Confession

The anger in Lu Jin’s chest nearly made him snap in two. He had said it from the first time he met Ye Qiao—that something about him just wasn’t right. And now, here it was, proving him right.

“What are you doing?!” Lu Jin strode over, his aura fierce, but his expression controlled, not letting his emotions get the best of him.

Su Ran, startled by Lu Jin’s sudden appearance, instinctively pulled his hand away from Ye Qiao. Ye Qiao looked at him, frowning, and dropped the shirt he was holding.

“We…,” Su Ran paused, momentarily confused, as Lu Jin’s presence felt like a confrontation. The way he was questioning them made it seem like he thought something had happened between him and Ye Qiao. “We were just sketching… I accidentally fell into the water earlier…”

Lu Jin fixed his icy gaze on Su Ran, then shifted it to Ye Qiao. Ye Qiao met his stare without flinching, then gave a dismissive smile, almost daring him to ask. It was like saying, Who do you think you are to question us?

Lu Jin took a deep breath, feeling his blood surge, an almost salty taste rising in his throat. But he wasn’t some naive young man anymore, so he hid his emotions well, not letting them show on his face.

“Let’s go back for now,” Lu Jin said, his voice low. He was afraid that if his voice got too loud, his anger would be too obvious.

After a brief pause, he added, “The sun’s not as strong now, don’t catch a cold.”

“Oh… right, yeah. Let’s head back quickly,” Su Ran agreed, glancing at Ye Qiao. “We’ll take a shower once we’re back, don’t catch a cold.”

Ye Qiao smiled, draping his arm around Su Ran’s shoulders. “Got it, Ran Ran. You too.”

Lu Jin couldn’t deny it—Ye Qiao’s act had worked. His jealousy burned inside him, almost out of control. His eyes were locked on Su Ran, watching him until their gazes met. He continued staring at him stubbornly.

When Su Ran met his gaze, he felt a strange unease. He couldn’t figure out why Lu Jin looked so angry, and there seemed to be more than just anger in his eyes—there was a kind of suppressed frustration that made Su Ran’s heart race.

“Uh… Mr. Lu, didn’t you go to the beach with them? What are you doing here?” Su Ran asked.

“I was just wandering around. Didn’t expect to find you two here,” Lu Jin replied. Despite his cold and tense expression, his gaze never left Su Ran, and his eyes were growing more bloodshot.

Su Ran felt a bit uneasy under his constant stare, and the way he spoke seemed to have an underlying tone, as though there was more to it. He couldn’t help but wonder if Lu Jin misunderstood them. “We were just sketching. Let’s head back now.”

There wasn’t much to explain, and they really hadn’t done anything to explain. As they headed back, Ye Qiao was in a good mood, chatting and laughing with Su Ran, while Lu Jin remained silent.

Back at the villa, Lu Jin opened the door, and Ye Qiao stood by his own door, still smiling at Su Ran. “Goodnight, Ran Ran.”

“Goodnight,” Su Ran replied.

“Bang!” The door slammed shut behind them, making Su Ran jump. He looked over at the neighboring door, puzzled. It was really strange. Could it be that he was still angry from the last time? That he hadn’t let go of his failed attempt at testing him?

Inside his room, Lu Jin stood in front of the mirror. The room was eerily quiet, save for his heavy breathing. The reflection in the mirror was nothing but darkness.

His mind replayed the scene from earlier. The more he thought about it, the paler his face grew. A sense of vague fear lingered, like something important was being taken from him.

His heart felt like it had nowhere to escape. Something inside his chest was rising, but before he could think further, he abruptly turned and rushed out of the room, banging on the door to the next room.

Su Ran, just about to change into his slippers, froze when he heard the knock. His steps quickened as he hurried to open the door. When he did, Lu Jin was standing there, looking a little anxious, though he opened his mouth as if about to speak but then said nothing.

Su Ran stepped aside. “What’s the matter, Mr. Lu? Is something wrong?”

The term “Mr. Lu” pricked at him like a needle. Lu Jin stared directly at Su Ran, his voice hoarse. “What do you think?”

Su Ran’s confusion deepened. “I don’t know.”

Lu Jin took a deep breath. It had started as frustration, but the scent on Su Ran—fresh and cool like mountain spring water—somehow soothed him, draining some of his anger away.

“Are you doing this on purpose?” Lu Jin’s voice softened.

Su Ran still looked confused, feeling like there was a communication barrier between them. The discomfort from his clothes made him want to ask again. “Doing what on purpose?”

Seeing Su Ran’s indifferent expression, Lu Jin felt a deep frustration building up. He was certain Su Ran was deliberately acting innocent. By refusing to acknowledge their secret relationship, Su Ran was pushing him into this situation. He was making him confront his feelings, forcing him to face the humiliation.

