Chu Lai had very few pleasant experiences when it came to kissing. When Cen Wei asked him about it, he seriously thought for a moment and confidently answered, “Last time with you… it felt really good.”

Cen Wei: “Which time was the last time?”

Chu Lai: “The time in the car.”

He remembered it clearly, but when he spoke, he didn’t dare look at Cen Wei.

The room was dimly lit, and the two were close together. When they spoke, the vibrations in their chests were very noticeable. Cen Wei softly responded, “Me too.”

“Not just last time, but also the time before that.”

They had only kissed twice. The first time, what was supposed to be a teaching session almost turned into something more on the couch, causing Cen Wei to flee in a panic. The second time was in the car, with rain pouring down outside the windows. Chu Lai’s heart felt bitter, filled with worries about their future separation.

Now, feeling Cen Wei’s warmth, Chu Lai experienced the same overwhelming sense of security that he had felt when they first met. Cen Wei didn’t push him but respected every decision he made. Even the atmosphere at home made Chu Lai happy. Though Cen Wei didn’t use sweet words like Shen Quanzhang once had, the small details he took care of gave Chu Lai the greatest comfort.

Chu Lai: “The time before last?”

Cen Wei nodded, holding Chu Lai tightly as he softly said, “Lai Lai, you really made things tough for me.”

Chu Lai recalled the kiss on the couch that day and whispered, “How did I make things tough for you? I was the one who was embarrassed.”

Cen Wei: “Really? I was afraid you’d be angry.”

Chu Lai wrapped his arms around Cen Wei’s neck, pressing his face against it. His voice was soft: “I wasn’t angry, I just…”

He sniffed, his breath brushing against Cen Wei’s skin, making him tense up even more.

Chu Lai’s words, though light, made Cen Wei even more restless.

Cen Wei: “Really?”

Chu Lai nodded. “But… I haven’t done this in a long time, so I’m kind of scared to do this kind of thing.”

The desire that day came out of nowhere, making Chu Lai feel like he had tightly shut a door, but Cen Wei still managed to nudge it open just a crack. This man, though tall and cold in appearance, had a gentle personality, even opening doors slowly and softly—unaware that this made it feel like a slow and meticulous form of torment.

Cen Wei: “Then we won’t do it.”

“Lai Lai, does this mean you’ve accepted my confession?”

The way Cen Wei held him was exactly how Chu Lai liked it. His warm palm stroked through Chu Lai’s pajamas in a way that reminded him of petting a large cat.

Chu Lai closed his eyes. “No, I haven’t.”

It wasn’t the first time Cen Wei noticed how stubborn Chu Lai could be. He teased back: “Then what is this?”

Chu Lai: “Pre-sale?”

Cen Wei laughed out loud, finding Chu Lai’s mumbling so cute that he rubbed his cheek against his.

Unable to stand Cen Wei’s nuzzling, Chu Lai leaned in and kissed him.

The kiss was casual, almost half-hearted, as if to say, “This should be enough, right?”

Cen Wei: “Is that it?”

Chu Lai turned his head slightly. “Mm-hmm.”

Cen Wei didn’t say anything. Thinking he wasn’t satisfied, Chu Lai was about to lean in for another kiss when he was pulled into a much more intense embrace. Cen Wei’s kiss was far more passionate.

But unfortunately, Cen Wei had no real kissing skills.

In the end, Chu Lai had to remind him, “Don’t bite—it hurts.”

He patted Cen Wei’s back as a reminder, but Cen Wei’s pajamas were so smooth that just touching them made Chu Lai feel ticklish. The one holding him seemed to tremble slightly. The next second, any words Chu Lai was about to say were swallowed up as Cen Wei pried his lips apart, pushing him back bit by bit.

When Chu Lai finally caught his breath, he couldn’t help but ask, “Wait, don’t you already know how to kiss?”

Cen Wei: “Do I?”

Still not giving up, he asked, “Does it hurt?”

Chu Lai’s lips bore the marks of Cen Wei’s kisses, visible even in the dim light. Cen Wei, clearly frustrated, muttered, “It’s my fault…”

Before he could finish, Chu Lai interrupted, “Let me teach you again.”

And so he did, though Chu Lai hadn’t expected a simple kiss to last well into the night. The next day, when he went out with Liu Yuan, he had no choice but to wear a mask.

Liu Yuan had invited him out to visit a capsule toy store for a popular IP. Even though they had already graduated years ago, Liu Yuan still had a strong desire to win in things like this.

Liu Yuan: “Why are you wearing a mask? There’s no wind indoors, is there?”

He fiddled with his phone, ordering a co-branded soda, then noticed a popular game in the area and said to Chu Lai, “I saw your stream yesterday.”

Chu Lai: “What?”

Liu Yuan noticed how out of it he seemed and found it odd. “I saw you log off after 1 AM. Don’t tell me you stayed up all night playing another game?”

