“Xun Xun…”
Seeing the other person almost furious enough to kill, Chu Tingyun became anxious and immediately tried to divert his little husband’s attention.
“Hiss, it hurts.”
The blade had embedded itself into the flesh of his palm, and he couldn’t let go. So, he quickly raised his hand to show it to Yan Xun.
If it weren’t for the wrong time and place, Yan Xun would really want to strip Chu Tingyun’s pants and spank his butt until it bloomed, making sure he never dared to joke about such things again.
“It serves you right that it hurts!”
Though his words were filled with anger and frustration, Yan Xun’s movements were gentle. He carefully helped Chu Tingyun remove the knife from his hand and checked the wound.
Earlier, Chu Tingyun hadn’t thought twice before grabbing the knife to stop Jiang Yuheng. As a result, the blade had cut through almost half of his palm, causing continuous bleeding, which was how he managed to fool Yan Xun earlier so easily.
“Hiss…”
He hadn’t felt the pain at first, but now that the knife was removed, Chu Tingyun realized just how painful it was. His face turned slightly pale, and he kept sucking in cold air through his teeth, but he still had the energy to make small talk.
“Xun Xun, sometimes I feel like… hiss… you’re really a prophet. But could you predict something good next time?”
In the afternoon, Yan Xun had mentioned that Jiang Yuheng might act out of desperation. At the time, Chu Tingyun hadn’t taken it seriously, but by evening, it had come true.
Yan Xun wasn’t in the mood to joke around with Chu Tingyun, nor did he have the time to dwell on what had just happened. He quickly checked the wound on Chu Tingyun’s palm.
“Luckily, it seems like your tendons and nerves aren’t damaged.”
Despite his words, his voice trembled slightly.
Yan Xun tore off the bottom hem of his white undershirt, ripping it into strips to use as temporary bandages, and quickly wrapped Chu Tingyun’s wound to stop the bleeding.
“Mmm…”
Chu Tingyun suppressed a muffled groan.
This was much more painful than before. Despite the cold weather, beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
At that moment, the sound of police sirens echoed in the distance.
The capital’s security was among the highest in the country. Aside from politically sensitive areas, even while casually walking down the street, one could occasionally be stopped by patrolling officers for ID checks.
So, when the incident involving someone wielding a knife and attempting murder occurred in the park, the police arrived within minutes, quickly taking control of the suspect and securing the scene.
There were also quite a few onlookers, murmuring among themselves—some expressing concern, others feeling fearful about the knife-wielding attacker, and still others urging Yan Xun to hurry and get Chu Tingyun to a hospital.
Jiang Yuheng was now in custody, but Yan Xun, though still furious, had no time to deal with him.
A police officer checked the victim’s condition and pointed to a car parked outside the park.
“I’ll take you both to the hospital first. We can discuss the details on the way.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
Yan Xun pulled Chu Tingyun’s scarf up a bit to cover his face, since many people around were taking pictures and videos. Then, he scooped the man off the ground and strode quickly through the crowd.
This action made the police officer instinctively glance at Chu Tingyun’s legs, noticing that aside from some mud spots on his pants, he didn’t seem to be injured.
Why carry him, then?
Still, the officer couldn’t help but be amazed by the young man’s strength.
Although Chu Tingyun looked lean, he was a full-grown man, standing at 1.8 meters tall, and with all the layers of winter clothing, naturally, he weighed more. Yet Yan Xun carried him effortlessly, walking steadily and quickly.
Chu Tingyun, however, was already used to this and didn’t feel embarrassed at all about being carried in front of everyone. Instead, he nestled his face comfortably against his little husband’s chest.
They got into the police car and arrived at the nearest hospital within fifteen minutes.
As luck would have it, although Chu Tingyun’s situation wasn’t great, it wasn’t too terrible either. That night, there happened to be a highly skilled surgeon on duty, specializing in exactly what Chu Tingyun needed.
