Chapter 81

After uttering the word “like,” Jiang Ji leaned in to kiss Qin Qingzhuo again.

Soft touches and gentle suckling on Qin Qingzhuo’s lips followed, one after another.

In a slightly tipsy state, Qin Qingzhuo noticed his body’s reaction. In fact, the intense kiss earlier had already stirred some response in him, but it wasn’t as obvious when he was standing. Now, with Jiang Ji lifting him onto the windowsill, he had to spread his knees to accommodate Jiang Ji standing in front of him, making his reaction quite apparent in this position.

For adults, such reactions are perfectly normal. However, facing Jiang Ji, who was ten years younger, and having just confirmed their relationship minutes ago, Qin Qingzhuo couldn’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable.

“Jiang Ji,” he began, trying to sound as natural as possible, “Can you put me down first?”

But Jiang Ji didn’t move, lightly pressing his thumb against Qin Qingzhuo’s lower lip. “Why?” His gaze remained intense, giving little away, but Qin Qingzhuo couldn’t shake the feeling that Jiang Ji was asking knowingly.

“…I’m afraid of heights, what?”

Jiang Ji chuckled softly, still unmoving.

“Hurry up,” Qin Qingzhuo urged helplessly, “I’ll jump down myself.”

“Just hold on for a moment, let me hold you for a bit,” Jiang Ji tightened his arms, resting his forehead against Qin Qingzhuo’s shoulder, “Want to go back tonight?”

“Hmm,” Qin Qingzhuo nodded, “Is your motorcycle downstairs?”

Jiang Ji confirmed with a “yes,” then held his hand, pulling him towards the exit. “Let’s go.”

As they descended the stairs, Qin Qingzhuo felt like he might have been acting a bit rashly—past 3 in the morning, with rain and snow outside, leaving the warmth of the indoors to brave the cold wind didn’t seem like something he would normally do.

But he wanted to, wanted to ride the motorcycle in the dead of night and also see where Jiang Ji had been staying for the past month.

Arriving at the bar’s entrance, Jiang Ji pushed the door open, intending to lead him out, but Qin Qingzhuo pulled his hand away.

Jiang Ji paused, turning to look at him.

“Let’s not hold hands when we’re outside,” Qin Qingzhuo reminded, “Be careful of getting photographed.”

Previously, overwhelmed by emotions, he had completely overlooked the possibility of being photographed, but now he became cautious. He didn’t know if his crying and hugging in the alley earlier would be captured on camera.

However, Jiang Ji didn’t seem concerned. He grabbed Qin Qingzhuo’s hand again, clasping it tightly, and pulled him out.

“It’s fine to be photographed,” Qin Qingzhuo heard him say.

His fingers were held tightly, and Qin Qingzhuo attempted to pull away but couldn’t. He had no choice but to let Jiang Ji lead him out.

As they stepped out of the bar, they realized the earlier rain and snow had completely turned into snowfall.

Snowflakes, carried by the wind, greeted them, melting instantly upon their heated faces.

On the midnight streets, a deep rumble resounded as a heavy motorcycle sped out of the alley.

Snowflakes danced in front of them, and Qin Qingzhuo’s previously warm cheeks were cooled by the cold wind, quickly becoming numb.

Only where their bodies touched did warmth remain, and Qin Qingzhuo tightened his arms, leaning against Jiang Ji’s back.

The snowfall intensified, and by the time the motorcycle stopped at the rehearsal room’s entrance, the previous flurry had turned into heavy snowflakes.

“We’re here,” Jiang Ji turned off the engine, waiting for Qin Qingzhuo to dismount first before doing so himself.

Qin Qingzhuo removed his helmet, surveying their rehearsal room.

It was in quite a secluded location, not very lively around, and the drab concrete walls didn’t make it look like a rehearsal room from the outside; it seemed more like a warehouse.

Jiang Ji took out the keys and opened the rolling shutter door, holding Qin Qingzhuo’s hand as they walked towards the rehearsal room.

The rolling shutter door rose, and Jiang Ji turned on the lights. Only then did Qin Qingzhuo feel like this was indeed a rehearsal room.

He soon noticed that this rehearsal room was quite unique, with a rather cold and industrial modern style. All around were concrete walls, with several exposed red brick support columns. The furnishings were also quite uniform, with long wooden tables, high stools, steel shelves, and leather sofas all in shades of grey and black.

Qin Qingzhuo was accustomed to the exquisite design style of his own studio. At first glance, this rehearsal room seemed refreshing, with a rough and raw aesthetic.

In fact, before coming here, Qin Qingzhuo hadn’t thought much about what Asperatus’s rehearsal room would look like. In the precious real estate of Yancheng, renting a decent rehearsal room was quite expensive. Although Asperatus was currently very popular, the fees paid by the production team were not that high. They probably could only afford a relatively small rehearsal room. So when Qin Qingzhuo saw the full picture of this rehearsal room, he was almost surprised.

Walking around the rehearsal room, Qin Qingzhuo asked, “How did you find this rehearsal room?”

“At first, it wasn’t a rehearsal room, just a warehouse,” Jiang Ji said as he walked to the table by the window, boiling two bottles of mineral water with an electric kettle. “The landlord lost money in business and wanted to quickly sublet it out to recover, the area is large enough, and the rent is low. Rehearsing during the day and at night won’t disturb anyone, so I rented it and made some modifications.”

“You modified it yourself?” Qin Qingzhuo was even more surprised.

