Shirts tossed all over the floor.
Suit pants ripped at both thighs.
Ties twisted like ropes.
Amid the chaos, a strikingly flashy laser-cut box stood out.
Large, ultra-thin.
The box was violently torn open, its contents scattered, three or four partially unwrapped packages lying carelessly—clear evidence of the urgency of its owner.
Following the trail of mess, one’s gaze fell on an ivory-colored large bed.
Two perfect bodies were intertwined, necks locked in sleep.
On closer inspection, arms and shoulders were covered in scratches.
One had a dense patch of kisses running from the waist up.
Fan Qing was already awake.
Truthfully, he had woken from a smile in his dream.
He couldn’t even recall what he had dreamed about.
After all—who cares about dreams when such a scorching body lies before your eyes?
Of course, the only thing to cherish is the person right in front of him.
He lazily sprawled on the bed, not intending to get up.
After all, it was the first time—at least a little respect should be shown.
He closed his eyes.
No.
Fan Qing opened them again.
Since he was already awake, with such a private, perfect sight in front of him, why not enjoy it?
With that thought, he opened his eyes fully.
The next second, his gaze met Nie Luo’s still-groggy eyes.
?
Nie Luo was awake?
Wasn’t it only six in the morning?
Waking up this early—could it be that last night wasn’t enough effort on his part?
Fan Qing thought this, instinctively supporting his aching lower back.
Suddenly, a large shadow descended from above.
A soft kiss landed on his lips.
“Back hurts? I told you, don’t keep teasing me.”
Nie Luo spoke, lightly biting Fan Qing’s lips as he did.
His fingers gently pinched Fan Qing’s earlobe.
Not hard—his fingertip even felt warm.
Just a light pinch, and Fan Qing’s earlobe flushed pink.
“Ah Qing, you’re too bad.”
The whisper carried a tone of mild accusation.
“Men aren’t loved unless they’re a little bad?”
Fan Qing smiled, pressing his forehead to Nie Luo’s, and asked teasingly,
“How am I bad? Didn’t you enjoy it last night?”
Was last night’s surprise not enough?
Or, perhaps Nie Luo wasn’t fully satisfied with the gift Jin Si had given?
Did he prefer something simpler, more straightforward?
Completely oblivious to Fan Qing’s thoughts, Nie Luo simply continued his accusation.
“I worked so hard to learn and cook those dishes.”
He paused, truly feeling a bit wronged.
“You didn’t even taste a bite last night.”
Fan Qing pressed him gently down, letting him rest against his chest.
“Can I be blamed? I gave you a choice, and you chose to eat first… mmph.”
Nie Luo, slightly flustered, covered Fan Qing’s mouth with his hand.
“Ah Qing, you really are bad!”
And could he really be blamed?
If Ah Qing hadn’t teased him, how could he have been so easily thrown off balance and ended up spending such a wild night?
Thinking this, Nie Luo carefully moved Fan Qing’s “valuable” belongings aside.
Then he rolled off the bed.
“What’s going on?”
Fan Qing swore he asked this without sincerity.
If he were being sincere, his eyes would have stayed locked on that perfect view.
If he weren’t worried about scaring his boyfriend, he might even have whistled in admiration at his perfect body.
Sure enough.
Fan Qing thought with satisfaction.
He was right about his first decision.
Such a beauty—if he couldn’t be his, then his life would be meaningless.
But… what was Nie Luo doing?
Fan Qing propped himself up slightly.
“Ah Qing, this is for you.”
Nie Luo came in from the doorway, handing him a small box.
A gift?
Fan Qing was a little surprised.
Come to think of it…
Fan Qing looked at Nie Luo with a raised eyebrow.
“Don’t tell me you planned to give this to me last night?”
He had noticed that during the previous evening, Nie Luo seemed like he always wanted to say something at the halfway point.
…Mmm, but still, that wasn’t the time to let him speak.
Fan Qing thought effortlessly, opening the box.
He slowly raised his brows, looking at Nie Luo.
“…What is this?”
Nie Luo also paused.
“Ah Qing, you don’t recognize it?”
Shouldn’t he?
Fan Qing propped himself up on the bed and stood.
The blanket slid off along the contours of his marked body. His modest feet touched the floor, pale skin revealing the veins underneath—strangely stirring.
Fan Qing had to admit.
He did it on purpose.
Purposeful… what?
Of course, to reveal the marks all over his body.
Sure enough.
As he stood, he caught the fleeting astonishment in Nie Luo’s eyes.
Exactly what he wanted to see.
Fan Qing casually picked up a shirt from the floor and put it on.
It was the one he wore yesterday, lying crumpled on the floor all night.
He didn’t care.
Buttoning a few buttons, the loose shirt was clearly oversized.
Nie Luo paused.
He instinctively picked up another shirt from the floor.
“Ah Qing, you’re wearing the wrong—”
Fan Qing looked at him with a half-smile.
Nie Luo realized something.
He glanced at the shirt in his hand—large. Not Fan Qing’s.
But there were only two shirts on the floor…
Nie Luo’s slow mind finally caught up.
