Chapter 76

Being bound for too long would make anyone crave freedom.

The most important thing for a person should be themselves.

Not some label defined by others.

“Is this… Auntie?”

Qi Jing stood before the tombstone, his expression somewhat dazed as he lifted his chin to look at Bo Chengyan.

Both of them wore black overcoats, which lent an air of solemn quietude.

People wandered around the cemetery, exchanging greetings with smiles on their faces.

It felt like a long-awaited reunion, free from any trace of melancholic blue.

“Mm.”

For some reason, Qi Jing felt an inexplicable tension. A faint tingle ran up his spine, and he straightened unconsciously.

Then he tried to slip his fingers free.

He understood the subtle cues of social etiquette. Meeting the parents called for a more serious demeanor.

Bo Chengyan’s brow furrowed slightly. He raised his hand to clasp that slender wrist, his long fingers trailing down along the boy’s palm.

Their fingers intertwined.

“What’s wrong?”

Qi Jing’s neck flushed red at the question. He merely tilted his head back to look up. “I-I…”

[This is your mom, but I didn’t bring anything.]

[And I’m still holding your hand.]

It was as if he’d learned the ways of the world.

Meeting a partner’s parents required gifts, not casual touching.

Especially since they were gay.

Gay… not accepted by mainstream society.

Qi Jing had never dwelled on such things before because the man before him wasn’t just his partner—he was also his… guardian.

The boy had never feared criticism.

He always had an ample sense of security.

But now, he was meeting his guardian’s “guardian.”

Naturally, Qi Jing examined himself. He couldn’t help but feel nervous. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.

“My mother has passed away.”

“She’s been laid to rest.”

Bo Chengyan raised a hand to gently draw him closer, cradling the back of the boy’s neck and giving it a soft press.

“This is just a handful of ashes.”

Qi Jing’s fingers tightened slightly on the man’s sleeve. He glanced sideways at the tombstone, utterly at a loss.

[Mom.]

[His mom…]

Bo Chengyan’s fingers paused. A faint curve touched his lips, only to fade quickly.

He still naturally relished the role of “parent.”

Couldn’t shake it, could he?

The boy’s cheek was cupped, his eyes glistening with moisture.

“You’re the one I raised.”

The tone was straightforward.

Qi Jing blinked in surprise, unsure why he was saying this. It just didn’t feel right to embrace here before the tombstone.

He pushed gently at the man and turned his gaze to the photo.

The woman looked perpetually gentle, but a faint veil seemed to shroud her eyes.

Impossible to see clearly.

Bo Chengyan released his hand, the warmth of his fingertips lingering. His dark gaze swept over.

The boy bowed earnestly.

“Hello, Auntie. I’m Little Jing.”

Bo Chengyan merely watched the nape of his neck, neither stopping nor interrupting.

“I-I’m—”

The voice was crisp, still carrying a youthful timbre.

But he was flustered.

Having been nurtured for so long, Qi Jing struggled to shoulder certain burdens. He harbored a certain fear.

Identity could be heavy at times.

“Take your time.”

A steady voice rose from behind, like a Soul-Pacifying Melody.

Qi Jing vaguely felt as if he’d slipped into a warm bed—one that slowly pulled him deeper, impossible to escape.

“I’m Bo Chengyan’s…”

The words tumbled out one by one.

His voice grew unsteady by the end.

The boy’s eyes misted over as he turned, instinctively seeking help. He clutched at Bo Chengyan’s sleeve.

[I-I don’t know.]

Society offered few labels for same-sex partners. Calling him a spouse in the traditional sense would only stir controversy.

It was a side path, not the main road, after all.

“Come here.”

Qi Jing drifted over almost involuntarily, his hand grasping the man’s clothes.

It was the safest spot.

His hair was kissed lightly.

Bo Chengyan wrapped an arm around the boy’s waist and looked up at the photo on the tombstone.

His eyes were deep pools.

“You’re my Baby.”

Family was equal; partner was the legal term.

Feminine endearments didn’t suit Qi Jing. He was a boy.

Baby.

Merchants sought profit, and shells had been the first currency of trade.

Only something truly cherished could be called a treasure.

…

Fu Shuang had never loved her son.

This was common knowledge.

The eldest son of the Bo Family bore a strong bone structure, much like his father, but his features were finely sculpted, resembling his mother.

Cold and self-possessed.

Perhaps sensing this growing “resentment.”

Bo Chengyan had chosen to study abroad.

Minimizing their encounters as much as possible.

The household servants reported his mother’s meals to him daily.

But for two straight years—over seven hundred days.

Not once had she asked about her child.

Until word of her death arrived.

Bo Chengyan had even wondered back then if his mother had died harboring hatred for him.

After all, he carried half of that tainted bloodline.

He’d never truly experienced parental love.

Wandering the fringes, the accumulated emotions grew harder to dispel.

Until, by some twist of fate, he’d gone to Great Cool Mountain.

And brought back a person.

His parched heart seemed to… come alive, bit by bit.

He began studying child-rearing guides.

Tending to an intimate relationship.

Until he fell completely.

Bo Chengyan simply stared at the photo on the tombstone, his eyes filled with inky depths that wouldn’t dissolve.

—Mother.

