Chapter 85

Chapter 85

After the run-in with Xia Weiwei, Jiang Nian invited his teammates over for dinner that night and laid out everything.

He solemnly and earnestly confessed the strained relationship with his stepmother’s family, the entanglements with his biological father, and even the truth behind his parents’ divorce—what should've stayed a private family matter.

Afterward, he warned his teammates to be extra cautious if they ever encountered that family in the future:

"As for Chen Shanmin, I can’t escape the blood ties, but beyond that, I owe him nothing. Don’t hold back for my sake—even if you kill him right in front of me, it wouldn’t matter."

Family ties are the ultimate guilt trip. Without his past-life experiences, he wouldn’t have been able to be this "ruthless."

His mother had always maintained what seemed like cold logic to outsiders—no blame, no resentment.

He had once asked her if she regretted it. His gaunt mother in her hospital bed had answered like this:

*"We agreed to have children only after our careers stabilized. You came unexpectedly. His stance never changed—I was the one who changed. I filed for divorce and told him he didn’t have to take responsibility. He chose to leave with nothing, making a clean break… Grown folks make their beds. I don’t regret it, but I just hate that you got caught in it…"*

In his mother’s eyes, there was no right or wrong in the matter—just choices between adults. So, once he was old enough to understand, she told him the truth and even allowed him to acknowledge his father.

He didn’t see it that way, but he also couldn’t criticize it. Like that saying floating around online:

*They truly loved each other once, but true love is ever-changing.*

That was why, despite his lingering resentment toward Chen Shanmin, he never hated him in some messed-up way. If not for the apocalypse, they could’ve just gone their separate ways.

After all, in peaceful times, no matter how selfish the other person was, they couldn’t threaten his life. He would grow up and eventually break free in his own way, making a fresh start somewhere else, unburdened.

"..."

"Relax, Brother Nian. We’re family now. If anything upsets you, just give us the word—we’ll make sure they’re the ones suffering."

"Yeah, Brother Nian, you don’t even have to get involved. We got this."

"Exactly. We’ll make ‘em disappear..."

Having already heard the gist from Cheng Jing earlier, the teammates were furious after learning the full details.

"..."

Jiang Nian snapped out of his thoughts and raised his glass with a smile.

"With you all as my backup, there are some things I’d rather handle myself."

The crew jumped in:

"Sure, Brother Nian, go ahead and do what you need to."

"Right, right! Chug that first! Cheng’s got your back either way—don’t worry!"

"Exactly, exactly..."

"..."

"Alright."

Jiang Nian knocked back his drink, his eyes going glassy from the booze.

Cheng Jing couldn’t help feeling relieved. This was how Jiang Nian should be—no more holding back, settling scores with no regrets. No matter how messy things got, Cheng would always have his six.

After releasing his emotions and receiving full support from his teammates, Jiang Nian ended up happily drinking too much.

Not completely drunk, just the right kind of tipsy, he got all clingy with Cheng Jing, acting drunk and sweet after the guests left.

As Cheng Jing washed the dishes, Jiang Nian wrapped his arms around him from behind:

"Brother Jing’s such a good homemaker… It’s really the best being with you."

Cheng Jing helplessly swatted away the hand creeping lower on his abdomen:

"Go take a bath. I’ll run you a bath."

Jiang Nian stared at him intently, fingers tracing the edge of his belt before dropping this shameless line:

"Let’s go together. One quickie, then you can get back to chores."

This nice drunk feeling was amazing—just holding his boyfriend was enough to stir a reaction. For him, this was the perk of drinking.

"..."

Cheng Jing gritted his teeth internally, dried his hands, and hauled him off to the bathroom. After filling the tub with warm water and bubbles, he stripped Jiang Nian and plopped him in:

"Go on, get in and relax. I’ll come back after finishing up."

This was exactly why he sometimes dreaded Jiang Nian drinking—he was such a handful!

"Don’t go, Brother..."

The drunkard stubbornly clung to him:

"If I doze off and accidentally slip underwater, drown, you’ll be a widower."

