Chapter 31: “Make You Comfortable Every Day”

Unsatisfied with the sofa, the two returned to the large bed in the master bedroom.

In the dead of night, as the pleasure waned, the moon in the sky, having spied enough, quietly slipped behind a thin layer of clouds.

Jiang Yao was exhausted and prepared to return to his own bedroom. Just as he sat up, a bare arm encircled his waist, dragging him back face-to-face under the covers.

“Don’t go back. Just move in here with me.”

The breath and voice landed in his ear, while a hand brazenly reached behind him.

Jiang Yao thought Duan Zhuxian was about to do something again and kicked him twice under the covers, only to realize that Duan Zhuxian was massaging his waist and back.

It actually felt quite nice.

Jiang Yao gradually stretched out his limbs, squinting as he enjoyed it for a while, then deliberately teased, “Not bad at all. Did Mr. Duan specifically learn massage?”

“I have many more techniques. Stay, and I’ll make you comfortable every day.” In the darkness, Duan Zhuxian’s voice was irresistibly seductive.

Jiang Yao: “…”

He had deliberately changed the subject just now, but in the end, he couldn’t escape.

The breath from the person opposite faintly touched his cheek—steady, hot, and patient, like a nocturnal predator hunting.

Even though his night vision was weak, in the darkness illuminated only by a small night lamp, Jiang Yao could clearly feel Duan Zhuxian staring intently at him, waiting for his answer.

Jiang Yao had visited this master bedroom many times before. They always did their business here.

The main reason was that the bed was big enough.

And he was too lazy to clean up afterward. Every time they finished, the room was either a mess or the sheets were ruined. Just thinking about it gave him a headache. It felt so good to just pull up his pants and leave.

But Duan Zhuxian’s proposal just now strangely tempted him.

After a long internal struggle, Jiang Yao gave a compromise response: “Let’s try it out first.”

Duan Zhuxian asked, “Is there a trial period?”

Jiang Yao hadn’t considered this at all and casually gave a number: “One week.”

Duan Zhuxian seemed to chuckle softly, his breath drawing closer. “Looks like I’ll have to make sure you’re satisfied.”

Jiang Yao felt his ears heat up, and he quickly turned over, grabbing most of the blanket and wrapping it around himself. He muttered, “I’m sleeping. Don’t bother me.”

The next morning, the two woke up one after the other.

Half-awake, Jiang Yao moved a bit, feeling something pressing against his back. He instantly opened his eyes, fully awake.

“Awake?” Duan Zhuxian’s slightly hoarse voice came from behind. “It’s eight o’clock. Want to go back to sleep?”

How could anyone go back to sleep with someone pointing a gun at them?

Jiang Yao threw off half the blanket and jumped out of bed, glancing at Duan Zhuxian’s lower body. “You can sleep by yourself.”

If I can sleep, I’ll take your surname.

With that, he turned and went to the bathroom.

*

After getting up, Duan Zhuxian didn’t see Jiang Yao, so he followed the noise to the adjacent walk-in closet.

Inside, Jiang Yao was leisurely pacing with his hands behind his back, looking around at the furnishings like a relaxed fox inspecting its new territory.

The strand of red-dyed hair at the back of his head, clearly meant to look cool, now bobbed cutely with each step he took.

In Duan Zhuxian’s memory, Jiang Yao, though carefree, was not someone who would easily cross boundaries, especially when dealing with him. He usually took the initiative to draw clear lines.

Being in such a personal space now clearly meant he had accepted Duan Zhuxian’s invitation to share the bed last night.

Duan Zhuxian’s lips curled up slightly.

He increasingly felt that Jiang Yao’s boundaries were not unbreakable but had room for flexibility.

All along, his strategy had been “conservative” and “cautious,” using an unchanging approach to deal with everything. This ensured the stability of their relationship. No matter how much Jiang Yao opposed him, he never completely pushed him out of his sight.

Ten years ago, when he first realized his special feelings for Jiang Yao, he deliberately reduced their meetings and increased his silences, fearing that the next words out of his mouth might be “I like you.”

