Chapter 72
The tie was neatly knotted, and as Jiang Heng pulled it loose from the buttoned suit jacket, he felt a strange sense of…unwrapping a present.
He tugged gently, and the tie loosened, the knot unraveling, the pristine white collar of the shirt underneath slightly askew.
The man’s knees digging into his backside, Jiang Heng shifted forward, their bodies pressing closer together. Soft apricot-colored home clothes against crisp suit fabric, soft against firm, dark against light.
Jiang Heng’s breath hitched, his hand clutching the tie, his mind blank.
“What’s next?”
Lu Yichuan asked, his hands still outstretched.
What’s next?
Jiang Heng’s face was expressionless, he didn’t know what to do next.
Then Lu Yichuan took his hand. Jiang Heng’s fingers trembled, and the tie slipped from his grasp, landing on the sofa in a messy heap.
His hand was placed on the man’s chest, then, as Lu Yichuan’s legs shifted upwards, Jiang Heng slid forward, their bodies pressed flush against each other.
“Now you undo these buttons.”
The warmth beneath his palm was almost burning, and through the fabric, Jiang Heng could feel the steady thump of a heart.
A rapid beat, he couldn’t tell if it was his or Lu Yichuan’s.
Jiang Heng looked up at Lu Yichuan. After guiding his hand, Lu Yichuan had withdrawn his own, still sitting there with his hands outstretched, his eyes soft, almost languid in the dim light.
As if under a spell, Jiang Heng’s fingers moved, unbuttoning the jacket.
After the jacket, the shirt underneath.
As the third button came undone, revealing the smooth expanse of skin beneath, Jiang Heng froze, unable to continue.
Lu Yichuan’s voice was a low murmur, urging him on. “Rongrong…”
Jiang Heng quickly withdrew his hand as if burned. “Y-you do it yourself! I’m going to bed.”
He pushed against Lu Yichuan’s shoulders, trying to get down, but the man shifted his legs, trapping him in his lap.
Lu Yichuan’s arm wrapped around his waist, his breath warm against his ear, the scent of alcohol lingering. “Not finished yet, where are you going?”
The heat between them intensified, and Jiang Heng whimpered softly, suddenly realizing the situation was getting out of control. “Lu…Lu Yichuan, you do it yourself. I’m going downstairs.”
Lu Yichuan’s hand tightened around his waist, his clothes rumpled, his chest bare, his expression gentle, but his grip firm.
He said softly, “I’m drunk, Rongrong.”
A shiver ran down Jiang Heng’s spine, spreading downwards, a pulsing warmth pressed against him, through the layers of clothing, a terrifying intimacy.
“I-I can’t…” Jiang Heng pushed against his shoulders. “I can call the housekeeper to help you.”
Lu Yichuan looked at him. “You want someone else to undress me?”
“…”
The kitten’s ears drooped, his eyes misty as he looked at him pitifully. “Lu Yichuan…”
Lu Yichuan stroked his ear, knowing he couldn’t push him too hard, everything had to be gradual.
His eyes crinkled with amusement. “Rongrong, want a kiss?”
“W-what?”
Jiang Heng froze.
One arm around his waist, the other hand on his neck, the man said, “Let me rephrase, want a ‘kiss kiss’? It’s not scary, it’s very…pleasant.”
His words evoked the memory of a tongue tracing his lips, a shiver running down his spine.
Before he could react, the hand on his neck pulled him closer.
Lu Yichuan leaned back against the sofa, the woody scent of his cologne mingling with the apricot scent of Jiang Heng’s home clothes, a hint of spice in the air, igniting a flame in the small space between them.
Jiang Heng was pulled even closer, their noses touching, their breaths mingling.
“Want a kiss?”
Jiang Heng’s mind was a jumble, and he instinctively licked his lips. “I…”
His hand was taken again and placed on Lu Yichuan’s abdomen.
In those few short breaths, Lu Yichuan’s shirt, which had only been unbuttoned halfway, was now completely undone, the warm, firm muscles of his abdomen flexing beneath Jiang Heng’s fingertips, their defined contours surprisingly… distracting. Jiang Heng’s gaze involuntarily drifted downwards.
It was a mature, male body. Although he usually looked slender and lean in his clothes, the raw, unrestrained masculinity he exuded now wasn’t something an eighteen-year-old like Jiang Heng could possess.
It was at this moment that he truly realized Lu Yichuan was no longer the older brother figure from his memories, only two years his senior. Six years separated them now, six years that had transformed the boy next door into a man.
“Do you like it?” Lu Yichuan asked.
Jiang Heng couldn’t handle his directness, the contrast between his gentle face and his suggestive words, afraid he would ask him outright if he wanted to sleep with him.
So he leaned down and kissed him, silencing him.
The man chuckled and readily accepted the kiss, his lips parting, welcoming the intrusion.
Jiang Heng’s limited kissing experience came from Lu Yichuan himself. He had always been the passive one, receiving, and now, taking the initiative, his mind went blank, not knowing what to do, just licking and nipping clumsily.
The man’s hand tightened around his neck, his fingers moving upwards, toying with his cat ears. After a few moments, he pulled away slightly, his voice a low murmur, instructing the clueless kitten.
“You should…suck, and push your tongue inside, bite mine…”
Jiang Heng’s ears burned as he kissed him again, silencing him.
The soft, wet sounds filled the air, and Jiang Heng didn’t even notice when he lost control, only realizing, when he came back to his senses, that he was still sitting in Lu Yichuan’s lap.
They were very close, their bodies pressed together, their arousal evident.
