Little Pudding’s sleeping posture was quite poor. Whether he was watching TV or playing games, he always liked to hold onto something. And even more so when he was asleep. Even if he started out lying obediently on his back or side, once he actually fell asleep, he’d either be hugging him or hugging the blanket. He just always had to have something in his arms.
Lu Chenghe figured this was probably a bad habit Little Pudding had developed growing up. When he was young, just a tiny ball of fluff, he’d sleep with him in the same bed. He would either curl up in his arms or sprawl across his chest. As he got older, he could no longer fit entirely on his chest, but he’d still rest his head on Lu Chenghe’s arm. In the end, even after becoming human, he hadn’t been able to shake this habit.
Lu Chenghe used to think this wasn’t a big deal. At least he didn’t kick or flail or throw punches in his sleep. But now, with this intense heat pressing tightly against his side, it was giving Lu Chenghe a headache.
Outside, the sky was just starting to brighten a little. Judging by the season, it was probably around four in the morning. Just as Lu Chenghe was debating whether to tuck a pillow into his arms and quietly get up, Little Pudding, who had only been snuggling against him and rubbing a little, suddenly lifted a leg and flung it right across his body.
It seemed like he had been uncomfortable for a while and couldn’t find relief, and now he even started letting out soft little whimpers.
Lu Chenghe moved slightly, trying to lift the arm that Little Pudding was using as a pillow. But the moment he shifted, Little Pudding whimpered again, like he was about to wake up. His body under the blanket began to move more intensely, as if he were trying to climb onto Lu Chenghe.
Lu Chenghe didn’t actually have much experience with this kind of situation, especially since different people could react very differently the first time something like this happened.
Maybe because he hadn’t gotten any relief after all that rubbing, even in his sleep, Little Pudding began to get agitated. The whimpering got louder, and the way he clung to Lu Chenghe grew more forceful. Lu Chenghe simply pushed down the leg draped over him, held Little Pudding’s head with one hand, and yanked his arm free from under him with a quick motion. He had just sat up, preparing to get out of bed, when the noise woke Little Pudding. Still half-asleep, he rubbed his eyes and followed him up.
Lu Chenghe paused slightly in his movement, then pulled the small blanket up over him and said, “It’s still early. Go back to sleep.”
Zuo Ning responded with a sleepy “oh” and was about to flop back down, not fully awake yet. But a certain part of his body was loudly declaring its presence. The strange yet familiar sensation made his foggy brain freeze for quite a while—he even reflexively reached down and touched it. Then suddenly, he jolted upright, wide awake, and blurted out instinctively, “Chenghe!”
Damn… is this—is he standing at full mast?!
Something like this was actually totally normal for a young guy, especially early in the morning. Morning wood wasn’t exactly unheard of, after all. Back then, he was a fresh-faced twenty-year-old, too. People always said boys at that age were in a hyperactive stage where they’d want to poke anything that looked like a hole. Though Zuo Ning wasn’t that exaggerated, he did use his five fingers every now and then.
But ever since turning from a dog into a human, this kind of thing had never happened. Zuo Ning had always assumed it was because he wasn’t originally human. No matter what he looked like on the outside, fundamentally, there had to be some difference from an ordinary human. So the lack of this kind of phenomenon was understandable.
Anyway, he could tell he was growing and changing day by day. Just like any normal boy his age, his height and features were gradually maturing. As long as he could grow up normally, it didn’t really matter if certain things didn’t happen. Besides, he was already bent anyway.
He never expected that it was waiting for him here all along!
Zuo Ning sat frozen on the bed in a daze. The sudden change had caught him off guard in the most delightful way.
Lu Chenghe, seeing his stunned expression, thought he didn’t understand and had been frightened by the sudden change in his body. He reached out and rubbed his head reassuringly. “Don’t be scared, this is perfectly normal. It’ll go away on its own in a bit.”
