FI CH85: Kiss

Soft lips pressed against cool skin.

As he spoke, they brushed lightly, carrying a scorching breath that disappeared beneath the back of his collar—

Clang! The blackboard eraser in Lin Su’s hand fell into the tray.

It was like a cluster of flames blazed a trail down his spine to his tailbone. His whole body trembled, and he almost let out a sound. “Mm…”

He grabbed the large hand on his waist.

The shadow of their figures, cast on the blackboard by the sunlight, flickered. The crimson tassel slid silently from his shoulder.

Lin Su panted warm air as he turned his head. “He…”

As he turned, he met a pair of eyes looking up from behind him.

He Zhenling stared straight at him, his gaze full of aggression. The slanting sunlight cast a bright, hot glow in his eyes. The hand around his waist tightened a little more. “…Will you give it?”

Lin Su felt his entire body heat up under that gaze. His fingertips left a fine trace of chalk dust on the back of that well-defined hand.

He held his breath slightly. “You…”

Then, blushing, he calmly averted his eyes. “You really are impatient.”

He Zhenling looked at him and smiled. “Yes.”

“……”

The hand on his waist loosened a bit, and Lin Su turned to face this handsome man. The afterglow seemed to paint a faint blush on his cool, handsome cheeks, making him look exceptionally alluring.

His back was against the blackboard, his lower back supported. He gripped He Zhenling’s arms and met his gaze for two seconds before tilting his head slightly.

“Aren’t ‘those things’ we’ve done solid enough?”

“Are they?” He Zhenling looked at him intently. “Can those ‘jokes’ count as making it official?”

He smiled again. “Although, I’ve always taken them seriously.”

Lin Su’s heart suddenly hammered in his chest.

All around was quiet, with fine dust motes dancing in the golden halo of light. He turned his head and was quiet for two seconds, then suddenly turned back, tilting his head up—

A speck of light seemed to adorn He Zhenling’s lips.

He closed his eyes slightly and, amidst his thundering heartbeat, kissed him.

As their lips touched, a jolt went through the man in front of him! The breath he let out was instantly chaotic. The hand on his lower back slid up his spine and cupped the back of his neck.

His knuckles slipped into the open collar, the heat scalding.

Lin Su’s waist trembled as he kissed the man’s lips for a few seconds before pulling back.

Neither of them spoke for a good while.

After a long moment, a slightly hoarse voice, with an upward lilt at the end, asked, “What does this count as?”

Lin Su pursed his lips. “It… it counts as me being amazing.”

He Zhenling let out a soft laugh. He pressed against him with the hand that held his. “Then what do I count as?”

Lin Su looked up and fell into He Zhenling’s eyes. His cool, handsome brows were relaxed, dyed in the warm afterglow, like brilliant sunlight reflecting on melting spring water.

As if it were natural, he tightened his fingers. “Then… you can count as my lover.”

Against his chest, a heart pounded heavily against his own.

It seemed to tug on the hoop above, sending a fine, nibbling numbness through his earlobe.

After a moment’s pause, Lin Su turned his head again and said softly, “Those ‘jokes’… I don’t just say them to anyone.”

It was from the very first moment he saw him…

He Zhenling understood. His hand tightened, and he lowered his head to brush his lips against the base of his ear. “I know.”

Lingering pecks fell one by one on his neck and by his ear. The knuckles at the back of his neck massaged the protruding bone. Lin Su was sent into shivers by the touch, his hands wrinkling the uniform he was gripping. “Wait a minute… we’re still in the classroom. Whatever you want to do, wait until we get home—”

Halfway through his sentence, he abruptly stopped.

Wait, saying that now means he really will do whatever he wants.

He Zhenling straightened up and looked at him with amusement. “At home, we’ll do what?”

“…We’ll discuss it again.”

One hand cupped his flushed face and rubbed against it, letting him off the hook.

He Zhenling sat in the classroom for half an hour to cool down before they left.

As soon as they stepped out of the teaching building, a cool breeze brushed their faces.