His heart rate accelerated.
When he spoke, his voice was hoarse—scaring even himself.
“So… Ah Qing, the shirt you wore yesterday… was mine too?”
How could someone…
How could someone be so… so…?
Nie Luo found himself momentarily lost for words.
His gaze fixed on Fan Qing, and he suddenly leaned in, biting him sharply.
“Ah Qing, you really are a bad person…”
He truly was.
Fan Qing didn’t deny it.
He even cupped Nie Luo’s chin and kissed him, his eyes smiling irresistibly.
“Yes, I’m bad. Don’t you like it?”
“…I do.”
Nie Luo lowered his eyes, admitting it willingly.
He did like Ah Qing’s mischief.
“I like it too.”
Fan Qing hooked his hand around Nie Luo’s nape, exchanging a warm morning kiss with him.
They lingered for a while, sticky and close, before Fan Qing finally remembered the gift he had been distracted from.
He picked up the black card from the box and gave it a little shake.
“Brother hasn’t told me yet—what is this?”
This time, Nie Luo’s eyes lit up with sudden inspiration.
He cleared his throat lightly, his profile gleaming in the morning sunlight.
“It’s… your submitted payroll card.”
Even though Fan Qing had guessed, hearing it still made him smile uncontrollably.
The corners of his eyes crinkled with joy, impossible to hide.
He looked at Nie Luo again, raising the black card to his lips for a quick kiss.
“Then I’ll take it, brother.”
His voice tipped up at the end, sweet and slightly husky.
Nie Luo’s throat felt dry, his breath warm.
After a long moment, he finally nodded.
“It was meant for you all along.”
Fan Qing could no longer restrain himself.
He quickly stepped forward, pressing Nie Luo against the wall, his legs wedged between Nie Luo’s knees, his voice thick with desire.
“I was going to let you go to work today, but now… for the first day of the new year, how about staying home with me instead?”
Nie Luo instinctively reached for Fan Qing’s waist.
Hearing this, his ears flushed slightly, yet he obediently spoke.
“I already cleared my schedule yesterday for New Year’s Eve. For the new year… I want to be with you…”
His words were cut off by Fan Qing’s lips.
Boyfriend was perfect in every way—except for being a little shy and not proactive enough, which sometimes drove Fan Qing a bit impatient.
Sensing Fan Qing’s urgency, Nie Luo gently held his waist, calming his emotions.
But…
Ah Qing really was in a hurry. Last night too—he had wanted to count down together.
“What time is it?”
A husky voice sounded in the dim room.
“Are you getting up?”
The person by the bed, draped in a shirt, had buttoned the top button before moving closer.
“Almost ten o’clock. Time to wake up?”
“No.”
Jin Si shook his head, his pale fingertips lightly tapping his throat.
“I see.”
The assistant left the room, returning shortly with a cup of water.
Jin Si sipped a few times out of habit.
With the water soothing his throat, his voice became smoother.
“Why do you say ‘habit’? I liked the way you did it before.”
The assistant gave a faint, knowing smile.
“And you want to do it again first thing in the morning? Then you might as well stay at the hospital this week.”
Didn’t he know what kind of body he had?
Jin Si didn’t care, smiling instead.
“Isn’t that fine? Even if I die under the peony, it’ll be romantic.”
Since he was in the mood to joke, holding the cup wasn’t a problem.
The assistant put down the cup and continued with his jacket.
“You mean the peony refers to yourself?”
He wasn’t as striking as Jin Si.
Because of this, he never expected Jin Si to have a personal motive for keeping him nearby.
“So I’m that impressive in your eyes?”
Jin Si looked somewhat meaningful.
The assistant paused while fastening his tie.
“…Early in the morning, you can’t move, stop teasing.”
“Why can’t I tease early in the morning? Is there a rule?”
Jin Si ignored him, probing further.
The tie clip pinched his nails, but the assistant calmly fixed it and turned to put on his shoes.
“Because last night, that little beast became… a little beast over the missing umbrella, and now we’re both… wounded.”
He paused, his tone calm yet tinged with helplessness.
“So if you keep teasing me, I won’t have any strength left.”
“That’s not entirely correct.”
Jin Si suddenly countered.
The assistant struggled to polish his shoes.
He wasn’t lying.
He and Jin Si were indeed both exhausted.
Even bending over now made him ache.
But anyone who had spent two hours ‘self-service’ wouldn’t fare much better.
The assistant took it in stride.
“Hmm? What’s not correct?”
He asked casually; Jin Si answered seriously.
“I had mentally prepared for the little umbrella,” he sat up slightly, his fingers tracing from the assistant’s back to his thighs.
A delicate touch on the thigh—Jin Si had a point.
“I didn’t expect… that thing to be here.”
Hence, not entirely correct.
He paused, his voice carrying a hint of inquiry.
“So… you like using that?”
The assistant turned, pressing him back onto the bed.
“Don’t overthink it. I use that every day. It was just yesterday when Fan Qing came to borrow it—then it had a different meaning.”
Jin Si immediately looked thoughtful.
“So… you use it every day…”