Chapter 39

Qi Jing naturally draped his arm around the other’s shoulder and back, his eyes cool and clear. In the instant their breaths intertwined.

“There’s a perfume scent.”

It lingered on the collar.

The atmosphere turned subtly awkward in that moment.

Bo Chengyan furrowed his brow and couldn’t help repeating, “Perfume scent?”

Perhaps he’d brushed against someone at the banquet.

Qi Jing was gently tugged upward. The young man’s cheeks were rather small, and his eyes gazed straight up at him. “Mm.”

His tone was perfectly even.

The man lifted a hand to sniff his own collar but hadn’t yet spoken.

“It’s lily-of-the-valley.”

Bo Chengyan blanked out for an instant, but the person in his arms loosened his hold and looked up at him.

“Probably got it on when the assistant delivered it. I didn’t notice.”

“Or maybe I accidentally bumped into someone else.”

The youth fell silent.

He simply lowered his eyelids and turned his head to reach for his phone.

It had been years since Bo Chengyan last found himself in a situation where he needed to explain himself. His actions outpaced his thoughts as he instinctively grabbed the wrist and pulled the young man close.

“Little Jing…”

“You’re hurting me.”

The person in his arms lightly furrowed his brow, his voice soft and thin, carrying a hint of accusation.

Bo Chengyan felt a vein throb faintly at his temple. He immediately let go, rubbing the spot gently while apologizing in a steady, deep voice. “I used too much strength. Sorry.”

Qi Jing’s nape was cradled lightly, his entire body encircled beneath the other’s frame.

An airtight press of breath enveloped him.

“Mm.”

“I’ll be more careful from now on. I haven’t touched anyone else.”

Qi Jing turned his chin away, paying him no mind. He simply didn’t know what to say.

The youth had never endured any real grievances before, so when a flicker of discomfort arose, he expressed it bluntly. He had no habit of holding back or enduring in silence.

“I don’t like this scent.”

Qi Jing tilted his head up to meet his gaze.

“Take it off.”

Outside, a persistent drizzle fell, lighter now but with the sky still heavy and dark.

Qi Jing set to work undoing the other’s buttons with earnest focus.

But it was tiring.

He couldn’t help glancing upward.

Bo Chengyan’s throat bobbed once. He hastily averted his eyes and said mildly, “All right, I’ll get it.”

One hand stayed firm around the waist while the other worked at the collar.

Qi Jing watched with intense focus, like a watchful overseer.

When the last button finally came undone, a pair of warm, soft fingers brushed across the ridges of abdominal muscle…

Qi Jing pushed off for leverage.

He wanted down from the chair.

Bo Chengyan’s arm didn’t budge. His voice came out deep and low. “Why are you getting down?”

“I’m getting you something else to wear.”

The youth spoke with firm conviction, utterly devoid of any sensual undertone—just pure dissatisfaction.

In the end, Qi Jing was carried to the bed. The silky pajamas rode up, baring his fair calves.

Bo Chengyan’s palm could fully envelop one slender leg. He released it lightly.

A selection of custom-tailored clothes had been delivered in several boxes. The youth rummaged through them on the bed before selecting a crisp new white shirt.

He looked up. “Change into this.”

Qi Jing still favored woody scents. He gave it a sniff before handing it over.

But he was perhaps still upset.

He made no move to help, simply tilting his head back to watch.

Bo Chengyan sometimes thought the young man was just too inexperienced—his actions and words too direct and unfiltered. He lifted a hand to cover those eyes.

“Don’t look at people like that.”

Qi Jing’s neck was slender. Even with his eyes covered, the skin gleamed distractingly.

It was all too tempting, no matter what.

His palm was broad; with just a slight slide downward, it covered the entire face.

There was a damp sensation—the youth was breathing.

Qi Jing vaguely sensed the rustle of clothing. His lips grazed the fingers, and he lifted a hand to pull Bo Chengyan’s arm away.

What lay revealed was an upper body of striking beauty.

Muscles distributed evenly, brimming with controlled power.

“Still not satisfied?”

Qi Jing was swept up by the waist, his knees parted as his calves were drawn in. He ended up sitting face-to-face in the man’s lap.

Bo Chengyan was undeniably handsome, but not in the polished, idol way of entertainers. His features carried a raw, imposing edge.

