LABMY CH21.2

.Jian Yuanbai came home unusually early today. It was only 9:30 PM when Wei Zhenge had just sent off his evening tutor.

Wei Zhenge was visibly surprised to see him home so early, but his expression quickly turned to confusion.

He looked at Jian Yuanbai, who was dressed in a suit with a few buttons undone, revealing a deep V neckline and prominent collarbones.

Wei Zhenge glanced outside at the chilly night sky.

It was almost winter, right?

After hesitating for a moment, he asked, “Aren’t you cold?”

Jian Yuanbai, who had deliberately exposed himself to seduce a straight man, fell into an awkward silence. “…No.”

Unwilling to give up, he tried again, “Do you feel… anything when you look at me?”

Wei Zhenge’s gaze swept over Jian Yuanbai’s exposed collarbones and the hint of chest beneath.

“I think… you’re cold.”

Without hesitation, Wei Zhenge stepped forward and pressed his slender, pale fingers against Jian Yuanbai’s chest. After confirming that his skin wasn’t cold enough to get goosebumps, he calmly buttoned up Jian Yuanbai’s shirt one by one.

“But you should still button up. It’s getting cold now that winter’s coming.”

Jian Yuanbai watched helplessly as Wei Zhenge’s fingertips brushed against his skin, gliding over his chest as he buttoned up his shirt.

His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as that subtle itch in his heart quickly ignited into a wildfire.

It wasn’t until Wei Zhenge finished buttoning the last button that Jian Yuanbai snapped out of it, utterly defeated.

Who’s seducing who here?!

Damn it… Why do I have zero charm in front of Little Pillow?

So frustrating.

Wei Zhenge waved his hand in front of him. “Hey, have you had dinner yet?”

When he asked earlier, Jian Yuanbai had been staring at him with furrowed brows, not saying a word for a long time. So, he asked again.

“Jian-ge, I’m standing right in front of you, talking to you, and you’re still zoning out. What are you thinking about?”

Wei Zhenge half-jokingly, half-curiously asked.

“…Thinking about you.”

Jian Yuanbai blurted out without thinking.

The next second, he realized what he’d just said and quickly tried to cover it up. “No, I mean… I was wondering if you’d cooked dinner tonight.”

Wei Zhenge smiled. “I haven’t cooked yet. How about some noodles? I’ll make some.”

With that, he turned around and headed toward the kitchen.

Jian Yuanbai caught a glimpse of Wei Zhenge’s side profile and the tips of his slightly flushed ears.

Wait… Could it be that… Little Pillow… actually likes me too?

This thought suddenly popped into Jian Yuanbai’s head and the more he thought about it, the more restless he became.

Unable to resist, he followed Wei Zhenge to the kitchen door and watched him chop scallions.

Wei Zhenge’s fingers were long and slender, pale and beautiful. His knife skills were clean and precise.

It was just an ordinary task of chopping scallions, yet he somehow made it look elegant and pleasing to the eye.

The more Jian Yuanbai watched, the itchier his heart felt.

He couldn’t help but probe, “Little Pillow, do you… have a girl you like?”

Wei Zhenge didn’t look up, his actions remaining smooth and natural. “No.”

Jian Yuanbai felt a glimmer of hope and pretended to be surprised. “No girl you like? Then… don’t tell me… you like guys?”

Hearing this, Wei Zhenge paused, put down the knife, and turned to look at him with a frown.

“Why would you think that?”

“I just… thought… since you don’t like girls, maybe you like guys…”

Wei Zhenge replied calmly, “I just haven’t met a girl I like yet. But I’m still straight.”

Jian Yuanbai’s hope instantly shattered.

His disappointment was written all over his face, and Wei Zhenge couldn’t possibly miss it.

However, he pretended not to notice and turned back to wash the tomatoes.

Wei Zhenge wasn’t stupid. On the contrary, he was very smart. How could he not notice that Jian Yuanbai was testing him?

If it had been before, he might have foolishly fallen into the trap.

But what happened last night when Jian Yuanbai went on a business trip served as a wake-up call for Wei Zhenge.

He quickly realized the huge gap between them.

Jian Yuanbai was a rising star in the business world, young and successful. Even if he had no such intentions, there would be countless people trying to push others onto him.

Meanwhile, Wei Zhenge was just a student who hadn’t even graduated high school yet.

The difference in their status was too great.

More importantly, Wei Zhenge couldn’t forget what Jian Yuanbai once said when he asked why he was helping him.

“Because you’re good-looking.”

That casual answer struck a nerve in Wei Zhenge’s heart.

Growing up witnessing his mother’s failed marriage, Wei Zhenge had always been wary of love.

Jian Yuanbai had indeed cracked open a corner of his heart, but… it wasn’t enough for him to step into a love that had nothing but appearance to support it.

How long could a relationship built on “looks” really last?

Wei Zhenge didn’t dare to gamble on that.

