As soon as the words fell, Jiang Yuanye recklessly crashed forward, pressing his lips against Zhou Chaosheng’s. Unlike his almost aggressive action, their lips meeting for the first time felt soft, then came the fleeting coolness of late spring.
Jiang Yuanye only half-followed the instruction. His mouth was open, but instead of waiting, he completely sucked in Zhou Chaosheng’s lower lip. After just a few seconds of sucking, he couldn’t help but push his tongue inside, bringing with it the taste of honeyed tea—warm, sweet, and slightly wild. As their tongues tangled messily, slick and sticky sounds filled the air.
The fingers that had been gripping Zhou Chaosheng’s shoulders shifted to cup his face, fingertips brushing over his earlobes. As the kiss deepened, those fingers slowly slid behind his ear, eventually tangling into his soft black hair.
Jiang Yuanye’s kisses were reckless and audacious, yet beneath the impudence was a certain clumsiness and hesitation. Zhou Chaosheng could clearly tell that the other’s kissing skills weren’t great.
If his skills weren’t great, it meant he hadn’t kissed many people.
Perhaps none at all.
Could it be that Jiang Yuanye had never kissed anyone before?
At this realization, an inexplicable sense of delight welled up inside Zhou Chaosheng.
His mind wandered for a moment, but their positions had already changed. As Jiang Yuanye’s domineering and greedy kisses continued, he trapped Zhou Chaosheng between his body and the wall. Their legs tangled slightly, his knees resting under Zhou Chaosheng’s legs and his head dipped lower, deepening the kiss as if he wanted to steal every last breath from Zhou Chaosheng’s lungs.
He kept his eyes open, watching as Jiang Yuanye’s slightly misted eyes turned a delicate shade of red at the corners. He saw the other man close his eyes, completely immersed in the kiss, his long and thick eyelashes trembling slightly.
He didn’t know how long they kissed before Jiang Yuanye finally pulled back, panting lightly. Their foreheads touched, sharing warmth between them. In this ambiguous atmosphere, even their heartbeats sounded unusually loud.
“…Why aren’t you responding to me?” Jiang Yuanye sounded displeased, giving Zhou Chaosheng’s nape a slight squeeze.
Zhou Chaosheng quickly regulated his breathing. His voice, slightly hoarse, carried a hint of laziness as he replied, “You seemed to be doing just fine on your own.”
“Oh?” Jiang Yuanye’s voice was expectant. “So, was my kiss good?”
Zhou Chaosheng refused to flatter him. “…Just average.”
Jiang Yuanye looked a little disappointed. “Alright then…”
Seeing that the other still didn’t get his point, Zhou Chaosheng had no choice but to ask directly, “Before me, how many girls have you kissed?”
“None. You’re my first.”
Jiang Yuanye leaned in and kissed him again, this time as light as a dragonfly skimming water. When he pulled away, he grinned and added, “To be precise, you’re also my first love.”
Although Zhou Chaosheng had anticipated this answer, hearing it still brought a subtle, indescribable joy.
“What about you?” Jiang Yuanye asked.
“The same as you,” Zhou Chaosheng replied.
“Really?” Jiang Yuanye’s expression showed a hint of surprise.
“Really.”
“From childhood till now, you’ve never been in a relationship?”
“Mm.”
“Huh.” Jiang Yuanye was both happy and troubled. “Neither have I.”
Zhou Chaosheng could guess what was bothering him. Probably the same thing that was bothering himself, neither of them had dating experience, let alone experience in a relationship between two men. Even he wasn’t sure how to navigate this.
Before, they could act however they wanted because they were just playing a role, simply putting on a show.
But now…
Now, they couldn’t just act anymore.
“If that’s the case…”
Zhou Chaosheng paused for a moment. He raised a hand and pressed the other man’s head closer, their noses brushing. Their proximity was so close that he could hear the slightly unsteady rhythm of Jiang Yuanye’s heartbeat. Just a little closer, and their lips would touch again.
“Do you want me to try it?”
Jiang Yuanye answered him with another kiss—not yet skilled, but no longer hesitant. He bit down lightly on Zhou Chaosheng’s lower lip, pressing and grinding against it for a while before tentatively slipping his tongue inside.
He had never kissed a woman, yet Jiang Yuanye’s lips and tongue felt softer than he’d expected, like jelly. When he licked him, warm breaths wrapped around Zhou Chaosheng, carrying a sweet scent.
“…I want to.”
When they separated, Jiang Yuanye’s face was completely flushed, the rosy hue spreading from his dimples to his ears and down his neck. He looked just like a shy eighteen-year-old boy.
Zhou Chaosheng chuckled softly.
Then, suddenly, he grabbed Jiang Yuanye’s wrist and, before the other could react, reversed their positions, pressing Jiang Yuanye against the wall.
In a way, Zhou Chaosheng preferred to take control.
The reason he hadn’t responded before was simple—because in the past twenty-seven years of his life, he had absolutely no experience in this. But now that Jiang Yuanye had “demonstrated” for him, he had accumulated just enough knowledge.
It was time to take back the initiative.
One hand landed on Jiang Yuanye’s narrow waist, the other cupping his chin. Zhou Chaosheng ran his thumb slowly over the soft lips before him, his tone light but firm. “Open your mouth.”
Jiang Yuanye’s tongue flicked against his fingertip.
Zhou Chaosheng’s fingers tingled slightly. “Don’t lick.”
Jiang Yuanye looked at him, unwavering. His voice was low as he said, “I don’t want to.”
For some reason, Zhou Chaosheng found himself captivated by those eyes. Slowly, he lowered his head and kissed the slightly open lips before him.
It wasn’t a conscious decision, his body simply moved on its own.
