Once you get a taste of something, you can’t stop.
Kissing is one of those things—once you start, there’s no end to it.
Jing Zhengxuan had originally intended to just steal a quick kiss, but the moment his lips touched Huai Xu’s soft ones, his self-control crumbled.
One hand cradled the back of Huai Xu’s neck while the other tilted his chin up, forcing his lips to part slightly. Then, Zhengxuan’s tongue slipped into Huai Xu’s warm, sweet mouth, exploring and teasing with deliberate boldness.
At first, Huai Xu resisted.
The moment Zhengxuan leaned in, his closed eyes flew open, and his hands instinctively pushed against the other’s chest.
But somehow, his palms ended up gripping Zhengxuan’s firm pectorals, and the act of pushing away turned into an involuntary kneading.
Wow, they feel so good.
Who could resist pecs like these?
By the time Zhengxuan pried his lips open, Huai Xu was already lost in the lingering kiss.
Once again, he nearly suffocated from the intensity.
When it finally ended, he gasped for air, shooting a resentful glare at the smug man beside him.
“You can’t just kiss me like that,” Huai Xu huffed, cheeks flushed. “That’s practically harassment.”
Zhengxuan, however, was too busy staring at Huai Xu’s swollen lips to care. Hearing the complaint, his phoenix eyes drooped slightly, and he suddenly looked crestfallen.
“A-Xu… it hurts here.”
“I’m telling you, you can’t just—” Huai Xu began irritably, only to cut himself off when he spotted the row of bite marks on Zhengxuan’s shoulder.
Zhengxuan frowned, pointing at the injury with a pitiful expression, as if silently pleading for sympathy.
The bite marks formed a near-perfect circle, their edges neatly aligned, though the colors varied—some red, some bluish, others purplish.
Clearly, someone had bitten down hard.
Huai Xu’s righteous anger deflated instantly. Guiltily, he leaned closer to inspect the marks but still muttered,
“Serves you right for sneaking into my bed. Does it really hurt that much?”
Seizing the opportunity, Zhengxuan pulled him into a hug, nuzzling his neck affectionately before admitting with a smirk,
“Yeah, it hurts.”
“Then what do we do? Did you bring any ointment?” Huai Xu started to get up. “I’ll check if there’s a 24-hour pharmacy nearby.”
But Zhengxuan tightened his grip, refusing to let go. Instead, he pressed a quick, tender kiss to Huai Xu’s lips, his eyes brimming with sweetness. “Now it doesn’t hurt anymore.”
Huai Xu: “…”
His face burned red again. Shooting Zhengxuan an exasperated look, he snapped, “Be serious. I’m not fentanyl.”
Zhengxuan chuckled, rubbing Huai Xu’s earlobe before stealing another kiss. “Honestly, your kisses work better than any anesthetic.”
Huai Xu: “…”
Any lingering guilt vanished instantly. He shoved Zhengxuan away, only to freeze when the other whispered in his ear, “A-Xu… what exactly did you do to me in your dream?”
Huai Xu: “!!”
He stiffened.
The memory of that particular dream flooded back, and Huai Xu wanted to vanish on the spot. He pushed harder, desperate to bury himself under the blankets.
Zhengxuan propped himself up, watching with amusement before turning around to reveal his back. “Was it like this?”
Huai Xu peeked—then immediately ducked his head even lower.
Ten distinct scratch marks ran down Zhengxuan’s muscular back.
There was no question who was responsible.
Huai Xu turned tomato-red and dove under the covers, ending the conversation abruptly. “Sleep. Now.”
Zhengxuan laughed, gently tugging the blanket down to expose Huai Xu’s face. “Don’t sleep like that. You won’t be able to breathe.”
Huai Xu: “…”
Was it really the blanket making it hard to breathe?
Deprived of his hiding place, Huai Xu squeezed his eyes shut, pretending none of this was happening.
Zhengxuan leaned in again, his thumb brushing over Huai Xu’s swollen lips as he murmured, “After everything you’ve done to me… can’t I at least kiss you?”
Trapped between guilt and overwhelming embarrassment, Huai Xu finally cracked his eyes open to glare at Zhengxuan’s pitiful expression. With an exasperated sigh, he relented, “Fine! Kiss all you want. Happy now?”
Zhengxuan chuckled and kissed him once more before pulling him into a snug embrace. “Goodnight,” he whispered tenderly.
A few hours later, Huai Xu was woken up by another kiss.
Bleary-eyed and blushing, he pushed Zhengxuan away—though, surprisingly, he wasn’t angry, just flustered.
Zhengxuan pecked his lips again before murmuring, “Morning. Time to go home.”
