Chapter 30

Being someone’s keeper was a surprisingly pleasant experience, especially when that person was so obedient.

Qi Jing had no idea that he had ignited a certain desire in Bo Chengyan. After finishing his drink, he only wanted to head to bed—sitting on the man’s lap like this was making him shy.

It was very strange.

But before he could shift even an inch, he felt himself lifted slightly off the ground and carried into the bathroom.

The youth was set down on the bathroom counter.

Bo Chengyan glanced up at him, his expression calm as he took a subtle measure of the boy.

“Let me check your teeth.”

Qi Jing’s toes tensed slightly. The counter was cool beneath him, and he was perched right on the man’s hand.

Mmm…

The youth ducked his head a little, a wave of heat washing over his body.

His breathing quickened just a touch.

At last, he parted his lips.

Qi Jing had no wisdom teeth yet—just the standard twenty-eight, all neatly aligned.

“Mm.”

Bo Chengyan seemed satisfied with the inspection. He lifted the boy down again and said warmly, “You had something sweet. Rinse your mouth one more time.”

Qi Jing let out a quiet breath of relief. He grabbed his toothbrush cup and complied.

But as he finished the final step, someone tugged his cheek back, and he felt the gentle swipe of a soft towel.

Qi Jing tilted his head up, his hand dropping unconsciously to his side.

It was a bad habit from being spoiled for so long.

Always assuming someone else would handle everything for him.

Before bedtime.

“Aren’t you going to sleep with me?” Qi Jing’s chin burrowed deeper into the covers. Pattering rain drummed outside, and in the dim glow of the bedside lamp, his eyes shone with crystalline clarity.

He stretched a hand out from under the blanket and hooked Bo Chengyan’s finger.

Anxious, yet full of anticipation.

“You go to sleep first.”

Qi Jing sensed something was off and whispered, “Aren’t you coming to bed with me?”

His words were so direct that Bo Chengyan’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

“Don’t invite me like that.”

The youth didn’t understand. His chin sank even deeper into the blanket. “Why…? I want you to sleep with me.”

In Qi Jing’s mind, he was simply extending an invitation.

Was Bo Chengyan going to turn him down?

“I’m not tired yet. I still have work to finish. Once it’s done, I’ll come keep you company.” Bo Chengyan spoke evenly, as if the words had just come to him on the spot, without a hint of hesitation.

Even he felt a bit lost in the moment.

The boy on the bed was in the full bloom of youth, brimming with wild imaginings about the unknown.

Qi Jing could make his demands freely.

But Bo Chengyan couldn’t agree so easily.

Even surrender required a measure of restraint.

“All right, then.”

Qi Jing sounded understanding as he let go of the finger and withdrew his hand.

He stared fixedly at the man across from him for a long moment.

Bo Chengyan looked down at him.

“Why aren’t you getting to work?”

“…”

Qi Jing’s expression was pure and earnest as he offered the reminder, until Bo Chengyan glanced over with a helpless air.

The youth’s chin tucked in again.

Not until Bo Chengyan leaned down and pressed a kiss to his hair.

“Good night.”

The rain eased from a downpour to a drizzle, tapping rhythmically against the window like fingers drumming on a heart.

