The announcement Xie Quan made on Qixi Festival caused the school forum to blow up for several days.
The fact that the campus heartthrob was in a relationship wasn’t exactly shocking news—he was handsome and charming, and it was only a matter of time before someone claimed him. But the fact that his partner was a man—now that was explosive.
Xie Quan had plenty of admirers, 90% of whom were girls. Some of them idolized him like a celebrity, their obsession no less intense than hardcore fangirls.
This sudden bombshell hit like lightning out of a clear sky, and many of the girls completely broke down as if their beloved idol had “fallen from grace.”
Out of the top 20 threads on the forum homepage, two-thirds were all about Xie Quan.
“I’m seriously breaking down! I’ve liked him for years and now he turns out to be gay?! Is this some kind of cruel joke??”
“I gave him gifts every Valentine’s Day! If he was gay, why didn’t he say so? He even accepted them every time! Ugh, I must’ve been blind to like such a disgusting person!”
“This kind of guy will be the worst kind of marriage fraudster—flirting with girls while secretly being the bottom in a gay relationship.”
“Yo, are you people serious? He was single back then, and whether or not he accepted gifts was his choice. Once he got into a relationship, didn’t he reject everyone right away? You’re dissing him for this? And slapping on the marriage-fraud label? How do you even know if he’s gay or bi? You’re ridiculous. Your tantrums are honestly hilarious.”
“Honestly, I think Xie Quan was really brave… I don’t care whether he’s gay or bi. I’m just super curious—who’s his boyfriend?? Am I the only one wondering this?”
“Same! Who’s the hot guy who managed to win our campus flower? Never heard of Xie Quan being close to any guy here.”
“Maybe it’s someone from another school? The kind that looks all proper and polite but is secretly wild behind the scenes?”
“Shhh, say no more. That’s kinda rude—what if the guy’s lurking on the forum too…”
In reality, the person in question wasn’t affected in the slightest by all this gossip. On Qixi Festival, he had finally finished two grueling weeks of medical research hell. The project had been successfully submitted, and the temporary team disbanded that afternoon.
On the way from the advisor’s office to the lab, Xie Quan felt like his entire body was falling apart. Every inch of muscle and bone ached, but his mood was the complete opposite—so light he could practically float away.
Now all he had to do was head back to the lab to pack up, and he could go home with Lu Nanyang.
Home.
The word suddenly popped into his mind, and he slowly relished the thought. A faint warmth spread from his chest, like the morning sun on a winter day, extending through his body.
From childhood to now, he’d never had a strong sense of “home.” The place where Xie Yuanqiang went crazy wasn’t home and the place where Li Xin lived with her mother who had Alzheimer’s certainly wasn’t home.
In his twenty-odd years of life, the only place that gave him a sense of belonging was by Lu Nanyang’s side.
It was only at this moment that he realized something important: he and Lu Nanyang might accompany each other through a very long stretch of life.
He would wake up to Lu Nanyang’s face every morning. They’d fight over the bathroom. Sit at the same table to eat.
And maybe make love all over the house.
On the dining table, the couch, the bathroom, or on the ugly ceramic vase in the bay window of their living room.
They would kiss under the sun, argue under the moon. He would see the heat of desire in Lu Nanyang’s eyes through damp strands of hair and wipe away clear liquid with his lips.
Xie Quan took a deep breath. Just imagining it sent a jolt of arousal straight to his lower abdomen. He was this close to tossing everything aside and taking a cab home right now.
These past two weeks had been full of teasing touches and half-measures. Like scratching an itch through a boot—completely unsatisfying.
A few months ago, Xie Quan would’ve scoffed at couples who clung to each other like glue. Now? He was worse than them. Seeing Lu Nanyang three times a day wasn’t nearly enough. Ideally, he wanted to stick to him 24/7. Have sex seven times a night—until one of them was utterly drained.
It was hard to imagine that the most handsome guy in the medical school, with a serious look on his face as he walked down the street, was actually thinking about such lewd, filthy thoughts.
When Xie Quan pushed open the lab door, he heard people chatting inside.
“…I think they were arguing, and it sounded pretty intense. My brother was keeping someone company in the hospital next door last night, and he said he heard them smashing stuff all night long. The nurses tried to intervene several times but couldn’t stop them.”
