Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Jiang Jining is very guarded around strangers.

People he actively chooses to befriend must have a very pure energy.

Bian Jiacheng really had nothing left to say.

"You could've said so earlier. I thought you two were excluding me."

He just disliked white radish; he wasn't deliberately picking a fight.

Xi Wang didn't seem well-off. What did his ex-boyfriend say last time... all he did was work, and he had a father bedridden with paralysis, right?

Bian Jiacheng started keeping tabs again.

Fu Yuze, seeing him like this, asked, "Wanna get to know him?"

"No need." Bian Jiacheng wasn't sure if Xi Wang had noticed him watching the drama up close that day. Since this was someone Jiang Jining wanted to befriend, he had to save face for him and not make things awkward. "Let's go."

Just as Fu Yuze turned to leave, Bian Jiacheng doubled back. "He seems to have a congenital heart condition. I remember Shishu arranges annual health check-ups and basic insurance for its employees?"

I thought you didn't know him? Fu Yuze gave him a questioning look but still answered, "Yes."

"Just giving you a heads-up." Bian Jiacheng pocketed his hands and left.

Fu Yuze intended to get the kitten.

But upon turning around, Jiang Jining had already rushed over, saying, "Let's give him a ride home."

Xi Wang, backpack slung over his shoulder, heard the last part and quickly declined.

"It's no trouble." Fu Yuze habitually stroked from Jiang Jining's hair down to his back and said to Xi Wang, "Welcome to Shishu."

"Thank you, Head Chef."

Xi Wang bowed deeply.

Having such easygoing bosses filled him with enthusiasm and confidence for his future work.

The address Xi Wang provided was a local nursing home. Fu Yuze was responsible for dropping him off, all the while holding the kitten's paw, listening to Jiang Jining's soft, detailed account of their earlier conversation.

Fu Yuze freely shared his and Bian Jiacheng's exchange.

The two analyzed and gossiped as they went.

Jiang Jining was happy that those closest to him approved of the first friend he'd made since arriving. Getting carried away in the conversation, he lifted and dropped his feet on the cashmere rug.

Arriving at Xieting—

The car stopped only at the front garden courtyard.

As soon as the seatbelt clicked open, Jiang Jining was hauled in by the waist into a kiss that was both domineering and tender, sweeping over his soft lips and pearly teeth.

Fu Yuze was kissing him again.

Jiang Jining had some habits a lot like a kitten's, like becoming very docile once his neck was held. Now he'd gotten smarter, knowing to leave time to catch his breath, but he still couldn't control his blushing and the shy physical reactions.

Wait...

Jiang Jining had that unpleasant feeling again.

He shifted his legs uncomfortably, afraid of dirtying the car seat, but at this moment, pulling away from Fu Yuze felt even more torturous, so he chose to endure quietly.

Not long after.

A familiar electric sensation traveled from his spine to his brain.

"Distracted again?" Fu Yuze wiped the glistening trace from the corner of his mouth with his thumb, listening to Jiang Jining's slightly unsteady breathing, and slowly rubbed his shoulder to soothe him. "Let's go. I'll accompany you back for a nap."

Jiang Jining was still keenly sensing the changes in his body and didn't move.

However, Fu Yuze was already accustomed to his delicateness. After getting out of the car, he opened the passenger door, making as if to carry him.

He really needed it.

Jiang Jining needed enough time to confirm this—

Had his heat cycle become completely disrupted, or was it because he'd been intimate with Fu Yuze too many times recently?

Thinking of this layer, Jiang Jining felt somewhat guilty blaming it all on Fu Yuze. He himself wasn't much better. To test both possibilities, he put one foot out of the car first.

He was almost as soft as noodles...

In Fu Yuze's memory, this wasn't the first time he'd experienced this scene. Quick as lightning, he caught Jiang Jining, expecting him to say it wasn't good for others to see. Unexpectedly, Jiang Jining was already clinging to him, saying, "Carry me."

Fu Yuze complied readily.

Entering the house went smoothly. Uncle Lu and Aunt Tao didn't come specifically to greet them, probably having noticed from the surveillance when the car arrived at the front area, not wanting to make Jiang Jining feel shy or uncomfortable.

Passing straight through the main building—

Jiang Jining tightened his arms around Fu Yuze's neck and whispered to him, "I want to go to your room."

Fu Yuze wasn't surprised.

Jiang Jining seemed to appreciate his bedding.

Every time he claimed it was to alleviate his "lovesickness," he almost ended up comfortably falling asleep several times.

By the time they were going upstairs, Jiang Jining had already begun the first wave of heat, unconsciously burying his face in the crook of Fu Yuze's neck. While his rationality remained, he said to him solemnly, "...I have another secret."

Fu Yuze entered the room and, hearing this, locked the door behind him. "Then we won't let others hear."

Jiang Jining clearly felt his cheeks gradually reddening, starting to feel feverish. The moment his bottom touched the bed, he actively and swiftly pressed his face against the back of Fu Yuze's hand.

Now you can feel it.

"So hot?"

Fu Yuze frowned heavily.

