“W-what do you mean?” Shu Ning stammered. His heartbeat sped up. He felt like his heart was about to jump out of his throat.

Once he managed to spit it out, the rest was easy. 

Wei Mingzheng lowered his head and stared at Shu Ning’s face. His eyes were deep and gentle. “Do you not understand?”

Shu Ning’s cheeks gradually heated up. He shook his head and said, “I don’t understand.”

Then, he turned his head away. He didn’t have the nerve to look at him.

Wei Mingzheng took a deep breath. He said earnestly, “I like you, and I want to be your boyfriend. Do you understand now?” 

Although he had long since been prepared for this, it was different actually hearing it. Shu Ning’s face turned red, and his head felt dizzy. Countless emotions rushed into his heart. Surprise, joy, and uncontrollable panic.

“Are you serious?” he asked.

Wei Mingzheng said, “Do you need me to prove it?”

Shu Ning was panicky. “How are you going to prove it?”

Wei Mingzheng laughed. Suddenly, he stepped forward. Before Shu Ning had time to react, Wei Mingzheng tilted his face up and kissed him.

Shu Ning: “!”

His eyes went wide, and his body froze. He completely forgot to resist.

His mind went blank. 

Then, Wei Mingzheng let go of him. He cautiously observed Shu Ning’s expression and found that he was only surprised and overwhelmed, not disgusted. It was as if a huge weight on his heart had finally been removed.

“It seems like you don’t hate my kisses.”

Shu Ning came back to his senses. He subconsciously covered his mouth and backed away. “Are you crazy?”

Wei Mingzheng came even closer. Shu Ning stepped backwards once more. One advanced and one retreated before, finally, they ended up next to the bed. 

Shu Ning quickly put a hand against Wei Mingzheng’s chest. “Wait. Mingzheng, you’re joking, right?”

Wei Mingzheng grabbed his hand and said, one word at a time, “I wouldn’t joke around about this type of thing. I already know. You like me too, right?”

Startled, Shu Ning raised his head and blurted out, “How do you know?”

He was trying his best to hide it. How did Wei Mingzheng know that he liked him? 

The instant he realized what he said, Shu Ning’s face turned red. He wanted nothing more than to turn into a mouse on that very spot and burrow himself into hole.

Wei Mingzheng breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly snatched up the little mouse that was trying to escape. “It looks like you really do like me. Then, isn’t everything settled?”

Over the course of his repeated observations, he managed to confirm that Shu Ning seemed to be at least a little interested in him. Otherwise, he would have never confessed his feelings.

Even though he had finally decided to confess, his heart was still panicked. 

He has always been exhaustive in the way he did things. He would carefully plan every little detail from start to finish. No matter what investment he made, he was able to confidently handle everything in stride.

Today, however, he felt like he had gone back in time, back to when he didn’t know anything about the world. There was nothing he could do. He could only put his hopes on others and pray that they would take pity on him. He became a weak and helpless child. If Shu Ning were to reject him and push him away, he was sure to fall into a mire of unbearable pain.

Fortunately, god was merciful. The worst did not come to pass.

Wei Mingzheng’s heart suddenly calmed down. 

Shu Ning was still a little out of it. “Wait, what’s settled?”

“Our relationship.” Wei Mingzheng spoke as if it were a matter of course. “I like you, and you like me as well. Isn’t our relationship pretty much a done deal?”

Shu Ning: “…”

Huh. It seemed that he was right. 

Wei Mingzheng firmly held his shoulders. His hands were trembling slightly, but his voice remained calm and controlled. “Stop hesitating. It’s as simple as one plus one equals two. What are you hesitating for?”

Shu Ning was getting carried away by Wei Mingzheng’s confidence. He was starting to feel that Wei Mingzheng made a lot of sense. They both liked each other, so why was he hesitant?

“This…” He couldn’t find a reason to refute him right away.

Wei Mingzheng said solemnly, “Then it’s decided. From now on, I’m your boyfriend, and you’re my little boyfriend.” 

Shu Ning couldn’t say anything to refute him. His brain felt like mush. “Ah…”

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Wei Mingzheng couldn’t help it. He held Shu Ning’s face and gave him a deep kiss.

This kiss wasn’t like the previous kiss. The previous kiss was soft and tentative, but this one was deep and lingering. Of course, neither of them were very good at it, so it was a little rough.

“Hiss.” Shu Ning quickly pushed Wei Mingzheng away. 

This guy kissed like a wild beast. It was as if he wanted to swallow Shu Ning whole, causing him to hiss in pain.

Wei Mingzheng took two steps back, panting. He stared at Shu Ning like a wolf.

Shu Ning’s scalp tingled. He quietly backed up a bit.

After a while, Wei Mingzheng seemed to have regained his composure. His voice was husky and restrained. “I’ll head down first to greet the guests.” 

Then, he turned around and left the room.

