Chapter 92: A Missed Kiss

After the three of them left the bar, Zhou Xuan, having had some alcohol, wasn’t fit to drive. He sat inside the car parked by the roadside, waiting for a designated driver. You Chong, who hadn’t drunk, drove Lin Hexi away first.

When he pulled Lin Hexi up from the bar counter, it seemed that Lin Hexi had woken up.

However, even though he was awake, his consciousness was still somewhat muddled. His eyes remained half-squinted and half-open, quiet and compliant, allowing himself to be held in You Chong’s arms without resistance or fuss.

You Chong led him to his car, opened the door, and carefully helped him into the front passenger seat. Lin Hexi rested the back of his head against the seat, closed his eyes, and turned his face away, as if slipping back into sleep.

You Chong bent down, stepped back, walked around to the driver’s side, and got into the car. When he lowered his gaze toward the seat next to him, the sight before him was Lin Hexi’s slightly tilted head, his face quiet and composed in sleep—just as it had always been, unchanged.

For a moment, You Chong was lost in thought. Then, leaning over, he reached out to fasten Lin Hexi’s seatbelt.

As You Chong reached for the seatbelt on the other side, his arm brushed across the front of Lin Hexi, as if pulling the entire person into his embrace.

The soft, steady sound of Lin Hexi’s breathing echoed beside his ear. You Chong paused for a second in silence, his gaze falling once again on the face that was now so close to his.

The person trapped within his arms was completely unaware, the head resting against the seatback unconsciously drooping further downward.

The hand that had just grasped the seatbelt loosened and withdrew, instead cupping Lin Hexi’s cheek.

A soft, smooth, and slightly cool sensation spread through You Chong’s palm. His hand, resting on Lin Hexi’s cheek, paused momentarily, but the pad of his finger moved ahead of his mind’s command, gently brushing across Lin Hexi’s face.

Lin Hexi shifted slightly, pressing You Chong’s fingers lightly against the lower part of his cheek.

After snapping back to his senses, You Chong noticed that Lin Hexi showed no signs of waking. He gently adjusted his head, lifting it slightly.

Throughout the entire process, You Chong’s gaze remained fixed on Lin Hexi’s tightly shut eyes.

Lin Hexi still didn’t wake, his cheek pressing against You Chong’s palm, now trapping the entire hand beneath his face.

You Chong intended to withdraw his hand.

However, the sleeping Lin Hexi showed no sign of letting go. Instead, as if shifting unconsciously in his sleep, he adjusted his posture slightly, turning his entire body toward the left—toward You Chong’s direction.

Now, what rested against You Chong’s palm was no longer Lin Hexi’s cheek, but his lips, even softer than his cheek.

Caught off guard, You Chong’s breath faltered. He kept his palm against Lin Hexi’s lips for several seconds before finally freeing his other hand to hold Lin Hexi’s head steady, carefully pulling his left hand away from the man’s lips.

Without sparing another glance at Lin Hexi’s face, You Chong reached over, fastened the seatbelt into the buckle, and then slipped his hand into Lin Hexi’s pocket to search for the hotel room key card.

Instead, he only found Lin Hexi’s phone.

Suspecting that the room card had been left behind at the bar, You Chong furrowed his brow and sat back in the driver’s seat, dialing Zhou Xuan. “Do you have Zhao Mingliu’s number?”

“I’ll check,” Zhou Xuan answered, confused. “Why do you need his number?”

You Chong replied, “I couldn’t find Lin Hexi’s hotel room card on him.”

Instead of understanding, Zhou Xuan became even more puzzled. “Why are you looking for his hotel room card?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Zhou Xuan suddenly realized. “No way! You’re not planning to take him back to your place? Are you seriously thinking of sending him back to the hotel?”

You Chong ignored him. “Did you find it or not?”

Zhou Xuan had no choice but to suppress his questions and gave You Chong a string of numbers.

Hearing no response from the other side, Zhou Xuan assumed You Chong was jotting down the number. He tapped his fingers idly on the steering wheel, recalling something You Chong had mentioned the last time they came here for a drink.

Thinking about You Chong’s strange behavior today, Zhou Xuan pieced together a vague realization from that past conversation. With a sudden insight, he blurted into the phone, “Are you still—”

The line cut off abruptly. You Chong had already hung up.

