TF01 85

Because that phone call with Shi Yi had taken quite a while, by the time Ying Ming got back, it was already past three in the morning.

Only his mom spared him a glance out of concern. Everyone else barely acknowledged his return. Ying Ming took a quick shower and went straight to bed. His phone was flooded with New Year messages. He skimmed through them and replied to two, choosing the ones from people he was barely acquainted with. He never liked sending out those messages, and he didn’t particularly enjoy receiving them either. When it came to feelings, showing you cared wasn’t about mass-sent texts during holidays. That kind of ritual was just an excuse for both parties to maintain some flimsy sense of connection. In the end, it didn’t express anything real.

He lay in bed watching TV for a while, but it bored him so much that he ended up switching to a book. It wasn’t until around five that he started feeling a little drowsy. His insomnia, which had been under control for some time, seemed to be flaring up again.

And this was supposed to be his home.

No one should be this sensitive about beds.

He only drifted off sometime before dawn, and hadn’t even made it to eight when he was jolted awake by a deafening “Cousin!” from outside the door.

Ying Ming instinctively grabbed whatever was closest to him and was about to chuck it at the door when he heard his younger cousin scream. That barely managed to pull him back from the edge. Scowling at the door, he snapped, “Can’t you read the sign?”

Thanks to his irregular schedule, Ying Ming’s bedroom door had long since sported a hanging sign that read Disturb and you die. He rarely stayed here outside of holidays or breaks, and the house was always full of people. After getting woken up a few times, his mom had come up with the idea to hang that sign as a safety precaution. But clearly, it hadn’t been very effective.

He ruffled his hair and waited for the other person to leave. His younger cousin flinched a little in fear, then whispered, “You have a friend here… Aunt told me to come get you…”

“A friend?”

What kind of friend had no sense showing up during the New Year?

He slumped back into bed. “Tell him I’m dead.”

His poor sleep quality did not mean he could go without sleep forever. Insomnia was one thing. Finally managing to fall asleep and then getting rudely woken up was another.

His younger cousin, frightened by his mood, didn’t dare say another word. She carefully shut the door, scurried downstairs, went straight to the adults and tattled. Ying Ming could hear the grumbling and complaints from upstairs.

Still, he had no intention of getting up. He turned over, shut his eyes, and tried to go back to sleep.

He barely got five minutes of peace before the door was pushed open again.

This time, he didn’t dare yell, because the only people bold enough to barge in at this hour were either his dad or his mom.

When he forced his eyes open, he saw his mom standing by the bed.

“Get up. A friend came looking for you. At least go say hello.”

“What friend shows up at the crack of dawn? Just tell them I’m sleeping.”

Ying Ming became a lot more casual at home. These were the people who had watched him grow up throwing tantrums and rolling on the floor. There was no point pretending.

His mom glared at him. “He’s already here. Stop playing dead and get up.” She yanked the covers off him.

Ying Ming cursed under his breath, completely fed up. He sat up with a face full of irritation.

Fuck. Who the hell shows up this early just to get punched?

No one who knew his home address should be this reckless. Anyone who knew him also knew he was not a morning person. Showing up at this hour was asking for trouble.

He didn’t bother washing his face or fixing his appearance. He just threw on a shirt, kicked open the door, and stomped downstairs. Behind him, his mom was nagging about how he looked like a mess. He just frowned and didn’t even turn around.

And sitting right there in the living room was Shi Yi.

Surrounded by a bunch of relatives, he was being bombarded with questions. The cousin who had gone to wake Ying Ming up was clinging to Shi Yi, asking nonstop if he was a celebrity. Shi Yi just smiled and didn’t deny it.

Ying Ming froze. “What are you doing here?”

Shi Yi grinned in that infuriating way of his. “Did you forget we agreed to go look at the car?”

“Look at a car?”

The matriarch of the Ying family, following close behind, raised her brows. “You little brat, trying to change cars again?”

“He’s got a Jeep. I wanted him to check it out for me.”

Ying Ming responded quickly, brushing it off with a casual line, then frowned at Shi Yi. “Still, you got here way too early…”

“I was in a rush…”

A double entendre slipped casually from his mouth as he kept smiling like nothing was out of the ordinary. Someone nearby took the chance to ask what line of work he was in. Shi Yi replied with a smile, saying he just did a bit of small business.

