Chapter 62
Lin Song’an hadn’t fully lived up to his promise of bouncing back to perfect health—he still looked pale and fragile, though not overly weak.
When he raised his brows at Tan Ning, that familiar spirited glint was still there. Tan Ning’s first move was to check his neck.
Lin Song’an’s nape was covered with a palm-sized medical dressing, and Tan Ning didn’t dare touch it directly, instead carefully brushing his fingertips around the edges. “Does it still hurt?”
“I don’t really feel it anymore.”
“Really?”
Looking at Tan Ning, Lin Song’an managed a soft laugh and buried his face in Tan Ning’s embrace. “A bit. Hug me, Ning Ning.”
With his nose pressed against Tan Ning’s chest, he usually would have nuzzled around, but his neck injury kept him in check. Tan Ning shifted closer, letting Lin Song’an rest his head on his arm.
Lin Song’an chuckled, “This surgery was worth it if it makes Ning Ning so attentive. I’d happily go under the knife again if that’s what it takes.”
Tan Ning’s face tightened, and he gave Lin Song’an’s arm a pinch, drawing a sharp breath from him.
Tan Ning pushed him away.
Realizing his mistake, Lin Song’an slowly raised himself, scooting closer toward Tan Ning.
“Lin Song’an, I haven’t forgiven you.”
Lin Song’an paused, nodding. “I know.”
“I’m not going to spend my life weighed down by guilt, catering to your ‘honorable’ and ‘deep’ love,” Tan Ning’s voice grew cold.
Lin Song’an’s expression turned serious. “Of course.”
“I don’t owe you anything.”
Taken aback by the cold distance in Tan Ning’s tone, Lin Song’an was about to speak when Tan Ning leaned forward and kissed him.
Their lips were dry, igniting sparks like embers touching a pile of dry twigs, irresistible and intense.
An entire month had passed. They hadn’t had direct contact; Tan Ning longed to hear Lin Song’an’s voice but dreaded hearing his pained breathing, while Lin Song’an wanted to see Tan Ning’s face yet feared seeing his tear-stained eyes.
Tan Ning finally understood what it meant to feel every day drag on.
Lin Song’an moved over him, their bodies pressed together, interlocked. Tan Ning stayed still, only moving to gently hold Lin Song’an’s shoulders. When Lin Song’an couldn’t exert force, Tan Ning met him halfway.
They had shared many intimate moments before—in abandoned rooms at school, in the car, in the bedroom—but this time, their hearts felt even closer than their bodies.
“I missed you so much,” Lin Song’an whispered between kisses, briefly letting go of Tan Ning’s lips. “In isolation, I thought of you every day.”
Tan Ning discreetly wiped away his tears. “Since the surgery, have you felt any changes?”
“None so far.”
“Good.”
Lin Song’an lay on his side and, seeing Tan Ning’s stoic face, reached out to gently nudge him until they lay facing each other.
“Lin Song’an, will you regret it?”
Lin Song’an shook his head.
“How can you prove that?”
He pondered deeply, then held out his hand to Tan Ning. “Pinky promise.”
Tan Ning swatted his hand away, exasperated. “Childish.”
With his hair disheveled from their closeness, Tan Ning fished out a hair tie from under his pillow and hastily secured his hair. “When did you get here?”
“A bit after two in the afternoon.”
“Did you come alone?”
“My mom dropped me off at the Ningjiang airport, and Wang Fan picked me up at Heathrow.”
“Did she agree to let you come here?”
“She did. She knows I’ll recover faster being with you.”
Tan Ning scoffed, “You’re always ruining the good impression I try to build with her.”
Lin Song’an, not fully recovered yet, had rushed to the UK to be with Tan Ning. Fang Jin must have thought Tan Ning was like a siren, entirely bewitching her son. If Tan Ning put himself in her shoes, he’d have thought it was overboard, too.
Lin Song’an disagreed. “You’re in her good books now. She actually really likes you; says you’re sensible, responsible, and perfect for me. She always mentions it by my bedside, saying, ‘Xiao Ning is a great match for you; you’re outwardly warm but inwardly cold, and Xiao Ning is the opposite. You’re a natural pair.’”
Tan Ning placed a hand on his chest, “And you think you’re outwardly warm but inwardly cold?”
“Apparently. My friends say that about me all the time—they’re wary of getting too close.”
“Yet they’re still willing to be friends with you.”
“Maybe… because I’m an alpha?”
Tan Ning pursed his lips, not rising to the bait. “Fishing for compliments? Not happening.”
Lin Song’an laughed.
“Are you hungry?”
“A little. What’s good around here?”
“I’ve stocked up on ingredients for soups. I even had some cordyceps shipped from Ningjiang. Why don’t you nap a bit longer to reset your internal clock? I’ll start the soup,” Tan Ning checked his phone. “Sleep until six, then we can have dinner.”
Lin Song’an nodded. “Okay.”
Tan Ning was about to get out of bed when Lin Song’an pulled him back, looking up with a pitiful expression. “Ning Ning, kiss me?”
This time, Tan Ning didn’t resist. He leaned in and planted a kiss on Lin Song’an’s lips.
Lin Song’an angled his head slightly, bringing their lips together.
He grinned mischievously.
Ignoring him, Tan Ning got up and headed to the kitchen, where he took a pigeon from the fridge he had bought earlier. He planned to make cordyceps pigeon soup to nourish Lin Song’an.
With Lin Song’an here, everything Tan Ning had prepared over the past days finally had its use. All their household and hygiene items were matching sets.
Pink for Lin Song’an, blue for himself.
Just knowing Lin Song’an was upstairs made the once-empty apartment feel lively.
