Chapter 64: Brother Chong Doesn’t Lose Out

Lin Hexi rested his chin on You Chong’s shoulder, his eyes lowered, and he remained silent for a long time.

You Chong pulled him closer into his embrace, turning his head to press against Lin Hexi’s ear, and half-complained, half-grumbled, “Don’t you have anything to say?”

“I do.” Lin Hexi blinked slowly, as if just snapping back to reality, and spoke sluggishly, “What’s the deal with you and that girl from the Art College?”

You Chong paused for a second, then deliberately said, “I just wanted to return the painting to her.”

Lin Hexi was stunned when he heard that, reacting strongly as he lifted his head from You Chong’s shoulder. “You gave the painting back to her?”

You Chong’s suspicion deepened slightly. “No. She said that the painting wasn’t hers.”

Lin Hexi subtly let out a sigh of relief.

Given the particular setting and circumstances, You Chong didn’t press further. The two sat on the quiet, deserted staircase, with the faint sounds of laughter and chatter from the banquet hall seeping through the door, reminding them that they could be discovered at any moment.

Clearly, this wasn’t the best place for heart-to-heart conversations, but You Chong still wanted a definite answer from Lin Hexi. “Is there anything else you want to ask?”

Lin Hexi shook his head and said, “Nothing else.”

You Chong still held him tightly, not letting go, his voice low and deep, “Then shouldn’t you also give me an answer?”

Lin Hexi squinted his eyes and smiled.

He didn’t say anything. Instead, he leaned out from You Chong’s embrace, and stretched his hand toward the wall behind You Chong.

The next second, a faint “click” sounded near his ear, and their surroundings suddenly plunged into darkness.

Lin Hexi had turned off the light.

Without giving any verbal response or answer, Lin Hexi settled back into You Chong’s arms, cupped his face, and kissed him.

It was no longer the tentative and fleeting kiss from that night, but a deep and lingering exchange, with lips and teeth entwined, and tongues brushing against each other.

The noise and clamor in the background gradually faded away, leaving only the clear sound of their heartbeats and breaths overlapping as they kissed in the darkness.

Silent yet passionate.

The two of them didn’t return to the banquet hall but instead left directly through the back door of the Lin family villa.

Before leaving, remembering that Zhou Xuan was still in the banquet hall, You Chong gave him a call.

Zhou Xuan wasn’t returning to the university town, and said that he would leave later.

After hanging up the phone, You Chong drove Lin Hexi back to the university town.

Neither of them had eaten much, so after getting out of the car, Lin Hexi followed You Chong back to his place.

The Alaskan Malamute was sitting by the door, greeting them, and as soon as Lin Hexi entered, he got caught up playing with the dog, thoroughly enjoying himself. Meanwhile, You Chong took out his phone to order takeout.

After placing the order, You Chong was about to set his phone down and get up to drink some water when a WeChat message from Xia Chengfeng popped up in the notification bar.

In the message, Xia Chengfeng said that the publicity department had been sorting through the competition submissions that evening, and he had found Lin Hexi’s painting among them.

Below Xia Chengfeng’s message was a photo he had sent.

Zooming in on the photo, You Chong lowered his gaze to look at the painting, then raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Xia Chengfeng was right; Lin Hexi’s painting skills were indeed on par with those of the Art College students.

Although You Chong was an amateur, years of exposure to his mother’s influence had taught him to distinguish the quality of artwork.

The painting on his phone had a highly layered composition and vibrant, rich colors, clearly not the work of someone who was clueless about painting.

What surprised You Chong wasn’t just the techniques used in the painting, but also the person depicted in it.

Lin Hexi’s words about not putting him in the painting still echoed in You Chong’s ears. He raised his phone to show Lin Hexi, a faintly teasing smile in his eyes. “Didn’t you say you were going to cut me out of the painting?”

Lin Hexi was initially a bit surprised, but then quickly understood after considering Xia Chengfeng’s involvement.

Without batting an eye, he lied, “I forgot.”

After saying that, he stood up from the sofa and pretended to ask, “Can you see a big tree from your window?”

Speaking as if to himself, he added, “I need to check if there’s a sow climbing it.”

You Chong didn’t respond, but his expression visibly darkened.

Lin Hexi tried hard to hold back but ultimately couldn’t, and bursting into laughter right in front of him.

You Chong’s face darkened even more. He bent down to pull out the painting they had brought back from the milk tea shop, got up, and walked towards the trash can. “Since the owner of this painting can’t be found, I might as well throw it away.”

Lin Hexi’s laughter stopped abruptly. He quickly stepped forward to stop him. “If you don’t want it, then give it to me.”

You Chong turned around, glanced at him, and said, “The person in the painting isn’t you, and you didn’t paint it either. What’s the point of you having it?”

Lin Hexi was left speechless by his question.

You Chong didn’t say anything more. He released the hand hovering above the trash can, letting the painting drift from his fingertips.

Instinctively, Lin Hexi reached out to catch it, but the texture in his hand didn’t feel like the paper used for painting.

He paused for a second, then flipped the sheet over.

Both sides of the paper were completely blank—there was no familiar painting in sight.

Lin Hexi finally realized and asked, somewhat embarrassed, “You knew I was the one who drew it?”

You Chong teased him, “If you want to give me the painting, just say so. No need to be so roundabout.”

Lin Hexi felt a slight embarrassment but figured that it would be too complicated to explain now, so he let You Chong misunderstand as he pleased.

You Chong, slightly annoyed, said, “Make sure to get back the painting you submitted for the competition once the judging is over.”

Lin Hexi sat back on the sofa and asked mischievously, “Why? Do you want it?”

