Lu Chen froze for a moment. The suddenness of it left him momentarily stunned, and He Xiaoyuan got away.
Fortunately, the elevator delayed things a bit. When the doors slid open, Lu Chen had already come back to his senses. He Xiaoyuan had just stepped inside when Lu Chen followed, wearing a dark, faintly dangerous expression, like a predator locking onto its prey.
Seeing Lu Chen reach out, He Xiaoyuan didn’t even have time to press the buttons. He backed into the corner of the elevator, raised his hands defensively, and laughed. “What are you doing?”
Lu Chen’s expression was dark. He raised his hand too, gripping He Xiaoyuan’s wrist. “So I’m allowed to kiss?”
“All right, I’m going home,” He Xiaoyuan said.
Lu Chen studied his face. “You’re not repulsed, right?”
Then, in a low voice, he coaxed, “One more kiss.”
What even is this.
He Xiaoyuan pushed at him back and forth. “I’m really going home.”
Lu Chen moved closer, looking like someone who wouldn’t let his catch escape so easily, still coaxing. “One more kiss. I’ll do it.”
He Xiaoyuan found it unbearably cheesy. “No kissing!”
Lu Chen leaned in, about to lower his lips, but He Xiaoyuan turned his head to dodge. Lu Chen coaxed, “Just one,” chasing after his boyfriend’s flushed lips.
He Xiaoyuan couldn’t take it anymore. He laughed softly as he “resisted.” Seeing the elevator doors about to slowly close behind them, he hurriedly said, “The doors—hey, the doors are closing!”
When the elevator doors closed and then opened again, Lu Chen pulled He Xiaoyuan out, pressed him against the doors, and this time He Xiaoyuan stopped laughing—because Lu Chen looked serious now. It seemed today’s kiss was unavoidable.
They leaned close, silently gazing at each other for a moment, each clearly seeing the affection in the other’s eyes.
Lu Chen lowered his voice. “May I?”
He Xiaoyuan didn’t answer, his eyes bright.
Lu Chen moved closer, then closer still, glanced into the young man’s eyes, then lowered his gaze to those well-shaped, vivid red lips. He moved in again, until their breaths clearly brushed against each other.
With his back against the wall, He Xiaoyuan suddenly started to feel nervous.
Very quickly, the light in front of his eyes was completely blocked by the man before him, and softness pressed against his lips.
Thump. Thump.
His heart began to race.
He Xiaoyuan kept his eyes open, feeling as though time had been stretched out. In that brief moment, his breathing stalled, all sensation rushing to his lips. He could clearly feel the softness of their four lips—and also that Lu Chen’s lips were slightly cooler.
Was it Lu Chen’s scent? A faint, pleasant woody note.
In the blink of an eye, He Xiaoyuan’s heartbeat grew faster and faster, on the verge of leaping out of his throat.
In truth, it was only two seconds. The kiss ended there, limited to just their lips.
Lu Chen opened his eyes and lifted his head, his breathing steadying, his forehead resting against He Xiaoyuan’s. “You okay?”
He was asking about how it felt—whether it made him uncomfortable.
He Xiaoyuan’s face and ears were burning red.
Did he really have to ask about post-kiss feelings?
He Xiaoyuan answered stiffly, “I really need to go.”
Lu Chen didn’t let him go. “From today on, we’ll kiss like this from now on, okay?”
So that was the real point.
Got it, got it.
He Xiaoyuan tried to push the man in front of him away.
Lu Chen suddenly lowered his voice. “Have you ever kissed anyone before?”
This was never-ending.
He Xiaoyuan said, “…I kissed your cat son.”
Lu Chen let out a low laugh. “Cats don’t count.”
“So, no?”
No, no.
He Xiaoyuan said, “I really have to go.”
He was about to pretend to be annoyed.
Lu Chen stepped back and let him go—but then suddenly leaned in and stole another kiss, catching He Xiaoyuan completely off guard.
He Xiaoyuan shot him a sideways glare.
Lu Chen pressed the elevator button for him. “You went first.”
Definitely not something a steady, composed person would say.
Yeah. He went first. Even he didn’t know what impulse had possessed him just now.
He Xiaoyuan silently felt his face heat up again. First kiss and all that…
The elevator doors opened. He Xiaoyuan turned to look at Lu Chen, steadying himself. “I’m leaving.”
Lu Chen said, “Mm.”
As he pressed the button, facing each other across the elevator threshold, Lu Chen crossed his arms and said calmly, “This actually wasn’t the first time you kissed me on your own initiative.”
What?
He Xiaoyuan: ?