Lin Su called out Xuenima and, suppressing the tide in his heart, said impatiently: Damn, I have some big news for you. He Zhenling and I have ‘made it official’ on a factual level.

Xuenima’s fluffed-up fur looked like a dandelion that hadn’t closed yet. It was numbly calm: [I guessed.]

“?”

[I guessed it from the look in his eyes before I was shielded.]

Lin Su lowered his eyes: Sigh… He Zhenling really doesn’t know how to hide it.

They had been delayed in the classroom just now.

It was now dinner time. As the two walked through the school together, passing students cast glances their way:

“Is that Teacher Lin?”

“The one next to him… wearing a uniform, is that President He from the Inspection Association? He even has a Tang knife, so cool!”

“Do they know each other? Why are they walking together?”

……

The surrounding voices drifted over, faint but audible.

Lin Su glanced at He Zhenling and saw his calm profile, his thin lips slightly pursed.

He paused, then stopped walking. “Did my tassel get caught? Help me take a look.”

The person beside him also stopped.

He Zhenling looked at him for two seconds, then leaned in close. One hand came to his ear and carefully straightened it out.

The surrounding chatter fell silent.

A few hushed whispers of “…Holy crap!” could be heard.

He Zhenling only straightened it before standing up. “It’s done.”

Lin Su turned his head away and touched it. “Is it official now?”

The Adam’s apple next to him bobbed. “Mm.”

…

Outside the school gate, a familiar car was parked.

He Zhenling pulled open the car door. As Lin Su got in, he saw a long-unseen face. “Old Zhang?”

Kong Fu smiled from the rearview mirror. “Mr. Lin.”

Bang! The car door closed.

He Zhenling got in. “Take him back to his apartment complex first, then go to the Association.”

Lin Su glanced sideways. “You still have to go to the Association?”

He couldn’t help but feel a ripple of excitement. “You don’t need to come to my place to make our relationship even more solid?”

He Zhenling gave a half-smile. “Heh… how do we make it more solid?”

Lin Su asked, “How do you want to make it more solid?”

He Zhenling said naturally, “Of course, by doing as I please and taking liberties with you.”

“………”

Lin Su was so shocked his heart skipped a beat!

He was silent for a long moment before sincerely asking for advice, “When I said shameless things like that before, was your heart this unsettled too?”

He Zhenling chuckled. “It’s good that you know.”

Lin Su sighed softly and shrank back.

After a few seconds, the person beside him spoke again. “Didn’t the little boss have something for me to do?” A hand reached over and climbed onto his, the pad of a thumb brushing over the space between his fingers. Lin Su turned his head to see He Zhenling’s handsome brows relaxed. “When I’m done, I’ll come claim my reward.”

He looked down at him and asked softly, “Will you give it?”

Sigh. Lin Su averted his gaze, his face hot. “When it’s done, I’ll be yours for the taking.”

“……”

His fingertips twitched and gave him a squeeze.

He Zhenling looked at him deeply. “I will ‘take it seriously’, and you’re not ‘just saying it’… Remember what you said.”

Lin Su: .

He said calmly, “Of- of course.”

The next day, he still had to teach.

When Lin Su arrived at the office, Cheng Zhuo and the other students came to hand in their self-criticism essays.

They probably knew that Professor Cheng was suspended and under investigation, so they no longer blindly followed Cheng Zhuo. They all handed in their essays with a good attitude, bowed, and quickly slipped away.

Lin Su leaned back in his chair and flipped through a few pages.

When he looked up, he realized Cheng Zhuo was still standing there.

Cheng Zhuo had spent the whole night writing the essay, filled with resentment, and had also heard about his second uncle’s suspension. A dark cloud hung over the entire Cheng family, and his father had even called to reprimand him at length.

He looked haggard now, with dark circles under his eyes, and stared at Lin Su with resentment and unwillingness.

Lin Su raised an eyebrow slightly. “Do you have any unfinished words?”

