As the art of war states, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.
Even after becoming official boyfriends, Wen Jiang and Xie Qi didn’t spend every single hour of the day glued to each other—Qian Lang and Huo Xia Tong hadn’t been that intense back in the day either. There were plenty of reasons for it, like how Wen Jiang already had a packed campus life full of things he wanted to do even before dating.
Of course, having a boyfriend meant carving out time for dates to nurture their relationship. Wen Jiang adjusted his homework schedule accordingly. His itinerary was like a neatly packed suitcase: without the “time with boyfriend” slot, it looked stuffed to the brim. Now, squeezing in this new item? He glanced left and right, shoved it in casually, and zipped the suitcase shut just fine—a special skill befitting a master of time management.
Xie Qi wasn’t some idle layabout either. He had private training sessions, off-campus lessons, and right now, most of his energy went toward dealing with the Secret Tower. Going berserk felt good for a moment, but afterward, he had to clean up the endless stream of troubles that followed. His standoff with the Secret Tower was shaping up to be an even fiercer long-term war than before.
That said, Xie Qi was great at squeezing in time. In the past, he’d found gaps like waiting for someone after school or spending weekends together. Now, he did the same. This week, he’d already scheduled Saturday at the “Birthday Gift” with Wen Jiang, plus an amusement park trip for the weekend. During his alone time, he’d even delved into the shoujo manga Summer Carbonated Apple Romance.
Wen Jiang’s “heart-pounding task list” came straight from that book.
The list said: Go on an amusement park date with So-and-so-kun. But first, a sudden event—spend the night at home with So-and-so-kun.
Has my chance arrived?
It was a pure, wholesome shoujo manga.
Xie Qi flipped to the relevant scene. Due to the late hour, absent parents, and a sudden summer downpour, the leads were forced into the situation. Half-pushing, half-accepting, they seized the momentum and ultimately united: the male lead stayed over at the female lead’s house. They shared a room, huddled under the same blanket, faces inches apart, hearts pounding as rain pattered against the window. They talked about stars and the moon, dreams and ideals all night long, deepening their bond and understanding—without doing anything.
My chance has come.
Getting Wen Jiang to spend the night at the “Birthday Gift”—now rechristened their “couple’s cohabitation villa”—should be easy enough. He’d stayed over before, and now that they were officially dating, with the amusement park tomorrow, crashing the night before was only logical.
Even if Wen Jiang hesitated, Xie Qi could push a little. Ever since that first sleepover, he’d renovated Wen Jiang’s bedroom, adding items and decor tailored to his tastes. Later invites had still been shot down, but to get closer to his “rather aloof boyfriend,” Xie Qi had made more preparations. They hadn’t come in handy amid practical assignments before, but now they could.
Speaking of the “Birthday Gift,” those three secret rooms had to be mentioned. In theory, they were “opportunities” too. They’d gotten by with just words before—now, stepping inside, they’d have to use that bed, right?
But Xie Qi’s Supernatural Ability had been remarkably stable since dating Wen Jiang. Looking at those readings, it was hard to lie through his teeth with something like, “Let’s go into the secret room to regulate it.” Plus, in this critical stability-monitoring period, the doctor advised conservative treatment for a week since fluctuations were low. Fun little things like the Collar were fine if they brought joy, but no need to proactively head into the secret rooms without warning signs.
Wen Jiang pondered it and figured the doctor’s advice was like taking calcium or vitamin supplements to boost health—no problem—but not chugging cold medicine daily just because you might catch one.
So on Saturday, Wen Jiang only lightly tested the Binding Rope that came with the Suppressor indoors, without even making Xie Qi kneel. During their walk, he passed the secret room doors three times without entering. Xie Qi, leashed and trailing behind, couldn’t tell if it was relief or torment.
He’d actually gotten a bit of a reaction. Wen Jiang hadn’t done anything deliberate during the stroll—his attitude was utterly casual, minimal interaction. He never announced where they were going; if Xie Qi lagged, he’d yank the chain without a glance as a reminder. Somehow, those few tugs got Xie Qi stirred up.
Wen Jiang glanced down at him, then at the Suppressor readings on his wristband, and said flatly, “Keep it up.”
