Chapter 39 16

Chapter 39 16

The episode didn’t let up until late at night, throwing all of Li Shang's plans into disarray.

A little past midnight, he got out of bed, rummaged for the small bag where he kept sugar, and dropped the ginger candy into it.

Then, he dragged himself into the shower. The hot water flowed over his body, finally washing away the day’s exhaustion.

Li Shang changed into clean clothes and walked into the kitchen. The room was dimly lit, and as he turned, his eyes landed on the fridge magnet on the refrigerator, immediately drawing his gaze.

He poured himself a glass of warm water and stood in front of the fridge.

The yellow one was stuck smack in the middle of the refrigerator door, with a glow-in-the-dark ring that stood out brightly in the deep night. He couldn’t help but reach out, touch it, and peel it off.

.

This fridge magnet was bought in Country S, and it was only allowed back into the country after a thorough customs inspection.

The International SWAT Challenge held in Country S was one he had attended with He Lin and a few other team members. At that time, He Lin had just joined the team for a little over a year. Aside from him and another member named Zhu Xiaonian, who were both newcomers, the rest were seasoned veterans.

Back then, Rong Qing was a bit worried that He Lin’s mental fortitude might not be strong enough to handle the pressure.

However, in the first few matches, He Lin performed remarkably well, even pulling off some astonishing, extraordinary plays thanks to his quick adaptability.

Later, there was an obstacle course shooting competition in a closed arena. Contestants had to enter one by one to shoot, and the results wouldn’t be announced until the very end.

As soon as He Lin stepped off the field, he sat in the rest area with a somber expression, letting out sigh after sigh.

Rong Qing asked him how it went, and He Lin replied in a somewhat dejected tone, "Captain, I didn't perform well this time."

Rong Qing had always been strict with his team members, meticulous during training, and a perfectionist.

But seeing He Lin beating himself up, he felt a slight softening in his heart and offered a few words of comfort. He reasoned, "After all, the competitors here are elites selected from various countries. No one can guarantee constant victory. Wins and losses are normal, and occasional mistakes are inevitable."

He Lin, however, didn’t seem comforted. His eyes looked somewhat downcast as he said, "I feel like one of my mistakes was inexcusable."

Rong Qing wasn’t great with pep talks. Worried that He Lin’s excessive self-blame might affect his subsequent performance, he reached out, gave He Lin’s shoulder a pat, and after a moment’s hesitation, said, "There are still more competitions ahead. If your score falls behind, you can make it up."

He Lin looked up, his gaze fixed intently on him.

Seeing his expression, Rong Qing couldn’t help but move his hand to He Lin’s head, ruffling his hair in a reassuring way. "I’ve got your back. Don’t worry, I’ll cover for you."

A while later, the results were displayed on the big screen, and the other team members began clapping and cheering.

Rong Qing looked up at the screen, and when he saw He Lin’s name at the very top in first place, even his usually calm demeanor showed a hint of astonishment.

He turned to look at He Lin’s barely suppressed grin and immediately understood.

Remembering how He Lin had just put on an act for him, Rong Qing suddenly felt the urge to hit someone. Without hesitation, he smacked He Lin upside the back of his head.

He Lin, having been hit, didn’t get angry. Instead, he just grinned back at him, the pride on his face impossible to hide. Rong Qing was certain that if He Lin had a tail at that moment, it would be wagging furiously.

In that competition, their team ultimately took first place overall, along with several individual first-place awards.

He Lin bought this fridge magnet at the airport on the way back home.

At the time, Zhu Xiaonian ribbed him, "You don’t even have a fridge. What are you buying a fridge magnet for?"

He Lin smiled back at Zhu Xiaonian and said, "I’ll get a fridge eventually, and a wife too."

Rong Qing caught that in the crowd but didn’t say anything, though he couldn’t help wondering what kind of wife this rascal would end up marrying.

He Lin indeed didn’t have a fridge of his own, so he turned around and slapped this fridge magnet on the refrigerator in Rong Qing’s apartment.

Aside from the dormitories, Tianning Base allocated each instructor and team leader a talent apartment nearby.

The place was just a five-minute walk from the base, making it very convenient.