The man’s hand slipped beneath the hem of his pajama top, his hot palm against his waist, then moving lower…
Jiang Heng shivered, his eyes slightly unfocused, his legs twitching.
“Lu…Lu Yichuan…”
Lu Yichuan’s lips grazed his earlobe. “Call me Yichuan-gege.”
Jiang Heng didn’t speak, only moaned softly, his back arching, his body a taut bow.
Lu Yichuan’s eyes narrowed in appreciation, then he suddenly stopped.
The taut bow slowly relaxed, the aftershocks still lingering, trembling at the slightest touch.
Jiang Heng blinked, tears, or perhaps sweat, blurring his vision as he clung to the man’s shoulders.
“Lu Yichuan…”
Lu Yichuan didn’t speak, watching as the boy’s eyes became hazy with confusion. “Why did you stop…?”
“What should you call me?”
The boy whimpered, leaning against him, his voice soft, almost pleading.
“Yichuan-gege…”
Lu Yichuan chuckled, resuming his exploration.
A boy of seventeen or eighteen, at the peak of his youth, quickly surrendered.
Lu Yichuan released him and took a tissue.
He wiped his fingers meticulously, his movements elegant and unhurried, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
Jiang Heng was still leaning against him.
When he came to his senses, he saw Lu Yichuan tossing the tissue into the trash can.
“Your turn,” he said.
…
“Ahhh!”
“Ahhh!”
Early in the morning, Jiang Heng lay on the bed, face down, screaming into his pillow, the memories of last night vivid in his mind.
“Did you drink fake alcohol, Jiang Heng?!” he berated himself.
Why had he been so…stupid…as to do that with Lu Yichuan?
He had touched him before, but not like last night, half-naked and…
At this rate, he would be devoured by Lu Yichuan in no time.
Remembering the feel of his body, Jiang Heng shuddered. No, no, no…too terrifying. They both ate rice, why was he so…developed?
Scary.
Jiang Heng rolled around in bed, his silver-gray hair a tangled mess, then finally got up.
It wasn’t raining today, but it wasn’t sunny either, a cold wind blowing outside.
He picked up his phone and checked the message from Lu Yichuan.
Besides those…moments, Lu Yichuan was still his usual gentle, composed self.
[I’ve found a tutor for you. They’ll be here at ten. Have breakfast first before you start studying. Let me know if you don’t like them.]
Jiang Heng touched his head, felt no cat ears, and went downstairs.
The housekeeper had just finished preparing breakfast. Seeing Jiang Heng, she smiled and greeted him. “Young Master, you’re awake. Mr. Lu told me you usually wake up around this time. I didn’t believe him at first, but it seems he was right.”
Jiang Heng yawned and padded over to the table in his fluffy slippers. “What’s for breakfast?”
“You said you wanted wontons before, so I bought the ingredients this morning and made some. Freshly cooked, perfect for a cold winter day.”
Jiang Heng’s eyes lit up. “Wow!”
He grabbed a spoon, eagerly sat down, and scooped up a steaming wonton. “Delicious!”
The housekeeper smiled.
Jiang Heng had just finished half his bowl when the doorbell rang. He figured it was the tutor and asked the housekeeper to answer the door.
A young woman entered, braving the cold wind, politely greeted the housekeeper, changed her shoes, and took off her bulky jacket.
Turning around, she saw Jiang Heng sitting at the dining table, and they both froze.
“What are you doing here?”
Jiang Heng and Ran Nian stared at each other for a few seconds, then Jiang Heng smiled and said, “What a coincidence.”
Ran Nian hadn’t expected her student to be the handsome boy she had met at KFC. Seeing a familiar face, she relaxed slightly.
“I didn’t expect it to be you either! I was wondering why I hadn’t heard of you before, you’re still in high school?”
The housekeeper went to the kitchen to prepare another bowl of wontons, and the two of them chatted as they ate.
Jiang Heng asked her, “Why did you decide to become a tutor?”
Ran Nian said frankly, “Money, of course. Xuechang Lu offered the highest pay, so I’m here. Thankfully, I was a decent student in high school, otherwise I wouldn’t have been chosen.”
Jiang Heng hesitated, spoon in hand. “Aren’t you friends with Jiang Xingbai and his group?”
Ran Nian chuckled. “How could I be friends with them? I’m from a rural area, my parents are farmers, even KFC is a luxury for me. As for Jiang Xingbai and his friends…”
“Didn’t I mention Jiang Xingbai has a close friend named Gu Chennan? He was pursuing me. We’ve been dating for a while, that’s why I was with them. But it seems we’ll be breaking up soon. Rich people get bored easily.”
Jiang Heng didn’t know what to say.
“I shouldn’t be telling you all this, but you didn’t seem to like Jiang Xingbai very much, so I wanted to explain. If I lose this job because of him, I don’t know what I would do.”
She was straightforward and easy to talk to, and Jiang Heng liked her immediately. Besides, since Lu Yichuan had chosen her, her academic qualifications must be excellent.
And so it was settled.
Ran Nian had come for an interview, essentially, and after they agreed on the terms and schedule, she officially started her tutoring session.
By the time they were done, it was almost noon. Normally, Ran Nian would have left, but Jiang Heng invited her to stay for lunch.
Lunch at the villa wasn’t particularly appealing to Ran Nian, but under Jiang Heng’s expectant gaze, she found herself unable to refuse.
Yes, they were that shallow.
But she hadn’t expected that Lu Yichuan would return just as they were having lunch.
The multi-millionaire CEO stood at the doorway, the cold wind swirling behind him, facing Ran Nian and Jiang Heng, their bowls of food in front of them.
Under the man’s gaze, Ran Nian felt like a mistress caught in the act.
