The dim nightlight lit up a small corner of the world, shadows and light mixing together.
A platinum pendant, tossed aside by the pillow, caught the light and reflected a cold, metallic cross-shaped gleam. It made the world in Shi Yuan’s eyes look strange and surreal—like none of it was actually real.
But the warmth of the boy’s breath brushing against his skin reminded him clearly of what the two of them were doing right now.
This was a kiss.
They were kissing.
Shi Yuan held his breath, chest tight, brows drawn together. He didn’t even dare to breathe too hard. He had no idea if Lin Wangye was fully conscious, and deep down, he was scared to disturb him even a little.
At such a close distance, the boy’s face was mostly lost in the shifting glow. He couldn’t see his features clearly.
But Shi Yuan could see those long lashes fluttering ever so lightly, like butterfly wings trembling in the dark.
His lips felt soft and damp, warm and gentle.
Lin Wangye had no idea how to kiss—he’d only seen it in some random scenes from movies.
At first, he’d only meant to give a tiny peck.
But once their lips actually touched, he didn’t want to pull away.
Sensing that the person in front of him wasn’t moving at all, he worked up the nerve, tilted his head, and leaned in closer, brushing against Shi Yuan’s lips again with an instinctive, feather-light touch.
That small movement made something click in Shi Yuan’s mind.
Lin Wangye was awake.
It was like a gun going off in his head—ears ringing, nerves firing on all cylinders, all the feelings he’d been trying to bury suddenly exploding to the surface.
He lifted his head to get a better look at Lin Wangye’s face, ending the clumsy kiss and staring hard at him. His eyes were red, just on the edge of bloodshot.
Lin Wangye, who had stretched his neck out to follow but missed as Shi Yuan pulled back, froze. The sudden movement startled him awake. His gaze flickered wildly as he locked eyes with Shi Yuan. The swelling around his eyes hadn’t gone down much, and now, right in front of Shi Yuan’s eyes, they were turning red all over again.
And when Shi Yuan saw that hurt in his eyes—he snapped.
He lifted his hand and gently brushed the corner of Lin Wangye’s eye with his thumb, frowning, and when he spoke, his voice was low and trembling.
“Don’t cry. Please don’t cry.”
Because he’d cried himself to sleep, Lin Wangye had woken up a little dehydrated. His throat felt dry, his voice a bit hoarse. He stared straight at the person in front of him, eyes full of hurt.
“You always run… How long are you gonna keep running away, huh? You coward.”
His lips were still a little warm, like the soft touch from just now was still lingering there.
Hot blood surged through his heart nonstop, and Shi Yuan felt like there was heavy metal crashing around in his chest, sending shockwaves that echoed so loud they seemed to rattle in his ears.
He honestly didn’t understand what Lin Wangye had just said. He tried taking a deep breath, hoping it would calm the trembling that had wrapped around his heart and refused to let go. His eyes were full of confusion, completely lost.
“Every time…”
But Lin Wangye didn’t have the patience to explain it all. His voice was sharp, almost accusing.
“I like you. Can’t you tell?”
Those three words echoed around Shi Yuan’s ears, bouncing back and forth. All those guesses he’d had—ones he could never push away—were suddenly, effortlessly confirmed by Lin Wangye.
He even felt like Lin Wangye’s gaze was slicing through flesh and bone, staring right into the deepest part of his soul.
Couldn’t tell?
Of course not. The signs had been there all along.
But it was like being stuck on a word problem with no examples to follow—no matter how clear his thinking was or how carefully he worked it out, without any answers in the textbook, he just couldn’t be sure he’d gotten it right.
And now, Lin Wangye was telling him—he had.
That truth hit Shi Yuan like a wave. He was overwhelmed, thrilled, and at the same time, completely unburdened.
“I know. I just…”
“You just didn’t have the guts to say it out loud.” Lin Wangye cut him off before he could finish, eyes locked on him, words striking straight to the point.
“You’ve got all these reasons, all these doubts, and that’s why you can’t be brave like me.”
Shi Yuan had nowhere to hide in the face of such raw emotion.
He didn’t try to argue. He gave in willingly, surrendering to Lin Wangye’s honesty. But even then, something darker flickered deep in his eyes—a fierce possessiveness, sharp and fast, gone in a flash.
After a moment, he looked up and stared straight at Lin Wangye.
“More than wanting you, I’m afraid of losing you. If being friends can keep you around longer, I’d rather stay right here, forever.”
