Early the next morning, Xiao Cheng dragged Luo Jingshu out of bed.
Since he was mindful that Luo Jingshu still had classes, after breakfast, under Xiao Cheng’s constant urging gaze, Luo Jingshu regretfully brought up the idea of leaving to He An.
He An had long taken in all the little interactions between the two and felt even more at ease.
While relationships should be about mutual compromise, no parent wants to see their child be the one who gives more and acts more cautiously.
Of course, she hoped Xiao Cheng would also be considerate of Luo Jingshu and treat him well. But after noticing that in their interactions, it was often Luo Jingshu who listened to Xiao Cheng more, He An couldn’t help but relax.
She was afraid her son wouldn’t be able to handle Luo Jingshu, and even more afraid that Xiao Cheng would get hurt again.
Now that she had figured out their dynamic, she felt reassured.
Luo Jingshu was even more obedient in front of Xiao Cheng’s parents than usual. If she didn’t already know the kind of cunning and tricks he was capable of, He An might have genuinely believed he was just a soft and harmless young man.
But that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. A bit of shrewdness could better protect the family, as long as he didn’t use it against them.
Considering the couple might have more to say to each other, He An let Xiao Cheng drive Luo Jingshu to school, and she accompanied them for part of the way.
When they reached the car, Luo Jingshu stopped and said, “Auntie, you should head back. The wind is strong outside.”
He An’s smile deepened, and she patted the back of his hand gently. “Study hard and do your best on your exams.”
Luo Jingshu nodded obediently, while Xiao Cheng stood by, grinning uncontrollably.
At this point, He An should have let go of Luo Jingshu’s hand, but instead, she pulled out a thick red envelope and placed it in his hand.
“Jingshu, Cheng Cheng has been spoiled by us since he was little. He can be a bit willful, but he’s not a bad kid. I hope you can be patient with him. Of course, if he does something out of line, I’ll discipline him myself.”
Luo Jingshu held the thick envelope, suddenly feeling like it was burning in his hand.
Xiao Cheng was briefly stunned, then nearly burst out laughing, barely able to close his mouth. His cheeks even turned red.
He almost laughed until he cried, but when he caught He An’s warning glance, he quickly covered his mouth.
Alright, she could continue.
After giving a few more words of advice, He An finally let them get in the car and leave.
As the car slowly pulled away, Xiao Cheng glanced in the rearview mirror and saw that He An was still standing there, watching them go. His suppressed laughter surfaced again.
“Well, how does it feel to receive that red envelope, dear daughter-in-law?”
Xiao Cheng had no idea his mother had prepared a red envelope for Luo Jingshu. Honestly, when he saw her pull it out earlier, he had the urge to take a picture to commemorate the moment.
Luo Jingshu caught the teasing in Xiao Cheng’s smile. His fingers brushed over the envelope’s cover as he smirked slightly. “Of course, I’m happy.”
“Auntie has officially acknowledged my status.”
Xiao Cheng choked, suddenly remembering that this person had no sense of shame. He could call him “husband” dozens of times in a row without blinking.
Being treated as a daughter-in-law? He probably didn’t just not feel embarrassed—he was likely reveling in it.
And that was exactly the case.
Luo Jingshu was thrilled, his heart burning, his whole body tingling with excitement. His emotions surged so strongly that he was momentarily at a loss for words.
But he was good at keeping a straight face. No matter how elated he felt inside, he still appeared calm. However, the smile at the corners of his eyes and brows betrayed his joy.
He cleared his throat and took out his phone, carefully taking a picture of the red envelope.
This was a moment worth remembering. Would it be too much to post it on his social media?
A happy moment should be shared, right? Maybe even tag a few people?
Xiao Cheng guessed what he was up to. Seeing Luo Jingshu holding the envelope in one hand and typing seriously on his phone with the other, he couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
Look at this guy acting like he just struck gold.
He silently turned his gaze away, completely unaware of the bright smile on his own face.
When they reached the school gate, Luo Jingshu put the red envelope away, grabbed Xiao Cheng’s wrist, and leaned in for a kiss.
Xiao Cheng only struggled slightly. A glance at the driver, who was staring straight ahead as if he had seen nothing, filled him with a sense of embarrassment.
He still wasn’t used to being affectionate with his boyfriend in front of others.
But before he could say anything, Luo Jingshu’s lips had already pressed against his. The soft touch landed at the corner of his mouth, lingering and teasing as it traced over his lips.
Xiao Cheng had no choice but to close his eyes and surrender, letting his boyfriend do as he pleased.
The wet, sticky sound of the kiss filled the car. Xiao Cheng’s face gradually flushed, his breathing growing heavier, his eyelashes trembling uncontrollably.
At first, he was completely passive, but as the kiss deepened, he took the lead. Though his actions were still somewhat inexperienced, he had improved significantly from before.
Perhaps it was in a man’s nature to dominate. Even though Xiao Cheng usually lets Luo Jingshu have his way, at this moment, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of competition.
He grabbed the back of Luo Jingshu’s head with one hand, turned around, and pressed him into the seat, kissing him roughly and biting at his lips.
