Chapter 43 – This Is What Kissing Is

Bian Ji unexpectedly became the one being accused, yet he accepted these accusations with a willing heart.

“I… wasn’t messing with you,” he said with an expression of surrender. “I just didn’t know how to handle this situation, really.”

It would have been better if he hadn’t mentioned it; now, Yan Ankuo had more to say. “I thought you were quite experienced. When your leg was injured, the young men at the hospital sent you plenty of gifts.”

“Who?” Bian Ji didn’t expect that the great lawyer would hold a grudge so tightly. “You’re talking about Chang Qing? Well, no, he’s just a colleague.”

“Chief Attendant Bian treats his colleagues rather well,” Yan Ankuo said sourly. “Anyone can call you Brother.”

Bian Ji realized that even if he jumped into the Yellow River, he wouldn’t be able to wash himself clean. “They all call me that; it’s a rule.”

Halfway through his explanation, Bian Ji suddenly saw Yan Ankuo’s smiling face in the dim light and understood that he was just teasing him. Bian Ji was also willing to play along and put on a flattering demeanor. “Okay, I’m wrong, don’t be angry.”

As if on cue, Yan Ankuo turned away, his usual expression showing no signs of unusual emotion.

Although he clearly saw a flash of a smile on Yan Ankuo’s face, Bian Ji read his intentions and stepped forward, coaxing him gently.

Yan Ankuo still didn’t respond, looking down at him with a faint smile.

Bian Ji then grew bolder, crawling out of his sleeping bag and moving in front of Yan Ankuo, tentatively hugging him and whispering, “Attorney Yan.”

Seeing that the man remained silent, he tilted his head up and moved closer to Yan Ankuo’s chin. “How about you pinch me?”

This suggestion was like pressing a switch on some toy; Yan Ankuo immediately pressed the person down, pinching his chin while holding his arms behind him with one hand.

“Do you know what you’re saying?” Yan Ankuo asked.

Not only was Bian Ji not annoyed, but he smiled warmly. “Finally decided to talk to me?”

Yan Ankuo kept a cold face, and Bian Ji thought he wasn’t going to continue the conversation, but unexpectedly, he asked, “You want me to pinch you?”

Bian Ji was taken aback for a moment before nodding.

Yan Ankuo asked again, “If it hurts when you’re pinched, will you make a sound?”

Bian Ji replied, “Yes.”

“Hold it in.” Yan Ankuo said this as if it was the punishment that would appease him. “Don’t make a sound.”

In fact, he wasn’t angry at all. It was just that Bian Ji’s flustered attempts to explain were too cute to resist teasing.

Bian Ji knew everything, yet he cooperated with everything, remaining silent despite the pain of being held and pinched. He didn’t try to dodge, nor could he. Yan Ankuo restrained his hands while forcefully kissing him, making it difficult for him to even react in surprise.

Yan Ankuo’s lips were completely opposite to his character, warm and soft, causing Bian Ji to momentarily lose focus, feeling as if he was kissing a soft rose.

“A little painful,” Bian Ji sucked in a breath of cold air.

“Shh — ” Yan Ankuo whispered maliciously in his ear, “they’ll hear us.”

Bian Ji had no choice but to hold his breath, passively opening his mouth to accept the soft yet assertive Yan Ankuo.

“Mr. Bian,” Yan Ankuo was doing such intimate things yet used such a formal address, “what are we doing?”

“Kissing,” Bian Ji said quietly.

Yan Ankuo nodded, seemingly affirming him, then came close to his ear and asked, “Now?”

Bian Ji took a deep breath. “You’re… pinching me.”

“Where?” Yan Ankuo asked knowingly.

It was a place that was hard to mention, and Bian Ji refused to speak, so the next second, he felt a sharp pain in his lower lip — it was Yan Ankuo biting him fiercely, still exploring other places.

Yan Ankuo blew on his earlobe and laughed. “I think this is considered punishment.”

Before today, Yan Ankuo had tested repeatedly, confident that he maintained control whether pulling or resisting. This time, however, he miscalculated, charged forward in a panic, lost his composure, and longed to leap straight into the rest of their lives.

Yan Ankuo didn’t think he was a qualified master of love this time, because he missed many precious opportunities — like the first meeting, if he had handed over his business card faster, he wouldn’t have let Bian Ji slip away. They might have been together for another month.

Having wasted so much time, Yan Ankuo wanted to seize every minute, attacking fiercely, taking everything in his arms.

Yan Ankuo increased his strength, and his kiss became more intense. Suddenly, Bian Ji was silenced, letting out a soundless cry.

Memories were chaotic, and Bian Ji only remembered that the temperature inside the tent was high, making his cheeks very red. What happened later was somewhat blurred. He slept without dreams.

Beautiful experiences swirled in his mind, and Bian Ji couldn’t help shivering from the morning chill.

Everyone got up early the next day because they had agreed to watch the sunrise. Nie Hang yawned as he came out of the tent, he caught sight of Bian Ji and exclaimed, “What’s wrong with you? Why are you so red in the face?”

Bian Ji gave him a sidelong glance. “It’s the wind.”

“Is that so?” Nie Hang leaned in closer, taunting him. “Did the wind also cause your dark circles?”

“I didn’t sleep well, got up too early,” Bian Ji said casually.

Nie Hang said “Oh” and continued to tease him. “With your genetic jackpot, you’re fine after flying late-night flights, but watching a sunrise causes problems?”

Bian Ji was speechless and could only self-deprecate. “Then what else can I do?”