Zuo Ning blinked at Lu Chenghe. Of course, he knew it was normal. What guy didn’t? But then, a mischievous glint suddenly flashed in his mind, and his inner drama king kicked in. He rubbed his head against Lu Chenghe and said, “But it’s uncomfortable, Chenghe… it’s really uncomfortable… it hurts here…”
Lu Chenghe gently pulled the hand Zuo Ning had tucked under the blanket and pressed him back down onto the bed. “Sleep. Just sleep a bit more, and you’ll feel better.”
Zuo Ning kept rubbing himself against the blanket. “Chenghe, Chenghe, it really hurts… am I sick again?”
Lu Chenghe rubbed his temples in exasperation. “You’re not sick. It’ll go away in a while.”
The sky outside was still dark, the curtains in the room were drawn, and only a faint bit of light seeped in through the thin sheer fabric. The room remained dim, and Lu Chenghe hadn’t turned on the light, so he couldn’t see the sly glint in Little Pudding’s eyes at all.
Lu Chenghe sat on the bed, trying to figure out the best way to explain this natural phenomenon to Little Pudding. Once he understood what it was, he wouldn’t be scared anymore. But just as he was thinking, Little Pudding suddenly grabbed his hand, guided it straight to the source of the problem, and earnestly said, “I touched it earlier… it felt a little better. You touch it, too. Maybe it’ll go away if you touch it again.”
That spot was so hot it practically burned Lu Chenghe’s hand. Zuo Ning just kept burying his head low, afraid that Lu Chenghe would see the smile he was trying hard to suppress, but he didn’t notice Lu Chenghe’s eyes growing darker and darker. Zuo Ning, still tempting fate, deliberately squeezed Lu Chenghe’s hand tighter and rubbed it once. Feeling that Lu Chenghe really gently held that spot, Zuo Ning’s cheeks instantly flushed as if they were about to burst.
He never expected Lu Chenghe to do this. He had only thought Lu Chenghe would be angry and shake his hand away, then seriously explain this kind of thing to him. Yet Lu Chenghe’s reaction was beyond his expectations. Foolishly, he instinctively called out Lu Chenghe’s name: “Cheng, Chenghe…”
Lu Chenghe directly lifted him up: “This kind of thing is very normal. Don’t be afraid, but you also can’t do it too much. You’re still young. Doing this too often can really harm your body.”
When vision is blocked by darkness and things aren’t clear, the body’s senses tend to sharpen accordingly. Not to mention that spot on a man is already especially sensitive, and now it was being held by the person he liked most in the world. Zuo Ning was excited, shy, eager, yet also feeling a bit embarrassed.
“Chenghe…”
Lu Chenghe chuckled softly: “I’m here.” But his hand still gently touched him. Seeing that the little pudding had completely gone soft against him, Lu Chenghe had to suppress his own desires while also explaining things to him. Before long, a thin layer of sweat appeared on Lu Chenghe’s own body.
Zuo Ning had always taken care of himself in these matters before, so when someone else gently held and caressed him, that external stimulation combined with his inner shame almost sent him to heaven. He thought the pleasure he had experienced before was already the best, but he hadn’t expected his own five fingers to be no match for someone else’s—maybe because that someone else was Lu Chenghe.
In any case, his mind went blank, and he bit his lip hard to stop himself from making more embarrassing moaning sounds. But the strength with which Lu Chenghe held him grew stronger, and instinctively, Zuo Ning pushed himself closer, wanting to stick to Lu Chenghe as tightly as possible.
When Lu Chenghe exerted a little more force, Zuo Ning couldn’t hold back and let out a muffled moan right by Lu Chenghe’s ear. He was practically going crazy. Compared to his past experiences, Lu Chenghe’s touch was like the difference between kindergarten and university—completely overwhelming and unbeatable.
At this moment, Lu Chenghe wasn’t feeling much better either. Even though his emotional world had always been a blank slate, he wasn’t foolish enough to fall for someone without realizing it. He didn’t know exactly when he started feeling desire for Little Pudding, but when all he could see was Little Pudding, when all he dreamed about was holding Little Pudding, when he struggled to restrain himself from getting close to him yet craved to fully embrace him, he already understood everything.
