RIACMET chapter 238

 

During the polar night patrol, Minister Wang personally assigned Jiang Nian, now considered the “top priority protected person” of the entire base, to patrol alongside Cheng Jing.

Cheng Jing was happy about this, and Jiang Nian didn’t mind. Being with Brother Jing was great—except for the fact that he couldn’t go out without him. But if he could go out with Brother Jing, then that was perfectly fine!

Besides, the two of them made a powerful pair. They could easily secure an area as a team—and they could even act like a couple while doing it.

Heading out with your boyfriend every day, then coming home together… It had been ages since he’d lived like a 24/7 conjoined twin.

“Brother Jing, we just passed two people kissing in that alley. See? Secret dating is more exciting, after all. Aren’t they afraid of getting sick from breathing in that contaminated dust?”

They were walking hand-in-hand through a side alley in the outer district dorms. Jiang Nian chewed gum as he whispered.

Usually, if he brought up this kind of thing with Tang Ji and the others, they would just laugh it off. But talking about it with Brother Jing somehow made it feel a little strange.

Cheng Jing stared straight ahead, scanning their surroundings, and answered calmly. “At this point, even regular people’s resistance to pollutants has improved a lot. You eat so much; you won’t die.”

Still, he honestly didn’t understand why those people didn’t just go back inside. Was it habit, or were they just taking advantage of a temporary hookup?

Jiang Nian grinned. “Yeah, hehe… Speaking of which, Brother Jing, do you remember where we had our first kiss?”

Cheng Jing: “…”

There it was. He should have known the gossip wasn’t just for fun. It was a trap.

When Cheng Jing remained silent, Jiang Nian’s tone grew colder.

“You didn’t forget, did you?”

Even through the helmet, Cheng Jing could feel the pressure. He quickly denied it: “No, I didn’t forget.”

Someone wasn’t letting him off easy.

“Then tell me.”

“…”

Cheng Jing paused, gave his hand a light squeeze, and said,

“In that dark alley next to your school—the one where you guys always got into fights? It was August 17th. You had just received your acceptance letter and went to school to celebrate with your classmates and teachers. Then, you asked me to walk you home at night.”

How could he forget? That night, Jiang Nian partied with his classmates and teachers. He drank a small bottle of fruity cocktail and used the alcohol as an excuse to message him and demand a late-night walk through his “glorious alley.”

Then, Jiang Nian pushed him against the wall and kissed him. That was their first kiss. He hadn’t known what he was doing, and he cut his lip.

That same night, they officially started dating and waited together for school to begin in Qingyun City.

Jiang Nian nodded in satisfaction. “You gave me a pen that day. I still have it. It’s in the all-purpose bag in the storage room.”

What a simple, old-fashioned gift. If he hadn’t been so into Brother Jing, he would have rolled his eyes. Who gives things like that anymore?

“Yeah, and then you turned around and went into the pharmacy next door and bought a box of condoms.”

Cheng Jing laughed as he said this. Back then, he was truly reckless in his youthful wildness.

“Hahaha…”

Jiang Nian burst out laughing. “I remember how scared you were. It’s a shame I didn’t use them. Then you told me to return them.”

He really wanted to, but Brother Jing refused and got down on his knees to serve him instead.

Cheng Jing cleared his throat quietly. “The medium size really was too small at first.”

“Hehe.”

Jiang Nian smirked. “I did that on purpose. How else would I have found out your size if I hadn’t done that?”

Back then, Brother Jing was so restrained—cold, self-controlled, disciplined, aloof, and silent. That moment in the alleyway broke him completely!

Even after realizing that the other person had probably been acting cool to attract him, his heart still skipped a beat whenever he thought about it. The thrill and desire to conquer had been overwhelming, both physically and emotionally.

Cheng Jing gritted his teeth quietly. “You little bastard.”

Jiang Nian puffed out his chest proudly. “And didn’t you love this little bastard?”

“I do.”

Cheng Jing stopped talking, lifted the corners of his mouth, and tightened his grip on Jiang Nian’s hand.

Back then, his restraint hadn’t been intentional; it was a result of his upbringing.

When Jiang Nian first looked at him with suggestive eyes, his heart started pounding. When Jiang Nian confessed, he couldn’t help but tell his family that he wanted to fall in love.

His mother hadn’t objected, but she warned him that if he messed up, she’d break his legs.

Even after they started dating, he hadn’t dared cross any lines.

But this brat didn’t know the meaning of restraint. He acted recklessly around him and even questioned whether he had some sort of disorder.

Looking back now, Cheng Jing was thankful that his lover had this kind of personality.

After midnight, once they’d finished patrolling the alleys in their assigned sector, they got a 40-minute break.

The rest area was a guard post with only a few short benches. The door didn’t shut all the way, so dust blew in constantly.

Cheng Jing parked the Hummer off to the side so they could rest more comfortably inside.

He would have been fine on his own, but since he was with Jiang Nian, he had to be prepared.

“Take a 20-minute nap. I’ll wake you when it’s time to eat.”

Cheng Jing brushed off the dust and climbed into the backseat. He pulled out a modified folding tray, unpacked some self-heating meals, and expertly began preparing them. They still had five hours until their next meal.

Jiang Nian followed him in, shut the car door, took off his helmet, and replied, “It’s fine. I’m not sleepy either.”

Just as Cheng Jing was about to tell him to close his eyes and rest, he heard Jiang Nian say,

“Brother Jing, I want a kiss.”

After they talked about their first kiss, it only made sense to relive the experience.

“…”

Cheng Jing’s breath caught. He warned seriously,

“Niannian, we’re on duty.”

God, he admired this guy.

Jiang Nian scooted closer. “I just want a kiss. I’m not doing anything else. Can’t I get a little refill of ‘psychoactive hormones’ during my break?”

He breathed out slowly, softening his tone.

“Brother Jing, the gum I just chewed is mint. Don’t you want a taste?”

“…”

Cheng Jing clenched his jaw and held back. After finishing meal prep, he looked up and said,

“Get out of the car.”

Jiang Nian blinked. “Why?”

Cheng Jing opened the door. “I’m afraid I’ll knock everything over.”

You’d think he’d know by now that guns go off if you’re careless in a confined space. Does he need to retake that training course?

“Okay.”

Jiang Nian got the idea and stepped out with him.

As soon as the car door shut, Cheng Jing shoved him against the vehicle and devoured the cool mint taste greedily.

How could he not want it? It was just that duty and discipline demanded restraint. If they both started slacking, not even the whole base would be enough to contain them.

The wind came from the opposite side and was blocked by the car, so less dust blew in.

Ten minutes later, Cheng Jing shoved the slightly lightheaded and gasping Jiang Nian back into the car. It wasn’t because the guy was well-behaved, but because he was a rookie and loved to play.

Cheng Jing looked into Jiang Nian’s red-rimmed eyes and asked gently,

“You’re ready to eat now? Want me to feed you?”

“No, I can do it…”

Jiang Nian shook his head, his lips still stiff, and muttered,

“Brother Jing, let’s figure out a way to build or buy an RV. Once things settle down at the base, it’ll be easier to travel freely.”

The thought had just occurred to him, and it made total sense. With an RV, they wouldn’t have to get out of the car to kiss.

Cheng Jing agreed without hesitation.

“Okay, I’ll ask around tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

That was enough. Jiang Nian didn’t need to say more. As long as Brother Jing said yes, there would never be a problem. He’d handle everything.

He really was reliable.