Jing Mian felt his breathing tighten.
His first reaction even held a sliver of hope, thinking Mr. Ren might want to kiss his cheek or forehead… something more innocent than the current situation.
But now, Jing Mian admitted, he was panicking.
He could tell that Mr. Ren was serious about wanting to kiss him.
In the space between his accelerating heartbeats, the man, receiving no response, repeated, “May I kiss you?”
Jing Mian pursed his lips, his face instantly burning:
“Y-yes, you can.”
After all, they were legally married, a legitimate couple. Kissing was only natural, a normal phenomenon.
Jing Mian just hadn’t expected Mr. Ren to have such desires towards him.
“…”
Jing Mian remembered that Ren Xingwan had made the first move.
The streets on this first snowy day were silent and still, amplifying every sound. Jing Mian heard the man’s footsteps on the thin layer of snow and the ground, slow and deliberate, approaching him.
The sound wasn’t loud, but it felt like it was striking his heart.
His feet felt a little stiff.
Jing Mian’s breath hitched, his cheeks burning. His thoughts were fragmented. Whether to welcome it or run away, in that moment, Jing Mian completely forgot to react or move.
“Um…”
Jing Mian was about to speak when he felt an arm around his waist.
The next second, the grip tightened.
Jing Mian was pulled into Mr. Ren’s embrace.
Jing Mian’s heart stuttered, his fingertips trembling: “…Mmm!…”
The man had already lowered his head, sealing his lips.
A completely unfamiliar sense of invasion swept over him.
It was as if the other man was leaving him no escape. Even the lines of their lips matched perfectly, without any gaps. Tiny sparks spread from his tightly held back. Family marriage aside, they truly seemed like a match made in heaven.
Jing Mian felt the other man’s hand slightly turn inward from his wrist.
Their fingers intertwined.
“…”
Despite having secretly held hands at the banquet, the unfamiliar sensation still made Jing Mian’s eyelashes flutter.
But the scent was the most familiar – his brother’s.
Realizing this, Jing Mian’s face was already flushed red.
It was as if he was kissing the brother he had been closest to and most dependent on for over a decade.
The pure, untainted childhood friendship had completely changed its nature now that they were both adults and bound by marriage. An indescribable sense of taboo arose.
Jing Mian felt a shiver run down his spine as he realized this fact.
Perhaps small snowflakes were falling on Mr. Ren’s shoulders, melting slowly, but Jing Mian had no energy to think about anything else.
His mind had shut down. He didn’t know what he was doing, nor did he know what Mr. Ren was doing to him.
The light was dim.
The car lights and the night alternated, half illuminating the man’s hair, the other half deepening the contours of his nose.
The warm breath washed over him, making his face burn and his heart race.
All his senses could hear and feel was Ren Xingwan.
Jing Mian didn’t know how long he was kissed like this, only that he couldn’t hold on any longer. The redness spread to the back of his neck and the tips of his ears.
He barely managed to raise his hand and push Mr. Ren’s arm, but the force was so weak it was practically nonexistent.
Jing Mian: “…”
He didn’t know when, but his back was pressed against the side of the car, leaving almost no space. The man leaned down, wrapped his arm around his waist, and pinned him against the car window.
Trapping him in a small corner, kissing him.
Jing Mian felt like his heart was about to explode.
No one could withstand such a kiss, especially a first kiss.
He didn’t even know when they broke apart.
The small birthday gift came to an abrupt end at that moment.
“Back to the car?” the man asked.
Jing Mian nodded.
For some reason, Jing Mian felt a little weak in the legs and was even caught by the man, but luckily he was close to the car door and didn’t have to walk, only needing to maintain a standing position.
But as soon as he reached out and tugged at the car door, it didn’t budge.
Jing Mian: “?”
The force that usually opened the door easily had suddenly become insurmountable.
Seeing that Mr. Ren had already gotten into the car, Jing Mian paused, looked at his hand, and fell silent, then pretended nothing had happened.
This time he used a little more force, and the car door opened.
Sitting in the passenger seat, the car slowly started.
Realizing what had happened, Jing Mian secretly pinched his leg in frustration.
To be kissed until his whole body was weak and powerless, Jing Mian suddenly felt like he had wasted the last twenty years of his life.
On the short walk to the house, his slightly weak legs had regained most of their strength, but his heartbeat was still hard to calm.
Jing Mian wondered,
Why did Mr. Ren suddenly want to kiss him?
Had he been abstaining for too long, and Jing Mian just happened to appear as the man’s marriage partner? After this birthday, he finally couldn’t hold back?
Jing Mian remembered that Mr. Ren had previously said he was too young and not mature enough.