“Who knows.” Nie Hang was smug and shouted loudly to Yan Ankuo, who was still in his sleeping bag. “Attorney Yan, you must know, right?”

“I know,” Yan Ankuo said with a half-awake hoarseness, half-truthfully and half-jokingly. “We were fooling around.”

“Cough, cough!!” Nie Hang didn’t expect this answer and looked at them in horror. “You two?”

Bian Ji glanced at him briefly before continuing to adjust the camera tripod, planning to start a time-lapse photography session to record the distant sunrise.

Nie Hang, left out, didn’t understand the situation at all and ran to Qiao Yuan’s side to ask, “Brother Yuan, did you hear what they were doing yesterday?”

Qiao Yuan had just woken up and stretched lazily with sleepy eyes. “No. What’s going on with them?”

“It seems like…” Nie Hang said uncertainly. “They’re together now?”

Qiao Yuan noncommittally said “Oh”: “It was bound to happen sooner or later.”

Nie Hang: “…”

Five minutes before the sunrise, Yan Ankuo finally finished getting ready and walked out of the tent, looking refreshed, naturally taking the blanket from Bian Ji’s hands.

“Hungry?” Bian Ji held up a freshly warmed egg. “There’s one left.”

“Wait a bit, I can’t eat for now,” Yan Ankuo draped a coat over him. “Put this on, don’t catch a chill early in the morning.”

The two nearby people could only look straight ahead, pretending not to hear their conversation.

At sunrise, the mountains were bathed in gold, thousands of birds sang in unison, and the scene was majestic.

After checking the completed time-lapse footage, Bian Ji was satisfied and put away the camera. The group then descended the mountain. Lunch was once again hosted by Qiao Yuan at a farm restaurant at the foot of the mountain. Since the three people seated there had heavy workloads to handle the next day, everyone didn’t linger outside the city for too long and hurried back to Shanghai that afternoon.

Because the three people had different destinations, they parted ways at the Nanpu Bridge.

Yan Ankuo bid farewell to Qiao Yuan and asked him about his future plans. Qiao Yuan said he was currently in contact with two airlines in Shanghai and Xiamen, and negotiations were still ongoing regarding salaries. After chatting for a while, they parted.

Qiao Yuan planned to go back to the airport area with Nie Hang and, seeing that Bian Ji hadn’t left, asked, “Where are you going?”

Nie Hang answered for him. “Need to ask? Definitely to the riverside.”

The riverside was where Yan Ankuo lived, and Bian Ji quickly denied it. “No, no, I’m also going back to the base.”

Nie Hang raised his eyebrows. “Can’t be, newlyweds, you two are going to live apart?”… What nonsense.

Bian Ji was too lazy to explain and only reminded Nie Hang to consider his shift schedule. He had to fly at six-thirty tomorrow morning, and if he were to leave from Yan Ankuo’s house, he wouldn’t get any sleep tonight.

“That’s true, can’t fly fatigued,” Nie Hang affirmed his dedication. “So, are you coming with us, or…”

“You guys go ahead,” Bian Ji glanced at Yan Ankuo. “I’ll catch up later.”

“Okay, got it.” Nie Hang pretended to be hurt. “You don’t want me around, being a third wheel.” Then he turned to ask Qiao Yuan, “Should we hang out a bit more? You don’t have to fly yet anyway.”

Qiao Yuan nodded and agreed, while Bian Ji scolded him for being excessive.

After the two left, Bian Ji finally had the chance to be alone with Yan Ankuo. The car cabin suddenly fell silent, and Bian Ji stared at Yan Ankuo for two seconds before moving closer. “Attorney Yan, now it’s just the two of us.”

“So what?” Yan Ankuo asked knowingly.

Bian Ji said, “Do you want to finish what we didn’t do this morning?”

“What thing?”

“…”

Bian Ji stayed silent, stepped closer, gave Yan Ankuo a light peck on the corner of his mouth, and quickly darted away.

“Alright, take me back to the base,” Bian Ji said.

Before he could finish speaking, Bian Ji’s mouth was blocked.

Yan Ankuo pinned him against the leather seat, completely oblivious to the fact that they were in public. He grabbed his hair with one hand and restrained his arm with the other, kissing his chin.

“Do you think you can just leave like this?” Yan Ankuo’s eyes were dark as he looked at him and asked.

Bian Ji was like a mischievous child who had caused trouble but refused to admit it, smiling cunningly. “Can’t be helped, I have a flight at six-thirty tomorrow, I have to go back.”

Yan Ankuo didn’t want to hear these excuses and kissed him again, robbing him of the chance to argue.

The car stopped in the underground parking garage, where there weren’t many people passing by, but it certainly wasn’t a private setting.

Bian Ji nervously patted the window, signaling that people outside could see them, but Yan Ankuo paid no attention to that and continued kissing him.

He didn’t know how long they kissed, but even Bian Ji, who prided himself on his lung capacity, began to feel short of oxygen. Only then did Yan Ankuo release him, panting and saying, “I’ll take you back to the base.”

The Lincoln’s engine sounded steady and deep, accelerating smoothly.

Bian Ji watched the receding scenery outside the car, lost in thought for a while, before asking, “Speaking of which, did I successfully chase you?”

They had kissed, hugged, and even slept in separate sleeping bags within the same tent last night. Now, he was actually asking such a question. Yan Ankuo had to admit that, in the matter of annoying people, Bian Ji was more skilled than some of his clients.

“Very successful,” Yan Ankuo said with a smile. “Too good at chasing, Teacher Bian.”