Ye Mingxuan didn’t know how it started, but soon they were kissing noisily in the entryway—or more accurately, Tan Sizhe was kissing him noisily.
Reason told him Yu Sen was still waiting for him in the dining room, but his knees went weak the moment Tan Sizhe touched his waist.
Tan Sizhe cradled his head with one hand, preventing it from smashing against the hard wall, while his other hand lifted Ye Mingxuan up, pressing the other man’s small pregnant belly against his own.
Ye Mingxuan’s eyes fluttered open unconsciously. His mouth felt numb, his jaw too flustered to close.
“No…” He had to get back soon.
Ye Mingxuan was carried onto the soft sofa. Tan Sizhe sucked on his lower lip, guiding Ye Mingxuan’s hand to roam beneath his robe. The bathrobe was half undone, the other half draped on the floor.
“Feel it. Does it make your heart race?”
“Mm, sir… mm…”
As if panic could be felt by touch!
Ye Mingxuan pushed Tan Sizhe’s shoulders with both hands, turning his head to gasp for breath. Bright sunlight streamed through the window, falling on his face. “Sir, we should go to the hospital…”
Tan Sizhe slapped his rounded cheek. “What? Your friends are still waiting for you?”
Ye Mingxuan struggled to pull a thread of clarity from his muddled mind. “Right, right… uh…”
Tan Sizhe curved his lips, tugging Ye Mingxuan’s sweater. He pulled tight, then released. The fabric snapped back, sending a jolt through the other man’s sturdy frame.
“Does your friend know you snuck out during dinner to do this with me?”
Ye Mingxuan’s eyes widened. “No, no…”
He’d come back because he was worried about his husband getting sick—how had it turned into doing this sort of thing…
Tan Sizhe phrased it as if Ye Mingxuan had abandoned Yu Sen at the restaurant to seek illicit pleasure.
Even knowing this interpretation was wrong, Ye Mingxuan bit his lip, unexpectedly feeling a tingling sensation on his scalp.
Tan Sizhe watched his young wife’s misty eyes and felt his anger flare. Unfortunately, the first trimester was still unstable, so he had to resort to other measures.
And thus, the Thirst-Quenching Technique made its grand return!
An hour later, Ye Mingxuan appeared before Yu Sen, his legs trembling from soreness and fatigue. “Sorry, Brother Yu Sen, I got held up. ”
Ye Mingxuan’s heart skipped a beat. He swallowed nervously. “Yes, it’s done. Let’s go inside, Yu Sen. I’m truly sorry. This round is on me.”
Yu Sen: “No need.”
Ye Mingxuan stepped forward to open the door for him. “I was so late. It’s the least I can do.”
Yu Sen smiled helplessly, his gaze drifting downward before pausing in surprise. He noticed Ye Mingxuan had changed his pants—from the jeans they’d met in to loose work pants.
He didn’t know why Ye Mingxuan had changed, but as they entered, Ye Mingxuan hurried ahead, beating him to the counter to order.
Yu Sen stood behind him, hands in his pockets, waiting. He scanned the restaurant’s decor, his gaze settling on Ye Mingxuan’s nape. There, behind his ear, was a faint red mark.
The red mark wasn’t very noticeable; most people wouldn’t see it. But to Yu Sen, it was startlingly obvious. The redness seemed to burn into his eyes.
When had this mark appeared? He remembered Mingxuan didn’t have it before leaving.
Yu Sen felt as if his heart had been wrenched, nearly unable to breathe.
No, it was probably just a mosquito bite. Mingxuan wasn’t dating anyone yet. Yu Sen told himself not to overthink it.
Ye Mingxuan felt a slight sting from the fabric rubbing against the spot. He didn’t need to guess—that little red mole had already been licked raw by the man.
His thigh trembled imperceptibly. He couldn’t even wear his usual jeans, forced instead into loose work pants. Thankfully, the man had applied some ointment, so Ye Mingxuan felt somewhat comfortable.
After settling the bill, he turned and smiled at Yu Sen: Brother Yu Sen, let’s sit over there.”
Yu Sen hesitated, but seeing Ye Mingxuan’s innocent face, he suppressed his doubts: “Sure.”
Ye Mingxuan tried to make his gait look normal, carefully settling onto the soft sofa. To express his apology, he poured Yu Sen a glass of water.
His phone in his pocket buzzed against his thigh. Ye Mingxuan’s hand holding the water pitcher wobbled. He set the pitcher down and fished his phone out from under the table.
Sure enough, it was another message from Tan Sizhe.
Sizhe: [Image]
Sizhe: [Can’t wipe it clean. How come there’s so much?]
This time, Ye Mingxuan didn’t dare click the image. But the more he resisted, the more it appeared. He tried to exit the chat window, but his hand slipped, and the full-size image popped up, filling the entire screen.
Ye Mingxuan’s eyes widened. The man had sent a random photo of his chin.
“?” Ye Mingxuan squinted, staring intently.
He shouldn’t have looked—the sight nearly scared the life out of him.
The man’s chin dripped with water stains, and Ye Mingxuan could almost smell the salty, bitter scent through the screen.
Ye Mingxuan: !!!
Tan Sizhe continued messaging him: 【This is all Little Mingxuan’s fault.】
Ye Mingxuan’s brain overheated, the air around him seemed to boil. For a moment, he couldn’t tell if the shame came from the water stains or the “Little Mingxuan” nickname—his cheeks instantly flushed a crimson red, more vibrant than the sunset on a summer evening.
