“If it’s not a good time,” Kong Wenyu said, glancing away with a trace of regret, “can I at least come inside and sit for a while?”
Nie Jun looked toward the entrance gate. In the far distance, he could see Hai Ming standing there, peering in their direction.
He pulled his gaze back, took hold of Kong Wenyu’s cane, then stepped beneath the cover of a nearby tree. In one smooth motion, he lifted Kong Wenyu into his arms.
Caught completely off guard, Kong Wenyu instinctively gripped his shoulder.
“There’s no elevator,” Nie Jun explained quietly. “Relax, I won’t drop you.”
He carried him up to the third floor. Only when they reached the security door did Nie Jun set him down.
He unlocked it and stepped aside, letting him go in first.
Once inside, Kong Wenyu stood in the entryway, taking in the overly small one-bedroom apartment. An open kitchen sat to one side. He glanced at it—it was surprisingly well-equipped and clearly used often.
Nie Jun carried him to the couch, then walked into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator door, and asked, “Want something to eat? Maybe tomato and egg noodles?”
Kong Wenyu, his face pale—probably from being caught in the rain—shook his head. His voice was faint, like it was wrapped in mist: “Did you finish writing the self-reflection?”
Nie Jun paused, his hand still on the fridge door. “Yeah, it’s done.”
Kong Wenyu nodded, looking a bit disinterested. “If you hadn’t finished it, I actually have plenty of experience I could share with you.”
Nie Jun froze for a moment, staring at his lowered lashes.
Then Kong Wenyu lifted his gaze and asked, “Do you have any fruit?”
Nie Jun looked back into the fridge, unsure if tomatoes counted.
“I’ve got some.” He shut the fridge door, then went over, lifted Kong Wenyu again, and carried him to the bathroom. He brought a chair inside for him. “Your clothes are soaked. Take a hot shower first, then eat.”
Kong Wenyu didn’t object. He watched as Nie Jun adjusted the water temperature, reminded him not to touch the knobs to avoid getting scalded, then stepped out and closed the door.
A moment later, Kong Wenyu pushed it open slightly, standing by the doorway. “There’s no towel.”
“I’ll grab one,” Nie Jun called over the sound of running water. “I’ve got everything—just start washing. I’ll leave it by the door.”
Kong Wenyu hesitated for two seconds, glanced at him once more, then closed the bathroom door.
Nie Jun quickly headed downstairs. The neighborhood supermarket was right by the entrance. He made a beeline for it and ran straight into Hai Ming pacing outside.
“Why are you out here by yourself?” Hai Ming looked past him toward the empty, tree-lined path.
“Just picking up a few things,” Nie Jun said, gesturing toward the convenience store.
“Things for the boss?” Hai Ming asked, frowning slightly. “What’s he even here to talk to you about? Why not meet at the Kong residence? And why would he suddenly want to make you his personal bodyguard?”
“We just have some things to discuss,” Nie Jun said, cutting him off because he was in a rush. “When you’ve got time, I’ll take you out for a meal, Captain. He’s alone in my place right now, and I’m a little worried. I need to get back.”
Hai Ming stared at him for a few seconds, then, seeing that he truly was in a hurry, stepped aside.
Nie Jun rushed into the supermarket, grabbed a bath towel and underwear, then added a few pieces of fruit. At the checkout, he casually picked up a pack of condoms and some lube.
When he stepped back outside, he tucked the smaller items into his coat pocket. As he came down the steps holding the plastic bag, Hai Ming was right there in front of him.
Nie Jun glanced at the time, then opened the bag to show him.
Hai Ming saw only a change of clothes. “The boss asked you to buy those?”
Nie Jun didn’t answer directly, which was answer enough. “His clothes were soaked.”
Hai Ming looked away and followed him a short distance toward the apartment complex.
Nie Jun said, “If he’s heading back home, I’ll take him. You don’t have to worry.”
Hai Ming stopped walking and asked, “How long are you two going to talk?”