Somewhat tragically, he thought that perhaps even if he had a different partner, Mr. Ren would likely still be the same. He just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time.
Jing Mian sighed inwardly.
It was like a rabbit going out for a stroll… getting caught by a hunter, who took him home but didn’t steam or boil him. Instead, he was placed on the cutting board, then his ears and paw pads were gently nibbled, his fur licked until it was wet and disheveled.
Then the hunter said, “I’m done eating!”
And the little rabbit was thrown back into the forest, running away in fear, his fur matted, shocking all the other rabbits, who gathered around to watch.
Although unharmed, his heart was severely traumatized.
How to describe it… like the humiliation of being used by a hunter, but also secretly grateful that the other party didn’t actually eat him.
This damned sense of contradiction.
However, Jing Mian was also very open-minded.
Before agreeing to the marriage, he had already prepared himself mentally. After all, it was a family marriage. He and Mr. Ren would each fulfill their marital obligations. Feelings… were something he couldn’t think too much about.
Jing Mian followed Ren Xingwan, turning left, turning right, and then passing one last small bend, arriving at the man’s residence.
Jing Mian had originally wanted to carefully remember the house number or which building it was, in case he got lost while going out to buy groceries in the future, so he could at least ask other residents for directions.
Now it seemed unnecessary. The residence wasn’t hard to find. Jing Mian could vaguely tell it was a two-story duplex villa in a good location, close to the fresh food market he had just passed, convenient but not noisy.
With no obstructions, it would definitely be filled with sunlight during the day, with pleasant scenery and a private courtyard, making it a very ideal private residence.
No wonder Jing Mian had heard that many celebrities also lived in this high-end residential area.
Thinking of this, Jing Mian suddenly choked.
Ren Xingwan himself was also a celebrity.
Having limited contact with the man, Jing Mian would occasionally forget that his husband was a movie star. After all, he knew too little about Mr. Ren’s life.
Soon, the man used a key to open the courtyard gate.
And said to Jing Mian, “It’s the one I gave you earlier.”
Jing Mian nodded.
He noticed that he could also swipe a card, but the door card probably wouldn’t be available until tomorrow. Right now, Mr. Ren was specifically demonstrating it for him.
Following Ren Xingwan into the courtyard, the stone path was clean and bright, the melted snow stains reflecting the path’s smooth and delicate surface.
On both sides were flowers and plants. Although the temperature had dropped sharply in recent days, they seemed to have been specially trimmed, not overgrown, but rather pleasing to the eye.
On one side of the villa, there was a tall sapling, its roots already showing signs of thickness, and its branches were already reaching towards the second floor.
Such a pleasant environment was simply his dream house.
Jing Mian was a little surprised. Just looking at it made him feel relaxed.
Soon, the two arrived at the villa door.
The man lowered his eyes, his fingers fiddling with the surface of the door lock, his knuckles slender.
Then he made space, gesturing to Jing Mian, “Press it.”
Jing Mian obediently extended his index finger and pressed it on the blue light.
Soon, a mechanical voice announced, “Fingerprint recorded.”
So that’s how it was.
This way, he could also use his fingerprint to open Mr. Ren’s house in the future… no, their house.
He felt like he was also becoming the owner of this house.
A strange emotion welled up in Jing Mian’s heart, something akin to warmth, and a little solemnity.
However, lost in thought, Jing Mian habitually licked his lips. Unlike the usual dry sensation, they felt a little moist.
Seeming to suddenly realize something, Jing Mian’s face flushed red.
Ren Xingwan said, “If the fingerprint fails, you can contact the property management, or enter the password below.”
Jing Mian nodded and asked, “What’s the password?”
Mr. Ren seemed to hesitate for a moment.
Then he said, “020423.”
Jing Mian: “…”
Why did it sound so familiar and easy to remember, and consistent with his bank card and a series of payment software passwords?
Was it… his birthday?
Jing Mian was a little surprised, so he casually asked, “Mr. Ren… is that a newly changed password?”
Ren Xingwan: “No.”
Jing Mian: “?”
Before Jing Mian could speak, Ren Xingwan seemed to pause briefly, then opened his mouth, “We are partners who have obtained a marriage certificate.”
The man’s voice was low and deep. He paused for a moment, then said, “So we are legal lovers, right?”
The question sounded somewhat formal and without reason, even emphasizing the importance of ‘legal’ for no reason, making the young man a little surprised and confused.
Jing Mian didn’t understand, but he still suppressed his surprise and nodded, “Um… yes, legal.”
Ren Xingwan said,
“Then it’s a little inappropriate for you to still call me ‘Mr.,’ isn’t it?”