Su Ran appeared soft and easy to manipulate, but in reality, it was Lu Jin who was the master manipulator…

Su Ran sighed, noticing Lu Jin still hadn’t said anything. “Mr. Lu, I’m going to take a shower.”

As he spoke, he began to undo his shirt buttons. If Lu Jin was this concerned about boundaries, now was the time for him to leave.

Unexpectedly, Lu Jin didn’t move. His face flushed red, his expression anxious, almost as if he had no idea how to act, how to behave in front of Su Ran.

His breathing quickened. Reaching out, he grasped Su Ran’s hand. The touch was cold and delicate, but he held it tight. “Su Ran, leave Jiang Yi. I’ll give you everything you want. Whatever you desire, I’ll give it to you.”

Su Ran furrowed his brow, forcefully pulling his hand away. “Don’t say that again. I’m not leaving him. Go away.”

Lu Jin froze. He was genuinely hurt. His pride had been crushed, and he was rejected without a second thought.

He couldn’t understand—what was it about Jiang Yi that made Su Ran unwilling to leave him?

Su Ran hadn’t expected Lu Jin to be so persistent. Given his character, the one thing he couldn’t tolerate was anyone telling him to leave Jiang Yi. But since the time hadn’t come yet, he believed Jiang Yi would eventually abandon him when the time was right.

Su Ran’s expression softened, his voice gentler now. “Mr. Lu, you should go. I really need to take a shower.”

Lu Jin’s face darkened, but after the first rejection, he had calmed down enough to keep his emotions in check. “Fine.”

With that, Lu Jin left, but his mind was still a whirlwind, full of frustration.

At that moment, Su Ran saw a slender figure standing by Jiang Yi’s door at the end of the corridor. The person was dressed lightly, smiling sweetly, and knocking on the door while saying, “Brother, it’s me.”

Lu Jin froze, quickly piecing everything together. He was puzzled—did Su Ran really not know what kind of person Jiang Yi was?

The Next Day

Su Ran and Ye Qiao returned from their outing, both in good spirits. Su Ran had successfully earned 40,000 yuan, and naturally, he was happy. But as they reached the hallway and saw Lu Jin, Su Ran’s smile faded.

Lu Jin usually had a cold, unapproachable aura, but these past couple of days, something felt off—like he was unhappy. Whenever they were in the same space, the mood would automatically shift to a more serious tone.

Su Ran suppressed his smile and greeted Lu Jin. He was about to go back to his room when Lu Jin approached him. “I need to talk to you.”

Su Ran was curious. “About what?”

Ye Qiao turned to Su Ran, smiling. “Ran Ran, I’ll be coloring tonight. Come by my room later to see the finished piece.”

“Sure, I’ll come by later,” Su Ran agreed.

Lu Jin took a deep breath. By now, Ye Qiao had gone into his room. After releasing a breath of frustration, Lu Jin finally spoke. “There’s a project I need to discuss with Jiang Yi. You should come too. After all, you played a part in the dessert.”

Su Ran blinked in surprise, then immediately felt his face heat up, as if his connection to Jiang Yi had been exposed. “Alright.”

Following Lu Jin, Su Ran couldn’t help but notice how imposing he was. His tall figure and cold demeanor gave off an air of seriousness.

“Is Jiang Yi already waiting for you? Should we call him?” Su Ran asked.

“No need. I saw him in his room earlier,” Lu Jin replied.

Jiang Yi’s room was at a slight corner, a little more private but still in the same hallway.

Once they reached the door, Lu Jin knocked. After a few moments of silence, the sound of Jiang Yi’s voice raised in anger reached their ears.

Lu Jin knocked again. “Jiang Yi, open up.”

There was another long silence, and finally, Jiang Yi opened the door. When he saw Su Ran, he froze for a moment, his expression stiff.

Jiang Yi looked composed, but Su Ran could see Zhou Luo in the room, his eyes red, gazing at Su Ran with a hint of resentment.

Su Ran immediately understood what had happened. The two of them must have had a falling out.

Jiang Yi, clearly flustered, forced a smile and said, “Secretary Zhou, you should go back for now. We’ll talk later.”

As Zhou Luo walked past Su Ran, he shot him a glare.

Su Ran felt something wasn’t right. He glanced at Lu Jin, who was staring at him, and when their eyes met, Su Ran suddenly realized—Lu Jin was clearly using this situation to make him see the tension between Jiang Yi and Zhou Luo. It was a clever move to undermine two rivals at once.

Su Ran stood there, processing the information, until they stepped out of Jiang Yi’s room.

