Five hours later, Li Nan was rescued from the operating room, only to be arrested by the police on charges of kidnapping, imprisonment, illegal possession of firearms, and other crimes. The responsibility of investigating the forces behind Li Nan was fully handed over to the police and Zhou Yuanbo and others.
In the following days, Zhou Chaocheng stayed at his villa with Jiang Yuanye to rest and recover. Every day, their routine was to cooperate with their private doctor for various check-ups until all health indicators showed they were in good condition.
"When do you want to return to the company?" Zhou Chaocheng gently nibbled on Jiang Yuanye's earlobe, his tongue kissing the curve of his ear, drawing delicate lines as he felt the tremors and heavy breaths of the person in his arms, soothing him again and again.
"Mm... What about you?" Jiang Yuanye, his shoulder pressed against Zhou Chaocheng's chest, replied, unable to endure.
"Urgh"
Zhou Chaocheng leaned closer to Jiang Yuanye's ear, speaking with the lingering warmth of the earlier ear-licking, "It's up to you. Whenever you want to go back, I'll go with you."
Jiang Yuanye arched back, a sudden pain shooting through him, his toes curling tightly.
"Mm... then... the day after tomorrow."
The room was lit by a few dim wall lamps, and the soft, ambiguous light fell gently, wrapping around their faces, noses, and hair. Zhou Chaocheng's gaze darkened as he rubbed against his lover a few times, making him gasp for breath, his soft voice begging, "Faster, a little faster."
Jiang Yuanye covered his face with his hand, hiding his tearful, pitiful expression. His shoulders trembled, his lower back slightly collapsed, and his prominent shoulder blades looked like butterfly wings, delicate and beautiful.
Zhou Chaocheng looked at the obedient and submissive Jiang Yuanye, unwilling to tease him any further. He softly kissed the back of his neck, murmuring playful, teasing words like "Good boy, you're so tight," and even though Jiang Yuanye cursed him repeatedly, Zhou Chaocheng still smiled, shamelessly leaning forward to kiss him.
Then, with a voice tainted by desire, low and hoarse, Zhou Chaocheng whispered provocative words into Jiang Yuanye's ear, until Jiang Yuanye, exhausted, was turned over. Their eyes met, and Zhou Chaocheng saw the dazed look and the slightly reddened corners of his lover's eyes.
In the next moment, Zhou Chaocheng smoothly gripped the back of Jiang Yuanye's neck and leaned in for a deep kiss.
The sweet, milky taste mixed with the scent of body wash filled the air. Jiang Yuanye instinctively wrapped his arms around Zhou Chaocheng's waist, and with every rise and fall, tears like pearls broke free from his eyes, slipping down and staining the soft, expensive carpet beneath them, forming a small, round water stain.
Jiang Yuanye sobbed, squeezing out a word of pain from his throat.
"Does it hurt?"
Zhou Chaocheng kissed the corner of Jiang Yuanye's mouth with sympathy and cooed, "Then I'll go gentler... But if you can't hold it in, you can cry out."
—
Zhou Chaosheng pressed his lips to the back of the other person's head, kissing fiercely yet not without tenderness. He pried open their teeth and rolled his tongue around Jiang Yuanye’s, gently sucking for a few moments before using his teeth to grind lightly.
The subtle electric current created by the licking at the root of the tongue made Jiang Yuanye shiver in pleasure. The surrounding air constantly rose and boiled, as if something had been set ablaze.
"Say you love me."
"I love you, I love you... hmm..."
In an instant, the mighty wave of passion suddenly calmed.
—
Afterwards, Zhou Chaosheng carried Jiang Yuanye into the bathroom and carefully cleaned him in the automatic bathtub.
The bathtub was large enough that three adults could sit comfortably.
When the hot water reached Jiang Yuanye’s chest, Zhou Chaosheng pressed the water-off button, lifted his leg, and climbed in. He reached out and pulled Jiang Yuanye into his arms, his eyelids lowering as he looked at the other’s tightly closed eyes, the twitching nose, and the slightly trembling eyelashes. Both joy and satisfaction were about to overflow from his chest, and he couldn't help but lower his head to kiss Jiang Yuanye's neck and shoulder, which had already been marked by his kisses. He kissed gently and tenderly, as if handling a delicate yet fragile work of art, or as if treating the deity he regarded as his supreme treasure.
But heaven knows, he was a man without faith.
"Would you accompany me to visit my parents this weekend?"
Jiang Yuanye froze for a moment, turned around, and his amber eyes were misted with a thin layer of water vapor, unsure if it was left from their intimacy or because the bathroom was too humid and it had permeated him.
"Is it so sudden?"
Jiang Yuanye bent his knees, his voice a bit low. "I’m not ready to face your parents yet..."
"Don’t worry," Zhou Chaosheng reassured him with a kiss, his voice soft. "It’s them who want to meet you, they've been urging me to bring you back."
Jiang Yuanye was half-convinced. "Really?"
"Really, no kidding. They’ve completely accepted the fact that I like men now," Zhou Chaosheng said.
Jiang Yuanye made an 'oh' sound, unconsciously scooping water with his hands, letting it go, stirring it, and then watching the ripples spread across the surface of the water. Somehow, his heart calmed at that moment.