Ying Ming watched as his entire family swarmed around Shi Yi with questions and smiles, and frowned slightly before turning away to go brush his teeth. No one in this house had ever treated him like a celebrity or actor, but every man he brought home, so long as he looked halfway decent would be surrounded with interest.

Maybe it was true what they said. The monk from afar always chanted better scriptures. No matter how familiar, the ones outside were always more exciting.

By the time Ying Ming had finished cleaning up and came back downstairs, Shi Yi was already sitting at the table, eating breakfast with everyone.

His seven aunts and eight cousins were enthusiastically serving him food and soup. Shi Yi, the honored guest, accepted it all. Ying Ming couldn’t take it anymore and kicked the leg of his chair.

“Stop mooching off my family and let’s go.”

Since they had said they were going to look at a car, it really wouldn’t do to stay lounging around the house.

But then Shi Yi turned and glanced at him. “I’m really sorry. On the way over here, the car got hit. It’s already been towed. Even if you wanted to see it now, there’s nothing to see.”

Ying Ming frowned, about to say something, but before he could speak, his third aunt raised her voice. “Then why bother going out in this freezing weather? Just stay in and eat something warm. You said your family’s all out of town, why not spend the New Year with us? We’ve got plenty of rooms anyway.”

Right after she said that, Ying Ming’s dad nodded in agreement. “Exactly. More people, more festive.”

Shi Yi happened to have the kind of face that older relatives loved. He looked proper and well-mannered, and having grown up surrounded by people, he knew exactly how to flatter and charm without coming off as insincere. He could charm generals and ministers without breaking a sweat. Handling a house full of relatives obsessed with good looks was nothing to him.

Ying Ming watched him from the side, half-smiling. He didn’t stop his mom, nor did he say anything. He just found a seat and started eating breakfast. He only chimed in with a few words whenever the conversation happened to involve him.

Since there were a lot of people and the dining table wasn’t big, their household always ate the first meal of the New Year in rotating shifts. Once Shi Yi and Ying Ming had finished eating, they were promptly kicked off the table.

The two of them glanced at the living room, now fully occupied like a captured stronghold. After exchanging a look, they could only head back to Ying Ming’s bedroom.

Shi Yi, of course, had no complaints about the not-so-spacious room.

The moment they entered, he pushed Ying Ming up against the door. Just as he grabbed his collar and started to lean down, Ying Ming blocked him. He tilted his head slightly and raised an eyebrow. “Who told you my address?”

Shi Yi smiled. “Wang Yiqi.”

“Bullshit.” Ying Ming kept one arm braced against Shi Yi while struggling to get away from the door behind him. The damn thing wasn’t soundproof at all. Even the slightest movement made a commotion, and he had no intention of letting those nosy relatives downstairs come barging up to watch the show.

He had never liked overly spacious bedrooms, so he had deliberately given the larger rooms to his parents. The one he kept for himself was tucked away in a far corner and slightly cramped. Once they moved away from the door, they were basically right at the bed. The two of them barely took a step before collapsing onto it together.

Shi Yi ended up pinned beneath him, hands sliding along Ying Ming’s waist. “It really was Wang Yiqi who told me.”

“That guy doesn’t even know where my house is.” Ying Ming immediately shot down the excuse, frowning. “Was it Kouzi?”

This time, Shi Yi didn’t deny it. He smiled and nodded. “I told him I missed you.”

Then he grabbed the back of Ying Ming’s head and yanked him down hard.

Their mouths nearly crashed together. Ying Ming half-supported himself on top of Shi Yi, letting the kiss deepen as Shi Yi pulled him closer. Maybe it really had been too long since they touched like this. Their bodies were practically screaming with hunger. Shi Yi didn’t want to let go at all. It wasn’t until they were both struggling to breathe that they finally managed to separate.

Ying Ming’s breath was unsteady. “You just ran all the way over here like this. Your family didn’t care?”

“Of course they cared.” Shi Yi’s hand slid slowly up from Ying Ming’s waist. “But they’re used to it. The holidays are when we’re least likely to all be home together. When I was a kid, I spent Mid-Autumn Festival at school. It’s not a big deal.”