"..."

At this moment, Cheng Jing really wanted to stitch that damn mouth shut!

After a silent pause, he continued running the water, rolled up his sleeves, and knelt beside the tub to wash the drunkard. His rough palms brushed against Jiang Nian’s skin, making him jerk away before being pulled back:

"Stop moving."

"Your hands are too rough..."

Jiang Nian mumbled softly.

*You never complained before!*

Cheng Jing mentally retorted while easing up. He wasn’t about to reason with a drunk—just focused on getting him cleaned up fast.

It wasn’t dark yet, and the room didn’t need lights. In the dim glow, with his tipsy vision, Jiang Nian thought his boyfriend looked even hotter.

His heart skipped, and he tilted his damp head, leaning in to plant a wet kiss on Cheng Jing’s Adam’s apple:

"Brother Jing, I love you so much..." Mwah.

God, how’d he land such a hot boyfriend?!

"..."

Cheng Jing’s breath caught. Before he could stop himself, he grabbed the back of Jiang Nian’s neck with a soapy hand and crushed their lips together.

Every time he gets drunk, that little rascal's words become exceptionally sweet, his mouth spouting irresistibly charming lines that send him into a frenzy!

Jiang Nian's hands slid up his shoulders, the water staining his black shirt.

Soon, the friction of fabric and the sound of ragged, mingled breathing echoed through the bathroom.

After a long while, they broke apart. Across the edge of the bathtub, Cheng Jing pulled him flush against his chest to catch his breath, one hand dipping into the frothy water.

"Mm..."

Jiang Nian shuddered, his head spinning even more from the slight lack of oxygen caused by the kiss. Nuzzling into the man's chest, he let out a soft whimper, biting down on his collar as he panted, his hands clutching at him.

Cheng Jing rasped:

"Relax."

"..."

The water in the bathtub overflowed, washing the foam away, but Cheng Jing ignored it.

Only when the last of the foam, carrying streaks of white, floated up from the water did the drunken man in his arms finally tremble and settle down.

Even through his shirt, he had bitten hard enough to hurt.

Clenching his jaw, Cheng Jing pulled the plug, washed him clean, then grabbed a towel and scooped him out, carrying him back to the bedroom.

The light in the room had dimmed further, but he just glimpsed the glassy-eyed, flushed face of the man in his arms.

Sitting on the edge of the bed to dry his hair, Jiang Nian bit his lip as he struggled to calm his breath, his head bowed low, hands clutching the towel obediently, too embarrassed to meet his eyes.

Only when the hairdryer stopped did Cheng Jing stroke his face and ask:

"What's wrong? Still not recovered after all this time?"

"..."

Jiang Nian looked up at him with a hint of grievance and asked:

"Brother Jing, was I a little too fast today?"

He felt like his performance hadn't been up to par.

"Huh? Pfft—"

Cheng Jing froze for a moment before chuckling:

"What are you talking about? No, it's just that you're more sensitive when you're drunk."

This drunkard really dares to say anything—normally, just teasing him a little would make him fly off the handle.

"Yeah..."

Jiang Nian nodded:

"It's all your fault for being too rough, your palms are so rough..."

With that, he shuffled to the other side of the bed, still wrapped in the towel:

"I'm turning in."

"..."

"Nian Nian!"

Watching the man who had rolled away twice, Cheng Jing planted his hands on his hips, so pissed he could've bitten him. Seriously? Gets his kicks and then ghosts him?

And then has the nerve to criticize his skills?

Most importantly, what was he supposed to do—the guy was already out cold?

He still had dishes to wash and chores to do!

"..."

After washing the dishes, mopping the floor, and wiping the table, Cheng Jing's restless thoughts finally settled.

But by the time he finished showering and tidying up to return to the bedroom, Jiang Nian was already fast asleep. He was completely unresponsive, with zero chance of getting any help from him.

It wasn't even late yet, so Cheng Jing had no choice but to pull out his phone to reply to a message. Then he changed clothes, snagged the rescue team's district access cards, and headed out.