Chapter 76 Part 1

Zhong Nian was woken by the doorbell.

He slept groggily and forgot that he had locked the bedroom door from the inside. He twisted the doorknob for a long time before he realized.

Rubbing his eyes, he walked out of the bedroom and saw that the clock had already passed two o’clock. He knew his husband had already gone to work.

It was broad daylight, so nothing major should happen, but out of caution, he pressed against the door and peered through the peephole to confirm the visitor.

In the somewhat distorted view of the peephole, a man wearing a V-neck black loose sweater appeared. He had amber eyes and a striking red mole under his lips—features so distinct that Zhong Nian recognized him at a glance.

It was the administrator of this apartment.

It was a bit unexpected; Zhong Nian had thought it might be one of the players who visited in the morning.

Though he didn’t know why Jiang Jingyun had come, Zhong Nian had a good impression of him—the jar of cookies that hadn’t been finished was still hidden in the cabinet. After entertaining the guest, a few small pieces remained, and he planned to savor them sparingly.

Without hesitation, Zhong Nian opened the door.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Mo.” Jiang Jingyun quickly flashed a warm, spring-like smile and lifted the food box in his hand. “I’ve come to bring you something.”

“Ah… thank you.” Zhong Nian was momentarily stunned and took it awkwardly. The box felt a bit cool to the touch. “What is it?”

“Tiramisu I made this morning. I accidentally made too much, so I thought of you.” The man’s single-eyelid smile carried a unique charm. “I’m especially happy that you liked the cookies I made, so I took the liberty of visiting. I hope you don’t mind.”

With the other man being so polite, Zhong Nian naturally felt embarrassed too. He hurriedly said, “No, no, I really love eating them. Thank you. I… uh, I don’t know what to give you in return. Wait while I look for something—”

Zhong Nian fumbled about a bit and didn’t want to keep the guest waiting outside, so he invited him inside to sit.

Fortunately, he had bought plenty at the store last night—enough to entertain guests twice.

“No need for any return gift.” Jiang Jingyun had already sat on the sofa, cradling a cup of hot water.

“How could I? It wouldn’t be right to accept your things for free twice.” Zhong Nian suddenly remembered. “Oh right, I haven’t returned the thing you lent me yesterday. I’ll go find it.”

Jiang Jingyun watched him bustle about, the rabbit ears on his cotton slippers bouncing along with the stray hairs sticking up on his head. The amusement in his eyes deepened.

The busy Zhong Nian probably didn’t realize how he looked to an outsider, focused only on hosting and forgetting his own appearance.

For a comfortable nap, he had changed out of his morning stand-collar outfit back into pajamas. The open collar hid nothing, exposing the kiss marks on his collarbone boldly.

His lips had been repeatedly nibbled at noon and still looked vividly red, like ripe fruit tempting others to pluck and taste its sweet juice.

Especially when he had first opened the door, with his sleepy, unguarded expression—it was enough to stir improper thoughts, tempting one to take advantage…

“Mr. Jiang, I’ve put the things in the same bag, but there’s still a bit left in that cookie jar. Once I finish it, I’ll wash the jar and the tiramisu box and send them back to you.”

Zhong Nian had even used a pretty gift bag, filled with snacks and fruit.

“Sorry, this is all we have at home.”

Jiang Jingyun shook his head, unconcerned with the contents of the bag. “I’ll accept these. Next time I bring something over, please don’t be so polite with me anymore, Mrs. Mo, or I’ll feel even more embarrassed. My intention was just to share my hobby’s results with someone. Seeing you enjoy it gives me a sense of accomplishment.”

Zhong Nian nodded, unable to help thinking once again that Jiang Jingyun was truly a good person.

“Want to go down and feed the little cat together? I brought cat treats.” Jiang Jingyun smiled sheepishly. “To be honest, getting close to you is partly so I can see the little cat more using your presence. Without you, it definitely won’t pay me any attention.”

Hearing this, Zhong Nian felt the distance between them shrink. No longer reserved, he bared his little white teeth and happily agreed.

He immediately prepared to head out with Jiang Jingyun, but as they reached the entryway, he was called back.

“Mrs. Mo, you should change into some proper clothes…” Jiang Jingyun’s gaze swept over him, hesitating to say more. “It’s windy today. Put on something warmer.”

Only then did Zhong Nian realize he was still in his pajamas. His ears instantly turned red.

While changing, he looked at the kiss marks in the mirror and thought about how he had paraded around exposing them so blatantly. He felt deeply annoyed.

He wanted to explain that it wasn’t intentional, but he didn’t know how to bring it up.

Fortunately, the considerate Mr. Administrator seemed to have forgotten the embarrassing matter. Once Zhong Nian came out changed, he only reminded him not to forget his keys and asked caringly about the scratches.

“They’ve already scabbed over. No inflammation, thanks to your rinsing device.” Zhong Nian said as he opened the door and stepped out first.

“Good to hear it’s healing well.” Jiang Jingyun replied.

At that moment, Zhong Nian suddenly turned his head to the side, his expression changing slightly.