“Take it easy, man. People say that after 25, your body starts to decline. Even if we’re zero, we still need to take care of ourselves.”

Chu Lai: “I just didn’t sleep well.”

Liu Yuan: “Your voice sounds hoarse too. Did you catch a cold?”

He didn’t suspect anything. Chu Lai, after all, didn’t look like someone involved in anything risqué. Back in school, when Chu Lai had just started dating, Liu Yuan would ask for details, but now, at most, he would just tease Cen Wei when he came to pick Chu Lai up, saying they acted like a perfectly respectful couple.

But he had no idea that this “respectful couple” had already torn up their agreement. One had confessed, and the other was in a trial period. They were on the verge of crossing lines they once thought impossible, with any hint of frigidity melting away.

In fact, “frigidity” had nothing to do with it—they were close to reaching the level of a raging inferno.

Chu Lai had never kissed anyone this many times before. By the time morning came, he didn’t even want to see Cen Wei.

To his credit, Cen Wei was quite considerate, only acting as his driver when it was time to go out. Both of them had stayed up until dawn, but while one was full of energy, the other was barely holding on.

Chu Lai hadn’t even wanted to come out today. If not for the fact that he had already promised Liu Yuan and that there was a limited-edition capsule toy he wanted, he wouldn’t have bothered.

Feigning nonchalance, Chu Lai said, “What else could it be?”

After speaking, he went to exchange tokens for the game. The place was huge, and there were a lot of students, some even taking pictures in front of the standees.

Liu Yuan assumed Chu Lai was just tired and let out a soft “oh.” “But the game you streamed last night is really popular. The part where you and President Cen were bug-testing got screenshotted, and people tagged the developers. There were so many retweets, and the developers actually fixed the bug!”

Chu Lai hadn’t even had time to check. At breakfast, the whole table was focused on him, and Cen Jianzun almost burst out laughing, only to be lightly slapped by Grandma Hong.

Chu Lai: “I haven’t beaten it yet. This game is hard. The speedrunners are insane.”

Liu Yuan: “You’re the only one who doesn’t scream on stream. My favorite streamer screams so much, it almost gave me a headache.”

He grabbed a drink and handed it to Chu Lai. After the two of them spent over a hundred coins on capsule toys, they finally sat down to open them. Only then did Chu Lai take off his mask to drink some water.

Liu Yuan gasped, staring at Chu Lai’s swollen, red lips in shock. “What the…?”

Chu Lai silently continued opening the capsule toys. “Don’t ask. I have my pride.”

Liu Yuan pursed his lips. “You’re making it really hard for me not to ask.”

Chu Lai: “It’s exactly what you’re thinking.”

Liu Yuan suddenly felt a bit awkward. “You two went at it all night, and here I am dragging you out…”

Chu Lai almost choked on his water. He waved his hand. “No…”

He wasn’t used to being as straightforward as Liu Yuan. “Well, uh…”

Liu Yuan: “So you two, uh…?”

He gestured to Chu Lai’s lips. “With… this?”

Liu Yuan watched as Chu Lai blushed from his neck all the way up to his ears. “Wow, you’re so innocent. It’s not like it’s your first relationship.”

Then, lowering his voice, he asked, “Is he better than Shen Quanzhang?”

Chu Lai couldn’t take it anymore. After taking a few deep breaths, he said, “It’s not like that.”

His friend, however, was much more excited than he was, not caring at all about the truth. “I’m glad to hear that. I was worried you’d let such a prime opportunity slip by. It would be a waste to just have a trial period with such a catch.”

Liu Yuan thought back to the meal at Xunxi, recalling how Cen Wei had looked at Chu Lai.

Feelings were often clearer to those watching from the outside. At first, Liu Yuan had worried that Chu Lai had rushed into marriage too hastily, but looking at it from another angle, wasn’t this a match made in heaven?

Lately, Chu Lai seemed happier than before.

Chu Lai: “It’s not like you’re imagining. He just said he liked me.”

Liu Yuan: “And you? Do you like him?”

Chu Lai: “I do, but it’s just…”

Liu Yuan’s eyes widened. “Just what? Don’t tell me he’s all looks but no substance?”

Chu Lai shook his head. “It’s my problem.”

Liu Yuan sighed in relief. “Then it’s not a big deal.”

Chu Lai was too tired to argue. He frowned slightly. “I don’t dislike Cen Wei. I’m curious about his past.”

Before Liu Yuan could respond, Chu Lai added, “But I still don’t want to…”

Liu Yuan immediately understood. “Just take it slow.”

Chu Lai: “Do you think we could just stay like this, without doing… that?”

He looked at Liu Yuan earnestly, who was munching on ice. “I couldn’t do it. When I’m in a relationship, I want to stick to my partner every day. You two are really different. The fact that you’re together at all is kind of amazing.”