“It was mine to begin with.” You Chong stepped closer, pinching the flesh of Lin Hexi’s cheek and adding in a dangerously low tone, “If you take away something you’ve given me again, I have plenty of ways to deal with you.”

Lin Hexi wisely conceded, “I was wrong.”

You Chong released his cheek.

Lin Hexi said, “I’ll dare to do it again next time.”

You Chong paused, looking down at him from above.

But what he saw was Lin Hexi’s intense and focused gaze fixed on him.

You Chong’s Adam’s apple moved slightly, and his voice came out deep and slow, “Do you have class tomorrow morning?”

Lin Hexi thought for a moment and replied, “Yes.”

“If you don’t want to be late for class tomorrow,” You Chong paused, then placed his palm over Lin Hexi’s eyes, “then don’t look at me like that.”

The delivery was a bit slow after eight o’clock, and the phone hadn’t rung yet, so You Chong picked up his phone to check.

With nothing else to do, Lin Hexi turned his attention back to playing with the dog.

He lifted the Alaskan Malamute’s two front paws onto his legs, trying to bury his face in the dog’s soft, thick neck fur.

However, the Malamute wasn’t very cooperative. Not only did it turn its head away to avoid him, but it also lifted a front paw to push his face away.

Lin Hexi grabbed the dog’s paw that was flailing in the air and shook it, looking dissatisfied. “Darling, have you forgotten me?”

The Malamute stared at him with its big, round eyes, saying nothing.

Lin Hexi released the dog’s paw, patted its head, and squinted with a smile, saying, “No worries, we’ve got plenty of time.”

The Malamute’s head drooped lower and lower with each pat, and it let out an unhappy bark.

Without looking up, You Chong said, “Don’t bully it.”

“I’m not bullying it,” Lin Hexi retorted with a cheerful smile. “Do you think it’s because I changed my hair color that it doesn’t recognize me?”

You Chong chuckled, “It can’t tell the difference between tea-brown and black.”

Lin Hexi raised his eyebrows and slid over to sit beside him. “What do you think—should I dye my hair a new color?”

You Chong’s gaze landed on the top of Lin Hexi’s head. “Why would you want to dye it?”

Lin Hexi asked in confusion, “Weren’t you the one who said black is too ordinary, that you can’t even spot it in a crowd?”

You Chong’s lips curled slightly. “Does my opinion matter that much?”

Lin Hexi replied calmly, “Not really.”

You Chong shot him a glance, clearly displeased.

Lin Hexi turned around, sat cross-legged on the sofa with his back against You Chong, and resting the back of his head on You Chong’s shoulder. He tilted his face up to look at You Chong’s prominent nose, and said with a smile, “No one’s opinion matters—only my boyfriend’s opinion matters the most.”

You Chong didn’t respond with words.

Instead, the prominent bridge of his nose drew closer and closer within Lin Hexi’s view, and You Chong lowered his head to capture his lips in a kiss.

With their lips still touching, You Chong slowly narrowed his eyes and asked, “Lin Hexi, are you always this sweet-talking with every boyfriend you’ve ever had?”

Lin Hexi was slightly taken aback and lifted his eyes to look at You Chong’s face.

From the way You Chong looked, it was clear he was convinced that Lin Hexi had had many boyfriends in the past.

Lin Hexi’s lips curved slightly, and instead of answering, he countered, “And what about you? Am I your first love?”

Upon hearing this, You Chong’s expression gradually became more complex and unreadable as he looked at him.

Pushing him away to sit up, Lin Hexi looked genuinely surprised. “Isn’t it?”

After asking, he recalled the kiss they shared at the Lin residence a few hours ago.

At first, when Lin Hexi gently sucked on You Chong’s lips, he was the one in control.

However, after just a few seconds of hesitation, You Chong quickly turned the tables, effortlessly taking the lead. He seized the initiative from Lin Hexi, pushing past his teeth, and delving in deeply, leaving Lin Hexi’s tongue tingling slightly from the intensity.

The seemingly experienced and mature Lin Hexi quickly lost the battle, closing his eyes and emptying his thoughts, instinctively following You Chong’s lead.

Now, thinking back, it didn’t seem like the actions of someone new to romance.

“So—” Lin Hexi feigned disappointment, lowering his head as he slowly dragged out his words, “your first love is a fair-skinned, long-legged girl with curly hair?”

You Chong lifted his face, forcing him to meet his gaze, then laughed in exasperation. “I also thought my first love would be a fair-skinned, long-legged girl with curly hair.”

“But unfortunately, it’s not.” You Chong’s gaze lingered on Lin Hexi’s face. “In fact, up until three days ago, that’s what I still believed.”

The hand resting against Lin Hexi’s jaw shifted to gently pinch his earlobe, as You Chong gave him a half-smiling look. “I thought I’d have a girlfriend, and that my first love would be a woman. Who knew you’d come along out of nowhere and change everything?”

You Chong pinned Lin Hexi down, leaning in to nibble on the tip of his ear, half-jokingly, and half-warningly said, “You’ve stolen the spot of my first love and cut off my path to finding a future girlfriend. Lin Hexi, you need to take responsibility for this.”

Lin Hexi laughed, and pulled him down onto the sofa behind them.

The Alaskan Malamute, which had been lying still in the corner of the sofa, sprang up alertly, landing on the living room floor.

Lin Hexi lay back on the sofa, and You Chong, following the pull of Lin Hexi’s hand, pressed down on top of him.

Lin Hexi reached up, hooking his arms around You Chong’s shoulders, and tilted his chin slightly to look up at him.

“Trade your first love spot for mine,” Lin Hexi said, wrapping his arms around You Chong’s neck as he kissed him. “Brother Chong, you’re not losing out.”