After the examination, the doctor said that Chu Tingyun had grabbed part of the knife handle in time, so although the blade had embedded itself in his flesh, it hadn’t gone too deep.
“Fortunately, it didn’t cut any arteries, tendons, or nerves. However, you’ll probably need a few stitches.”
Though Chu Tingyun was in enough pain to turn pale, his first reaction to hearing about stitches was to say to the doctor:
“Please make sure to stitch it up neatly.”
Yan Xun: “…”
That sentence made him a bit angry, so he tugged at Chu Tingyun’s ear.
“At a time like this, does it matter if it looks neat or not?”
“Of course, it matters!”
Chu Tingyun winced and kept watching as the doctor stitched him up, hissing through his teeth.
“This affects the kind of scar I’ll have later!”
“…”
Once again, Yan Xun was reminded of Chu Tingyun’s obsession with not having scars. But seeing his pale face, pained as it was, Yan Xun couldn’t bring himself to say more. He simply pinched Chu Tingyun’s earlobe before letting go.
After the stitches were done, the wound was bandaged, and the doctor prescribed painkillers and gave a lot of aftercare instructions. Only after the treatment was complete did Yan Xun have the time and mental space to explain the situation to the police.
By the time they finished the police report, it was already 11 p.m. Yan Xun glanced at the time and decided not to inform his parents about the incident. It was already late, and he didn’t want to worry them and disturb their sleep. He’d tell them tomorrow instead.
However, Chu Tingyun called Jiang Shenghai.
It was the first time Father Jiang had received a personal call from his eldest son outside of work hours, and while working overtime at the company, he felt strangely emotional.
But before answering the call, he hesitated and took a blood pressure pill just in case.
“Hello? What’s the matter so late?”
Of course, Chu Tingyun wasn’t looking for comfort from his father. He just didn’t want to deal with the aftermath himself or see that disgusting Jiang Yuheng, so he dumped the matter on the old man instead.
“That fake son of yours just stabbed me in the park. He’s now in police custody, so go deal with it.”
Three short sentences, spoken in a casual, almost commanding tone, but it was as if a bomb had exploded in Father Jiang’s mind.
Stabbed?
He felt like the world was spinning.
“Are you… are you alright now?”
“Don’t overthink it. That idiot couldn’t do anything right, so he didn’t succeed. Just hurry up and get a lawyer to go to the police station. Even though he’s not your son by blood, he still is in name, so you’ll need to clean up after him.”
With that, Chu Tingyun hung up the phone.
Father Jiang: “…”
Indeed, taking that blood pressure pill was the right call.
He took a deep breath, put on his coat, and started heading out of the office, calling his lawyer on the way.
Looks like there would be no sleep for him tonight.
By this time, Chu Tingyun and Yan Xun had already left the hospital, and for safety reasons, the kind police officer had kindly driven them home.
Yan Xun didn’t say a word on the way back.
The police had already checked the surveillance footage and told them that Jiang Yuheng had been lurking around their home. Unable to enter the gated community and unable to use his ID, he had hidden in the park. Yan Xun hadn’t noticed any of this.
Clearly, Jiang Yuheng knew he couldn’t win in a direct confrontation with the two of them, especially not with Yan Xun. So, he had waited until Yan Xun was far away before suddenly attacking Chu Tingyun.
Yan Xun felt deeply regretful. If he had been a bit more careful, paid more attention to his surroundings, maybe tonight’s incident wouldn’t have happened.
Chu Tingyun, on the other hand, didn’t think too much about it. He assumed Yan Xun was still angry with him.
Seeing how worried his little husband had been earlier, Chu Tingyun hadn’t thought much and had started acting. When he saw Yan Xun trembling and almost crying from panic, he had felt both heartache and a strange satisfaction.
But after everything had settled, Chu Tingyun started to feel like he might have gone too far.
In the past, whenever they had a conflict, Yan Xun would go quiet like this. But this was the first time Chu Tingyun had felt so nervous and uneasy.
