Chapter 60

Qi Jing slept straight through until four-thirty. The room was dim as he propped himself up into a sitting position.

He glanced around.

No one was there.

An empty feeling settled over him, as if the whole world had abandoned him.

His forehead fringe hung slightly over his eyes, his expression utterly bewildered. He slowly tried to get out of bed to find someone.

He was so tired.

Why was he this exhausted?

Even shifting his calves from the middle of the bed to the edge took tremendous effort; they felt sore and tingly.

He pressed his lips together involuntarily.

Tears welled up in his eyes.

He was just unhappy, that was all.

At that moment, the door clicked open.

Qi Jing lifted his gaze, and the unhappiness eased a bit. When he saw the figure approaching, he even tilted his head back to look up.

He didn’t say a word.

He just stretched out his hand and was scooped into strong arms.

The broad shoulders and back felt so secure, carrying a faint woody scent that spoke of maturity. The young man earnestly nestled against them, the corners of his eyes tinged red.

“Awake?”

Bo Chengyan’s voice had a magnetic quality to it—steady, yet carrying an undercurrent of dominance.

Qi Jing let out a soft “Mm,” but he buried his cheek deeper into the crook of the other’s neck, his voice sticky and muffled.

His eyelids drifted shut again.

Like a kitten that hadn’t been weaned yet.

And truthfully, he hadn’t entered society yet, either.

Dinner was downstairs. Auntie had made plenty of sweet dishes, perfectly suited to Qi Jing’s tastes.

The nutritious meals were back on track.

Bo Chengyan was a bit older, after all, and he wasn’t fond of this kind of food. Most of the time, he just yielded.

The decor in Brocade River Villas had been thoughtfully designed.

There were lots of plants and bright windows everywhere, which helped foster a stable living environment—one that was positive for a teenager’s mental health.

Especially over the past couple of years.

Qi Jing didn’t have a huge appetite to begin with; he was a bit picky, but he never wasted food. Once he’d finished what was in his bowl, he stopped.

That was exactly what he did now.

He pushed the bowl away with his slender wrist and slowly sipped at his fruit and vegetable juice—about 250 milliliters.

It was sweet, but a weird kind of sweetness.

“I’m done.”

He set it down.

The young man glanced down and realized he wasn’t wearing shoes. He looked up at Bo Chengyan.

In a stuffy voice, he said, “I’ll walk myself. I didn’t bring my shoes—you get them for me.”

He probably felt embarrassed.

Qi Jing considered himself an adult in the legal sense.

Being carried around like this made him seem less independent.

Even if it was at home.

But what if Auntie saw? Wouldn’t she think it was odd?

Qi Jing’s soft palms pressed limply against the chair as he turned his head to glance toward the kitchen. It was empty, so he twisted back around.

Looking for someone.

“Walk yourself?”

The man’s tone was mild and even.

Bo Chengyan rubbed his fingertip, ignoring the young man’s bossy second half of the sentence. He said gently, “Can you even walk?”

The first floor was quiet.

Qi Jing’s sleep shirt was buttoned too tightly; two buttons had been undone on the way downstairs, revealing faint red marks on his collarbone.

The young man blinked in surprise.

He couldn’t tell what the question’s tone implied.

He couldn’t figure it out.

After puzzling for a moment, he replied, “Yeah, I can.”

His voice was hoarse—even as his lips parted and closed, the pink inside his mouth was visible.

He couldn’t hear the erotic tease in it.

To prove his point, he even tried to get down barefoot.

The floor was cold, no rug.

Just as the young man moved to do it, a shadow fell over him. His elbow was lightly gripped.

“Mm…”

Qi Jing looked up, his palm sliding a few times before barely grabbing hold of the other’s shirt.

“Bo Chengyan.”

His tone was blunt.

His waist was suddenly lifted before he could react, his thighs supported, and he was securely held.

“Go walk on the bed.”

Qi Jing’s chin bumped lightly, leaving him dazed.