“No one says there’s a rule for how relationships should be. Let me ask you, though—he’s not actually frigid, is he?”

Chu Lai nodded.

Liu Yuan let out a soft “oh.” “Then just take your time. I think your aversion to this probably has something to do with Shen Quanzhang.”

He remembered something and mentioned it to Chu Lai. “You know my boyfriend runs a bar, right? The other day I went to help out and ran into this guy who just got back from studying abroad. The more I looked at him, the more familiar he seemed, so I checked some old photos you sent me.”

Chu Lai: “What photos?”

Liu Yuan: “The ones from the day you caught Shen Quanzhang cheating.”

“That guy was Shen Quanzhang’s lover.”

Liu Yuan chuckled. “He said he was the one being two-timed and that Shen Quanzhang was terrible in bed. I still remember it clearly. It cracked me up.”

He told Chu Lai, “Don’t let scumbags like him mess with your judgment.”

“It’s normal to ask for what you want from your partner. If you draw a clear line between things, that’s not a relationship—that’s a business deal.”

People bustled around them as Liu Yuan gave an impassioned speech. Meanwhile, Chu Lai was staring out the window, at the mall’s outer corridor.

Chu Lai saw someone familiar and Liu Yuan asked, “What are you looking at?”

Before Chu Lai could stop him, Liu Yuan rushed out.

At that moment, Cen Wei called, asking what time Chu Lai would be done so he could pick him up.

Through the glass, Chu Lai watched as Liu Yuan kicked his boyfriend, sending him flying. After a few seconds of silence, Chu Lai said seriously, “I don’t think I’ll be back anytime soon.”

Security had already arrived.

By the time Cen Wei reached the hospital, he ran into Jiang Liyong.

His half-brother’s lover had been beaten to a pulp by Liu Yuan, and Jiang Liyong was here to enjoy the show.

Chu Lai, still wearing a mask, was patting Liu Yuan’s back to calm him down. On the hospital bed lay the battered man, his face bruised, head bandaged, and leg in a cast, suspended high up in the air. It wasn’t clear if it was broken or just fractured. Next to him sat a sobbing college student.

Hesitantly, Cen Wei turned to Jiang Liyong. “He did this alone?”

Jiang Liyong never liked his illegitimate brother, and even though he was an orthopedic doctor and his brother was his patient, it didn’t stop him from smiling. “Who else? I wouldn’t be surprised if your new husband is some secret martial arts champion or something. His temper is off the charts.”

Cen Wei shook his head. “I wouldn’t cheat.”

Jiang Liyong was briefly stunned. “I wasn’t even asking about that.”

Then, the next moment, Cen Wei handed him a wedding invitation.

These days, high-end invitations were as fancy as gift boxes, but in this setting, it seemed rather strange.

Noticing that Cen Wei was in a good mood, Jiang Liyong asked, “Did you come here just to deliver this, or was it on the way?”

“It was in the car. My mom wanted me to drop it off at the company tomorrow.”

The bespectacled doctor let out a soft “oh.” “So it really was on the way.”

He kept glancing at Chu Lai, then asked, “You two aren’t still sleeping in separate beds, are you?”

Cen Wei shook his head. “We’re together.”

Recalling the lost look on Cen Wei’s face that night, Jiang Liyong asked, “You two made up?”

“Weren’t you on a trial period?”

But Cen Wei felt confident. Sharing a bed and kissing was the first step in gaining Chu Lai’s trust. Smiling, he said, “He’ll choose me.”

The experienced-looking man beside him, who in fact had never really been in a relationship, glanced at the shy young man handing tissues to Liu Yuan. “Why are you suddenly so confident?”

Cen Wei nodded. “It’s because the person I like gave it to me.”

Kisses, touches, hugs, sweet words—Cen Wei had never imagined he’d spend an entire night proving something.

Some things, it seemed, came naturally. The only condition was…

That the person was someone he liked.

Jiang Liyong, thoroughly dazzled by the display of affection, couldn’t help but think he was an idiot for offering psychological counseling to Cen Wei that night. He asked, “Did you two do a premarital checkup?”

The question came out of nowhere, and for a moment, Cen Wei was stunned. Jiang Liyong raised his eyebrows knowingly. “You said before…”

Before he could finish, Cen Wei understood. “No issues.”

And he received a meaningful “oh” in response.

Just then, Cen Wei’s phone rang—it was Xuan Rongqing, urging them to come home for dinner.

He looked over at Chu Lai, who still had Liu Yuan leaning on his shoulder, and from his angle, he could see that Cen Wei was frequently glancing his way.

Liu Yuan, with his long hair and flamboyant highlights, let out a breath. “You can go. No need to stay with me.”