“Xun Xun?”
Knowing he was in the wrong, Chu Tingyun immediately clung to his little husband as soon as the door closed.
“Don’t be mad. I was wrong. I won’t do something like that again.”
Since they had cleared everything up before and Chu Tingyun had apologized, he realized that admitting fault and saying sorry wasn’t as hard as he had thought.
Yan Xun didn’t respond. He just quietly took off his coat, changed his shoes, and washed his hands to disinfect them.
Seeing this, Chu Tingyun changed tactics and started playing the victim.
“My hand’s hurt… Can you help me?”
“…”
This method was indeed effective—finally, Yan Xun was willing to pay attention to Chu Tingyun. He came over to help him take off his shoes and change his clothes, though he still wasn’t saying a word.
The down jacket had only been worn for the first time today, but now there was a tear at the chest, with the opening extending all the way down to the abdomen. The sweater, shirt, and even the thermal base layer underneath were all ruined.
“Xun Xun, it’s a good thing you made me wear extra clothes today—you really have foresight.”
Chu Tingyun cozied up to him again, trying to say something nice, but Yan Xun still didn’t respond, his face cold and expressionless.
So, Chu Tingyun thought to take advantage of the situation by trying to kiss or hug him. But each time, Yan Xun either coldly dodged or effortlessly restrained him, leaving him unable to move.
The difference in strength between the two was evident. Chu Tingyun finally realized that if Yan Xun didn’t want to cooperate, all his so-called cunning tricks were useless.
Thinking back now, it seemed almost miraculous that he had managed to keep Yan Xun locked up for so long in the past.
After all, if Yan Xun had been willing to use force, he could have easily overpowered Chu Tingyun, taken the keys, and escaped.
Now that he was thinking clearly, Chu Tingyun realized that many of the things that had happened back then defied pure rational logic.
Defying logic meant it had to be love!
Not to mention, earlier tonight, Yan Xun had told him “I love you” several times. Of course, Chu Tingyun felt guilty, but looking back on it, he couldn’t help but feel a rush of satisfaction.
So, apologizing and coaxing Yan Xun? Sure, that was fine—definitely the right thing to do.
Face and pride? Not important at all!
“Yan Xun, Xun Xun…”
Chu Tingyun followed behind Yan Xun, step by step. Wherever Yan Xun went, Chu Tingyun followed.
“Little Yan Sweetie? Little husband?”
However, none of these nicknames worked at the moment.
Finally, Chu Tingyun had to say, “I need a bath.”
“My hand is injured, I can’t do it by myself. Xun Xun, can you help me bathe?”
“……”
Yan Xun stared at him for a few seconds before sighing silently, as if resigning to something.
“Let’s go.”
This was the first thing he had said since they returned home from the hospital.
Chu Tingyun let out a small breath of relief.
Looks like things were starting to get better.
He thought to himself: See?
Now, Chu Tingyun had evolved quite a bit. He believed that an apology, admitting fault, and then a little more intimacy—this full package—could resolve any conflict!
In the past, he couldn’t bring himself to apologize, but now, he thought that was no big deal!
Pride? Who cares? His little husband was the top priority!
Yan Xun wrapped layers of plastic wrap around Chu Tingyun’s hand to prevent water from getting in, then led him to the bathroom.
Half a minute later—
Rip!
The sound of fabric tearing echoed clearly in the bathroom.
Since the clothes were already ruined, Yan Xun simply tore them open along the existing rip to avoid touching the wound.
“Gulp…”
Chu Tingyun swallowed twice instinctively, feeling a bit scared for some reason.
Yan Xun was only wearing a plain white cotton long-sleeve shirt, the front hem of which had been cut off earlier to use as a makeshift bandage for Chu Tingyun. As he moved, a faint glimpse of his abs could be seen.
Chu Tingyun couldn’t help but stare, completely unaware that his own upper body had been stripped bare.