Shu Ning: “…”

He stood in that messy bedroom for a while. It took quite a long time before he finally came back to his senses. Then, he held his head in his hands and silently screamed.

What did he just do! 

He actually agreed to be with Wei Mingzheng!

He and Wei Mingzheng were now in a relationship!

After realizing what had happened, Shu Ning plunged himself into the blankets. He didn’t have the guts to face the outside world.

During the entire birthday banquet, Shu Ning felt restless, especially when he was with Madam Wei or Wei Yuanning. He felt too guilty to even look at them. Talking to Cai Qin and Shu Jun made him uneasy as well 

How on earth was he supposed to explain his relationship with Wei Mingzheng to them!?

Once he was back in Chuzhou, Shu Ning was still uneasy. He didn’t have the guts to confess his relationship to Shu Jun and Cai Qin. When Wei Mingzheng came to visit, he noticed that Shu Ning had a lot on his mind and asked him about it.

After being repeatedly questioned, Shu Ning finally expressed his concerns. He asked that they not make their relationship public.

Wei Mingzheng was silent for a long time. Then, he nodded his head in agreement. 

As a result, they ended up hiding their relationship for an entire year.

During that year, the way Shu Ning and Wei Mingzheng got along with each other hadn’t changed much from before. The only difference was that Shu Ning no longer insisted on sleeping in separate rooms.

The most surprising thing was that, even though they lay on the same bed and slept together, nothing actually happened besides kissing.

After a while, Shu Ning became troubled. 

He had been the one to suggest keeping their relationship a secret. He had been the one to ask Wei Mingzheng not to do anything. He had been the one to demand that Wei Mingzheng maintain a certain distance when they were in front of others. However, Wei Mingzheng still behaved like this even when no one else was around, causing him to feel upset.

If the way they interacted didn’t change at all, then what was the difference between whether they dated or not?

What did Wei Mingzheng think of him? Did he mistake their friendship as love? Is that why he was able to remain indifferent while lying in the same bed as him?

Wei Mingzheng had never been in a relationship before. Shu Ning felt that it might be possible that he had made a mistake. 

What if he found someone he truly loved and wanted to break up with him?

They had been friends since childhood, and they were also godbrothers. They saw each other often. How awkward would that be?

For what felt like the nth time, he regretted going into this so quickly. He hadn’t thought about it carefully enough, and, now, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Wei Mingzheng noticed that Shu Ning was tossing and turning. He asked, “What’s the matter? Can’t sleep?” 

Shu Ning stopped. Then, he summoned up his courage and hesitantly asked, “Mingzheng, were we a little too hasty about getting into a relationship?”

The dark room fell silent.

After a while, Wei Mingzheng asked, “Do you regret it?”

Shu Ning was taken aback. 

Before he was able to come with an answer, Wei Mingzheng patted his head and said, “Don’t think too much. It’s late. Go to sleep.”

Shu Ning didn’t know how to ask Wei Mingzheng about how he truly felt, so he just closed his eyes.

Wei Mingzheng could hear soft snores from beside him, but he didn’t feel sleepy. He reached out his hand and gently stroked the face of the person in his arms. He was afraid of waking him up, so he quickly pulled back and smiled helplessly.

Shu Ning’s hesitation and regret was very obvious. It was especially clear to him the past few days. Shu Ning kept hesitating about saying something. Shu Ning was also absent-minded when he was with him. 

Wei Mingzheng knew that he was hesitating and regretting, but he pretended not to know.

As long as Shu Ning didn’t mention breaking up, he would just pretend not to know.

Shu Ning had a soft personality. He probably didn’t mention anything about breaking up because of their long relationship with each other.

Wei Mingzheng decided to play ostrich and stick his head in the sand. He didn’t want to know, and he didn’t want to see. He would try to get along with him the same as before. 

He just hoped that this self-deceiving happiness could last a little longer…

He made sure that the other person was asleep.

Then, Wei Mingzheng gently pressed a kiss on his forehead.

In a blink of an eye, it was Shu Ning’s eighteenth birthday. It had already been more than a year since the two of them established their relationship. 

Shu Ning didn’t make any big arrangements for his eighteenth birthday. He only invited a few good friends to celebrate at home. He decided to disclose his relationship with Wei Mingzheng to his good friends.

That evening, they all met up for skewers at their usual barbecue place.

“Come on! Let’s congratulate our birthday boy on finally becoming an adult!” Long Qiao cheered.

Wang Shenshen said, “Come, come, come! Let’s go for another round!” 

They had already gone for a round of drinks at noon. Now, they were making another round of toasts.

The streets were noisy, and the smell of barbecue wafted around.

Shu Ning drank two bottles of beer. Suddenly, he felt as if he had an infinite amount of courage and said, “There’s something I need to tell you guys.”

“Ah? What is it?” Wang Shenshen opened another bottle of beer. 

Long Qiao and Song Nian were eating skewers.