“Mingxuan, what’s wrong?” Yu Sen noticed Mingxuan’s unusually flushed face and thought he might be sick.
Ye Mingxuan’s head was practically smoking as he shook it. “Nothing.”
Yu Sen smiled. “I was actually planning to go to the Ye residence to find you.”
Ye Mingxuan looked up. Yu Sen continued, “But Yufan told me you moved out with Aunt Liu not long ago. Why didn’t you tell me?”
The waiter brought out the dessert. Ye Mingxuan stirred the spoon in his cup. “It wasn’t a big deal, so I didn’t mention it.”
Yu Sen said, “Moving out is good. You’re grown up now. You can’t stay in the maid’s quarters forever. If you ever have any financial difficulties, you can always talk to me.”
“Yufan called me again yesterday. He said he realized his mistake. He wants to organize a gathering soon so we can all sit down and talk things through. Mingxuan, Yufan seems to have truly grown up.”
Ye Mingxuan paused, staring at the clear lemon sparkling water in his glass, falling silent.
Yu Sen noticed his blank expression: “Mingxuan?”
Ye Mingxuan snapped back to reality, responding with a vague murmur.
Yu Sen took his silence as consent and ruffled his hair. “I’ll be there too. We should all sit down and have a proper talk.”
A bubble popped with a soft hiss in the glass. Ye Mingxuan pressed his lips together. “Mm.”
By evening, the setting sun dyed the sky orange-yellow, casting deep black shadows across the skyscrapers.
As they stepped out of the dessert shop, Yu Sen offered to drive him home. Ye Mingxuan declined again. Yu Sen felt a pang of disappointment, though he didn’t show it. “See you next time.”
Ye Mingxuan nodded. “Brother Yu Sen, you go ahead.”
Hearing him ask to leave first, Yu Sen felt a softness in his heart. He hailed a Didi, got into the backseat, and glanced back. Seeing Ye Mingxuan standing by the roadside, watching the car with concern, his heartbeat quickened.
Only after watching Yu Sen’s car disappear into the distance did Ye Mingxuan exhale, turning back toward the home he shared with Tan Sizhe.
But inexplicably, he found himself picturing Tan Sizhe, freshly showered and fragrant, waiting for him on their bedroom bed.
Ye Mingxuan suddenly wanted to hurry back—wait! Why did he want to get back to Tan Sizhe so quickly?
He remembered how he used to avoid men at all costs. That sense of panic and fear had long since vanished.
Ye Mingxuan hadn’t realized it himself, but over these past few months, his relationship with Tan Sizhe had quietly shifted. It no longer felt as awkward as it had in the beginning.
Ye Mingxuan pressed his hands to his flushed cheeks, staring at the crimson sunset as he ran back toward home.
–
The first semester of freshman year was hectic. Originally, Tan Sizhe had suggested Ye Mingxuan take a leave of absence due to his pregnancy, but Ye Mingxuan insisted on finishing the semester properly and declined.
Who could have known that finals week would be this agonizing!
When Tan Sizhe entered the bright study carrying milk, Ye Mingxuan was slumped over his desk watching an online lecture, muttering to himself so deeply he didn’t notice Tan Sizhe’s arrival.
The man approached quietly, finally catching Ye Mingxuan’s bitter soliloquy: “I should’ve taken a leave of absence…”
Tan Sizhe chuckled. Startled by the sound, Ye Mingxuan turned nervously, his pupils reflecting the man’s sharp, handsome features. “Sir!”
Fresh from his shower, Tan Sizhe sat beside him, his scent faint and refined. “When are you going to sleep?”
Ye Mingxuan sat up, flipping through review materials passed down through three generations of seniors. “Right away, sir. You should sleep first. I’ll be done soon.”
This way, studying wouldn’t be too painful. Ye Mingxuan chewed on the end of his pen and glanced at Tan Sizhe. “Sir, when winter break starts, I might have to visit relatives…”
He was, of course, referring to his maternal grandmother’s home. Every year during the Spring Festival, Ye Xiangkai and Zhao Dongxuan also returned to their hometown to visit relatives. So, when he and Liu Yan had time off, they would go to his grandmother’s house together for a few days.
But Tan Sizhe probably assumed he was visiting Ye Xiangkai’s relatives, Ye Mingxuan thought.
Tan Sizhe knew exactly what his little wife was thinking. He didn’t call him out on it, merely murmuring a low “Mhm.” “Once your exams are over, you can go wherever you want to play.”
Ye Mingxuan’s eyes lit up. “Then can I come back after the New Year? ”
As long as he returned before Ye Xiangkai and Zhao Dongxuan, it shouldn’t arouse suspicion.
Tan Sizhe raised an eyebrow, feigning ignorance: “Of course. But you have to call me every day.”
Ye Mingxuan: “Huh?”
Tan Sizhe: “What?”
Ye Mingxuan fidgeted with his fingers, embarrassed: “Calling every day… What if I don’t know what to say to you…”
The bright light from the indoor bulb illuminated Ye Mingxuan’s face, casting a warm glow on his cheeks.
Ye Mingxuan fidgeted with his fingers, embarrassed. “Call every day? What if I don’t know what to say to my husband…”
Tan Sizhe watched Ye Mingxuan’s lips move, unable to make out the words anymore. All he wanted was to press his head down and kiss him fiercely.
He acted on that instinct. Ye Mingxuan made muffled sounds until he was nearly breathless before Tan Sizhe released him.
“If you don’t know what to say, then don’t say it,” Tan Sizhe pinched Ye Mingxuan’s delicate little nose. “Just hearing your breath makes me happy.”