Yan Xun’s gaze lingered on Chu Tingyun for a few seconds. The marks from the previous night’s rough lovemaking were still visible on his pale skin, making them stand out even more.
Yan Xun also noticed the scar left from Chu Tingyun’s surgery in Russia.
The scar had faded significantly and was barely noticeable at first glance, but it was still there. The texture of the skin around it was different, a slight unevenness compared to the surrounding smoothness.
Chu Tingyun instinctively flinched, trying to pull away from Yan Xun’s hand, but his back was pressed against the wall with nowhere to go.
“Stop touching it.”
He turned his head away.
“Didn’t you say this scar was ugly?”
“……”
Yan Xun paused.
“When did I ever say the scar was ugly?”
“?”
Chu Tingyun immediately turned back, his gaze filled with clear accusation as he stared at Yan Xun.
“Three years ago, right after my surgery, you said the scar was ugly.”
“……”
Yan Xun stayed silent for a long moment.
So Chu Tingyun had spent two years trying every method to remove the scar, and earlier tonight he had been so concerned about scarring after the stitches—all because of something Yan Xun had said offhandedly?
“Chu Tingyun, I only said that so you would watch your diet and avoid eating anything that could affect the wound’s healing.”
Chu Tingyun: “……”
Then what were the past two years of hard work for?
What for?!
Yan Xun didn’t say anything more, but the tension around him visibly softened.
He reached for the jade pendant hanging around Chu Tingyun’s neck, intending to remove it before the bath, when he noticed a new, thin crack down the center of the small Guanyin pendant. The crack was fresh.
Chu Tingyun noticed the crack too and suddenly remembered something:
“Actually, I didn’t completely dodge Jiang Yuheng’s first attack. Your little Guanyin blocked the knife for me before I managed to evade.”
“……”
Blocked it?
Yan Xun froze, feeling an unprecedented wave of relief.
Chu Tingyun felt fortunate too.
At the time, he had been really scared. Anyone would be—facing a madman suddenly lunging at them with a knife aimed at their heart. Who wouldn’t be afraid?
But back then, all of Chu Tingyun’s attention had been drawn to Yan Xun, who had been so anxious he nearly cried. Only now, thinking back, did the fear slowly set in.
“Even though it’s superstitious nonsense, there’s some truth to the idea that jade can ward off disasters. Looking at it now, maybe it was fate that I took your little Guanyin after all.”
Despite his shamelessness, Chu Tingyun was still feeling quite pleased with himself. But then, he heard Yan Xun say—
“I gave it to you.”
“…Huh?”
Chu Tingyun was stunned.
Yan Xun removed the pendant, placing it aside, and then bent down to help him take off his pants. The smart shower system activated, but only the waist-level nozzles were turned on, avoiding the overhead spray and the hand-held showerhead.
Whoosh…
Warm water cascaded from the side, level with their waists and backs.
The two of them stood crowded together in the shower stall. Some of the spray hit Yan Xun, dampening his clothes. The white cotton material clung to his body, turning slightly translucent.
Yan Xun placed Chu Tingyun’s bandaged hand on his own shoulder to keep it from getting wet, maintaining this position as he helped Chu Tingyun bathe.
In such an intimate and suggestive position, Chu Tingyun didn’t think of anything erotic. He was still frozen, processing what Yan Xun had just said, and couldn’t help but ask again:
“What do you mean? You gave it to me?”
Wasn’t this the pendant he had snatched from Yan Xun at the villa in the snow-covered mountains?
Back then, Yan Xun had tried repeatedly to take it back but failed. Chu Tingyun had continued wearing it himself, thinking of it as collateral—as long as he had the pendant, Yan Xun wouldn’t leave him. So, he had worn it for three years.
He thought everything had been cleared up between them, but now it seemed like there was still a misunderstanding hiding in some corner?!
“General anesthesia surgery doesn’t allow for wearing accessories.”
Yan Xun only said this much.
“……”
Chu Tingyun was stunned, standing there for a long time before his mind began to clear. It was like a ray of light breaking through heavy clouds.