At least… not until he became strong enough to stand on his own.

Moreover, from beginning to end, Jian Yuanbai had only been testing him — from teasing him about “puppy love” in the past to his current probing — never once directly confessing his feelings.

This made Wei Zhenge feel extremely insecure.

Instead of falling into endless overthinking, he’d rather just push this matter aside for now.

Once he became independent…

Then, he’d boldly ask Jian Yuanbai, “Do you want to be with me?”

But right now, he was still a student, and a student’s primary task was to study.

On the other hand, Jian Yuanbai, who had only just realized he had “bent” overnight, had no idea that his poor excuses for staying were seen as constant “testing” in Wei Zhenge’s eyes.

Seeing that Wei Zhenge didn’t respond, Jian Yuanbai couldn’t hold back and asked, “Why aren’t you asking me?”

Wei Zhenge raised his eyebrows. “Ask you what?”

Jian Yuanbai looked at him eagerly. “Ask me what kind of person I like.”

Wei Zhenge’s response was a critical hit to Jian Yuanbai’s heart: “Oh. Not interested.”

Jian Yuanbai nearly shed tears on the spot.

His future wife was so cold, so heartless.

Little Pillow wasn’t interested…

But Jian Yuanbai insisted, “Actually… I like men. Didn’t see that coming, huh?”

Of course, he didn’t dare to directly say “I like you.”

Wei Zhenge sighed in his heart but maintained a subtle expression.

“Oh? Really?”

“Then, when you bring your boyfriend home in the future, should I avoid being around?”

He deliberately changed the topic to avoid falling into Jian Yuanbai’s trap again.

But the moment those words left his mouth, Wei Zhenge himself felt an inexplicable discomfort.

His brow furrowed slightly before quickly relaxing.

Jian Yuanbai really was led astray. “I wouldn’t bring anyone home.”

Wei Zhenge didn’t want to continue the conversation.

Just in time, the noodles were done.

“The noodles are ready. Let’s eat.”

After dinner, Jian Yuanbai enthusiastically offered to wash the dishes. By the time he came out, Wei Zhenge had already returned to his room to sleep.

Feeling a little disappointed, Jian Yuanbai also returned to his own bedroom.

After washing up, he stared at the large bed in the middle of the room, lost in thought for a few seconds. Then, as if nothing had happened, he sat on the edge of the bed.

His hand naturally rested on the side of the bed.

With a small crack, followed by a loud bang, the two legs of the bed frame snapped, and the entire bed collapsed.

Jian Yuanbai immediately jumped up, hugged his pillow, and rushed to knock on Wei Zhenge’s door with a face full of shock and helplessness.

“Little Pillow! My bed… suddenly collapsed!”

Wei Zhenge had already heard the loud noise and was about to come out and check. So, when Jian Yuanbai knocked on his door, he opened it right away.

Hearing what Jian Yuanbai said, his expression showed a bit of surprise. “The bed collapsed?”

Jian Yuanbai’s bedroom was right next to his, and the door was wide open. From where he stood, Wei Zhenge could see the bed with broken legs and the collapsed mattress at a glance.

He walked in, stared at the now unsleepable bed, and fell into confusion. “How did it collapse?”

It never occurred to him that Jian Yuanbai was the one who broke it on purpose. The neatly snapped bed legs and the fact that it happened so suddenly clearly didn’t seem like something human strength could achieve.

Jian Yuanbai’s face remained calm and composed as he spoke with righteous indignation. “The quality of this furniture is terrible. I’ve only used it for a short time, and it suddenly collapsed.”

“Check the brand. I’ll never buy from this brand again.”

Wei Zhenge searched for a brand logo on the bed as he replied, “Our beds should be from the same brand, right?”

“Yours broke way too fast.”

Afraid that Wei Zhenge would overthink things, Jian Yuanbai lied without blinking, “Maybe I just happened to get a defective product. Don’t they say some sellers mix in faulty goods with the good ones?”

Wei Zhenge nodded thoughtfully. “That does happen sometimes. But now that your bed is broken, where are you going to sleep tonight?”

Finally! The moment he had been waiting for!

Jian Yuanbai pretended to be troubled and said, “Looks like… I’ll have to squeeze in with you tonight.”

Wei Zhenge blinked his clear, innocent eyes, his tone gentle yet heartless.

“You can sleep on the sofa.”

…F**k.

I underestimated him.

It would be too obvious if I went and broke the sofa now. I lost a bed, and I still didn’t achieve my goal.

Jian Yuanbai was filled with grievance. His expression drooped as he said weakly, “But the sofa is too short. My arms and legs won’t fit.”

This apartment, located in a luxury complex purchased by Jian Yuanbai, had a spacious living room with enough room to set up a standing blackboard for Wei Zhenge’s tutoring sessions. The sofa was not small either.

But with Jian Yuanbai’s towering height of 193 cm, sleeping on the sofa would indeed leave him cramped and sore the next morning.

