Chapter 48 – Good Morning

On July 25, 2020, Mr. Jiang officially became Mr. Shen’s boyfriend.

Mr. Shen, that scoundrel, wasted no time in discarding a certain bear-named imposter after obtaining Mr. Jiang, his white moonlight.

Hmph, he was nothing but a substitute after all.

Xiong Heng Heng: “…?”

After taking a shower, Shen Fubai emerged from the bathroom wearing his Pikachu pajamas. He had many sets of pajamas, but favored this one above all others.

It held a different significance.

This was what he wore when he and Heng Heng first shared a bed, purchased personally by Heng Heng. During those days when his feelings were hidden deep within him, he frantically sought out every connection they shared.

What was once filled with heartache now transformed into an overwhelming sense of happiness upon the change in their relationship status.

It was chosen by his boyfriend!

Knock-knock— The sound of knocking on the door interrupted his thoughts.

Shen Fubai, assuming it was Xiao Lin, said, “Come in.”

The door opened to reveal Jiang Heng, dressed in his little dinosaur pajamas.

Shen Fubai was surprised, sitting up straight. “How did you get here?”

Jiang Heng locked the door behind him, explaining, “I came to see my newly appointed boyfriend.”

Shen Fubai made a sound of surprise, feeling bashful.

“I’ve been thinking about how you’ve visited me so many times, yet I’ve never been to your room,” Jiang Heng observed, looking around. “Isn’t it worth taking a look?”

Shen Fubai responded, “Hotel rooms are all the same, there’s nothing to see.”

“Not true,” Jiang Heng countered. “You’ve lived in it.”

Shen Fubai laughed. “Are you suggesting that I have fairy dust, turning every place I’ve stayed into a feng shui treasure land?”

“Not quite,” Jiang Heng smiled faintly. “I just wondered if you lived in a candy house. Otherwise, why do you always smell so sweet?”

Shen Fubai was at a loss for words.

Heng Heng was too skilled at this.

At the same time, he found the phrase “candy house” somewhat familiar, as if he had heard it before, but couldn’t recall where.

Never mind, Heng Heng’s mouth was truly sweet.

Shen Fubai said, “I never knew your mouth was so sweet.”

Jiang Heng responded with an “oh,” his tone rising slightly. “Didn’t you just taste it?”

Shen Fubai instantly recalled the kiss they shared in the rooftop restaurant earlier, a mix of strawberry ice cream and cream flavors.

Is Wei around? Come die for a moment.

“What’s this?” Jiang Heng initially saw something indiscernible half-covered by the blanket, but upon closer inspection, discovered it was a large white bear, looking a bit worn as if it had seen better days.

A giant teddy bear, almost as big as Shen Fubai.

“Ahh, it’s just a stuffed bear, one that has been with me for quite some time.” Shen Fubai pulled Bear Heng Heng closer. “I prefer sleeping while hugging something; otherwise, I can’t sleep well. When I first arrived at the hotel, I had trouble adjusting to the new bed, but holding it helped me sleep peacefully.”

Jiang Heng remembered the night at the Wine Hotel when Shen Fubai hugged him tightly, sleeping soundly.

He didn’t seem to have any trouble adjusting to the bed.

Shen Fubai thought, Because I’m more attuned to you.

Jiang Heng asked, “Does it have a name?”

Given that it had been with him for years, even a stuffed toy would have developed sentimental value, and should have a name.

“Yes, it’s called—called Big White!” Shen Fubai couldn’t possibly tell Jiang Heng that the bear was named Heng Heng, or else how would he explain it? Should he say that he had harbored feelings for him for a long time, or that in his eyes, Jiang Heng resembled a bear?

In a moment of quick thinking, Shen Fubai renamed it on the spot. “Look at this bear, big and white, isn’t the name fitting?”

Bear Heng Heng, forced to undergo an online renaming, wore a cold expression.

Fine, it was just a soulless stuffed animal.

Jiang Heng paused for a moment. “Good name.”

He imagined a young Shen Fubai sleeping with a bear larger than himself. It seemed more like the bear was hugging Shen Fubai.

Big White embracing Little White, the scene was rather cute.

Jiang Heng remarked, “I envy it so much.”

It had been with you for so many years, while I have only just come into your life.

