Chapter 82

While brushing his teeth in front of the mirror, the feeling of his heart racing hadn’t dissipated.

Qin Qingzhuo saw that his lips were very red, with a slight sheen, evidence of being kissed.

After rinsing his mouth, he touched his lips with his hand, recalling the passionate kiss from earlier. It was a mixture of awkwardness and recklessness, blended with eagerness and straightforwardness, creating a feeling of addiction.

Kissing could actually be addictive and intoxicating…

Taking off his clothes and standing under the shower, the warm water flowed down his body. Qin Qingzhuo’s mind kept flashing back to the passionate kiss just now.

Steam rose, giving him a slight dizziness and an unreal feeling.

Should he take it further? Under the numbness of alcohol and the steam, Qin Qingzhuo felt his brain working slowly.

He had to admit, he had already reacted several times tonight—during the kiss, when he was lifted onto the windowsill, and even when his earrings were removed one by one. But was it too soon?

The foam on his body was washed away bit by bit by the water, and Qin Qingzhuo raised his hand to turn off the shower.

Well, he thought, let’s just go with the flow. After all, he had always been someone who followed his feelings.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Qin Qingzhuo took the clothes Jiang Ji had just found for him.

Cotton pajamas and pants, but there were no underwear, probably forgotten.

Qin Qingzhuo picked up his own underwear that he had just taken off, and as his gaze fell on the wet marks on it, his breath subtly paused for a moment. At the same time, a word popped into his mind— “tsk.”

The old clothes couldn’t be worn anymore, but asking Jiang Ji to bring a clean one over seemed a bit awkward.

Forget it, he thought, let’s deal with it tomorrow morning. For tonight… let’s just not wear anything.

Carrying the clothes he had changed out of, Qin Qingzhuo walked back to the room. When he pushed the door open, the room was already warmed up by the heater, much warmer than before.

Jiang Ji was leaning against the table, one hand holding his phone, browsing with his head down, and the other holding the half-empty mineral water bottle, slightly deforming the plastic with his fingers.

Hearing the door opening, he looked up at Qin Qingzhuo, turned off the screen, and put the phone aside.

Qin Qingzhuo’s hair was wet, his face slightly flushed from the steam, and he was wearing Jiang Ji’s clothes, which were a bit loose on him, making him appear slightly relaxed under the wide neckline, revealing his slender collarbones.

Suddenly feeling thirsty, even though he had just drunk half a bottle of water a few minutes ago, Jiang Ji’s gaze seemed to have an unusually strong presence. Approaching, Qin Qingzhuo pretended to ask casually, “Is there a hairdryer?”

“Yes,” Jiang Ji released the mineral water bottle in his hand, his Adam’s apple rolling, “I’ll get it for you.”

He walked to the bedside, bent down to take out the hairdryer from the drawer, then came over to plug it into the socket on the table and handed it to Qin Qingzhuo.

After Qin Qingzhuo took it, Jiang Ji lifted his hand to grasp a handful of Qin Qingzhuo’s damp hair tips, pecked his lips lightly, and whispered, “You dry your hair, I’ll go take a shower.”

Qin Qingzhuo held the hairdryer and responded with a “Hmm.”

The hairdryer hummed as it blew out hot air, and Jiang Ji walked out of the room. Qin Qingzhuo kept his head slightly lowered, running his fingers through his hair.

…It’s too ambiguous, it’s like everything is so ambiguous.

That look, slightly dim but watching him, how could he not know what it meant?

On the table was the mineral water Jiang Ji had just drunk. Qin Qingzhuo put down the hairdryer, picked up the bottle of water, unscrewed the cap, and took a few sips. The cool water moistened his dry throat, and he wiped the water stains from his lips, staring blankly into the air for a moment, before picking up the hairdryer again to continue drying his hair.

With his damp hair halfway dried, Jiang Ji finished his shower and walked into the bedroom, heading towards him.

Sensing that he had something to say, Qin Qingzhuo turned off the hairdryer.

Jiang Ji finally spoke, “Did I forget to bring you…”

Before he could finish, Qin Qingzhuo cut in with a “Yes.”

“Then you now…” This time Jiang Ji didn’t finish his sentence.

Qin Qingzhuo’s face flushed slightly, and he helplessly said, “Can we change the topic?”

Jiang Ji turned his face away, chuckled softly, took the hairdryer from Qin Qingzhuo’s hand, turned it on, but the sound was drowned out by the loud wind, making it hard to hear clearly. “Let me blow dry your hair.”

After saying that, he stood behind Qin Qingzhuo and began to blow dry his hair.

Qin Qingzhuo’s hair tips were very dark, hanging down along his neck, which made his fair skin appear even more radiant.

He noticed a small mole on Qin Qingzhuo’s back, just between the neck and the protruding bone, its color was very light, and it could only be seen clearly up close. The feeling of thirst arose again, and he subconsciously glanced at the water on the table.

Then he keenly noticed that the bottle had changed position, and there was less water inside – Qin Qingzhuo had drunk from the bottle.

The feeling of thirst suddenly intensified, and he raised the hand that wasn’t holding the hairdryer, letting his fingers touch the small mole on Qin Qingzhuo’s back, gently caressing it twice.

The touch, slightly calloused and rough, made Qin Qingzhuo subconsciously tense his back. Through the cotton fabric, the distinct and beautiful butterfly bone could be seen.

“What’s wrong?” Qin Qingzhuo turned his head slightly.

As the words came out, he realized that in the noisy sound of the wind, what he said would be completely filtered out.