“Seriously? Rich people fight in hospitals too? If I had that much money, I’d be grinning all day long.”
“Maybe it’s because of the money. Don’t those rich heirs always fight like crazy over inheritance and assets? That’s how it always is in novels.”
The junior students were chatting animatedly, but the moment Xie Quan entered the room, they all fell silent in unison.
“What’s wrong?” Xie Quan didn’t care about their conversation, but their sudden collective silence confused him.
“Oh, nothing, we were just gossiping.” One of the juniors quickly smoothed things over, grinning as he handed Xie Quan a stack of textbooks. “We’ve packed everything up. Thanks for taking care of us these past few weeks.”
Xie Quan smiled back. “It’s nothing. Keep working hard with your studies, and I hope you all get offers from your dream schools.”
In truth, he didn’t really care how these juniors did—his mind was entirely preoccupied with finishing up quickly and going home with Lu Nanyang.
He packed up fast, but Lu Nanyang—who had promised to come pick him up right away—was unusually late.
Xie Quan stood by the school gate with his suitcase for a full twenty minutes before he finally saw that hideously ugly car come into view.
Even the most patient person would have lost their temper in this situation—let alone Xie Quan, who definitely wasn’t known for having a good temper.
The moment Lu Nanyang rolled down the car window, all of Xie Quan’s suppressed desire turned straight into rage.
“Lu Nanyang, what time did we agree on?”
Lu Nanyang poked his head out of the window. For a split second, a trace of fatigue flashed across his face, but it disappeared quickly—so quickly that Xie Quan wondered if he’d imagined it.
“Uh… five-thirty?” Lu Nanyang asked cautiously.
“It was five,” Xie Quan said with a cold face.
“Ohhh—” Lu Nanyang pinched the bridge of his nose. “Sorry, I must’ve remembered wrong. You didn’t have class this afternoon, so I figured you’d just leave once you were done…”
Before he could finish, Xie Quan had already opened the passenger door and sat down. Then, grabbing Lu Nanyang’s face, he pulled him into a deep, consuming kiss.
Lu Nanyang’s mind went blank for a moment. All he had time to do was hit the button to roll the window back up before Xie Quan pushed him against the glass.
Since they started dating, Lu Nanyang felt like Xie Quan had truly gone a little insane.
Like now, for example—he had parked right at the busy school gate. Even though the windows were tinted, and their faces weren’t visible, anyone walking by could tell the two people inside were making out.
Xie Quan’s mouth tasted faintly of tea. His lips and tongue moved skillfully and passionately, making Lu Nanyang feel like his mouth was being treated as some special organ—violated in all sorts of intense, intimate ways.
Inside the small, confined car, the temperature rose rapidly. Bare skin brushed together, igniting sparks that felt like a blazing inferno.
When Xie Quan started kissing down his jawline and left a deep hickey on his neck, Lu Nanyang shuddered and immediately pushed him away in alarm.
“Xie Quan—!”
Xie Quan looked up slightly, his sharp chin tilted to reveal his graceful neck and collarbones. With his narrowed gray eyes and reflective glasses, he looked like a refined villain straight out of a movie.
Lu Nanyang had to admit that Xie Quan looked insanely hot like this—but he really didn’t want to become a campus-wide scandal.
His neck still burned from where Xie Quan had kissed him. Xie Quan’s fingers brushed over the spot, then lightly scratched it as if confirming he’d marked his territory. A wave of heat surged downward, and Lu Nanyang took a deep breath, twisted Xie Quan’s hand behind his back, and buckled his seatbelt with force.
Xie Quan looked like a mischievous kid who’d just succeeded in a prank, leaning back in the seat and chuckling happily.
Lu Nanyang rolled his eyes and started the engine. “Maniac.”
Xie Quan laughed for a while, and all the frustration from waiting at the gate vanished.
He didn’t know when it started, but just seeing Lu Nanyang made his mood instantly lighten. No matter how drained he felt or how much withdrawal he was going through, one kiss was enough to bring him back to life.
Squinting, he rested his chin on his hand and looked at Lu Nanyang’s profile. Then he licked his lips thoughtfully, and suddenly—his long-dormant taste buds seemed to awaken with a jolt.
“Lu Nanyang,” Xie Quan raised one eyebrow in surprise. “Your tongue tastes sweet.”
