After My Childhood Friend Misunderstood That I Had a Boyfriend - Chapter 33

Chapter 33:  I’m going to be eaten

Chu Xi originally only intended to give him a quick kiss as a simple gesture of encouragement! How did Zhou Jinyan turn it into a full “all-you-can-eat” buffet?!

The corners of Chu Xi’s lips felt numb from the friction of the other man’s thumb, still carrying the lingering sensation of that fierce kiss. And most importantly…

A string in Chu Xi’s brain suddenly snapped into place. He felt something, and it made him restless. His body stiffened slightly as he sensed a distinct tactile presence beneath him. He didn’t know whether to move or stay still.

After a long while, Chu Xi lowered his head slightly: “…Brother, are you okay?”

The atmosphere froze for a moment. Chu Xi didn’t dare move. He looked up at Zhou Jinyan, his tone sincere: “Um, aren’t you going to go… handle that?”

It was incredibly bizarre. Given their current posture and state, it was lucky the atmosphere wasn’t a dry-tinder-meets-spark situation, otherwise, Chu Xi would have thought he was about to be eaten alive right here.

Zhou Jinyan’s eyes darkened, though his expression remained as steady and cool as ever: “No need.”

Zhou Jinyan exhaled slowly: “It will go down on its own.”

Chu Xi blinked at how flatly he said that, as if he were very experienced.

The pressure at his waist suddenly loosened as the arm holding him retracted. Zhou Jinyan pinched the soft flesh of Chu Xi’s side: “Go to the bedroom and wait for me, Baby.”

With a supportive pat on his bottom, Chu Xi shivered from the warmth of the palm. It wasn’t until he was standing firmly on the floor that he reacted: “Oh, okay.”

Chu Xi paused, adding: “I’ll be waiting for you, then. See you in a bit.”

Without waiting for Zhou Jinyan to respond, Chu Xi bolted out of the study. As he leaned against the closed door, he finally heard the frantic thumping of his own heart.

Wait for him in the bedroom.

…What a scandalous line!

With a mind now half-filled with “R-rated” thoughts, Chu Xi’s first move upon returning to the bedroom was to throw himself onto the bed, wrapping himself into a burrito with the quilt.

Tonight…

I should probably be able to sleep early, right?

The rain that had fallen all day finally stopped, leaving only the rhythmic drip-drop of water sliding down the eaves onto the ground.

Steam rose from the hot water. Zhou Jinyan rinsed a certain stickiness from his palms, the clear water flowing over his skin and between his fingers. After a while, he turned off the tap and took a paper towel to slowly and methodically dry his hands.

Chu Xi had just showered, and the laundry basket next to him held the clothes he had worn that day. Zhou Jinyan stripped off his own clothes and placed them in the basket with Chu Xi’s.

The moment his shirt landed in the basket, he suddenly realized that the underwear Chu Xi had worn today was likely tossed in there too.

Oh.

Zhou Jinyan raised an eyebrow. The next moment, steam filled the cramped space again. The sound of the water was like the rain outside, but mixed within that “rain” was the heavy breathing of a grown man.

Chu Xi was nearly asleep by the time the master bedroom door opened again. He poked his head out from the quilt, eyes bleary as he let out a yawn: “You’re so late.”

An hour and a half had passed. Did it really take Zhou Jinyan that long to finish his shower?

Chu Xi sat up, but his sleepy eyes suddenly snapped wide open. Zhou Jinyan was wearing only a pair of pajama pants. His hair was still wet, and droplets of water were slowly rolling down his abs, eventually disappearing past his waistband.

Admittedly, from the moment Chu Xi looked, his eyes didn’t move. His gaze was practically glued to him. Chu Xi couldn’t help but swallow hard; his “sinful” heart was stirring.

Photos and videos were impactful enough, but seeing it in person was a whole different level of intensity.

Having a boyfriend with a great body was a feast for the eyes. After admiring the view for a moment, Chu Xi asked with concern: “Why aren’t you wearing a shirt? Aren’t you cold?”

He completely forgot that he himself had wandered around in front of Zhou Jinyan yesterday wearing only a top. Besides, the room was well-heated; “cold” wasn’t even in the vocabulary.

Chu Xi realized he had said something useless as soon as the words left his mouth. Of course Zhou Jinyan wasn’t cold! At this hour, in this situation, coming to find him shirtless—what was he planning?

Was he trying to seduce him?

If that was the case, Chu Xi admitted pathetically that he was, indeed, very seduced.

“Baby.” Zhou Jinyan had a towel draped over his head, water still dripping from his hair. “Help me get my shirt.”

Chu Xi hadn’t quite processed it: “What?”

“Wait a second.” Hearing Zhou Jinyan say that, Chu Xi began to doubt if his own mind was just too dirty. Zhou Jinyan looked so stoic and indifferent; how could he be thinking the same things?