Jiang Yuanye tilted his head up slightly, meeting him halfway. Outwardly, he welcomed the kiss, but in truth, he refused to back down, engaging in a heated battle for dominance. It carried the same sharp intensity as their past confrontations.
In their struggle for control, their teeth inevitably clashed. Zhou Chaosheng felt a sharp sting at the same time he heard Jiang Yuanye stifle a groan of pain. He glanced at the other’s furrowed brows but noticed that, despite the pain, Jiang Yuanye still refused to let go. Soon, a faint taste of blood spread between their lips.
After a long while, Zhou Chaosheng finally released him. He supported Jiang Yuanye, who seemed a little weak in the knees, letting him lean against his shoulder. His other hand slipped around the man’s waist, pulling him into his embrace.
Jiang Yuanye hesitated for a moment. “…There’s something I don’t know if I should say or not.”
Already guessing that Jiang Yuanye was about to spout nonsense, Zhou Chaosheng cut him off without hesitation.
“Then don’t say it.”
Jiang Yuanye let out a muffled sound. A few seconds later, he buried his face into Zhou Chaosheng’s shoulder and said in a low voice, “I still want to say it.”
Zhou Chaosheng: “…”
Considering the other’s pride, Jiang Yuanye phrased it tactfully. “I think… our kissing skills are about the same.”
Zhou Chaosheng fell silent for a moment.
Honestly, it would’ve been better if he’d just said Zhou Chaosheng was average.
—
The two returned to the restaurant, where the others had already placed their orders. Lucas, worried they might not like the selections, handed them another menu. “You two were gone for a while, so I went ahead and ordered the house special venison burgers for you. Take a look and see if you want anything else.”
Jiang Yuanye took the menu, glanced at it, then turned to Zhou Chaosheng. “The lobster roll here has great reviews should we get one? And there’s mutton soup with bread, though it has a bit of a gamey taste. Can you handle that?”
Zhou Chaosheng nodded. “I’ll go with you to order.”
With that, the two walked off together, sharing the menu between them.
The people sitting behind them exchanged glances, their expressions varied. Except for Fang Yi, the others’ reactions ranged from subtly meaningful to outright curious.
How did these two go out and come back… different?
It was as if…
They had gotten closer?
Was it just his imagination? Zhuo Chenyang scratched his head. These two, who once clashed fiercely in the business world, sworn rivals like fire and water, had somehow become friends?
Five minutes later, Jiang Yuanye and Zhou Chaosheng returned, whispering and laughing together.
Upon seeing this, Zhuo Chenyang’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. When had he ever seen Zhou Chaosheng like this? In public and among his subordinates, Zhou Chaosheng always wore a polite but distant professional smile. In private, he rarely smiled at all. His beautifully shaped lips usually remained in a straight line, or at most, curved slightly at the corners. But when he did smile, the faint lift of his lips carried an undeniably alluring charm.
Once they sat down, Lucas arranged the afternoon itinerary. “We’ve spent the whole morning sightseeing, so everyone must be a bit tired. After lunch, we’ll head back to the hotel to rest. At 4:30 PM, we’ll visit Tjörnin Lake and the National Museum of Iceland. After dinner between 6 and 7 PM, I’ll take you all to Sky Lagoon, one of the most popular hot springs besides the Blue Lagoon.”
No one had any objections.
After lunch, they walked back to the hotel on foot to help with digestion. Jiang Yuanye and Zhou Chaosheng walked at the rear of the group. At one point, Jiang Yuanye’s index finger brushed against Zhou Chaosheng’s hand—just for a moment, as if by accident.
Zhou Chaosheng glanced at him, deep in thought, but Jiang Yuanye kept his gaze straight ahead.
A few seconds later, Zhou Chaosheng felt it again—another barely-there touch. It wasn’t deliberate, just the kind of light contact that happened when people walked side by side.
A little ticklish. It definitely wasn’t his imagination.
Jiang Yuanye wanted to hold his hand but didn’t dare to, so he was testing the waters.
Zhou Chaosheng lowered his gaze, inwardly calling him a coward. But despite that thought, the corners of his lips subtly curved upward—so faintly it was nearly imperceptible.
As they turned onto the next street, the number of tourists suddenly increased. In the midst of the crowd, Zhou Chaosheng wasn’t surprised to feel a pinky hook onto his for a brief moment.
People brushed past them, and the teasing touch vanished like a whisper in the wind. Yet, Zhou Chaosheng remained patient, making no response, as if he hadn’t noticed at all.
“Zhou Chaosheng.”
“Mm?”
“When do you think you regained your memory?”
“The day you showed up in my hospital room.”
Jiang Yuanye paused for a moment before chuckling. “What a coincidence…”
Zhou Chaosheng didn’t comment.
Jiang Yuanye turned to look at him, eyes slightly curved, his tone carrying an inexplicable hint of flirtation. “Then… does this mean we’re dating now?”
Zhou Chaosheng raised an eyebrow. “Dating what?”
Jiang Yuanye choked for a second, then mumbled under his breath, “…A relationship.”
Zhou Chaosheng caught the nervous urgency in his voice. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly, so faint it was almost imperceptible. “Haven’t we been dating this whole time?”
Jiang Yuanye, finally getting the confirmation he wanted, visibly brightened. He looked like a peacock fanning its tail, grinning so wide his eyes crinkled. He kept smiling all the way back to the hotel.
As they neared their destination, Jiang Yuanye suddenly asked, “Can couples hold hands?”
Zhou Chaosheng: “…I suppose so.”
Jiang Yuanye slowly hummed in acknowledgment, then asked, “Then… can I hold your hand?”
Zhou Chaosheng gave a low “Mm.”
“You can.”