Shen Fubai, embarrassed, said, “If it bothers you, I won’t hug it anymore…”

Jiang Heng chuckled, finding Fubai adorable. How could he be jealous of a stuffed bear? Just as he was about to say it wasn’t necessary—

Shen Fubai whispered, “From now on, I’ll hug you instead.”

Jiang Heng: “…Okay, alright.”

Both of them felt shy for a minute.

Then.

Jiang Heng suggested, “Let’s not wait until later, tonight then.”

Shen Fubai agreed readily. “Alright.” –

The little dinosaur and Pikachu sat at the head of the bed, chatting under the covers.

“Fubai,” Jiang Heng still felt a bit dazed. “When did you start… liking me?”

Shen Fubai replied, “I don’t know. But it seems to have been for a long time.”

Jiang Heng asked, “How long?”

Shen Fubai answered, “A month.” Not really.

It was two years.

There was no need to recount the history of his humble and heart-wrenching infatuation. The present was beautiful, and he was happy now, which was enough.

Jiang Heng pondered. “We’ve only met for a month.”

“That’s right,” Shen Fubai confirmed. “I liked you back then. You were handsome and rich. How could I not like a man who gave me a row of car keys on our first meeting?”

Jiang Heng also added, “I also wondered why I shouldn’t put my name on the property deed and household registration of a man with several properties.”

They looked at each other.

It seemed they weren’t just “love at first sight, only interested in appearance.”

They were “love at first sight, only because of wealth.”

Why were two wealthy people so materialistic? Talking about money could hurt their relationship.

Shen Fubai quickly became affectionate. “But you must believe that I’m not after your cars now.”

Jiang Heng echoed in a sincere tone, “Nor am I after your houses.”

Truly, if anyone else had said these words without knowing they were both genuinely wealthy, nobody would have believed them.

Indeed, couples with houses and cars could sustain their relationship-

Jiang Heng spent the night sleeping with Shen Fubai, keeping his hands to himself, not daring to touch or move around recklessly.

For once, neither of them stayed up late, enjoying a peaceful night’s sleep. Shen Fubai even slept deeper than usual, not waking up when it was time to rise the next day.

Perhaps it was due to the comfort Jiang Heng’s embrace provided.

Bear Heng Heng, who had been bestowed the elegant name Big White, was left on the sofa, harboring resentment throughout the night.

With Shen Fubai having obtained the status of Empress, it had become an abandoned concubine.

Was Shen Fubai an emperor?

No, he was a noble consort.

A dazzling and opulent flower of wealth, no one could match him in this regard-

The next morning, Xiao Lin knocked on the door as usual. “Brother Shen, wake up!”

He found it strange that Brother Shen, who usually woke up early to meet up with Emperor Jiang, showed no signs of activity at this hour. Had he slept through the time?

As for Room 608 across the hall, it remained closed. He wasn’t sure if its occupant was still asleep or had already left.

Today, neither of them was punctual.

Strange indeed.

Xiao Lin feared that Jiang Heng inside Room 608 might hear him, so he leaned against the door and spoke in a lowered voice. “Brother Shen, wake up! If you don’t, Emperor Jiang will leave!”

Based on his experience, no matter how deeply Shen Fubai was sleeping, mentioning Emperor Jiang’s name would always elicit a response.

Indeed, there was movement—the door opened in the next instant.

Xiao Lin, having learned from past mistakes, promptly straightened his posture, not pressing his entire weight against the door, thus avoiding another embarrassing fall.

He was about to praise himself for his quick reflexes when he looked up and saw who had opened the door, causing his face to pale and his feet to slip, landing him flat on his butt.

Xiao Lin: “…”

What had he seen?!

This was definitely Room 607.

Why was Emperor Jiang the one answering the door?-

Jiang Heng, fully dressed, looked slightly surprised, asking, “Are you alright?”

Xiao Lin hurriedly got up. “No, no problem. What’s… going on?”

“As you can see, this is the situation. Shh, he’s still sleeping.” Jiang Heng gently closed the door, standing in the hallway to converse with Xiao Lin. “You mentioned my name earlier. Does my departure have anything to do with whether your Brother Shen wakes up or not?”

Xiao Lin: “…” The connection was significant. His waking time depended on when Jiang Heng left.