Shu Ning took advantage of the alcohol and grabbed the villain’s hand. Then, he raised their clasped hands and said, “Wei Mingzheng and I are together.”

“Oh.” Wang Shenshen took a swig of beer.

Long Qiao kept stuffing his face. 

Song Nian complained, “I ordered the chicken wings! Can you please have some shame?”

Long Qiao retorted, “Can’t I eat what you ordered?”

While the two of them were arguing, Wang Shenshen took the last chicken wing.

Shu Ning: “…” 

He suspected that the three of them didn’t hear him, so he weakly repeated himself, “Wei Mingzheng and I are together. We’re dating.”

“Isn’t this just a waste of words?” Long Qiao said unhappily, “Didn’t the two of you get together a long time ago?”

Shu Ning was taken aback. “You already knew?”

He subconsciously turned his head to look at Wei Mingzheng. 

Wei Mingzheng recovered from the shock of Shu Ning’s sudden coming out. He pushed down his excitement and quickly declared his innocence, “I wasn’t me who told them.”

“Didn’t you get together right after middle school?” Song Nian said.

Shu Ning was taken aback once again. “We weren’t together back then…”

“So you guys got together in your first year of high school?” Long Qiao asked. “Either way, it’s close enough. You guys were always super close, so it was a matter of time. Weren’t you guys always dropping hints?” 

“Hints? What hints?” Shu Ning was dumbfounded.

Wang Shenshen was stunned. “When you just got back from Beijing, you were always talking about Mingzheng ge. You would talk about how good he is or how amazing he is or how well he treats you or how close you guys are. Weren’t you implying that the two of you are in a relationship?”

Shu Ning: “…”

Shu Ning: “I didn’t…” 

His voice sounded a little weak.

“You guys were already like that. It’d be weirder if you weren’t dating,” Wang Shenshen said.

The other two nodded.

Shu Ning was incredibly embarrassed. He turned to look at Wei Mingzheng, only to find him staring at him with a smile. “It turns out you were complimenting me about how good I am while I wasn’t there.” 

Shu Ning blushed. He quickly took a sip of beer to cover up his embarrassment.

He had struggled for a long time before he finally mustered up the courage to come out. However, everyone else had already come to the conclusion that he and Wei Mingzheng were together?

In other words, Wang Shenshen, Long Qiao, and Song Nian had already noticed that there was something going on between them. Was it possible that Cai Cai and Dad already knew? Did they not notice anything at all?

Shu Ning was in a good mood, so he ended up drinking a lot. His brain was completely muddled by the alcohol. 

Wei Mingzheng carried him into the car, carried him back to his room, and gently put him on the bed.

Just as he was about to get up, Shu Ning grabbed onto his clothes and yelled, “Wei Mingzheng, why haven’t you touched me even after all this time? Am I your boyfriend or not?”

Wei Mingzheng, who was about to change his clothes, was completely stunned.

Shu Ning grabbed Wei Mingzheng’s collar. His eyes slowly turned red. “You don’t like me at all, do you?” 

“I’m telling you right now! You’re not going to get rid of me! I’ve already come out of the closet today! If you dump me, don’t even think about staying in this friend circle!”

“Tomorrow…Tomorrow, I’ll tell my parents! I’ll tell them that we’re together! If you break up with me, you’re not going to have godparents anymore!”

After roaring at Wei Mingzheng for a long time, he suddenly started weeping quietly. His voice was soft. “Don’t fall in love with someone else, okay?”

Wei Mingzheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. His heart softened. He held Shu Ning’s face and said, “What are you talking about? I like you. I’m not going to fall in love with someone else.” 

“Really?”

“Really.”

Shu Ning didn’t believe it. “Then how come you won’t touch me?”

Wei Mingzheng rubbed his eyebrows. He looked at the silly expression on Shu Ning’s face and sighed helplessly. “Weren’t you the one who told me not to try anything?” 

Shu Ning fumed, “So if I don’t let you touch me, you really won’t touch me?”

Wei Mingzheng: “…”

He pinched Shu Ning’s face and leaned into his ear. “I really want to. I’ve always wanted to.”

Shu Ning’s face slowly turned red. 

Actually, he wasn’t completely drunk. He was just borrowing some liquid courage to say everything he had been wanting to say.

“If you don’t believe me, you can come and check.” Wei Mingzheng grabbed his hand and brought it further down.

Shu Ning flung his hand away in a panic. He pretended to be drunk and threw himself into the bed.

Wei Mingzheng chuckled lightly and got up to grab some clothes. 

Shu Ning buried his face in the blanket. After a while, he foolishly giggled to himself.

“Change your clothes.”

Wei Mingzheng walked over with the clothes.

Shu Ning pretended to be drunk. 

“Shu Ning?” Wei Mingzheng called out to him.

Shu Ning didn’t respond.

“Shu Ning?” Wei Mingzheng called out again.

Shu Ning still didn’t move. 

Wei Mingzheng leaned into his ear and said softly, “I love you.”