Chapter 51: Open Your Mouth Part 1

The sounds of fireworks launching one after another into the sky, people’s laughter and chatter, the crashing waves, and the whistling wind all blended together into a symphony of New Year’s Eve.

The boy in front of He Siheng slowly lowered his head and drew closer. The tip of his nose faintly caught the uniquely possessive woody scent of an Alpha.

But in his peripheral vision, there were only strangers milling about.

He Siheng’s nerves tensed all over his body. He unconsciously tightened his fingers, crumpling Tan Jing’s sleeve even more.

“N-No.”

The refusal came out as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, but it still made Tan Jing stop.

“Hm?”

“There are too many people here,” He Siheng said, his ears turning red as he lowered his head. He squeezed the shameful next words out from his throat. “Let’s… kiss when we get home.”

As expected, nothing mattered more than saving face. Tan Jing chuckled lightly and ruffled his hair. “Okay.”

Hearing him agree, He Siheng immediately let out a sigh of relief. He released Tan Jing’s arm and wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve.

So embarrassing—he had actually cried like a baby.

Right in front of Tan Jing, and while completely sober. Years of his cool image, ruined in an instant!

As He Siheng wallowed in regret, Tan Jing suddenly spoke up. “Want to keep watching the fireworks?”

He instinctively lifted his head. Before he could say anything, the boy in front of him suddenly leaned down. His handsome features abruptly filled He Siheng’s vision, and cool lips pressed against his.

The soft touch, chilled by the sea breeze, brushed briefly before parting.

A dragonfly skimming water for just a second, infusing tonight’s night air with the scent of pine needles and grass.

He Siheng stared at him in shock. His wide eyes gleamed like a translucent amber in the fireworks’ glow. “You—you—”

“Sorry, couldn’t hold back.” Tan Jing smiled as he apologized.

He always apologized quickly, but never actually changed.

He Siheng’s face flushed with embarrassment, yet he was powerless to do anything about it.

Seeing his flustered expression—like he wanted to get angry but didn’t know how—deepened the smile on Tan Jing’s lips. He lifted his arm and pulled him into an embrace.

He Siheng’s mind was still blanking out, but he felt the boy’s soft hair brush against his cheek and the long, strong arms holding him tightly.

He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he also sensed the other boy’s heartbeat racing unusually fast.

Tan Jing rested his chin on He Siheng’s shoulder. Finally relaxing from his tense state, he closed his eyes with a sigh.

This had indeed been a gamble.

On the surface, every step was calculated, but in reality, he had taken risky moves each time. He didn’t always have full confidence. The air of determination to stick it out to the end was half-bluff.

Tan Jing let out a long breath and murmured to himself, “Now I can finally get a good night’s sleep tonight.”

He Siheng finally snapped back to reality. His hand, hanging at his side, hesitated for a few seconds between pushing him away and hugging back. In the end, he did nothing and stayed stiffly in his arms.

“You didn’t sleep well last night either?” He Siheng tried to make his voice sound less awkward.

Tan Jing chuckled softly by his ear. “Yeah, I spent the whole night thinking. If you hadn’t asked me to stay tonight, what excuse would I use tomorrow to stick around?”

He Siheng froze. It took him a moment to react. “You’re not planning to go back to Qi Nan? You tricked me again??”

His voice even rose two octaves.

Tan Jing replied matter-of-factly, “I am planning to. Isn’t that just scheming ahead?”

He Siheng: “…”

Thinking of something else Tan Jing had said that morning, He Siheng asked, “Then why did you say next time we meet, you’d be my errand boy for a month?”

“I only said I’d be your errand boy for a month. I didn’t say I’d give up chasing you,” Tan Jing reasoned logically. “Wouldn’t being your errand boy make it easier to chase you?”

…What a word game.

Realizing he’d been completely played, He Siheng gritted his teeth in anger. “The bet doesn’t count anymore! Don’t even think about me being your errand boy.”

Tan Jing laughed. He straightened up slightly, grabbed He Siheng’s hand at his side, and guided it around his own waist. “Forget being an errand boy. Being your boyfriend is enough.”

Whether it was the low whisper laced with laughter by his ear or the way Tan Jing guided his arms to hug back, it made He Siheng go even stiffer.

But in the end, he didn’t let go. With his arms around the boy’s lean waist, He Siheng silently buried his heating face in Tan Jing’s neck.

This year’s New Year’s Eve smelled like a pine forest after rain.

The reluctant embrace ended with a call from He Yunlang. The fireworks show had finished, and He Yunlang and Shu Qiu were heading home to watch the Spring Festival Gala. It was hard to get a ride on New Year’s Eve, so he told He Siheng and Tan Jing to come with them.

After hanging up, He Siheng realized he had assumed Tan Jing would go along without asking his opinion—basically defaulting to a secret relationship.

He thought for a moment and spoke up. “Before we register the differentiation results, I don’t want anyone to know about us for now. If that’s a problem, I…”

“No problem,” Tan Jing said, understanding his concerns. He ruffled his hair. “I respect your decision.”

He agreed even more readily than He Siheng expected, which made He Siheng feel a twinge of guilt.

But the next second, that guilt vanished.

Tan Jing drawled slowly, “This is the only chance we’ll ever have for a secret affair in our lifetime. We should cherish it.”

He Siheng: “…”

The villa wasn’t far from the beach. This trip had been a self-drive by He Yunlang. He Siheng’s eyes were still red from crying, but the dim evening light hid it well. Neither He Yunlang in the driver’s seat nor Shu Qiu in the passenger seat noticed anything unusual.