With a faintly inscrutable expression, Lu Chen emphasized the key words. “During the Spring Festival holiday. At the winery. That night.”
He Xiaoyuan: ???
The elevator doors were already closing. There was no time to dig into it.
He pressed the button, wanting to go back up. No response. The elevator continued descending at a steady pace.
He Xiaoyuan: ?
Spring Festival? Winery? Night?
His brain started spinning rapidly, searching his memory.
He remembered drinking too much that night. He didn’t remember much else—just that he woke up the next morning in the same bed as Lu Chen.
He kissed Lu Chen that night?!
The elevator went down, then back up again. He Xiaoyuan entered it one way, and came back out of it exactly the same way.
Kicking off his shoes, he strode quickly toward the couch, eyes wide. “I was completely drunk that night. How could I possibly have kissed you?”
Lu Chen had known He Xiaoyuan would come back. He was sitting on the couch at his leisure, petting the cat.
“You want to know?”
He lifted his eyes.
The big bad wolf resurfaced. He pointed at his lips and said, “Kiss me again, and I’ll tell you.”
He Xiaoyuan’s butt had barely touched the couch before he sprang up as if scorched, turning and heading straight for the elevator without looking back.
Why did he even come back?
He never should have come up again.
Lu Chen’s voice followed him, amused. “Not curious anymore?”
He Xiaoyuan ignored him. Not falling for it.
Lu Chen said, “Come back. I’ll tell you.”
He Xiaoyuan walked straight into the elevator without turning around.
Lu Chen chuckled softly. Rare—he actually had a temper.
When He Xiaoyuan got home, he received a message from Lu Chen, telling him he hadn’t lied. It really wasn’t the first kiss. The first time was that night at the winery. He Xiaoyuan had been drunk, seemed to be in an especially good mood, lifted his neck and kissed him on the cheek.
Lu Chen added: 【At the time, I guessed that you might also like me a little.】
He Xiaoyuan, who had never known when he started liking Lu Chen: “……”
That early?
The phone vibrated again. Lu Chen sent: 【Did you eat candy? Your lips were sweet.】
He Xiaoyuan: “……”
He Xiaoyuan collapsed into the couch holding his phone, the smile on his face sweet all on its own.
The next evening, before parting, Lu Chen pulled He Xiaoyuan to sit face to face on the couch and kissed him seriously on the lips—knowing his boyfriend was thin-skinned, Lu Chen supported his chin with his fingers as he kissed him.
Afterward, he truly felt that there was a sweet, syrupy taste on He Xiaoyuan’s lips.
He Xiaoyuan muttered, “I didn’t eat candy.”
Lu Chen quickly kissed his lips again and said softly, “Then why are they sweet?”
On the third night, Lu Chen kissed him, pulled back, and gestured to himself, signaling for He Xiaoyuan to kiss him.
He Xiaoyuan was embarrassed at first, but he still did it. After he kissed him, Lu Chen kissed him back, pecked his lips lightly, cupped his face, and encouraged him. “Like that. Got it?”
On the fourth night, sitting face to face, Lu Chen took the initiative and kissed He Xiaoyuan. He Xiaoyuan followed up by kissing Lu Chen, and Lu Chen kissed him back again.
He Xiaoyuan said, “That’s enough, right?”
Lu Chen coaxed, “One more.”
On the fifth day, He Xiaoyuan kissed Lu Chen first. Lu Chen chuckled softly during the kiss. “See? You’ve got it now.”
On the sixth day, He Xiaoyuan kissed Lu Chen first again. Lu Chen gestured toward his cheek. Embarrassed as he was, He Xiaoyuan’s skin was gradually getting thicker. Without much hesitation, he kissed where Lu Chen indicated.
On the seventh day, He Xiaoyuan and Lu Chen treated it like a game—one kiss for you, one peck for me, your cheek then my lips, back and forth like baby chicks pecking at each other. He Xiaoyuan laughed so hard he could barely stop.
On the eighth day, He Xiaoyuan and Lu Chen watched a gay-themed movie together in the top-floor duplex.
When the film reached a scene where the two male leads kissed, Lu Chen turned to look at He Xiaoyuan, and He Xiaoyuan tilted his head to look at Lu Chen as well.
Lu Chen reached out and pulled him over. He Xiaoyuan leaned in naturally, lifted his chin slightly, and met Lu Chen in a kiss.
Unlike the lingering passion in the movie, their kiss was still light and restrained, but this time it wasn’t about who was more proactive. It was the two of them together—kiss, separate, then kiss again, lips brushing, breaths constantly entwined, carrying a faint hint of intimacy.
