Chapter 54
Fu Jingqiu, you thick-browed, sharp-eyed man, what are you doing?
This posture, this movement, was really… really…
An affront to decency!
But—
Jiang Qingyu didn’t feel uncomfortable or disgusted at all. The instant he was lifted into the air, aside from being a little embarrassed… he actually kind of liked it.
Their lower bodies were pressed tightly together, almost giving the illusion that they were squeezing against each other.
Fu Jingqiu’s hold was very precise and controlled. He wasn’t gripping him so tightly that his waist hurt. Jiang Qingyu’s butt rested against his hips, his legs dangling and swaying lightly with the movement.
Sometimes when Jiang Qingyu carried his little sister around to play, it was like this too!
Fortunately, Fu Jingqiu clearly had no intention of keeping him suspended forever. After gently rocking him twice like he was soothing a child, he set Jiang Qingyu back down.
The moment his feet touched the ground, Jiang Qingyu’s legs went weak and he nearly stumbled. Fu Jingqiu reacted instantly, grabbing him around the waist and pulling him back upright, pressing him against himself once more.
“Careful,” Fu Jingqiu said.
Jiang Qingyu wanted to turn around and glare at him. And whose fault was he being “careless” because of?
But in the end, he said nothing. Supported by Fu Jingqiu until he regained his footing, he heard the man ask, “Still practicing?”
This time Jiang Qingyu genuinely had no strength left. Whether he’d gone soft from fright or exhaustion, even he didn’t know. Suddenly crouching down, he feinted once before slipping out under Fu Jingqiu’s arm and fleeing.
Without even looking back, he flopped onto the sofa and dog-paddled his way across it, wriggling until he found a comfortable position. Hugging a pillow to his chest, he patted it twice, decided the comfort level was perfect, and remained sprawled there motionlessly.
Seeing he truly didn’t want to continue playing around, Fu Jingqiu stopped there too. He packed away the equipment, folded and stored everything properly into the sports bag, and shut down the devices.
Once everything was tidied up, he walked over and patted Jiang Qingyu’s shoulder, signaling for him to put the items into his space.
This was actually the first time Jiang Qingyu had shown that ability in front of Fu Jingqiu. He’d assumed this upright comrade might be somewhat shocked by such “high-tech” phenomena, so he deliberately observed his reaction closely.
But when the pile of items vanished in front of Fu Jingqiu’s eyes like a special effect, the man didn’t even twitch an eyebrow. Clearly, he accepted it perfectly well and wasn’t startled in the slightest.
Jiang Qingyu instantly lost interest. What’s with that reaction?
Meanwhile, Fu Jingqiu had already begun preparing to sweep and mop the floor. Jiang Qingyu lazily suggested, “Why not install the robot vacuum? No point letting it go unused.”
“?” Fu Jingqiu asked, “You bought a robot vacuum too?”
“Bought it ages ago. Just never bothered installing it.”
After all, not long after he bought it, Fu Jingqiu had arrived!
The moment he moved in, he’d taken over nearly all the housework in the RV with incredible diligence. Back then, the vehicle wasn’t as spacious as it was now, so Jiang Qingyu never bothered taking out the robot vacuum.
Now that the RV had become more spacious and there was no need to hide things from Fu Jingqiu anymore, naturally he could start using all the machines and devices that improved household happiness.
Since he’d already bought it, there was no reason to let it collect dust.
And so Fu Jingqiu immediately went off to study the robot vacuum’s installation and manual. Jiang Qingyu lounged sideways on the sofa watching him fiddle with it. He wasn’t scrolling on his phone or petting the cat—he simply hugged the pillow and watched Fu Jingqiu for quite a while.
By the time he snapped out of it, the robot was already mapping the RV interior. His little sister followed behind it curiously, one paw raised as though she wanted to smack it but didn’t know where to start. Her ears stood upright in extreme vigilance. After a while, she suddenly slapped the robot once before bolting from one end of the RV to the other with her tail raised high.
Tangyuan had no idea what was happening. Since the cat ran, he ran too. Hiding beneath the table, he pricked up his ears and stared warily at the robot roaming the floor, occasionally pawing at the air with his front paws.
Witnessing all of this, Jiang Qingyu laughed so hard he nearly rolled off the sofa, cackling for a while before glancing at his phone. It was already almost eleven.
Yet barely any lights in the station rooms had gone out. Young people nowadays rarely slept early. Besides, stranded far from home in this tiny roadside station, most of them probably couldn’t sleep anyway.