Huai Xu mumbled a sleepy “morning” before bolting to the bathroom.
The moment the door closed, he exhaled sharply and glanced down at a certain problem.
Close call. If Zhengxuan had noticed, we’d be doing this all over again.
As he brushed his teeth, he frowned at his reflection.
Why do I react so easily?
Where’s my self-control?!
It’s just a kiss—why does my body betray me like this?!
Does this physical reaction even count as… liking someone?
His thoughts were interrupted when he caught sight of the faint marks on his neck and collarbones. Instantly, his face burned again, and he spat out his toothpaste in frustration.
No!
Absolutely not!
The moment he stepped out of the bathroom, he started berating Zhengxuan, pointing at his neck. “How am I supposed to explain this to my mom?!”
Zhengxuan handed him a piece of toast, his expression suddenly crestfallen. “Am I… really that embarrassing to be seen with?”
Huai Xu: “…”
He choked, suddenly feeling like he was the unreasonable one. He numbly accepted the toast, took a bite, then snapped back to reality. Slamming the toast down, he glared at his childhood friend. “Hold on—you’re still in the probationary period, aren’t you?!”
“Oh.” Zhengxuan lowered his head, wiping his eyes dramatically before looking up with a dejected sigh. “So it is because I’m embarrassing.”
Huai Xu: “…”
He couldn’t stand that look. Sighing, he poured Zhengxuan a cup of tea and pushed it toward him. “Fine. Let’s not argue about this now.”
Zhengxuan’s eyes brightened instantly, his cold brown irises gleaming with satisfaction as he sipped the tea. Calmly, he suggested, “You could wear a turtleneck to cover them.”
Huai Xu bit into his toast irritably. “Obviously. But I don’t own any turtlenecks, and we don’t have time to buy one before heading back.”
Zhengxuan took another sip. “Even if we bought one now, you couldn’t wear it right away. You’d get a rash.”
“Exactly.” Huai Xu’s brows furrowed in distress.
His mom wouldn’t scold him, but showing up for New Year’s with a neck full of hickeys? Mortifying.
“If I come up with a solution,” Zhengxuan mused, eyes lingering on Huai Xu’s neck, “can you shorten the probationary period?”
After some deliberation, Huai Xu agreed—and ended up wearing one of Zhengxuan’s turtleneck sweaters.
Their builds were different, so Zhengxuan’s fitted sweater became loose on Huai Xu, but it covered the marks perfectly.
At the breakfast table, Huai Xu glared at Zhengxuan, realizing he’d been tricked. All for a sweater, he’d shortened the probationary period by a whole month.
A month!
For a piece of clothing!
He’d been scammed!
Even so, his mom still noticed something was off—thankfully, Zhengxuan stepped in to smooth things over.
Huai Xu exhaled in relief. At least there’s after-sales service. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad deal.
From then on, Huai Xu’s daily routine went like this:
Mornings: Woken up by Zhengxuan’s slow, tender kisses. Instead of grumbling, Huai Xu would blush and flee to the bathroom.
Commute: Zhengxuan would tuck Huai Xu’s hand into his coat pocket, maintaining a stoic expression while secretly stroking his fingers. Passersby would glance at them, but Huai Xu—though long accustomed to their closeness—felt an inexplicable shame at having his hand fondled in public.
Campus Life: The two became inseparable, fueling endless discussions in the [Shipping Frenzy] group chat. Even during finals, the messages piled up to 999+.
Nights: Zhengxuan would “help relieve stress” by kissing Huai Xu senseless, leaving faint marks all over his shoulders and collarbones. Only Huai Xu’s strict warnings spared his neck. Afterward, Zhengxuan would kiss his earlobe and whisper “goodnight,” leaving Huai Xu helplessly soft-hearted.
Soon, classes ended, and finals week began.
They could’ve studied at home, but Huai Xu’s roommates begged for help in their group chat:
[Wu Ke]: The professor just roasted me for asking about the exam scope—“Do patients get sick according to a scope?!” I’m desperate!!
[Zhang Yilang]: So many required courses… What sins did I commit in my past life to deserve med school?!
[Chen Pan]: Huai Xu, we need you!
Unable to refuse, Huai Xu decided to study at his old dorm. He told Zhengxuan to stay home.
But Zhengxuan insisted on tagging along, claiming “group study improves efficiency.”
Huai Xu frowned. “We’ll be discussing key points—it’ll get noisy.”
He meant it as concern for Zhengxuan’s focus, but Zhengxuan’s eyes instantly welled up. “A-Xu… do you really not want to be around me?”
Huai Xu: “…”
That’s not what I meant!