—I will be loved.

~~~

Qi Jing ultimately couldn’t bring himself to say he was the Baby. His cheeks stayed flushed until he spotted a flower seller nearby.

The boy pushed away at once. “W-Wait for me.”

He placed a large bouquet of lilies before the tombstone.

Unsure what to say, Qi Jing looked up at Bo Chengyan and said earnestly, “Thank you.”

Perhaps it was a meeting of hearts.

A breeze swept through.

Fallen leaves gathered at their ankles.

The boy looked up. The sunset hung on the horizon, casting a golden glow over the ground like a red carpet.

“Head back?”

Qi Jing shifted his gaze; strands of hair at his ear were gently stroked.

Bo Chengyan stood against the light, the figure of the boy reflected in his dark pupils.

Utterly focused.

The boy took a step forward, their hands linked.

Their shadows overlapped slightly.

“Mm!”

The golden carpet was beautiful. The steps descended layer by layer. Behind lay the weight of past sentiments; ahead stretched a gentle, promising future.

They walked out, step by step.

Returning to the quiet present.

~~~

Qi Jing felt exhausted these past few days. His emotions had fluctuated wildly during the day, leaving him drowsy the moment he got in the car.

Upon arriving at the Old Estate, he obediently extended his hand without protest.

Being scooped up was effortless.

The boy leaned lightly against the man’s shoulder, his soft fingertips fumbling at the shirt collar.

Growing up always involved emotional turbulence.

It was normal.

Bo Chengyan would guide him through those lost periods.

“Mr. Bo.”

“Just send dinner up.”

The tone was steady.

Qi Jing was set on the bed but kept his arm loosely draped over Bo Chengyan’s shoulder.

“Change your clothes.”

Dazed and compliant, the boy let himself be maneuvered. A steady hand supported his waist.

Like tending to a child.

Qi Jing’s legs dangled at the bed’s edge. He tilted his head up instinctively—a small animal seeking closeness.

Skin met skin.

“I like you.”

The tone was pure.

Not a hint of lust.

Bo Chengyan’s movements stilled.

He lowered his gaze, pausing for several seconds.

The boy in his arms leaned in innocently, their lips bumping clumsily, warm and soft.

Qi Jing’s nape was gripped.

Like a fledgling pinned by the neck.

Soon, damp tongues entwined. Strong hands parted his legs, settling him astride the man’s hips.

Qi Jing felt dizzy.

His emotions had soared and plummeted all day.

He needed release.

He was growing up.

The boy’s lips glistened, his eyes hazy as he gazed at Bo Chengyan’s handsome face.

After a moment’s hesitation,

he turned aside, burying against the man’s neck and suckling at the prominent Adam’s apple.

Like a babe at the breast.

…

Forty minutes.

As promised.

But that was plenty.

Perhaps a surge of emotion—Qi Jing’s eyes reddened fiercely. He teared up easily but hated being seen.

His fingers clenched tight, needing to be pried loose one by one.

Only if it didn’t hurt.

Bo Chengyan simply took a cold shower in the bathroom.

He returned to check if the boy was all right.

Qi Jing was lifted from the bed, his forehead damp with sweat, faint marks dotting his pale nape.

Proof of what had transpired.

“Mm…”

In his haze, Qi Jing recalled something—that bottle of medicine he’d forgotten about… So this was it.

Not happy.

Was Bo Chengyan unhappy?

The boy frowned. He didn’t want that.

Qi Jing remembered that stash of adult toys…

Shouldn’t lovemaking be “pleasurable”?

Earnestly, he braced his hands on the man’s shoulders and parted his lips, revealing a moist, rosy interior.

“Mm…”

As if to offer.

He had learned how to French kiss, so he put up no resistance at all.

It was clumsy, utterly lacking in finesse.

Bo Chengyan merely brushed a kiss against the corner of those lips, his expression calm as he said, “Enough.”

Yet the young man cradled in his arms took the initiative, extending the tip of his tongue to lick and kiss, inch by inch.

Until a firm grip seized the back of his neck.

Yanking him away by force.

Qi Jing’s eyes remained misty, dazed and unfocused. His damp lips parted on shallow, panting breaths.

Bo Chengyan merely frowned. “Is there more you haven’t said?”

He caught even the slightest shift.

Right then.

Qi Jing threw his arms around him heedless of everything, resting his chin on the man’s shoulder as he stammered, “You—you’re sick, aren’t you?”

“I saw… the medicine bottle.”

The young man repeated it over and over, his voice laced with an emotion too complex to name. He shook his head. “Depression. That’s no good.”

“Don’t be unhappy.”

Silence descended over the room.

It was all a misunderstanding, really.

Bo Chengyan had no intention of revealing this so soon. The condition was still unstable, beyond his control.

And anything uncontrollable was dangerous.

He couldn’t know.

Bo Chengyan pinched Qi Jing’s cheeks. The flush staining them made his face all the more alluring.

A low, heavy voice filled his ear. “I don’t have depression, Little Jing.”

“I’m simply… addicted.”

~~~

996 tumbled head over heels through a duplex apartment in Harbor City. With a few quick flips, it landed inside a glass cup, its beady eyes darting all around.

The young man sitting nearby was absorbed in a book. A turtleneck sweater concealed the dark red marks on his skin, leaving only the porcelain pallor of his complexion visible.

【Will he steal Little Jing’s assets?】

996 harbored a sneaky worry. After all, countless human case studies showed that people in love experienced a nosedive in rational thinking.

Some even handed over their fortunes willingly.

The height of irrationality.

【No.】

The young man nearby remained utterly serene. Propping his chin on one hand, he watched the little creature in the glass cup.

He skewered a chunk of apple on a toothpick and dangled it lazily, waving his hand back and forth.

996’s beady eyes swiveled to follow it.

【He just wants to know who I am.】

It was that all-too-familiar urge… for control.