“Ha! Hahahahaha!”
Inside the villa, Yin Chen laughed without any regard for his image, rolling around on the sofa.
Zong Cheng sat beside him, somewhat embarrassed.
With one hand, he carefully shielded Yin Chen to keep him from falling off. With the other, he fanned himself, trying to cool down.
At the same time, he did not forget to shoot several glares at the culprit—the towering Brian, who was curled up in a single-seater like a pitiful oversized chick.
Brian felt wronged.
He could not help defending himself. In his panic, he even forgot to speak Chinese.
“This has nothing to do with me! That driver just overthought everything and dragged us both into the police station!”
How was he supposed to know that one casual sentence would trigger such a dramatic chain reaction?
Was that driver’s brain some kind of private theater?
How could it generate such an elaborate plot all on its own?
“Hahahahahaha!”
Yin Chen laughed so hard that tears nearly came out.
“The way you said it—anyone would have been suspicious!”
The most pitiful one was still Zong Cheng.
He had done absolutely nothing, yet somehow ended up being taken to the station.
Truly tragic.
Seeing Yin Chen laugh so happily, the bit of gloom in Zong Cheng’s heart gradually faded.
Still, he looked at Yin Chen with a slightly aggrieved expression.
“I missed the best time to surprise you. I had timed it perfectly—I should have been able to knock on your door before midnight.”
That way, with fireworks blooming outside, he could have stood at Yin Chen’s door holding a bouquet and wished him a Happy New Year.
…And now it was all ruined.
“Pfft, it is fine.”
Yin Chen felt he had received an even more unique kind of joy.
Still laughing, he reached out and hooked a finger around Zong Cheng’s.
“I still received the surprise.”
In fact, it was a double surprise.
Brian glanced at them.
Then glanced again.
Silently, he stood up and decided to find some corner to curl up in.
He had already offended his employer’s boyfriend.
If he continued acting as a third wheel, he might lose his job on his very first day.
With his finger hooked, Zong Cheng’s mood improved a little.
But when his gaze swept over the soda and snacks on the table, he frowned slightly.
“This is what you are eating tonight?”
“Huh?”
Still a little oxygen-deprived from laughing, Yin Chen blinked and then nodded.
“Yes. I am alone. There is no need to waste anything.”
Zong Cheng immediately felt a wave of regret.
Why had he agreed to let Yin Chen send him off like that?
If he had known, he would have stayed and celebrated the New Year with him.
The thought of Yin Chen spending the holiday alone like this made Zong Cheng’s chest tighten with tenderness—and an overwhelming surge of courage.
He stood up and began clearing away the junk food.
“I will go to the kitchen. Wait for me.”
Carrying the large bag with him, he hurried inside.
Thank goodness Tang Madam had been so thoughtful.
There was no time to cook from scratch, but reheating everything would not be a problem.
To the kitchen?
Yin Chen blinked, then his eyes softened with warmth.
So he had flown all the way here… and brought food?
Was this what it felt like to have a boyfriend?
It seemed… surprisingly nice.
Zong Cheng efficiently reheated the dishes Tang Madam had carefully prepared. He selected an elegant set of plates and arranged everything neatly before bringing it to the dining table.
Looking at the presentable spread, he let out a sigh of relief.
Just as he turned to call Yin Chen over, a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around his waist from behind.
Zong Cheng froze.
Yin Chen’s breath brushed against his ear.
“You flew all the way here to see me and even brought food? How virtuous, boyfriend.”
Heat rushed straight to the top of Zong Cheng’s head. His ears turned so red they looked ready to bleed.
He coughed lightly, forcing himself to relax.
“It—it is nothing. It is Tang Madam’s thoughtfulness. I am just passing along her kindness.”
Even this earnestness was unbearably adorable.
Standing behind him, Yin Chen’s eyes curved with a smile.
Then he suddenly pulled out his phone.
“It is a new year. How about we take a photo together?”
A photo!
Zong Cheng’s heart skipped a beat.
Was that not something couples were supposed to do?
Yes. He could handle this.
He took a deep breath, but Yin Chen added with a grin:
“Do not take off the apron. Let us take it like this.”
!
Zong Cheng nearly choked.
“W-why not take off the apron?”
W-was it because of the… materials he had been secretly studying recently?
Did Yin Chen have that kind of interest too?
Hmm?
What exactly was he imagining?
Yin Chen noticed his wandering gaze but decided to focus on the photo first.
Otherwise the food would get cold.
After taking several pictures, Yin Chen set his phone down.
“All right. Let us eat.”
Zong Cheng was about to agree when his eyes accidentally swept across the phone screen.
He froze.
W-what was that?
What was Yin Chen’s lock screen?
What had he just seen?
Why did he have to look?!
Zong Cheng was stunned.