Fu Jingqiu kept urging Jiang Qingyu to go shower, but Jiang Qingyu dragged his feet endlessly. Sometimes when his internet addiction flared up, he just wanted to lie on the sofa hugging his phone and keep playing forever. If Fu Jingqiu hadn’t jokingly threatened to smack his butt, he probably would’ve stayed sprawled there even longer.
He muttered complaints under his breath. The sofa didn’t even need to be cleared out for Fu Jingqiu to make a bed anymore, so what was wrong with lying there a bit longer? Besides, they didn’t need to wake up early tomorrow. During these few rest days, they should sleep until they naturally woke up every day.
But Fu Jingqiu said nothing. He merely lifted his eyelids and gave him a calm look.
Jiang Qingyu immediately tensed up and hurriedly grabbed his clothes to go shower.
It was kind of strange. Usually Fu Jingqiu indulged him endlessly, agreeing to almost everything. Even when Jiang Qingyu changed his mind every few minutes or bossed him around doing this and that, Fu Jingqiu never seemed annoyed.
But at moments like this, aside from shamelessly clinging to him and acting spoiled, Jiang Qingyu could only obediently listen.
Otherwise, his instincts told him nobody could guarantee what might happen next.
And he definitely didn’t have those kinds of preferences, thank you very much.
So he slipped away incredibly fast. Once he stepped into the shower and hot water cascaded over him, his entire body instantly relaxed.
Honestly, when the outdoor temperature was minus sixty or seventy degrees, being able to take a hot shower inside a warm room was an indescribable kind of happiness.
By the time he emerged after enjoying a luxurious hot bath, his cheeks were flushed pink from the steam, the tips of his hair slightly damp, and even his neck and collarbones carried a faint rosy hue. He looked dazed and soft all over as he hugged his towel and called to Fu Jingqiu, “I’m done. You can go shower now.”
At this point, his whole body had basically melted into jelly from the warmth. Kicking off his slippers, he climbed directly onto the bed. The electric blanket had already been turned on earlier, and the temperature was perfectly comfortable. Lying down with his eyes closed for ten seconds was enough to make his happiness meter skyrocket.
Hm.
It seemed Fu Jingqiu had made the bed in advance too.
One quilt had already been put away by Fu Jingqiu. Ever since last night, it had become an unspoken agreement that they would sleep intimately together from now on. Jiang Qingyu rolled over onto Fu Jingqiu’s side of the bed and giggled twice beneath the blankets.
Nice. Very nice.
No worries about food or survival, and his love life was stable. He was extremely satisfied.
Even if someone mocked him for having no ambition, he didn’t care. He’d never had huge aspirations anyway. As long as he could live well, that was enough.
After finishing his shower, settling Tangyuan and the cat, turning off every light in the RV except the bedroom, and checking the monitors to make sure nothing unusual was happening outside, Fu Jingqiu finally returned to the bedroom. “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”
Jiang Qingyu was lounging there with one leg crossed, arrogantly playing on his phone. “I slept so long this afternoon. I’m not sleepy now.”
Fu Jingqiu said, “If you stay up until the point you’re tired, tomorrow you’ll sleep even later. Your schedule will flip upside down very quickly.”
Jiang Qingyu spread his hands. “So what? I don’t work anyway.”
“…” Calmly, Fu Jingqiu took away his phone. “But it’s bad for your health. Sleeping late is fine. Sleeping ten hours plus a two-hour nap is fine. Just don’t stay up late.”
Jiang Qingyu didn’t dare snatch the phone back. He groaned unhappily and flopped face-down onto the bed.
Fu Jingqiu glanced at him. Jiang Qingyu’s pajamas had become slightly rumpled from all the rolling around. The soft fabric of his sleep pants clung tightly to his thighs, and with his waist dipping downward, his already-rounded butt looked even perkier.
Without much thought, Fu Jingqiu smacked it lightly once. “What are you whining for?”
If Jiang Qingyu remembered correctly, this was the second time Fu Jingqiu had smacked his butt.
He’d done it this morning too!!
It didn’t hurt, but it felt strangely odd. Jiang Qingyu gave him a subtle look, then almost deliberately shook out the blanket and burrowed himself inside.
Fu Jingqiu’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Then he actually reached over and peeled Jiang Qingyu back out from the blanket. “What did you mean by that just now?”
Jiang Qingyu played dumb. “What do you mean what did I mean?”
“You were avoiding me?”
Jiang Qingyu instinctively shrank his neck and stammered, “N-no?”
Fu Jingqiu lowered his gaze to him. “You can’t accept this kind of thing?”
“Huh?”