Thinking of his family’s situation, Cheng Zhuo was both angry and afraid. He was used to being arrogant and was at an age of ignorant fearlessness. After brewing for a few seconds, he spoke with a hint of threat:

“The interests of the aristocratic families are all intertwined. Even if you have the Bai family backing you, if you… touch our Cheng family, the other aristocratic families won’t let you off easy!”

Lin Su was surprised. “There’s such a thing?”

Cheng Zhuo forced his tone down. “That’s right. So about the investigation…”

Lin Su nodded. “That was my oversight. The other aristocratic families should be investigated as well.”

Cheng Zhuo almost couldn’t catch his breath. “You!”

He glared at Lin Su for a moment, then a new thought suddenly occurred to him: That’s fine. The more aristocratic families he offends, the better.

He calmed himself and said in a passive-aggressive tone, “Then Teacher Lin had better in-ves-ti-gate them thoroughly.”

Bang! He slammed the door shut and left.

Xuenima shook its head like a wise old man: [This wicked son is unteachable.]

Lin Su tapped it on the head.

Since the topic came up, he sent a message to He Zhenling: How’s the progress? [wagging tail]

[Ling]: Almost done.

[Su-Wakes-Up-Naturally]: Let me see?

A few minutes later, a pile of materials was sent over.

Lin Su glanced at it, amazed: Damn, Xiao He is really meticulous.

Xuenima leaned in closer: [Yep.]

Lin Su exited the file, and on a whim, replied to He Zhenling: If I want to rush you about something in the future, can I just flick my earring?

A series of ellipses came from the other side, and then his phone vibrated again.

[Ling]: Don’t get cheeky.

Lin Su put down his phone, feeling a little unsatisfied.

Xuenima praised: [Do you just have to get the last word in?]

Lin Su suddenly thought of something and blushed: My mouth is actually very powerful. Did you know? I initiated our first kiss, He Zhenling couldn’t resist at all…

Xuenima: [……]

Its paw paused before it could cover his mouth, and instead, it pinched his lips: [Dad doesn’t want to know, shh.]

Lin Su regretfully dropped the topic.

…

When He Zhenling said “almost done,” he was indeed very fast.

The results of the investigation into Cheng Qikang came out on the third day.

The announcement was made on a Friday afternoon.

The school had organized a teaching activity where teachers led the new students on a comprehensive tour of the school to learn about its history, rules, and various honorary collections.

Lin Su led a class of students on the tour.

It wasn’t a very serious event, and the atmosphere of the group was very relaxed. Many students were chatting quietly in the group, and some were taking photos with their phones.

As they were looking, a sudden shout was heard: “Holy crap!”

A student was staring at his phone and couldn’t hold back his voice. The supervising teacher next to him looked over, about to reprimand him, when he heard his colleague a few steps away also exclaim: “Ho-ly…!”

The other teachers: ????

That teacher walked over quickly and whispered, “Look at the school announcement.”

The sudden school announcement brought the entire group to a temporary halt. Students and teachers all took out their phones.

Lin Su also stopped to take a look—

He saw that it was about the dismissal of Cheng Qikang.

The announcement listed the reasons clearly: surprisingly, the reason for dismissal was not about the “admission application form,” but that Professor Cheng Qikang was suspected of accepting bribes and treating students from aristocratic families and common students differently when it came to their usual credits.

He had even privately deducted credits from students who had offended Cheng Zhuo.

These credits were all recorded, and the evidence was conclusive.

The surrounding students were already in an uproar: “Holy crap, credits! If someone deducts my credits I could—”

“How could he do that? Can common students just be bullied like that?”

One teacher couldn’t hold back either. “That’s too much!”

A few other teachers quickly tried to calm them down: “Students, our school absolutely does not have this kind of discrimination. Professor Cheng has already been dismissed. The credits will be recalculated!”

Only then did the students calm down.

But soon, gazes started falling on Lin Su:

“So it was Teacher Lin who exposed him…”

“Professor Cheng tried to kick Teacher Lin out, but he kicked an iron plate instead. Serves him right!”

Lin Su: …Hmm??