Zong Cheng turned to stone.
Zong Cheng drifted away with the wind.
His flushed face burned as if about to ignite, his ears buzzing.
Why?
Why was Yin Chen’s lock screen a photo of him?
And that pose—what exactly had Yin Chen been photographing?
How did he even have that picture?
“What is wrong…?”
Yin Chen followed Zong Cheng’s gaze to his phone.
Ah.
He fell silent for a second.
Had he… been exposed?
He reflected for exactly one second.
His mistake.
He should have locked the screen out of habit.
But then again—
They were already boyfriends. Was it not normal to be less guarded?
Having justified himself, Yin Chen regained his composure.
“My lock screen is you. Are you happy, boyfriend?”
Yes, right?
This was something Zong Cheng should be happy about.
Zong Cheng blinked.
Should he be happy?
But… was the focus of that photo a little off?
He could not help asking.
Yin Chen remained calm and even smiled.
“Do you remember what happened the first time we met?”
The first time?
Zong Cheng’s memory sped back—and abruptly froze on a specific scene.
His entire body trembled.
The next second, he turned his face slightly aside.
“But… if I were not like that… would you stop liking me?”
His voice carried a trace of grievance.
Ah.
Yin Chen immediately broke into a cold sweat.
Not good. This might have gone too far.
He quickly stood, trying to see Zong Cheng’s expression.
Zong Cheng turned his face away.
Yin Chen followed.
Zong Cheng lowered his head to stare at the floor.
Yin Chen’s guilt level increased by fifty percent.
After a moment of forced calm, he suddenly pressed Zong Cheng back against the wall.
Caught off guard, Zong Cheng stared at him.
“W-what are you doing?”
Yin Chen smiled slightly—
And lifted his head to kiss him.
If explanations failed, just kiss.
That was what domineering CEO novels always suggested.
He might as well test whether it worked.
While he was still thinking, he felt the lips beneath his begin to part.
Oh?
Improvement?
The next second, a warm, damp tongue tentatively brushed against his lips.
Yin Chen froze.
That was more than a little improvement.
As the thought flickered through his mind, he saw Zong Cheng slowly close his eyes.
Those long, thick lashes trembled wildly like fluttering butterflies, betraying the turbulence within.
So timid.
Yin Chen nearly laughed.
But—
Since his boyfriend had improved, he should be rewarded.
He closed his eyes as well, releasing the hand that had pinned Zong Cheng to the wall.
His cool fingers slid down to clasp Zong Cheng’s hand and guided the larger hand to rest against his own waist.
Zong Cheng’s hand trembled before settling on that firm, lean waist.
Not soft.
But just as he had imagined—it felt very good.
He held Yin Chen’s waist carefully.
Yin Chen’s closed eyes trembled too.
Strange, he thought briefly.
The next second, the once-tentative lips and tongue gathered courage, no longer lingering at the edges but slowly, cautiously slipping inside.
The unfamiliar tongue swept lightly across his palate.
Yin Chen shuddered; his legs weakened slightly.
The hand at his waist tightened.
One moment it was careful exploration. The next, it was a torrential storm—clumsy yet fervent, as though trying to devour him whole.
The heated kiss seized all of Yin Chen’s thoughts, leaving him capable of nothing but responding to that overwhelming passion.
So Zong Cheng was not always timid.
That was the last coherent thought he managed.
Drawn out by hunger and the aroma of food, Brian wandered toward the dining room.
What he saw was Yin Chen and Zong Cheng tangled together on a chair, locked in an endless kiss.
There was even a faint trace of blood at the corner of his employer’s mouth.
Brian stopped in his tracks.
Perhaps… he should not be here.
At least, not right now.
“It is fine. Come over.”
Yin Chen had noticed him long ago.
After all, he was that large.
He stood up from Zong Cheng’s lap, eyes still misted and satisfied.
Eating “dessert” truly did improve one’s mood.
His gaze flicked briefly to Zong Cheng’s apron.
The grand feast might take more time, but judging by the feel of things, as long as Zong Cheng worked hard, progress would come soon enough.
“Since you are already here, come eat with us. It is the New Year—better with more people.”
And if they continued any longer, he feared Zong Cheng might combust.
Do not ask how he knew the extent of Zong Cheng’s experience.
The answer was simple.
The kiss had been sweet—
But very inexperienced.
So inexperienced that it had even accidentally broken the skin at the corner of his mouth.
The smile in Yin Chen’s eyes deepened.
He turned to look at Zong Cheng, who was still sitting stiffly, unable to stand.
“Come help me put some medicine on this? Or do you need a little more time? I can give you another fifteen minutes. Is that enough?”
Ah.
As Brian approached, he quietly stuffed his fingers into his ears.
At times like this, his Chinese really did not need to be so good.