During a surgery under general anesthesia, no accessories were allowed. Yet after waking up from the operation, Chu Tingyun had found the jade pendant still on him. What did that mean? It was obvious.
But back then, he hadn’t noticed at all. He had never even considered it.
After all, only a couple of days after waking up from the surgery, Yan Xun had told him they would never see each other again, that they were done for good. So, Chu Tingyun had never imagined that something as important as the little Guanyin pendant would have actually been given to him by Yan Xun!
At that moment, Chu Tingyun’s emotions were extremely complicated, and he even felt a little upset.
“Yan Xun, what were you thinking?”
“On one hand, you gave me a token of affection, and on the other hand, you said we’d never see each other again? Are you mentally…”
Chu Tingyun had intended to say something like “mentally unstable” or “are you crazy?” but he caught himself before the words came out and rephrased it:
“How could your actions be so contradictory?!”
Yan Xun didn’t rush to answer. He waited until the water had soaked Chu Tingyun thoroughly, then gently peeled off the band-aid from his chest wound. Exposed to the air and the steamy mist, the skin around the pink scar puckered slightly, surrounded by faint teeth marks, resembling the outline of a delicate pink rose.
Yan Xun removed one bandage, then another, before finally responding:
“Because right after I gave it to you, I saw you were recording.”
Chu Tingyun: “…”
He immediately choked on his breath, feeling like he had just shot himself in the foot.
If it weren’t for that recording, maybe they could have cleared everything up early on, and there would have been no need for three years of torment afterward.
Just thinking about it made Chu Tingyun want to pinch his own philtrum.
At this moment, Yan Xun turned off the water, then pumped out two squeezes of body wash and began rubbing it on him, from shoulders to chest, waist to legs.
“Mm…”
The strange, tingling sensation sparked across his nerves like an electric current, and Chu Tingyun couldn’t help but let out a few soft moans as he began sticking himself to Yan Xun again. Now that there were no clothes in the way, any reaction from his body was obvious.
Yan Xun looked down at him for a few seconds and suddenly asked,
“Chu Tingyun, do you really want to be the top that badly?”
Even in life-threatening moments, he remembered.
Chu Tingyun was first taken aback, then got excited.
“Of course I do.”
He thought Yan Xun’s attitude was softening and got so excited that he even reached out to grope his little husband’s butt, only to be caught halfway.
“Xun Xun, just let me this once, just once. I guarantee you’ll want it next time too!”
“…”
Yan Xun raised an eyebrow,
“Are you any good at being the top?”
“Of course I’m good! I even specially learned!”
Chu Tingyun wished he could tear off his little husband’s clothes right then and there to demonstrate. It was just a shame his right hand was injured, which would slightly hinder his performance.
Yan Xun thought for a moment and relented,
“It’s not impossible, but there’s one condition.”
“Hmm?”
Chu Tingyun was shocked and then overjoyed.
“Forget one condition, ten or a hundred would be fine!”
Yan Xun nodded matter-of-factly, “Alright, one hundred conditions then.”
Chu Tingyun: “…”
Why didn’t he say this was too much this time?
After a few seconds of silence, Chu Tingyun asked, “What’s the condition?”
Yan Xun removed his half-wet shirt with one hand and took out his phone to set a countdown timer,
“You can’t move. And if you can last half an hour in my hands… I’ll let you.”
“Half an hour?”
Chu Tingyun thought he was joking,
“That’s so easy, Xun Xun, you just want me to top, don’t you?”
Yan Xun only said, “Try and you’ll see.”
“Then I’ll try!”
President Chu was very confident.
But soon after, he saw Yan Xun take out a box from the cabinet behind the mirror. When the box opened, Chu Tingyun was stunned.
“Yan Xun! How did you know there was… You can’t use that…”
“Damn it! You’re cheating… Mmph!”