Fu Jingqiu spoke steadily, as though stating a simple fact. “Even if we’re only trying things out, we’re still continuing as a couple. There are more things we’ll do and can do besides this. If you can’t accept that, tell me in advance.”
Hey! It was just a butt smack! Did it really need to escalate this far?!
Jiang Qingyu abruptly sat up cross-legged and stared at him seriously. “Wait a second. Don’t you think there’s something kind of wrong with you?”
Fu Jingqiu’s gaze drifted downward for two seconds before he pulled the blanket over Jiang Qingyu’s legs. “What?”
Crossing his arms, Jiang Qingyu said, “Why do you always talk about whether I can accept things or not? You did it last time too. It makes it sound like I’m only pretending to like men, and if things got real, I’d immediately freak out and run away.”
As he spoke, he suddenly leaned forward, shortening the distance between them until their noses were nearly touching. “You don’t secretly think I’m playing with your feelings, do you?”
“…” Fu Jingqiu pressed his lips together. “I just want to respect your feelings.”
“But I feel perfectly fine,” Jiang Qingyu said, inching even closer. “You’re the weird one here.”
Fu Jingqiu didn’t reply. For two seconds, he even avoided Jiang Qingyu’s gaze.
Their physical interactions certainly didn’t seem like the actions of someone uncomfortable with dating another man. But the things he said…
Pretending to stroke his chin thoughtfully, Jiang Qingyu vaguely felt like he’d figured something out. “Are you trying to confirm that I’m serious? That this isn’t just a passing whim and that I’ll take responsibility for you in the future?”
Fu Jingqiu: “………………”
Jiang Qingyu blinked. “Why that expression? Did I guess right?”
With difficulty, Fu Jingqiu replied, “No.”
But he absolutely had.
Fine. Fu Jingqiu was simply still uncertain. He couldn’t understand why Jiang Qingyu would like him.
So whenever Jiang Qingyu reacted awkwardly or instinctively tried to escape during physical intimacy, those thoughts inevitably surfaced again.
He wanted to be chosen. To be affirmed. To be… well… taken responsibility for.
To Jiang Qingyu’s surprise, after answering that question, Fu Jingqiu’s ears seemed to turn red.
Though his skin wasn’t pale like Jiang Qingyu’s and instead carried a healthy bronze tone, the color difference was still noticeable. If Jiang Qingyu had been wrong, Fu Jingqiu shouldn’t have reacted like this.
That really was such a Fu Jingqiu-style approach to relationships.
Feeling as though he’d uncovered some secret, Jiang Qingyu suppressed a laugh and said, “Don’t worry. This isn’t a temporary interest, and I’m not someone who loses interest after three minutes. Unless you’ve been pretending ever since we met, or you do something awful, my feelings won’t change.”
“As for what you mentioned just now…” Jiang Qingyu scratched his ear and deliberately avoided eye contact. “I’m just a little embarrassed, that’s all. After enough time passes, you’ll get used to it.”
“Okay.” Fu Jingqiu lowered his eyes toward Jiang Qingyu’s fluffy hair. “I understand.”
He understands? That’s it?
Wasn’t he going to show any reaction or something?
If the conversation ended here, the atmosphere would become incredibly awkward.
Surely Jiang Qingyu couldn’t keep rambling on about how Fu Jingqiu didn’t need to worry and how he’d definitely do this or that.
His neck stiffened, and for a moment he didn’t know whether to look up or say something else.
The next second, a hand cupped his chin and lifted it gently upward. Forced to follow the movement, Jiang Qingyu raised his face and met Fu Jingqiu’s gaze.
Fu Jingqiu looked quite serious.
Only two or three seconds passed before a shadow fell over him. Unlike last time, when Fu Jingqiu had pinched his chin and half-grabbed his neck just to brush briefly against the corner of his lips, this time the sensation was unmistakably real.
Warm.
Soft.
Fu Jingqiu had such a sharply masculine face, with hard features and defined contours, yet his lips were unexpectedly soft.
Jiang Qingyu froze for several seconds, body rigid, not daring to move at all.
Blinking blankly in confusion, he hadn’t even processed what was happening before Fu Jingqiu pulled back slightly, warm breath brushing against his lips. “Close your eyes.”
Huh?
Before Jiang Qingyu could react, his body obeyed first. His eyes shut obediently, plunging everything into darkness, and a moment later that same sensation covered his lips again.
Slow.
Careful.
Not exactly skilled, but incredibly gentle.
For some reason, Fu Jingqiu’s kisses reminded Jiang Qingyu of the way the cat occasionally sniffed at him—small, tentative touches, like he was confirming something.