Rong Qing occasionally slept there. Compared to the collective dormitory, the apartment had a small kitchen, and near the balcony in the living room, there was a refrigerator, giving it a somewhat homey feel.

It was originally his private space, but He Lin muscled his way in uninvited.

It started when the water heater in the apartment broke down while Rong Qing was away on a mission. Left with no choice, he had to call He Lin and ask him to wait at the apartment for the repair technician. He Lin readily agreed.

From then on, He Lin made it his second home, like a little dog staking his claim.

Not only did he help Rong Qing pick up packages, but he also took the initiative to clean his room. If he noticed any daily necessities missing from the apartment, he would buy them and bring them over.

After their outstanding performance in the international competition, Rong Qing agreed to reward the participating team members.

He Lin seized the opportunity to make a request: "Can you switch my rest days to Friday and Saturday? It’ll make it easier for me to meet up with friends here."

The SWAT members at the base all had duty and shift schedules. Previously, He Lin’s rest days were on Tuesday and Wednesday, both weekdays.

He had been nagging Rong Qing about changing his rest days for a long time.

Not long after joining the training team, He Lin began actively helping him out every day—sometimes fetching training equipment, sometimes preparing the training grounds, and cleaning up afterward. He was always busy, constantly underfoot.

Detachment Commander Shi at the base had a habit of holding meetings right before mealtimes, which often caused Rong Qing to miss lunch.

But after He Lin joined, whenever this happened, he would thoughtfully grab him a meal in advance and wait for Rong Qing to return.

He Lin’s actions made the other team leaders envious. When faced with less proactive team members, their go-to line became, "Look at He Lin from Dragon Flame—see how well he supports his leader."

Rong Qing once asked him what he wanted, and He Lin brought up this request.

However, Rong Qing had always been reluctant to make an exception for him and shot He Lin down three or four times.

Each time he was rejected, He Lin didn’t get angry. He just looked at him with puppy-dog eyes, appearing rather pitiful.

Rong Qing thought that after a few rejections, He Lin would give up, but he continued to help out diligently without a single complaint.

This time, when He Lin brought it up again, Rong Qing started to reconsider. As one of the key contributors to their competition success, adjusting his rest days didn’t seem like an unreasonable request.

His heart softened, and he agreed.

Then Rong Qing discovered that He Lin hadn’t changed his rest days to meet friends at all—after the adjustment, He Lin never once went out. Instead, their rest days completely overlapped.

Rong Qing didn’t know how to cook and didn’t like ordering takeout, so he usually made do with the cafeteria.

When He Lin found out, he smiled and said, "It’s rare to have a day off. I don’t really like eating at the cafeteria. Can I borrow your kitchen? I’ll whip up extra, and you can have some too—consider it the rent."

From then on, whenever they had time off, He Lin would head over to Rong Qing’s off-base apartment.

He would clean, wash vegetables, cook, do the dishes, and tidy up—handling everything from start to finish. Then, as dusk fell, he would head back to the dormitory on his own.

One evening, He Lin was buzzing around in the kitchen as usual. After cleaning up, he deliberately dawdled while washing the dishes. Rong Qing urged him several times, but He Lin wasn’t in a hurry, continuing at his own leisurely pace.

Rong Qing sat on the sofa, pretending not to notice that the floor had been polished to a shine by He Lin, and so had the dining table not far away.

He glanced up at the wall clock—the hour hand had quietly passed ten.

Rong Qing didn't urge He Lin again; he wanted to see just how much more work could possibly be left in the house.

There really wasn't any.

He Lin had exhausted all his tricks and had reached his limit. After washing the mop and putting it back in place, he returned to the living room only to see Rong Qing's amused smirk.

He Lin darted his eyes around and casually remarked, "These curtains could use a wash, don’t you think?"

With that, he moved to take down the living room curtains.

Rong Qing didn’t respond, merely glancing at He Lin a few more times. The eager man immediately settled down.

"You can leave now," Rong Qing said, tilting his head toward the door, essentially giving him the cue to leave. He then stood up, ready to retreat to his bedroom for the night.

"Oh, see you, Captain Rong."

Though he said goodbye, He Lin didn’t move an inch.