“Not sure,” Nie Jun replied. “You should go eat first. I’ll keep an eye on him here. If you’re still uneasy, I’ll call you in advance before we leave.”
At any other time, Hai Ming would have snapped back, reminding him who the captain was and that Kong’s security detail didn’t need bodyguards who ignored the chain of command.
But not today. An hour ago, Kong Wenyu had personally ordered—right in front of the driver—that as soon as they returned, Hai Ming was to process the paperwork to promote Nie Jun to his personal bodyguard.
The Kong family had never had such a thing as a personal bodyguard.
Starting today, he was no longer part of the team structure. His title might not outrank the captain’s, but in terms of authority, he was now above everyone else.
“I’m gonna grab some food first,” Hai Ming called after him, still uneasy. He added, “Make sure you call me later!”
Nie Jun sprinted upstairs, keeping track of the time. The entire trip there and back hadn’t taken more than ten minutes.
If he hadn’t run into Hai Ming, he could’ve been even faster.
When he stepped back into the apartment, he could still hear the shower running. Relieved, he placed the bath towel and underwear right by the bathroom door—within easy reach—then headed to the kitchen to wash the fruit.
A few minutes later, the sound of running water stopped, and the frosted glass door slid open.
Kong Wenyu stepped out dripping wet, eyes lowered. He spotted the neatly folded bath towel, grabbed it, and started drying his hair.
After a few quick swipes, he seemed to lose patience, roughly wiped the water off his body, and reached for the underwear to put it on.
Nie Jun knew he had come out—he’d been paying attention to every sound from that side—but didn’t intentionally look.
He quickly finished washing the fruit, set it on the table, and turned around just in time to see Kong Wenyu still standing there motionless, wearing nothing but a pair of briefs. His long hair hung over his shoulder like ink spilling down.
“Do you have anything I can wear?” Kong Wenyu asked, lifting his gaze.
Nie Jun froze for a second, then replied, “Eat some fruit first. I’ll run out and buy something.”
Kong Wenyu glanced at the fruit platter—grapes, blueberries, strawberries, and cantaloupe, all still glistening with fresh water droplets.
The cantaloupe had already been cut into bite-sized pieces, neatly set aside with a small fork on top.
“I’ll just wear yours,” Kong Wenyu said, turning his eyes from the fruit back to Nie Jun, who was already at the door about to leave.
Nie Jun hesitated. “I’ll grab something for you.”
The clothes in his wardrobe were simple in style and muted in color.
At least the fabric was soft. He picked out a cotton long-sleeve shirt he’d only worn once, along with a pair of sweatpants.
Kong Wenyu waited in the living room, his skin still glowing pale from the dampness.
The bandages on his foot had been removed—probably soaked through.
That bare foot looked even whiter, even cleaner. Nie Jun’s eyes flicked upward, and memories of that night they got lost in the wilderness surged back. His heartbeat instantly went haywire, racing out of control.
Kong Wenyu slipped into the shirt, then held the pants up to his waist, gave them a quick glance, and said he couldn’t wear them.
He was right—Nie Jun’s clothes were at least a size too big.
Fortunately, the shirt was loose enough to easily cover the waistband of his briefs.
“I forgot to prepare clothes for you,” Nie Jun said, a hint of regret in his voice though his expression stayed as calm as ever. “Next time, I’ll have them ready ahead of time.”
Kong Wenyu didn’t respond. He sat down on the sofa and glanced toward Nie Jun’s bedroom.
Nie Jun felt like someone had just dumped a bucket of cold water over him.
Who knew if there would even be a “next time”?
His pulse slowly returned to normal as he pushed the fruit closer to Kong Wenyu.
Kong Wenyu looked at it, picked up a strawberry, and took a bite.
Nie Jun exhaled in relief, poured a glass of warm water, grabbed a light blanket, and made sure he was settled before heading to the bathroom to shower.
Before he went inside, Kong Wenyu asked, “Can I go in there?”
He pointed toward the bedroom.
Nie Jun answered, “Sure. If it’s too noisy, just close the door.”