Fu Jingqiu held Jiang Qingyu’s cheeks in both hands, practically controlling his entire head. His fingers pressed lightly against Jiang Qingyu’s ears, making it feel as though every inch of him was burning hot.
It was only a simple kiss, not even particularly deep, yet Jiang Qingyu’s breathing became uneven and his heartbeat thundered.
Their breaths were too close, mingling together. The intimacy between them rose to an entirely new level. Jiang Qingyu’s eyelashes trembled uncontrollably as if by instinct he lifted both arms and loosely wrapped them around Fu Jingqiu’s shoulders.
Thirty seconds?
Jiang Qingyu honestly couldn’t tell.
After Fu Jingqiu released him, he remained dazed for a moment. When he finally opened his eyes, he immediately met Fu Jingqiu’s gaze, as though the man were checking his reaction.
In a low voice, Fu Jingqiu asked, “How was it?”
“…” Jiang Qingyu stammered, “I-it was okay?”
At least he hadn’t been kissed dizzy enough to lose all sense of direction and go weak in the knees.
Still, Fu Jingqiu probably didn’t have any experience either, so it was understandable.
Jiang Qingyu asked, “But this was your first time kissing a man, right? How did it feel?”
Fu Jingqiu: ….
An obviously speechless expression appeared on his face, which immediately amused Jiang Qingyu so much that he seriously corrected himself. “Sorry. I guess you probably haven’t kissed women either.”
Fu Jingqiu answered honestly, “That really kills the mood.”
Jiang Qingyu stared at him with bright eyes. “So you’re not actually against being close to men.”
“I never was.” After a pause, he added, “Only with you.”
Jiang Qingyu laughed so hard he almost lost it. Fu Jingqiu hadn’t even said anything particularly funny, but somehow, just looking at that face made everything hilarious to him.
He tightened his arms around Fu Jingqiu and deliberately let out a spoiled little nasal hum. “Then… want to kiss again?”
Before bed, diligent good student Jiang Qingyu ended up with two lips swollen red from kissing.
Whenever he touched them with his fingers or accidentally licked them, there was even a faint sting.
Okay, maybe things had gone a little overboard.
Once they’d kissed for the first time, everything afterward naturally became justified.
Kissing skills needed practice too, and Jiang Qingyu definitely wasn’t satisfied with just pressing lips together.
Strangely enough, the two of them had an incredible tacit understanding during moments like this. After Jiang Qingyu said that line, neither of them actively requested anything more, but after kissing and pausing briefly to recover, somehow they’d end up kissing again anyway.
Their positions evolved too. At first they’d been sitting while kissing, but somehow Jiang Qingyu later ended up pinned back into the messy blankets, Fu Jingqiu leaning over him. Unable to resist, Fu Jingqiu grabbed the hand clutching the pillow and rather forcefully threaded their fingers together.
At one point Jiang Qingyu tried dodging away because he felt short of breath. But before he could even ask for a break, Fu Jingqiu had already wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him back into his chest for more clingy kisses.
This was the consequence of indulging themselves too much.
Accepting his fate, Jiang Qingyu dug out lip balm, applied some himself, then handed it to Fu Jingqiu.
“What for?” Fu Jingqiu asked.
Quietly, Jiang Qingyu replied, “Put some on. Otherwise it’ll feel uncomfortable. Your lips might swell. If it turns into cheilitis, it’ll be miserable.”
“Cheilitis?”
Apparently he’d never had it before.
Jiang Qingyu explained, “It’s awful. You can’t stop licking your lips, and the more you lick, the worse it gets. The wind here is brutal too. If we go outside, they might crack and bleed.”
Scratching his head, he added, “Maintaining it is annoying, and we wouldn’t even be able to k-kiss anymore.”
He stammered over those final two words, while Fu Jingqiu had already taken the lip balm from him. Clearly unused to applying it, he spread it on rather cautiously.
Their relationship really had advanced at terrifying speed. Just two days ago they’d only been hugging and cuddling. Jiang Qingyu had assumed Fu Jingqiu was the slow-burn type who preferred pure, innocent affection first.
Who knew today they’d suddenly jump straight into passionate kissing?
No, correction.
It still hadn’t gone very deep yet.
Jiang Qingyu was too embarrassed to say it, and Fu Jingqiu obviously didn’t know how either.
Of course, if Jiang Qingyu had been expected to take the initiative, he probably wouldn’t have known what to do either.
Oddly enough, after crossing that line, Jiang Qingyu actually became much more natural around him.
