Chapter 28

Fan Xing hadn’t been back for over twenty days, and during this time, it seemed from He Qingmo’s reactions that this man rarely had dinner at home in the evenings.

So, before heading home one evening, Fan Xing made a special trip to the supermarket, bought fresh ingredients, and when he got home, he busied himself in the kitchen. By 8 o’clock, a table full of delicious dinner was ready.

When He Qingmo returned home, he went straight into the study and didn’t come out. It was probably due to work. When Fan Xing knocked on the door and entered, the man squeezed his brow, looking somewhat tired, before reluctantly coming out.

“Big brother, are you very tired?” Fan Xing asked with concern.

“A bit. I had to cancel a meeting with a client this afternoon. The old man is a bit difficult to handle. Let’s go, have dinner,” He Qingmo said, pulling him downstairs.

“Is it because of the lecture in the afternoon? Was it necessary for you to attend that lecture?” Fan Xing inquired.

The man turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow. “If I hadn’t gone, you’d still be on the subway now.”

It sounded as if he had gone specifically to surprise Fan Xing.

Fan Xing was taken aback and wrinkled his nose in response. “No, big brother, you went just to startle me!”

He Qingmo looked at him with surprise. “You actually figured that out?”

There was no embarrassment or awkwardness at all after the prank went unnoticed.

Fan Xing chuckled. He had always known that He Qingmo had a somewhat childish side, but he didn’t expect him to skip work just to play this prank. He must have gone through a lot of effort to entertain him.

So, during dinner, Fan Xing was attentive, continuously helping him with serving dishes.

He Qingmo seemed to genuinely enjoy the food Fan Xing had prepared. Although he ate with refined manners, he didn’t hold back at all.

Fan Xing had prepared quite a lot, and surprisingly, He Qingmo finished everything.

After dinner, He Qingmo returned to his study, and Fan Xing cleaned up the kitchen. He checked the ingredients he had prepared for He Qingmo’s breakfast the next morning in the fridge and noticed that most of them had been consumed.

It seemed that He Qingmo really did take his breakfast seriously. Fan Xing thought to himself with satisfaction.

Looking at the time, it was past nine o’clock, so he decided to prepare breakfast for the next day.

He Qingmo loved eating tofu pudding for breakfast, so Fan Xing soaked some soybeans, washed and cut the ingredients he would need for the morning.

Once everything was ready, he felt a bit tired. The aftermath of military training had not completely faded away.

So, he didn’t look for anything else to do. He took a bath upstairs, changed into clean pajamas, and got into bed, ready for a good night’s sleep.

Suddenly, he remembered something, sat up abruptly, and grabbed his phone from the bedside table. Opening WeChat, he found He Qingmo and transferred five thousand yuan to him.

Seeing the “Transfer Successful” message, he couldn’t help but smile.

Debt didn’t feel good, even though He Qingmo wouldn’t actually ask for repayment, Fan Xing still felt a sense of obligation.

Luckily, the cooking videos he posted online had unexpectedly gained significant popularity. In just a month, both views and followers had reached a considerable number.

Although the reasons people followed him were strange—some liked his voice, some admired his cooking skills, and some found his slightly off pronunciation entertaining—it didn’t matter. These people brought him income, and some restaurants even approached him for promotion, offering a fee of exactly five thousand yuan, just enough to clear his debt.

“What about interest?”

Just as he was rejoicing at having cleared his debt, the bedroom door opened, and He Qingmo walked in, raising his phone with a somewhat playful look, gazing at Fan Xing.

Evidently, he had received the money, but the interest had yet to be paid.

Fan Xing scratched his head in embarrassment. “I only have five thousand. Can the interest be deferred a bit?”

“No way!” He Qingmo’s tone was firm, showing no mercy.

Well, it was indeed a trap! Fan Xing thought helplessly but had no choice but to ask, “So, what do you want, big brother?”

“Give me a kiss!”

Huh?