He hadn't noticed while carrying Jiang Jining on his back through clothes. Now, touching all the exposed skin, it was almost like a furnace. Jingzhou's temperature was quite cool after autumn; it definitely shouldn't be like this.

Jiang Jining's constitution was too weak.

Fu Yuze pulled him into his arms to feel his face, his eyes full of concern about how he could have developed such a fever in such a short time.

"This happens to me every month." Not wanting him to worry, Jiang Jining pulled his hand down and said, "Do you remember that time before when I came to swim, and you took me home, I was weak with high fever... and kissed you?"

Even with amnesia, one could never forget a first kiss.

"Every month?"

Fu Yuze's mind worked fast, but he hadn't yet made the deeper connection—or perhaps he subconsciously didn't dare to think that far. With that hint, he understood immediately. "Does this happen to everyone where you're from?"

"Only a few men experience it." Jiang Jining pressed down with a bit of force, taking the momentum to press him onto the bed. Though his face was flushed, his words were bold: "...Around the end of each month, I lose my appetite, my body heats up, I feel weak, and if I don't relieve it, I become uncomfortable. My underwear also keeps getting stained."

Fu Yuze's gaze darkened inch by inch.

Was it what he thought it was?

Jiang Jining had said all he could. The rest... To prove he wasn't making it up, he pursed his lips and guided Fu Yuze's hand to his warm lower abdomen and the small of his back.

He should believe him now, right?

The next moment, Jiang Jining's mind went blank. He jerked his head up to look at Fu Yuze, his eyelashes trembling uncontrollably. He saw Fu Yuze maintaining a calm expression as he met his gaze, but his hand withdrew from the safe zone of his abdomen.

He actually...

Jiang Jining squeezed his eyes shut and burrowed into his embrace.

It was his first time experiencing this. He was so scared he didn't dare move, his scalp tingling... All his senses felt on the verge of collapse, as if he too had melted into a puddle.

A moment later, he saw his secret laid bare.

Fu Yuze found it hard to describe his own feelings.

...

This was incredible.

Jiang Jining's existence truly drove him mad.

"Wait a moment." Fu Yuze heard his own voice grow hoarse as he tucked the person into the blankets and kissed him. "I'll be right back."

Jiang Jining lowered his eyes in confusion, still dazed.

He had been thoroughly explored.

Fu Yuze hadn't followed his hint to just touch his stomach. Instead, he had mischievously explored every inch of him, front and back, leaving nothing untouched. Even the things Jiang Jining hadn't spoken aloud, he now knew...

Jiang Jining felt a gentle stroke on his head.

He looked up, eyes dazed.

"It's okay, A Ning." Seeing him curled up like a bewildered little animal, Fu Yuze restrained his inner impulses and removed his hairpin, letting his dark hair cascade down like a beautiful painting. He soothed him once more: "I'll go draw the curtains."

Jiang Jining gave a soft "mm."

He watched as Fu Yuze picked up his phone nearby. Turning his back to draw the white gauze curtains, he faintly made a call, asking someone to bring something over.

Jiang Jining saw clearly how Fu Yuze's slender, distinct fingers—the same ones that had touched him earlier—lightly rubbed together. The afternoon light streaming in fell exactly on his fingertips...

Glistening, sticky.

Jiang Jining's ears flushed so red they seemed about to drip blood, yet his eyes were filled with utter confusion. He didn't understand why Fu Yuze's attitude had done a complete 180-degree turn after he shared his secret...

There were no boys here with the same constitution as him. Did Fu Yuze think he was strange?

Jiang Jining's mind and body were at war.

It was getting hotter and hotter...

Even the oxygen molecules in the air felt like catalysts.

The bed carried familiar scents and a sense of security. Jiang Jining tried his best not to appear too disheveled, calming the excessive heat brought on by his unease. Soon, he saw Fu Yuze walk toward the door.

Jiang Jining sniffled softly.

Was he leaving?

Indeed, secrets shouldn't be shared so casually. He had forgotten Bian Han's warnings when facing Fu Yuze. Now, he was like a little hedgehog turned belly-up, stripped of its shell, exposed for others to laugh at.

He should have hidden himself better.

Lost in his chaotic thoughts—

Jiang Jining clung to the only effective lifeline.

He was pulled into an embrace around the waist. Before he could react, he was already lying against Fu Yuze's chest. He realized the man before him had changed into a set of pajamas at some point and was now checking on him even more gently.

"What should I do?"

Fu Yuze kissed his burning ear, having memorized every detail: "That time before, when you suddenly got feverish and then cooled down—was it because you took care of it yourself in the bathroom while I was making ginger tea?"

Jiang Jining gave an almost imperceptible nod.

"Alright, I understand." Fu Yuze undid his first button. Only after sensing Jiang Jining didn't resist did he stroke his watery eyes, noting even his eyelids felt abnormally warm. "You can close your eyes if you want."

Jiang Jining couldn't speak.

He didn't understand how someone could know so much. Fu Yuze seemed capable of everything, even mastering knowledge he'd never been taught, all while helping him review his lessons.