Kong Wenyu nodded but didn’t move right away.
The living room was so quiet that Nie Jun thought he should probably buy a TV.
He took a quick shower, but his hand paused midair as his thoughts drifted. Just one wall away, Kong Wenyu was out there. Maybe in a few minutes, he’d even be lying on the bed in Nie Jun’s room.
It felt like a long, sweet torture.
And he’d already been hard for a while—ever since the moment he saw Kong Wenyu standing in the living room wearing only his briefs. If he didn’t take care of it now, the situation was only going to get more awkward.
Nie Jun pushed the door open and saw that Kong Wenyu was no longer in the living room.
The blanket had been left on the sofa, and a third of the fruit platter was gone—more than Nie Jun had expected.
The bedroom door stood wide open. Kong Wenyu was lying on his side on the bed, his briefs visible, along with those overly long legs.
Nie Jun was thankful he’d just taken care of himself.
He went to the balcony, grabbed the clothes that had dried in the sun, and changed. When he turned back, Kong Wenyu—eyes open, framed by sunlight pouring through the open door—was watching him.
Nie Jun paused, intending to let him fall asleep, but before he could speak, Kong Wenyu said, “What took you so long?”
Nie Jun didn’t have time to answer before Kong Wenyu cut him off: “I heard it.”
His gaze was sharp, but his tone calm: “Your breathing.”
Was it that obvious?
Nie Jun wasn’t sure. He hadn’t paid attention to the soundproofing, but he had tried his best to stay quiet.
When Kong Wenyu saw that he didn’t respond, he understood. “Your guest is still here—what’s that supposed to mean?”
Wanting to avoid a misunderstanding, Nie Jun tried to gloss over what had just happened. “…If you need it, I can help you.”
“How?” Kong Wenyu asked.
Nie Jun thought about saying it—with my mouth.
It wouldn’t be the first time.
“With my mouth,” Nie Jun finally said, repeating it with emphasis. “If you want.”
Kong Wenyu didn’t move, but something else had already begun to rise.
Nie Jun noticed, but kept his eyes on Kong Wenyu’s face.
He thought Kong Wenyu would agree this time—after all, they had already discussed trying things out in bed.
But Kong Wenyu didn’t say yes or no. He just looked at him and asked, “Are you worried that since you just finished once, you can’t go again so soon, so you’re only offering that?”
Nie Jun turned his eyes away. “…I’m worried about your body. I want to wait until your foot heals.”
“It’s fine,” Kong Wenyu said.
Nie Jun looked back at him, as if trying to determine if he meant it.
Kong Wenyu met his gaze calmly. Even though he was fully hard now, his face didn’t show the slightest urgency.
His upbringing had included that kind of education—down to explicit details on how to pleasure himself by hand or with tools. Because of that, he had no sense of shyness when discussing his own needs; he spoke about them openly.
By comparison, Nie Jun seemed almost old-fashioned, more reserved.
He wanted Kong Wenyu’s first experience with him to be a good one, so he preferred to wait for the right moment.
But Kong Wenyu’s eyes lingered on him, as if stripping away the fabric and examining every inch of his body.
Nie Jun stood still under that gaze, then turned away to grab his jacket. “Get some rest. I’ll go downstairs to buy you some clothes. I’ll be back quickly. Sweatpants should fit.”
“Don’t you want to?” Kong Wenyu asked quietly from behind him.
Nie Jun froze. The muscles between his brows twitched, and after a moment, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
Kong Wenyu said nothing.
Nie Jun kept his eyes off those pale, bare feet and instead locked them on Kong Wenyu’s.
Kong Wenyu’s still-damp hair spread across the pillow. The loose neckline of his shirt revealed one side of his collarbone, and the rise and fall of his skin glowed like satin.
Nie Jun asked softly, “What happened?”
“It’s fine,” Kong Wenyu said, though it wasn’t clear which question he was answering. His moist eyes locked on Nie Jun’s. “Just do it first.”
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