On the bed?

~~~

Under the forceful, relentless thrusts, even glutinous rice could be pounded into mochi.

Let alone that kind of thing.

The slick, muddy state was already excessive.

The young man just couldn’t see it.

Bo Chengyan carried him to the bathroom as usual. By the time they were thoroughly clean, Qi Jing’s entire face had gone pale.

He sat on the edge of the bed.

“Why can’t I still walk?”

“Did you pinch me? How did I not know I had all these marks on me? They look so scary in the mirror.”

“You can’t—”

His tone was all muffled, like a kindergarten kid making an accusation.

“Can’t what?”

Qi Jing’s calf was still cradled in the other’s palm, the warm touch sending waves of heat through him. Even the tips of his ears turned red.

“I have to go to school…”

Bo Chengyan stood, pulling the young man into his arms and settling him naturally in his lap. He said calmly, “It’s not like we do it every day.”

[Every day… I’d break.]

[That’d be even scarier than in the videos.]

Qi Jing thought quietly to himself, staring at his calf in Bo Chengyan’s hand as he tried to pull it free.

But it was tugged right back.

A calm voice sounded by his ear.

“What videos have you been watching?”

Qi Jing looked up, wondering if this was some kind of test.

He was an adult now—why question that?

His cheeks flushed.

“There are toys, all kinds of positions.”

“It’s normal. I think all adults do it.”

Qi Jing tilted his head up, his clear eyes utterly straightforward.

Innocent, yet erotic.

As if realizing it belatedly.

He stammered, “No… I can’t.”

Theory and practice were totally different.

Health class videos were somewhat referenceable, but porn was exaggerated.

Qi Jing’s earlobes turned bright red. In the end, like an ostrich, he pressed his cheek to the other’s shoulder, his hot breaths nearly reaching the man’s Adam’s apple.

His calf was gripped tightly.

“Mm.”

A few seconds passed.

His damp eyes looked over hesitantly.

Like some small animal, he asked, “Did I do good?”

The sound of lips and teeth meeting rang out, sensation overriding everything.

Kissing was the simplest form of sex.

~~~

Military training at Capital University usually lasted a few weeks, so Qi Jing still had a couple of days free. Though he was lying down, he belatedly realized something.

Did he go check?

The young man rolled over, propping his elbow on the pillow as he gloomily recalled what he’d said to Shen Nanzhi back then.

He’d mentioned his intention not to get married.

How had she reacted?

The memory flashed back vividly.

“You haven’t thought about it?” The woman sounded incredulous, then let out a muffled laugh.

It started soft.

But grew louder and louder, like she’d heard the funniest joke.

Finally, Shen Nanzhi’s eyes crinkled as she asked, “Does Ah Yan know?”

As if it were absurd.

The one in power had fallen for him.

Yet marriage wasn’t even on the table…

That was when Qi Jing had felt something off.

He didn’t want Bo Chengyan to know.

The young man depressedly buried his cheek in the pillow, lost in confusion. Marriage… did he have to get married?

He rolled over again. The marks on his collarbone hadn’t fully faded.

A lifetime.

What a terrifying word.

Social media was full of posts saying marriage sucked, and Qi Jing’s dewy eyes reflected the ceiling, full of bewilderment.

Until a blue slime suddenly appeared.

Its beady eyes blinked.

[Little Jing—]

Full of grievance.

996 hadn’t been able to get close for a full two days, leaving the whole system listless—like a child separated from its mother.

It circled the young man a few times.

[Why do I feel like your health bar’s down a couple notches?]

Qi Jing tilted his head, sitting up straight with clear confusion. [What do you mean?]

[You look drained.]

[…]

Qi Jing suddenly felt awkward, unable to speak for a long moment. He hooked his finger around the blanket.

The weather had gradually cooled, so he was under a light cover.

The bedroom had aromatherapy diffusing, creating a soothing atmosphere.

[It’s not just stamina—why does your data bar feel…]

[Like it’s missing a chunk?]

Out of safety concerns, 996 asked, [Do you feel anything off anywhere?]

