Chapter 74

“Yan-ge?”

Yan Mu’s move came suddenly, his arms tightening forcefully around Jiang Zhihuo’s back.

He had been sitting downstairs for a long time, and his body was stained with a chill.

Jiang Zhihuo held the bouquet in one hand and rubbed Yan Mu’s back with the other. “Yan-ge, what’s wrong?”

Yan Mu said nothing, gazing deeply at Jiang Zhihuo. The loose strands of hair on his forehead fell messily, his brows slightly furrowed with an unreadable emotion in his eyes.

Then he lowered his head again, forehead touching forehead, and let out a breath of relief.

The gesture was somewhat like acting spoiled, and Jiang Zhihuo could clearly feel the tension in Yan Mu’s back gradually easing.

Jiang Zhihuo patted him again and deliberately said, “Looking so wronged. Who bullied our Yan-ge? Come on, this ge will go teach them a lesson.”

As soon as those words were spoken, Yan Mu clearly froze. He immediately let go, his expression indescribable, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.

Too amusing.

Jiang Zhihuo lowered his head and chuckled quietly, then shoved the bouquet into Yan Mu’s arms. The bouquet was heavy. His arms were sore from holding it for so long.

Yan Mu held the bottom of the bouquet.

The flowers had all been carefully chosen before fully blooming. The buds were half-closed, with droplets of water clinging to the petals.

With nothing in his hands, Jiang Zhihuo felt completely relaxed. He strode forward casually and said, “Shall we go up first?”

The two entered the elevator, opened the door, and changed their shoes. Yan Mu was still standing by the door holding the bouquet, while Jiang Zhihuo had already rushed inside.

Jiang Zhihuo had run the entire way, sweating through his clothes despite the cold winter, as he wanted to find the flower shop quickly and return soon.

He first went to wash his hands, then twisted open a bottle of mineral water and drank it down with his head tilted back.

Yan Mu’s mind was slow tonight, clearly muddled. He looked at the flowers, then at Jiang Zhihuo. When Jiang Zhihuo placed the bottle of mineral water back on the dining table, he slowly opened his mouth and asked, “Did someone send you flowers?”

Jiang Zhihuo’s movement paused. “?”

Yan Mu asked again, “You accept them?”

Jiang Zhihuo narrowed his eyes. “???”

Can such a question still be asked?

Already kissed in the bar, now coming back with flowers. Is it still necessary to ask why?!

Yan-ge, where did your intelligence go?

Jiang Zhihuo deliberately said nothing, patted Yan Mu on the shoulder, and said, “I’m going to take a shower. Yan-ge, you think it over again.”

For some reason, Yan Mu didn’t seem as sharp as usual. It was rare to see this side of Yan-ge. When a top student acted a bit silly, it actually made them pretty cute.

Jiang Zhihuo finished his shower and came out, only to be surprised by the sight of Yan Mu sitting on the sofa. With his fingers interlocked under his chin, Yan Mu was staring seriously at the bouquet on the coffee table.

This aura didn’t match Yan-ge at all; it was adorably out of character, and his serious gaze looked as if he could really stare the answer out of it.

A laugh almost escaped Jiang Zhihuo. At the sound, Yan Mu shifted his focused gaze toward Jiang Zhihuo.

The flowers wouldn’t answer, but Jiang Zhihuo would.

Jiang Zhihuo leaned against the wall, his gaze also on him, a towel draped around his neck as he casually dried his hair.

“Figured it out yet?” Jiang Zhihuo asked, the corner of his mouth curling into a smile.

Yan Mu closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, then gradually stood up and walked toward Jiang Zhihuo.

Jiang Zhihuo lowered his hands, letting the towel rest on his shoulders again.

Yan Mu leaned closer and lifted his arm to touch Jiang Zhihuo’s hand, gently moving it aside. His breath drew nearer as he started breathing a bit faster, which showed he was a little nervous.

“Figured it out?” Jiang Zhihuo asked with a smile in his eyes. He was sure Yan Mu had; otherwise, he wouldn’t be doing this.