Chu Xi spotted the pajama top draped on the side of the bed and handed it over.

Seeing him drying his hair, Chu Xi proactively offered: “I’ll help you put it on.”

Hmm?

Zhou Jinyan raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected this kind of “service” and agreed without a second thought: “Okay.”

Chu Xi unfolded the pajama top. Once he helped him into it, Zhou Jinyan used the momentum to pull him into a hug, resting his chin on Chu Xi’s shoulder. His arms wrapped tightly around Chu Xi’s waist as if he were afraid the boy would run away.

Zhou Jinyan tilted his head, nuzzling Chu Xi’s neck before placing a soft, gentle kiss on his cheek. His voice was full of pleasure: “Thank you, Baby.”

Chu Xi found the clinginess a bit overwhelming, half-complaining and half-teasing: “You’re so clingy.”

“Mm-hm, I’m a clingy spirit.” Zhou Jinyan patted his bottom and hoisted him up into his arms. “Can I be clingy with you forever, Baby?”

Lifted face-to-face, Chu Xi naturally looped his arms around Zhou Jinyan’s neck. Hearing this, he teased: “I don’t like clingy people.”

Zhou Jinyan had his own set of logic: “Then it’s fine as long as Baby likes me.”

Zhou Jinyan bounced him slightly in his arms: “Don’t like any other clingy spirits.”

The way he said it made it sound like Chu Xi was out there looking for other clingy people.

Chu Xi didn’t think much of it. Since Zhou Jinyan was teasing him, he decided to get revenge by messing with the pajama top he had just helped him put on.

He scrunched the neat fabric into a wrinkled mess. As they played around, Zhou Jinyan lowered Chu Xi onto the soft bed, bracing his hands on either side, effectively trapping him in that small space.

Chu Xi blinked: “And what if I said I did like another clingy spirit? What would you do?”

Would he hide under the covers and cry secretly like a discarded puppy?

Zhou Jinyan paused, beginning to overanalyze the potential double meaning behind Chu Xi’s words.

Like another clingy spirit?

Zhou Jinyan’s calm emotions were stirred by something other than lust. Within seconds, he became convinced: Is Chu Xi trying to give me a heads-up?

Is he saying he will like many people, and won’t keep his heart solely on me, even if I’m the favorite for now?

Though he knew this day might come, he hadn’t expected it so soon. His heart skipped a beat.

Just this morning he was mocking Chu Xi’s “official” boyfriend for being neglected—was it now his turn to face the same fate?

Zhou Jinyan gave a frustrated laugh. He lifted his left hand, which had been bracing the bed, and cupped the back of Chu Xi’s head as if afraid he would dodge.

“Baby.” Zhou Jinyan leaned down to kiss him. “I’m going to kiss you.”

Not just kiss you, but do even more excessive things. He would demand from him without limit, regardless of his will. He would watch Chu Xi react to him—helpless, hopeless, trembling like the flowers beaten by the rain this morning.

Just like now, the force of his kiss was so heavy that the boy let out a small whimper of pain. When they parted slightly, he gave him no time to catch his breath before pressing down with another powerful, dominant kiss.

Chu Xi’s long lashes wouldn’t stop trembling: “Mm… Nnh!”

Kissed into a state of blurred consciousness, he had one final shred of clarity: Zhou Jinyan seems angry.

A moment later, he collapsed heavily back onto the soft bed. Seeing that the man had no intention of letting him go and was coming in for more, Chu Xi became certain: his insecure boyfriend was definitely throwing a tantrum.

When the kiss finally ended, Chu Xi’s chest heaved violently. His glassy eyes were filmed over with a layer of mist as he gasped for air.

After a few moments of recovery, he finally asked in a trembling voice: “What’s wrong?”

“Are you jealous?” Chu Xi rubbed his face. Zhou Jinyan’s hair was still damp and had been rubbing against him; the collar of Chu Xi’s own shirt was now wet. “I won’t like any other clingy spirits. Don’t be mad. I’ll blow-dry your hair for you.”

Chu Xi got out of bed to fetch the hair dryer. After plugging it in, he began drying the hair of his sulking lover.

The warm hum of the dryer blew away the coldness radiating from Zhou Jinyan. They remained silent for a while; Chu Xi focused on the task, while the man kept his lips pressed thin, lost in thought.

Eventually, the noise stopped.

Chu Xi unplugged the device: “All done.”

He put the dryer away and turned off the lights. As they lay in bed, the low-pressure atmosphere lingered, and for a while, neither spoke.

After a moment, Chu Xi felt a warm source of heat press against his side. He opened his eyes just as Zhou Jinyan pulled him into his arms.

Zhou Jinyan lowered his head: “I’m sorry, Baby.”

He reflected: “I took my temper out on you. Forgive me, okay?”