"Zhou Chaosheng..."
"Mm?"
"Have you ever thought that after doing this, I’ll cling to you for life?"
Zhou Chaosheng narrowed his eyes. "Are you serious?"
Jiang Yuanye turned his head again, confused. "What do you mean by serious? Do you understand what I’m saying?"
Zhou Chaosheng looked down at the prey he had trapped, his beautiful eyes filled with barely detectable pleasure. His hands wrapped around Jiang Yuanye's waist, resting on his shoulder, as if surveying his own territory like a lion.
"I understand. You mean that if I take you home, you’ll cling to me for the rest of your life, right?" Zhou Chaosheng said lazily.
Jiang Yuanye did mean that, but what he intended to express was how despicable he was, that once Zhou Chaosheng got attached, he would never be able to get rid of him. But why... Zhou Chaosheng wasn’t angry?
Instead, there was an almost imperceptible sense of anticipation. Was it a misconception?
"So, you’re not afraid?" Jiang Yuanye asked slowly.
"Why should I be afraid?" Zhou Chaosheng leaned closer to Jiang Yuanye’s ear, as if he had become obsessed with this spot, constantly nibbling or licking it, or even blowing air into it, making Jiang Yuanye involuntarily slap his face and say, "Stop messing around."
"Afraid... that one day, if you get tired of me and don’t want me anymore, I’ll still cling to you and never let go."
"Isn’t that great?"
"...."
Jiang Yuanye slowly widened his eyes. "I’m serious!"
Zhou Chaosheng lightly nodded. "I’m serious too."
Jiang Yuanye became a little anxious. "You don’t understand what I mean..."
"I understand," Zhou Chaosheng said gently. "If you can cling to me forever, of course that’s great. But if one day you get tired or want to change and like other women..."
He paused for a moment, his voice suddenly growing deep and dark, with an eerie tone: "I’ll definitely break your legs."
Sitting in the warm bathtub, Jiang Yuanye inexplicably felt a chill creeping up his back. Based on the years he had spent fighting with Zhou Chaosheng, Jiang Yuanye somehow felt that the other was the type of person who would actually do something like that.
So, Jiang Yuanye didn’t dare speak anymore, only mumbling, "I won’t get tired..."
Zhou Chao Sheng held him even tighter, without saying a word.
After the silence, only the sound of the loose faucet dripping water could be heard in the room.
After a long while, Jiang Yuanye kept thinking something wasn’t right, and the more he thought about it, the more scared he became. He couldn’t hold it in anymore and cursed, then suddenly turned his head to question Zhou Chaosheng: "You don’t have a tendency for domestic violence, do you?"
Zhou Chaosheng was confused by his question and after realizing, felt wronged. "… Do I seem like that?"
Jiang Yuanye blurted out, "You do, those kinds of 'break your legs' statements are exactly what those domestic abusers say online."
"But I won’t hit you."
"You have before."
"That was before, I won’t now, nor will I in the future."
Jiang Yuanye was frightened. "Who can guarantee that? Those domestic abusers also promised a hundred times before marriage, but didn’t they end up beating their wives into the ICU after marriage? You, you... you..."
Jiang Yuanye stuttered as he said the last part.
Zhou Chaosheng felt helpless, not expecting that a casual remark from him would scare the other so much. He immediately lowered his head to apologize. "I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that."
"If, I mean if..." Jiang Yuanye hesitated, carefully glancing at Zhou Chaosheng's expression as he spoke, "If one day I don’t like you anymore and want to leave you, would you really break my legs?"
Zhou Chaosheng’s expression didn’t change much, but his voice grew softer. "You’d better not have that thought."
Jiang Yuanye froze for a moment, as if he had picked up on a lot of information from Zhou Chaosheng's words, such as, "If I ever want to leave, he would really do that," "Leaving is a bottom line, he won’t allow me to leave," and "Breaking my legs might not be a joke after all."
"No," Jiang Yuanye tried to force a smile, "How could I have that thought? I'm more worried you might have that thought. You have something I don’t have..."
"It won’t happen," Zhou Chaosheng kissed the back of Jiang Yuanye gently and said softly, "In my life, I’ll only like you."
"Just like?" Jiang Yuanye raised an eyebrow.
"Also love. My heart belongs to you."
Zhou Chaosheng’s sweet words were so sincere and devout that Jiang Yuanye, on one hand, felt a tingling sensation in his chest, and on the other, couldn’t help but feel a sense of being trapped.
It was like...
In this lifetime, he could only belong to Zhou Chaosheng, and Zhou Chaosheng could only belong to him, and they could never be separated.
Completely, completely cutting off each other's right to like someone else for the rest of their lives.
Jiang Yuanye felt a bit lost. Wasn't this something he should be worried about in the beginning? How did it end up with Zhou Chaosheng worrying about it? And... he made it sound so terrifying.
While he didn’t understand, a strong emotion and desire began to surge up in his heart, and it was only then that he realized he actually felt happy and secretly pleased by these words.
Jiang Yuanye thought he was going crazy.
But...
When he looked into the other’s beautiful eyes, which completely reflected his own image, Jiang Yuanye suddenly felt his heart lighten, thinking, if he’s crazy, then so be it.
He was already beyond saving.
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