chapter 36

Chapter 36: Ah Guan, still as naive.

In that instant, He Guan understood what he was asking.

"May I kiss you."

— To drive away the person behind.

Lou Dongcang was blind, but He Guan could see.

His gaze inadvertently drifted downwards, settling on the hand that was placed under his chin.

Lou Dongcang's job apparently didn't require frequent travel, and combined with the months he'd spent indoors, his skin was exceptionally pale.

Greenish veins lay just beneath the surface, silently lurking and pronounced.

Yet, they were icy cold, reminiscent of the sensation of touching jade.

He Guan licked his lips, hearing the approaching footsteps about to round the corner, and hurriedly uttered, "...Yes."

He gulped involuntarily. As he was midway through his sentence, a finger traced upwards to his lips, followed by a closer proximity.

"Can you find me..."

Can you find where my lips are?

Lou Dongcang demonstrated with his actions that he could.

His hand grazed the corner of the lips, and he tilted his head slightly lower.

When He Guan had previously cut his hair, he'd only trimmed the back. Now, the front bangs had grown out, partially shielding his eyes.

Being this close, a few strands brushed against He Guan's nose bridge.

It tickled.

Though his hand was cold, his breath was warm, carrying a faint scent of malt.

He Guan pondered the origin of this aroma for a while, his mind freezing momentarily, before the realization hit.

It was the scent of the couscous they'd eaten earlier in the banquet hall.

The footsteps that had followed stopped.

The onlooker's gaze felt as if it could burn a hole in He Guan's face.

But soon after, He Guan could feel it no more.

Because a kiss, with a trace of malt flavor, had landed on his lips.

This was different from the medicinal kiss when he was ill. Back then, He Guan had been solely focused on administering medicine, not on the sensation.

But now, it was different.

Although his eyes were wide open, it felt as if his vision was failing him.

He could see nothing in front of him. Every sense, touch, and cell was shouting at the corner of his mouth:

Another person's lips found his.

The touch was gentle, yet teasingly provocative.

With a hint of moisture, occasionally he felt the flick of that person's tongue at the corner of his mouth.

He Guan stepped back, left defenseless by the teasing kisses. His heel hit the wall, hands pressed against the wallpaper, feeling the raised seams beneath his fingers.

...Not knowing where else to place them.

This kiss was feather-light, akin to cotton candy.

Its texture even felt a bit like touching jelly.

As He Guan retreated, his face naturally pulled away, but the other pursued, raising an arm against the wall to block him.

— Lou Jun Duo was still there.

"Ah Guan, you're still so clumsy."

"Open your mouth."

The implications of those words were explosive, uttered softly and charged with intimacy.

They painted a picture of countless shared kisses while He Guan's reaction added another layer of interpretation to the words.

Despite the countless times, He Guan remained inexperienced.

Despite their closeness, this became a playful tease between them.

He Guan's face flushed from the teasing comment, dazed, instinctively wanting to comply, when he heard a furious swipe and footsteps rounding the corner — the other person had left in anger.

It was then that He Guan realized.

Those last remarks were merely to chase Lou Jun Duo away.

He breathed a sigh of relief, intending to push Lou Dongcang away, but just as he was about to open his mouth, those slightly cool lips found him again.

He Guan...

He Guan was caught off guard.

He thought the teasing kisses had concluded, but they continued, this time with much more intensity.

Overwhelmed by the soft sensation, He Guan trembled, feeling the other's hot, invasive tongue.

Lou Dongcang was deepening the kiss.

He was clearly taking advantage of He Guan.

Mocking his naivety in such intimate matters.

Taking advantage of his vulnerability to such tender sensations, leaving him utterly defenseless.

How can someone so cold to the touch have such a burning tongue?

Accompanying this was an overwhelming sense of pressure.

Initially trapped between the wall and his arm, He Guan hadn't felt it, but now, with their increasing closeness, his personal space was once again breached.

Their cheeks pressed together, and due to the adjustment for the second kiss, their noses brushed against each other, their breaths mingling, indistinguishable from one another.

He Guan could no longer use the excuse of chasing someone away to comfort himself.

What was happening?

Yet, he was left speechless.

The smothering kiss left him only the space to breathe; his increasingly labored breaths grew hot, sending pulses to his temples.

The person in front of him moved with masterful skill, constantly claiming more territory.

While He Guan felt invaded and somewhat breathless, he was simultaneously and attentively caressed from his temples to the back of his head.

This caress seemed to teasingly provoke his senses, leaving him overly stimulated and unable to react.

Just as he was about to push the man away, a leg wedged between his, and a hand pinched his waist.

He Guan almost jumped up in protest!

But a moment later, the instigator released him, whispering an explanation.

The voice was so soft, audible only because of their proximity.

"Someone's behind us."

Released, He Guan glanced down the corridor, only then noticing someone had been standing there the entire time, watching without moving.

The bespectacled individual adjusted his glasses, apologizing, "Did I disturb you two? I'm sorry, you both came so suddenly and then started kissing around the corner... I felt it would be inappropriate to interrupt..."

Having recovered from the kiss, He Guan quickly asked, "Who are you?"

The man smiled, replying, "My surname is Yan, Yan Fengqing, Yan Xu's older brother. Pleasure to meet you."

He Guan's former self only had fleeting ties to Lou Jun Duo during their youth, knowing nothing about his subsequent affairs or recognizing this assistant.

This assistant was Yan Xu's elder brother.

That explains it.

He Guan said, "I won't keep you any longer. Apologies for the disturbance. We should be on our way."