Fed up, he snapped, “Yeah, I don’t want to be around you.”
Zhengxuan’s eyes shimmered with tears. “Am I really that embarrassing?”
Huai Xu: “…”
Here we go again.
Defeated, Huai Xu brought Zhengxuan along. Thankfully, his roommates didn’t mind.
But during study sessions, Zhengxuan kept holding Huai Xu’s hand under the table—sometimes even kissing it.
When the roommates stepped out, Huai Xu hissed, “Stop touching me.”
The 193cm-tall man instantly put on a pitiful face, eyes glistening. “So I am embarrassing?”
Huai Xu: “…”
Who could resist that?
Threats about extending the probationary period didn’t work either. Zhengxuan just sighed, “Do you really not want me to pass the trial?”
Huai Xu caved. “Just… don’t let them see.”
Of course, Zhengxuan only got bolder.
After their last exam, Huai Xu’s roommates treated him to dinner—with Zhengxuan in tow.
With no more exams, Zhang Yilang and Wu Ke decided to drink. Zhengxuan even had his driver bring over premium liquor.
Huai Xu, with his sensitive stomach, stuck to water while the others drank freely.
By the end, only Chen Pan was sober. The other two could still walk, but Zhengxuan was wasted—cheeks flushed, stumbling.
Huai Xu sent his roommates back first, then took Zhengxuan home.
The driver, sensing the mood, fled the moment Zhengxuan shot him a glare.
Huai Xu sighed, hauling Zhengxuan inside. Am I… getting stronger?
He wrestled Zhengxuan onto the bed, ignoring his own germaphobia.
Zhengxuan groaned, and Huai Xu kicked him lightly. “You can’t hold your liquor at all.”
He fetched honey water and coaxed Zhengxuan to drink.
Then, he started undressing him—shoes, socks, jacket, shirt, pants…
When his fingers brushed the waistband, Zhengxuan’s eyes fluttered open. “A-Xu… what are you doing?”
Huai Xu yanked his hands back, face burning. “I—I was just helping—”
“Helping?” Zhengxuan’s gaze turned curious, his ears tinged pink.
Flustered, Huai Xu tossed a blanket over him. “If you’re awake, do it yourself. I’m showering.”
As he turned to leave, Zhengxuan grabbed his wrist and yanked him onto the bed, pinning him down.
“A-Xu… I do feel unwell,” Zhengxuan murmured, his warm, liquor-scented breath making Huai Xu dizzy.
Huai Xu reached up to smooth Zhengxuan’s furrowed brow. “What… do you need?”
Zhengxuan’s eyes darkened. “Help me.”
Huai Xu hesitated, then shyly reached down—
But Zhengxuan caught his wrist, grinning. “Not that kind of help.”
Before Huai Xu could react, Zhengxuan dipped his head—
Pleasure shot through Huai Xu, his back arching as he gasped.
This… this is…
His fingers tangled in Zhengxuan’s hair, torn between pushing him away and pulling him closer.
When it was over, Zhengxuan gazed up at him, licking his lips. “A-Xu… you’ll help me like this again, won’t you?”
Huai Xu: “?”
How was that helping him?!
And why did he look so… satisfied?!
Before winter break, Xie Kaiyan asked to meet.
After several refusals, Huai Xu finally agreed—with Zhengxuan sulking until Huai Xu bribed him with another month off his probation.
At the same café as their first meeting, Xie Kaiyan studied Huai Xu and smiled. “You look well.”
Huai Xu touched his face. “Uh, thanks.”
When he took off his coat, a tiny, hidden love bite peeked out.
Xie Kaiyan’s gaze sharpened. “Dating someone?”
Huai Xu fidgeted.
“Girlfriend?”
Huai Xu glanced away guiltily.
“…Boyfriend?”
After a pause, Huai Xu nodded. “I’m sorry.”
Xie Kaiyan laughed. “Don’t be. Not every confession gets a happy ending.”
Just then, cutlery clattered behind the partition wall—again.
Huai Xu’s eyes narrowed.
After Xie Kaiyan left, Huai Xu called a number—and the same ringtone (his own singing) chimed from behind the wall.
He marched over to find Zhengxuan hastily silencing his phone.
“What a coincidence,” Zhengxuan said innocently.
Huai Xu crossed his arms. “Cut the act.”
Zhengxuan’s expression shifted to jealousy. “So that’s why you met him alone last time. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Huai Xu stayed silent.
If I’d told you, you’d have thrown a fit.
“You rejected him, right?” Zhengxuan’s eyes sparkled.
Huai Xu said nothing.
“But you didn’t reject me.”
Zhengxuan’s voice was soft—but his grin was insufferable.
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