In the hallway, Lu Jin watched him closely, waiting for his reaction. Su Ran, as usual, didn’t show any signs of concern.

Lu Jin finally couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Did you notice anything strange?”

Su Ran looked at him, confused. “Strange?”

Lu Jin’s voice was urgent. “Didn’t you notice? Jiang Yi and Zhou Luo—they’re hiding something. Can’t you see it?”

Su Ran had already guessed what Lu Jin was up to, and he frowned, irritated. “Mr. Lu, Jiang Yi and Zhou Luo just have a boss-subordinate relationship. It’s irresponsible to make wild assumptions like that.”

Lu Jin opened his mouth, but no words came out. He felt suffocated by Su Ran’s words. This wasn’t how he expected things to go.

As Su Ran walked away, Lu Jin stood frozen, lost in thought. Why was Su Ran accusing him? What was right and wrong anymore? He wasn’t sure anymore.

Later That Night

Downstairs, Yan Ze had organized a game of Truth or Dare. After everyone gathered, they decided on the classic game, with the bottle pointing to someone to either answer a truth or do a dare.

Su Ran sat down, and Ye Qiao joined him. Jiang Yi, however, arrived late and had to sit across from him.

The first round was unfortunate for Jiang Yi, as the bottle pointed to him. He chose Dare, and the challenge was to “give your most beloved person a hug.”

Everyone stared at him, expecting him to hug Su Ran. Only Zhou Luo seemed to be waiting with anticipation. Su Ran wasn’t sure who Jiang Yi would hug, though ironically, as his so-called wife, he could be the one.

Jiang Yi’s gaze lingered on Su Ran for a moment. He was dressed casually, but his eyes stayed on Su Ran a little longer than expected. To the others, they were a married couple, and no matter how he felt, Jiang Yi should have embraced Su Ran.

Jiang Yi stood up, walking over to Su Ran, and gave him a brief hug. Su Ran smiled awkwardly, and Ye Qiao, sitting nearby, took note of the moment but didn’t smile.

Ye Qiao’s eyes narrowed as he observed the interaction, feeling disgusted by how fake Jiang Yi was. When did Su Ran become his “most beloved person”?

Ye Qiao wanted to tear away the mask Jiang Yi wore and show Su Ran how ugly he was behind the facade.

Jiang Yi returned to his seat, but there was no longer a trace of the usual fragrance. Lu Jin’s sharp senses detected it—it seemed Jiang Yi and Zhou Luo hadn’t been close recently.

But for Lu Jin, seeing that hug was enough to steal his breath away. It was suffocating.

As night fell, the storm raged outside. The house grew colder and dimmer as the rain poured.

The group dispersed, and Su Ran returned to his room, showering and changing into silk sleepwear. Yet, he soon felt a chill in the air, as if the dampness from the window crept into the room.

He tried to close the window, and just as a lightning flash illuminated the room, he pulled the curtain tight, then left the room to get some hot water.

The corridor was quiet, and when he reached the first floor, he was surprised to see Lu Jin in the kitchen, standing by the counter, a few empty bottles scattered around. He held one in his hand, his sharp features lit up by the flickering lightning.

Su Ran hesitated for a moment, wondering if Lu Jin was upset over Jiang Yi. He walked over, deciding to speak to him.

“I’m just going to get some hot water,” Su Ran muttered, attempting to break the silence.

The kitchen light from outside was enough for Su Ran to see everything, but he didn’t want to disturb the gloomy atmosphere.

Lu Jin noticed him moving beside him, his gaze tracing Su Ran’s outline, taking in every detail, from his eyebrows to his lips, to his slender neck…

His thoughts were muddled, filled with a painful pressure in his chest. Unable to think clearly, he reached for Su Ran, grabbing his arm with an unsteady hand.

“Su Ran…” Lu Jin mumbled, trying to pull him closer.

He kept moving closer, his breath quickening, his gaze fixated on Su Ran. He wondered—if Su Ran agreed, would he hold him, kiss him, keep him?

Su Ran sighed, seeing how desperate Lu Jin looked. He hesitated for a moment and then spoke. “Actually… Jiang Yi and I aren’t really married. We never registered…”

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin froze, his lips parted, but no words came out. His voice shook, “You mean…”

“Yeah, I don’t even know if it counts as being married… we never registered…”

Before Su Ran could finish, Lu Jin wrapped his arms around him tightly, pulling him into a deep embrace.

“I know…” Lu Jin whispered, though the sound was drowned out by the thunderclap. Su Ran didn’t catch the rest of his words, but he felt warmth in Lu Jin’s arms, a strange comfort in the midst of the storm.