“No.” Yan Mu replied. “I can’t figure it out.”

Jiang Zhihuo shook his head, seemingly regretful: “Yan-ge‘s IQ has gone offline.”

“A bit hard to believe.” Yan Mu said.

“Then didn’t that mean you thought of it?” Jiang Zhihuo pointed out.

As he spoke, Jiang Zhihuo looked up to study Yan Mu’s eyes. They were a bit red, and his gaze was always deep, like ink that couldn’t be diluted.

Accustomed to feeling cold, Yan Mu was adept at concealing his emotions. On regular days, it was difficult to discern anything from those eyes.

Now it was different. With his body heat and heartbeat so close, his emotions were clear, calm, yet passionate. These two words were completely opposite, but at this moment, they existed together in the same person.

—Anyone would be moved if Yan-ge looked at them like that

Moreover, Jiang Zhihuo had long known that he was doomed.

It wasn’t clear who made the first move, but that didn’t seem to matter. The two were already so close that a simple tilt of the head or a lean forward would bring their lips together.

There was nothing to hide in the heat of emotion. They held each other, kissed each other, their arms forming a small, enclosed space. They trapped themselves inside it, their breaths blending together.

Yan Mu grasped the back of Jiang Zhihuo’s neck, and Jiang Zhihuo tilted his head up.

He had just finished showering, and the scent of body wash still lingered on him. Droplets of water from his still-damp hair clung to his neck. Yan Mu wiped away one of the drops, gently pressing his thumb against his spine.

For Jiang Zhihuo and Yan Mu, kissing was second nature. They had done it so often recently—kissing for three minutes, ten minutes at a time, several times a day—that they had long since mastered the art of breathing through it.

But this time, the kiss was brutally intense. No matter what, they couldn’t catch their breath, their breathing as chaotic as if it were their first kiss.

The bouquet remained on the coffee table, its petals vivid and glowing with a flame-like hue.

Yan Mu’s hand moved downward, with his thumb resting on the gland, gently rubbing.

Jiang Zhihuo normally wouldn’t voluntarily touch this spot. It was only now that he realized his gland had become more sensitive as the differentiation progressed. When Yan Mu touched him, he instinctively shrank his neck, tilted his head, and clamped down on Yan Mu’s hand. The back of his neck tingled.

The kiss ended suddenly, and neither of them spoke. Their heartbeats were so close, their breaths so near. There were too many shared emotions to count.

Jiang Zhihuo smiled as he hugged Yan Mu, his legs still a bit weak, but he couldn’t let Yan Mu know that, at least for now. It would be too embarrassing.

He pressed his cheek against Yan Mu’s and rubbed side to side.

Both of their faces were burning hot, still unable to cool down after the kiss.

Their breaths brushed against each other’s earlobes, just as warm, and their voices burned with heat, too.

Jiang Zhihuo said, “I don’t know how to say it. Anyway, that’s just the way it is. Yan-ge, how about the two of us start dating?”

After speaking, he tilted his head back again.

Yan Mu had always thought Jiang Zhihuo’s eyes were beautiful, with long, thick lashes and deep, wide double eyelids. When he smiled, the corners of his eyes lifted, and a shimmer of moisture sparkled in his gaze, full of light.

A strong emotion burst uncontrollably from his chest. Yan Mu couldn’t speak; he had no words to respond. So he bowed his head again and pressed his lips to Jiang Zhihuo’s.

It was another kiss, both passionate and unrestrained. At first, they were in the living room, then they moved into the bedroom. The winter was too cold, so they turned on the heater at night. The air inside the room was even drier than outside.

In such an environment, it was even more difficult to hold back. They were so close, chest to chest, arms wrapped around each other, that every reaction from their bodies was obvious.

They pulled apart slightly.

Jiang Zhihuo said, “Yan-ge, my hair’s still not dry.”

Yan Mu said, “I’ll help you.”