Zhou Xuan remained silent for a moment, staring at the road outside the car window. He muttered the rest of his unfinished thought to himself: “—What are you still worried about?”

Just as You Chong’s call came through, Zhao Mingliu happened to find a hotel room card under a bottle, suspecting it was the one Lin Hexi had left behind. He picked up his phone, intending to call and notify them, but before he could dial, an unfamiliar number appeared on the screen.

Zhao Mingliu answered the call, but before he could bring the phone to his ear, the bartender reached out and pressed down on his hand, stopping him.

It was as if the bartender had anticipated something. With a subtle gesture, he signaled Zhao Mingliu to remain silent, then pressed the speakerphone button to answer the call.

On the phone, You Chong briefly identified himself and asked, “Have you seen Lin Hexi’s room card?”

Zhao Mingliu glanced at the room card clutched in his hand and instinctively opened his mouth to answer.

The bartender swiftly covered his mouth, calmly took the phone from his hand, and replied, “No.”

Without any suspicion, You Chong ended the call.

The bartender returned the phone to Zhao Mingliu, then casually took the room card from his hand, flipping it back and forth in amusement.

Zhao Mingliu stared in disbelief. “Why did you lie to him?”

“My friend, are you serious?” The bartender chuckled. “Do you really think he accidentally left the room card here?” He flipped the card between his fingers, glancing at it nonchalantly. “It’s obvious he deliberately placed it under the bottle.”

In the end, You Chong still took Lin Hexi back to his own home.

As You Chong bent down to carry Lin Hexi out of the car, Lin Hexi woke up.

His eyes, bright and distinct with black and white, were open, but his pupils were still somewhat unfocused.

You Chong pulled him out of the car and looked at him, asking, “Sober now?”

Lin Hexi tilted his head slightly, as if not fully understanding the question, and didn’t respond.

You Chong immediately understood—Lin Hexi was still drunk. Without offering any explanation as to why they weren’t going to the hotel, he shut the car door and led Lin Hexi directly toward the elevator.

Lin Hexi, similarly, showed no interest or curiosity about the unfamiliar surroundings, quietly following along without a word.

However, after a few steps, Lin Hexi began to lag behind.

You Chong stopped and turned to wait for him, but Lin Hexi only glanced up at him briefly. Then, without saying anything, he squatted down right where he was, refusing to move any further.

The parking lot was brightly lit, the light perfectly masking any emotion in Lin Hexi’s eyes.

Thinking Lin Hexi was deeply drunk, You Chong walked back to him, reached down, and pulled him up from the ground. Holding his hand firmly, You Chong led him forward, not letting go this time.

Lin Hexi lowered his head as he followed beside You Chong, his gaze drifting to their joined hands. A faint smile flickered in his eyes.

The two took the elevator to a high floor of the apartment building, where there was only one residence per floor. After stepping out of the elevator, You Chong released his hand to unlock the door.

As the door swung open, a large dog burst from the entryway, leaping excitedly at You Chong.

Behind You Chong, Lin Hexi suddenly lifted his gaze, a wave of nostalgia washing over him as he looked at the lively Alaskan Malamute.

Sensing Lin Hexi’s gaze, the dog tilted its fluffy head, staring at him in confusion.

Recalling the reason You Chong had adopted the dog all those years ago, Lin Hexi didn’t expect the Malamute to recognize him. He withdrew his gaze from the dog, quietly lowering his eyes without a word.

To his surprise, the Alaskan Malamute suddenly leaped off You Chong and lunged at him instead.

Caught off guard, Lin Hexi was knocked off balance and landed on the floor. Resisting the urge to reach out and pet the dog’s head, he looked up in confusion, seeking You Chong.

You Chong walked over, pulled the Malamute off of him, and then helped him up from the ground. Guiding him toward the entryway, You Chong opened the shoe cabinet and took out a pair of slippers. “Change your shoes.”

Lin Hexi stared at the slippers on the floor for a moment, as if processing what You Chong had said. After a brief pause, he finally bent down, a bit sluggishly, to take off his shoes.

The two of them changed their shoes and entered the apartment. You Chong led Lin Hexi to the sofa in the living room and had him sit down before turning to head upstairs to fetch some hangover medicine.

The moment You Chong’s figure disappeared up the stairs, Lin Hexi immediately beckoned the Alaskan Malamute, which was pacing around the living room.