Rong Qing was irritated and turned around, intending to snap at him. But as he turned, he was met with a pair of large, bright eyes—pure and earnest, like a puppy’s.

Meeting those eyes, Rong Qing’s heart skipped a beat, and the words he had been about to say suddenly caught in his throat.

Seeing his silence, He Lin quickly spoke up: "Captain Rong, it’s pretty late tonight, and He Yuan’s snoring is earth-shattering. Could I just crash on your sofa for the night?"

His tone couldn’t have been more sincere. At that moment, He Lin stood between the living room and the entryway, half of his body cast in shadow.

Rong Qing couldn’t recall his exact expression then, only remembering those incredibly bright eyes filled with hope, brimming with emotions he wanted to see but didn’t dare acknowledge.

In that instant, Rong Qing, unusually, gave in—as if accepting He Lin’s flimsy excuse.

"Suit yourself."

After hurriedly tossing out those words, Rong Qing quickly retreated to his bedroom and closed the door.

Leaning against the door, his fingertips brushed over his suddenly racing heartbeat. It seemed things were gradually slipping out of control.

No, not really.

Rong Qing shook his head lightly, trying to dismiss the absurd thought. He was just a freshly weaned pup, after all. Besides, this was his home, his territory.

Everything should still be under his control.

And so, He Lin stayed.

Around 11 p.m. that night, after finishing his bedtime routine, Rong Qing was about to sleep when he suddenly felt his phone vibrate repeatedly. Puzzled, he picked it up and opened it, only to find that He Lin had sent him a series of unsent messages.

Rong Qing grew suspicious. He Lin was right in the living room; if he had something to say, why not just shout? Why send a message?

And why retract it after sending?

Rong Qing typed back: "What is it?"

He Lin didn’t reply.

With a cold expression, Rong Qing continued typing: "What did you send that I shouldn’t see? Why not just delete me? Why go through the trouble of retracting?"

After he challenged him, there was no reply from the other side.

Suddenly uneasy, Rong Qing got up to check.

He Lin was still awake, sitting quietly on the living room sofa, his eyes shining brightly in the darkness.

Rong Qing asked him, "Is something wrong?"

The moment the words left his mouth, He Lin suddenly lunged forward.

Rong Qing was standing opposite him, with the refrigerator right behind.

He Lin forcefully pinned him against the refrigerator, the sudden impact jolting Rong Qing’s body and causing his head to snap backward. Just as the back of his head was about to hit the fridge, He Lin swiftly reached out, cushioning the back of Rong Qing’s neck with his broad, warm palm.

At the same time, He Lin’s other arm wrapped around Rong Qing’s slender waist, pulling their bodies tightly together.

The distance between them closed in an instant.

Before Rong Qing could react, He Lin kissed him deeply.

In that moment, Rong Qing’s mind went blank. Everything around them seemed to fade away, leaving only He Lin’s scorching breath and passionate kiss.

Surrounded by He Lin’s unique scent, Rong Qing felt as though he were sinking into a gentle whirlpool.

Hesitating for a second, he slowly closed his eyes and kissed back, tilting his head upward.

The room was so quiet that only their intertwined breaths and racing heartbeats could be heard.

He Lin seemed to possess a primal instinct, particularly obsessed with the act of "biting."

His kisses were intimate yet aggressive.

After the kiss, he started again from Rong Qing’s forehead, slowly and meticulously kissing him—testing, claiming. Gradually, those tender, lingering kisses moved to his cheeks, his jaw, and also reached his slender neck and defined collarbones.

Rong Qing could feel He Lin’s lips gently grazing and lingering on his skin.

The sensation made him shiver. Rong Qing wrapped one arm around He Lin’s waist while the other cupped his face, guiding his head forward.

Their faces were inches apart, and Rong Qing could feel He Lin’s breath.

Looking directly into He Lin’s eyes, Rong Qing saw his own slightly dazed reflection in those deep, dark pupils.

In that instant, an intense possessiveness surged within Rong Qing.

This man before him—the one he had rescued from a freezing lake, the one he had fought for among the captains—wherever, whenever, inside or outside the team, through changing times, he should be Rong Qing’s.

He should, without a doubt, belong to him alone.