Because when something matters that much, it’s too heavy to grab hold of—but impossible to let go.
And maybe… that’s exactly what had been holding Lin Wangye back too.
It was like the timeline had folded in on itself.
Lin Wangye suddenly remembered what Uncle Shi had said that day as he turned to leave—
“You’re still young. You don’t know where the line is, or when you should stop.”
There was a time when that one sentence had torn Lin Wangye apart. He’d thought it was proof that he’d been shut out of the other person’s heart.
But today, Shi Yuan—Xu Suinian—had finally given him the real answer, in his own voice.
It had never been about shutting him out.
Uncle Shi had simply believed he was too young to clearly tell different kinds of feelings apart, so he chose to keep this bond at a stage where they could stay close for longer—maybe even forever.
Over more than a decade, this person had given him the same kind of quiet care, ever since their very first meeting. No hesitation, no second thoughts. Just the same gentle choice, again and again.
The tears that had been welling up finally slipped down Lin Wangye’s cheeks, landing on Shi Yuan’s heart like drops of molten fire—burning, searing, and relentless.
Shi Yuan quickly wiped them away with his fingers, but when he saw that those shimmering drops, just like the diamonds on the pendant, kept falling one by one, he panicked. He gently cupped Lin Wangye’s face and pulled him into his arms.
“I’m sorry. I just wasn’t brave enough.”
Lin Wangye gripped his shirt tightly—but at the same time, the corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly. After blinking out the last of his tears, he pressed his palms against Shi Yuan’s chest and pushed hard, not backing down.
“Then what about now? I’m right here—do you dare?”
That pounding heartbeat didn’t slow down for a second. Starlight sparkled in the boy’s eyes, and without even a flicker of doubt, Shi Yuan reached up, grabbed his chin, and kissed him hard.
Lin Wangye immediately wrapped his arms around Shi Yuan’s neck and let himself fall back.
The soft bedding sank under his weight and wrapped around him. Warm breaths hit his ears again and again, making them ring, while waves of heat and emotion shot through every nerve ending, lingering between the two of them like static in the air.
This was nothing like that earlier kiss.
This one came crashing down—fierce, hungry.
In that moment, Lin Wangye felt like he might completely fall apart. His lips and teeth were taken over by that heat, and his brain was hit by a rush of excitement he’d never felt before. He had no time to process anything—just tumbled straight into it.
Every sense, every nerve—now belonged to this kiss.
Shi Yuan didn’t even bother with any buildup. The second their lips touched, he slipped past Lin Wangye’s defenseless mouth with full force, his fingers gripping his chin, completely in control.
A strange, tingling current raced through Lin Wangye’s body, buzzing through every nerve.
His heart was thudding wildly, and the soft skin of his lips was being kissed over and over, pressed and ground with no room to breathe. Even his breathing was taken over.
His mind quickly went fuzzy from the mix of emotions and his clumsy attempts to catch his breath. He didn’t have the strength to think about anything else. All he could do was shut his eyes, respond awkwardly, and lose himself in the moment.
And as Shi Yuan got the hang of it, the kisses only grew rougher—deeper, wilder.
Lin Wangye was breathing hard, chest rising and falling. When he tried to turn his head away to break the kiss and catch his breath, he realized—his chin was still being held in place.
He let go of Shi Yuan’s neck and gave him a gentle push, but before he could do anything else, his wrists were caught and pinned above his head.
He couldn’t fight back. It felt like he was being completely taken over.
The choking sensation from lack of air and the thrill of that deep, intense kiss sent Lin Wangye’s adrenaline into overdrive. Shi Yuan’s overwhelming possessiveness—something he’d never shown so clearly before—crashed over him like a wave, and for a second, Lin Wangye felt like even his soul was being marked.
He stopped resisting.
Hands trembling, he reached up and interlocked his fingers with Shi Yuan’s, giving in completely—like he was offering himself up.
The wet sound of lips meeting echoed softly around them, making hearts race. The air turned sticky, hot.
Only when Lin Wangye started tearing up from how badly he needed air, his body going limp like he was melting into the sheets, broken whimpers slipping from his throat—only then did Shi Yuan finally let him go.
Their lips pulled apart, still connected by a string of saliva that stretched and then snapped as they moved away.
Lin Wangye sucked in the air he’d been dying for, lying back on the bed, gasping. His eyes went blank for a few seconds, staring at nothing—until his senses slowly came back to him.
