yan Ankuo’s alcohol tolerance, Bian Ji decided against arguing with a “drunkard” and obediently hailed a taxi to the restaurant.

When they arrived, Yan Ankuo was already standing at the entrance, chatting and shaking hands with his fellow alumni, showing no signs of intoxication.

Bian Ji feared that he might not be seen, so he asked the driver to flash the hazard lights and then sent a message to Yan Ankuo: [I’m here.] Yan Ankuo paused, glanced at his phone, and then told the others, “Someone is waiting for me, I’ll be leaving now.”

Everyone nodded, reminding him to be cautious on the road and to drink moderately. A few curious souls inquired who was waiting for him.

Yan Ankuo pointed toward the car nearby and simply said, “A friend.”

Bian Ji couldn’t hear their conversation, but seeing Yan Ankuo pointing in his direction, he assumed there was something to discuss. He rolled down the window and made a gesture for “call,” indicating that he was too far away to hear.

Yan Ankuo waved his hand, signaling that he would come over shortly.

Bian Ji smiled in relief, just as he was about to roll up the window, he noticed someone standing beside the car — dressed in a white suit, with a calm demeanor, looking straight at the vehicle — Bian Ji recognized him as Lin Yu from their previous encounter.

“Hello, Teacher Lin.” Since they were close, Bian Ji nodded in greeting.

Lin Yu could clearly hear him and returned the nod, “Mr. Bian, it’s nice to see you again.”

Bian Ji smiled and waved at him, and they didn’t engage in further conversation. Bian Ji returned to his seat, shifted slightly to the left, and waited quietly for Yan Ankuo to get in the car.

Approximately one minute later, the door on the right side opened. Yan Ankuo, clad entirely in black, made the chain adorning his lapel appear particularly exquisite and eye-catching.

“You look good wearing it, how did you grow such a face?” Bian Ji pointed at his collar, praising him sincerely.

Yan Ankuo tilted his head slightly, his jawline accentuated by the streetlights outside, “It’s your good taste in gifts.”

Bian Ji was delighted by the compliment, his eyes crinkling in amusement. He gave the driver an address, then turned to ask Yan Ankuo, “Did you drink a lot today?”

Yan Ankuo shook his head initially, then tapped his temple, “Just three glasses, my head hurts a bit now.”

Bian Ji hadn’t seen Yan Ankuo consume strong liquor before, so he wasn’t sure if that amount was much or little. He assumed that since Yan Ankuo had called for help, he must be drunk. He fetched a cushion from the driver and placed it behind Yan Ankuo, “You can lean back and rest, I’ll wake you when we arrive.”

“Alright.” Yan Ankuo closed his eyes immediately, sleeping without any reservations.

The driver instructed Bian Ji to input the destination on his phone, which he did with ease. After driving according to the map for a few minutes, they encountered a red light. Bian Ji took the opportunity to look at Yan Ankuo’s left profile.

The man’s jawline was prominent, his Adam’s apple protruded, and his eyelids were fluttering lightly.

Mesmerized, Bian Ji leaned closer. Suddenly, Yan Ankuo spoke, “I wasn’t asleep.”

Startled, Bian Ji quickly pulled back, pretending nothing happened, “Perfect timing, we’re almost at your place.”

“Bian Ji,” Yan Ankuo opened his eyes, scrutinizing the man trying to maintain composure, and then unexpectedly said, “I bumped into Lin Yu earlier.”

Bian Ji thought for a moment, realizing there was something he needed Yan Ankuo to know, “I saw him too, and greeted him.”

“Mmm, this time it was an alumni gathering. But he wasn’t under the same mentor as me, so I thought he wouldn’t show up,” Yan Ankuo explained.

Bian Ji shook his head, “It doesn’t matter, I know what kind of person you are, you don’t need to explain these things to me.”

“Oh? What kind of person am I?” Yan Ankuo became intrigued.

After careful consideration, Bian Ji confirmed, “Not the type to drag things out.”

Yan Ankuo found his response amusing, pausing for a moment before asking seriously, “What about you? Do you take the same attitude towards your ex-boyfriend?”

At this point, the driver was about to chime in but, hearing this question, curiously glanced at the rearview mirror before deciding to remain silent.

Caught off guard, Bian Ji laughed bitterly, “So nosy, Attorney Yan?”

Yan Ankuo replied, “Just asking casually.”

While Yan Ankuo asked casually, Bian Ji couldn’t answer casually. Sitting up straight like a schoolboy being questioned, he said, “If you’re asking about the last one… he was a pilot, and we used to work for the same airline, so it was inevitable we’d run into each other. But I share your view, once it’s over, it’s over, no need to linger on the past.”

“I remember you mentioned you broke up with him two years ago,” Yan Ankuo suddenly grew serious, the light in his eyes dimming, “Were you college classmates?”

“No, we met on a plane,” Bian Ji answered truthfully.

Yan Ankuo repeated, “Oh, you met on a plane.”

Bian Ji laughed bitterly, “We spend a lot of time on planes in our line of work.”

“The purser is quite dedicated,” Yan Ankuo commented mysteriously.

“…” Bian Ji didn’t dare to continue this topic, pointing to the intersection ahead, “We’re almost there, can this car go in?”

Vehicles from outside required prior notification to be allowed entry, and today was an unexpected situation, so the taxi likely wouldn’t be able to enter.

“It’s fine, we can stop at the entrance,” Yan Ankuo said, and the driver promptly pulled over at the intersection.