If anything, now that he was grown, the family had started asking more of him.

This time, they had managed to sit down together for New Year’s Eve dinner. And Shi Yi thought his father looked more tired than the last time they’d met. Still, maybe because they’d never been close to begin with, even when he had questions, he didn’t know how to ask them. His uncle had reminded him to come home more often if he had the time. That was what he had planned to do once the New Year was over.

Ying Ming grabbed his wrist. “You launch a sneak attack and come up with that shitty excuse? Your car got hit on the way over, huh?” He lowered his head and bit down on Shi Yi’s lips, prying his mouth open. Taking full advantage of his position, Ying Ming’s strength was anything but gentle. Shi Yi frowned slightly, trying to reclaim control, only to realize that Ying Ming was deliberately challenging him. And just from those two kisses, he was already hard.

Ying Ming lifted his head with a smirk that wasn’t quite a smile. Shi Yi barely held himself together and muttered, “We should go find a hotel…”

His voice was dry, rasping with heat.

He was dying to rip Ying Ming’s clothes off and fuck him right there. Just looking at him made everything below his waist ache with pressure.

Ying Ming let out a laugh and hooked a finger around the military tag hanging from Shi Yi’s neck. “Find a hotel? It’s the first day of the New Year, nine in the morning, and you want to parade around town like you’re looking to get laid?”

His face practically screamed what he was here for, and dragging him to a motel near his family’s place? Shi Yi’s brain really did short-circuit sometimes.

Young Master Shi looked both frustrated and turned on. He stared at Ying Ming’s fingers teasing his tag. Then Ying Ming licked the chain slowly, curling his tongue around it with obscene precision, until he caught the tag in his mouth. He leaned in over Shi Yi, gaze burning, and suddenly let go. The metal tag dropped and smacked him right on the forehead.

Ying Ming was a master at this.

Whether it had been that pole dance or everything that followed after they crossed the line, this man had always known exactly how to seize control of someone’s lust.

Shi Yi’s grip on his wrist was so tight his own hand had gone numb. He clenched his teeth and hissed, “Don’t tell me you’re planning to do this here.”

The man on top of him just raised an eyebrow and laughed low in his throat. “Why not? As long as you don’t start moaning.”

And as he spoke, his hands were already yanking at Shi Yi’s belt.

Ying Ming propped one hand under Shi Yi’s armpit, locking him in place. In that position, it was almost impossible for Shi Yi to fight back. Somehow, he had ended up completely underneath, and he was not happy about it. He growled and jerked his knee up, trying to knock Ying Ming off. “Fuck, that line was supposed to be for you!”

Ying Ming had expected a counterattack. But in this position, even if he saw it coming, he couldn’t block everything. The moment Shi Yi hit him, he had to shift sideways to avoid a full-on collision. As his grip loosened, Shi Yi grabbed his shoulders and yanked him back down.

The man behind him leaned close to his ear and growled under his breath, “Ying Ming, you’d better behave and let me take charge today. If we make too much noise, you’re the one who’s screwed.”

“Ha.” Ying Ming let out a short laugh. “If we really get caught, even if I get beaten, I’ll be second in line. My mom probably booted your ass on the way in.”

He arched his back slightly and, catching Shi Yi in an awkward angle, twisted and threw off his hands. “Forgot to mention. My dad’s been training in martial arts since he was a kid. The spears he practices with? The shafts alone are three meters long. You wouldn’t last a round against either of them.”

He’d always been into boxing, an influence from home. Unfortunately, he entered the entertainment world too early. By the time he really wanted to learn, he was already past the prime age to train seriously.

Shi Yi froze. “You serious?”

“If you don’t believe me, I’ll take you out to the yard later and show you the spear.” Ying Ming turned around lazily and shoved Shi Yi back onto the bed. “But right now, that’s not the point.”

The belt Ying Ming had tugged loose earlier was still awkwardly hanging from Shi Yi’s waist. This time, he yanked it off completely. Shi Yi tried to push him away again, but Ying Ming pinned him down and kissed him hard. Tongue forcing its way past clenched teeth, devouring the angry grunt that tried to slip out. While Shi Yi was still snarling into his mouth, Ying Ming slid his hand down between his legs, slipped past the waistband, and wrapped his fingers around his length.