Chu Lai handed him another tissue. “It’s fine, but you really beat him up badly…”

“His mom…”

Chu Lai had heard Liu Yuan complain about his boyfriend’s difficult parents before. In this respect, they were both in the same boat.

At this point, Liu Yuan wiped his nose hard. The fierceness from earlier had completely melted away, leaving behind a pitiful expression. But before he could say anything, the sound of high heels clicking approached from the distance.

His boyfriend’s mom had arrived.

She had curly hair, a great figure, and looked way too young to have a son this old.

She approached with an aggressive air. Chu Lai was about to say something when Liu Yuan jumped up and ran over to Jiang Liyong, clinging to his arm before the woman could get close.

He even pushed Cen Wei aside in the process, who quietly took a seat next to Chu Lai and whispered, “What’s going on?”

Chu Lai’s social circle was small, mostly just classmates, with Liu Yuan being his only real friend.

As for Cen Wei, aside from his business contacts, the people closest to him were already married—like Shen Yangxu—or single, like Jiang Liyong, who had a complicated family background.

The private hospital room was spacious, but the man on the bed looked pitiful.

The woman stormed in, ready to confront Liu Yuan, but he quickly latched onto Jiang Liyong.

She was already intimidated by Jiang Liyong. Even though she had married into the Jiang family, she was still afraid of this eldest son from the first marriage. She swallowed her words.

Taking advantage of the moment, Liu Yuan made a gesture to Chu Lai, signaling for him to leave.

Jiang Liyong, who had come to watch the drama unfold, suddenly found himself part of the spectacle. Even after they got into the car, Chu Lai was still surprised that Jiang Liyong hadn’t pushed Liu Yuan away.

He asked Cen Wei, “When were you classmates with Dr. Jiang?”

“From kindergarten to elementary school.”

Chu Lai then thought of Yuan Chen, whom they’d bumped into the other night. “What about Mr. Yuan?”

“From kindergarten to middle school.”

Chu Lai let out a soft “oh” then glanced at Cen Wei again. “Is something wrong?”

Chu Lai couldn’t help but remark, “They say being a doctor is hard, but why do I feel like you’ve matured so much more than them?”

Cen Wei understood the underlying meaning—he was saying he looked old.

Feeling rather defeated, he recalled how Chu Lai had bluntly said he wasn’t his ideal type and softly muttered, “So you like someone like Jiang Liyong, huh?”

Chu Lai was scrolling through his Weibo DMs when he heard this. “Huh? Why would you say that?”

Cen Wei: “Isn’t that your type?”

Even his jaw was clenched, and the way he gripped the steering wheel suggested he was exerting a lot of effort, though he still managed to keep a calm expression.

Chu Lai struggled to hold back his laughter, deliberately replying with a soft “mm-hmm.”

Cen Wei’s mood dropped even further. Glancing at the mask still on Chu Lai’s face, he asked, “Isn’t that uncomfortable, wearing a mask?”

The passenger beside him replied, “It is.”

“Then why did you kiss me so hard? Liu Yuan almost mistook it for…”

Chu Lai couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence, trailing off awkwardly. Cen Wei hadn’t yet caught on. “For what?”

After a long silence, as they rounded a corner, Cen Wei glanced at him. In the twilight, Chu Lai removed his mask, his shyness written all over his face.

His lips were still quite red, though the swelling had gone down. They didn’t look quite normal.

The sensation of their kiss from the previous night hit Cen Wei again. He understood but pretended not to, saying, “Next time, I’ll be gentler.”

“But… you’re the one who said it didn’t matter, that a kiss should be even stronger than a hug.”

Chu Lai didn’t say anything.

Cen Wei: “What about tonight?”

Chu Lai: “No kissing.”

Cen Wei hummed softly. “I still have to stop by the workshop tonight.”

Curious, Chu Lai asked, “Can I come?”

Cen Wei nodded. “Of course.”

He called out, “Lai Lai,” and said, “You can tell me directly if you want something.”

“As long as it’s within my power.”

After his father’s death, Chu Lai had always adhered to the principle of not troubling others and not letting others trouble him.

Put simply, he just wanted to handle things on his own. Any desires or hopes were pushed down. But now, he felt an overwhelming sense of indulgence.

He lowered his gaze to his phone screen, where a draft for a new Weibo post was waiting.

When they got home and stepped out of the car, Cen Wei asked, “So are we still in an agreement?”

Chu Lai hit “post” then walked ahead, tossing back a casual, “See for yourself.”

Confused, Cen Wei checked his notifications, which had been popping up with new alerts.

Opening his phone, he saw a new post from @Laic, someone he had marked as a special follow:

@Laic: @Cee My love (still in the trial period)

—Aren’t you guys married? Why is there a trial period?

—Does this correspond to the divorce cooling-off period?

—It’s just some newlywed fun.

—What’s this? Showing off your love?