It might have been a symphony in its own right.

~~~

The next day.

When Qi Jing woke, dawn was just breaking with a hazy light. He felt vaguely deceived. He reached out to touch the bed beside him—empty.

No one had come to keep him company—

His other hand wouldn’t move. He turned his head and saw Bo Chengyan in a nearby chair, eyes half-closed. The man must have sensed the stir, for in the next instant, his eyelids lifted.

He gazed down at the boy.

“Awake?”

Their fingers intertwined.

Qi Jing couldn’t fathom why the man hadn’t joined him in bed. He stretched out a foot and hooked Bo Chengyan’s pant leg. He had just opened his mouth to speak—”You… mmph.”

His ankle was caught in a firm grip.

It was even tugged outward a bit.

Bo Chengyan’s fingers closed around the slender bone, his brow furrowing. “Where did you learn that from?”

Qi Jing’s chin drew back. He tried to pull his leg free but couldn’t.

The spot where their skin touched burned hot.

His breathing grew a little ragged.

In the end, he behaved himself.

“From a video…”

“They were hooking legs under the table.”

So innocent, yet so brazen.

Bo Chengyan was on the verge of lecturing him when Qi Jing piped up again with an invitation. “Why won’t you come to bed and sleep with me?”

“I’m… I’m an adult now…”

It was childish behavior.

A sign of insecurity, too.

Qi Jing wanted to say more, but suddenly he was yanked forward. An arm slid under his armpit, and he was scooped up like a doll.

His legs parted as he was settled straddling Bo Chengyan’s lap. The moment their eyes met—

His breathing hitched once more.

That bad habit of biting his lip returned.

Bo Chengyan pried Qi Jing’s teeth apart. A finger slipped inside, venturing deeper this time to press against the root of his tongue.

“Mmph… um…”

It withdrew before discomfort could set in.

“Don’t bite.”

Qi Jing was still in his pajamas, his waist lightly supported. Pink tinged his cheeks, and he was panting softly.

His lips glistened with moisture.

“Okay.”

The word came out aggrieved.

The morning sun wasn’t yet bright. With one hand, Bo Chengyan steadied the boy and checked his watch. It was a little after five.

“Sleep a bit more.”

He stood, carrying Qi Jing back to the bed. As he looked down, he straightened the boy’s sleeve. “I called in sick for you yesterday, but you still need to go to school today. I’ll drive you.”

Qi Jing leaned against his shoulder, gaze intent and uncomprehending. “Why won’t you sleep with me?”

They were right back to that topic.

He seemed puzzled, and yet he vaguely sensed he was being underestimated.

He hadn’t been all that curious at first, but now a spark of rebellion had been kindled.

Qi Jing felt a hand close around his neck. The man’s palm encircled most of it, like a scarf. Oblivious to the danger, he blinked up innocently.

Bo Chengyan’s expression darkened. “Inviting me into bed? Do you know what it’s called when you drag someone there right after getting together?”

Qi Jing was still perched on his lap, his hands hanging limply as he tugged at a shirt button.

“What?”

“Leading them on for a fuck.”

A gust of wind outside swept accumulated water from a pile of leaves.

Qi Jing’s face flushed scarlet in an instant. He pushed at the man’s chest with his fingers, breathing unevenly.

“Do you know what taking it slow means?”

Of course he didn’t. After all, he’d cast himself in the role of a goldfinch from the start, and his “study materials” had been nothing but clips from adult videos.

Bo Chengyan released his hold and ran his fingers through the boy’s hair instead. He pressed against the warm cheek, forcing Qi Jing to meet his eyes.

“Was the pear soup last night good?”

“It was delicious.”

“That’s the pears Auntie bought specially for you. They need peeling, stewing with tremella and red dates… not some instant mix.”

As Bo Chengyan tucked the blanket around him, he added offhandedly, “Love’s the same way. Some people chase after ready-made results, too lazy to invest real effort or emotion. So they opt for…”

Qi Jing’s fingers brushed over, seizing his hand.

“A kept lover?”

His heart gave a small tremor.

Qi Jing felt himself lifted slightly higher, though he remained on the man’s lap. Tilting his gaze upward, he caught sight of the man’s half-undone collar.

“Something like that.”

The soft pad of Qi Jing’s fingertip rested against the shirt fabric, where he could faintly sense the vibration in the man’s chest.

A flicker of confusion crossed Qi Jing’s face. Then his hand was drawn away, his palm unfurled repeatedly until their fingers locked together once more.

“Did you think I was keeping you like that before?”

Bo Chengyan’s question was blunt. He noted the boy’s tightening grip and reddening eyes.

At last, the lesson seemed to have sunk in.

He knew now that the word carried a nasty connotation.

“Do you even know what real ‘keeping’ looks like?”

Qi Jing stared at their clasped hands, his voice muffled. He was about to insist that he did when—

His wrist was tugged lightly. He lost his balance entirely.

He toppled straight into the man’s arms.

It felt like a hidden whisper.

“I give you money. You let me have you.”

“No feelings involved. No time for rest. Just transactions of the flesh.”

“One person’s nothing but a tool for the other’s release.”

Qi Jing’s breathing sped up. He tugged at their joined fingers without thinking, his body voicing his fear before words could.

He was frightened.

Bo Chengyan released him gently, allowing the boy to burrow back into the covers. “I never did that to you, Little Jing.”

It was a long moment before Qi Jing spoke.

“But what you said was really scary.”

In his innocence, Qi Jing didn’t realize Bo Chengyan was perched on the edge of the bed, leaning slightly against the headboard as he gazed down at the huddled figure in his arms.

So young, and so easily led astray.

Who had planted that idea in his head…?

It was only around five in the morning, after all. Qi Jing soon grew drowsy again in the warmth of the covers. He sprawled atop the man and closed his eyes.

Vaguely, he caught one last murmur near his ear.

“I only admit to having raised you.”