Shi Yi’s body was burning. Not just warm. He was hard and aching, every nerve pulled tight with need.

Ying Ming felt like he was on fire. He frowned slightly, breathing heavily as he pressed his forehead to Shi Yi’s, a teasing smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “You showed up at my door. If I don’t make the most of it, I’d be a damn fool.”

Even if he didn’t believe for a second that Kou Jing gave Shi Yi his address just because of that one sentimental line, he couldn’t deny that seeing Shi Yi here had caught him off guard, in a good way.

Honestly, out of all the New Years he could remember, this was probably the one that thrilled him the most.

Shi Yi shifted his hips instinctively under Ying Ming’s touch, driven purely by lust. He scowled at the provocation in his ear. “Fuck. I’m supposed to be the one on top. I’m the damn son-in-law here.”

The logic didn’t hold up, and he knew it, but still, this wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

Ying Ming raised his brows, amused. “Why do you think my mom let you in? That whole crowd downstairs only take in wives, not husbands.”

He yanked Shi Yi’s pants halfway down, then lowered himself and began stroking him. His movements were steady, familiar, and firm. The heat throbbing under his hand made his throat go dry. He licked his lips, eyes narrowing with satisfaction as he took in the sight of Young Master Shi sprawled out, shirt half-untucked, arms thrown wide, completely consumed by desire.

His glasses were slipping down his nose, the fringe of his hair a disheveled mess. The open collar of his shirt revealed flushed collarbones, tinged with that specific red that only came from arousal. It wasn’t obvious, but it was enough to make anyone lose control.

Ying Ming frowned, grinding his hips against Shi Yi’s knee. “Don’t just lie there. Use your hands.”

But the man underneath him barely stirred.

Half a minute later, Shi Yi finally snapped. “Goddamn it! You tell me to use my hands, but how the fuck am I supposed to move when you’re still on top of me? You’ve got my arm pinned, how am I supposed to do anything?”

Ying Ming was holding onto his arm so tightly that if he really tried to sit up, he’d probably end up throwing the man off the bed. There was no way to get any leverage.

Laughing at Shi Yi’s pissed-off expression, Ying Ming reached for something beside the bed. His younger cousin had given it to him yesterday, some kind of jelly stick or frozen snack, he couldn’t even tell what it was supposed to be called. He bit the end off cleanly and, without warning, dumped the entire thing onto Shi Yi’s lower abdomen.

“Ying Ming!”

Shi Yi nearly jumped off the bed.

A second later, Ying Ming pounced and slapped a hand over his mouth. “You trying to die? My room doesn’t even have a lock.”

It was one of the house rules. No bedroom doors were allowed to have locks. According to his mom, family shouldn’t have anything to hide from each other, let alone lock each other out. His parents didn’t usually come into his room, but if he wanted to sneak around and do something, it was never completely safe.

He had to be out of his mind to be doing this right now. But something in him always chased after intensity, and once his hands were on Shi Yi, there was no stopping. Even knowing how reckless it was, Ying Ming couldn’t bring himself to pull back. Beneath him, Shi Yi was breathing heavily. The cold, wet mess Ying Ming had dumped onto the hottest part of his body had overwhelmed him, so sharp and sudden that it bordered on pain.

Ying Ming only let go after delivering the warning. Then, using the jelly as lube, he began slowly working Shi Yi’s erection, rubbing him with long, deliberate strokes. He lowered his head and began tracing slow circles around Shi Yi’s chest with his tongue.

He could feel Shi Yi’s chest rising faster and faster, and without even looking down, he could hear the pounding of his heartbeat.

Arousal always gave itself away.

The slick, melting chunks of jelly only intensified the pleasure of Ying Ming’s already-skilled hands. Shi Yi’s brows drew together, body gradually locking up. It hit so hard that when Ying Ming shoved a piece of jelly up his ass, rough and without warning, he didn’t even flinch.

Ying Ming narrowed his eyes, nearly losing control at the sight in front of him, soaked in sex and heat.

He reached down and undid his own waistband. He had been hard for a while already, so tense he could barely hold it in.