The hollows beneath his brow bones cast natural shadows, and darkness swirled faintly in his eyes.

Qi Jing’s tastes had taken shape ever since he’d been brought to Brocade River Villas. Back when Lin Se had shown him photos, he’d been baffled.

Why wasn’t there one of Bo Chengyan?

This was the type he liked.

“No perfume scents allowed.”

“All right.”

Qi Jing didn’t know what else to say. His waist was pinned in place, leaving him unable to shift. It was also starting to feel uncomfortably warm where they pressed together.

He sensed his own temperature rising slightly.

“I want to kiss.”

Qi Jing tilted his head back a fraction, utterly serious.

The weather hung gloomy, a bit of wind rattling outside. Their lips brushed lightly at first, then deepened bit by bit.

Tongue tips teased.

Fine, wet sounds rose between them.

Qi Jing had been pampered thoroughly. He felt no unease—in fact, he’d grown accustomed to being tended to, to the point his fingers barely stirred.

He simply closed his eyes and let out faint, breathy sounds.

Kissing truly was a wonderful sensation.

Like being devoured whole.

Qi Jing had rumpled the man’s shirt. When they parted, he panted continuously, his lips left glossy and slick.

“Why can’t you breathe properly?”

“Why do you know how to kiss?”

As if a switch had flipped, the youth peppered him with questions.

“It’s not hard. You’re the only one I’ve ever kissed.”

Qi Jing wasn’t entirely convinced. Perhaps he’d integrated so fully into this world that he now doubted even the system’s information.

The man before him felt real.

Not like some scripted role.

Bo Chengyan was nearly thirty and had never been in a relationship?

Was that even normal?

“Why wouldn’t it be normal?” The deep voice rumbled up, vibrating against his eardrum.

Qi Jing’s shoulder blades were pressed lightly, drawing him upward into full contact.

“I have mysophobia.”

The youth went dazed for a beat.

What…

“Mm… ah.”

Qi Jing’s eyes reddened at the corners. He couldn’t pull away; his nape received a kiss.

Very wet.

A little painful.

Bo Chengyan’s shoulder was suddenly shoved—not hard, more like the instinctive swat of a cat.

Qi Jing’s nose tip flushed red. His fingers pressed against the shirt as he mumbled sullenly, “You bit me.”

“Mm.”

“It hurts a lot.”

No one had taught him about that.

The videos he’d seen were all straightforward pleasure—one partner moaning, the other driving in earnestly.

In Qi Jing’s mind, intimacy had nothing to do with pain. It was only about comfort.

He didn’t understand.

“It hurts that much?”

The man offered no explanation, for some reason. He simply hauled Qi Jing forward firmly. “Let me see.”

The nape had been pristine white before. Now a small red mark bloomed there, with a faint bead of blood.

He frowned.

“Sorry.”

Qi Jing had no idea it was a hickey. He just felt deeply aggrieved by the whole thing.

“I want to bite you too.”

Bo Chengyan put up no resistance. He said calmly, “All right.”

The only question was where.

Qi Jing considered it, then went for the throat—it was closest.

But he only grazed it with his teeth for a moment.

Before he knew it, he’d been lifted by the neck. An airtight kiss descended.

It was around three in the afternoon.

Qi Jing felt utterly spent, adrift. Wrapped in a blanket, he glanced at the note that had been left behind. Bo Chengyan had gone out.

He’d be back around five.

The youth’s lips were still swollen. He poked around the room for clothes before slipping into a comfortable T-shirt. Then he headed to room 1408.

He needed to ask about some things.

The bodyguards trailed at a discreet distance, standing guard outside the door as instructed. Qi Jing went in without protest.

Jiang Xiuyuan seemed much improved.

“What’s wrong?”

At twenty-two, three years Qi Jing’s senior, he naturally slipped into the role of the caretaker.

Besides, Jiang Xiuyuan had always been the big-brother type.

“I wanted to come talk to you.”

Qi Jing recounted the transfer message he’d received at noon. The young man froze, his face draining of color. “Is he insane or something?”

“Don’t accept it. I’ll pay you back myself.”

“I already sent it back.”

The youth settled on the sofa, hands resting on his knees. He looked over quietly.

Jiang Xiuyuan wasn’t sure how to handle the visit, but he had no time for idle thoughts—he needed to talk to a real person.