After the kiss, Lu Chen held He Xiaoyuan’s face in his hands. His breathing was a little unsteady, his voice slightly hoarse. “That’s it.”
He Xiaoyuan’s breathing wasn’t disordered—his lips were just damp from the kissing.
They were no longer watching the movie. The shifting light and shadow on the screen mingled with the dimness of the room, but both of their attention was on each other.
Lu Chen was a little carried away. He wrapped his arms around the person in his embrace, lowered his head, inhaled lightly at his young boyfriend’s neck, and said, “You smell really good.”
Even if He Xiaoyuan didn’t understand male–male romance all that well, he was still a man himself.
He asked Lu Chen in a low voice, “Are you… that?” You’re reacting?
Lu Chen answered him by kissing his lips.
He Xiaoyuan kissed him back once. With the movie’s background sounds playing, he chatted with Lu Chen, genuinely curious, and asked, “You’re already this rich. You shouldn’t be lacking a partner by now.”
The implication was obvious: even if Lu Chen wasn’t in a relationship, with his conditions, he shouldn’t be lacking at least a bed partner.
Being in his thirties and never having done that might not be unusual for an average person, but with Lu Chen’s looks and status, how could that be possible?
Lu Chen kissed He Xiaoyuan’s cheek, temple, and ear. Even the intimate scenes in the movie couldn’t compare to how lingering and tender he was.
As he kissed him, he said, “If it’s just sex, I don’t think it’s very interesting.”
There wasn’t much difference, emotionally speaking, between that and watching adult videos and taking care of things yourself.
He Xiaoyuan leaned against Lu Chen’s chest. “Do you have a kind of cleanliness obsession? Emotionally, I mean.”
Lu Chen brushed his nose lightly against the edge of He Xiaoyuan’s ear. “Maybe.”
He Xiaoyuan said, “But I might not be a very good partner in that regard.”
He wasn’t really gay at all. Even intimacy had to be done step by step.
Lu Chen kissed his ear. “You’re already doing great.”
With his free hand, he took He Xiaoyuan’s hand, pulled it over toward himself, and guided it downward.
“Look.”
“……”
He Xiaoyuan’s face burned.
Lu Chen chuckled softly and added, “You will be too, in the future.”
He Xiaoyuan was actually a little worried. He was afraid he might not be, even if it was with Lu Chen.
Lu Chen whispered in his ear, “I’ll help you.”
Then he said, “Don’t worry. You pick things up quickly. Even if you really don’t know, I’ll teach you.”
He Xiaoyuan felt the conversation drifting further and further past an acceptable line and hurriedly stopped it. He suggested, “Let’s just watch the movie.”
Then, thinking about Lu Chen’s situation, he asked, “Are you okay? Do you need to go to the restroom?”
Lu Chen gave an indistinct “Mm,” only lifting his hand to smooth the hair on the forehead of the young man in his arms.
After a moment, he suddenly said, “Do you want to move in with me?”
He Xiaoyuan, who had already turned his attention back to the screen, was startled.
Move in here?
Live together?
Lu Chen knew He Xiaoyuan wouldn’t easily agree. “Forget it.”
They both understood this was an impulsive suggestion driven by desire.
He Xiaoyuan explained, “I signed a two-year lease on my place.”
Lu Chen said, “Mm. I was just saying it casually.”
He Xiaoyuan turned his head. “You really should go to the restroom.”
Lu Chen laughed softly. “Mm.” He took the advice, released the arm around him, stood up, and said, “You watch.”
He Xiaoyuan watched Lu Chen’s departing back, then looked back at the movie. His face remained calm, but inwardly his tongue clicked in disbelief: that was way too big just now.
Way too big.
A normal Asian man’s size wasn’t that exaggerated, right?
Even with a reaction, it shouldn’t be that big, right?
That night, when He Xiaoyuan returned to his apartment and took a shower, he deliberately looked down at his own. The more he thought about it, the more exaggerated Lu Chen seemed.
The next day, at the office, Qin Chengfei noticed that as soon as He Xiaoyuan arrived in the morning, he kept glancing at him from time to time. Knowing something was up, he asked, “What’s going on?”
He Xiaoyuan gestured at the computer.
Qin Chengfei opened the private message He Xiaoyuan had sent him on the OA system: “How big are you?”
Qin Chengfei replied: “Just turned twenty-four after the New Year. That’s counting nominal age.”
He Xiaoyuan: “I’m not asking your age. I’m asking about this.”
He Xiaoyuan: “Image”
Qin Chengfei opened the image and found it was a chart summarizing male sizes across different countries worldwide.
