Don't You like Little Dogs? Now that I'm Taking Liberties, You're Suddenly Reluctant? - Chapter 48

Jiang Si recovered quickly. His willpower had always far exceeded that of ordinary people, and under Pei Ye’s meticulous care, his progress was even more remarkable.

During this time, he brought up that kiss again, or rather, he confirmed their relationship in his own way.

“Did you like it?” Jiang Si asked suddenly while Pei Ye was helping him change his bandages.

“What?” Pei Ye did not seem to understand, his hand holding the medicine pausing.

His finger accidentally brushed against the skin of Jiang Si’s abdomen. Jiang Si’s eyes darkened. He reached out, grabbed Pei Ye’s wrist, and as Pei Ye looked up in confusion, Jiang Si leaned in and kissed him again.

Unlike the first weak and brief contact, this kiss carried a clear sense of possession and testing. Although it still could not be called gentle, it caused Pei Ye to freeze instantly.

Master?

He did not dare move a muscle. The sound of his heartbeat grew louder, and the hand holding the medicine remained stuck in mid-air.

Jiang Si looked down at the other man’s reaction and, with a touch of mischief, lightly bit Pei Ye’s lower lip.

Pei Ye let out a very soft, muffled groan but still did not move, obediently enduring this incredibly forceful, deep kiss from Jiang Si.

Seeing that Pei Ye looked as if he might faint, Jiang Si finally released him. He even kindly wiped the corner of Pei Ye’s mouth and gave a faint evaluation. “Not bad.”

Pei Ye: “—”

His entire face felt like it was on fire.

Days flowed by this way, with dark undercurrents and warming emotions surging beneath the surface of their peaceful life. Finally, Jiang Si was able to get out of bed and walk, and the doctor cleared him to continue his recovery at home.

Returning to the familiar apartment, the atmosphere felt different. The carefully selected furniture finally carried the true essence of a home.

In the evening, Pei Ye finished changing the bandages on Jiang Si’s back and prepared to leave for the guest bathroom to shower. Even though their relationship had been confirmed in a certain hidden way, he still did not dare to use the master bathroom.

“Stay,” Jiang Si suddenly called out to him.

“Shower in here,” Jiang Si said without looking up, leaning against the headboard while holding an electronic report. His tone was as natural as if he were commenting on the weather.

Pei Ye’s footsteps stopped, and his heart skipped a beat. “Master?”

“It saves you from running back and forth. It is a hassle,” Jiang Si raised his eyes, his gaze calm and steady. “What? Are you unwilling?”

“I am willing!” Pei Ye answered immediately, his voice tight.

He walked into the master bathroom, his movements stiff and uncoordinated.

As the hot water poured down, Pei Ye’s mind remained a mess. The master bathroom was filled with traces of Master’s life. The cedar-scented body wash, the aftershave, everything was permeated with Jiang Si’s scent, making him feel lightheaded.

While drying off, he could not resist carefully picking up a towel that carried Jiang Si’s scent and burying his face in it, taking a deep breath.

Master’s scent.

His face turned red involuntarily.

I love it so much.

After showering, Pei Ye came out wearing a bathrobe, his hair still wet. Jiang Si had put down the report and was watching him.

“Come here,” Jiang Si beckoned.

Pei Ye walked over obediently. Jiang Si picked up a hair dryer he had prepared and motioned for him to sit. Pei Ye sat on the edge of the bed in a daze, feeling Master’s fingers running through his hair again. The hum of the dryer masked his thundering heartbeat.

All of this felt as beautiful as a dream. Master was drying his hair again. He secretly pinched himself and only stopped when he felt a slight sting of pain.

It was not a dream. It was real.

After drying his hair, Jiang Si put the hair dryer down but did not leave. He stood in front of Pei Ye.

Pei Ye looked up into those deep, bottomless black eyes. Jiang Si reached out, his fingertips grazing Pei Ye’s cheek, passing his trembling eyelashes, and finally resting on his lips.