It felt like plummeting from the heights back down to earth.

Like his ankles had been weighted with stones. But it was the steadiest way to keep himself grounded right now.

“What should we talk about?” Jiang Xiuyuan asked.

Qi Jing said very seriously, “He bit me.”

“Ah…”

“President Bo?”

Qi Jing tilted his head without hesitation, showing off his nape. His expression was deeply puzzled. “It hurts a lot. Does he hate me?”

Jiang Xiuyuan’s face cycled through a rainbow of expressions. He recalled how Qi Jing had asked questions back at the clubhouse.

He really knew so little.

“You… how do you not know anything?”

Jiang Xiuyuan sometimes wondered if that was a blessing or a curse. Being sheltered too much could make the world outside harsh.

But then he reconsidered. It wasn’t his place to worry.

Just months ago, all those tabloid rumors had vanished overnight. That man had full control over the environment Qi Jing grew up in.

It wasn’t surprising.

“I… do know.”

Qi Jing felt like he knew plenty. His tone came out flat and matter-of-fact.

“My classmates are the same. They’ve just watched videos too. I’ve… got a good handle on it already.”

Jiang Xiuyuan fell quiet for a moment before he couldn’t suppress a chuckle. Propping his chin on one hand, he studied the youth. “You sure? Your classmates aren’t gonna spill exactly what they get up to.”

“Middle schoolers in the Capital City know how to have fun.”

Qi Jing’s gaze held a touch of bewilderment, but the only person he knew with any sexual experience was the one standing right in front of him.

He wanted to ask.

Homosexuality meant going the back way, as Bo Chengyan had once said.

That had to be pretty tricky.

A few minutes passed.

“Eh… it’s nothing. We just kissed a bit too hard.”

Jiang Xiuyuan offered a brief explanation, bringing up that earlier term “possessiveness” again. He assured Qi Jing that causing a little pain in bed was perfectly normal.

“Sex isn’t always just about pleasure. It can hurt.”

Qi Jing froze. “Really?”

Ruan Heng had mentioned something similar once, but Qi Jing hadn’t quite believed him back then. After all, the videos always made it look so enjoyable.

Videos trumped words, every time.

But now two people had told him the same thing.

“Of course it hurts—you’re still new to this. Some folks even like it rough, you know, sadists or whatever…”

The conversation cut off abruptly.

Jiang Xiuyuan glanced at Qi Jing’s innocent expression and casually tugged his sleeve down, concealing the marks beneath.

“No big deal. With good technique, even your first time can be amazing.”

“It won’t hurt.”

Only after the words left his mouth did Jiang Xiuyuan realize he’d fallen into the same habit—embellishing the truth for Qi Jing’s sake.

It would only encourage his naivety.

For a moment, silence hung between them.

“Is it worse than biting through your finger?”

“…”

~~~

Local television had a popular family reunion show that harnessed the power of the internet and media to reunite countless parents with their long-lost children. It spread positivity and held real social value.

At the same time, though, some people gamed the system. There were cases of elderly folks in their eighties suddenly searching for baby girls—right after their grown sons had died in car crashes, no less.

One such episode aired and immediately sparked outrage. Under pressure from public opinion, the station pulled it from circulation.

Z Province served as a major transportation hub, a notorious transfer point for child traffickers. Bo Chengyan examined the discreet photos that had surfaced.

His expression remained impassive.

The child in the images looked like Qi Jing from his early years, but somehow… Bo Chengyan didn’t think they matched up.

“I was pretty shocked when I first saw it,” Chen Zhuo said. “But honestly, wouldn’t you treasure photos of your little guy as a kid? Like them or not?”

Bo Chengyan shot him a frown. “I’m not some creep.”

“I don’t need these photos.”

Chen Zhuo blinked in surprise. “I figured you’d want to cherish his childhood memories. Pass?”

“He doesn’t need that pointless history.”

With calm precision, Bo Chengyan fed the photos into the shredder. “Remembering the present is all he requires.”

“Where are the parents now?”

Chen Zhuo stared off into space for a second before snapping back. “The station staff took them to the 3rd Floor Lounge.”

As Bo Chengyan rose to leave, the young man behind him called out, “So, you playing diplomat first, then enforcer? Or the other way around?”