The dog hesitated briefly before approaching him. Seizing the opportunity, Lin Hexi bent down, intending to lift the Malamute onto the sofa. However, as soon as he tried to pick it up, the unexpected weight pulled heavily on his arms, thwarting his plan.

It was clear that over the three years they had been apart, not only had his relationship with You Chong changed—so had the Malamute’s weight.

Lin Hexi couldn’t help but laugh, shaking his head. He patted the space beside him on the sofa and looked at the large dog expectantly.

Seeing his gesture, the Malamute obediently leaped onto the sofa, sinking its weight into the soft cushions and leaving a deep dent.

Lin Hexi tentatively reached out to pet the dog’s head. When it showed no signs of resistance, he relaxed and wrapped his arms around its head, giving it a good rub. Then, in a soft voice, he asked, “Where’s your little brother?”

The Malamute tilted its head in confusion and gave him a single bark in response.

Before Lin Hexi could react, he felt a sudden weight on his shoulder, followed by a faint tickling sensation along his neck, as if soft fur had brushed against him.

Sensing what it might be, Lin Hexi turned his head without hesitation.

Perched gracefully on his shoulder was a beautiful orange cat, elegant and reserved, its round eyes gazing at him inquisitively.

Something stirred in Lin Hexi’s heart, and he couldn’t resist reaching out to scratch the cat’s chin.

But the orange cat swiftly turned its head away, unwilling to be touched.

For a brief moment, Lin Hexi felt a twinge of disappointment and started to withdraw his hand.

However, the orange cat narrowed its eyes, leaned down toward his hand, and flicked its tongue across his fingertips.

Startled, Lin Hexi froze, then broke into a soft smile.

Just as he was about to reach out and pet the cat’s head, he heard footsteps resounding from upstairs.

Quickly, Lin Hexi deftly lifted the cat off his shoulder and gave the Malamute a gentle push, motioning for it to get off the sofa.

The orange cat climbed atop the Malamute’s head and lay there comfortably. The Malamute, seemingly used to this routine, stood up with the cat balanced on its head and gracefully leapt off the sofa, wandering off elsewhere with its feline passenger.

Lin Hexi took the opportunity to collapse onto the sofa, sinking into its cushions.

A couple of seconds later, You Chong came downstairs with the hangover medicine. He headed to the kitchen, filled a glass with water, and returned, ready to give Lin Hexi the medicine.

Seeing him lying there with his eyes closed, You Chong set the items down and walked over to rouse him.

At the sound of You Chong’s voice, Lin Hexi slowly opened his eyes and sat up from the sofa, his gaze still half-lidded with drowsiness.

You Chong handed him the medicine and said, “Take it.”

Lin Hexi remained silent, lowering his gaze and shaking his head, clearly unwilling to cooperate.

Without hesitation, You Chong took Lin Hexi’s hand, placing the pills in his palm.

However, Lin Hexi stubbornly shook his head again and tossed the pills away.

The pills rolled into the corner of the sofa. You Chong pinned Lin Hexi’s restless hand down and bent over to retrieve the pills from between the sofa cushions.

Taking advantage of You Chong’s distraction, Lin Hexi slowly leaned closer to his neck.

A warm, shallow breath brushed against the back of You Chong’s neck. Realizing what was happening, his body tensed ever so slightly. He slowly turned his head, only to be met with Lin Hexi’s face, mere inches away.

Lin Hexi didn’t meet his gaze deliberately—his eyes remained downcast. Then, suddenly, he licked his lips.

Noticing his action, You Chong asked softly, “Do you want some water?”

Lin Hexi remained silent, pressing his lips together once more.

You Chong moved to turn and fetch the water, but Lin Hexi reached out and held him back, preventing him from leaving.

His gaze, warm and lingering, rested on You Chong’s lips, as if drawn to them.

You Chong sensed what was happening. He knew he should step away, yet his body refused to move, leaving him frozen in place.

Taking his stillness as silent consent, Lin Hexi lowered his gaze, a glimmer of emotion flickering briefly in his eyes. Then, with his eyes half-closed, he leaned in to kiss You Chong’s lips.

However, the familiar touch he had imagined never arrived. Just as their lips were about to meet, You Chong turned his head, avoiding the kiss.