Chu Xi rolled over to face him. He wasn’t actually angry; rather, it was the man in front of him who was brooding, unable to let go of his own inner conflict.

Chu Xi let out a soft sigh and comforted him: “It’s okay.”

No matter the reason for your anger, I won’t hold it against you. You have the right to be angry, and the right to keep your reasons to yourself. Regardless, I will give you all my favoritism.

Because I love you.

Lovers should be tolerant of one another.

“It’s okay,” Chu Xi whispered again. Even though he knew Zhou Jinyan couldn’t see his eyes in the dark, he stubbornly stared in his direction. “Let’s sleep. Goodnight, Brother.”

Tomorrow is a new day; forget today’s unpleasantness.

Chu Xi proactively buried himself in Zhou Jinyan’s chest, soothing that anxious heart.

Zhou Jinyan felt as if a missing piece of his heart had grown back. His hesitant hand moved, finally settling firmly around Chu Xi’s waist: “Goodnight, Baby.”

The Next Morning

Unlike yesterday, Zhou Jinyan woke up before Chu Xi. Asleep, Chu Xi looked as well-behaved as his reputation suggested, resting quietly against the man’s chest with slow, steady breaths.

Zhou Jinyan stared for a while, noticing that in the early morning, Chu Xi’s lips looked very pink.

Chu Xi had an internal body clock and woke up groggily on time. Opening his eyes to find Zhou Jinyan staring at him, he spoke with the raspy weariness of someone just waking up: “What are you doing? Staring at me instead of sleeping.”

Zhou Jinyan spoke half-jokingly, half-truthfully: “I’m afraid Baby might suddenly disappear.”

Fine, it seems my boyfriend really, really lacks a sense of security. Zhou Jinyan is the real drama queen here! He needed to be told he was loved over and over again.

But the feeling wasn’t bad.

To be completely clung to by the person he liked their heart always on him, their care for him deepening with every passing day.

He liked this kind of love.

While people often say love fades with the erosion of time, Chu Xi didn’t agree. If love fades with time, it only means the love wasn’t deep enough to begin with.

Chu Xi hugged him: “I won’t.”

Chu Xi: “I will stay by your side forever.”

Once the initial “honeymoon phase” high wears off and the hormones clear, every couple needs to go through the friction of adjustment.

If expressing love was what his insecure lover needed, he wouldn’t mind saying “I love you” a thousand times.

Chu Xi decided a kiss would best soothe Zhou Jinyan. He leaned forward, following the man’s breath, and slowly pressed his lips against his.

It was like a dragonfly touching the water, sending ripples across a lake. Soft petals of lips met like two clouds merging.

Usually, Chu Xi’s kisses were just a few seconds of contact before pulling away very innocent. Yet, they never failed to make Zhou Jinyan’s heart stir.

Just as Zhou Jinyan thought Chu Xi was about to pull away, he felt a warm, wet sensation tracing his lips. The movements were clumsy; clearly, he didn’t have much experience in this area.

Chu Xi tried to imitate the way Zhou Jinyan usually kissed him, only to find he couldn’t replicate that predatory, dominant feeling at all.

Isn’t kissing supposed to be an instinct you’re born with?! Why didn’t I inherit that instinct?!

Chu Xi felt a sudden wave of defeat, especially when he noticed that Zhou Jinyan wasn’t dazed and breathless the way Chu Xi usually was.

As Chu Xi pulled away in frustration, he heard Zhou Jinyan’s raspy, deep voice murmur in his ear: “Chu Xi.”

Chu Xi looked up: “Hmm?”

“You have to kiss like this.” The moment Chu Xi looked up, Zhou Jinyan kissed him back urgently and swiftly. His tongue wreaked havoc, grazing the roof of his mouth. No matter how many times it happened, Chu Xi’s mind always went blank.

When the five-minute kiss finally ended, Chu Xi was once again gasping for air. Zhou Jinyan slowly wiped the moisture from the boy’s lips with his thumb: “Baby, kiss me like that from now on, okay?”

Kiss me with that intense, burning desire. Tell me that your possessiveness is not a bit less than mine.

Chu Xi knew his technique was far from polished. His ears turned a bashful red: “Okay.”

The more Chu Xi thought about it, the more his competitive streak surfaced. Being judged as “unskilled” at kissing? It must be because he didn’t take the initiative often enough. So: “Let me try again.”

It was still a bit clumsy, but for once, both found it hard to restrain themselves. Chu Xi, dazed from the kissing, murmured clingily: “…I like you so much.”

This confession in the heat of the moment cast a fog over Zhou Jinyan’s usually sharp mind, prompting him to ask impulsively: “Do you only like me?”

As if afraid of a negative answer, his voice was very soft.

“What are you talking about?” In the brief second they parted, Chu Xi said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world: “Of course I only like you.”