~~~

By morning, the rain had stopped.

Qi Jing was downstairs eating breakfast, still feeling a touch of panic, until Auntie came over and ruffled his hair.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yes.”

Her simple words melted away all his unease, like ripples fading across a lake’s surface.

Bo Chengyan descended the stairs and glanced their way, one eyebrow raised. The youth sat ramrod straight, eating with utmost seriousness.

“Good morning, Mr. Bo.”

“Mm. You’ve worked hard.”

As Qi Jing drained the last of his soy milk, Bo Chengyan took his hand. The smart wristband had been swapped out.

“Updated it?”

Bo Chengyan paused mid-motion before explaining, “No, just a different model.”

“Mm-hm.”

There was no trace of resistance.

But then something occurred to Qi Jing. “It was… my friend who invited me out for drinks.”

Bo Chengyan looked down at him.

“Oh.”

“I won’t drink anymore.”

Bo Chengyan replied, “You can drink. Just let me know first.”

It was like a toy of a boundary line, passed back and forth between them.

A tentative truce was struck.

All the way to the school gates, when Qi Jing hopped out and waved. “I’m off!”

“Mm. I’ll pick you up this afternoon.”

He kept staring until the person had passed through the school gates. Only then did the car window roll up.

Friends?

What friends?

Ruan Heng wasn’t his friend.

“Where to, President Bo?”

“Nanhua Road 24.”

~~~

Qi Jing returned to the dorm and let out a sneeze, accidentally disturbing the others. He crept cautiously back to his own bunk and spotted some clothes piled on it.

He wanted to ask who they belonged to…

But everyone was asleep.

Qi Jing had no choice but to pull out his textbooks for now and slip out of the dorm.

Dorm life wasn’t going smoothly.

Living habits required some give and take, but getting approval to move out wasn’t instantaneous—he needed to submit a form first.

At the outset, he’d planned to tough it out for the semester. But that morning, when Bo Chengyan spotted the mosquito bites on his back, he’d shot down the idea outright.

They scrapped the school district house too.

It was simpler to just commute each day. A few extra hours wasn’t a big deal.

By the time Qi Jing finished handling everything, it was already noon. The past few days had been filled with grade meetings; military training wouldn’t start until two days later. He grabbed a coconut from the cafeteria.

He headed to the south gate to wait for his ride.

The security guard at the school entrance glanced over at the young man standing nearby, then hastily averted his eyes.

Qi Jing wore a short-sleeved shirt and long pants, topped with a baseball cap. Puzzled, he looked up.

“Uncle, what are you staring at me for?”

“…”

“Nothing, nothing. You got yourself a coconut?”

“Yeah.”

“Want me to crack it open for you?”

“Sure.”

Waiting for the car was boring.

The guard cracked open the coconut for Qi Jing and stuck a straw in the top. “There, drink up.”

But the young man didn’t touch it. He simply cradled the coconut in his hands until a sleek, low-key Cayenne pulled up.