Lou Dong had not looked up while he spoke. Just as he was about to turn back, he leaned in for a fleeting kiss, perfectly timed after he finished saying, "We should go," wiping away the trace of saliva left from their previous kiss.

It was in agreement.

He Gu raised a hand to cover his mouth.

"Eat cat fur, why don't you?"

Yan Fengqing moved ahead of them.

Now, only the two of them remained here.

He Gu: "Stay away from me."

Lou Dong: "I—"

He Gu, pushing him away stiffly: "I'm heading to the lounge we were in earlier. I remember there being toothbrushes..."

As he was pushed away, Lou Dong grabbed onto He Gu's sleeve, unwilling to let go.

He couldn't let He Gu leave. If he left now, it might take He Gu days to recover.

"Don't leave me behind."

He Gu persisted in leaving, tugging at his sleeve, the more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

"... Ah Guan."

When He Gu first heard this intimate address, his mind was in turmoil. Only now did he reflect on it.

Such a close address... that he had impulsively agreed to without thinking.

He Gu glanced at his sleeve, held tightly, and remarked, "...Is that what you've nicknamed me?"

The hand gripping his was still trembling.

... What could be done? Yan Fengqing and Lou Jun are obviously allies. Would they figure out their ruse?

Lou Dong gave a subtle nod, lowering his head like a student who had done something wrong.

He Gu, after understanding, felt less stifled but still didn't want to address it, saying, "... Don't blame me. It's not about you. It's just... it was so sudden, I couldn't handle it."

Lou Dong whispered, "You agreed at first."

Initially, after He Gu had nodded in agreement, only then did Lou Dong proceed.

He Gu felt his temper rising, "I didn't expect you to... how you'd kiss..."

He faltered after a few words, unsure how to describe his feelings and irritably uttered, "No—"

Enough said! Whatever!

Lou Dong took a half-step closer and inquired, "What kind of kiss? Was it too much?"

He clung to He Gu's sleeve, never lifting his head: "... Ah Guan, I just licked you once. Honestly, I didn't go overboard."

Now, He Gu's concern shifted to the manner of the kiss, rather than the act itself.

He Gu, shaking him off, retorted: "Don't touch me, I—"

Lou Dong accurately predicted his next words and interrupted, "Did you feel taken advantage of? But that was also my first kiss. And it wasn't on purpose."

He Gu gritted his teeth so hard, he almost hurt himself.

He never expected to arrive at such a conclusion.

He stuttered in response, "... Then we're even."

Only then did Lou Dong look up, offering a smile: "Mhm."

He Gu, slightly comforted by the smile, remarked, "I need more time... there won't be a next time..."

Lou Dong explained, "It was unexpected this time. You didn't notice him, so I had to continue kissing you. We're married, and a kiss without tongue... it would've seemed too odd and unbelievable."

His voice dropped, "And you were the one who insisted on bringing me here..."

After a long pause, He Gu blurted out, "... I want to go to the lounge."

Lou Dong pleaded, "Ah Guan, take me with you. You promised to stay with me."

He Gu maintained his stance but with less resistance: "There won't be a next time. Only if you promise that, will I take you with me."

Lou Dong didn't agree, stating, "No."

He Gu frowned, "Why not?"

Lou Dong clarified, "Not having a next time is a separate promise, Ah Guan."

"You had initially agreed to accompany me throughout the banquet; you can't add more conditions now."

"The no-next-time is a different agreement. I can accept that, but you can't mix them."

He was unusually firm about keeping promises. Repeating his point twice made He Gu pause, tapping his currently muddled head, eventually saying, "... I forgot. I'm sorry."

He shouldn't have tried to manipulate Lou Dong on the spur of the moment.

He Gu pinched himself in regret.

It was just a kiss, after all. Why the fuss? And there definitely wouldn't be a repeat.

He stood rooted in place for another minute, while Lou Dong remained still beside him, standing motionless like a large decorative figure.

He Gu reached out, offering his sleeve to Lou Dong's grasp, saying, "... Let's go. I still want to head to the lounge. I need to brush my teeth."

Lou Dong playfully gripped the sleeve, teasing, "I'm really not that dirty, Ah Guan. You're making me feel quite dejected here."

He Gu, seizing the chance to retort, said, "... Lou Dong, can you just stop? Don't you know that sometimes silence is a virtue? Can you consider the feelings of a straight man for once? Looking for trouble, are you?"

Lou Dong: "I was wrong."

He Gu: "You were wrong?"

Lou Dong: "I love you."

He Gu, rolling his eyes, remarked, "Tsk, you can't even remember your own words, and yet you argue with me. I won't wait for you. I'm leaving."

Someone, having achieved their aim, tucked away their mischievous side and quickly followed him.

No next time?

The next time... will be another unforeseen situation.

*

After brushing his teeth in the lounge, He Gu still felt uneasy all over.

He couldn't understand how certain sensations could linger, causing his mind to drift while brushing his teeth, staring blankly at his reflection.

He brushed for several minutes, almost overdoing it with the minty toothpaste.

And after brushing... it wasn't as He Gu had hoped.

The cooling sensation of the mint didn't negate the earlier intimacy; it only made the memory of the other's touch even more vivid.

The coolness from the mint now oddly warmed the places they'd touched.

After rinsing his mouth, He Gu unconsciously licked his lips.

Realizing what he was doing, he almost snapped his toothbrush in half.

He slapped his forehead, considering brushing his teeth again, when there was a knock on the door.

A nagging voice from outside inquired,

"He Gu, are you planning to stay in there until the end of time?"