As he sliced vegetables, Tan Ning kept glancing toward the half-open bedroom door, feeling his heart swell with contentment at the mere sight.
Around six o’clock, Lin Song’an woke up on time. He made his way downstairs, wrapped his arms around Tan Ning’s waist from behind, and said, “Smells so good I’m starving. Let me have a taste of Ning Ning first.”
Tan Ning shrugged off his arm, poured him a glass of warm water, and handed him his medication.
Fang Jin had specifically sent the instructions and times for taking each medication. “These two are to be taken before meals, right?”
Lin Song’an popped the pills into his mouth, took half a glass of water, then wrapped his arm around Tan Ning again, pouting, “So bitter. They dissolve a bit on my tongue—awful! Let me have a taste of you to wash it down.”
Tan Ning looked at him with mild irritation. “Do you do this at home too?”
“No, only you get to see me like this.”
Tan Ning let out a small laugh. “I should be flattered then, huh?”
“Is this your cup?” Lin Song’an asked, looking at the pink mug in his hand.
“No, that’s yours.”
Lin Song’an froze, glancing around the kitchen and living room before spotting a matching blue mug on the coffee table.
“And that one?”
“That’s mine,” Tan Ning said, his face neutral.
Lin Song’an smiled, “I see how it is.”
He seized the opportunity to tease Tan Ning, “How did you know I like pink? You’re adorable, Ning Ning. Even our mugs match! I love it. Now, let me have a bite of you.”
He nibbled on Tan Ning’s shoulder, exposed by his shirt’s collar.
To Tan Ning, Lin Song’an felt like an overexcited big dog who hadn’t seen its owner in ages.
He placed the pigeon soup in front of Lin Song’an, carefully using oven mitts. “It’s a bit hot; let it cool for a while. I also cooked two vegetable dishes. I found bok choy at a faraway Asian market since the local one didn’t have them.”
“You went through so much trouble, Ning Ning.”
Tan Ning turned around and gave Lin Song’an a long look, a thousand words hidden behind his gaze, which he finally transformed into a gruff complaint: “Sit at the dining table already. You’re so big, standing here just gets in my way.”
Lin Song’an obediently sat down, waiting for Tan Ning to bring the dishes over.
He always enjoyed Tan Ning’s cooking, regardless of what it was, and would happily clear his plate.
“Auntie says you’ve had a good appetite.”
“Is she saying I gained weight? I haven’t! Ning Ning,” Lin Song’an protested, “It’s all muscle—feel for yourself!”
Tan Ning pulled his arm away, “I meant having a good appetite is a positive thing. I heard that after removing the gland, appetite can decrease, and moods can drop too. It seems you’re not experiencing that.”
“The doctor was surprised too. I told him it’s because love conquers all.”
Tan Ning was hit by another wave of secondhand embarrassment from Lin Song’an’s words.
Just as they were about to finish dinner, the doorbell rang. Tan Ning walked over to open it.
Through the peephole, he saw his downstairs neighbor, a senior in the law program.
The senior, a Beijing lad, had arrived at the law school a year before Tan Ning. He lived downstairs in a shared apartment with two friends and had occasionally greeted Tan Ning in the elevator.
Today, he had come to offer freshly baked bread.
“Hey, junior, I made some cheese lobster rolls. Want to try some?”
Lin Song’an’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Leaning back in his chair, he calmly looked toward the door.
Tan Ning felt it might be rude to refuse, and since he had bought some of Lin Song’an’s favorite candies earlier, he accepted the bread and handed the senior a handful of candy from the coffee table. “Thanks. Here, try some candy I just bought.”
Lin Song’an gritted his back teeth slightly.
The senior hadn’t noticed Lin Song’an yet and said, “You like candy?”
Tan Ning replied, “My boyfriend does.”
The senior’s face froze. “Oh?”
Tan Ning glanced back at the dining area, not sensing anything unusual about what he’d said, and repeated, “My boyfriend has a sweet tooth.”
The senior followed his gaze and finally saw Lin Song’an.
Lin Song’an was a tall, broad-shouldered young man who, even seated, looked imposing. His expression radiated a powerful possessiveness that sent the senior backing off.
“Oh, sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt,” the senior quickly left.
Tan Ning closed the door, slightly puzzled, and looked down at the cheese lobster roll in his hand. “Do you want to try it?”
Before Lin Song’an could respond, he decided for him, “Actually, no. This isn’t suitable for you right now with the high-calorie content.”
“You’re not allowed to have it either.”
Tan Ning, realizing the situation belatedly, smirked, “So, this is how jealous you get? Wasn’t it you who told me to make friends and expand my social circle while studying abroad?”
“As long as they have a thing for you, they’re excluded from the friend list.”
“Oh.”
Lin Song’an sneered, “Look at him, all thin and frail—what, does he eat junk all the time? No wonder.”
“Is he that skinny? He seemed fine.”
“Hardly built like me, huh?”
Tan Ning pushed him onto the sofa, “Take a break, will you? So petty and jealous.”
Taking advantage of the moment, Lin Song’an pulled Tan Ning onto his lap, guided Tan Ning’s hand to his abs, and insisted he confirm that his eight-pack was still intact.
Tan Ning found him so irritating he almost wanted to send him back to Ningjiang. Maybe some distance would restore the charm of their relationship.
He looked down at Lin Song’an’s still-weak body. “What good are abs if I’m the one who has to stay on top now?”
Tan Ning’s comment left Lin Song’an defeated.
He let go of Tan Ning and sulked his way upstairs.
Tan Ning thought: Uh-oh, now how am I supposed to coax him now?