But the next second, Jiang Ji turned off the hairdryer, and the hand that had been resting on his back lifted to cover the side of his face, and Jiang Ji turned his face and kissed him.

His tongue probed between his lips, lingering for a moment before slipping between his teeth, in a rather direct kiss.

If the kiss on the second floor of the bar was more about Jiang Ji trying to confirm something, then this kiss was filled with desire, eager to take something from Qin Qingzhuo.

Being kissed from behind gave a sense of being controlled. Qin Qingzhuo usually didn’t like being controlled, but at this moment, he felt a bit indulgent.

He then realized that Jiang Ji was quite clever. Even in kissing, he seemed to have a natural talent. If the previous two deep kisses were a bit clumsy, then with this kiss, all Jiang Ji needed was a slight guidance with his tongue, and he could grasp it perfectly, even take the lead.

Fingers covering his face gently rubbed against his ear, then slowly moved downward, the soft earlobe being repeatedly kneaded by the rough fingertips.

In the quiet room of the late night, the sound of footsteps became particularly clear as they approached the edge of the bed.

Jiang Ji held Qin Qingzhuo’s shoulders, turning him to face him. He looked at Qin Qingzhuo, focusing on capturing any subtle changes on his face caused by himself – the cheeks were a bit redder than before, the crimson lips moistened by saliva, slightly parted due to panting, and those beautiful eyes, now covered with a layer of mist, clearly reflecting himself.

Then he smelled the scent on Qin Qingzhuo, even though he had taken a shower, the smell of osmanthus and woody dampness still lingered, but this time mixed with a cool peppermint scent.

It was the scent of shower gel, as well as Jiang Ji’s own scent.

However… it wasn’t enough.

He wanted Qin Qingzhuo to be imbued with more of his own scent.

His palm descended, embracing Qin Qingzhuo, one arm supporting Qin Qingzhuo’s waist, gently pushing him onto the bed.

Qin Qingzhuo didn’t refuse, to be precise, Qin Qingzhuo was cooperating with him.

Jiang Ji propped himself up on the bed with one arm, leaning over to look at Qin Qingzhuo lying beneath him. There was desire in Qin Qingzhuo’s eyes, and Jiang Ji was sure he hadn’t misjudged. This realization made his pulse quicken even more.

The intensification of desire in Qin Qingzhuo’s eyes fueled his possessiveness, and he found himself unable to suppress a certain longing within his body.

“Qin Qingzhuo,” Jiang Ji called his name, his voice a bit hoarse.

Qin Qingzhuo looked at him and softly responded, “Hmm.”

Jiang Ji lowered his head to look at him and asked, “Will you regret it after sobering up?”

“What if I do?” Qin Qingzhuo’s voice also sounded a bit hoarse.

“Then let’s do something you’ll regret but won’t matter,” Jiang Ji looked at him and said softly, “Okay?”

Qin Qingzhuo gently curved his lips, neither saying yes nor no, just raising his hand to touch Jiang Ji’s face.

Jiang Ji bent one leg, placing it on the bed between Qin Qingzhuo’s legs, then straightened up, raised his hand to take off his shirt, revealing his thin yet muscular abdomen. He tossed the shirt aside, then leaned down again to kiss Qin Qingzhuo.

That kiss repeatedly brushed against their lips, moving downward with a scorching breath along the jawline until it reached the Adam’s apple, causing Qin Qingzhuo to tilt his head slightly back. The coarse hair against his face was slightly prickly, and the slightly rough fingertips touching his body made him unable to control the trembling. He instinctively raised his hand to hold Jiang Ji, fingers slipping into his hair as he closed his eyes, breathing heavily.

The ceiling light was glaring, but Jiang Ji ignored Qin Qingzhuo’s request to turn it off. He wanted to watch Qin Qingzhuo.

To see all of Qin Qingzhuo’s pain and pleasure, every frown and trance, all because of him.

He didn’t want to waste any of the indulgence Qin Qingzhuo had given him. Not only that, he wanted to demand even more from Qin Qingzhuo.

Only by taking could he fill his longing, soothe all the torment, anxiety, and uncertainty he had endured over the past month.

He controlled Qin Qingzhuo, yet at the same time, he felt controlled by Qin Qingzhuo. How much pain Qin Qingzhuo had caused him over the past month was equal to the pleasure he brought him tonight. He was somewhat greedy, yet he also felt that this was something Qin Qingzhuo should endure. After all, who made him utter those three words “I don’t like it” without asking? Then he would also take the initiative, no… out of revenge, he would take the initiative every time from now on.

The snow outside fell heavier and heavier, the dark night gradually fading, and the daylight seeping through the curtains.

After carrying Qin Qingzhuo back from the bathroom, Jiang Ji gently placed him back on the bed. He lay lightly on top of Qin Qingzhuo, helping him tuck his sweaty hair behind his ears, then took the remaining tissues from the bedside and gently wiped the sweat from Qin Qingzhuo’s forehead. Qin Qingzhuo looked exhausted, and in the short time it took for Jiang Ji to clean him up, he had fallen into a deep sleep.

Jiang Ji leaned closer and touched his thin eyelids with his lips. The dense, black eyelashes moved slightly, but Qin Qingzhuo didn’t open his eyes.

After staring at Qin Qingzhuo for a while, Jiang Ji’s arm tightened, almost enclosing him in his embrace, then he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

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Author’s note:

Not having the feeling of missing an important communication process, but it really can’t be opened in a sad tone, let it be like this. The next chapters will give a little hint of the process.