“…” Xie Qi replied, “Oh.”
By afternoon, the rope was off, and the flush faded from Xie Qi’s face. He checked the time, pulled a collector’s edition DVD Wen Jiang loved from the drawer, and said casually, “Still early. Wanna watch a movie?”
Sure. Wen Jiang nodded, sinking into the living room’s massive ultra-HD screen and plush sofa pillows.
The movie ran over three hours. Midway, Xie Qi scrolled his phone a bit. As the credits rolled, dinner was ready on cue. “Dinner time,” he said naturally. “Let’s eat.”
…Fine. Wen Jiang agreed, enjoying a lavish meal perfectly suited to his tastes.
By dinner’s end, night had fallen. Xie Qi glanced outside. “Getting late. Crash here tonight?”
No performance at all from this guy.
“Added stuff to the bathroom too,” Xie Qi added, prepared. Even during aloof phases, he’d felt victory close—now in official dating mode? “Got the full set of bath bombs from that blind box you drew.”
Wen Jiang: …
An hour later, he soaked in the tub, experiencing the legendary blind box secret item: Summer Night Dreamy Brilliant Star River bath bomb.
The name gave zero hints—he’d drawn it out of sheer curiosity.
Lavender-scented, the water turned a blue-purple hue, with silvery sparkles like glitter mimicking stars on the surface. The visual effect? Not as striking as his rose-flavored “Explosive Spicy Hotpot” one.
When he emerged in loose sleepwear, hair still dripping, Xie Qi knocked right on cue. Wen Jiang opened the door, and Xie Qi paused, breath catching for seconds before asking, “Want me to dry your hair?”
Wen Jiang blinked, handing over the dry towel.
In the past, it’d get shot down with “I can do it myself.” Xie Qi still sometimes felt like he was dreaming. Good thing the towel in his hand and Wen Jiang in the chair were real.
Xie Qi toweled the hair by Wen Jiang’s ears—soft, silky strands, jet-black and damp, framing ears that looked even more porcelain-pale, flushed a healthy pink from the hot bath. As he dried, his fingers brushed the earlobe. Wen Jiang noticed but said nothing, letting it happen.
Wen Jiang read a book at first, engrossed. Then something felt off. Soon, he sensed Xie Qi had no intention of leaving tonight.
…That worked too.
Xie Qi still had “withdrawal symptoms” from constant rejections, so he overthought requests, dragging out long wind-ups. Wen Jiang was more go-with-the-flow—no burning need to cling 24/7. They’d see each other tomorrow anyway, spend the whole day together.
Conversely, he couldn’t think of a reason to play hard-to-get when his boyfriend wanted to stay, or act overly hesitant.
Besides, no rule said sharing a bed meant doing anything.
Wen Jiang felt his hair was dry enough. He turned a page. “Wanna take a shower?”
Xie Qi’s hands stilled. He chuckled lightly, teasing, “Here?”
They each had bedrooms with private bathrooms—unnecessary, really. Wen Jiang said calmly, “Sure.”
Silence hung. Two seconds later, the guy above him inhaled deeply. “Alright.”
…Why does that sound so resolute? Wen Jiang watched wordlessly as Xie Qi released his hair, strode out steadily with changed clothes and toiletries, returned looking cool and composed, and opened the bathroom door.
“…” Face impassive, Wen Jiang suddenly asked, “You staying here tonight?”
Xie Qi fumbled, dropping his stuff—it hovered midair via air currents, floating back to his hand.
His throat bobbed, mind warring three hundred rounds. Finally, channeling those manga male leads who turned monk-like at crunch time, he nobly relinquished the tempting fruit. “Okay. I’ll take the floor.”
…Said through gritted teeth. Wen Jiang paused, then: “Fine.”
Xie Qi’s back looked a tad forlorn as he entered the bathroom. Watching, Wen Jiang said coolly after he set his things down, “You can sleep on the bed too.”
Crashes erupted inside—something toppled, bottles rolling away.
Definitely on purpose! Moments later, Xie Qi’s voice came, flustered yet resigned: “…Fine!”
…Kinda fun.
Wen Jiang looked away, eyes dropping to turn another page in his book.