The young man shook his head.

It was a pointless check.

Neither the person nor the system thought to probe his inner thoughts.

They finally got to the main topic.

[Qingshi asked me to tell you that the assets in Harbor City need you to start thinking about them ahead of time. He’ll hand them over when you graduate.]

[His point is, maybe you could learn a thing or two from… the Protagonist Top.]

[And think about your future plans.]

It was a pretty distant issue.

Back in high school, at least, Qi Jing hadn’t considered any of it.

His plan had been simple: get into undergrad, save enough money, rent a place, land a civil service job.

Live that nine-to-five life.

Plain and simple.

But now his life had veered completely off that track—not at all what he’d planned. “Live in the moment” was the solution Qi Jing had come up with.

Life was a long-term test, though.

New challenges would come.

Qi Jing realized he’d truly never thought much about the future. He felt lost.

[Little Jing?]

The young man snapped out of it, his clear eyes fixed on empty space as he said earnestly, [I’ll think about it seriously.]

~~~

Life wasn’t just the present. It included the past we cherished and the future we imagined.

All three made it whole—none could be missing.

Qi Jing lingered in the bedroom for a moment, hesitating. Should he just ask Bo Chengyan directly?

It was the most natural choice.

Bo Chengyan served as his guardian, overseeing much of his daily life with a mix of warmth and authority.

Qi Jing had already pulled up his phone’s contacts list, but in the end, he switched away from it. His face flushed red.

He couldn’t say why.

The young man felt a touch embarrassed, a flicker of subtle rebellion stirring within him—like facing a tough problem and choosing to ask a classmate instead of the teacher.

Would Bo Chengyan find him troublesome?

Would he think it was too much effort?

Having to teach him everything?

Qi Jing bit his lip. But he really had no idea how to manage assets. It all looked so… daunting.

What about his future plans?

What kind of job would he even find?

He couldn’t stomach those grueling 996 schedules anymore. The system offered a suggestion: 【Everyone’s personal experiences are different. Why not ask someone as a sample first?】

【If you’re too scared to ask… the Protagonist Top.】

It was like a sudden jolt.

Qi Jing straightened up, declaring with perfect logic, “No, he—he has to go to work today. He already left late this morning. I… I can always ask him another day.”

“Mm-hmm.”

It felt like self-reassurance.

~~~

But truthfully, when something weighed on his mind, it was hard to put off until tomorrow.

It was like a pebble caught halfway, neither here nor there.

Besides, Qi Jing had never developed the habit of letting worries fester. At lunchtime, he couldn’t hold back any longer and finally asked.

His question was for Auntie.

“—A career? I love cooking, so early on I won a few trophies in culinary contests. But it got boring, Little Jing. To me, it felt like showing off—a waste of good ingredients.

“—Later, I worked at a fancy restaurant, but the politics there ran deep. There was even gender discrimination. Still, I managed to edge out that incompetent male head chef.

“—The restaurant was mediocre at best, though. I fell in love with cooking because food brings joy to people. But that place was too quiet—mostly business deals, with hardly anyone truly there to eat.

“—And the kitchen ingredients weren’t even fresh, despite the steep prices. They cut corners on the basics. So, Little Jing, don’t eat out recklessly.”

The young man blinked in surprise, then nodded solemnly.

“—Still curious? Later on, I took some time to get married and have a kid. Maybe it was a whim after meeting the right person, or maybe I wanted to see for myself if it was as ‘wonderful’ or ‘awful’ as everyone claimed. Either way, I went for it.”

It struck a chord deep in Qi Jing’s heart.

His eyes sparkled.

He was hooked.

Auntie smiled.

“—Turns out, it wasn’t awful, nor as amazing as the elders made it sound. I’ve got a thoughtful husband and an adorable daughter.

“—By chance, I landed this job later on. Mr. Bo said he needed someone to raise a child and care for him with the utmost attention.”

The words seemed pointed.

Her gaze settled on him, her refined features softening.