If it had been someone else, Lu Chenghe would have thrown caution to the wind a long time ago. But Little Pudding was too young. Even if he looked like a boy of seventeen or eighteen, the physical changes couldn’t fool him. Sleeping next to him every night, how could he not know about the little movements Little Pudding made? And now, it was official. He had grown up, and the moment he did, he was hit with such a strong stimulus.
Lu Chenghe felt like all the self-control he had in this life was being spent on Little Pudding. Still, he would wait a bit longer. He wanted to spend his whole life with Little Pudding, so there was no need to rush.
When that sudden, forceful release bloomed in his hand, all Lu Chenghe could hear was Little Pudding’s panting. He lowered his head and gently kissed the boy’s sweaty forehead. “All done. Does that feel good?”
Zuo Ning still hadn’t recovered; his brain was in a state of oxygen deprivation, completely unable to register what Lu Chenghe was saying.
Lu Chenghe let out a soft chuckle and casually reached for a tissue from the side to wipe his hand, commenting, “It really was your first time—so quick.”
Zuo Ning looked at Lu Chenghe in a daze and only gradually came back to himself after a while. Just as he was about to say something, Lu Chenghe turned him over in his arms, lay back down on the bed, and gently patted his back. “It’s still early. Go back to sleep for a bit.”
Having just gone through something like that, Zuo Ning felt unbearably sticky all over. But he also couldn’t bear to wash away the scent on his body that belonged to Lu Chenghe so quickly. Besides, it really was still too early. He had intended to just lie there for a while as Lu Chenghe suggested, but ended up falling asleep without realizing it.
By the time he woke up again, daylight had already filled the room. Zuo Ning curled up under the small blanket and reached out to check his phone. Another day with no morning run. He heard the sound of the door opening and saw Lu Chenghe coming out of the bathroom, hair still slightly damp. He had probably just taken a shower.
Without even looking at Little Pudding, Lu Chenghe said plainly, “Go take a shower. You’re covered in sweat.”
Zuo Ning let out a soft “oh”, but didn’t move from the bed. He pulled the small blanket up over his mouth, looking at Lu Chenghe shyly like a bashful little wife.
Lu Chenghe saw that he wasn’t getting up and thought he just wanted to laze around. He glanced over at him, only to be stunned by that flushed, rosy face and those watery, affectionate eyes.
Noticing that Lu Chenghe was looking at him, Zuo Ning bashfully pulled the blanket up over his head, but quickly pulled it back down again and murmured shyly in a small voice, “You… you touched me.”
Lu Chenghe’s throat bobbed slightly as he narrowed his eyes and looked at Little Pudding for a moment. “So what?”
Zuo Ning suddenly threw off the blanket, got up from the bed, and leapt straight at Lu Chenghe. Lu Chenghe instinctively reached out and caught him.
Zuo Ning clung to Lu Chenghe’s neck, legs wrapped tightly around his waist, hugging him close. With a big grin, he said, “Only married couples are allowed to do that kind of thing. You touched me, so now you have to take responsibility. You can’t just play around and toss me aside, and you’re not allowed to do that kind of thing with anyone else. If you do—if you do, I’ll bite you to death!”
Lu Chenghe bounced him a little in his arms. “Trying to bite me to death first thing in the morning? If I die, who’s going to feed you?”
Zuo Ning snorted, “If you go do that with someone else, then you’ll be feeding them instead of me. Of course, I’ll have to bite you to death.”
Lu Chenghe chuckled, “Well, since you put it that way, to avoid getting bitten to death, I guess I’ll just have to reluctantly agree.”
Zuo Ning’s eyes widened in shock—wait, was he hallucinating? He hadn’t expected Lu Chenghe to actually agree! For straight guys, wasn’t mutual jerking off a thing that just happened sometimes? He’d just been slowly boiling the frog in warm water, gently nudging Lu Chenghe closer whenever he got the chance… but he never thought Lu Chenghe would actually agree!
He actually agreed just like that? Zuo Ning felt like maybe he still wasn’t fully awake.