Jiang Si’s gaze was focused and deep, carrying a pure, unshielded look of scrutiny and possession. Then, he leaned down and kissed him once more.

This was not a brief touch or a test. It was a real kiss with clear intent. It was forceful, impossible to refuse, and carried Jiang Si’s unique predatory aura, yet it was also exceptionally focused.

Pei Ye’s brain completely shut down. He could only endure it awkwardly and passively, feeling the warmth and softness, as well as the heart-pounding power beneath it. He closed his eyes, his fingers unconsciously clutching the bedsheets beneath him.

After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Si finally let go. Both of their breaths were ragged.

Jiang Si looked at Pei Ye’s flushed cheeks and moist, dazed eyes. His thumb lightly brushed over Pei Ye’s lower lip, his eyes dark.

“From now on, you sleep here,” he announced in a tone that allowed no argument. “That is an order.”

With that, he turned toward the bed as if he had just issued a perfectly ordinary command.

“Yes, Master,” Pei Ye sat there blankly. It took several seconds for the meaning of those words to sink in. The massive wave of joy and impact made it almost impossible for him to think.

After a while, he stood up, walked to the other side of the bed, and lay down cautiously, his body as stiff as a wooden board. The bed was large, but he hardly dared to move for fear of touching Jiang Si next to him.

Jiang Si glanced at him and turned off the bedside lamp.

In the darkness, Pei Ye’s senses became incredibly sharp. He could hear Master’s steady breathing, feel the heat coming from the other side, and smell the comforting scent of cedar and tobacco.

After a long time, Pei Ye’s stiff body finally began to relax. He quietly turned his head, gazing at Jiang Si’s blurred silhouette in the dark. His heart was filled with an unprecedented sense of happiness.

Master’s sleeping face. I love it.

Just when he thought the other man had fallen asleep, an arm suddenly reached over and hooked around his waist, pulling him closer.

Pei Ye held his breath instantly.

“Pei Ye, I do not do secret relationships.”

Jiang Si’s voice was heavy with sleep and raspy like rough sandpaper, yet it carried an undeniable clarity. This was not a discussion but a declaration. It was the final answer he had provided after weighing everything: direct and overbearing, just like the man himself.

He did not even open his eyes, as if he were merely stating a natural fact. But the arm around Pei Ye’s waist tightened, pinning him within his territory in a gesture of absolute possession. Body heat transferred through the thin clothing, carrying a heart-pounding aggression.

“Master!”

Pei Ye’s body froze again, but this time, it was not out of fear or unease. He was struck by a massive wave of ecstasy that nearly drowned him, along with a dizzying sense of being overwhelmed.

His heart thudded wildly in his chest, hitting his ribs with a roar that only he could hear.

Master acknowledged it? In this way?

It was not an ambiguous test or a silent permission, but a direct establishment of his official status. Although this status still sounded full of Jiang Si’s trademark control, to him, it was a long-sought blessing.

He held his breath and carefully tried to relax his tense muscles. Every movement was as light as a feather, for fear of disturbing this dreamlike moment.

Little by little, he allowed himself to lean completely against the warm and solid chest in front of him. He felt Master’s strong heartbeat through a layer of flesh, gradually syncing with his own disordered pulse.

Finally, his forehead rested lightly against Jiang Si’s shoulder as he hugged him back. The familiar scent of cedar and tobacco, mixed with a faint medicinal smell, surrounded him and gave him a sense of peace he had never known before.

He closed his eyes, his long eyelashes trembling as he forced back the hot tears that were nearly overflowing.

Outside the window, the city neon lights peeked through the gaps in the curtains, casting faint shadows on the ceiling. In this darkness and silence, two hearts that were once cold and lonely leaned against each other closely, beating as one.

The night was long, and danger lurked in the shadows, but for now, in their own warm little home, they had each other.

That was enough.