Luo Jingshu didn’t even struggle. He gently parted his lips, letting Xiao Cheng do whatever he wanted.
One of his hands rested on Xiao Cheng’s back, patting it lightly from time to time, as if soothing a restless little beast.
It was unclear how long had passed before Xiao Cheng finally let go, panting heavily.
He took in Luo Jingshu’s current appearance and was momentarily at a loss for words.
That beautiful and radiant face was tinged with a faint blush, the corners of his eyes were flushed, and his peach blossom eyes carried a hazy, intoxicated allure.
The worst part was his lips—bitten by Xiao Cheng, leaving a small wound. They were noticeably redder than before, slightly swollen, and even bore a faint imprint of teeth.
He simply leaned back against the chair in that post-intimate state, breathing heavily to steady himself.
Xiao Cheng thought he ought to at least harden up—to show some respect.
No wonder he had never questioned his own identity as a gong before. Anyone who saw Luo Jingshu like this wouldn’t be able to say he wasn’t a shou.
With a face like that, it would be a pity for him to be the gong one!
But then, Xiao Cheng suddenly recalled Luo Jingshu’s extraordinary “talent” and couldn’t help but hiss through his teeth, feeling his throat tighten once more.
Alright, making him a shou seemed like a bit of a waste too.
Luo Jingshu noticed how Xiao Cheng kept alternating between staring at his face and glancing downward, even showing a look of lingering fear. Amused, he chuckled.
“Brother Cheng, what are you looking at?”
Caught sneaking a peek, Xiao Cheng awkwardly withdrew his gaze.
“Nothing. You should go inside.”
Luo Jingshu casually parted his long legs and touched his lips with his fingers. “Looking like this, who wouldn’t know what I just did?”
Fair point.
Xiao Cheng silently regretted his loss of control earlier. He shouldn’t have been so easily bewitched by beauty, leaving such obvious marks on Luo Jingshu.
“Then wait a little longer.”
He spoke while pulling out his phone in an attempt to ease the awkwardness by checking Weibo.
The moment he opened the app, however, he saw Jiang Ying’s name trending.
His smile faded as he tapped on the trending topic, and sure enough, Jiang Ying had issued an apology.
Even after his lies were exposed, Jiang Ying still refused to admit to anything. He insisted that even though he had been drunk, he still appeared sober.
He apologized to the girl, claiming it was unintentional.
Weibo was flooded with criticism, and no one believed his words.
However, there was no direct evidence proving that Jiang Ying had assaulted the girl. While anyone with common sense knew what he had done, the most crucial piece of evidence was missing.
The police couldn’t do anything about him.
At this point, the matter was nearly over.
But this wasn’t the end.
The only reason Jiang Ying had apologized so quickly was likely for the sake of his two business projects.
Xiao Cheng could almost picture how grim his expression must have been when making this decision.
Strictly speaking, this incident wasn’t a major career-ending blow to him because the industry was far too corrupt. Many people in their circle didn’t even see Jiang Ying’s actions as a crime, let alone a mistake—just poor handling of the aftermath.
However, Jiang Ying was an extremely vain person who loved crafting a good-guy image in front of the media. Now, that hypocritical mask had been completely torn off.
He was probably close to coughing up blood.
Luo Jingshu leaned over for a look and let out a sneer.
Jiang Ying had sacrificed his reputation for those two projects, but what if he found out that, in the end, the projects wouldn’t go through either?
Losing both his money and his name, all his efforts wasted, and on top of that, facing potential jail time—
That would be true despair.
The two of them scrolled through netizens’ comments. Amidst the sea of curses, some people started recalling how Jiang Ying had previously tried to shift the blame onto the Xiao family.
[The Xiao family was innocent all along, huh?]
[Even if the Xiao family really did orchestrate this, would Jiang Ying have been caught if he hadn’t done something so despicable in the first place?]
Under that comment, quite a few people started mentioning Xiao Cheng.
Many had seen the content from Xiao Cheng’s account. Even though it had already been deactivated, screenshots had long since been shared everywhere. It was no secret anymore.
Previously, everyone had called Xiao Cheng a pathetic simp. But after the truth came out, their attitude started shifting.
[Am I the only one who finds Xiao Cheng kinda adorable?]
[A rich, high-status heir of a prestigious family, reduced to hopelessly chasing after someone—this actually makes me feel better about myself.]
[I just want to know… did he succeed in winning him over?]
Xiao Cheng and Luo Jingshu both saw this comment at the same time.
They turned to look at each other.
Luo Jingshu calmly leaned in and placed a soft kiss on the corner of Xiao Cheng’s lips.
“He did.”
Xiao Cheng’s face flushed. The next second, however, he let out a snort, feigning aloofness.
“Who pursued who?”
Luo Jingshu chuckled, turned off Xiao Cheng’s phone, and murmured between their lips:
“I pursued you.”
Thankfully, he succeeded.
Xiao Cheng’s voice floated in the air: “Your lips will swell…”
Luo Jingshu pretended not to hear.
Just then, Xiao Cheng’s phone suddenly vibrated.
It was a call from “Jiang Zihe.”
