Chi Mo’s words had just landed when the tangled emotions that had been choking Li Ran’s breath cracked open a sliver. He sucked in a sharp breath, holding it for several seconds, then exhaled fiercely, holding that too for several more seconds.
The preparatory movements were intense, but when he actually went through the full set, each inhale and exhale was soft and powerless, almost silent.
Li Ran’s mouth had gone numb.
He only felt the swelling and tingling. He tried to purse his lips but couldn’t. The little dip in the center of his upper lip wasn’t noticeable unless you looked closely—normal people wouldn’t be so rude as to stare at someone like that, after all.
But Chi Mo wasn’t normal. With an indescribable gaze, he thoroughly ravaged Li Ran’s now-swollen lip with his eyes, waiting only until Li Ran had caught his breath before launching another fierce assault to plunder it.
Li Ran’s hands rested limply on Chi Mo’s shoulders. The cold outside, the wind, the snow—they had nothing to do with him anymore.
His brain felt nothing, his limbs nothing. Chi Mo held him locked in an imprisoning embrace. Those two powerful arms seemed to just lightly circle his waist, without any aggression, but the moment Li Ran made the tiniest attempt to pull away, Chi Mo’s large hand would slip through the unzipped down jacket to the shirt and sweater beneath, gripping his waist hard.
One palm pressed firmly against Li Ran’s back, pushing him forward until his chest was nearly flush against Chi Mo’s, with no space between them.
The Cullinan idled with its engine running, the air conditioning blasting heat tirelessly. There was hardly any noise, just waves of warm air blowing over them.
Li Ran was burning up.
He suspected he would overheat even without the AC on. It was really so hot.
His thick scarf had dutifully kept his neck and chin warm all evening. Now told it was relieved of duty, Chi Mo pulled it off and tossed it to the passenger seat. The hand around Li Ran’s waist slid slowly up to caress the side of his neck, then his thumb brushed his lips.
“That’s enough now,” Chi Mo said with remarkable gentleness.
Li Ran still couldn’t gather his wits, lost in the blankness of his mind. “…Huh?”
Chi Mo didn’t bother explaining. He acted instead. He had Li Ran wrap his arms tightly around his neck, his large hand hooking the back of Li Ran’s neck, then he pressed in like a storm, mouth claiming those soft lips again.
Another wave of merciless kissing.
So intense.
Savage, even…
The phone screen safely ticked over to midnight, ushering in the second day of the New Year. Chi Mo, the beast, overstayed his gift-unwrapping and kissed Li Ran until he was nearly dizzy.
Half an hour later, the Cullinan leisurely drove out of the manor. This time, Li Ran wasn’t excited like on the way in. He curled completely into the corner of the back seat like some virtuous young master brutally defiled, arms crossed, head against the window. He clutched his thick scarf to his chest. His expression wasn’t exactly tearful, but his usually innocent, naive eyes were red-rimmed.
His mouth couldn’t exactly be called petulantly pursed in grievance—it was just still swollen from the kissing.
By the roadside, a thin figure in the midnight glow edged into the beam of the high beams, shoulders hunched and neck shrunk from the cold. Shen Shu cupped his hands to his mouth and huffed warm breath onto them, stamping his feet in small circles for warmth. There was none of his usual dash; from behind, he just looked sleazy.
No surprise, his numb, frostbitten lips—half-covered by his hands—muttered a frenzy of “Fucks!”
The manor sat halfway up the mountain, not shielded by the dense high-rises below that could block the wind.
What the hell was on this damn mountain?!
As soon as the glaring high beams flashed from the manor entrance, Shen Shu alertly whipped his face away, melting into the darkness like an assassin lying in wait.
With his sharp eyesight, he locked onto the approaching vehicle in the light—it was the familiar license plate. Only then did Shen Shu huff into his palms again, twisting back into his sleazy pose, wrapping his thin trench coat tight and stamping his feet, grinding his teeth in fury.
“You fucking psycho?! You said midnight sharp, midnight sharp! I took a cab early to get here, and when I arrive, you’re already there? Then look what time it is?! You’re just fucking showing up now?! Drop dead already!” Shen Shu threw himself into the car like it was a life-saving heater, roaring.
After yelling, he remembered Chinese New Year taboos about avoiding bad omens in speech and pounded his chest. “Pah pah pah pah pah pah!”
Chi Mo was still in the driver’s seat.
Shen Shu, after freezing his ass off outside, couldn’t wait even a minute for Chi Mo to switch. He yanked open the door, slammed it shut, and dove into the passenger seat. Feeling the blast of hot air, he nearly teared up, his temper flaring three meters high in the warm cabin. “You dare screw me over like this! Believe it or not, I’ll slit your throat while you sleep tonight! You froze me to death. Have you no humanity? Are you even human?! Fuck!!”
Then, avoiding the omen again: “I won’t really slit your throat. May you live to a hundred, fine? And may my very, very, very, very best friend Li Ran live to a hundred too!”