“Sure.” Jiang Zhihuo agreed immediately, sitting cross-legged on the carpet. Yan Mu plugged in the hairdryer. The effects of that earlier kiss still lingered. With his back turned, Jiang Zhihuo reached behind him and grabbed a pillow from the bed, placing it on his lap.

Warm air brushed over his head as Yan Mu’s fingers gently ran through his hair, pressing softly. There was no deeper purpose; it was just to dry his hair, but Jiang Zhihuo still felt the sensation ripple from his scalp through his entire body.

Boys’ hair was short, so it dried in no time.

Yan Mu turned off the hairdryer and sat on the edge of the bed, not moving.

They had just kissed. What words could be more fitting at this moment?

“Heart-to-heart talk?” Jiang Zhihuo turned his head and saw that at some point, Yan Mu had also grabbed a pillow and was holding it.

“Wait a bit.” Yan Mu said. “I’m going to take a shower.”

One sat on the bed, the other on the carpet, yet their movements were surprisingly synchronized. Both were holding a pillow in front of them.

Something about the scene made Jiang Zhihuo suddenly burst into laughter. He buried his face in the pillow and started laughing, then finally looked up, struggling to hold it in, the smile impossible to hide. “Yan-ge, you’re way too cute.”

Yan Mu shoved the pillow in front of Jiang Zhihuo to block his view, then, with a thud, jumped off the bed, grabbed his things, and dashed into the bathroom.

It was just a shower. Boys usually didn’t take long, but today, Yan Mu spent more than half an hour in there. The room door was left open, and the bathroom was close by. The sound of water kept running nonstop. It wasn’t clear if he was doing anything else, too.

By then, Jiang Zhihuo’s earlier reaction had long faded. When Yan Mu entered, Jiang Zhihuo was leaning against the headboard, Kindle in hand, already engrossed in reading, with a soft blanket covering his lower half.

Each had half the bed, with a clear boundary. Although Jiang Zhihuo always ended up rolling over to Yan Mu’s side after falling asleep, they kept a strict separation before sleep. It was their last remaining dignity—something they refused to give up.

Yan Mu stood to the side, drying his hair. The low whir of the dryer filled the entire room.

The moment the hairdryer clicked off, the room fell abruptly silent. Jiang Zhihuo lifted his head.

“Yan-ge.”

Jiang Zhihuo hadn’t gone home at all these past few days. He was wearing Yan Mu’s light gray, round-necked pajamas, and after wearing them for so long, the collar had slipped to one side, without him even noticing.

His exposed collarbone was finely shaped, his neck pale, and the area around his gland especially fair. The sweet, wine-like scent hadn’t been suppressed at all; it spilled out from there.

Yan Mu couldn’t take it. This scene was too much.

His omega lay on his bed, wearing his clothes, head slightly tilted as he looked at him, with eyes that were dark and bright. Jiang Zhihuo’s gaze was always so sincere and fervent.

“You still haven’t answered my question from earlier.” Jiang Zhihuo said.

Yan Mu sat down on his side of the bed, struggling to steady his racing heartbeat.

“Heart-to-heart, or dating?” He asked.

Jiang Zhihuo looked at him and smiled. “Both. I’ll let you choose which one to answer first.”

Then, Yan Mu hugged him once again.

His body still retained the warmth of a hot shower; every spot where their skin touched was burning. It was incredibly comforting to hold him.

Expressions weren’t clear during the hug. It was in that tangible sense of the other’s presence that Yan Mu finally felt at ease.

Jiang Zhihuo lightly scratched at his arm.

When a person is relaxed, their biceps are completely soft. Even if it can’t be felt, it can still be touched. The body’s responses reveal how the other person is feeling.

Hence, Jiang Zhihuo waited quietly for Yan Mu to speak.

Yan Mu had spoken, but he still hadn’t answered the question, or maybe he had answered everything. For a moment, Jiang Zhihuo couldn’t tell.

Because Yan Mu hugged him and said, “Xiao Zhou, I’m so happy I could go crazy.”