He had just finished reading the report and scrolled down, only to find his own melon at the end.

After the charges with conclusive evidence, there was an addendum: two surveillance clips from the admission application day, showing Cheng Zhuo meeting with Cheng Qikang right after meeting him.

Although the content of their conversation wasn’t recorded, based on Lin Su’s initial accusation and Cheng Qikang’s habitual abuse of his private power, everyone knew the truth.

Cheng Qikang was dismissed and taken to the Inspection Association. Cheng Zhuo was also given a major demerit. The Cheng family had suffered a heavy blow.

Xuenima was gratified: [The worthy son-in-law’s move was a combination of innuendo, indirect attacks, and relieving a besieged ally by attacking the besieger’s home base…]

Lin Su looked down at it: ……

He then flicked it: You should try calling him that to his face next time.

Xuenima: [=0w0=]

Just as they were talking, he suddenly heard someone call him. “Teacher Lin.”

Lin Su looked up and saw a familiar face.

Teacher An pushed up his black-framed glasses and squeezed over from the group. “We all saw the announcement. We never expected something like this to happen. You’ve been wronged.”

Lin Su shook his head. “Not wronged at all. I was quite comfortable throughout the whole process.”

Teacher An paused for a moment. “…That’s true.”

After a few words, the group started moving forward again.

Teacher An didn’t leave and stayed beside Lin Su.

After walking a short distance, he seemed to have gathered his thoughts and leaned in to whisper, “Teacher Lin, although Professor Cheng has been dismissed, the Cheng family is still around. You should be careful not to offend people from the few aristocratic families…”

Lin Su glanced sideways. Xuenima spoke up: [One falls, another steps up.]

He gave it a squeeze. “Thanks for the reminder.”

Teacher An nodded and said no more.

The group soon moved from outdoors into the school’s exhibition hall.

Heavenly Master was a special profession, and the exhibition hall was built like a museum.

Upon entering, the overall lighting was dim.

Only rows of spotlights illuminated the school’s founding history, displayed magical artifacts, and some collections.

The leading teacher was giving an introduction at the front.

Lin Su knew these things like the back of his hand, so he wasn’t listening too closely.

He picked up his phone, preparing to send a message to He Zhenling: Damn, Xiao He was quite efficient this time.

Xuenima curled into a ball: [He’s probably in a hurry to get home and pluck you.]

“……”

He said demurely: Then should I invite him?

[Heh heh, haven’t you already started typing.]

Having been seen through, Lin Su embarrassedly sent a message: Come to my mansion tonight, there’s a treat waiting for you. [heart]

[Ling]: ……

[Ling]: Heh, hearing that puts me on edge.

Just as Lin Su was about to put his phone away, another message suddenly popped up: Class is over?

He was helpless: Damn, he’s still so eager.

[Su-Wakes-Up-Naturally]: No, I’m at a teaching activity.

[Ling]: And you’re still playing on your phone?

[Su-Wakes-Up-Naturally]: I’ve seen this tour countless times. It’s the same as before, nothing much to see.

Just as the message was sent, the group ahead rounded a corner.

Lin Su looked up and saw that a new exhibition hall had been opened. Come to think of it, 17 years have passed, it’s about time they added something new…

He put down his phone and followed with interest.

As he entered the exhibition hall, he saw a glass case in the center.

The leading teacher explained: “This belongs to a mysterious, legendary master in the Heavenly Master world, who disappeared during the turmoil 17 years ago. However, his Heavenly Master certificate was preserved in time and is displayed here in our school—”

“All of his cases maintained a full S-rating!”

A wave of astonished gasps rippled through the crowd.

Lin Su followed the gazes and looked inside.

Inside the glass case stood a Heavenly Master certificate, illuminated by the light from above, gleaming with a golden luster.

Written at the top was a name: Lin Juexiao.

Author’s Note:

Kun’s Realization: From now on, if I can’t find something, I’ll just look in museums, exhibition halls, and collections. I’ll always find it…

Bird’s Realization: Tonight, I’m in for a treat

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