Yan Xun tore a piece of cloth from the shirt he had taken off earlier, wadded it up, and stuffed it into Chu Tingyun’s mouth.
He tightly gripped the wrist of the man’s injured right hand, pulling it to his left shoulder and holding it in place to prevent him from moving and aggravating the wound. Chu Tingyun leaned back against Yan Xun’s chest, with half of his weight pressed on him. Ever since Chu Tingyun had become se-xually active, he had never been the top, and the most he’d done was a little groping. So, when the high-tech little bell was forcibly pressed onto him by Yan Xun, Chu Tingyun’s mind felt like it exploded. But after a while, Yan Xun would release the tension, letting him relax a bit, then continue. The rhythm was perfect, constantly teasing him at the edge and pulling back, repeatedly tormenting him. In the end, Yan Xun purposely locked everything in, holding him on the brink. With only five minutes left on the thirty-minute countdown, Chu Tingyun’s face was flushed, his knees were shaking, and he could barely stand.
Yan Xun asked him, “Still want to be the top?”
“Mm… no, no…”
Tears of physical exertion wet the man’s eyelashes completely.
“Still going to fake things and deceive me in the future?”
“No… Mmph…”
Chu Tingyun shook his head desperately, his neck even flushing from the strain. He felt like if this kept up, Yan Xun would really send him to the hospital’s andrology department. With only one minute left on the countdown, Yan Xun finally let go. A few seconds later, the clean, clear partition glass was instantly soiled. Chu Tingyun looked as if his soul had been completely drained.
Yan Xun wiped his hands on Chu Tingyun’s face and declared:
“Unfortunately, Mr. Chu, you didn’t meet the first condition.”
Chu Tingyun: “…”
So, there really are ninety-nine more to go?
Suddenly, he felt a bit of fear.
Fortunately, Yan Xun didn’t do anything else afterward. He just helped wash him off and also cleaned the partition glass.
After being so thoroughly “dealt with,” Chu Tingyun didn’t dare say a word. He just curled up on the bed, waiting to cuddle his little husband to sleep.
But then, Yan Xun suddenly grabbed a blanket and left the room.
Chu Tingyun immediately jumped up, “Where are you going?”
“To sleep on the couch.”
“Why sleep on the couch???”
Yan Xun replied, “I’m still mad.”
Chu Tingyun: “???”
“Didn’t we just settle everything?”
“Who said that was settling things?”
If it weren’t for the fact that Chu Tingyun was injured, Yan Xun wouldn’t have let him off so easily. He would have spanked him until his butt bloomed, so he’d really learn his lesson.
At this moment, Yan Xun glanced at him, “Chu Tingyun, didn’t you want to be the top? I was just giving you a chance to see things clearly.”
After saying that, he left with the blanket.
Chu Tingyun: “…”
He tossed and turned in bed for five minutes, but in the end, he couldn’t stand it and went out to squeeze onto the couch with Yan Xun.
The living room lights were off, and it was pitch dark.
“Xun Xun?”
Chu Tingyun hugged him from behind, but Yan Xun pushed him away.
“Is there something you need, Mr. Chu?”
“…”
Calling him Mr. Chu—he was really mad.
Now, Chu Tingyun truly felt regret. He wrapped his arms around the young man’s waist.
“Yan Xun, don’t call me that.”
“…”
Yan Xun was silent for two seconds, and finally dropped the sarcastic tone,
“Chu Tingyun, I can joke with you, and I can even accept you deceiving me, but you can’t lie to me about something like this.”
In the dark, his voice was soft:
“Did you ever think about what I would do if you had died?”
Chu Tingyun froze, taking a long time to find his voice.
“…Sorry, I won’t do it again.”
This time, his apology was much more sincere.
But then, after thinking for a moment, Chu Tingyun suddenly suggested:
“How about I let you spank me twice to let off some steam? Anyway, I’m skipping work tomorrow, so I don’t need to sit through a meeting.”
Yan Xun: “…”
Is this supposed to be enjoyable for you?