Jiang Yao had once clearly stated that romantic relationships would affect his studies.

To maintain his composure, Duan Zhuxian read numerous materials, deconstructing emotions into cold, and scientific principles, trying to calm himself.

At that time, his thoughts were simple—even marriages experience the seven-year itch, let alone the stirrings of adolescence. He believed that if he waited long enough, these feelings would gradually fade.

Later, he realized that liking someone was the most unreasonable thing in the world. It made disciplined people break their principles and made meticulous people lose their logic.

There was never a moment when it automatically cooled down. Without external influence, it would only endlessly accumulate until the debt was so high that there was no way out.

In the years that followed, he continued to maintain his initial state, never letting Jiang Yao see any cracks.

This long-standing and well-practiced mode of interaction was both a comfort zone and a fiery pit.

But at this moment, he suddenly saw a new possibility.

In the walk-in closet, Jiang Yao walked to the far end, where a transparent display case stood. Inside, watches were neatly categorized by their use, initially solemn and uninteresting, indistinguishable from the other furnishings in the room. Yet, it immediately caught Jiang Yao’s attention.

At the very center of the display case sat a crystal ball—the kind that would snow when shaken—identical to the one in Duan Zhuxian’s WeChat profile picture.

It was a somewhat cheap craft item, likely sourced from a small commodity wholesale market. The glass had slightly yellowed with age, and the excess latex hung on the ceramic base. It was entirely out of place among the surrounding expensive watches, yet it was placed on the highest pedestal, as if revered by the prestigious timepieces.

Jiang Yao stared at it for a long time, then thoughtfully turned around. Duan Zhuxian, bare-chested, leaned against the doorframe, watching him with eyes that were soaked in the morning light, carrying an inexplicable depth.

Who knows what unclear things he’s thinking about again.

Ignoring the glaring marks on those muscular shoulders, Jiang Yao pointed at the crystal ball and asked, “Is this the same one as your WeChat profile picture?”

Duan Zhuxian made a sound of acknowledgment, then asked, “Don’t you remember?”

Jiang Yao paused. Should he remember?

It had to be something related to their shared experiences and treasured by Duan Zhuxian to this day…

Jiang Yao pondered for a moment and could only come up with one answer: “Is this Shen Tang’s?”

Upon hearing this, Duan Zhuxian’s gaze noticeably darkened.

Jiang Yao was puzzled. “?”

Could he have actually guessed correctly?

Duan Zhuxian walked in directly, found some casual clothes to put on, and asked Jiang Yao about his plans for the day, clearly not wanting to discuss the crystal ball any further.

It was just as well; Jiang Yao didn’t intend to press the issue.

For some reason, he hadn’t felt much like bringing up Shen Tang recently either.

*

Having just finished a car race and experienced a minor accident, Jiang Yao planned to stay home and recuperate, accumulating some luck with no intention of going out.

Duan Zhuxian didn’t have any plans to go out either.

Jiang Yao expected Duan Zhuxian to work from home as usual, but instead, he spent the day “working on him.”

The house was big enough that they explored it like opening new maps, engaging in their intimate games in various places throughout the day.

In the evening, Duan Zhuxian suddenly received a call for a minor social engagement.

Jiang Yao, having just taken a bath and wrapped in a towel, lay on the bed playing a shooting game. While hugging a pillow, he casually asked, “Going out so late?”

Duan Zhuxian paused while tying his tie. “If you can’t bear to be without me, I can cancel.”

Hearing this, Jiang Yao inexplicably felt a twinge of pain in his backside, poked his head out of the intense gunfight, and cursed, “Get lost!”

Duan Zhuxian chuckled softly, his gaze lingering on Jiang Yao’s reddened ear tips before turning to leave.

Ten minutes later, after finishing a game, Jiang Yao’s teammate went into standby mode due to an urgent bathroom break. He took off his headphones and heard the sound of a car engine downstairs gradually fading into the distance.

Soon, the surroundings fell into a deep silence.

