The bedside lamp cast a dim yellow glow.
Qi Jing propped himself up on the edge of the bed, his eyes still red-rimmed after the medicine had been applied. He felt woozy all over.
He wasn’t sure if it was a lack of oxygen or something else.
Someone was gently massaging his ankle.
Bo Chengyan kept his eyelids lowered, the light creating shadows that obscured his expression.
“Why aren’t you happy?”
In the end, the young man still asked. His lips were swollen, his heart pounding with a tingling sensation.
“Do you think you’re dating me?”
Bo Chengyan’s tone was mild and refined, as if they were just chatting, but his brows were slightly furrowed, his face calm and impassive.
Qi Jing was momentarily stunned. Hadn’t it always been that way?
That was the thought that had just crossed his mind.
“I never date anyone.”
Bo Chengyan leaned in closer, his palm pressing down on the young man’s wrist bone and sliding lower. Panic and bewilderment filled Qi Jing’s eyes, his earlobes flushed pink.
“Mm…”
He could only let out soft, chirping sounds like a fledgling bird.
In the end, his soft hair sank into the pillow, his lips parted slightly, his slender chest rising and falling.
Qi Jing had delicately handsome features, but his eyes were exceptionally clear—just like when he’d seen him by the roadside two years ago.
Empty, innocent.
Like a pool of still water.
“Then you… you’re doing this…”
It was almost an accusation, his voice muffled, emotions surging up all at once.
A layer of mist clouded his dark pupils.
“I desire you.”
The young man froze for a moment, then his gaze darted away, his breathing quickening.
In the end, he couldn’t help but bite his lip.
Such blunt words were, in some ways, more intense than physical touch.
Bo Chengyan sometimes regretted it. Back then, he shouldn’t have gone along with the boy’s rhythm. A teenager that age couldn’t possibly think things through.
He only wanted the sweetness, not the constraints that followed.
His slightly sweaty chin was pinched and turned back toward him.
Their eyes met.
What did he mean…
—He’d never considered this?
After graduation, would he make other friends?
Or fly away somewhere else?
Qi Jing felt like his soul had been hooked away. He only snapped back when his calf was lifted into the crook of the other’s arm. No… no.
It hurt too much.
He even tried to kiss him back, but he had no strength left.
Bo Chengyan merely watched him, his eyes dark and fathomless.
Qi Jing vaguely felt like he’d forgotten something. His fingers clutched at the bedsheet, and in the moment he let out a muffled groan.
He faintly heard a whisper by his ear.
“Even without legal proceedings.”
“You’re mine.”
~~~
Human nature is inherently selfish; rules only apply to those willing to follow them.
Self-restraint and abstinence were battles against base instincts.
Bo Chengyan’s environment was privileged, but his emotions were muted. An abnormal family with frequent suicide scandals and heirs produced through endless liaisons…
His understanding of societal boundaries was blurred.
His thresholds distorted.
Qi Jing lost track of how many times he’d been fed glucose; his mind was a haze, his fingers slick with sweat.
Even as he buried his face in the pillow, he was thinking…
He’s incredible.
Incredible.
His eyelids glistened with moisture, as if he’d plunged into an airtight sea.
Completely controlled, the ache and numbness crawling from his tailbone up to the back of his skull.
Uncontrollable sobs escaped him.
Qi Jing finally fell asleep at dawn. Light filtered through the curtains, shining on his slender knuckles.
Even there, marks lingered.
“You rely on your privileges too much. Skipping military training? That’s a key part of making friends, you know?”
The voice on the phone chattered on endlessly.
“I’ll take him to school myself.”
Bo Chengyan adjusted his wristwatch, his expression calm, seemingly back to his usual self.
“…Is your mental state okay?”
That was the real point of the call. Lin Se had been his first psychologist, and thanks to their friendship, he knew the more hidden details.
Excessive restraint and abstinence weren’t good signs.
He’d always hoped Bo Chengyan would get back on track.
Even if the person he chose was… a bit young.
But it counted as progress.
Still, a lot had happened in Macau this time. The old man’s death was one thing, followed by the Main House’s son landing in prison, and all sorts of concubines being booted from the Bo Family.
The media outside didn’t dare report it, but rumors swirled in Capital City…
Bo Chengyan’s methods were ruthless.
“I’m fine.”
Lin Se frowned. “…”
Something felt off in his gut.
Qi Jing was too young to truly be a “partner” yet. He was still growing, without the mature emotional branches.
He lacked deep understanding of intimate relationships.
This was dangerous.
Especially against someone with far greater experience and insight.
People couldn’t stay in a greenhouse forever.
Sunlight and rain from the outside world were essential.
University socializing and growth were crucial steps toward independence.
Lin Se thought for a moment. “How about this: I’ll give him a checkup this afternoon.”
There was a brief pause on the other end.
Lin Se added, “There’ll be physical tests at university. Want to donate a few hundred thousand in research funding again?”
“You can’t spoil him like that with pocket money.”
“He needs to face some hardships.”
A few seconds passed.
“Fine.”
The tone was utterly calm.
~~~
Qi Jing had always been well cared for. Aside from getting a fever when he was upset with himself, he rarely got sick… except now, in bed.
It felt good.
Just exhausting.
Like being run over by a truck.