“Mm-hmm, thanks. Same to you—live a hundred years. I’m the same species as you, but more humane. Pissed yet?” Chi Mo calmly accepted the blessing, returned it, and calmly shot back. At the same time, he pushed open the driver’s door, walked to the back, and sat down.
The door opened and shut quickly, keeping the raging cold wind from flooding the cabin and disturbing the boy in the back corner. Li Ran sat midway, not too far from where Chi Mo had just been, with room for one more.
The drive from the manor took twenty minutes. While Chi Mo drove, Li Ran had stayed frozen in that position, dumbstruck.
Now that his brother was back, Li Ran’s body tensed up instantly. He wasn’t truly addled; he subconsciously swallowed, clutching his thick scarf into a ball, not daring to move.
“Don’t lean your head on the glass,” Chi Mo said, looking at him. “It’s cold.”
“…Oh.” Li Ran responded shakily, straightening his head shakily, no longer touching the icy glass. He lowered his gaze to his toes.
Earlier, the coolness on a patch of skin on his forehead had given his limited brain a moment of clarity, letting him process what he and Chi Mo had done. He replayed it over and over, confirming if it was real or a dream. Most importantly, it cooled him down—his cheeks and body no longer burned.
Now, away from the frosted glass, Li Ran had no source of sobriety. The heat that had just subsided threatened a comeback.
He was far from Chi Mo, yet it felt like his brother’s skin was pressed tight against his, just like before when Chi Mo unzipped his jacket, his large hand roaming freely… There was a sweater in between, but Li Ran had trembled the whole time, as if he could feel the rough texture of Chi Mo’s palm.
Chi Mo pretended not to notice his reaction—pitiless, deaf to Li Ran’s soft gasps begging “bro,” utterly wicked.
“Come here.” Chi Mo patted the spot beside him. “Don’t sit so far away.”
Li Ran wanted to cry. “…Oh.”
He scooted over slowly. When they were just two centimeters apart, Li Ran finally dared lift his eyes, looking at Chi Mo pitifully, begging him not to do anything weird in front of Shen Shu.
Two fingers poked out from his down jacket sleeve, stealthily nearing Chi Mo. Li Ran hooked one of Chi Mo’s fingers with a secret gesture only they knew, circling it coaxingly, then scratched his palm pitifully.
Chi Mo had no hobby of flaunting his twisted tastes in front of others, nor did he allow anyone to see Li Ran’s adorable flustered heat. But now, with the kid begging like this… he really wanted to turn full beast and knead him however he pleased.
Shen Shu, after half an hour in the cold wind, couldn’t shake his anger. His frozen brain missed the subtle shift in the back seat. Once his hands warmed, he gripped the wheel and demanded while driving, “You dare make me wait that long?! Am I your driver?! Do I have to risk my life for the million you pay me a year?! You knew you were drinking and still needed to drive?! If you hadn’t boozed, would you even need me?!”
“You bully me for having no family over New Year, huh?! Only you have people?! Bully me for being from abroad?! You Chinese are so fucking xenophobic! I’m heading back to Britain tomorrow! I ain’t scared of dying!! Am I some fucking little Jap?! Damn Japanese devils, drop two nukes on ’em!”
His angry chatter filled the car, diluting Li Ran’s stiff despair over facing Chi Mo. Unwittingly, his eyelids grew heavy, drowsiness nodding him off.
Chi Mo stroked the back of his head, letting him lean against him to sleep.
Li Ran snapped awake again.
“Sleep, be good,” Chi Mo coaxed.
Li Ran truly couldn’t hold out. Minutes later, he surrendered.
Unconsciously, he tossed the clutched scarf onto Chi Mo’s thigh and flopped softly onto it, leaving half his face for Chi Mo, sleeping oblivious to time.
Chi Mo gently caressed his face.
Through the rearview mirror, seeing what seemed like a “transformed” Chi Mo, his half-reflected face full of worldly tenderness, Shen Shu grimaced silently, chilled with goosebumps. He shook his head, shut up, thinking: The pervert death can’t take is about to ruin the kid. Bless Li Ran loves him forever.
Otherwise, no one gets peace—Li Ran might not even leave the house.
Staying up late last night was unprecedented for Li Ran, so he slept deeply, dreamless.
Opening his eyes to light peeking through the curtains, Li Ran blanked, thinking it was morning.
Until he grabbed the bedside phone and lit the screen: 1:00 PM glaring back. He shot upright.
Unbelievably rubbing his eyes.
When had he ever slept like this?
Did Chi Jin Xuan drug the New Year’s Eve dinner?
So mean!
Mean to Little Uncle, to Late Uncle, to his bro—total bad egg.
Li Ran remembered collapsing on Chi Mo’s lap last night. His last memory stopped there. How he got to bed at Little Uncle’s house, changed into pajamas—he had no clue.
…Definitely his bro.
Thinking of Chi Mo flooded more memories. Li Ran subconsciously touched his mouth, then sat woodenly at the headboard, hair a mess, expression woeful.
How were they supposed to act normal now? Could they go back? Even ignorant of romance, Li Ran knew that after kissing, pretending nothing happened made you a scumbag asshole.