Qin Chengfei: “………………”
He slowly turned his head, question marks practically floating above him.
He spoke directly. “Why are you asking this?”
True to being from the project team, he was very good at getting straight to the point. “Are you trying to compare with me, or are you using mine as a reference?”
Then he added, “Talking about this during work hours?”
He Xiaoyuan typed: “I’m just asking.”
Qin Chengfei replied: “Anyway, it’s not small.”
Then added: “It won’t be smaller than yours.”
He Xiaoyuan: “What if it’s close to twenty?”
Isn’t that kind of exaggerated?
Qin Chengfei: “Stop bragging. You might as well say you closed a two-billion-dollar project.”
He Xiaoyuan: “……”
At that point, Qin Chengfei turned his head. “I actually do have a ‘project’ worth over two billion.”
It turned out that in a couple of days there would be a small internet-related salon, with well-known investors attending. Qin Chengfei had pulled some strings to get two entry passes—one for himself, and the other for He Xiaoyuan.
He Xiaoyuan asked about the time of the salon, thanked Qin Chengfei, then asked, “What do people usually do at this kind of salon?”
Qin Chengfei said, “Show off and talk nonsense.”
He Xiaoyuan: “……”
“You just said it’s worth over two billion.”
Qin Chengfei replied, “The stuff these investors work on really can be valued at over two billion.”
Then he added, “I’m guessing they’ll talk about ChatGPT that day. There’s no way they’ll avoid that hot topic.”
Once ChatGPT came up, the two of them chatted about it for a while. He Xiaoyuan shared some of Lu Chen’s personal views on ChatGPT that Lu Chen had discussed with him before.
Qin Chengfei listened and nodded. “You came up with that yourself?”
He Xiaoyuan said, “My brother told me.”
On the day of the salon, He Xiaoyuan and Qin Chengfei headed over together after work.
The address was a conference hall at a five-star hotel in the business park. The venue wasn’t very large, and there weren’t that many people. There were no assigned seats. After signing in and entering, the two of them found seats and sat down.
At that moment, Lu Chen sent a message, asking whether He Xiaoyuan had arrived.
He Xiaoyuan replied: “Just got here.”
He sent over the promotional poster he had just photographed at the entrance: “I can’t believe Lin Xuhan is here today.”
Lin Xuhan, the former CEO of a well-known internet company and a highly regarded investor in the industry.
Lu Chen replied: “Mm. He attends this kind of event every year.”
Lu Chen: “Some of his perspectives are worth listening to.”
He Xiaoyuan: “OK.”
He Xiaoyuan: “What are you doing? Are you off work yet?”
Lu Chen: “Feeding the cat.”
While He Xiaoyuan was chatting with Lu Chen on his phone, Qin Chengfei glanced around, then turned and noticed He Xiaoyuan. Seeing him holding his phone with a smile on his face, he took a look and casually said, “Girlfriend.”
Huh?
He Xiaoyuan immediately turned his head and met Qin Chengfei’s gaze. He didn’t deny it. He blinked and asked, “Is it that obvious?”
Now it was Qin Chengfei’s turn to be surprised. “You’re really dating someone?”
He Xiaoyuan still didn’t deny it. There was nothing to deny anyway—he was dating someone; it was just that who he was dating wasn’t convenient to say.
He smiled a little shyly. “Yeah. Just started. We haven’t been together that long.”
Qin Chengfei wasn’t surprised. He had already felt that He Xiaoyuan was always holding his phone at work and probably had someone.
Calmly, he said, “Congratulations.”
Glancing at the phone in He Xiaoyuan’s hand, he made small talk. “Chatting with your girlfriend?”
He Xiaoyuan said, “No.”
Qin Chengfei: “Oh.”
He Xiaoyuan: “It’s my boyfriend.”
Qin Chengfei nearly choked on air.
A man?!
Qin Chengfei’s mind worked frighteningly fast. Almost instantly, he thought of the question He Xiaoyuan had asked him a couple of days ago—whether it was big.
He followed that thought immediately: the twenty-centimeter one?
The more he thought about it, the more it seemed to fit.
This time, it was He Xiaoyuan who almost choked.
Qin Chengfei’s look changed completely, becoming deeply meaningful. “So that’s how it is~”
He Xiaoyuan: No, it’s not, don’t think nonsense!
Qin Chengfei went full gossip mode, leaning closer and lowering his voice. “Someone in the same industry?”
He Xiaoyuan glanced at his phone. “Mm.”
Qin Chengfei: “Which peer is that big?”
He Xiaoyuan nearly spit out his saliva.