Around noon, the young man was picked up to change clothes. His eyelids were too heavy to lift; he leaned on the other’s shoulder.
His fingers were gently rubbed.
“Mm…”
A faint chirp escaped him upon waking. It was a habit he couldn’t shake.
Bo Chengyan remained impassive as he dressed him in long-sleeved loungewear. In a mild voice, he asked, “Hungry?”
The room was dimly lit, no lamps on, the bed curtains parted just a slit.
Cradled in arms, Qi Jing shook his head.
He shifted his chin to a more comfortable spot on the shoulder, then quietly closed his eyes again.
Like finding the perfect position for himself.
He never learned.
Worn out as he was, he still instinctively leaned on the one who’d exhausted him.
Like a child crying for its mother after a scolding.
Qi Jing did have some complications.
All his positive emotions stemmed from Bo Chengyan.
Parent, lover, pillar of support.
It blurred together.
But he was deeply dependent.
“A guest is coming soon. No more sleeping.”
Qi Jing slipped into a bad mood—bedhead grumpiness. He hadn’t slept enough and ended up being carried to wash up.
His eyes were red.
His lashes damp.
This was common even among ordinary people: sensitivity heightened after intimacy.
Even a sense of grievance.
Lin Se froze in the doorway, then turned to leave.
Incredulous, he asked, “Did you make the kid cry?”
“Did you hit him?”
“He wants to sleep.”
The tone was perfectly calm.
Qi Jing rubbed his eyes and sat on the bed’s edge, looking over in confusion.
“Hello.”
His voice was hoarse.
Even Lin Se, slow as he could be, caught on—this was a show of defiance. Still, he frowned and approached.
He took the boy’s pulse.
The young man looked up innocently. “Am I sick?”
Still muffled.
Very obedient.
Lin Se’s heart melted. He’d gone to the hospital with them before, seen the kid in a wheelchair.
So well-behaved.
Why Bo Chengyan, of all people?
Aside from money and decent looks… any other virtues?
The young man grumbled inwardly.
But he withdrew his hand, still a bit sullen.
“You’re fine, you’re fine.”
His tone was gentle.
Perhaps the gaze from behind was too intense. Less than three minutes, and he was out.
The door clicked shut softly.
~~~
The young man could only repeat himself.
“Bo, you can’t do this. I didn’t grow up with traditional Chinese education.”
“I’ll still come next time.”
“I don’t get… human relations.”
He seemed to mull over the idiom.
Utterly righteous.
Bo Chengyan merely frowned. “His health is my responsibility.”
“Oh, I’m not trying to take that from you.” Lin Se said slyly. “I’ve always only handled your health.”
It wasn’t him overstepping.
It was the other way around.
When had he started losing control?
“What’s wrong with you, exactly?”
“Maybe I can help explain.”
Lin Se leaned against the doorframe, his expression tolerant, like divine compassion.
Until—
“Marriage?!”
“You know he’s only eighteen. This is just…”
Lin Se reined himself in.
After all, his paycheck came from the man.
Better to play it safe.
“Beastly?”
Bo Chengyan leaned lightly against the desk, toying with a teacup in his palm—an antique trinket.
“I’m hypocritical, indeed.”
“If he doesn’t marry me, who will he marry?”
“It’s only a matter of time.”
Lin Se was stunned, sensing that last shred of restraint had vanished.
He couldn’t tell if it was good or bad.
“Do you think me falling for him was casual?”
“Are you still thinking I led him on?”
Bo Chengyan’s eyelids drooped slightly as he spoke casually. “My original plan was to wait until he’d finished school before responding.”
“But that day, he wouldn’t stop crying.”
“Could I bear to reject him again?”
The young man hadn’t expected things to be like this. The teenager had… taken the initiative?
It felt as if words had suddenly failed them.
“He’s too young and willful. He gets insecure easily.”
“If I don’t take him to Macau, he’ll run away from home.”
His tone remained perfectly calm.
But Lin Se was genuinely shocked. He’d always assumed…
“I’ve given him everything.”
“He treats this like some romance and doesn’t think about the future.”
His words cut off abruptly.
Bo Chengyan toyed with the teacup cradled in his palm, his expression blank as he continued.
“He’s the one I raised.”
“I won’t let him go.”
Freedom was allowed only within boundaries—boundaries that could not be crossed.
~~~
Lin Se’s emotions grew more complicated.
Especially after the incident at the Macau Old Mansion. Bo Chengyan had no real family left anymore, and he was aloof by nature to begin with.
Perhaps bringing Qi Jing home two years ago had been a secret act of self-rescue.
Cultivating a wellspring of love.
They got along so well. Lin Se had never seen him care about anyone this much.
He monitored his height.
He tracked his weight.
He even vetted his friends from school.
It was as if he’d poured every ounce of his energy into it.
Bo Chengyan even sought frequent psychological counseling.
Just to ensure he wouldn’t become an obstacle in the boy’s path to maturity.
Lin Se had to admit his own biases. He even reflected on the past two years.
No photos of Qi Jing had ever leaked. His school records were tightly guarded. He’d even shot up nearly ten centimeters.
He greeted everyone he met with easy confidence.
Self-assured. Kindhearted.
Only then did the young man realize that the “Baby” he’d first met was already a flower carefully cultivated to perfection by Bo Chengyan.