He burrowed into the blankets and patted his stomach contentedly, almost like soothing himself. “Sleep, sleep. Whatever else there is, we’ll deal with it tomorrow.”
Fu Jingqiu casually pulled him over.
Jiang Qingyu rolled into his arms as smoothly as a sushi roll, pressing against his chest.
Muffling his face against him, Jiang Qingyu muttered, “You’ve gotten pretty proactive now, huh?”
Fu Jingqiu’s thumb stroked the small patch of skin at the back of Jiang Qingyu’s neck, as though tracing the shape of the bones beneath it. His slightly hoarse voice sounded above him. “Yeah. I… kind of like this.”
Jiang Qingyu patted his chest muscles. They felt even better than expected, so he subconsciously squeezed them twice.
A few seconds later, he reminded him, “Relax. Why are your muscles so tense?”
Fu Jingqiu: …
Jiang Qingyu continued the previous topic, even beginning to dig up old scores. “Before I made things clear, you never acted especially proactive or close to me either.”
What he didn’t realize was that Fu Jingqiu treated everyone else with even more distance, always maintaining a line nobody could cross no matter how close they were.
Fu Jingqiu didn’t know how to explain that fact to him. Perhaps because he’d spent so much time around Jiang Qingyu, he’d even learned to joke around a little. “If I got too close, you probably would’ve thought I was harassing you.”
Jiang Qingyu snorted with laughter. “Still pretending? You obviously weren’t like that before.”
There was simply no winning against him.
Lowering his head, Fu Jingqiu found himself craving more after getting a taste earlier. He wanted a goodnight kiss.
But just as he leaned closer, he remembered the two of them solemnly applying lip balm moments ago. In the end, he restrained himself from kissing Jiang Qingyu and instead hugged him tightly once.
“Hey!” Jiang Qingyu protested.
Fu Jingqiu laughed quietly. “Sorry.”
During the earlier movement when he’d pulled Jiang Qingyu into his arms, the hem of Jiang Qingyu’s pajama top had ridden upward, exposing a section of his lower back. Fu Jingqiu’s palm rested directly against the skin, the silky smooth sensation making him unable to resist gently rubbing it with his hand.
The touch tickled so much Jiang Qingyu squirmed around wildly.
“Alright, alright.” After satisfying himself just a little, Fu Jingqiu pulled the pajama top back down. “It’s late. Sleep.”
Only then did Jiang Qingyu finally settle down. As if returning the gesture, he wrapped his arms around Fu Jingqiu’s waist too and happily rubbed his face against Fu Jingqiu’s chest.
Sure enough, he fell asleep the moment his head touched the pillow. In just that short while, drowsiness had already overtaken him.
Somewhere in his hazy consciousness, he vaguely remembered managing to say goodnight.
But whatever Fu Jingqiu replied with afterward, he had absolutely no memory.
The night was quiet.
Because there weren’t enough workers, aside from essential areas, the entire city of Yecheng remained buried beneath snow. Near dawn, the wind seemed to pick up outside, shaking snow loose from the trees around the station with rustling sounds.
The advertising banners outside fluttered noisily. Occasionally snow pellets were swept against the RV and windows.
All of it was very close to them.
And yet very far from Fu Jingqiu’s embrace.
Fu Jingqiu remained in a half-asleep state the entire time.
Every time he became slightly more conscious and his body regained awareness, he would realize there was a certain little fish sleeping soundly in his arms.
Jiang Qingyu loved cleanliness and was a bit vain too. The bathroom shelves were lined with skincare and bath products, including several different scents of bath oil.
Every time, Fu Jingqiu entered the shower after him. Once the hot water started running, the entire bathroom would be filled with Jiang Qingyu’s scent.
When asleep, Jiang Qingyu became extremely soft and warm, just like this morning when Fu Jingqiu returned to the bedroom after tidying everything up. Looking at Jiang Qingyu’s sleeping face, he couldn’t help climbing back into bed and pulling him into his arms again.
Like a sleepy kitten that let itself be manipulated while unconscious, warm and soft against his chest, every part of him felt wonderful to hold.
Once Fu Jingqiu became aware that this person was lying in his arms, his thoughts would drift for several seconds—to the snow outside, to temperatures so cold people couldn’t stay outdoors for long.
An overwhelming sense of safety enveloped him.
It was a feeling he had never experienced before, not even during childhood.
And so Fu Jingqiu fell asleep peacefully while holding him.
In those lingering fragments of consciousness, every sense kept reminding him:
Jiang Qingyu was lying in his arms.
He represented safety, comfort, and the only place that had ever felt like home in over twenty years of Fu Jingqiu’s life.