Fan Xing widened his eyes, suspecting that he might be hearing things. However, he met He Qingmo’s teasing gaze and blushed uncontrollably. He instinctively lowered his head, unable to look at him, and clutched his phone tightly, feeling a bit lost.

“If it’s too difficult, forget it,” He Qingmo’s voice sounded again, cool and tinged with a hint of disappointment.

Fan Xing didn’t know why, but he suddenly couldn’t bear the thought of it. He raised his head to look at He Qingmo, hesitantly moving closer to him.

The nervousness made Fan Xing’s senses particularly acute. He Qingmo’s breath lingered around his nose, and his face was burning with embarrassment.

Afraid that he might back out due to nervousness, Fan Xing closed his eyes and tentatively pressed his lips to He Qingmo’s.

Then, he quickly pulled away, lowered his head, and spoke softly, even quieter than a mosquito, “Is it okay?”

He Qingmo, on the other hand, was quite surprised. “Who let you kiss me? It’s your first kiss. How are you going to compensate me?”

Fan Xing looked at the man in astonishment, his rosy face turning as red as a tomato. His clear eyes were filled with confusion as he opened his mouth, his voice lacking confidence, “I am too, does that even things out?”

The man suppressed the urge to pin him down, his face cold as he said, “No!”

“What should I do then?” Fan Xing asked cautiously.

“Let me kiss you again!” The man said, lowering his head.

Fan Xing instinctively closed his eyes, his hands on the man’s shoulder tightening involuntarily. His thick eyelashes trembled slightly due to nervousness, and his pink lips unconsciously pursed.

The man’s heavy breath was close, and he could almost feel the man’s lips just inches away, but they didn’t touch.

“You’ve become thinner,” the man suddenly spoke, his voice husky.

Fan Xing blinked in confusion, looking at the man with a dazed expression.

“And tanned,” the man continued, trailing his fingertip from Fan Xing’s slender jawline to his cheek.

It took Fan Xing a moment to realize what the man was saying. He opened his mouth to explain, but the man spoke again, “Ugly now! Can’t continue kissing!”

Then, he released Fan Xing, turned, and entered the bathroom.

Fan Xing sat there with his mouth wide open, taking a while to come back to his senses. He then turned around and lay down, covering himself with the blanket, closing his eyes to sleep.

Three seconds later, he sighed, grabbing the blanket and covering his head. Three minutes later, he felt suffocated, lifted the blanket, and found that the blush on his face hadn’t faded; in fact, it had worsened.

He tossed and turned on the bed, feeling frustrated and wanting to give himself a good slap.

Why did He Qingmo say to kiss him, and why did he just go ahead and kiss him like that? It made it seem like he was trying to take advantage.

But he really wasn’t; he was just too nervous and his brain wasn’t working properly!

Moreover, that man was clearly just teasing him. He had had so many boyfriends; how could he possibly still have his first kiss? He was lying!

And he said Fan Xing had become ugly!

Fan Xing suddenly sat up, grabbed his phone, opened the camera, and pointed it at his own face.

He had lost a bit of weight and his chin was more defined. He had indeed gotten a little tanned, but that didn’t make him ugly, did it?

At this moment, the bathroom door opened, and the man walked out.

Fan Xing glared at him angrily, threw down his phone, and turned to sleep, with his back to the man.

He Qingmo couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, feeling down?”

Fan Xing wrapped himself in the blanket and ignored him.

The man climbed onto the bed, pulled Fan Xing into his arms from the edge of the bed, and turned off the light.

Fan Xing struggled to free himself, but the man’s voice came from above his head, “If you move around again, I’ll kiss you. It’s dark now, and I don’t mind if you look a bit uglier.”

The petulant kid who was being difficult instantly behaved, his body stiff and motionless.

The man smiled gently, ruffled his hair, and spoke in a soft, amused voice, “Alright, I was just teasing you. Little Fan Xing looks the best. Sleep now!”

In the darkness, the corner of the youth’s mouth finally couldn’t help but lift slightly, and he snuggled into the man’s arms, falling asleep.

 

<Previous.........................Next>