Shi Yuan had been watching him the whole time. His eyes were intense—even a little dangerous.
Even though he’d mentally prepared for this, it had still gone way further than expected.
Lin Wangye’s lips were tingling after being kissed and rubbed for so long. He stared up at the ceiling in a daze, brain trying to catch up to everything he’d just learned.
So… turns out, if a kiss lasts too long, your mouth really can go numb.
The boy’s lips were flushed red, shining with moisture. Shi Yuan’s gaze darkened, his breathing unsteady for a few short seconds. He stared at Lin Wangye silently for a long while, then lowered his head and gently kissed him again—just a light touch.
That soft, almost weightless kiss stirred Lin Wangye’s heart even more than the passionate one just moments ago.
His lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something—but in the end, he stayed quiet.
Shi Yuan knew exactly what he was waiting for.
He loosened his fingers from Lin Wangye’s jaw and softly tapped the corner of his lips, like he was touching something priceless.
“I like you, Lin Wangye.”
Just three words—not long enough for everything they meant. Not nearly long enough for a lifetime.
The second those words left his mouth, Lin Wangye’s eyes went red again—but this time, no tears fell. Instead, he smiled—eyes curved, mouth lifted, gaze burning with determination. He reached out, hooked his arm around Shi Yuan’s neck, dragged him down, and threw his arms and legs around him in a full-on bear hug.
“You’re mine now!””
His voice was rough, a little hoarse like he had a cold, but the excited lilt in it gave him away.
Thinking back to the very first day that boy had walked into his life, Shi Yuan couldn’t help but smile.
“The first time I saw you at school, I had this weird feeling… looks like my gut instinct was right after all.”
“You already had me ages ago.”
Lin Wangye laughed and hugged him tighter—like, obviously.
The happy little puppy in front of you? You’re the one who raised him.
You were the one who taught him to be cheerful and kind, to be honest and brave.
You made sure he grew up as the happiest kid in the world, little by little, until he became exactly the kind of person you always wanted him to be.
So how could you not love him?
You were born to love him.
For the first time in his life, Shi Yuan felt what true happiness and completeness were. He wrapped his arms around Lin Wangye, heart so full it felt like it might burst—completely overflowing with heavy, earnest love.
And Lin Wangye, who was always a bit spoiled when he felt adored, finally let go of all restraint. He tilted his head and bit Shi Yuan’s shoulder, then leaned in close to whisper by his ear, “You kinda went overboard just now. At least let me breathe, okay?”
“I could go even further.”
“You—mmph…”
This time, Shi Yuan didn’t hold him down or force anything. But the moment he leaned in, Lin Wangye still closed his eyes—falling right back in without a second thought.
Their lips brushed gently—just a touch—then met again, one chasing the other.
Breath tangled between them, teasing and pulling back only to return with urgency. It was like a game of push and pull, a silent war of strategy and surrender that ended in mutual compromise—melting into something soft and inseparable.
The bed beneath them made everything feel even more… perfectly timed.
But just before things could get out of hand, Shi Yuan sensed the danger. He ended the kiss and sat up, letting go of Lin Wangye.
After being tangled up so closely, there was no way Lin Wangye hadn’t noticed the ‘change’ in Shi Yuan. His mind might’ve been dazed from the kiss, but his instincts were sharp. On some kind of strange impulse, he crawled to the headboard and pulled open the drawer.
Inside sat a square box and a tube of gel—like a fuse being lit, triggering the last bit of restraint left in Shi Yuan.
He slammed the drawer shut, gathered every ounce of self-control he had, steadied his breathing, and looked back at Lin Wangye.
“What were you trying to do?”
“Do…”
‘You’, obviously.
But Lin Wangye caught the warning in Shi Yuan’s eyes just in time and stopped himself at the edge of the cliff, barely managing to protect his shaky little pure-hearted-puppy persona.
“Water. I meant water. I’m thirsty.”
Shi Yuan let out a long sigh and got up to open the door.
A moment later, he came back holding a thermos, unscrewed the lid, and handed it over.
In the awkward silence that followed, Lin Wangye gulped down more than half the cup in one go. His dry throat finally felt a little better.
“Want more?” Shi Yuan asked.
“Yes.” Lin Wangye nodded, then set the cup down on the bedside table and tilted his chin at him.
“Kiss your little puppy.”
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