Bian Ji got out of the car with him, worried that he might stumble due to excessive drinking, so he reached out to support him. The driver didn’t want to linger any longer, dropping them off and speeding away hastily.

“I’ll walk you up,” Bian Ji draped Yan Ankuo’s arm over his shoulder, as if afraid he would collapse, “You don’t have to exert yourself.”

Yan Ankuo, towering at 1.86 m, having to be supported by another person was somewhat comical. He allowed himself to be helped, and due to walking steadily, Bian Ji even doubted, “Are you really not drunk?”

“Yes,” Yan Ankuo admitted straightforwardly.

Such frankness caught Bian Ji off guard, but fortunately, the elevator arrived quickly, and he hastily released his grip, saying, “We’re at your place.”

Yan Ankuo resumed his usual cool and composed demeanor, bowed his head to unlock the door with facial recognition, pushed it open, and asked, “Want to come in for a while?”

“No, no, no!” Bian Ji shook his head vigorously.

To him, home was a very private space, especially a home where he lived alone, signifying a clearly demarcated personal domain. He never brought anyone into his own small apartment, making no exceptions, “It’s inappropriate.”

Yan Ankuo didn’t have such clear boundaries and couldn’t understand why Bian Ji was refusing. Last time, he had given subtle hints, and this time, he couldn’t resist asking directly, “Why is it inappropriate? There’s no one else in the house.”

“It’s not about whether there’s someone or not,” Bian Ji chuckled, “I’m just not accustomed to going to other people’s homes.”

Yan Ankuo understood and respected his feelings, nodding in gratitude before entering his home to fetch a box.

Seeing this, Bian Ji knew that he was going to give him a gift again and politely declined, “No, I haven’t finished using the perfume you gave me last time.”

Suddenly, Yan Ankuo leaned in, lowered his head, and sniffed near Bian Ji’s cheek.

“Silver Mountain Spring?” His nose glided from the corner of his eyebrow to his neck, maintaining a polite social distance, “It smells good, suits you.”

Bian Ji swallowed hard, struggling to speak, “Yeah, thank you.”

Yan Ankuo asked, “Did you use it specifically to meet me?”

Bian Ji indeed harbored such intentions, but being caught by the person involved still caused a slight embarrassment. He nodded, defending himself, “I thought you’d be happier seeing me use something you gave me.”

Yan Ankuo chuckled softly, his breath tickling Bian Ji’s chin, “I am indeed happy.”

Before Bian Ji could secretly rejoice, Yan Ankuo lifted the chain on his suit, reminding him, “Also, I wore this specifically to see you.”

Bian Ji raised his head in surprise, meeting Yan Ankuo’s affectionate gaze, for which he could find no better description. Like a tail-wagging puppy, he repeated his joy, emphasizing it: “Thank you! I’m extremely, extremely, extremely happy!”

Yan Ankuo smiled, “That’s good.”

The two stood in the unlit doorway for a long time. Fortunately, the residential area was secluded, ensuring no one would reach this floor, and there was no irritating light to disrupt the intimate darkness.

“Would you mind helping me take it off?” Yan Ankuo waited for a while but received no further response, so he had to take the initiative to ask, “This chain is stuck in the buttonhole.”

Bian Ji hurriedly agreed with a “Yes,” raising his hand to untangle the gift he had given.

In front of Yan Ankuo, his height of 1.81 m seemed insufficient. Retrieving something from the neckline didn’t require much bending, and the advantageous perspective made the seemingly complicated chain easily slip off.

Bian Ji wasn’t exactly a well-behaved helper. While untangling the knot, he intentionally brushed Yan Ankuo’s Adam’s apple with his fingers, then ran his fingertip down to the vicinity of his collarbone.

“It’s off,” Bian Ji wrapped the chain around his index finger, grazing Yan Ankuo’s handback with his fingertip, then moved to his middle finger, lifting it up and holding it next to his face, staring straight into the other’s eyes, letting the chain fall into his palm, “Take care of it.”

Yan Ankuo didn’t look at the chain, boldly meeting Bian Ji’s gaze, and sincerely said, “Thank you.”

After Bian Ji withdrew his hand, he secretly trembled at his audacity, but rejoiced even more at Yan Ankuo’s tacit consent. He pushed his luck, “Should we say goodnight?”

Yan Ankuo was momentarily taken aback, as if wanting to know what trick he was up to, and obediently said, “Goodnight.”

“On our side, we hug before saying goodnight,” Bian Ji said half-jokingly, “Does Attorney Yan know this custom?”

Under normal circumstances, Yan Ankuo would dismiss such a clumsy lie outright, but at this moment, he acted like an enthusiastic child, spreading his arms wide, “Coincidentally, I’ve heard of it too.”

Without waiting for Bian Ji to react, he grabbed his hand first, encircling his arms around his waist, whispering gently into his ear, “Goodnight.”

The warmth under his palms was intense, almost scorching, and even Bian Ji struggled to withstand such seduction. He managed to reply with a “Goodnight,” swiftly breaking free from the embrace.

Yan Ankuo looked at his flushed cheeks and teased, “So sensitive.”

“It’s alright,” Bian Ji reached out to cool himself down, “There’s no ventilation here, it’s too hot.”

“Is that so,” Yan Ankuo, unwilling to let him off the hook, pointed to his chest and asked knowingly, “Is the rapid heartbeat also due to the heat?”