“Not much modification, just bought some tables and chairs, pulled a few wires, installed a few light bulbs and chandeliers. There’s nothing else to it. This place might be sold someday, so there’s no need to put in too much effort. As long as it’s usable,” Jiang Ji explained.

In fact, there was another reason Jiang Ji didn’t mention—during this time, he didn’t have the energy to seriously work on these things, just finding something to do to keep himself from thinking about Qin Qingzhuo all the time.

He poured the lukewarm mineral water into glass cups, tested the temperature with the back of his hand, and handed it to Qin Qingzhuo.

Unexpectedly, after Qin Qingzhuo took the cup and drank a few sips of water, he looked at Jiang Ji and said, “Is this place going to be sold? Otherwise, I’ll buy it.”

Jiang Ji was taken aback for a moment. “You like it here?”

“Mmh,” Qin Qingzhuo nodded, “I like this style.”

He looked serious, and Jiang Ji watched him for a moment before suddenly laughing.

Then he cupped Qin Qingzhuo’s face with both hands and kissed him lightly on the lips. “How much have you had to drink, Qin Qingzhuo?”

With his words, Qin Qingzhuo suddenly felt that he had indeed acted a bit rashly tonight. First, insisting on coming here in the middle of the night, and then suddenly deciding to buy a warehouse that had been converted into a rehearsal room… If he told someone else about this, they would probably think he had lost his mind.

“You’re making me feel endangered,” Jiang Ji said, looking at him.

“Huh?”

“Promise me tonight, it’s not just a moment of impulsiveness, okay?”

Qin Qingzhuo thought for a moment, with a hint of a smile in his eyes. “Hmm… Can’t say for sure. If it is, what do you plan to do?”

Jiang Ji really started to ponder, lowering his eyes with a rather serious expression.

A few seconds later, he took the cup from Qin Qingzhuo’s hand and placed it on the table. Then he reached out, wrapped his arm around Qin Qingzhuo’s waist, and lifted him up with a gentle force, walking towards his own room.

Caught off guard by being lifted up like that, Qin Qingzhuo couldn’t react in time. “Hey, what are you doing…”

By the time he realized it, Jiang Ji had already carried him into his own room.

Before he could even turn on the light, Jiang Ji pressed him against the door and kissed him passionately.

Jiang Ji found that kissing was something that could quickly become addictive. Qin Qingzhuo’s lips were soft and tasted a bit sweet, with a hint of alcohol. His hair was also soft, and slipping his fingers into it gave a warm and gentle sensation.

In the midst of the kiss, Qin Qingzhuo lifted his hand and lightly pressed his Adam’s apple with his thumb, softly calling out, “Jiang Ji.”

“Hmm?” Jiang Ji paused slightly, waiting for him to continue.

However, Qin Qingzhuo remained silent. Jiang Ji felt his tongue enter his mouth, but just as he wanted to entangle with it again, Qin Qingzhuo dodged and gently licked his upper palate.

Jiang Ji then realized that Qin Qingzhuo seemed to be deliberately guiding this kiss, or perhaps teaching him how to kiss.

Qin Qingzhuo’s finger pressing on his Adam’s apple was very gentle, and the kiss was also gentle. It slowly became more entangled, gradually increasing in pace, like the tide slowly washing over them, until both were immersed in the kiss, breathing in each other’s air almost as if deprived of oxygen.

“I’m going… to take a shower.” These words were spoken in between breaths, and Qin Qingzhuo heard his own unmistakable panting.

At first, Jiang Ji didn’t say anything, still kissing him. After a while, he made a low “Hmm” sound. His fingers gently pinched Qin Qingzhuo’s earlobe and kneaded it at the earring: “Do you want to take off the earring?”

“Would you help me take it off?” Qin Qingzhuo lifted his head and brushed his lips against Jiang Ji’s. “Please?”

After saying this, they kissed again for a while, and then Jiang Ji groped to turn on the light.

As the light came on, Qin Qingzhuo turned his face slightly away. The bold and fiery kiss that had just happened in the dim night was now being illuminated, and he felt a bit embarrassed to meet Jiang Ji’s gaze directly.

However, Jiang Ji seemed to have no such feeling. His gaze remained on Qin Qingzhuo’s face. He kissed him again, then slightly lowered his head, his fingers touching the silver earring on Qin Qingzhuo’s earlobe.

Qin Qingzhuo’s ear was beautifully shaped, with thin ear bones that looked almost transparent under the light, and even the tiny blood vessels on them were clearly visible.

“Like butterfly wings,” Jiang Ji made this association.

Jiang Ji’s movements were very careful as he helped Qin Qingzhuo remove the earrings one by one. “When did you pierce your ears?”

Very close, Jiang Ji’s voice sounded deeper than usual, and the airflow when he breathed brushed against Qin Qingzhuo’s earlobe, making him feel a slight warmth in his ears.

“It was probably the summer after the college entrance examination ended, just before I met you.”

“It’s very beautiful.”

“The earrings or the ear piercings?”

“You,” Jiang Ji said, “and your ears.”

Jiang Ji removed all the earrings from his earlobe, but his fingers didn’t leave. They still lightly touched his earlobe.

“Qin Qingzhuo.” He gently adjusted Qin Qingzhuo’s jaw, looking into his eyes. “You look especially handsome today.”

“Wasn’t I handsome before?” Qin Qingzhuo smiled.

“You were handsome before, but today you’re particularly handsome,” Jiang Ji’s eyes were serious. “It’s the most handsome day since I met you.”

Qin Qingzhuo’s heart raced, and he looked down, smiling. “Then I’ll try to meet this standard every day from now on.”