Wei Zhenge glanced at his height and sighed helplessly, “Then I’ll sleep on the sofa. You take the bed.”

If it weren’t for the fact that the bed legs couldn’t possibly be broken by human strength, Wei Zhenge would have suspected that Jian Yuanbai deliberately broke the bed.

The timing was just too suspicious.

Of course, Jian Yuanbai couldn’t let Wei Zhenge sleep on the sofa. After all, he broke the bed on purpose. Forcing Little Pillow to suffer for his own scheme… what kind of person would that make him?

“No, no. I’ll sleep on the sofa. My skin is thick, and I can handle it for a night.”

Jian Yuanbai walked toward the sofa, reluctantly, taking three steps and turning back each time. At the last moment, he looked at Wei Zhenge with hopeful eyes and made one final attempt.

“Actually… the bed is big enough for two people. We can totally sleep together.”

Wei Zhenge hesitated. “Isn’t that… inappropriate?”

“You like men, right? Technically speaking… we’re two guys. Shouldn’t we avoid… sleeping together?”

Jian Yuanbai froze on the spot.

He wanted to travel back in time and slap himself for blurting out “I like men” earlier.

Seeing the situation slipping away, his brain short-circuited, and he accidentally self-sabotaged again.

“What are you thinking? Even if I like men… I wouldn’t like you.”

“Don’t you remember? From the beginning, I’ve always treated you as my… son.”

The system, which had been watching from the sidelines, burst into silent laughter in Jian Yuanbai’s mind.

With his level of emotional intelligence, if he actually manages to win over his “wife,” the system would willingly call him “dad.”

On the other hand, Wei Zhenge was so speechless that he nearly laughed out of anger.

He could almost hear the sound of himself grinding his teeth.

Originally, he had intended to reject Jian Yuanbai outright.

But when he met Jian Yuanbai’s pitiful, puppy-like eyes, his heart softened again.

With a faint smile, Wei Zhenge looked at him and mouthed, “You better be telling the truth.”

Jian Yuanbai didn’t catch what he said and immediately asked, “What did you just say?”

“I said… fine. We’ll sleep together for one night,” Wei Zhenge replied, still holding back some frustration.

After speaking, he turned around and entered his bedroom.

Jian Yuanbai’s eyes instantly lit up. He happily followed him in and even thoughtfully closed the door behind him.

The lights went out.

In the darkness, the two of them lay side by side on the bed, their shoulders lightly touching.

After who knows how long, Jian Yuanbai softly called out, “Little Pillow… are you asleep?”

Wei Zhenge was still sulking and didn’t want to respond.

Jian Yuanbai called him a few more times. When there was no response, he quietly sat up and slowly leaned closer to him.

The distance between them grew smaller and smaller until Jian Yuanbai’s breath brushed against Wei Zhenge’s face.

Guessing what Jian Yuanbai wanted to do, Wei Zhenge…

Didn’t dodge.

Didn’t open his eyes.

He even deliberately controlled his breathing to make himself look like he was sleeping soundly.

Under the blanket, his fingers quietly clenched the bedsheet, wrinkling the fabric as his nerves tightened.

Then, a light, fleeting kiss fell on his lips.

Just a touch and gone, yet it sent Wei Zhenge’s heart pounding wildly, echoing like thunder in his chest.

In that moment, Wei Zhenge knew…

He couldn’t deceive himself anymore.

He didn’t like men.

The thought of kissing another man made him feel physically sick.

But when it came to Jian Yuanbai…

He liked it.

And… it could only be Jian Yuanbai.

Jian Yuanbai’s heart was also racing.

His first kiss… and it was a stolen one.

He thought kissing Wei Zhenge would feel just like in his dream.

But reality was far sweeter than a dream.

In the dream, it was like being separated by a layer of mist — hazy and distant.

But this…

Was warm. Soft. And addictively real.

Originally, Jian Yuanbai only intended to steal one kiss and stop there.

But with the person he liked right beside him, sleeping soundly and defenseless…

He couldn’t help but want more.

“…Just one more,” he thought.

At that moment, a gloomy voice echoed in his head:

“What are you doing? Weren’t you the one who said you’ve always treated Wei Zhenge as your son?”

The system mimicked Jian Yuanbai’s tone from earlier:

“From the beginning until now, I’ve always treated you as my son.”

The system’s voice was eerily calm, filled with rage and disbelief:

“Are you seriously stealing a kiss from your ‘son,’ Father Jian?”

Jian Yuanbai was so startled he almost jumped out of bed.

“Don’t say it like that!”

The system let out a cold laugh.

“Why? Realized how twisted you sound now?”

“No…” Jian Yuanbai’s voice became strange.

“When you put it that way… it feels kind of… forbidden… and thrilling…”

……

！！！

The system: “HELLO?! POLICE?! I FOUND A PERVERT RIGHT HERE!!!”