After a day of intense activity between the two men, the air molecules had settled down.

Jiang Yao yawned and glanced at the time. It was only eight o’clock.

He rubbed his face, feeling a bit listless. He wasn’t sleepy, just a bit bored.

Maybe even a bit… lonely.

Damn it!

Jiang Yao was startled by the sudden thought.

He was always busy with work, had plenty of friends, and numerous hobbies. Time was never enough for him.

Not to mention, he was currently playing a game.

What was there to be lonely about?

Jiang Yao scratched his head, wishing he could permanently delete that misused word from his vocabulary!

It had to be Duan Zhuxian’s bedroom being too large, too neatly organized, with no innovation or aesthetic appeal. He wasn’t used to it. As soon as Duan Zhuxian returned, he would tell him that he had changed his mind and wanted to move back to his own room.

Jiang Yao furrowed his brows and opened the voice chat, asking his friend on the other end, “Did you fall into the toilet? Hurry up, let’s play another round.”

His friend replied, “I’m coming, I’m coming.”

Once the gunfire resumed, the empty feeling of silence dissipated significantly, but the inexplicable sense of strangeness still lingered in the air. Jiang Yao frowned deeply, increasing his shooting speed, causing the gunfire to intensify.

A few minutes later, his friend exclaimed, “Holy crap, Lao Jiang, your skills are insane! You took down five top-tier AKs with a basic rifle. How did you do it? Teach me, teach me!”

Jiang Yao responded, “Just follow me and stay down. Why so much chatter?”

His friend enthusiastically replied, “Yes, sir!”

Two hours later, after logging off the game, Jiang Yao received a message from Chen Yiqi: “I ran into Duan Zhuxian at Jinwei Pavilion.”

This was where Duan Zhuxian had his social engagement tonight. It was a well-known high-end club in Lingbei, favored by middle-aged businessmen. Duan Zhuxian had mentioned before leaving that this was part of fulfilling his promise to report his whereabouts from now on.

Jiang Yao replied with an “Oh.”

Chen Yiqi continued: “The people with him all requested servers to accompany them for drinks. Each of them has a wife and kids but still acts recklessly. So arrogant.”

Jiang Yao: “Did he request one too?”

Chen Yiqi: “No, he was quite aloof and cold, like a noble recluse. Someone did try to approach him, but he turned them down.”

Jiang Yao was speechless: “Then what exactly are you trying to say?”

This time, Chen Yiqi didn’t reply immediately.

After a long pause, he finally sent a message: “Nothing, just that your taste is pretty good.”

Jiang Yao felt increasingly bewildered until Duan Zhuxian returned, and he saw the two rows of bright red-purple bite marks on Duan Zhuxian’s neck.

Damn, this man… Does he have no shame at all? Where’s that so-called aloof nobleman?

Jiang Yao’s eyes widened in shock.

Clearly, Duan Zhuxian was the shameless one, but Jiang Yao felt embarrassed.

His face heated up, and without a word, he grabbed a piece of clothing from the wardrobe and threw it at Duan Zhuxian: “Wear this to work tomorrow!”

Duan Zhuxian took a look at the clothes—it was a turtleneck sweater.

He smiled, walked over, and pressed the stern-faced Jiang Yao into a chair, then, in a half-kneeling position, buried his face into the crook of Jiang Yao’s neck.

“Hey, I’m trying to talk to you seriously. Did you drink too much?”

Jiang Yao rolled his eyes and tried to push Duan Zhuxian away but suddenly felt a wet, soft sensation on his skin.

Duan Zhuxian had taken Jiang Yao’s Adam’s apple into his mouth, leaving a trail of bites that made Jiang Yao’s legs tremble.

Unable to suppress the moan in his throat, Jiang Yao was completely pushed back into the armchair by Duan Zhuxian.

Duan Zhuxian’s fingers tangled in the hair at the back of Jiang Yao’s head, slightly tilting it up to look at Jiang Yao from below. In a hoarse voice, he said, “Alright. We’ll wear it together tomorrow.”