Wait, what was happening between them? He hadn’t even seen Shen Fubai yet, but Jiang Heng had emerged from Room 607, indicating that he had spent the night there.

What had happened during the night? Were they so engrossed in filming intimate scenes that they ended up in bed together at the hotel?

In the morning, Xiao Lin felt disoriented by the unexpected turn of events, even doubting if he was still asleep, and didn’t respond to Jiang Heng’s question immediately.

However, Jiang Heng, possessing high intelligence when facing anyone other than Shen Fubai, quickly deduced the answer he sought.

Jiang Heng nodded. “Alright, I understand. You and Xiao Zhang go ahead and have breakfast. I’ll wake him up.”

With that, he retreated into the room and closed the door.

Xiao Lin, staring at the closed door, questioned his reality. “…”

He didn’t comprehend, nor dared he ask.

All he knew was that he would eat breakfast with Xiao Zhang.

While the two main characters indulged in their budding romance, he and Xiao Zhang had developed a long-term and stable friendship as dining companions-

Jiang Heng closed the door and returned to the bed, quietly observing the youth’s sleeping face.

The curtains were drawn, allowing the gentle morning sunlight to illuminate the youth’s face, making his striking features even more breathtaking, as if a soft light filter had been applied.

“Brother Shen leaves home every morning precisely on schedule, all for the sake of… meeting up with you, Emperor Jiang. He gets up fifteen minutes earlier every day.”

Xiao Lin’s hesitant words echoed in Jiang Heng’s ears. Looking at the sleeping Shen Fubai, he suddenly chuckled.

He leaned forward and kissed Shen Fubai’s cheek.

“Xiao Lin, stop fooling around… I’ll get up soon.” The tickling sensation on his face caused the half-asleep Shen Fubai to mutter softly. At this hour, he was actually well-rested but didn’t want to wake up yet.

He struggled to get out of bed every morning, often becoming irritable.

Xiao Lin had exhausted all means to rouse him, including tickling, using a megaphone, and setting Jiang Heng’s movie theme song as an alarm.

It was said that the best way to ruin a song was to make it your alarm tone. Yet, Shen Fubai listened to it every day without growing tired of it, even using it as a lullaby to sleep more soundly.

Xiao Lin was utterly impressed.

Jiang Heng spoke softly. “It’s not early anymore, it’s time to get up.”

Shen Fubai was still groggy, only realizing that the voice calling him to wake up today was exceptionally pleasant, making him reluctant to send the speaker away.

“What time is it?”

Jiang Heng checked his phone. “Six-thirty.”

“Ah, it’s only six-thirty, still early… Damn, six-thirty!” Shen Fubai abruptly opened his eyes, sitting upright, his gaze fixed ahead. “Crap, I won’t be able to catch up with Heng Heng’s waking time. I wonder if he’ll wait for me. Hurry, hurry, where’s my clothes? Xiao Lin—” Shen Fubai turned his head, taken aback.

Jiang Heng was seated at the edge of the bed, gazing at him silently, his lips curved into a faint smile, amusement in his eyes.

Shen Fubai fell back onto the bed, placing his hand on his forehead.

Life was unbearable.

He didn’t want to recall what he had just said.

“How did you lie back down again?” Jiang Heng couldn’t help laughing. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

Shen Fubai pulled the blanket over his head. “It’s dark now, I’m going back to sleep.”

Jiang Heng chuckled. “Is embarrassment clouding your vision?”

Shen Fubai, frustrated and embarrassed, exclaimed, “Shut up!!!”

“There’s no need to be embarrassed,” Jiang Heng stopped laughing, speaking gently. “Actually, I’ve been doing the same thing… I waited for you to wake up every day, I never expected you were doing the same…”

Shen Fubai’s muffled voice came from under the blanket. “…Really?”

Jiang Heng affirmed, “Yes.”

Shen Fubai secretly peeked out from under the blanket, only to be lightly kissed on the lips by Jiang Heng the moment he emerged.

Jiang Heng said, “Morning kiss.”

Shen Fubai covered his face. “Let me adjust for a moment.” To think that he had just become his boyfriend and was already so flirtatious—he would eventually suffer a heart attack from the constant flirting.

“Well, you should adjust sooner rather than later,” Jiang Heng chuckled. “Adjust to every day I say I love you.”